Signifying vs Doing and the Gathering of Waters
Other parts are dishonorable, such as hairs and the like, and one would not reproach the builder by comparing them to the honored and beautified places and temples and other buildings in a city, knowing no analogy. For each thing is taken according to its own nature, and it is not so wonderful as when, seeing them all at once as in the arrangement of a city, one tests their utility; so also regarding the creation, and it is much more wonderful. For it is not possible to say 'for this or for that,' since all things are created for their utility.
And there was evening and there was morning, the second day (Gen 1:5). Observe how some, those outside of godliness, say: 'When, according to you, were days foretold to be before the setting of the sun?' It must be said to them that you view all these things by analogy; for teaching through symbols is not forbidden to them. Since they follow the moving things and are joined to the spoken word, let us take a little regarding this. The day is understood in two ways: according to the chronological interval and according to the illumination of the air around us. For when it is said, 'And on the third day' (Gen 1:5), the extent of the day is indicated, not whether the day is bright or dark; but when someone says that today is a gloomy day, he does not say this looking at its extent. Therefore, if the divine word says that a first, second, and third day existed before the creation of the sun and the other luminaries, one must look to the extent of the chronological interval, and say to the one questioning the divine writing that seventy-two, as if hours, have come to pass after the creation of the firmament, before the luminaries had come to be, and this is nothing wonderful. For the sun of the day is not a maker of the day but exists as a sign, since even those things constructed mechanically, some would call the measures of the hours not makers but signs. Thus the sun signifies the times...
The sun and the moon do not perform the action. However, to signify is different from to do, so that such an incongruous interval was not established from the creation of the sun and the other luminaries; for if there were a significance, it became a distance of three days.
And God said, 'Let the water under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear' (Gen 1:9). To say 'God said' we take similarly with those who have passed, when it was said, 'And God said, Let there be light' (Gen 1:3) and 'Let there be a firmament' (Gen 1:6). And let the explicit exposition of the present heading be this: not all water, but the water under the heaven, God commands to be gathered into one gathering; for it has been said that the firmament became in the midst of the waters, so that the part of the water remained above, and the part below. And the utility of the command is shown by saying, 'and let the dry land appear' (Gen 1:9); for the land lies hidden by the waters, and thus having existed unsuitably, it was positioned for the generation of plants and animals. He says, 'And the water was gathered into its gatherings' (Gen 1:10). And one thing, as someone might say, is that which is in the command, but another is that which is in the completion of the work; for it is stated into one gathering that all the water be gathered, and the counter-part says that the water was gathered into its gatherings and thus the dry land appeared.
And the seemingly contradictory thing is restored by the one presiding over the history in this way: the ocean is one sea enclosing the whole inhabited world; for so say those who have reasoned about places, that an island which has a relation to the whole sea—for it is surrounded and enclosed from every side—this, he says, the whole earth and the whole inhabited world has a relation to the ocean. And there are some parts of the ocean as if being cast out into deep places, and thus the other seas were formed. If therefore he says, 'into one gathering' (Gen 1:9), he speaks of the universal gathering, which is called...
Greek
μέρη ἕτερα ἄτιμα οἷον τρίχες καὶ τὰ ὅμοια, καὶ οὐδήπου ὁ πόλεως κρίνειν α᾿̣ναλογίαν ἐπιστάμενος μέμψαιτο τὸν κατασκευάσαντα ὅτι μετὰ τῶν τετιμημένων καὶ κεκαλλωπισμένων ἐν τῇ πόλει τόπων καὶ εἱρκτὴν καὶ ἄλλα ᾠκοδόμησεν· ἕκαστον γὰρ καθ' ἑαυτὸ λαμβανόμενον οὐχ οὕτως ἐστὶ θαυμαστὸν ὡς ὅταν ἀθρόως ἁπάντων ὡς ἐν πόλεως σχήματι δοκιμάσῃ τὴν χρείαν, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς δημιουργίας, καὶ π[ο]λλῷ [θ]αυμαστό- τερον· οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν εἰς τί τοῦτο ἢ εἰς τί τοῦτο, πάντα γὰρ εἰς χρείαν αὐτῶν ἔκτισται. ι, 8. Κ[αὶ] ἐγένετο ἑ[σ]πέρ[α κ]αὶ ἐγένετο πρωΐ, ἡμέρα δευτέρα. Ἐπίστασο [ὥ]ς τινε[ς πε]ιρώμενοι τῶν ἐκτὸς τῆς θεοσεβεία<ς> φασίν· Τί δή[πο]τε, κα[τὰ] ὑμᾶς μήπω τοῦ ἡλίου συστάντος, ἡμέραι εἶναι προείρηνται; Ἔστιν μὲν οὖν εἰπεῖ[ν] πρὸς αὐτο[ὺς] ὅτι ταῦτα πάντα κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν θεωρεῖτ̣α̣ι· οὐ γὰρ κεκώλυται παρ' α[ὐ]τοῖς ἡ διὰ συμβόλων διδασκαλία̣· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀκόλουθον πρὸς αὐτοὺς κινοῦντα καὶ τῷ ῥητῷ σ̣υστῆναι, φέρε ὀλίγα περὶ τούτου διαλάβωμεν. Ἡ ἡμέρα διχῶς νοεῖται κατά τε τὸ χρονικὸν διάστημα καὶ κατὰ τὸν̣ φωτισμὸν τοῦ περὶ ἡμᾶς ἀέρος. Ὅταν γὰρ λέγηται· "6Καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ"6, τὸ πόσον τῆς ἡμέρας δηλοῦται, οὐχὶ ἡ φαιδρὰ ἢ ζοφερὰ ἡμέρα· ὅταν δέ τις λέγῃ ὅτι ζοφώδης ἐστὶν ἡ σήμερον ἡμέρα, οὐκ εἰς τὸ πόσον αὐτῆς βλέπων τοῦτ' ἐρεῖ. Ἐὰν οὖν ὁ θεῖος λόγος λέγῃ πρώτην καὶ δευτέραν καὶ τρίτην 24 ἡμέραν πρὸ γε̣νέσεως ἡλίου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων φωστήρων ὑφεστάναι, εἰς τὸ πόσον τοῦ χρονικοῦ διαστήματος δεῖ σκοπεῖν, καὶ λεκτέον τῷ ἐπαποροῦντι τῇ θεί[α̣] γραφῇ ὅτι ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ δύο ὡσανεὶ ὧραι γεγένη<ν>ται μετὰ τὴν κτίσιν τοῦ στερεώματος οὔπω τῶν φωστήρων γεγενη- μένων, καὶ οὐδὲν θ̣α̣υ̣μαστόν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ποιητικὸς ὁ ἥλιος τῆς ἡμέρας ἀλλὰ σ̣ημ̣αντικὸς ὑπάρχει, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ τὰ κατασκευαζόμενα μηχανικῶς μέτρα τῶν ὡρῶν ποιητικά τις αὐτῶν ἀλλὰ σημαντικὰ ἐρεῖ. Σημαίνουσιν οὖν τοὺς χρόνους ὁ ἥλιος καὶ ἡ σελήνη καὶ οὐ ποιοῦσιν. Ἕτερον δὲ τὸ σημαίνειν παρὰ τὸ ποιεῖν, ὥστε οὐδὲν ἄτοπον διάστημα τοσοῦτον προϋφεστάναι τῆς τοῦ ἡλίου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων φωστήρω[ν] δημι[ο]υργίας, ὅ, εἰ ὑπῆρχέν τι̣ σ̣ημαῖνον, τριῶν ἡμερῶ[ν] ἐ[γ]ένετ[ο] διάστημα. ι, 9. [Καὶ ε]ἶπεν ὁ Θεός· Συναχθήτω τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ὑπ[ο]κάτω τ[οῦ] οὐρανοῦ εἰς συναγωγὴν μίαν καὶ ὀφθήτω ἡ ξηρά. Τὸ εἰπεῖν τὸν Θεὸν ὁμοίως ἐκλαμβάνομεν τοῖς φθάσασιν, ὅτε ἐλέγετο "6καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· Γενηθήτω φῶ[ς]"6 καὶ "6γενη[θ]ήτω στερέωμα"6. Εἴη δὲ καὶ τοῦ ἐκκειμένου κεφαλαίου ἡ ῥ[η]τὴ διήγησις ἥδε· οὐ πᾶν ὕδωρ ἀλλὰ τὸ ὑποκάτω το̣ῦ οὐρανοῦ προστάττει Θεὸς εἰς μίαν συναχθῆναι συναγωγήν· εἴρηται γὰρ ὅτι τὸ στερέωμα γέγονεν ἐμμέσῳ τῶν ὑδάτων, ὡς τὸ μὲν τοῦ ὕδατος ἄνω ἀπομεῖναι, το`̣ δὲ κάτω. Τὸ χρησιμὸν δὲ τῆς προστάξεως δηλοῖ διὰ τοῦ φάναι "6καὶ ὀφθήτω ἡ ξηρά"6· ἐπικειμένων γὰρ τῶν ὑδά- των αὐτὴ κέκρυπται, οὕτω δὲ ἔχουσα ἀνεπιτηδείως εἶχεν πρὸς γένεσιν φυτῶν καὶ ζῴων. Εἶτά φησιν· "6Συνήχθη τὸ ὕδωρ εἰς τὰς συναγωγὰς 25 αὐτῶν."6 Καὶ ἄλλο μέν, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, ἐστὶν τὸ ἐν τῇ προστάξει, ἕτερον δὲ τὸ ἐν τῇ τελεσιουργίᾳ· εἰς γὰρ μίαν συναγωγὴν διείρηται τὸ πᾶν συναχθῆναι ὕδωρ, ἡ δὲ ἀντα- πόδοσίς φησιν εἰς τὰς συναγωγὰς αὐτῶν [σ]υνῆχθαι τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ οὕτως ὦφθαι τὴν ξηράν. Ἀποκατασταθή[σε]ται δὲ τὸ ὡσανεὶ διάφωνον ὑπ̣ὸ τοῦ προισταμένου τῆς ἱ[σ]τορίας οὕτως. Μία θάλασσά ἐστιν ὁ ὠκεανὸς περιέχουσα τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην· οὕτω γάρ φασιν οἱ τὰ περὶ τόπων φυσιολογήσαντες ὅτι ὃν ἔχει λόγον παρ' ἡμῖν νῆσος πρὸς τὸ ὅλον πέλαγος– περιέχεται γὰρ καὶ πάντοθεν περι- ραίνεται–, τοῦτόν φησιν ὅλη ἡ γῆ καὶ ὅλη ἡ οἰκουμένη τὸν λόγον ἔχει πρὸς τὸν ὠκεανόν. Εἰσὶν δέ τινες τοῦ ὠκεανοῦ ὡσπερεὶ διεκβολαὶ χωροῦσαι εἰς τόπους βαθεῖς, καὶ οὕτως συνέστη τὰ ἄλλα πελάγη. Ἐὰν οὖν λέγῃ "6εἰς συναγωγὴν μίαν"6, εἰς τὴν οἰκουμενικὴν λέγε[ι] συναγωγήν, ἣν καλεῖν
About this text
Didymus the Blind reads the creation account verse by verse, finding Christ and the Spirit in Genesis.
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.