The Goodness of Creation and Divine Activity
“Behold, the fragrance of my son is as the fragrance of a full field which the Lord blessed” (Song of Solomon 4:12). He who conducts his cultivation well will hear, just as the bride: “A garden enclosed, my sister, a garden enclosed.” And “and it was so” and the following things are said for the sake of reciprocity. Genesis 1:12. And God saw that it was good. It is to be noted that, when two things have been commanded and have come to be, it is said as if they were one: “God saw that it was good.” For “God saw that it was good” is said toward the end and the purpose of the sequence; for the sake of men the vegetation sprouted and the other things. I say that what has the analogy in sensible things is good, how much more that which is in virtues and the harmony of a soul living well and choosing the excellent things according to reason and hastening toward the end of virtue. Genesis 1:14–19. And God said: “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heaven for the shining of the earth and for dividing between the day and between the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years, and let them be for shining in the expanse of the heaven so as to shine upon the earth”; and it was so, until it became the fourth day (Genesis 1:14-19).
Beginning the book, we say that God, being an active essence, simultaneously wills and is what he wills to be; for his activities cannot come before his existence, as is the case with human arts. For after the work is performed, the house is, and after the building, the house; for the house is not in the building, nor the ship in the shipbuilding; for these activities are measured by time. But God acts without time, leading toward the being which he wills; so therefore activity will not be following something. As soon as it was willed that the lights be, they are, and as soon as he willed the water to be gathered into one collection, the command was fulfilled, and in saying “Let there be an expanse”...
a logic inherent
Greek
"6Ἰδοὺ ὀδμὴ τοῦ υἱοῦ μου ὡς ὀδμὴ ἀγροῦ πλ[ήρο]υ̣ς̣ ὃν ηὐλόγησεν Κύριος"6· ὁ δὲ καλῶς ἑαυτοῦ ἄγων τὴν φυ̣τ̣[εί]α̣ν α᾿̣κ̣ο̣ύσεται καθὰ καὶ ἡ νύμφη· "6Κῆπος κεκλεισμέν̣[ος ἀδελ]φή μου νύμφη."6 Τὸ δὲ "6καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως"6 καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς ἀνταπ[οδόσε]ως ἕνεκα εἴρηται. ι, 12. Καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι καλόν. Σ̣η̣μειωτέον ὅτι, δύο προσταχθέντων καὶ γεν̣[ο]μ̣ένω̣ν, ὡς περι`̣ ἑνὸς λέγεται· "6Εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι καλόν."6 Εἰς γὰ[ρ] τὸ τέλος καὶ τὸν σκοπὸν ἀναφορᾶς οὔσης εἴρηται "6εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι καλόν"6· δι<ὰ> γὰρ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἡ βοτάνη ἐβλάστησεν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα. Ἔφην̣ δὲ τὸ ἐν αἰσθητοῖς ἔχον τὴν ἀναλογίαν καλόν, πόσῳ <μᾶλλον> τὸ ἐν ἀρεταῖς καὶ ἁρμονία ψυχῆς εὖ βιούσης καὶ λογικοῦ τὰ αἱρετὰ αἱρουμένου καὶ πρὸς τὸ τέλος τῆς ἀρετῆς σπεύδοντο[ς]. ι, 14–19. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· Γενηθήτωσαν φωστῆρες ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ εἰς φαῦσιν τῆς γῆς καὶ διαχωρίζειν ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς νυκτός, καὶ ἔστωσαν εἰς σημεῖα καὶ εἰς καιροὺς καὶ ἡμέρας καὶ εἰς ἐνιαυτούς, καὶ ἔστωσαν εἰς φαῦσιν ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὥστε φαίνειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως, ἕως τοῦ καὶ ἐγένετο ἡμέρα τετάρτη. Ἀρχόμενοι τοῦ βιβλίου ἐλέγομεν ὅτι δραστήριος οὐσία ὢν ὁ Θεὸς ἅμα βούλεται καὶ ἔστιν ἃ θέλει εἶναι· οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τὰς ἐνεργείας πρὸ τῆς ὑπάρξεως εἶναι, ὡς ἔχει ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων τεχνῶν. μετὰ γὰρ τὸ ἐνεργῆσαι τὸ ἔργον ἐστὶν καὶ μετὰ τὴν οἰκοδομὴν ἡ οἰκία· οὐ γὰρ 34 ἐν τῷ οἰκοδομεῖσθαι ἡ οἰκία οὐδὲ ἐντῷ ναυπηγεῖσθαι ἡ ναῦς· χρόνῳ γὰρ αὕται αἱ ἐνέργειαι συμμετροῦνται. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ἀχ[ρ]ό[ν]ως ἐνεργεῖ ἄγων εἰς τὸ εἶναι ὃ βούλεται· οὐκ ἄρα ἑπομένη κα̣[····]·υμένη ἔσται ἐνέργεια. Ἅμα οὖν βεβούληται εἶναι τοὺς φωστη῀̣ρ̣[α]ς, καὶ εἴσιν, καὶ ἅμα ἐθέλησεν τὸ ὕδωρ συναχθῆναι εἰς συναγω[γὴ]ν μίαν, πεπλήρωται τὸ πρόσταγμα, καὶ ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν "6Γενη- θήτω στ̣ερέωμα"6 ὑπῆρκται τοῦτο. ∆ιόπερ ταύτῃ τῇ ἐννοίᾳ ἑπόμενον [···· πε]ρ̣ι`̣ τῶν ἓξ ἡμερῶν δεῖ νοεῖν ὡς οὐ χρονικῆς ἕνεκα παρ[εκτάσε]ως παρειλημμένων, ἀλλὰ λόγου οἰκείου τῇ δημιουργίᾳ το[ῦ Θεοῦ] καὶ τῆς τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ δυνάμεως. Πρῶτος γὰρ ὁ ἓξ τελείων ἐ[στί]ν· τελείους δὲ ἀριθμούς φασιν τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἑαυτῶν με[ρ]ῶν ἀ[π]αρτι- ζομένους, τέσσαρες δὲ μόνοι εἰσὶν ἀπὸ μονάδος ἕως μυρίων. Πρῶτος οὖν ἐστιν ὁ ἓξ, οὗ ἥμισυ τρία, τρίτον δ[ύ]ο, ἕκτον ἕν, ὧν συντεθέντων ὁ ἓξ ἀποτελεῖται. Ὡσαύτως ἔχει καὶ ὁ εἴκοσι ὀκτώ· ἥμισυ γὰρ τούτου δέκα τέσσερα, τέταρτον ἑπτά, ἕβδομον τέσσερα, τεσσερεσκαιδέκατον δύο, εἰκοστοόγδοον ἕν, ἅπερ πάλιν συντεθέντα τὸν εἴκοσι ὀκτὼ ἀποτελεῖ. Καὶ ἕτεροι δὲ πρὸς τούτοις εἰσὶν δύο· ἐὰν δὲ ἑτέρους παρὰ τοὺς τελείους συνθήσῃ, λείπουσιν ἢ ὑπερβάλλουσιν, οἷον ἐπὶ τοῦ ὀκτὼ θεωρητέον· ἥμισυ τέσσερα, τέταρτον δύο, ὄγδοον ἕν, ἅπερ πάλιν συντεθέντα ἐλάττονα ἀριθμὸν φέρει. Καὶ ὁ δώδεκα δὲ συντεθεὶς ὑπερβάλλει· ἥμισυ αὐτοῦ ἕξ, τρίτον τέσσερα, τέταρτον τρία, ἕκτον δύο, δωδέκατον ἕν. Καλοῦσιν οὖν οἱ περὶ ταῦτα ἔχοντες τοὺς ἐλλείποντας ὑποτελεῖς, ὑπερτελεῖς δὲ τοὺς πλεονάζοντας, τελείους δὲ τοὺς ἐξ ἑαυτῶν ἀπαρτιζομένους. Ἔδει οὖν τὸν 12 Θεὸν τέλειον δημιούργημα ποιοῦντα ἐν τελείῳ πρώτῳ ἀριθμῷ εἰς ὑπόστασιν αὐτὸ ἀγαγ̣εῖν, οὐχ ἵνα πάντως εἴπωμεν ὅτι ἑξάκις τοῦ ἡλίου κυκλεύοντος ἡμέραι ἓξ διεγένοντο, –οὔπω γὰρ ἦν γενόμενος ἥλιος ἐν ταῖς πρώταις τρισίν, –ἀλλ' ὅτι λόγου καὶ ἁρμονίας χάριν ὁ ἓξ ἀριθμὸς παρει̣λ̣η´̣μφθη. 35 Παρίστησιν δὲ τὴν ἔννοιαν ταύτην ἀκριβῶς αὐτὸς Μωσῆς τὴν ἐπανακεφαλαίωσιν ποιούμενος τῶν γεγονότων λέγων· "6Αὕτη ἡ βίβλος γενέσεως οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς ὁ´̣τε ἐγένετο ᾗ ἡμέρᾳ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν."6 Ὅλως γὰρ οὔτε ἐν ἡμέρᾳ γέγονεν ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ, ἀλλ' "6ἐν ἀρχῇ"6, οὔτε τὰ πάντα ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ ὑπέστησαν, ἀλλὰ δῆλον ὡς, ἅμα
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.