required, a power surpassing that of both man and devil. Otherwise the devil in his great malice and anger will butcher and slaughter them all in one heap, just like poor sacrificial sheep.25 20–21. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the Firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a Man has come also the resurrection of the dead. Here St. Paul draws the conclusion from the foregoing statements and comments that it is not true, as reason might lead