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On Genesis (Homilies 1-9)

HOMILY I. Delivered at the beginning of the Forty Days' Fast, on the text, "In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth;" and on fasting and almsgiving. 1. Sweet is the spring to sailors, and sweet also to farmers; but not so sweet is the spring to sailors, or to farmers, as is the season of the fast to those who wish to pursue wisdom, the spiritual spring of souls, the true calm of the mind. For to farmers the spring is sweet, because then they see the earth crowned with flowers, and spread over it on all sides, like a variegated garment, the growth from the plants; and to sailors the spring is sweet, because they can sail the back of the sea with safety, the waves having been smoothed, dolphins playing in the great calm and often tumbling alongside the very walls of the ship. But to us the spring of the fast is sweet, because it is accustomed to subdue for us waves, not of waters, but of irrational desires, and it places on us a crown, not of flowers, but of spiritual graces; For "a crown of graces," it says, "you shall receive on your head." A swallow appearing is not so accustomed to drive away the winter, as the fast appearing casts out the winter of passions from our mind. No longer is there a battle for the soul against the flesh, nor does the servant rise up against her mistress, but all this war of the body has been resolved. Since, therefore, there is great peace among us, and great calm as well, come, let us too launch the vessel of teaching, escorting the gentleness of your hearing from harbor to harbor. Come, let us venture upon more subtle thoughts, philosophizing about heaven and earth and sea and the rest of the body of creation; for these things were read to us today. And what, one might say, is the discourse about creation to us? It is indeed for us, beloved. For if "from the greatness and beauty of created things the Creator is seen by analogy," the more we linger on the greatness of the beauty of created things, the more we are led by the hand to the Creator. It is a great good to know what is creature and what is Creator; what is work and what is maker. For if the enemies of the truth knew how to distinguish these things accurately, they would not confuse everything, turning things upside down; not that they brought down the stars and the heaven, and brought up the earth; but that they brought down the king of the heavens from the royal thrones and stood him with the creation, while they honored the creation with the chief seats of the Godhead. If the Manichees knew how to philosophize well about creation, they would not have honored that which is from non-being, corruptible, flowing, and changing with the dignities of unbegottenness. If the Greeks knew how to philosophize well about creation, they would not have strayed from the truth, they would not have worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator.

The heaven is beautiful, but it was created for this reason, that you might worship the one who made it; the sun is bright, but that you might serve the one who fashioned it; but if you are going to remain in the wonder of the creation, and to sit by the beauty of the works, the light has become darkness for you, or rather, you have used the light 54.582 for darkness. Do you see how great a good it is to know the discourses about creation? Do not, therefore, run past the profit, but attend with accuracy to what is being said; for we shall speak not only about heaven, and earth, and sea, but also about our own birth, and whence comes death, and whence comes toilsome life, and whence come despondencies and cares. For concerning these things and concerning

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In Genesim (sermones 1-9)

ΛΟΓΟΣ Αʹ. Λεχθεὶς ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς τεσσαρακοστῆς εἰς τὸ, Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν· καὶ περὶ νηστείας καὶ ἐλεημοσύνης. αʹ. Ἡδὺ μὲν ναύταις τὸ ἔαρ, ἡδὺ δὲ καὶ γηπόνοις· ἀλλ' οὔτε ναύταις, οὔτε γηπόνοις οὕτως ἡδὺ τὸ ἔαρ, ὡς τοῖς βουλομένοις φιλοσοφεῖν ἡδὺς ὁ τῆς νηστείας καιρὸς, τὸ πνευματικὸν τῶν ψυχῶν ἔαρ, ἡ ἀληθὴς τῶν λογισμῶν γαλήνη. Γηπόνοις μὲν γὰρ ἡδὺ τὸ ἔαρ, ὅτι τοῖς ἄνθεσι τότε στεφανουμένην ὁρῶσι τὴν γῆν, καὶ καθάπερ ἱμάτιον ποικίλον ἐφαπλούμενον αὐτῇ πάντοθεν, τὴν βλάστησιν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν βοτανῶν· ναύταις δὲ ἡδὺ τὸ ἔαρ, ὅτι τὰ θαλάττια νῶτα μετὰ ἀσφαλείας ἔχουσι πλεῖν, κυμάτων ἐστορεσμένων, δελφίνων ἐν πολλῇ παιζόντων γαλήνῃ καὶ παρ' αὐτοὺς τῆς νηὸς τοὺς τοίχους κυβιστώντων πολλάκις. Ἡμῖν δὲ ἡδὺ τὸ τῆς νηστείας ἔαρ, ὅτι κύματα ἡμῖν, οὐχ ὑδάτων, ἀλλ' ἐπιθυμιῶν ἀλόγων καταστέλλειν εἴωθε, καὶ στέφανον ἡμῖν οὐ τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθέων, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν χαρίτων περιτίθησι τῶν πνευματικῶν· Στέφανον γὰρ χαρίτων, φησὶ, δέξῃ σῇ κορυφῇ. Οὐχ οὕτω χελιδὼν φανεῖσα τὸν χειμῶνα ἀπελαύνειν εἴωθεν, ὡς νηστεία φανεῖσα τὸν χειμῶνα τῶν παθῶν τῆς διανοίας ἐκβάλλει τῆς ἡμετέρας. Οὐκέτι μάχη τῇ ψυχῇ πρὸς τὴν σάρκα, οὐδὲ κατεξανίσταται τῆς κυρίας ἡ δούλη, ἀλλὰ πᾶς οὗτος τοῦ σώματος ὁ πόλεμος λέλυται. Ἐπεὶ οὖν πολλὴ μὲν παρ' ἡμῖν εἰρήνη, πολλὴ δὲ καὶ ἡ γαλήνη, φέρε καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸ σκάφος τῆς διδασκαλίας ἑλκύσωμεν, ἀπὸ λιμένος εἰς λιμένα παραπέμποντες τῶν ὑμετέρων ἀκοῶν τὴν ἡμερότητα. Φέρε, λεπτοτέρων κατατολμήσωμεν νοημάτων, περὶ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ τῆς κτίσεως φιλοσοφοῦντες σώματος· ταῦτα γὰρ ἡμῖν ἀνεγνώσθη σήμερον. Καὶ τί πρὸς ἡμᾶς, φησὶν, ὁ περὶ κτίσεως λόγος; Πρὸς ἡμᾶς μὲν οὖν, ἀγαπητοί. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκ μεγέθους καὶ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων ἀναλόγως ὁ γενεσιουργὸς θεωρεῖται, ὅσῳπερ ἂν τῷ μεγέθει τῆς καλλονῆς τῶν κτισμάτων ἐνδιατρίψωμεν, τοσοῦτον πρὸς τὸν γενεσιουργὸν χειραγωγούμεθα. Μέγα ἀγαθὸν εἰδέναι, τί μέν ἐστι κτίσμα, τί δὲ κτιστής· τί μὲν ἔργον, τί δὲ ποιητής. Καὶ γὰρ εἰ ταῦτα ᾔδεισαν ἀκριβῶς διαιρεῖν οἱ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθροὶ, οὐκ ἂν πάντα συνέχεον, τὰ ἄνω κάτω ποιοῦντες· οὐχ ὅτι τὰ ἄστρα καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν κατήνεγκαν, τὴν δὲ γῆν ἀνήνεγκαν· ἀλλ' ὅτι τὸν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλέα ἀπὸ τῶν θρόνων καταβιβάσαντες τῶν βασιλικῶν, μετὰ τῆς κτίσεως ἔστησαν, τὴν δὲ κτίσιν τοῖς τῆς θεότητος προεδρίοις ἐτίμησαν. Εἰ περὶ κτίσεως ᾔδεισαν φιλοσοφεῖν Μανιχαῖοι καλῶς, οὐκ ἂν τὴν ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων, τὴν φθειρομένην, τὴν ῥέουσαν, τὴν ἀλλοιουμένην τοῖς τῆς ἀγεννησίας πρεσβείοις ἐτίμησαν. Εἰ περὶ κτίσεως ᾔδεισαν Ἕλληνες φιλοσοφεῖν καλῶς, οὐκ ἂν ἀπεπλανήθησαν τῆς ἀληθείας, οὐκ ἂν ἐσεβάσθησαν καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα.

Καλὸς ὁ οὐρανὸς, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἐδημιουργήθη, ἵνα προσκυνήσῃς τὸν ποιήσαντα· φαιδρὸς ὁ ἥλιος, ἀλλ' ἵνα θεραπεύσῃς τὸν ἐργασάμενον· εἰ δὲ μέλλεις ἐναπομένειν τῷ τῆς κτίσεως θαύματι, καὶ τῷ κάλλει τῶν ἔργων παρακαθῆσθαι, τὸ φῶς σοι γέγονε σκότος, μᾶλλον δὲ τῷ φωτὶ 54.582 πρὸς σκότος ἐχρήσω. Εἶδες ὅσον ἀγαθόν ἐστι τὸ εἰδέναι τοὺς περὶ κτίσεως λόγους; Μὴ τοίνυν παραδράμῃς τὸ κέρδος, ἀλλὰ μετὰ ἀκριβείας πρόσεχε τοῖς λεγομένοις· οὐ γὰρ δὴ περὶ οὐρανοῦ μόνον ἐροῦμεν, καὶ γῆς, καὶ θαλάττης, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῆς γεννήσεως τῆς ἡμετέρας, καὶ πόθεν ὁ θάνατος, καὶ πόθεν ἡ ἐπίμοχθος ζωὴ, καὶ πόθεν αἱ ἀθυμίαι καὶ φροντίδες. Καὶ γὰρ ὑπὲρ τούτων καὶ ὑπὲρ