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like the beasts, like the plants, like the grass. Therefore, that you might flee fellowship with the more irrational and insensible things, the word has handed down God’s peculiar artistry concerning you. God took dust from the earth and formed it with his own hands. Consider how you were formed; it is the hand of God that fashioned you. Therefore, let not that which was formed by God be defiled through wickedness, nor be altered through evil, nor may you fall by force from the hand of God that holds you. You are a vessel formed by God, having come from God; glorify the one who made you. For you were not made for any other reason than that you might be a fitting instrument of the glory of God. And this whole world, like a written book being dictated, announces to you who have a mind for the understanding of truth, the hidden and invisible glory of God and his majesty. 46a For surely you remember the things that were said. And God blessed them and said, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. For growth is twofold, that of the body, and that of the soul. For the growth of the body is the restoration from a small size to its proper measure, but the growth of the soul is the addition through learning unto perfection. Therefore, the 'Be fruitful' which is said to all, is spoken to the irrational animals according to the perfection of the body and the completion of their nature, but to us rational beings, the 'Be fruitful' is according to the inner man and according to the progress that leads up to God. Such was Paul, stretching forward to the things that were ahead, 47a and forgetting the things that were behind. This is growth: the taking up of the doctrines of piety, the stretching out for more, that we always strive for the things that are above us and leave behind the things that have gone before, and seek out with all our strength those things of piety that are lacking. Such was Isaac, about whom that testimony is recorded that, going forward, he was exalted, until he became great. For he did not stand still nor, having grown a little, did he remain, but he always went forward with great strides ascending in virtue; he crossed over temperance with a great step, he mounted upon justice, from there he went up to courage. Thus proceeding to the very summit of the height of the good, the just man reaches the peak. Be fruitful, therefore, with a growth according to God, a perfection according to the inner man. Multiply; the blessing of the church. Let theology, he says, not be confined to one or two, 48a but let the gospel of salvation be preached to all the earth. Multiply. Who? Those who are born according to the gospel.

Fill the earth. Fill the flesh given to you for service with good works; let the eye be full of seeing the things that are needful; let the hand be full of good works; let the feet walk to visit the sick, being ready to go where it is proper. Let the whole constitution of our members be full of the works according to the commandments. For this is 'Fill the earth.' For such words are perhaps common also to the irrational animals, but they become particular to man, whenever we make use unceasingly of the 'According to the image' and that with which we have been honored. For they grow bodily, but we spiritually; and they fill the earth with their number, but we fill the earth joined to us, that is, our bodily frame, with good works. Behold, I have given you every tree that has fruit in itself, for you it shall be for food. Let the church overlook nothing; all things are lawful. He did not say: I have given you the fish 49a for food, I have given you the cattle, the birds, the four-footed beasts. For they were not created for this purpose, but the first legislation permitted the enjoyment of fruits. For we were still considered worthy of paradise and of the life in it. And such also is the mystery that lies hidden, that not only for us but also for all the irrational animals the same food from the fruits of the earth and from the seeds was then appointed. Behold, he says, I have given you every seed-bearing plant which sows seed, which is upon the earth, and every tree, which has in itself the fruit of a seed-bearing seed, to you it shall be for

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ὡς τὰ θηρία, ὡς τὰ φυτά, ὡς ὁ χόρτος. ἵνα οὖν φύγῃς τὴν πρὸς τὰ ἀλογώτερα καὶ ἀναισθητότερα κοινωνίαν, τὴν ἰδιάζουσαν περὶ σὲ τοῦ θεοῦ φιλοτέχνησιν ὁ λόγος παρέδωκεν. Ἔλαβεν ὁ θεὸς χοῦν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἔπλασε ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσίν. ἐνθυμήθητι πῶς ἐπλάσθης· χείρ ἐστι θεοῦ ἡ κατασκευάσασά σε. τὸ οὖν παρὰ θεοῦ πλασθὲν μὴ μιανθήτω διὰ πονηρίας, μὴ ἀλλοιω θήτω διὰ κακίας, μὴ ἐκπέσῃς βίᾳ τῆς συνεχούσης σε χειρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ. σκεῦος εἶ θεόπλαστον παρὰ θεοῦ γενόμενον· δόξαζε τὸν ποιήσαντα. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄλλου τινὸς ἕνεκεν ἐγένου ἢ ἵνα ὄργανον ᾖς ἐπιτή δειον τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ. καὶ ὁ κόσμος οὗτος ὅλος ὥσπερ τι βιβλίον ἔγγραφον ὑπαγορευόμενον τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δόξαν τὴν ἀπό 46aκρυφον καὶ ἀόρατον καὶ τὴν μεγαλωσύνην αὐτοῦ διαγγέλλον σοι τῷ νοῦν ἔχοντι εἰς κατανόησιν ἀληθείας. πάντως γὰρ μέμνησαι τῶν εἰρημένων. Καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς καὶ εἶπεν Αὐξάνεσθε καὶ πληθύνεσθε καὶ πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν. διπλῆ γὰρ ἡ αὔξησις, ἡ μὲν σώματος, ἡ δὲ ψυχῆς. σώματος μὲν γὰρ αὔξησις ἡ ἀπὸ μικροῦ εἰς τὸ καθῆκον μέτρον ἀποκατάστασις, ψυχῆς δὲ αὔξησις ἡ διὰ τῶν μαθημάτων εἰς τελείωσιν προσθήκη. τὸ οὖν Αὐξάνεσθε ἐπὶ πάντων λεγόμενον τοῖς μὲν ἀλόγοις ζῴοις κατὰ τὴν τοῦ σώματος τελείωσιν καὶ τὸν ἀπαρτισμὸν τῆς φύσεως εἴρηται, ἡμῖν δὲ τοῖς λογικοῖς τὸ Αὐξάνεσθε κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον κα τὰ τὴν προκοπὴν τὴν εἰς θεὸν ἀνάγουσαν. οἷος ἦν Παῦλος τοῖς μὲν ἔμ 47aπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενος, τῶν δὲ ὄπισθεν ἐπιλανθανόμενος. αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ αὔξησις, ἡ τῶν θεωρημάτων τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀνάληψις, ἡ τοῦ πλείονος ἐπέκτασις, τὸ ἀεὶ ὀρέγεσθαι ἡμᾶς τῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς καὶ τὰ προγενόμενα μὲν κατόπιν ἀφιέναι, τὰ λείποντα δὲ τῆς εὐσεβείας ταῦτα ὅση δύναμις ἐπιζητεῖν. οἷος ἦν ὁ Ἰσαάκ, περὶ οὗ ἡ μαρτυρία ἐκείνη ἀναγέγραπται ὅτι Προβαίνων ὑψοῦτο, μέχρις οὗ μέγας ἐγένετο. οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστη οὐδὲ μικρὸν αὐξηθεὶς ἀπέμεινεν, ἀλλὰ προέβαινεν ἀεὶ διαβήμασι μεγάλοις ἀναβαίνων ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς· διέβη μεγάλῳ βήματι τὴν σωφροσύνην, ἐπέβη τῆς δικαιοσύνης, ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἀνέβη. οὕτω διαβαίνων ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τοῦ ὕψους τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ κορυφοῦται ὁ δίκαιος. Αὐξάνεσθε οὖν αὔξησιν τὴν κατὰ θεόν, τελείωσιν τὴν κατὰ τὸν ἐντὸς ἄνθρωπον. Πληθύνεσθε· ἐκκλησίας ἡ εὐλογία. μὴ ἐν ἑνί, φησί, καὶ δυσὶ περιγραφήτω 48aἡ θεολογία, ἀλλ' εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν κηρυχθήτω τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς σωτηρίας. Πληθύνεσθε. τίνες; οἱ κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον γεννώμενοι.

Πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν. τὴν σάρκα τὴν δεδομένην ὑμῖν εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν πληρώσατε ἀγαθῶν ἔργων· ὀφθαλμὸς πλήρης ἔστω τοῦ ὁρᾶν τὰ δέοντα· χεὶρ πλήρης ἔστω τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων· πόδες βαδιζέσθωσαν εἰς ἐπίσκεψιν ἀσθενούντων πορευτικοὶ ὄντες ἐφ' ἃ προσήκει. πᾶσα ἡ τῶν μελῶν ἡμῶν κατάστασις πλήρης ἔστω τῶν κατὰ τὰς ἐντολὰς ἐργασιῶν. τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ Πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν. κοιναὶ μὲν γὰρ τυχὸν καὶ τοῖς ἀλόγοις αἱ τοιαῦται φωναί, ἰδιάζουσαι δὲ πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον γίνονται, ὅταν ἡμεῖς τῷ Κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ᾧ ἐτιμήθημεν τούτῳ ἀδιαλείπτως χρησώμεθα. ἐκεῖνα μὲν γὰρ σωματικῶς αὔξει, ἡμεῖς δὲ πνευματικῶς· καὶ τὰ μὲν τῷ πλήθει πληροῖ τὴν γῆν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ταῖς ἀγαθαῖς ἐργασίαις πληροῦμεν τὴν συνεζευγμένην ἡμῖν γῆν, τουτέστι τὴν σωματικὴν διάπλασιν. Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ὑμῖν πᾶν ξύλον ὃ ἔχει καρπὸν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, ὑμῖν ἔσται εἰς βρῶσιν. μηδὲν παρατρεχέτω ἡ ἐκκλησία· πάντα νόμιμά ἐστιν. οὐκ εἶπε· δέδωκα ὑμῖν τοὺς ἰχθύας 49aεἰς βρῶσιν, δέδωκα ὑμῖν τὰ κτήνη, τὰ πετεινά, τὰ τετράποδα. οὐ γὰρ τούτου ἕνεκεν ἐκτίσθησαν, ἀλλ' ἡ πρώτη νομοθεσία καρπῶν ἀπόλαυσιν συνεχώρησεν. ἔτι γὰρ ἐνομιζόμεθα ἄξιοι εἶναι τοῦ παραδείσου καὶ τῆς ἐν αὐτῷ διαίτης. οἷον δέ ἐστι καὶ τὸ ἐν τῷ λανθάνοντι παρακείμενον μυστήριον, ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἡμῖν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἀλόγοις πᾶσι ζῴοις ἡ αὐτὴ ἐκ τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς καὶ τῶν σπερμάτων ὡρίσθη τῷ τότε τροφή. Ἰδού, γάρ φησι, δέδωκα ὑμῖν πάντα χόρτον σπόριμον σπεῖρον σπέρμα, ὅ ἐστιν ἐπάνω τῆς γῆς, καὶ πᾶν ξύλον, ὃ ἔχει ἐν ἑαυτῷ καρπὸν σπέρματος σπορίμου, ὑμῖν ἔσται εἰς