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more terribly it swallowed up, when it opened and swallowed Dathan, and covered the congregation of Abiram; and one might see many another wondrous work having happened in existing things; so that those who are exceedingly foolish, and who deify nature, might learn that things are not led by the tyranny of nature, but all things yield and give way to the will of God. For this is the creator of nature, and she reshapes all existing things according to what seems good to her, and now she preserves their boundaries unmoved, but now, whenever she wishes, she easily tears them up, and changes them to the opposite. Sought out for all his wills. For his commands, he says, for his orders; and not only for his orders, but also for him to be known by men, which is also his primary will, and for which reason especially he made these things. What the Prophet says, therefore, is this: that they are so perfectly made, as to implant in the mind of men who are attentive and have understanding a most accurate and clear and most distinct knowledge concerning him. For indeed he fashioned them from the beginning especially for this will of his, by their size, their beauty, their position, their activity, their service, and by all other things stirring the soul of the beholder, and rousing the mind to seek the creator and master-craftsman God, and to worship him who made them, and that the whole body of creation might become instead of books and letters. 3. And creation introduces to us the greatest teaching not only for the knowledge of God, but also for our way of life. For the greedy man, when he sees the day giving way to the night, and the sun to the moon, will be shamed by the good order of the elements, and though he may be stronger, he will not desire the things of the weaker; and the adulterer and licentious man, when he sees the sea raging, then being bridled by the shore, again being shamed by the good order of the disorderly waters, will be able quickly to suppress his own culminating desire, and to bridle its forward rush with the fear of Christ, and to dissolve all the foam of this licentious impulse, and to lead it back to self-control. And concerning the resurrection, looking at the dry land he will be able easily to philosophize, and to accept the teaching about it. For when he sees the earth receiving a hard grain of wheat, then first dissolving and decaying it, and giving birth to something much better; when he sees the vine in winter bare of leaves, and tendrils, and grape-clusters, and itself dry wood, like dry bones, then when spring arrives recovering all its beauty; in the bodies of plants and of seeds which rise after having been corrupted, he will be able to philosophize also concerning his own flesh. And again he will know industriousness from the ant, and love of beauty from the bee, and community, just as the Proverb 55.283 says: Go to the ant, O sluggard, and consider its ways, and become wiser than it. For it, though having no farm, nor anyone to compel it, nor being under a master, prepares its food in the summer, and makes great provision for itself in the harvest. Or go to the bee, and learn how industrious it is; whose labors kings and commoners use for their health. And though it is weak in strength, having honored wisdom it is advanced. For the bee itself will again discourse to you, so that you do not simply admire the beauties of bodies when there is no virtue of soul, nor despise deformity, when the soul happens to be beautified. Which very thing the writer of Proverbs also declared, saying: The bee is small among flying things, but its fruit is the beginning of sweet things.

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χαλεπώτερον κατεπόντισεν, ὅτε ἠνοίχθη καὶ κατέπιε ∆αθὰν, καὶ ἐκάλυψεν ἐπὶ τὴν συναγωγὴν Ἀβειρών· καὶ πολλὴν ἑτέραν ἴδοι τις ἂν τερατουργίαν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι γενομένην· ἵνα μάθωσιν οἱ σφόδρα ἀνοηταίνοντες, καὶ φύσιν θεοποιοῦντες, ὅτι οὐ τυραννίδι φύσεως τὰ πράγματα ἄγεται, ἀλλὰ βουλῇ Θεοῦ πάντα εἴκει καὶ παραχωρεῖ. Αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τῆς φύσεως δημιουργὸς, καὶ πρὸς τὸ αὑτῇ δοκοῦν πάντα τὰ ὄντα μεταῤῥυθμίζουσα, καὶ νῦν μὲν ἀκινήτους αὐτῶν διατηροῦσα τοὺς ὅρους, νῦν δὲ, ἐπειδὰν βουληθῇ, ῥᾳδίως αὐτοὺς ἀνασπῶσα, καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἐναντίον μεταβάλλουσα. Ἐξεζητημένα εἰς πάντα τὰ θελήματα αὐτοῦ. Εἰς τὰ προστάγματα αὐτοῦ, φησὶν, εἰς τὰ ἐπιτάγματα αὐτοῦ· οὐ μόνον δὲ εἰς τὰ ἐπιτάγματα αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὸ γινώσκεσθαι αὐτὸν παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπερ καὶ προηγούμενον αὐτοῦ θέλημα, καὶ διὸ μάλιστα ταῦτα ἐποίησεν. Ὃ τοίνυν ὁ Προφήτης λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· ὅτι οὕτως ἐστὶν ἀπηρτισμένα, ὡς τοῖς προσέχουσι καὶ νοῦν ἔχουσιν ἀκριβεστάτην καὶ σαφῆ καὶ τρανοτάτην τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ γνῶσιν ἐντιθέναι τῇ διανοίᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο μάλιστα τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὐτὰ κατεσκεύασε, τῷ μεγέθει, τῷ κάλλει, τῇ θέσει, τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ, τῇ διακονίᾳ, τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἀνακινῶν τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ θεατοῦ, καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν διεγείρων εἰς τὸ ζητῆσαι τὸν δημιουργὸν καὶ ἀριστοτέχνην Θεὸν, καὶ προσκυνῆσαι τὸν ποιήσαντα αὐτὰ, καὶ ἀντὶ βιβλίων καὶ γραμμάτων γενέσθαι ἅπαν τὸ σῶμα τῆς κτίσεως. γʹ. Οὐκ εἰς θεογνωσίαν δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς πολιτείαν ἡμῖν μεγίστην εἰσάγει διδασκαλίαν τὰ κτίσματα. Ὅ τε γὰρ πλεονέκτης, ἐπειδὰν ἴδῃ τὴν ἡμέραν τῇ νυκτὶ παραχωροῦσαν, καὶ τὸν ἥλιον τῇ σελήνῃ, αἰδεσθήσεται τῶν στοιχείων τὴν εὐταξίαν, κἂν δυνατώτερος ᾖ, τῶν καταδεεστέρων οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσει πραγμάτων· ὅ τε μοιχὸς καὶ ἀκόλαστος, ἐπειδὰν ἴδῃ τὴν θάλατταν μαινομένην, εἶτα χαλινουμένην ὑπὸ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν, πάλιν τῶν ἀτάκτων ὑδάτων αἰδούμενος τὴν εὐταξίαν, ταχέως καταστεῖλαι δυνήσεται τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κορυφουμένην ἐπιθυμίαν, καὶ τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ χαλινῶσαι τὴν εἰς τὸ πρόσω φορὰν, καὶ διαλῦσαι τὸν ἀφρὸν ἅπαντα τῆς ἀκολάστου ταύτης ὁρμῆς, καὶ εἰς σωφροσύνην ἐπαναγαγεῖν. Καὶ περὶ ἀναστάσεως δὲ εἰς τὴν χέρσον ἀπιδὼν εὐκόλως δυνήσεται φιλοσοφεῖν, καὶ τὸν περὶ αὐτῆς δέξασθαι λόγον. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδῃ τὴν γῆν δεχομένην κόκκον σίτου στερεὸν, εἶτα πρότερον διαλύουσαν καὶ σήπουσαν, καὶ πολλῷ βελτίονα τίκτουσαν· ὅταν ἴδῃ τὴν ἄμπελον ἐν χειμῶνι γυμνὴν φύλλων, καὶ ἑλίκων, καὶ βοτρύων, καὶ αὐτὸ ξηρὸν ξύλον, ὡς τὰ ὀστᾶ τὰ ξηρὰ, εἶτα ἔαρος ἐπιστάντος τὴν εὐμορφίαν ἅπασαν ἀπολαμβάνουσαν· ἐν τοῖς σώμασι τῶν φυτῶν καὶ τῶν σπερμάτων τῶν μετὰ τὸ διαφθαρῆναι ἀνισταμένων, δυνήσεται καὶ περὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σαρκὸς φιλοσοφεῖν. Τὸ φιλόπονον δὲ πάλιν ἀπὸ τοῦ μύρμηκος εἴσεται, καὶ τὸ φιλόκαλον ἀπὸ τῆς μελίττης, καὶ τὸ κοινωνικὸν, καθάπερ ἡ Παροιμία 55.283 φησίν· Ἴθι πρὸς τὸν μύρμηκα, ὦ ὀκνηρὲ, καὶ ζήλωσον τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ γενοῦ ἐκείνου σοφώτερος. Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ γεωργίου μὴ ὑπάρχοντος, μηδὲ τὸν ἀναγκάζοντα ἔχων, μηδὲ ὑπὸ δεσπότην ὢν, ἑτοιμάζεται θέρους τὴν τροφὴν, πολλήν τε ἐν τῷ ἀμητῷ ποιεῖται τὴν παράθεσιν. Ἢ πορεύθητι πρὸς τὴν μέλισσαν, καὶ μάθε ὡς ἐργάτις ἐστίν· ἧς τοὺς πόνους βασιλεῖς καὶ ἰδιῶται πρὸς ὑγίειαν προσφέρονται. Καίτοι οὖσα τῇ ῥώμῃ ἀσθενὴς, τὴν σοφίαν τιμήσασα προήχθη. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτή σοι πάλιν ἡ μέλιττα διαλέξεται, ὥστε μὴ θαυμάζειν ἁπλῶς τὰ κάλλη τῶν σωμάτων, ὅταν ψυχῆς ἀρετὴ μὴ ᾖ, μηδὲ ἐξευτελίζειν τὴν ἀμορφίαν, ὅταν ἡ ψυχὴ κεκαλλωπισμένη τύχῃ. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ αὐτὸ δηλῶν ὁ παροιμιαστὴς ἔλεγε· Μικρὰ ἐν πετεινοῖς ἡ μέλισσα, καὶ ἀρχὴ γλυκασμάτων ὁ καρπὸς