The Diet of Paradise and Human Dominion
Regarding seed-eating food, God commands this in these things: for those entering into paradise do not eat grass, but every tree beautiful for sight and good for food, and above all, from the tree of life, Christ who gives life. And these animals are to say that these beasts are nations gathered together in the Church by God, or that the place of horse-breeding and ox-feeding and camel-standing and sheep-rearing [...] today paradise exists.
Not so, O philosopher, but rather to say to God: 'let them rule all the earth' (Gen 1:26), and: 'let them have dominion over it and over all those in it' (Gen 1:28); this is the Lord's purpose in making man according to the image of God and letting him rule all the earth.
Greek
σπερμοφάγου βρώσεως ἐν τούτοις τι διακελεύεται ὁ Θεός· τὰ γὰρ εἰς παράδεισον εἰσερχόμενα οὐ χόρτον ἐσθίει, ἀλλὰ πᾶν ξύλον ὡραῖον εἰς ὅρασιν καὶ καλὸν εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ πρό γε πάντων ἐκ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς Χριστοῦ τοῦ ζωοποιοῦντος καὶ ταῦτα τὰ ζῷα ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ὅτι ἔθνη εἰσὶ ταῦτα τὰ θηρία τὰ ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ ὑπὸ Θεοῦ συναχθέντα ἢ ὅτι ἱππὼν καὶ συβόσιον καὶ καμηλοστάσιον καὶ οἰοτρόφυον (...) σήμερον ὁ παράδεισος ὑπάρχει. 86 Οὐχ οὕτως, ὦ φιλόσοφε, ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ εἰπεῖν τὸν Θεόν· ἀρχέτωσαν πάσης τῆς γῆς, καὶ τὸ· κατακυριευσάτωσαν αὐτῆς καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ, τοῦτο τὸ κύριόν ἐστι τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπο κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ καὶ ἄρχειν αὐτὸν πάσης τῆς γῆς.
About this text
Eustathius on the creation account in Genesis.
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.