The Significance of the Forty Days

leading the reader upward

It is said that three days and three nights were spent in the heart of the earth, from the interval of the night of Friday and that of Sunday, through the whole night of the Sabbath. These things are said to us as a digression, for those wishing to show that the Scripture, when touching the ends of times, usually uses such methods.

On that day all the fountains of the deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened, and rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights (Gen 7:11–12). This number is an ill-omened one. For the sons of Israel also completed so many years in their journey, and Moses himself did not eat bread for forty days; and the Savior also fasted with this number of days, which provides a following understanding to the divine letters for those not passing over them as trivial. Therefore also the duration of the water occurred in so many days in number.

If anyone should seek, setting aside those things concerning the floodgates of the heavens, why the deluge occurred—since God, calling upon the water of the sea, sends the rain—how the deluge happened, as if by some mechanical way of the sea becoming rain and then returning upon it; to which it might be said that first the fountains of the deep burst forth to provide the supply—and indeed, it is written that when it was willed to overflow, 'the fountains of the great deep burst forth' (Gen 7:11)—and then nothing could stop the quantity of water from stopping God, just as in the Gospels the five loaves were increased for five thousand (Matt 14:17-21).

On that day Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth, the sons of Noah, and the wife of Noah and the three wives of his sons entered into the ark with him, and all the animals according to kind, and all the cattle according to kind, and every creeping thing moving upon the earth according to kind, and every winged thing according to kind (Gen 7:13–16). They entered with Noah into the ark, two by two of all flesh, in which is the spirit of life. And the males and females entering from all flesh entered, just as God commanded Noah. It is evident that the deluge did not happen suddenly, but provided a sign, as previously said, so that the process might be leadingly...

Greek

ἁμαρτωλοὺς φ[θεῖρ]αι, ἵνα ἀρχὴν λάβωσιν οἱ κατὰ δικαιοσύνην ζῶντες. Ἀμέλει γοῦν μ̣ετὰ ταῦτα ε᾿̣[γ]ένοντο Ἀβραὰμ ἸσαὰκἸακώβ. Εἰ δὲ καὶ πρὸς ἀναγωγήν τις ἐθέλοι, [λ]έγοι ἂν ὅτι, ἐπεὶ ὁ <ἑ>πτὰ ἀριθμὸς ἀναπαύσεώς ἐστι σύμβολον, [ὁ ἐ]ν 189 τούτῳ μένειν μὴ βουλόμενος διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐκλέγεσθαι τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν ἐκείνην, περὶ ἧς ὁ Σωτήρ φησιν· "6Ἄρατε τὸν ζυγόν μου ἐφ' ὑμᾶς καὶ μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὅτι πραΰς εἰμι κ[α]ὶ τα[πε]ινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμ[ῶ]ν"6, ὑπὸ τὸν κατακλυσμὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας γίνεται καὶ τὴν κόλασιν τὴν ἐπαγομένην διὰ τὴν κακίαν. Τοῦτο δὲ συμβαίνει ἐν τῷ ἑξακοσιοστῷ ἔτει οὔπω πληρωθέντι, διὰ συμβόλου δεικνυμένου ὅτι καὶ ἐν τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς ἀτελεῖς ἦσαν οἱ ὑπὸ τὸν κατακλυσμὸν γεγενημένοι, οὐχ ὡς δεῖ οὐδὲ τούτοις χρώμενοι. Τὰ γὰρ ἑξακόσια συγγένειαν ἔχει πρὸς τὸν ἕξ, ἐν ἒξ ἑκατοντάσιν συμπλη- ρούμεν<α>. Εἰ δὲ δεῖ καὶ εἰς τὸ "6ἑβδόμῃ καὶ εἰκάδι"6 γεγενῆσθαι τὸν κατακλυσμὸν εἰπεῖν, λεχθείη ἂν τοῦτο· οὐ πᾶσα ἀπειλὴ βεβαιοῦται, ἐξ ἡμῶν ἢ συμπληρου̣[μ]ένη ἢ παυο- μένη, καθὰ καὶ ἐπὶ Νινευειτῶν γέγονεν· ἐπεὶ ο[ὖ]ν ὁ ἀριθμὸς οὗτος βεβαιότητός ἐστι σύμβολον, –τρεῖς [γ]ὰρ τρὶς τρίς–, διὰ τοῦτο ἐν αὐτῷ ἐπήχθη κατὰ τῶν μ̣[ὴ ἐπι]στραφέντων ἀλλ' ἀμετακινήτως ἐχόντων πρὸς κακ[ίαν] βεβαία κόλασις. "6Ἐν ἑξακοσιοστῷ"6 δὲ λέγει γεγενῆσθαι τ̣[ὸν] κατα- κλυσμὸν ἐξ ἄκρου αὐτοῦ ἁψάμενος. Τοῦτο δὲ ἔθος [τῇ γ]ρ̣αφῇ, καθὰ καὶ ὁ Σωτήρ φησιν· "6Ὥσπερ γὰρ Ἰων̣ᾶς ἔμενεν [ἐν τῇ κ]οιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους <τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας>, οὕτως <ἔσται ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου> ἐν τῇ καρ- [δίᾳ τ]ῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας"6. Εἰ γὰρ δι' ὅλου τις τού[του] ἔχοιτο, ὁλοκλήρους λέγων ἡμέρας τρεῖς καὶ νύκτας αὐ[τὸν] μεμενηκέναι, ψεύδεται· τῇ γὰρ ἕκτῃ ὥρᾳ τῆς παρασκ[ευῆ]ς̣ ἐσταυρώθη, ἥντινα ἡμέραν καλεῖ, ἐκ τοῦ ἅψασθαι τῆς [ἡμέρ]ας οὕτως ὀνομάζων –δηλονότι καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς παραλαμ̣[βα]νομένης, πάσῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἡ παρελθοῦσα νὺξ συμμετρεῖται, καὶ τῆς συνηθείας οὕτως ἐχούσης ὡς τὰς νύκτας ἐπιγινομένων ἡμερῶν λογίζεσθαι–, μεθ' ἣν νὺξ πληρεστάτ[η] καὶ ἡμέρα τοῦ σαββάτου, εἶτα νὺξ καὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ἀναστασί[μο]υ ἡμέρας, ἥψατο γὰρ καὶ αὐτῆς. Καὶ οὕτω ἐξ 190 ἄκρου τοῦ τε πρώ[του δια]στήματος τοῦ νυχθημέρου τῆς παρασκευῆς ἁψάμενος καὶ τοῦ τῆς κυριακῆς, ὅλου τε τοῦ νυχθημέρου τοῦ σαββάτου, τρεῖς ἡμέρα[ς κα]ὶ τρεῖς νύκτας διατετελεκέναι ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς εἴρηται. [Ταῦ]τα δὲ ὡς ἐν παρεκβάσει ἡμῖν εἴρηται, δηλῶσαι βουλομένοις ὅτι ἡ γραφὴ συνηθῶς ἐξ ἄκρου τῶν χρόνων ἁπτομένη χρῆται τοιούτοις τρόποις. ῃιι, 11–12. Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ ἐρράγησαν πᾶσαι αἱ πηγαὶ τῆς ἀβύσσου, καὶ οἱ καταράκται τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἠνεῴχ- θησαν, καὶ ἐγένετο ὁ ὑετὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τεσσεράκοντα ἡμέρας καὶ τεσσεράκοντα νύκτας. Ὁ ἀριθμὸς οὗτος κακωτικός ἐστιν. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ τοσαῦτα ἔτη διετέλεσαν ἐν τῇ ὁδοιπορίᾳ, 78 καὶ Μωσῆς δὲ αὐτὸς τεσσεράκοντα ἡμέρας ἄρτον οὐκ ἔφαγεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ἀριθμῷ τω῀̣ν ἡμερῶν ἐνήστευσεν, ὅπερ τοῖς μὴ παρε[ρ]χ̣ομένοις παρέργως τὰ θεῖα γράμματα παρέξει διάνοιαν ἀκόλουθον. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἡ φορὰ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐν τοσούτῳ γέγονεν ἡ[μερῶν] ἀριθμῷ.Ζητήσειεν ἄν τις τὰ περὶ τῶν καταρακτῶν τοῦ οὐραν[οῦ] [ἐ]κ̣εῖνα παρατιθέμενος, ὅτι προσκαλούμενος ὁ Θεὸς τὸ ὕδωρ [τῆς] θαλάσσης τὸν υ῾̣ετὸν ἐπιπέμπει, πῶς ὁ κατακλυσμὸς γέγονε[ν], τρόπον τινὰ μηχανῆς τρόπῳ ἐκ τῆς θαλάττης τοῦ ὑετοῦ [γι]νομένου καὶ πάλιν ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἰόντος· πρὸς ὃ λεχθείη ὅτι [πρῶ]τον μὲν αἱ πηγαὶ τῆς ἀβύσσου ῥαγεῖσαι τὴν χορηγίαν παρέσχον, –καὶ γάρ, ἅτε ἐπισχεῖν ἐβουλήθη, ἀναγέγραπται· "6Ἐπεκαλύφθη- σαν αἱ πηγαὶ τῆς ἀβύσσου"6, –ἔπειτα οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς καὶ τὸ ποσ[ὸν] τοῦ ὕδατος ἐπαύξειν τὸν Θεόν, καθάπερ ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις [ο]ἱ πέντε ἄρτοι ἐπὶ πεντακισχιλίους ηὐξήθησαν. ῃιι, 13–16. [Ἐν] τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ εἰσῆλθεν Νῶε, Σήμ, Χάμ, Ἰάφεθ, οἱ υἱοὶ Νῶε, καὶ ἡ γυνὴ Νῶε καὶ αἱ τρεῖς γυναῖκες τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ μετ' αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν κιβωτόν, [κ]αὶ πάντα τὰ θηρία κατὰ γένος καὶ πάντα τὰ κτήνη κατὰ γέν̣[ος καὶ] πᾶν ἑρπετὸν κινούμενον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κατὰ 191 γένος καὶ πᾶν πετεινὸν κατὰ γένος. Εἰσῆλθον πρὸς Νῶε εἰς τὴν κι[βω]τὸν δύο δύο ἀπὸ πάσης σαρκός, ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν πνεῦμα [ζ]ωῆς. Καὶ τὰ εἰσπορευόμενα ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἀπὸ πάσης σαρκ̣ὸς εἰσῆλθον, καθὰ ἐνετείλατο ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Νῶε. ∆ῆλον ὡς οὐκ ἀθρόως ὁ κατακλυσμὸς γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ παρέσχεν τι καὶ σημεῖον, ὡς καὶ πρότερον εἴρηται, ἵν' εὐαγώγως τὰ

About this text

Didymus the Blind reads the creation account verse by verse, finding Christ and the Spirit in Genesis.

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