The Logos as Creator and the Formation of the Earth
In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1). All things are directed toward the visible and the invisible, coming from God
It was necessary therefore to teach that, because also from cosmogony, God is able to be perceived and to be made manifest, as it has been said that in the beginning God made the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1). For the visible creation is contained within these: the earth containing the animals and plants and waters, and the heaven containing the number of the stars. Therefore, the earth is pre-conceived for all the animals and plants and waters, without which the existence of the others would not be possible, namely the stars and the moon; and the heaven, without which nothing of these would exist. And if anyone should suppose there to be a time for the beginning, examining it he would find these things to be pre-conceived of time; and the name of 'the beginning' signifies not one thing but many. For just as one does not understand the word, it sometimes signifies the cause, as 'the thing of this kind is here'; in cause there existed the heaven and the earth, the cause of wisdom, the cause of their existence and of their constitution.
For the world did not come into being by chance or automatically; for all things came into being through the Word, and in Christ Jesus the things on earth and the visible and invisible things in the heavens were created. For in the Son all things consist and are into him, who is before all things. For without the Word of God—who is neither spoken nor is he a subject of thought but is this itself, God-like... to the being, he is unable to sustain anything; just as an architect... the writing of which he intends to build a city... containing within itself. The name of the beginning sometimes signifies kingship, so that it might be also here that, being a king and an authority, he has made this all; nor did he... cast upon it matter toward the essence of the all. If indeed there is also a substance underlying them... for the hypothesis and foundation of all existing things is the Word of God, which being indeed toward the Father as being consubstantial with him, is a simple essence, it has the relation toward the things being created, being all things toward his own will... wisdom but this itself is God-like... a participant in wisdom.
i,2. And the earth was invisible and constructed and darkness was over the abyss; and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. The understanding of the word posits as the earth a subsistence under the water... it appeared by God saying: 'Let the water under the heaven be gathered together into one assembly, and let the dry land appear' (Genesis 1:9); the of the water remained the earth.
Greek
In Genesim < ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΓΕΝΕΣΙΝ> 1α ι, 1. [Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐπο]ίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. [··· ··· ···] τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς ὁρατὰ καὶ ἀόρατα φέρεται, τῶν μὲν ὁρατῶν [τὰ σώματα, τ]ῶν δὲ ἀοράτων τὰ ἀσώματα καὶ νοητὰ δηλούντων. [··· ··· ···] μ̣άλιστα ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ [··]τ̣η προηγουμένως τε·η̣ς̣ [··· ··· ···]ως ὅτι γέγονεν εἰπεῖν [··]αξατε τὴν αἰτίαν τη̣σ··· [··· ··· ···]·ης· τὰ μέρη τοίνυν τ[ο]ῦ κόσμου καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν [κόσμον] [··· ··· ···]τες ἦσαν Αἰγύπτιοι, ἐξ ὧν Ἑβραῖοι μαθόντες [··· ··· ·] [··· ··· ···]·· αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ ὅλα τετρακόσια τριάκοντα ἔτ̣[η ··· ··]·ε·· [··· ·· ἐτύγ]χανον· ἀκ̣όλουθον ὅταν τὸν νόμ[ον ··· ··· ···]·· [··· ··· ···] ἀρχῆς ··· ··· ··· ·[.............................] [··· ··· ···]ο̣υ ὄντων εἰς ὃν ἀπ̣··· ··· ··· ··· ··[............] [··· ·· ἀναγ]καῖον οὖν ἦν διδάξαι ὅτ̣ι̣ ··· ··· ··· ···[.........] [··· ··· ···] διότι καὶ ἀπὸ κοσμογονίας ··· ··· ··· ···[......] [δύναται ὁ] Θεὸς νοεῖσθαι καὶ φανεροῦσ[θ]α̣ι ··· ··· ··· ·[.......] [··· ··· ···]ω̣ς εἴρηται ὅτι ἐν ἀρχῇ ὁ Θεὸς ἐ[πο]ίησεν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ [τὴν γῆν· ἡ γὰρ] ὁρωμένη κτίσιν ὑπὸ τούτων περιέχε[ται, τῆς μὲν] [γῆς τὰ ζῷα] καὶ φυτὰ καὶ ὕδατα περιεχούσης, το[ῦ δὲ οὐρανοῦ] [τὸν ἀριθ]μ̣ὸν τῶν ἄστρων· προεπινοεῖται οὖν [πάντων τῶν] [ζῴων καὶ] φυτῶν καὶ ὑδάτων ἡ γῆ, ἧς μὴ ὑφεστώσ[ης οὐ δύναται] [ὕπαρξις τ]ῶν ἄλλων εἶναι, τῶν δ' ἄστρων καὶ σελη´̣[νης ··· ··] [··· ·· ὁ οὐ]ρανός, οὗ χωρὶς τούτων τι οὐκ ἂν ὑπ[άρχοι; εἰ] [δέ τίς τιν]α χρόνον ἂν οἰηθείη εἶναι τὴν̣ [ἀρχὴν ··· ··· ··· ··] [··· ·· ἐξε]τάζων εὕροι ταῦτα τοῦ χρόνου προεπιν[οεῖσθαι· καὶ] [τὸ τῆς ἀρχ]ῆς ὄνομα οὐχ ἓν ἀλλὰ πολλὰ σημαίνει· κα[ὶ γὰρ ··· ·] [··· ··· ···]ν μηκύνω τὸν λόγον σημαίνει ποτὲ τὴν [αἰτίαν ὡς] [ἐνταῦθα τὸ] τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· ἐν αἰτίᾳ ὑπῆρχεν ὁ οὐρανὸς κα[ὶ ἡ γῆ, τῆς] 2α σοφίας αἰτίας τῆς ὑπάρξεως καὶ αὐτῶν καταστάσ[ης· οὐ γὰρ ἀγεν]- νήτως ἢ αὐτομάτως ὑπῆ[ρ]ξεν ὁ κόσμος· πάντα γὰρ [διὰ τοῦ λόγου ἐγέ]- νετ̣ο καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐκτίσθη τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς [οὐρανοῖς τὰ ὁρατὰ] καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα· ἐν γὰρ τῷ υἱῷ τὰ πάντα συνέστηκε [καὶ εἰς αὐτόν, ὅς] ἐσ[τι] πρὸ πάντων· ἄνευ γὰρ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὃς οὔ[τε προφορικὸς] οὔτε ἐνδιάθετός ἐστιν ἀλλὰ αὐτὸ τοῦτο, Θεοῦ οὐσ[ιώδης ··· ·· τῷ] ὄντι, ο[ὐδ]ὲν ὑποστῆναι δύναται· ὡς γὰρ ἀρχιτέκ[των ··· ··· ···] [··· ··· ···] γρ̣α̣φὴν ἧς μέλλοι ο̣ι᾿̣κοδομῆσαι πό[λεως ··· ··· ··] [....................................] τερον·[··· ··· ··· ···] [...........................] ἐν ἑαυτῇ περιέχουσα. [Σημαίνει] [δέ ποτε τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς ὄ]νο[μα τὴν βα]σιλείαν, ἵν' ᾖ καὶ ἐνταῦθα [ὅτι βα][σιλεὺς ὢν καὶ ἐξου]σιάστης πεποίηκεν τόδε τὸ πᾶν· οὐδὲ τ̣·[··· ··] [··· ··· ··· ··· ··]έβαλεν αὐ[τ]ῷ ὑ´̣λην πρὸς τὴν τοῦ παντὸς ο̣[ὐσίαν] [··· ··· ··· ··· ··] Εἰ δέ τι̣ς̣ κ̣αὶ τ̣η`̣ν ὑποκειμένην αὐτοῖς οὐσίαν [··· ··] [··· ··· ··· ·· ὑπό]θεσις γὰρ καὶ θεμέλιος τῶν ὅλων ὑπάρχων υ[··· ··] [··· ··· ··· ··· ··] Θεοῦ λόγος, ὅστις ᾗ μὲν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα ἐν ε[··· ··] [··· ··· ··· ·· ὁμο]ούσιος αὐτῷ τυγχάνων, ἁπλῆ οὐσία ὑπάρχει [··· ··] [··· ··· ··· ··· ··]η πρὸς τὰ δημ̣ι̣ουργούμενα ἔχει τὴν σχέσιν [··· ··] [··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ·]ο̣υσα τὰ πάντα πρὸς τὸ ἑαυτῆς βούλημα [··· ··] [··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··]ῃ σοφία ἀλλὰ αὐτὸ τοῦτο οὐσιώδης. [··· ··] [··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··]σοφω̣[·] μετόχως. ι,2. Ἡ δὲ γῆ ἦν ἀόρατος [καὶ ἀ]- [κατασκεύαστος καὶ σ]κότος ἐπάνω τῆς ἀβύσσου· καὶ πνεῦμα Θεοῦ ἐπε̣[φέρε]- [το ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατο]ς. [̔Η τῆς λέξεως κατα]νόησις ὑποβάλλει ὡς ἡ γῆ ὑποστάση ὑπὸ τῷ [ὕδατι] [··· ··· ··· ··· ··] ὤφθη τοῦ Θεοῦ εἴποντος· "6Συναχθήτω τὸ ὕδωρ [τὸ ὑποκάτω] 3α [τοῦ ο]ὐρανοῦ εἰς συναγωγὴν μίαν καὶ ὀφθήτω η῾̣ ξ̣η̣ρ̣α´̣"6· ου··· ··· ··· [··· ·]τος τοῦ ὕδατος διέμεινεν ἡ γῆ
About this text
Didymus the Blind reads the creation account verse by verse, finding Christ and the Spirit in Genesis.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.