The Fruitfulness of Wisdom and Faith
To be called blessed, as the Psalmist says: 'Blessed are you, and good shall it be to you; your wife as a vine growing straight in the trellises of your house, your sons as young olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall be blessed the man who fears the Lord' (Psalm 128:1-4). This, according to history, is not without contradiction, for many who feared God remained childless, or remained so until old age, according to Abraham and the father of John, Zechariah. Therefore, what he says is this: the opinion and the faith which the blessed one received, a wife is living with him, able to give birth to works, words, and divine thoughts. For it is said: 'Wisdom gives understanding to a man' (Proverbs 8:22), and the wise man says concerning her: 'I became a lover of her beauty' (Proverbs 8:35), making the wisdom evident, and 'I led her to a union with myself' (Proverbs 8:26).
The one fearing the Lord therefore has this wisdom living with him, the faith, the virtue, from which he produces nothing female but all male; for he does not produce an action recognized as [weak/effeminate] or a shallow or reproached thought, but all things well-proportioned and strong. For it says, 'Your sons' (Psalm 128:3) 'as young olive shoots' (Psalm 128:3), which brings forth oil, the nourisher of light and the reliever of labors. For the spiritual person always progressing has an action like oil, poured out upon his own light, which also contributes to manliness and to the struggles against the opposing energy.
'Male' (Genesis 1:27) therefore 'and female' (Genesis 1:27), taking according to the aforementioned understanding, is the one teaching things male, and the one receiving from a teacher or from the Word of God, conceiving them and shaping them and bringing them to completion as female, giving birth to the divine virtues, from which he also shall be led to a perfect man. And God blessed them, saying: 'Increase and multiply, and fill the earth and rule over it, and rule the fish of the sea and the birds of the heaven and all the cattle and all the earth and all the creeping things that creep upon the earth' (Genesis 1:28). And God said: 'Behold, I have given you every herb-bearing seed-bearing plant upon all the earth, and every tree which has in itself the fruit of a seed-bearing plant shall be for your food and for all the beasts of the earth and for all the birds of the heaven' (Genesis 1:29-30).
has come forth
Greek
μακαρίζεσθαι, λέγοντος τοῦ ψαλμοῦ· "6Μακάριος εἶ καὶ καλῶς σοι ἔσται, ἡ γυνή σου ὡς ἄμπελος εὐθηνοῦσα ἐν τοῖς κλίτεσι τῆς οἰκίας σου, οἱ υἱοί σου ὡς νεόφυτα ἐλαιῶν κύκλῳ τῆς τραπέζης σου. Ἰδοὺ οὕτως εὐλογηθήσεται ἄνθρωπος ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Κύριον"6, ὅπερ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν οὐκ ἔχει τὸ ἀναντίρρητον, πολλῶν φοβουμένων τὸν Θεὸν ἀτέκνων διατελεσάντων ἢ μέχρι γήρως κατὰ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τὸν πατέρα τοῦ Ἰωάννου Ζαχαρίαν διαμεινάντων. Ὃ λέγει τοίνυν τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· ἡ γνώμη καὶ ἡ πίστις ἣν παρείληφεν ὁ μακαριζόμενος γυνή ἐστιν συνοικοῦσα αὐτῷ, ἔργα καὶ λόγους καὶ νοήματα θεῖ[α γ]εννῆσαι δυναμένη· εἴρηται γάρ· "6Ἡ σοφία τίκτει ἀνδρὶ φρόνη[σι]ν"6, καὶ ὁ σοφός φησιν περὶ αὐτῆς· "6Ἐραστὴς ἐγενόμην τοῦ κάλλους αὐτῆς"6, τῆς σοφίας δηλονότι, καὶ "6ἤγαγον αὐτὴν πρὸς συμβ[ίωσι]ν ἐμαυτῷ."6 Ὁ φοβούμενος οὖν τὸν Κύριον ταύτην ἔχει σύνοικον τὴν σοφίαν, τὴν πίστιν, τὴν ἀρετήν, ἀφ' ἧς οὐδὲν θῆλυ γεννᾷ ἀλλὰ πάντα ἄρρενα· οὐ γεννᾷ γὰρ πρᾶξιν καταγιγνωσκομένην ἢ νόημα σαθρὸν ἢ ἐλεγχόμ[ε]νον ἀλλὰ πάντα εὔτονα καὶ ἰσχυρά· "6Οἱ υἱοί σου"6 γάρ φησιν "6ὡς νεόφυτα ἐλαιῶν"6, ἅπερ φέρει ἔλαιον τρεπτικὸν φωτὸς καὶ λυτήριον πόνων. Ὁ γὰρ πνευματικὸς ἀεὶ προκόπτων πρᾶξιν ἔχει ἐλαίου δίκην, ἐπιχεομένην τῷ ἑαυτοῦ φωτί, ὃ καὶ εἰς ἀνδρείαν καὶ ἀγῶνας τοὺς κατὰ τῆς ἀντικειμένης ἐνεργείας συντελεῖ. "6Ἄρσεν"6 οὖν "6καὶ θῆλυ"6 κατὰ τὴν εἰρημέν̣η̣ν διάνοιαν ἐκλαμβάνοντες, τ̣ὸν μὲν διδάσκοντα ἄρρενα, τὸν δὲ πρὸς διδασκάλου ἢ τοῦ Λόγου [τοῦ Θεοῦ] δεχόμενον τὰς γονὰς καὶ μορφοῦντα αὐτὰς καὶ τελεσιου[ρ]γοῦντα θῆλυ, τὰς θείας ἀρετὰς ἀπογεννῶντα, ἐξ ὧν καὶ εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον ἀχθήσεται. ι, 28–31. Καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς λέγων· Αὐξάνεσθ[ε καὶ] πληθύνεσθε, καὶ πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν καὶ κατα- 65 κυριεύσατε α[ὐτῆ]ς καὶ ἄρχετε τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ πάντων τῶν κτηνῶν καὶ πάσης τῆς γῆς καὶ πάντων τῶν ἑρπετῶν τῶν ἑρπόντων ἐπὶ [τ]ῆς γῆς. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ὑμῖν πάντα χόρ[το]ν σπόριμον σπεῖρον σπέρμα, ὅ ἐστιν ἐπάνω πάσης τ[ῆ]ς γῆς, κ[α]ὶ πᾶν ξύλον ὃ ἔχει ἐν ἑαυτῷ καρπὸν σπέρματος σπό[ριμον] ὑμῖν ἔσται εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ πᾶσιν τοῖς θηρίοις τῆς γῆς καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς πετεινοῖς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ παντὶ ἑρπετῷ τῷ [ἕρπον]τι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὃ ἔχει ἐν αὑτῷ ψυχὴν ζωῆς, καὶ πάντα χ[όρτον] χλωρὸν εἰς βρῶσιν. Καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως. Καὶ εἶδεν ὁ [Θεὸς τὰ] πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν, καὶ ἰδοὺ καλὰ λίαν. Καὶ ἐγένε[το ἑσπ]έρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωΐ, ἡμέρα ἕκτη. Τὸ "6καὶ ἐ[ποί]η̣σεν αὐτοὺς"6 π̣[ερὶ ἀν]δρὸς καὶ γυναικὸς εἰρημένον οὐ ξενισ[τ]έον εἰ ἀρσεν̣[ικῷ χα]ρακτῆρι ἐξενήνεκται· ἔδει γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐν̣τιμοτέρου τ̣[ὴν ὀν]ομα- σίαν ἀμφοτέρων ποιήσασθαι. Οὐδέποτε γάρ τι[ς περὶ] ἀρρένων καὶ θηλειῶν διαλεγόμενος προέκρινεν ἀπὸ [τῶν] θηλειῶν πο[ι]ήσασθαι τὴν σημασίαν. "6Ε̣υ᾿̣λ̣ο´̣γησεν αὐ[τοὺς]"6 ω῾̣ς συμπληρῶντας τὴν συμβίωσιν καὶ τῆς διαδ[οχῆς ἀ]ρχ̣ομένους. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐπήγαγεν λέγων· "6Αὐξά[νεσθ]ε καὶ πληθύνεσθε"6, τὴν τέκνωσιν δηλῶν καὶ τὴν ε[ἰς τοῦ]το 26 ἐπιτηδειότητα ἀκώλυτον̣ εἶναι καὶ ἀπαραπόδισ[τον, κ]αθ' ἣν γονεῖς ἔμελλον ἔσεσθαι τῶν ἐξ α[ὐ]τῶν, οἳ κα[τὰ τ]ὸ θεῖον πρόσταγμα πληροῦν ἔμελλο[ν] τὴν γῆν. Ε[ἴρητ]αι γάρ· "6Καὶ πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν"6, ὅπερ φρο[νι]μώτερον [νοεῖν] δ̣εῖ· εἰ δὲ μή γε, μάχεται τῷ ἐνταῦθα λεγομένῳ τ[ὸ ··· παρ]οιμίας φερόμενον· "6Κύριος ἐποίησεν χώρας καὶ ἀοικήτου[ς."6 Καὶ γ]άρ εἰσιν ἀοίκητοι χῶραι καὶ τόποι. 66 Τὸ "6πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν"6 τὴν πρὸς οἴκ̣[η]σ̣ιν εἰλημμένην ἀκου̣στε´̣ον κατὰ τὸ προσυπακούειν τῷ "6πληρ̣ω´̣σατε τὴν γῆν"6 τὴν ε̣ἰς τοῦτο ἔχουσαν ἐπιτηδείως̣. "6Καὶ κα[τ]ακυριεύσατε αὐτῆς"6, ὅπερ τὴν ἐπιτεταμένην ἐξουσίαν [σ]ημ[αί]νει. Οὐ γὰρ μέρους ἐξουσιάζων κατα- κυριεύειν λέγεται. Τ[οῦτο] δ̣ὲ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ Θεὸς δεδώρηται, ὡς παρεστήσαμεν, ἵνα γεω[ργήσι]μον καὶ τὸ μεταλλεύσιμον ὁ ἐν διαφόροις καὶ πολλαῖς ὕλαις [·····]υς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ὑπάρχῃ. Καὶ γὰρ χαλκὸν καὶ σίδηρον καὶ ἄργ[υρον κα]ὶ χρυσὸν καὶ πολλὰ ἄλλα ἐκ γῆς ἄνθρωπος δέχεται, ἥτις α[ὐ]τῷ [καὶ ε]ι᾿̣ς τροφὴν ἀνεῖται καὶ σκέπην. Καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τὴν δεσπ[οτείαν] τῆς γῆς ἐδέξατο ἄνθρωπος ὡς καὶ μετατρέπειν αὐτὴν διὰ [τέχνης], ὅταν εἰς ὕελον καὶ ὄστρακον μετάγηται καὶ τὰ ὅμοια. Τ[οῦτ' αὐτ]ὸ γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ καὶ πάσης τῆς γῆς ἄρχειν τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Ἐπάγε̣[ται δὲ τ]ὸ "6ἀρχέτωσαν τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ τῶν πετε[ινῶν το]ῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ πάντων τῶν κτηνῶν"6. Καὶ γάρ, ὡς ἤδη καὶ
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.