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Let us make man in our image, and after our likeness. Then, interpreting the "in our image," He added, And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the beasts of the earth, and over the birds of the air. And this short, and three-cubit man, so much inferior to the irrational creatures in bodily strength, He made higher than all by his affinity to the Word, having bestowed upon him a rational soul, which is the greatest proof of honor. For through this he both built cities, and cut the sea, and beautified the earth, and discovered countless arts, and overcame the wilder irrational creatures, and—what is indeed the greatest and first of all things—he came to know God his maker, and was led by the hand to virtue, and learned what is good and what is not. Of visible things, he alone prays to God; he has enjoyed revelations, and this again he alone; he has learned many of the secret things, he has been taught the things in the heavens; for his sake, the earth; for his sake, the heaven; for his sake, the sun and the stars; for his sake, the courses of the moon, and the differences of seasons and solstices; for his sake, the production of fruits, and plants, and so many kinds of irrational creatures; for his sake, day and night. For his sake, apostles and prophets were sent; for his sake, angels were often sent. What need is there to say much? For it is not possible to go through everything. For his sake, the only-begotten Son of God became man, and was crucified, and was buried, and those awesome miracles after the resurrection happened for his sake. For his sake, the law; for his sake, paradise; for his sake, the flood. For this too is a very great form of honor, to correct him both through benefits and punishments. For his sake, countless economies were all managed in the time before. And the judgment itself that is to come will be for the sake of the honor shown to him. Wherefore Job also says, What is man, that you have brought him to judgment? just as elsewhere this same psalmist says, What is man, that you are mindful of him? For his sake again the Only-Begotten will come, giving countless good things. For some good things He has already given through baptism, and the mysteries, and the other initiations, and has filled the earth with other wonders; and others He has promised to give, the kingdom of heaven, and eternal life, and to make them his heirs, and to prepare them to reign with him. Wherefore Paul also said: If we endure, we shall also reign with him. The Prophet, therefore, considering all these things, rightly compares to irrational creatures those who have surrendered such nobility to wickedness, and have deserted to their passions. And other prophets do this also, wishing by the comparison to shame the shameless hearer. And one says, They became like lustful horses; and another, The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, speaking thus more harshly than David. For David says, He was compared to the mind 55.234 less cattle, and was made like them; but the other, that they have become more irrational than these; for those knew their owner, but Israel, he says, did not know me. ηʹ. And elsewhere another wise man, showing the sluggish and prostrate man, who is being corrupted by idleness, to be worse even than ants, sends him there to learn to be diligent, saying, Go to the ant, O sluggard, and be zealous for its ways. For it, having no field, nor having one to compel it, nor being under a master, prepares its food in the summer, and makes great provision in the harvest. And again he commands to go to the bee: Go to the bee, and learn how industrious she is; for the beginning of sweet things is her fruit, whose labors both kings and commoners use for their health. And another says, Your rulers are like wolves of Arabia. And another, You have sat in the desert, like a crow. But the one of the

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Ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα, καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν ἡμετέραν. Εἶτα ἑρμηνεύων τὸ, Κατ' εἰκόνα, ἐπήγαγε, Καὶ ἀρχέτωσαν τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ τῶν θηρίων τῆς γῆς, καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Καὶ τὸν βραχὺν τοῦτον, καὶ τρίπηχυν, καὶ τοσούτῳ τῶν ἀλόγων ἐλάττονα κατὰ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἰσχὺν, τῇ τοῦ λόγου συγγενείᾳ ὑψηλότερον πάντων ἐποίησε, λογικὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῷ χαρισάμενος, ὅπερ ἐστὶ μάλιστα τιμῆς τεκμήριον. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τούτου καὶ πόλεις ᾠκοδόμησε, καὶ θάλασσαν ἔτεμε, καὶ γῆν ἐκαλλώπισε, καὶ τέχνας μυρίας ἐξεῦρε, καὶ τῶν ἀγριωτέρων ἀλόγων περιεγένετο, καὶ τὸ δὴ πάντων μέγιστον καὶ πρῶτον, τὸν ποιήσαντα αὐτὸν ἐπέγνω Θεὸν, καὶ πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἐχειραγωγήθη, καὶ ἔγνω τί μὲν καλὸν, τί δὲ οὐ τοιοῦτον. Θεῷ προσεύχεται τῶν ὁρωμένων μόνος, ἀποκαλύψεων ἀπέλαυσε, καὶ τοῦτο μόνος πάλιν· πολλὰ τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων ἔγνω, τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἐπαιδεύθη· δι' αὐτὸν γῆ, δι' αὐτὸν οὐρανὸς, δι' αὐτὸν ἥλιος, καὶ ἀστέρες· δι' αὐτὸν σελήνης δρόμοι, καὶ ὡρῶν καὶ τροπῶν διαφοραί· δι' αὐτὸν καρπῶν γενέσεις, καὶ φυτὰ, καὶ ἀλόγων γένη τοσαῦτα· δι' αὐτὸν ἡμέρα καὶ νύξ· δι' αὐτὸν ἀπόστολοι καὶ προφῆται ἐπέμφθησαν, δι' αὐτὸν ἄγγελοι πολλάκις ἀπεστάλησαν. Τί δεῖ τὰ πολλὰ λέγειν; Οὐδὲ γὰρ δυνατὸν ἅπαντα ἐπελθεῖν. ∆ι' αὐτὸν ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος γέγονε, καὶ ἐσταυρώθη, καὶ ἐτάφη, καὶ τὰ φρικώδη θαύματα ἐκεῖνα μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν δι' αὐτὸν γέγονε. ∆ι' αὐτὸν νόμος, δι' αὐτὸν ὁ παράδεισος, δι' αὐτὸν ὁ κατακλυσμός. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο μέγιστον τιμῆς εἶδος, καὶ δι' εὐεργεσίας καὶ τιμωρίας αὐτὸν διορθοῦν. ∆ι' αὐτὸν μυρίαι κατὰ τὸν ἔμπροσθεν χρόνον ἅπαντα οἰκονομίαι. Καὶ αὐτὴ δὲ ἡ κρίσις ἡ μέλλουσα ἔσεσθαι τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν τιμῆς ἕνεκα γίνεται. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Ἰώβ φησι, Τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι ἤγαγες αὐτὸν εἰς κρίσιν; ὥσπερ ἀλλαχοῦ ὁ αὐτὸς ψαλμῳδὸς οὗτός φησι· Τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι ἐμνήσθης αὐτοῦ; ∆ι' αὐτὸν πάλιν ὁ Μονογενὴς ἥξει τὰ μυρία διδοὺς ἀγαθά. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἔδωκεν ἤδη διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, καὶ τῶν μυστηρίων, καὶ τῆς ἄλλης μυσταγωγίας παρασχεθέντα ἀγαθὰ, καὶ θαυμάτων ἑτέρων τὴν γῆν ἐνέπλησε· τὰ δὲ ὑπέσχετο δώσειν, τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ κληρονόμους αὐτοῦ ποιήσειν, καὶ παρασκευάζειν συμβασιλεύειν αὐτῷ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Εἰ ὑπομένομεν, καὶ συμβασιλεύσομεν. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἅπαντα λογιζόμενος ὁ Προφήτης, εἰκότως ἀλόγοις παραβάλλει τοὺς τὴν τοσαύτην εὐγένειαν τῇ κακίᾳ παραδεδωκότας, καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἐκείνων αὐτομολήσαντας πάθη. Ποιοῦσι δὲ αὐτὰ καὶ ἕτεροι προφῆται, τῇ συγκρίσει τὸν ἀναίσχυντον ἀκροατὴν ἐντρέψαι βουλόμενοι. Καὶ ὁ μέν φησιν, Ἵπποι θηλυμανεῖς ἐγένοντο· ὁ δὲ, Ἔγνω βοῦς τὸν κτησάμενον, καὶ ὄνος τὴν φάτνην τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ, χαλεπώτερον τοῦ ∆αυῒδ οὕτω λέγων. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ∆αυΐδ φησι, Παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτή 55.234 νεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις, καὶ ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς· ἐκεῖνος δὲ, ὅτι καὶ τούτων ἀλογώτεροι γεγόνασιν· ἐκεῖνα γὰρ ἔγνω τὸν κτησάμενον, Ἰσραὴλ δέ με οὐκ ἔγνω, φησί. ηʹ. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ ἕτερός τις σοφὸς ἀνὴρ χείρονα δεικνὺς καὶ μυρμήκων τὸν νωθῆ, καὶ ἀναπεπτωκότα, καὶ ὑπὸ ἀργίας διαφθειρόμενον, ἐκεῖ πέμπει μαθησόμενον φιλοπονεῖν, Ἴθι, λέγων, πρὸς τὸν μύρμηκα, ὦ ὀκνηρὲ, καὶ ζήλωσον τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ. Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ, γεωργίου μὴ ὑπάρχοντος αὐτῷ, μηδὲ τὸν ἀναγκάζοντα ἔχων, μηδὲ ὑπὸ δεσπότην ὢν, ἑτοιμάζεται θέρους τὴν τροφὴν, καὶ πολλὴν ποιεῖται ἐν τῷ ἀμήτῳ τὴν παράθεσιν. Καὶ πρὸς τὴν μέλιτταν πάλιν ἰέναι κελεύει· Πορεύθητι πρὸς τὴν μέλιτταν, καὶ μάθε ὡς ἐργάτις ἐστίν· ἀρχὴ γὰρ γλυκασμάτων ὁ καρπὸς αὐτῆς, ἧς τοὺς πόνους βασιλεῖς τε καὶ ἰδιῶται πρὸς ὑγείαν προσφέρονται. Ἕτερος δέ φησιν· Οἱ ἄρχοντές σου ὡς λύκοι τῆς Ἀραβίας. Καὶ ἄλλος, Ἐκάθισας ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, ὡς κορώνη. Ὁ δὲ τοῦ