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they minister with care to the God of all, the divine apostle is a witness, crying out: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation"? Therefore it is evident that we are in need of their assistance; but God is in need of nothing at all, but being an abyss of goodness, willed to impart being even to those who in no way and nowhere existed. But those who maintain that the angels pre-existed heaven and earth, put forward to us as strong and irrefutable that which was spoken by the God of all to Job: "When I made the stars, all my angels praised me." And they do not perceive that on the fourth day, along with the sun and the moon, the 9 stars the God of all brought forth. But it is likely that the angels were created with heaven and earth, so that, seeing the light being created from no underlying matter, and the firmament being made solid in the midst of the water, and the wet substance being separated from the earth, and the earth, at the divine word, being adorned in all manner of ways with vegetation, and all other things coming into being according to the divine will, they might know through what they see that they too have a created nature, having received their being from him. For the divine apostle also joins them with the world, saying, "we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men." But I do not say this dogmatically; for I think it is audacious to speak dogmatically about things of which the divine Scripture does not speak expressly; but I have said what I supposed to be in harmony with pious reasoning. This, however, it is necessary to know, that all existing things, except for the Holy Trinity, have a created nature. And with this being acknowledged, the doctrine of piety is not harmed by saying that the hosts of angels came to be before heaven and earth. But wrangling over words, "which is useful for nothing, but for the ruin of the hearers," the divine apostle expressly forbids. V If the earth was, how did it come to be? For the writer says: "But the earth was" The question is silly and very foolish. For he who said: "In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth," did not say the earth was eternal, but that it received its being after the heaven, or with the heaven. Besides, the writer did not say absolutely: "But the earth was," but connecting what follows, "But the earth was invisible and un 10 formed," that is, it had come into being by the God of all, but it was still invisible with the water lying upon it, and unformed, not yet having been adorned with vegetation, nor having blossomed with meadows and groves and crops. VI Did not Moses teach us that God also created the waters? And indeed having said: "But the earth was invisible and unformed, and darkness was upon the face of the deep," he showed that the nature of the waters was created with the earth. And legislating concerning the Sabbath, the God of all spoke thus: "Six days you shall labor, but the seventh day is a sabbath, a rest to the Lord your God. For in six days the Lord God made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them." So that it is clear that anything whatsoever that is in these things, whether visible or invisible, whether sensible or intelligible, except for the divine substance, has a created nature. And the most divine David, having said: "Blessed is he whose helper is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made the heaven and the earth," added: "the sea and all that is in them. VII If God created the light, how did he himself make the darkness? For these are contrary to one another Contrary to one another, but both are necessary for humans. For the one assists humans toward work and industry, and reveals 11 the things that are seen and prepares their maker to be praised. But the other gives rest and restores humans and dissolves the toil that comes from labor, and gathers humans home, while it provides the beasts freedom to graze; and of this the divine David clearly teaches us: "You have made," he says, "darkness and it became night; in it all the beasts of the field will roam. Young lions roaring to seize and to seek from God their food. The sun arose and they were gathered together and to

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κηδεμονίαν ὑπουργοῦσι τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ, μάρ τυς ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος βοῶν· " οὐχὶ πάντες εἰσὶ λειτουρ γικὰ πνεύματα εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν "; οὐκοῦν εὔδηλον, ὡς ἡμεῖς μὲν τῆς ἐκείνων ἐπικουρίας δεόμεθα· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ἥκιστα μέν τινος ἐνδεής, ἄβυσσος δὲ ὢν ἀγαθότητος, ἠβουλήθη καὶ τοῖς μηδαμῆ μηδαμῶς οὖσι μεταδοῦναι τοῦ εἶναι. ἀλλὰ γὰρ οἱ προϋπάρχειν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς τοὺς ἀγγέλους ἰσχυριζόμενοι, ὡς ἰσχυρὸν ἡμῖν καὶ ἄμαχον προβάλλον ται ἐκεῖνο τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων πρὸς τὸν Ἰὼβ εἰρημένον· " ὅτε ἐποίουν ἄστρα, ᾔνεσαν με πάντες ἄγγελοί μου ". καὶ οὐ συνορῶσιν, ὡς τῇ τετάρτῃ ἡμέρᾳ σὺν τῷ ἡλίῳ καὶ τῇ σελήνῃ τὰ 9 ἄστρα παρήγαγεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός. εἰκὸς δὲ τοὺς ἀγγέλους σὺν οὐρανῷ δημιουργηθῆναι καὶ γῇ, ἵνα καὶ τὸ φῶς ὁρῶντες ἐξ οὐδενὸς ὑποκειμένου δημιουργούμενον, καὶ τὸ στερέωμα ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ὕδατος συμπηγνύμενον, καὶ τὴν ὑγρὰν οὐσίαν χωριζομένην τῆς γῆς, καὶ τὴν γῆν ἅμα τῷ θείῳ λόγῳ παντοδαπῶς διακοσμουμένην βλαστήμασι καὶ τ' ἄλλα πάντα πρὸς τὸ θεῖον γινόμενα βούλημα, γνῶσι δι' ὧν ὁρῶσιν, ὡς καὶ αὐτοὶ κτιστὴν ἔχουσι τὴν φύσιν παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸ εἶναι δεξάμενοι. καὶ γὰρ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστο λος τῷ κόσμῳ αὐτοὺς συζεύγνυσι λέγων " θέατρον ἐγενήθημεν τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ ἀγγέλοις καὶ ἀνθρώποις ". ἐγὼ δὲ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀποφαινόμενος λέγω· τολμηρὸν γὰρ ἀποφαντικῶς οἶμαι λέγειν, περὶ ὧν ἡ θεία διαρρήδην οὐ λέγει γραφή· ἀλλ' ὅπερ τοῖς εὐσεβέσι λογισ μοῖς ἁρμόττειν ὑπέλαβον, εἴρηκα. ἐκεῖνο μέντοι ἀναγκαῖον εἰδέναι, ὡς ἅπαντα τὰ ὄντα, πλὴν τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος, κτιστὴν ἔχει τὴν φύσιν. συνο μολογουμένου δὲ τούτου, τῷ τῆς εὐσεβείας οὐ λυμαίνεται λόγῳ, τὸ πρὸ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς γεγενῆσθαι λέγειν τῶν ἀγγέλων τοὺς δήμους. τὸ δὲ λογομαχεῖν " εἰς οὐδὲν χρήσιμον ἐπὶ καταστροφῇ τῶν ἀκουόντων ", ἀπαγορεύει διαρρήδην ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος. V Εἰ ἦν ἡ γῆ, πῶς ἐγένετο; λέγει γὰρ ὁ συγγραφεύς· " ἡ δὲ γῆ ἦν " Ἠλίθιον καὶ ἄγαν ἀνόητον τὸ ἐρώτημα· ὁ γὰρ εἰπών· " ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν ", οὐκ ἀΐδιον ἔφη τὴν γῆν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὸν οὐρανόν, ἢ σὺν τῷ οὐρανῷ δεξαμένην τὸ εἶναι. ἄλλως τε οὐδὲ ἀπολύτως εἶπεν ὁ συγγραφεύς· " ἡ δὲ γῆ ἦν ", ἀλλὰ τὸ ἑξῆς συναρμόσας, " ἡ δὲ γῆ ἦν ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκα 10 τασκεύαστος ", τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ἐγένετο μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ· ἔτι δὲ ἀόρατος ἦν ἐπικειμένου τοῦ ὕδατος, καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος, μηδέπω κοσμηθεῖσα τῇ βλάστῃ, μηδὲ ἀνθήσασα λειμῶνας καὶ ἄλση καὶ λήϊα. VI Οὐκ ἐδίδαξεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Μωϋσῆς ὅτι καὶ τὰ ὕδατα ἐδημιούργησεν ὁ Θεός; Καὶ μὴν εἰρηκώς· " ἡ δὲ γῆ ἦν ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύασ τος, καὶ σκότος ἐπάνω τῆς ἀβύσσου ", ἔδειξε μετὰ τῆς γῆς δημιουργηθεῖσαν τῶν ὑδάτων τὴν φύσιν. καὶ περὶ τοῦ σαββάτου δὲ νομοθετῶν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός, οὕτως ἔφη· " ἓξ ἡμέρας ἐργᾷ, τῇ δὲ ἑβδόμῃ σάββατον, ἀνάπαυσις Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ σου. ἐν γὰρ ἓξ ἡμέραις ἐποίησε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς ". ὡς εἶναι δῆλον ὅτι πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ἐν τούτοις ὄν, ἢ ὁρατὸν ἢ ἀόρατον ἢ αἰσθητὸν ἢ νοητόν, πλὴν τῆς θείας οὐσίας, κτιστὴν ἔχει τὴν φύσιν. καὶ ὁ θειότατος δὲ ∆αβὶδ εἰρηκώς· " μακάριος οὗ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακὼβ βοηθὸς αὐτοῦ, ἡ ἐλπὶς αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν ποιήσαντα τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν ", ἐπήγαγε· " τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς. VII Εἰ τὸ φῶς ὁ Θεὸς ἐδημιούργησε, πῶς αὐτὸς τὸ σκότος ἐποίησεν; ἐναντία γὰρ ταῦτα ἀλλήλοις Ἐναντία μὲν ἀλλήλοις, ἀλλ' ἀναγκαῖα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀμφότερα. τὸ μὲν γὰρ πρὸς ἐργασίαν τε καὶ φιλοπονίαν συνεργεῖ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, καὶ ὑπο 11 δείκνυσι τὰ ὁρώμενα καὶ τὸν τούτων ποιητὴν ὑμνεῖσθαι παρασκευάζει. τὸ δὲ διαναπαύει καὶ νεουργεῖ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ τὸν ἐκ τῆς ἐργασίας ἐγγινόμενον διαλύει πόνον, καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους μὲν οἴκαδε συναγείρει, τοῖς δέ γε θηρίοις ἄδειαν παρέχει νομῆς· καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς ἡμᾶς ὁ θεῖος διδάσκει ∆αβίδ· " ἔθου , γάρ φησι, σκότος καὶ ἐγένετο νύξ, ἐν αὐτῇ διελεύσονται πάντα τὰ θηρία τοῦ ἀγροῦ. σκύμνοι ὠρυόμενοι τοῦ ἁρπάσαι καὶ ζη τῆσαι παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ βρῶσιν αὐτοῖς. ἀνέτειλεν ὁ ἥλιος καὶ συνήχθησαν καὶ εἰς