most manifestly shows a resemblance to the divine image. And according to this account, man is also the work of God's hands on account of the preciousness of his construction; for the whole is an operation of counsel. Then, after his formation, what does the Scripture say? And God finished on the sixth day His works which He made, and He rested on the seventh day from all His works, and He blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it He rested from His works which God had begun to make. [Θʹ] Concerning the Sabbath. For what reason did God bless the seventh day alone, and not all of them? Because each of the others received its blessing from the creation that happened on it; on the seventh, since no 907 creation happened on it, for this reason it was also blessed by God. [Ιʹ] Concerning paradise. Again therefore the Scripture says: And the Lord God planted a paradise in Eden to the east, and He placed there the man whom He had formed. And God still made to grow out of the earth every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of paradise, and the tree of knowing the knowledge of good and evil. Intending to honor the rational substance, God constructed a splendid dwelling place full of all delight, and He established Adam there. And having come to this point of the account, it is possible to marvel at the ineffable love for humanity of God, that although He has all-ruling and eternal authority over the universe, He gave Himself to farming for the sake of man. For He who by a word established so great a magnitude of heaven and earth and sea, was much more able to plant a paradise by a command and by a word to root the all-blessed place; but, as has been said, (206b) for the sake of the honor toward man, He also becomes a planter in some mystical sense, He who without toil brought this world from non-being into being by His will alone. [ΙΑʹ] Concerning the naming of the animals. Then again the Scripture: And God brought all the beasts and the cattle and the reptiles to Adam, to see what he would call them; and whatever Adam called them, that was its name. One can see, therefore, from this also the honor of man after these things, which he had from his very birth. For Adam presides like some master of a herd; and God led to him the countless kinds of beasts and of cattle and of birds, in order to appoint this one as ruler, whom He had made in His own image. And he, 1269 908 inspired by a divine and prophetic spirit, imposed proper names on each of the irrational creatures; and the animals, as if receiving a great honor from the naming, thus departed in pairs. [ΙΒʹ] Concerning the making of the woman. But since out of all these kinds there was none like Adam, God said again, as the Scripture says: It is not good for the man to be alone; let us make for him a helper like himself, saying "helper" to mean the female on account of procreation, who would cooperate with the man for the increase and continuation of the race. Again He says: And God cast a trance upon Adam, and he slept, and He took one of his ribs, and filled up flesh in its place, and He built the rib, which He took from Adam, into a woman. And this is the purpose of what is said in Scripture: God who made all things in wisdom, having judged to give Adam a helper like himself, as he had promised, does not form the female out of the earth, just as the man, but turns him to sleep by a descent of spirit, causing his mind to see a vision and calls the eye of his soul to an insatiable sight, so that, being possessed by the vision of such beauty, he might not be aware of what was happening; then He takes one of his ribs without toil, not bringing upon him a sensation of pain; and immediately, like a craftsman and a swift physician, He filled up the deficiency with flesh. For while He distracted his soul with the insatiable divine pleasure, the rib, which He had taken, He built into a woman, mystically fashioning her into a rational creature, adorned with impossible beauty and a most comely form, and leads this one to Adam. Then that one, as of a divine spirit

θείαν εἰκόνα ἐμφερὲς ἐμφανέστατα δείκνυσιν. Καὶ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον καὶ χειρῶν Θεοῦ ἔργον ὁ ἄνθρωπος διὰ τὸ τίμιον τῆς κατασκευῆς· βουλῆς γὰρ ἐνέργεια τὸ πᾶν. Εἶτα μετὰ τὴν τούτου διάπλασιν τί φησιν ἡ Γραφή; Καὶ συνετέλεσεν ὁ Θεὸς τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ʹ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ ἃ ἐποίησε, καὶ κατέπαυσεν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ζʹ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ, καὶ εὐλόγησεν τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν ζʹκαὶ ἡγίασεν αὐτὴν, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῇ κατέπαυσεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ὧν ἤρξατο ὁ Θεὸς ποιῆσαι. [Θʹ] Περὶ τοῦ Σαββάτου. Τίνος χάριν τὴν ζʹ ἡμέραν εὐλόγησεν ὁ Θεὸς μόνην, καὶ οὐχὶ τὰς πάσας; Ὅτι ἑκάστη τῶν ἄλλων ἐκ τῆς ἐν αὐτῇ γενομένης δημιουργίας ἔσχε τὴν εὐλογίαν· ἐπὶ τῆς ζʹ, οὐδεμιᾶς ἐν αὐτῇ γενομένης 907 δημιουργίας, τούτου χάριν εὐλογίσθη καὶ αὐτὴ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. [Ιʹ] Περὶ τοῦ παραδείσου. Πάλιν οὖν φησιν ἡ Γραφή· Καὶ ἐφύτευσε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς παράδεισον ἐν Ἐδὲμ κατὰ ἀνατολὰς, καὶ ἔθετο ἐκεῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὃν ἔπλασεν. Καὶ ἐξανέτειλεν ὁ Θεὸς ἔτι ἐκ τῆς γῆς πᾶν ξύλον ὡραῖον εἰς ὅρασιν καὶ καλὸν εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ παραδείσου, καὶ τὸ ξύλον τοῦ εἰδέναι γνωστὸν καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ. Τὴν λογικὴν ὑπόστασιν τιμῆσαι προθέμενος ὁ Θεὸς κατασκευάζει καὶ λαμπρὸν οἰκητήριον καὶ πάσης γέμον θυμηδίας, καὶ καθίστησιν ἐκεῖ τὸν Ἀδάμ. Ἔστι δὲ ἐνταῦθα γενόμενοι τοῦ λόγου, θαυμάσαι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἄφατον φιλανθρωπίαν, ὅτιπερ πανταρχικὴν ἔχων καὶ ἀΐδιον ἐξουσίαν εἰς τὸ πᾶν, καὶ γεωργεῖν ἑαυτὸν ἐπέδωκεν διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Ὁ γὰρ τοσοῦτον μέγεθος οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης λόγῳ ὑποστησάμενος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἱκανὸς ἦν καταφυτεῦσαι παράδεισον ῥήματι καὶ λόγῳ ῥιζῶσαι τὸ πανόλβιον χωρίον· ἀλλ', ὡς εἴρηται, (206b) διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον τιμὴν καὶ φυτουργὸς γίνεται μυστικῷ τινι λόγῳ ὁ ἀκαμάτως τόνδε τὸν κόσμον ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι θελήσει μόνῃ παραγαγών. [ΙΑʹ] Περὶ τῆς τῶν ζώων ὀνομασίας. Εἶτα αὖθις ἡ Γραφή· Καὶ ἤγαγεν ὁ Θεὸς πάντα τὰ θηρία καὶ τὰ κτήνη καὶ τὰ ἑρπετὰ πρὸς τὸν Ἀδὰμ, ἰδεῖν τί καλέσει αὐτά· καὶ πᾶν ὃ ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὰ Ἀδὰμ, τοῦτο ὄνομα αὐτῷ. Ὁρᾷν οὖν ἔστι καὶ ἐντεῦθεν τὴν τιμὴν μετὰ ταῦτα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ἣν ἔσχεν ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς γεννήσεως. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀγελάρχης τις προκάθηται Ἀδάμ· καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἦγε πρὸς αὐτὸν τὰ μυρία τῶν θηρίων καὶ τῶν κτηνῶν καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν γένη, ἵνα ἡγεμόνα τοῦτον χειροτονήσῃ, ὃν κατ' εἰκόνα ἰδίαν πεποίηκεν. Καὶ ἐκεῖνος μὲν 1269 908 θείῳ καταπνευσθεὶς καὶ προφητικῷ πνεύματι, ὀνόματα κύρια ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἀλόγων ἐπέθηκε· τὰ δὲ ζῶα ὥσπερ τιμὴν μεγάλην ἐκ τῆς ἐπικλήσεως λαβόντα, οὕτως ἐν συζυγίᾳ ὑπεχώρουν. [ΙΒʹ] Περὶ τῆς ποιήσεως τῆς γυναικός. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐξ ἁπάντων τούτων τῶν γενῶν οὐδὲν ἦν ὅμοιον τῷ Ἀδὰμ, εἶπε πάλιν ὁ Θεὸς, καθά φησιν ἡ Γραφή· Οὐ καλὸν εἶναι τὸν ἄνθρωπον μόνον· ποιήσωμεν αὐτῷ βοηθὸν κατ' αὐτὸν, βοηθὸν λέγων τὸ θῆλυ διὰ τὸν τῆς παιδογονίας λόγον, συνεργεῖν μέλλον τῷ ἀνδρὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ γένους αὔξησίν τε καὶ διαμονήν. Αὖθις δὲ ἐπιλέγει· Καὶ ἐπέβαλεν ὁ Θεὸς ἔκστασιν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ, καὶ ὕπνωσε, καὶ ἔλαβε μίαν τῶν πλευρῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνεπλήρωσε σάρκα ἀντ' αὐτῆς, καὶ ᾠκοδόμησε τὴν πλευρὰν, ἣν ἔλαβεν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ, εἰς γυναῖκα. Ἔστι δὲ ὁ εἰρημένος τῆς Γραφῆς σκοπὸς οὗτος· Κρίνας ὁ ἐν σοφίᾳ τὰ πάντα ποιήσας Θεὸς δοῦναι τῷ Ἀδὰμ βοηθὸν κατ' αὐτὸν, ὡς ἐπηγγείλατο, οὐκ ἐκ γῆς πλάττει τὸ θῆλυ, καθάπερ καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα, ἀλλ' εἰς ὕπνον τρέπει τοῦτον καταφορᾷ πνεύματος τὸν νοῦν αὐτοῦ φαντασιώσας καὶ τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμὸν εἰς ἄπληστον ὄψιν ἐκκαλεῖται, ἵνα τῇ φαντασίᾳ τοῦ τοιούτου κάλλους κατεχόμενος, μὴ γνῷ τὸ γινόμενον· εἶτα λαμβάνει μίαν τῶν πλευρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀκαμάτως, αἴσθησιν ἀλγηδόνος αὐτῷ μὴ ἐπαναγαγών· καὶ εὐθὺς ὡς τεχνίτης καὶ ἰατρὸς σύντομος, τὸ λεῖπον διὰ σαρκὸς ἀνεπλήρωσεν. Ἐν ὅσῳ γὰρ τὴν ψυχὴν τῇ ἀκορέστῳ τῆς θείας ἡδονῆς περιέσπα, τὴν πλευρὰν, ἣν ἔλαβεν, ᾠκοδόμησεν εἰς γυναῖκα, μυστικῶς ἐκτυπώσας αὐτὴν εἰς ζῶον λογικὸν, κάλλει ἀμηχάνῳ καὶ σχήματι εὐπρεπεστάτῳ κεκοσμημένην, καὶ ἄγει τοῦτο πρὸς τὸν Ἀδάμ. Εἶτα ἐκεῖνος, ἅτε θείου πνεύματος