of the stars it has happened, I wanted to learn. And he will say that the malefic Mars or Saturn took over the times, or one of them was apocatastatic, or one of them regarded this year from a quartile, or from an opposition, or being in conjunction, or being in an angle, or contrary to sect. Nevertheless, he has countless other things to say; in addition to these, either a benefic was not in aspect with a malefic, or unregarded, or in aspect, or contrary to sect, or in an eclipse, or unaspected, or among obscure stars. And yet, though there are many pretexts, he is able to provide proofs for what he heard. After this astrologer, then, going to another, say the opposite: that, This good thing happened to me at this time; you say the same time; and demand to know from what nativity this happened. And yet, as I said before, he is able, even though you lied, to find one aspect out of many aspects, and a second, and a third, and more, as having caused it, from which he will say the good things came to be; for it is impossible in every nativity of men, that at any given hour, some of the stars are not well placed, and others badly; for it is a circle of equal parts, varied, having infinite pretexts; according to which each can say what he wishes; for in the same way that with ambiguous dreams we sometimes understand nothing, but when they turn out we offer a most fitting interpretation; so also astrology, before anything comes to pass, can reveal nothing clear to us; but after the account of what has happened, then the cause of the outcome appears manifest; often, therefore, the foretellers err, and after the outcome they blame themselves, saying, This was the cause, and we did not see it. Now, the fact that even the very knowledgeable err comes about from not knowing, as I said yesterday, which things are altogether causes of the nativity, and which are not altogether, and which things we altogether desire to do, but do not altogether do. But this cause is clear to us, who have learned the mystery, that having free reason, we have overcome, having sometimes decided to check it. But the astrologers, not knowing this mystery itself, having pronounced from 12.88 the beginning, when they erred they devised the climacterics, rendering the choice uncertain, as we proved yesterday. But for the rest, if you have anything to say about these things, say it. And he swore and answered that nothing was truer than these things he said.” FROM THE 3RD VOLUME OF THE COMMENTARY ON GENESIS. “And God made the two great lights, the greater light for the rule of the day, and the lesser light for the rule of the night, and the stars. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven, so as to give light upon the earth, and to rule the day and the night.” It must indeed be investigated whether 'for the rule of the day' is the same as 'and to rule the day'; and 'for the rule of the night' as 'and to rule the night'. For Aquila also observed the analogy, rendering instead of 'for the rule', 'for dominion'; and instead of 'to rule', 'to have dominion'. And those who have concerned themselves with the examination of significations say that, in those places which have a conjunction of nouns and predicates, the nouns happen to pre-exist, and the predicates come to be from the nouns; and they say that which has a predicate is a noun, for example, prudence, while the predicate is 'to be prudent'; similarly the noun is moderation, the predicate is 'to be moderate'; and they say that prudence pre-exists, then the predicate comes to be, from prudence 'to be prudent'. But even if we should seem to some to be doing this contrary to the intent of the Scripture, we have observed it; since God who makes the lights makes the greater one for the rule of the day, and the lesser one for the rule of the night; but he places them in the firmament of the heaven, no longer 'for the rule' of the day and of the night, but 'to rule' the day and the night. For the fact that the nouns are placed first in an orderly and consequent manner according to the technical art in this place, and then the pred- 12.89 icates are brought in, has moved us to wonder whether the matter was not also understood in this way by the servant, and especially since he who is most fond of interpreting literally-

τῶν ἀστέρων γέγονε, μαθεῖν ἤθελον. Καὶ ἐρεῖ, ὅτι τοὺς χρόνους κακοποιὸς διε δέξατο Ἄρης ἢ Κρόνος, ἢ τούτων τις ἀποκαταστα τικὸς ἐγένετο, ἢ τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν τοῦτόν τις ἐπεθεώ ρησεν ἐκ τετραγώνου, ἢ διαμέτρου, ἢ συνὼν, ἢ κεκεντρωμένος, ἢ παρὰ αἵρεσιν. Ὅμως καὶ ἄλλα μυρία εἰπεῖν ἔχει· πρὸς τούτοις δὲ, ἢ ἀγαθοποιὸς κακῷ ἀσύνθετος ἦν, ἢ ἀνεπιθεώρητος, ἢ ἐν σχήματι, ἢ παρὰ αἵρεσιν, ἢ ἐν ἐκλείψει, ἢ ἀνεπισύναφος, ἢ ἐν ἀμαυροῖς ἄστροις. Καὶ ὅμως πολλῶν προφάσεων οὐσῶν, πρὸς ἃ ἤκουσε τὰς ἀποδείξεις παρασχεῖν ἔχει. Μετὰ τοῦτον οὖν τὸν μαθηματικὸν ἑτέρῳ προσελθὼν, τὰ ἐναντία εἰπέ· ὅτι, Τόδε μοι τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐν τῷδε τῷ χρόνῳ γέγονε· σὺ δὲ τὸν χρόνον τὸν αὐτὸν λέγε· ἀπαίτει δὲ ἐκ τίνος ἄρα τῆς γενέσεως τοῦτο γέγονε. Καὶ ὅμως, ὡς προεῖπον, ἔχει, σοῦ καταψευσαμένου, αὐτὸς ἐκ πολλῶν σχημάτων ἕν τι εὑρεῖν σχῆμα, καὶ δεύτερον, καὶ τρίτον, καὶ πλείονα, ὡς αὐτὸ ἐνεργῆ σαν ὅθεν τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐρεῖ γεγενῆσθαι· ἀδύνατον γὰρ ἐν πάσῃ γενέσει ἀνθρώπων, μὴ ἐν πάσῃ ὥρᾳ, τῶν ἀστέρων τοὺς μὲν καλῶς κεῖσθαι, τοὺς δὲ κακῶς· κύκλος γάρ ἐστιν ἰσομερὴς, ποικίλος, ἀπείρους ἔχων τὰς προφάσεις· πρὸς ἃς ἕκαστος εἰπεῖν ἔχει ὃ θέλει· ὃν γὰρ τρόπον ἐπὶ τῶν λοξῶν ὀνείρων ἐνίοτε οὐδὲν νοοῦμεν, ἀποβάντων δὲ οἰκειοτάτην προσφέρομεν ἐπί λυσιν· οὕτως καὶ τὸ μάθημα, πρὸ τοῦ τι ἀποτελεσθῆ ναι, οὐδὲν σαφὲς ἡμῖν μηνῦσαι δύναται· μετὰ δὲ τὴν τοῦ γενομένου ἱστορίαν τότε πρόδηλος ἡ τῆς ἐκβά σεως αἰτία φαίνεται· πολλάκις μὲν οὖν οἱ προλέγοντες πταίουσι, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἔκβασιν ἑαυτοὺς μέμφονται, λέγοντες ὅτι, Τόδε ἦν τὸ ποιῆσαν, καὶ οὐκ εἴδομεν. Τὸ μὲν οὖν καὶ τοὺς πάνυ ἐπιστήμονας πταίειν γίνεται διὰ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι, ὡς χθὲς ἔφην, ποῖα πάντως τῆς γενέσεως αἴτια γίνεται, ποῖα δὲ οὐ πάντως, καὶ ποῖα πάντως ποιῆσαι ἐπιθυμοῦμεν, οὐ πάντως δὲ ποιοῦμεν. Ἥδε δὲ ἡ αἰτία ἡμῖν, τοῖς μυστήριον μεμαθηκόσι, σαφής ἐστιν, ὅτι ἐλεύθερον ἔχοντες λογισμὸν, ἐνίοτε ἐπέχειν ταύτην βουλευσάμενοι, νενικήκαμεν. Οἱ δὲ ἀστρολόγοι, τοῦτο αὐτὸ τὸ μυστήριον οὐκ εἰδότες, περὶ πάσης προαιρέσεως ἀποφηνάμενοι ἐξ 12.88 ἀρχῆς, πταίσαντες τοὺς κλιμακτῆρας ἐπενόησαν, εἰς ἀδηλότητα ποιούμενοι τὴν προαίρεσιν, ὡς χθὲς ἀπε- δείξαμεν. Σὺ δὲ τοῦ λοιποῦ πρὸς ταῦτα εἴ τι ἔχεις εἰπεῖν, λέγε. Καὶ ὀμόσας ἀπεκρίνατο, μηδὲν τούτων ἀληθέστερον εἶναι, ὧν εἶπεν.» ΕΚ ΤΟΥ Γʹ ΤΟΜΟΥ ΤΩΝ ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΓΕΝΕΣΙΝ. «Καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς δύο φωστῆρας τοὺς μεγάλους, τὸν φωστῆρα τὸν μέγαν εἰς τὰς ἀρχὰς τῆς ἡμέρας, καὶ τὸν φωστῆρα ἐλάσσω εἰς ἀρχὰς τῆς νυκτὸς, καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας. Καὶ ἔθετο αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὥστε φαίνειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἄρχειν τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τῆς νυκτός.» Ζητη- τέον δὴ εἰ ταὐτόν ἐστι τὸ, εἰς ἀρχὰς τῆς ἡμέρας, τῷ, καὶ ἄρχειν τῆς ἡμέρας· καὶ τὸ, εἰς ἀρχὰς τῆς νυκτὸς, τῷ, καὶ ἄρχειν τῆς νυκτός. Καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας γὰρ τὸ ἀνάλογον ἐτήρησε, ποιήσας ἀντὶ μὲν τοῦ, εἰς ἀρχὰς, εἰς ἐξουσίαν· ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ἄρχειν, ἐξουσιάζειν. Φασὶ δὲ οἷς ἐμέλησε τῆς τῶν σημαινομένων ἐξετάσεως, ἐν τοῖς τόποις τοῖς ἔχουσι συζυγίαν προσηγοριῶν καὶ κατηγορημάτων, προϋφίστασθαι τὰ τυγχάνοντα τῶν προσηγοριῶν, καὶ ἐπιγίνεσθαι τὰ κατηγορήματα παρὰ τὰς προσηγορίας· καὶ προσηγορίαν μὲν ἔχουσαν κατηγόρημά φασιν, οἷον τὴν φρόνησιν, κατηγόρημα δὲ εἶναι τὸ φρονεῖν· ὁμοίως προσηγορίαν τὴν σωφροσύνην, κατηγόρημα τὸ σωφρονεῖν· καὶ προϋφίστασθαί φασι τὴν φρόνησιν, εἶτ' ἐπιγίνεσθαι κατηγόρημα, ἀπὸ φρονήσεως τὸ φρονεῖν. Ταῦτα δὲ εἰ καὶ δόξομέν τισι παρὰ τὸ βούλημα ποιεῖν τῆς Γραφῆς, τετηρήκαμεν· ἐπεὶ ὁ μὲν ποιῶν τοὺς φωστῆρας Θεὸς ποιεῖ τὸν μὲν μέγαν εἰς ἀρχὰς τῆς ἡμέρας, τὸν δὲ ἐλάσσω εἰς ἀρχὰς τῆς νυκτός· τίθεται δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, οὐκέτι εἰς ἀρχὰς τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς, ἀλλὰ εἰς τὸ ἄρχειν τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τῆς νυκτός. Τὸ γὰρ τεταγμένως καὶ ἀκολούθως τῷ τεχνολογουμένῳ κατὰ τὸν τόπον προτετάχθαι τὰς προσηγορίας, εἶτ' ἐπιφέρεσθαι τὰ κατ 12.89 ηγορήματα, κεκίνηκεν ἡμᾶς μήποτε τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ παρὰ τῷ θεράποντι νενόηται, οὕτως ἔχον, καὶ μάλιστα ἐπεὶ ὁ κυριώτατα ἑρμηνεύειν φιλο-