The Deception of the Senses
Once the eyes were opened, they knew that they were naked (Gen 2:25). For this happens to those being deceived. For after the activity of their wickedness is made manifest, they come to realize that they were stripped of virtue; this is granted again by the pitiless God, so that he who works wickedness might not remain entirely insensate and stay completely outside of virtue.
This is the deception of the devil: that he makes the things seen according to the true logic by the eye of the pure soul to be seen conversely, supposing the pleasant instead of the good, and showing the good as something harmful. Thus also eyes are opened which previously were usefully closed. For there is in the soul an eye which imposes itself upon the intelligible through itself, but there is that which follows from instruction by another, which the serpent having perverted, filled the things of deception, so that both sensation and the mind would undergo harm; for when sensation suffers perversion, then also the opinions of the mind become diverted.
It has been said concerning those who have used things contrary: 'Woe to those saying the evil is good and the good is evil' (1 Tim 5:22). Thus, pleasures were raised up as the cause of errors; for even those in wisdom say they prefer the pleasant. For many prefer the easy way over virtue, not accepting the strenuous, and they are stripped because of it. Therefore, the pleasant things must be despised, since they become a hypothesis for sins.
There are some who say that 'Adam ate with it' (Gen 3:6) indicates his consent, so that he might not be utterly destroyed, agreeing with what was said by Paul: 'Adam was not deceived, but the woman, having been deceived, fell into transgression' (1 Tim 2:14), as if he were able to turn away from the wickedness through her also. And they sewed fig leaves and made themselves girdles. And they heard the voice of the Lord walking in the garden, the cowardly ones, and both Adam and his wife fled from the face of God amidst the tree of the paradise (Gen 3:8). Remaining with the things previously viewed concerning the paradise and Adam and the woman, we connect these things. Since they knew that they were naked...
the shameful thing
Greek
∆ιανοιχθ̣έντων δ[ὲ] τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν "6ἔγνωσαν ὅτι γυμνοὶ ἦσαν"6. Φιλεῖ γὰρ τοῦτο τ[οῖς] ἀπατωμένοις συμβαίνειν. Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τὸ αἰσχρ̣ο`̣ν τῆς κακίας αὐτῶν φανεροῦτα[ι] ἐπιγιγνωσκόντων ὅτι τῆς ἀρε̣[τῆς] ἐγυμνώθησαν, τοῦτο πάλι[ν] τοῦ οἰκτίρμονος Θεοῦ χαριζο[μέ]νου, ἵνα μὴ ὁ τὴν κακίαν ἐν[ε]ργῶν, παντελῶς ἀναίσθητος δ[ια]τελῶν, ἔξω παντελῶς τῆς [ἀ]ρετῆς διαμείνῃ. Ἡ οὖν ἀπάτη τ[οῦ] διαβόλου αὕτη ἐστίν, ἵνα τὰ [θ]εωρούμενα κατὰ τὸν ἀληθῆ λόγον ὑπὸ τοῦ ὄμματος τοῦ καθα[ρο]ῦ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτὸς ἀντιστρόφως ὁρᾶσθαι ποιήσῃ, τὸ μὲν ἡδὺ [ἀν]τὶ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ὑποτιθείς, τὸ δ' ἀγαθὸν ἐπίπονον παραδει[κ]νύ[ων]. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ διανοίγονται ὀφθαλμοὶ οἱ πάλαι χρησίμως κ[εκλεισ]μέ[ν]οι. Ἔστιν γὰρ ἐν ψυχῇ ὀφθαλμὸς μὲν ὁ δι' ἑαυτοῦ τοῖ[ς νοη]τοῖς ἐπιβάλλων, οὖς δὲ τὸ τῇ παρ' ἑτέρου παιδεύσει ἑπόμ[ενον], ἅπερ διαστρέψας ὁ ὄφις τὰ τῆς ἀπάτης ἐπλήρωσεν, ὡς κα[ὶ 32 τ]ὴν αἴσθησιν καὶ τὸν νοῦν βλάβην ὑπομεῖναι· ὅτε γὰρ ἡ αἴσ[θ]ησις πάσχει διαστροφήν, τότε καὶ αἱ αι῾̣ρέσεις τοῦ νοῦ διεστραμμέναι γίνονται. Εἴρηται περὶ τῶν ἀλλο- κότως κεχρημένων τοῖς πράγμασιν· "6Οὐαὶ οἱ λέγοντες τὸ πονηρὸν καλὸν καὶ τὸ καλὸν πονηρόν."6 Ὑπήχθησαν οὖν ἡδονῇ τῇ αἰτίᾳ τῶν σφαλμάτων· κατὰ γὰρ ταύτη̣ν φασὶν καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ τὰ ἡδέα προτ[ι]- μῶντες· *** Τὴν γὰρ ῥᾳστώνην οἱ πο̣λλοὶ προτιμῶσιν τῆς ἀρετῆς, τὴν συντονίαν οὐκ ἀποδεχόμε[ν]οι, οἵτινες καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς γυμνοῦνται. Καταφρονητέον οὖν τῶν ἡδέων, ἅπερ ὑπόθεσις ἁμαρτημάτων γίνεται. Εἴσι τινὲς οἵ φασιν ὅτι τὸ "6μετ' αὐτῆς ἔφαγεν Ἀδὰμ"6 δηλοῖ συγκατά[β]ασιν αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ τέλεον ἀπόληται, συγχρώμενοι τῷ εἰρημέ[ν]ῳ ὑπὸ Παύλου· "6Ἀδὰμ 84 οὐκ ἠπατήθη, ἡ δὲ γυνὴ ἐ]ξαπατηθεῖσα ἐν παραβάσει γέγονεν"6, ὡς ἱκανὸς καὶ αὐτὴν δι' [ἑαυ]τοῦ τῆς κακίας ἀποστῆσαι. ιιι, 7–8. [Καὶ] ἔρραψαν φύλλα συκῆς καὶ ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς περιζώματα. Καὶ [ἤκουσ]αν τὴν φωνὴν Κυρίου περιπατοῦντ[ο]ς ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τὸ δειλινόν, [καὶ ἐκ]ρύβησαν ὅ τε Ἀδὰμ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐμμέ[σῳ τοῦ] ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου. Μενόντων τῶν προτεθεωρημένων περί τε τοῦ παραδείσου καὶ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ καὶ τῆς γυναικός, καὶ ταῦτα συνάπτομεν. Ἐπεὶ ἔγνωσαν ὅτι γυμνοί εἰσιν, ῥάψαντες φύλλα συ[κ]ῆς ἐποίησαν αὑτοῖς περιζώματα, ἀκούσαντές τε τὴν φωνὴν [Κυρίου] περιπατοῦντος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τὸ δειλινὸν ἐκρύβησαν ἀπὸ π[ρο]σώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐμμέσῳ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου. Ἄξιον γὰρ μὴ [κακο]λογοῦντας τοῦς τῇ ἱστορίᾳ ἑπομένους εἰπεῖν πῶς συνέρρα[ψαν ἑ]αυτοῖς ἐκ φύλλων συκῆ[ς] περιζώματα, πῶς τε ἀκούουσι τῆς φ[ωνῆ]ς Κυρίου περιπατοῦντος οἱ ἀνάξια αὐτῆς πεποιηκότες, διὰ τί τε [τ]ὸ δειλινὸν περιπατεῖ, ἔτι τε πῶς ἐκρύβησαν, ὅ τι ἐννοήσαντε[ς] περὶ Θεοῦ, ὑπὸ τὸ δένδρον. Οἶμαι γὰρ εἰς ἅπαντα ταῦτα μὴ ἔχειν α[ὐ]τοὺς σῶσαι τὸν εἱρμὸν τῆς̣ ἱστορίας ἄξιον τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος διηγήσε̣ω̣ς. Ἡμεῖς τοίνυν, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς φθάσασιν πεποιήκαμεν, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτων τὸ θεῖον τῶν γεγραμμένων κατανοήσωμεν. ∆ύο σχέσεις γυμνότητος εἰσάγει ὁ λόγος, μίαν μὲν τὴν πρὸ τῆς παραβάσεως, ἑτέραν δὲ τὴν μετ' αὐτήν, καὶ τὴν μὲν ἀνεπαίσχυντον, τὴν δὲ γνωσθεῖσαν καὶ αἰσχύνην ποιήσασαν. Ἐλέγετο μέντοι καὶ ἐν τοῖς πρότερον εἰρημένοις ὡς οὐδὲν ἄξιον αἰσχύνης ποι[ο]ῦντες ἀλλὰ πάσης ἀπηλ- λαγμένοι κηλῖδος εὐπαρρησίαστον εἶχο[ν] πρὸς Θεὸν τὴν διάνοιαν, τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἀρετή· ἐπειδὴ δὲ παραβ̣ᾶται τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐντολῆς γεγένηνται, τὸ τηνικαῦτα ἀπαμφια- σθέντες τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸ κάλλος, γυμνοὶ αὐτῆς διαμείναντε̣ς ᾐσχύνοντο λογιζόμενοι ἐξ οἵων ἀγαθῶν εἰς οἷα μετέπεσαν 85 κακ[ά], ἔτι αἰσθήσεως ἐκκειμένης, ἑξῆς καὶ κρύπτονται τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν περιπατοῦντα. [Ὁ] γὰρ ἁμαρτάνων καὶ μήπω ἐκκεκομμένος τὴν αἴσθησιν, ἀλλ[' ἔ]τι περιέπων τὸ ἁμάρτημα, διελέγχεται μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐνεσπαρμένων παρὰ Θεοῦ κοινῶν ἐννοιῶν, ἀεὶ δι' αὐτῶν τοῦ ποιητοῦ ἐμβοῶντος, τῷ δὲ ἔτι ἐνέχεσθαι [τῇ] ἀπάτ[ῃ τοῦ] σφάλματος ἀπολογίας πολλάκις τῶν ἁμαρτημ[ά]τω[ν] συρράπτει. Ἢ τοῦτο ἐν πολλοῖς οὐκ ἔστι φανε[ρ]όν; Πολλάκις γὰρ ὁ τῷ θυμῷ κεχρημ̣ε´̣νο̣ς ἀπολογίας πορίζεται πιθανάς, ἐξ ὧν τοῦ θυμοῦ δῆθεν παραστήσει τὸ εὔλογον, προσχρώμ[ε]νος ἐσθ' ὅτε καὶ τῇ ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν δείξει πρὸς τὸ συνιστᾶ[ν] τὸ ἑαυτοῦ βούλημα, ὅπερ συρράπτοντός ἐστιν ἐκ φύλλων κ[αὶ μὴ] ἀπὸ καρποῦ σκέπην τινὰ οὐ τελείαν· τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ περίζ[ωμ]α παρίστησιν. Ἔστιν γὰρ ἀκοῦσαι τῶν θυμουμένων ὡς καὶ ἅγιος θυμῷ
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.