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shining in part, they complete the course of the night for the sake of man, and all for months and seasons and solstices and years, and created for signs for men crossing the seas and for those journeying through the desert, and air serving the image for breathing and for refreshment and for a temperate climate, fire in turn ministering for baking bread and for heat and for lights at night and for cooking and for various needs, water serving for drinking, for washing, for kneading dough, for watering and for many other needs, earth functioning for habitation and for the production of all kinds of fruits and fruitless trees and for many other needs, clean four-footed animals for enjoyment and for clothing, cattle for service and rest, wild beasts for delight and for fear, reptiles likewise, all serving for the exercise of the rational being and providing what is useful for man, who is the bond of friendship of all creation, who walks on the ground and flies with his mind and surveys the universe, who is upright in form and easily beholds heaven as his dwelling-place, who is king of all things on earth and co-reigns with the Lord Christ in the heavens and becomes a fellow-citizen of the heavenly beings, whom all creation serves as the image of God, being subject to God and preserving goodwill toward the Creator. Marginal note 3.36 Again, on the fifth day, when living creatures were brought forth from the waters, they are taught that God is the creator of this water which was produced along with them; likewise again more perfectly, when living creatures were brought forth from the earth on the sixth day, they are taught that God is the creator of all, both animate and inanimate. So all the angels again looked around, seeing all the works of God which had come into being in six days before their eyes, and they reasoned that all things were indeed diverse and wonderful and great and worthy of astonishment, but they did not see among them anything like themselves, rational and invisible and intelligible. 3.37 And it was possible for them to suspect that perhaps there was one creator of rational and invisible and intelligible things, and another of irrational and sensible and visible things. Wishing to remove this suspicion of theirs, God, after all things, fashions one creature composed of all natures, I mean man, from both rational and irrational, sensible and intelligible, visible and invisible, and he sets him up as in the order of an image of himself, signifying that there is one creator of the universe. 3.38 Wherefore, the angels, marveling exceedingly, were taught by their very sight through man the glory and the power and the majesty and the wisdom and the goodness of the one and only God, and that all the elements and the things that came into being after them were prepared beforehand for man. Therefore, they willingly ministered as subjects and served, moving all things for the benefit of the image of God, as being its own proper members. Wherefore again they greatly rejoice at the well-being and righteousness of men, but are greatly distressed at their misfortune and sin, as the Lord Himself also says, "that there is great joy in heaven over one sinner who repents." 3.39 It must be noted here that just as before the eyes of the angels He first brought forth from non-being the sensible and visible and irrational light, and afterwards the rational and intelligible and invisible, so also in the case of man, according to Moses, He first fashioned the body, and then the soul. 3.40 Again, it was possible for some to suspect that if there had been another day after the six days, God would surely have made other things, but since there is not another day after the six, He was unable to produce other things. To refute this suspicion of theirs, God also makes the seventh day superfluous, working nothing on it, showing by this that the world is perfect and lacks nothing for its creation; for if it had lacked anything, He would have supplied what was lacking on the seventh day; but now, since it lacks nothing, He rested on the seventh day from all His works, which He had begun to do. 3.41 Perhaps again he will say
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μέρους καταλάμποντες δρόμον νυκτὸς ἀποτελοῦσι διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, πάντες δὲ μῆνας καὶ καιροὺς καὶ τροπὰς καὶ ἐνιαυτούς, καὶ εἰς σημεῖα τοῖς τὰ θαλάττια πελάγη διαπεροῦσι καὶ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον ὁδοιποροῦσι δημιουργηθέντες ἀνθρώποις, ἀὴρ δὲ εἰς ἀναπνοὴν καὶ εἰς ἀνάψυξιν καὶ εὐκρασίαν τῇ εἰκόνι δουλεύων, πῦρ πάλιν εἰς ἀρτοποιεῖν καὶ εἰς θέρμην καὶ εἰς φῶτα νυκτὸς καὶ εἰς ἕψησιν καὶ εἰς διαφόρους χρείας ὑπουργόν, ὕδωρ εἰς πιεῖν, εἰς πλύνειν, εἰς ζύμην, εἰς ποτίζειν καὶ εἰς ἄλλας πολλὰς χρείας δουλεῦον, γῆ εἰς κατοικίαν καὶ εἰς ἀνάδοσιν παντοδαπῶν καρπῶν καὶ ἀκάρπων ξύλων καὶ εἰς ἑτέρας πολλὰς χρείας λειτουργοῦσα, τετράποδα καθαρὰ εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν καὶ εἰς ἐνδύματα, κτήνη πρὸς ὑπουργίαν καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν, θηρία εἰς τέρψιν καὶ εἰς φόβον, ἑρπετὰ ὁμοίως, πάντα δουλεύοντα πρὸς γυμνασίαν τοῦ λογικοῦ καὶ τὸ χρήσιμον παρέχοντα διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν σύνδεσμον φιλίας ὄντα πάσης τῆς κτίσεως, τὸν χαμαὶ βαδίζοντα καὶ τῷ νῷ ἱπτάμενον καὶ περισκοποῦντα τὸ πᾶν, τὸν ὄρθιον τῷ σχήματι καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν ὡς οἰκητήριον εὐχερῶς κατοπτεύοντα, τὸν βασιλέα πάντων τῶν κατὰ γῆν καὶ συμβασιλεύοντα τῷ ∆εσπότῃ Χριστῷ ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ συμπολίτην τῶν οὐρανίων γινόμενον, ᾧ πᾶσα κτίσις ὡς εἰκόνι Θεοῦ ἐξυπηρετεῖ ὑποτασσομένη τῷ Θεῷ καὶ εὔνοιαν τῷ κτίστῃ ἀποσῴζουσα. Παραγραφή 3.36 Πάλιν τῇ πέμπτῃ ἀναδιδομένων ἐκ τῶν ὑδάτων ἐμψύχων ζῴων, διδάσκονται καὶ τούτου τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ ἅμα αὐτοῖς παραχθέντος ποιητὴν εἶναι τὸν Θεόν· ὁμοίως πάλιν ἐντελέστερον, καὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς ζῴων ἐμψύχων ἀναδιδομένων τῇ ἕκτῃ ἡμέρᾳ, διδάσκονται τοῦ παντὸς εἶναι τὸν Θεὸν ποιητήν, ἐμψύχων τε καὶ ἀψύχων. Περιεσκόπουν τοίνυν πάλιν πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι ὁρῶντες μὲν πάντα τὰ ποιήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ἐν ταῖς ἓξ ἡμέραις ἐπ' ὄψεσιν αὐτῶν γεγονότα, καὶ διελογίζοντο ὡς πάντα μὲν διάφορα καὶ θαυμαστὰ καὶ μεγάλα καὶ ἐκπλήξεως ἄξια, ὅμοιον δὲ ἑαυτῶν, λογικόν τε καὶ ἀόρατον καὶ νοητὸν οὐχ ἑώρων ἐν αὐτοῖς. 3.37 Καὶ ἐνῆν αὐτοὺς ὑποπτεῦσαι, μὴ ἆρα ἕτερός τίς ἐστι τῶν λογικῶν καὶ ἀοράτων καὶ νοητῶν δημιουργὸς καὶ ἕτερος τῶν ἀλόγων καὶ αἰσθητῶν καὶ ὁρατῶν. Ταύτην αὐτῶν τὴν ὑπόνοιαν ἀφελεῖν βουλόμενος ὁ Θεὸς ὕστερον πάντων κατασκευάζει ἓν ζῷον ἐξ ἀπασῶν συνεστηκὸς τῶν φύσεων, λέγω δὴ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἔκ τε λογικοῦ καὶ ἀλόγου, αἰσθητοῦ καὶ νοητοῦ, ὁρατοῦ καὶ ἀοράτου, καὶ ἵστησιν ὡς ἐν τάξει εἰκόνος ἑαυτοῦ σημαινούσης ἕνα τινὰ εἶναι τὸν τοῦ παντὸς δημιουργόν. 3.38 Ὅθεν ὑπερθαυμάσαντες οἱ ἄγγελοι ἐδιδάχθησαν αὐταῖς ὄψεσι διὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὴν μεγαλωσύνην καὶ τὴν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν ἀγαθότητα τοῦ ἑνὸς καὶ μόνου Θεοῦ, καὶ ὅτι πάντα τὰ στοιχεῖα καὶ τὰ μετ' αὐτοὺς γεγονότα διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον προητοίμασται. Προθύμως οὖν διηκόνουν ὡς ὑπήκοοι καὶ ἐλειτούργουν κινοῦντες πάντα τὰ πρὸς ὠφέλειαν τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς μέλη αὐτῆς οἰκεῖα ὑπάρχοντες. Ὅθεν πάλιν ἐπὶ τῇ εὐπραγίᾳ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ τῶν ἀνθρώπων μεγάλως χαίρονται, ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ δυσπραγίᾳ καὶ ἁμαρτίᾳ μεγάλως δυσφοροῦσιν, ὥς φησι καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος "ὅτι μεγάλη χαρὰ ἐν οὐρανῷ γίνεται ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι". 3.39 Ἐπισημαντέον δὲ ἐνταῦθα ὅτι ὥσπερ ἐπ' ὄψεσι τῶν ἀγγέλων πρῶτον ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος τὸ αἰσθητὸν καὶ ὁρατὸν καὶ ἄλογον φῶς παρήγαγε, καὶ ὕστερον τὸ λογικὸν καὶ νοητὸν καὶ ἀόρατον, οὕτως καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πρῶτον τὸ σῶμα, κατὰ τὸν Μωϋσέα, κατεσκεύασε, καὶ οὕτως τὴν ψυχήν. 3.40 Ἐνῆν πάλιν τινὰς ὑποπτεύειν ὅτι, εἰ ἦν ἑτέρα ἡμέρα μετὰ τὰς ἓξ ἡμέρας, πάντως ἂν ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἕτερά τινα, ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν ἑτέρα ἡμέρα μετὰ τὰς ἕξ, ἀδυνάτως ἤνεγκεν ἕτερα παραγαγεῖν. Ταύτην αὐτῶν τὴν ὑπόνοιαν ἀναιρῶν ὁ Θεὸς ποιεῖ καὶ τὴν ἑβδόμην ἡμέραν περισσήν, μηδὲν ἐν αὐτῇ ἐργασάμενος, δηλῶν διὰ τούτου ὡς τέλειός ἐστιν ὁ κόσμος καὶ λείπει αὐτῷ πρὸς γένεσιν οὐδέν· εἰ γὰρ ἔλειπεν, ἀνεπλήρωσεν ἂν τῇ ἑβδόμῃ τὰ λείποντα· νυνὶ δὲ μηδὲν αὐτῷ λείποντος, κατέπαυσε τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ, ὧν ἤρξατο ποιῆσαι. 3.41 Ἴσως πάλιν ἐρεῖ