1

De paradiso

HOMILY ON PARADISE

And God planted a paradise in Eden, in the east; and there He put

the man whom He had formed. Let us consider a planting worthy of God and a paradise befitting the love of beauty of such and so great a creator. In the verses that follow it is said: Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit. If paradise were of the common trees, it would have been included, clearly, in the first generation of plants and the trees now planted in paradise by God Himself would have needed no special planting by God. But now, the system of trees in paradise, artfully fashioned by God Himself, is shown by the account to be different from the already existing kinds of plants. For just as He deemed man worthy of a special creation apart from the other animals, so also He made man’s dwelling place 76 the work of His own hand, a place surpassing all of creation, wondrous in its beauty, set in a conspicuous place, unshadowed because of its height, illuminated by all the risings of the stars, lit up from every side, having the most pleasant temperateness from the seasons, shining with the most limpid air. There, then, He planted, where there are no violent winds, no intemperate seasons, no hail, no whirlwinds, no hurricanes, no thunderbolts, no winter frost, no spring moisture, no summer heat, no autumnal dryness, but a temperate and peaceful harmony of the seasons with each other, each of them adorned with its own beauty and not plotted against by its neighbor; neither the summer spoiling the beauties of spring, nor the fruits of summer or autumn falling away because of age. <with> one another for the seasons danced around that place, but also ran together, attending with their own special gifts: the delights of spring, the nourishment of summer, the joys of autumn, 77 the rests of winter. The earth was rich, soft, truly flowing with milk and honey, suitable for bearing fruit, all of it irrigated with the most life-giving waters which provided a kind of indescribable beauty. For the waters were fine and transparent, having much that was pleasant to the sight, but providing more that was useful than pleasant.

First, therefore, He created the place itself, worthy of receiving the plants of God, then He planted in it all kinds of beautiful trees, bestowing through themselves a most graceful appearance and a most pleasant enjoyment. How can I bring the fatherland vividly before your eyes, so that you might recall yourself from this exile? The flowering meadows are a most pleasant sight; imagine in your mind what is more graceful than these. Here the rose is with the thorn, having its unpleasantness mixed with its grace, all but testifying to us that for you, O people, pleasant things are mixed with painful ones. 78 For in reality none of human goods is unmixed, but sorrows are at once fixed beside joys: widowhood with marriage, anxiety with child-rearing, losses with the blessing of children, dishonors with distinctions, penalties with prosperities, surfeits with luxuries, sicknesses with health. The rose is blooming, but it causes me dejection; for whenever I see the flower, I am reminded of my sin, because of which the earth was condemned to bring forth thorns and thistles. And here the grace of the spring flowers is short-lived, failing us as we long for it; for no sooner have we plucked them than they have withered in our hands. There, however, the flower, not shining for a short time, but the lasting

1

De paradiso

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΠΑΡΑ∆ΕΙΣΟΝ

Καί γε ἐφύτευσεν ὁ θεὸς παράδεισον ἐν Ἐδὲμ κατὰ ἀνατολὰς καὶ ἔθετο ἐκεῖ

τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὃν ἔπλασεν. Νοήσωμεν ἀξίαν θεοῦ φυτείαν καὶ παράδεισον πρέποντα τῇ φιλοκαλίᾳ τοῦ τοιούτου καὶ τηλικούτου δημιουργοῦ. ἐν τοῖς κατόπιν εἴρηται Ἐξαγαγέτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου καὶ ξύλον κάρπιμον σπεῖρον σπέρμα, ποιοῦν καρπόν. εἰ ἐκ τῶν κοινῶν ξύλων ἦν ὁ παράδεισος, ἐμπεριείχετο δηλονότι τῇ πρώτῃ γενέσει τῶν φυτῶν καὶ οὐδὲν ἐδεῖτο ἐξαιρέτου φυτείας θεοῦ τὰ νῦν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ φυτευόμενα δένδρα. νῦν μέντοι ὡς διάφορον παρὰ τὰ ἤδη ὑπάρχοντα γένη φυτῶν τὸ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ φιλο τεχνηθὲν σύστημα δένδρων ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου δείκνυται. ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐξαιρέτου τῆς πλάσεως παρὰ τὰ λοιπὰ ζῷα ἠξίωσεν, οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἐνδιαίτημα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου 76 τῆς ἰδίας ἑαυτοῦ χειρὸς ἔργον ἐποίησεν, τόπον ὑπερφέροντα τῆς ὅλης κτίσεως, θαυμαστὸν τῷ κάλλει, ἐν περιόπτῳ κείμενον, ἀνεπισκότητον διὰ ὕψος, πάσαις ταῖς τῶν ἄστρων ἀνατολαῖς καταλαμπόμενον, πεφωτισμένον πάντοθεν, τὴν ἐκ τῶν ὡρῶν εὐκρασίαν ἡδίστην ἔχοντα, ἀέρι διαυγεστάτῳ περιλαμπόμενον. ἐκεῖ οὖν ἐφύτευσεν, ὅπου οὐκ ἀνέμων βίαι, οὐχ ὡρῶν ἀμετρίαι, οὐ χάλαζα, οὐ πρηστῆρες, οὐ λαίλαπες, οὐ σκηπτοί, οὐ χειμερινὴ πῆξις, οὐχ ὑγρότης ἦρος, οὐ θερινὴ πύρωσις, οὐ φθινοπωρινὴ ξηρότης, ἀλλ' εὔκρατος καὶ εἰρηνικὴ συμφωνία τῶν ὡρῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλας ἑκάστης αὐτῶν καὶ ἰδίῳ κάλλει κεκοσμημένης καὶ μὴ ἐπιβουλευομένης παρὰ τῆς γείτονος· οὔτε τοῖς ἠρινοῖς κάλλεσι τοῦ θέρους λυμαινο μένου οὔτε τῶν θερινῶν ἢ μετοπωρινῶν καρπῶν καταρ ρυσουμένων ὑπὸ τοῦ γήρως. <σὺν> ἀλλήλαις γὰρ τὸν τόπον ἐκεῖνον αἱ ὧραι περιεχόρευον, ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ καὶ τοῖς παρ' ἑαυταῖς ἐξαιρέτοις δορυφοροῦσαι συνέτρεχον· τοῦ ἦρος τὰ τερπνά, τοῦ θέρους τὰ τρόφιμα, αἱ μετοπωριναὶ εὐφροσύναι, 77 αἱ χειμεριναὶ ἀναπαύσεις. ἡ γῆ πίων, μαλακή, ὄντως ῥέουσα γάλα καὶ μέλι, πρὸς καρπογονίαν ἐπιτηδεία, κατάρρυτος πᾶσα ὕδασι γονιμωτάτοις οἷόν τι κάλλος ἀμήχανον παρεχο μένοις. λεπτὰ γὰρ καὶ διαφανῆ τὰ ὕδατα, πολὺ μὲν τῇ ὄψει τὸ τερπνὸν ἔχοντα, πλέον δὲ τοῦ τερπνοῦ τὸ ὠφέλιμον παρεχόμενα.

Πρότερον οὖν αὐτὸν ἐδημιούργησε τὸν τόπον ἄξιον τῆς ὑποδοχῆς τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ φυτευμάτων, ἔπειτα ἐφύτευσεν ἐν αὐτῷ παντοδαπὰ κάλλη τῶν δένδρων ὄψιν τε χαριε στάτην καὶ ἀπόλαυσιν ἡδίστην δι' ἑαυτῶν χαριζόμενα. πῶς σοι δυνηθῶ ὑπ' ὄψιν ἐναργῶς ἀγαγεῖν τὴν πατρίδα, ἵνα σεαυτὸν ἐκ τῆς ἐξορίας ταύτης ἀνακαλέσῃ; οἱ λειμῶνες εὐανθεῖς ἥδιστον θέαμα· τὸ τούτων χαριέστερον τῇ διανοίᾳ φαντάσθητι. ἐνταῦθα τὸ ῥόδον μετὰ τῆς ἀκάνθης ἐστί, κεκραμένην ἔχον τὴν ἀηδίαν τῇ χάριτι, μονονουχὶ διαμαρτυρόμενον ἡμῖν ὅτι τὰ τερπνὰ ὑμῖν, ὦ ἄνθρωποι, τοῖς λυπηροῖς ἀναμέμικται. 78 τῷ ὄντι γὰρ οὐδὲν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἀγαθῶν ἀκραιφνές, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς αἱ λῦπαι ταῖς εὐφροσύναις παραπεπήγασι· τῷ γάμῳ ἡ χηρεία, τῇ παιδοτροφίᾳ ἡ μέριμνα, ταῖς εὐπαιδίαις αἱ ἀποβολαί, ταῖς περιφανείαις αἱ ἀτιμίαι, ταῖς εὐημερίαις αἱ ζημίαι, ταῖς τρυφαῖς αἱ πλησμοναί, ταῖς ὑγείαις αἱ ἀρρωστίαι. ἀνθηρὸν τὸ ῥόδον, ἀλλ' ἐμοὶ κατήφειαν ἐμποιεῖ· ὁσάκις γὰρ ἂν ἴδω τὸ ἄνθος, τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὑπομιμνήσκομαι τῆς ἐμῆς, δι' ἣν ἀκάνθας ἡ γῆ καὶ τριβόλους ἀνατέλλειν κατεδικάσθη. καὶ ἐνταῦθα μὲν ὀλιγοχρόνιος τῶν ἠρινῶν ἀνθῶν ἡ χάρις ἐπιποθοῦντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιλείπουσα· οὐ γὰρ ἔφθημεν δρεψάμενοι καὶ ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν ἡμῶν ἀπεμαράνθη. ἐκεῖ μέντοι τὸ ἄνθος οὐ πρὸς βραχὺ διαλάμπον, ἀλλὰ διαρκὲς τὸ