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For in an instant it travels around eastern and western things, and northern and southern, and heavenly and subterranean things; but not in substance, but only in the imagination of its reasoning. But God, however, possesses the uncircumscribed in substance and in wisdom and in power. One might find another, more accurate imitation again in the soul of man; for it has in itself both the rational and the vital; and the mind begets the word, and with the word proceeds a spirit, not begotten like the word, but always accompanying the word, and proceeding forth with the one begotten. But these things are present in man as in an image 27, for which reason both the word and the spirit are without hypostasis. But in the case of the Holy Trinity we conceive three hypostases, both unconfusedly united and subsisting in themselves. For God the Word was begotten of the Father before the ages; and he is inseparable from the one who begot him, and the all-holy Spirit proceeds from God and the Father; and is conceived in its own hypostasis; "for," it says, "the one and the same Spirit works all things, distributing to each one individually as he wills"; but it is not necessary to prolong the argument about this; for it is possible to find countless proofs of this in the divine Scripture. XXI Why then did God especially bless the seventh day? Each of the other days received its own particular creation; since, therefore, up to this day he had created the whole creation, he gave to the seventh day the blessing instead of a creation, so that it alone among the others would not remain unhonored. However, he has put "he sanctified it" instead of "he set it apart"; for in many places it is possible to find this understood thus in the divine Scripture; for concerning the Medes it says, "they are sanctified and I bring them," that is, set apart for this purpose. And besides, writing these things for the Jews, he necessarily put "he sanctified it," so that they might render greater reverence to the Sabbath; for in legislating he said this, that "in six days the Lord your God made the heaven and the earth; but on the seventh day he rested from all 28 of his works which he had made and sanctified it ". XXII What is "But a spring went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the earth"? In summary again, the writer narrated the things concerning creation and taught that God brought forth the elements from non-being, and that he separated these from each other, and that he arranged each of these as he wished, and that with neither man cultivating the earth nor clouds travailing with rain, it sprouted as the Creator wished, having for its irrigation the dampness and moisture that remained in it after the separation of the waters; for thus also Aquila interpreted "And a gushing up went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the land ". XXIII If the soul has come from the divine in-breathing, is the soul then of the substance of God? Such a notion is of the utmost impiety and blasphemy; for by this the divine Scripture showed the ease of the creation. In addition to this, it also hints at the nature of the soul, that it is a created spirit, both invisible and intelligible, free from the density of bodies; and one must also understand that it is necessary first to conceive of a lung, and the muscles that compress and contract it, and the artery grown together with the lung, and a palate and a mouth, and then in this way to receive the in-breathing. But if the divine is incorporeal, then the in-breathing must also be conceived in a manner befitting God. 29 XXIV Why then did God plant the paradise when he was about to banish Adam from there immediately on account of his sin. First, the Lord God does not endure to condemn on the basis of foreknowledge; therefore, although foreseeing the transgression, he still imparted good things to him. Then, he also wished him to know the divine gifts, so that, having been deprived of them, he might hate sin for having stripped him of so many good things. In addition to these things, it was necessary for the just judge to set forth the prizes of victory for the athletes of virtue; for which reason he also said concerning the kingdom of the heavens: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit what has been prepared for you

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ἀκαρεῖ γὰρ περινοστεῖ καὶ τὰ ἑῷα καὶ τὰ ἑσπέρια καὶ τὰ βόρεια καὶ τὰ νότια, καὶ τὰ ἐπουράνια καὶ τὰ ὑποχθόνια· ἀλλ' οὐ τῇ οὐσίᾳ, μόνῃ δὲ τῇ τοῦ λογισμοῦ φαντασίᾳ. ὁ δέ γε Θεὸς καὶ τῇ οὐσίᾳ καὶ τῇ σοφίᾳ καὶ τῇ δυνάμει τὸ ἀπερίγραφον ἔχει· εὕροι δ' ἄν τις καὶ ἑτέραν μίμησιν ἀκριβεστέραν ἐν τῇ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πάλιν ψυχῇ· ἔχει γὰρ αὐτὴ καὶ τὸ λογικὸν καὶ τὸ ζωτικὸν ἐν ἑαυτῇ· καὶ γεννᾷ μὲν ὁ νοῦς τὸν λόγον, συμπρό εισι δὲ τῷ λόγῳ πνεῦμα, οὐ γεννώμενον καθάπερ ὁ λόγος, συμπαρομαρ τοῦν δὲ ἀεὶ τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ συμπροϊὸν γεννωμένῳ. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα ὡς εἰκόνι 27 πρόσεστι τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ ἀνυπόστατος ὁ λόγος ἐστὶ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα. ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος τρεῖς νοοῦμεν τὰς ὑποστάσεις, καὶ ἀσυγχύτως ἡνωμένας καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὰς ὑφεστώσας. γεγέννηται μὲν γὰρ πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς ὁ Θεὸς λόγος· ἀχώριστος δέ ἐστι τοῦ γεννήσαντος καὶ ἐκπορεύεται ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς τὸ πανάγιον πνεῦμα· νοεῖται δὲ καὶ ἐν ἰδίᾳ ὑποστάσει· " πάντα, γάρ φησι, ἐνεργεῖ τὸ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα, διαιροῦν ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ καθὼς βούλεται "· ἀλλὰ περὶ τούτου μηκύνειν τὸν λόγον οὐ δεῖ· μυρίας γὰρ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν ἀποδείξεις τούτου παρὰ τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ. XXI Τί δή ποτε διαφερόντως τὴν ἑβδόμην ἡμέραν εὐλόγησεν ὁ Θεός; Ἑκάστη τῶν ἄλλων ἡμερῶν ἰδίαν τινὰ δημιουργίαν ἐδέξατο· ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν μέχρι ταύτης σύμπασαν τὴν κτίσιν ἐδημιούργησε, δέδωκεν ἀντὶ δημιουρ γίας τῇ ἑβδόμη ἡμέρᾳ τὴν εὐλογίαν, ἵνα μὴ μόνη παρὰ τὰς ἄλλας ἀγέρασ τος διαμείνῃ. τὸ μέντοι " ἡγίασεν αὐτήν ", ἀντὶ τοῦ " ἀφώ ρισεν " τέθεικε· πολλαχοῦ γὰρ οὕτω τοῦτο νοούμενον ἔστιν εὑρεῖν παρὰ τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ· καὶ γὰρ περὶ τῶν μήδων φησίν, " ἡγιασμένοι εἰσὶ καὶ ἐγὼ ἄγω αὐτούς ", τουτέστιν, εἰς τοῦτο ἀφωρισ μένοι. ἄλλως τε καὶ ἰουδαίοις ταῦτα συγγράφων, ἀναγκαίως τὸ " ἡγίασεν αὐτὴν " τέθεικεν, ἵνα πλεῖον σέβας ἀπονείμωσι τῷ σαβ βάτῳ· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ νομοθετῶν ἔφη, ὅτι " ἐν ἓξ ἡμέραις ἐποίη σε Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν· τῇ δὲ ἑβδόμῃ ἡμέρᾳ κατέπαυσεν ἀπὸ πάντων 28 τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ὧν ἐποίησεν καὶ ἡγίασεν αὐτήν ". XXII Τί ἐστι " πηγὴ δὲ ἀνέβαινεν ἐκ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπότιζε πᾶν τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς "; Ἐν κεφαλαίῳ πάλιν ὁ συγγραφεὺς τὰ περὶ τῆς κτίσεως διηγήσατο καὶ ἐδίδαξεν ὅτι μὴ ὄντα τὰ στοιχεῖα παρήγαγεν ὁ Θεός, καὶ ὅτι ταῦτα ἀπ' ἀλλήλων διεχώρισε, καὶ ὅτι ἕκαστον τούτων διεκόσμησεν ὡς ἠθέλησε, καὶ ὅτι μήτε τοῦ ἀνθρώπου γεωργοῦντος τὴν γῆν, μήτε τῶν νεφῶν τὸν ὑετὸν ὠδινόντων, βεβλάστηκεν ὡς ὁ δημιουργήσας ἠθέλησεν, ἀρδείαν ἔχουσα τὴν μετὰ τὸν χωρισμὸν τῶν ὑδάτων ἐναπομείνασαν αὐτῇ νοτίδα τε καὶ ἰκμάδα· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ Ἀκύλας ἡρμήνευσε " καὶ ἐπιβλυσμὸς ἀνέβη ἐκ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπότισε πᾶν τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς χθονός ". XXIII Εἰ ἐκ τοῦ θείου ἐμφυσήματος γέγονεν ἡ ψυχή, ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας ἄρα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν ἡ ψυχή; Ἀσεβείας ἐσχάτης καὶ βλασφημίας ἡ τοιαύτη ἔννοια· τῆς γὰρ δημιουργίας τὴν εὐκολίαν ἔδειξε διὰ τοῦτο ἡ θεία γραφή. πρὸς δὲ τούτῳ καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν φύσιν αἰνίττεται, ὅτι πνεῦμά ἐστιν κτιστόν, ἀόρατόν τε καὶ νοερόν, τῆς τῶν σωμάτων ἀπηλλαγμένον παχύτητος· κἀκεῖνο δὲ χρὴ συνιδεῖν, ὅτι δεῖ πρότερον νοῆσαι πνεύμονα, καὶ τοὺς ἀποθλίβοντας τοῦτον μῦς, καὶ συστέλλοντας καὶ τὴν συμπεφυκυῖαν ἀρτηρίαν τῷ πνεύμονι, καὶ ὑπερῴαν καὶ στόμα εἶθ' οὕτως δέξασθαι τὸ ἐμφύσημα. εἰ δὲ τὸ θεῖον ἀσώ ματον, θεοπρεπῶς ἄρα καὶ τὸ ἐμφύσημα νοητέον. 29 XXIV Τί δήποτε τὸν παράδεισον ἐφύτευσεν ὁ Θεὸς μέλλων εὐθὺς τὸν Ἀδὰμ διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐξορίζειν ἐκεῖθεν. Πρῶτον οὐκ ἀνέχεται ἐκ προγνώσεως κατακρῖναι ὁ δεσπότης Θεός· διὸ καὶ τὴν παράβασιν προορῶν, τῶν ἀγαθῶν αὐτῷ μεταδέδωκεν. ἔπειτα καὶ γνῶναι αὐτὸν τὰς θείας δωρεὰς ἠβουλήθη, ἵνα τούτων στερηθεὶς μισήσῃ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ὡς τοσούτων αὐτὸν γυμνώσασαν ἀγαθῶν. πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, ἔδει τὸν δίκαιον ἀγωνοθέτην τοῖς τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀθληταῖς προθεῖναι τῆς νίκης τὰ ἆθλα· οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ περὶ τῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείας ἔφη· " δεῦτε οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ πατρός μου, κληρο νομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν