Figs and vines; fourth day — sun and moon
Farmers keep the cultivated fig’s fruit from falling thus: stripping the wild fig’s early figs, they arrange that it remain unfallen. For the tiniest creature inside the wild fig, settling at the base of the cultivated fig, fences off the outer breeze so the fig may not grow unpleasant and drop. Since the fig’s fruit is soft, it is covered with thick leaves; the walnut, being hard, is sheltered by a light cast of leaves. That is why the vine’s leaf is split — so the cluster may both turn aside harms from the air and take in the sun’s ray through the sparseness. So nothing is idle; God arranged all by unspeakable wisdom. For one water, carried or drawn through the root, nourishes the stem one way, the pith another, the bark another, the wood another, the root itself another; and from the same moisture wine is constituted in the vine, oil in the olive, and something else in another. And even among sweet fruits the difference of richness is unspeakable: one sweetness in the vine, another in the apple, another in fig and date-palm. And the trees’ tears themselves differ: one is the tear of the mastic, another the juice of balsam — finest of all myrrhs, and it abounds when it grows at Jericho. When locals cut it from the bushes with a sharp stone, juice wells up. Some also say amber is the juice of plants, fixed into stone nature. 4. On the fourth day God created the two great lights — sun and moon — in the firmament of heaven, for lighting upon the earth, to part between the day and the night. This solar light was prepared as a vehicle for that first-born light. As fire is one thing and the lamp another — the one has the power to light, the other the power to show light to those who need it — and as whiteness is one thing and the whitened body another, so these too, different in nature, are joined by the Maker’s power. And let no one think day and sun are the same. First the Maker prepared simple light, which he also called day; then the sun composed of fire and light. As we see the earth has fire wrought in its own breast, so also the sun has light: for light coming together with fire made the most radiant sun. But someone may object: How is this clear when the division is not seen? For light is not seen by itself and fire by itself. Let such a one know how many things fire puts forward in itself — gleam, heat, yellowness — which the all-wise craftsman, portioning out, hints at their composition. When he wants to warm the living thing, he takes the fire’s heat: it has the heat but not the light. But the warmth was parted in the living thing from the brightness; again he takes the yellow. And we see the yellow, but no longer the hot and shining. And again he portions off the warmth and gives only the gleam — as one may see in lightning, which flashing only lights and does not also warm. The same example holds for the moon. For she, lit by the sun, becomes more apparent, as the sun by the day. The moon’s form is coal-like, as one may see in eclipse: when the sun lifts its own brightness from her, it makes her dim; lighting her, it makes her full-shining. For somehow putting on the solar light she becomes brighter; in the same way the sun, putting on the day’s light, is more brilliant — that day neither being fire nor again warming, but only lighting. That the sun is composed of fire is clear from its burning and blazing. “To part between the day and the night”: he set the sun to the measures of the day and the moon to those of the night. Night is the earth’s shadow when the sun is hidden. As in the day, when something stands in the way, shadow comes and light is set beside it, so night is constituted when the air about the earth is shadowed. And the sun, which from the beginning received light from the Maker, has this always hidden in itself; the moon is not so, but continually puts it off…
Greek
τὸν καρπὸν ἄῤῥευστον οἱ γηπόνοι οὕτω φυλάττουσιν· τοὺς ὀλύνθους τῆς ἀγρίας συκῆς ἐκδύσαντες, ἅπτωτον διαμένειν παρασκευάζουσι. Τὸ γὰρ ἕνδον τοῦ ὀλύνθου ὑπάρχον ζῶον μικρότατον τῷ πυθμένι τοῦ ἡμέρου προσίζον σύκου τὴν ἔξωθεν αὖραν περιπνέουσαν ἀπείργει, πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἀηδῆ γενόμενον τὸ σῦκον ἀποπεσεῖν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἁπαλός ἐστι τῆς συκῆς ὁ καρπὸς, πάχει φύλλων κεκάλυπται· τῆς δὲ καρύας, ἐπειδὴ τυγχάνει στεῤῥὰ, ἐλαφρᾷ φύλλων προσβολῇ σκέπεται. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ τὸ φύλλον τῆς ἀμπέλου ἔσχισται, ἵνα καὶ τὰς ἐκ τοῦ ἀέρος ἐκκλίνῃ βλάβας ὁ βότρυς, καὶ τὴν ἡλιακὴν ἀκτῖνα εἰσδέχηται τῇ ἀραιότητι. Οὕτως οὐδὲν ἀργὸν, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἀποῤῥήτῳ 717 σοφίᾳ ὁ Θεὸς διεκόσμησεν. Ἓν γὰρ ὕδωρ, διὰ τῆς ῥίζης φερόμενον ἢ ἑλκόμενον, ἄλλως μὲν τρέφει τὸ στέλεχος, ἄλλως τὴν ἐντεριώνην, ἄλλως τὸν φλοιὸν, ἄλλως τὸ ξύλον, ἄλλως τὴν ῥίζαν αὐτήν· καὶ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς νοτίδος ἐν μὲν τῇ ἀμπέλῳ οἶνος συνίσταται, ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐλαίᾳ ἔλαιον, καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ ἄλλο. Καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς γλυκέσι καρποῖς ἀμύθητος ἡ παραλλαγὴ τῆς πιότητος· ἄλλο γὰρ τὸ ἐν ἀμπέλῳ γλυκὺ, καὶ ἄλλο ἐν μηλέᾳ, καὶ ἐν συκῇ καὶ τῷ φοίνικι ἕτερον. Καὶ αὐτὰ δὲ τῶν δένδρων διάφορά ἐστι τὰ δάκρυα· ἄλλο γὰρ τῆς σχίνου τὸ δάκρυον, καὶ ἄλλος ὁ τῆς βαλσάμου ὀπὸς, ὅπερ πάντων τῶν μύρων ὑπάρχει κάλλιστον, καὶ πλεονάζει ἐπὶ τῆς Ἱεριχὼ γενόμενον. Τεμνόντων δὲ αὐτὸ ἐκ τῶν θάμνων λίθῳ ὀξεῖ τῶν ἐπιχωρίων, ὀπὸς ἀναποδοίη. Ἱστοροῦσι δέ τινες καὶ τὸ ἤλεκτρον ὀπὸν εἶναι φυτῶν, εἰς φύσιν λίθου μεταπηγνύμενον. 4. Τῇ δὲ τετάρτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς μεγάλους δύο φωστῆρας ἐδημιούργησεν, ἤλιόν τε καὶ σελήνην ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, εἰς φαῦσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τοῦ διαχωρίζειν ἀναμέσον τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ ἀναμέσον τῆς νυκτός. Τοῦτο τὸ ἡλιακὸν φῶς, ὄχημα ἐκείνῳ τῷ φωτὶ τῷ πρωτογόνῳ παρεσκεύασται. Ὡς γὰρ ἄλλο τὸ πῦρ, καὶ ὁ λύχνος ἄλλο· τὸ μὲν γὰρ τὴν τοῦ φωτίζειν δύναμιν ἔχει, τὸ δὲ τὴν τοῦ παραφαίνειν τοῖς χρῄζουσιν· καὶ ὡς ἕτερόν τι ἡ λευκότης, ἕτερον δὲ τὸ λελευκασμένον σῶμα, οὕτω καὶ ταῦτα διάφορα ὄντα τῇ φύσει ἥνωνται τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ κτίσαντος. Καὶ μηδεὶς νομίσῃ ταυτὸν ἡμέραν εἶναι καὶ ἥλιον. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ὁ δημιουργὸς ἁπλοῦν φῶς κατεσκεύασεν, ὃ δὴ καὶ ἡμέραν ἐκάλεσεν, ἔπειτα τὸν ἥλιον ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ φωτὸς συγκείμενον. Ὡς γὰρ τὴν γῆν ὁρῶμεν πῦρ ἐν τοῖς στέρνοις αὐτοῖς δεδημιουργημένον ἔχουσαν, οὕτω καὶ τὸν ἥλιον φῶς ἔχοντα· φῶς γὰρ συνελθὸν μετὰ πυρὸς τὸν φανότατον ἐποίησεν ἥλιον. Ἀλλ' ἴσως ἀντερεῖ τις· Καὶ πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον, οὐ βλεπομένης τῆς διαιρέσεως; οὐχ ὁρᾶται γὰρ ἰδίως μὲν τὸ φῶς, ἰδίως δὲ τὸ πῦρ. Ἀλλὰ γινωσκέτω ὁ τοιοῦτος, πόσα τὸ πῦρ ἐν ἑαυτῷ προβάλλεται, αὐγὴν, θερμότητα, ξανθότητα, ἅτινα πανσόφως ὁ τεχνίτης διαμερίζων, ὑπεμφαίνει τούτων τὴν σύνθεσιν. Ὅτε γὰρ θέλει θερμᾶναι τὸ ζῶον, λαμβάνει τοῦ πυρὸς τὸ θερμὸν, καὶ τὸ μὲν θερμὸν ἔχει τούτου, τὸ δὲ φῶς οὐκ ἔχει. Ἀλλ' ἐμερίσθη ἐν τῷ ζώῳ ἡ θέρμη ἀπὸ τοῦ φέγγους, πάλιν λαμβάνει τὸ ξανθόν. Καὶ ὁρῶμέν τοι τὸ ξανθὸν, οὐκέτι δὲ τὸ θερμὸν καὶ φαῖνον. Καὶ πάλιν ἀπομερίζει τὴν θέρμην, καὶ δίδωσι μόνην τὴν αὐγὴν, οἷον ὡς ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀστραπῆς, ὅτι ἐκλάμπουσα μόνον φωτίζει, οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ θερμαίνει. Τὸ δ' αὐτὸ παράδειγμα καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς σελήνης καθέστηκε. Καὶ γὰρ αὕτη ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου φωτιζομένη φανερωτέρα γίνεται, ὥσπερ ὑπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ὁ ἥλιος. Τὸ γὰρ τῆς σελήνης εἶδος ἀνθρακοειδὲς τυγχάνει, ὡς ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκλείψεως· ἀπάρας γὰρ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τὸ οἰκεῖον φέγγος ὁ ἥλιος ἀμαυρὰν αὐτὴν καθίστησι· φωτίζων δὲ αὐτὴν, πλησιφαῆ ἀπεργάζεται. Ἐνδυομένη γάρ πως τὸ ἡλιακὸν φῶς φαιδροτέρα καθίσταται· τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τρόπον καὶ ὁ ἥλιος, τῆς ἡμέρας τὸ φῶς ἐνδυόμενος, λαμπρότερος τυγχάνει, τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης μήτε 720 οὔσης, μήτε πάλιν θερμαινούσης, ἀλλὰ μόνον φωτιζούσης. Ὅτι δὲ ἐκ πυρὸς συνέστηκεν ὁ ἥλιος, δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ πυροῦν, καὶ φλέγειν. Τοῦ διαχωρίζειν ἀναμέσον τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ ἀναμέσον τῆς νυκτός. Οἷον τὸν ἥλιον τῆς ἡμέρας τοῖς μέτροις ἔταξε, καὶ τὴν σελήνην τῆς νυκτός. Ἔστι δὲ ἡ νὺξ σκίασμα τῆς γῆς, ἀποκρυπτομένου τοῦ ἡλίου. Ὡς γὰρ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ἀντιφράσσοντός τινος, σκιὰ γίνεται, καὶ τὸ φῶς παρυφίσταται· οὕτως ἡ νὺξ, σκιαζομένου τοῦ ἀέρος τοῦ περὶ γῆν, συνίσταται. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἥλιος, ὅσπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς φῶς παρὰ τοῦ ποιητοῦ εἴληφε, τοῦτο ἔχει διὰ παντὸς ἐγκεκρυμμένον ἐν ἑαυτῷ· ἡ δὲ σελήνη οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ συνεχῶς ἀποδύεται,
About this text
Commentary on the six days of creation (PG marks Spurious) attributed to Eustathius of Antioch.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG 18 Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 18 (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.