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intervals, but all at once both the straight and the circular, things above, things in the middle, things below, the moist, the cold, the hot, things seen and unseen, He leads around and orders according to the nature of each. For together at His same nod, the straight as straight, and the circular is led around; the middle, as it is, is moved; the hot is heated, and the dry is dried; and all things as they have their nature are quickened and held together by Him; and a certain marvelous and truly divine harmony is accomplished through Him.

43 And that so great a matter might be understood from an example, let what is said be as in the image of a great chorus. As then the chorus being composed of different men, children, women in turn and old men, and also of those yet young; and as one leader gives the sign, each one utters his voice according to his own nature and ability, the man as a man, the child as a child, the old man as an old man, and the young man as a young man, yet all produce one harmony; or as our soul at the same time moves the senses in us according to the operation of each, so that when one thing is present, all are moved together, and the eye sees, the ear hears, the hand touches, the sense of smell perceives, and the taste tastes; and often also the other members of the body, so that the feet also walk. Or that what is said may be signified by a third example, it is like a very great city that has been built, and is governed by the presence of the ruler and king who also built it. For while he is present and giving commands, and directing his eye to everything, all following, some hasten to agriculture, others to the aqueducts to draw water; another goes forth to procure provisions; and one goes to the council, another enters the assembly; and the judge to judging, the magistrate to law-giving; and straightway the artisan is set to his work, the sailor goes down to the sea, the carpenter to his carpentry, the physician to his healing, the builder to his building; and one goes to the field, another comes up from the field; and some go about the city, while others go out from the city, and again return to it. And all these things happen and are held together by the presence of the one ruler, and by his ordinance. So then also with the whole creation, even if the example be small, nevertheless one must understand it with a greater mind; for by a single impulse of a certain nod of the Word of God all things are ordered together, and the proper things are done by each, and from all together one order is accomplished.

44 For by the nod and the powers of the divine and paternal Word who presides and rules over all things, heaven is revolved, and the stars are moved, and the sun shines, and the moon makes its circuit, and the air is illumined by Him, and the ether is heated and the winds blow; the mountains stand stretched up to a height, the sea waves, and the animals in it are nourished, the earth remaining motionless bears fruit, and man is formed, and lives again and dies; and in a word all things are ensouled and moved; fire burns, water cools, springs gush forth, rivers overflow, seasons and hours come to be, rains come down, the clouds are filled, hail is formed, snow and ice are frozen, winged creatures fly, creeping things move, water-creatures swim, the sea is sailed, the earth is sown and in its own seasons it grows green, plants grow, and some are young, some are ripened, and the growing things grow old and decay, and some disappear, others are born and appear. And all these things, and still more than these, which because of their multitude we are not able to tell, the wonder-working and marvelous Word of God, enlightening and quickening, moves and orders by His own nod, making one world, not outside of Himself and the unseen

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διαστημάτων, ἀλλ' ἀθρόως ὅλα τά τε ὀρθὰ καὶ τὰ περιφερῆ, τὰ ἄνω, τὰ μέσα, τὰ κάτω, τὰ ὑγρά, τὰ ψυχρά, τὰ θερμά, τὰ φαινόμενα καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα περιάγει καὶ διακοσμεῖ κατὰ τὴν ἑκάστου φύσιν. ὁμοῦ γὰρ τῷ αὐτῷ νεύματι αὐτοῦ, τὸ μὲν ὀρθὸν ὡς ὀρθόν, τὸ δὲ περιφερὲς περιάγεται· τὸ δὲ μέσον, ὡς ἔστι, κινεῖται· τὸ θερμὸν θερμαίνεται, καὶ τὸ ξηρὸν ξηραίνεται· καὶ τὰ ὅλα ὡς ἔχει φύσεως ζωοποιεῖται καὶ συνίσταται παρ' αὐτοῦ· καὶ θαυμαστή τις καὶ θεία ἀληθῶς ἁρμονία ἀποτελεῖται δι' αὐτοῦ.

43 Καὶ ἵνα ἐκ παραδείγματος τὸ τηλικοῦτον νοηθείη, ἔστω τὸ λεγόμενον ὡς ἐν εἰκόνι χοροῦ μεγάλου. ὡς τοίνυν τοῦ χοροῦ συνεστῶ τος ἐκ διαφόρων ἄνδρων, παίδων, γυναικῶν αὖ καὶ γερόντων, καὶ τῶν ἔτι νέων· καὶ ἑνὸς τοῦ καθηγεμόνος σημαίνοντος, ἕκαστος μὲν κατὰ τὴν φύσιν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ δύναμιν φωνεῖ, ὁ μὲν ἀνὴρ ὡς ἀνήρ, ὁ δὲ παῖς ὡς παῖς, ὁ δὲ γέρων ὡς γέρων, καὶ ὁ νέος ὡς νέος, πάντες δὲ μίαν ἀποτελοῦσιν ἁρμονίαν· ἢ ὡς ἡ καθ' ἡμᾶς ψυχὴ ἐν ταὐτῷ τὰς ἐν ἡμῖν αἰσθήσεις κατὰ τὴν ἑκάστης ἐνέργειαν κινεῖ, ὥστε παρόντος πράγματος ἑνὸς τὰς πάσας ὁμοῦ κινεῖσθαι, καὶ τὸν μὲν ὀφθαλμὸν ὁρᾷν, τὴν δὲ ἀκοὴν ἀκούειν, τὴν δὲ χεῖρα ἅπτεσθαι, καὶ τὴν ὄσφρησιν ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι, καὶ τὴν γεῦσιν γεύεσθαι· πολλάκις δὲ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα μέλη τοῦ σώματος, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς πόδας περιπατεῖν. ἢ ἵνα καὶ τρίτῳ παραδείγματι τὸ λεγόμενον σημανθῇ, ἔοικεν οἰκοδομηθείσῃ μάλιστα μεγάλῃ πόλει, καὶ οἰκονομουμένῃ ἐπὶ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ καὶ ταύτην οἰκοδομήσαντος ἄρχοντος καὶ βασιλέως. ἐκείνου γὰρ παρόν τος καὶ προστάττοντος, καὶ πρὸς πάντα τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν τείνοντος, ἑπόμενοι πάντες, οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν γεωργίαν, οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ τοὺς ὑδραγωγοὺς ὑδρευσόμενοι σπεύδουσιν· ἄλλος δὲ ἐπισιτισόμενος προέρχεται· καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν βουλὴν βαδίζει, ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν εἰσέρχεται· καὶ ὁ μὲν δικαστὴς ἐπὶ τὸ δικάζειν, ὁ δὲ ἄρχων ἐπὶ τὸ θεσμοθετεῖν· καθίσταται δὲ εὐθέως ὁ μὲν τεχνίτης ἐπὶ τὴν ἐργασίαν, ὁ δὲ ναύτης ἐπὶ τὴν θάλατταν κατέρχεται, ὁ τέκτων ἐπὶ τὸ τεκτονεύειν, ὁ ἰατρὸς ἐπὶ τὴν θεραπείαν, ὁ οἰκοδόμος ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκοδομήν· καὶ ὁ μὲν εἰς τὸν ἀγρὸν βαδίζει, ὁ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἀνέρχεται· καὶ οἱ μὲν περὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀναστρέφονται, οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐξέρχονται, καὶ πάλιν εἰς αὐτὴν ἐπανέρχονται. πάντα δὲ ταῦτα τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἄρχοντος, καὶ τῇ τούτου διατάξει γίγνονται, καὶ συνίστανται. κατὰ ταῦτα δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς συμπάσης κτίσεως, κἂν μικρὸν ᾖ τὸ παρά δειγμα, ὅμως μείζονι διανοίᾳ χρὴ νοεῖν· ὑπὸ γὰρ μιᾶς ῥιπῆς νεύ ματός τινος τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου ὁμοῦ τὰ πάντα διακοσμεῖται, καὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα παρ' ἑκάστου γίνεται, καὶ παρὰ πάντων ὁμοῦ μία τάξις ἀποτελεῖται.

44 Νεύματι γὰρ καὶ ταῖς δυνάμεσι τοῦ ἐπιστατοῦντος καὶ ἡγεμο νεύοντος τῶν πάντων θείου καὶ πατρικοῦ Λόγου, οὐρανὸς μὲν περιστρέφεται, τὰ δὲ ἄστρα κινεῖται, καὶ ὁ μὲν ἥλιος φαίνει, ἡ δὲ σελήνη περιπολεῖ, καὶ ἀὴρ μὲν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ φωτίζεται, αἰθὴρ δὲ θερμαίνεται καὶ ἄνεμοι πνέουσι· τὰ ὄρη εἰς ὕψος ἀνατεταμένα ἵστα ται, ἡ θάλαττα κυμαίνει, καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ ζῶα τρέφεται, ἡ γῆ ἀκίνητος μένουσα καρποφορεῖ, καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος πλάττεται, καὶ ζῇ πάλιν καὶ θνήσκει· καὶ ἁπλῶς πάντα ψυχοῦται καὶ κινεῖται· τὸ πῦρ καίει, τὸ ὕδωρ ψύχει, πηγαὶ ἀναβλύζουσι, ποταμοὶ πλημμυροῦσι, καιροὶ καὶ ὧραι παραγίγνονται, ὑετοὶ κατέρχονται, τὰ νέφη πληροῦται, χάλαζα γίνεται, χιὼν καὶ κρύσταλλος πήγνυται, πετεινὰ ἵπταται, ἑρπετὰ πορεύεται, ἔνυδρα νήχεται, θάλαττα πλέεται, γῆ σπείρεται καὶ κατὰ τοὺς ἰδίους καιροὺς χλοηφορεῖ, φυτὰ αὔξει, καὶ τὰ μὲν νεάζει, τὰ δὲ πεπαίνεται, τὰ δὲ αὐξάνοντα γηράσκει καὶ φθίνει, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀφανίζεται, τὰ δὲ γεννᾶται καὶ φαίνεται. πάντα δὲ ταῦτα, καὶ ἔτι πλείω τούτων, ἃ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος οὐκ ἰσχύομεν ἡμεῖς λέγειν, ὁ παρα δοξοποιὸς καὶ θαυματοποιὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος φωτίζων καὶ ζωο ποιῶν, τῷ ἑαυτοῦ νεύματι κινεῖ καὶ διακοσμεῖ, ἕνα τὸν κόσμον ἀποτελῶν, οὐκ ἔξωθεν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὰς ἀοράτους