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the error, He allotted certain passions to the elements, so that their beauty and magnitude might cause the Creator to be admired, but the conjoined sufferings might prevent divine worship from being offered to them. 3.12 For instance, then, small clouds hide the most brilliant sun and the moon, and mist and haze make their rays dimmer; and there are times when, even in the very middle of the day, with neither clouds obstructing nor mist spread about, the light of the sun vanishes; and this same affliction happens to the moon 3.13 at night. But indeed the wise 3.13 Lord devised this again. For since the moderate heat of the sun is suitable for bodies and for seeds and for plants—for it increases and nourishes them, and ripens the fruits and makes them mature—there are times when He causes its ray to strike more violently, so as to afflict the bodies of men and of other living creatures, and to destroy the new growth of seeds and of plants, so that we might not suppose it to be the cause of life, but may believe it to be a servant 3.14 of the divine will. And indeed He also revealed the air to be a co-worker of life for us; for by breathing it, not only we, but also each of the irrational animals lives, and by its inflow tempers the innate heat; but nevertheless a pestilential disease also arises from the air, and bodies that are nourished by its good temperament are destroyed, so that we might not suppose this also to be a god, but seeing it to be changeable and alterable, we might flee from its worship. 3.15 And the earth likewise the Creator revealed to be life-bearing and a giver of wealth and a mother and a nurse and a common ground; but so that seeing these things we might not be beguiled and deify it as a provider of good things, He allotted many and various passions to it; for immoderate cold and heat harm it, and when rained on beyond need, it is dissolved and destroys both plants and seeds; and again, on the other hand, when the clouds do not pour forth their issue at the proper time, it is dried up and becomes barren; and often drizzles coming at the wrong time cause rot, and it is forced to bring forth certain monsters and beasts 3.16 for the ruin of mankind. Therefore, those who are strong in mind, seeing this weakness, do not endure to worship it as a god, but through it and the things that grow in it they are led to its Creator and theirs, and through the things that are seen they are guided to the Unseen One. In this way, then, one of our own said very wisely and aptly: "For from the greatness and beauty of created things, their originator is perceived by analogy." For the Creator is not such as the creations are, nor is He of such a size as they are; for they are visible and tangible and perceptible and joined with certain passions, but He is intangible and invisible and impassible and incorruptible and does not admit of being circumscribed 3.17 as the creations do. Therefore, indeed, he very fittingly added the "by analogy" to the saying. For when we see the vaults of the heavens and the breadth of the earth and the sizes of the seas and the brightness of the sun and the light of the moon and all the other things that are visible, we do not make the Creator equal to these, but we say that He is superior to His creations by some infinite measure in both greatness and beauty. 3.18 With good reason, then, that wise man said: "For from the greatness and beauty of created things, their originator is perceived by analogy." The divine apostle also confirms this saying, speaking thus: "For His invisible attributes, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood through the things that are made, both His eternal power 3.19 and divinity." For indeed through the things that are seen we form an image of the invisible Creator. And just as when we see an ark or a pedestal, we do not call these things the carpenter, but we name them the works of a carpenter, and when we behold a ship most excellently constructed, we not only admire it, but we also praise the shipbuilder, most of all even when he is not present, and if we should see a chain or some other necklace well-wrought, we offer praise to the goldsmith; so indeed also

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τὸν πλάνον, πάθη τινὰ ξυνεκλήρωσε τοῖς στοιχείοις, ἵνα τὸ μὲν κάλλος αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ μέγεθος θαυμάζεσθαι παρασκευάζῃ τὸν ποιητήν, τὰ δέ γε ξυνεζευγμένα παθήματα κωλύῃ τὴν θείαν αὐτοῖς προσφέρειν 3.12 προσκύνησιν. Αὐτίκα τοίνυν τὸν φανότατον ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην κρύπτει μὲν νέφη σμικρά, ὀμίχλη δὲ καὶ ἀχλὺς ἀμβλυτέρας αὐτοῖν τὰς ἀκτῖνας ποιεῖ, ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ πάμπαν μεσούσης ἡμέρας, οὔτε νεφῶν ἐπιπροσθούντων οὔτε κεχυμένης ὁμίχλης, φροῦδον γίνεται τοῦ ἡλίου τὸ φῶς· ταὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ τῇ σελήνῃ 3.13 νύκτωρ τὸ πάθος προσγίνεται. Ἀτὰρ δὴ καὶ τόδε πάλιν ὁ σοφὸς 3.13 ἐμηχανήσατο Κύριος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ μετρία τοῦ ἡλίου θερμότης καὶ σώμασιν ἐπιτηδεία καὶ σπέρμασι καὶ φυτοῖς-τὰ μὲν γὰρ αὔξει καὶ τρέφει, τοὺς δὲ καρποὺς πεπαίνει καὶ ὡρίμους ποιεῖ-, σφοδροτέραν ἔστιν ὅτε παρασκευάζει προσβάλλειν τὴν ἀκτῖνα, ὡς ἀνιᾶσαι μὲν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ σώματα καὶ τῶν ἄλλων γε ζῴων, διαφθεῖραι δὲ τῶν σπερμάτων καὶ τῶν φυτῶν τὰς ὠδῖνας, ἵνα μὴ ζωῆς τοῦτον ὑπολάβωμεν αἴτιον, ἀλλ' ὑπουργὸν εἶναι πιστεύω 3.14 μεν τοῦ θείου θελήματος. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὸν ἀέρα ζωῆς μὲν ἡμῖν ἀπέφηνε ξυνεργόν· τοῦτον γάρ τοι οὐ μόνον ἡμεῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ἕκαστον ἀναπνέον διαζῇ, καὶ τῇ εἰσροῇ τὴν ἔμφυτον κεράννυσι θερμασίαν· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ λοιμώδης ἐκ τοῦ ἀέρος ἐπιγίνεται νόσος, καὶ φθείρεται τὰ σώματα τῇ εὐκρασίᾳ τῇ τούτου τρεφόμενα, ὅπως ἂν μὴ καὶ τοῦτον θεὸν ὑπολάβωμεν, ἀλλὰ τρεπτὸν καὶ ἀλλοιωτὸν ὁρῶντες ἀποδράσωμεν τὴν προσκύ 3.15 νησιν. Καὶ τὴν γῆν δὲ ὡσαύτως φερέσβιον μὲν καὶ πλουτοδότει ραν καὶ μητέρα καὶ τιθήνην καὶ κοινὸν ἔδαφος ἀπέφηνεν ὁ δημι ουργός· ἀλλ' ὡς ἂν μὴ ταῦτα ὁρῶντες ἀποβουκοληθῶμεν καὶ θεοποιήσωμεν ὡς ἀγαθῶν χορηγόν, πολλὰ καὶ ταύτῃ καὶ διάφορα ξυνεκλήρωσε πάθη· καὶ γὰρ ψυχρότητος αὐτῇ καὶ θερμότητος ἀμετρία λυμαίνεται, καὶ πέρα τῆς χρείας ὑομένη διαλύεται καὶ διαφθείρει καὶ τὰ φυτὰ καὶ τὰ σπέρματα· καὶ αὖ πάλιν, τῶν νεφῶν κατὰ καιρὸν τὰς ὠδῖνας οὐ προχεόντων, διαυαίνεταί τε καὶ ἄκαρπος γίνεται· πολλάκις δὲ καὶ ψεκάδες οὐκ εἰς καιρὸν φερόμεναι σηπεδόνα ἐμποιοῦσι, καὶ κνώδαλα ἄττα καὶ θηρία 3.16 τίκτειν ἐπὶ λύμῃ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βιάζεται. Τοιγαροῦν ταύτην ὁρῶντες τὴν ἀσθένειαν οἱ τὸν νοῦν ἐρρωμένοι, προσκυνεῖν ὡς θεὸν οὐκ ἀνέχονται, ἀλλὰ διά γε ταύτης καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ φυομέ νων πρὸς τὸν ταύτης καὶ τὸν τούτων ποιητὴν ξεναγοῦνται καὶ διὰ τῶν ὁρωμένων πρὸς τὸν ἀόρατον ποδηγοῦνται. Ταύτῃ τοι μάλα σοφῶς ἄρα καὶ ἐπηβόλως ἔφη τις τῶν ἡμετέρων· "Ἐκ γὰρ μεγέ θους καὶ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων ἀναλόγως ὁ γενεσιουργὸς αὐτῶν θεωρεῖται." Οὐ γὰρ οἷα τὰ ποιήματα, τοιοῦτος ὁ ποιητής, οὐδὲ ἡλίκα ταῦτα, τηλικοῦτος ἐκεῖνος· τὰ μὲν γὰρ ὁρατὰ καὶ ἁπτὰ καὶ αἰσθητὰ καί τισι πάθεσι ξυνεζευγμένα, ὁ δὲ ἀναφὴς καὶ ἀόρατος ἀπαθής τε καὶ ἄφθαρτος καὶ περιγραφὴν οὐχ ὑπομένων 3.17 ὥσπερ δὴ τὰ ποιήματα. ∆ιὸ δὴ μάλα γε ἁρμοδίως τὸ "ἀναλόγως" τῷ λόγῳ προστέθεικεν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδωμεν τῶν οὐρανῶν τὰ κύτη καὶ τῆς γῆς τὸ εὖρος καὶ τῶν πελαγῶν τὰ μεγέθη καὶ τὴν ἡλίου λαμπρότητα καὶ τῆς σελήνης τὸ σέλας καὶ τἄλλα ὅσα ἐστὶν ὁρατά, οὐ τούτοις παρισοῦμεν τὸν ποιητήν, ἀλλ' ἀπείρῳ τινὶ καὶ μεγέθει καὶ κάλλει κρείττονα τῶν ποιημάτων εἶναί φα 3.18 μεν. Εἰκότως οὖν ἄρα ὁ σοφὸς ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ ἔφησεν· "Ἐκ γὰρ μεγέθους καὶ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων ἀναλόγως ὁ γενεσιουργὸς αὐτῶν θεωρεῖται." Τοῦτον ἐμπεδοῖ τὸν λόγον καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἀπό στολος, λέγων ὡδί· "Τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασι νοούμενα καθορᾶται, ἥ τε ἀΐδιος αὐτοῦ δύναμις 3.19 καὶ θειότης." ∆ιὰ γὰρ δὴ τῶν ὁρωμένων τὸν ἀόρατον φανταζό μεθα ποιητήν. Καὶ καθάπερ κιβωτὸν ἢ βάθρον ὁρῶντες, οὐ τέ κτονα ταῦτα καλοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ τέκτονος ὀνομάζομεν ἔργα, καὶ σκάφος ἄριστα κατεσκευασμένον θεώμενοι, οὐ μόνον ἐκεῖνο θαυ μάζομεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ναυπηγόν, ὅτι μάλιστα καὶ μὴ παρόντα, ἐπαινοῦμεν, κἂν ὅρμον ἴδωμεν ἢ ἄλλο τι περιδέραιον εὖ ἠσκημέ νον, τῷ χρυσοχόῳ τὴν εὐφημίαν προσφέρομεν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ