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he made long ago and makes every day, so to speak. For he fashions the bodies of animals from pre-existing bodies, and creates souls from nothing, not for all animals, but for humans alone; and through the birds he creates the birds, and through the swimming things the swimming things, and each of the other kinds 4.70 he fashions through those of the same kind. Thus indeed he also offers the fruits of the earth to humans through things sown and planted; but long ago the earth, unsown and unplowed, brought forth every form of plants and seeds, and the kinds of creeping things and quadrupeds; and the nature of the waters brought forth, as was commanded, both the animals that live in the waters and those created to cross the air 4.71. Yet the earth itself and the heaven and the air and the nature of the waters and fire and light, he did not command matter to produce, but brought them forth from nothing, being himself also the planter; and having become the shipbuilder of the greatest vessel of creation, he himself both pilots and directs the vessel 4.72 which he constructed with all wisdom. These things not only evangelists and apostles teach us, but also prophets and the chief of prophets, Moses, who wrote the cosmogony, and before these, Abraham and Melchizedek and the whole choir of patriarchs. For each of these spoke not of many gods, but of the one maker of the universe. And this you will know, if you should read the divine oracles. 4.73 Having therefore learned by comparison how much the teachings of the divine scripture surpass human reasonings, flee, O friends, from deception, and embrace the truth that is brighter than the sun, so that, being enlightened by it, you may both contemplate the meaning of the divine oracles and marvel at their teachers, and "falling on your face," to speak in the apostolic manner, "you will worship God, saying that God is truly among you."

5.t CONCERNING THE NATURE OF MAN.

5.1 There is a certain nature of stone, which they call a magnet, which, leaving all other matter unmoved, draws only iron to itself; and at times it even shows it suspended, neither supported by anything from below nor bound by anything visible from above, but invisibly suspended 5.2 by that overlying or super-visible energy. One might see something like this happening with the divine oracles. For many people, or rather all, so to speak, hear them; but only the faithful are caught as pupils, neither charmed from below by any good fortune nor bound by anything seen from above, but joining their mind to unseen hopes alone. Therefore, the divine apostle also said that "the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved 5.3 it is the power of God." But that stone, by a property of its nature, forces the iron to run to it; but the grace of the divine oracles does not itself receive some and send others away (for it pours out its streams for all who wish to be filled), but the free will of the hearers brings some who are thirsty, and makes others stay far away, being least of all willing 5.4 to have this desire. But the physician of souls does not force the will of those who are unwilling to benefit from the therapy; for having created rational nature sovereign and with free will, he turns it away from worse things and urges it toward better things with counsels and laws, but he does not compel it when it is unwilling to partake of better things, lest he disturb the boundaries of nature. 5.5 For this reason he also cries out through the prophets: "If you are willing and obey me, you shall eat the good of the land." And again: "Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, and loves to see good days?" Then, turning away from worse things, he shows what must be done: "Keep your tongue from

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πάλαι πεποίηκε καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, ἡμέραν ποιεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ ἐξ ὑποκειμένων σωμάτων διαπλάττει τῶν ζῴων τὰ σώματα καὶ ἐκ μὴ ὄντων δημιουργεῖ τὰς ψυχάς, οὐχ ἅπασι τοῖς ζῴοις, ἀλλὰ μόνοις ἀνθρώποις· καὶ διὰ τῶν πτηνῶν δημιουργεῖ τὰ πτηνὰ καὶ διὰ τῶν νηκτῶν τὰ νηκτὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων γενῶν 4.70 ἕκαστον διὰ τῶν ὁμογενῶν διαπλάττει. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ τῆς γῆς τοὺς καρποὺς διὰ τῶν σπειρομένων καὶ φυτευομένων τοῖς ἀνθρώ ποις προσφέρει· πάλαι δὲ ἡ γῆ καὶ ἄσπαρτος καὶ ἀνήροτος ἐβλάστησε πᾶσαν φυτῶν καὶ σπερμάτων ἰδέαν καὶ τῶν ἑρπετῶν καὶ τετραπόδων τὰ γένη· καὶ τῶν ὑδάτων ἡ φύσις ἔφυσεν, ὡς ἐκελεύσθη, καὶ τὰ τοῖς ὕδασιν ἐνδιαιτώμενα ζῷα καὶ τὰ τὸν ἀέρα 4.71 διαπερᾶν πεφυκότα. Αὐτὴν μέντοι τὴν γῆν καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὸν ἀέρα καὶ τῶν ὑδάτων τὴν φύσιν καὶ τὸ πῦρ καὶ τὸ φῶς οὐ τῇ ὕλῃ ἀναδοῦναι προσέταξεν, ἀλλὰ μὴ ὄντα παρήγαγεν, αὐτὸς καὶ φυτουργός· καὶ ναυπηγὸς τοῦ μεγίστου σκάφους τῆς κτίσεως γεγονώς, αὐτὸς καὶ κυβερνᾷ καὶ ἰθύνει, ὃ πανσόφως κατεσκεύασε 4.72 σκάφος. Ταῦτα οὐ μόνον ἡμᾶς εὐαγγελισταὶ παιδεύουσι καὶ ἀπόστολοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ προφῆται καὶ τῶν προφητῶν ὁ κορυφαῖος Μωϋσῆς, ὁ τὴν κοσμογονίαν ξυγγράψας, καὶ πρό γε τούτων Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Μελχισεδὲκ καὶ ἅπας τῶν πατριαρχῶν ὁ χορός. Ἕκαστος γὰρ τούτων οὐ πολλούς, ἀλλὰ τὸν τοῦ παντὸς ἐθεο λόγησε ποιητήν. Καὶ τοῦτο εἴσεσθε, εἰ τοῖς θείοις λογίοις ἐντύ χοιτε. 4.73 Ἐκ παραλλήλου τοίνυν μεμαθηκότες, ὅσον τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ὑπέρκειται λογισμῶν τῆς θείας γραφῆς τὰ παιδεύματα, φύγετε μέν, ὦ φιλότης, τὸν πλάνον, ἀσπάζεσθε δὲ τὴν ἡλίου φανοτέραν ἀλήθειαν, ἵνα ὑπὸ ταύτης φωταγωγούμενοι καὶ τῶν θείων λο γίων τὸν νοῦν θεωρήσητε καὶ τοὺς τούτων διδασκάλους θαυ μάσητε, καὶ "πεσόντες ἐπὶ πρόσωπον", ἀποστολικῶς εἰπεῖν, "προσκυνήσητε τῷ Θεῷ, λέγοντες ὅτι ὄντως ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ὑμῖν ἐστιν".

5.t ΠΕΡΙ ΦΥΣΕΩΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥ.

5.1 Ἔστι τις λίθου φύσις, ἣν μαγνῆτιν ὀνομάζουσιν, ἣ πᾶσαν ἐῶσα τὴν ἄλλην ὕλην ἀκίνητον, τὸν σίδηρον ἐφέλκεται μόνον· ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ δείκνυσιν αἰωρούμενον, οὔτε κάτωθεν ὑπό τινος ἐρειδόμενον οὔτε ἄνωθεν φαινομένῳ τῳ ξυνδεδεμένον, ἀφανῶς δὲ τῆς ὑπερκειμένης ἐκείνης ἢ ὑπερφαινομένης ἐνεργείας ἐξηρτη 5.2 μένον. Τοιόνδε τι γινόμενον ἐπὶ τῶν θείων λογίων ἴδοι τις ἄν. Πολλοὶ μὲν γὰρ δὴ τούτων, μᾶλλον δὲ ἅπαντες, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, ἐπαίουσιν ἄνθρωποι· οἱ δὲ τῆς πίστεως μόνοι θηρεύονται τρόφιμοι, οὔτε κάτωθεν ὑπό τινος εὐκληρίας ψυχαγωγούμενοι οὔτε ἄνωθεν ὁρωμένῳ τῳ ξυνδεδεμένοι, μόναις δὲ ταῖς ἀφανέσιν ἐλπίσι τὸν νοῦν ξυναρμόσαντες. Τῷ τοι καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος "τὸν περὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ λόγον τοῖς μὲν ἀπολλυμένοις εἶναι μωρίαν, τοῖς δὲ 5.3 σωζομένοις Θεοῦ δύναμιν" ἔφησεν. Ἀλλ' ἐκείνη μὲν ἡ λίθος ἰδιότητι φύσεως θέειν παρ' αὐτὴν τὸν σίδηρον ἐκβιάζεται· τῶν δὲ θείων λογίων ἡ χάρις οὐκ αὐτὴ τοὺς μὲν προσίεται, τοὺς δὲ ἀποπέμπεται (πᾶσι γὰρ τοῖς ἐμφορεῖσθαι βουλομένοις προχέει τὰ νάματα), ἀλλὰ τὸ τῶν ἀκροωμένων αὐθαίρετον τοὺς μὲν προσάγει διψῶντας, τοὺς δὲ πόρρω ποιεῖ, τόνδε τὸν ἵμερον ἔχειν ἥκιστα 5.4 βουλομένους. Ὁ δέ γε τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρὸς τὴν τῶν οὐκ ἐθελόν των ἀπολαύειν τῆς θεραπείας οὐ βιάζεται γνώμην· αὐτοκράτορα γὰρ καὶ αὐτεξούσιον τὴν λογικὴν φύσιν δημιουργήσας, παραινέ σεσι μὲν καὶ νόμοις καὶ τῶν χειρόνων ἀποτρέπει καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττω προτρέπει, οὐκ ἀναγκάζει δὲ μὴ βουλομένην τῶν ἀμει νόνων μεταλαχεῖν, ἵνα μὴ παρακινήσῃ τοὺς ὅρους τῆς φύσεως. 5.5 Ταύτῃ τοι καὶ διὰ τῶν προφητῶν βοᾷ· "Ἐὰν θέλητε καὶ εἰσ ακούσητέ μου, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε." Καὶ αὖ πάλιν· "∆εῦτε τέκνα, ἀκούσατέ μου, φόβον Κυρίου διδάξω ὑμᾶς· τίς ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ὁ θέλων ζωήν, ἀγαπῶν ἡμέρας ἰδεῖν ἀγαθάς;" Εἶτα τῶν χειρόνων ἀποτρέπων, ἐπιδείκνυσι τὸ πρακτέον· "Παῦ σον τὴν γλῶσσάν σου ἀπὸ