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the rest. All those around him shall bring gifts, and the rest. What god is great like our God? you are the God who does wonders. You are mighty, O Lord, and your truth is round about you, and the rest. -Who knows the power of your wrath? -Who shall declare the mighty acts of the Lord? shall make them heard, and the rest. -Who raises the poor from the earth, and from the dunghill, and the rest. Who rebukes the sea, and dries it up, and makes all the rivers desolate. Who has measured the water in his hand, and the heaven, and all the earth with his palm? who has weighed the mountains in a balance, and the valleys in a scale? All the nations have been accounted as a drop from a bucket, and as the turn of a scale. He who holds the circle of the earth, and those who dwell in it as locusts. Thus says the Lord: Heaven is my throne, and the earth is the footstool of my feet. What kind of house will you build 95.1349 for me, or what is the place of my rest? For my hand made all these things, and all these things are mine, says the Lord. Their redeemer is strong, the Lord Almighty is his name. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and there is no one who will oppose his hand, and say, What have you done? For to be greatly strong is always in your power, and who will resist the might of your arm? For the whole world before you is as the turn of a balance. But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things. Your strength is the beginning of righteousness, and your being master of all makes you to spare all. For a strong examination comes upon the mighty. -It is impossible to escape your hand. Who will say to you, What have you done? or who will resist your judgment? The Lord is terrible, and very great, and his dominion is wonderful. Who bears all things by the word of his power, and not acting corporeally, nor needing craftsmanship for creation, but having the nature of things that come into being follow his unforced will. -Where God wills, the order of nature is overcome. For God, being superior to Nature, both willed and was able, and from him is the willing, because he is good, and the being able, because he is powerful, and the accomplishing, because he is resourceful. -I say to you that from these stones, that is, from those who worship stones, God is able to raise up children for Abraham.

TITLE II. Concerning the creation of God; and that nothing has been made by him in vain.

God saw all the things that he had made, and behold, they were very good. The day is yours, and the night is yours; you have prepared the light and the sun; you have made all the borders of the earth. The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; you have founded the world and its fullness. -The sea is his, and he made it. How magnified are your works, O Lord! in wisdom you have made them all. I am the Lord God, who prepared light, and made darkness. I made the earth and man upon it. I with my hand established the heaven. A spirit will go forth from me, and I have made every breath. The Lord who makes the earth by his strength, preparing the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heaven, and brought up 95.1352 clouds from the end of the earth; he made lightnings for rain, and brought forth his light. Who prepared the earth for all time, he filled it with four-footed beasts. He who sends forth the light, and it goes; he called it, and it obeyed him with trembling. The stars also shone in their watches, and were glad; he called them, and they said: Here we are; they shone with gladness for him who made them. For God did not make death, neither does he delight in the destruction of the living. For he created all things to exist, and the generations of the world are for salvation, and in them is no poison of destruction, nor is the kingdom of Hades upon the earth. You love all things that are, and abhor nothing which you have made. For how could any thing have endured, if you had not willed it? For by the greatness and beauty of the creatures, their creator is seen by analogy. He that lives for ever created all things in common, the Lord alone. He made nothing deficient; he established the good things one of another; and who shall be filled with seeing his glory?

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λοιπά. Πάντες οἱ κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ οἴσουσι δῶρα, καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Τίς Θεὸς μέγας, ὡς Θεὸς ἡμῶν; σὺ εἰ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιῶν θαυμάσια. ∆υνατὸς εἶ, Κύριε, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθειά σου κύκλῳ σου, καὶ τὰ λοιπά. -Τίς γινώσκει τὸ κράτος τῆς ὀργῆς σου; -Τίς λαλήσει τὰς δυναστείας Κυρίου; ἀκουστὰς, καὶ τὰ λοιπά. -Ὁ ἐγείρων ἀπὸ γῆς πτωχὸν, καὶ ἀπὸ κοπρίας, καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Ἀπειλῶν θαλάσσῃ, καὶ ξηραίνων αὐτὴν, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ποταμοὺς ἐξερημῶν. Τίς ἐμέτρησε τῇ χειρὶ τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν δρακί; τίς ἔστησε τὰ ὄρη σταθμῷ, καὶ τὰς νάπας ζυγῷ; Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὡς σταγὼν ἀπὸ κάδου, καὶ ὡς ῥοπὴ ζυγοῦ ἐλογίσθησαν. Ὁ κατέχων τὸν γῦρον τῆς γῆς, καὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν αὐτῇ ὡσεὶ ἀκρίδας. Οὕτως λέγει Κύριος· Ὁ οὐρανός μοι θρόνος, ἡ δὲ γῆ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν μου. Ποῖον οἶκον οἰκοδομή 95.1349 σετέ μοι, ἢ ποῖος τόπος τῆς καταπαύσεώς μου; Πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα ἐποίησεν ἡ χείρ μου, καὶ ἔστιν ἐμὰ ταῦτα πάντα, λέγει Κύριος. Ὁ λυτρωσάμενος αὐτοὺς ἰσχυρὸς, Κύριος παντοκράτωρ ὄνομα αὐτῷ. Πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν γῆν, ὡς οὐθὲν ἐλογίσθησαν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἐπιστήσεται τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐρεῖ, Τί ἐποίησας; Τὸ μεγάλως ἰσχύειν πάρεστί σοι πάντοτε, καὶ κράτει βραχίονός σου τίς ἀντιστήσεται; Ὡς ῥοπὴ ἐκ πλαστίγγων ὅλος ὁ κόσμος ἐναντίον σου. Ἐλεεῖς δὲ πάντας, ὅτι πάντα δύνασαι. Ἡ ἰσχύς σου δικαιοσύνης ἀρχὴ, καὶ τὸ πάντων σε δεσπόζειν, πάντων φείδεσθαί σε ποιεῖ. Τοῖς κραταιοῖς ἰσχυρὰ ἐφίσταται ἔρευνα. -Τὴν σὴν χεῖρα ἐκφυγεῖν ἀδύνατον. Τίς ἐρεῖ σοι, Τί ἐποίησας; ἢ τίς ἀντιστήσεται τῷ κρίματί σου; Φοβερὸς Κύριος, καὶ σφόδρα μέγας, καὶ θαυμαστὴ ἡ δυναστεία αὐτοῦ. Ὁ φέρων τὰ πάντα ῥήματι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ σωματικῶς ἐνεργῶν, μηδὲ χειρουργίας εἰς τὴν δημιουργίαν ἐπιδεόμενος, ἀλλὰ βουλήματι ἀβιάστῳ ἀκολουθοῦσαν ἔχων τὴν φύσιν τῶν γινομένων. -Ὅπου Θεὸς βούλεται, νικᾶται φύσεως τάξις. Ἠβουλήθη γὰρ, καὶ ἠδυνήθη Φύσεως κρείττων ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸ θέλειν, ὅτι ἀγαθός ἐστι, καὶ τὸ δύνασθαι, ὅτι δυνατὸς, καὶ τὸ ἐπιτελέσαι ὅτι εὔπορος. -Λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἐκ τῶν λίθων τούτων, τουτέστι τῶν λατρευόντων τοῖς λίθοις, δύναται ὁ Θεὸς ἐγεῖραι τέκνα τῷ Ἀβραάμ.

ΤΙΤΛ. Βʹ. Περὶ δημιουργίας Θεοῦ· καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲν εἰκῆ γέγονε παρ' αὐτοῦ.

Εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς τὰ πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησε, καὶ ἰδοὺ καλὰ λίαν. Σή ἐστιν ἡ ἡμέρα, καὶ σή ἐστιν ἡ νύξ· σὺ κατήρτισας φαῦσιν καὶ ἥλιον· σὺ ἐποίησας πάντα τὰ ὅρια τῆς γῆς. Σοί εἰσιν οἱ οὐρανοὶ, καὶ σή ἐστιν ἡ γῆ· τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς σὺ ἐθεμελίωσας. -Αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἡ θάλασσα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν αὐτήν. Ὡς ἐμεγαλύνθη τὰ ἔργα σου, Κύριε! πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας. Ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ κατασκευάσας φῶς, καὶ ποιήσας σκότος. Ἐγὼ ἐποίησα γῆν καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἐπ' αὐτῆς. Ἐγὼ τῇ χειρί μου ἐστερέωσα τὸν οὐρανόν. Πνεῦμα παρ' ἐμοῦ ἐξελεύσεται, καὶ πνοὴν πᾶσαν ἐγὼ ἐποίησα. Κύριος ὁ ποιῶν γῆν ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὐτοῦ, ἑτοιμάζων τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῇ συνέσει αὐτοῦ ἐξέτεινε τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ ἀνήγαγε 95.1352 νεφέλας ἀπ' ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς· ἀστραπὰς εἰς ὑετὸν ἐποίησε, καὶ ἐξήγαγε φῶς αὐτοῦ. Ὁ κατασκευάσας γῆν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον, ἐνέπλησεν αὐτὴν κτηνῶν τετραπόδων. Ὁ ἀποστέλλων τὸ φῶς, καὶ πορεύεται· ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὸ, καὶ ὑπήκουσεν αὐτῷ τρόμῳ. Οἱ δὲ ἀστέρες ἔλαμψαν ἐν ταῖς φυλακαῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ηὐφράνθησαν· ἐκάλεσεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ εἶπον· Πάρεσμεν· ἔλαμψαν μετ' εὐφροσύνης τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτούς. Ὁ Θεὸς θάνατον οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ τέρπεται ἐπ' ἀπωλείᾳ ζώντων. Ἔκτισε γὰρ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὰ πάντα, καὶ σωτήριοι αἱ γενέσεις τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐταῖς φάρμακον ὀλέθρου, οὐδὲ ᾅδου βασίλειον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ἀγαπᾷς τὰ ὄντα πάντα, καὶ οὐδὲν βδελύσσῃ ὧν ἐποίησας. Πῶς δὲ διέμεινεν ἄν τι, εἰ μὴ σὺ ἠθέλησας; Ἐκ μεγέθους καὶ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων ἀναλόγως ὁ γενεσιουργὸς αὐτῶν θεωρεῖται. Ὁ ζῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἔκτισε τὰ πάντα κοινῆ, Κύριος μόνος. Οὐκ ἐποίησεν οὐδὲν ἐλλεῖπον· ἓν τοῦ ἑνὸς ἐστερέωσε τὰ ἀγαθά· καὶ τίς πλησθήσεται ὁρῶν δόξαν αὐτοῦ;