Didymus the Blind, On Genesis

argument, not even so would it have plausibility for them; and besides, it is not even possible for human nature to comprehend such signs, since the pole, even according to them, moves most swiftly, on account of which it is impossible to know the hour of the one born. And the phrase "and it was so", being responsive, shows that the Son did this which the Father willed to bring into existence. For, although it was not said how many luminaries there should be, it was added: "And God made the two luminaries"; thus the will and the energy of the Father and the Son are the same. And the domains of the luminaries came into being in turn, with the sun ruling the day, and the moon and the other stars ruling the night. Which he set, not with "set" meaning the same as "made," nor that having first come into being they were later set, but that reason suggests the concept of generation is prior to that of placement; for the one is to bring into existence, the other is to fit it with the other parts of the world. And let this also be added to what has been said, that he fittingly said six days and not six hours or months or years; for to say months or years would have indicated slowness, while hours would have seemed inconceivable; for one who does not know what a day is also does not know what an hour is. Mentioning a perfect number, therefore, he reasonably and appropriately included days as well. Which again "God saw" that they were made well, the phrase "God saw" being understood in the same way as in the preceding instances. We have said these things, then, to clarify the text, but the following would be for the allegorical interpretation. It was said before this that 38 "Let there be light" must be referred to the Savior, not as having come into existence from non-being, but as being fitted to those who are enlightened. And among those who are enlightened, some receive the illumination to a lesser degree, others to a greater, but they do receive it; besides these are those who are in a state of night. Therefore, even now luminaries come into being as concepts of the Son, as it is consistent to see the meaning of the present subject; he is fitted to the measure of each, becoming a sun of righteousness for the elevated, and being measured out to the lesser ones and providing an illumination of the Spirit analogous to the moon. And those enlightened in the night might be as many as are perfect who necessarily yield to the need of the body; for the perfect one, even if he is so, nevertheless, since he has a body, both is nourished and endures the other needs of the body, which he also performs as a perfect one, for this reason he also has light, but such light is of the night, since such intensity, because of the needs of the body, even if it is not lost, is nonetheless in a state of relaxation. And just as the moon itself according to some receives its rays from the sun and becomes a second light supplied from the greater, so also the church is a light of the world. Indeed, the Lord said to his own disciples: "You are the light of the world", not a solar light—for he himself was the sun of righteousness—but a lesser one and supplied by him. But also the apostle, saying "Among whom you shine as luminaries in the world", shows that having partaken of the true light they are a light of the world; for he adds: "Holding forth the word of life". And the relationship of his light in 39 these might be the moon; for he did not say "you are the lights", but the light; for all having unity among themselves are thus one light, being the church. And the stars would be subsumed under this Word, having surpassed the others according to the allegory, whom they also enlighten. These would be the prophets before the rising of the sun, sending forth the gleam of pre-announcement. He, at any rate, having risen, illuminated the whole, and showed all things to be one light, because those who partake were shown to be a perfect light. For it has been said that the righteous will shine "as the sun in the kingdom of their Father", not "sun", but as the sun, just as it is also said in the Song of Songs about her who partook of the light: "Who is this that looks forth like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, choice as the sun, a wonder?" And observe that advancements

λόγος, οὐδ' οὕτω μὲν ἂν ἔχοι αὐτοῖς πιθανότητα· ἄλλως δὲ οὐδὲ δυνατὸν ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει καταλαβεῖν τὰ τοιαῦτα σημεῖα, τοῦ πόλου καὶ κατ' αὐτοὺς ὀξύτατα κινουμένου, δι' ὃν ἀμήχανον λαβεῖν τὴν ὥραν τοῦ ἀποτεχθέντος. Τὸ δὲ "6καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως"6, ἀνταποδοτικὸν ὄν, δείκνυσιν ὅτι τοῦτ' ἐποίησεν ὁ Υἱὸς ὅπερ ὁ Πατὴρ ὑπο- στῆ[ναι ἐ]θέλησεν. Καὶ γάρ, οὐκ εἰρημένου πόσοι γένωνται φωστ[ῆρες], ἐπηνέχθη· "6Καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς δύο φωστῆρας"6· οὕτως [ἡ αὐτ]ὴ καὶ βούλησις καὶ ἐνέργεια Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ. Ἀνὰ μέρος δὲ καὶ [αἱ] ἀρχαὶ τῶν φωστήρων ἐγένοντο, τοῦ μὲν ἡλίου τῆς ἡμέρας, σελήνης δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἄστρων νυκτὸς ἡγουμένων. Οὕστινας ἔθετο, οὐ δηλοῦντος τοῦ ἔθετο ταὐτὸν τῷ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ ὅτι πρῶτον γενόμενοι ὕστερον ἐτέθησαν, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἡ ἔννοια ὑποβάλλει λόγῳ πρώτην εἶναι τὴν γένεσιν τῆς θέσεως· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὑποστῆσαί ἐστι, τὸ δὲ ἁρμόσαι πρὸς τὰ ἄλλα τοῦ κόσμου μέρη. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις προσκείσθω, ὅτι δεόντως ἓξ ἡμέρας εἶπεν καὶ οὐχ ἓξ ὥρας ἢ μῆνας ἢ ἐνιαυτούς· τὸ μὲν γὰρ μῆνας ἢ ἐνιαυτοὺς εἰπεῖν βραδύτητα ἐνέφαινεν, τὸ δὲ ὥρας ἀδιανόητον ἐδόκει· ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἐπιστάμενος τί ἡμέρα οὐδὲ τί ὥρα οἶδεν. Τελείου οὖν ἀριθμοῦ μνημονεύων εἰκότως καὶ ἡμέρας παρείληφεν καὶ καταλλήλως. Ἅπερ πάλιν "6εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς"6 ὡς καλῶς γεγένηνται, τοῦ "6εἶδεν̣ ὁ Θεὸς"6 οὕτως ὡς ἐν τοῖς φθάσασιν νοουμένου. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν σαφηνίζοντες τὸ ῥητὸν εἴπομεν, τὰ δὲ πρὸς ἀναγωγὴν ταῦτα ἂν εἴη. Ἐλέγετο πρὸ τούτων ὅτι 38 τὸ "6γενηθήτω φῶς"6 εἰς τὸν Σωτῆρα ἀνάγειν δεῖ, οὐχ ὡς ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος ὑποστάντα, ἀλλ' ὡς ἁρμοζόμενον τοῖς φωτιζομένοις. Καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν φωτιζομένων, οἱ μὲν ἐπ' ἐλάττον, οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ πλεῖον τὸν φωτισμόν, δέχονται δέ· παρὰ τούτους εἰσὶν οἱ ἐν νυκτερινῇ καταστάσει τυγχάνοντες. Γίνονται τοίνυν καὶ νῦν φωστῆρες ἐπίνοιαι τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καθὰ ἀκόλουθον ἰδεῖν τὸ βούλημα τοῦ νῦν προκειμένου· ἁρμόζεται πρὸς τὸ ἑκάστου μέτρον, τοῖς μὲν ἀνηγμένοις ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης γινόμενος, τοῖς δὲ ἐλάττοσιν συμμε[τρούμε]νος καὶ τὸν σελήνῃ ἀναλογοῦντα φωτισμὸν Πνεύ[ματ]ος παρέχων. Εἶεν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἐν νυκτὶ φωτιζόμενοι ὅσοι [τέ]λειοι ὄντες τῇ τοῦ σώματος χρείᾳ ἀναγκαίως ἐνδιδόασιν· ὁ γὰρ τέλειος, εἰ καὶ οὕτως ἐστίν, ὁμῶς, ἐπειδὴ σῶμα ἔχει, καὶ τρέφεται καὶ τὰς ἄλλας χρείας τοῦ σώματος ὑπομένει, ἃς καὶ αὐτὰς μὲν ὡς τέλειος ποιεῖ, διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ φῶς ἔχει, φῶς δὲ νυκτερινὸν τὸ τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ἐπεὶ ὁ τόνος ὁ τοσοῦτος παρὰ τὰς τοῦ σώματος χρείας, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἀπόλλυται, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀνέσει τυγχάνει. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἡ σελήνη αὐτὴ κατά τινας ἐκ τοῦ ἡλίου δέχεται τὰς αὐγὰς καὶ γίνεται δεύτερον φῶς χορηγούμενον ἀπὸ τοῦ μείζονος, οὕτω καὶ ἡ ἐκκλησία φῶς ἐστιν τοῦ κόσμου. Ἀμέλει γοῦν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς Κύριος εἶπεν· "6Ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου"6, οὐχ ἡλιακόν, -αὐτὸς γὰρ ἦν ὁ ἥλιος τῆς δικαιοσύνης, -ἀλλ' ἐλάττον καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ χορηγούμενον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγων "6Ἐν οἷς ἐστε ὡς φωστῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ"6 δείκνυσιν ὅτι μετεσχηκότες τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς φῶς εἰσι κόσμου· ἐπάγει γάρ· "6Λόγον ζωῆς ἐπέχοντες"6. Καὶ εἴη ἂν ἡ ἐν 39 τούτοις αὐτοῦ τοῦ φωτὸς σχέσις σελήνη· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν "3ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὰ φῶτα"3, ἀλλὰ τὸ φῶς· ἑνότητα γὰρ πάντες πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἔχοντες οὕτω φῶς ἕν εἰσι, ἐκκλησία ὄντες. Καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες δὲ τούτων ἂν ὑπάγοιντο τῷ Λόγῳ ὑπεραναβεβηκότες τοὺς ἄλλους κατὰ τὴν ἀλληγορίαν, οὓς καὶ φωτίζουσιν. Οἵτινες ἂν εἶεν προφῆται πρὸ τῆς ἀνατολῆς τοῦ ἡλίου αὐγὴν ἐκπέμποντες τὴν τῆς προαναφωνήσεως. Ἐκεῖνος γοῦν ἀνατείλας κατηύγασεν τὸ ὅλον, καὶ ἓν φῶς τὰ πάντα ἀπέδειξεν [διὰ τὸ] τοὺς μετέχοντας φῶς ἀποδειχθῆναι τέλειον. Εἴρη[ται γὰρ] ὅτι ἐκλάμψουσιν οἱ δίκαιοι "6ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τ[οῦ] πατρὸς ἑαυτῶν"6, οὐχ "3ἥλιος"3, ἀλλ' ὡς ὁ ἥλιος, καθὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἄισμ[α]τι εἴρηται περὶ τη῀̣ς̣ μετασχούσης τοῦ φωτός· "6Τίς αὕτη ἡ ἐκκύπτουσα ὡσεὶ ὄρθ<ρ>ος καλή, ὡς σελήνη ἐκλεκτή, ὡς ἥλιος θάμβος;"6 Καὶ θεώρει ὅτι προκοπαί