4

from the greatness of the things seen to trace out the ineffable and suprarational power of the one who made them. For these reasons, man was introduced last after the creation, not as one cast aside, rejected in the last place, but as one befitting to be king of his subjects at the moment of his coming into being. And just as a good host does not bring his guest into the house before the preparation of the foods, but having prepared all things fittingly, and having brightened the house, the couch, the table with the proper ornaments, with the things suitable for the meal already prepared, he makes the banqueter his guest; in the same way the rich and lavish host of our nature, having adorned the dwelling with all kinds of beauties, and having prepared this great and varied feast, thus introduces man, giving him the task not of acquiring things that are not present, but the enjoyment of things that are. And for this reason He lays down for him the twofold starting-points of his constitution, having mixed the divine with the earthly; so that through both he might have a kindred and proper disposition for each enjoyment, enjoying God through his more divine nature, and the good things of the earth through his kindred sense.

CHAPTER 3.

That the nature of man is more honorable than all visible creation. Worthy

it is to not overlook this unconsidered point, that while so great a world and its parts were elementally subjected to the constitution of the universe, the creation is somehow improvised by the divine power, subsisting along with the command. But the constitution of man is preceded by counsel, and what is to be is prefigured by the Artificer through the writing of the Word, and what sort it ought to be, and to what archetype it should bear its likeness, and for what purpose it will come to be, and what it will do when it has come to be, and over what it will rule; the Word considers all these things beforehand, so that he might receive a dignity older than his generation, having acquired dominion over existing things before coming into being. For it says, “God said, Let us make man in our image, and likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the beasts of the earth, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth.” O, the wonder! The sun is made, and no counsel precedes it; the heaven likewise, of which nothing in creation is the equal, 136 by a word alone such a wonder is constituted, the word not indicating whence, nor how, nor any other such thing. So also all the individual things, aether, stars, the air between, sea, earth, animals, plants, all are brought into being by a word. But to the constitution of man alone the maker of the universe approaches with deliberation, so as to prepare for him the matter of his composition, and to liken his form to a certain archetypal beauty, and setting before him the purpose for which he will be made, to create for him a nature suitable and proper to his activities, fitly disposed for the proposed end.

CHAPTER 4.

That through all things the constitution of man signifies his ruling authority

constitution. For just as in this life an instrument is fashioned by artisans suitably for its need; so the master-craftsman created our nature as a kind of vessel fit for the activity of kingship, having prepared it to be such both by the excellences of the soul and by the very form of the body, as to be fitly disposed for kingship. For the soul at once shows its royal and exalted nature, far from the lowliness of a private station

4

μεγέθους τῶν ὁρωμένων τὴν ἄῤῥητόν τε καὶ ὑπὲρ λόγον τοῦ πεποιηκότος δύναμιν ἀνιχνεύειν. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα τελευταῖος μετὰ τὴν κτίσιν εἰσήχθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος, οὐχ ὡς ἀπόβλητος ἐν ἐσχάτοις ἀποῤῥιφεὶς, ἀλλ' ὡς ἅμα τῇ γενέσει βασιλεὺς εἶναι τῶν ὑποχει ρίων προσήκων. Καὶ ὥσπερ τις ἀγαθὸς ἑστιάτωρ οὐ πρὸ τῆς παρασκευῆς τῶν ἐδωδίμων τὸν ἑστιώμε νον εἰσοικίζεται, ἀλλ' εὐπρεπῆ τὰ πάντα παρασκευά σας, καὶ φαιδρύνας τοῖς καθήκουσι κόσμοις τὸν οἶ κον, τὴν κλισίαν, τὴν τράπεζαν, ἐφ' ἑτοίμοις ἤδη τοῖς πρὸς τὴν τροφὴν ἐπιτηδείοις, ἐφέστιον ποιεῖται τὸν δαιτυμόνα· κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ὁ πλούσιός τε καὶ πολυτελὴς τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν ἑστιάτωρ παντοίοις κάλλεσι κατακοσμήσας τὴν οἴκησιν, καὶ τὴν μεγάλην ταύτην καὶ παντοδαπῆ πανδαισίαν ἑτοιμασάμενος, οὕτως εἰσάγει τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἔργον αὐτῷ δοὺς οὐ τὴν κτῆσιν τῶν μὴ προσόντων, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν τῶν παρόντων. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο διπλᾶς αὐτῷ τῆς κατα σκευῆς τὰς ἀφορμὰς καταβάλλεται, τῷ γηΐνῳ τὸ θεῖον ἐγκαταμίξας· ἵνα δι' ἀμφοτέρων συγγενῶς τε καὶ οἰκείως πρὸς ἑκατέραν ἀπόλαυσιν ἔχῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ μὲν διὰ τῆς θειοτέρας φύσεως, τῶν δὲ κατὰ τὴν γῆν ἀγα θῶν διὰ τῆς ὁμογενοῦς αἰσθήσεως ἀπολαύων.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Γʹ.

Ὅτι τιμιωτέρα πάσης τῆς φαινομένης κτίσεως ἡ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου φύσις. Ἄξιον

δὲ μηδὲ τοῦτο παριδεῖν ἀθεώρητον, ὅτι τοῦ τηλικούτου κόσμου καὶ τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν μερῶν στοι χειωδῶς πρὸς τὴν τοῦ παντὸς σύστασιν ὑποβληθέν των, ἀποσχεδιάζεταί πως ἡ κτίσις ὑπὸ τῆς θείας δυνάμεως ὁμοῦ τῷ προστάγματι ὑφισταμένη. Τῆς δὲ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κατασκευῆς βουλὴ προηγεῖται, καὶ προτυποῦται παρὰ τοῦ τεχνιτεύοντος διὰ τῆς τοῦ λόγου γραφῆς τὸ ἐσόμενον, καὶ οἷον εἶναι προσήκει, καὶ πρὸς ποῖον ἀρχέτυπον τὴν ὁμοιότητα φέρειν, καὶ ἐπὶ τίνι γενήσεται, καὶ τί ἐνεργήσει γενόμενον καὶ τίνων ἡγεμονεύσει· πάντα προδιασκοπεῖται ὁ λόγος, ὡς πρεσβυτέραν αὐτὸν τῆς γενέσεως τὴν ἀξίαν λα χεῖν, πρὶν παρελθεῖν εἰς τὸ εἶναι τὴν τῶν ὄντων ἡγε μονίαν κτησάμενον. «Εἶπε» γὰρ, φησὶν, «ὁ Θεὸς, Ποιή σωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν, καὶ ὁμοίωσιν, καὶ ἀρχέτωσαν τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ τῶν θη ρίων τῆς γῆς, καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ τῶν κτηνῶν, καὶ πάσης τῆς γῆς.» Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος· ἥλιος κατασκευάζεται, καὶ οὐδεμία προηγεῖται βουλή· οὐρα νὸς ὡσαύτως, ὧν οὐδέν τι τῶν κατὰ τὴν κτίσιν ἴσον ἐστὶ, 136 ῥήματι μόνῳ τὸ τοιοῦτον θαῦμα συνίσταται, οὔτε ὅθεν, οὔτε ὅπως, οὔτε ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον παρασημηναμένου τοῦ λόγου. Οὕτω καὶ τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον πάντα, αἰθὴρ, ἀστέρες, ὁ διὰ μέσου ἀὴρ, θάλαττα, γῆ, ζῶα, φυτὰ, πάντα λόγῳ πρὸς γένεσιν ἄγεται. Μόνῃ δὲ τῇ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κατασκευῇ περιεσκεμμένως πρόσεισιν ὁ τοῦ παντὸς ποιητὴς, ὡς καὶ ὕλην αὐτῷ τῆς συστά σεως προετοιμάσαι, καὶ ἀρχετύπῳ τινὶ κάλλει τὴν μορφὴν ὁμοιῶσαι, καὶ προθέντα τὸν σκοπὸν, οὗ χά ριν γενήσεται, κατάλληλον αὐτῷ καὶ οἰκείαν ταῖς ἐνεργείαις δημιουργῆσαι τὴν φύσιν, ἐπιτηδείως πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον ἔχουσαν.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ∆ʹ.

Ὅτι διὰ πάντων ἐπισημαίνει τὴν ἀρχικὴν ἐξ ουσίαν ἡ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου

κατασκευή. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ καταλλήλως τῇ χρείᾳ σχηματίζεται παρὰ τῶν τεχνιτευόντων τὸ ὄρ γανον· οὕτως οἷόν τι σκεῦος εἰς βασιλείας ἐνέργειαν ἐπιτήδειον τὴν ἡμετέραν φύσιν ὁ ἀριστοτέχνης ἐδη μιούργησε, τοῖς τε κατὰ τὴν ψυχὴν προτερήμασι καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ τοῦ σώματος σχήματι τοιοῦτον εἶναι παρασκευάσας, οἷον ἐπιτηδείως πρὸς βασιλείαν ἔχειν. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ ψυχὴ τὸ βασιλικόν τε καὶ ἐπηρμένον αὐ τόθεν δείκνυσι πόῤῥω τῆς ἰδιωτικῆς ταπεινότητος κε