ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΝΥΣΣΗΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΚΑΤΑΣΚΕΥΗΣ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥ. Τῷ ἀδελφῷ δούλῳ Θεοῦ Πέτρῳ Γρηγόριος ἐπίσκοπος Νύσσης.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΠΡΩΤΟΝ. Ἐν ᾧ τίς ἐστι μερικὴ περὶ τοῦ κόσμου φυσιολογία, καί τις ἁβροτέρα διήγησις περὶ τῶν προγεγονότων τῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου γενέσεως.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Βʹ. Διὰ τί μετὰ τὴν κτίσιν τελευταῖος ὁ ἄνθρωπος.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Γʹ. Ὅτι τιμιωτέρα πάσης τῆς φαινομένης κτίσεως ἡ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου φύσις.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Δʹ. Ὅτι διὰ πάντων ἐπισημαίνει τὴν ἀρχικὴν ἐξουσίαν ἡ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κατασκευή.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Εʹ. Ὅτι ὁμοίωμα τῆς θείας βασιλείας ὁ ἄνθρωπος.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Ϛʹ. Ἐξέτασις τῆς τοῦ νοῦ πρὸς τὴν φύσιν συγγενείας, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ἐκ παρόδου τὸ τῶν Ἀνομοίων διελέγχεται δόγμα.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Ζʹ. Διὰ τί γυμνὸς τῶν ἐκ φύσεως ὅπλων τε καὶ προκαλυμμάτων ὁ ἄνθρωπος.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Ηʹ. Διὰ τί ὄρθιον τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ σχῆμα, καὶ ὅτι διὰ τὸν λόγον αἱ χεῖρες: ἐν ᾧ τις καὶ περὶ διαφορᾶς ψυχῶν φιλοσοφία.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Θʹ. Ὅτι ὀργανικὸν κατεσκευάσθη τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ σχῆμα πρὸς τὴν τοῦ λόγου χρείαν.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Ιʹ. Ὅτι διὰ τῶν αἰσθήσεων ὁ νοῦς ἐνεργεῖ.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙΑʹ. Ὅτι ἀθεώρητος ἡ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου φύσις.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙΒʹ. Ἐξέτασις, ἐν τίνι τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν νομιστέον, ἐν ᾧ καὶ περὶ δακρύων καὶ περὶ γέλωτος φυσιολογία, καὶ θεώρημά τι φυσικὸν περὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ. ΙΓʹ. Περὶ ὕπνου, καὶ χάσμης, καὶ ὀνείρων, αἰτιολογία.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙΔʹ. Ὅτι οὐκ ἐν μέρει τοῦ σώματος ὁ νοῦς. Ἐν ᾧ καὶ διάκρισις τῶν τε σωματικῶν καὶ ψυχικῶν κινημάτων.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙΕʹ. Ὅτι κυρίως ψυχὴ, ἡ λογικὴ καὶ ἔστι καὶ λέγεται: αἱ δ' ἄλλαι ὁμωνύμως κατονομάζονται. Ἐν ᾧ καὶ τὸ, διὰ παντὸς τοῦ σώματος διήκειν τὴν το

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙϚʹ. Θεωρία τοῦ θείου ῥητοῦ εἰπόντος, «Ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν ἡμετέραν.» Ἐν ᾧ ἐξετάζεται, τίς ὁ τῆς εἰκόνος λόγος, καὶ

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙΖʹ. Τί χρὴ λέγειν πρὸς τοὺς ἐπαποροῦντας, εἰ μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἡ παιδοποιΐα, πῶς ἂν ἐγένοντο αἱ ψυχαὶ, εἰ ἀναμάρτητοι διέμειναν οἱ ἐξ ἀρχῆς

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙΗʹ. Ὅτι τὰ ἄλογα ἐν ἡμῖν πάθη ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τὴν ἄλογον φύσιν συγγενείας τὰς ἀφορμὰς ἔχει.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙΘʹ. Πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας, πάλιν ἐν βρώσει καὶ ἐν πόσει εἶναι τῶν ἐλπιζομένων ἀγαθῶν τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν, διὰ τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ γεγράφθαι

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Κʹ. Τίς ἡ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ζωὴ, καὶ τί τὸ ἀπηγορευμένον ξύλον.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΚΑʹ. Ὅτι ἡ ἀνάστασις οὐ τοσοῦτον ἐκ τοῦ κηρύγματος τοῦ Γραφικοῦ, ὅσον ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀνάγκης τῶν πραγμάτων ἀκολούθως ἐλπίζεται.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΚΒʹ. Πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας, εἰ καλόν τι καὶ ἀγαθὸν ἡ ἀνάστασις, τί οὐχὶ ἤδη γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ χρόνων τισὶ περιόδοις ἐλπίζεται.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΚΓʹ. Ὅτι ὁ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς τοῦ κόσμου συστάσεως ὁμολογῶν, ἀναγκαίως καὶ περὶ τοῦ τέλους συνθήσεται.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΚΔʹ. Ἀντίῤῥησις πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας, συναΐδιον εἶναι τῷ Θεῷ τὴν ὕλην.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΚΕʹ. Πῶς ἄν τις καὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν προσαχθείη πιστεῦσαι τῇ Γραφῇ περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως διδασκούσῃ.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΚϚʹ.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΚΖʹ. Ὅτι δυνατόν ἐστιν, εἰς τὰ τοῦ παντὸς στοιχεῖα τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου σώματος ἀναλυθέντος, πάλιν ἐκ τοῦ κοινοῦ ἑκάστῳ τὸ ἴδιον ἀποσωθῆναι.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΚΗʹ. Πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας προϋφεστάναι τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν σωμάτων, ἢ τὸ ἔμπαλιν πρὸ τῶν ψυχῶν διαπεπλᾶσθαι τὰ σώματα. Ἐν ᾧ τις καὶ ἀνατροπὴ τῆς κατ

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΚΘʹ. Κατασκευὴ τοῦ μίαν καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ψυχῇ τε καὶ σώματι τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ὑπάρξεως εἶναι.

 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Λʹ. Θεωρία τις ἰατρικωτέρα περὶ τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἡμῶν κατασκευῆς δι' ὀλίγων.

XIX. To those who say that the enjoyment of the good things we look for will again consist in meat and drink, because it is written that by these means man at first lived in Paradise84    Otherwise Chap. xx. The Bodleian ms. of the Latin version has the title:—“How the food ought to be understood with which man was fed in Paradise and from which he was prohibited.”.

1. But some one perhaps will say that man will not be returning to the same form of life, if as it seems, we formerly existed by eating, and shall hereafter be free from that function. I, however, when I hear the Holy Scripture, do not understand only bodily meat, or the pleasure of the flesh; but I recognize another kind of food also, having a certain analogy to that of the body, the enjoyment of which extends to the soul alone: “Eat of my bread85    Prov. ix. 5.,” is the bidding of Wisdom to the hungry; and the Lord declares those blessed who hunger for such food as this, and says, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink”: and “drink ye joy86    Cf. Is. xii. 3,” is the great Isaiah’s charge to those who are able to hear his sublimity. There is a prophetic threatening also against those worthy of vengeance, that they shall be punished with famine; but the “famine” is not a lack of bread and water, but a failure of the word:—“not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord87    Amos viii. 11. .”

2. We ought, then, to conceive that the fruit in Eden was something worthy of God’s planting (and Eden is interpreted to mean “delight”), and not to doubt that man was hereby nourished: nor should we at all conceive, concerning the mode of life in Paradise, this transitory and perishable nutriment: “of every tree of the garden,” He says, “thou mayest freely eat88    Gen. ii. 16..”

3. Who will give to him that has a healthful hunger that tree that is in Paradise, which includes all good, which is named “every tree,” in which this passage bestows on man the right to share? for in the universal and transcendent saying every form of good is in harmony with itself, and the whole is one. And who will keep me back from that tasting of the tree which is of mixed and doubtful kind? for surely it is clear to all who are at all keen-sighted what that “every” tree is whose fruit is life, and what again that mixed tree is whose end is death: for He Who presents ungrudgingly the enjoyment of “every” tree, surely by some reason and forethought keeps man from participation in those which are of doubtful kind.

4. It seems to me that I may take the great David and the wise Solomon as my instructors in the interpretation of this text: for both understand the grace of the permitted delight to be one,—that very actual Good, which in truth is “every” good;—David, when he says, “Delight thou in the Lord89    Ps. xxxvii. 4.,” and Solomon, when he names Wisdom herself (which is the Lord) “a tree of life90    Prov. iii. 18..”

5. Thus the “every” tree of which the passage gives food to him who was made in the likeness of God, is the same with the tree of life; and there is opposed to this tree another tree, the food given by which is the knowledge of good and evil:—not that it bears in turn as fruit each of these things of opposite significance, but that it produces a fruit blended and mixed with opposite qualities, the eating of which the Prince of Life forbids, and the serpent counsels, that he may prepare an entrance for death: and he obtained credence for his counsel, covering over the fruit with a fair appearance and the show of pleasure, that it might be pleasant to the eyes and stimulate the desire to taste.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙΘʹ. Πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας, πάλιν ἐν βρώσει καὶ ἐν πόσει εἶναι τῶν ἐλπιζομένων ἀγαθῶν τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν, διὰ τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ γεγράφθαι διὰ τούτων τὸν ἄνθρωπον ζῇν.

Ἀλλ' ἴσως τις οὐκ εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ πάλιν τῆς ζωῆς εἶδος ἐπανελεύσεσθαι λέγει τὸν ἄνθρωπον, εἴγε πρότερον μὲν ἐν τῷ ἐσθίειν ἦμεν, μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ τῆς τοιαύτης λειτουργίας ἀφεθησόμεθα. Ἀλλ' ἐγὼ τῆς ἁγίας ἀκούων Γραφῆς, οὐ μόνον σωματικὴν ἐπίσταμαι βρῶσιν, οὐδὲ τὴν διὰ σαρκὸς εὐφροσύνην, ἀλλά τινα καὶ ἑτέραν οἶδα τροφὴν, ἀναλογίαν τινὰ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἔχουσαν, ἦς ἡ ἀπόλαυσις ἐπὶ μόνην τὴν ψυχὴν διαβαίνει. Φάγετε τῶν ἐμῶν ἄρτων, ἡ Σοφία τοῖς πεινῶσι διακελεύεται: καὶ μακαρίζει τοὺς τὴν τοιαύτην βρῶσιν πεινῶντας ὁ Κύριος. «Καὶ εἴ τις διψᾷ, φησὶν, ἐρχέσθω πρὸς μὲ, καὶ πινέτω.» Καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἡσαΐας, Πίετε εὐφροσύνην, τοῖς δυνατοῖς ἐπαΐειν τῆς μεγαλοφυΐας αὐτοῦ ἐγκελεύεται. Ἔστι δέ τις καὶ ἀπειλὴ προφητικὴ κατὰ τῶν τιμωρίας ἀξίων, ὡς λιμῷ κολασθησομένων: ὁ δὲ λιμὸς οὐκ ἄρτου τίς ἐστιν ἀπορία καὶ ὕδατος, ἀλλὰ λόγου ἐπίλειψις. Οὐ λιμὸν γὰρ ἄρτου φησὶν, ἢ δίψαν ὕδατος, ἀλλὰ λιμὸν τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λόγων Κυρίου. Οὐκοῦν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φυτείας τῆς ἐν Ἐδὲμ (τρυφὴ δὲ ἡ Ἐδὲμ ἑρμηνεύεται) ἄξιόν τινα τὸν καρπὸν ἐννοῆσαι προσήκει, καὶ τρέφεσθαι διὰ τούτου μὴ ἀμφιβάλλειν τὸν ἄνθρωπον: καὶ μὴ πάντως τὴν παροδικὴν καὶ ἀπόῤῥυτον ταύτην τροφὴν ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ παραδείσου διαγωγῆς ἐννοεῖν. «Ἀπὸ παντὸς, φησὶ, ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ βρώσει φάγῃ.» Τίς δώσει τῷ ὑγιεινῶς πεινῶντι τὸ ξύλον ἐκεῖνο, τὸ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, τὸ παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ περιληπτικὸν, ᾧ ὄνομά ἐστι τὸ πᾶν, οὗ χαρίζεται τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τὴν μετουσίαν ὁ λόγος; τῷ γὰρ γενικῷ τε καὶ ὑπερκειμένῳ λόγῳ πᾶσα τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἰδέα πρὸς ἑαυτὴν συμφυῶς ἔχει, καὶ ἕν τι τὸ ὄλον ἐστί. Τίς δέ με τῆς συμμιγοῦς τε καὶ ἐπαμφοτεριζούσης τοῦ ξύλου γεύσεως ἀποστήσει; πάντως γὰρ οὐκ ἄδηλον τοῖς διορατικωτέροις, τί τὸ πᾶν ἐκεῖνο, οὗ καρπὸς ἡ ζωὴ, καὶ πάλιν, τί τὸ ἐπίμικτον τοῦτο, οὗ πέρας ὁ θάνατος. Ὁ γὰρ τοῦ παντὸς τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν ἀφθόνως προθεὶς, λόγῳ τινὶ πάντως καὶ προμηθείᾳ τῆς τῶν ἐπικοίνων μετουσίας ἀπείργει τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Καί μοι δοκεῖ τὸν μέγαν Δαβὶδ, καὶ τὸν σοφὸν Σολομῶντα διδασκάλους τῆς τοῦ λόγου τούτου παραλαβεῖν ἐξηγήσεως. Ἀμφότεροι γὰρ τῆς συγκεχωρημένης τρυφῆς μίαν ἡγοῦνται τὴν χάριν, αὐτὸ τὸ ὄντως ἀγαθὸν, ὃ δὴ καὶ πᾶν ἐστιν ἀγαθόν. Δαβὶδ μὲν λέγων, «Κατατρύφησον τοῦ Κυρίου:» Σολομὼν δὲ τὴν σοφίαν αὐτὴν, ἥτις ἐστὶν ὁ Κύριος, ξύλον ζωῆς ὀνομάζων. Οὐκοῦν ταὐτόν ἐστι τῷ τῆς ζωῆς ξύλῳ τὸ πᾶν ξύλον, οὗ τὴν βρῶσιν τῷ κατὰ Θεὸν πλασθέντι ὁ λόγος δίδωσιν. Ἀντιδιαιρεῖται δὲ τῷ ξύλῳ τούτῳ ἕτερον ξύλον, οὗ ἡ βρῶσις καλοῦ καὶ κακοῦ γνῶσίς ἐστιν, οὐκ ἰδιαζόντως ἑκάτερον τῶν κατὰ τὸ ἐναντίον σημαινομένων ἐν μέρει καρποφοροῦντος: ἀλλά τινα συγκεχυμένον καὶ σύμμικτον καρπὸν ἐξανθοῦντος ταῖς ἐναντίαις συγκεκραμένον ποιότησιν, οὗ κωλύει μὲν τὴν βρῶσιν ὁ ἀρχηγὸς τῆς ζωῆς, συμβουλεύει δὲ ὁ ὄφις, ἵνα τῷ θανάτῳ κατασκευάσῃ τὴν εἴσοδον. Καὶ πιθανὸς γίνεται συμβουλεύσας, εὐχροίᾳ τινὶ καὶ ἡδονῇ τὸν καρπὸν περιχρώσας, ὡς ἂν ὀφθείη τε ἡδέως, καὶ τὴν ὄρεξιν πρὸς τὴν γεῦσιν ὑπερεθίσειεν.