The Unity of the Father and Son in Creation
It is not useless, nor are the bad things useless essences; for if it were so, the economy of salvation would have been in vain, but it has become a correction, for the good things exist by their own impulse, while the bad things exist by co-existing logical principles.
the firmament in the midst of the water is a word making a pre-existing difference manifest, which, being within the ruling faculty, separates the inferior from the good, so that it might save in this way. separation to be bodily, having seen how it was said by Abraham to the rich man asking to be sent to Lazarus: 'A great chasm has been set up between us' (Luke 16:26), declaring that the distinction of evil stands not in a place, but in a change of difference and opposition.
Since justice is not co-existing with injustice, the righteous and the wicked cannot be in the same thing; and I do not say in the same place, but they will have different dispositions. Just as there, the chasm of the difference of virtue and evil has been said to divide the evil from the good, so also now God has made a firmament in the midst of the water, that is, the ruling faculty, so that a distinction of good and evil might come to be.
And since by nature the good is upward-tending and the bad pulls downward those who use it voluntarily—'for the feet of folly bring down those who use it after death into Hades' (Proverbs 15:11)—the bad is indeed below, but those using virtue attain to the things above—'for the Lord takes up' (Psalm 49:12) 'the gentle' (Psalm 147:6)—making the firmament useful, which is the word of faith and virtue, dividing the use of the serious minded, so that they neither be lost nor be destroyed... but the firmament, according to nature, is not a different solid body, but it exists having a standing, and it also surpasses the essence of every body. God said to become a firmament in the midst of the water.
For it is one water taken by law of affinity, the rational essence being one according to the underlying subject, and the differing opinion made the separation. ι, 6. And it happened thus. For it was necessary that the will of the God of all things should be shown through the work, standing at once by the word and the will. And the Son is the will of Him, through whom all things consist, being the Wisdom of the One Begetting, saying: 'Whenever I was preparing the heavens, I was co-partner with Him' (Proverbs 8:30). Therefore, if we hear God say and it happened thus, understanding the Son as the one hearing and fulfilling the will, we do not grasp it visually, but rather so that we may have a union with the Father and the Son through these words, believing in the Creator of all things, the Father and the Son, not as something other than the Father and something other than His own Son being at work; for it was said by this Son: 'For whatever He does, the Son likewise does' (John 5:19).
ι, 7. And God made the firmament and God separated the middle of the water which was under the firmament and the middle of the water of the above firmament. Gapped text... of the water, as it was previously said,... and under the firmament it happened... all things... following. ι, 8. And God called the firmament Heaven, and God saw that it was good. Gapped text... God saw that it was good, so much praise must be spoken, because what is seen immediately shows beauty, Gapped text... having the acceptance of... and of the analogy, one praises seeing that it is good, Gapped text... for virtue is the judgment of... to test the needs and the causes and the... because a friend of beauty is very beautiful in construction... for it is worthless to be constructed... it is to see.
Greek
6 [ο]ὐκ οὐσιώδης αλ·[··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··]·κακαι[··· ··]ται ε[··]· ουσιαι κα···[··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··]· ουκα[··· ··]· τιν[··] Οὕτω γὰρ ἂν πα·[··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··]ματη ···[·] τῆς [σωτ]ηρίου οἰκονομίας σ[··· ··], ἀλλ' οὐ μάτην γέγονε[ν]· διόρθω[σ]ις γὰρ ὑπῆρξεν τοῖς ασ[···] ··· ἰδίᾳ ἄρα ὁρμῇ τὰ μὲν [ἀ]γαθά, τὰ δὲ κακὰ συνζώντω̣[ν λο]γ̣ικῶν ὑπάρχει. Τὸ γεγο[ν]ὸς οὖν στ[ερ]έωμα ἐμμέσῳ τοῦ ὕδα̣τός ἐστιν λόγος διαφορὰν ὑπάρξ[ου]σαν κατὰ γνώμην φανερὰν καθιστῶν, ὅστις ἐγκείμ[ε]νος τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ παρὰ Θεοῦ χωρίζει τὰ φα̣ῦλα τῶν ἀγαθῶν, [ἵ]ν' οὕτω καὶ ἕληται. Τὸν δὲ χωρισμὸν οὕτως ἂν οὐ σωματικῶς ἐκλάβοις, θεωρήσας πῶς εἴρηται ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ πρὸς τὸν πλούσιον αἰτήσαντα ἀποσταλῆναι πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν Λάζαρον· "6Χάσμα μεταξὺ μέγα ἐστήρικται"6, δη̣λοῦντος ὅτι ἡ ἀρετὴ τῆς κακίας διέστηκεν οὐ τόπῳ ἀλλὰ διαφορᾶς ἐξαλλαγῇ καὶ ἐναντιότητι. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἀσυνύπαρκτός ἐστιν ἡ δικαιοσύνη τῇ ἀδικίᾳ, οὐ δύναται ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ εἶναι 21 ὁ δίκαιος καὶ ὁ ἄδικος, ἐν ταὐτῷ δὲ οὐ τόπῳ λέγω ἀλλ' ἕξει̣ καὶ διαθ̣ε´̣σ̣ει. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐκεῖ διαφορὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ τῆς κακίας χάσμα εἰ´̣ρη̣ται διαιροῦν τὸ κακὸν ἀπ[ὸ] τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, οὕτω καὶ νῦν στ̣[ερέ]ωμα̣ π̣εποίηκεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐμμέσῳ τοῦ ὕδατος, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἡγεμο[νι]κῷ, ἵνα τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ κακοῦ διάκρισις γένηται. Καὶ ἐπεὶ τῇ φύσει τὸ ἀ[γα]θὸν ἀνώφορόν ἐστιν, τὸ δὲ κακὸν κάτω ἕλκον τὸν αὐτῷ ἑκου[σί]ω̣ς χρώμενον–"6τῆς γὰρ ἀφροσύνης οἱ πόδες κατάγουσιν τοὺς [χ]ρωμένους αὐτῇ μετὰ θανάτου εἰς τὸν ᾅδην"6–, κάτω μέν ἐσ̣τ̣ι̣ τὰ χείρο̣ν̣α̣ τὰ δὲ τῇ ἀρετῇ χρώμενα οἰκεῖα τοῖς ἄνω τυγχα´̣[νει]–"6ἀναλαμβάνων"6 γὰρ "6πραεῖς ὁ Κύριος"6–, χρησίμως τοῦ στερεώματος, ὅ ἐστι λόγος πίστεως καὶ ἀρετῆς, διείργοντος τὸ χεῖρον τῶν σπουδαίων, ἵνα μήτ̣ε συν[··]·ι·η μητε κατα[··· ··· ··] ···ολο··· ··θηση εξ·[···]ς̣· ε[··· ··] επτειν··ν ·α [··· ··· ··· ··]··· ··· ··· τὸ στερέω[μα] δὲ π[ρὸς τ]ὴν φύσι[ν ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ·· οὐ]κ ἔστιν ἑτερ[··]·ως [στ]ερεὸν σῶμα ·[··· ··· ··· ··]·ρις̣· δ̣[··] στασις ἔχον ὑπάρχε̣ι, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὕτω λ[··]η̣το[··· ··]ν̣ καὶ πᾶσαν ὑπερβάλ[λ]ων σώματ[ος] οὐσίαν. Εἶπεν ο[ὖν ὁ] Θεὸς [στερέ]ωμα γενέσθαι ἐμμ[έσ]ῳ τοῦ ὕδατος̣· ἓν γάρ ἐστιν τὸ ὕδ[ωρ ἐκλ]ημφθὲν νόμῳ ἀλλη- γορίας, μιᾶς οὔσης τῆς λογικῆς οὐσίας [κα]τὰ τὸ ὑποκείμενον, καὶ ἡ διάφορος γν[ώ]μη τὸν χωρισμὸν ἐνε[ποί]ησεν. ι, 6. Καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως. Ἔδει γὰρ τὸ βούλημα τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ γε[ν]έ[σθ]α̣ι, τοῦ ἔργου θᾶττον δειχθέντος καὶ ἅμα τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τῷ θελήματι [ὑ]ποστάντος. Θέλημα δὲ αὐτοῦ ὁ Υἱὸς ὑπάρχει, δι' οὗ τὰ ὅλα συνέστη, Σοφία ὢν τοῦ γεννήσαντος λέγουσα· "6Ἡνίκα ἡτοίμαζεν τὸν οὐρανόν, συμπαρήμην αὐτῷ."6 ∆ιόπ[ερ] ἐὰν ἀ[κ]ούωμεν εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ τὸ ἐγένετο οὕτως, τὸν Υἱὸν νοο̣ῦντες τὸν ἀκούοντα καὶ 22 πληροῦντα τὸ βούλημα [··· ··· ··· ··· ····]ωπινως διαλαμβάνομεν ου····ν·ε̣ι̣· ··· ··· ··· ···· ˉοˉυˉς ·ινα καὶ ακου ·[··] ποιησ̣ι····ˉαˉ̣ˉ······ ··· ···εν ἀλλ' ἵνα ἡμεῖς Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ ἕνωσιν ἔχον̣τες [διὰ τ]ούτων τῶν λέξεων δημιουργὸν τῶν ὅλων τὸν [Πατέρα] κ̣[αὶ τὸν] Υἱὸν πιστεύωμεν, οὐχ ἕτερα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ ἕτερα [τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐρ]γαζομένου· εἴρηται γὰρ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Υἱοῦ· "6Ἃ γὰρ [ἂν ἐκεῖνος ποι]ῇ, ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ὁμοίως ποιεῖ."6 ι, 7. [Καὶ] ἐπ[οίησεν ὁ] Θεὸς τὸ στερέωμα καὶ διεχώρισεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀνὰ μέσο[ν τοῦ ὕ]δατος ὃ ἦν ὑποκάτω τοῦ στερεώ- ματο[ς] καὶ ἀνὰ [μέσον τοῦ] ὕδατος τοῦ ἐπάνω το[ῦ στ]ερεώματος. ∆····[··· ····]τοῦ ὕδατος, ὥ[σπερ πρ]ότερ[ον] ε̣ἴρη- ται, ··· ····[·]·[··· ····] δὲ ὑπὸ τὸ στ[ερέωμ]α ε·[··] ἔτυχε ·····[·]·[·]·[····]·[·]···παντα τ̣·[····]·οπ̣· [···]·ιτὰ ἑξῆς δε··· ··[··· ···]υτο ἔργοντα ὅτι επ̣α- να[·]···εστι το··· ··[····]·ν τῶν φθα̣σά[ν]τω[ν]. ι, 8. Καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ὁ Θεὸς το`̣ σ̣[τερέωμα οὐ]ρανὸν καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι καλόν. ·[···]ησαι̣ μὲν ·α··· ·· [εἶδεν] ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι καλόν, τ̣ο̣σοῦτον δὲ ἔπ̣α̣ι̣νο̣ν ῥητέον ὅτι̣ ο̣····[···]νομενον εὐθὺς̣ τὸ εἶδ[ε]ν ὑποφαίνει κάλλος αλλ··· ···[··]····ενον ἔχει τὴν ἀποδοχὴν ··ερον πα· των··· ···[··]···τιας καὶ τ[ῆς] α᾿̣ν̣αλογίας ἐπ̣αινεῖ ὁρῶν ὅτι καλ··· ··· ···ομεν̣ ··· ···οντι ἡ α᾿̣ρετὴ κρ̣ίσις τῶν ··· ··· ···ε· τῷ δοκιμάζειν τὰς χρείας καὶ τὰς αἰτίας κ̣αὶ τὰς ··α··· ···η̣ν. επει··· ···ο φιλ[ό]τιμος κα̣τασκευ̣·· ασ̣θε̣···· γ̣ὰρ 23 σφόδρα̣ 7 περικαλλ···· καί τινα μέρη ἐξ ὕλης· ἀ´̣τιμον γὰρ τ̣ο`̣ κατασκευάζεσθαι, –ἔστιν ἰδεῖν
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.