A Sort of Sorites, as the Logicians Call It, to Show that the Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Drachma Have No Suitable Application to the Christ of Marcion.

Chapter XXXII.—A Sort of Sorites, as the Logicians Call It, to Show that the Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Drachma Have No Suitable Application to the Christ of Marcion.

Who sought after the lost sheep and the lost piece of silver? ⁴⁷⁶⁷ Was it not the loser? But who was the loser? Was it not he who once possessed ⁴⁷⁶⁸ them? Who, then, was that? Was it not he to whom they belonged? ⁴⁷⁶⁹ Since, then, man is the property of none other than the Creator, He possessed Him who owned him; He lost him who once possessed him; He sought him who lost him; He found him who sought him; He rejoiced who found him. Therefore the purport ⁴⁷⁷⁰ of neither parable has anything whatever to do with him ⁴⁷⁷¹ to whom belongs neither the sheep nor the piece of silver, that is to say, man.  For he lost him not, because he possessed him not; and he sought him not, because he lost him not; and he found him not, because he sought him not; and he rejoiced not, because he found him not.  Therefore, to rejoice over the sinner’s repentance—that is, at the recovery of lost man—is the attribute of Him who long ago professed that He would rather that the sinner should repent and not die.

Footnotes

402:4767

Luke xv. 1-10.

402:4768

Habuit.

402:4769

Cujus fuit: i.e., each of the things respectively.

402:4770

Argumentum.

402:4771

Vacat circa eum.