96

§ 2. "The sophist Apollophanes": Concerning Apollophanes the sophist, who had been a companion of the great Dionysius and was reviling him for having become a Christian and speaking against the Greeks; for human wisdom is also of God.

"And not that of the many": The saying should be construed thus: 'And I for my part do not mean the opinion of the many who materialistically and passionately abide in the words or passions of the poets'.

(15∆_424> "For by the knowledge of beings": He called it knowledge of beings, the observation of the motion of the heavenly bodies, and the contemplation of the other parts of creation, according to the one definition of wisdom which says, to know beings as they are. And the Apostle's saying, when he said in 1 Corinthians: "For since in the wisdom of God the world through wisdom did not know God"; that is, wisdom manifested in the harmony and order of creation, he understood this. Note, then, that the knowledge of beings is called philosophy, and what the Apostle in 1 Corinthians calls the wisdom of God. [For he stated in the beginning the purpose for which he wrote neither against the Greeks, nor against others].

"Apollophanes should have understood": From things acknowledged among the Greeks he sets forth the ordering of God, the cause of all, saying that from this it is fitting to recognize God, the boundary-setter of all, from the sun and moon having the ordained boundaries of the day, and running together with the whole circle of the heaven, that is, from east to west. Or if they were not carried along with the heaven that contains them, with the heaven and the sphere of the fixed stars turning in a circle from east to west, while the sun and moon themselves run contrary to the whole from west to east, then also is God, the creator and orderer of the universe, rightly to be especially known and marveled at. We have interpreted these things according to Apollophanes, who says that the heaven did not stand still along with the sun at that time, since in the preceding section we have stated the precise details. [Concerning the ordering of the stars standing still by the will of God, and not being moved again, when He wishes, as in the case of Joshua the son of Nun and Ezekiel].

"When the sun by him": The account of Joshua the son of Nun is set forth in these things (15∆_426>, and he reminds the holy Polycarp of this story, so that he may set it against Apollophanes. He says, then: Say to him: Learn how God, the sun and the moon being then diametrically opposite each other, as the sun was already setting, made the luminaries stand in place, a certain standing still by a certain ineffable power of God their cause. And the universe stood motionless with the two luminaries; for neither the heaven, nor the other stars were revolving, but they stood still with the two luminaries, motionless. And not for a little while only did the course and motion of the universe stand still, but for a whole day, so that in the time of Joshua the son of Nun there was a double day of 24 hours, as Jesus the son of Sirach clearly says this in the hymn of the Fathers. Then he adds: But if Apollophanes should say, "Impossible, for the heaven and the other stars did not stand still with the two luminaries, but they were moving, while this one stood still," answer him that, This especially should turn you to the true God and the knowledge of him, and of him who moves the heaven containing the luminaries, but makes the contained luminaries stand motionless. For this is of greater power, that, while the heaven and the other stars are moving, the sun and moon stood motionless, and were not moved with the same motion as the universe, with which they were always carried along.

"Most supernatural along with the universe": He says, on the one hand, that along with the pole remaining motionless (for this he called the universe) the standing still of the sun and the moon occurred. But rather, he says, it is much more marvelous, if indeed the pole was revolving (for this

96

§ 2. «Τὸν σοφιστὴν Ἀπολλοφάνη»: Περὶ Ἀπολλοφάνους τοῦ σοφιστοῦ, ἑταίρου γεγονότος τοῦ μεγάλου ∆ιονυσίου καὶ λοιδοροῦντος αὐτόν, ὡς Χριστιανὸν γενόμενον καὶ καθ' Ἑλλήνων λέγοντα· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη σοφία Θεοῦ ἐστιν.

«Καὶ οὐ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν»: Τὸ ρητὸν οὕτω συντακτέον· 'Καί οὐ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν ἔγωγε λέγω δόξαν τῶν προσύλως καὶ ἐμπαθῶς ἐναπομενόντων τοῖς τῶν ποιητῶν λόγοις ἢ πάθεσι'.

(15∆_424> «Τῇ γάρ τῶν ὄντων γνώσει»: Τῶν ὄντων γνῶσιν ἐκάλεσε, τό ἐπιτετηρημένον τῆς κινήσεως τῶν οὐρανίων, καί τήν θεωρίαν τῶν ἄλλων τῆς κτίσεως μερῶν, κατά τόν ἕνα τόν τῆς σοφίας ὅρον τόν λέγοντα, γνῶναι τά ὄντα ᾗ ὄντα ἐστί. Τοῦ δέ Ἀποστόλου ἡ φωνή, τῷ εἰπεῖν ἐν τῇ α' πρός Κορινθίους· «Ἐπειδή γάρ ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἔγνω ὁ κόσμος διά τῆς σοφίας τόν Θεόν»· τουτέστι τῆς ἐμφαινομένης τῷ ἐναρμονίῳ καί τεταγμένῳ τῆς κτίσεως, τοῦτο συνῆκε. Σημείωσαι οὖν, ὅτι ἡ τῶν ὄντων γνῶσις φιλοσοφία λέγεται, καί τίνα καλεῖ ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἐν τῇ α' πρός Κορινθίους σοφίαν Θεοῦ. [Εἶπε γάρ ἐν ἀρχῇ τόν σκοπόν, δι' ὅν οὔτε καθ' Ἑλλήνων, οὔτε καθ' ἑτέρων συνέγραψεν].

«Ἔδει συνιδεῖν τόν Ἀπολλοφάνη»: Ἀπό τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησιν ὁμολογουμένων τήν διάταξιν τοῦ πάντων αἰτίου Θεοῦ παρατίθεται, φήσας, ἐκ τούτου ἄξιον ἐπιγνῶναι τόν πάντων ὁροθέτην Θεόν, ἐκ τοῦ τόν ἥλιον καί τήν σελήνην τούς διατεταγμένους τῆς ἡμέρας ἔχειν ὅρους, καί τῷ παντί τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κύκλῳ συμπεριθέειν, τουτέστιν ἐξ ἀνατολῶν ἐπί δυσμάς. Εἴτε μή συμπεριφέροιντο τῷ περιέχοντι αὐτούς οὐρανῷ, τοῦ μέν οὐρανοῦ καί τῆς ἁπλανοῦς τῶν ἀκινήτων ἀστέρων σφαίρας, ἀπό ἀνατολῶν εἰς δυσμάς κυκλικῶς στρεφομένων, αὐτῶν δέ ἡλίου καί σελήνης τήν ἐναντίαν τῷ παντί τρεχόντων ἐκ δυσμῶν εἰς ἀνατολάς καί οὕτω μάλιστα γνωρίζεσθαι καί θαυμάζεσθαι δίκαιος ὁ τοῦ παντός δημιουργός καί διατάκτης Θεός. Ταῦτα ἡρμηνεύσαμεν κατά Ἀπολλοφάνην τόν λέγοντα, μή σύν τῷ ἡλίῳ καί τόν οὐρανόν ἑστάναι τότε, ἐπεί ἐν τῇ πρό ταύτης προγραφῇ τό ἀκρίβες προειρήκαμεν. [Περί τῆς τῶν ἀστέρων διατάξεως ἑστώσης βουλῇ Θεοῦ, καί μή μετακινουμένης αὖθις, ὅταν ἐθέλῃ, ὡς ἐπί Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ καί Ἰεζεκιήλ].

«Ὅταν ἥλιος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ»: Τά τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ ἐν τούτοις (15∆_426> παρατίθεται,, καί ἀναμιμνῄσκει τόν ἅγιον Πολύκαρπον τῆς ἱστορίας ταύτης, ἵνα ταύτην ἀντιθῇ τῷ Ἀπολλοφάνει. Φησίν οὖν· Εἶπε αὐτῷ· Μάθε πῶς ὁ Θεός τόν ἥλιον καί τήν σελήνην κατά διάμετρον ὄντας τότε ἀντικρύ ἀλλήλων, δυομένου ἥδη τοῦ ἡλίου, ἔστησεν ἐπί τόπου τούς φωστῆρας, στάσιν τινά κατά δύναμίν τινα ἄφατον τόν αἰτίου αὐτῶν Θεοῦ. Καί ἔστη τό πᾶν ἀκίνητον μετά τῶν δύο φωστήρων· οὔτε γάρ οὐρανός, οὔτε οἱ λοιποί ἀστέρες περιεπόλουν, ἀλλά συνειστήκεισαν τοῖς δυσί φωστῆρσιν ἀκίνητοι. Καί οὔτε ἐπί ὀλίγον ὁ δρόμος τοῦ παντός καί ἡ κίνησις ἔστη μόνον, ἀλλ' ἐφ' ἡμέραν ὁλόκληρον, ὡς γενέσθαι ἐπί Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ ἡμέραν διπλῆν κδ' ὡρῶν, ὡς σαφῶς τοῦτό φησιν Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Σειράχ ἐν τῷ ὕμνῳ τῶν Πατέρων. Εἶτα ἔπαγεῖ· Εἰ δέ εἴποι Ἀπολλοφάνης, Ἀδύνατον, οὐ γάρ ἔστη μετά τῶν δύο φωστήρων οὐρανός καί οἱ λοιποί ἀστέρες, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μέν ἐκινοῦντο, οὗτος δέ ἵστατο, ἀπόκριναι αὐτῷ ὅτι, Μάλιστα τοῦτο χρή σε ἐπιστρέψαι πρός τήν ἀληθῆ Θεόν καί τήν αὐτοῦ γνῶσιν, καί τόν κινοῦντος μέν τόν περιέχοντα τούς φωστήρας οὐρανόν, ἱστάντος δέ ἀκινήτους τούς περιεχομένους φωστῆρας. Τοῦτο γάρ μείζονος ἐστι δυνάμεως, τό, κινουμένου οὐρανοῦ καί τῶν λοιπῶν ἀστέρων, στῆναι ἥλιον καί σελήνην ἀκινήτους, καί μή τήν αὐτήν φοράν συγκινηθῆναι τῷ παντί, μεθ' οὗ ἀεί συμπεριήγοντο.

«Ὑπερφυεστάτην ἅμα τῷ παντί»: Λέγει μέν, ὡς ὁμοῦ τῷ πόλῳ ἀκινήτῳ μείναντι (τοῦτο γάρ ὠνόμασε τό πᾶν) ἡ τοῦ ἡλίου καί τῆς σελήνης ἐγένετο στάσις. Μᾶλλον δέ, φησί, πολλῷ θαυμασιώτερον, εἴπερ ὁ μέν πόλος περιήγετο (τοῦτον γάρ