68

knowing him to be the author and lord of creation and providence, he turns his speech to prayer, saying: "even if you brought painful things upon me as one who has authority, yet remember that I am weak and my substance is from clay" -this must be understood with respect to the body- "and having formed me, you turn me back again to the earth." And from this it is clear that he speaks about the body; for the soul is not turned back to the earth. And he recounts the things concerning the weakness of human nature, encouraging his friends also to endurance and to the recognition of his virtue and patience. And now he has joined "to form" to the body as something proper to it; for "forming" is proper to a resistant material. For indeed concerning the angels it is not said: 276 "he who formed angels," but "who makes his angels spirits." And concerning the earth it is said, as a dense body: "and his hands formed the dry land." But these things are not said because God forms with hands like men, but because the divine instruction applies the proper name to each thing, "forming," as we said, to the body, but "making" to the soul. Similar to "you turn me back again to the earth" is what was said to Adam: "you are earth, and to earth you will return." It must be observed that if anything is said about a composite being, it is not necessary to understand it of every part. For if it is said: "and David was gentle," or Moses, we do not understand this concerning his body. But if: "and David was ruddy, with beautiful eyes," we understand this concerning the body, not concerning the soul. And here, if it is said: "you turn me back again to the earth," one must not think that this is said about the soul. Did you not milk me like milk, and curdle me like cheese? The seed, from which the living being is constituted, he calls like milk that has been milked; and just as milk, when it curdles, becomes cheese, so also the seed, when it curdles, becomes a nature; and this is the state before the embryo. For the seed cast into 277 the furrows of the womb, when it curdles like cheese, becomes a nature; which then is formed or, as the scripture says, "is imaged" and receives, as it were, features. But when the members are separated and each one comes to be on its own and then moves like the hand or foot of a living being, then the birth of the embryo reveals the living being to sight. He therefore includes all these things, signifying through "remember that you formed me of clay" the creation of Adam from the beginning, and through "Did you not milk me like milk" the generations constituted in succession. He recounts all these things, therefore, pointing out the handiwork of God, so that from this or through prayer he might call him to mercy. He says "you milked," therefore, to God, showing that by his working the true casting of the seed occurs. You clothed me with skin and flesh, and you wove me together with bones and sinews. Those who want to show that the tunics of skin with which God clothed them are these dense bodies use this. For indeed in Genesis it is said: "And God made for Adam and for his wife tunics of skin, and he clothed them." But 278 "he made for Adam and for his wife," to show that he had made clothing suitable "for male and female." It is clear that here by "skin and flesh" he means the body; for he joins next the things that hold it together, saying: "and you wove me together with bones and sinews." He thus recounts the whole manner and harmony of the body's constitution, both through the preceding things and these present ones. It must be noted that these appear to be the words of the soul; for it is the soul that has put on the skin and the flesh, being woven together with bones and sinews; which means that it exists before the garments and the act of being clothed; for as a substrate, it is clothed. And you have set life and mercy by me, and your visitation has guarded my spirit. Since skin and flesh and bones and sinews do not have life in and of themselves, but by the presence of a soul have vital movements—for when it departs, they have nothing vital—he says that you did not only form me, and having made flesh and skin and bones and sinews, clothed me, but also "life and

68

τῆς δημιουργίας καὶ τῆς προνοίας αὐτὸν ἐπιστάμενος ἀρχηγὸν καὶ κύριον εἰς εὐχὴν τρέπει τὸν λόγον λέγων· εἰ καὶ ἐπήγαγες ὡς ἐξουσιάζων τὰ ὀδυνηρά, ἀλλὰ μνήσθητι, ὅτι ἀσθενής εἰμι καὶ ἐκ πήλου τὴν σύστασιν ἔχω -τοῦτο δὲ κατὰ τὸ σῶμα νοητέον- καὶ πλάσας εἰς γῆν με πάλιν ἀποστρέφεις. καὶ δῆλον ἐκ τούτου, ὅτι περὶ τοῦ σώματος λέγει· οὐ γὰρ εἰς γῆν ἡ ψυχὴ ἀποστρέφεται. τὰ δὲ περὶ τῆς ἀσθενείας τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως διεξέρχεται προτρέπων καὶ τοὺς φίλους εἰς καρτερίαν καὶ ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀρετῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ὑπομονῆς. καὶ νῦν δὲ ὡς οἰκεῖον τὸ πλάσαι τῷ σώματι συνῆψεν· ἀντιτύπῳ γὰρ ἡ πλάσις οἰκεῖον· καὶ γὰρ περὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων οὐκ εἴρηται· 276 ὁ πλάσας ἀγγέλους, ἀλλ' "ὁ ποιῶν ἀγ γέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα." καὶ περὶ τῆς γῆς εἴρηται ὡς παχέος σώματος· "καὶ τὴν ξηρὰν αἱ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ ἔπλασαν." ταῦτα δὲ οὐχ, ὅτι κατὰ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους θεὸς χερσὶ διαπλάττει, εἴρηται, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἑκάστῳ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἡ θεία παίδευσις ἐπιφέρει ὄνομα, τὴν μὲν πλάσιν ὡς εἴπομεν τῷ σώματι, τὴν δὲ ποίησιν τῇ ψυχῇ. ὅμοιον τῷ "εἰς δὲ γῆν με πάλιν ἀποστρέφεις" τὸ τῷ Ἀδὰμ εἰρημένον· "γῆ εἶ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσει." παρατηρητέον ὅτι, ἐάν τι περὶ συνθέτου λέγηται, οὐκ ἀνάγκη περὶ παντὸς μέρους αὐτὸ νοεῖν. ἐὰν γὰρ λέγηται· καὶ ἦν ∆αυὶδ πρᾶος ἢ Μωσῆς, οὐ περὶ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ τοῦτο νοοῦμεν. ἐὰν δέ· καὶ ἦν ∆αυὶδ "πυρράκης μετὰ κάλλους ὀφθαλμῶν", περὶ τοῦ σώματος αὐτὸ διανοούμεθα, οὐ περὶ ψυχῆς. καὶ ἐνταῦθα εἰ λέγεται· "εἰς δὲ γῆν με πάλιν ἀποστρέφεις", οὐ δεῖ λογίζεσθαι, ὅτι περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦτο λέγεται. ἦ οὐχ ὥσπερ γάλα με ἤμελξας, ἐτύρωσας δέ με ἴσα τυρῷ; τὸ σπέρμα, ἐξ οὗ συνίσταται τὸ ζῷ ον, ὡς γάλα ἀμελχθὲν λέγει· καὶ ὥσπερ τὸ γάλα συστρεφόμενον τυρὸς γίνεται, οὕτω καὶ τὸ σπέρμα συστραφὲν φύσις γίνεται· κατάστασις δέ ἐστιν αὕτη πρὸ τοῦ ἐμβρύου· τὸ γὰρ καταβληθὲν εἰς 277 τοὺς αὔλακας τῆς ὑστέρας σπέρμα, ὅταν συστραφῇ οἷα τυρός, γίνεται φύσις· ὅπερ λοιπὸν διαπλάττεται ἤ, ὡς ἡ γραφή φησιν, "ἐξεικονίζεται" καὶ δέχεται ὥσπερ χαρακτῆρας. ὅταν δὲ διαστῇ τὰ μέλη καὶ ἕκαστον ἰδίᾳ γένηται καὶ κινῆται λοιπὸν οἷα ζῴου χεὶρ ἢ πούς, τότε ἐμβρύου μ̣ὲν ἡ ἀπότεξις ἀποδείκνυσιν εἰς τὸ φανερὸν τὸ ζῷον. ταῦτα πάντα οὖν ἐμπεριλαμβάνει, διὰ μὲν τοῦ "μνήσθητι, ὅτι πηλόν με ἔπλασας" τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς κτίσιν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ σημαίνων, διὰ δὲ τοῦ "ἦ οὐχ ὥσπερ γάλα με ἤμελξας" τὰς κατὰ διαδοχὴν συνισταμένας γενέσεις. πάντα οὖν ταῦτα διέξεισιν, τὸ δημιούργημα τοῦ θεοῦ ὑποδεικνύς, ἵν' δι ἐκ τούτου ἢ δι' εὐχῆς εἰς ἔλεον ἐκκαλέσηται. τὸ "ἤμελξας" οὖν λέγει τῷ θεῷ δεικνύς, ὅτι αὐτοῦ ἐνεργείᾳ ἡ γνησία τῶν σπερμάτων καταβολὴ γίνεται. δέρμα καὶ κρέας με ἐνέδυσας, ὀστέοις δὲ καὶ νεύροις με ἐνεῖρας. τούτῳ χρῶνται οἱ βουλόμενοι δεῖξαι, ὅτι, οὓς ἐνέδυσεν ὁ θεὸς δερματίνους χιτῶνας, τὰ σώματά ἐστιν ταῦτα τὰ παχέα. καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῇ Γενέσει εἴρηται· "καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τῷ Ἀδὰμ καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ χιτῶνας δερματίνους καὶ ἐνέδυσεν αὐτούς." ἀλλ' 278 "ἐποίησεν τῷ Ἀδὰμ καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ", ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι κατάλληλον "ἄρρενι καὶ θηλείᾳ" ἔνδυμα πεποίηκεν. σαφές, ὅτι "δέρμα καὶ κρέας" ἐνταῦθα τὸ σῶμά φησιν· συνάπτει γὰρ ἑξῆς τὰ διακρατητικὰ τούτου λέγων· "ὀστέοις δὲ καὶ νεύροις με ἐνεῖρας." ὅλην οὖν τὴν ὁδὸν καὶ ἁρμονίαν τῆς συστάσεως τοῦ σώματος ἀπαγγέλλει διά τε τῶν πρὸ τούτων καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ἐγκειμένων. σημειωτέον, ὅτι φαίνεται τῆς ψυχῆς ταῦτα ῥήματα· αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἐνδυσαμένη τὸ δέρ μα καὶ τὸ κρέας ὀστέοις τε καὶ νεύροις ἐνερθεῖσα· ὅπερ σημαίνει προτέραν αὐτὴν εἶναι τῶν ἐνδυμάτων καὶ τοῦ ἐνδεδύσθαι· ὑποκειμένη γὰρ ἐνδέδυται. ζωὴν δὲ καὶ ἔλεος ἔθου παρ' ἐμοῦ, ἡ δὲ ἐπισκοπή σου ἐφύλαξέν μου τὸ πνεῦμα. ἐπεὶ μὴ αὐτὰ καθ' ἑαυτὰ τὸ δέρμα καὶ το κρέας καὶ «τὰ» ὀστᾶ καὶ νεῦρα ζωὴν ἔχει, παρουσίᾳ δὲ ψυχῆς ζωτικὰ κινήματα ἔχει- ἀναχωρησάσης γοῦν αὐτῆς οὐδὲν ἔχει ζωτικόν-, φησίν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔπλασας μόνον καὶ κρέας καὶ δέρμα καὶ ὀστᾶ καὶ νεῦρα πεποιηκὼς ἐνέδυσάς με, ἀλλὰ καὶ "ζωὴν καὶ