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As for me, I marvel at God for both these things: that He made the human body corruptible, and that in this corruption He showed His own strength and wisdom; for the lowliness of the substance shows most of all the resourcefulness and ingenuity of the art; that in clay and ash He placed such harmony, and such senses, so various and diverse, and able to philosophize on such things; for from earth, the material from which only pottery and bricks are made, He was able to make an eye so beautiful, and to place in it such power, that by the perception of a small pupil it can see and encompass so many bodies. «Have you entered the storehouses of the snow? Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail? which are reserved for you for the time of enemies, for a day of wars and battle.» Of Chrysostom and Olympiodorus. He says storehouses, not because there are depositories, but because so readily, as if bringing them out of storehouses, He shows them when He wishes. Do you know then, He says, how I prepare the unseen snow and hail to appear? Or are you able to use these against enemies, as I am able to do? You see that He wishes to show this timeliness, that this happens at the right time, and not simply; for He has used the snow and the hail against enemies, and whenever He wishes 64.649 to punish someone. Then He also goes through all the other things, I mean rains, and frost, and winds. «Will you send forth lightnings, and will they go? And will they say to you, What is it?» You see even the lightnings answering; not that the lightnings will say, What is it? but that all things, as if animate, thus obey God. «And who has given to women the wisdom of weaving, or the knowledge of embroidery?» Of Severus, Chrysostom and Gregory the Theologian. Enumerating the creation of heaven and earth, and the bars of the sea, and the position of the stars, and the flow of rain, and the other things by which He governs our life, Who, He says, made women, though in other things they are weak, wise in the making of fabrics, and in embroidering these with the dyes and colors of wool? But the divine Scripture mixes small things with great things, and marvels at the wisdom of women in weaving, saying, Who gave to women the wisdom of weaving, and the knowledge of embroidery? Of this rational animal, and excellent in wisdom, and proceeding as far as the heavens; for this is no ordinary wisdom, being a varied one, nor is its use small. Therefore the artistry concerning looms is not neglected, nor is it cast aside as superfluous, but in these things too there is divine wisdom, and what God is not ashamed to call His own, saying that the giver and provider of this is none other than Himself. «Will you hunt prey for the lions, and will you fill the souls of the young lions? For they are afraid in their lairs, and they sit in the woods lying in wait.» And why does He say these things? Because if I take such great care of the superfluous things, of those not even useful to you for servitude, will I not much more for you? for what so great benefit is there to man from such things?

CHAP. 39

«Do you know the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth, and have you observed the birth pangs of the hinds,

and have you numbered the months they fulfill for their birth, and have you loosed their birth pangs, have you raised their young without fear, will you send away their birth pangs?» And He said well, have you observed; for since the animal is always in flight, and in fear and weakness, always leaping and jumping, how, He says, does it not miscarry, but the birth comes forth full-term? And the phrase, Have you loosed their birth pangs, is said emphatically; for they give birth automatically, not needing midwifery. And the phrase, Have you raised their young without fear? Theodotion more clearly

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Ὡς ἔγωγε δι' ἀμφότερα ταῦτα θαυμάζω τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι τε φθαρτὸν τὸ ἀνθρώπινον σῶμα ἐποίησε, καὶ ὅτι ἐν τῇ φθορᾷ τὴν οἰκείαν ἰσχὺν ἐπέδειξε καὶ σοφίαν· τὸ γὰρ εὐτελὲς τῆς οὐσίας, τοῦτο δείκνυσι μάλιστα τῆς τέχνης τὸ εὔπορον καὶ εὐμήχανον· ὅτι ἐν πηλῷ καὶ τέφρᾳ τοσαύτην ἐνέθηκεν ἁρμονίαν, καὶ τοιαύτας αἰσθήσεις, οὕτω ποικίλας καὶ παντοδαπὰς, καὶ τοιαῦτα δυναμένας φιλοσοφεῖν· καὶ γὰρ ἀπὸ γῆς, τῆς ὕλης ἧς γίνεται κέραμος καὶ πλίνθος μόνον, ἴσχυσεν ὀφθαλμὸν οὕτω ποιῆσαι καλὸν, καὶ τοσαύτην ἐκθεῖναι τούτῳ δύναμιν, ὡς μικρᾶς κόρης ἀντιλήψει τοσαῦτα ὁρᾷν καὶ περιλαμβάνειν σώματα. «Ἦλθες δὲ ἐπὶ θησαυροὺς χιόνος; θησαυροὺς δὲ χαλάζης ἑώρακας; ἀπόκεινται δέ σοι εἰς ὥραν ἐχθρῶν, εἰς ἡμέραν πολέμων καὶ μάχης.» Χρυσοστόμου καὶ Ὀλυμπιοδώρου. Θησαυροὺς λέγει, οὐχ ὅτι ἀποθῆκαί εἰσιν, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἑτοίμως οὕτως, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐκ θησαυρῶν ἐκβάλλων, δείκνυσιν αὐτὰ ὅταν βούληται. Οἶσθα οὖν, φησὶ, πῶς τὴν μὴ φαινομένην χιόνα καὶ χάλαζαν ἐκφαίνεσθαι παρασκευάζω; ἢ δυνατὸς εἶ τούτοις κατὰ πολεμίων χρήσασθαι, ὅπερ ἐγὼ ποιεῖν ἱκανός; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τοῦτο βούλεται τὸ εὔκαιρον δηλῶσαι, ὡς ἄρα κατὰ καιρὸν τοῦτο γίνεται, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς· κέχρηται γὰρ τῇ χιόνι καὶ τῇ χαλάζῃ κατὰ πολεμίων, καὶ ὅταν τινὰς βού 64.649 ληται τιμωρήσασθαι. Εἶτα καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων διέξεισιν, ὑετῶν, λέγω, καὶ πάχνης, καὶ ἀνέμων. «Ἀποστελεῖς δὲ κεραυνοὺς, καὶ πορεύσονται; ἐροῦσι δέ σοι, Τί ἐστιν;» Ὁρᾷς καὶ κεραυνοὺς ἀποκρινομένους· οὐχ ὅτι οἱ κεραυνοὶ ἐροῦσι· Τί ἐστιν; ἀλλ' ὅτι πάντα, καθάπερ ἔμψυχα, οὕτως ὑπακούει τῷ Θεῷ. «Τίς δὲ ἔδωκε γυναιξὶν ὑφάσματος σοφίαν, ἡ ποικιλτικὴν ἐπιστήμην;» Σεβήρου, Χρυσοστόμου καὶ Γρηγορίου τοῦ Θεολ. Ἀπαριθμούμενος τὴν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς ποίησιν, καὶ θαλάσσης κλεῖθρα, καὶ ἀστέρων θέσιν, καὶ ὑετοῦ ῥύσιν, καί τ' ἄλλα δι' ὧν κυβερνᾷ τὴν ἡμετέραν ζωὴν, Τίς, φησὶ, γυναῖκας, καίτοι τὰ ἄλλα ἀσθενεῖς οὔσας, ἐσόφισεν εἰς ὑφασμάτων κατασκευὴν, καὶ εἰς τὸ ταῦτα καταποικίλλειν ταῖς τῶν ἐρίων βαφαῖς τε καὶ χρώμασιν; Ἀναμίγνυσι δὲ ἡ θεία Γραφὴ τοῖς μεγάλοις τὰ μικρὰ, καὶ γυναικῶν θαυμάζει σοφίαν τὴν ἐν ὑφάσμασι, Τίς ἔδωκε, λέγουσα, γυναιξὶν ὑφάσματος σοφίαν, καὶ ποικιλτικὴν ἐπιστήμην; Ζώου λογικοῦ τούτου, καὶ περιττοῦ τὴν σοφίαν, καὶ μέχρι τῶν οὐρανίων ὁδεύοντος· οὐ γὰρ ἡ τυχοῦσα σοφία αὕτη ποικίλη τις οὖσα, οὐδὲ μικρὰ ἡ χρῆσις. Οὐκ ἀτημέλισται οὖν ἡ περὶ τοὺς ἱστοὺς φιλοτεχνία, οὐδὲ ἀπέῤῥιπται ὡς περιττὴ, ἀλλ' ἔνεστι κἀν τούτοις θεία σοφία, καὶ ἣν οὐκ αἰσχύνεται Θεὸς ἰδίαν ἀποκαλεῖν, οὐκ ἄλλον λέγων εἶναι ταύτης δοτῆρα καὶ χορηγὸν ἀλλ' ἑαυτόν. «Θηρεύσεις δὲ λέουσι βορὰν, ψυχὰς δὲ δρακόντων ἐμπλήσεις; ∆εδοίκασι γὰρ ἐν κοίταις αὐτῶν, κάθηνται δὲ ἐν ὕλαις ἐνεδρεύοντες.» Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ταῦτά φησι; ὅτι εἰ τῶν περιττῶν τοσαύτην ποιοῦμαι πρόνοιαν, τῶν οὐδὲ εἰς δουλείαν ὑμῖν χρησίμων, οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑμῶν; τί γὰρ τοσοῦτον ὄφελος ἀνθρώπῳ ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων;

ΚΕΦ. ΛΘʹ

«Εἰ ἔγνως καιρὸν τοκετοῦ τραγελάφων πέτρας, ἐφύλαξας δὲ ὠδῖνας ἐλάφων,

ἠρίθμησας δὲ μῆνας αὐτῶν πλήρεις τοκετοῦ αὐτῶν, ὠδῖνας δὲ αὐτῶν ἔλυσας, ἐξέθρεψας δὲ αὐτῶν τὰ παιδία ἔξω φόβου, ὠδῖνας δὲ αὐτῶν ἐξαποστελεῖς;» Καλῶς δὲ εἶπεν, ἐφύλαξας· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀεὶ ἐν φυγῇ, καὶ φόβῳ καὶ, ἀτονίᾳ τὸ ζῶον ἀεὶ πηδῶν καὶ ἐναλλόμενον, πῶς, φησὶν, οὐκ ἀμβλώσκει, ἀλλὰ πλήρης ὁ τόκος ἐξέρχεται; Τὸ δὲ, Ὠδῖνας αὐτῶν ἔλυσας, ἐμφαντικῶς εἴρηται· αὐτομάτως γὰρ ἀποκύουσιν, οὐ δεόμεναι μαιεύσεως. Τὸ δὲ, Ἐξέθρεψας αὐτῶν τὰ παιδία ἔξω φόβου; σαφέστερον ὁ Θεοδοτίων