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not admitting alteration by motion; the wisdom of God, having interchanged the properties, to the ever-moving imparted the unchangeable, and to the motionless it imparted change, perhaps having arranged such a thing by a certain providence, so that the property of nature, which is the unchangeable and unalterable, being seen in any of the things in creation, might not cause the creature to be thought God. For that which happens to be moved or altered would no longer have the supposition of divinity. For this reason the earth is stationary, and not unchangeable; but the heaven, not having the changeable of the opposite, does not have the stationary either, so that the divine power, having intertwined change with the stationary nature, and motion with the unchangeable one, might both appropriate them to each other by the interchange of their properties, and alienate them from the supposition of the divine. For neither of these, as has been said, would be thought of the more divine nature: neither the unstable, nor the alterable. Now, therefore, all things have reached their own end. For they were completed, as Moses says, both the heaven and the earth and all things in between, and each thing was adorned with appropriate beauty: the heaven with the rays of the luminaries, the sea and air with the swimming and aerial animals, the earth with the various kinds of plants and beasts, which, being empowered all at once by the divine will, it brought forth at the same time. And the earth was full of beautiful things, sprouting forth fruits together with the flowers; and the meadows were full of all that comes upon the meadows. And all ridges and summits, and all that is sloping and supine, and all that is in hollows, was crowned with fresh-blooming grass and the varied beauty of the trees, just now rising from the earth, and immediately running up to their perfect beauty. And all things naturally rejoiced, and the cattle, brought to life by the command of God, leaped about, running through the thickets in herds and according to their kinds. And with the songs of the musical birds, all that was roofed over and shady resounded everywhere. And the sight at sea, as was likely, was another such thing, just now settling into quiet and calm in the gatherings of the hollows, in which anchorages and harbors, hollowed out automatically in the shores by the divine will, tamed the sea to the mainland. And the gentle movements of the waves vied in beauty with the meadows, elegantly rippling on the very surface under light and harmless breezes. And all the wealth in creation, on land and sea, was ready, but the one to partake was not.

CHAPTER 2.

Why man is last after the creation. For not yet did this great and precious thing, man, inhabit the world of beings. For it was not fitting for the ruler to appear before those who are ruled, but the dominion having been prepared beforehand, it was consequent that the king should be revealed, since, therefore, the maker of the universe had prepared a kind of royal abode for the one who was to reign. And this was the earth and islands, and sea, and the heaven arched over these like a roof; and all kinds of wealth were stored up in this royal palace. And by wealth I mean all of creation, as much as is in plants and shoots, and as much as is sentient and breathing and ensouled. And if it is necessary also to count among wealth the materials, as many as were deemed precious to human eyes on account of some good color, such as gold and silver, and those stones which men love; and having hidden the abundance of all these in the bosom of the earth as in some royal treasuries, thus he reveals man in the world, to be a spectator of the wonders in it, and lord of others, so that through enjoyment he might have understanding of the one who provides, and through the beauty and

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ἀλλοιοῦσθαι κίνη σιν οὐ προσιεμένης· ἐναλλάξασα τὰς ἰδιότητας ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφία, τῷ μὲν ἀεικινήτῳ τὸ ἄτρεπτον, τῷ δὲ ἀκινήτῳ τὴν τροπὴν ἐνεποίησε, προμηθείᾳ τινὶ τάχα τὸ τοιοῦτον οἰκονομήσασα, ὡς ἂν μὴ τὸ τῆς φύσεως ἴδιον, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τὸ ἄτρεπτόν τε καὶ ἀμετά θετον, ἐπί τινος τῶν κατὰ τὴν κτίσιν βλεπομένων, Θεὸν νομίζεσθαι τὸ κτίσμα ποιήσειεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἔτι θεότητος ὑπόληψιν σχοίη, ὅπερ ἂν κινούμενον ἢ ἀλλοιούμενον τύχῃ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἡ μὲν γῆ στάσιμός ἐστι, καὶ οὐκ ἄτρεπτος· ὁ δὲ οὐρανὸς τοῦ ἐναντίου τὸ τρεπτὸν οὐκ ἔχων, οὐδὲ στάσιμον ἔχει, ἵνα τῇ μὲν φύσει ἑστώσῃ τὴν τροπὴν, τῇ δὲ μὴ τρεπομένῃ τὴν κίνησιν ἡ θεία συμπλέξασα δύναμις, καὶ ἀλλήλαις ἀμφοτέρας τῇ ἐναλλάξει τῶν ἰδιωμάτων προσοι κειώσῃ, καὶ τῆς περὶ τὸ θεῖον ὑπολήψεως ἀλλοτριώ 132 σῃ. Οὐδέτερον γὰρ ἂν τούτων, καθὼς εἴρηται, τῆς θειοτέρας φύσεως νομισθείη· οὔτε τὸ ἄστατον, οὔτε τὸ ἀλλοιούμενον. Ἤδη τοίνυν τὰ πάντα πρὸς τὸ ἴδιον ἔφθασε τέλος. Συνετελέσθη γὰρ, καθώς φησι Μωϋ σῆς, ὅ τε οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ καὶ τὰ διὰ μέσου πάντα, καὶ τῷ καταλλήλῳ κάλλει τὰ καθέκαστον διεκοσμήθη· ὁ οὐρανὸς μὲν ταῖς τῶν φωστήρων αὐγαῖς, θάλαττα δὲ καὶ ἀὴρ τοῖς νηκτοῖς τε καὶ ἐναερίοις τῶν ζώων, γῆ δὲ ταῖς παντοίαις τῶν φυτῶν τε καὶ βοσκημάτων διαφοραῖς, ἅπερ ἀθρόως ἅπαντα θείῳ βουλήματι δυ ναμωθεῖσα κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἀπεκύησε. Καὶ πλήρης μὲν ἦν τῶν ὡραίων ἡ γῆ, ὁμοῦ τοῖς ἄνθεσι τοὺς καρποὺς ἐκβλαστήσασα· πλήρεις δὲ οἱ λειμῶνες τῶν, ὅσα τοὺς λειμῶνας ἐπέρχεται. Πᾶσαί τε ῥαχίαι καὶ ἀκρώρειαι, καὶ πᾶν ὅσον πλάγιόν τε καὶ ὕπτιον, καὶ ὅσον ἐν κοίλοις, τῇ νεοθαλεῖ πόᾳ καὶ τῇ ποικίλῃ τῶν δένδρων ὥρᾳ κατεστεφάνωτο, ἄρτι μὲν τῆς γῆς ἀνισχόντων, εὐθὺς δὲ πρὸς τὸ τέλειον κάλλος ἀναδραμόντων. Ἐγε γήθει δὲ πάντα κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς, καὶ διεσκίρτα τὰ τῷ προστάγματι τοῦ Θεοῦ ζωογονηθέντα βοτὰ, κατ' ἀγέλας τε καὶ κατὰ γένη ταῖς λόχμαις ἐνδιαθέοντα. Ταῖς δὲ τῶν μουσικῶν ὀρνίθων ᾠδαῖς ἁπανταχῆ περι ηχεῖτο πᾶν, ὅσον κατηρεφές τε καὶ σύσκιον. Ἥ τε κατὰ θάλατταν ὄψις, ὡς εἰκὸς, ἄλλη τοιαύτη τις ἦν, ἄρτι πρὸς ἡσυχίαν τε καὶ γαλήνην ἐν ταῖς συναγω γαῖς τῶν κοίλων καθισταμένη, καθ' ἣν ὅρμοι καὶ λιμένες θείᾳ βουλήσει ταῖς ἀκταῖς αὐτομάτως ἐγκοι λανθέντες, προσημέρουν τῇ ἠπείρῳ τὴν θάλατταν. Αἵ τε ἠρεμαῖαι τῶν κυμάτων κινήσεις τῷ κάλλει τῶν λειμώνων ἀνθωραΐζοντο, ὑπὸ λεπταῖς καὶ ἀπή μοσιν αὔραις κατ' ἄκραν τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν γλαφυρῶς ἐπιφρίσσουσαι. Καὶ ἅπας ὁ κατὰ τὴν κτίσιν πλοῦ τος, κατὰ γῆν τε καὶ θάλατταν ἕτοιμος ἦν, ἀλλ' ὁ μετέχων οὐκ ἦν.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Βʹ.

∆ιὰ τί μετὰ τὴν κτίσιν τελευταῖος ὁ ἄνθρωπος. Οὔπω γὰρ τὸ μέγα τοῦτο καὶ τίμιον χρῆμα ὁ ἄν θρωπος τῷ κόσμῳ τῶν ὄντων ἐπεχωρίαζεν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν εἰκὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα πρὸ τῶν ἀρχομένων ἀναφανῆ ναι, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς πρότερον ἑτοιμασθείσης, ἀκό λουθον ἦν ἀναδειχθῆναι τὸν βασιλεύοντα, ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν οἷόν τινα βασίλειον καταγωγὴν τῷ μέλλοντι βασιλεύειν ὁ τοῦ παντὸς ποιητὴς προηυτρέπισεν. Αὕτη δὲ ἦν γῆ τε καὶ νῆσοι, καὶ θάλαττα, καὶ οὐρανὸς ὑπὲρ τούτων ὀρόφου δίκην ἐπικυρτούμενος· πλοῦτος δὲ παντοδαπὸς τοῖς βασιλείοις τούτοις ἐναπετέθη. Πλοῦ τον δὲ λέγω πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν, ὅσον ἐν φυτοῖς καὶ βλα στήμασι, καὶ ὅσον αἰσθητικόν τε καὶ ἔμπνουν καὶ ἔμψυ 133 χον. Εἰ δὲ χρὴ καὶ τὰς ὕλας εἰς πλοῦτον καταριθμή σασθαι, ὅσαι διά τινος εὐχροίας τίμιαι τοῖς ἀνθρωπί νοις ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐνομίσθησαν, οἷον χρυσίον τε καὶ ἀρ γύριον, καὶ τῶν λίθων δὴ τούτων ἃς ἀγαπῶσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι· καὶ τούτων πάντων τὴν ἀφθονίαν καθάπερ τισὶ βασιλικοῖς θησαυροῖς τοῖς τῆς γῆς κόλποις ἐγ κατακρύψας, οὕτως ἀναδείκνυσιν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, τῶν ἐν τούτῳ θαυμάτων, τῶν μὲν θεατὴν ἐσόμενον, τῶν δὲ κύριον, ὡς διὰ μὲν τῆς ἀπολαύσεως τὴν σύνεσιν τοῦ χορηγοῦντος ἔχειν, διὰ δὲ τοῦ κάλλους τε καὶ