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crowned on all sides with stars, with flowers that never fade, but always displaying their own pure beauty. 7.12 What is more pleasant than it, when the night has departed and the sun's ray has not yet risen, it is beautified, becoming crimson with the preludes of the sun's rising, as if with some saffron-colored robe? What could be a more beautiful sight than the sun rising at dawn and in a small instant of time illuminating all the earth, all the sea, every mountain and glen and hill, and all the sky with the shafts of its rays, and stripping off the cloak of night from the things that are seen, and showing everything naked before our eyes? 7.13 How could one not be amazed at its courses, its good order, its unvarying and unimpeded ministry over so many cycles of years, its beauty which is ever-flourishing, its brilliance, its brightness, its purity, which associates with so many bodies and is nowhere defiled? In addition to these things, its unspeakable utility, in seeds, in plants and in the bodies of humans, quadrupeds, fish, birds, stones, herbs, in the earth, in the sea, in the air, in simply all things that are seen? 7.14 For all things need it and enjoy its use and become better by partaking of it, not only bodies, nor plants, but also waters, and lakes and springs and rivers and the very nature of the air, being made thin and purified and becoming more transparent. 7.15 For this reason also the psalmist, wishing to signify its beauty, its everlasting brightness, its flourishing bloom, its flower that never falls, its comeliness, its good form, its unimpeded ministry, said something like this: "In the sun he has set his tabernacle," that is, in the heavens themselves; this, saying it is the tabernacle of God, he hints at. "And he is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber." 7.16 Then, indicating the ease of its ministry, he added: "He will rejoice as a giant to run his course." Then, its sufficiency and adequacy for the whole inhabited world: "His going out is from the end of heaven, and his circuit to the end of heaven." Then, its usefulness and benefit to all: "And there is no one who will be hidden from its heat." 7.17 It is possible, if you have not grown weary, to learn of His providence also from other things: from the clouds, from the seasons, from the moments, from the winds, from the sea and the various kinds in it, from the earth and the quadrupeds on it, reptiles, birds of the air, of the land, from the amphibians in lakes and springs and rivers, from the inhabited world, from the uninhabited, from the growing seeds, trees, herbs, plants in the deserts, in the non-deserts, 7.18 from the things that sprout in plains, in ravines, in mountains, in glens, from those that grow spontaneously, from those with toil and farming, from the gentle animals, the untamed, the wild, the domesticated, the small, the large, from the birds and quadrupeds that appear in winter, in summer, in autumn, and fish and plants and herbs, from the things that happen at night, from those in the day, from the rains, from the measure of the years, from death, 7.19 from life, from the toil allotted to us, from despondency, from relief, from the foods and drinks given to us, from occupations, from arts, from woods, from stones, from the metal-bearing mountains, from the navigable sea, from the unnavigable, from the islands, from the harbors, from the shores, from the surface of the sea, from the depth of the waters, from the nature of the elements of which our world is composed, from the arrangement of the seasons, from the difference of the measure of the day and of the night, 7.20 from sickness and health, from our limbs, from the constitution of the soul, from the arts and the wisdom provided in them to the race of men, from the utility of the irrational animals and plants and other creatures that serve us, from the smallest and

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ἀστέρων πανταχόθεν κατεστεμμένον, ἄνθεσιν οὐδέποτε μαραινομένοις, ἀλλ' ἀκραιφνὲς ἀεὶ τὸ οἰκεῖον κάλλος ἐπιδεικνυμένοις. 7.12 Τί δὲ αὐτοῦ ἡδύτερον, ὅταν τῆς νυκτὸς ἀπελθούσης καὶ μηδέπω τῆς ἀκτῖνος ἀνισχούσης, καθάπερ κροκωτῷ τινι πέπλῳ τοῖς προοιμίοις τῆς ἀνατολῆς τοῦ ἡλίου φοινισσόμενος καλλωπίζηται; τί δὲ ἡλίου γένοιτ' ἂν ὡραιότερον θέαμα ἀνίσχοντος ὑπὸ τὴν ἕω καὶ μικρᾷ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ πᾶσαν μὲν γῆν, πᾶσαν δὲ θάλασσαν, πᾶν δὲ ὄρος καὶ νάπας καὶ βουνούς, πάντα δὲ τὸν οὐρανὸν ταῖς τῶν ἀκτίνων καταλάμποντος βολαῖς καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς τὸ περιβόλαιον ἀπαμφιεννύντος τῶν ὁρωμένων καὶ γυμνὰ πάντα πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν δεικνύντος ἡμῖν; 7.13 Πῶς ἄν τις αὐτοῦ ἐκπλαγείη τοὺς δρόμους, τὴν εὐταξίαν, τὴν ἐν τοσαύταις ἐτῶν περιόδοις ἀπαράλλακτον καὶ ἀνεμπόδιστον διακονίαν, τὸ κάλλος αὐτοῦ τὸ διηνεκῶς ἀκμάζον, τὴν λαμπηδόνα, τὴν φαιδρότητα, τὴν καθαρότητα, τὴν τοσούτοις ὁμιλοῦσαν σώμασι καὶ μηδαμοῦ μολυνομένην; Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, τὴν χρείαν τὴν ἄφατον, τὴν ἐν σπέρμασι, τὴν ἐν φυτοῖς καὶ ἐν σώμασιν ἀνθρώπων, τετραπόδων, ἰχθύων, ἀέρων, λίθων, βοτανῶν, τὴν ἐν γῇ, τὴν ἐν θαλάσσῃ, τὴν ἐν ἀέρι, τὴν ἐν πᾶσιν ἁπλῶς τοῖς ὁρωμένοις; 7.14 Πάντα γὰρ αὐτοῦ δεῖται καὶ ἀπολαύει τῆς χρείας καὶ ἀμείνω γίνεται ταύτης μετέχοντα, οὐ σώματα δὲ μόνον, οὐδὲ φυτά, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὕδατα, καὶ λίμναι καὶ πηγαὶ καὶ ποταμοὶ καὶ αὐτὴ τοῦ ἀέρος ἡ φύσις λεπτυνομένη καὶ καθαιρομένη καὶ διειδεστέρα γινομένη. 7.15 ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ ψαλμῳδὸς τὸ κάλλος αὐτοῦ παραδηλῶσαι βουλόμενος, τὸ διηνεκῶς φαιδρόν, τὴν ἀκμάζουσαν ὥραν, τὸ μηδέποτε διαπῖπτον ἄνθος, τὴν εὐπρέπειαν, τὴν εὐμορφίαν, τὴν ἀπαραπόδιστον διακονίαν, οὕτω πως ἔλεγεν· «Ἐν τῷ ἡλίῳ ἔθετο τὸ σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ», τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· τοῦτο, σκήνωμα Θεοῦ λέγων, αἰνίττεται. «Καὶ αὐτὸς ὡς νυμφίος ἐκπορευόμενος ἐκ παστοῦ αὐτοῦ.» 7.16 Εἶτα καὶ τὸ εὔκολον τῆς διακονίας αὐτοῦ δηλῶν ἐπήγαγεν· «Ἀγαλλιάσεται ὡς γίγας δραμεῖν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ.» Εἶτα τὸ διαρκὲς καὶ ἀποχρῶν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ πάσῃ· «Ἀπ' ἄκρου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἡ ἔξοδος αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ κατάντημα αὐτοῦ ἕως ἄκρου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ.» Εἶτα τὸ πᾶσι χρήσιμον καὶ ὠφέλιμον· «Καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἀποκρυβήσεται τῆς θέρμης αὐτοῦ.» 7.17 Ἔξεστιν, εἰ μὴ ἀπέκαμες, μαθεῖν αὐτοῦ τὴν πρόνοιαν καὶ ἑτέρωθεν· ἀπὸ τῶν νεφῶν, ἀπὸ τῶν ὡρῶν, ἀπὸ τῶν ῥοπῶν, ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνέμων, ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ ποικίλων γενῶν, ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ τετραπόδων, ἑρπετῶν, πτηνῶν τῶν ἀεροπόρων, τῶν χερσαίων, ἀπὸ τῶν ἀμφιβίων τῶν ἐν λίμναις καὶ πηγαῖς καὶ ποταμοῖς, ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκουμένης, ἀπὸ τῆς ἀοικήτου, ἀπὸ τῶν φυομένων σπερμάτων, δένδρων, βοτανῶν, φυτῶν ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις, ἐν ταῖς οὐκ ἐρήμοις, 7.18 ἀπὸ τῶν βλαστανόντων ἐν πεδίοις, ἐν φάραγξιν, ἐν ὄρεσιν, ἐν νάπαις, ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτομάτως φυομένων, ἀπὸ τῶν μετὰ πόνου καὶ γεωργίας, ἀπὸ τῶν ζῴων τῶν ἡμέρων, τῶν ἀνημέρων, τῶν ἀγρίων, τῶν χειροήθων, τῶν μικρῶν, τῶν μεγάλων, ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν χειμῶνι, τῶν ἐν θέρει, τῶν ἐν μετοπώρῳ φαινομένων ὀρνίθων καὶ τετραπόδων, καὶ ἰχθύων καὶ φυτῶν καὶ βοτανῶν, ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν νυκτὶ γινομένων, ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, ἀπὸ τῶν ὑετῶν, ἀπὸ τοῦ μέτρου τῶν ἐνιαυτῶν, ἀπὸ θανάτου, 7.19 ἀπὸ ζωῆς, ἀπὸ τοῦ πόνου τοῦ συγκεκληρωμένου ἡμῖν, ἀπὸ ἀθυμίας, ἀπὸ ἀνέσεως, ἀπὸ σίτων καὶ ποτῶν τῶν δεδομένων ἡμῖν, ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων, ἀπὸ τεχνῶν, ἀπὸ ξύλων, ἀπὸ λίθων, ἀπὸ τῶν μεταλλικῶν ὀρῶν, ἀπὸ τῆς πλεομένης θαλάττης, ἀπὸ τῆς ἀπλώτου, ἀπὸ τῶν νήσων, ἀπὸ τῶν ὅρμων, ἀπὸ τῶν ἀκτῶν, ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπιφανείας τοῦ πελάγους, ἀπὸ τοῦ βάθους τῶν ὑδάτων, ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως τῶν στοιχείων ἀφ' ὧν ὁ κόσμος ἡμῖν συνέστηκεν, ἀπὸ τῆς διατάξεως τῶν καιρῶν, ἀπὸ τῆς διαφορᾶς τοῦ μέτρου τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τῆς νυκτός, 7.20 ἀπὸ νόσου καὶ ὑγιείας, ἀπὸ τῶν μελῶν τῶν ἡμετέρων, ἀπὸ τῆς κατασκευῆς τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀπὸ τῶν τεχνῶν καὶ τῆς σοφίας τῆς ἐν αὐταῖς παρασχεθείσης τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένει, ἀπὸ τῆς χρείας τῶν ὑπηρετουμένων ἡμῖν ἀλόγων καὶ φυτῶν καὶ ἑτέρων κτισμάτων, ἀπὸ τῶν μικροτάτων καὶ