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a plunderer, clearly, both the punishment and the scorching wind falling upon the impious. 27, 22-23 from his hand he shall flee in flight. He will clap his hands at him, and will hiss him out of his place. Scripture is accustomed to fashion God as an enemy, whenever it wishes to show the divine punishment against the impious. For instance, David clothes him with a weapon and makes him wield a javelin, in which psalms he says: Take hold of shield and buckler, 230 and arise for my help. Draw forth the sword and stop the way against them that persecute me. So it is here also, it makes God pursue like an enemy, while the impious man flees, and makes the other, as if victorious and exulting in the victory, clap his hands and drag the impious man from his place, that is: from his former prosperity. So it says that: God, being angry like an enemy, strips the one who lives with impiety of all his possessions. 28, 1-3 For there is a place for silver, whence it comes, and a place for gold, whence it is refined. For iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is quarried like stone. He has set an order to darkness, and he himself examines every limit. What then does he say? Does God bring on punishments at random, or unwisely, or unwillingly, although he has worked all things supernaturally and wisely and has given an order to each? Then, showing this, this blessed one teaches at the same time the wisdom and harmony of the creator's reason, which he placed in all things, and at the same time also, how he honored us by adorning us with reason. And he also refers to contemplation; for such are the sayings of the holy prophets, mixing contemplation with what is readily understood and the knowledge of the mysteries with what is reported historically. Therefore, that the things from God are not without judgment, let us consider his creation and marvel, let us reflect on the rational knowledge given to men by divine gift and be astounded. For there is 231 a place for silver, whence it comes, and a place for gold, whence it is refined. And neither does the gold-bearing earth produce silver, nor the silver-bearing earth gold; and from one is iron mined, and from another, brass. And the phrase brass is quarried like stone is not because there happen to be mountains of brass, but because when quarried according to the metallurgical art given to men by God, they yield brass and iron. And the darkness of the night gives way to the approaching light, just as the day in turn gives way to the night, its course being according to its own order. And God wisely examines the limits and outcomes of all things, comprehending all things in his incomprehensible providence. Therefore, he who has arranged all things with measure and order and harmony neither postpones the punishments against the impious for no reason nor inflicts them in vain. 28, 3 a stone of darkness and shadow of death. Yes indeed, he says, these stones that are mined lie somewhere in the depth of the earth as if under the very shadow of death, so that he might say: both in the lowest regions and in deep darkness. 28, 4 The torrent is stopped from dust; and they that forget the right way have become weak. And the dust of the earth, he says, when cast into the furnace by the fire flows out like a river, whether it be gold or silver or brass or iron. 232 Or you will understand it thus: just as the torrent cuts through the earth, if it finds it crumbly because of dust {that is} and not having a firm foundation, so the divine justice coming upon the unjust makes them weak, like a torrent cutting through crumbly earth, cutting off the prosperity of the impious. 28, 5 The earth, out of it comes bread, and under it is turned up as it were by fire. But also another, he says, earth, with the cooperation of God and the art of agriculture, being sown and receiving the seeds below in its own depths, then as if with fire, by its own heat dissolving what was cast down and multiplying this by the seminal power within it, sends forth the ear of grain for the making of bread. And according to the contemplation, the earth is the church, offering the living bread to the worthy, but preparing the fire below, that is in Hades and eternal, for the unworthy. 28, 6 The stones of it are the place of sapphire. The sensible earth, the

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λῃστὴς δηλονότι καὶ ἡ τιμωρία καὶ ὁ καύσων ἄνεμος ἐπιπίπτων ἐπὶ τὸν ἀσεβῆ. 27, 2223 ἐκ χειρὸς αὐτοῦ φυγῇ φεύξεται. κροτήσει ἐπ' αὐτῷ χεῖρας αὐτοῦ, καὶ συριεῖ αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ. πέφυκεν ἡ γραφὴ σχηματίζειν ὡς πολέμιον τὸν θεόν, ὅταν βούληται τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν θείαν ἐνδείκνυσθαι τιμωρίαν. αὐτίκα γοῦν ὁ ∆αυὶδ καὶ ὅπλον αὐτῷ περιτίθησι καὶ ἀκόντιον ποιεῖ κρατοῦντα, ἐν οἷς ψάλλων φησίν· ἐπιλαβοῦ ὅπλου καὶ θυρεοῦ 230 καὶ ἀνάστηθι εἰς τὴν βοήθειάν μου. ἔκχεον ῥομφαίαν καὶ σύγκλεισον ἐξ ἐναντίας τῶν καταδιωκόντων με. τοῦτο τοιγαροῦν κἀνταῦθα, ποιεῖ τὸν μὲν θεὸν δίκην πολεμίου καταδιώκοντα, φεύγοντα δὲ τὸν ἀσεβῆ, τὸν δὲ ὡς νικήσαντα καὶ ἐπαγαλλόμενον τῇ νίκῃ ἐπικροτοῦντα τῶ χεῖρε καὶ ἐξέλκοντα τὸν ἀσεβῆ ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ, τουτέστιν· ἐκ τῆς παλαιᾶς εὐδαιμονίας. φησὶν οὖν ὅτι· δίκην πολεμίου ὀργιζόμενος ὁ θεὸς πάντων ἀπογυμνοῖ τῶν προσόντων τὸν ἀσεβείᾳ συζῶντα. 28, 13 ἔστι γὰρ ἀργυρίῳ τόπος ὅθεν γίνεται, τόπος δὲ χρυσίῳ ὅθεν διηθεῖται. σίδηρος μὲν γὰρ ἐκ τῆς γῆς γίνεται, χαλκὸς δὲ ἴσα λίθῳ λατομεῖται. τάξιν ἔθετο σκότει, καὶ πᾶν πέρας αὐτὸς ἐξακριβάζει. τί οὖν φησιν; ἆρα εἰκῇ τὰς τιμωρίας ἐπάγει θεός, ἆρα ἀσόφως ἢ ἀβούλως, καίτοιγε πάντα ὑπερφυῶς καὶ σοφῶς ἐξειργάσατο καὶ τάξιν ἑκάστῳ δέδωκεν; εἶτα τοῦτο δεικνὺς ὁ μακάριος οὗτος ὁμοῦ μὲν διδάσκει τοῦ δημιουργοῦ λόγου τὴν σοφίαν καὶ ἁρμονίαν, ἣν τοῖς πᾶσιν ἔθηκεν, ὁμοῦ δὲ καί, ὅπως ἡμᾶς ἐτίμησε λογισμῷ κοσμήσας. παραπέμπει δὲ καὶ εἰς θεωρίαν· τοιαῦται γὰρ τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν αἱ ῥήσεις παραμιγνῦσαι τοῖς προχείρως νοουμένοις τὴν θεωρίαν καὶ τοῖς καθ' ἱστορίαν ἀπαγγελλομένοις τῶν μυστηρίων τὴν γνῶσιν. ὅτι τοιγαροῦν οὐκ ἄκριτα τὰ παρὰ θεοῦ, κατανοήσωμεν αὐτοῦ τὴν δημιουργίαν καὶ θαυμάσωμεν, ἐνθυμῶμεν τὴν δεδομένην ἀνθρώποις ἐκ θείας δωρεᾶς λογικὴν γνῶσιν καὶ καταπλαγῶμεν. ἔστι 231 γὰρ ἀργυρίῳ τόπος ὅθεν γίνεται, τόπος δὲ χρυσίῳ ὅθεν διηθεῖται. καὶ οὔτε ἡ χρυσῖτις γῆ ἄργυρον φέρει, οὔτε ἡ ἀργυρῖτις χρυσόν· καὶ ἐξ ἄλλης μὲν σίδηρος μεταλλεύεται, χαλκὸς δὲ ἐξ ἑτέρας. τὸ δὲ χαλκὸς ἴσα λίθῳ λατομεῖται οὐχ ὅτι χαλκᾶ τυγχάνουσιν ὄρη, ἀλλ' ὅτι λατομούμενα κατὰ τὴν δοθεῖσαν ἀνθρώποις ὑπὸ θεοῦ μεταλλικὴν τέχνην χαλκὸν καὶ σίδηρον φέρουσιν. καὶ τὸ μὲν τῆς νυκτὸς σκότος παραχωρεῖ τῷ φωτὶ πλησιάζοντι, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡ ἡμέρα ἀντιπαραχωρεῖ τῇ νυκτὶ τὸν δρόμον κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν τάξιν. πάντων δὲ τὰ πέρατα καὶ τὰς ἐκβάσεις σοφῶς θεὸς ἐξακριβάζεται τῇ ἀπεριλήπτῳ προνοίᾳ τὰ πάντα συμπεριλαμβάνων. οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ τὰς τιμωρίας τὰς κατὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἢ διὰ κενῆς ὑπερτίθεται ἢ μάτην ἐπάγει ὁ πάντα μέτρῳ καὶ τάξει καὶ ἁρμονίᾳ διαταξάμενος. 28, 3 λίθος σκοτία καὶ σκιὰ θανάτου. ναὶ μήν, φησίν, οὗτοι οἱ λίθοι οἱ μεταλλευόμενοι ἐν βάθει που κεῖνται τῆς γῆς ὡς ὑπ' αὐτὴν τοῦ θανάτου τὴν σκιάν, ἵνα εἴπῃ ὅτι· καὶ ἐν τοῖς κατωτάτω καὶ ἐν σκοτίᾳ βαθείᾳ. 28, 4 διακοπὴ χειμάρρου ἀπὸ κονίας, οἱ δὲ ἐπιλανθανόμενοι ὁδὸν δικαίαν ἠσθένησαν. ἡ δὲ τῆς γῆς κόνις, φησίν, εἰς τὴν χωνείαν ἐμβληθεῖσα τῷ πυρὶ ποταμηδὸν ἐκρεῖ εἴτε τὸν χρυσὸν εἴτε τὸν ἄργυρον εἴτε τὸν χαλκὸν εἴτε τὸν σίδηρον. 232 ἢ καὶ οὕτως νοήσεις· ὥσπερ ὁ χείμαρρος διακόπτει τὴν γῆν, ἐὰν εὕρῃ αὐτὴν διὰ κονίαν {τουτέστι} σαθρὰν καὶ μὴ ἔχουσαν ἑδραίωμα, οὕτως ἡ θεία δίκη ἐπερχομένη τοῖς ἀδίκοις ἀσθενεῖν αὐτοὺς παρασκευάζει ὡς χειμάρρους διακόπτων σαθρὰν γῆν ἐκκόπτουσα τῶν ἀσεβῶν τὴν εὐθηνίαν. 28, 5 γῆ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐξελεύσεται ἄρτος, ὑποκάτωθεν αὐτῆς ἐστράφη ὡσεὶ πῦρ. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρα, φησίν, γῆ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ συνεργίᾳ καὶ γεωργικῇ τέχνῃ κατασπειρομένη καὶ κάτωθεν ἐν ταῖς ἰδίαις λαγόσιν ὑποδεξαμένη τὰ σπέρματα, εἶτα ὥσπερ πυρὶ τῇ οἰκείᾳ θέρμῃ διαλύσασα τὸ καταβληθὲν καὶ τοῦτο τῇ ἐνούσῃ αὐτῷ σπερματικῇ δυνάμει πολυπλασιάσασα ἀναδίδωσι τὸν ἄσταχυν εἰς ἄρτου ποίησιν. κατὰ δὲ τὴν θεωρίαν γῆ ἐστιν ἡ ἐκκλησία τοῖς μὲν ἀξίοις τὸν ζῶντα ἄρτον ὀρέγουσα, τοῖς δὲ ἀναξίοις τὸ κάτωθεν, τουτέστι τὸ ἐν ᾅδου καὶ αἰώνιον, εὐτρεπίζουσα πῦρ. 28, 6 τόπος σαπφείρου οἱ λίθοι αὐτῆς. ἡ μὲν αἰσθητὴ γῆ τοὺς