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Animals understood in a praiseworthy and a blameworthy sense. Man, therefore, has been appointed to rule over all these things, having been made in the image of God. The apostles, having come into this state so as to be in the image and likeness of God, ruled the fish of the intelligible sea, having been made fishers by Christ who said to them: "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men", as also to Peter: "From now on you will be catching men", that is, those swimming in the aforesaid sea. And that they were also rulers of wild beasts, they have received authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. But it is also shown in the psalm how authority has been given by God to the righteous one against such things, with the Holy Spirit saying to the virtuous one: "You will tread upon the asp and the basilisk, and you will trample the lion and the dragon." And He has given them authority also over the birds that snatch the seed sent by the word, so that by hunting them they might send them far away, and also over the more beast-like men, about whom it has been said: "Do not be [as] the horse and the mule, which have no understanding", and: "You have become horses raging for females." And the saints rule all of these, 62 translating them from worse to better things through the word. But man has also received authority over the creeping things, which you would not err in referring to pleasures and passions, abstaining from carnal desires by rising up against them and putting to death "the members that are upon the earth, fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire". And it is well with respect to the recapitulation which says: "And God made man, in the image of God he made him." For while the command contained, besides "in the image," that he also be made "in the likeness," the recapitulation says that "in the image he made him", not adding "in the likeness," concerning which we have discussed a little earlier. But the phrase "male and female he made them" must be examined, how, when God had commanded concerning one man, the recapitulation says: "He made them." And this would be, according to the letter, a proof that the woman is consubstantial with the man, they being ranked under one species and for this reason it was said "Let us make man"; but "male and female" is indicative of the divisions <which> God ordained for the sake of succession, showing at the same time that the woman also is "in the image of God," both being receptive of the same things, both of imitation of God and of participation in the Holy Spirit and the assumption of virtue. And since we said that the appellation of man is also signified in the case of the mind and soul, we shall thus understand "male and female" allegorically, that the one who is able to be a teacher, so as to implant the seed of the word in souls able to receive it, would thus be male, 63 with those symbolically occupying the place of the female, who are able to bear nothing from themselves but receive the teachings from others like a seed. And in the sensible realm, the female and the male come from God, but in the intelligible realm, one for himself and from his own choice either occupies the place of a teacher, who is male and a sower of good things, or is a student receiving the seed of another and is female in this respect. And so one might understand it, by taking the greater things in relation to the lesser among rational beings. But if one should wish to understand it in relation to the Word of God, all rational nature would have the rank of female in relation to him. He is the bridegroom of the rational substance; for "<He> who has the bride is the bridegroom." And in the Song of Songs a wedding hymn is also sung of a bride to a bridegroom, with the church being understood as the bride, or the perfect soul that is now able to be joined to the Word, who is the sower of every rational substance, with it receiving that which is from him

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ἐπαινετῶς καὶ ψεκτῶς ζῷα λαμβανόμενα. Ἄρχειν οὖν ὁ ἄνθρωπος τούτων ἁπάντων τέθειται, κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ γεγονώς. Οἱ ἀπόστολοι εἰς ταύτην τὴν κατάστασιν ἐληλυθότ[ε]ς ὥστε κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ εἶναι ἦρχον τῶν ἰχθύων τ[ῆ]ς νοητῆς θαλάσσης, ἁλεεῖς ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ γεγενημένοι εἰπόντος πρὸς αὐτούς· "6∆εῦτε ὀπίσω μου, καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς ἁλεεῖς ἀνθρώπων"6, ὡς καὶ τῷ Πέτρῳ· "6Ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν ἀνθρώπους ἔσῃ ζωγρῶν"6, τοὺς ἐν τῇ εἰρημένῃ δηλονότι θαλάσσῃ ἐννη- χομένους. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ θηρίων ἄρχοντες ἦσαν, ἐξουσίαν εἰλήφασιν πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ δείκνυται ὡς παρὰ Θεοῦ ἐξουσία τῷ δικαίῳ κατὰ τῶν τοιούτων δέδοται, λέγοντος τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος πρὸς τὸν ἐνάρετον· "6Ἐπ' ἀσπίδα καὶ βασιλίσκον ἐπιβήσῃ καὶ καταπατήσεις λέοντα καὶ δράκοντα."6 ∆έδωκεν δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ τῶν πετεινῶ[ν] ἐξουσίαν τῶν ἁρπαζόντων τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου πεμπόμενον σπόρον, ἵνα θηρεύοντες αὐτὰ πόρρω αὐτοὺς ἀποπέμπωσιν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῶν κτηνωδεστέρων ἀνθρώπων, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· "6Μὴ γίνεσθε [ὡ]ς ἵππος καὶ ἡμίονος, οἷς οὐκ ἔστιν σύνεσις"6, καί· "6Ἵπποι θηλυμαν[εῖ]ς ἐγενήθητε."6 Ἄρχουσι δὲ τούτων ἁπάντων 62 οἱ ἅγιοι μετατιθέντες αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν χειρόνων ἐπὶ κρείτ- τονα διὰ τοῦ λόγου. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἑρπετῶν ἐξουσίαν εἴληφεν ἄνθρωπος, ἅπερ εἰς τὰς ἡδονὰς καὶ τ[ὰ] πάθη ἀναφέρων οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοις, ἀπεχόμενος τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν ἐν τῷ κατεξανίστασθαι αὐτῶν καὶ νεκροῦν "6τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πορνείαν, ἀκαθαρσίαν, πάθος, ἐπιθυμίαν, κακήν"6. Καλῶς δὲ κατὰ τῆς ἀνταποδόσεως ἔχει λεγούσης· "6Καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ ἐποίησεν αὐτόν."6 Τῆς γὰρ προστάξεως περιεχούσης, πρὸς τῷ "6κατ' εἰκόνα"6, "6καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν"6 αὐτὸν γενέσθαι, ἡ ἀνταπόδοσίς φησιν ὅτι "6κατ' εἰκόνα ἐποίησεν αὐτόν"6, οὐ προσθεῖσα τὸ "6καθ' ὁμοίωσιν"6, περὶ οὗ ἐν τοῖς ὀλίγῳ πρότερον διειλήφαμεν. Τὸ δὲ "6ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐ[τ]οὺς"6 ἐξεταστέον, πῶς, περὶ ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου προστάξαντος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἡ ἀνταπόδοσις λέγει· "6Ἐποίησεν αὐτούς."6 Καὶ εἴη ἂν κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν ἀπόδειξις αὕτη τοῦ ὁμοούσιον εἶναι τὴν γυναῖκα τῷ ἀνδρί, ὑπὸ ἓν εἶδος αὐτῶν ταττομένων καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εἰρημένου τοῦ "6ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον"6· τὸ δὲ "6ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ"6 παραστατικὸν τῶν τμημάτων <ὧν> τῆς διαδοχῆς ἕνεκεν ὁ Θεὸς ᾠκονόμησεν, ἐμφαῖνον ἅμα ὡς καὶ ἡ γυνὴ "6κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ"6 ἐστιν, τῶν αὐτῶν δεκτικοὶ ἀμφότεροι, μιμήσεώς τε τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν καὶ τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος μετουσίας καὶ ἀναλήμψεως ἀρετῆς. Καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐλέγομεν δηλοῦσθαι τὴν ἀνθρώπου π[ρο]σηγο- ρίαν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ νοῦ καὶ ψυχῆς, νοήσομεν κατ' ἀναγωγὴν οὕτω τὸ "6ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ"6, ὡς ὁ μὲν δυνάμενος διδα- σκ[α]λικὸς εἶναι, ὡς τὸν τοῦ λόγου σπόρον εἰσ̣ι̣έναι ταῖς παραδέξ[ασ]θαι δυναμέναις ψυχαῖς, οὕτως ἂν ἄρρην εἴη, 63 ἐκείνων συμβ[ολι]κῶς τὸν θήλεος ἐπεχόντων τόπον τῶν ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν μὲν τίκτειν οὐδὲν δυναμένων, τὰς δὲ παρ' ἑτέρων παιδεύσεις δεχομένων δίκην σπόρου. Καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ παρὰ Θεοῦ τὸ θῆλυ καὶ τὸ ἄρρεν γίνεται, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ νοητοῦ ἑαυτῷ τις καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας προαιρέσεως ἢ διδασκάλου χώραν ἐπέχει, ὅς ἐστιν ἄρρην καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν σπορεύς, ἢ μαθητὴς τὸν ἑτέρου σπόρον δεχόμενος καὶ θῆλυ κατὰ τοῦτο τυγχάνων. Καὶ οὕτω μὲν ἄν τις νοήσαι τὰ μείζονα πρὸς τὰ ὑποδεέστερα τῶν λογικῶν δεχόμενος. Εἰ δὲ ὡς πρὸς τὸν Λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ τις ἐκλαβεῖν βούλοιτο, πᾶσα ἡ λογικὴ φύσις θήλεος πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔχοι τάξιν. Νυμφίος ἐστὶν οὗτος τῆς λογικῆς οὐσίας· "6<Ὁ> ἔχων"6 γὰρ "6τὴν νύμφην νυμφί[ος ἐσ]τίν."6 Καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἄισματι δὲ τῶν ᾀσμάτων καὶ ἐπιθαλάμι[ος] ὕμνος ᾄδεται νύμφης πρὸς νυμφίον, τῆς ἐκκλησίας ν[ύ]μφης νοουμένης ἢ τῆς τελείας ψυχῆς τῆς ἤδη δυναμέ[νη]ς ἁρμοσθῆναι τῷ Λόγῳ, ὅστις σπορεὺς ὑπάρχει πάσης λογ[ι]κῆς οὐσίας, ταύτης δεχομένης τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ