Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol I: IGNATIUS: Chapter III.—Christ was possessed of...

Chapter III.—Christ was possessed of a body after His resurrection.

For I know that after His resurrection also He was still possessed of flesh, 990 and I believe that He is so now. When, for instance, He came to those who were with Peter, He said to them, “Lay hold, handle Me, and see that I am not an incorporeal spirit.” 991 And immediately they touched Him, and believed, being convinced both by His flesh and spirit. For this cause also they despised death, and were found its conquerors. 992 And after his resurrection He did eat and drink with them, as being possessed of flesh, although spiritually He was united to the Father.

And I know that He was possessed of a body not only in His being born and crucified, but I also know that He was so after His resurrection, and believe that He is so now. When, for instance, He came to those who were with Peter, He said to them, “Lay hold, handle Me, and see that I am not an incorporeal spirit.” 993 “For a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have.” 994 And He says to Thomas, “Reach hither thy finger into the print of the nails, and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side;” 995 and immediately they believed that He was Christ. Wherefore Thomas also says to Him, “My Lord, and my God.” 996 And on this account also did they despise death, for it were too little to say, indignities and stripes. Nor was this all; but also after He had shown Himself to them, that He had risen indeed, and not in appearance only, He both ate and drank with them during forty entire days. And thus was He, with the flesh, received up in their sight unto Him that sent Him, being with that same flesh to come again, accompanied by glory and power. For, say the [holy] oracles, “This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, in like manner as ye have seen Him go unto heaven.” 997 But if they say that He will come at the end of the world without a body, how shall those “see Him that pierced Him,” 998 and when they recognise Him, “mourn for themselves?” 999 For incorporeal beings have neither form nor figure, nor the aspect 1000 of an animal possessed of shape, because their nature is in itself simple.