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from want of the better; for the one was unbegotten, highest and beyond all things, ineffable, unattainable, unapproachable, dwelling in unapproachable light, as the divine oracles say; but the other was brought forth from non-being, standing at the greatest possible distance and separated far from the unbegotten nature; reasonably the all-good God of the universe casts forth as a mean the divine and all-powerful might of His only-begotten Word, most precisely conversing with the Father as closely as possible and enjoying his ineffable secrets within, but most gently condescending and in some way conforming itself to those who fall short of the highest; for otherwise it is neither pure nor holy for Him who is beyond and above all things to be involved with corruptible matter and body. Therefore, indeed, the divine Word, having entered into all this unmixed, and having bound the reins of the universe, guides and directs with incorporeal and divine power, driving with all wisdom wherever it seems good to him. 11.13 The proof of the statement is clear. For if 11.13 the parts of the cosmos themselves, which we are accustomed to call the first elements, earth, water, air, fire, which are constituted from an irrational nature, which we indeed see with our own eyes, or if one substance underlies all things, which indeed those skilled in these things are fond of naming all-receptive and mother and nurse, this being formless and without shape and entirely soulless and irrational, from where could one say that the order in it exists within it? From where is the distinction of the elements? From where is the concurrence of opposites to the same end? Who commanded the heavy element of earth to be borne upon the moist substance? Who, having reversed the downward-flowing nature of the waters, brought it backward, aloft through the clouds? Who, having fettered the power of fire, made it to lurk in wood and mixed it with natures contrary to it? Who, having mixed the cold air with warm power, having resolved their mutual strife, reconciled them into friendship? Who, having devised the mortal race by the method of succession, led it through a long age of immortal life? Who, having thus formed the male and shaped the female and brought both together into one harmony, devised a beginning of generation for all living creatures? Who, having changed the fluid and spermatic generation from a corruptible and senseless flow, proved it to be life-giving? Who is still even now working all these things and ten thousand more beyond them, greater than wonder and astonishment? Who on each day and hour works out their generations and corruptions by an unseen and invisible power? 11.14 But indeed the wonder-working Word of God might justly be shown to be the cause of all these things; for truly the all-powerful Word of God, having spread himself through all things, and having extended himself incorporeally both upward to the height and downward to the depth, and having encompassed the breadths and lengths of the universe as with broad hands, gathered together and bound fast this all, and having framed for himself this all-harmonious instrument, by an all-wise and rational power he strikes the irrational and formless and shapeless substance of bodies, fitting together very well the separated parts with stretched strings, and he guides the sun itself and the moon and the luminaries in heaven with ineffable words for the benefit of all things. 11.15 And the same Word of God, having extended himself deep down into the earth, constituted the races of all kinds of animals and the manifold beauties of plants; this same Word of God, having plunged down to the depths of the sea, devised the nature of swimming creatures, again having wrought here ten thousand and innumerable forms and differences of all kinds of animals. And this same one also, bringing to perfection the things conceived in the womb within nature's workshop, fashions them into living things; this one, having lifted up the fluid and heavy nature of the moist substance high in the air, and then having sweetened it by the change, brings it to the earth in measure, and at appointed times he accomplishes the supply. 11.16 Then, like some excellent husbandman, having irrigated the land very well, and to the dry land the moist

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ἀπὸ τοῦ κρείττονος ἐλλείψεως· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἦν ἀγέννητος, ἀνωτάτω τε καὶ ἐπέκεινα τῶν ὅλων, ἄρρητος ἀνέφικτος ἀπροσπέλαστος φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον, ᾗ φασὶν οἱ θεῖοι λόγοι· ἡ δ' ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων προβεβλημένη πορρωτάτω τε διεστῶσα καὶ μακρὰν τῆς ἀγεννήτου φύσεως ἀπεσχοινισμένη· εἰκότως ὁ πανάγαθος καὶ θεὸς τῶν ὅλων μέσην τινὰ προεμβάλλει τὴν τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ λόγου θείαν καὶ παναλκῆ δύναμιν, ἀκριβέστατα μὲν ὡς ὅτι μάλιστα καὶ ἐγγύτατα τῷ πατρὶ προσομιλοῦσαν εἴσω τε αὐτοῦ τῶν ἀπορρήτων ἀπολαύουσαν, πραότατα δὲ συγκατιοῦσαν καὶ ἁμωσγέπως συσχηματιζομένην τοῖς τῆς ἄκρας ἀπολιμπανομένοις· ἄλλως γὰρ οὔτ' εὐαγὲς οὔθ' ὅσιον τὸν τῶν ὅλων ἐπέκεινα καὶ ἀνωτάτω ὕλῃ φθαρτῇ καὶ σώματι συμπλέκειν. διὸ δὴ λόγος θεῖος ἀναμὶξ τόδε τὸ πᾶν ὑπελθὼν καὶ τὰς ἡνίας τοῦ παντὸς ἐνδησάμενος ἀσωμάτῳ καὶ θεϊκῇ δυνάμει ἄγει καὶ φέρει, πανσόφως ἡνιοχῶν ᾗ καλῶς ἔχειν αὐτῷ καταφαίνεται. 11.13 τοῦ δὲ λόγου σαφὴς ἡ ἀπόδειξις. εἰ γὰρ δὴ 11.13 αὐτὰ καθ' ἑαυτὰ τὰ τοῦ κόσμου μέρη, ἃ δὴ καὶ πρῶτα στοιχεῖα καλεῖν εἰώθαμεν, γῆν, ὕδωρ, ἀέρα, πῦρ, ἅπερ ἐξ ἀλόγου συνέστηκε φύσεως, ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρῶμεν, ἢ εἰ μία τοῖς πᾶσιν ὑπόκειται οὐσία, ἣν δὴ καὶ πάνδοχον καὶ μητέρα καὶ τιθήνην τοῖς περὶ ταῦτα δεινοῖς ὀνομάζειν φίλον, ἄμορφός τε καὶ ἀνείδεος αὕτη πάντη τε ἄψυχος καὶ ἄλογος, πόθεν ἂν εἴποι τις τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ κόσμον ἐνυπάρχειν αὐτῇ; πόθεν ἡ τῶν στοιχείων διάκρισις; πόθεν ἡ τῶν ἐναντίων ἐπὶ ταὐτὸ συνδρομή; τίς τὸ βαρὺ τῆς γῆς στοιχεῖον ἐφ' ὑγρᾶς οὐσίας ὀχεῖσθαι παρεκελεύσατο; τίς τὴν τῶν ὑδάτων φύσιν κάτω ῥέουσαν ἀναστρέψας εἰς τοὐπίσω μετέωρον διὰ νεφῶν ἤγαγεν; τίς τὴν τοῦ πυρὸς δύναμιν πεδήσας ξύλοις φωλεύειν καὶ τοῖς ἐναντίοις τῇ φύσει συνεκεράσατο; τίς τὸν ψυχρὸν ἀέρα θερμῇ δυνάμει καταμίξας, τῆς πρὸς ἄλληλα μάχης αὐτὰ διαλύσας εἰς φιλίαν κατήλλαξεν; τίς τὸ θνητὸν γένος τῷ τῆς διαδοχῆς τρόπῳ μηχανησάμενος εἰς μακρὸν αἰῶνα ζωῆς ἀθανάτου βίον διεξήγαγεν; τίς ὧδε τὸ ἄρρεν μὲν μορφώσας τὸ δὲ θῆλυ σχηματίσας ἄμφω τε εἰς ἁρμονίαν συναγαγὼν μίαν, γενέσεως ἀρχὴν ἅπασι ζώοις ἐξεύρατο; τίς τὴν ῥοώδη καὶ σπερματικὴν γένεσιν τῆς φθαρτῆς καὶ ἀναισθήτου μεταβαλὼν ῥοῆς ζωογόνον ἀπέδειξεν; τίς ταῦτα πάντα καὶ μυρία τούτων ἐπέκεινα θαύματος καὶ ἐκπλήξεως κρείττονα εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν ἐνεργεῖ; τίς ἐφ' ἑκάστης ἡμέρας καὶ ὥρας τὰς τούτων γενέσεις καὶ φθορὰς ἀφανεῖ καὶ ἀοράτῳ δυνάμει κατεργάζεται; 11.14 ἀλλὰ γὰρ τούτων ἁπάντων ὁ παραδοξοποιὸς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος αἴτιος ἂν ἐνδίκως ἀποφανθείη· λόγος γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς θεοῦ παντοδύναμος διὰ πάντων ἑαυτὸν ἁπλώσας, καὶ ἄνω τε πρὸς ὕψος καὶ κάτω πρὸς βάθος ἑαυτὸν ἀσωμάτως ἐκτείνας, πλάτη τε καὶ μήκη τοῦ παντὸς πλατείαις ὥσπερ ταῖς χερσὶ περιλαβών, συνήγαγεν τόδε τὸ πᾶν καὶ συνέσφιγξεν, ὄργανον τε τοῦτο παναρμόνιον αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ συμπηξάμενος τὴν ἄλογον καὶ ἄμορφον καὶ ἀνείδεον τῶν σωμάτων οὐσίαν πανσόφῳ καὶ λογικῇ δυνάμει, εὖ μάλα τοῖς διατόνοις τὰ διεζευγμένα συνάπτων, ἀνακρούεται, ἥλιόν τε αὐτὸν καὶ σελήνην καὶ τὰ κατ' οὐρανὸν φωσφόρα λόγοις διακυβερνῶν ἀρρήτοις ἐς τὸ χρήσιμον τῶν ὅλων ὁδηγεῖ. 11.15 ὁ δ' αὐτὸς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος καὶ κατὰ γῆν ἑαυτὸν βαθύνας παντοδαπῶν γένη ζώων φυτῶν τε πολύμορφα κάλλη συνεστήσατο· οὗτος αὐτὸς ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος καὶ βυθῶν ἄχρι θαλάττης καταδὺς νηκτῶν ἐπενόησε φύσιν, πάλιν κἀνταῦθα μυρίας καὶ ἀναρίθμους ἰδέας καὶ παντοίων ζώων διαφορὰς ἐργασάμενος. ὁ δ' αὐτὸς οὗτος καὶ τὰ γαστρὸς κυούμενα ἔνδον ἐν τῷ τῆς φύσεως ἐργαστηρίῳ τελεσιουργῶν ζωοπλαστεῖ· οὗτος καὶ τῆς ὑγρᾶς οὐσίας τὴν ῥευστὴν καὶ βαρεῖαν φύσιν ἄνω μετέωρον ἀνακουφίσας κἄπειτα γλυκάνας τῇ μεταβολῇ, μέτρῳ μὲν εἰσάγει τῇ γῇ, χρόνοις δὲ ὡρισμένοις τὴν ἐπιχορηγίαν ἐκτελεῖ. 11.16 εἶθ' οἷά τις γεωργὸς ἄριστος ἐποχετεύσας εὖ μάλα τὴν χώραν τῇ τε ξηρᾷ τὴν ὑγρὰν