96

and abominable? Adam, having done neither any evil, nor any good, was honored immediately upon being created. For how could one who did not exist have done anything? But we, having done countless terrible things, have enjoyed far greater honor. No longer, He says, do I call you slaves; for you are my friends. No longer are angels ashamed of us, but they also minister for our salvation. For an angel came to Philip, and to many others; and they brought good news to men. We are not heirs on earth, but sharers in heavenly goods, and partakers of Christ, and are called into fellowship with the Only-Begotten. He alludes to all these things through glory and honor. Therefore he also said, With glory and honor you will crown him, proclaiming beforehand what was to come. And you have set him over the works of your hands. Another version, You have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet. All sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field. Another version, The wild beasts. The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, that pass through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is your name in all the earth. Just as when discoursing on creation, he does not touch only on the powers above, but also brings his discourse down to sensible things; so also when teaching about the honor that has come to men, having alluded to those ineffable and incorporeal things which he enumerated, he now dwells more on the sensible things, which were clearer than the former to the duller of understanding. And what were these things? The earthly dominion given to him. And the truly wonderful thing, and what he especially alluded to, is that having honored him before the transgression, He did not cast him out from honor even after the sin. For You made him, he says, a little lower than the angels, that is, You condemned him to death when he had sinned; but not, because you condemned him to death, did you strip him of the gift. For 55.118 this reason, having said that, he then sets this down, showing the ineffable love of God for mankind, that even when he was made lower through his own transgression, He allowed him to be crowned with the honor of glory, and did not deprive him of his dominion. But if He took away a little, this too was of His providence. For before the disobedience, he also ruled over the wild beasts; but after the disobedience a little of this authority was indeed cut back. For he rules over them even now by certain arts, but with fear and trembling. For He neither took away all his dominion, nor did He leave it all, but whatever was suitable for him for food and for work, He allowed to remain subject; but the more savage beasts no longer, so that he might be reminded by the struggle with them of the ancient sin of his forefather Adam. So that even from their not being entirely subject to us, a great benefit arose. For what is the benefit of having a lion subject and tame? What is the advantage of having a domesticated leopard? Nothing, but only arrogance and folly. For this very reason He allowed these to remain outside of his dominion, but has made useful things tame for us, the ox for plowing, and the sheep for covering the nakedness of the body, and beasts suitable for transporting goods, birds and fish, so that our table might also be more abundant. 8. For just as someone disinheriting a son does not cast him out from everything, but from a certain part, in order to chasten him, so indeed also God; or rather, not so, but the opposite. For the man, when disinheriting, casts him out from the greater part, and leaves the lesser; but God, leaving the greater part, cast him out from a small part, and this for his benefit, so that he might not easily get the better of all other things. But this too is of God's providence; for by sharpening his wisdom, and humbling his pride, and cutting off untimely leisure, since having all things with ease

96

καὶ βδελυροί; Ὁ Ἀδὰμ οὔτε κακόν τι, οὔτε ἀγαθὸν ἐργασάμενος, ἐτιμήθη εὐθέως γενόμενος. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν εἰργάσατο ὁ μὴ ὤν; Ἡμεῖς δὲ μυρία ἐργασάμενοι δεινὰ, πολλῷ πλείονος ἀπελαύσαμεν τιμῆς. Οὐκέτι, φησὶ, λέγω ὑμᾶς δούλους· ὑμεῖς γὰρ φίλοι μου ἐστέ. Οὐκέτι ἡμᾶς ἐπαισχύνονται ἄγγελοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ διακονοῦσι πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν. Καὶ γὰρ πρὸς Φίλιππον ἦλθεν ἄγγελος, καὶ πρὸς ἑτέρους πολλούς· καὶ εὐηγγελίζοντο ἀνθρώποις. Οὐκ ἐπὶ γῆς δὲ κληρονόμοι, ἀλλὰ κοινωνοὶ τῶν οὐρανίων ἀγαθῶν ἐσμεν, καὶ μέτοχοι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ εἰς κοινωνίαν καλούμεθα τοῦ Μονογενοῦς. Ταῦτα πάντα διὰ τῆς δόξης καὶ τῆς τιμῆς αἰνίττεται. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγε, ∆όξῃ καὶ τιμῇ στέψεις αὐτὸν, τὸ μέλλον προαναφωνῶν. Καὶ κατέστησας αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σου. Ἄλλος, Ἐξουσιάζειν ἐποίησας αὐτὸν τῶν ἔργων τῶν χειρῶν σου. Πάντα ὑπέταξας ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ. Πρόβατα καὶ βόας ἁπάσας, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰ κτήνη τοῦ πεδίου. Ἄλλος, Τὰ ἄγρια. Τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ τοὺς ἰχθύας τῆς θαλάσσης, τὰ διαπορευόμενα τρίβους θαλασσῶν. Κύριε ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν, ὡς θαυμαστὸν τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ. Ὥσπερ περὶ δημιουργίας διαλεγόμενος, οὐ τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων ἅπτεται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ αἰσθητὰ κατάγει τὸν λόγον· οὕτω καὶ περὶ τιμῆς τῆς εἰς ἀνθρώπους γεγενημένης διδάσκων, αἰνιξάμενος ἐκεῖνα τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα καὶ ἀσώματα, ἅπερ ἀπηρίθμησε, νῦν τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς ἐνδιατρίβει πλέον, ἅπερ σαφέστερα ἐκείνων ἦν τοῖς παχυτέροις. Τίνα δὲ ταῦτα ἦν; Ἡ ἀρχὴ ἡ ἐπίγειος αὐτῷ δοθεῖσα. Καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστὸν, καὶ ὃ μάλιστα ᾐνίξατο, ὅτι τιμηθέντα αὐτὸν πρὸ τῆς παραβάσεως, οὐδὲ μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐξέβαλε τῆς τιμῆς. Ἠλάττωσας γὰρ, φησὶν, αὐτὸν βραχύ τι παρ' ἀγγέλους, τουτέστι, Θανάτῳ κατεδίκασας ἁμαρτόντα· οὐ μὴν ἐπειδὴ θανάτῳ κατεδίκασας, ἐγύμνωσας αὐτὸν τῆς δωρεᾶς. ∆ιά τοι 55.118 τοῦτο, ἐκεῖνο εἰπὼν, τότε τοῦτο τίθησι, δεικνὺς ἄφατον τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν, ὅτι καὶ ἐλαττωθέντα αὐτὸν διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν παράβασιν ἀφῆκεν ἐστεφανῶσθαι τῇ τιμῇ τῆς δόξης, καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς οὐ παρέλυσεν. Εἰ δὲ μικρόν τι ὑφεῖλε, καὶ τοῦτο τῆς κηδεμονίας αὐτοῦ. Πρὸ μὲν γὰρ τῆς παρακοῆς, καὶ θηρίων ἐκράτει· μετὰ δὲ τὴν παρακοὴν ὀλίγον δὴ τῆς ἐξουσίας ταύτης ὑπετέμνετο. Κρατεῖ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν καὶ νῦν τέχναις τισὶ, μετὰ φόβου δὲ καὶ τρόμου. Οὔτε γὰρ πᾶσαν ἀφείλετο τὴν ἀρχὴν, οὔτε πᾶσαν εἴασεν, ἀλλ' ὅσα μὲν αὐτῷ πρὸς τροφὴν καὶ ἐργασίαν ἦν ἐπιτήδεια, εἴασεν ὑποκεῖσθαι· τὰ δὲ θηριωδέστερα οὐκέτι, ἵνα ὑπομιμνήσκηται ἐκ τῆς τούτων ἀγωνίας τῆς παλαιᾶς ἁμαρτίας τῆς τοῦ προπάτορος Ἀδάμ. Ὥστε καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ σφόδρα ἡμῖν ὑποτάττεσθαι μέγα κέρδος ἐγίνετο. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος ἐκ τοῦ λέοντα ἔχειν ὑποχείριον καὶ χειροήθη; τί δὲ πλέον ἀπὸ τοῦ πάρδαλιν ἔχειν τιθασσόν; Οὐδὲν, ἀλλ' ἢ ἀλαζονεία μόνον καὶ ἀπόνοια. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο ταῦτα μὲν εἴασεν ἔξω μένειν τῆς ἀρχῆς, τὰ δὲ χρήσιμα ἡμῖν χειροήθη πεποίηκε, βοῦν ἀροῦντα, καὶ πρόβατον περιβάλλον τὴν τοῦ σώματος γύμνωσιν, καὶ κτήνη πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀγωγίμων μετακομιδὴν ἐπιτήδεια, ὄρνιθας καὶ ἰχθύας, ὥστε καὶ τράπεζαν ἡμῖν εἶναι δαψιλεστέραν. ηʹ. Καθάπερ γάρ τις υἱὸν ἀποκληρονόμον ποιῶν, οὐ πάντων ἐκβάλλει, ἀλλὰ μέρους τινὸς, ἵνα σωφρονίσῃ, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ Θεός· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἀπεναντίας. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἄνθρωπος ἀποκληρονόμον ποιῶν, τοῦ πλείονος ἐκβάλλει μέρους, τὸ δὲ ἔλαττον ἀφίησιν· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς τὸ πλέον ἀφεὶς, ὀλίγου τινὸς ἐξέβαλε, καὶ τοῦτο πρὸς ὠφέλειαν, ἵνα μὴ πάντων εὐκόλως περιγίγνηται τῶν ἄλλων. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ κηδεμονίας· τὴν γὰρ σοφίαν αὐτοῦ θήγων, καὶ τὸ φρόνημα καθαιρῶν, καὶ τὴν ἄκαιρον σχολὴν ἐκκόπτων ἐπειδὴ πάντα μετ' εὐκολίας ἔχων