God createth heauen and earth, and al things therin; distinguishing and bevvtyfying the same; 26. last of al the sixth day he createth man: to vvhom he subiecteth al corporal things of this inferior vvorld.
1In the beginning God created heaven, and earth.Al principio creò Dio il cielo e la terra.IN THE beginning GOD created heauen and earth.In principio creavit Deus cælum et terram. 2And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters.E la terra era informe e vota, e le tenebre erano sopra la faccia dell'abisso: e lo spirito di Dio si movea sopra le acque.And the earth was voide & vacant, and darkenes was vpon the face of the deapth: and the Spirite of God moued ouer the waters.Terra autem erat inanis et vacua, et tenebræ erant super faciem abyssi: et spiritus Dei ferebatur super aquas. 3And God said: Be light made. And light was made.E Dio disse: Sia fatta la luce. E la luce fu fatta.And God said: Be light made. And light was made.Dixitque Deus: Fiat lux. Et facta est lux. 4And God saw the light that it was good; and he divided the light from the darkness.E Dio vide, che la luce era buona: e divise la luce dalle tenebre.And God saw the light that it was good: & he diuided the light from the darkenes.Et vidit Deus lucem quod esset bona: et divisit lucem a tenebris. 5And he called the light Day, and the darkness Night; and there was evening and morning one day.E la luce nominò giorno, e le tenebre notte. E della sera e della mattina si compié il primo giorno.And he called the light, Day, and the darkenes, Night: and there was euening & morning, that made one day.Appellavitque lucem Diem, et tenebras Noctem: factumque est vespere et mane, dies unus. 6And God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters: and let it divide the waters from the waters.Disse ancora Dio: Sia fatto il firmamento nel mezzo alle acque: e separi acque da acque.God also said: Be a firmament made amidst the waters: and let it diuide betwene waters & waters.Dixit quoque Deus: Fiat firmamentum in medio aquarum: et dividat aquas ab aquis. 7And God made a firmament, and divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament, and it was so.E fece Dio il firmamento, e separò le acque, che eran sotto il firmamento da quelle che erano sopra il firmamento. E fu fatto così.And God made a firmament, and diuided the waters, that were vnder the firmament, from those, that were aboue the firmament. And it was so done.Et fecit Deus firmamentum, divisitque aquas, quæ erant sub firmamento, ab his, quæ erant super firmamentum. Et factum est ita. 8And God called the firmament, Heaven; and the evening and morning were the second day.E al firmamento diede Dio il nome di cielo. E della sera e della mattina si compié il secondo giorno.And God called the firmament, Heauen: and there was euening & morning that made the second day.Vocavitque Deus firmamentum, Cælum: et factum est vespere et mane, dies secundus.
9God also said; Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear. And it was so done.Disse ancora Dio: Si radunino le acque, che sono sotto il cielo, in un sol luogo: e l'arida apparisca. E così fu fatto.God also said: Let the waters that are vnder the heauen, be gathered together into one place: and let the drie land appeare. And it was so done.Dixit vero Deus: Congregentur aquæ, quæ sub cælo sunt, in locum unum: et appareat arida. Et factum est ita. 10And God called the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.E all'arida diede Dio il nome di terra, e le raunate delle acque le chiamò mari. E Dio vide, che ciò bene stava.And God called the drie land, Earth: and the gathering of waters together, he called Seas. And God sawe that it was good.Et vocavit Deus aridam Terram, congregationesque aquarum appellavit Maria. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum. 11And he said: let the earth bring forth green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was so done.E disse: La terra germini erba verdeggiante, e che faccia il seme, e piante fruttifere, che diano il frutto secondo la specie loro, che in sé stesse contengono la lor semenza sopra la terra. E così fu fatto.And said: Let the earth shootforth grene herbes, and such as may seede, & fruite trees yelding fruit after his kinde, such as may haue seede in it selfe vpon the earth. And it was so done.Et ait: Germinet terra herbam virentem, et facientem semen, et lignum pomiferum faciens fructum juxta genus suum, cujus semen in semetipso sit super terram. Et factum est ita. 12And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yieldeth seed according to its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.E la terra produsse l'erba verdeggiante, e che fa il seme secondo la sua specie; e le piante, che danno frutto, e delle quali ognuna ha la propria semenza secondo la sua specie. E vide Dio, che ciò bene stava.And the earth brought forth grene herbe, such as seedeth according to his kinde, & tree that beareth fruite, hauing seede eche one according to his kinde. And God saw that it was good.Et protulit terra herbam virentem, et facientem semen juxta genus suum, lignumque faciens fructum, et habens unumquodque sementem secundum speciem suam. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum.
13And the evening and the morning were the third day.E della sera e della mattina si compié il terzo giorno.And there was euening & morning that made the third day.Et factum est vespere et mane, dies tertius. 14And God said: Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years:E disse Dio: Sieno fatti i luminari nel firmamento del cielo, e distinguano il dì, e la notte; e segnino le stagioni, i giorni e gli anni.Againe God said: Be there lightes made in the firmament of heauen, to diuide the day & the night, and let them be for signes & seasons, and dayes and yeares:Dixit autem Deus: Fiant luminaria in firmamento cæli, et dividant diem ac noctem, et sint in signa et tempora, et dies et annos: 15To shine in the firmament of heaven, and to give light upon the earth, and it was so done.E risplendano nel firmamento del cielo, e illuminino la terra. E così fu fatto.to shine in the firmament of heauen, & to giue light vpon the earth. And it was so done.ut luceant in firmamento cæli, et illuminent terram. Et factum est ita. 16And God made two great lights: a greater light to rule the day; and a lesser light to rule the night: and the stars.E fece Dio due luminari grandi: il luminar maggiore, che presedesse al giorno; e il luminar minore, che presedesse alla notte: e le stelle.And God made two great lights: a greater light, to gouerne the day: and a lesser light to gouerne the night: and starres.Fecitque Deus duo luminaria magna: luminare majus, ut præesset diei: et luminare minus, ut præesset nocti: et stellas. 17And he set them in the firmament of heaven to shine upon the earth.E le collocò nel firmamento del cielo, affinché rischiarasser la terra.And he set them in the firmament of heauen, to shine vpon the earth.Et posuit eas in firmamento cæli, ut lucerent super terram, 18And to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good.E presedessero al dì, e alla notte, e dividesser la luce dalle tenebre. E vide Dio, che ciò bene stava.and to gouerne the day & the night, and to diuide the light & the darkenes. And God sawe that it was good.et præessent diei ac nocti, et dividerent lucem ac tenebras. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum. 19And the evening and morning were the fourth day.E della sera e della mattina si compié il quarto giorno.And there was euening and morning that made the fourth day.Et factum est vespere et mane, dies quartus. 20God also said: let the waters bring forth the creeping creature having life, and the fowl that may fly over the earth under the firmament of heaven.Disse ancora Dio: Producano le acque i rettili animati e viventi, e i volatili sopra la terra sotto il firmamento del cielo.God also said: Let the waters bring forth creeping creature hauing life, and flying foule, ouer the earth vnder the firmament of heauen.Dixit etiam Deus: Producant aquæ reptile animæ viventis, et volatile super terram sub firmamento cæli.
21And God created the great whales, and every living and moving creature, which the waters brought forth, according to their kinds, and every winged fowl according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.E creò Dio i grandi pesci, e tutti gli animali viventi, e aventi moto: prodotti dalle acque secondo la loro specie, e tutti i volatili secondo il genere loro. E vide Dio, che ciò bene stava.And God created huge Whales, and al liuing & mouing creature, that the waters brought forth, according to eche sorte, & al foule according to their kinde. And God sawe that it was good.Creavitque Deus cete grandia, et omnem animam viventem atque motabilem, quam produxerant aquæ in species suas, et omne volatile secundum genus suum. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum. 22And he blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea: and let the birds be multiplied upon the earth.E li benedisse dicendo: Crescete, e moltiplicate, e popolate le acque del mare: e moltiplichino gli uccelli sopra la terra.And he blessed them saying: Increase and multiplie, and replenish the waters of the sea: and let the birds be multiplied vpon the earth.Benedixitque eis, dicens: Crescite, et multiplicamini, et replete aquas maris: avesque multiplicentur super terram. 23And the evening and morning were the fifth day.E della sera e della mattina si compié il quinto giorno.And there was euening & morning that made the fifth day.Et factum est vespere et mane, dies quintus. 24And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature in its kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth, according to their kinds. And it was so done.Disse ancora Dio: Produca la terra animali viventi secondo la loro specie; animali domestici, e rettili, e bestie salvatiche della terra secondo la loro specie. E fu fatto così.God said moreouer: Let the earth bring forth liuing creature, in his kind, cattle, & such as creepe, & beastes of the earth according to their kindes: and it was so done.Dixit quoque Deus: Producat terra animam viventem in genere suo, jumenta, et reptilia, et bestias terræ secundum species suas. Factumque est ita. 25And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and cattle, and every thing that creepeth on the earth after its kind. And God saw that it was good.E fece Dio le bestie salvatiche della terra secondo la loro specie, e gli animali domestici, e tutti i rettili della terra secondo la loro specie. E vide Dio, che ciò bene stava.And God made the beastes of the earth according to their kindes, and cattle, & al that crepeth on the earth in his kind. And God saw that it was good,Et fecit Deus bestias terræ juxta species suas, et jumenta, et omne reptile terræ in genere suo. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum,
26And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth.E disse: Facciamo l'uomo a nostra immagine e somiglianza; ed ei presieda a' pesci del mare, e a' volatili del cielo, e alle bestie, e a tutta la terra e a tutti i rettili, che si muovono sopra la terra.and he said Let vs make Man to our image, & likenes: and let him haue dominion ouer the fishes of the sea, and the foules of the ayre, and the beastes, and the whole earth, and al creeping creature, that moueth vpon the earth.et ait: Faciamus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram: et præsit piscibus maris, et volatilibus cæli, et bestiis, universæque terræ, omnique reptili, quod movetur in terra. 27And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them.E Dio creò l'uomo a sua somiglianza: a somiglianza di Dio lo creò: lo creò maschio, e femmina.And God created man, to his owne image: to the image of God he created him, male & female he created them.Et creavit Deus hominem ad imaginem suam: ad imaginem Dei creavit illum, masculum et feminam creavit eos. 28And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.E benedisseli Dio e disse: Crescete e moltiplicate: e riempite la terra, e assoggettatela: e abbiate dominio sopra i pesci del mare: e i volatili dell'aria, e tutti gli animali, che si muovono sopra la terra.And God blessed them, and saith: Increase and multiplie, & replenish the earth, and subdew it, and rule ouer the fishes of the sea, and foules of the ayre, & al liuing creatures, that moue vpon the earth.Benedixitque illis Deus, et ait: Crescite et multiplicamini, et replete terram, et subjicite eam, et dominamini piscibus maris, et volatilibus cæli, et universis animantibus, quæ moventur super terram. 29And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat:E disse Dio: Ecco ch'io v'ho dato tutte l'erbe, che fanno seme sopra la terra e tutte le piante, che hanno in sé stesse semenza della loro specie, perché a voi servano di cibo.And God said: Behold I haue giuen you al maner of hearbe that seedeth vpon the earth, and al trees that haue in them selues seede of their owne kinde, to be your meate:Dixitque Deus: Ecce dedi vobis omnem herbam afferentem semen super terram, et universa ligna quæ habent in semetipsis sementem generis sui, ut sint vobis in escam:
30And to all beasts of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is life, that they may have to feed upon. And it was so done.E a tutti gli animali della terra, e a tutti gli uccelli dell'aria, e a quanti si muovono sopra la terra animali viventi, affinché abbiano da mangiare. E così fu fatto.and to al beastes of the earth, and to euerie foule of the ayre, & to al that moue vpon the earth, and wherein there is life, that they may haue to feede vpon. And it was so done.et cunctis animantibus terræ, omnique volucri cæli, et universis quæ moventur in terra, et in quibus est anima vivens, ut habeant ad vescendum. Et factum est ita. 31And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day.E Dio vide tutte le cose, che avea fatte, ed erano buone assai. E della sera e della mattina si formò il sesto giorno.And God sawe al things that he had made, and they were very good. And there was euening & morning that made the sixt day.Viditque Deus cuncta quæ fecerat, et erant valde bona. Et factum est vespere et mane, dies sextus.
1:1
Year of the World 1, Year before Christ 4004.
Haydock
Beginning. As St. Matthew begins his Gospel with the same title as this work, the Book of the Generation, or Genesis, so St. John adopts the first words of Moses, in the beginning; but he considers a much higher order of things, even the consubstantial Son of God, the same with God from all eternity, forming the universe, in the beginning of time, in conjunction with the other two Divine Persons, by the word of his power; for all things were made by Him, the Undivided Deity. (Haydock)
Calmet
Elohim, the Judges or Gods, denoting plurality, is joined with a verb singular, he created, whence many, after Peter Lombard, have inferred, that in this first verse of Genesis the adorable mystery of the Blessed Trinity is insinuated, as they also gather from various other passages of the Old Testament, though it was not clearly revealed till our Saviour came himself to be the finisher of our faith. (Calmet)
Haydock
The Jews being a carnal people and prone to idolatry, might have been in danger of misapplying this great mystery, and therefore an explicit belief of it was not required of them in general. See Collet. etc. (Haydock)
Calmet
The word bara, created, is here determined by tradition and by reason to mean a production out of nothing, though it be used also to signify the forming of a thing out of pre-existing matter. (ver. 21, 27.) (Calmet)
Haydock
The first cause of all things must be God, who, in a moment, spoke, and heaven and earth were made, heaven with all the Angels; and the whole mass of the elements, in a state of confusion, and blended together, out of which the beautiful order, which was afterwards so admirable, arose in the space of six days: thus God was pleased to manifest his free choice in opposition to those Pagans who attributed all to blind chance or fate. Heaven is here placed first, and is not declared empty and dark like the earth; that we may learn to raise our minds and hearts above this land of trial, to that our true country, where we may enjoy God for ever. (Haydock)
1:2
Calmet
Spirit of God, giving life, vigour, and motion to things, and preparing the waters for the sacred office of baptism, in which, by the institution of Jesus Christ, we must be born again; and, like spiritual fishes, swim amid the tempestuous billows of this world. (V. Tert.[See Tertullian?], etc.) (Worthington) (Haydock)---This Spirit is what the Pagan philosophers styled the Soul of the World. (Calmet)
Haydock
If we compare their writings with the books of Moses and the prophets, we shall find that they agree in many points. See Grotius. (Haydock)
1:3
Haydock
Light. The sun was made on the fourth day, and placed in the firmament to distinguish the seasons, etc.; but the particles of fire were created on the first day, and by their, or the earth's motion, served to discriminate day from the preceding night, or darkness, which was upon the face of the deep. (Haydock)
Calmet
Perhaps this body of light might resemble the bright cloud which accompanied the Israelites, Exodus 14:19, or the three first days might have a kind of imperfect sun, or be like one of our cloudy days. Nothing can be defined with certainty respecting the nature of this primeval light. (Calmet)
1:4
Good; beautiful and convenient:
Calmet
he divided light by giving it qualities incompatible with darkness, which is not any thing substantial, and therefore Moses does not say it was created. (Calmet)
Haydock
While our hemisphere enjoys the day, the other half of the world is involved in darkness. St. Augustine supposes the fall and punishment of the apostate angels are here insinuated. (L. imp. de Gen.) (Haydock)
1:6
Challoner
A firmament. By this name is here understood the whole space between the earth and the highest stars. The lower part of which divideth the waters that are upon the earth, from those that are above in the clouds. (Challoner)
Calmet
The Hebrew Rokia is translated stereoma, solidity by the Septuagint., and expansion by most of the moderns. The heavens are often represented as a tent spread out, Psalm. 103:3. (Calmet)
1:7
Calmet
Above the firmament and stars, according to some of the Fathers; or these waters were vapours and clouds arising from the earth, and really divided from the lower waters contained in the sea. (Calmet)
1:11
Menochius
Seed in itself, either in the fruit or leaves, or slips. (Menochius)
At the creation, trees were covered with fruit in Armenia, while in the more northern regions they would not even have leaves: Calmet hence justly observes, that the question concerning the season of the year when the world began, must be understood only with reference to that climate in which Adam dwelt. Scaliger asserts, that the first day corresponds with our 26th of October, while others, particularly the Greeks, fix it upon the 25th of March, on which day Christ was conceived; and, as some Greeks say, was born and nailed to the cross. The great part of respectable authors declare for the vernal equinox, when the year is in all its youth and beauty. (Haydock) See Tirinus and Salien's Annals, B.C. 4053.
1:14
Menochius
For signs. Not to countenance the delusive observations of astrologers, but to give notice of rain, of the proper seasons for sowing, etc. (Menochius)
Haydock
If the sun was made on the first day, as some assert, there is nothing new created on this fourth day. By specifying the use and creation of these heavenly bodies, Moses shows the folly of the Gentiles, who adored them as gods, and the impiety of those who pretend that human affairs are under the fatal influence of the planets. See St. Augustine, Confessions 4:3. The Hebrew term mohadim, which is here rendered seasons, may signify either months, or the times for assembling to worship God; (Calmet) a practice, no doubt, established from the beginning every week, and probably also the first day of the new moon, a day which the Jews afterwards religiously observed. Plato calls the sun and planets the organs of time, of which, independently of their stated revolutions, man could have formed no conception. The day is completed in twenty-four hours, during which space the earth moves round its axis, and exposes successively different parts of its surface to the sun. It goes at a rate of fifty-eight thousand miles an hour, and completes its orbit in the course of a year. (Haydock)
1:16
Challoner
Two great lights. God created on the first day light, which being moved from east to west, by its rising and setting made morning and evening. But on the fourth day he ordered and distributed this light, and made the sun, moon, and stars. The moon, though much less than the stars, is here called a great light, from its giving a far greater light to earth than any of them. (Challoner)
Menochius
To rule and adorn, for nothing appears so glorious as the sun and moon. (Menochius)
Calmet
Many have represented the stars, as well as the sun and moon, to be animated. Ecclesiastes 1:5, speaking of the sun says, the spirit goeth forward surveying all places: and in Esdras[2 Esdras?] 9:6, the Levites address God, Thou hast made heaven and all the host thereof; and thou givest life to all these things, and the host of heaven adoreth thee. St. Augustine Ench. and others, consider this question as not pertaining to faith. See Spencer in Origen, contra Cels. V. (Calmet)
Whether the stars be the suns of other worlds, and whether the moon, etc. be inhabited, philosophers dispute, without being able to come to any certain conclusion: for God has delivered the world to their consideration for dispute, so that man cannot find out the work which God hath made from the beginning to the end, Ecclesiastes 3:11. If we must frequently confess our ignorance concerning the things which surround us, how shall we pretend to dive into the designs of God, or subject the mysteries of faith to our feeble reason? If we think the Scriptures really contradict the systems of philosophers, ought we to pay greater deference to the latter, than to the unerring word of God? But we must remember, that the sacred writings were given to instruct us in the way to heaven, and not to unfold to us the systems of natural history; and hence God generally addresses us in a manner best suited to our conceptions, and speaks of nature as it appears to the generality of mankind. At the same time, we may confidently assert, that the Scriptures never assert what is false. If we judge, with the vulgar, that the sun, moon, and stars are no larger than they appear to our naked eye, we shall still have sufficient reason to admire the works of God; but, if we are enabled to discover that the sun's diameter, for example, is 763 thousand miles, and its distance from our earth about 95 million miles, and the fixed stars (as they are called, though probably all in motion) much more remote, what astonishment must fill our breast! Our understanding is bewildered in the unfathomable abyss, in the unbounded expanse, even of the visible creation.
Walker
Sirius, the nearest to us of all the fixed stars, is supposed to be 400,000 times the distance from the sun that our earth is, or 38 millions of millions of miles. Light, passing at the rate of twelve millions of miles every minute, would be nearly 3,000 years in coming to us from the remotest star in our stratum, beyond which are others immensely distant, which it would require about 40,000 years to reach, even with the same velocity. Who shall not then admire thy works and fear thee, O King of ages! (Walker.)
Haydock
Geog. justly remarks, "we are lost in wonder when we attempt to comprehend either the vastness or minuteness of creation. Philosophers think it possible for the universe to be reduced to the smallest size, to an atom, merely by filling up the pores;" and the reason they allege is, "because we know not the real structure of bodies." Shall any one then pretend to wisdom, and still call in question the mysteries of faith, transubstantiation, etc., when the most learned confess they cannot fully comprehend the nature even of a grain of sand? While on the one hand some assert, that all the world may be reduced to this compass; others say, a grain of sand may be divided in infinitum! (Haydock)
1:20
Menochius
Creeping: destitute of feet like fishes, which move on their bellies. (Menochius)
Fowl. Some assert that birds were formed of the earth, but they seem to have the same origin as fishes, namely, water; and still they must not be eaten on days of abstinence, which some of the ancients thought lawful, Socrates 5:20. To conciliate the two opinions, perhaps we might say, that the birds were formed of mud, (Calmet) or that some of the nature of fish, like barnacles, might be made of water and others of earth. (Chap. 2:19.)
Haydock
Under: Hebrew: on the face of the firmament, or in the open air. (Haydock)
1:22
Blessed them, or enabled them to produce others.
Multiply: the immense numbers and variety of fishes and fowls is truly astonishing.
1:26
Challoner
Let us make man to our image. This image of God in man, is not in the body, but in the soul; which is a spiritual substance, endued with understanding and free-will. God speaketh here in the plural number, to insinuate the plurality of persons in the Deity. (Challoner)
Calmet
Some of the ancient Jews maintained that God here addressed his council, the Angels; but is it probable that he should communicate to them the title of Creator, and a perfect similitude with himself? (Calmet)
Worthington
Man is possessed of many prerogatives above all other creatures of this visible world: his soul gives him a sort of equality with the Angels; and though his body be taken from the earth, like the brutes, yet even here the beautiful construction, the head erect and looking towards heaven, etc. makes St. Augustine observe, an air of majesty in the human body, which raises man above all terrestrial animals, and brings him in some measure near to the Divinity. As Jesus assumed our human nature, we may assert, that we bear a resemblance to God both in soul and body. Tertullian (de Resur. 5.) says, "Thus that slime, putting on already the image of Christ, who would come in the flesh, was not only the work of God, but also a pledge." (Haydock) See St. Bernard on Psalm 99. (Worthington)
1:27
Calmet
Male and female. Eve was taken from Adam's side on this same day, though it be related in the following chapter. Adam was not an hermaphrodite as some have foolishly asserted. (Calmet)
Haydock
Adam means the likeness, or red earth, that in one word we may behold our nobility and meanness. (Haydock)
1:28
Challoner
Increase and multiply. This is not a precept, as some protestant controvertists would have it, but a blessing, rendering them fruitful: for God had said the same words to the fishes and birds, (ver. 22.) who were incapable of receiving a precept. (Challoner)
Blessed them, not only with fecundity as he had done to other creatures, but also with dominion over them, and much more with innocence and abundance of both natural and supernatural gifts.
Haydock
Increase. The Hebrews understand this literally as a precept binding every man at twenty years of age (Calmet); and some of the Reformers argued hence, that Priests, etc. were bound to marry: very prudently they have not determined how soon! But the Fathers in general agree that if this were a precept with respect to Adam, for the purpose of filling the earth, it is no longer so, that end being sufficiently accomplished. Does not St. Paul wish all men to be like himself, unmarried? (1 Corinthians 7:1, 7, 8.) (Haydock)
1:29
Menochius
Every herb, etc. As God does not here express leave to eat flesh-meat, which he did after the deluge, it is supposed that the more religious part of mankind, at least, abstained from it, and from wine, till after that event, when they became more necessary to support decayed nature. (Haydock) (Menochius)
Calmet
In the golden age, spontaneous fruits were the food of happy mortals. (Calmet)
1:6
A firmament.... By this name is here understood the whole space between the earth, and the highest stars. The lower part of which divideth the waters that are upon the earth, from those that are above in the clouds.
1:16
Two great lights.... God created on the first day, light, which being moved from east to west, by its rising and setting, made morning and evening. But on the fourth day he ordered and distributed this light, and made the sun, moon, and stars. The moon, though much less than the stars, is here called a great light, from its giving a far greater light to the earth than any of them.
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Let us make man to our image.... This image of God in man, is not in the body, but in the soul; which is a spiritual substance, endued with understanding and free will. God speaketh here in the plural number, to insinuate the plurality of persons in the Deity.
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Increase and multiply.... This is not a precept, as some Protestant controvertists would have it, but a blessing, rendering them fruitful; for God had said the same words to the fishes, and birds, (ver. 22) who were incapable of receiving a precept.
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1. In the beginning.] Holie Moyses telleth what was done in the beginning The Church had only Traditions & no Scripture aboue 2400. yeares. of the world, and so forward euen til his owne time, writing aboue two thousand and foure hundreth yeares after the beginning. Al which being incomprehensible by humaine witte or discourse, he knew partly by Reuelations from God, for he had the gyft of Prophecie in most excellent sorte: partly by Traditions from his elders, who lerned of their fathers. For vntil that time the Church had only Traditions of such things, as were reueled to special men, wherby we see the great authoritie of Traditions, before there were Scriptures. Tradition⸢s⸣ necessarie for three causes. And since Scriptures were written they are also necessarie, for three special reasons. First for that we are only assured by Tradition of the Church, that those bookes are in dede holie Scriptures, which are so accounted, and not by 1 the Scripture it selfe, for that were to proue the same by the same, vntil we be assured of some part, that proueth some other partes. And this made S. Augustin to say plainly, that he could not beleue the Gospel, except the Church told him •••. Epist. •und. c. •5 vvhich is the Gospel. Secondly holie Scriptures being once knowen to be the 2 word of God, and so of most eminent authoritie of al writings in the world, Scripture of most eminent authoritie. as S. Augustin S. Ierome, & al other Fathers agree, yet for the true vnderstanding of the same, both the Scripture it selfe, and the ancient Fathers remitte vs to the Church, namely to those in the Church, that are appointed by Gods ordinance, in the high place that he hath chosen. VVhich were the High Priests in the old Testament, as appeareth: Deut. 17. Mat. 23. Ioan. 11. And in the new Testament, S. Peter and his Successors for whom Christ prayed that his faith should not faile: and therfore commanded him to confirme his bretheren Luc. 22. Thirdly for things not expressed in particular in holie Scripture, the Scripture Luc. 10, 16. Act. 15, 28. 2. Thess. 2. Origen. super. Gen. c. 1. Aug. li. 2. de Gen. cont Manich. ca. 2. and Fathers do likewise remitte vs to Traditions, and to the iudgement • and testimonie of the Church. Christ saying to his Apostles: he that heareth you heareth me. The Apostles doubted not to say: It semed good to the Holie Ghost and to vs. And S. Paul willed the Thessalonians to hold the traditions, vvhich they had lerned, whether it were by word, or by his Epistle.
1. In the beginning God made heauen and earth.] Al writers ancient and later Scriptures hard. find such difficulties in these first chapters, that some otherwise very lerned haue thought it not possible to vnderstand the same according to the proper and vsual signification of the wordes, as the letter may seme to sound, but expound al allegorically, as that by the waters aboue the firmament should be vnderstood the blessed Angels, by the waters vnder the firmament wicked spitites, and the like. So did Origen and diuers that folow him therein. Yea S. Augustin in his bookes vpon Genesis against the Manichees, written shortly after his conuersion, when he could not find as he desired a good and probable sense agreable to the wordes, in their proper signification, expounded them mystically, but afterwards in his other bookes de Genesi ad literam, lib. 1. c. 18. & lib. 8. c. 2. he gratfully acknowledgeth that God had geuen him further sight therin, and that now he supposed he could interprete al according to the proper signification of the wordes. yet so that he durst not nor would not addict him selfe to one sense, but that he was readie to imbrace an other, lest by sticking to his owne iudgement he might faile. So likewise S. Basil, S. Chrisostom, Bas. ho. 9. in Genes. Chrisost. epist. 44. Amb. & Beda in examen. Ieron. Epistol. ad Eustoch. Gen. 1. v. 3. & 14. Exo. 20, 5. & 18, v. 20. Ioan. 8, 25. Rom. •. S. Ambrose, S. Ierome, S. Bede, and other greatest Doctors found & confessed great difficulties in these first chapters, which they with much studie endeuored to explicate. And therfore it is a wonder to see our Protestants & Puritans hold this Paradox, that Scriptures are easie to be vnderstood. VVheras both by testimonie of those that haue in deede studied & laboured in them, and by a why Scriptures are hard. litle due consideration, the cōtrarie is most euident. For whosoeuer wil looke into the holie Scriptures, shal find that some times in shew one place semeth contrarie to an other; some times the letter & phrase are obscure & ambiguous; Three spiritual senses besides the Literal. some times the sentences vnperfect. Againe manie speaches are prophetical, manie parabolical, metaphorical, and vttered vnder other tropes and figures, and that in the literal sense. Moreouer there are three spiritual senses besides the literal, very frequent in holie Scripture. Allegorical pertayning to Christ and the Church; Moral pertayning to maners; and Anagogical Allegorical Moral. Anagogical. pertayning to the next life. As this word Ierusalem literally signifieth the head citie of Iewrie: Morally the soule of man: Allegorically the Church militant: and Anagogically the Church triumphant. And sometimes this (and the like of others) metaphorically in the literal sense signifieth the Church militant, and not the citie of Iewrie, as in the 12. chapter to the Hebrewes: and some • times the Church triumphant, as in the 21. of the Apocalips.
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2. The Spirite of God.] In the Hebrew it is signified, that the Spirite of God was on the waters to make them fertile, for that fishes and birdes were to be procreated therof; the word is merahepheth, incubabat, sate vpon, to produce fruict (saith S. Ierom) from the waters, as a henne by her heate, produceth Ieron. Epistol. 8•. ad Ocea. Tert. d• Baptis. life in the egges. And the same S. Ierom, and before him Tertullian teach, that this was a figure of Baptisme, which consisteth of water and the Holie Ghost. A figure of Baptisme. For as water in the beginning of the world receiued a certain vital vertue of the Holie Ghost to produce liuing creatures: so also Baptisme receiueth vertue of the same Holie Ghost to procreate new men. VVherupon Tertullian calleth Christians called fishes. Christians fishes, because they are gotten from the waters, and thence haue their first spiritual life. Let it not therfore seme strange (saith he) that in Baptisme VVaters geue life.
Act. 14, 15. 17, 24. Psalm. 32, 6. 135, 5. Eccli. 10, 1. •eb. 11, 3.
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The firmament is al the space from the earth to the hieghest starres. the lowest part diuideth betwene the waters on the earth and the waters in the ayer. S. Aug. li. II. de Gen. ad lit. c. 4
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Concordanza Iob. 38. Ier. 10, 13.
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Likewise heauē is al the space aboue the earth. in whose lowest part are birdes and waters, in the higher part starres. the hieghest is the Empyrial heauen. Esa. 66.
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The lights made the first day, are disposed the fourth day in their proper courses for more distinction of times. S. Dionys. ca. 4. de diuin. nom. S. Tho. p. 1. q. 67. a. 4. & q. 70. a. 2.
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16. Tvvo great lights, and starres.] Here occurreth an other example of the hardnes of holie Scripture. For if the two great lights (towit the Sunne & the Moone) and also the starres, vvere made the fourth day, and not before, as it m•y seme by the wordes in this place, then what was that light, and in what Light being an accident remayned without subiect, by the iudgement of some lerned Fathers. subiect was it, that was made the first day? S. Basil, S. Gregorie Nazianzen, Theodoret, and some others, writing vpon this place do thinke that the light, which was made the first day, remayned though an accident without his subiect til the fourth day. And albeit most other Doctors rather think that the substance of the Sunne & Moone, & of other planets and starres were created the first day, and the fourth day set in that order and course which now they kepe, with more distinction for signes and seasons, and dayes and yeares: yet it is clere that the foresaid ancient Doctors iudged it possible, that accidents may remaine without their subiect. which a Sacramentarie wil be loath to grant, The accidents of breade and wine can remaine by Gods power without their subiectes. Tenne prerogatiues of man in his creation. 1. made like to God. 2. The Mysterie of the B. Trinitie insinuated in his creation. 3. produced by God him selfe. lest it might be proued possible, as both these & al other Catholique Doctors beleued and taught, that the accidents of bread and wine remaine in the blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist without their subiects. VVhich Protestants denie.
The Sūne & Moone: for though the moone be the least visible starre except Mercurie, yet it geueth more light on the earth by reason it is nerer, and so Moyses speaketh according to the vulgar capacitie and vse of things. S. Aug. li. 2. de Gen. ad lit. ca. 16.
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26. Let vs make man to our Image.] For better consideration of Gods bountie towards vs, and sturring our selues to gratitude towards him, we may here note tenne prerogatiues bestowed on vs, by our Lord & maker in our creation aboue al other earthlie creatures. First, wheras God by an imperial word of commandment made other creatures, Fiat lux, Fiat firmamentum: Be there light: Be there a firmament: intending to make man, he procedeth familiarly, by way, as it were, of consultation, and as to his owne vse and seruice to make man saying: Let vs make man to our image and likenes, that is to say, a reasonable creature with vnderstanding and free wil, which beastes haue not. Secondly, in this worke God first insinuateth the high Mysterie of the B. Trinitie, or pluralitie of Persons in one God (because man is to beleue the same) signifying the pluralitie of Persons by the wordes Let vs make, and to our: and the vnitie in substance, by the wordes Image and likenes, the first in the plural number, the later in the singular. Thirdly, other creatures were produced by the waters and earth, Let the vvaters bring forth (fishe and soule) Let the earth bring forth (grasse and cattle, & other beastes) but God brought forth man, not by the earth, though of the earth, nor by water, nor by heauen, nor by Angels, but by him selfe, geuing him a reasonable soule, not sensual only as to beastes, and the same not produced of anie creature, but created immediatly of nothing. Fourthly, God 4. placed in paradise. 5. Lord of al earthlie creatures. 6. innocencie. gaue man Paradise a most pleasant place to dwel in. Fiftly, God gaue man dominion and imperial authoritie ouer alliuing creatures vnder heauen. Sixtly, man was created in that innocencie of life, and integritie of al vertues, that his mind was wholly subiect to God, his sense to reason, his bodie to his spirite, and al other liuing creatures obedient to him: euen the terrible Lions, the cruel Tigres, the huge Elephants, and the wildest birdes. Seuently, God 7. excellent knowlege. brought them al to man, as to do him homage, and to take their names of him. VVhich by his excellent knowledge he gaue them conformable to their natures. Eightly, God gaue man in some sorte an immortal bodie, that if he had 8. powre to liue euer. 9. gift of prophecie. kept Gods commandment, he had liued long and pleasantly in this world, and so should haue bene translated to eternal life without dying. Ninthly, God did not only adorne man with al natural knowledge, and supernatural vertues, but also with the gift of prophecie. VVherby the knew that Eue was a bone of his bones, and flesh of his flesh, though being a slepe he knew not when 10. God conuersed familiarly with man. she was made. Tenthly (which was the chiefe benefite of al) God conuersed familiarly with man, and that in shape of man, which was a token of his meruelous great loue to man, and a singular incitment of him to loue God. Reade more, if you please, of the dignitie of man, and the benefites of God towards him in his creation, in S. Bernard vpon the 99. Psalme. And vpon the 61. chapter of Esaie.
Concordanza Col. 3, 10.
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Concordanza Mat. 19, 4.
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28. Increase and multiplie.] VVhether this be a commandment or no, at least Gods blessing alwayes effectual. it is a blessing, for so the wordes before conuince, God blessed them and said: Increase and multiplie. He said the same also to brute creatures, which are not capable of a precept, but by this were made fertile. VVherby we see that Gods Especially in the holie Eucharist. blessing alwayes worketh some real effect: as of fertilitie in this and other places, of multiplication of the loaues and fishes, Ioan 6. And some real effect Christs blessing must nedes worke also in the blessed Sacrament. Mat. 26. VVhich can be no other but changing bread and wine into his bodie & bloud, seing him selfe expresly sayeth: This is my bodie. this is my bloud.
And though Gods blessing in this place, be also a precept, yet it is not to al men for euer, but for the propagation of mankind, which being long since Not al men & ⸢w⸣emen commanded to marie. abundantly propagared, the obligation of the precept ceaseth the cause ceasing. So S. Cyprian, S. Ierome, S. Augustin, and other Fathers expound this place. And confirme the same by the text, for immediatly God signifying to what end he spoke, saith: and replenish the earth. VVhich benig replenished, Gods wil is therin fulfilled.
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Euerie creature in nature is good, but al considered together make the whole world perfect. most apt to mans vse and Gods glorie. S. Aug. li. 1 de Gen. cont. Manich. ca. 21.
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Teodoto † fl. 160 d.C. Excerpts of Theodotus 1
III. “In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth,”
san Giustino † 165 d.C. Hortatory Address to the Greeks 28
… To show that the poet transferred to his own poem much of what is contained in the divine writings of the prophets. And first he transferred what Moses had related as the beginning of the creation of the world. For Moses wrote thus: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,”
sant'Ireneo di Lione † 202 d.C. Against Heresies 1.18.1
… Moses, then, they declare, by his mode of beginning the account of the creation, has at the commencement pointed out the mother of all things when he says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth;”
sant'Ireneo di Lione † 202 d.C. Against Heresies 2.2.5
… He at first narrated the formation of the world in these words: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 3
… Do I seem to you to be weaving arguments, Hermogenes? How neatly does Scripture lend us its aid, when it applies the two titles to Him with a distinction, and reveals them each at its proper time! For (the title) God , indeed, which always belonged to Him, it names at the very first: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth;”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 19
… Now, inasmuch as the heaven and the earth are the principal works of God, and since, by His making them first, He constituted them in an especial manner the beginning of His creation, before all things else, with good reason does the Scripture preface (its record of creation) with the words, “In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth;”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 20
… Now in this there is all the greater reason why there should be shown the material (if there were any) out of which God made all things, inasmuch as it is therein plainly revealed by whom He made all things. “In the beginning was the Word” —that is, the same beginning, of course, in which God made the heaven and the earth
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 22
… Therefore, just as He shows us the original out of which He drew such things as were derived from a given source, so also with regard to those things of which He does not point out whence He produced them, He confirms (by that silence our assertion) that they were produced out of nothing. “In the beginning,” then, “God made the heaven and the earth.”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 26
We, however, have but one God, and but one earth too, which in the beginning God made.
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 29
… It therefore follows that the sentence, “Now the earth was without form, and void,” applies to that same earth which God mentioned separately along with the heaven.
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. On Baptism 3
… For water is one of those things which, before all the furnishing of the world, were quiescent with God in a yet unshapen state. “In the first beginning,” saith Scripture , “God made the heaven and the earth. But the earth was invisible, and unorganized, and darkness was over the abyss; and the Spirit of the Lord was hovering over the waters.”
sant'Ippolito † 235 d.C. The Refutation of All Heresies 8.2
… (Now this figure is) a life-giving fire, which is generated from light, from whence the Great Archon originated. And respecting this (Archon) Moses observes: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen De Principiis 2.9.1
… These, then, are the things which we are to believe were created by God in the beginning, i.e., before all things. And this, we think, is indicated even in that beginning which Moses has introduced in terms somewhat ambiguous, when he says, “In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth.”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen De Principiis 3.6.8
… For if we rightly understand the matter, this is the statement of Moses in the beginning of his book, when he says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John 1.17
Again, there is a beginning in a matter of origin, as might appear in the saying:
san Metodio d'Olimpo † 311 d.C. Fragments 2
VIII. The saint says that the Book of Job is by Moses. He says, concerning the words, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,”
sant'Ilario di Poitiers † 367 d.C. De Trinitate or On the Trinity 2.13
… What means this In the beginning was? He ranges backward over the spaces of time, centuries are left behind, ages are cancelled. Fix in your mind what date you will for this beginning; you miss the mark, for even then He, of Whom we are speaking, was. Survey the universe, note well what is written of it, In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. On the Incarnation of the Word 2
… For it knows that it was not spontaneously, because forethought is not absent; nor of existing matter, because God is not weak; but that out of nothing, and without its having any previous existence, God made the universe to exist through His word, as He says firstly through Moses: “In
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. De Decretis. (Defence of the Nicene Definition.) 3
… but rather he will confess that the son is an image of the father, but the house a work of art, unless his mind be disordered, and he beside himself. Plainly, divine Scripture, which knows better than any the nature of everything, says through Moses, of the creatures, ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 2.21
… but the Offspring is not from without nor a work, but from the Father, and proper to His Essence. Wherefore they are creatures; this God’s Word and Only-begotten Son. For instance, Moses did not say of the creation, ‘In the beginning He begat,’ nor ‘In the beginning was,’ but ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. On the Symbols 'Of the Essence' And 'Coessential.' 1
… for they are not offsprings in their nature, but works. Thus, it is said, ‘in the beginning God,’ not ‘generated,’ but ‘made the heaven and the earth, and all that is in them’ (
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 1.2
2. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. Answer to Eunomius' Second Book 1
… “In the beginning,” he says, “God created,” not the names of heaven and earth, but, “the heaven and the earth
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. On the Making of Man 1.2
2. These, moreover, were first framed before other things, according to the Divine wisdom, to be as it were a beginning of the whole machine, the great Moses indicating, I suppose, where he says that the heaven and the earth were made by God “in the beginning
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. On the Holy Spirit 2.5
… For it is written: “By the Word of the Lord were the heavens established, and all the strength of them by the Spirit of His Mouth.” Observe what he says, that all the strength of the heavens is to be referred to the Spirit. For how should He Who was moving
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 8
Ye have lately heard, how all Scripture bringeth consolation and comfort, although it be an historical narrative. For instance, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth,”
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 4
… For neither Father nor Son are limited in any way. Since, if “there is no end of His greatness” ( Ps. cxlv. 3 ), and if “of His wisdom there is no number” ( Ps. cxlvii. 5 ), it is clear that there cannot be any beginning in time to His Essence. Thou hast heard, that “In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth” (
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 57.11
… or, because Hebrew has in addition to the article other prefixes as well, he must with an unhappy pedantry translate syllable by syllable and letter by letter thus: σὺν τὸν ὀυρανὸν καὶ σὺν τὴν γήν , a construction which neither Greek nor Latin admits of,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions the-opinion-of-st-augustin-con
… What some think of them they may have seen, but that they have given much pleasure, and do give pleasure, to many brethren I know. From the First to the Tenth they have been written of myself; in the remaining three, of the Sacred Scriptures, from the text, ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,’ even to the rest of the Sabbath (
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 4.9
… Blessed be he who loveth Thee, and his friend in Thee, and his enemy for Thy sake. For he alone loses none dear to him to whom all are dear in Him who cannot be lost. And who is this but our God, the God that created heaven and earth,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 11.3
5. Let me hear and understand how in the beginning Thou didst make the heaven and the earth.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 11.5
… And he assigns to it already existing, and as it were having a being, a form, as clay, or stone, or wood, or gold, or such like. And whence should these things be, hadst not Thou appointed them? Thou didst make for the workman his body,—Thou the mind commanding the limbs,—Thou the matter whereof he makes anything,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 12.17
24. For they say, “Although these things be true, yet Moses regarded not those two things, when by divine revelation he said, ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.’
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 8.11
… What warrants this supposition are the opening verses of Genesis: “In the beginning God made the heaven and earth. And the earth was invisible, and without order; and darkness was over the abyss: and the Spirit of God moved over the waters.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 11.4
… of all invisible, the greatest is God. But, that the world is, we see; that God is, we believe. That God made the world, we can believe from no one more safely than from God Himself. But where have we heard Him? Nowhere more distinctly than in the Holy Scriptures, where His prophet said, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 12.15
… if at least the angels are intended by that light which was first made, or, rather, by that heaven of which it is said, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Holy Trinity 1.12
… For, according to the form of God, He is the beginning, that also speaketh unto us, in which “beginning” God created the heaven and the earth;
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Catechising of the Uninstructed 3
5. The narration is full when each person is catechised in the first instance from what is written in the text, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Harmony of the Gospels 1.25
… For if they deny His deity, they are very easily refuted by His works, both in prophecy and in fulfilment. I do not speak of those works which they deem themselves at liberty not to credit, such as His work in the beginning, when He made heaven and earth, and all that is in them.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 68
1. All ye who are looking for a man’s many words, understand the One Word of God, “In the beginning was the Word.” Now, “In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 69.2
… “In the beginning was the Word.” If the Word had been made (for made indeed that was not by which all things were made); if the Word had been made, the Scripture would have said, “In the beginning God made the Word;” as it is said in Genesis, “In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 85.4
… By the day-star times are signified. So then before times, before all that is called “before;” before all that is not, or before all that is. For the Gospel does not say, “In the beginning God made the Word;” as it is said, “In the beginning God made the Heaven and the earth;”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 9.6
6. But observe what Himself saith, “The things which were written in the law, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me.” And we know that the law extends from the time of which we have record, that is, from the beginning of the world: “In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 26.8
… If I, being a man, do teach him who hears my word, the Father also teacheth him who hears His word. And if the Father teacheth him that hears His word, ask what Christ is, and thou wilt find the word of the Father. “In the beginning was the Word.” Not in the beginning God made the Word, just as “in the beginning God made the heaven and the earth.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 43.17
… but “am” to the Divine essence. “He was made,” because Abraham was a creature. He did not say, Before Abraham was, I was; but, “Before Abraham was made,” who was not made save by me, “I am.” Nor did He say this, Before Abraham was made I was made; for “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth;”
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 2.10
The earth is one of the four elements, dry, cold, heavy, motionless, brought into being by God, out of nothing on the first day. For in the beginning , he said, God created the heaven and the earth
Pseudo-Clement The Recognitions of Clement 1.27
“In the beginning, when God had made the heaven and the earth,
Pseudo-Clement The Recognitions of Clement 6.7
… but iron is wrought by fire, which fire is extinguished by water. But water is moved by spirit; and spirit has its beginning from God. For thus saith the prophet Moses: ‘In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth. But the earth was invisible, and unarranged; and darkness was over the deep: and the Spirit of God was upon the waters.’
Pseudo-Clement The Clementine Homilies 16.8
… for thus it is written: ‘Let the gods who did not make the heavens and the earth perish.’ And He said thus, not as though some had made the heavens and were not to perish, as you interpreted the passage. For it is plainly declared that He who made them is one in the very first part of Scripture:
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Teodoto † fl. 160 d.C. Excerpts of Theodotus 1
VII. Now, regeneration is by water and spirit, as was all creation: “For the Spirit of God moved on the abyss.”
sant'Ireneo di Lione † 202 d.C. Against Heresies 1.18.1
… Indicating also its invisible and hidden nature, he said, “Now the earth was invisible and unformed.”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. The Five Books Against Marcion 4.26
… Or to Him, who, by making and fashioning me, became my parent? Of whom can I ask for His Holy Spirit? Of him who gives not even the mundane spirit; or of Him “who maketh His angels spirits,” and whose Spirit it was which in the beginning hovered upon the waters.
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 23
But he draws an argument from the following words, where it is written: “And the earth was without form, and void.”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 25
He accordingly maintains that there are two earths set before us in the passage in question: one, which God made in the beginning; the other being the Matter of which God made the world, and concerning which it is said, “And the earth was without form, and void.”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 30
The following words will in like manner apparently corroborate the conjecture of Hermogenes, “And darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water;”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 32
… Of darkness, indeed, the Lord Himself by Isaiah says, “I formed the light, and I created darkness.” Of the wind
sant'Ippolito † 235 d.C. The Refutation of All Heresies 6.9
… Now this seventh power, which was a power existing in the indefinite power, which was produced prior to all the Ages, this is, he says, the seventh power, respecting which Moses utters the following words: “And the Spirit of God was wafted over
sant'Ippolito † 235 d.C. The Refutation of All Heresies 8.7
… And this (tittle) constitutes a perfect son of a perfect man. When, therefore, he says, Moses mentions that the rod was changeably brandished for the (introduction of the) plagues throughout Egypt —now these plagues, he says, are allegorically expressed symbols of the creation
sant'Ippolito † 235 d.C. The Discourse on the Holy Theophany 9
9. This is the Spirit that at the beginning “moved upon the face of the waters;”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen De Principiis iv.section24
… “In the beginning God made heaven and earth; and the earth was invisible, and not arranged:”
san Gregorio Taumaturgo † 270 d.C. A Sectional Confession of Faith 10
… “By the word of the Lord were the heavens stablished, and all the power of them by the breath (spirit) of His mouth.” And in the beginning of the book of the creation it is written thus: “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
Afraate † 346 d.C. Aphrahat: Select Demonstrations 6.14
… Remember the warning that the Apostle gives us:— Grieve not the Holy Spirit whereby ye have been sealed unto the day of redemption. For from baptism do we receive the Spirit of Christ. For in that hour in which the priests invoke the Spirit, the heavens open and it descends and moves upon the waters .
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 2.4
4. “Darkness was upon the face of the deep.”
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 2.6
6. And the Spirit of God was borne upon the face of the waters .
san Cirillo di Gerusalemme † 386 d.C. The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 3.5
… For water is a grand thing, and the noblest of the four visible elements of the world. Heaven is the dwelling-place of Angels, but the heavens are from the waters : the earth is the place of men, but the earth is from the waters: and before the whole six days’ formation of the things that were made, the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water
san Gregorio Nazianzeno † 389 d.C. Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 2.81
81. Everything has reverted to the original state of things
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. On the Mysteries 3
9. Consider, however, how ancient is the mystery prefigured even in the origin of the world itself. In the very beginning, when God made the heaven and the earth, “the Spirit,” it is said, “moved upon the waters.”
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 3
However, let us see the proofs which they produce to us. “In the beginning,” it is said, “God made the Heaven and the earth, and the earth was invisible and unformed.” (
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 69.6
… In the beginning the earth was without form and void, there was no dazzling sun or pale moon, there were no glittering stars. There was nothing but matter inorganic and invisible, and even this was lost in abysmal depths and shrouded in a distorting gloom. The Spirit of God above moved, as a charioteer, over the face of the waters,
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Dialogue Against the Luciferians 1
… How is a soul purged from its former stains which has not the Holy Ghost? For it is not mere water which washes the soul, but it is itself first purified by the Spirit that it may be able to spiritually wash the souls of men.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 12.3
3. And truly this earth was invisible and formless,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 12.8
8. But that heaven of heavens was for Thee, O Lord; but the earth, which Thou hast given to the sons of men, to be seen and touched, was not such as now we see and touch. For it was invisible and “without form,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 12.12
… But this Thou didst not leave to be formless, since before all days, in the beginning Thou createdst heaven and earth,—these two things of which I spoke. But the earth was invisible and without form, and darkness was upon the deep.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.2
3. How has corporeal matter deserved of Thee, to be even invisible and formless,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.4
… For to Thee, being perfect, their imperfection is displeasing, and therefore were they perfected by Thee, and were pleasing unto Thee; but not as if Thou wert imperfect, and wert to be perfected in their perfection. For Thy good Spirit was borne over the waters,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 22.8
8. How shall I make those whose minds are full of vanity understand that the actions of the prophets were also mystical and prophetic? The vanity of their minds is shown in their thinking that we believe God to have once existed in darkness, because it is written, "Darkness was over the deep."
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On Baptism, Against the Donatists 6.12
… and drink not of a strange fountain, that thou mayest live long, and that years may be added to thy life.’ And in the gospel our Lord Jesus Christ spake with His own voice, saying, ‘Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ This is the Spirit which from the beginning ‘moved upon the face of the waters.’
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians 2.15
… He maketh to differ, who, when the darkness was upon the face of the abyss, said, “Let there be light; and there was light, and divided”—that is, made to differ—“between the light and the darkness.”
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 2.8
It does not derive its light from itself, but is illuminated by sun, and moon, and stars, and fire. And this is just what the Scripture means when it says, And darkness was upon the deep
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 2.9
Water also is one of the four elements, the most beautiful of God’s creations. It is both wet and cold, heavy, and with a tendency to descend, and flows with great readiness. It is this the Holy Scripture has in view when it says, And darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 2.10
In the beginning, then, as the Holy Scripture says
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.9
For from the beginning the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters
1:3
Teodoto † fl. 160 d.C. Excerpts of Theodotus 1
XXXVIII. Against Tatian, who says that the words, “Let there be light,”
sant'Ireneo di Lione † 202 d.C. Against Heresies 4.32
… But if any one believes in [only] one God, who also made all things by the Word, as Moses likewise says, “God said, Let there be light: and there was light;”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. The Five Books Against Marcion 5.11
… Now he did not observe how much this clause of the sentence made against him: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to (give) the light of the knowledge (of His glory) in the face of (Jesus) Christ.” Now who was it that said; “Let there be light?”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 3
… For (the title) God , indeed, which always belonged to Him, it names at the very first: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth;” and as long as He continued making, one after the other, those things of which He was to be the Lord, it merely mentions God. “And God said,” “and God made,” “and God saw;”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Praxeas 7
Then, therefore, does the Word also Himself assume His own form and glorious garb, His own sound and vocal utterance, when God says, “Let there be light.”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Praxeas 12
… But in respect of the previous works of the world what says the Scripture? Its first statement indeed is made, when the Son has not yet appeared: “And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.”
sant'Ippolito † 235 d.C. The Refutation of All Heresies 7.10
… And this, as these men assert, is that which has been stated by Moses: “Let there be light, and there was light.”
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. Illud Omnia, &c. (On Luke x. 22.) 2
… Suffering Himself, He gave us rest, hungering Himself, He nourished us, and going down into Hades He brought us back thence. For example, at the time of the creation of all things, their creation consisted in a fiat, such as ‘let [the earth] bring forth,’ ‘let there be’ (
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 2.18
… For instance, God said, as Moses relates, ‘Let there be light,’ and ‘Let the waters be gathered together,’ and ‘let the dry land appear,’ and ‘Let Us make man
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 3.26
… like a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross .’ Any one, beginning with these passages and going through the whole of the Scripture upon the interpretation which they suggest, will perceive how in the beginning the Father said to Him, ‘Let there be light,’ and ‘Let there be a firmament,’ and ‘Let us make man
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 2.7
… The divine word gives every object a more cheerful and a more attractive appearance, just as when men in deep sea pour in oil they make the place about them clear. So, with a single word and in one instant, the Creator of all things gave the boon of light to the world.
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. Against Eunomius 2.7
… For thus the mighty Moses in the record of creation instructs us about the Divine power, ascribing the production of each of the objects that were manifested in the creation to the words that bade them be. For “God said,” he tells us, “Let there be light, and there was light
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. On the Holy Spirit 2.13
… For the divine operation works by the power of a command, not in the execution of a ministry; for God, when He works, does not fashion anything by toil or art, but “He spake and they were made.” He said, “Let there be light, and there was light,”
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. Exposition of the Christian Faith 1.5
37. They say that He was created. But who would reckon an author with his works, and have him seem to be what he has himself made?
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. Exposition of the Christian Faith 4.6
… Further, the Father hath seen the things that the Son made, and pronounced them very good; for so it is written in Genesis: “And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good.”
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 52
This was akin to that voice that said, “Let the Heaven be, and it was.”
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 2
“And upholding all things by the word of His power.” Tell me, “God said” (it is written), “Let there be light” (
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.3
4. But what Thou saidst in the beginning of the creation, “Let there be light, and there was light,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.12
… Yea, and our earth, before it received the “form of doctrine,” was invisible and formless, and we were covered with the darkness of ignorance. For Thou correctest man for iniquity, and “Thy judgments are a great deep.” But because Thy Spirit was “borne over the waters,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Letters of St. Augustin 37.2
… and the Giver and Dispenser of all spiritual gifts designs by your approbation to confirm my obedience to Him. For whatever in these writings of mine merits your approbation is from God, who has by me as His instrument said, “Let it be done,” and it was done; and in your approval God has pronounced that what was done is “good.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 75.4
… Let them read, and tell me how could God be wearied, who said, “Let it be made, and it was made.” To-day if a man could so do, as God did, how would he be wearied? He said, “Let there be light, and the light was made.” Again, “Let there be a firmament, and it was made:”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 20.2
… If He commanded and some one resisted Him, if He commanded and it was not done, and labored that it might be done, then justly He should be said to have rested after labor. But when in that same book of Genesis we read, “God said, Let there be light, and there was light; God said, Let there be a firmament, and the firmament was made,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 44.4
… Hearken why He did so. “The night cometh when no man can work.” Not even Thou, Lord. Will that night have such power that not even Thou, whose work the night is, wilt be able to work therein? For I think, Lord Jesus, nay I do not think, but believe and hold it sure, that Thou wast there when God said, “Let there be light, and there was light.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 7.19
… Thus then he says, “I will confess to the Lord according to His justice,” as one who saw that darkness was not made by God, but ordered nevertheless. For God said, “Let light be made, and light was made.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 67.9
… Ought by any means that earth alone to give her fruit? “May there bless us God, our God, may there bless us God” ( ver. 7 ). Still may He bless us: for blessing in multiplication is wont most chiefly and properly to be perceived. Let us prove this in Genesis; see the works of God: God made light,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 94.2
… we find light: what was created on the second day; we find the firmament, which God called heaven: what was created on the third day; we find the form of earth and sea, and their separation, that all the gathering together of the waters was called sea, and all that was dry, the earth. On the fourth day, the Lord made the lights in heaven:
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 2.7
Fire is one of the four elements, light and with a greater tendency to ascend than the others. It has the power of burning and also of giving light, and it was made by the Creator on the first day. For the divine Scripture says, And God said, Let there be light, and there was light
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.13
If then the Word of God is quick and energising , and the Lord did all that He willed ; if He said, Let there be light and there was light, let there be a firmament and there was a firmament
1:4
sant'Ippolito † 235 d.C. The Refutation of All Heresies 8.2
… But (he acted in quite a contrary manner), for he subjected (darkness) to the Æons. After, then, he had formed the firmament over the nether world, “he both divided the darkness from the light, and called the light which was above the firmament day, and the darkness he called night.”
san Tascio Cecilio Cipriano † 258 d.C. The Seventh Council of Carthage under Cyprian. Concerning the Baptism of Heretics 1
Lucianus of Rucuma said: It is written, “And God saw the light, that it was good, and divided between the light and the darkness.”
Archelao † fl. 278 d.C. The Acts of the Disputation with the Heresiarch Manes 23
… If God is seated in His kingdom, and if the wicked one in like manner is seated in his kingdom, who can have constructed the wall between them? For no object can divide two substances except one that is greater than either, even as it is said in the book of Genesis, that “God divided the light from the darkness.”
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 2.7
And God saw the light, that it was good .
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.20
… that being set over them as an authority, under which they were to fly whithersoever they were to go. For “there is no speech, nor language, where their voice is not heard;” seeing their sound “hath gone through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world,” because Thou, O Lord, hast multiplied these things by blessing.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Holy Trinity 4.6
… For as the first days of all were reckoned from light to night, on account of the future fall of man;
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On Baptism, Against the Donatists 7.7
Chapter 7.— 12. Lucianus of Rucuma said: "It is written, ‘And God saw the light that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness.’
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 44.4
… and therefore it is said, “All things were made by Him; and without Him was nothing made.” “God divided between the light and the darkness: the light He called Day, and the darkness He called Night.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 7.19
… For God said, “Let light be made, and light was made.” He did not say, Let darkness be made, and darkness was made: and yet He ordered it. And therefore it is said, “God divided between the light, and the darkness: and God called the light day, and the darkness He called night.”
1:5
sant'Ippolito † 235 d.C. On Genesis 1
Gen. i. 5 And it was evening, and it was morning, one day.
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 2.8
8. “ And God called the light Day and the darkness he called Night .”
san Cirillo di Gerusalemme † 386 d.C. The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 13.24
… That day is neither day nor night? what then shall we name it? The Gospel interprets it, by relating the event. It was not day; for the sun shone not uniformly from his rising to his setting, but from the sixth hour till the ninth hour, there was darkness at mid-day. The darkness therefore was interposed; but God called the darkness night
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.14
… Betwixt whom and us, in this as yet uncertain state of human knowledge, Thou only dividest, who provest our hearts and callest the light day, and the darkness night.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 71.14
… Do we when we say, for example, thirty days have gone by, mention the nights also; do we not under the very term days include the nights also? In Genesis what was said? “The evening was made, and the morning was made, one day.”
papa san Leone I Magno † 461 d.C. Sermons 27
… one of which is of greater brightness and the other of lesser light? For as it is now day time and now night time, so the Creator has constituted divers kinds of luminaries, although even before they were made there had been days without the sun and nights without the moon
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 2.7
… In the beginning, then, that is to say on the first day, God created light, the ornament and glory of the whole visible creation. For take away light and all things remain in undistinguishable darkness, incapable of displaying their native beauty. And God called the light day, but the darkness He called night
Anonymous The Teaching of the Apostles 4
4. The apostles further appointed: On the eve of the Sabbath ,
Ecumenical Councils The Canons of the Council in Trullo 90
… and the custom of keeping feasts and whole days generally from evening to evening is believed to have been an Apostolic tradition, received by them from the Jews. At the end of the VIII th Century the Synod of Frankfort declared in its xxj. canon, that “the Lord’s day should be kept from evening to evening.”
1:6
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Praxeas 12
… From that moment God willed creation to be effected in the Word, Christ being present and ministering unto Him: and so God created. And God said, “Let there be a firmament,…and God made the firmament;”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. On Baptism 3
… water alone—always a perfect, gladsome, simple material substance, pure in itself—supplied a worthy vehicle to God. What of the fact that waters were in some way the regulating powers by which the disposition of the world thenceforward was constituted by God? For the suspension of the celestial firmament in the midst He caused by “dividing the waters;”
sant'Ippolito † 235 d.C. The Refutation of All Heresies 5.22
… For there has been a separation made between water and water; and there is water, that below the firmament of the wicked creation, in which earthly and animal men are washed; and there is life-giving water, (that) above the firmament,
sant'Ippolito † 235 d.C. On Genesis 1
Gen. i. 6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water.
sant'Ilario di Poitiers † 367 d.C. De Trinitate or On the Trinity 4.16
… His words are, And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it divide the water from the water. And it was so, and God made the firmament and God divided the water through the midst
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. Against the Heathen (Contra Gentes) 46
… and God said, “let us make man in our image and after our likeness:” for also when He was carrying out the creation of the heaven and earth and all things, the Father said to Him
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 3.2
2. And God said “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 3.4
4. “ And God said, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament .”
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 3.5
5. But let us continue our explanation: “ Let it divide the waters from the waters .”
san Cirillo di Gerusalemme † 386 d.C. The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 9.5
… they, who ought to have worshipped Him who reared the sky as a dome, who out of the fluid nature of the waters formed the stable substance of the heaven. For God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. On the Decease of His Brother Satyrus 2.85
85. Divine action has no need of human assistance. God commanded that the heavens should come into existence, and it was done; He determined that the earth should be created, and it was created.
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. Exposition of the Christian Faith 1.3
… “Serve not two lords.” And the Law saith: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord thy God is one God;” moreover, in the same Testament it is written: “The Lord rained from the Lord.” The Lord, it is said, sent rain “from the Lord.” So also you may read in Genesis: “And God said,—and God made,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 12.8
… For very wonderful is this corporeal heaven, of which firmament, between water and water, the second day after the creation of light, Thou saidst, Let it be made, and it was made.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.15
16. Or who but Thou, our God, made for us that firmament
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 11.34
Some, however, have supposed that the angelic hosts are somehow referred to under the name of waters, and that this is what is meant by “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters:”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 48.1
… For on the second day of the week, that is, the day after the first which we call the Lord’s day, which also is called the second week-day, was made the firmament of Heaven.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 102.29
… the heavens are the works of His hands. For do not imagine that God doth one thing with His hand, another by His word. What He doth by His word, He doth by His hand: for He hath not distinct bodily members, who said, “I Am That I Am.” And perhaps His Word is His hand, assuredly His hand is His power. For inasmuch as it is said, “Let there be a firmament,”
1:7
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 26
… it next proceeds to set forth what sort of earth it was. In like manner with respect to the heaven, it informs us first of its creation—“In the beginning God made the heaven:” it then goes on to introduce its arrangement; how that God both separated “the water which was below the firmament from that which was above the firmament,”
sant'Ippolito † 235 d.C. The Refutation of All Heresies 5.4
… For this, he says, is the nature of respiration. “But the fourth river is Euphrates.” This, they assert, is the mouth, through which are the passage outwards of prayer, and the passage inwards of nourishment. (The mouth) makes glad, and nurtures and fashions the Spiritual Perfect Man. This, he says, is “the water that is above the firmament,”
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 3.4
… But do not let us forget to remark that, after these divine words “let there be a firmament,” it is not said “and the firmament was made” but, “and God made the firmament, and divided the waters.”
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 9.8
… but this star, great and marvellous as it is, bends downward, and looks toward the earth, which is contrary to the nature of fire; owing to the power of Him who hath commanded it. Wouldest thou have me speak of another thing of the like kind? Waters embrace the back of the visible heaven
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 51.5
… “When he mentions the third heaven, and then adds the word paradise, he shows that heaven is in one place and paradise in another.” Must not every one reject and despise such special pleading as that by which Origen says of the waters that are above the firmament
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.20
… and the voices of Thy messengers flying above the earth, near to the firmament of Thy Book; that being set over them as an authority, under which they were to fly whithersoever they were to go. For “there is no speech, nor language, where their voice is not heard;” seeing their sound
1:8
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 26
… In like manner with respect to the heaven, it informs us first of its creation—“In the beginning God made the heaven:” it then goes on to introduce its arrangement; how that God both separated “the water which was below the firmament from that which was above the firmament,” and called the firmament heaven,
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 3.8
8. “ And God called the firmament heaven .”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 68.10
… after it had been said, “The Heavens are telling forth the glory of God:” after the manner of Scripture repeating the same sense in different words, subsequently there is said, “And the firmament telleth the works of His hands.” First he said “Heavens,” not “Heaven:” and yet afterwards not “firmaments,” but “firmament.” For God called the firmament Heaven,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 68.38
… Therefore above the Heaven of Heaven He sitteth at the right hand of the Father. This is what the Apostle saith, “the Same is He that hath ascended above all Heavens.” For what of Heavens doth remain after the Heaven of Heaven? Which also we may call the Heavens of Heavens, just as He hath called the firmament Heaven:
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 2.6
… But further, God called the firmament also heaven
1:9
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 29
… Then it forthwith becomes “visible,” God saying, “Let the water be gathered together into one mass, and let the dry land appear.”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. A Strain of the Judgment of the Lord 1
70 Disjoined; and man’s dear form with His own hands
sant'Ippolito † 235 d.C. Doubtful Fragments on the Pentateuch 4
… And the floodgates of heaven were opened, and the rains broke upon the earth. And that same voice, in sooth, which had said of old, “Let the waters be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear,”
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 4.2
2. “ And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear, and it was so .” And the water which was under the heaven gathered together unto one place; “And God called the dry land earth and the gathering together of the waters called He seas.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 12.22
… For those waters, which we perceive flowing in so beautiful a manner, remain not formless and invisible. But if, then, they received that beauty when God said, Let the water which is under the firmament be gathered together,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.17
20. Who hath gathered the embittered together into one society? For they have all the same end, that of temporal and earthly happiness, on account of which they do all things, although they may fluctuate with an innumerable variety of cares. Who, O Lord, unless Thou, saidst, Let the waters be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear,
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Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 29
… “Dry,” because it was about to become such by its severance from the moisture, but yet “land.” “And God called the dry land Earth ,”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Genesis 1
(Its name assigned ) the dry land’s story ’gins:
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 4.5
“ And God called the dry land earth; and the gathering together of the waters called He seas .”
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 4.6
… fair too, when, ruffled by a light breeze of wind, its surface shows tints of purple and azure,—when, instead of lashing with violence the neighbouring shores, it seems to kiss them with peaceful caresses. However, it is not in this that Scripture makes God find the goodness and charm of the sea. Here it is the purpose of the work which makes the goodness.
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 48.19
19. I will come now to the passage in which I am accused of saying that—at least according to the true Hebrew text—the words “God saw that it was good”
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Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 22
… “Let the earth,” says He, “bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit-tree yielding fruit after its kind, whose seed is in itself, after its kind. And it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after its kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after its kind.”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 29
… And so, when it afterwards attains its perfection, it ceases to be accounted void, when God declares, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed after its kind, and according to its likeness, and the fruit-tree yielding fruit, whose seed is in itself, after its kind.”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen Against Celsus 8.34
Celsus would also have us to offer first-fruits to demons. But we would offer them to Him who said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth.”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen's Commentary on Matthew 10.19
… nor the air apart from tillage, but rather He who by His providence has enacted that the things which spring up from the earth could not spring up apart from tillage; for this He has done once for all in the law, “Let the earth put forth grass sowing seed after its kind and after its likeness;”
san Pietro I di Alessandria † 311 d.C. Fragments from the Writings of Peter 5.1
… For then, as they say, our eternal God also, the Maker and Creator of all things, framed all things, and said to them, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth.” Then he adds, “And it was so; and God saw that it was good.”
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 5.1
1. “ And God said Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself .”
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 5.6
6. “ Let the earth ,” the Creator adds, “ bring forth the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself .”
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. Homilies on First Thessalonians 7
… What takes place is neither from the earth, nor from the grape-stone, but from Him who is Lord both of the earth and of its seeds. For this reason He has caused the same thing to be made both without them, and with them. In the first place, showing His own power, when he said, “Let the earth bring forth the herb of grass.” (From
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. Homilies on 1 Timothy 15
… 8 , Sept.), saith God of Himself. And He hath given to men a similar power; as a painter, being an affectionate father, teaches his own art to his son. I formed thy body beautiful, he says, but I give thee the power of forming something better. Make thy soul beautiful. I said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, and every fruitful tree.” (
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.17
21. But as for the souls that thirst after Thee, and that appear before Thee (being by other bounds divided from the society of the sea), them Thou waterest by a secret and sweet spring, that the earth may bring forth her fruit,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.19
24. But first, “Wash you, make you clean;” put away iniquity from your souls, and from before mine eyes, that the dry land may appear. “Learn to do well; judge the fatherless; plead for the widow,” that the earth may bring forth the green herb for meat, and the tree bearing fruit;
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 72.18
… but grass bearing fruit, as is that of wheat: for even this is called grass in Holy Scripture; as in Genesis
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.13
… if God the Word of His own will became man and the pure and undefiled blood of the holy and ever-virginal One made His flesh without the aid of seed , can He not then make the bread His body and the wine and water His blood? He said in the beginning, Let the earth bring forth grass
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san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 7.3
3. What then is this introduction? “In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth, and the earth was invisible, and unformed, and darkness was upon the face of the abyss.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.18
… Let us clothe the naked, and despise not those of our own flesh. The which fruits having sprung forth from the earth, behold, because it is good;
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Tertulliano † 220 d.C. The Five Books Against Marcion 2.3
… When, however, an initial act had been once done by it, the scheme of temporal seasons began, for distinguishing and noting which, the stars and luminaries of heaven were arranged in their order. “Let them be,” says God, “for seasons, and for days, and years.”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. The Five Books Against Marcion 5.6
… For because ages consist of times, and times are made up of days, and months, and years; since also days, and months, and years are measured by suns, and moons, and stars, which He ordained for this purpose (for “they shall be,” says He, “for signs of the months and the years”),
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Praxeas 12
… From that moment God willed creation to be effected in the Word, Christ being present and ministering unto Him: and so God created. And God said, “Let there be a firmament,…and God made the firmament;” and God also said, “Let there be lights (in the firmament); and so God made a greater and a lesser light.”
san Metodio d'Olimpo † 311 d.C. The Banquet of the Ten Virgins; or Concerning Chastity 8.15
If the sun and the moon and the other stars were made for the division and protection of the members of the time,
sant'Ilario di Poitiers † 367 d.C. De Trinitate or On the Trinity 12.34
… For if they had a beginning, the Apostle is a liar for declaring them to be eternal. For you all are accustomed to reckon the times from the creation of the sun and the moon, since it is written of them, And let them be for signs and for times and for years
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 2.17
… and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.’ And then he says, ‘And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven, to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 6.2
2. “ And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to divide the day from the night .”
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 6.4
4. “ And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years .”
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 6.8
8. Let us return to the words which follow. “Let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.”
san Cirillo di Gerusalemme † 386 d.C. The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 9.8
… and how some mark the season for sowing, and others shew the commencement of navigation . And a man sitting in his ship, and sailing amid the boundless waves, steers his ship by looking at the stars. For of these matters the Scripture says well, And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for years
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 11.23
… Or should there in our words be some syllables long, others short, but because those sounded in a longer time, these in a shorter? God grant to men to see in a small thing ideas common to things great and small. Both the stars and luminaries of heaven are “for signs and for seasons, and for days and years.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.18
22. Thus, O Lord, thus, I beseech Thee, let there arise, as Thou makest, as Thou givest joy and ability,—let “truth spring out of the earth, and righteousness look down from heaven,” and let there be “lights in the firmament.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Letters of St. Augustin 55.13
… saturated with the showers of autumn;” and so on, in regard to any other natural effects of the motion and moisture of the atmosphere which have been observed in connection with that consummately ordered revolution of the heavenly bodies concerning which it was said when they were made, “Let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 11.19
… the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven, to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 12.15
… And if time was even before the heavenly bodies, not indeed marked by hours, days, months, and years,—for these measures of time’s periods which are commonly and properly called times, did manifestly begin with the motion of the heavenly bodies, and so God said, when He appointed them, “Let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 110.10
… The morning star is put for the stars, as if the Scripture signified the whole from a part, and from one conspicuous star all the stars. But how were those stars created? “That they may be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.”
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sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.19
… “Learn to do well; judge the fatherless; plead for the widow,” that the earth may bring forth the green herb for meat, and the tree bearing fruit; and come let us reason together, saith the Lord, that there may be lights in the firmament of heaven, and that they may shine upon the earth.
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Bardesane † 222 d.C. Bardesan. The Book of the Laws of Divers Countries 1
… to be set aside as fallacious, because the wisdom of God is too profound for them—that wisdom which founded the world, and created man, and ordained Governors, and gave to all things the degree of pre-eminence which is suited to every one of them. What I mean is, that this power is possessed by God, and the Angels, and the Potentates, and the Governors,
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen De Principiis 1.7.4
4. And now we have to ascertain whether those beings which in the course of the discussion we have discovered to possess life and reason, were endowed with a soul along with their bodies at the time mentioned in Scripture, when “God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, and the stars also,”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen's Commentary on Matthew 13.6
… heed to the very letter of the passage, and first let us inquire, how he who has been cast into darkness and repressed by an impure and deaf and dumb spirit is said to be a “lunatic,” and for what reason the expression to be a “lunatic” derives its name from the great light in heaven which is next to the sun, which God appointed “to rule over the night.”
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 6.9
… It does not even preserve the form of objects, and thinks that all square towers are round. Thus all proves that at a great distance sight only presents to us obscure and confused objects. The luminary is then great, according to the witness of Scripture, and infinitely greater than it appears.
san Gregorio Nazianzeno † 389 d.C. Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 18.42
… What grievance can we find in being transferred hence to the true life? In being freed from the vicissitudes, the agitation, the disgust, and all the vile tribute we must pay to this life, to find ourselves, amid stable things, which know no flux, while as lesser lights, we circle round the great light?
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount 1.23
… But He does not say, “who maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good;” but He has added the word “His,” i.e. which He Himself made and established, and for the making of which He took nothing from any one, as it is written in Genesis respecting all the luminaries;
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sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 12.2
2. The weakness of my tongue confesseth unto Thy Highness, seeing that Thou madest heaven and earth. This heaven which I see, and this earth upon which I tread (from which is this earth that I carry about me), Thou hast made. But where is that heaven of heavens,
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Teodoto † fl. 160 d.C. Excerpts of Theodotus 1
… But some as head, some as eyes, some as ears, some as hands, some as breasts, some as feet, shall be set, resplendent, in the sun. “Shine forth as the sun,” or in the sun; since an angel high in command is in the sun. For he is appointed for rule over days; as the moon is for ruling over night.
san Metodio d'Olimpo † 311 d.C. The Banquet of the Ten Virgins; or Concerning Chastity 3.8
… and is conceived and formed by the Church, as by a woman. so as to give birth and nourishment to virtue. For in this way, too, the command, “Increase and multiply,”
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Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 22
… “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creatures that have life, and fowl that may fly above the earth through the firmament of heaven. And it was so. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind.”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen's Commentary on Matthew 10.11
… or otherwise blame could not rightly attach to those of the kinds that were such by nature, nor praise to those of a better kind. For the reason why fishes are good or bad lies not in the souls of the fishes, but is based on that which the Word said with knowledge, “Let the waters bring forth creeping things with living souls,”
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. Against the Heathen (Contra Gentes) 46
… 4. Wherefore He also persuades us and says , “He spake and they were made, He commanded and they were created;” as the illustrious Moses also at the beginning of his account of Creation confirms what we say by his narrative
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 3.8
… We often find the visible region called heaven, on account of the density and continuity of the air within our ken, and deriving its name “heaven” from the word which means to see. It is of it that Scripture says, “The fowl of the air,” “Fowl that may fly…in the open firmament of heaven;”
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 7.1
1. “ And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life ” after their kind, “ and fowl that may fly above the earth ” after their kind .
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Letters 188
… Yet I must not carelessly pass by the question started by an enquiring mind. At the creation of the world, birds of the air and the fishes of the sea had the same origin; for both kinds were produced from the water.
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 26
… henceforth all the fabric of our nature is framed above, of the Holy Ghost and water. The water is employed, being made the Birth to him who is born; what the womb is to the embryo, the water is to the believer; for in the water he is fashioned and formed. At first it was said, “Let the waters bring forth the creeping things that have life” (
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.20
26. Let the sea also conceive and bring forth your works, and let the waters bring forth the moving creatures that have life.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.21
29. And hereby, in Thy Word, not the depth of the sea, but the earth parted from the bitterness of the waters, bringeth forth not the creeping and flying creature that hath life,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Holy Trinity 3.8
… For those seeds that are visible now to our eyes from fruits and living things, are quite distinct from the hidden seeds of those former seeds; from which, at the bidding of the Creator, the water produced the first swimming creatures and fowl, and the earth the first buds after their kind, and the first living creatures after their kind.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on the Soul and its Origin 4.37
… Owing to this it is, no doubt, that we are placed above brute animals, since these are unendowed with reason. These animals therefore have not spirit ,—that is to say, intellect and a sense of reason and wisdom,—but only soul . For it is of these that it was spoken, “Let the waters bring forth the creeping creatures that have a living soul;”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 50.18
… What is that knowledge? O man, thou beginnest to see, after that thou hadst been formed, after that thou hadst received sense of seeing. These fowls sprung of the water at the word of God, saying, “Let the waters bring forth fowls.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 81.2
… See ye therefore to whom this Psalm speaketh. For it seems to me that it speaketh to the baptized. For on the fifth day God from the waters created animals: on the fifth day, that is, on the “fifth of the sabbath,” God said, “Let the waters bring forth creeping things of living souls.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 81.8
… when Joseph went out from the land of Egypt, that is, the people multiplied through Joseph, he was caused to pass through the Red Sea. Therefore then also the waters brought forth creeping things of living souls.
Socrate Scolastico † 440 d.C. The Ecclesiastical History of Socrates Scholasticus 5.22
… One can see also a disagreement about the manner of abstinence from food, as well as about the number of days. Some wholly abstain from things that have life: others feed on fish only of all living creatures: many together with fish, eat fowl also, saying that according to Moses,
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Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 12
… Well, then, I will adopt this definite opinion of his, and by means thereof refute him. I blame Matter with a like censure, because out of it, evil though it be—nay, very evil—good things have been created, nay, “very good” ones: “And God saw that they were good, and God blessed them”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen De Principiis 2.8.1
… For the general opinion of all men maintains this; and confirmation from the authority of holy Scripture is added, when it is said that “God made great whales, and every living creature that moveth which the waters brought forth after their kind.”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen's Commentary on Matthew 10.11
… For the reason why fishes are good or bad lies not in the souls of the fishes, but is based on that which the Word said with knowledge, “Let the waters bring forth creeping things with living souls,” when, also, “God made great sea-monsters and every soul of creeping creatures which the waters brought forth according to their kinds.”
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 7.6
“ Let the waters bring forth .” What necessary object was there that did not immediately appear? What object of luxury was not given to man? Some to supply his needs, some to make him contemplate the marvels of creation. Some are terrible, so as to take our idleness to school. “God created great whales.”
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Tertulliano † 220 d.C. The Five Books Against Marcion 5.11
If, owing to the fault of human error, the word God has become a common name (since in the world there are said and believed to be “gods many” ), yet “the blessed God,” (who is “the Father) of our Lord Jesus Christ,” will be understood to be no other God than the Creator, who both blessed all things (that He had made), as you find in Genesis,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 128.7
7. “The Lord from out of Sion bless thee: and mayest thou see thee good things that are of Jerusalem” ( ver. 5 ). Even to the birds was it said, “Be fruitful and multiply.”
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 2.10
That this is the case is made worthy of belief from the fact that their endurance is secured by the word of the Lord, saying, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth
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Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 22
… And it was so. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind.” Again afterwards: “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beasts of the earth after their kind.”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 29
… “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth, after their kind.”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen De Principiis 2.8.1
… That beasts of burden or cattle of smaller size are endowed with souls, there is, by general assent, no doubt whatever. The opinion of holy Scripture, however, is manifest, when God says, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, four-footed beasts, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind.”
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 8.1
1. And God said “ Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle and creeping things, and beast of the earth after his kind; and it was so .”
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Hexæmeron 9.2
2. “ Let the earth bring forth the living creature .”
san Cirillo di Gerusalemme † 386 d.C. The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 9.13
13. Who among men knows even the names of all wild beasts? Or who can accurately discern the physiology of each? But if of the wild beasts we know not even the mere names, how shall we comprehend the Maker of them? God’s command was but one, which said, Let the earth bring forth wild beasts, and cattle, and creeping things, after their kinds
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 13.24
… What is this but to fight strenuously for their own conjectures, while they carelessly neglect the teaching of Scripture? Without troubling themselves much, they might have found in a preceding page of this very book of Genesis the words, “Let the earth bring forth the living soul,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 16.7
… At the same time, it cannot be denied that by the intervention of angels they might be transferred by God’s order or permission. If, however, they were produced out of the earth as at their first creation, when God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Holy Trinity 3.5
… Yet, when the rod of Aaron the priest blossomed, the Godhead in some way conversed with doubting humanity. Again, the earthy matter certainly serves in common to the production and formation both of all kinds of wood and of the flesh of all animals: and who makes these things, but He who said, Let the earth bring them forth;
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on the Soul and its Origin 4.37
… These animals therefore have not spirit ,—that is to say, intellect and a sense of reason and wisdom,—but only soul . For it is of these that it was spoken, “Let the waters bring forth the creeping creatures that have a living soul;” and again, “Let the earth bring forth the living soul.”
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sant'Ireneo di Lione † 202 d.C. Against Heresies 5.15.4
… For it were incompatible that the eyes should indeed be formed from one source and the rest of the body from another; as neither would it be compatible that one [being] fashioned the body, and another the eyes. But He, the very same who formed Adam at the beginning, with whom also the Father spake, [saying], “Let Us make man after Our image and likeness,”
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san Barnaba † 61 d.C. The Epistle of Barnabas 5
… And further, my brethren: if the Lord endured to suffer for our soul, He being Lord of all the world, to whom God said at the foundation of the world, “Let us make man after our image, and after our likeness,”
san Barnaba † 61 d.C. The Epistle of Barnabas 6
… For the Scripture says concerning us, while He speaks to the Son, “Let Us make man after Our image, and after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the beasts of the earth, and the fowls of heaven, and the fishes of the sea.”
papa san Clemente I † 99 d.C. The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians 33
… Above all, with His holy and undefiled hands He formed man, the most excellent [of His creatures], and truly great through the understanding given him— the express likeness of His own image. For thus says God: “Let us make man in Our image, and after Our likeness. So God made man; male and female He created them.”
sant'Ignazio di Antiochia † 108 d.C. Epistle to the Antiochians 2
… and so God made man, after the image of God made He him.”
san Giustino † 165 d.C. Dialogue with Trypho 62
… And God created man: after the image of God did He create him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and said, Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and have power over it.’
san Giustino † 165 d.C. On the Resurrection, Fragments 7
… and besides, because it is full of all wickedness, so that it forces the soul to sin along with it. But these persons seem to be ignorant of the whole work of God, both of the genesis and formation of man at the first, and why the things in the world were made. For does not the word say, “Let Us make man in our image, and after our likeness?”
sant'Ireneo di Lione † 202 d.C. Against Heresies 1.24.1
… Man, too, was the workmanship of angels, a shining image bursting forth below from the presence of the supreme power; and when they could not, he says, keep hold of this, because it immediately darted upwards again, they exhorted each other, saying, “Let us make man after our image and likeness.”
sant'Ireneo di Lione † 202 d.C. Against Heresies 1.30.6
… and so is Anthropos the son of Anthropos.” Then, as all were disturbed by this new voice, and by the unexpected proclamation, and as they were inquiring whence the noise proceeded, in order to lead them away and attract them to himself, they affirm that Ialdabaoth exclaimed, “Come, let us make man after our image.”
sant'Ireneo di Lione † 202 d.C. Against Heresies 3.23.2
2. But this is Adam, if the truth should be told, the first formed man, of whom the Scripture says that the Lord spake, “Let Us make man after Our own image and likeness;”
sant'Ireneo di Lione † 202 d.C. Against Heresies 4.pref.4
… Now man is a mixed organization of soul and flesh, who was formed after the likeness of God, and moulded by His hands, that is, by the Son and Holy Spirit, to whom also He said, “Let Us make man.”
sant'Ireneo di Lione † 202 d.C. Against Heresies 4.20.1
… For with Him were always present the Word and Wisdom, the Son and the Spirit, by whom and in whom, freely and spontaneously, He made all things, to whom also He speaks, saying, “Let Us make man after Our image and likeness;”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. On Idolatry 15
… Therefore, too, the Lord demanded that the money should be shown Him, and inquired about the image, whose it was; and when He had heard it was Cæsar’s, said, “Render to Cæsar what are Cæsar’s, and what are God’s to God;” that is, the image of Cæsar, which is on the coin, to Cæsar, and the image of God, which is on man,
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. A Treatise on the Soul 27
… Accordingly from the one (primeval) man comes the entire outflow and redundance of men’s souls—nature proving herself true to the commandment of God, “Be fruitful, and multiply.” For in the very preamble of this one production, “Let us make man,”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. The Five Books Against Marcion 2.4
… Who indeed was so worthy of dwelling amongst the works of God, as he who was His own image and likeness? That image was wrought out by a goodness even more operative than its wont, with no imperious word, but with friendly hand preceded by an almost affable utterance: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. The Five Books Against Marcion 5.8
… Surely of him concerning whom he adds soon afterwards: “The man ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image of God.” Since then he is the image of the Creator (for He , when looking on Christ His Word, who was to become man, said, “Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. On the Resurrection of the Flesh 5
… But we maintain that there is a difference. In the first place, because all things were made by the Word of God, and without Him was nothing made. Now the flesh, too, had its existence from the Word of God, because of the principle, that here should be nothing without that Word. “Let us make man,”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. On the Resurrection of the Flesh 6
… For, whatever was the form and expression which was then given to the clay (by the Creator) Christ was in His thoughts as one day to become man, because the Word, too, was to be both clay and flesh, even as the earth was then. For so did the Father previously say to the Son: “Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness.”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Praxeas 5
… Now, whilst He was thus planning and arranging with His own Reason, He was actually causing that to become Word which He was dealing with in the way of Word or Discourse . And that you may the more readily understand this, consider first of all, from your own self, who are made “in the image and likeness of God,”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Praxeas 12
If the number of the Trinity also offends you, as if it were not connected in the simple Unity, I ask you how it is possible for a Being who is merely and absolutely One and Singular, to speak in plural phrase, saying, “Let us make man in our own image, and after our own likeness;”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. On Modesty 16
… “Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: God maketh a full end both of the one and of the others; but the body (is) not for fornication, but for God:” for “Let Us make man,” said God, “(conformable) to Our image and likeness.” “And God made man; (conformable) to the image and likeness of God made He him.”
sant'Ippolito † 235 d.C. The Refutation of All Heresies 7.16
… And (Saturnilus affirms) that man was a work of angels. There had appeared above from (the Being of) absolute sway, a brilliant image; and when (the angels) were not able to detain this, on account of its immediately, he says, returning with rapidity upwards, they exhorted one another, saying, “Let us make man in our likeness and image.”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen De Principiis 3.6.1
… But this definition I regard not so much as a discovery of theirs, as a view derived from holy Scripture. For this is pointed out by Moses, before all other philosophers, when he describes the first creation of man in these words: “And God said, Let Us make man in Our own image, and after Our likeness;”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen Against Celsus 4.30
It appears to me that Celsus has also misunderstood this statement, “Let Us make man in Our image and likeness;”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen Against Celsus 5.37
… For the Son of God, “the First-born of all creation,” although He seemed recently to have become incarnate, is not by any means on that account recent. For the holy Scriptures know Him to be the most ancient of all the works of creation; for it was to Him that God said regarding the creation of man, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen Against Celsus 6.49
… and so on with the other subjects that follow. Celsus has also expressed his opinion that the narrative of the creation of man is “exceedingly silly,” without stating any proofs, or endeavouring to answer our arguments; for he had no evidence, in my judgment, which was fitted to overthrow the statement that “man has been made in the image of God.”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John 2.17
Another, again, appeals to the text, “Let us make man according to our image and likeness,
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen's Commentary on Matthew 12.2
… But to bring back a soul which had gone out, so that it came out of the grave when already stinking and passing the fourth day, was the work of no other than Him who heard the word of the Father, “Let us make man after our image and likeness.”
san Tascio Cecilio Cipriano † 258 d.C. On the Dress of Virgins 15
… God says, “Let us make man in our image and likeness;”
Antipapa Novaziano † 258 d.C. A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity 17
… What if the same Moses introduces God saying, “Let us make man after our image and likeness;”
Antipapa Novaziano † 258 d.C. A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity 26
… And since these things are easily answered, few words shall be said. For who does not acknowledge that the person of the Son is second after the Father, when he reads that it was said by the Father, consequently to the Son, “Let us make man in our image and our likeness;”
san Pietro I di Alessandria † 311 d.C. Fragments from the Writings of Peter 6
… For if, according to the Word of salvation, He who made what is without, made also that which is within, He certainly, by one operation, and at the same time, made both, on that day, indeed, on which God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness;”
sant'Alessandro di Alessandria † 326 d.C. Epistles on the Arian Heresy and the Deposition of Arius 5.2
… Besides, we were not created, like the rest of the world, by word alone, but also by deed. For God made the world to exist by the power of a single word, but us He produced by the efficacy alike of His word and working. For it was not enough for God to say, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,”
Eusebio di Cesarea † 339 d.C. The Church History of Eusebius 1.2.4
… He declares that the maker of the world and the creator of all things yielded to Christ himself, and to none other than his own clearly divine and first-born Word, the making of inferior things, and communed with him respecting the creation of man. “For,” says he, “God said, Let us make man in our image and in our likeness.”
sant'Ilario di Poitiers † 367 d.C. De Trinitate or On the Trinity 3.23
… Now nothing can be like God unless it have its source in Him; a perfect likeness can be reflected only from that which it represents; an accurate resemblance forbids the assumption of any element of difference. Disturb not this likeness; make no separation where truth shews no variance, for He Who said, Let us make man after our image and likeness
sant'Ilario di Poitiers † 367 d.C. De Trinitate or On the Trinity 4.17
17. When the world was complete and its inhabitant was to be created, the words spoken concerning him were, Let Us make man after Our image and likeness
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. Against the Heathen (Contra Gentes) 34
… For the soul is made after the image and likeness of God, as divine Scripture also shews, when it says in the person of God
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 2.21
… for he says not first ‘He begat,’ lest that term should be taken as indiscriminate with ‘He made,’ and these men should have a pretence for saying, ‘Moses tells us indeed that God said from the beginning, “Let Us make man
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. History of Arian Opinions 1
… being and abiding with His Father before ages, and that not in foreknowledge only , and ministering to Him for the whole framing whether of things visible or invisible. For He it is, to whom the Father said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness ’ (
san Cirillo di Gerusalemme † 386 d.C. The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 10.6
6. Christ the Lord is He who was born in the city of David . And wouldest thou know that Christ is Lord with the Father even before His Incarnation , that thou mayest not only accept the statement by faith, but mayest also receive proof from the Old Testament? Go to the first book, Genesis: God saith, Let us make man , not ‘in My image,’ but, in Our image
san Cirillo di Gerusalemme † 386 d.C. The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 11.23
… And again, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work , there being no opposition in those who work. For all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine , saith the Lord in the Gospels . And this we may certainly know from the Old and New Testaments. For He who said, Let us make man in our image and after our likeness
san Cirillo di Gerusalemme † 386 d.C. The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 12.5
… herbs and trees were created for our enjoyment. All the works of creation were good, but none of these was an image of God, save man only. The sun was formed by a mere command, but man by God’s hands: Let us make man after our image, and after our likeness
san Cirillo di Gerusalemme † 386 d.C. The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 14
At that time God said, let us make man after our image and after our likeness
san Gregorio Nazianzeno † 389 d.C. Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 2.22
… But the scope of our art is to provide the soul with wings, to rescue it from the world and give it to God, and to watch over that which is in His image,
san Gregorio Nazianzeno † 389 d.C. Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 16.8
… us, or that upon the mountains and hills, of which we have heard, or whatever and whenever it may be, when He will reason with us, and oppose us, and set before us those bitter accusers, our sins, comparing our wrongdoings with our benefits, and striking thought with thought, and scrutinising action with action, and calling us to account for the image
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. Against Eunomius 2.12
… Can it possibly be such a form of “likeness” as this, that he is continually attributing to the Son? Nay, surely he cannot be so infatuated as to discover deceptive similarity in Him Who is the Truth. Again, in the inspired Scriptures, we are told of another kind of resemblance by Him Who said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. Answer to Eunomius' Second Book 1
… Whereas, to attribute the invention of vocal sound to those who are naturally endowed with the faculty of speech, this involves no impiety towards Him Who gave them their voice. Nor indeed do we hold it to be a great thing to invent words significative of things. For the being to whom Holy Scripture in the history of the creation gave the name of “man
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. On the Making of Man 3
… for it says, “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and the beasts of the earth, and the fowls of the heaven, and the cattle, and all the earth
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. On the Making of Man 6.2
… for “He that made the eye,” as the prophet says, and “that planted the ear ,” stamped on human nature these operations to be as it were significant characters, with reference to their models in Himself: for He says, “Let us make man in our image
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. On the Making of Man 11.3
3. But I find the solution of these difficulties by recourse to the very utterance of God; for He says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. On the Making of Man 16.1
1. Let us now resume our consideration of the Divine word, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. On the Making of Man 22.3
3. Well, whether our answer is near the truth of the matter, the Truth Itself may clearly know; but at all events what occurs to our intelligence is as follows. I take up then once more in my argument our first text:—God says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and God created man, in the image of God created He him
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. On the Duties of the Clergy 1.28
133. But whence have they got such ideas but out of the holy Scriptures? For Moses wrote that God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. On the Holy Spirit 2.9
… and that all things are through Him through Whom all are; and that we must understand that all things are through Him or of Him in Whom all are. For every creature exists both of the will, and through the operation and in the power of the Trinity, as it is written: “Let Us make man after Our image and likeness;”
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. On the Holy Spirit 3.11
85. Learn also that the Father was with Him, and He with the Father, when all things were being made. Wisdom says: “When He was preparing the heavens I was with Him, when He was making the fountains of waters.” And in the Old Testament the Father, by saying, “Let Us make,”
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. Exposition of the Christian Faith 1.3
… “Serve not two lords.” And the Law saith: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord thy God is one God;” moreover, in the same Testament it is written: “The Lord rained from the Lord.” The Lord, it is said, sent rain “from the Lord.” So also you may read in Genesis: “And God said,—and God made,” and, lower down, “And God made man in the image of God;”
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. Exposition of the Christian Faith 1.7
51. More might I set down from the Son’s testimony; howbeit, lest He perchance appear to have asserted Himself overmuch, let us enquire of the Father. For the Father said, “Let us make man in Our image and likeness.”
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. Exposition of the Christian Faith 1.17
111. But if the Arians acknowledge not the Son’s nature, if they believe not the Scriptures, let them at least believe the mighty works. To whom doth the Father say, “Let us make man?”
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. Exposition of the Christian Faith 2.14
124. If the sentence please you not, appeal to the Father, cancel the judgment that the Father hath given. Say that He hath a Son Who is unlike Him. He will reply: “Then have I lied, I, Who said to the Son, ‘Let us make man in Our image and likeness.’”
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. Selections from the Letters of St. Ambrose sermon-against-auxentius-on-th.32
32. But in the church I only know of one Image, that is the Image of the unseen God, of Which God has said: “Let us make man in Our image and Our likeness;”
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 3.18
… For when thou throttlest a debtor, when thou strippest him, when thou draggest him away, thou tramplest under foot God’s image. Hear for a certainty Paul saying, that “a man ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God.” And again, hear God Himself saying, “Let us make man in Our Image, after Our likeness.”
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 7.3
… And this is, indeed, the most marvellous thing, that He gave us not such a world as this in payment for services done; or as a recompense for good works; but at the very time He formed us, He honoured our race with this kingdom. For He said, “Let us make man after our image, and after our likeness.”
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 23
… If thou love My beloved, then will I also reckon Myself to be greatly beloved of thee. For He vehemently desireth our salvation, and this He showed from of old. Now hear what He saith when He was forming the man, “Let Us make man in Our Image:” and again, “Let Us make an help meet for him. It is not good for him to be alone.” (
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. Homilies on Colossians 5
Christ is above, ruling over all things: it was necessary this should be believed. The same takes place in the earth with respect to man. “Let Us make man after Our image and likeness” (
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. Homilies on Colossians 6
… He is formed in the water, he receiveth spirit instead of a soul. And after he is formed, He bringeth to him, not beasts, but demons, and their prince, and saith, “Tread upon serpents and scorpions.” ( Luke x. 19 .) He saith not, “Let Us make man in our image, and after our likeness” (
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. Homilies on 1 Timothy 16
… our Maker, as faithfully as our fellow-creatures serve us, from whom they have received no such gift. For they too are free by nature. To them also it was said, “Let them have dominion over the fishes.” (
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 33
And whence came the Samaritans to expect the coming of Christ, seeing that they received Moses only? From the writings of Moses themselves. For even in the beginning He revealed the Son. “Let Us make man in Our Image, after Our Likeness” (
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 64
… Now, if His Name had such great power, how could He have needed prayer? Had He needed prayer, His Name would not have availed. When He wholly made man, what manner of prayer did He need? was there not then great equality of honor? “Let Us make,” It saith, “man.” (
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 43.2
… If we hear of household losses—such as often occur—our looks become dejected and gloomy. The gain of a penny fills us with joy; the loss of a half-penny plunges us into sorrow. One man is of so many minds that the prophet’s prayer is: “Lord, in thy city scatter their image.” For created as we are in the image of God and after His likeness,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 6.3
… and I heard him, indeed, every Lord’s day, “rightly dividing the word of truth” among the people; and I was all the more convinced that all those knots of crafty calumnies, which those deceivers of ours had knit against the divine books, could be unravelled. But so soon as I understood, withal, that man made “after the image of Him that created him”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.22
… also follows that which Thou presently subjoinedst, saying, “But be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,” —not now after your kind, as if following your neighbour who went before you, nor as if living after the example of a better man (for Thou hast not said, “Let man be made after his kind,” but, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”),
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 16.6
… And yet this Trinity, being one God, even after saying “Let us make,” goes on to say, “And God made man in His image,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 19.15
This is prescribed by the order of nature: it is thus that God has created man. For “let them,” He says, “have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every creeping thing which creepeth on the earth.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Holy Trinity 1.7
… in the form of a servant He was made man. For if the Father alone had made man without the Son, it would not have been written, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Holy Trinity 7.6
… Sometimes the meaning is altogether latent, as in Genesis: “Let us make man after our image and likeness.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Holy Trinity 12.6
… but because divine Scripture evidently shows it to be false. For God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness;” and a little after it is said, “So God created man in the image of God.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Holy Trinity 14.19
25. But in respect to that image indeed, of which it is said, “Let us make man after our image and likeness,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 2.18
… if thou find it not in thyself, admit it not. Look inward then; but first let us see what had escaped me, whether man be not the image, not of the Son only, or of the Father only, but of the Father and the Son, and so consequently of course of the Holy Ghost also. The words in Genesis are, “Let Us make man after Our own image and likeness.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 76.11
… For because of the Plurality of Persons it was said, “Let Us make man after Our image and likeness.” He did not say, “I will make man, and do Thou attend when I am making him, that Thou too mayest be able to make another.” “Let Us make,” He saith; I hear the Plurality; “after Our image;”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Ten Homilies on the First Epistle of John 8.6
… did he fall by grasping? What more grasping, than he whom God could not suffice? In fact, my brethren, we read how man was made after the image and likeness of God: and what said God of him? “And let him have power over the fishes of the sea, and over the fowl of the heaven, and over all cattle which move upon the earth.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 4.8
… But he says, “stamped on us,” as a penny is stamped with the king’s image. For man was made after the image and likeness of God,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 39.11
11. “Albeit man walketh in the Image” ( ver. 6 ). In what “Image,” save that of Him who said, “Let Us make man in Our Image, after Our Likeness.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 49.2.9
But wherefore this? What he hath written in the middle of the Psalm, the same also he hath writ at the end: “Man, though he was in honour, understood not, was compared to the beasts without sense, and was made like to them” ( ver. 20 ). But ye, brethren, consider that ye be men made after the image and likeness of God. The image
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 55.3
… He lamenteth not with it, who hath not understanding. But furthermore, dearly beloved, we ought to remember, that after the image of God we have been made, and that not in any other part than in the understanding itself. For in many things by beasts we are surpassed: but when a man knoweth himself to have been made after the image of God,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 58.1
… Come, if thou art not willing to suffer these things, art thou by any means the only man? dost thou not live in the fellowship of mankind? He that together with thee hath been made, is thy fellow; and all men have been made after the image of God,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 67.4
… Or else surely it is, “Thy image lighten upon us:” so that he said this, in “lighten Thy countenance upon us:” Thou hast imprinted Thy countenance upon us; Thou hast made us after Thine image and Thy likeness,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 102.11
… but, “abideth upon him:” because that wrath in which he was born is not taken away.…Man set in honour, is made in the image of God: raised up to this honour, lifted up from the dust, from the earth, he hath received a reasonable soul; by the vivacity of that very reason, he is placed before all beasts, cattle, birds that fly, and fishes.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 102.29
… for He hath not distinct bodily members, who said, “I Am That I Am.” And perhaps His Word is His hand, assuredly His hand is His power. For inasmuch as it is said, “Let there be a firmament,” and there was a firmament; He is understood to have created it by His Word; but when He said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness;”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 103.2
… For what good things? First, because thou art: but a stone also is. Next, because thou livest: but a brute also liveth. What reward wilt thou give the Lord, for His having created thee above all the cattle; and above all the fowls of the air, in His image and likeness?
Giovanni Cassiano † 435 d.C. The Conferences of John Cassian 10.3
… the blessed Paphnutius received with the warmest welcome, and in order to confirm the faith which had been stated in the letters of the aforesaid Bishop, placed him in the midst and asked him before all the brethren how the Catholic Churches throughout the East interpreted the passage in Genesis where it says “Let us make man after our image and likeness.”
Giovanni Cassiano † 435 d.C. The Conferences of John Cassian 10.5
… Which error although by this its origin, of which we have spoken, it is engrained in the notions of some, yet none the less is it contracted in the hearts also of those who have never been stained with the superstition of the heathen world, under the colour of this passage where it is said “Let us make man after our image and our likeness,”
Socrate Scolastico † 440 d.C. The Ecclesiastical History of Socrates Scholasticus 2.18
… If any one hearing that the only-begotten Son of God was crucified, should say that his divinity underwent any corruption, or suffering, or change, or diminution, or destruction, let him be anathema. If any one should affirm that the Father said not to the Son, “Let us make man,”
Teodoreto di Cirro † 458 d.C. The Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret 4.9
The illustrious emperor thus took heed of the apostolic decrees, but Audæus, a Syrian alike in race and in speech, appeared at that time as an inventor of new decrees. He had long ago begun to incubate iniquities and now appeared in his true character. At first he understood in an absurd sense the passage “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 3.14
… By the transgression we were driven from the natural to the unnatural . But the Lord led us back from the unnatural into the natural . For this is what is the meaning of in our image, after our likeness
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.16
But since some find fault with us for worshipping and honouring the image of our Saviour and that of our Lady, and those, too, of the rest of the saints and servants of Christ, let them remember that in the beginning God created man after His own image
Pseudo-Clement The Recognitions of Clement 2.39
… and after they have tasted of the tree, God Himself testifies, saying to the rest of the gods, ‘Behold, Adam is become as one of us;’ thus, therefore, it is manifest that there were many gods engaged in the making of man. Also, whereas at the first God said to the other gods, ‘Let us make man after our image and likeness;’
Pseudo-Clement The Clementine Homilies 16.11
And Simon said: “Since I see that you frequently speak of the God who created you, learn from me how you are impious even to him. For there are evidently two who created, as the Scripture says:
1:27
papa san Clemente I † 99 d.C. The Second Epistle of Clement 14
… but if we shall not do the will of the Lord, we shall come under the Scripture which saith, “My house became a den of robbers.” So, then, let us elect to belong to the church of life, that we may be saved. I think not that ye are ignorant that the living church is the body of Christ (for the Scripture, saith, “God created man male and female;”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 26
… how that God both separated “the water which was below the firmament from that which was above the firmament,” and called the firmament heaven, —the very thing He had created in the beginning. Similarly it (afterwards) treats of man: “And God created man, in the image of God made He him.”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. On the Resurrection of the Flesh 5
… Now the flesh, too, had its existence from the Word of God, because of the principle, that here should be nothing without that Word. “Let us make man,” said He, before He created him, and added, “with our hand,” for the sake of his pre-eminence, that so he might not be compared with the rest of creation. And “God,” says (the Scripture), “formed man.”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Praxeas 12
… and the Spirit on the other, who was to sanctify man. With these did He then speak, in the Unity of the Trinity, as with His ministers and witnesses. In the following text also He distinguishes among the Persons: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God created He him.”
Bardesane † 222 d.C. Bardesan. The Book of the Laws of Divers Countries 1
… In that case , too, there would not be one thing diverse from another: yet that which is one, and in which there is no diversity of parts , is a being which up to this time has not been fashioned. But those things which are destined for ministering have been fixed in the power of man: because in the image of Elohim
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen De Principiis 3.6.1
… For this is pointed out by Moses, before all other philosophers, when he describes the first creation of man in these words: “And God said, Let Us make man in Our own image, and after Our likeness;” and then he adds the words: “So God created man in His own image: in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them, and He blessed them.”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen Against Celsus 4.30
… If, however, he had known the difference between man being created “in the image of God” and “after His likeness,” and that God is recorded to have said, “Let Us make man after Our image and likeness,” but that He made man “after the image” of God, but not then also “after His likeness,”
Origene † 254 d.C. Origen's Commentary on Matthew 14.16
… and I think that it is not even said about the same persons, namely, of those who were formed after the image of God, and of those who were formed from the dust of the ground and from one of the ribs of Adam. For where it is said, “Male and female made He them,”
Antipapa Novaziano † 258 d.C. A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity 17
… What if the same Moses introduces God saying, “Let us make man after our image and likeness;” and below, “And God made man; in the image of God made He him, male and female made He them?”
sant'Ilario di Poitiers † 367 d.C. De Trinitate or On the Trinity 4.18
… For the words our image —not our images —prove that there is one nature possessed by Both. But an argument from words is an insufficient proof, unless its result be confirmed by the evidence of facts; and accordingly it is written, And God made man; after the image of God made He him
san Cirillo di Gerusalemme † 386 d.C. The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 10.6
… Go to the first book, Genesis: God saith, Let us make man , not ‘in My image,’ but, in Our image . And after Adam was made, the sacred writer says, And God created man; in the image of God created He him
san Gregorio Nazianzeno † 389 d.C. Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 3
… ye are my witnesses, ye, and they who have placed in our hands this—shall I say Authority , or Service ? And if to him that loveth most is due, how shall I measure the love, for which I have made you my debtors by my own love? Rather, shew respect for yourselves, and the Image committed to your care,
san Gregorio Nazianzeno † 389 d.C. Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 43.70
70. Come then, there have been many men of old days illustrious for piety, as lawgivers, generals, prophets, teachers, and men brave to the shedding of blood. Let us compare our prelate with them, and thus recognize his merit. Adam was honoured by the hand of God,
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. On Virginity 12
This reasoning and intelligent creature, man, at once the work and the likeness of the Divine and Imperishable Mind (for so in the Creation it is written of him that “God made man in His image
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. On Infants' Early Deaths 1
… It would be better however to quote the very words: “And God created man, in the image of God created He him
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. On the Making of Man 16.5
5. We must, then, take up once more the Holy Scripture itself, if we may perhaps find some guidance in the question by means of what is written. After saying, “Let us make man in our image,” and for what purposes it was said “Let us make him,” it adds this saying:—“and God created man; in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. On the Making of Man 16.7
7. We must, then, examine the words carefully: for we find, if we do so, that that which was made “in the image” is one thing, and that which is now manifested in wretchedness is another. “God created man,” it says; “in the image of God created He him
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. On the Making of Man 16.8
8. Thus the creation of our nature is in a sense twofold: one made like to God, one divided according to this distinction: for something like this the passage darkly conveys by its arrangement, where it first says, “God created man, in the image of God created He him
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. On the Making of Man 16.9
… and we learn also that his community and kindred with the irrational is for man a provision for reproduction. For he says first that “God created man in the image of God” (showing by these words, as the Apostle says, that in such a being there is no male or female): then he adds the peculiar attributes of human nature, “male and female created He them
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. Homilies on Ephesians 20
… xxv. 1 .) And elsewhere again he sets it down among blessings, that a woman should dwell in harmony with her husband. ( Ecclus. xl. 23 .) And indeed from the beginning, God appears to have made special provision for this union; and discoursing of the twain as one, He said thus, “Male and female created He them” (
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. Homilies on Colossians 12
… Seest thou the mystery of marriage? He made of one, one; and again, having made these two, one, He so maketh one, so that now also man is produced of one. For man and wife are not two men, but one Man. And this may be confirmed from many sources; for instance, from James, from Mary the Mother of Christ, from the words, “He made them male and female.” (
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. Homilies on Titus 3
… And the fornicator is not unclean on account of the intercourse, but on account of the manner of it, because it injures the woman, and they injure one another, making the woman common, and subverting the laws of nature. For she ought to be the wife of one man, since it is said, “Male and female created He them.” (
Tirannio Rufino † 411 d.C. The Apology of Rufinus. Addressed to Apronianus, in Reply to Jerome's Letter to Pammachius 1.24
… for there is a natural bond which unites the sexes in mutual dependence, so that, if one does not exist, there is no need of the other. And further, if it is man alone who is to receive at the resurrection the form of clay which was originally given in paradise, what becomes of that which is written,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 3.7
… for every bulk is less in a part than in the whole, and, if it be infinite, it must be less in such part as is limited by a certain space than in its infinity; and cannot be wholly everywhere, as Spirit, as God is. And what that should be in us, by which we were like unto God, and might rightly in Scripture be said to be after “the image of God,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.22
… And Thou teachest him, now made capable, to perceive the Trinity of the Unity, and the Unity of the Trinity. And therefore this being said in the plural, “Let us make man,” it is yet subjoined in the singular, “and God made man;” and this being said in the plural, “after our likeness,” is subjoined in the singular, “after the image of God.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.23
… In Thy Church, therefore, O our God, according to Thy grace which Thou hast accorded unto it, since we are Thy workmanship created in good works, there are not only those who are spiritually set over, but those also who are spiritually subjected to those placed over them; for in this manner hast Thou made man, male and female,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 14.22
… And it was this work of God on which His blessing was pronounced. For no sooner had Scripture said, “Male and female created He them,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Holy Trinity 4.4
… The sixth part of it, then, is one; the third part, two; the half, three. But one and two and three complete the same six. And Holy Scripture commends to us the perfection of this number, especially in this, that God finished His works in six days, and on the sixth day man was made in the image of God.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Holy Trinity 12.6
… Why then, when Scripture had said, “God made man after the image of God,” did it go on to say, “God created him; male and female created He them: and God blessed them”?
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Holy Trinity 14.3
But far be it from us to think, that while the nature of the soul is immortal, and from the first beginning of its creation thenceforth never ceases to be, yet that that which is the best thing it has should not endure for ever with its own immortality. Yet what is there in its nature as created, better than that it is made after the image of its Creator?
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Holy Trinity 14.16
… For that image cannot form itself again, as it could deform itself. He says again elsewhere: “Be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind; and put ye on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” That which is meant by “created after God,” is expressed in another place by “after the image of God.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Holy Trinity 15.3
… that which is granted him by God’s gift in the partaking of that very God Himself, which is distinct from knowledge; and the discussion reached this point, that a trinity is discovered in the image of God, which is man in respect to his mind, which mind is “renewed in the knowledge” of God, “after the image of Him that created” man; “after His own image;”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Holy Trinity 15.6
… But because that ineffable light beat back our gaze, and it became in some degree plain that the weakness of our mind could not as yet be tempered to it, we turned back in the midst of the course we had begun, and planned according to the (as it were) more familiar consideration of our own mind, according to which man is made after the image of God,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Catechising of the Uninstructed 22
… in order that in this sixth age the mind of man may be renewed after the image of God, even as on the sixth day man was made after the image of God.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on the Spirit and the Letter 47
Nor ought it to disturb us that the apostle described them as doing that which is contained in the law “ by nature, ”—not by the Spirit of God, not by faith, not by grace. For it is the Spirit of grace that does it, in order to restore in us the image of God, in which we were naturally created.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On Marriage and Concupiscence 2.12
… and He said accordingly, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.’” Now, who amongst ourselves denies that the woman was provided for the work of child-bearing by the Lord God, the beneficent Creator of all good? See further what he goes on to say: “God, therefore, who created them male and female,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On Marriage and Concupiscence 2.53
… a custom, indeed, which is followed by all other heretics. Now who could make such an assertion, as that it was possible for marriages to be “without bodily motion, without necessity for sexual organs”? For God made the sexes; because, as it is written, “He created them male and female.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 10.2
… Of our toil that is to be, the infant’s very cry is witness. From this cup of sorrow no one may be excused. The cup that Adam hath pledged, must be drunk. We were made, it is true, by the hands of Truth, but because of sin we were cast forth upon days of vanity. “We were made after the image of God,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 75.4
… the fourth from David unto the carrying away into Babylon; the fifth from the carrying away into Babylon unto the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now the sixth day is in passing. We are in the sixth age, in the sixth day. Let us then be reformed after the image of God, because that on the sixth day man was made after the image of God.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 76.11
… I hear the Plurality; “after Our image;” again I hear the Plurality. Where then is the Singularity of the Divinity? Read what follows, “And God made man.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 69.5
… what the Father is called in reference to Himself and the Son in reference to Himself, the same is Father and Son, that is, God. What is then, “there is no substance”? After this interpretation of substance, how shall we be able to understand this passage of the Psalm, “Fixed I am in the clay of the deep, and there is no substance”? God made man,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 71.25
25. “How great troubles hast Thou shown to me, many and evil!” ( ver. 20 ). Deservedly, proud servant. For thou hast willed perversely to be like thy God, who hadst been made after the image of thy Lord.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 78.38
… but they have the will to do them, if they could with impunity. Such men may seem to have innocence of hands, but yet not that of heart. And what, I pray, or of what sort is that innocence, if of heart it is not, where man was made after the image of God?
Teodoreto di Cirro † 458 d.C. Dialogues. The “Eranistes” or “Polymorphus” of the Blessed Theodoretus, Bishop of Cyrus 2
Eran. —Man is not an image of God, but was made in the image of God.
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.24
But they will perhaps ask, what then is the meaning of “male and female
1:28
san Barnaba † 61 d.C. The Epistle of Barnabas 6
… For the Scripture says concerning us, while He speaks to the Son, “Let Us make man after Our image, and after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the beasts of the earth, and the fowls of heaven, and the fishes of the sea.” And the Lord said, on beholding the fair creature man, “Increase, and multiply, and replenish the earth.”
papa san Clemente I † 99 d.C. The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians 33
… For thus says God: “Let us make man in Our image, and after Our likeness. So God made man; male and female He created them.” Having thus finished all these things, He approved them, and blessed them, and said, “Increase and multiply.”
sant'Ireneo di Lione † 202 d.C. Against Heresies 4.11.1
… at one time, again, reproving, at another exhorting, and then setting free His servant, and adopting him as a son ( in filium ); and, at the proper time, bestowing an incorruptible inheritance, for the purpose of bringing man to perfection? For He formed him for growth and increase, as the Scripture says: “Increase and multiply.”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. A Treatise on the Soul 27
… Nature should be to us an object of reverence, not of blushes. It is lust, not natural usage, which has brought shame on the intercourse of the sexes. It is the excess, not the normal state, which is immodest and unchaste: the normal condition has received a blessing from God, and is blest by Him: “Be fruitful, and multiply, (and replenish the earth.)”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. The Five Books Against Marcion 1.29
… There is a great difference between a cause and a fault, between a state and its excess. Consequently it is not an institution of this nature that is to be blamed, but the extravagant use of it; according to the judgment of its founder Himself, who not only said, “Be fruitful, and multiply,”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 1
… by his very nature a heretic, and turbulent withal, who mistakes loquacity for eloquence, and supposes impudence to be firmness, and judges it to be the duty of a good conscience to speak ill of individuals. Moreover, he despises God’s law in his painting, maintaining repeated marriages, alleges the law of God in defence of lust,
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. On the Resurrection of the Flesh 45
… Much more is that prior, without which preceding things could have no existence. If the flesh be the old man, when did it become so? From the beginning? But Adam was wholly a new man, and of that new man there could be no part an old man. And from that time, ever since the blessing which was pronounced upon man’s generation,
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. On Repentance 2
… where there is no amendment, repentance is of necessity vain, for it lacks the fruit for which God sowed it; that is, man’s salvation. For God—after so many and so great sins of human temerity, begun by the first of the race, Adam, after the condemnation of man, together with the dowry of the world
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. To His Wife i.2
We do not indeed forbid the union of man and woman, blest by God as the seminary of the human race, and devised for the replenishment of the earth
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. On Exhortation to Chastity 6
… I grant that it will, if there still remain types—sacraments of something future—for your nuptials to figure; or if even now there is room for that command, “Grow and multiply;”
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. On Monogamy 7
… and thus they will come to know that that reason, now ceasing, is among those parts of the law which have been cancelled. Necessary it was that there should be a succession to the marriage of a brother if he died childless: first, because that ancient benediction, “Grow and multiply,”
sant'Ippolito † 235 d.C. The Refutation of All Heresies 5.21
… And in like manner also Eve was produced, he says, as Moses has described, an image and emblem (as well as) a seal, to be preserved for ever, of Edem. And in like manner also a soul was deposited in Eve,—an image—from Edem, but a spirit from Elohim. And there were given to them commandments, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,”
san Metodio d'Olimpo † 311 d.C. The Banquet of the Ten Virgins; or Concerning Chastity 2.1
Let us begin with Genesis, that we may give its place of antiquity and supremacy to this scripture. Now the sentence and ordinance of God respecting the begetting of children
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. Festal and Personal Letters of Athanasius 48
… But since we must grapple with the objections of evil persons, as they may say, ‘If the organs have been severally fashioned by the Creator, then there is no sin in their genuine use,’ let us stop them by asking this question: What do you mean by use? That lawful use which God permitted when He said, ‘Increase and multiply, and replenish the earth
san Basilio † 379 d.C. The Letters 160.4
… But, for my part, to every one who is thinking about marriage I testify that, “the fashion of this world passeth away,” and the time is short: “it remaineth that both they that have wives be as though they had none.” If he improperly quotes the charge “Increase and multiply,”
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. Against Eunomius 3.3
… In order, however, that our account of these matters may be cleared up as far as possible, let us once more discuss the point in the following way. He Who framed the universe made the nature of man with all things in the beginning, and after Adam was made, He then appointed for men the law of generation one from another, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. On the Making of Man 22.4
… for it was not when He made that which was in His own image that He bestowed on man the power of increasing and multiplying; but when He divided it by sexual distinctions, then He said, “Increase and multiply, and replenish the earth
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 22.19
19. Some one may say, “Do you dare detract from wedlock, which is a state blessed by God?” I do not detract from wedlock when I set virginity before it. No one compares a bad thing with a good. Wedded women may congratulate themselves that they come next to virgins. “Be fruitful,” God says, “and multiply, and replenish the earth.”
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 48.2
… We know, too, that on the foundation of Christ which Paul the master builder has laid, some build up gold, silver, and precious stones; others, on the contrary, hay, wood, and stubble. We are not ignorant that ‘marriage is honorable…and the bed undefiled.’ We have read the first decree of God: ‘Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.’
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 51.4
… If this doctrine is true what becomes of our faith? Where is the preaching of the resurrection? Where is the teaching of the apostles, which lasts on to this day in the churches of Christ? Where is the blessing to Adam, and to his seed, and to Noah and his sons? “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.”
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 52.10
… Let the bishops of Christ be bound to marry wives, who must be virgins. Let the best-intentioned priest be deprived of his office if he bear a scar and be disfigured. Let bodily leprosy be counted worse than spots upon the soul. Let us be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth,
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 66.3
… I have learned on good authority that her wish in submitting herself to her husband was not to take advantage of God’s primitive command “Be faithful and multiply and replenish the earth”
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 69.4
… He took a wife that he might have children by her; you by taking a harlot have lost the hope of children. He withdrew into the privacy of his own chamber when he sought to obey nature and to win God’s blessing: “Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.”
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 107.13
… Yes, Laeta: were it possible for you with your own eyes to see your mother-in-law and your sister, and to realize the mighty souls which animate their small bodies; such is your innate thirst for chastity that I cannot doubt but that you would go to them even before your daughter, and would emancipate yourself from God’s first decree of the Law
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 123.13
… like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah let us be found by the last day buying and selling, marrying and giving in marriage; and let us only end our marrying with the close of our lives. And if both before and after the deluge the maxim held good: “be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth:”
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Perpetual Virginity of Blessed Mary 22
… I rather think that in accordance with the difference in time and circumstance one rule applied to the former, another to us upon whom the ends of the world have come. So long as that law remained,
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. Against Jovinianus 1.3
… And that upon the foundation, Christ, which Paul the master-builder laid, some build gold, silver, precious stones: others, on the contrary, hay, wood, straw. We are not ignorant of the words, “Marriage is honourable among all, and the bed undefiled.” We have read God’s first command,
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. Against Jovinianus 1.5
… and they shall be one flesh.” And lest we should say that this is a quotation from the Old Testament, he asserts that it has been confirmed by the Lord in the Gospel—“What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder”: and he immediately adds,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.24
35. But what is this, and what kind of mystery is it? Behold, Thou blessest men, O Lord, that they may “be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth;”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 14.10
… but this original blessedness continuing until, in virtue of that benediction which said, “Increase and multiply,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 14.21
Far be it, then, from us to suppose that our first parents in Paradise felt that lust which caused them afterwards to blush and hide their nakedness, or that by its means they should have fulfilled the benediction of God, “Increase and multiply and replenish the earth;”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 22.24
But we must now contemplate the rich and countless blessings with which the goodness of God, who cares for all He has created, has filled this very misery of the human race, which reflects His retributive justice. That first blessing which He pronounced before the fall, when He said, “Increase, and multiply, and replenish the earth,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Good of Marriage 2
2. Nor is it now necessary that we enquire, and put forth a definite opinion on that question, whence could exist the progeny of the first men, whom God had blessed, saying, “Increase, and be ye multiplied, and fill the earth;”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on the Grace of Christ, and on Original Sin 2.40
There was, however, undoubtedly marriage, even when sin had no prior existence; and for no other reason was it that woman, and not a second man, was created as a help for the man. Moreover, those words of God, “Be fruitful and multiply,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On Marriage and Concupiscence 1.6
Now, this being the real state of the question, they undoubtedly err who suppose that, when fleshly lust is censured, marriage is condemned; as if the malady of concupiscence was the outcome of marriage and not of sin. Were not those first spouses, whose nuptials God blessed with the words, “Be fruitful and multiply,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On Marriage and Concupiscence 2.12
… and the reason, no doubt, is, that God declared through the man what the man, in fact, uttered as a prophecy. Now, observe what follows in the paper of extracts: “By that primitive name,” says he, “He showed for what labour the woman had been provided; and He said accordingly, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.’”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On Marriage and Concupiscence 2.13
… Is it their union? But this union is justified in the privilege of the primeval blessing no less than institution. For it is the voice of God that says, ‘A man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they two shall be one flesh.’ It is again the voice of God which says, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.’
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On Marriage and Concupiscence 2.42
… just as if we said that marriage is the cause of sin, though it is true that the human being which is born in wedlock is not born without sin. Marriage was instituted not for the purpose of sinning, but of producing children. Accordingly the Lord’s blessing on the married state ran thus: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.”
Giovanni Cassiano † 435 d.C. The Conferences of John Cassian 17.19
… For up to the coming of Christ it was well that the blessing of the original sentence should be in full vigour, whereby it was said: “Increase and multiply, and fill the earth.”
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.24
But they will perhaps ask, what then is the meaning of “male and female ,” and “Be fruitful and multiply?” In answer we shall say that “Be fruitful and multiply
Pseudo-Clement The First Epistle of the Blessed Clement, the Disciple of Peter the Apostle 3
… God will give thee understanding.” For whosoever engages before God to preserve sanctity must be girded with all the holy power of God. And, if with true fear he crucify his body, he for the sake of the fear of God excuses himself from that word in which the Scripture has said: “Be fruitful, and multiply,”
1:29
Tertulliano † 220 d.C. On Fasting 4
… nay, rather, why did He withal enlarge His permission? For, at the beginning indeed, it had only been the food of herbs and trees which He had assigned to man: ‘Behold, I have given you all grass fit for sowing, seeding seed, which is upon the earth; and every tree which hath in itself the fruit of seed fit for sowing shall be to you for food.’
sant'Ambrogio † 397 d.C. Concerning Widows 1.5
… But we turning aside the warnings of a general utterance to our private advantage, God says: “Every tree which has in it the fruit of a tree yielding seed shall be to you for meat, and to every beast, and to every bird, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.25
… And therefore he that “speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own;” therefore that I may speak the truth, I will speak of Thine. Behold, Thou hast given unto us for food “every herb bearing seed,” which is upon the face of all the earth, “and every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On Marriage and Concupiscence 1.23
… “My happiness would in paradise have been greater if sin had not been committed. For to me belongs that blessing of almighty God: ‘Be fruitful, and multiply.’
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sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.25
… Behold, Thou hast given unto us for food “every herb bearing seed,” which is upon the face of all the earth, “and every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed.” Nor to us only, but to all the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the earth, and to all creeping things;
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Tertulliano † 220 d.C. Against Hermogenes 25
… How great a change indeed from the condition of that earth, which is Matter, has come over this earth of ours, is plain even from the fact that the latter has received this testimony to its goodness in Genesis, “And God saw that it was good;”
Antipapa Novaziano † 258 d.C. A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity 4
Him alone the Lord rightly declares good, of whose goodness the whole world is witness; which world He would not have ordained if He had not been good. For if “everything was very good,”
Antipapa Novaziano † 258 d.C. On the Jewish Meats 2
… to say which is certainly characteristic of extreme and excessive folly: it is to accuse God as having created unclean things, and to charge upon the divine majesty the guilt of having made things which are abomination, especially when they were both pronounced “very good,”
san Dionigi di Alessandria † 265 d.C. Containing Various Sections of the Works 2.2
… those objects, I mean, of which each taken by itself as it is made, and the whole system collectively, were seen to be good by Him by whose command they came into existence. For, as it is said, “God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.”
sant'Atanasio di Alessandria † 373 d.C. Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 2.22
… It beseemed not that God should counsel concerning us afterwards, lest He should appear ignorant of our fate. The God of all then,—creating us by His own Word, and knowing our destinies better than we, and foreseeing that, being made ‘good
san Gregorio di Nissa † 395 d.C. On Virginity 12
… For, be it observed, there is no such thing in the world as evil irrespective of a will, and discoverable in a substance apart from that. Every creature of God is good, and nothing of His “to be rejected”; all that God made was “very good
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. Homilies on Ephesians 12
… If they are God’s works, how are they vain? And great is the dispute concerning these things. But hearken, beloved: it is not the works of God which he calls vain; God forbid! The Heaven is not vain, the earth is not vain,—God forbid!—nor the sun, nor the moon and stars, nor our own body. No, all these are “very good.” (
san Giovanni Crisostomo † 407 d.C. Homilies on 1 Timothy 12
If it be the creature of God, it is good. For “all things,” it is said, “were very good.” (
san Girolamo † 420 d.C. The Letters of St. Jerome 48.14
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity.” But if all created things are good,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 7.12
… I perceived, therefore, and it was made clear to me, that Thou didst make all things good, nor is there any substance at all that was not made by Thee; and because all that Thou hast made are not equal, therefore all things are; because individually they are good, and altogether very good, because our God made all things very good.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 10.34
… and so to conclude the temptations of “the lust of the flesh” which still assail me, groaning and desiring to be clothed upon with my house from heaven. The eyes delight in fair and varied forms, and bright and pleasing colours. Suffer not these to take possession of my soul; let God rather possess it, He who made these things “very good”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.28
43. And Thou, O God, sawest everything that Thou hadst made, and behold it was very good.
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. The Confessions 13.34
49. We have also examined what Thou willedst to be shadowed forth, whether by the creation, or the description of things in such an order. And we have seen that things severally are good, and all things very good,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Letters of St. Augustin 55.19
… for this reason it is said of God Himself, that when He had made all things “very good,” He rested “on the seventh day from all His works which He had made.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. City of God 11.23
… in ecclesiastical literature, should not have observed, in the first place, how opposed this is to the meaning of this authoritative Scripture, which, in recounting all the works of God, regularly adds, “And God saw that it was good;” and, when all were completed, inserts the words, “And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Catechising of the Uninstructed 6
… At this point the narration ought now to be commenced, which should start with the fact that God made all things very good,
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. On the Good of Widowhood 9
… The eyes have great honor in the body, but they would have less, if they were alone, and there were not other members of less honor. In heaven itself the sun by its light surpasses, not chides, the moon; and star from star differs in glory, not is at variance through pride. Therefore, “God made all things, and, lo, very good;”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 31.4
4. Augustin replied: When the apostle says, "To the pure all things are pure," he refers to the natures which God had created,—as it is written by Moses in Genesis, "And God made all things; and behold they were very good,"
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants 2.35
… And it was not possible more suitably to intimate the inherent importance of obedience, or its sole sufficiency securely to keep the rational creature under the Creator, than by forbidding a tree which was not in itself evil. For God forbid that the Creator of good things, who made all things, “and behold they were very good,”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 54.3
The things which were made, are many, He who made them is One. The heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that in them are, how many are they! Who could enumerate them? who conceive their vast number? Who made all these? God made them all. Behold, “they are very good.”
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 135.3
3. What reason shall I give why you should praise Him? “Because the Lord is good” ( ver. 3 ). Briefly in one word is here explained the praise of the Lord our God. “The Lord is good;” good, not in the same manner as the things which He here made are good. For God made all things very good;
sant'Agostino d'Ippona † 430 d.C. Expositions on the Book of Psalms 136.4
… but not that we should believe that He makes sky, earth, and luminaries, of His Mercy; since they are marks of His Goodness, who created all things very good.
Giovanni Cassiano † 435 d.C. The Conferences of John Cassian 8.6
God forbid that we should admit that God has created anything which is substantially evil, as Scripture says “everything that God had made was very good.”
Giovanni Cassiano † 435 d.C. The Conferences of John Cassian 23.3
… And to support this illustration by the authority of Scripture, does not Scripture declare of all things in general which were created by God, and say: “And behold everything that God had made was very good;” and again: “And things that God hath made are all good in their season”?
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 2.4
… For evil is nothing else than absence of goodness, just as darkness also is absence of light. For goodness is the light of the mind, and, similarly, evil is the darkness of the mind. Light, therefore, being the work of the Creator and being made good (for God saw all that He made, and behold they were exceeding good
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 3.15
… And so all created things must be bad, and he must have spoken falsely who said, And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good
san Giovanni Damasceno † 749 d.C. An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.20
But if this is so, they say, whence comes evil ? For it is quite impossible that evil should originate from goodness. We answer then, that evil is nothing else than absence of goodness and a lapsing from what is natural into what is unnatural: for nothing evil is natural. For all things, whatsoever God made, are very good
Pseudo-Clement The Clementine Homilies 19.18
And Peter said: “What you state is impossible; for if he came into existence by degrees, He could have cut him off as a foe by His own free choice. And knowing beforehand that he was coming into existence, He would not have allowed him as a good, had He not known that by reason of him what was useful was being brought into existence.
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Hebraice est, terra erat תהו ובהו tohu vevohu, id est terra erat solitudo, sive inane et vacuum: quia terra erat vacua hominibus et jumentis, ut vertit Jonathas Chaldaeus; rursum erat vacua plantis, animalibus, seminibus, gramine, luce, decore, fluminibus, fontibus, montibus, vallibus, campis, collibus, metallis et mineralibus, ad quae naturalem quasi inclinationem habet. Hinc Sapient. XI, dicitur: quod Deus «creavit orbem ex materia invisa,» graece ἀμόρφῳ, id est informi, inornata, incomposita. Unde LXX hic vertunt, terra erat invisibilis et incomposita; Aquila, terra erat vanitas et nihil; Symmachus, terra erat otiosa et indigesta; Theodotion, terra erat inane et nihilum; Onkelos, terra erat desolata et vacua. Erat enim terra cum aquarum abysso sibi superfusa quasi chaos quoddam inane, rude et indigestum, de quo Ovidius: Unus erat toto naturae vultus in orbe, Quem dixere chaos, rudis indigestaque moles; Nec quidquam nisi pondus iners, congestaque eodem Non bene junctarum discordia semina rerum. Quare improbabile est quod censent Gabriel in II, dist. 12, q. 1, et Marsilius ibidem, chaos hoc, sive, ut Sapiens loquitur, materiam informem, fuisse materiam primam, vel solam; vel certe informatam tantum forma quadam rudi, obscura, generali et communi corporeitatis. Ex hoc enim Mosis loco constat, primitus fuisse creatam terram et coelum; ergo materia primitus creata non fuit formae expers, sed particulari coeli et terrae forma induta et imbuta. Cur non simul exornata? Quaeres: Cur Deus coelum et terram creans primo die, illa simul non plene et perfecte exornavit? Respondeo: Prima causa est ejus sancta voluntas: congruentia est quod natura (cujus conditor est Deus) ab imperfectis ad perfecta procedat. Secunda est, ut discamus res omnes a Deo pendere tam quoad inchoationem, quam quoad exornationem et perfectionem, nihilque in rebus creatis esse tam imperfectum excluso peccato, cujus non sit auctor Deus. Tertia est, ne, si omnia a principio perfecta legerentur, increata putarentur. Quis spiritus hic intelligatur? Spiritus Domini, — id est angelus, ait Cajetanus; melius Hebraei, Theodoretus, et Tertullianus Contra Hermogenem, cap. xxxii: Spiritus Domini, inquiunt, est ventus a Deo excitatus. Tertio, optime et plenissime, Spiritus Domini est Spiritus Sanctus a Deo Patre et Filio procedens, suaque vi, praesentia et potentia ventum et auram calidam aspirans aquis. Ita S. Hieronymus, Basilius, Theodoretus, Athanasius, et pene omnes alii Patres, qui hinc probant divinitatem Spiritus Sancti. Ferebatur, ex hebraeo explicatur FEREBATUR. — Pro ferebatur, hebraice est מרחפת merachephet, quod teste S. Basilio, Diodoro et Hieronymo in Quaest. hebr. in Genesin, est volucrum, dum super ova et pullos, quasi pendulae leniter agitatione alarum se librant, motitant et volitant, iisque deinde incubant, calorem aspirant, fovent et animant. Pari modo Spiritus Sanctus superferebatur, vel, ut Tertullianus legit, supervectabatur aquis, non loco aut motu, sed omnia superante ac praecellente potentia, sicut superfertur rebus fabricandis voluntas et idea artificis, inquit S. Augustinus lib. I De Genesi ad litt. cap. vii. Hac ergo voluntate ac potentia sua, cum aura calida quam a se spargebat, aquis quasi incubabat Spiritus Sanctus, eisque vim prolificam indebat, ut reptilia, volatilia, pisces et germina, imo coeli omnes ex aquis producerentur. Hinc Ecclesia in benedictione fontium Spiritui Sancto accinit: «Tu super aquas foturus eas ferebaris;» et Marius Victor: Et sacer extensis impendens Spiritus undis Altrices animabat aquas, dans semina rerum. Hunc spiritum aquas omniaque vegetantem, Plato dixit esse animam mundi. Unde Virgilius, lib. VI Aeneid.: Spiritus intus alit, totamque infusa per artus Mens agitat molem, et magno se corpore miscet. Allegorice Allegorice, hic significatur Spiritus Sanctus aquis baptismi quasi incubans, iisque nos parturiens et regenerans, inquit S. Hieronymus epist. 83 ad Oceanum.
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3. DIXITQUE DEUS — verbo, non oris, sed mentis, eoque non rationali, sed essentiali, et communi tribus personis. «Dixit» ergo, id est, in mente concepit, voluit, decrevit, imperavit efficaciter, atque imperando reipsa effecit et produxit Deus, puta ipsa sanctissima Trinitas, lucem: Dei enim velle est facere, inquit S. Athanasius, serm. 3 Contra Arianos. Appropriatur tamen vox dixit Filio. Unde alibi saepe dicit S. Scriptura, per Filium, scilicet quasi Verbum et ideam, omnia esse condita, quia nimirum ipse Filius notionale et proprie dictum est Verbum, ac consequenter ipsi appropriatur sapientia, ars, idea; sicut Patri potentia, Spiritui Sancto vero bonitas attribuitur. Denique dixit haec Deus post creatum coelum, terram et abyssum, sed durante adhuc eodem ipso die, qui primus erat mundi. Fiat lux FIAT LUX. — Nota, in Genesi et creatione mundi ante omnia formatam esse lucem, quia lux est qualitas nobilissima, laetissima, commodissima, efficacissima et potentissima, sine qua omnia creata et creanda mansissent invisibilia. «De thesauris suis,» inquit Esdras, lib. IV, cap. vi, 40, «protulit lumen luminosum, quo appareret opus suum.» Vide S. Dionysium De Divin. Nom. part. I, cap. iv, ubi triginta quatuor proprietates lucis et ignis recenset, Deo et divinis rebus mire congruentes. Atque inter caetera docet lucem esse vivam Dei imaginem, ideoque primo a Deo creatam, ut in ea quasi in imagine se depingeret et mundo spectabilem exhiberet. «Ex ipso enim bono,» inquit S. Dionysius, «lumen est, et bonitatis imago.» Deus est enim increata, aeterna et immensa lux, quae cum lucem habitet inaccessibilem, omnia tamen illuminat. Pulchram similitudinem dat S. Basilius, homil. 2 Hexam.: «Sicut, ait, qui in profundam aquae voraginem oleum immittunt, ei loco conciliant et immittunt perspicuitatem, itidem et universi creator, edito mox verbo lucis amabilem et peramoenam venustatem mundo invexit.» Aliam dat S. Ambrosius, lib. I Hexam. cap. ix: «Unde, inquit, mundi ornatus nisi a luce exordium sumeret: frustra enim esset, si non videretur, etc. Qui aedificium aliquod dignum habitaculo patris familias struere desiderat, antequam fundamenta ponat, unde lucem et infundat, explorat; et ea prima est gratia, quae si desit, tota domus deformi horret incultu. Lux est quae reliquos domus commendat ornatus.» Quae fuerit haec lux? Quaeres, quaenam fuerit haec lux? Respondet primo Catharinus fuisse solem lucidissimum; verum sol non primo die, uti lux, sed quarto demum die est productus. Secundo, S. Basilius, homil. 6 Hexam.; Theodoretus et Nazianzenus putant solam lucis qualitatem hic sine subjecto fuisse creatam: qua de causa Nazianzenus lucem hanc spiritalem appellat, quod nota contra haereticos negantes in Eucharistia accidentia sine subjecto posse existere. Tertio et optime, Beda, Hugo, Magister, S. Thomas, S. Bonaventura, Lyranus, Abulensis, et favet S. Dionysius supra, putant lucem hanc fuisse corpus lucidum; sive coeli, aut potius abyssi lucidam partem, quae in circuli aut columnae speciem conformata orbi praefulserit, quaeque fuerit instar materiae ex qua postmodum in partes distincta ac divisa, adaucta et velut in igneos globos fabricata, sol, luna et stellae factae fuerint. Unde S. Thomas ait hanc lucem fuisse ipsum solem adhuc informem et imperfectum. Idem asserit Pererius et alii. Ubi nota primo, lucem hanc proprie non fuisse creatam, quia Deus primo die creavit omnem materiam primam, eamque substravit formae aquarum abyssi; et ex ea deinde hanc lucem, aliasque formas, tam essentiales, quam accidentales eduxit. Deus ergo proprie primo die tantum creavit omnia creanda; reliquis vero quinque diebus non creavit, sed creata formavit et exornavit. Itaque videtur Deus lucem producturus, ex aquis abyssi condensasse instar crystalli corpus aliquod orbiculare, eique lucem hanc indidisse. Nota secundo, hoc lucidum corpus primo mundi triduo, scilicet antequam quarto die crearetur sol, ab angelo motum fuisse ex Oriente in Occidentem, atque eodem modo et tempore quo sol, scilicet viginti quatuor horis, utrumque coeli hemisphaerium circumgyrasse, et illuminasse uniformiter et difformiter, uti jam facit sol. Tropologice Tropologice, Apostolus II Corinth. iv, 6: «Deus, inquit, qui dixit de tenebris lumen splendescere, ipse illuxit in cordibus nostris,» q. d. Uti Deus olim in Genesi produxit de tenebris lucem, ita nunc ex infidelibus nos fideles fecit, fideique luce collustravit. Rursum lux primo omnium creata significat rectam mentis intentionem, quae omnia nostra opera praeire et dirigere debet, ait Hugo Victorinus. Insuper lux est scientia et sapientia. Unde S. Augustinus ait: Primo creata est lux, id est, «prior omnium creata est sapientia,» Eccli. i, 4. «Signatum est super nos lumen vultus tui, Domine.» Denique lux est lex et doctrina, praesertim Evangelica, juxta illud Prov. vi, 23: «Mandatum lucerna est, et lex lux.» Hinc de Evangelio canit Isaias cap. ix, 2: «Populus qui ambulabat in tenebris, vidit lucem magnam.» Symbolice et allegorice Symbolice, «fiat lux,» id est, fiat Angelus, ait S. Augustinus. Verum hoc litterale esse nequit, quia Angeli ante lucem creati sunt, simul cum coelo et terra. Secundo, idem S. Augustinus haec accipit de generatione Verbi Dei ab aeterno: Deus Pater dixit: «Fiat lux,» id est, fiat Verbum, quasi lumen de lumine. Verum hoc quoque symbolicum est, non litterale. Allegorice, Christus incarnatus est lux mundi, Joan. viii, 12: «Erat lux vera quae illuminat omnem hominem venientem in hunc mundum.» Hinc idem nomen a Christo participant Apostoli, Doctores et Praedicatores, quibus ipse ait Matth. v: «Vos estis lux mundi.» Qua de re praeclare S. Basilius, hom. De Poenitentia: «Axiomata, ait, sua Jesus largitur aliis. Lux est: Vos estis lux mundi, inquit. Sacerdos est, et facit sacerdotes. Ovis est, et dicit: Ecce ego mitto vos sicut oves in medio luporum. Petra est, et petram facit (S. Petrum). Quae sua sunt largitur servis suis. Est enim (Christus) instar fontis perpetuo fluentis.» Anagogice, lux significat lumen gloriae et claritatem visionis beatificae, juxta illud Psalm. xxxv, 10: «In lumine tuo videbimus lumen.» Hinc Christus gloriam coelestem in transfiguratione sua repraesentavit per lucem: «Resplenduit enim facies ejus sicut sol,» Matth. xvii, 2.
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4. ET VIDIT DEUS LUCEM QUOD ESSET BONA. — «Vidit,» id est, videre et cognoscere nos fecit, inquit S. Hieronymus epist. 15. Secundo, planius et simplicius, per ethopoeiam a Mose inducitur hic Deus humano more quasi artifex, qui peracto opere illud contemplatur, viditque esse pulchrum et elegans: idque hoc fine, ut contra Manichaeos sciamus a Deo nihil mali, sed omnia bona esse producta. Docte S. Augustinus in Sententiis, n. 144: «Tria, ait, maxime nobis scienda de conditione creaturae oportuit intimari: quis ea fecerit, per quid fecerit, quare fecerit? Dixit Deus, inquit: Fiat lux, et facta est lux. Et vidit Deus lucem quod bona esset. Nec auctor excellentior est Deo; nec ars efficacior est Dei verbo; nec causa melior est quam ut bonum creetur a bono.» BONA. — Hebraeum טוב tob significat omne bonum, pulchrum, jucundum, utile et commodum: lux enim orbi est jucundissima, aeque ac utilissima. Quomodo divisit lucem a tenebris? ET DIVISIT LUCEM A TENEBRIS. — Hebraea et Septuaginta habent: Divisit inter lucem et tenebras. Divisit primo, loco: nam dum hic est lux et dies, apud antipodes est nox et tenebrae. Secundo, tempore: nam in eodem hemisphaerio vicissim, ac diverso tempore sibi succedunt lux et tenebrae, nox et dies. Tertio, causa: nam alia est causa lucis, scilicet corpus lucidum; alia tenebrarum, scilicet corpus opacum. Secundum maxime hic spectat Moses, q. d. Fecit Deus ut post creatam a se lucem, tenebrae et nox succederent. Unde sequitur: «Appellavitque lucem Diem, et tenebras Noctem.» Quando creatus sit infernus? Quaeres, quando creatus sit infernus? Ludovicus Molina putat tertio die creatum esse. Sed verius est infernum creatum esse hoc loco, primo scilicet die; nam cum Angeli celerrimi sint, et instantaneos habeant actus, omnino verisimile est eos primo die, non diu post creationem suam peccasse, ideoque statim e coelo trusos esse in infernum, quem Deus statim post peccatum eorum, quasi carcerem et equuleum cum suo igne et sulfure eis apparavit in centro terrae. Primo ergo die, sicuti Deus lucem a tenebris, ita Angelos a daemonibus, gratiam a peccato, gloriam a poena, coelum ab inferno divisit. Allegorice, Hugo, lib. I De Sacram., p. I, cap. x, et alii notant, primo die cum facta est lux et a tenebris divisa, bonos Angelos fuisse in bono et in gratia confirmatos, malos vero in malo eosque a bonis fuisse segregatos; et ita quod agebatur in mundo sensibili, erat imago illorum, quae in mundo intelligibili agebantur.
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5. APPELLAVITQUE LUCEM DIEM, ET TENEBRAS NOCTEM. — In voce «appellavit» est metonymia; ponitur enim signum pro re significata, q. d. Deus fecit ut lux, toto tempore quo hemisphaerium illuminat, diem efficeret, et tenebrae noctem. Ita S. Augustinus, lib. I De Genesi contra Manichaeos, cap. ix et x. FACTUMQUE EST VESPERE ET MANE, DIES UNUS. — Certius puto coelum et terram non ante, sed ipso primo die creata esse. Jam dico probabilius mundum creatum esse quasi mane, tuncque fuisse tenebras super globum et abyssum — quo tempore Spiritus Domini ferebatur super aquas, ut patet ex vers. 2. Deinde paulo post, ad vers. 3, post sex horas circa meridiem, creatam esse lucem in medio coeli, quae peracto suo motu sex horarum, quo a medio coelo in Occidentem declinavit, vesperam quasi terminum suum produxit; ita ut et tenebrae et lux simul non plus quam duodecim horas duraverint. Inde secuta est nox pariter duodecim horarum, cujus terminus est mane. Moses enim hic diem et noctem nominat per suum terminum, Vespere et Mane, q. d. Cum cursu diei per vesperam succedentem peracto, noctisque spatium per mane succedens pariter esset peractum, primus dies viginti quatuor horarum completus fuit. Primus dies mundi fuit dies Dominicus «Unus» significat primus, ut patet ex vers. 8 et 13. Hic primus dies mundi fuit dies Dominicus; septimus enim ab eo erat Sabbatum. Vide tredecim Dominicae diei praerogativas apud Pererium sub finem tractationis diei primi. Non omnia uno die creata sunt Nota: S. Augustinus, lib. IV De Genesi ad litt., et lib. XI De Civit. cap. vii, vult hos dies mystice esse intelligendos; videtur enim sentire omnia simul a Deo primo die fuisse creata, et Mosen per sex dies creationis significare varias angelorum cognitiones. Idem docet Philo. Verum contrarium docent omnes alii Patres, et simplex historicaque Mosis narratio id prorsus evincit. Quare jam erroneum est dicere omnia uno die producta fuisse. S. Augustinus dubitanter et disputative loquitur de quaestione, quae, ut ipse ait, tunc erat difficillima. Objicies: Eccli. XVIII, 1 dicitur: «Qui vivit in aeternum creavit omnia simul.» Respondeo: vox simul referenda est non ad «creavit» sed ad «omnia,» q. d. Deus creavit omnia aequaliter, nullo excepto. Unde pro simul, in Graeco est κοινῇ, id est «communiter.» Moraliter, S. Chrysostomus, hom. Quod homini praesit omni creaturae, ex die, luce et aliis creaturis acria incitamenta ad serviendum Deo homini applicat. «Tibi coelum die splendore lucis vestitur et radiis solis exornatur: noctu ipsum coeli fastigium clarissimo lunae speculo et varia stellarum luce illustratur. Tibi tempora vicissim alterna mutatione variantur, silvae frondescunt, campi amoenificantur, prata virescunt, animantia foetus edunt, fontes scaturiunt, flumina profluunt.» Et: «Quid si tibi omnis natura assidue diceret: Ego a Domino omnium rerum tibi parere jussa sum: pareo, obtempero, servio, et licet ille mutet, ego non mutor. Rebelli pareo; insolenti obtempero; contemptori servio. Quis es, qui in hoc contemptu perstas? Tu creaturae imperas, et Creatori non servis? Time patientem Dominum, ne sentias severum judicem. Etiamsi totum vitae tuae tempus in gratiarum actione collocares, quod debes rependere non posses. Duplex peccatoris crimen est: quod et debitam obsequii servitutem Domino non praestat, et quod innumeris ejus beneficiis contumelia rependere certat.»
De Opere Diei Secundi Primo die in mundi fabrica Deus creavit et fecit terram pro fundamento, eique imposuit coelum empyreum quasi tectum; reliquum inter haec intermedium erat chaos, sive abyssus illa aquarum, quam hoc die secundo evolvit, ordinat et efformat.
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6. FIAT FIRMAMENTUM IN MEDIO AQUARUM, ET DIVIDAT AQUAS AB AQUIS. — «Firmamentum» hebr. vocatur רקיע rakia, cujus radix, רקע raka, teste S. Hieronymo aliisque doctissimis Hebraeis, significat expandere, distendere, et distendendo firmare ac solidare rem aliquam, quae prius fluida erat et rara. Sicuti ergo aes fluidum fundendo distenditur et condensatur, ita hic aqua densata in coelos, vocatur graece στερέωμα, latine firmamentum: est enim firmamentum quasi murus in medio aquarum, id est inter duas aquas, superas scilicet et inferas interjectus, easque ab invicem dispescens et coercens. Quaeres, quodnam sit hoc firmamentum, et quaenam sint aquae supra firmamentum? Prima sententia Primo, Origenes per aquas superas intellexit angelos, per inferas vero daemones; sed hoc Origenicum et allegoricum est somnium. Secunda sententia Secundo, Bonaventura, Lyranus, Abulensis, Cajetanus, Catharinus et alii, per aquas superas accipiunt coelum crystallinum. Sed hoc nimis aequivoce vocatur aqua. Tertia sententia Tertio, Rupertus, Eugubinus, Pererius, Gregorius de Valentia censent firmamentum esse mediam aeris regionem, quae hoc secundo die facta est firmamentum, id est interstitium dividens aquas superas, id est nubes, ab inferis fluminum et fontium. Quarta sententia et vera Verum dico firmamentum esse coelum stellatum, omnesque orbes coelestes illi vicinos, tam inferiores, quam superiores usque ad empyreum. Itaque supra coelos omnes, proxime sub coelo empyreo, sunt verae et naturales aquae. Ridet hoc Calvinus; sed insulse, nam haec sententia probatur ex simplicissima et historica Mosis narratione. Firmamentum enim, et Hebraeum rakia, non aerem, non nubes, sed proprie coelum sidereum orbesque coelestes significat. Positae ibi fuerunt hae aquae tum ad ornatum universi, tum forte etiam ad voluptatem Sanctorum existentium in coelo empyreo. Et «major est hujus Scripturae auctoritas, ait S. Augustinus, quam omnis humani ingenii capacitas.» Cur hoc die non dixit Moses: Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum? Respondent Catharinus et Molina: Causa est, quod firmamentum adhuc rude erat. Forte hic optime dici posset, Mosen tria divinae separationis opera, scilicet primum lucis a tenebris, secundum aquarum superarum ab inferis, tertium aquarum a terra, unica et ultima clausula complexum esse, dum post haec tria vers. 10, dicit: «Et vidit quod esset bonum.» Denique Septuaginta hic, ut in caeteris, habent «et vidit Deus quod esset bonum;» in Hebraeo tamen, Chaldaeo, Theodotione, Aquila, Symmacho et Vulgata id desideratur. Moraliter, firmamentum est firmitas et constantia animae in Deo et coelis defixae, quae constanter sustinet aquas superas, id est prosperitates; et inferas, id est adversitates. Homo est imago coeli: primo, habet caput rotundum, ut coelum; secundo, duo oculi sunt, quasi sol et luna; tertio, quia animam e coelo Dei et angelorum similem accepit; quarto, quia coelum dicitur a celando, ait S. Bernardus, quia in coelo multa nobis celantur et absconduntur: ita in homine mens, cogitatio et secreta cordis celantur; quinto, sicut Christus est coelum deitatis et virtutum: ita est et Christianus, in quo luna est fides, hesperus spes, sol charitas, reliqua astra caeterae virtutes, ait S. Bernardus, sermone 27 in Cant.
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8. VOCAVITQUE DEUS FIRMAMENTUM COELUM. — Coelum latine a celando, id est occultando, dicitur, quod omnia celet et tegat: ita S. Augustinus; vel, ut S. Ambrosius, dicitur coelum quasi caelatum, id est, depictum variis stellis. Verum Moses hebraice scripsit, non latine; et hebraice locutus est Deus, vocavitque firmamentum schamaim, ob causam quam superius dedi. ET FACTUM EST VESPERE ET MANE DIES SECUNDUS. — Ne cogites Deum instar artificis, toto die in hac firmamenti fabrica occupatum fuisse; sed fecisse eam subito, in instanti, ac per totum reliquum diem eamdem conservasse.
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9. CONGREGENTUR AQUAE QUAE SUB COELO SUNT, IN UNUM LOCUM, ET APPAREAT ARIDA. Ad quem locum aquae congregatae sint? Quaeres, quomodo hoc sit factum? Primo, aliqui putant mare in alteram terrae partem, alterumque hemisphaerium esse collectum, ita ut illa pars terrae tota sit aquis cooperta et inhabitabilis, ac proinde non sint antipodes. Ita Procopius, nec abnuit S. Augustinus. Verum contrarium constat ex quotidianis Lusitanorum et Hispanorum in Indias navigationibus. Secundo, Basilius, Burgensis, Catharinus, et D. Thomas putant mare hic separatum esse a terra, ut ea factum sit altius. Ex hac sententia facile est dare rationem, cur in locis etiam altis erumpant fontes et flumina: quia nimirum oriuntur per venas subterraneas ex mari, quod terra est altius. Terra et aqua unum globum efficiunt Dico primo: Terra et aqua unum globum efficiunt; ac proinde non est aqua terra altior. Est haec communis sententia mathematicorum, Molinae, Pererii, Cajetani, S. Hieronymi, Chrysostomi et Damasceni. Et patet primo, ex eclipsi lunae, quae fit ex terra inter solem et lunam interjecta. Haec enim eclipsis umbram dat tantum unius globi, non autem duorum: ergo terra et mare unus sunt globus. Secundo, quia quaelibet gutta aquae, et quaelibet partes terrae ubique ad idem centrum descendunt. Tertio, quia littora et insulae aquis eminent. Quarto, idem patet ex Scriptura: «Ipse super maria fundavit eam» (Psalm. XXIII, 2); «Qui firmavit terram super aquas» (Psalm. CXXXV, 6). Quare dicantur aquae congregatae? Dico secundo: Congregatae sunt aquae hoc tertio die, primo, quia fecit Deus ut aqua dulcis magna parte fieret densior, congestis simul in eam exhalationibus terrestribus, quibus mare fieret salsum, tum ne computresceret, tum ut haberet nutrimentum pro piscibus, tum ut facilius naves sustineret. Sic ergo Dei operatione facta aqua densior, se contraxit, et minorem locum terrae quam ante occupavit, partemque terrae reliquit aridam. Hoc tertio die facti montes Secundo, non post diluvium, uti aliqui volunt, sed hoc tertio mundi die fecit Deus terram partim subsidere, partim assurgere. Unde facti sunt montes et valles: varii quoque hiatus et cavitates in terra, in quas quasi alveos mare se recepit. Concavitates sub terra Tertio, fecit Deus hoc tertio die cavitates sub ipsa terra maximas, easque implevit maxima aquarum copia, quae a multis dicitur barathrum vel abyssus; et per varios meatus cum mari conjungitur, putaturque esse matrix et origo omnium fontium et fluminum. Quod ergo est hepar in homine, hoc est abyssus haec aquarum in cavernis terrae. Aqua quomodo congregata in unum locum Dico tertio: Dicuntur aquae congregatae in unum locum, id est in locum separatum a terra, ut ea fieret arida et habitabilis. Voluit enim Deus aquas per varios alveos et sinus terrae immiscere, tum ut iis terra irrigaretur et foecundaretur; tum ut ventis marinis ad salubritatem et foecunditatem perflaretur. Notat Theodoretus mare furens non tam littoribus, quam Dei jussu, quasi fraeno coerceri: alioqui saepe omnia perrumperet et obrueret. Hinc Deus dicitur posuisse mari terminum suum, quem transgredi non possit. S. Basilius quaerit: «Quid prohiberet mare Rubrum sua exundanti eluvie irrumpere in universam Aegyptum quae ipso mari tanta est concavitate depressior, nisi Creatoris praecepto coerceretur?» Plinius narrat Sesostrim, regem Aegypti, primum excogitasse fossam navigabilem ex mari Rubro ducere, sed deterritum fuisse inundationis metu, excelsiore tribus cubitis Rubro mari comperto, quam terra Aegypti. APPAREAT ARIDA, — quae prius erat limosa et aquis cooperta: unde pro arida, hebraice est יבשה iabesa, id est, exsiccata ut posset habitari, seri, fructus ferre; arida ergo non est idem quod arenosa, sed arida idem est quod sicca. Mansit enim in terra aliquis humor dulcis, ut eam faceret frugiferam.
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10. ET VOCAVIT DEUS ARIDAM TERRAM, CONGREGATIONES AQUARUM APPELLAVIT MARIA. Est prolepsis. Nam non hoc die tertio, sed die sexto, puta cum formavit Adamum, eique indidit linguam Hebraeam, tunc Deus aridam vocavit hebraice erets, id est terram; et congregationes aquarum vocavit iammim, id est maria. Etyma vocis erets (terra) Nota: Terra hebraice dicitur ארץ erets, vel a radice ratsats, id est calcare, quod ab hominibus et jumentis calcetur et habitetur (sicut terra dicitur a terendo); vel a radice רצה ratsa, id est voluit, concupivit, quod semper appetat fructum ferre; vel a radice רוץ ruts, id est cucurrit, quod in ea habitent et currant homines et animalia, quodque ad eam quasi infimam descendant et currant omnia gravia, circum vero eam currant omnia elementa, omnesque orbes coelestes. Ab Hebraeo erets aliqui deducunt Germanicum erde. Porro maria hebraice vocantur ימים iammim a copia et multitudine aquarum: iammim enim per anastrophen litterae jod, idem est quod maim, id est aquae. Rursum iammim alludit ad radicem המה hama, id est sonare, strepere, uti strepit mare.
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11. GERMINET TERRA HERBAM. — «Germinet,» non active producendo, uti vult Cajetanus et Burgensis, sed materiam tantum ministrando: tunc enim in prima rerum creatione, Deus se solo active et efficaciter, idque subito produxit omnia germina et plantas; easque justae et perfectae magnitudinis, uti docent S. Thomas, I part., Quaest. LXX, art. 1. Imo Psaltes, Psalm. CIII, 14: «Producens foenum jumentis, et herbam servituti hominum.» Jam autem terra ad germina etiam effective concurrit, praesertim si semine sit imbuta. Porro miratur, et merito, S. Basilius Dei in germinibus providentiam, quae in culmos numero pares radicibus emicant, seseque attollunt. «Vide quomodo geniculis precingantur culmi frumenti, ut illis velut quibusdam vinculis corroborati, spicarum facile pondus ferant et sustineant. In theca vero granum recondidit, ne sit exposita frugilegis avibus praeda: insuper et aristarum vallo, velut telis objectis animalculorum noxam abarcet.» Deinde symbolice applicans homini: «Sensus nostros in sublime erexit, neque permisit in humum nos esse dejectos. Vult etiam nos quasi claviculis, amplexibus charitatis proximis inniti et adhaerere, ut jugi affectu sursum versus feramur.» Et facientem semen, — q. d. Producat terra herbam, quae possit semen ad speciei suae propagationem facere, id est seminare. ET LIGNUM POMIFERUM, — id est, arborem fructiferam, ut habent Hebraea. Cujus semen in semetipso sit, — quod sibi simile gignendi vim habeat, per semen, quod habet in seipso. Nam multae plantae non habent semen proprie dictum, ut patet in salice, gramine, menta, croco, allio, arundine, ulmis, populis, etc.; sed haec habent aliquid loco seminis, scilicet in ipsis radicibus vim quamdam propagativam. Idque hoc fine, ut, cum plantae individuae intereunt, maneant tamen in semine et fructu, quem ex se propagant; itaque quamdam quasi immortalitatem et aeternitatem consequantur.
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12. PROTULIT TERRA. — Hinc patet hoc tertio die terram non tantum virtutem producendi plantas accepisse, ut videtur velle S. Augustinus; sed illo ipso, quo Deus jussit, momento terram actu omnes plantarum species, easque adultas, multas etiam cum fructu maturo produxisse: Dei enim perfecta sunt opera. Ita S. Basilius et Ambrosius. Idem dico de animalibus et homine, creatis die sexto, videlicet omnia creata esse in magnitudine, vigore et robore perfecto, ut docent communiter DD. Ex dictis sequitur hoc die tertio etiam paradisum esse plantatum, ornatumque mira arborum varietate et pulchritudine, de quo cap. II. Herbae venenatae et spinae Nota, hoc die tertio terram quoque produxisse herbas venenatas, item rosam cum spinis: hae enim quasi connaturales rosae, eique congenitae sunt. Negant quidam, putantque quod ante hominis lapsum terra nihil noxium protulerit. Verum contrarium docent S. Basilius et S. Ambrosius, idque verius est: tum ne eorum pulchritudo deesset universo, tum quia quae homini venenata sunt, aliis rebus prosunt, et utilia sunt aliis animalibus. «Cicuta, ait Basilius, sturni vescuntur, et tamen a veneno non occupantur. Elleborus autem coturnicibus est cibus, nec ab eo detrimenti quidquam percipiunt.» Tum quia eadem utilia sunt homini: «Nam per mandragoram medici somnum advocant: succo vero papaveris vehementes corporis dolores sedant.» Tum quia Deus ante peccatum Adae per sex creationis dies omnes omnino rerum species produxit, fecitque universum perfectum: nec post hos sex dies ullam novam speciem creavit. Quare idem dico de lupis, scorpiis aliisque animalibus noxiis. Nihil tamen horum nocere potuisset homini, si is in innocentia mansisset; quae innocentia conjunctam habebat et exigebat prudentiam, ut scilicet caute tractaret rosas ne in spinas impingeret. Mineralia et venti Nota secundo: cum hic dies tertius sit is, quo Deus terram perfecte formavit et ornavit, hac de causa omnino verisimile est, hoc pariter die producta esse marmora, metalla, mineralia fossiliaque omnia, rursum ventos. Sine ventis enim nec plantae, nec homines vivere aut vegetari possent. Denique putat Molina hoc die productum esse infernum in centro terrae. Sed jam ante dixi, verius esse eum primo die, statim a casu Luciferi, esse productum. Non in autumno, sed in vere mundus creatus est Quaeres, quo anni tempore mundus a Deo sit conditus? Multi censent mundum creatum esse in aequinoctio autumnali, quia tunc fructus sunt maturi. Sed respondeo: Verius est mundum creatum esse in aequinoctio verno. Primo, quia id docent passim omnes Patres. Quin et Poetae, ut Virgilius lib. II Georg., loquens de prima nascentis origine mundi: «Ver, ait, illud erat: ver magnus agebat Orbis, et hibernis parcebant flatibus Euri.» Secundo, quia ver est pulcherrimum anni tempus; tale autem decuit felicitatem status innocentiae, et in vere redemptus et recreatus est mundus per Christum. Tertio, quia idipsum definit Concilium Palaestinum, habitum sub Victore Pontifice, anno Christi 198. Quin et Concilium hoc suam sententiam probat ex verbo germinet: in vere enim terra germinare incipit. Idem Concilium docet mundum esse conditum in aequinoctio verno, idque probat ex eo, quod Deus tunc divisit lucem a tenebris in aequales partes: quae divisio fit in aequinoctio. Addit primum diem mundi fuisse 8 Kalend. aprilis, id est 25 martii, quo et B. Virgini annuntiatus, simulque incarnatus est Christus, et quo post 34 annos vel passus, vel a morte resurrexit. Certum est hunc diem fuisse Dominicum. Ad argumentum Hebraeorum respondeo, initio mundi non omnes, neque ubique fuisse fructus maturos hoc die tertio productos; sed Deum in plantis et arboribus produxisse, in his quidem folia, in illis vero flores amoenissimos: in aliis fructus maturescentes, in aliis fructus maturos, pro natura, qualitate et conditione tam plantae et arboris, quam regionis cujusque.
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14. FIANT LUMINARIA IN FIRMAMENTO. — Quaeres, quomodo hoc sit factum? Nota primo, firmamentum hic, non tantum significare octavum coelum stellatum, sed sumi pro expansione omnium orbium coelestium. Hos enim omnes significat Hebraeum רקיע rakia; et Moses loquitur rudibus Hebraeis, qui hos orbes non norant distinguere. Astra non sunt animata. Nota secundo, licet Plato asserat, et S. Augustinus, Enchir. cap. LVIII, dubitet an sol, luna et astra sint animata, et utantur ratione, ac consequenter an aliquando beanda sint cum hominibus et angelis: tamen certum est jam, nec coelos esse rationales, nec astra; nec enim coeli, vel astra habent corpus organicum. Rursum, motus eorum circularis, perpetuus et naturalis, arguit principium illius motus non esse liberum, nec rationale, sed inanimum et plane determinatum: ita S. Hieronymus in Isaiae xxv, et passim Patres et Philosophi. Errat ergo Philo more suo platonizans, docens stellas esse animalia intelligentia. Rursum errat Philastrius, dum ait: Est haeresis asserens stellas esse coelo infixas, cum certum sit eas in coelo moveri, sicut aves moventur in aere, et sicut pisces natant in aqua. Contrarium enim docent omnes Astronomi, scilicet stellas suo orbi affixas esse, cum eoque moveri et rotari, puta cum coelo octavo, sive sidereo. Stellae specie distinguuntur ab orbibus et planetis. Suppono tertio, verius esse stellas et planetas omnes specie distingui a suis orbibus sive coelis; rursum stellas a planetis, denique planetas ab invicem specie distingui. Probatur id primo, quia stellae et planetae fulgent mira luce qua carent orbes. Rursum, stellae ex se suaque natura sunt lucidae. Negat hoc Albertus, Avicenna, Beda, et Plinius lib. II, cap. vi, sed asserunt alii passim, et patet experientia; nam nullum unquam in iis cernitur, etiam per dioptram, luminis incrementum aut decrementum, sive ad solem accedant, sive ab eo recedant. Secundo et potius, quia distant a sole longissime, scilicet 76 millionibus milliarium: eousque autem non potest se porrigere vis et lumen solis. Stellae dico: nam clarum est lunam non lucere ex se, sed a sole lumen suum mutuari. Idem verisimile est de aliis planetis. Nam Venerem, aeque ac Lunam per statas temporum vices, corniculari, crescere et decrescere, ego ipse per dioptram clare perspexi. Tertio, idem patet ex eo, quod stellae miros habeant influxus et miram vim in haec inferiora, quam non habent ipsi orbes: ita Molina et alii. Dixi stellas a planetis differre specie: nam verisimile est multas stellas esse ejusdem speciei, scilicet illas, quae habent eumdem modum influendi in haec inferiora: quae vero diversum habent, diversae sunt speciei. Hic diversus modus colligitur ex diversitate effectus siccitatis, humiditatis, caliditatis, frigiditatis, quem producunt in terra. Unde facta sint sidera? Dico: Deus hoc die quarto partem unam coelorum rarefecit, ut condensaret aliam, scilicet lucidam illam quae primo die creata est, et dicta est lux, vers. 3; in eamque ita condensatam, expulsa coelorum forma, novam formam solis, lunae et stellarum, induxit: simili modo ex aquis die secundo fecit firmamentum. Errant ergo veteres, qui stellas putarunt ex igne productas esse, esseque igneas. Unde Poeta: Vos aeterni ignes, et non violabile numen, Testor. Errant et illi, qui astra secundum substantiam producta esse censent primo die; hoc vero die quarto tantum accidentibus, puta luce, motu proprio, et virtute influendi in haec inferiora, dotata esse. In resurrectione faciet Deus solem novum? Pari modo Molina et alii probabiliter putant, quod in resurrectione Deus producet alium solem, qui habeat aliam formam, non tantum accidentalem, sed substantialem, utpote qui naturaliter septuplum plus lucis habiturus sit, quam habeat hic noster, ut ait Isaias cap. xxx, 26. Rursum, hoc die quarto Deus planetarum orbes divisit in suas partes, seu circulos excentricos, concentricos, epicyclos, si quae sunt hujusmodi; nam Aristoteles haec omnia negat, dum docet planetas tantum moveri motu sui orbis. Astrologi vero, et Scotus cum suis, ea statuunt, quia docent planetas in suo orbe per se moveri, secundum excentricos et epicyclos. In qua parte coeli productus Sol? Nota. Ex dictis in opere tertiae diei sequitur, solem productum esse in principio Arietis. Ita Beda: tunc enim ver incipit. Lunam vero productam esse in opposito solis, puta in principio Librae. Erat ergo tunc plenilunium, uti definit Concilium Palaestinum supra; ita ut sol unum hemisphaerium, luna alterum illuminaret. Ita Molina et alii. Luminaria. — Hebraice מאורות meorot, a radice or, id est lux. Sol ergo est or. Inde Aegyptii solem et annum qui cursu solis describitur, vocarunt Horum. Inde annus a Graecis dictus est ὥρα, inde ὥρα vocatur anni pars quaelibet primaria, puta Ver, Autumnus, Aestas, Hiems. Inde per synecdochen diem, ac tandem diei notam partem, quam vulgo horam vocamus, ὥραν nuncuparunt. Vide ut horae etymon ab Hebraeis ad Aegyptios, ab his ad Graecos et Latinos manarit. Ita ex P. Clavio noster Voellus, lib. I De Horolog. cap. 1. Ab Hebraeis enim ad Aegyptios et Graecos profluxit omnis scientia, praesertim Mathesis, ac horarum ratio, et horologiorum fabrica. Unde primum horologium quod in historiis tam sacris quam profanis reperimus, fuit Achaz, patris Ezechiae regis Juda, Isaiae XXXVIII, 8. Ita P. Clavius, lib. I Gnomon., pag. 7. DIVIDANT DIEM AC NOCTEM, q. d. Discriminent diem ac noctem, itaque hominibus et animantibus mox producendis vices laboris et quietis indicent. Rursum dividant diem et noctem, quoad situm et quoad hemisphaerium, ut dum in uno est sol et dies, in altero sit nox et luna quae praeest nocti. Ex hoc enim loco videtur, quod luna creata sit in opposito solis, uti dixi. Symbolice, Innocentius III Pontifex scribens ad Imperatorem Constantinopolitanum, lib. I Decretal. tit. XXXIII, cap. Solitae: «Ad firmamentum coeli, id est universalis Ecclesiae, fecit Deus duo luminaria magna, id est duas instituit dignitates, quae sunt Pontificalis auctoritas et regalis potestas. Sed illa quae praeest diebus, id est spiritualibus, major est; quae vero carnalibus, minor: ut quanta est inter solem et lunam, tanta inter Pontifices et reges differentia cognoscatur.» Cujus rei sint signa sidera? ET SINT IN SIGNA, ET TEMPORA, ET DIES, ET ANNOS. — «In signa,» non prognostica astrologiae judiciariae, haec enim damnat Scriptura, Isaiae XLVII, 25; Jerem. x, 2. Licet enim astra influendo corporum dispositionem et complexionem immutent, indeque animam eodem inclinent, non tamen eam necessitant. Esto enim anima saepe corporis complexionem imitetur, unde cholericos experimur esse iracundos; sanguineos esse benignos; melancholicos esse suspicaces, timidos, pusillanimes et invidos; et phlegmaticos esse pigros: voluntas tamen, maxime per gratiam adjuta, et corpori et passionibus hisce dominatur; unde multos cholericos videmus mansuetos, et melancholicos benignos et magnanimos. Sapiens ergo dominabitur astris. Itaque sol et luna «sint in signa,» scilicet, prognostica pluviae, serenitatis, gelu, ventorum etc. v. g. «Si tertio die a novilunio tenuis sit, puroque nitore fulgeat, serenitatem constantem praenuntiat: sin crassa cornibus subrubicundaque cernatur, aut impetuosam et immodicam e nubibus aquam, aut horridam Austri concitationem minatur,» ait S. Basilius hom. 6 Hexam.; et inferius: Luna humectat, ut patet tum in iis qui sub dio lunaque dormiunt, quorum capita ultra modum humore replentur; tum in cerebris animalium et medullis arborum, quae cum luna augentur et crescunt. Rursum luna causat et signat maris aestus et reciprocationes. Secundo, sint in signa serendi, plantandi, metendi, navigandi, vindemiandi, etc. Tertio et proprie, sint in signa dierum, mensium et annorum, ut sit hendiadys, vel in signa et tempora: id est in signa temporanea, vel in signa temporum: in signa et dies, id est in signa dierum: in signa et annos, id est in signa annorum; annus enim describitur uno solis cursu, et una gyratione per Zodiacum, duodecim vero lunationibus. Nota, per tempora hic intelligi ver, aestatem, hiemem et autumnum. Item tempora sicca, calida, humida, procellosa, salubria, morbida: horum enim signa et causa sunt sol et luna. Symbolice et anagogice, S. Augustinus lib. XIII De Gen. ad litt. cap. XIII, in Opere Imperfecto: «Sint in signa et tempora,» id est discriminent tempora, quae intervallorum distinctione, aeternitatem incommutabilem supra se manere significent. Signum enim et quasi vestigium aeternitatis videtur esse hoc nostrum tempus, ut hinc discamus a signo ad signatum, puta a tempore ad aeternitatem ascendere, dicereque cum S. Ignatio: «Quomodo sordet mihi terra, cum coelum aspicio!» Vere S. Augustinus in Sentent., Sent. 270: «Inter temporalia et aeterna hoc interest, quod temporalia plus diligantur, antequam habeantur, vilescunt autem cum advenerint: non enim satiat animum, nisi incorruptibilis gaudii vera et certa aeternitas; aeternum vero ardentius diligitur adeptum, quam desideratum, quia ibi plus adeptura est charitas, quam fides credidit, vel spes desideravit.» Vide S. Augustini hac de re colloquium cum matre Monica, lib. IX Confess. cap. x. ET DIES ET ANNOS, q. d. Ut sol, luna et stellae sint indices dierum omnium naturalium, artificialium, festorum, criticorum, forensium, et nundinarum, annorum quoque lunarium, solarium, magnorum, criticorum, etc., de quibus Censorinus et Macrobius. Ita Basilius et Theodoretus.
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16. FECITQUE DUO LUMINARIA MAGNA, — solem et lunam. Licet enim luna omnibus astris, excepto Mercurio, sit minor, tamen quia citima est et vicinissima terrae, hinc videtur omnibus aliis esse major, aeque ac sol. Rursum luna majori, quam caeterae stellae, pollet efficacia et virtute agendi in haec inferiora. Ita S. Chrysostomus hic hom. 6, Pererius, et P. Clavius in Sphaera cap. 1, ubi docet terram in se continere lunae magnitudinem trigesies novies. Acute Secundus philosophus interrogatus ab Adriano imperatore: «Quid est sol?» respondit: «Coeli oculus, splendor sine occasu, diei ornatus, horarum distributor. Quid luna? Coeli purpura, solis aemula, maleficiorum inimica, solamen iter agentium, praesagium tempestatum.» Epictetus vero eidem Adriano: «Luna est diei adjutrix, noctis oculus; stellae sunt fata hominum.» Sed hoc ultimum est error Genethliacorum. Praeclarius Eccli. XLIII, 2 et seq.: «Sol, ait, vas,» id est organum, instrumentum, «admirabile Excelsi, exurens montes, radios igneos exsufflans. Luna, ostensio temporis et signum aevi. A luna signum diei festi. Vas castrorum in excelsis, in firmamento coeli resplendens gloriose,» q. d. Stellae quae in firmamento resplendent, sunt quasi vasa, id est arma, bellica Dei. «Species coeli gloria stellarum, mundum illuminans in excelsis Dominus. In verbis sancti stabunt ad judicium,» q. d. Stellae Dei praecepto stant ad judicium, hoc est, ad ejus sententiam et imperium exequendum, «et non deficient in vigiliis suis.» Stellae enim, quasi milites et vigiles Dei, perpetuo excubant intenti ad omnem ejus nutum. Symbolice S. Basilius, hom. 6 Hexam: Luna, inquit, quae perpetuo vel crescit, vel decrescit, inconstantiae est symbolum, notatque omnes res humanas in perpetua esse mutatione: sol vero semper sibi similis mentis constantis est symbolum. Hinc Sapiens: «Homo sanctus in sapientia manet sicut sol; nam stultus sicut luna mutatur,» Eccli. XXVII, 12. Mira coelorum amplitudo, terra vero parvitas. Et stellas, — ut scilicet una cum luna nocti praesint, eamque illuminent, Psal. CXXXV, 7. Docent Astronomi miram esse altitudinem, ac consequenter magnitudinem orbium coelestium et stellarum, ita ut terra, quae centrum mundi, eorum respectu sit instar puncti: perinde ut omnes opes, bona et gaudia terrena, sunt quasi punctum, respectu coelestium, seque habent uti gutta ad totum mare. Sol distat a terra quatuor millionibus milliarium. Nam primo, docent solem in se continere totam quantitatem terrae centies et sexagesies, eumque a terra distare quatuor millionibus milliarium, sive leucarum et amplius: unde sequitur, tantam esse peripheriam et vastitatem orbis solaris, ut sol 24 horis suum circulum peragens, una hora percurrat 1,140,000 milliarium: quod tantumdem est, ac si terrae ambitum circumcurreret quinquagies. Ambitus enim convexi coeli solis continet 27 milliones, et trecenta sexaginta millia milliarium. Conjice ex his quantus sit Deus. «Nam sol et luna collati ad creatorem, culicis et formicae rationem obtinent,» ait S. Basilius, hom. 6 Hexam. Firmamentum distat a terra octoginta millionibus milliarium. Secundo, docent terram a concavo firmamenti, sive coeli octavi et stellati, distare octoginta millionibus cum medio milliarium: spissitudinem vero firmamenti esse eamdem, scilicet octoginta millionum; quanta ergo debet esse distantia, spissitudo et amplitudo coeli noni, decimi, ac maxime coeli empyrei? Stella singulis horis conficit 42 milliones milliarium. Unde tertio, docent quodlibet punctum aequinoctialis, et quamvis stellam singulis horis conficere 42 milliones milliarium, et insuper tertiam partem millionis: quod tantum est, quantum eques 40 milliaria quotidie conficiens, posset 2,904 annis conficere: rursum tantum, quantum si quis una hora bis millies ambitum terrae obiret et circumcurreret. Longe plus spatii conficit nonum coelum, ac magis decimum, quod putant esse primum mobile; cogita ergo quam velox sit tempus. Temporis velocitas quanta? Est enim tempus tam velox, quam est ipse motus primi mobilis, cujus est mensura; tempus ergo longe velocius fertur quam sagitta, aut quam globus tormento aeneo ejaculatus: hic enim globus egeret 40 diebus ad hoc, ut totum terrae ambitum obiret, quem stella una hora obit bis millies; instar ergo fulguris volat irrevocabile tempus: instar fulguris cum tempore ferimur et rapimur ad aeternitatem. «Tu dormis,» inquit S. Ambrosius in Psalm. 1, «et tempus tuum» non dormit, sed «ambulat;» imo volat. Lapis molaris e firmamento in terram 90 annis. Inde quarto, deducunt, si lapis molaris inciperet cadere a convexo firmamenti versus terram, opus haberet nonaginta annis, ut decideret, et terram attingeret, etiam si singulis horis caderet ad ducenta milliaria. Divide enim 460 milliones in dies et annos, dando cuique horae 200 milliaria, et invenies rem ita se habere. Sex magnitudinum differentia stellarum. Quinto, docent nullam stellam esse in firmamento, quae non decies octies major sit toto globo terrae: quin vero ex Ptolemaei et Alphragani sententia, stellas omnes dividunt in sex magnitudinum differentias. Stellae primae et summae magnitudinis sunt numero 17, quarum quaelibet major est tota terra centies et septies; secundae magnitudinis sunt numero 45, quarum quaelibet major est terra nonagies; tertiae magnitudinis sunt 208, quarum quaelibet major est terra septuagesies et bis; quartae magnitudinis sunt 264, quarum quaelibet major est terra quinquagesies quater; quintae magnitudinis sunt 217, quarum quaelibet major est terra trigesies quinquies. Sextae et infimae magnitudinis sunt 249, quarum quaelibet major est terra decies et octies. Vasta coeli empyrei amplitudo. Sexto, docent, quod multo minor sit proportio totius mundi, intra concavum firmamenti contenti, ad complexum coeli empyrei, quam sit globi terrae ad ipsum firmamentum. Octo millibus annorum quis iter coelum empyreum non ascenderet. Septimo, ex dictis deducunt, quod si bis mille annos viveres, et quotidie directe in altum ascenderes ad centum milliaria, idque continuo, post bis mille annos necdum pervenires ad concavum firmamenti: rursum, post alios bis mille annos tantumdem quotidie ascendens, non pervenires a concavo ad convexum firmamenti: denique post quatuor et plura annorum millia, tantumdem quotidie ascendens, non pervenires a convexo firmamenti ad coelum empyreum. Haec et plura docet P. Christophorus Clavius in Sphaera, cap. 1. Si ergo in stella aliqua, et multo magis si in coelo empyreo consisteremus, et despiceremus hunc terrae globulum, an non exclamaremus: Hoc est punctum, cui inhiant filii Adae, quasi formicae: hoc est punctum, quod inter mortales ferro et igni dividitur. O quam angusti sunt mortalium termini, o quam angusti sunt mortalium animi! «O Israel, quam magna est domus Dei, et ingens locus possessionis ejus!» Despice ergo punctum hoc, et suspice coeli ambitum: quidquid hic vides, exiguum est et breve: immensa et aeterna cogita. Quis haec cogitans tam amens sit et stolidus, ut inique punctum ex hoc puncto, puta agrum, domum, aut rem aliam proximo per vim aut fraudem surripere, itaque se immensis orbium supernorum spatiis fraudare et excludere velit? Quis punctum terrae praeferat coelorum immensitati? quis particula terrae rubrae vel albae (nec enim aliud est aurum et argentum) vendat vastissima et radiantissima stellarum palatia? Pauper ergo es? coelum cogita; infirmaris? sustine, sic itur ad astra; contemneris, rideris, persecutionem pateris? tolera, sic itur ad astra; geme, stude, labora, suda modicum, sic itur ad empyreum. Ita S. Symphorianus adolescens cum sub Aureliano Imperatore ad martyrium raperetur, mater eum hisce verbis animavit: «Nate, nate, memento aeternae vitae, coelum suspice, et ibi regnantem intuere: tibi enim vita non eripitur, sed mutatur in melius.» Quibus verbis ille accensus, datis fortiter carnifici cervicibus, martyr in coelum evolavit. Ita nostro hoc saeculo matrona illa generosa, fidei causa in Anglia damnata ad mortem horrendam, ut scilicet saxo acuto incubans, superne imposito gravi pondere premeretur, dum vita ei et anima exprimeretur, aliis horrentibus, ipsa laeta cycnaeum canens: «Tam brevis, ait, via est quae ducit ad coelum: post sex horas super solem et lunam evehar, astra pedibus premam, empyreum inibo.» Ita S. Vincentius mente in coelum se librans vicit, imo risit omnia Daciani tormenta; cumque in equuleo sublatus ab eo per ludibrium rogaretur, ubinam esset: «In sublimi,» ait, «unde te potestate terrena tumentem altior despicio;» graviora minitanti: «Non minari mihi videris,» respondit, «sed, quod votis omnibus concupieram, offerre.» Igitur cum ungulas, faces, prunas toto corpore dilacerato constanter exciperet, ait: «Frustra fatigaris, Daciane: non potes tam horrenda excogitare tormenta, quam ipse paratus sum sustinere. Carcer, ungulae, candentes laminae morsque ipsa, ludus jocusque Christianis sunt, non tormentum:» coelum enim cogitant. Ita S. Menas Aegyptius Martyr, atrocibus affectus suppliciis, dicebat: «Nihil est quod conferri possit cum regno coelorum; neque enim potest totus mundus, aequa lance expensus, uni comparari animae.» Ita S. Apronianus cum ad Sisinnium Martyrem vocem coelitus missam audisset: «Venite, benedicti Patris mei, percipite regnum vobis a constitutione mundi paratum;» baptismum petiit, eademque die Martyr factus est, qua et Christianus. Sancti ut stellae. Symbolice et tropologice, Firmamentum est S. Ecclesia, quae est firmamentum et columna veritatis, ut ait Apostolus, I Timoth. III, 15, in quo sol est Christus, luna B. Virgo, stellae fixae caeteri Sancti, qui a Christo quasi sole suum lumen participant. Unde non sunt sicut planetae, qui solem subinde nobis abscondunt; sed sicut stellae quae semper solem, id est Christum, reverentur, ostendunt et praedicant, ab eoque se omne suum lumen habere testantur et gloriantur, atque cum Paulo, quae retro sunt obliviscentes, semper in anteriora directo cursu contendunt. Itaque primo, sicut stellae sunt in coelo, ita Sancti mente et vita versantur in coelis, orant crebro ac cum Deo et angelis colloquuntur. Hinc amant secretum, fugiunt vana hominum colloquia. Secundo, stellae, licet sint majores tota terra, tamen parvae apparent ob distantiam et celsitudinem: ita Sancti sunt humiles, et quo sanctiores, eo humiliores. Hinc stellae docent nos patientiam, ait S. Augustinus in Ps. XCIV. Nam citans illud Apostoli Philip. II: «In medio nationis pravae atque perversae, inter quos lucetis sicut luminaria in mundo:» «Quanta,» ait, «de ipsis luminaribus et luna fingunt homines? et patienter ferunt. Convitia fiunt stellis: quid illae? numquid moventur, aut non exercent cursus suos? Quanta de ipsis luminaribus quidam dicunt? et ferunt, et tolerant, et non moventur. Quare? quia in coelo sunt. Sic et homo qui in natione perversa et tortuosa habet verbum Dei, sicut luminare est fulgens in coelo.» Sicut ergo stellae ob probra hominum non relinquunt cursum sibi a Deo ordinatum: sic nec justi ob convitia hominum debent relinquere viam virtutis. Quare vir pius non pluris faciet dicteria sannionum, quam luna facit sannas puerorum, vel latratus canum sibi oblatrantium. Tertio, stellae docent mentis celsitudinem et immobilitatem in tot adversis, ut quasi stellae despiciant omnia quae fiunt in mundo. Nam, ut ait ibidem Augustinus: «Committuntur tanta mala, nec deviant desuper stellae fixae in coelo agentes per tractus coelestes, quos illis praestituit et constituit creator ipsarum: sic debent Sancti, sed si in coelo figantur corda eorum, si imitentur eum qui dicit: Nostra conversatio in coelis est. Qui ergo sunt in supernis, et de supernis cogitant, de ipsis cogitationibus supernorum patientes fiunt. Et quidquid in terra committitur sic non curant, donec peragant itinera sua; et sicut ferunt quae in alios fiunt, sic ferunt et quae in ipsos fiunt, quomodo luminaria. Nam qui perdiderit tolerantiam, cecidit de coelo.» Quarto, stellae lucent, totumque orbem noctu illuminant, idque semper aequali luce: sic et Sancti in nocte hujus saeculi praefulgent, viamque virtutis et iter in coelum verbo et exemplo omnibus ostendunt, idque aequali semper serenitate mentis et constantia. Porro lux stellarum non est sicut lux candelae, lucernae, tedae, quae sevo, oleo, cera alitur, eamque depascitur, eaque depasta emoritur. Huic enim similes sunt, qui virtuti student ob respectus carnales et humanos. Mox enim ut haec cessant, cessat et eorum virtus ac devotio; Sancti perlucent semper ut stellae, quia ex Deo, ipsique Deo lucent: soli enim Deo placere, Deique honorem propagare satagunt. Quinto, lux stellarum est purissima, aeque ac stellae: ita Sancti castitatem et puritatem angelicam consectantur. Hinc sicut in stellis nihil est nubili, caliginis aut fusci, sic in Sanctis nulla est melancholia, nulla ira, nulla turbatio, nulla suspicio; quia omnia oculis lucidis et benignis instar stellarum intuentur. Nesciunt quid sit simulatio, fraus, malitia: charitas enim non cogitat malum. Quocirca videntur esse quasi impeccabiles. Sexto, lux solis et stellarum est velocissima; in instanti enim spargit et propagat se per totum orbem: ita Sancti veloces sunt ad opera Dei, praesertim viri Apostolici, qui per provincias evangelizando discurrunt, quibus recte competit illud Isaiae XVIII, 2: «Ite, angeli veloces, ad gentem convulsam et dilaceratam, ad populum terribilem, post quem non est alius.» Septimo, lux stellarum est spiritalis: ita spiritalis est Sanctorum sermo, aeque ac cogitatio et conversatio. Octavo, lux solis et stellarum, etiam si cloacas, fimeta, cadavera et sterquilinia illuminet, iis tamen ne vel hilum faedatur vel inficitur: ita Sancti conversantes cum peccatoribus, eorum peccatis non inquinantur, sed potius eos illuminant, sibique similes, id est lucidos et sanctos, efficiunt. Nono, lux solis et stellarum ita lucet, ut et calefaciat: ita Sancti alios charitate inflammant adeoque lucent ut ardeant; non vero ardent ut luceant, uti de S. Joanne Baptista ait Christus: «Ille erat lucerna ardens et lucens,» non, lucens et ardens, uti recte observat S. Bernardus, serm. De S. Joanne Baptista: «Est enim tantum lucere vanum, tantum ardere parum, ardere et lucere perfectum.» Denique in coelesti gloria fulgebunt ut stellae, uti docet Apostolus I Corinth. xv, 41, et Daniel cap. XII, 3: «Qui docti fuerint fulgebunt ut splendor firmamenti, et qui ad justitiam erudiunt multos, quasi stellae in perpetuas aeternitates.» Accedit, quod stellae suam substantiam et quantitatem vastissimam abscondunt, tantumque lucem exiguam instar scintillae ostendunt. Ita Sancti se suasque virtutes, gratiam et gloriam hominibus abscondunt et latere appetunt. Quocirca opera eorum lucent quidem, ut ex eis homines glorificent Deum; sed eo modo ut ipsi lucem operum ostendant, personam vero suam occultent: velint enim non videri, ut homines videntes opus, nec videntes auctorem, illud in Deum, qui est pater omnium luminum, referant, eumque celebrent.
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20. PRODUCANT AQUAE REPTILE ET VOLATILE. PRODUCANT. — Hebraice ישרצו iisretsu, id est ebulliant et scaturiant in magna copia. Est hoc verbum proprium piscibus et ranis, eorumque miram foecunditatem, propagationem et prolificationem significat. Hinc ob humoris luxuriem, pisces indociles et stolidi sunt, nec ab homine domari aut cicurari possunt, ait S. Basilius hom. 7 Hexam. Rursum nihil, ait, in piscium genere, dimidia parte dentibus est armatum, ut bos, vel ovis: neque enim quisquam piscis ruminat, nisi scarus solus; sed omnes acutissima frequentium dentium acie communiuntur, ne, si mora in molendo traheretur, difflueret alimentum per humorem. Quidam limo, quidam alga vescuntur: alter alterum devorat, et minor est esca majoris, et saepe uterque alterius tertii praeda fit. Sic apud homines potentior spoliat debiliorem, et hic rursum potentioris fit praeda. Cancer ut ostrei carnes devoret, cum illud concham ad solem pandit, in illam lapillum injicit, ut claudi nequeat, itaque eam invadit et depascitur. Cancri sunt astuti fures et raptores. Polypus cuicumque saxo adhaeret, illius colorem induit; itaque pisces ad se quasi ad saxum adnatantes, capit et vorat. Polypi sunt hypocritae, qui cum castis fingunt se castos, cum spurcis spurcos, cum gulosis gulosos, etc., ac proinde rapaces lupos eos vocat Christus. Pisces dicunt: «Eamus ad Aquilonium mare. Illa enim caeteris aequoribus aqua dulcior est, propterea quod modicam in eo moram sol trahens, non universum suis exhaurit radiis quod potulentum est. Animantes enim aequoreae dulcibus humoribus gaudent: unde fit ut ad flumina saepe adnatent, longeque a mari discedant. Hac de causa Pontum ipsi sinibus aequoreis caeteris anteponunt, ut ad effundendos nutriendosque foetus magis idoneum.» Disce, o homo, a piscibus providentiam, ut tibi de iis quae saluti conducunt prospicias. «Herinaceus marinus cum ventorum perturbationem praesenserit, calculum haud exiguum subit, sub ipso tanquam sub anchora seipsum stabiliens. Id ubi nautici conspiciunt, futuram tempestatem praesagiunt. Vipera murenae marinae nuptias expetit, et sibilo suam significat praesentiam; illa autem accurrit, et coit cum venenato. Quid haec mea ratio portendit? sive asper, sive temulentus est maritus, perferat illum uxor. Sed et maritus audiat: vipera virus ob nuptiarum venerationem evomit; tu duritiam animi, tu feritatem, tu crudelitatem ob unionis reverentiam non deponis? An exemplum viperae nobis et alio modo prodest? Adulterium naturae quoddam est, viperae murenaeque complexus; discant ergo illi qui alienis insidiantur nuptiis, cuinam reptili sint similes.» Et qua materia aves sint factae? Quaeres, an aves ex aqua sint factae. Cajetanus et Catharinus negant, putantque aves ex terra esse factas: id enim asseri videtur cap. II, 19, et hoc versu Hebraea insinuant solos pisces ex aqua esse productos; sic enim habent ad verbum, «Producant aquae reptile (scilicet pisces), et volatile volet super terram.» Verum communis S. Hieronymi, Augustini, Cyrilli, Damasceni aliorumque Patrum (praeter Rupertum), quos citat Pererius, sententia est, tam aves, quam pisces ex aqua, quasi materia, esse productas; hoc enim clare docet tam nostra versio, quam Septuaginta et Chaldaeus, qui omnes in Hebraeo intelligunt relativum אשר ascer, id est quod (hoc enim Hebraeis est familiare), quasi dicatur: «Producant aquae reptile et volatile, quod volet super terram.» Ad locum Gen. II, 19, ibi respondebo. Hinc Philo aves vocat piscium cognatas. Qua ratione conveniant aves et pisces? Dices, aves et pisces sunt omnino dispares et dissimiles: ergo non videntur ex aqua factae aves, sed tantum pisces. Respondeo, negando antecedens: nam magna est avium et piscium cognatio, ut recte docet S. Ambrosius, lib. V Hexam. cap. XIV. Primo, quia aqua, quae est locus piscium, et aer, qui est locus avium, sunt elementa vicina et cognata: utrumque enim est diaphanum, humidum, molle, subtile, agitabile. Hinc aer facile in aquam vertitur, et vicissim aqua vel in vaporem et nubem est versa: sunt enim aves temperamenti aerii magis quam aquei. Secundo, quia tam avibus, quam piscibus inest levitas et agilitas. Quod enim avibus sunt alae, hoc piscibus sunt pinnae et squamae. Hinc et tam aves, quam pisces non habent vesicam, nec lac, nec mammas, ne volatum aut natationem impediant. Tertio, similis utrisque est motus: quod enim natatus est piscibus, hoc volatus est avibus, ita ut pisces videantur esse aves aquatiles, et vicissim aves videantur esse pisces aerii. Rursum tam aves, quam pisces cauda suum iter et cursum dirigunt, ita ut ab iis, ac nominatim a milvo, navigandi artem homines didicisse videantur, ait Plinius lib. X, cap. X. Quarto, multae aves sunt aquatiles, ut cycni, anseres, anates, fulicae, merguli, halcyones. Denique respondet S. Augustinus, lib. III De Gen. ad litt. cap. III, et S. Thomas I part., Quaest. LXXI, art. 1, pisces factos esse ex aqua densiori; aves vero ex aqua subtiliori, quae ad aerem accedit. Miratur deinde S. Basilius quomodo in salem cogatur maris aqua, quomodo corallium in mari sit herba, sed cum in aerem effertur in lapidem transgeletur; quomodo vilissimis ostreis pretiosos uniones natura impresserit; quomodo ex purpurae vilis pisciculi sanguine fiat color purpureus, quo vestes regum tinguntur; quomodo remora pisculus si carinis adhaeserit, naves, etiam valido vento actas, sistat et immobiles reddat. Haec omnia S. Basilius hom. 7. Idem de remora tradit Plinius, Plutarchus, Aldrovandus, qui causam referunt in arcanam qualitatem remorae a natura inditam, qualis est in magnete ad attrahendum ferrum et indicandum polum. Porro iis omnibus S. Basilius docet primo, admirari Dei potentiam, sapientiam et munificentiam in hoc maris theatro, eique pro tot beneficiis, quot sunt pisces, imo guttae in mari, jugiter gratias agere. Secundo, ostendit quomodo debeamus ex piscibus aliisque animalibus et creaturis singulis, congrua elicere documenta vitae, omnesque earum dotes et actiones accommodare ad informationem morum: in speculum enim, aeque ac in auxilium a Deo datae sunt homini. Ita Sapiens Proverb. VI, 6, hominem inertem amandat ad formicas: «Vade, ait, ad formicam, o piger, et considera vias ejus, et disce sapientiam, quae cum non habeat ducem, nec praeceptorem, nec principem, parat in aestate cibum sibi, et congregat in messe quod comedat.» REPTILE ANIMAE VIVENTIS, — id est, reptile habens animam viventis, sive animalis sentientis. Reptilia vocat pisces, quia pisces non habent pedes, sed ventre incubant aquis, quasi repentes et remigantes. Amphibia ad pisces referenda. Ad pisces refer amphibia, uti sunt fibri, lutrae, hippopotami; quae licet pedes habeant, iis tamen non gradiuntur, dum sunt in aquis, sed iis natando utuntur pro remigio.
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21. CREAVITQUE DEUS CETE GRANDIA. «Cete» hebraice vocantur תנינים tanninim, quod significat dracones, et omnia ingentia animalia, tam terrestria quam aquatica, uti sunt balaenae, quae sunt quasi dracones aquatici. Sic nomen cete commune est omnibus magnis et cetaceis piscibus, ut docet Gesnerus. Judaei per tanninim accipiunt balaenas maximas, quas duas tantum creatas esse dicunt (ne si plures essent, pisces omnes devorarent, et naves omnes absorberent), scilicet feminam, quam Deus occidit, et reservat eam justis ad epulandum tempore Messiae; et masculum, quem reservat, ut cum eo certis horis ludat singulis diebus, juxta illud Psal. CIV: Draco iste quem formasti ad illudendum ei, hebr. ut ludas cum eo. Hanc fabellam sumpserunt ex lib. IV Esdrae cap. VI, uti refert Lyranus et Abulensis. Haec sunt deliria istorum sapientum. Nota to cete grandia: cum enim super aquas dorsum efferunt, ingentis insulae speciem exhibent, ait S. Basilius et Theodoretus. ET OMNEM ANIMAM VIVENTEM ATQUE MOTABILEM. — «Atque» hic significat, id est, quasi dicat: Creavit Deus omne animal vivens in aquis, quod scilicet in se habet principium motus, puta animam, qua se suopte nutu movere potest, ideoque vocatur motabile.
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22. BENEDIXITQUE EIS DICENS: CRESCITE ET MULTIPLICAMINI. Dei benedicere est benefacere; benefecit autem Deus piscibus et avibus, hoc ipso, quo tribuit eis appetitum, vim et potentiam generandi sibi simile, ut cum non possint ipsa in se individua semper manere, sed moriantur, maneant saltem in prolibus, et ita quasi aeternitatem quamdam habeant: omnis enim res appetit sui conservationem et aeternitatem; unde explicans subdit: «Crescite,» non magnitudine (hanc enim justam in prima sua creatione acceperunt), sed, ut hebraice est, פרו, id est fructificate, sive prolificate, ut numero multiplicemini; et vos, o pisces, replete aquas. Cur major foecunditas piscium quam avium? Major est enim foecunditas piscium quam avium; et avium major est quam sit animalium terrestrium; quia, ut ait Aristoteles, lib. III de Generatione animal. cap. XI, humor quo abundant pisces, naturam habet ad effingendum efformandumque habiliorem, quam terra. Adde, pisces et aves generare per ova, quae facilius in matrice multiplicantur quam foetus, quos utero gestant terrestria. Unde avibus et piscibus benedixisse Deus legitur, non autem terrestribus: licet, ut recte advertit S. Augustinus, lib. III De Gen. ad litt. cap. XIII, quod in uno expressum est, in altero simili aeque subintelligi debeat. Homini vero legitur Deus benedixisse, tum quia homo dominus est animalium omnium, tum quia homo per omnes terrae provincias disseminandus erat, cum caetera animalia, alia alias terras naturaliter non sustineant. An phoenix avis sit unica? Dices: Phoenix avis est unica in mundo: ergo in ea non est verum to crescite et multiplicamini. Respondeo ad antecedens: Phoenicem existere multi veterum, non tam ex certa scientia, quam ex communi rumore asseruerunt. Verum posteriores Philosophi et Physici, qui de avibus exacte scripserunt, inter quos ultimus et exactissimus est Ulysses Aldrovandus, Phoenicem pro fabula habent, eumque non existere, nec unquam extitisse multis demonstrant. Phoenix ergo avis est, non vera, sed symbolica, uti ostendam cap. VII, vers. 2. S. Basilius, hom. 8 Hexam., et ex eo S. Ambrosius, lib. V Hexam., describit et miratur, primo, apum industriam in favis construendis, melle legendo, disponendo, tutando, etc. Secundo, gruum excubias, quas noctu vicissim agunt, ut caeteras dormientes obeant et custodiant. Exacto enim tempore definito, illa quae excubavit emisso clangore se ad somnum componit; alia vero succedit, et quam accepit, caeteris reddit excubando securitatem. Volant certo ordine quasi acie instructa: una velut dux praeit, quae stato tempore munere suo perfuncta, ad totius agminis se terga vertit, et ducendi munus ei quae proxime sequitur, resignat. Tertio, mores ciconiarum, quae stato tempore advolant et avolant; eas deducunt cornices; et contra alias aves tutantur. Signum praestitae tutelae est, quod cornices cum vulneribus redeunt. Rursum ciconiae suos parentes senescentes, pennis propriis circumdatos fovent, victum laute subministrant, et utrimque suis eos sublevant alis. «Haec est vectura pietatis,» ait S. Ambrosius. Quarto, nemo suam paupertatem deploret, si consideret hirundinem, quae pro compingendo nidulo stramenta ore legit, perfertque: lutum autem cum deferre nequeat pedibus (utpote quos adeo breves parvosque habet, ut nullos habere videatur; ideoque vix consistere, sed fere volare cernitur), extremitates pennarum aqua madefacit, mox pulvere sese involvens, hoc pacto sibi lutum efformat, quo nidum compaginat, ibique positis ovis pullos excludit; quorum si quispiam pupugerit oculos, adhibita herba chelidonia rursum eos oculare novit. Quinto, halcedo juxta littus maris media fere hieme, cum saeviunt venti et procellae, ova ponit, tumque illico silent et sopiuntur venti et procellae, ac aequora placantur per septem totos dies, quibus ovis incubat, pullosque excludit halcedo, ac deinde succedunt alii septem sereni dies, quibus pullos enutrit. Unde nautae secure tunc navigant. Hinc et poetae dies tranquillos et serenos vocant halcyonios. Halcedo docet nos sperare in Deo: si enim ipse tantam serenitatem praestat uni aviculae, quid non praestabit homini se invocanti? Quinto, turtur mortuo compare nulli alteri se jungens, docet viduas manere castas, nec ad alterius viri aspirare connubium. Sexto, aquila in pullos dura, eos mox deserit, imo subinde nido exturbat: hinc symbolum est parentum in filios suos crudelium. Ex adverso benigni in filios, sunt similes coturnicibus, quae suos pullos jam volantes comitantur eisque aliquandiu alimoniam suppeditant. Septimo, vultures longaevi (plerumque enim centenos annos vivunt) pariunt sine coitu. Has objicias Ethnicis, qui dicunt: Quomodo B. Virgo, manens virgo, potuit parere Christum? Idem habet S. Ambrosius, lib. V Hexam. cap. XX. Quin et Aelianus, lib. II de Animal. cap. XL; Horus, lib. I, Hierogl.; Isidorus, lib. XII; Origenes, cap. VII, et alii quos citat Aldrovandus in vulture, tradunt vultures omnes esse feminas, easque sine mare ex vento concipere et generare. Verum haec omnia esse fabulosa docet Albertus Magnus, et ex eo Aldrovandus lib. III Ornithol., pag. 244. Vultures enim sunt animalia perfecta, quae omnia communi naturae lege, utroque sexu gaudent, eoque generant et se propagant, uti caeterae aves. Insuper vultures valent odoratu, et cadavera a centenis milliaribus, imo trans mare sita olfaciunt, ad eaque advolant: quin et videntur caedes praesagire; unde magnis gregibus sequuntur exercitus et castra. Octavo, vespertilio quadrupes est, et tamen alata, quasi avis: unde parit animal, ut quadrupes; et alas habet, non pennis distinctas, sed continuas instar membranae coriaceae. His, et noctuis similes sunt qui sapiunt in rebus vanis, non veris et solidis; instar enim noctuarum, acies eorum sole illucescente hebetatur; acuitur vero ipsa umbra et caligine. Nono, gallus excubitor mane te excitat, ut ad opera conficienda consurgas, acuta inclamitans voce, cantuque suo solem adhuc e longinquo advenientem praedicens, cumque viatoribus mane evigilans, et ad suos labores ac messem agricolas educens aedibus. Decimo, pervigil est anser, et acutissimus ad ea sentienda quae caeteros latent. Unde olim Romae anseres Capitolium contra Gallos hostes irrepentes, suis clamoribus custodes dormientes excitando, tutati sunt. Quocirca S. Ambrosius, lib. V Hexam. cap. XIII: «Merito, ait, illis (anseribus), Roma, debes quod regnas. Dii tui dormiebant, et vigilabant anseres. Ideo illis diebus anseri sacrificas, non Jovi. Cedant enim dii vestri anseribus, a quibus sciunt se esse defensos, ne et ipsi ab hoste caperentur.» Undecimo, exercitus locustarum sub una tessera, in sublime universus simul elatus, castris toto late positis agro, non antea fructus depascitur, quam ipsi id sit a Deo concessum, et quasi mandatum. Suggerit Deus remedium, illud est seleucis avis, quae turmatim advolans locustas devorat. Insuper quis qualisque est modus canendi cicadae? Meridie magis incumbit cantui, aeris tractione, quae fit cum pectus expanditur, sonum eliciens. Duodecimo, insecta (ut apes, vespae), ita dicta, quod undique scissuras quasdam, sive incisuras ostendant, pulmone carent, ideoque non respirant, sed totis corporis sui partibus aere nutriuntur. Quapropter si olivo, id est oleo ex olivis expresso, fuerint madefacta, occlusis meatibus pereunt: si aceto protinus asperseris ea, reclusis foraminibus reviviscunt. Decimo tertio, anates, anseres et aliae aves quae natant, pedes habent non diffissos, sed continuos, et instar membranae expansos, ut commodius fluitare et natare possint. Cycnus longo collo in profundam aquam immisso, piscariam exercens, pisces venatur. Resurrectionis typus in bombycibus. Decimo quarto, resurrectionis argumentum et typus sunt bombyces. In his enim primo ex semine enascitur vermiculus, ex hoc fit eruca, ex eruca bombyx, qui foliis mori se implet, ac plenus net fila byssi, quae ex visceribus suis educit, factoque glomo illi se includens immoritur, ac eo evoluto reviviscit, conceptisque alis fit papilio, et relicto in glomo semine avolat. Haec Basilius. Adde aves mire canoras, psittacum, merulam, regulum, et maxime philomelam, quae pusilla non aliud esse videtur quam vox, imo musica de qua S. Ambrosius, lib. V Hexam. cap. XX: «Unde mihi, ait, vocem psittaci, dulcedinemque merularum? Utinam saltem luscinia canat, quae dormientem de somno excitet. Ea enim avis significare solet diei surgentis exortum, et effusiorem diluculo deferre laetitiam;» idem, cap. V: «Quomodo, ait, fulicae, quae marino delectamini profundo, refugientes quam praesenseritis commotionem maris, in vado luditis? Ipsa ardea quae paludibus inhaerere consuevit, notas deserit sedes, imbresque formidans, supra nubes volat, ut procellas nubium sentire non possit.»
De Opere Diei Sexti Sexta dies dedit incolas terrae, sicut quinta dedit incolas aquae et aeri. Igni vero nulli incolae sunt dati: nam nec salamandram, nec aliud animal in igne vivere aut durare posse docet Galenus, lib. III De Temperamentis, et Dioscorides, lib. II, cap. LVI, ubi Mathiolus ait se idipsum expertum esse, ac multas salamandras in ignem conjecisse, quae brevi consumptae sunt. Sic pyraustae sive lampyrides, quae paulo majores sunt muscis, tantum ad breve tempus vivunt in igne; nam in fornacibus aerariis nascuntur in Cypro, in iisque per ignem saliunt et ambulant, et mox a flamma avolantes emoriuntur, uti testatur Aristoteles, lib. V Hist. anim. cap. XIX.
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24. PRODUCAT TERRA ANIMAM VIVENTEM, — animalia viventia; est synecdoche. Rursum, «producat terra,» non quasi causa efficiens: haec enim fuit solus Deus, sed tanquam causa materialis, quasi dicat: Exoriantur, emanent, exurgant, prodeant animalia ex terra. An omnes omnium animalium species die sexto creatae? Quaeres, an omnes omnino animalium terrestrium species hoc sexto die a Deo sint creatae? Respondeo primo, omnes omnino animalium terrestrium species, quae perfectae sunt et homogeneae, id est, quae per commixtionem maris et feminae ex una tantum specie nasci possunt, hoc die esse creatas: ita passim docent Interpretes et Scholastici. Et probatur, quia hoc requirebat perfectio universi. Deus enim hisce sex diebus universum hoc perfecte condidit et exornavit; unde sequitur eum hisce sex diebus omnia, id est omnium rerum species, creasse. Atque hinc dicitur septimo die cessasse, scilicet a novarum specierum productione. Bestiae etiam venenatae creatae. Dico secundo, consequenter hoc sexto die omnes bestiae venenatae, ut serpentes, et sibi invicem inimicae ac carnivorae, ut lupus et ovis, creatae sunt, adeoque cum hac inimicitia et antipathia creatae sunt: haec enim antipathia est eis naturalis. Itaque ante peccatum Adae natura lupi erat inimica ovi, eique necem intulisset: Dei tamen providentia cavisset, ne id fieret ante speciem satis propagatam, ut illa non intercideret. Ita D. Thomas, I part., Quaest. LXIX, art. 1, ad 2, et S. Augustinus, lib. III De Genes. ad litt. cap. XVI, licet ipse idipsum retractare videatur lib. I Retract. cap. X, atque asserere, ad naturalem institutionem pertinere, ut herbis omnes bestiae vescantur, juxta id quod dicitur Genes. I, 30; ex hominis autem inobedientia factum esse, ut aliae aliis sint in cibum. Idem censet Pererius, et Abulensis, in cap. XIII, ubi fuse haec pertractat. Idem videtur sentire Gregorius Nyssenus, orat. 2 De Procreatione hominis. Idem diserte docet Junilius: «Ex eo, ait, quod dixit Deus: Ecce dedi vobis omnem herbam, patet quod nihil noxium terra protulit, et nullam herbam venenatam, et nullam arborem sterilem. Secundo, quod nec ipsae aves raptu infirmorum alitum vivebant, nec lupus insidias explorabat ovilia circum, nec serpenti pulvis panis ejus erat; sed universa concorditer herbis et fructibus arborum vescebantur.» Verum prius, quod dixi, est verius. Causae, cur venenata crearit Deus, sunt: prima, ut universum omnibus rerum generibus esset integrum; secunda, ut ex iis elucesceret aliorum bonitas: bonum enim malo oppositum elucescit; tertia, quia ipsa ad medicinas et ad alios usus utilia sunt. Sic enim ex vipera fit theriaca. Ita Damascenus, lib. II De Fide, cap. XXV. Vide S. Augustinum, lib. I De Genesi contra Manichaeos, XVI. Cur et ex putrefactione nascantur. Dico tertio, minuta animalia quae ex sudore, exhalatione aut putrefactione nascuntur, uti pulices, mures aliique vermiculi, non fuerunt hoc sexto die creata formaliter, sed potentialiter, et quasi in seminali ratione; quia scilicet illa animalia hoc die creata sunt, ex quorum certa affectione, haec naturaliter erant exoritura: ita S. Augustinus, lib. III De Genes. ad litt. cap. XIV, licet contrarium docere videatur S. Basilius hic hom. 7. Certe pulices et similes vermes, qui jam in hominibus sunt, tunc creari, contrarium fuisset felicissimo innocentiae statui. Nota, in parvis animalibus aeque, et subinde magis elucere magnificentiam Dei, atque in magnis. Audi Tertullianum, lib. I Contra Marcionem, cap. XIV: «At cum et animalia irrides minutiora, quae maximus artifex de industria, ingeniis aut viribus ampliavit, sic magnitudinem in mediocritate probare docens, quemadmodum virtutem in infirmitate, secundum Apostolum; imitare, si potes, apis aedificia, formicae stabula, araneae retia, bombycis stamina; sustine, si potes, illas ipsas lectuli et tegetis tuae bestias, cantharidis venena, muscae spicula, culicis et tubam et lanceam: qualia erunt majora, cum tam modicis aut juvaris aut laederis, ut nec in modicis despicias creatorem?» Ita Chrysippus, teste Plutarcho lib. V De Natura, cimices et mures homini perutiles esse dixit; cimicibus enim nos a somno excitari, et muribus admoneri, ut in rebus locandis curam adhibeamus. S. Augustinus enarrat. in Psal. CXLVIII: «Attendat, ait, charitas vestra: quis disposuit membra pulicis et culicis, ut habeant ordinem suum, habeant vitam suam, habeant motum suum? Unam bestiolam brevem minutissimam considera, quam volueris: si consideres ordinem membrorum ipsius, et animationem vitae qua movetur, pro se fugit mortem, amat vitam; appetit voluptates, devitat molestias, exerit sensus diversos, viget in motu congruo sibi. Quis dedit aculeum culici, quo sanguinem sugat? quam tenuis fistula est, qua sorbet? Quis disposuit ista? quis fecit ista? Expavescis in minimis, lauda magnum.» Nec hybrides. Dico quarto, hybrides, puta animalia quae ex congressu diversarum specierum generantur, uti mulus ex equa et asino, ex lupo et cerva lynx, ex hirco et ove tityrus, ex leaena et pardo leopardus, haec, inquam, non necesse est dicere hoc die sexto esse creata: atque de facto tunc non omnia haec esse creata certum est. Ita Rupertus, Molina et alii, licet Pererius hic contrarium sentiat. Hoc dictum probatur primo, quia in Africa indies novae oriuntur monstrorum species, et plures deinceps orientur, atque oriri possunt ex nova aliarum et aliarum specierum, sive animalium commixtione. Secundo, quia haec commixtio est praeter naturam et adulterina, unde vetita fuit Judaeis Levit. XIX, 19. Tertio, quia haec animalia sufficienter censentur creata, quando aliae species creatae sunt, ex quarum commixtione postea erant nascitura. Quarto, quia de mulis docent Hebraei Gen. XXXVI, 24, eos longe post hunc sextum mundi diem, ab Ana inventos esse in deserto, ex equarum cum asinis congressu. IN GENERE SUO, — secundum suum genus, puta secundum species suas, ut sequitur, q. d. Producat terra animalia viventia, secundum quasque singulorum species: sive, producat terra singulas animalium terrestrium species. Species hasce enumerat et contemplatur S. Basilius, hom. 9 Hexam., eumque secutus S. Ambrosius, lib. VI Hexam. cap. IV, ubi inter caetera ait: «Ursa insidians licet, ut scriptura ait (est enim plena fraudis fera), tamen fertur informes utero foetus edere, sed natos lingua fingere, atque in speciem sui similitudinemque formare: tu filios tuos instituere similes tui non potes?» Eadem gravi affecta clade, et consauciata vulneribus, mederi sibi novit, herbae, cui nomen est phlomos, ulcera subjiciens sua, ut solo curentur attactu. Serpens quoque pastu foeniculi caecitatem repellit exceptam. Testudo visceribus pasta serpentis, cum venenum adverterit sibi serpere, origano medicinam suae salutis exercet. Videas etiam vulpem lacrymula pinus medentem sibi. Clamat Dominus Jerem. VIII: Turtur et hirundo, agri passeres custodierunt tempora introitus sui; populus autem meus non cognovit judicia Domini. Novit etiam formica explorare serenitatis tempora: nam ea praesagiens madidatos fructus foras exportat, ut jugi sole siccentur. Boves impendente pluvia ad praesepia se tenere noverunt, alias foras spectant, et ultra praesepia cervices extendunt, ut prodire se velle testentur, eo quod immineat aura serenior. «Ovis sub adventum hiemis inexplebilis ad escam, insatiabiliter herbam rapit, eo quod praesentiat asperitatem et sterilitatem hiemis futuram. Hericius, si quid insidiarum praesenserit, spinis suis clauditur, atque in sua se arma colligit, ut quicumque eum contingendum putaverit, vulneretur. Idem futuri providens, geminas sibi respirandi vias munit, ut quando Boream flaturum cognoverit, Septentrionalem obstruat: quando Noto cognoverit detergi aeris nubila, ad Septentrionalem se conferat, ut flatus declinet obvios, et e regione nocituros. Quam magnificata sunt opera tua, Domine! omnia in sapientia fecisti.» Subdit de tigride, quae raptorem catulorum suorum insequitur, qui ubi se contiguum viderit sphaeram de vitro projicit. At illa imagine sui (quam reflexam videt in vitro, putatque suum esse catulum) luditur, et quasi lactatura foetum residet: sic pietatis studio decepta, et vindictam amittit et prolem. Docet ergo tigris saeva licet, quantum parentes debeant amare suos liberos, nec eos ad iracundiam provocare. Pergit deinde ad canes, qui ex vestigiis mira sagacitate leporem odorantur, et insequuntur. Affert exempla canum, qui herorum suorum homicidas detexerunt et vindicarunt, additque: «Quid nos dignum nostro referimus creatori, cujus cibo vescimur, et dissimulamus injurias, et saepe inimicis Dei eas quas a Deo accepimus, epulas exhibemus?» Agniculus balatu frequenti absentem matrem citat, ut responsurae vocem excitet; multis licet versetur in millibus ovium, recognoscit vocem parentis, festinat ad matrem; illa quoque inter multa agniculorum millia, solum filium tacito pietatis testimonio recognoscit. Pastor errat in discretione ovium, agniculus in agnitione matris nescit errare. Nondum catulo dentes, et tanquam habeat, ore proprio se quaerit ulcisci. Nondum cervo cornua, et tamen fronte gressionesque cum caeteris non acceptat, sed praeludit, atque ex ea, quae nondum expertus sit, aspernatur; qui neque ad pabulum hesternum accedit, nec ad reliquias venationis suae nunquam reddit. Vehemens est panthera, impetuosa et pernix, ideoque flexilis et agilis. Pigerrima est ursa, solitaria et dolosa. JUMENTA, — animalia domestica et mansueta: haec enim hebraice vocantur בהמות behemot, et opponuntur bestiis, id est feris terrae, quas Graeci hic θηρία vertunt. Quid tropologice significet opus sex dierum. Tropologice, opus creationis sex dierum significat opus justificationis hominis. Primo ergo die creatur lux, id est, infunditur peccatori illuminatio, qua videat turpitudinem peccati, et periculum sui status ac aeternitatis; secundo die fit firmamentum, id est, inditur peccatori timor Dei et judicii, qui dividit aquas superas, id est appetitum rationalem, ab inferis, id est ab appetitu sensitivo, ut licet sensu concupiscat terrena, spiritu tamen feratur in coelestia; tertio die terra, id est, homo coopertus aqua, id est concupiscentia, detegitur, ut, licet eam habeat, non tamen obruatur, et sentiat, nec consentiat: inde fert germina virtutum; quarto die fit sol, id est, inditur homini charitas; et luna, id est fides illustris; et Hesperus, id est spes; et Saturnus, id est temperantia; et Jupiter, id est justitia; et Mars, id est fortitudo; et Mercurius, id est prudentia: cum aliis astris, id est virtutibus; quinto et sexto die fiunt animantes, primo, pisces, id est homines boni, sed imperfectissimi, quia curis saeculi immersi; secundo, jumenta, id est homines perfectiores, qui in terra vivunt spiritualiter; tertio, aves, id est homines perfectissimi, qui omnia contemnentes, toto affectu quasi aves in coelum evolant: ita ex Eucherio, Origene et Hugone, Pererius. Vide S. Bernardum, serm. 3 De Pentecoste. Symbolice, Junilius hos sex dies adaptat sex aetatibus mundi. Sequitur creatio hominis, nimirum: Sanctius his animal, mentisque capacius altae Deerat adhuc, et quod dominari in caetera posset: Natus homo est. Dicit ergo Deus:
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FACIAMUS HOMINEM AD IMAGINEM ET SIMILITUDINEM NOSTRAM. Hic SS. Trinitatis mysterium intelligitur. Nota hic SS. Trinitatis mysterium: hisce enim verbis alloquitur Deus Pater, non angelos, quasi iis jubeat, ut ipsi fabricent corpus humanum et animam sensitivam, sibique solum reservet fabricam animae rationalis, uti voluit Plato in Timaeo, et Philo, lib. De Opificio sex dierum, ac Judaei; hoc enim ut impium detestantur S. Basilius, Chrysostomus, Theodoretus, Cyrillus, lib. I Contra Julianum, et Augustinus, lib. XVI De Civit. cap. VI; nam Deus non per angelos, sed per se tam corpus, quam animam hominis creavit, ut patet cap. II, vers. 7 et 21; unde non ait hic, facite, sed faciamus ad imaginem, non vestram, o angeli, sed nostram. Alloquitur ergo hic Deus Pater suum Filium, et Spiritum Sanctum, quasi collegas suos, ejusdem secum naturae, potentiae et operationis. Ita S. Basilius, Rupertus et alii supra; imo Concilium Sirmiense apud Hilarium, lib. De Synodis, dicit anathema iis qui aliter hunc locum explicant. Hominis excellentia duodecim. Nota secundo, excellentiam hominis: Deus enim de hominis, tanquam rei magnae, creatione deliberat et consultat, dicens: Faciamus hominem; ita Rupertus. Est enim homo prima mundi increati, id est SS. Trinitatis, imago, et ejus infinitae artis et sapientiae testimonium, et opus perfectissimum; creati vero mundi homo est finis, compendium, vinculum et nexus: omnes enim rerum spiritualium et corporalium gradus in se habet et nectit homo, ideoque est et vocatur Microcosmus, atque a Platone vocatur Horizon universi, quia disterminat et in se conjungit superius hemisphaerium, puta coelum et angelos, atque inferius, puta terram et bruta; homo enim partim angelis, partim brutis est similis. Sic vita, et tempus hoc nostrum est horizon aeternitatis: quia disterminat aeternitatem beatam, quae est in coelis, a misera, quae est in inferno, et ab utraque aliquid participat. Pulchre S. Clemens, lib. VII Constit. Apost., cap. XXXV: «Finem, ait, fabricationis, animantem rationis participem, mundi civem, sapientiae tuae moderatione fecisti, cum diceres: Faciamus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram; fecisti, inquam, ut esset homo κοσμου κοσμος, id est, ornati ornatus, cujus corpus et quatuor elementis primis corporibus formasti, animam vero ex nihilo, ac sensus quinque ad certamen virtutis dedisti; et mentem ipsius animae, tanquam aurigam sensibus praefecisti.» Secundo, quia per Christum hominem omnes pariter creaturae, quae in homine quasi in microcosmo, uti jam dixi, continentur, erant deificandae: vide ergo quanta sit hominis dignitas. Tertio, quia propter hominem, et cum homine, uti mundus est conditus, ita et in resurrectione renovabitur. Quarto, summum fidei mysterium, scilicet SS. Trinitatis et individuae unitatis, primum in generatione hominis reseratum est, quod postea in ejusdem hominis regeneratione, puta in baptismo, aperte declarandum et profitendum erat; nam illa verba, faciamus et nostram, Trinitatem significant; unitatem vero indicant illa verba: Dixit Deus, fecit Deus, etc. Quinto, animalia et plantae ex terra et aqua generatae dicuntur: at solus Deus corpus hominis finxit et figuravit, illique animam rationalem a se ex nihilo creatam indidit. Sexto, homo factus est a Deo rector et princeps omnium animalium, etiam maximorum, totiusque mundi quasi rex. Septimo, assignavit Deus homini ad habitandum et sese oblectandum, paradisum, deliciis omnique rerum copia instructissimum. Octavo, creavit Deus hominem tanta integritate animi et innocentia praeditum, ut et mens subjecta esset Deo, et sensus rationi, et corpus animo, et omnes animantes hominis imperio subderentur: hinc factum est ut nudus non erubesceret. Nono, Adam congrua singulis animantibus nomina imposuit; unde elucet summa ejus scientia et sapientia, ut et ipsae animantes quasi agnoscerent et profiterentur, se pro rege ac domino habere hominem. Decimo, corpus habuit immortale, ut scilicet si Deo pareret, longissimo aevo in terris acto, ex vita terrena ad coelestem et sempiternam, mortis malorumque omnium expers traduceretur. Undecimo, Deus dono prophetiae hominem insignivit, cum dixit: «Hoc nunc os ex ossibus meis.» Duodecimo, Deus saepe sub specie humana homini apparebat, eumque familiariter alloquebatur. Nota tertio, Deus palatium hoc mundi, quasi quoddam convivium, ait Nyssenus, aut potius quasi splendidum triclinium, instruxit omnibus rebus, quae ad usum, oblectationem et scientiam erant opportuna; ac deinde ultimo in illud ita adornatum induxit creavitque hominem, quasi qui omnium esset vertex, finis et dominus. Vide S. Ambrosium, epist. 38 ad Horont., et Nazianzenum, orat. 43, et Nyssenum, lib. De Opificio hominis. Recte ergo S. Bernardus, serm. 1 De Annunt.: «Quid, inquit, homini primo deerat quem misericordia custodiebat, docebat veritas, regebat justitia, pax fovebat?» Insuper Diogenes, teste Plutarcho, lib. De Tranquill. animae, et Philo, lib. I De Monarchia, docent quod mundus sit quasi templum Dei sacrum, et pulchrum, in quod inductus sit homo, ut ejus esset antistes, et sacerdotio fungeretur pro creaturis omnibus, ac pro beneficiis eis omnibus et singulis collatis gratias ageret, illisque propitium redderet Deum, ut bona adderet, malaque repelleret. Hinc «in veste poderis, quam habebat» Aaron pontifex veteris Testamenti, «totus erat orbis terrarum,» Sapient. XVIII, 24. Audi Lactantium, lib. De Ira Dei, cap. XIV: «Sequitur ut ostendam cur hominem fecerit Deus. Sicut mundum propter hominem machinatus est, ita ipsum propter se, tanquam divini templi antistitem, spectatorem operum rerumque coelestium. Solus enim est, qui sentiens capaxque rationis intelligere possit Deum, qui ejus opera admirari, virtutem potestatemque perspicere, etc. Ideo sermonem solus accepit, ac linguam cogitationis interpretem, ut enarrare majestatem Domini sui possit.» Porro S. Ambrosius, epist. 38 jam citata, docet hominem ultimo creatum, ut subjectas haberet omnes mundi opes, omnia volatilia, terrestria, etiam pisces, etc., essetque quasi rex elementorum, ac per haec quasi per gradus ad coeli ascenderet regiam. Ac tandem eleganter concludit: «Recte ergo novissimus, quasi totius summa operis, quasi causa mundi, propter quem facta sunt omnia, quasi omnium habitator elementorum: inter feras vivit, cum piscibus natat, super aves volat, conversatur cum angelis; terram inhabitat, et coelo militat; sulcat mare, aere pascitur; cultor soli, viator profundi, piscator in fluctibus, in aere auceps, in coelo haeres, cohaeres Christi.» «Hominem.» — Homo hic non est idea hominis abstracti et universalis, qui sit causa et exemplar omnium singularium hominum, ut ex Platone voluit Philo. Non etiam homo hic est animus hominis, q. d. Animum hominis ornemus nostra imagine, puta gratia, uti explicat S. Basilius et Ambrosius. Sed homo est ipse Adam primus homo, parensque caeterorum omnium, ut patet ex dictis: in Adamo enim, et per Adamum Deus fecit et creavit caeteros homines. «Ad imaginem et similitudinem» — Imago Dei in homine. AD IMAGINEM ET SIMILITUDINEM NOSTRAM. — Quaeres, in quo sita sit haec imago Dei, expressa in homine? Anthropomorphitae, quorum auctor fuit Audaeus; unde et Audaeani sunt dicti, putarunt hominem esse imaginem Dei secundum corpus, ideoque Deum esse corporeum; verum haec est haeresis. Secundo, Oleaster et Eugubinus in Cosmopoeia putant Deum hic induisse formam humanam, ut illius ad instar crearet hominem; sed hoc aeque frigidum ac novum est. Nota primo, imaginem hic sumi pro exemplari, q. d. Faciamus hominem ad exemplar nostrum, ut quasi imago nos, quasi suum exemplar referat ac repraesentet. Imago haec non est Verbum divinum, sive Filius, qui est imago Patris, ut aliqui explicant; sed est ipsa essentia divina, ipseque Deus unus et trinus: ad hujus enim imaginem conditus est homo. Quare quod Rupertus per imaginem accipit Filium, per similitudinem Spiritum Sanctum, mysticum est. Potest tamen secundo, imago hic proprie capi, ut sit hebraismus, q. d. Faciamus hominem ad imaginem, id est, ut sit imago nostri, quasi sui exemplaris. An imago et similitudo hic distinguantur? Nota secundo, imaginem hic multi a similitudine distinguunt, nimirum ut imago ad naturam, similitudo ad virtutes pertineat. Ita S. Basilius, homil. 10 Hexam.: «Per imaginem, inquit, animae impressam meae, obtinui rationis usum; verum Christianus effectus, utique similis efficior Deo;» S. Hieronymus, in illud Ezechiel. cap. XXVIII: Tu signaculum similitudinis, sic ait: «Et notandum est quod imago tunc (in creatione) facta sit tantum, similitudo in baptismate compleatur;» et S. Chrysostomus, homil. 9 in Genes.: «Imaginem dixit, ob principatus rationem; similitudinem, ut pro viribus humanis similes fiamus Deo mansuetudine, lenitate, etc. quod et Christus dicit: Similes estote Patri vestro qui in coelis est.» Idem docet S. Augustinus, lib. Contra Adimantum, cap. V; Eucherius, lib. I in Genes.; Damascenus, lib. II De Fide, XII; S. Bernardus, serm. 1 De Annunt., ubi et addit: «Imago siquidem in gehenna uri poterit, non exuri, ardere, sed non deleri. Similitudo non sic; sed aut manet in bono, aut, si peccaverit anima, mutatur miserabiliter jumentis insipientibus similata.» Sic ergo per peccatum in homine perit similitudo Dei, non imago. Verum dico non distingui, esseque hendiadyn, q. d. Ad imaginem et similitudinem, id est, ad imaginem similitudinis, ut habetur Sapient. cap. II, vers. 24, hoc est, ad imaginem similem, vel simillimam. Hinc Scriptura haec nomina promiscue usurpat, modo unum, modo alterum, modo utrumque. Homo est umbra Dei. Nota tertio, pro imaginem hebraice est צלם tselem, quod significat umbram, sive adumbrationem rei. Radix enim צלל tsalal, significat obumbrare, inde צל tsel, significat umbram, et tselem, imaginem adumbrantem. Sicut enim umbra corporis, sic imago sui prototypi est quaedam adumbratio. Innuit ergo tselem, hominem respectu Dei tantum esse umbram, vel umbraticam imaginem. Deus enim solidum et constantem habet essentiam; homo vero umbraticam et evanidam: et hoc est quod Psalm. XXXVIII, dicitur: «Universa vanitas omnis homo vivens, verumtamen in imagine (hebr. בצלם betselem, in umbra, id est instar umbrae) pertransit homo.» Nota quarto, homo non est imago Dei, ut Deus est, id est quoad attributa propria Dei (nec enim homo est omnipotens, immensus, aeternus, omniscius, uti est Deus), sed solum quoad attributa communia, quae scilicet ipse communicat intellectuali creaturae. Nota quinto, haec imago Dei non est in solo viro, ut vult Theodoretus, sed et in angelo, et in femina, ut fuse docet S. Augustinus, lib. XII De Trinit. VII, et Basilius hic hom. 10, explicans illa verba Genes. I: «Masculum et feminam fecit eos.» In mente hominis sita est imago Dei. Dico primo: haec imago Dei sita est in mente hominis, sive in eo quod homo in summo rerum sit gradu, in quo Deus est et angelus, puta quod homo sit naturae intelligentis, sitque animal rationale: per rationem enim, mentem et intellectum homo maxime refert Deum, illique prae aliis creaturis simillimus est. Ex hac natura rationali sex eximiae hominis dotes et proprietates consequuntur, in quarum modo una, modo alia Patres subinde hanc Dei imaginem collocant, scilicet partialiter et incomplete. Sex hominis dotes eximiae in quibus homo est imago Dei. Prima est, quod hominis anima incorporea sit et individua, uti est ipse Deus: in hac imaginem Dei collocat S. Augustinus. Secunda est, quod sit aeterna et immortalis: in hac collocat Origenes. Tertia est, quod sit intellectu, voluntate et memoria praedita: in hac collocat Damascenus. Quarta, quod sit liberi arbitrii: in hac collocat S. Ambrosius. Quinta, quod sit capax sapientiae, virtutis, gratiae, beatitudinis, visionis Dei omnisque boni: unde in hac capacitate imaginem Dei collocat Nyssenus. Sexta, quod cunctis animalibus sua potestate praesit et dominetur: in hac collocat S. Basilius. Adde septimo, sicut in Deo omnes res sunt et continentur eminenter, ita quoque omnes res in homine sunt eminenter, uti dixi sub initium hujus vers. Rursum, homo intelligendo fit quasi omnia, ut ait Aristoteles, quia omnium rerum imagines et simulacra in phantasia et mente sibi efformat. Quatuor aliae hominis proprietates et excellentiae. Octavo, hinc homo quasi est omnipotens instar Dei; quia multa arte, et omnia mente sua efformare et comprehendere potest. Rursum, homo est finis omnium creatorum, uti eorumdem finis est Deus. Nono, sicut anima regit corpus, estque tota in toto, et tota in qualibet ejus parte: ita et Deus est totus in toto mundo, et totus in qualibet mundi parte. Decimo et perfectissime, sicuti Deus Pater per intellectum se cognoscens producit Verbum, puta Filium, eum amando producit Spiritum Sanctum: ita homo intelligendo se producit in mente sua verbum intelligibile, sui ipsius expressivum, sibique simile, atque inde procedit in voluntate ejusdem amor: sic enim homo clare repraesentat SS. Trinitatem. Ita S. Augustinus, lib. X De Trinit. cap. X, et lib. XIV, cap. XI. Imago Dei naturalis peccato perdi non potuit. Haec ergo imago Dei homini est naturalis, quae peccato perdi non potuit; est enim ipsi naturae intime et indelebiliter impressa, ut perdi non possit, nisi perdatur et natura. Ita contra Origenem docet S. Augustinus, lib. II Retract. cap. XXIV. Impia ergo et stolida est sententia Matthiae Illyrici Lutherani, dicentis, quod imago Dei in homine per peccatum ita sit corrupta, ut homo substantialiter sit transformatus in vivam et substantialem imaginem diaboli: hanc enim esse ipsum peccatum originale, ipse cum suis mordicus tuetur lib. De Peccat. orig. De imagine Dei supernaturali in homine. Dico secundo: altera quoque in homine est imago Dei, scilicet supernaturalis, quae sita est in gratia et justificatione hominis, qua ipse divinae fit consors naturae, quaeque in gloria et vita aeterna firmabitur et perficietur. «Gratia enim est anima animae,» ait S. Augustinus; in hac gratia conditum esse Adamum, eamque hic etiam ad litteram intelligi imaginem Dei, patet Coloss. III, 10; Ephes. IV, 24. Ita passim Patres. Haec imago ab hominis voluntate pendet, eaque peccante deperditur, sed per gratiam et justificationem reparatur et reformatur. Unde Apostolus Ephes. cap. IV, 23: «Renovamini, inquit, spiritu mentis vestrae, et induite novum hominem qui secundum Deum creatus est in justitia et sanctitate veritatis.» Justitia originalis Adae. Ubi nota, Adae in primo instanti creationis suae, cum gratia infusas fuisse simul omnes virtutes theologicas et morales: item datam ei esse justitiam originalem, quae praeter habitus virtutum jam dictos, erat assistentia et manutenentia Dei assidua; qua fiebat ut motus omnes appetitus inordinati, sive concupiscentiae, rationem praevenientes, impedirentur; utque appetitus rationi, ratio Deo in omnibus subderetur; itaque homo in omnibus interna pace, rectitudine et sanctitate frueretur; unde de nulla re inordinatam tristitiam, iram, concupiscentiam, aliamve turbidam passionem concepisset, atque hanc justitiam et integritatem Adam, si non peccasset, in posteros transfudisset. De justitia originali vide Molinam, Pererium, Aretinum et alios. Dico tertio, in corpore hominis proprie non est imago Dei, sed tamen in eo relucet quodammodo et resplendet, quia scilicet corpus hominis est imago mentis: recta enim statura, et vultus in coelum erectus, indicat animum corporis rectorem coelesti satum origine, Deique similem, aeternitatis et divinitatis capacem, superna spectare et ambire debere. «Si enim tanti vitrum, quanti margaritum?» si tale est corpus, qualem decet esse animam? ita S. Augustinus, lib. VI De Gen. ad litt. cap. XII, et Bernardus, serm. 24 in Cantica. Recta ergo statura admonetur homo, sibi non esse sectanda terrena, uti faciunt pecora, quorum voluptas omnis ex terra est: unde in ventrem cuncta pecora prona et prostrata sunt; hinc Poeta: Pronaque cum spectent animalia caetera terram, Os homini sublime dedit, coelumque tueri Jussit, et erectos ad sidera tollere vultus. Coelo ergo nati, coelo creati sumus: hic finis, hic scopus noster: ab hoc si aberremus, frustra homines sumus, frustra coelum solemque suspeximus; satius foret bruta aut saxa fuisse: sin assequamur, terque quaterque beati. Hic ergo nobis, aeque ac S. Bernardo, perennis sit stimulus ad vitam puram et sanctam: Bernarde, dic quare hic? cur coelum suspicis? cur animam rationalem et immortalem accepisti? In caeteris creaturis est vestigium quoddam Dei. Dico quarto, in caeteris creaturis non est imago, sed quoddam quasi vestigium Dei, Deum repraesentans, sicut effectus suam causam repraesentat. Consideranti enim earum naturam, actionem, dispositionem, determinationem, et mirabilem omnium inter se consociationem et ordinem, patet, eas divina ratione et sapientia conditas esse et conservari. Moralis: ratio traditur, quare homo gestet imaginem Dei. Moraliter, voluit Deus omnia esse hominis, hominem vero esse Dei, quasi peculium, ideoque eum obsignavit sigillo suae imaginis, eoque tenacissimo et indelebili, ut homo seipsum intuens, quasi in imagine Deum creatorem suum agnoscat, sciatque quanto debito et quam arcto vinculo illi sit obstrictus. Homo enim gestat Dei imaginem: primo, ut filius sui patris, cui debet amorem et pietatem; secundo, ut mancipium domini sui, quem timere ac revereri debet; tertio, ut miles sui ducis et imperatoris, cui fidem et obedientiam praestare oportet; quarto, denique, ut minister et dispensator bonorum heri et domini sui, cui rectum usum creaturarum, quae dispensationi ejus commissae sunt, exhibere debet, ad perennem Domini Deique sui laudem et gloriam. Denique, si crimen est laesae majestatis regis imaginem violare, quale crimen erit Dei imaginem sibi insitam foedare peccato et polluere? «Et praesit» — Dominium hominis. ET PRAESIT. — Hebraice וירדו veiirdu, id est et praesint, sive dominentur, scilicet tam Adam, quam Eva eorumque posteri. Est ergo homo, animal imperio natum. Audi S. Basilium hom. 10 Hexam.: «Animal itaque es, o homo, imperio natum. Ecquid miseram hanc affectuum servis servitutem! ecquid te dedis peccato in vile mancipium? cur tuapte sponte mancipem te et captivum constituis diaboli? Jussit te Deus in creaturis principem locum tenere; et ecce tanti principatus dignitatem a te excutis et repellis.» Quale dominium habuerit homo in statu innocentiae in creaturas. Nota primo: Homo in statu innocentiae perfectum habuit dominium in omnia animalia, idque partim ex scientia et prudentia naturali, qua sciebat quomodo domanda, cicuranda et tractanda essent singula; partim ex peculiari providentia Dei. Decebat enim, ut, quamdiu caro hominis spiritui, et spiritus Deo, tamdiu et animalia homini, quasi domino suo obedirent. Porro hoc dominium index est magnae dignitatis hominis. Audi S. Ambrosium, initio lib. VI Hexam.: «Videbatur elephantis nihil habere natura procerius atque robustius, nihil terribilius leone, nihil saevius tigride: verum haec serviunt homini, et naturam suam humana institutione deponunt; obliviscuntur quod nata sunt; induuntur quod jubentur. Quid multa? docentur ut parvuli, serviunt ut famuli, adjuvantur ut infirmi, verberantur ut timidi, corriguntur ut subditi: in mores transeunt nostros, quoniam motus proprios perdiderunt.» Adverte: In statu innocentiae, obedientia animalium fuisset quasi politica: debuissent enim ipsa imperium hominis sensu aliquo percipere, ut ei obedirent. Denique tunc homo homini quoque dominatus fuisset, dominatione non servili, sed civili, qualis est inter angelos. Ita S. Augustinus, lib. XIX De Civit. cap. XIV. Quomodo jam tum naturae dominium? Nota secundo: Mansit in homine hoc dominium post peccatum, ut patet Gen. IX, 1; hinc jure naturae, cuique homini licita est silvestrium animalium venatio, aeque ac piscium piscatio. Verum per peccatum multum imminutum est hoc dominium, idque maxime circa animalia extrema, scilicet maxima, ut leones, et minima ac vilissima, uti culices, pulices, etc. Illud tamen recuperarunt quidam viri sanctissimi, qui ad innocentiam primaevam quam proxime accesserunt; uti Noe in omnia animalia arcae, Elisaeus in ursos, Daniel in leones, Paulus in viperam, S. Franciscus in pisces et aves, quibus concionabatur, imperium obtinuit. Tropologice, homo praeest piscibus, quando dominatur gulae et libidini: avibus, cum dominatur ambitioni: reptilibus, cum dominatur avaritiae: feris, cum dominatur irae; ita Origenes, Chrysostomus, Eucherius.
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AD IMAGINEM DEI CREAVIT ILLUM. — «Dei,» id est Christi, qui est Deus: ad Christi enim imaginem specialiter creatus est homo; hoc enim est quod dicitur Rom. VIII: «Quos praescivit et praedestinavit conformes fieri imagini Filii.» Verum imago Christi est supernaturalis gratiae et gloriae: hic autem agitur primario de imagine naturali. Est ergo hic enallage personae frequens apud Hebraeos. Deus enim de se quasi de alio aliquo, in tertia persona loquitur. 27. MASCULUM ET FEMINAM CREAVIT EOS. — Hinc inepte novator quidam in Francia nuper asseruit, Adamum creatum esse hermaphroditum, fuisseque tam feminam, quam masculum. Sic et Plato in Symposio censuit primos homines fuisse androgynos. Verum insulse hoc dicitur: non enim dicit Scriptura, creavit eum, sed eos, scilicet Adamum et Evam: puta Adamum creavit masculum, Evam vero feminam. Unde patet haec per anticipationem dici. Necdum enim Moses descripsit creationem Evae, licet ipsa hoc eodem sexto die sit facta; hanc enim reservat in cap. II, 22. Aeque insulsum est, quod tradunt aliqui Hebraei, et Franciscus Georgius tom. I, prob. 29, scilicet, Adam et Evam a Deo creatos esse ita, ut in lateribus sibi invicem cohaerent, essentque quasi unum, sed postea Deum eos ab invicem separasse; hoc enim repugnat cap. II, 18, ut ibi ostendam.
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28. CRESCITE ET MULTIPLICAMINI. — Ex hisce verbis liquet Adamum et Evam in aetate et statura perfecta, atque ad generandum apta, puta juvenili, aut virili conditos esse. Volunt Haeretici, hic singulis hominibus a Deo praecipi generationem usumque matrimonii. Sed si ita est, ergo Christum Dominum (ut alios viros sanctissimos taceam) primum hujus legis violatae reum peragant oportet. Et sane, si quod hic est praeceptum, id non singulis hominibus, sed toti speciei, id est omnibus hominibus, in communi datur, ne sinant speciem humanam intermori: ita D. Thomas. Verum dico nullum hic esse praeceptum. Idem enim dixit Deus piscibus vers. 22, quibus utique legem non tulit. Tantum ergo hic Deus benedicit homini, ut patet ex ipsis ejus verbis; hoc est, usum matrimonii inter homines probat, eisque virtutem et foecunditatem indit, ut per maris et feminae conjunctionem, uti caetera animalia, sibi simile procreent, itaque se suamque speciem conservent ac propagent. Ita S. Chrysostomus, Rupertus, et Augustinus, lib. XXI De Civit. cap. XXII, Pererius, Oleaster, Vatablus et alii. Nomen Adam continet quatuor plagas mundi. ET REPLETE TERRAM. — Hujus rei symbolo, ait S. Augustinus tract. 9 in Joan., quatuor mundi plagae, per sui litteras initiales, in nomine Adam graece continentur. Adam enim, si initiales exponas, idem est quod ἀνατολή, δύσις, ἄρκτος, μεσημβρία, id est Oriens, Occidens, Aquilo, Meridies; ut significaretur ex Adam nascituros esse homines, qui quatuor mundi partes incolerent et replerent. Subjicite eam, — expulsis, vel domitis cunctis feris eam inhabitate et colite, ejusque decore et fructibus vos pascite ac fruimini. Dominamini. — Hebraeum רדו redu, est ambiguum. Si enim illud deducas a רדה rada, significat dominamini; sin a ירד iarad, significat descendite, q. d. Si praecepto meo parueritis, dominabimini cunctis animalibus: si non, dominio vestro excidetis, uti factum deplorat Psaltes Ps. XLVIII, 15. Ita Delrio. Verum hic sensus subtilior est, quam solidior; patet enim hic tantum de benedictione et dominio hominis agi, idque tantum significat redu, quando cum bet construitur, uti hic fit. Redu ergo hic idem est quod dominamini.
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29. ECCE DEDI VOBIS OMNEM HERBAM IN ESCAM. — Dedi, id est do: Hebraei enim utuntur praeterito, pro praesenti, quo carent. Hinc communior Patrum et Doctorum sententia est, homines usque ad diluvium in cibo ita frugales fuisse, ut herbis et fructibus vescerentur, carnibus vero, aeque ac vino, abstinerent, idque non ob aliquod Dei praeceptum, sed ob religionem quamdam inde natam, quod necdum Deus carnium et vini usum expresse et diserte concessisset, ut patet Gen. IX, vers. 3 et 21. Haec ecce simplex patrum frugalitas vitam eis non minuit, sed auxit, vixerunt enim tunc ad 900 annos. Pulchre de hac prisca frugalitate Boetius, lib. II de Consolatione, metro 5: Felix nimium prior aetas, Contenta fidelibus arvis, Nec inerti perdita luxu, Facili quae sera solebat Jejunia solvere glande. Et Ovidius, lib. I Metamorph., de priscis patribus ita canit: Fraga legebant, Cornaque, et in duris haerentia mora rubetis, Et quae deciderant patula Jovis arbore glandes. De hac re plura dicam cap. IX, 3, 2.
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Cur de homine non dicitur, et vidit Deus quod esset bonum. Quaeres cur, cum post singula creationis opera dicatur: «Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum,» illud omittatur post creationem hominis? Respondeo: Causa prima est, quia in homine finitur rerum creatio, qua finita et perfecta complexione omnia complectens dicit Moses: «Viditque Deus cuncta quae fecerat, et erant valde bona;» quae complexio ad hominem maxime spectat, tum quia ejus creationem fusius caeteris immediate ante descripserat; tum quia homo est finis, complexio, nodus et centrum omnium creaturarum: propter hominem enim omnia creata sunt, et homo omnis creaturae est dominus, participium, nexus et vinculum. Quare ne bis idem immediate repeteret Moses, prius omisit, illudque in posteriori intellexit, ut significaret omnia in homine, et propter hominem, uti creata sunt, sic et bona esse a bono hominis creatore. Ita Pererius. Qui et addit, idcirco addi hic to valde, quod in caeteris omittitur, quia bonum hominis praestat bona caeterorum, praesertim quia per hominem, puta Jesum Christum, creaturae omnes erant deificandae: deificata enim Christi humanitate, una quoque omnes creaturae, quae in ea continentur, mirabiliter sunt deificatae. Duas alias causas affert S. Augustinus, lib. III De Genesi ad litter. cap. XXIV, scilicet secundam: Quia, ait, homo nondum erat perfectus: nondum enim erat in paradiso constitutus; vel quia, postquam ibi constitutus est, illud ipsum pariter praetermissum est hinc; tertiam subdit, quia praesciebat Deus hominem peccaturum, nec in suae imaginis perfectione mansurum, q. d. Noluit eum dicere natura bonum, quem praesciebat culpa sua fore malum. Quartam causam dat S. Ambrosius, lib. De Paradiso, cap. X: Deus, ait, noluit soli Adae ante formationem Evae dicere, «quod esset bonum,» ne videretur sibi contrarius; nam cap. II, 18, dicit: «Non est bonum hominem esse solum, faciamus ei adjutorium simile sibi.» Igitur quia bonum generis humani, puta foecunditas et propagatio, pendebat ex Eva, hinc Deus ante ejus formationem noluit de solo Adam dicere, «quod esset bonum.» «Maluit enim,» ait, «plures esse quos salvos facere posset, et quibus donare posset peccatum, quam unum solum Adam qui liber esset a culpa.» Quinta causa est moralis, scilicet ut significaret hominem esse liberi arbitrii, quo caetera creata carent: unde habeat duntaxat bonitatem entis, sive naturalem; homo vero, quia liber, majorem habet bonitatem virtutis, sive moralem. Ut ergo indicaret hominis bonitatem moralem, quae praecipua est, pendere ex usu liberi ejus arbitrii, noluit ante eum dicere de illo, quod esset bonum. Hanc causam assignant S. Augustinus, S. Ambrosius et alii. 31. VIDITQUE DEUS CUNCTA QUAE FECERAT, ET ERANT VALDE BONA. — S. Augustinus, lib. I De Gen. contra Manich. cap. XXI: «Cum de singulis ageret, ait, dicebat tantum: Vidit Deus quia bonum est; cum autem de omnibus diceretur, parum fuit dicere, Bona, nisi adderetur et valde. Si enim singula opera Dei cum considerantur a prudentibus, inveniantur habere laudabiles mensuras, et numeros, et ordines, in suo quaeque genere constituta, quanto magis omnia simul, id est ipsa universitas, quae istis singulis in unum collatis completur. Omnis enim pulchritudo quae partibus constat, multo est laudabilior in toto quam in parte.» Et mox: «Tanta est vis et potentia integritatis et unitatis, ut quae bona sunt, tunc multum etiam placeant, cum in universum aliquod conveniunt atque concurrunt. Universum autem ab unitate nomen accepit.» Novem rationes pulchritudinis mundi. Nota: Mira est mundi rerumque creatarum pulchritudo. Primo, ex rerum varietate. Ob rerum varietatem; aliae enim sunt incorporeae, ut angeli, iique in varias species, hierarchias et choros distributi, suntque plurimi, et pene innumeri; aliae sunt corporeae: rursum harum aliae sunt incorruptibiles, ut caeli et sidera; aliae corruptibiles, eaeque duplices, scilicet inanimes, et animatae; rursum animatae, aliae sunt plantae, aliae animalia, aliae denique sunt partim corporeae, partim incorporeae, ut homines. Jam quanta est varietas hominum in forma et vultu, in ingressu, voce, ingenio, lingua, studiis, opificiis, moribus, legibus, institutis, religionibus. Secundo, ex rerum ordine. Ob rerum omnium ordinem et aptissimam dispositionem: nobiliores enim summum mundi tenent locum, ignobiliores infimum, mediae medium, eaeque per superiores aguntur, servantur et reguntur. Tertio, ex rerum universitate. Ob rerum plenitudinem et universitatem: in mundo enim sunt omnia tripliciter: primo, secundum generales gradus rerum, qui quatuor sunt: esse, vivere, sentire et intelligere; secundo, secundum cujuslibet horum graduum genera omnia, et species subalternas; tertio, quod nihil uspiam sit, nihilque factum sit a Deo quod non in mundo contineatur, ad eumque pertineat. Quarto, ex rerum connexione. Ob partium omnium inter se arctam miramque connexionem, non modo secundum quantitatem, ut nihil sit usquam inane et vacuum; sed etiam in serie contextuque naturalium specierum, videlicet ut nulla sit interruptio, utque quaelibet pars aliis vicinis circumquaque aptissime et amicissime astricta et devincta sit. Quinto, ex rerum antipathia et sympathia. Ob rerum inter se discordem concordiam, obque earum sympathiam et antipathiam. Talis antipathia est inter vitem et brassicam, inter ovem et lupum, felem et murem, aliasque res innumeras: sympathia est inter magnetem et ferrum, inter herbas mares et feminas, inter metalla varia, inter liquores, inter animalia. Sexto, ex rerum proportione. Ob miram rerum omnium tum inter se, tum cum toto mundo proportionem: haec enim similis est proportioni et pulchritudini humani corporis, quae ex concinna membrorum omnium compositione consurgit, quo fit, ut sicut homo est parvus mundus, ita mundus sit magnus quidam homo. Septimo, ex optima mundi administratione. Ob divinam optimamque mundi administrationem: primo, quod Deus singulis rebus etiam vilissimis quaecumque vel necessaria, vel opportuna erant ad vitam cujusque tuendam, finemque consequendum, sapientissime ac liberalissime comparavit; secundo, quod singulas, etiam ratione et sensu carentes, ad finem suum dirigat, quodque ejus ductu illae ad finem suum perveniant, perinde ac si actiones et fines suos cognoscerent et intenderent, ut clare patet in avibus dum nidos construunt, in motu solis, coelorum, ventorum, etc.; tertio, quod singulas ex aequo ita temperet, ut vires suas vicissim frangendo et sese corrumpendo, mundo sibique non sint exitio, sed saluti et ornamento; quarto, quod singulae publicum bonum privato praeferant, ut cum corpus grave ascendit sursum, ut vacuum impediat. Quocirca S. Augustinus, epist. 28, citans illud Isaiae XL, juxta Septuaginta: «Qui profert ad numerum,» vel numerose, «saeculum,» docet mundum esse musicam suavissimam modulatoris Dei, quae ex variis et contrariis rebus, quasi sonis et tonis oppositis conflata, concentum et harmoniam edit admirabilem. Idem, lib. XI De Civit. cap. XVIII, ait in hoc mundo Deum fecisse tam diversa, «ut ordinem,» ait, «saeculorum tanquam pulcherrimum carmen, ex quibusdam quasi antithetis honestaret.» Octavo, quia omnia serviunt homini. Quod omnes res mundi ad hominis utilitatem compositae sint: aliae enim pertinent ad vitae humanae necessitates et commoditates; aliae ad varias hominum oblectationes: aliae sunt morborum remedia et sanitatis praesidia: multae ad exemplum et imitationem sunt propositae: omnes conducunt ad scientiam rerum, et maxime ad Dei notitiam, amorem et religionem concipiendam. Nono, quia mala ordinantur in bonum. Quod mala omnia in mundo Deus ordinat in bonum: mala enim poenae ordinat ad castiganda mala culpae; mala culpae absolute mala et peccata sunt: tanta est tamen Dei bonitas, sapientia et potentia, ut ea ordinet ad bonum vel clementiae et misericordiae suae, ea condonando, vel justitiae et vindictae suae, puniendo ea poenis praesentibus et aeternis: ita Pererius. Apte ergo S. Bernardus, serm. 3 De Pentecost.: «Tria, ait, in magno hujus mundi opere cogitare debemus, videlicet quid sit, quomodo sit, ad quid sit constitutus. Et in esse quidem rerum, inaestimabilis potentia commendatur, quod tam multa, tam magna, tam multipliciter, tam magnifice sunt creata. Sane in modo ipso sapientia singularis elucet, quod haec quidem sursum, haec vero deorsum, haec in medio ordinatissime sint locata. Si vero ad quid sit factus mediteris, occurrit tam utilis benignitas, tam benigna utilitas, quae etiam ingratissimos quosque multitudine et magnitudine beneficiorum possit obruere. Potentissime siquidem ex nihilo omnia, sapientissime pulchra, benignissime utilia sunt creata.» Et S. Augustinus in Sent., Sent. 141: «Tria, ait, maxime nobis scienda de conditione creaturae oportuit intimari: quis eam fecerit, per quid fecerit, quare fecerit. Dixit Deus, ait: Fiat lux, et facta est lux, et vidit Deus lucem quod bona esset. Nec auctor excellentior est Deo, nec ars efficacior est Dei verbo, nec causa melior est, quam ut bonum creetur a bono.» Et Sent. 440: «Nullum, ait, Deus vel angelorum vel hominum crearet, quem malum futurum esse praescisset, nisi pariter nosset, quibus eos usibus bonorum commendaret, atque in ordinem saeculorum, quasi pulcherrimum carmen, etiam ex quibusdam pulcherrimis antithetis honestaret.» Hoc est carmen, hic liber mundi. Quare S. Antonius cuidam roganti, quomodo in eremo sine libris vivere posset? respondit: «Meus liber, o Philosophe, est natura rerum a Deo conditarum, quae quotiescumque mihi libuerit, libros ipsius Dei ad legendum suppeditat.» Ita refert Socrates, lib. IV Hist. cap. XVIII. Denique Philo, lib. De Plantatione Noe, sub finem, docet Dei operibus nihil deesse, nisi justum eorum aestimatorem et encomiasten. «Fertur, ait, fabula a sapientibus viris ad posteros per manus tradita: est autem talis. Olim cum totum mundum opifex absolveret, quemdam e prophetis rogavit numquid desideraret nondum creatum, sive in terra et aqua, sive in aere, aut coelo. Respondit ille esse quidem perfecta et plena utique omnia, unum tamen se requirere, laudatorem horum sermonum, qui in rebus omnibus, vel quod minimum obscurissimumque videtur, non tam laudet quam enarret. Ipsam enim enarrationem operum Dei, sufficientissimam esse laudem, nullo egentem auctario.» Denique S. Basilius, homil. 4 Hexam.: «Universa haec mundi moles, ait, perinde est ac liber litteris exaratus, palam contestans ac depraedicans gloriam Dei, illiusque augustissimam majestatem, arcanam alioqui et invisibilem, abunde enuntians tibi intellectili creaturae. Coeli enim enarrant gloriam Dei, et opera manuum ejus annuntiat firmamentum,» Psalm. XVIII, vers. 1.
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v. 1. « In principio creavit Deus coelum et terram. ». I principio i. e. énitio, is enim indubie sensus est expressionis n'v&*3 ler. 26,1 ; 27,1; 28,1; 49,34, quibus omnibus locis de initio regni alicuius scribitur: ita intellexit Kimchi substituens nonn; ita vocem, quae apud Syr. eadem est , explicabat EpAr.; ita unice intelligi h. 1. potest graecum £v ágyy intellexitque Jos., qui vocem non mutatam transsumpsit suaeque narrationi historicae praefixit. Cf. etiam FF. H. Patritii de Interpr. Script. SS. II. 2 sqq., Romae 1844. Post Theophil. Antioch. (M. 6. 1065) et Or. (M. 12. 145) auctores plures defendere, in principio idem Sopare quod ín Filio atque hinc, cum illico spiritus Dei commemoretur, initio Geneseos deprehendi vestigium SS. Trinitatis. Sententia haec vix quemquam nostro tempore nacta est patronum. Io. 8, 25, aiunt (sed cf. textum graecum), Christus se ipsum appellat « principium, quod et loquor vobis »; de eo ait Io. 1, 3 « omnia per ipsum facta sunt », et S. Paulus Col. 1, 16 « in ipso condita sunt universa ». Tamen haec ad exegesin Gen. 1, 1 nihil conferunt. Targ. Hier. « in sapientia », paraphrasis est, non versio. « Quod dicit Wellh. Prol. 411 , vocis IYUN"* ad designandum initium alicuius temporis usum esse hebraismum recentiorem et aramaismum, id falso asseri intelliges, si conferas Os. 9, 10; Mich. 1, 13; Prov. 17; 14; Iob 8, 7; 42, 12; Deut. 11, 12. Ipsi vero Iudaei aramaizantes, nisi velint ad factum creationis alludere, uti Targum. Is. 40, 21; 41, 4, nunquam scribunt TY'ÜN"23, sed Y'TpIa, yopoa, Now3 qo, 5vi2. et similia » (Dilim.). Cum ergo reapse mundus creatus scribatur 2n principio , disquirunt porro auctores, in cuius rei principio seu initio creatus sit. Vox per se indeterminata contextu determinatur : intelligas igitur principium non indeterminate et absolute, quasi nihil omnino Deus ante coelum terramque creaverit, non angelos, non mundos alios a nostro penitus diversos; sed principium eorum, quae modo narranda veniunt , hexaemeri operum. Recte Ephr. « in principio creationis visibilium », Sa « ante omnia, primum omnium ». Ante effectam lucem, a qua primus hexaemeri dies orditur, iam creaverat Deus coelum et terram. Hinc voci competit sensus mere negativus seu exclusivus, ex oppositione ad ea quae sequuntur. enim vocem de se ideoque etiam vi punctationis esse indeterminatam, determinari autem contextu sequentium. Parum refert, vertasne substantive im principio, an adverbialiter initio; vertasne adverbialiter primum an primo, dummodo haec adverbia secundum modo. dicta explices, ut non aliud quid sonent, nisi ante modo narranda. — Commemoranda hic interpretatio, quae post Bas. placuit plurimis, ut idem sit ín principio atque in principio? temporis. Si ergo tempus intelligas illud, quo modo nárranda.-fuere effecta, lempus hexaemeri, bona est interpretatio. Si tempus intelligas indeterminate, ut exprimafur principium cuiusvis. temporis seu momentum illud, quod primum omnium fuit et quo ipsum tempus esse coepit, minus tuto tramite ince- . dis, uti ex iis patet, quae supra explicavimus.. : "Creavit.. Radicis xi significationem primitivam statuunt cecidi; secutt , sécando - effinzit; unde tamen: perperam inferebat Fürst, eadem creationem 'ex nihilo non exprimi. Nonne ipsa vox creare ad , radicem s&ar, quae eandem illam secandi seu findendi significationem habet, revocatur (4. Fick : Vergleichendes Wórterbuch der indogermanischen Sprachen, Góttingen 1871, p: 203 sq.)? Nonne germ. schaffen ab eadem aique ox&xxev excavare radice derivatur? Radicum sc. significationes$ primitivae a rebus vel actionibus sensibilibus peti consuevere, etiam eae quae inde ad res vel actiones. pure spirituales. designandas derivantur. Vocissignificatio non ex solo eT sed magis etiam ex üsü lequendi ést definienda. Tam verum est, quod affirmat Malv. ; Vocem (conjugatiorie kal) proprie tantum: Deo, not homini convenire, neque de homine in scriptura unquam usurpari. Adhibetur ea sc. Gen. 1,1; 2,3. 4; Is. 40,98; Ps. 148,5 de prima productione terrae, et Is. 40,26 et 45,18 coeli, — Geh. 1,97; 5,1.2; 6,7; Deut. 4,32; Is. 45,19; Eccle. 12,1; Ps. 88 (89), 48; 101 (102), 19 de prima hominis productione (cf. Is. 43,1. 7.15; 55,16; Ez. 21,80 — hebr. 35; Mal.'2,10), Ez. 28,13 de illo cherub, cuius imagine rex Tyri designatur. Quae omnia nonnisi veri nominis creatione effecta sunt. Adhibetur Gen. 1,21 de prima vitae animalis productione, quae creationis utique fuit perquam affinis; tandem de quibusdam portentis, quae nonnisi immediato Dei interventu effici potuere Ex. 34,10; Num. 16,30; Is. p ,55,541,90 ; 48,7; 57,19; 65,18; Ier. 31,22; Ps. 50 (51), 12; 103 (104) , 30. Uno verbo, adhibetur A de actionibus exclusive divinis: ergo aut creationis conceptu carebant Iudaei, aut illum ea voce ME ES Fatetur Ges. eam, « magis de nova rei productione, quam de conformatione et elaboratione materiae usurpatam esse»; et Wel/h. Prol. 391 : « Liber Genesis », inquit, « propria utitur voce ad solam actionem Dei creairicem designandam atque ab humana actione et formatione distinguendam; : neque habent Graeci aut Latini aut Germani vocem, qua aeque exelusive creationem exprirhant ». Ex eo, quod N?2 actionem quidem divinam, sed non necessario semper creatricem indicet (quod intér alios concedunt Cai., Bonfr., Per.), explicatur, quomodo indeterminatius verterit LY X émolnocew, accuratius Aq., Symm., Theod. Éxvtotv, quae vox proprie creationem designat. — Ros. sensum creandi a N13 exsulare iubet, idque ob hano inter alias rationem, quod aliis locis indifferenter ea vox cum iYUy vel *3* adhibeatur. Hominis productio Gen. 1, 26. per Wy, 1, 27 per "3 exprimitur; animalium 1, 21 per N*32, 2, 19 per 1Y*; Is. 43, 7 tría illa verba de hominis productione praedicantur : « creavi eum, formavi eum, feci eum ». Verum nonne ex ipso facto horum trium in unicam sententiam coactorum verborum evidens fit, aliquam significationis esse diversitatem? Igitur wy facere omnem efficientiae modum indeterminate complectitur; est veluti genus, cuius duae species sunt N?2, et ?y*, Hoc alterum est formare, utique ex praeexsistente materia; illud praeexsistentem materiam certe non exigit, mirandum quid, instantaneum, minimeque operosum denotat. Tandem x"3 nunquam adnexum habet nomen materiam designans, ex qua aliquid factum sit. At, urget Cler., dato voce N13 exprimi posse creationem, erediderim Hebraeos Gen. 1, 1 legentes de creatione non cogitasse, sed id fere intellexisse, quod latinum condere, graecum xzl5ev sonet. Concesserim, non ommes lectores Hebraeos vim vocis N"3 h. l. adhibitae satis perpendisse, sicut non omnes christiani dogmata sua satis norunt. At creationem intelligebat Machabaea mater 2 Mach. 7, 28 : « Peto, nate, ut adspicias ad coelum et terram et ad omnia, quae in eis sunt et intelligas, quia ex nihilo fecit illa Deus et hominum genus ». Quae mulier non est censenda praeclariori prae popularibus floruisse rerum divinarum notitia, aut revelationes ipsa quasdam a Deo accepisse, sed quem sensum Geneseos verbis tribuebant omnes, eum pia et religiosa expressisse. Hinc Ios., cuius tempore verbum z:t'etv iam esset consecratum creationi exprimendae, voci ixolqcsv, quam apud LXX ipse legebat, substituit vocem £zztoev. Hinc Ephr. : « planum fit », inquit, « coelum et terram e nihilo esse ». Hinc Kimchi : « Vox na" creatio remip novat et producit ex nihilo, et sic dixit in versu (Is. 43, 7) : Ad gloriam meam creavi eum, formavi eum, feci eum. Primum ereavi eum , produxi eum de nihilo ad esse; deinde formavi eum;, constitui eum in forma; postremo feci eum, disposui i ordinavi eum ». Consentiunt Rabbini, exinde, quod operator Deus, opus coelum et terra enuntientur, materia vero, ex qua operator produxerit opus, reticeatur, infert nullam operi adhibitam esse materiam : sane sequentium operum materia intelliguntur coelum et terra primordio creata, origo tam corporis quam animae Adami accurate cap. 2 describitur : ergo si aliqua coeli et terrae praeexsistebat materia, ea füerat commemoranda. — Putabat Zup., ideo non scribi Deum produxisse coelum et terram alloquio « Fiat coelum et terra », « ne nihilo praeceptum dedisse diceretur Deus, quod incongrue esset ». Infirmior tamen haec ratio ad creationem ex nihilo stabiliendam. Deus — bene hac voce huic contextui inserta innui affirmat TAeodoret. Dei aeternitatem : « Illorum », i. e. creatorum, « declaravit originem , huius reperire nequivit initium ». Coelum et terram. Terrae conditio ante ereatam lucem illico v. 9 describitur; unde perperam Aug. 35.178 : « Informis illa. materia, quam de nihilo Deus fecit, appellata est primo coelum et terra, non quia iam hoc erat, sed quia hoc esse poterat... Quia certum erat, inde futurum esse coelum et terram, iam et ipse materia coelum et terra appellata est ». Textus certe nobis exhibet terram solidam a coelo plane distinctam, licet coelum eo quadamtenus indistinctum exhibeatur et confusum, quod aquae superiores ab inferioribus nondum fuerint separatae. lam coelum certe non intelliguntur angeli, qui nunquam coelum appellantur, sed ad summum ornatui coeli attribuuntur, unde Deo: nomen Tahve Sabaoth : cf. quae diximus ad 1 Reg. 1,3 ; ornatus autem coeli v. 1 certissime non affirmatur esse creatus. 'Sed intelligitur coelum materiale. Quod probatur primum contextu : illud quippe coelum 1,1 creatum scribitur, quod sequentibus discretum et exornatum ostenditur : sed stabilito firmamento dispositisque astris discernitur et ornatur coelum materiale. Rursum illud coelum 1,1 creatum, quod 2,1 perfectum dicitur : sed hoc ex praecedentibus est coelum materiale. Tandem ita his textibus coelum et terra narrantur ereata et perfecta, uti aliis textibus (Ps. 101,26; Is. 65,17; 66,22; Matth. 24,35; 2 Petr. 3,7. 10. 12. 13; Ap. 21,1) coelum et terra praenuntiantur aliquando destruenda : destruentur autem coelum et terra materialia. Hinc locutio « coelum et terra : » vel « coelum et terra et (mare et) omnia , quae in eis sunt » Hebraeis idem exprimit, quod mundus materialis : non enim propria ad designandum mundum voce utuntur. Sed dispiciendum nobis est, utrum ea locutio h. 1., dum creaturam corporalem explicite designat, implicite praeterea designet creaturam angelicam. Ubi perperam appellant quidam ad Gen. 14,19. 22 ; 4 Reg. 19,15; 2 Par. 2,12; Iudith 13,24; Ps. 123,8; Ier. 32,17, qui textus verbotenus fere iidem sunt cum. Gen. 1,1 vel 2,1 neque creaturam angelicam subintelligi exigunt. Lubentes quidem permittimus, posteriores Iudaeos, quando coelum et terram i. e. mundum adspectabilem cogitabant, angelos, quos toties in scripturis eidem admixtos, e coelo visibiliter descendentes aut in coelum ascendentes nossent, non exclusisse, imo quandoque inclusisse. At eaedem locutiones sensu quandoque arctiore, quandoque latiore accipiuntur, neque, sufficientem noster contextus rationem offert, ut angelos vere, licet implicite designari affirmemus : coelum et terra 1,1 creata eadem sunt, quae 2,1 perfecta dicuntur, et ornatus coelorum 2,1 ille idem intelligatur oportet, qui 1,6 et 14 'providebatur, i. e. firmamentum et astra, non vero angeli. Sed alia nobis eaque gravior h. 1l. discutienda objectio. Construebat quippe JarcAi : In principio, cum Deus crearet coelum et terram (terra autem erat tum inanis et vacua etc.), dixit Deus : Fiat lux. Similiter Abenesra : in principio, cum crearet Deus coelum et terram, erat terra inanis et vacua etc. ; sed haec altera constructio ut admitti queat, pro nma yox deberet scribi vhnNA *^m. Manet ergo constructio Iarchi, in qua non est opus ut cum F. Bottcher (Neue exegetisch kritische Aehrenlese zum À. T., Leipzig 1863) pro praeterito x?3 punctes infi-- nitivum 8*3 (ef. 5,1), cum similes constructiones adhibito praeterito et supresso pronomine legantur : Os. 1,2 (kethib) ^23 r5nn, initium quo locutus est, Deut. 4,15 333 Dv2, in die quo locutus est; similiter Ps. 89 (90), 15 nv» sicut diebus quibus, nv annis quibus; Iob 6,17 et 2 Par. 94,11 ny2 tempore quo; imo Is. 29,1 n'»p civitas quae. In quibus exemplis omnibus sequitur praeteritum , non infinitivus. Ergo etiam x33 n'vx?2 verti. potest : In principio, cum crearet vel creasset etc. Si hoc, constructione mutata sensus manet substantialiter idem, creatio praecessit hexaemeron. Si illud, tum utique sensus textus non parum mutatur : principium non iam est hexaemero anterius, sed tempore idem cum lucis productione; w"3 non exclusive creandi significationem induit, sed quolibet modo efficiendi, formandi, omnia hexaemeri opera complectitur. Creandi significatio necessario neque excluditur neque includitur, neque excluditur necessario praeexsistens materia. Constructio redditur intricatior et parenthetica , sed eo similior inscriptionibus 2,4 et 5,1. — Manet tamen, quod demonstravimus, nullam hebraicam vocem esse aptiorem voce x73 creationi exprimendae. Manet ex 2 Mach. 7,28, reapse Hebraeos creationem ex nihilo professos esse, hon in genere tantum, sed speciatim dum Gen. 4,1 in mente habebant. Qui textus erat sane e numero eorum, quos Hebraeus quisque et mature addisceret, et frequenter repeteret : an. fingi potest, eius textus constructionem ita apud omnes oblivioni traditam esse, ut sensim alteram toto coelo diversam professi sint? v. 1 « coelum et terram » unam retineat « terram », nexumque cum v. $1 exprimat voce V^N3 initio sententiae collocata. Gressum igitur facit s. auctor ad de- Scribendam rerum conditionem, quae post primam creationem et immediate ante primae diei opus obtinuit. Dico immediate ante primae diei opus : nam efferuntur tenebre et aquae primis illico diebus coercendae, terrae vastitas plantis operienda ; simul sequentium. operum effector spiritus Dei demonstratur. Intime igitur haec sequentibus copulantur, non tamen ideo haec cum Ke. et Del. a& v. 1 separanda et.cum primae diei opere iungenda : singula quippe hexaemeri opera a Dei iubentis edicto ordiuntur, ergo h. l. a verbis « Fiat lux ». Dico eandem illam rerum conditionem post, non tamen necessario immediate post primam creationem obtinuisse : illae sc., quas Restitutionistae adstruunt, inter primam ereationem et inter hexaemeron naturales evolutiones textu hoc nequaquam proscribuntur. 1121 Yn recte vertit Vulg. inanis et vacua, et consentiunt versiones. Leves, quae in textibus graecis leguntur, divergentiae inde ortum habuere , quod scriptor expressionem interpretatus sit non tam ex etymo, quam potius ex effectu secuto. Ita LXX scripsit &$pavog xoi &xav&oxeUaotog, destitutam sc. terram luce et ornatu; sed Is. 45,18 recte vertit 133 xsv5v. Symm. vertit &pyov xoi à8wxpurov , iners et indistincta, sc. postea variae mundi partes ab invicem distinguebantur. Sensus vocis indubie colligitur ex Is. 45, 18 : « Non in vanum (153) creavit eam : ut habitaretur, formavit eam », sc. terram. ler. 4,93 sqq. : « Aspexi-terram, et ecce vacua erat et nihili (1321 3n), et coelos , et non erat lux in eis. Vidi montes, et ecce movebantur, et omnes colles conturbati sunt. Intuitus sum, et non erat homo et omne volatile coeli recessit. Aspexi, et ecce Carmelus desertus, et omnes urbes eius destructae sunt a facie Domini et a facie irae furoris eius. Haec enim dicit Dominus : Deserta erit omnis terra ». Habes hic 1321 *n effectum divini decreti, quo terra deserta esse iubebatur. Expressio sonu confusionem chaoticam imitatur; est $£» .àix :$uotv, euius duo membra assonantiam, quam dicunt, efficiunt. Cf. Gen. 4,19 21 Y3, et alia in Hebraeorum nostratumque linguis exempla. Quo autem sensu vacua dicatur terra, ex ipso hexaemero intellige : ergo non solum vacua ab hominibus et iumentis (Ps. Ion. et Targ. Hier.), sed ab animalibus quibusvis et potissimum etiam a plantis. . Vox qun deneórae alias quoque de tenebris maxime spissis et vix non omnis lucis expertibus scribitur, ut de tenebris aegyptiacis Ex. 10,21, de inferorum tenebris Ps. 87 (88), 13; Iob 10,21; Eccle. 11, 8'etc. Tehebfae autem nostrae describuntur fuisse super faciem abyssi : ergo sicut ante primam hexaemeri diem aderat iam terra, licet aquis submersa et omnino vacua, ita tum iam exhibetur fuisse atmosphaera aliqua : aquae totam quidem terram obvolvebant, at non totum coelum implebant. Máre illud, cui nullum litus, circumplectebatur atmosphaera lucis expers, spiritu tamen Dei foecunda: Sed in coelo idem tum desiderabatur, quod in terra : distinctio et ornatus. man a oq aquarum sonitum exprimit, hinc aquas designat abundantes, copiosas, v. g. Deut. 8,7 rivorum terrae promissae, at vix non semper maris, Ex. 15,5..8; Ps. 32 (33), 7; 35 (36), 1 ; Iob. 28,1* etc. Dicitur etiam de mari ex diluvio nato Gen. 7,11 et est vox poetica magis, dum m potius prosam sapit. Eadem prorsus vox in cosmogonia chaldaica cuneiformi legitur /i-amat, estque Assyriis usitata ad designandum mare. pnbw m de se vel; ventum Dei designare potest vel spiritum Dei, i. e. S. Spiritum. Unde Ephr., Theodoret. interpretati sunt ventum : et hic quidem, quod post aquas et terram necessariam hoc versu existimaverit aeris mentionem; ille, quod, si Dei virtus initio hexaemeri describatur aquis incubans, debuisset prima die aliquid in ipsis aquis effici, cum tamen ante secundam quintamve diem nihil in illis effectum legamus. Infirmior argumentatio : quodsi enim coeli v. 2 omittebatur mentio, cur non et aeris, qui ad coelum potius quam ad terram spectabat? Effecit autem omnino aliquid vel prima die spiritus Dei, cum ab ipso processerit vox « Fiat lux ». Ventum quominus intelligamus, prohibet vox n2n*D, « quod nos appellare possumus zncubabat sive confovebat, in similitudinem volucris ova calore animantis » (Hier.). Idipsum iam notaverant Jacob. Edess. et Bas. (29.43). Porro ex modo loquendi Hebraeorum ventus Dei necessario esset ventus validus : qui sensus discordat a voce namo, quae motum aut nullum aut certe lenem exprimit.
1:2
v. 9 « Terra autem erat inanis et vacua, et tenebrae erant super faciem. abyssi, et spiritus, Dei ferebatur super. aquas ». "Tria haec membra intime inter se connectuntur, cum ad unum nn'1 tria subiecta 1521 *n, qvn et m referantur; intime quoque cum v. 1 connectuntur, cum auctor e termino complexo
1:5
v. 5 « Appellavitque lucem diem et tenebras. noctem » , lucem sc. et tenebras ut divisas alternantesque, secus enim variis ominibus. VOCAT] possunt. Recte S. Thom. 1. q. 67 a. & àd 9 : « Scriptura », inquit, « in. principio Genesis commemorat institutionem naturae , quae postmodum perseverat. Unde non debet dici, quod aliquid tunc factum fuerit, quod postmodum esse desierit ». Consentiunt auctores inspirati celebrantes: hexaemeron tamquam: institutionem. rerum. usque perdurantium : ef. Ps.-103 (105); 32,6. sqq. ; 148,5 sq.; Iob 38,11. Speciatim primiae diei opus respiciebat ler. 38,20:sq..:.« Haec. dicit Dominus : Si irritum potest fieri pactum meum.cum die et pactum meum cum nocte, ut/non sit dies et nox in tempore suo : et pactum meum irritum esse poterit'cum David servo meo ». Ergo diei noctisque nominibus ipsissima illa lucis et tenebrarum vicissitudo designatur, quae hodiedum viginti quatuor horarum intervallo completur atque terrarurh orbe circa se ipsum revolvente efficitur. Confirmant istud vel ipsa nomina, quae eandem s. scriptoris tempore.&ignificationem retinuisse supponuntur, quam eis creator indiderat. Ceterum appellavit non est idem atque appellari fecit (4ug. M. 35. 180), sicut eum dicimus aedificare domum , qui aedificari facit : agitur enim de aliquo effectu, qui durante hexaemero obtinuerit : si ergo tum Deus appellari fecit, per quem:tandem fecit appellari? Praeferenda explanatio, quam ad Gen. 2,19 tradit Chrys. (M. 53.116), nomina imponi in signum domeniz. Id praestitit Adam sua animalibus nomina et postea duplex Evae nomen imponens. Semper parentes natis indidere nomina. Imponebant nova nomina, qui servos vel tributarios alios effecerant : & Reg. 24,17; 2 Par. 36,4; Gen. 41,45; Dan. 1,7. Idipsum saepenumero fecerat Deus nomen imponens iis personis, quas speciali ratione suo servitio devinciebat : Gen. 17,5.15.19; 35,10; 1 Par. 292,9, quibus addas nomina Servatori, Praecursori, S. Petro imposita. Deus luci ac tenebris et postea aliis effectibus naturalibus nomina imponens heri in subditos personam agit supremumque et permanens omnium rerum profitetur dominium.
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v. 6 « Dixit quoque Deus : Fiat firmamentum in medio aquarum ». y'p» habet Hebr. retinueruntque vocem Sam. Chald. Syr. Radici non quidem in solo piel et in formis a piel derivatis (cf. Ex. 39,3; Ier. 10,9; Num. 16,39 — apud Hebr. Num. 17,^) competit significatio percussit, hinc de metallis maxime percutiendo extendit; sed bis etiam (Ez. 6,11; 25,6) in kal; tamen in kal significatio firmav:t utique praevalet (cf. Iob. 37,18; Ps. 103,2; 135,6; Is. 40,92; 42,5; 44,914), maxime cum et illis textibus ea aptissime conveniat, ubi aliqui vertunt eztendit. Quam significationem tribuit radici etiam Syr. et, nti ex Iob ciendi significatio penes Arab. et Chald. Quare, licet We/l/h. (Prol. p. ^12) nonassentiamursignificationem percutiendi velextendendi penitus a kal eliminanti, omnino tamen cum eodem tenemus, longe praeferendam esse nominis y»p* versionem traditione consecratam , quam exhibent Ag. Symm. Theod. LXX (csspéoyo) et Vulg. (firmamentum), asignificatione non extendendi sed firmandi petitam. — Quo posito illico patet, quid firmamenti nomine h. l. veniat, utrum coelum nubium tantum, an etiam, imo polissimum coelum nubibus vacuum atque azureum. Hoc alterum interpretatus est lac. Edess., « quod propter profunditatem et distantiam apparet ad instar corporis caerulei ». Interpretatus est Jos. describens Deum coelo secunda die xpóccza?3cv «epu fjsac. Huc illud quoque placet trahere , quod de vocibus chaldaicis habet Levy, e septem coelis illud, quod infimum sit terraeque proximum, vocari v5 seu velum; illud, quod proxime sequatur, Ny'p^; velo illo recedente cerni lucem firmamenti, i. e. Ny'p3. Idipsum enuntiat Iob 37,18, qui textus nostrum opus respicit : « Tune cum eo firmasti aethera, qui firmus est sicut speculum fusum? » Quae imago sane non respicit coelum nubium. Reapse nubes non satis respondent conceptui firmitatis , huc illuc feruntur, saepissime omnino absunt, nam in Palaestina à mense Maio ad Octobrem coelum nubibus est fere semper vacuum, item saepissime mense Novembri : at firmamentum azureum immobile concipitur, vel ipsis nubibus alte supereminet. Porro illud h. l. coelum intelligitur, cui mox nomen inditur à*Ov, a nov aitus fuit, quod nomen certissime non ad coelum nubium restringitur ; illud item coelum, quod quarta die sideribus ornatur : uti enim die quinta et sexta. illa terra eaque maria viventibus replentur, quae die tertia ab invicem fuerant divisa, ita die quarta 11 coeli perficiuntur, qui die secunda ab aquis inferioribus fuerant secreti. sententia evaserat manca, quid erat magis obvium, quam ad instar aliorum operum inserere voculam »? Et factum est ita, quo symmetriae simul et perspicuitati textus consuleretur?
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v. "1 « Et fecit Deus firmamentum , divisitque » — LXX supplet subiectum Deus; ceterum etiamsi, uti v. 6, verbo dividendi assignes subiectum firmamentum , kamen sensus manet idem : ope firmamenti divisit Deus « aquas, quae erant sub firmamento, ab his, quae erant super firmamentum. Et factum est ita ». Quamvis impletio non assueto post mandatum legatur loco, nequaquam tamen (DlÍm.) sensu caret : sc. vox ?fa non refertur ad impletionem (« Et fecit Deus etc. »), quae esset tautologia, sed ad praecedens mandatum : Et ita, effecto firmamento, adamussim impletum est divinum v. 6 mandatum. Fecit utique solo suo verbo, quod patet collato v. 3, et ex Ps. 32 (33), 6 : « Verbo Domini coeli firmati sunt », cf. Ps. 148,& sq. Quid autem effecerit Deus, ex modo explicata voce firmamentum collige. Fuerint igitur in opere secundae diei nubes, tonitrua, imbres : illud quod tandem effectum est, quod ex elementorum fortasse tumultu prodiit, fuit firmamentum serenum, pellucidum, sideribus utique vacuum. LXX supplevere laudationem. Cur ea omittatur varias assignant rationes. No septenarius laudationum numerus excedatur, inquit Del. : at sex sunt laudationes particulares v. 4.10.12.18.21.25 et alia universalis v. 31; etsi suam haberet secunda dies laudationem, essent tamen septem laudationes particulares et numero sacro factum esset satis. Melius Rup. : quia Deus non laudat ea, quae ad 'Thohu va Bohu spectaverant : non laudat tenebras prima die, non laudat opus secundae diei, quod sola divisione aquarum constat nondum intra iustos limites relegatarum; e contra subactis prima die tenebris laudat lucem, subactis die tertia aquis laudat aridam, sublata aridae nuditate laudat plantas. In opere dein ornatus singula laudat Deus; homini specialem laudem non tribuit, quod universalis v. 31 illico sequatur laus.
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« Factumque est vespere et mane, dies unus » , i. e. primus, ut recte interpretati sunt Jos. et Targ. Hier., patetque sequentium serie numeralium, Ceterum haec numeralia, sexto excepto, articulo carent, quem v. g. legis 2,11 sqq. in recensendis paradisi fluminibus. Efferuntur sc. tamquam totidem membra seriei primum indefinitae, ga//. « un premier jour, un second jour etc. », adiecto tandem sexto die definiendae et limitandae, ga//. « le sixi&me jour ». Illud autem dies unus non est appositio ad vespere et mane (Dillm.), cum haec, etiamsi interiectam noctem computes, minime efficiant diemi unum; sed exprimit summam totius durationis, quae inde a primo Dei mandato elabebatur : « Dixitque Deus : Fiat lux... factumque est vespere et mane, dies unus ». Intelliges porro, vocem d?es v. 5 bis usurpari sensu non plane eodem, cuius autem diversitas ex ipso textu neminem fugere possit. Ubi dicitur Deus appellasse lucem diem, dies intelligitur naturalis, a mane durans ad vesperam atque noctem excludens; ubi dicitur dies unus, intelligitur dies civilis viginti quatuor horarum, diem naturalem cum nocte complectens. Hic autem dies civilis computatur a mane ad mane (CArys.), non a vespera ad vesperam (EpAr.), est 4spovóxztov, non vero vuyOfjuspov. Etenim dies hic civilis terminatur mane, protenditur itaque a mane ad mane. Factum esse vespere finem exprimit diei, factum esse mane finem noctis : ergo prior fuit dies, quam secuta est DOoX. scripserat ante : De Hexaemero secundum caput primum Geneseos ad litteram, Brugis 1889) vertit : « et constitutum est vox8nu£gov (cf. Dan. 8,14.56), dies primus ». Ergo, in memoriam singulorum operum constitutus est unus aliquis hebdomadae dies. « Non est », inquit, « textus historiam enarrans, sed legem latam commemorans ». Textus Danielis falso appellari demonstrat Knabenbauer. Praeterea, si vertas et facta est lux, vertas quoque necesse est et factum est vespere.
Arg. — Eius tridui opus intime cum conditione rerum v. 2 descripta connectitur. Divinum creationis consilium optime expressit Is. 45.18 affirmans, non in thohu creasse Deum terram, sed ut habitaretur. At thohu adhuc illa erat, aquis submersa et tenebris involuta. Ergo primum haec removenda, hoc opus distinctionis : dein exornanda variisque creaturis veluti habitatoribus implenda, hoc opus ornatus. Removentur igitur primum tenebrae : lux quippe viventibus universis necessaria magis, quam vel separatio aquarum, cum viventium infra recensendorum aliqua possint quidem vivere in aquis, nulla vero queant omni omnino luce carere. Praeterea in narratione, in qua Deus producitur anthropomorphice loquens et agens, qui poferat is adstrui vidisse opera esse bona, nisi prius exsisteret lux, qua videret? Ac tandem recte ait S. Thom. I. q. 67 .a. &. Sed c. : « id, sine quo non potest esse dies, oportuit fieri in prima die ». Post creatam lucem tenebrasque in certos fines relegatas sui quoque aquis assignandi sunt termini, quod duplici efficitur opere. Secunda sc. die dividuntur aquae superiores ab inferioribus, tertia arida ab aquis inferioribus. Quibus perfectis illico Thohu va Bohu in paradisum convertitur, terra ex arida et vacua in floridam mutatur. - v. 8 « Dixitque Deus :.Fiat lux. Et facta est lux ». Versus post divinum mandatum impletionem brevi sed nervosa formula complectitur : Et facta est lux. Cum mandatum duabus solis vocibus constet (Fiat lux), languesceret oratio, si primum impletio referretur, dein subiiceretur descriptio : Et factum est ita, et fecit Deus lucem. E contra, quam legimus, formula vividius, quam quae ceteris operibus prolixiores adscriptae sunt formulae, instantaneum atque completum. divini mandati depingit effectum. — Mandatum hic, ut in aliis operibus, expressio est divinae auctoritatis; impletio illico consequens divinae omnipotentiae. Quem nexum iam perspioiebat Ps. 32 (33), 6. 9 : « Verbo Domini coeli firmati sunt, et spiritu oris eius omnis virtus eorum... quoniam ipse dixit et facta sunt, ipse mandavit et creata sunt » (cf. Ps. 148,5); Eccli. 42,15 : « In sermonibus Domini omnia opera eius », i.e. sermonibus eius opera effecta suní; Iudith 16,17 : « dixisti et facta sunt, misisti spiritum tuum et creata sunt, et non est qui resistat voci tuae »; Greg. Nyss. : « Verbum in Deo effectus est ». — Quae /uz h. 1. intelligatur, evidens omnino est : eadem sc., quae v. 4 a tenebris dividitur nobisque discrimine dierum noctiumque affulget , quae vespere recedit, mane oritur. v. lk « Et vidit Deus lucem, quod esset bona ». Bonum a Deo praedicatur illud, quod ideae divinae perfecte respondet. Unde 2,18 : « non est bonum. », inquit, « esse hominem solum », quod sc. unico sexu creato divina de homine idea plenum nondum nacta sit effectum. Hinc Thohu va Bohu laudationem non habet, imo quae illud obvolverant v. 9 tenebrae et aquae ne in opere quidem primae et secundae diei laudantur; nam primae diei laus soli luci tribuitur, secundae diei remotius maria attingit. Sed quod ideae divinae, idipsum perfecte etiam suae ideae respondet, estque in suo genere perfectum. Igitur mente agnosci eumque hac agnitione delectari. Hinc inculcatur obligatio bonitatis rerum creatarum perpendendae atque ex ea ad: laudem creatoris assurgendi. « Et divisit lucem a. tenebris », non physica actione, quasi lux et tenebrae tum simul fuissent eodem loco, quod est absurdum : sed morali atque legifera actione sanciens, ut porro certis interyallis: tenebrae succederent luci et lux tenebris; quem sensum confirmant sequentia. Crediderim autem nostrum incisum cum praecedente intimius connecti : Et vidit Deus lucem, quod esset bona; et zdeo divisit. Cum lux ob insitam et insignem bonitatem esset conservanda, neque eorum quidquam, quaein prineipio fuissent creata, penitus esset eliminandum, non tenebrae, non aquae, hinc dividi oportuit lucem et tenebras singulisque suam attribui provinciam. Ita prima dies unicum quidem . habet opus. lucem, sed in .hoc unico .opere Pupucem effectum , lucis primum produetae ac inde divisae. |
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v. 9 « Dixit vero Deus : Congregentur aquae, quae sub coelo sunt, in locum unum ». Aquis superioribus super firmamentum coactis, jam suum in locum aquae inferiores coercentur. Dicitur autem is loeus unus, non tam quod maria omnia invicem communicent (TAeodoret.), id enim licet verum sit h. l. non exprimitur, sed quod in visione, qua cosmogonia revelabatur, reapse unicus se oceanus videntis oculis obtulerit. « Et appareat arida » , quo nomine etiam Ion. 1,9.13; 2,11 designatur terra firma opposita mari, Ex. 4,9 eadem Nilo flumini opposita. Sensus obvius est, ut refluentibus aquis terra patuerit obtutui. Eo fine congregantur aquae, ut appareat arida : hoc principalius, illud secundarium. Ideo vero emergere iubetur terra, quo fiat « utilis fovendis seminibus, progignendis herbis et stirpibus, hospitalisque hominibus et reliquis animantibus » (Iac. Edess.). « Et factum est 4a ». LXX addit descriptionem.
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v. 10 « Et vocavit Deus aridam terram , congregalionesque aquarum appellavit maria ». Singularem congregationem habent praeter Vu/g. LXX reliqui, unde placet cum Keil pluralem mara interpretari intensivum potius quam numericum, designantem vastum oceanum ; notatque Dz//m. eundem pluralem Ps. A5 (46), 3 sq. ad instar singularis construi. Uli tenebrae luce distinctae appellantur nox, ita aquae continentibus limitatae vocantur maria. De fluviis, lacubus silet textus, « quippe quae non sunt nisi continentis terrae interstitia » (Cor/uy), et in visione probabilius non obiiciebantur oculis. « Et vidit Deus, quod esset bonum ».
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v. 11 « Et ait : Germinet terra herbam virentem et facientem semen », — sola LXX 2uxta genus et similitudinem , cum tamen secus in scriptura similitudo solorum sit viventium .— « et fignum pomiferum faciens fructum 1ux(a genus suum , cuius semen in semetipso sit super terram ». Intime, utpote quae ab una derivantur radice, copulandae Voces wv xvn, germinet (terra) germen, quae semper ad plantam teneram nascentem referuntur, unde h. l. plantarum origo a tenuissimis germinibus profecta describi perspicitur. Cum iis vero vocibus minus apte LXX Vulg. Ag. Theod. sequentem etiam vocem 3v7 connexuere , Aerbam virentem , Qozávr» 45p-co : cur enim vox germen solis herbis adiiciatur, quae suapte natura teneriores germinumque affines sunt, non vero /ignis? si &utem ea vox ad utrumque referatur, tum vertendum erat 5óXov pro 5$0Aov. Obest praeterea accentus Masor., cui adhaesere CAha/d. Syr. Unde verius suggerit Vat., sequentia inde ab avY « per oppositionem dici », et Caz. easdem plantas, quae modo voce germen exprimebantur, explicat in duas discerni classes, quarum discrimen ex CAa/d. Syr. perspicies ratione seminis consistere. Priorem sc. classem efficiunt herbae, quarum semen seminatur, alteram ligna fructifera facientia fructum, in quo semen est. Prior classis, quam praeprimis efficiunt herbae, olera, fruges, semen producit propatulum ; altera, quae arborum est fructiferarum , semen gerit fructu inclusum. Cum verbi y»; hiphil praeter h. 1l. et v. 29 solummodo Lev. 12,2 legatur, non ex eo unico loco tuto significatio stabiliri potest, sed consulantur oportet versiones, quae h. l. significationem suggerunt semznare, 1. e. semen proiicere. Ita etiam LXX ozsipev ozéppa, et Ág. oxetpópsvov. Hinc colliges, nequaquam omne plantarum genus recenseri. Non so- Ium omittuntur, quae in mari nascuntur, plantae, sed eae etiam arbores, quae aut fructu omnino carent, aut in quibus non semen intra fructum reconditur, sed idem est semen quod fructus, cuiusmodi sunt quercus et nux. Agit textus de solis plantis a/zmentarzis, de iis quae illico v. 29 homini et animalibus traduntur, « ut sint vobis in escam ». Eae primum indiseriminatim omnes describuntur ut tenue germen, dein generaliori quodam modo ratione seminis discernuntur. — Ambigunt recentiores, quo trahendum sit illud super terram. Ad solum lignum &rahit Kn., quod arbores alte immineant terrae; ad semen vero Dilím. ( « in quo fructu sit semen ad propagationem super terram »); ad germinet tandem De/. Vox sola constructione fortasse ad ultimum incisum, sensu certe ad totam sententiam refertur, tatn ad herbas quam ad ligna. | . Contra reliquos omnes h. l1. Vulg. omittit vocem Deus : « Et ait Deus ». Item v. 17 « et posuit eas Deus »; v. 22 « Benedixitque eis Deus »; v. 26 « ait illis Deus »; 2, 3 « et benedixit Deus ». Quam vocem etiam retinent Aq. Symm. Theod., ubicunque eorum ad nos textus devenerunt. 1,28 « Et ait illis Deus » duas supremas voces cum Vulg. sola ignorat LXX. Sed hoc textu, uti 2,3, reapse vox Deus intra eundem contextum et brevissimo interiecto spatio repetitur, ideoque facilius omittebatur; reliquis etiam textibus laudatis subiectum Deus facile ex contextu suppleri, ideoque facile in aliqua versione omitti poterat; critice solius Vulgatae auctoritas reliquis omnibus hac in re minime praevalet. Dicas igitur, eam vocem primitus in textibus laudatis fuisse, Vulgatam alium & reliquis textum hebr. nequaquam legisse, sed S. Hier. suarum partium minime illud esse existimasse, ut voculam-quamque serviliter exprimeret. — Id semel monuisse sufficiat.
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v. 14 « Dixit autem. Deus : Fiant luminaria in firmamento coeli » — addit LXX Sam. ad élluminandam terram — « et dividant diem ac noctem ». Perperam Cai., quod Hebr. non habeat e/ devidant sed ad dividendum , putabat non ipsam luminarium primam productionem narrari, sed solum officium productis attribui. Infinitivus cum 5 non cogit nos hunc sensum admittere ; aliunde autem parallelismus cum v. 3. 6 omnino cogit vocem *', uti iis versibus, interpretari. Quodsi igitur ibi lux et firmamentum non apparuisse tantum, sed vere producta esse narrantur, referuntur h. l. etiam luminaria non tantum terricolis visibilia facta, sed primum producta esse. In quem sensum cum Vulg. (Fiant et dividant) conspirat LXX «evrüfzocav. « Et sint in signa et tempora et dies et annos ». Non est cum Ges. adstruenda hendiadys « in signa temporum »; neque cum Z'uch et Kurtz « in signa tam temporum quam dierum et annorum » : quatuor nomina sunt coordinata. A duobus postremis d?es et annos ordiamur, quae explicat Chald. ut numerentur per ea dies et annz , circumscribitque Ps. Ion. « ad sanctificandum initia mensium et anütorum, intercalationes mensium et annorum, solstitia lunaeque mutationes et cyclos ». Quae descriptio videtur sat conveniens. Ubi d?esintelligere placet civiles potius quam naturales, cum hi luce prima die creata a noctibus abunde secernantur, dum dierum civilium limites et horae astris definiantur. 1712 tempus significat, et quidem tempus determinatum , unde merito Ios. e& Theodoret. quatuor anni tempora huc revocavere; neque tamen ad haec unice restringenda est expressio, neque cum Lamy ad solos menses, nullibi quippe Ty"2 mensis vertitur, et alio ordine nomina scribenda essent (dies et menses et annos); sed ad tempora quaeque extendenda est expressio sive natura sive lege aliqua certis eventibus attributa (v. g. Ps. Ion. recenset « tempora festorum ») : haec omnia ope corporum coelestium computantur. Quid tandem signa? Merito Theodoret. ad astrologiam alludi negat. Sed neque de eclipsibus, cometis et similibus (lac. Edess., Theodoret.) agitur, cum Cosmogonia non portentorum originem describat. Dicendum ergo cum eodem TAÀeodoret., signa intelligi ea, quae ex astris petere consuevere agricolae, viatores, nautae. Quodsi tandem quatuor voces simul contempleris, perspicies Cosmogoriiae auctorem uti in recensendis plantis nequaquam botanistam, ita in recensendis astris nequaquam astronomum agere. Astrorum meminit, quatenus temporis sunt indices maxime pro agrorum gregumque cultura : huic quippe suppetunt signa temporaque definiunt. Idem mox astra in duas veluti classes dividit, maiora et minora, secundum id quod oculis apparet; nam.stellas plerasque luna esse maiores, quis iam ignoret?
Arg. — Priori triduo praeparabantur coelum et terra ad instar domus, quae recipiendis incolis instruitur : incolarum autem loco hic veniunt, quaecumque in coelo terraque moventur, motu sive reali sive apparenti : hinc astra et animantia. Secundi tridui opera prioris tridui operibus quadamtenus correspondent, non tamen accuratissime. Ita luminaria quartae diei utique correspondent luci prima die productae; sed quinta die non solius firmamenti, sed etiam aquarum incolae producuntur, dum sexta die solius terrae animantia creantur, duplici tamen opere, quod duplex tertiae diei opus in memoriam revocet.
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« Et factum est ita ». V. 19 « Et protulit terra herbam virentem et facientem semen iuxta genus suum, lignumque faciens fructum et habens unumquodque sementem secundum speciem suam ». Eadem in. Hebr. vox speciem et genus exprimit. Recole quod diximus, in singulis operibus impletionis verba illud exprimere, quam adamussim effectus divinae iussioni responderit. Ergo totum illud intra alteram * tertiae diei partem in effectum prodiit, quod Deus v. 11 effici praeceperat. Sane ea die plantas non in germinibus substitisse, sed reapse in herbas et fructus maturuisse, colligas ex creatis sequentibus diebus animantibus, quae non meris germinibus, sed insuper herbis , seminibus, fructibus ad vietum indigent. Quando Deus sexta die dicebat : « Ecce dedi vobis omnem hérbam et universa ligna, ut sint vobis in escam », sane non mera germina demonstrabat triduo ante nata. Tandem reliqui dies sua ad perfectionem perducunt opera : ergo etiam tertius. Ita quinta et sexta die animalia et homo adulta sane aetate producuntur; corpora coelestia quarta die eo illico ordine prodeunt, quo tempora et dies et annos ita demonstrent, uti nunc quoque fit. Ergo recte omnino Ephr. alterum tertiae diei opus ita describit : « Et herbae quidem, etsi creatione effectae sint instantanea, eam praeferebant speciem, acsi mensibus ante natae fuissent; itemque arbores, quarum productio nonnisi diem habuisset, in perfectione sua ramorumque fructibus, quasi annis crevissent, apparebant ». Id indubie verum est : planíae unico die ad perfectam maturitatem perductae describuntur. Obiicies, stupendum ita portentum affirmari. Non magis stupendum concedam , quam hominem sexta die adulta aetate esse creatum ; respondebo, interpretis non esse portenta eliminare, sed textum s. fideliter explicare; tandem evanescit portentum, si Cosmogonia narrari defendas rerum productionem, qualis Adamo in visione exhibita fuit. v. 15 « Ut luceant in firmamento coeli et illumznent terram ». Tres conditorum astrorum fines textus recenset, sed duos posteriores tantum constructione coordinatos. Primus : Sint luminaria ad divisionem diei et noctis, ut quae divisio v. ^ alternantibus luce et tenebris effecta fuerat, constitutis luminaribus evidentior evadat. Additur porro repetita voce Y duplex alius finis : Luminaria sint in signa etoe., i. e. praeter dierum noctiumque discrimina alias etiam temporis divisiones demonstrent ; dein : Luminaria luminarium officio fungantur in firmamento ad illuminandam terram, quod non est omnino idem atque dividere diem et noctem. Quorum divisio v. ^ nullam nocti lucem concesserat, at nune vel ipsi nocti luna et stellae suam affundunt lucem. Regnum igitur lucis quarta die magis etiam quam prima praevalet regno tenebrarum, tam ordine quam ambitu, cum universi temporis tam nocturni quam diurni primatus luminaribus attribuatur.
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V. 16 « Fecitque Deus duo lumznaria magna : luminare maus, ut praeesset diet, et luminare minus, ut praeesset noctt , et stellas ». Cum haec omnino ad oculum, non scientifice describantur, non est subtilius indagandum, quo sensu astra praeesse scribantur. Sane sol regio quodam splendore diei praefulget, luna nocti : id omnes sensere gentes, cecinere poetae, isque sensus textui abunde satisfacit. v. 16 stellae à praesidio noctis excludi videntur, v. 18 includi et Ps. 135 (136), 7 sqq. habet « Fecit... lunam et stellas in potestatem noctis ». Utrumque vere dicitur : si lunam stellis compares, sane illam praeesse, has aulicorum instar subesse fatebere; si lunam cum stellis subjectae nocti opponas, noctem subesse, illas praeesse haud dubitabis.
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V. 17 « E: posuit eas ?n firmamento coeli, At lucerent super terram » ,
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v. 18 « et praeessent diei ac nocti, et dividerent lucem ac tenebras ». Tres hic quoque fines enuntiantur, quorum primus et tertius cum iis, quos v. 1^ sq. legebamus, iidem sunt. Num ideo praeesse diei ac nocti idem est atque esse 2n signa etc.? Non necessario : praeesse h. 1. eundem atque v. 16 sensum habet, ubi de signis etc. non agebatur; s. auctor non est exspectandus serviliter in descriptione ea repetere, quae divino mandato enuntiabantur ; praeesse latius patet quam esse 2n signa. « Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum ».
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« Et factum est ita ». V. 19 « Et factum est vespere et mane, dies quartus ».
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v. 90 « Dixit etiam Deus : Producant aquae veptile antmae vtven- (is ». Expressio vv "x"v" similis est alteri v. 11 xv7 Nv3n. Verbum , intransitivum yv significat pullulare , ve? non est hiphil (pullulare faciant, i. e. producant) sed kal, ergo : pullulet aqua pullulatione animae viventis, seu anima vivente. Sive mm v23 genitivum consítruas (Vulg. LXX), sive appositionem, sensus est idem : illa pullulatio eo definitur, ut viventium consistat motu. Nomen y^v de se ad. omnis generis animalia refertur, sc. Lev. 11,10. 20. 29 ad animalia aquatilia, volatilia et terrestria : certe h. 1. non sola reptilia designat, sed maxime pisces, quod v. 16 docet. — « et volatile super terram sub firmamento coeli ». Similiter Chald. LXX Aq. Symm. Theod. : ct volatilia (quae) volant super terram sub firmamento coeli. Hi videntur zD5'7' construxisse, quasi omissum sit ante illud relativum (Ca/m.), quod ad 1,1 quandoque fieri concessimus, constructione utique minus usitata. Perperam autem Lamy has versiones putat e textu profectas & textu Hebr. Sam. Syr. diverso. Diversus nullo argumento probatur textus, receptus vero omnino vertatur oportet: e£ aves volent super terram etc. Ergo textus non adstruit, quod iam putabat Ephr., aves productas esse ex aqua. Ne ipsi quidem pisces dicuntur formati ex aqua, sed pullulantes in aqua : quomodo autem dicet quis, volatilia pullulare in aqua? Praeterea 2,19 volatilia diserte affirmantur producta esse de terra. Adverte tandem, ex Lev. 11,20 *'v non solas aves, sed volatilia quaelibet etiam quadrupedia designare. Perperam autem ex duobus successive adscriptis verbis 1?w" et 7p inferre videtur Del., volatilia post aquatilia esse creata : potuere omnino simul creari. — LXX in fine versus adiicit impletionem E/ factum est 1ta.
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v. 91 « Creavitque Deus cete grandia » — van bestiam vastae molis significat (h. 1. et Iob. 7,19; Ps. 73,13 sq.; Ez. 29,4), piscem (cum Ier. 51,35 cf. Ton. 2,11; Ps. 103,25), cete (ad Thren. 4,3 cf. Bochart " Hieroz. t. I lib. I cap. 7), crocodilum (Ez. 29,3), serpentem (Is: 27,1 etc.), ergo omne genus immanium piscium vel amphibiorum. Nominatim h. l. effertur ob molem, uti v. 16 « luminaria magna » — « et omnem animam viventem atque motabilem, quam produxerant aquae in species suas », Hebr. quibus pullulant aquae etc., « et omne volatile secundum genus suum. Et vidit Deus, quod esset bonum ».
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v. 92 « Benedixitque ets dicens : Crescite et multiplicamini et replete aquas maris », — ergo de solis animalibus marinis per se v. 21 agit, non autem explicite de iis, quae in fluminibus etc. reperiuntur — « avesque multiplicentur super terram ». Recte infert Calm. (itemque Cai.), haec animalia » in eo statim perfectionis statu constituta fuisse, quo divinis iussionibus praestandis essent comparata », ergo in statu adulto; falso infert Theodore(. unicum singularum specierum par esse creatum, id enim textus non habet. Quid benedictione intelligatur, recte Vat. ait adiectis verbis Cresc?te et multzplicamini exprimi. Quorum prius /[ans. putat posteriore explicari et limitari : Crescite non quantitate sed numero, hinc multiplieamini. Sed planius locutionem hendiadin explicabis, ut utriusque verbi idem sit sensus. lis igitur verbis Deus collatam in ipsa creatione virtutem prolificam pronuntiat, eiusque effectum se velle suaque providentia esse promoturum. Ita Dei dominium, quod iussione et appellatione praesentia attingebat, benedictione in ipsa futura extenditur. Hic autem oritur quaestio, cur non etiam plantis benedixerit Deus : ideo sane, quia praeposterum erat plantas alloqui, quae ne sonum quidem vocis audire valebant; quia verbis incitantur ii, qui aliquo appetitu moventur. Ceterum divina plantarum propagandarum voluntas v. 11 sq. commemoratis seminibus et fructibus sufficienter inculcatur.
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v. 23 « Et factum est vespere et mane, dies quintus ». | $ nere suo iumenta et reptilia et bestias terrae secundum spectes suas. Factumque est 1a ». xxn prodire faciat, eadem vox quae v. 12 de plantis adhibebatur, quaeque productionis modum ad oculum depingit, non eius internam pandit rationem : cf. Ps. 103 (105), 14 « ut educas panem de terra », ubi tamen non de prima tantum, sed de productione frugum universim agitur, quae utique fit de terra, attamen ex seminibus. Eadem animalia 9,19 producta a Deo scribuntur de humo : audiebatur Dei verbum 1,94 produci jubens, cernebantur de humo, de terra argillosa (Ps. Ion.) et humida (cf. 2,6) prodeuntia. Ad Dei vocem oriuntur, merito igitur Dei quoque virtute effecta creduntur; at eorumdem de humo conspectus ortus nequaquam terrae virtute producta evincit, non terrae vim quasi maternam (Del.) in illis gignendis assignat, generationem aequivocam neque adstruit neque refutat. Exhibetur utique humus tamquam materia, unde sint animalia et plantae, cum ita locutio « formari de humo » 2,7 et 3,19 de homine accipiatur, neque ulla sit ratio eiusdem locutionis in eodem contextu repetitae diversum adstruere sensum; atque ita rem intellexere auctores inspirati posteriores, qui de animalibus « in pulverem suum », inquiunt, « revertentur » (Ps. 103,29), et « de terra facta sunt et in lerram pariter revertuntur » (Eccle. 3,90). . Animalia autem producta cernebantur secundum species suas, quae eaedem intelliguntur, quae inde a creato homine exstiterunt : quippe rerum, quae sunt, non quae forte in aevis homine antiquioribus fuere , describitur origo. Hinc Deus specierum quoque auctor exhibetur, licet ratio, qua illas effecerit et distinxerit, non exprimatur. Dividuntur autem animalia in classes tres, quae, similiter ac quartae et quintae diei opera, non ex alia ratione quam ex mole hominumque usu distinguuntur. galia maiora et minora; semper de pecoribus intelligitur, quando cum ;1'n copulatur, uti Gen. 1 et similiter 2,19 sq.; 7,14.21. Ergo minus recte hoc versu LXX tetpamoó«, melius v. 25 etc. xv jv. — U'12? ex etymo designat animalia, quae repunt , alque hinc etiam de minoribus animalibus aquaticis adhibetur (Ps. 103,25 et cf. Gen. 1, 21). H. 1. de solis terrestribus intelligitur, non tamen de iis solis, quae pedes habent aut breviusculos aut nullos (Dilim.), sed de iis quibusque, quae quadrupedes aliquantae molis non sunt (Bochart. Hieroz. lib. I cap. IV p. 23, Francof. ad M. 1675) : inter quae numerantur mures, talpae, vermes, locustae, serpentes (cf. Lev. 11). — "IND zm vel mTw9n Irvin sunt ferae. Hic pro consueta forma stat. const. habetur altera VN "IY (non tamen in Sam.) quam archaismum declarant (cf. Ps. 49,10; 78, 2; 103,11. 20; Sophon, 2, 14; Is. 56, 9) h. 1l. ad maiestatem divino sermoni addendam adhibitum. v. 25 adhibetur forma consueta. — "Vario ordine hae tres classes enumerantur Gen. 1,25 sq.; 7,14.21 aliisque locis, quin eius divergentiae specialem rationem assignari oporteat.
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v. 25 « Et fecit Deus bestias terrae iuxta species suas, et sumenta, et omne reptile terrae in genere suo. Et vidit Deus, quod esset bonum ». Creatum esse in singulis speciebus utrumque sexum inde concludas, quod ad perfectionem speciei etiam distinctio sexuum requiratur, et quod 2,19 homo, comparatione instituta cum animalibus, dicatur caruisse adiutorio simili sui. Arg. — Merito Greg. (cf. Pater. M. 19.687) : « Quamvis per coaeternum Patris Verbum cuncta creata sint, in ipsa tamen relatione creationis ostenditur, quantum cunctis animalibus, quantum rebus vel coelestibus sed tamen insensibilibus homo praeferatur ». Id autem primum inculcatur eo, quod in rerum productione, quae ab imperfectioribus ad perfectiora ascendit, hominis productio ultimo eoque potissimo loco narretur. Secundo eo, quod homo ab animalium « speciebus » exemptus iisque superior tractetur. Tertio eo, quod eius productio speciali divino consilio (« Faciamus ») adscribatur. Quarto eo, quod eidem divina adscribatur imago et similitudo. Quinto eo, quod ei praesidium super animalia et plantas conferatur. Sexto eo, quod creato homine Deus ab universo tandem opere quieverit. Adde ex sequenti pericope creationem animae a Deo immediate profectam.
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v. 96 « Et ait : Faciamus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram ». « 0 rem admirandam! Sol creatur nulla deliberatione praecedente, eodemque pacto coelum, quibus duobus nihil esse par creatis in rebus potest : ... solius ad hominis fabricationem creator ille universitatis rerum quadam cum consideratione accedit » (Greg. Nyss.). Antiqua est de plurali faciamus disputatio, ubi per se patet, subiectum intelligi aut solum Deum aut alium quemdam praeter Deum. Si hoc alterum defendas, habes sententiam PAzlon. (De mundi opificio 2^; De profug. 13) et Ps. Ion., Deum hic loqui ad angelos, quam refutabat Bas. monens, non ad ingenua imaginem factum esse hominem. Insuper ei faciamus correspondet
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v. 27 creavit Deus, qua ratione secus in hexaemero descriptio mandato respondet. Ergo subiectum solus Deus. Ubi rursum duplex se offert pluralis explanatio : aut enim verba dicemus esse soliloquium Dei ad se ipsum, aut unius divinae personae ad aliam vel alias alloquium, vel accuratius omnium ad omnes, cum decretum creandi hominis omnibus tribus divinis personis sit commune. Id in controversiis de divinis personis maxime contra Arianos inslitutis non paucis visum est Patribus. Patrem loquentem ad Filium statuere Barnab. in epist. (M. 9.735.141), Theophil. Antioch. (ad Autol. II. 18; M. 6.1081). Epiphan. (Haer. 93; M. 41.304), Cyr. Heros. (Catech. X. 6, XI. 23; M. 33.668.721), Chrys. (M. 53.12), Ambr. (Hex. M. 14.957). Accedunt Conc. Antioch. I anno 26* in epist. ad Paulum Samosat. (Labb. I. 1036) et Conciliabulum Syrm. n. 13 anno 35' (ib. III. 258) definiens : « Si quis hoc dictum faciamus hominem non Patrem ad Filium, sed Deum secum loqui affirmet, anathema sit ». Ceterum, cum hi auctores vix censeri queant voluisse 3 Spiritum excludere, Audi Rup. : « Magnum plane consilium in illo sapientiae consilio, in illo talium . personarum, Patris et T'ilii et Spiritus S., non tam senatu quam soliloquio venerando de nobis peccatoribus habitum est. An putas eorum quidquam, quae circa nos acta vel agenda sunt, illic defuisse? Plane ibi omnis nostra in medio causa posita est, mors vel perditio nostra, quae futura erat, illic perspecta est et inde totum consilium habitum, ut unaquaeque persona suam operis partem susciperet, ut sc., sicut iam dictum est, tunc quidem Pater conderet, postea in plenitudine temporis Filius perditum redimeret, Spiritus S. remissionem peccatorum et carnis resurrectionem perficeret, atque ità communi Trinitatis consilio reacdificarentur in homine deserta saeculorum, et fundamenta generationis et generationis suscitarentur ». Alteram supra innuebamus opinionem, qua verba sint Dei soliloquium. Ubi nonnihil severius Bas. : « Quis faber ferrarius aut lignarius aut quis sutor, solus inter artis instrumenta sedens nulloque adiuvante, dicat ipse sibi: Faciamus gladium, aut aratrum coniungamus, aut conficiamus calceamentum? An non potius quod sibi convenit opus cum silentio absolvit? » Eiusmodi soliloquia et in vita communi et in - scriptura occurrunt (cf. Gen. 6,7), neque plus admirationis facit Deus se ipsum ad ereandum hominem exhortans, quam res intellectu carentes, ut fierent, iubens : utrumque sc. factum est, ut rerum per Deum productionem intelligeret homo. Verum quod in hoc soliloquio difficultatem habet, est pluralis verbi : disputatur enim , adhibuerintne Hebraei pluralem maiestatis. Aliquod vestigium pluralis dignitatem rei exprimentis habes in nominibus quibusdam venerandae antiquitatis, quae, cum unam rem sanctam exprimant, nonnisi plurali numero construuntur : ita man5N, quam vocem cum Hebraeis norant Aramaei et Arabes, ignorant Assyrii et Aethiopes (Schrader KAT) , et arzon (cf. Gen. 31,35; 1 Reg. 19,13.16). Iam si plurali nominis quandoque dignifas rei exprimatur, non est cur negemus, quandoque etiam plurali verbi et suffixorum, qui proprie dictus est pluralis maiestatis, expressisse dignitatem loquentis Hebraeos. Eiusmodi mos, inquies, nonnisi serius a Persis Graecisque invectus est : 1 Esdr. 4,18; 1 Mach. 10,19; 11,31; 15,9. Repono, eius nos exempla invocare posse nostrum textum, itemque Gen. 11,7; Is. 6,8; 41,99 et fortasse alios quosdam textus. Quominus tamen cum Knobel, Umbreit (Theol. Studien u. Kritiken, 1839 I. 200), Reinke (Beitráge V. 77 sq.) pluralem maiestatis Gen. 1,26 adstruamus, prohibet alter textus 3,22 : « Ecce Adam quasi unus ex nobis factus est », qui ad pluralem maiestatis nequaquam revocari potest; quod sensere Chald.. Symm. «225 interpretati non ez noó:s, sed ex 1pso (cf. Field), at minus feliciter. Verum, si 3,92 agnoscendum sit vestigium Trinitatis, nulla suppetit ratio eiusmodi non etiam 1,26 admittendi. Aliunde tamen illud Reinkio concedere debemus, tenuiora esse vestigia illa omnia, quam quae ad agnoscendam SS. Trinitatem manuducerent lectorem aevi mosaici, quód totum unice erat in unitate Dei affirmanda; certissime non erant adiutura ad agnoscendas (res in Deo personas, neque plures neque pauciores, multoque minus personarum inter se et ad naturam divinam relationem. Non ergo ad praeparandam apud lectores aevi mosaici SS. Trinitatis fidem illa vestigia & Deoprovisafuere. Sed meminerimus, hebraicam nostram Cosmogoniam non esse tandem aliud, nisi ipsam traditionem initiis temporum et diu &nte Moysen hominibus divinitus concessam. Quibus temporibus distinctius Deus credi potest mysterium SS. Trinitatis revelasse. Cuius mysterii cognitio postmodum ex hominum memoria evanuit, remanentibus in creati atque prolapsi hominis, et fortasse item in destructae turris Babelicae narratione, pristinae fidei vestigiis quibusdam, quibus christiani in suspicionem adducerentur revelati primitus illius mysterii. Cf. etiam Rom. 15,4. Hominem articulo caret, uti nomina v. 24 zwmnenta etc. ; ergo non est nomen proprium Adam sed collectivum : unde v. 27 transitus fit a pronomine singulari 2//uÓ, quod ab hoc nomine regitur, ad pronomen plurale eos. — «inwo35 22552 est hendiadys ad emphasim adhibita (Corluy) : ad tmagtnem similltmam. Eae, quibus discutiendis auctores aliqui h. 1. indulgent, derivationes nominis Adam (ab QN ruber fuit, 11271N terra), e commentariis in lexica sunt amandandae. Nomen Adam scriptura protoparenti attribuit non ob aliam rationem, nisi quia QN est appellatio generica hominis, et quia primus homo appellatione generica pro nomine proprio appellandus erat. Cf. alia primorum hominum nomina, quae item generica sunt : 2,23 Issah i. e. mulier; 3,21 Heva i. e. vita, mater; 4,1 Cain i. c. productio, proles; 4,2 Abel(ass. habal)i. e. filius; 4,25 Seth i. e. positus, germen; 4,26 Enos i. e. homo. Quibus nominum formis videmur revocari ad eam ferc aetatem, qua variae gentes semiticae nondum ab invicem penitius essent separatao , saltem voce habal uterentur communi, quae apud solos postea Assyrios est praeservata. Hinc tandem patet, haec eadem nomina in lingua, qua protoparentes utebantur, potuisse esse significatione quidem eadem, at sono toto coelo diversa. — Vulg. LXX Sam. copulam inserunt : ad imaginem et similitudinem : ita reapse textus ne mutatis quidem consonantibus legi potest. Gen. 5,3 legimus voy» 3272, unde patet utrumque nomen indifferenter cum alterutra praepositione construi posse. Gen 1,27 dieitur homo creatus Woby2, 5,1 rwW2723 (nota praepositionem); unde colligitur expressio complexa esse hendiadys. Praepositio 2 etiam Ex. 25,40; 30,32.37 normam exprimit , secundum quam aliquid fit. Licet Epzphan. (Haer. 70; M. 42. 341) statuat, ecclesiasticam tra- . ditionem omnes quidem homines ad imaginem Dei creatos esse defendere, in quo tamen ea imago consistat nullatenus definire, tamen antiquissimi iam Patres et scriptores ecclesiastici eius imaginis indolem indagati sunt. Ubi illud primum certo constat, eam in s. textu homini assignari imaginem, quae in inferioris ordinis creaturis, v. g. bestiis, nequaquam inveniatur; alterum, unicam hominem praedicari Dei imaginem in mundo visibili. Quare perperam D/odor. Tars. et Theod. Mopsv. (ap. Theodoret.) illos risui habent, quiideo hominem ad Dei imaginem factum esse praetendant, quod intelligentia praeditus sit aut rebus aliis dominetur; nonne haec eadem, inquiunt, in angelis obtinent? nonne et ipsi dicendi erunt ad imaginem Dei esse creati? At peccat obiectio, cum de angelis textus Geneseos minime agat, eos ad Dei imaginem creatos esse neque affirmet neque neget. Imaginem autem divinam Patres modo in corpore hominis reperiunt, uti Tert. (de Resurr. carnis 6, et contra Prax. 12; M. 2. 802. 167 sq.), Aug. (de Gen. c. Manich. I. 17; M. 35. 186 sq.), modo in anima; et quidem vel in immortalitate eiusdem (Aug. de Trin. XII. 2; M. 42. 1038) , vel in intelligentia (Aug. in Ps. 54; M. 36. 629), vel in libero arbitrio (Macar. Hom. 15.23; M. 35. 591), vel verius in intellectu et libertate simul sumptis (Jo. Damasc. de Fide XI. 2; M. 94. 920; Ambr. Hex. VI. 8; M. 14. 259). Imo praestabit his omnibus simul sumptis eum Greg. Nyss. (M. &&. 136 sq.) superaddere hominis 1n res visibiles dominium; cui etiam consentit CArys. (M. 53. 72. 8 et passim), licet 1s longius contra anthropomorphistas abripiatur imaginem divinam in solo illo dominio collocans. Ceterum dominium illud ad rationem imaginis spectare, clare docet apostolus 1 Cor. 11,6 sqq. Dicamus igitur cum Pef£avio (de sex dierum Opificio II. 4), qui hanc funditus tractavit quaestionem, Dei imaginem inveniri in toto homine; potissimum quidem in anima spirituali et immortali, intelligente atque libera virtutibusque, quae mores divinos imitentur, exornata ; secundarie sed vere in corpore, tum ob eius habitum erectum Dei imitantem maiestatem, tum ob loquelam mentis et voluntatis interpretem , tum ob externos mores interiorum virtutum indices. | Quae omnia efficiunt imaginem naturalem Dei in homine. Homo vero, quod factus est ad imaginem Dei, eo ipso etiam est imago Dei, cf. 1 Cor. 11,7 : « Vir... imago et gloria Dei est ». Videndum autem, utrum Gen. 1,26 exprimatur praeterea imago Dei in homine supernaturalis per gratiam. Ubi non illud quaeritur, ditatusne sit Adam gratia sanetificante, quod est de fide; neque illud, aptene gratia dicatur homo formari ad Dei imaginem, quod patet cum per se tum ex 2 Cor. 3,18; Col. 3,10; sed id unice, cogamurne contextu Gen. 1,26 admittere, voce ad zmaginem exprimi imaginem non naturalem tantum, sed supernaturalem. Quod videtur negandum. Etenim Hexaemeron est in explicanda origine mundi vésibzlis, imago autem illa supernaturalis sensus omnino fugit. Vi divinae imaginis, secundum quam homo creatus est, tribuitur eidem illico praesidium creaturarum inferiorum : verum hoc ei competit intuitu divinae imaginis naturalis. — Tandem, licet in vocibus faciamus ad tmaginem nostram agnoscamus vestigium SS. Trinitatis, tamen non inde effici censemus, factum referri hominem ad imaginem non Dei solummodo, sed trium divinarum personarum : licet enim in quibusdam homo proprietates divinarum personarum imitetur, at non potest dici esse earumdem imago secundum ea, quibus distinguuntur, sed secundum ea, quae illis communia sunít, i. e. naturam divinam. Quo sensu etiam optime explicatur vox nostram, ut sc. eatenus una illa imago sit trium personarum communis, quatenus id exprimat, in quo illae conveniunt. « Et praesit. piscibus maris et volatilibus coeli et bestits universaeque terrae omnique reptili, quod movetur zn terra ». Reliqui praesint, quia vox Adam est nomen collectivum. Dicebantur v. 16. 18 luminaria praeesse (cf. quae ib. diximus), ibi tamen verbo 5v, dum hic verbum 737» adhibetur, i. e. proprie pedibus culcare, cf. Ps. 8,8 sq.: « Omnia subiecisti sub pedibus eius, oves etc. ». Praesidium utrobique pro subiecta materia explicandum est, hicque cf. Gen. 9,2 : « Terror vester ac tremor sit super cuncta animalia terrae etc. »; et Eccli. 17,4 « Posuit timorem illius super omnem carnem, et dominatus est bestiarum et volatilium ». Homo praeest animalibus, quod iis ad suos fines libere utatur, quod dominium moribus humanis expressum illa terrore agnoscant. Copula e£ sane aliquem cum praecedentibus nexum exprimit, ut illud praesidium aut sit aliquid divinam imaginem mere consequens, aut sit ipsa integra imago, aut aliqua eiusdem pars : quem ultimum sensum esse praeferendum supra monuimus. Illud certe ea copula enuntiat, principatum super animantia uni inter visibilia homini competere vi divinae, quae ipsi naturaliter inest, imaginis : illius tantum est in mundo visibili praeesse, qui divinam reflectit imaginem. Syr. contra omnes et iumentis cunctisque bestiis terrae, inserens vocem IY atque ita conformans enumerationem v. 26 enumerationibus v. 24. 25 et alibi. Haee lectio, utpote facilior, secundum regulas critices tanto magis est repudianda, quod vel ipse Ephr. Syrus eam ignoret. Fuit igitur correctoris cuiusdam manu in textum Syrum introducta et aliquando omnes, quantum novimus, textus hebraici ea voce caruere; non tamen primitus. Etenim sunt,rationes, cur primitus et ante antiquissimas concinnatas versiones ea vox textui infuisse defendatur. Nulla penitus deprehenditur ratio enumerationis v. 26 diversae à v. 24 sq. scribendae, cum v. 26 illud utique pronuntiare intendat, eas omnes animalium classes homini subiici, quae v. 20-25 creatae narrabantur : cf. 9, 2 textum omnino parallelum, qui bestias terrae minime omittit; et alterum textum 1, 28, ubi hominis in terram imperium non sub eodem cum animalibus verbo ;11^ subsumitur, sed speciali verbo 22 exprimitur. Praeterea si textus reapse praeter animalium principatum dominium quoque universae terrae homini attribuebat, at nequaquam illud mediis animalium classibus interserebat, sed lis ad calcem adnectebat. Ergo non de universa terra primitus agebat textus, sed de universis bestiis terrae, vocemque IY'r1 antiquitus deperditam Syrus postmodum sapienti coniectura restituit. — Ceterum aliquod in v. 26 irrepsisse mendum, , eo etiam fit probabilius, quod in v. 28 eidem affini varia apud varios menda deprehendantur. Quippe consentientibus ibi Hebr. Vulg. Chald. Aq. Theod., legit mmi pro mmm Sam., omittit 52 Symm., videtur pro i'n legisse vYa LXX. Et haec quidem minora. At praeterea addita videtur legisse LXX vNn 53231 nona 5221, Syr. vero solummodo aanamt Hlud voNnD 5323 utique ex corrupto v. 26 apud LXX huc delapsum est. v. 297 « Et creavit Deus hominem ad imaginem suam, ad imaginem Dei creavit illum , masculum et feminam creavit eos ». Ubi Symm. suam divinae imaginis interpretationem hac paraphrasi proponit : E creavit. Deus hominem in imagine excellenti, rectum Deus creavit illum. Auctor inspiratus consideratione dignitatis homini collatae in trium membrorum iubilum abripitur. Et primum quidem , quam verbo nvy expresserat, iam repetito verbo x33 tamquam immediate divinam exhibet productionem. Quam suffixis tantum (nostram, suam) divinam pronuntiaverat imaginem, eam adiecta voce De? explicitius scribit divinam, forma insuper orationis, quam chiasmum vocant, illustrat. Unico antea plurali 1711 indicatum individuorum numerum jam sexuum discrimine explicat atque ita simul viam sternit benedictioni « Crescite etc. ». Non ergo ideo h. 1. illud discrimen commemorat, ut hominem sicut imagine Deo, ita sexibus bestiis assimilari doceat (Greg. Nyss.); quin etiam in sexuum differentia et consequente foecunditate aliqua cum aeterna numinis foecunditate affinitas consistit : sed ut beneficium v. 26 enuntiatum pluribus celebret. Clarius etiam, quam solo plurali *11(^, docemur sexuum in hominibus discrimen a primaeva Dei ordinatione ortum ducere (Cor/uy). Recte tandem ex hoc versu concluditur creationem mulieris, quae cap. 2 narratur, die Contra nugas Wellh. cf. Dilim. — Pluralis QnN utique excludit errorem, creatum esse primitus unum individuum androgynum. Num vero napa 125 ita cogimur interpretari, ut necessario praeter differentiam sexuum statuat, unicum par esse primitus creatum? Ita Del., Dillm. At, licet unicum par esse creatum ex narratione sequenti indubie pateat, non id laudata h.l. expressione enuntiari crediderim, sed solam differentiam sexuum. Cf. 5, 1: « Masculum et fipminam creavit eos... et vocavit nomen eorum Adam »; ubi Adam est nomen speciei in duos sexus discretae, est etiam nomen unius individui, primi sc. viri, sed non est nomen eorum, si hac voce exprimi praetendas et primum virum et primam mulierem : primae quippe mulieris nomen proprium non fuit Adam.
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v. 98 « Benedixitque illis Deus et att » : — alii et dixit illis Deus, unde affirmat De/., auctore uti v. 27 parallelismo indulgente, simplex Y2N5 (cf. v. 22) in longiorem formulam excrevisse : at merum *2N5 etiam LXX legunt, unde incerta lectio — « Crescite et multiplicamini et replete terram, et subiticite eam, et dominamini piscibus maris et volatilibus coeli et universis animantibus, quae moventur super terram ». Non replere terram solummodo iubetur homo, sed eandem subiicere totamque in suos usus convertere. Animalia eo ordine, quo creata sunt, recensentur : pisces, volatilia, animalia terrestria; benedictio vi verborum soli utique homini confertur, merito tamen censet Proc. animalia sexta die creata ita venire in partem benedictionis, uti v. 99 animalia quinta die creata benedictionem nanciscebantur.
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v. 99 « Dixitque Deus : Ecce dedi vobis omnem herbam afferentem semen super terram et universa ligna , quae habent in. semetipsis sementem generis sui, ut sznt vobis 2n escam » ,
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v. 30 « et cunctis antmantibus terrae » , quo nomine rm h. l. etiam 5232 includi censenda sunt, « omnique volucri coeli et universis, quae moventur in » — reliqui addunt universa — « terra et in quibus est anima vivens » , dedi omnem herbam viridem , — quae verba omnes praeter Vulg. habent, sola LX X erronee praefigente copulam — « w4 habeant ad vescendum ». Explicata v. 28 mutua hominis ad bestias relatione, v. 29 sq. quorsum ad has et ad illum plantae spectent explicatur : assignantur autem eae in escam, adscripta extremo utroque versu eadem voce n52x5. Et homini quidem assignantur v. 29 eaedem duae plantarum classes, quas v. 11 sq. distinguebant, fruges et fructus; animalium esca ea utique voce 3vY exprimitur, qua v. 11 sq. item exprimebatur; dum vero ibi et v. 29 eae herbae describebantur a/ferentes semen, hic legimus véirox herbae, ut earumdem plantarum homini potius grana et fructus, aniz malibus herbae et folia cibus attribuantur. Hinc cum Ca. perspicies, auctorem s. tantummodo « describere provisionem cominunem », i. e. plantarum ad animantia rationem generalissime spectatam. Non ciborum leges fert, quales postea in V. T. sancitae fuere : sane gra- : nis et fructibus auimalia quoque, puta aves, vescuntur; neque homo . herba viridi, cuiusmodi sunt non pauca legunt, abstinet; animalia 'carnivora ante peccatum carnibus abstinuisse, gratuito aliqui (Rup., Proc. etc.) et absurde affirmavere; homo esu carnium nostro textu nequaquam interdicitur, neque omnis eius cibus enumeratur, cum inter alia mel et lac desiderentur, quibus sane hominibus uti licuit. Non ciborum leges fert auctor, sed creatorum ordinem absolvit ; qui in eo est, ut homini subsint bruta, animantibus plantae, homini frumenía potius fructusque, animalibus herbae et folia cibus attribuantur. Facile utique assentimur Lap. statuenti, « homines usque ad diluvium (?) in cibo ita frugales fuisse, ut herbis et fructibus vescerentur, carnibus vero aeque ac vino abstinerent; idque non ob aliquod Dei praeceptum, sed ob religionem quamdam inde natam, quod necdum Deus carnium et vini usum expresse et diserte concessisset ». Dillm.), quasi affirmetur, profecto nulla primitus exstitisse animalia carnivora, neque ad solum v. 26, secus enim post illum scribenda erant, sed ad totum alterum sextae diei opus, quo creatus homo brutisque antepositus plantaeque in cibum assignatae narrantur. Singulorum naturae huic divino consilio adamussim adaptabantur.
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V. 31 « V2ditque Deus cuncta, quae fecerat, et » ecce « erant valde bona ». Laudatio haec proxime utique alterum sextae diei opus respicit, cum ante verba « Et factum est ete. dies sextus » inseratur, neque excluso homine mundus visibilis dici possit valde bonus. Sed laudationem non solum illud opus respicere, docent verba cuncta, quae fecerat. Quomodo fit, quae seorsim spectata dicebantur bona, ea simul considerata praedicari valde bona? « Si singula opera Dei, cum considerantur a prudentibus , inveniuntur habere laudabiles mensuras et numeros et ordines in suo quaeque genere constituta, quanto magis omnia simul, i. e. ipsa universitas, quae istis singulis in unum collectis impletur » (Aug.)! Aliam praeterea responsionem suggerit Bonf7. : « Necdum creato homine, propter quem cetera, et necdum ultima manu addita universo, neque mundus neque quidquam ceterorum poterat dici undequaque perfectum ». Secundum haec et homo propter naturae excellentiam, divinam sc. imaginem, dicitur valde bonus, quem altiorem bonitatis gradum reliqua, homini subordinata atque ita eius bonitatis affinia effecta, partieipant. Pulchre etiam Cai. « Apponitur adverbium ecce ad demonstrandum non futuram, non exspectandam , sed praesentem haberi bonitatem summam ipsius universi. Et significatur per hoc, quod universum est ita bonum, quod nihil ei deficit, quod nihil habet superflui, quod nullam desiderat additionem ». Bene tandem Vulg. vertit non optima , sed vaíde bona : | perfectum sc. est universum hoc in suo gradu et ordine; Cosmogonia, dd | quae de aliis, quae fortasse creata erant universis silet, multo minus (— "^" censeri potest affirmare, hoc nostrum universum omnium, quae fieri ': potuerint, esse perfectissimum. — « Et factum est vespere et mane, dies sextus ». Notabat iam Malv., hoc tandem numerale articulum habere (cf. quae diximus ad v. 5), ut sexto die seriem concludi significetur. Quo confirmatur, quod aliunde evidens est, Hexaemeron suam habere structuram, a qua septimus dies excludatur : quodsi enim auctor continuo veluti calamo septem dierum acta describere voluisset, articulum non sexto, sed soli septimo diei praefixisset, quo solo die septiduum concludebatur; at ipsi primo loco non septiduum, sed hexaemeron describere in: animo erat. Arg. — MHexaemero absoluto neque Hexaemeri iam structurae adstringitur oratio; non consecratis formulis mandatum, impletionem, laudationem exprimit, non diem vespera et mane distinguit, sed latiori alveo fluit faciliorique sermone. v. 1 Hexaemeri opera resumit, v. 9 eorumdem auctorem et durationem repetit, v. 2 sq. septimam diem sanctificatam narrat. | Cap. II.
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… dell'alfabeto in cui è redatta la Torāh; l'acrostico alfabetico in Lamentazioni indicherebbe che il popolo aveva mancato all'adempimento di tutti i precetti della Legge; «da alef fino a tau» equivale a «da alfa (v.) ad omega», onde il valore attribuito a 'eth in Gen. 1, 1.
… Genes.), p. 3, ed. Lagarde, e Commentarii in Ep. Pauli ad Gal. 3, 13: PL 26, 387 b). Si vede da queste citazioni che per A. il bereich (il «principio») di Gen. 1, 1, era il Figlio (per questa esegesi nella letteratura patriatica, cf. A. Harnack, in Texte und Untersuchungen, I, III, Lipsia 1883, p. 130 sgg.), e che A. conosceva il testo del Deut. …
BIBBIA - Poliglotta di Anversa (1568). Gen. 1, 1-20.
… Al sorgere delle scienze naturali, specie della geologia e paleontologia, lo sforzo di trovare nella Bibbia i nuovi dati per ipotesi scientifiche portò all'elaborazione di un nuovo sistema di interpretazione dell'Esamerone (Gen. 1, 1-2, 3) e passi connessi. …
… «In principio creavit Deus caelum et terram» (Gen. 1, 1). Per leggere in questo testo che Dio ha prodotto le cose tutte, traendole dal nulla, non si deve considerare la sola parola «creò» (nell'ebraico bāra), che può intendersi ed è intesa …
GENESI - Gen. 1, 1 nella Bibbia rabbinica, ed. J. Buxtorf, Basilea 1620. Testo ebraico e Targum di 'Chuséba. …
… Eccone i tratti salienti: nel v. 1 il termine λόγος ricorre tre volte: « In principio era il L., e il L. era presso Dio, ed era Dio il L. », cioè: il L. è eterno (esisteva già prima della creazione, cf. Gen. 1, 1), è una persona distinta da Dio Padre, del quale sarà chiamato l'Unigenito (Io, 1, 14, 18), è Dio (θεός ἦν ὁ λόγος). …
… Come paralleli rimasti distinti si indicano i racconti della creazione (Gen. 1, 1-2, 4a e 2, 4b-24), dell'alleanza di Dio con Abramo (Gen. 15 e 17), della manna e delle pernici (Ex. 16 e Num. 11), ecc. Risultano dalla fusione di duplicati i racconti del Diluvio (Gen. …
1:2
… Secondo le leggende haggadiche, A. fu creato fin dall'inizio informe (golēm) e, secondo alcuni, non ricevette l'anima umana che al termine dell'opera creativa, mentre secondo altri l'anima fu creata fin dall'inizio perché «lo spirito di Dio si librava» (Gen. 1, 2). Le lettere del suo nome compendiano i quattro punti cardinali: ἀνατολή (oriente), θύσις (occidente), ἄρχτος (settentrione), μεσπυβρία (mezzogiorno). …
Maria, rassicurata dall'Angelo (« Spirito Santo discenderà in te e Virtù dell'Altissimo ti adombrerà »; cf. Gen. 1, 2), dà il suo assenso, dichiarandosi « la schiava (ἀνδός) del Signore ». E in quell'istante, secondo il sentimento unanime dei teologi, « il Verbo si fece carne ed abitò fra noi » (Io. …
Codesto disco poggia sulle acque primordiali del grande abisso o téhōm (Gen. 1, 2; cf. l'accadico tāmtu) ed è consolidato da colonne (Ps. 18, 16). Dal grande abisso le acque risalgono per alimentare le fonti e i fiumi. …
… L'idea di un attacco delle tenebre iniziali era suggerita forse a Mani da una tradizione giudaica o cristiana che attribuiva al Pneuma di Gen. 1, 2 la funzione di separare la regione della luce da quella delle tenebre (Gen. 1, 4; cf. Teofilo Antioc., Ad Autolyc., II, 13: PG 6, 1072-73). Il Padre della «grandezza» (maestà) …
… un'affermazione recisa della superiorità dell'anima sul corpo; nel secondo il termine ἄμαρρος ὕλη, non va interpretato nel senso di materia amorfa, increata, da cui avrebbe avuto origine il mondo secondo i filosofi greci, ma in quello di caos, che è presentato in Gen. 1, 2 come primo effetto della volontà di Dio.
I. LA RIVELAZIONE. - Nel Vecchio Testamento si trovano numerosi testi che sembrano riferirsi allo S. S. (Spirito di Jahweh, Spirito di Dio): p. es., in Gen. 1, 2; 41, 38; Ex. 31, 3; Num. 27, 18, e più spesso nei libri profetici, Isaia annunzia l'effusione dello Spirito sul Messia (Is. 41, 1; 42, 1 sgg.; principalmente 11, 1-2, testo divenuto …
… problema cosmologico, svolgono secondo lo stile e le movenze dell'antica poesia pagana germanica (notevoli risultano infatti le analogie di questo canto con una strofa dell'antico-mordica Volaspit, che è la prima canzone dell'Edda) il tema della Gen. 1, 2, e del Ps. 89, 2. I rimanenti quattro versi, frammentari, accennano probabilmente all'episodio della caduta degli Angeli, quale premessa alla narrazione dell'origine del mondo e …
1:4
… Il giorno (jōm) si computava da una sera all'altra (sera-mattina: Gen. 1, 4; Dan. 8, 14; νυχθήμερον, II Cor. 11, 25) e comprende sera, mattina e mezzodì (Ps. 54 [55], 18). Dopo l'esilio il giorno fu diviso in quattro ore triple (Mc. 15, 25) e anche in 12 ore …
II. SECONDA NARRAZIONE. - Quanto alla seconda narrazione (Gen. 1, 4-10), l'andatura fortemente antropomorfica di questo brano, il modo cui comincia: « Quando il Signore Iddio fece la terra... » tanto simile al racconto babilonese. …
… crede dio fin che si accorge della luce di colui che è veramente Dio (Ireneo, I, 29, 4, p. 263; St., 30, 6, p. 267; Ippolito, Refut., VII, 25, 3, 26, 1). Alla base del concetto che il demiurgo vide la luce del dio superiore sta una interpretazione di Gen. 1, 4 « et vidit deus lucem » (v. il già citato libro: Shand-Gunanik Vicar, p. 185, 52; v. anche i manichei in s. Agostino, De genesi contra manich., I, 13 e Contra Faustum, XXII, 4). Come …
… L'idea di un attacco delle tenebre iniziali era suggerita forse a Mani da una tradizione giudaica o cristiana che attribuiva al Pneuma di Gen. 1, 2 la funzione di separare la regione della luce da quella delle tenebre (Gen. 1, 4; cf. Teofilo Antioc., Ad Autolyc., II, 13: PG 6, 1072-73). Il Padre della «grandezza» (maestà) affrontò l'attacco mandando incontro «l'uomo ini-
1:6
… Nelle profondità della terra si trova lo śē'ōl (Iob 10, 21 sgg.; cf. l'accadico arallil) destinato alla dimora delle anime trapassate, che si presentano come ombre, rēphōl'm (Ps. 88, 11). In alto la volta celeste solida (« firmamentum ») ha il compito di dividere le acque superiori dalle inferiori (Gen. 1, 6 sgg.) e trattenere queste nei loro serbatoi (Iob 38, 22). Quando Dio vuole mandare la pioggia apre le cataratte (Gen. 7, 11; 8, 2) e lascia fluire le acque. …
1:14
della luce, è pieno di significato il richiamo a Gen. 1, 14-19 ove, al quarto giorno, è posta la creazione dei «luminaria magna», il sole, la luna, le stelle che danno vita e luce alla creazione. …
… Il cielo delle stelle sarebbe il più alto (secondo G. Schiaparelli) e sottilissimo come cortina o pelle (Volgata, cf. Ps. 104, 2); secondo altri, le stelle, con il sole e la luna, sarebbero invece applicate al firmamento solido (cf. Gen. 1, 14, 15, 17), con la conseguente difficoltà di spiegare il moto delle stelle, rico-
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piante erano il cibo degli uomini e degli animali domestici (Gen. 1, 20). Tale indicazione è d'indole generale: si vuole presentare solo il primario sostentamento; è evidente che animali carnivori esistevano sin d'allora.
Nel quarto giorno della creazione Dio popolò il mare di pesci e l'aria di uccelli (Gen. 1, 20-21). Il poeta vede in questo il destino delle anime: negli uccelli che si li-
1:21
Il tannin (da tnn «protendersi in lungo») era un mostro marino o cetaceo (Gen. 1, 21 è tradotto κῆτος; ma Aquila, Simmaco, Teodozione: δράκων; Ps. 148, 7; cf. Iob 7, 12; Is. 27, 1), o un pauroso serpente (Ex. 7, 9-12; Deut. 32, 33; Ps. 91 [90], 13). Questo mostro diventa, …
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Nella S. Scrittura abbiamo le b. di Dio (Gen. 1, 22, 28), dei re (ibid. 14, 19), dei patriarchi, dei genitori (ibid. 9, 26). Nel Vangelo si leggono le b. di Gesù ai cibi, ai suoi ed ai bambini (Mt. 14, 19; Lc. 24, 50; Mc. …
1:24
… equivoco e compiere atti di giustizia per potere entrare nel Regno di Dio (11, 5; 7) aspettando di ora in ora il suo arrivo (12, 1). Facendo così saremo membri della prima chiesa che fu costruita prima del sole e della luna (14, 1) e se Dio creò secondo Gen. 1, 24 l'uomo maschio e femmina, dobbiamo pensare a Cristo e alla chiesa primitiva (14, 2), che erano spirituali. …
Il poeta si ispira alla narrazione del sesto giorno della Creazione (Gen. 1, 24-28) che culmina con la comparsa dell'uomo, venuto per dominare tutto il creato. …
1:26
… Il nome ádhám significa « uomo »; indica sia la specie umana (Gen. 1, 26) sia il primo uomo, progenitore della famiglia umana.
6. La superiorità dell'uomo sugli animali nel Vecchio Testamento non è derivata dal possesso di un'a. spirituale e immortale, ma si esprime mediante l'idea della somiglianza a Dio (Gen. 1, 26; 5, 1-3; 9, 6; Ps. 8, 6 sgg.; Eccli. 17, 3; Sap. 2, 23). Tuttavia, consistendo questa somiglianza nell'esser l'uomo dotato d'intelligenza e di libera volontà, implicitamente il somigliare …
… A parte ciò, l'unica dottrina da rimproverare ad A. sarebbe il suo antropomorfismo, cioè la tesi che l'immagine di Dio nell'uomo sarebbe il corpo umano (Gen. 1, 26) e perciò anche Dio avrebbe un corpo (Epifanio, 70, 2, 3; 70, 6, 1; cf. Teodoro bar Kōnaj, op. cit., p. 195). Questo giudizio indulgente di Epifanio si spiega con la sua lotta contro Origene. …
2. L'uomo era anche immune dal dolore. - La S. Scrittura lascia in parte intendere che nel paradiso terrestre l'uomo aveva quanto poteva ragionevolmente desiderare, lavorava senza stancarsi e gli animali e gli esseri inferiori gli stavano sottomessi (Gen. 1, 26; 2, 8, 15; Eccli. 17, 3-4). Il dolore compare nella Genesi come conseguenza del peccato (Gen. 3, 19). Inoltre l'immunità dalla morte presuppone l'immunità dai dolori e dalle malattie …
DONI SOPRANNATURALI E GIUSTIZIA ORIGINALE
… Questa dottrina è diventata comune, perché più conforme alla Scrittura interpretata dalla tradizione; Gen. 1, 26: « Facciamo l'uomo a nostra immagine »; Eccl. 7, 28-30: « Dio ha fatto l'uomo retto »; Eph. 4, 24: « Bisogna rivestire l'uomo nuovo, creato secondo Dio nella vera giustizia e santità ».
… Donde la negazione a meglio l'interpretazione allegorica della creazione dell'uomo (Gen. 1, 26-27) ad immagine e somiglianza di Dio. Inoltre i mikaeliti sostenevano la impossibilità di rappresentarsi la Trinità amorfa in tre Persone distinte a quindi riconoscevano nella Trinità …
III. FINI DEL M. — 1. I dati della Rivelazione. — Già si è accennato come Dio stesso fissi i fondamenti naturali del M., promulgandone le leggi e determinandone le finalità nella procreazione e nel mutuo aiuto (Gen. 1, 26-31; 2, 7-25).
… La prima, in Gen. 1, 26-31, dei preadmiti, eseguita insieme a quella delle piante e degli animali. …
turale all'uomo raggiungere, mediante le cose sensibili, la conoscenza delle realtà intelligibili (s. Tommaso, loc. cit.), ma anche che le creature portano impresso il segno e il vestigio del creatore, e che l'uomo, in particolare, è stato creato « a sua immagine e somiglianza » (Gen. 1, 26). Dunque le realtà umane sono naturalmente atte a significare le realtà divine. …
La forma plurale, preferita nella Bibbia (ca. 2500 volte), indica la pienezza della potenza dell'unico Dio: pluralis virium = virtutum: cumulus potentiarum (W. Gesenius - E. Kautzsch, § 124 g); cf. il plurale di Gen. 1, 26: «Dio ha tal pienezza di essere che può deliberar con se stesso, come parecchie persone deliberano tra loro» (M.-J. …
1:27
… Pieno di meraviglia, l'autore ispirato esclama: «Iddio creò l'uomo a sua immagine, a immagine di Dio lo creò; maschio e femmina li creò» (Gen. 1, 27). La formazione dell'uomo è espressa con il verbo bārā usato nelle forme ebraiche qal e nif'al per indicare un'azione o un intervento diretto di Dio (v. CREAZIONE).
Questa sublime uguaglianza ci è insegnata nella S. Scrittura: «Dio creò l'uomo a sua immagine: lo creò a immagine di Dio, li creò maschio e femmina» (Gen. 1, 27); e nel Nuovo Testamento: «Infatti voi tutti siete stati battezzati in Cristo; vi siete rivestiti di Cristo. …
1. Scrittura. - Nelle prime pagine della Bibbia è delineata la struttura del M. come istituzione naturale (Gen. 1, 27-28; 2, 18-24), i cui elementi
1:28
… Il demiurgo gnostico ha i suoi collaboratori: o i sette pianeti o le dodici costallazioni dello zodiaco, secondo il linguaggio astrologico, o gli angeli secondo una tradizione giudaica (il plurale: « faciamus hominem » in Gen. 1, 28 spiegato con la collaborazione degli angeli nella creazione). …
… USO DEL M. - 1. Principi. - L'uso del M., anche dopo il peccato originale, nonostante il fervore della concupiscenza che ad esso si accompagna, è del tutto onesto (cf. Gen. 1, 28; cann. …
… Il secondo discorso difende il matrimonio (Gen. 1, 28), sebbene la verginità lo superi come la luna le stelle. …
NASCITE, CONTROLLO (BIRTH-CONTROL) DELLE
Il c. delle n., prescindendo dalle ragioni che possono motivarlo, non è in sé riprovevole, quasi fosse un sottrarsi al precetto divino: Crescite et multiplicamini (Gen. 1, 28); perché questo precetto, se anche fu un vero precetto di diritto naturale o di diritto positivo divino all'origine dell'umanità e finché il genere umano non ebbe un'adeguata propagazione …
NOÈ (EBR. NŌAH, SETTANTA NŌE; CF. ANTICO BABIL. NUHIJA)
… stipulando con N. e i suoi discendenti un « patto » (ibid. 9, 8-17; cf. Is. 54, 9), che mise come un sigillo divino alla condizione di N. di nuovo capostipite del genere umano; in esso rinnovò e ampliò alcune disposizioni già date al primo capo Adamo (cf. Gen. 1, 28 con 9, 1-7: sviluppo della caccia e regime carnivoro nella nuova fase storica della civiltà). …
… Il t. non può infatti vantare in proprio favore nessun argomento di S. Scrittura: i pochi passi citati (p. es., Gen. 1, 28; 5, 3, 46, 26) non provano nulla. …
1:29
le erbe, i frutti e gli a. come sostentamento loro e dei loro discendenti (Gen. 1, 29-30; 9, 2-3). Non solo; ma diede all'uomo il dominio pieno ed assoluto sulla natura: « Iddio, che tutto hai creato con la tua parola e con la tua sapienza hai formato l'uomo perché egli …
1:31
… [bella allitterazione, in greco, con il saluto], con possesso non transitorio ma permanente) indica la perfezione morale della Vergine e la sua sublime grandezza, quasi novella creazione d'ordine soprannaturale (cf. Hugon, p. 72) di cui, come della prima (Gen. 1, 31), il divino Artefice si compiace (cf. Cant. 4, 1, 7 e Mt. 3, 17).
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · Douay-Rheims originale (Douai 1609-10), trascrizione EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Pubblico dominio.