On the Resurrection, Fragments

THOSE: then, who are called natural philosophers, say, some of them, like Plato, that the universe consists of matter and God; others, like Epicurus, that it is made of atoms and the void; others, like the Stoics, that it is composed of four elements—fire, water, air, and earth. It is enough to mention the most prevalent opinions. Plato says that God makes all things from matter following His design; however, Epicurus and his followers claim all things come from atoms and the void through a kind of self-regulating natural movement of the bodies; and the Stoics argue that everything comes from the four elements with God pervading them.

Despite their differences, there are some doctrines all these philosophers commonly acknowledge, one of which is that nothing can be produced from what does not exist, nor can anything be destroyed into non-existence, and that the elements from which everything is generated are indestructible. Given this, the regeneration of the flesh would seem possible to all these philosophers. According to Plato, since both matter and God are indestructible, with God as the creator like a potter, and matter as the clay or wax, whatever is formed from matter, such as an image or a statue, is destructible; but the matter itself, like clay or wax, is indestructible.

The artist designs using clay or wax, making the form of a living creature; and if his work is destroyed, it is not impossible for him to recreate the same form using the same material.

Therefore, according to Plato, it would not be impossible for God, who is Himself indestructible and works with indestructible material, to reform what was created and destroyed, just as it was before. Even according to the Stoics, if a body is formed by the mixture of four elementary substances and then dissolved back into these elements, since they remain indestructible, it is possible for them to be combined again by God pervading them, re-forming the body they originally made.

Like a person who makes a composition of gold, silver, brass, and tin, dissolves it, and then mixes them again to recreate the same composition. Similarly, according to Epicurus, since atoms and the void are indestructible, a specific arrangement of atoms forms all things, including bodies; and when a body is dissolved, it returns to its original atoms. As these remain indestructible, they can come together again to form a body similar to what was initially created, like a jeweler making a mosaic of an animal, scattering the stones, and then recomposing them to recreate the same form.

Could God not also gather the scattered elements of the body and recreate it just as it was initially made by Him?