Common Notion and Numerical Symbolism
In the generation of the righteous, so that we might take the righteous with him, he himself was found righteous against the world, not being entirely righteous against God being righteous; for only sons and women were found righteous against Noah. But it is great thus to be the opposite of God to be called righteous, as it is said: 'And the stars are not pure before him' (Job 9:21) and the other lights; but also in the psalms it is said: 'No living thing shall be justified before you' (Psalm 5:4), and again another saying he says: 'All our righteousness was as a garment laid aside' (Isaiah 64:6) from the presence of all the righteous.
From the clean animals he brought into the ark seven male and female, and from the animals not being clean two two and female, and from the birds of the heaven the clean seven seven male and female, and from the birds not being clean two male and female, to breed seed upon all the earth. Consequently, even seven' (Genesis 7:2) he commands to be brought in from the clean. Since they were for food and for religious services for men, and they themselves who remained in the ark had need, therefore more are taken, so that from them and a greater generation might arise a succession suitable for their needs; but concerning the others, having brought in this many, he commanded 'two' (Genesis 7:2) to be brought in.
And if it is necessary also to bring in natural philosophy by the word, one might say, as before, that since the two are divided, and this is characteristic of matter, the number two is characteristic of the unclean. But also, the two being taken away, the Savior calls 'into one new man' (Ephesians 2:15) the two, both the one from circumcision and the one from the Gentiles, bringing them into the unity of the commonwealth according to the Gospel, which the ancient saints had, there being no difference between Hellenism and Judaism. For from the arts of which there are statues, and with them idolatry, and after them the law, Judaism comes to be. The first of the human commonwealths, which was Christianity, though it did not have this name, according to the common...
A common notion exists, which even the Savior proclaimed: 'Whatever you want that men should do to you, do likewise to them' (Matt 7:12). This lies in the common notion; for whatever one does not want to suffer, he ought not to do to his neighbor. Because of this, it lies in the common notion, so that the man being led by God may be without reproach.
Later, when the notion is perverted, the Scripture is given, not to fight against that, but to lead men into it; for it is said: 'The law was given for help' (Rom 7:12). So also the Gospel has been proclaimed in the whole world, so that no one might claim to be unreminded of common notions.
These things, then, are treated as regarding the literal sense; but it must also be said that clean animals are introduced seven times seven. For to say what follows the history, that because they are to be used by men both for sacred rites and for food, they must be more numerous, and also because of the logic of numbers, since it is much remembered in the Scripture: I say, in the seventh day, God ceased (Gen 2:2)... many.
For regarding the unbegotten, those around the week refer to the birth; for this is virgin and without a father and without a husband, so that the said thing may be such. All numbers within ten, being doubled or tripled, except the seven, beget and are begotten, such as one begetting two, and two the four, thus having been begotten by the one, and the four the eight having been begotten by the two; and the five the ten; but the six, whenever it begets, does not beget, and the seven is neither begotten by those who preceded it nor does it beget anyone by itself until ten; but also the two the six and the three the nine, being tripled, beget.
And it has another distinction; for if in a doubling logic you multiply the numbers from the unit up to seven, it becomes at once also a square; for one, two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, having been doubled, becomes sixty-four, which is a square, for eight...
Greek
γενεᾶς] τού[της]"6. Ἐν τῇ τῶν δικαίων γενεᾷ, ἵνα λάβωμ[εν τοὺς] σὺν [αὐτ]ῷ δικαίους, αὐτὸς εὑρέθη ἐναντίον αὐ[τοῦ δίκαιο]ς, οὐ [παν]τὸς δικαίου ἐναντίον Θεοῦ δικαίου <ὄ>ντος· [δίκαιοι] γὰρ υἱοὶ [κ]αὶ γυναῖκες ἐναντίον Νῶε ἐτύγχανον [μόνον]. Μέγα [δὲ ο]ὕτως ἐστὶν τὸ ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ εἶναι δίκα̣[ιον, ὡς] λέγεσ[θαι]· "6Ἄστρα δὲ οὐ καθαρὰ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ"6 καὶ [τὰ ἄλλ]α φῶτα· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ψαλμοῖς λέγεται· "6Οὐ δικαιω[θήσε]ται κατενώπιον σου πᾶς ζῶν"6, καὶ πάλιν ἕτερον [λόγιό]ν φησιν· "6Ὡς ῥάκος ἀποκαθημένης πᾶσα ἦν δικαιοσύ[νη ἡ]μῶν"6 ἐκ πρ[ο]σώπου πάντων τῶν δικαίων. 182 ῃιι, 2–3. Ἀπ[ὸ δὲ τῶν] κτηνῶν τῶν καθαρῶν εἰσάγαγε πρὸς σὲ ἑπτὰ ἑπτ[ὰ ἄρσεν] καὶ θῆλυ, ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν κτηνῶν τῶν μὴ ὄντω[ν καθα]ρῶν δύο δύο ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν πετε[ι]νῶν [τοῦ οὐραν]ο̣υ῀̣ τῶν καθαρῶν ἑπτὰ ἑπτὰ ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ, καὶ ἀ[πὸ τῶν] πετεινῶν τῶν μὴ καθαρῶν δύο δύο ἄρ[σεν] καὶ θ[ῆλυ δια]θρέψαι σπέρμα ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν. Ἀκο[λούθως] "6ἑπτὰ [ἑπτὰ]"6 ἀπὸ τῶν καθαρῶν προστάττει εἰσαγ[αγεῖν]. Ἐπει[δὴ γὰρ] αὐτῶν καὶ πρὸς τροφὰς καὶ πρὸς ἱερουρ[γίας ἔ]μελλ[ον ἄνθρ]ωποι καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ οἱ ἐν τῇ κιβωτῷ ἐ[μμένον]τες χ[ρείαν ἔχ]ειν, διὰ τοῦτο πλείονα κατα[λαμβάνο]ν[ται, ἵν' ἐξ α]υ᾿̣τῶν καὶ πλείων γένηται διαδοχὴ π[ρὸς] τὰς α[ὐτῶν χ]ρείας κατάλληλος· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν αλλω· [··· ·]κότω[ν ··· ··· τ]οσαύτην εἰσαγόντων χρείαν "6δύο δύο"6 [εἰσ]άγεσ[θαι προσέ]τ̣αξεν. Εἰ δὲ δεῖ καὶ φυσιολογίαν εἰσάγ[ειν] τῷ λόγ[ῳ ··· ···]ωπονοις λέγοιτ' ἄν, ὡς καὶ πρὸ τούτου, [ὅτι, ἐ]πεὶ ἡ δ[υὰς διαι]ρετή, τοῦτο δὲ τῇ ὕλῃ οἰκεῖον, οἰκεῖος [τοῖς] μὴ καθ[αροῖς ὁ] δύο ἀριθμός. Ἀλλὰ καί, τοῦ δύο ἀναιρέτ[ου], ὁ Σωτὴρ κ[αλεῖ "6εἰς] ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον"6 τοὺς δύο, τόν τε ἐ[κ] περιτομ[ῆς καὶ] τὸν ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς κ[α]τὰ τὸ ε[ὐαγγέλ]ιον πολιτείας εἰσάγων, ἥντινα οἱ παλαι[οὶ] ἅγιοι ἔ[σχον, 183 μ]ηδεμιᾶς οὔσης διαφορᾶς ἑλληνισμο[ῦ] καὶ ἰουδαισμοῦ. Ἀφ' οὗ γὰρ τέχναι ἐξ ὧν ἀγάλ[ματα, καὶ ἡ] δὲ μετ' αὐτὰς εἰδωλολατρεία, καὶ ἐξότε νόμ[ος, γίνετα]ι̣ ἰο[υ]δαισμός. Ἡ πρώτη οὖν τῶν ἀνθρώπων πολιτεί[α, ἥτις χρι]στ[ια]νισμοῦ ἐτύγχανεν, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἡ προσηγορί[α αὕτη, κ]ατὰ τὰς κοινὰς ἐννοίας ὑπάρχει, ὅπερ καὶ ὁ Σωτὴ[ρ ··· ··]· ἐκήρυττεν· "6Πάντα ὅσα θέλετε ἵνα ποιῶ[σιν ὑμῖν οἱ] ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε ὁμοίως"6. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐν τ[ῇ κοινῇ κ]εῖται ἐννοίᾳ· ἃ γὰρ μὴ βούλεταί τις παθεῖν, τα[ῦτα οὔ]τε τῷ πέλας ποιεῖν ὀφείλει. ∆ιὰ δὲ τοῦτο κεῖται το[ῦτο ἐ]ν τῇ κοινῇ ἐννοίᾳ, ἵνα ἀναπολόγητος ᾖ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ε[··· ··]·αγόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὕστερον δέ, διαστραφείσης [τῆς ἐν]νοί[α]ς, ὁ γραπτὸς δέδοται, οὐ μαχόμενος ἐκείνῳ, ἀλ[λὰ ···]·ιων [τοὺς ἀν]θρώπους εἰς αὐτόν· εἴρηται γοῦν· "6Νόμον εἰς βοή[θειαν] δέ[δ]ω- κεν"6. Ο̣ὕτω καὶ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ [κεκή- ρυκ]ταιἵν[α μὴ] προφασίσηταί τις ὡς μὴ ὑπομνησθείς, [··· ··· ·]·α [··· ··]ν κοινῶν ἐννοιῶν. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὡ[ς πρὸς τὸ ῥη]τὸν [··· ·]ηται· λεκτέον δὲ καὶ ὅτι τὰ καθαρὰ ζῷ[α ··· ··· ·]·· [···]ως ἑπτὰ ἑπτὰ εἰσάγεσθαι [··· ···]ε·[··· ·] γὰρ τὸ εἰπεῖν τὸ ἀκόλουθον τῇ ἱστορίᾳ, ὅτ̣[ι διὰ τὸ] α̣υ᾿̣τοῖς κ]αὶ πρὸς ἱερουργίαν καὶ πρὸς τροφὴν μέλ[λειν χ]ρ̣η῀̣[σθαι] τοὺς ἀνθρώπους διὰ τοῦτο πλείονα, ἔτι καὶ δι[ὰ τὸν ἀριθ]μῶν λ[όγο]ν, ὅτι πολυΰμνητός ἐστιν ἐν τῇ γραφῇ ·[··· ··· ·]·· ··[·τ]ῃ ἑβδομάδι λέγω, κατέπαυσεν ὁ Θεὸς ···[··· ··]· γ·[··] πλείονας. Εἰς γὰρ τὴν ἀγένητον οἱ περὶ τ[··· ··]ν το[··· ·]ναγουσι τὴν ἑβδομάδα· αὕτη γὰρ παρθέν[ος ἐσ]τὶ καὶ ἀπάτωρ καὶ ἀμήτωρ, ἵν' 75 ᾖ τὸ λεγόμενον τοιο̣[ῦ- το]ν̣. Πάντες οι῾̣ ἐντὸς δεκάδος ἀριθμοὶ διπλασιαζόμε[νοι 184 ἢ τ]ριπλασ[ιαζόμενοι π]λὴν τοῦ ἑπτὰ καὶ γεννῶσιν καὶ γεν[νῶνται, ο]ἷον ὁ εἷς γεννᾷ τὸν δύο, καὶ ὁ δύο τὸν τέσσε[ρα] οὕτ[ως γεννη]θεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἑνός, καὶ ὁ τέσσερα τὸν ὀκτὼ γεν[νη]θεὶς [καὶ αὐτὸς] ὑπὸ τῶν δύο, ὁ δὲ πέντε τὸν δέκα, καὶ ὁ ἓξ δέ ποτ[ε γεννώμεν]ος οὐ γεννῶν, ὁ δὲ ἑπτὰ οὔτε ὑπὸ τῶν φθασάντων γ[εννᾶται οὔ]τε τινὰ μεθ' ἑαυτὸν ἕως δεκάδος γεννᾷ· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ δύο τὸν ἓξ καὶ ὁ τρία τὸν ἐννέα τριπλασιαζόμενοι γεννῶσιν. Ἔχει δὲ κα[ὶ ἕτερόν] τι προνόμιον· ἐὰν γὰρ ἐν διπλασίονι λόγῳ πολυπλασιά[ζῃς το]ὺς ἀπὸ μονάδος ἀριθμοὺς ἕως ἑπτά, ἴσος ἅμα καὶ τετράγ[ωνος] γίνεται· εἷς γάρ, δύο, τέσσερα, ὀκτώ, δέκα ἕξ, τριάκοντα δύο, [διπ]λασιασθέντα τὸν ἑξήκοντα τέσσερα, ὅστις τετράγωνος [μέν ἐ]στιν, ὀκτὰ γὰρ
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.