The Corruption of the Earth and Human Wickedness
Of the Creator, for He is a support; and still, the removal of a number from Him makes a dyad, as it is evident that the three came by addition. But to humans, those things which are signified by the two, if a calculation were added, no longer remain material or human, partaking of rectitude; for it is not necessary merely to act, but also with right reason, so that it may receive praise.
And one is able, by changing the mode of speech, to take these things toward the perfection of the soul; for first a passion must come to the soul, then thus a disposition must become, and thus to impel toward action. And we say a passion is not the thing being denied, but the impulse of the soul as it would imprint upon the virtuous; and these things also happen from the opposite.
Three, therefore, are these offspring of the diligent; let the pre-passion now be a burden in relation to indifferent matters. And if one, imposing them even upon interpretations, might find something useful, let him observe. Shem, indeed, is interpreted perfect, Japheth breadth or beauty, but Ham is daring or impetuous or heat or excess.
And what other offspring would have been fitting for the righteous, such as perfection, breadth and beauty, which are all the marks of virtue? For beauty, joined with breadth, makes the wide road go outward, which leads to destruction; but if it is that Ham is interpreted daring or impetuous or heat or excess, let these be taken as domestic to his manner, as if toward the worthless son for a reproach, but for the perfect, let them be received with careful use; for the virtuous is most unforced, since even the violent seize the kingdom; but such a one is also daring against the opposing powers, according to Paul the blessed saying, 'Our struggle is not against blood and flesh' (Eph 6:12), and the following: this impetuous one, just as he is daring, is not acquiring impetuousness toward evil, but happening upon virtue, being hot and zealous in the Spirit, from which he also stands apart from human things (Eph 1:11–12).
But the earth was against the Lord, and the earth was filled with injustice. And the Lord God saw the earth, and it was corrupted, because all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
The corruption of the earth does not signify the loss of the so-beautiful element into non-existence, but rather the excess of the sins of men; the earth calls men by a metonymic manner, just as the psalmist says: 'Let all the earth worship you and sing to you' (Ps 66:5), and again 'Sing to the Lord, all the earth' (Ps 96:1); for when it is said 'The heavens and the earth were finished' (Gen 2:4), this element is signified, and 'Let the earth blossom' (Isa 45:18). Such has become the wickedness of men, who are called earth, as to see God, that element which incites them through much goodness and the great things of the wings. For it has been said: 'If, Lord, you observe iniquity, Lord, who will stand?' (Job 35:12). It does not bring wrath day by day, but when the moderate measures of sins occur, as it was said just as in the prophet Jonah: 'The cry of wickedness ascended to God' (Jon 2:2), and concerning Sodom: 'The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has filled the heavens, and their sins are exceedingly great' (Gen 18:20), just as here the similar is said: 'And the earth was filled with injustice' (Gen 6:11), and the rest.
See that God is not previously ignorant, but is manifesting the watchful power toward vengeance, just as in 'And God saw the earth, and it was corrupted' (Gen 6:11). And he calls the corruption the wickedness and the punishment upon it, just as the Scripture often declares in that which was said by Paul: 'If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him' (1 Cor 3:17); for he who, sinning through lawlessness, works the corruption of the temple of God, is found under punishment and is destroyed, the punishment being now signified by the corruption. And it is a corruption also to be delivered over to an unproven mind; for this is the most extreme punishment. And it is not necessary, according to the Manichaeans, to suppose that useless matter remaining in the wandering...
Greek
τοῦ δημιουργοῦ, δρα- στήριος γάρ, καὶ ἔτι ἡ ἀφαίρεσις ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἑνὸς ἀριθμοῦ δυάδα ποιεῖ, ὡς δηλονότι κατὰ προσθήκην τὰ τρία γεγένηται· τοῖς δὲ ἀνθρωπίνοις, ἃ δηλοῦται διὰ τῶν δύο, εἰ προστεθείη λογισμός, οὐκέτι ὑλικὰ ἢ ἀνθρώπινα μένουσιν, ὀρθότητος μετέχοντα· οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς πράττειν δεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ λόγῳ ὀρθῷ, ἵν' ἔχῃ τὸν ἔπαινον. ∆ύναται δέ τις καὶ τροπολογῶν εἰς τὴν ψυχῆς τελείωσιν ταῦτα λαμβάνειν· δεῖ γὰρ πρότερον ἐγγενέσθαι τι τῇ ψυχῇ πάθος, εἶθ' οὕτω διάθεσιν γενέσθαι, καὶ οὕτως ἐπὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν ὁρμῆσαι· πάθος δέ φαμεν οὐ τὸ ψεγόμενον, ἀλλὰ τὴν ὡς ἂν ἐκτύπωσιν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπὶ ἐνάρετον ὁρμήν· γίνεται δὲ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου ταῦτα. Τρία οὖν ταῦτα γεννήματα τοῦ σπουδαίου· ἐάσθω γὰρ νῦν ἡ προπάθεια ὡς ῥοπὴν εἰς τὰ ἀδιάφορα ἔχουσα. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ταῖς ἑρμηνείαις τις ἐπιβάλλων εὐπορήσοι τινὸς ὠφελίμου, σκοπητέον. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Σὴμ ἑρμηνεύεται 68 τέλειος, Ἰάφετ πλατυσμὸς ἢ καλλονή, Χὰμ δὲ τολμηρὸς ἢ προπετὴς ἢ θέρμη ἢ ἔκτασις. Ποῖα δὲ ἄλλα γεννήματα τῷ δικαίῳ ἥρμοζεν ὡς ἡ τελειότης πλατυσμός τε καὶ 166 καλλονή, ἅπερ ἅπαντα τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐστιν γνωρίσματα; Καλλονὴ γὰρ μετὰ πλατυσμοῦ συναπτομένη ἔξω ποιεῖ τῆς πλατείας ὁδοῦ, ἥτις ἐπὶ τὴν ἀπώλειαν ἄγει· εἰ δ' ὅτι ὁ Χὰμ ἑρμηνεύεται τολμηρὸς ἢ προπετὴς ἢ θέρμη ἢ ἔκτασις, εἴη μὲν ὡς πρὸς τὸν φαῦλον υἱὸν ἐπὶ ψόγου λαμβανόμενα οἴκεια τῷ ἐκείνου τρόπῳ, ὡς δὲ πρὸς τὸν τέλειον τῇ χρήσει σπουδαίως εἴλημπται· ἀβιαστικώτατον γὰρ ὁ ἐνάρετος, ἐπεὶ καὶ βιασταὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἁρπάζουσιν· ἀλλὰ καὶ τολμηρὸς ὁ τοιοῦτος κατὰ τῶν ἐναντίων δυνάμεων κατὰ Παῦλον τὸν μακάριον λέγοντα· "6Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα"6 καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· προπετὴς δὲ οὗτος ὡς καὶ τολμηρός, τὴν προπέτειαν οὐκ ἐπὶ κακῷ κτώμενος, ἀλλ' ἐπιτυχὼν ἐπ' ἀρετὴν θερμὸς καὶ ζέων τῷ Πνεύματι τυγχάνων, ἐξ οὗ καὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἐξίσταται. ῃι, 11–12. Ἐφθάρη δὲ ἡ γῆ ἐναντίον τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ ἐπλήσθη ἡ γῆ ἀδικίας. Καὶ εἶδεν Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἦν κατεφθαρμένη, ὅτι κατέφθειρεν πᾶσα σὰρξ τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Φθο̣ρα`̣ν γῆς οὐ τὴν εἰς τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἀπώλειαν τοῦ οὕτω καλοῦ στοιχείου δηλοῖ, ἀλλὰ τὴν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τῶν ἀνθρώ- πων ὑπερβολήν, γῆν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους μετωνυμικῷ τρόπῳ καλῶν, καθὰ καὶ ὁ ψαλμῳδός φησιν· "6Πᾶσα ἡ γῆ προσκυνησάτωσάν σοι καὶ ψαλλάτωσάν σοι"6, καὶ πάλιν "6Ἄισατε τῷ Κυρίῳ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ"6· ὅταν γὰρ λέγηται "6Συνετελέσθη ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ"6, τὸ στοιχεῖον τοῦτο σημαίνεται, καὶ "6Βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ"6. Τοσαύτη δὲ ἡ κακία τῶν ἀνθρώπων γεγένηται, οἵτινες γῆκαλοῦνται, ὡς Θεὸν ἰδεῖν αὐτὴν τὸν διὰ πολλὴν ἀγαθότητα παρορῶντα καὶ τὰ μεγάλα τῶν πταισμάτων· 167 εἴρηται γάρ· "6Ἐὰν ἀνομίας παρατηρήσῃ Κύριε, Κύριε τίς ὑποστήσεται;"6 Οὐκ ὀργὴν οὖν ἐπάγει καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, ἐπειδὰν δὲ τὰ μέτρια τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων γένηται, ὡς λεχθῆναι καθάπερ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ Ἰωνᾴ· "6Ἀνέβη ἡ κραυγὴ τῆς κακίας πρὸς τὸν Θεόν"6, καὶ περὶ Σοδόμων· "6Κραυγὴ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόρων πεπλήθυνται, καὶ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτῶν μεγάλαι σφόδρα"6, ὡς καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ ὅμοιον· "6Καὶ ἐπλήσθη ἡ γῆ ἀδικίας"6 τό τε λοιπόν. Ὁρᾷ οὐ πρότερον ἀγνοῶν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐπὶ ἐκδικίας ἐποπτικὴν δύναμιν δηλῶν, καθὰ ἐν τῷ "6Καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἦν κατεφθαρμένη"6. Φθορὰν δὲ τὴν κακίαν καλεῖ καὶ τὴν ἐπ' αὐτῇ τιμωρίαν, οὕτω πολλάκις τῆς γραφῆς δηλούσης ἐν τῷ ὑπὸ Παύλου εἰρημένῳ· "6Εἴ τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φθείρει, φθερεῖ τοῦτον ὁ Θεός"6· ὁ γὰρ δι' ἀκολασίας ἁμαρτάνων φθορὰν τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐργαζόμενος ὑπὸ κόλασιν εὑρισκόμενος φθείρεται, τῆς κολάσεως τὰ νῦν ὑπὸ τῆς φθορᾶς δηλουμένης. Φθορὰ δέ ἐστιν καὶ τὸ εἰς ἀδόκιμον παραδοθῆναι νοῦν· ἐσχάτη γὰρ αὕτη τιμωρία. Οὐ δεῖ δὲ κατὰ τοὺς Μανιχαίους οἴεσθαι ὅτι ἡ ἄποιος ὕλη περιλειφθεῖσα ἐν τῷ περιπολεῖν
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.