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is broken by night, nor does evening bound it. And because the hidden things of darkness are revealed in it, that is properly called day. But this life is night, in which the works of shame are concealed, whence also The night (he says) is far spent, but the day is at hand. And that day is also called incurable, being of fury and wrath, in which it is not possible to make atonement, nor to heal, as it were, the pains brought upon it. Let us not then store up our confessions for that day, but let us understand the economy of Scripture, which wishes to generate the fear of God and to instruct those who encounter it to work, while it is day: Night is coming, when no one can any longer work. He who walks in the light of the Commandments of Christ is in the day; he who is given over to eternal darkness will be in the night. In that night there is no longer work, no longer confession; but hands and feet are bound by the chains of one's own sins: For binding him hand and foot, cast him into the outer darkness. And the tongue will no longer speak confession, nor praise of God, being occupied with the groaning that arises in it from its pains. For this reason that day comes incurable. 13.267 For the stars of heaven and Orion and all the host of heaven will not give their light, and the sun will be darkened at its rising, and the moon will not give her light. And I will command evils for the whole world, and for the impious their sins. The Prophet clearly describes the consummation and the transformation of the universe. For then the sun's light will fail and the moon will be a body without brilliance, and Orion, the brightest of the stars, will not give its light: The stars of heaven and Orion will not give their light, not being darkened because of being outshone by the risings of the sun. For this also happens in the present day, and it is agreed by all who have examined the celestial phenomena that the stars situated in the hemisphere above the earth are not extinguished, but are dimmed by being outshone by the rays of the sun. This also happens on nights with a full moon, when the brilliance of the moon shines around the stars, not allowing their rays to shine through. Therefore, the word presents none of these things that happen according to nature, but a complete darkening of the stars and a reordering of the universe. It is clear that Scripture calls Orion the system of the twenty-two stars, which some name Boötes; which those skilled in these things divide, and say that four of them are of the third magnitude, nine among them of the fourth, and the other nine of the fifth. This gathering of stars lies in the northern part, which is also named Orion by Scripture, as one body. And they call these constellations (and not stars), as constellations indicate a system of a multitude, while a star is what each individual is called. And Scripture also mentions Arcturus, a star which we see lying between the parts of Orion, yellowish. Similarly, the Pleiades are also named by Scripture, as also by outsiders, those who evidently learned the secrets from the Hebrews. And in the Pleiades seven stars appear, continuous and closely packed to one another (and not six, as some think); and they are situated in a triangular shape. As, therefore, we have found the name of Orion here, so also the name of Arcturus and Hesperus and the Pleiades in Job, who says: Who makes the Pleiades and Hesperus and Arcturus and the chambers of the South. He therefore who numbers the multitudes of stars and calls them all by names, has both the number of all of them and their appellations. But few are the ones that have been uttered, which the Greeks used and added the rest from themselves, and they call by myriad names both the fixed stars and the wandering ones. And some they divide into twelve parts, and others according to the zodiac circle, through which the

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διακόπτεται νυκτὶ, οὐδὲ περιγράφει αὐτὴν ἑσπέρα. Καὶ διὰ τὸ φανεροῦσθαι ἐν αὐτῇ τὰ κρυπτὰ τοῦ σκότους, ἡμέρα μὲν ἐκείνη κυρίως προσαγο ρεύεται. Νὺξ δὲ ὁ βίος οὗτος, ἐν ᾧ συγκεκάλυπται τὰ τῆς αἰσχύνης ἔργα, ὅθεν καὶ Ἡ νὺξ (φησὶ) προέκοψεν, ἡ δὲ ἡμέρα ἤγγικεν. Ἐκείνη δὲ ἡ ἡμέρα καὶ ἀνίατος λέγεται, θυμοῦ οὖσα καὶ ὀργῆς, ἐν ᾗ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐξιλάσασθαι, οὐδὲ οἷον ἰάσασθαι τοὺς προσαγομένους ἐπ' αὐτῇ πόνους. Μὴ οὖν ταμιευώμεθα εἰς ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν τὰς ἐξομολογήσεις, ἀλλὰ νοήσωμεν τὸ οἰκονομικὸν τῆς Γραφῆς, φόβον Θεοῦ γεννῆσαι βουλομένης καὶ παιδαγωγῆσαι τοὺς ἐντευξομένους ἐργά ζεσθαι, ἕως ἡμέρα ἐστίν· Ἔρχεται νὺξ, ὅτε οὐκέτι οὐδεὶς δύ ναται ἐργάζεσθαι. Ὁ ἐν τῷ φωτὶ τῶν Ἐντολῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ περιπατῶν, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐστίν· ὁ παραδεδομένος τῷ σκότῳ τῷ αἰωνίῳ, ἐν νυκτὶ γενήσεται. Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ νυκτὶ οὐκέτι ἔργον, οὐκέτι ἐξομολόγησις· ἀλλ' αἱ μὲν χεῖρες δεδεμέναι καὶ οἱ πόδες τοῖς δεσμοῖς τῶν ἰδίων ἁμαρτημάτων· ∆ήσαντες γὰρ αὐτὸν χειρῶν καὶ ποδῶν, ἐκβάλλετε εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξ ώτερον. Γλῶσσα δὲ οὐκέτι ἐξομολόγησιν, οὐδὲ αἴνεσιν Θεοῦ λαλήσει, ἀσχολουμένη περὶ τὸν στεναγμὸν, τὸν ἐκ τῶν πόνων αὐτῇ ἐγγινόμενον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔρχεται ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη ἀνίατος. 13.267 Οἱ γὰρ ἀστέρες τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ὁ Ὠρίων καὶ πᾶς ὁ κόσμος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸ φῶς οὐ δώσουσι, καὶ σκοτισθή σεται τοῦ ἡλίου ἀνατέλλοντος, καὶ ἡ σελήνη οὐ δώσει τὸ φῶς αὐτῆς. Καὶ ἐντελοῦμαι τῇ οἰκουμένῃ ὅλῃ κακὰ, καὶ τοῖς ἀσεβέσι τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. Φανερῶς τὴν συντέλειαν διαγράφει καὶ τὴν τοῦ παντὸς μεταποίησιν ὁ Προφήτης. Τότε γὰρ ἡλιακὸν φῶς ἐπιλείψει καὶ ἡ σελήνη σῶμα ἔσται ἀλαμπὲς, καὶ ὁ Ὠρίων, ὁ φανότατος τῶν ἀστέρων, τὸ φῶς οὐ δώσει· Οἱ ἀστέρες τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ὁ Ὠρίων τὸ φῶς οὐ δώσουσιν, οὐχὶ σκοτιζόμενοι διὰ τὸ καταυγάζεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν τοῦ ἡλίου ἀνα τολῶν. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐν τῇ νῦν ἡμέρᾳ γίνεται, καὶ παρὰ πᾶσι τοῖς ἐξετάσασι τὰ κατ' οὐρανὸν φαινόμενα ὁμολογεῖ ται, ὅτι οὐχὶ ἀποσβέννυνται οἱ ἀστέρες ἐν τῷ ὑπὲρ γῆν ἡμισφαιρίῳ κείμενοι, ἀλλὰ τῷ ὑπεραυγάζεσθαι ταῖς ἡλιακαῖς ἀκτῖσιν ἐξαμαυροῦνται. Ὅπερ καὶ ἐν ταῖς νυξὶ γίνεται ταῖς πανσελήνοις, περιλαμπούσης τῆς κατὰ τὴν σελήνην λαμ πρότητος τοὺς ἀστέρας, καὶ οὐκ ἐώσης αὐτῶν τὰς αὐγὰς διαφαίνεσθαι. Οὐδὲν οὖν τούτων τῶν κατὰ φύσιν συμβαινόντων ὁ λόγος παρίστησιν, ἀλλὰ παντελῆ τῶν ἀστέρων σκότωσιν καὶ τοῦ παντὸς μετακόσμησιν. ∆ῆλον δὲ ὅτι Ὠρίωνα λέγει ἡ Γραφὴ τὸ σύστημα τῶν εἴκοσι καὶ δύο ἀστέρων, ὅν τινες ὀνομάζουσι Βοώτην· οὓς οἱ περὶ ταῦτα δεινοὶ καταμερίζουσι, καί φασι τοὺς μὲν τέσσαρας εἶναι τρίτου μεγέθους, ἐννέα δὲ ἐν αὐτοῖς τετάρτου καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐννέα τοῦ πέμπτου. Κεῖται δὲ τοῦτο τὸ τῶν ἀστέρων ἄθροισμα ἐν τῷ βορείῳ μέρει, ὅπερ καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς, ὡς ἓν σῶμα, Ὠρίων ὠνόμασται. Ἄστρα δὲ ταῦτα λέγουσι (καὶ οὐχὶ ἀστέρας) ὡς τῶν μὲν ἄστρων πλήθους σύστασιν ἐμφαινόντων, ἀστέρος δὲ τοῦ καθ' ἕκαστον λεγομένου. Καὶ τοῦ Ἀρκτούρου δὲ μέμνηται ἡ Γραφὴ, ὃν μεταξὺ τῶν μερῶν τοῦ Ὠρίωνος ὁρῶμεν κείμενον ἀστέρα, ὑπόκιῤῥον. Παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ ἡ Πλειὰς ὀνομάζεται ὑπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς, ὡς καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν, τῶν δηλονότι παρ' Ἑβραίων πολυ πραγμονησάντων τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα. Φαίνονται δὲ καὶ ἐν Πλειάδι ἑπτὰ ἀστέρες συνεχεῖς καὶ καταπεπυκνωμένοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους (οὐχὶ δὲ ἓξ, ὅπερ τινὲς οἴονται)· κεῖνται δὲ ἐν τριγωνοειδεῖ σχήματι. Ὡς οὖν ἐνταῦθα εὕρομεν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Ὠρίωνος, οὕτω τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Ἀρκτούρου καὶ τοῦ Ἑσπέρου καὶ τῆς Πλειάδος ἐν τῷ Ἰὼβ, ὅς φησιν· Ὁ ποιῶν Πλειάδα καὶ Ἕσπερον καὶ Ἀρκτοῦρον καὶ ταμεῖα Νότου. Ὁ οὖν ἀριθμῶν πλήθη ἄστρων καὶ πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς ὀνόματα καλῶν, καὶ τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἔχει πάντων αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς προσηγορίας. Ὀλίγαι δέ εἰσιν αἱ ἐκφωνηθεῖσαι, αἷς οἱ Ἕλληνες συγχρησάμενοι καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ προσύφηναν παρ' ἑαυτῶν, καὶ μυρίαις ὀνομασίαις προσαγορεύουσι τούς τε ἀπλανεῖς ἀστέρας καὶ τοὺς πλανω μένους. Καὶ τοὺς μὲν διαιροῦσιν εἰς δώδεκα μέρη, τοὺς δὲ κατὰ τὸν ζωοφόρον κύκλον, δι' οὗ ὁ