27

for me to see with accuracy the whole beauty of the sea, as much as appeared in the eye of its Maker? If the sea is beautiful and praiseworthy to God, how is not an assembly of such a church more beautiful, in which a blended sound, like that of a wave breaking on the shore, of men and women and children, is sent forth according to our prayers to God. And a deep calm preserves it unshaken, since the spirits of wickedness were not able to disturb it with heretical words. Become, therefore, worthy of the Lord's acceptance, having preserved this good order in the most seemly way, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

HOMILY V. On the earth's vegetation

5.1 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed according to

its kind, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, whose seed is in itself. Accordingly, after the earth had rested, having put off the weight of the water, the command came to it to bring forth first the herb, then the tree; which we see happening even now. For that voice at that time, and that first command, became a kind of law of nature, and remained in the earth, providing it the power to generate and to bear fruit for the future. Let the earth bring forth. First in the generation of growing things is the sprouting; then, when the sprouts have come up a little, it becomes an herb; then, when it has grown, it is grass, as the growing things are gradually articulated, and proceed to the completion of the seed. For the green and grassy appearance is similar in all of them. Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb. Let the earth bring forth the vegetation by itself, needing no cooperation from elsewhere. Since some think the sun is the cause of things that grow from the earth, drawing up by the pull of its heat the power from the depths to the surface, for this reason the adornment of the earth is older than the sun; so that those who have been deceived may cease from worshipping the sun, as if it provides the cause of life. If then they may be persuaded that before its creation all things concerning the earth had been adorned, and may they abate their boundless wonder at it, considering that in its creation it is younger than grass and herbs. Was then food set aside beforehand for the cattle, but what is ours appeared worthy of no forethought? But rather, he who set aside fodder beforehand for oxen and horses, prepares wealth and enjoyment for you. For he who feeds your livestock increases the provision of your own life. Then, what else is the creation of seeds, if not a preparation for your sustenance? in addition to the fact that many of the things that are among grasses and vegetables are food for humans.

5.2 Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, it says, after its kind. So that even if some kind of herb differs from others, their benefit returns to us, and the use of the seeds has been set apart for us; so that the meaning of what has been said is this, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb, and seed yielding after its kind. For in this way both the sequence of the wording will be able to be restored, as the syntax now seems to be unsuitable, and the necessary order of things managed by nature will be preserved. For first is sprouting, then greenness, then the growth of grass, then the completion of the growing things through the seed. How then, they say, does the text indicate that all things growing from the earth are seed-bearing, when indeed neither the reed, nor couch-grass, nor mint, nor saffron, nor garlic, nor flowering rush, nor countless other kinds of plants appear to produce seed? To this, then

27

ἐμοὶ ὅλον ἰδεῖν μετὰ ἀκριβείας τῆς θαλάσσης τὸ κάλλος, ὅσον τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τοῦ ποιήσαντος κατεφάνη; Εἰ δὲ θάλασσα καλὴ καὶ ἐπαινετὴ τῷ Θεῷ, πῶς οὐχὶ καλλίων ἐκκλησίας τοιαύτης σύλλογος, ἐν ᾗ συμμιγὴς ἦχος, οἷόν τινος κύματος ἠϊόνι προσφερομένου, ἀνδρῶν καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ νηπίων, κατὰ τὰς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν δεήσεις, ἐκπέμπεται. Γαλήνη δὲ βαθεῖα ἀσάλευτον αὐτὴν διασώζει, τῶν πνευμάτων τῆς πονηρίας ταράξαι αὐτὴν τοῖς αἱρετικοῖς λόγοις μὴ δυνηθέντων. Γένοισθε οὖν ἄξιοι τῆς ἀποδοχῆς τοῦ Κυρίου, τὴν εὐταξίαν ταύτην ἐπὶ τὸ εὐπρε πέστατον διασώσαντες, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ εʹ. Περὶ βλαστήσεως γῆσ

5.1 Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου, σπεῖρον σπέρμα κατὰ

γένος, καὶ ξύλον κάρπιμον ποιοῦν καρπὸν κατὰ γένος, οὗ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ. Ἀκολούθως μετὰ τὸ ἀναπαύσασθαι τὴν γῆν ἀποσκευασαμένην τὸ βάρος τοῦ ὕδατος, τὸ πρόσταγμα αὐτῇ γέγονε βλαστῆσαι πρῶτον βοτάνην, ἔπειτα ξύλον· ὅπερ ἔτι καὶ νῦν ὁρῶμεν γινόμενον. Ἡ γὰρ τότε φωνὴ, καὶ τὸ πρῶτον ἐκεῖνο πρόσ ταγμα, οἷον νόμος τις ἐγένετο φύσεως, καὶ ἐναπέμεινε τῇ γῇ, τὴν τοῦ γεννᾶν αὐτῇ καὶ καρποφορεῖν δύναμιν εἰς τὸ ἑξῆς παρεχόμενος. Βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ. Πρῶτόν ἐστιν ἐν τῇ γενέσει τῶν φυομένων ἡ βλάστησις· ἔπειτα, ὅταν προκύψῃ μικρὸν τὰ βλαστήματα, βοτάνη γίνεται· εἶτ' ἐπειδὰν αὐξηθῇ, χόρτος ἐστὶ, κατὰ μικρὸν διαρθρουμένων τῶν φυομένων, καὶ μέχρι τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ σπέρμα τελειώσεως προϊόντων. Τὸ γὰρ χλοερὸν καὶ ποάζον παραπλήσιόν ἐστιν ἁπάντων. Βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου. Καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἡ γῆ προφερέτω τὴν βλάστησιν, οὐδεμιᾶς συνεργείας ἑτέρωθεν δεομένη. Ἐπειδή τινες οἴονται τὸν ἥλιον αἴτιον εἶναι τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς φυομένων, τῇ ὁλκῇ τοῦ θερμοῦ πρὸς τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν τὴν ἐκ τοῦ βάθους δύναμιν ἐπισπώμενον, διὰ τοῦτο πρεσβυτέρα τοῦ ἡλίου ἡ περὶ γῆν διακόσμησις· ἵνα καὶ τοῦ προσκυνεῖν τὸν ἥλιον, ὡς αὐτὸν τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ζωῆς παρεχόμενον, οἱ πεπλανημένοι παύσωνται. Ἐὰν ἄρα πεισθῶσιν, ὅτι πρὸ τῆς ἐκείνου γενέσεως τὰ περὶ τὴν γῆν πάντα διακεκόσμητο, καὶ τοῦ ἀμέτρου περὶ αὐτὸν θαύματος καθυφῶσιν, ἐνθυμηθέντες ὅτι χόρτου καὶ βοτάνης νεώτερός ἐστι κατὰ τὴν γένεσιν. Ἆρα οὖν τοῖς μὲν βοσκήμασιν ἡ τροφὴ προαπετέθη, τὸ δὲ ἡμέτερον οὐδεμιᾶς ἐφάνη προνοίας ἄξιον; Ἀλλὰ μάλιστα μὲν ὁ βουσὶ καὶ ἵπποις τὸν χιλὸν προαποθέμενος, σοὶ τὸν πλοῦτον καὶ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν παρα σκευάζει. Ὁ γὰρ τὰ κτήματα σου διατρέφων, τὴν σὴν συναύξει τοῦ βίου κατασκευήν. Ἔπειτα, ἡ τῶν σπερμάτων γένεσις τί ἄλλο ἐστὶ, καὶ οὐχὶ τῆς σῆς διαγωγῆς παρασκευή; πρὸς τῷ πολλὰ τῶν ἐν πόαις ἔτι καὶ λαχάνοις ὄντων, τροφὴν ἀνθρώπων ὑπάρχειν. 5.2 Βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου, σπεῖρον σπέρμα, φησὶ, κατὰ γένος. Ὥστε κἄν τι γένος βοτάνης ἑτέροις διαφέρῃ, κἀκείνων τὸ κέρδος πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐπανέρχεται, καὶ ἡμῖν ἡ χρῆσις τῶν σπερμάτων ἀφώρισται· ὥστε εἶναι τὸν νοῦν τῶν εἰρημένων τοιοῦτον, Βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου, καὶ σπέρμα σπεῖρον κατὰ γένος. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τὸ τῆς λέξεως ἀκόλουθον ἀποκαταστῆναι δυνήσεται, ἀκα ταλλήλως νῦν τῆς συντάξεως ἔχειν δοκούσης, καὶ τὸ ἀναγκαῖον τῶν ὑπὸ τῆς φύσεως οἰκονομουμένων διασωθήσεται. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ βλάστησις, εἶτα χλοὴ, εἶτα χόρτου αὔξησις, εἶτα ὁ ἀπαρτισμὸς τῶν αὐξομένων διὰ τοῦ σπέρματος. Πῶς οὖν, φασὶ, πάντα εἶναι τὰ ἐκ τῆς γῆς φυόμενα σπερματικὰ ὁ λόγος ἐνδείκνυται, ὅπου γε οὔτε κάλαμος, οὔτε ἄγρωστις, οὔτε ἡ μίνθη, οὐ κρόκος, οὐ σκόροδον, οὐ βούτομον, οὐδ' ἄλλα μυρία γένη φυτῶν σπερματίζοντα φαίνεται; Πρὸς δὴ τοῦτό