Divine guidance and the types of Cain and Abel
They served as parents to the offspring, but the whole was drawn by the guidance of God. It is necessary to take 'through God' more simply instead of 'from God'; for thus also Joseph said, 'Is not their declaration through God?' (Gen 41:56) instead of 'from God.' 'And he added the birthing of the brother of Cain, Abel' (Gen 4:2). Philon indeed intends for them to be twins from a single conception; for, he says, it is appropriate to him who begot Cain to have added the birthing of his brother Abel.
Whether it is healthy or not, you will test by knowing, it being possible for them to have come to be even apart in different times; for, if one were to add than another he had received it. Whatever Philon has said allegorically, the lover of beauty will understand, but nonetheless it must be said regarding this according to potentiality.
The soul, therefore, when it falls by impulse and error, produces vile offspring; but if the mind, having risen, makes some return, then immediately it begins to push those away and to give birth to an introduction of virtue, which is acceptable; it will at some time reach perfection, increasing by a little progress, but it is impossible to turn back, having prepared virtue, to add evil by the straying of a frivolous thought.
And it is also good that their occupations are written down; 'Abel' for instance, he says, 'became a shepherd of sheep, but Cain was working the earth' (Gen 4:2), which, as a remark toward history, is not unfavorable, and is observing our order. For in his birth he placed Cain, the necessity of that time demanding it, but in the occupations he puts forward the righteous. For the things of Abel are more frivolous and more precious, which Cain was eager for; for the living things differ from the lifeless things by the reason of their nature. And in this way Philon rightly said that those about to take hold of the beginnings are to be trained in the pastoral way, both of others and of his own. But Cain was not called a farmer, but working the earth; for he was not a farmer according to Noah, who is said to be a farmer, not a laborer. And toward allegory, Abel is a shepherd of living things, which is of the sensible, being led by knowledge...
placing the thought as a companion and leader
Greek
ὑπηρέτησαν ὡς γονεῖς τῇ ἀποτέξ[ει], ἀλλ' ἀγω[γῇ] Θεοῦ τὸ πᾶν ἤρτυται. Τὸ δὲ "6διὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ"6 ἁπλούστ[ερο]ν ἐκλαβεῖν δεῖ ἀντὶ τοῦ "3παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ"3· οὕτως γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ἰωσ[ὴφ] εἶπεν· "6Οὐχὶ διὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ διασάφησις αὐτῶν ἐστιν;"6 ἀντ[ὶ το]ῦ "3παρὰ Θεοῦ"3. "6Καὶ προσέθηκεν τεκεῖν τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ Κ[άι]ν τὸν Ἄβελ"6. Ὁ Φίλων μὲν οὖν βούλεται διδύμους αὐτοὺς εἶν[αι] ἀπὸ μιᾶς συλλήμψεως· διό, φησίν, πρόσκειται τῷ ἔτεκεν τ[ὸν] Κάιν τὸ προσέθηκεν τεκεῖν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν Ἀβέλ. Π[ό]τερον ὑγιῶς ἔχει ἢ οὔ, ἐπιστήσας δοκιμάσεις, δυνατοῦ ὄντ[ο]ς καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοὺς ἐν διαφό- ροις χρόνοις γεγεννῆσθαι· καὶ γ[άρ], εἴ τῳ φίλον προσέσθαι 119 τὴν βίβλον τῆς διαθήκης εὑρήσει ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ πόσον θάτερ[ο]ς θατέρου τῷ χρόνῳ προσείληφεν. Ὅσα μὲν οὖν Φίλων εἰς τοῦτο ἀλληγορῶν εἶπεν, ὁ φιλόκαλος εἴσεται, λεκτέον δ' ὅμως εἰς τοῦτο τὰ κατὰ δύναμιν. Ἡ ψυχὴ τοίνυν, ὅτε μὲν παροράματι καὶ σφάλματι ὑποπίπτει, ἀπογεννᾷ φαῦλα γεννήματα, ἐὰν δὲ νήματα, ἐὰν δὲ ἀνανήψας ὁ νοῦς ἐπιστροφήν τινα σχῇ, τότε δῆτα ἄρχεται ἐκεῖνα μὲν ἀπωθεῖσθαι, τίκτε̣ι̣ν δὲ εἰσαγωγὴν ἀρετῆς, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀποδεκτόν· κατ' ὀλίγον [δὴ] προκοπῇ αὐξομένη ἐπὶ τὸ τέλειον ἥξει ποτέ, τὸ ἀνάπαλιν δὲ ἄπευκτον, ἀρετῆς προκαταρξαμένης, κακίαν προσθεῖναι τ[ο]ῦ ἀστείου λογισμοῦ παρατραπέντος. Εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ τὰ ἐπιτηδε[ύμα]τα αὐτῶν ἀναγεγρᾶφθαι· "6<Ὁ> μὲν"6 γὰρ "6Ἄβελ"6 φησὶν "6ἐγένετο πο[ι]μὴν προβάτων, Κάιν δὲ ἦν ἐργαζόμενος τὴν γῆν"6, ὅπερ ὡς πρὸς τὴν ἱστορίαν ἔχοι παρατήρησιν οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητον, καὶ τ[ὴ]ν̣ τάξιν ἡμῶν ἐπιτηρούντων. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῇ γενέσει τὸν Κάιν [προ]έταξεν, τοῦ χρόνου τοῦτ' ἀναγκά- ζοντος, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἐπιτη[δεύ]μασιν προτάττει τὸν δίκαιον. Ἀστεῖα γὰρ καὶ τιμιώτερα τ[ὰ το]ῦ Ἄβελ, ὧν ἐσπούδαζεν Κάιν· τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἔμψυχα τῶν ἀψ[ύχων] τῷ τῆς φύσεως λόγῳ διαφέρει. Καὶ ταύτῃ κ[αλῶς] ὁ Φίλω[ν] τοὺς ἀρχῆς μέλλοντας ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι τῆς τε [ἑτ]έρων κ[αὶ] τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἐν τῇ ποιμενικῇ προπαιδεύεσθαι ἔφη. Κάιν δ[ὲ ο]ὐκ ἐρρέθη γεωργός, ἀλλ' ἐργαζόμενος τὴν γῆν· οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἀ[στε]ῖος κατὰ τὸν Νῶε, ὅστις γεωργός, οὐκ ἐργάτης, εἴρηται. Πρὸς δὲ ἀ[λλ]η̣γορίαν ποιμήν ἐστιν ὁ Ἅβελ ζῴων, ὅ ἐστιν τῶν αἰσθήσ[εω]ν, ὑπὸ ἐπιστήμην ἄγων ταῦτας ὡς νομεὺς ἄριστος, τῷ τ[ε θ]υμικῷ καὶ ἐπιθυμητικῷ ἡνίοχον καὶ ταξίαρχον τὸν λογισ[μὸ]ν ἐπιτιθείς. Ὁ δὲ Κάι̣ν περὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰ γήϊνα εἰλ[υ]σ<πώ>μενος οὐ γεωργὸς εἴρηται–ἢ γὰρ ἂν καὶ περὶ αὐτὰ τάξιν [ἐ]ζήτει–, ἀλλ' ἐργαζόμενος τὴν γῆναὐτὸ μόνον, φιλοσώματός 120 [τι]ς ὤν, μηδένα λόγον ἢ τάξιν ἔχων, ὃς εἴποι ἂν προσφόρως ἑαυτῷ· "6Φάγωμεν καὶ πίωμεν· αὔριον γὰρ ἀποθ[ν]ῄσκομεν"6, τοῦ σὺν ἐπιστήμῃ θείᾳ ταῦτα ποιοῦντος κατὰ τὸ λεχθὲν "6Εἴτε ἐσθίετε, εἴτε πίνετε, εἴτε τι ποιεῖτε, πάντα εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ ποιεῖτε"6 ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐργάτου γῆς τυγχάνοντος. Οὗτοι δέ, ὡς προείρηται, τρόποι ψυχῆς ἂν εἶεν διάφοροι κατὰ διαφόρους ἐνεργούμενοι χρόνους. ιῃ, 3–5. Καὶ ἐγένετο μεθ' ἡμέρας ἤνεγκεν̣ Κάιν ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς θυσίαν τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ Ἄβελ [ἤν]εγκεν καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπὸ τῶν πρωτοτόκων τῶν προβάτων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν στεάτων αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἐπεῖδεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐ[π]ὶ Ἄβελ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς δώροις αὐτοῦ, ἐπὶ δὲ Κάιν καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς θυ[σία]ις αὐτοῦ οὐ προσέσχεν· καὶ ἐλύπησεν τὸν Κάιν λίαν καὶ συνέπεσεν τῷ προσώπῳ. Σύντονον καὶ ἀνενδοίαστον εἶνα[ι] προσήκει τὸν ἐνάρετον, ὡς μὴ μόνον αὐτὸν ἑτοιμότ[ε]ρ̣ο̣ν εἶναι πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐνέργειαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ, κω[λυό]ντων ἄλλων, ἐθέλειν αὐτῆς προκινδυνεύειν καθάπ[ερ] ἥ τε μακαρία Σουσάννα καὶ Ἰωσὴφ ὁ ἀνδρειότατος· 49 πε[ιρώ]μενοι γὰρ ὡς ἀντεχό- μενοι τῆς σωφροσύνης περιπ[οι]οῦνται [ἐνσ]τάσεσιν. Κύριοι γὰρ τοῦ ταύταις περιβαλεῖν ἐφαίνον[το] οἱ εἰς ἁμαρτίαν προτρεπόμενοι· ὅμως οὐκ εἶξαν, [ἀ]λλ' εἵλαντ[ο] τὸ γνήσιον τὸ πρὸς Θεὸν διατηρεῖν, καὶ εἰ θάνατ[ος] γένοιτο· οὕτως διαπύρῳ τῷ πόθῳ τῆς ἁγνείας ἀντείχον[το], καὶ τὸ τέλος δὲ διέδειξεν καὶ τοῖς ἀπίστοις τὴν κρίσιν [α]ὐτῶν καὶ τὴν δοκιμασίαν σωτήριον Θεοῦ, τῆς ἀρετῆς αὐ[το]ὺς ἀποδεξαμένου. Ἀλλ' ὁ Κάιν οὐ τοιοῦτος, μελλητὴς δ[ὲ ε]ἰσάγεται· "6Μεθ' ἡμέρας"6 γὰρ "6ἤνεγκεν ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς"6, ὥσπερ ἔκ τινος μεταγνώσεως Θεοῦ μνημονεύων. Το[ῦ]το καταμεμφομένη ἡ θεία γραφὴ διδάσκει· "6Μὴ 121 ἀπόσχῃ εὖ [π]οιεῖν ἐνδεή, ἡνίκα ἂν ἔχῃ ἡ χείρ σου βοηθεῖν. Μὴ εἴπης· Ἐπανελθὼν ἐπάνηκε καὶ αὔριον δώσω, δυνατοῦ σου ὄντος εὖ ποιεῖν"6. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ Ἄβελ οὐκ εἴρηται ὡς "6μεθ' ἡμέρας"6, ἀλλά· "6Καὶ Ἄβελ ἤνεγκεν 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)
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