28

seven times, and it happened on the seventh, and behold, a small cloud, like a man's footprint, bringing up water from the sea." 2.106 We say that the shaking of the earth is not from wind—for we do not, like them, invent myths, but we say simply that this happens by a divine command. For Scripture says through David: "He who looks upon the earth and makes it tremble." And concerning the apostles, it says in the Acts: "And the place where they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit." And Amos the prophet also says thus: "The Lord God Almighty, who touches the earth and shakes it." And again another prophet, this one Haggai, says thus: "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven." And again Isaiah: "If you should open the heaven, trembling will seize the mountains from you." 2.107 But concerning the antipodes, the divine Scripture does not tolerate either speaking or hearing about these myths. "For," it says, "He made from one every nation of men to dwell upon the whole face of the earth." It did not say on the opposite face of the earth, but on the face. It calls the "under the earth" those dead who are buried in the earth, as for instance: "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth," meaning angels as heavenly, men as earthly, and those under the earth as those buried in the earth. For he said this would happen at the resurrection, when all the angels in heaven, and the men on earth, and the dead buried in the earth, all rising, will bend the knee in the name of Jesus the Son of God. For we are said to tread upon the earth, as when it says: "I have given you authority to tread upon snakes and scorpions." To tread, then, is said of treading upon something; if we tread upon something, the 'anti-treading' is underneath what is trodden. But according to the wise, the sphere has neither an above nor a below; therefore we neither tread, nor tread against, nor walk on the earth at all; and their theories are fictions and myths. 2.108 Concerning angels and demons or souls, the divine Scripture says they are all circumscribed and live in this world, as when the Apostle says: "We have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men," as living in one world. But also in Daniel it says about them thus: "And the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood against me for twenty-one days, and behold Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia, and I came to make you understand what will happen to your people in the last days." Therefore "stood against me" and "came" and "departed" and "I left him there" and such things are of things that are circumscribed. For only the divine is uncircumscribed, being everywhere and in the same way and likewise. "For if I ascend," says David, "into heaven, you are there; if I descend into Hades, you are present; if I take up my wings in the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea," meaning the west, "for even there your hand will lead me," clearly signifying here the uncircumscribed nature of God. But concerning angels it is not possible to think this, as they are left, as is written above, in a place. 2.109 Concerning souls, the divine Scripture also says they are circumscribed and are circumscribed within the body itself, for instance: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me," as if it too were within. And again: "My heart and my flesh," meaning my soul and my flesh; and he uses "heart" instead of "soul," as if it were established there and was inside the body, as when he says again: "In my heart I have hidden your words," meaning in my soul. Again: "Create in me a clean heart, O God," meaning a soul. And the Lord says thus: "Not what goes in defiles a man; for it goes into the stomach and is expelled into the latrine; but the things which come out of the heart," as if from the soul, "these defile a man," such as "evil thoughts" and whatever else he lists as properties of the soul.

28

ἑπτάκις καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἑβδόμῳ, καὶ ἰδοὺ νεφέλη μικρά, ὡς ἴχνος ἀνδρός, ἀνάγουσα ὕδωρ ἀπὸ θαλάσσης." 2.106 Τὸ δὲ σαλευθῆναι τὴν γῆν οὐκ ἀπὸ πνεύματος λέγομενοὐ γὰρ ὡς αὐτοὶ μύθους ὑποτιθέμεθα, ἀλλὰ προστάγματι θείῳ τοῦτο γίνεσθαι λέγομεν ἀπεριέργως. Λέγει γὰρ ἡ Γραφὴ διὰ τοῦ ∆αυΐδ· "Ὁ ἐπιβλέπων ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ ποιῶν αὐτὴν τρέμειν." Καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων λέγει εἰς τὰς Πράξεις· "Καὶ ἐσαλεύθη ὁ τόπος, ἐν ᾧ ἦσαν συνηγμένοι, καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν ἅπαντες Πνεύματος ἁγίου." Καὶ Ἀμὼς δὲ ὁ προφήτης καὶ αὐτὸς οὕτως λέγει· "Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ, ὁ ἐφαπτόμενος τῆς γῆς καὶ σαλεύων αὐτήν." Καὶ πάλιν ἕτερος προφήτης, Ἀγγαῖος δὲ οὗτος, οὕτως λέγει· "Ἔτι ἅπαξ ἐγὼ σείσω οὐ μόνον τὴν γῆν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν οὐρανόν." Καὶ πάλιν Ἠσαΐας· "Ἐὰν ἀνοίξῃς τὸν οὐρανόν, τρόμος λήψεται ἀπὸ σοῦ ὄρη." 2.107 Περὶ δὲ ἀντιπόδων οὔτε εἰπεῖν ἢ ἀκοῦσαι περὶ τούτων τῶν μύθων ἀνέχεται ἡ θεία Γραφή. "Ἐποίησε γάρ, φησίν, ἐξ ἑνὸς πᾶν ἔθνος ἀνθρώπων κατοικεῖν ἐπὶ παντὸς προσώπου τῆς γῆς." Οὐκ ἐπὶ ἀντιπροσώπου τῆς γῆς εἶπεν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ προσώπου. Καταχθονίους δὲ τοὺς νεκροὺς τοὺς τεθαμμένους ἐν τῇ γῇ καλεῖ, οἷόν ἐστι τό· "Ἵνα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ, ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων", ἵνα εἴπῃ ἀγγέλων ὡς οὐρανίων, ἀνθρώπων ὡς ἐπιγείων, καταχθονίων ὡς ἐν τῇ γῇ τεθαμμένων. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφη ἐπὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως γίνεσθαι, ὅτε πάντες οἵ τε κατ' οὐρανὸν ἄγγελοι, οἵ τε κατὰ γῆν ἄνθρωποι καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ γῇ τεθαμμένοι νεκροί, ἀνιστάμενοι πάντες, γόνυ κλίνουσιν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πατεῖν γὰρ λεγόμεθα ἐπάνω τῆς γῆς, οἷον ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· "∆έδωκα ὑμῖν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων." Τὸ πατεῖν οὖν τὸ ἐπάνω τινὸς λέγεται πατεῖν· εἰ δὲ ἐπάνω τινὸς πατοῦμεν, τὸ ἀντιπατεῖν ὑποκάτω ἐστὶν οὗ πατεῖ. Κατὰ τοὺς σοφοὺς δὲ τὸ σφαιροειδὲς οὔτε ἐπάνω οὔτε ὑποκάτω ἔχει· οὐκοῦν οὔτε πατοῦμεν, οὔτε ἀντιπατοῦμεν, οὔτε ὅλως βαίνομεν ἐν τῇ γῇ· καὶ πλάσματα καὶ μῦθοί εἰσι τὰ κατ' αὐτούς. 2.108 Περὶ δὲ ἀγγέλων καὶ δαιμόνων ἢ ψυχῶν, πάντας περιγραπτοὺς λέγει ἡ θεία Γραφὴ καὶ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ διάγοντας, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ ὁ Ἀπόστολος· "Θέατρον ἐγενήθημεν τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ ἀγγέλοις καὶ ἀνθρώποις", ὡς εἰς ἕνα κόσμον διάγοντας. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ ∆ανιὴλ λέγει περὶ αὐτῶν οὕτως· "Καὶ ὁ ἄρχων βασιλείας Περσῶν εἱστήκει ἐξ ἐναντίας μου εἴκοσι μίαν ἡμέραν, καὶ ἰδοὺ Μιχαὴλ εἷς τῶν ἀρχόντων τῶν πρώτων ἦλθε βοηθῆσαί μοι, καὶ αὐτὸν κατέλιπον ἐκεῖ μετὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος βασιλείας Περσῶν, καὶ ἦλθον συνετίσαι σε ὅσα ἀπαντήσεται τῷ λαῷ σου ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν." Τὸ οὖν "εἱστήκει ἐξ ἐναντίας μου" καὶ τὸ "ἦλθε" καὶ "ἀπῆλθε" καὶ "κατέλιπον αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ" καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα περιγραπτῶν εἰσι. Μόνον γὰρ ἀπερίγραφον τὸ θεῖον, πανταχοῦ καὶ κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ ὡσαύτως ὄν. "Ἐὰν γὰρ ἀναβῶ", φησὶν ὁ ∆αυΐδ, "εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, σὺ εἶ ἐκεῖ· ἐὰν καταβῶ εἰς τὸν ᾅδην, πάρει· ἐὰν ἀναλάβω τὰς πτέρυγάς μου κατ' ὄρθρον καὶ κατασκηνώσω εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα τῆς θαλάσσης", ἵνα εἴπῃ τῆς δύσεως, "καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἡ χείρ σου ὁδηγήσει με", φανερῶς τὸ ἀπερίγραφον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνταῦθα σημάνας. Ἐπὶ δὲ ἀγγέλων οὐ δυνατὸν τοῦτο νοεῖν, καταλειπομένους, ὡς ἀνωτέρω γέγραπται, ἐν τόπῳ. 2.109 Περὶ δὲ ψυχῶν, καὶ αὐτὰς περιγραπτὰς λέγει ἡ θεία Γραφὴ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ σώματι περιγράφεσθαι, οἷον· "Εὐλόγει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐντός μου", ὡσανεὶ καὶ αὐτῆς ἔνδον τυγχανούσης. Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἡ καρδία μου καὶ ἡ σάρξ μου", ἵνα εἴπῃ ἡ ψυχή μου καὶ ἡ σάρξ μου· κέχρηται δὲ ἀντὶ ψυχῆς τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὡς ἐκεῖ αὐτῆς ἱδρυμένης καὶ ἔνδον οὔσης τοῦ σώματος, ὡς ὅταν πάλιν λέγῃ· "Ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου ἔκρυψα τὰ λόγιά σου", ἵνα εἴπῃ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ μου. Πάλιν· "Καρδίαν καθαρὰν κτίσον ἐν ἐμοί, ὁ Θεός", ἵνα εἴπῃ ψυχήν. Ὁ δὲ Κύριος οὕτω φησίν· "Οὐ τὰ εἰσπορευόμενα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον· εἰς γὰρ τὴν κοιλίαν χωρεῖ καὶ εἰς ἀφεδρῶνα ἐκβάλλεται· τὰ δὲ ἐκπορευόμενα ἐκ τῆς καρδίας", ὡσανεὶ τῆς ψυχῆς, "ἐκεῖνα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον", οἶον "πονηροὶ διαλογισμοὶ" καὶ ὅσα καταλέγει ἰδιώματα τῆς ψυχῆς.