Chronicon breve (lib. 78) (redactio recentior)

BOOK 7. ON THE CREATION OF THE WORLD BY SYMEON THE LOGOTHETE FROM VARIOUS CHRONICLES AND HISTORIES.

1. Concerning the light.

[1. Concerning the light.] God, being timeless, bringing forth in time this world which did not previously exist, made in the beginning heaven and earth; and with the earth, both water and fire co-existed; and of this a clear proof is that from stone and iron, which are from the earth, abundant fire leaps forth (and from springs and wells rich water is given up); for since this earth came into being from non-being, clearly so too did the things in it. All things, therefore, came to be according to the will of God. And since the heaven, stretched out like a tent, darkened the remaining space, God said: Let there be light; and immediately at the word, this all-beautiful nature of light was brought forth; and it scattered the darkness that had resulted from the screening of the heavenly body, and suddenly rendered most brilliant the air which from such a cause had been without light. That everything which existed before the constitution of this world was in light, is clear; for neither the choirs of angels nor all the heavenly hosts dwelt in darkness, but in light and all spiritual gladness they fulfill the service appropriate to them, upon which they too were brought from non-being into being. When this light, therefore, was shut in above for the aforementioned reason, God again created that which now illuminates and brightens the space between heaven and earth. These things happened on the first day of the creation of the world. On this day, therefore, Moses says in the book of Jubilees that the heavenly powers were created. 903 [2.] Concerning the firmament. Again on the second day, since the abyss was immeasurably and infinitely poured around the earth, he commanded a firmament to come to be from the waters in their midst, which he also afterwards named heaven; and with the command the work was completed; and the creation was called a firmament on account of the nature of the waters above or also below, being fine and thin, but heaven on account of being seen spread out like a skin over the head. 1264 [3.] Concerning the sea. Again on the third day he commanded the remaining waters below the firmament to come together into one gathering, which he also named sea, so that the dry land might appear; and thus certain deep hollows that had been formed received it; [and the earth] was called dry, since this name is also proper to it by nature; for the earth [is what is properly dry]; and since it had put off as a kind of weight the [waters lying upon it, then] it was commanded to bring forth grass for fodder and se[ed according to its kind and fruit-bearing tree]; and immediately, being moved to fruit-bearing, [it put forth the myriad kinds of shoots] (205b) and plants and appeared seemly and graceful; for not only was it brightened by the sprouting of crops, but it was also sufficiently adorned by cedars and cypresses along with the rest of the multitude of trees that sprang up spontaneously from it. [4.] Concerning the luminaries. Again on the fourth day he said for luminaries to come into being; and there came to be sun and moon and stars, just as he who commanded willed; 904 and that most pure light of the first creation, having measured out measures in these, from them he provided a manifold benefit to the universe, one being from shining and richly illuminating the world with their own radiances, another from rising and setting, being the cause of the enumeration of times, and another which through certain signs variously benefits those who conjecture piously and do not inquire beyond measure,

Chronicon breve (lib. 78) (redactio recentior)

ΒΙΒΛΙΟΝ Ζʹ. ΕΙΣ ΚΟΣΜΟΠΟΙΙΑΝ ΣΥΜΕΩΝ ΛΟΓΟΘΕΤΟΥ ΕΚ ∆ΙΑΦΟΡΩΝ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΩΝ.

Αʹ. Περὶ τοῦ φωτός.

[Αʹ. Περὶ τοῦ φωτός.] Θεὸς ἄχρονος τόνδε τὸν κόσμον μὴ πρότερον ὑφεστῶτα ἐν χρόνῳ παράγων ἐποίησεν ἐν ἀρχῇ οὐρανὸν καὶ γῆν· συνυπέστη δὲ τῇ γῇ τό τε ὕδωρ καὶ πῦρ· καὶ τούτου τεκμήριον ἐναργὲς τὸ ἐκ λίθου μὲν καὶ σιδήρου, ὄντων ἐκ γῆς, πῦρ ἄφθονον ἐξάλλεσθαι (ἐκ πηγῶν δὲ καὶ φρεάτων ὕδωρ πλούσιον ἀναδίδοσθαι)· ταύτης γὰρ ἐκ μὴ ὄντων ὑποστάσης, δηλονότι καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ. Πάντα οὖν γέγονε κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλήν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ δίκην σκηνῆς ὁ οὐρανὸς περιταθεὶς τὸν ἐναπολειφθέντα τόπον ἐσκότισεν, εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· Γενηθήτω φῶς· καὶ εὐθὺς τῷ λόγῳ ἡ φύσις τοῦ φωτὸς ἡ πάγκαλος αὕτη παρήχθη· καὶ τὸ σκότος ἐξ ἀντιφράξεως τοῦ οὐρανίου σώματος ἐπισυμβὰν διεσκέδασε καὶ τὸν ἀλαμπῆ ἐκ τῆς τοιαύτης αἰτίας ἀέρα λαμπρώτατον ἄφνω ἀνέδειξεν. Ὅτι δὲ πᾶν ὅ τι ἦν πρὸ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου τοῦδε συστάσεως, ἐν φωτὶ ἦν, δῆλον· οὔτε γὰρ αἱ τῶν ἀγγέλων χορεῖαι, οὔτε πᾶσαι αἱ ἐπουράνιαι στρατιαὶ ἐν σκότῳ διῆγον, ἀλλ' ἐν φωτὶ καὶ πάσῃ εὐφροσύνῃ πνευματικῇ τὴν πρέπουσαν ἑαυτοῖς λειτουργίαν ἐκπληροῦσιν, ἐφ' οὗ καὶ οὗτοι ἐκ μὴ ὄντων εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήχθησαν. Τούτου τοίνυν τοῦ φωτὸς ἐκ τῆς εἰρημένης αἰτίας ἐναποκλεισθέντος ἄνω, αὖθις ἐδημιούργησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ νῦν καταλάμπον καὶ φαιδρύνον τὸν μεταξὺ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς τόπον. Ταῦτα γεγένηται ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ τῆς κοσμοποιίας ἡμέρᾳ. Ἐν ταύτῃ οὖν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ λέγει Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῇ λεπτῇ Γενέσει ἐκτῖσθαι τὰς οὐρανίους δυνάμεις. 903 [Βʹ] Περὶ τοῦ στερεώματος. Πάλιν βʹ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς ἀβύσσου ἄπλεως καὶ ἀπείρως τῇ γῇ περικεχυμένης, προσέταξε στερέωμα γενέσθαι ἐκ τῶν ὑδάτων ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν, ὃ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα οὐρανὸν προσηγόρευσε· καὶ σὺν τῷ κελεύσματι τὸ ἔργον ἀπετελέσθη· καὶ στερέωμα ἐκλήθη τὸ δημιούργημα διὰ τὴν φύσιν τῶν ὑπερκειμένων ἢ καὶ ὑποκειμένων ὑδάτων, λεπτὴν οὖσαν καὶ ἀραιὰν, οὐρανὸς δὲ διὰ τὸ καθορᾶσθαι τρόπον δέῤῥεως ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς ἡπλωμένον. 1264 [Γʹ] Περὶ θαλάσσης. Αὖθις δὲ τῇ γʹ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκέλευσε τὰ ἐναπολειφθέντα ὕδατα κάτω τοῦ στερεώματος συνελθεῖν εἰς συναγωγὴν μίαν, ἣν καὶ ἐπωνόμασε θάλασσαν πρὸς τὸ ὀφθῆναι τὴν ξηράν· καὶ οὕτω κοιλότητές τινες βαθεῖαι ἐγγεγενημέναι εἰσεδέξαντο αὐτήν· ξηρὰ [δὲ ἡ γῆ ἐπ]εκλήθη, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἴδιόν ἐστιν αὐτῆς κατὰ φύσιν τὸ πρόσρημα· τὸ [γὰρ κυρίως ξηρόν ἐ]στιν ἡ γῆ· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὥσπερ τι βάρος ἀπέθετο τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ [ἐναποκείμενα αὐτῇ ὕδατα, λοιπὸν] βλαστάνειν προσετάχθη βοτάνην χόρτου καὶ σπ[έρμα κατὰ γένος καὶ ξύλον κάρ]πιμον· καὶ εὐθὺς πρὸς καρπογονίαν συγκινηθ[εῖσα τὰ μυρία τῶν βλαστημάτων] (205b) τε καὶ φυτῶν προεβάλλετο γένη καὶ εὐπρεπὴς καὶ χαρίεσσα συνανεφάνη· οὐ μόνον γὰρ ἐκ τῆς τῶν ληΐων ἀναδόσεως ἐφαιδρύνετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ κέδρων καὶ κυπαρίσσων σὺν τῇ ἄλλῃ τῶν δένδρων πληθύϊ αὐτομάτως ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀνακυψάντων ἱκανῶς κατεκοσμεῖτο. [∆ʹ] Περὶ τῶν φωστήρων. Πάλιν ἐν τῇ δʹ ἡμέρᾳ φωστῆρας εἶπε γενέσθαι· καὶ ἐγένετο ἥλιός τε καὶ σελήνη καὶ ἄστρα, καθὼς ἠβουλήθη ὁ κελεύσας· 904 καὶ τὸ καθαρώτατον ἐκεῖνο φῶς τὸ ἐν τῇ αʹ κτίσει, ἐν ᾗ μέτρα ἐν τούτοις καταμετρήσας, πολυμερῆ ἐξ αὐτῶν παρέσχετο τῷ παντὶ ὠφέλειαν, μίαν μὲν τὴν ἐκ τοῦ φαίνειν καὶ ταῖς οἰκείαις λαμπηδόσι καταυγάζειν τὸν κόσμον πλουσίως, ἑτέραν δὲ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ ἀνίσχειν καὶ καταδύεσθαι, αἰτίαν οὖσαν τῆς τῶν χρόνων ἀπαριθμήσεως, ἄλλην δὲ τὴν διά τινων σημείων εὐεργετοῦσαν διαφόρως τοὺς εὐσεβῶς στοχαζομένους καὶ μὴ πέρα τοῦ μέτρου περιεργαζομένους,