Letter 1137: The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end.

To Peter. On the words, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." [John 2:19] Since you supposed that some contradiction had been written in the Gospel, you reported [it], asking for what reason he called it false testimony to have said what was said concerning the dissolution and the raising up of the temple; for it was said: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." I say this: that those men were speaking about the sanctuary, but he was speaking about [his] body. But if you should say that this is implausible -- for they themselves never knew this, nor did his disciples, until he rose from the dead -- I would reply: that even if they had known it, not even so did they testify the truth. For he promised to do the one thing, not both. For the destroying befitted those men, but the raising up [befitted] himself. "For you destroy, and I will raise up." For the destroying was within the power even of any chance person, but the raising up [was the work] of God.

Εἰς τό, «Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον· καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν.» Ἐπειδὴ ἐνόμισας (81) ἐναντιολογίαν τινὰ γεγράφθαι ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ, ἐμήνυσας, δι᾽ ἣν αἰτίαν ψευδομαρτυρίαν ἐκάλεσε (82) τὸ εἰρηκέναι (83) περὶ τῆς λύσεως καὶ ἀναστάσεως τοῦ ναοῦ· εἴρηται γάρ· «Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν.» ἐγείρω αὐτόν· φημί· ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι μὲν περὶ τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἔλεγον· αὐτὸς δὲ περὶ τοῦ σώματος. Εἰ δὲ φαίης ἀπίθανον τοῦτο· οὐ γὰρ ᾔδεσαν τοῦτο αὐτοί ποτε, οὐδὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, εἰ μὴ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνέστη· φήσαιμι· ὅτι εἰ καὶ ᾔδεσαν, οὐδὲ οὕτω τἀληθῆ ἐμαρτύρησαν. Θάτερον γὰρ ἐπηγγέλλετο ποιήσειν, οὐχ ἑκάτερον. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ λῦσαι ἐκείνοις ἔπρεπε· τὸ δὲ ἀναστῆσαι ἑαυτῷ. Λύσατε γὰρ ὑμεῖς, κἀγὼ ἀναστήσω. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ λῦσαι, καὶ τοῦ τυχόντος ἦν· τὸ δὲ ἀναστῆσαι, Θεοῦ (84).