Creation And Vanity

VERANUS. Quid est quod dicit Ecclesiastes: Vanitas vanitatum, et omnia vanitas; cum scriptum sit in libro Genesis: Vidit Deus cuncta quae fecit et erant valde bona? Si cuncta quae fecit Deus, valde bona sunt, quomodo ergo omnia vanitas; et non solum vanitas, sed etiam vanitas vanitatum? SALONIUS. Coelum et terra, maria et omnia quae in hoc circulo continentur, per se quidem bona sunt, quoniam a bono Deo creata sunt, sed comparata Deo, utique pro nihilo habenda sunt, quia semper Deus permanebit id quod est, illa vero omnia transibunt. Nam quae videntur temporalia sunt, quia transitoria; quae autem non videntur aeterna sunt. VERANUS. Quare bis replicavit sententiam suam dicens: Vanitas vanitatum, dixit Ecclesiastes; vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas? SALONIUS. Ad exaggerandam magnitudinem vanitatum iteravit sententiam suam, ut per hoc demonstraret quia omnis mundi gloria sicut flos feni marcescet, et sicut fumus pertransibit. Salonius Viennensis, Expositio Mystica in Ecclesiasten Source: Migne PL 53.994b-c

Veranus: Why is it that Ecclesiastes says, 'Vanity of vanities, everything is vanity,' when it has been written in the book of Genesis, 'God saw all the things He had made and they were very good.' 1 If everything which God made was very good, how then is everything a vanity, and not only a vanity, but even a vanity of vanities? Salonius: Heaven and earth, the sea and everything they is contained in its circuit, are in themselves good because they were created by God, but compared to God they are held as nothing because God always remains what He is, but they shall all pass away. For those things which are seen are temporal and pass away but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Veranus; Why does he twice repeat what he says, 'Vanity of vanities, says Ecclesiastes vanity of vanities and all a vanity?' Salonius: He repeats himself to exaggerate the greatness of the vanity, so that he might show that all the glory of the world withers away like a flower of the field, and as smoke they shall pass away. 3 Salonius of Geneva, A Spiritual Exposition of Ecclesiastes 1 Eccl 1.2, Gen 1.31 2 2 Cor 4.18 3 Isaiah 40.8, 1 Pet 1.24, Ps 36.20

The Cherubim And The Flaming Sword

Et collocavit ante paradisum voluptatis cherubim et flammeum gladium atque versatilem ad custodiendam viam ligni vitae. Item quia cherubim scientiae multitudo, sive scientia multiplicata interpretatur, bene cherubim et flammeus gladius ad custodiendam viam ligni vitae collocatus esse perhibetur; quia nimirum per disciplinae nobis scientiam coelestis, et per laborem temporalium afflictionum, reditus ad supernam patriam patet, ex qua per stultitiam praevaricationis, perque appetitum carnalium voluptatum discessimus. Et bene non simpliciter flammam, sed gladium dicit flammeum ante paradisum esse collocatum, ut feriendas in nobis illecebras concupiscentiae temporalis insinuet gladio spiritus quod est verbum Dei, si ad lignum vitae, quod est Dominus Christus, penetrare concupiscimus. Bene eumdem gladium versatilem esse refert, ut indicet mystice non nobis semper hunc necessarium esse gladium, sed, ut scriptum est, tempus esse belli, tempus pacis denuntiet: belli videlicet, cum in hujus vitae studio adversum aereas potestates, vel etiam nostrae mentis et corporis vitia, certamus; pacis autem, cum perfecta victoria coronamur. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Genesim, Liber I, Caput XX Source: Migne PL 107.501a-502a

And He placed before the paradise of pleasure Cherubim, and a flaming sword, turning every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. 1 Because 'Cherubim' is interpreted as 'multitude of knowledge' or 'knowledge multiplied,' it is said that the Cherubim and the flaming sword were assigned to guard the way to the tree of life, certainly because it is through the discipline of heavenly understanding and endurance of temporal afflictions that there is an opening for us to return to the heavenly fatherland from which we were cut off by the foolishness of transgression and the appetite of carnal pleasure. And well does it not say just a flame, but a flaming sword was set before paradise, so that the snares of temporal pleasures we bear in us might be destroyed by the Spirit's insertion of the blade that is the word of God, 2 if to the tree of life, which is the Lord Christ, we desire to penetrate. And well is it said that sword is turning, for spiritually this indicates that this sword will not always be necessary for us, but as it is written, there is a time of war and there is a time of peace, 3 that is, the time of war is when we struggle with zeal in this life against the powers of the air, 4 or indeed against the vices of our own minds and bodies, but there is peace when we are crowned with consummate victory. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On Genesis, Book 1, Chapter 20 1 Gen 35.24 2 Ephes 6.17 3 Eccles 3.8 4 Ephes 2.2, 6.12

Thoughts On Giants

ΕΡΩΤ ΜΗ’ Τίνας καλεῖ γίγαντας ἡ θεία Γραφή; Τινές φασι τοὺς ἔτη πολλὰ βεβιωκότας· τινὲς δὲ τοὺς θεομισεῖς καὶ ἀντιθέους ἀνθρώπους . Οἱ ταῦτα οὕτω νενοηκότες , οὗ φασι τούτους μείζονα τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων σώματα ἐσχηκέναι . Ἐγὼ δὲ ὅταν ἀκούσω τῆς θείας Γραφῆς λεγούσης περὶ τοῦ Ἐνάκ , ὅτι ι ἀπόγονος ἦν τῶν γιγάντων· καὶ περὶ τοῦ Ὤγ, ὅτι « ἡ κλίνη αὐτοῦ σιδηρᾶ ἦν , ἐννέα πηχῶν τὸ μῆκος, καὶ τεσσάρων πήχεων τὸ εὗρος· καὶ ὅτε οὗτος ἐκ τῶν Ῥαφαῖν ὑπελείφθη. Καὶ τῶν καττασκόπων διηγουμένων , ὅτι ἦμεν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν ὡσεὶ ἀκρίδες· καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ βεβαιοῦντος τοὺς λόγους , καὶ λέγοντος , ὅτι ο Παραδέδωκά σοι τὸν ᾿Αμορῥαῖον, οὗ τὸ ὕψος ἦν ὡς κέδρου , καὶ ἰσχυρὸς ἦν ὡς δρῦς· καὶ περὶ τοῦ Γολιάδ, ὅτι ι τεσσάρων πήχεων καὶ σπιθαμῆς τὸ μῆκος εἶχεν· ἡγοῦμαι γεγενῆσθαι τινὰς παμμεγέθεις ἀνθρώπους. Τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦτο σοφῶς πρυτανεύσαντος , ἵνα γνῶσιν ὡς οὐκ ἀσθενῶν ὁ Δημιουργὸς τοσοῦτον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀπένειμε μέτρον ῥᾴδιον γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ καὶ μείζους δημιουργῆσαι· ἀλλὰ τὸν τύφον εκκόπτων, και τὴν ἀλαζονείαν κωλύων, μέγιστα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις οὐκ ἔδωκε σώματα. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν σμικροῖς σώμασιν οὐ κατ' ἀλλήλων, ἀλλὰ κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ μεγαλαυχοῦσι τοῦ ποιητοῦ, τί οὐκ ἂν ἔδρασαν μεγίστων σωμάτων μετέλαχον; Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Τὴν Γένεσιν Source: Migne PG 80.152a-c

Question 48 Who does Sacred Scripture call giants? 1 Some say the giants were those who lived for many years, and some that they were the opponents of God and the adversaries of men of God. Thus these think that they should not be regarded as having bodies that were larger than other men. But I, when I hear Sacred Scripture say of the race of Enac that they were sprung from among giants, 2 and concerning Og, that his bed was made of iron and was nine cubits long and four cubits broad, and he was one of the Raphaim, 3 and likewise when I hear those explorers saying that there were like locusts in the sight of them, 4 and God confirming these words and saying, 'I gave the Amorites to you whose height was as the cedar and whose strength was like the oak,' 5 and that Goliath's height was four cubits and a palm, 6 I judge that they were very tall men and that God wisely arranged this so that they might know that the Creator was not incapable of giving men such a measure, for it was easy for Him to create men of greater size, but in order to restrain their swelling pride and to put a bridle on their arrogance, He did not give most men great bodies, for if with little bodies men will not only vaunt themselves over one another but even over God, what would they not do if they had been given bodies of the greatest size? Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On Genesis 1 Genes 6.4 2 Numb 13.34 3 Deut 3.11 4 Numb 13.34 5 Amos 2.9 6 1 King 17.4

The Wise Serpent

Serpens autem erat sapientior omnium bestiarum quae erant super terram, quas fecit Dominus Deus, et dixit serpens mulieri: Quid utique dixit Deus, ne edatis ab omni ligno quod est in paradiso? Cum dicit sapientiorem serpentem, intelligis quem loquatur, id est, illum adversarium nostrum qui tantum habet hujus sapientiam mundi. Sed et voluptas atque delectatio bene sapiens dicitur, quia et sapientia carnis appellatur sapientia, sicut habes: Quia sapientia carnis inimica est Deo. Et ad exquirenda delectationum genera astuti sunt, quia appetentes sunt voluptatum. Sive ergo delectationem intelligas, quaedam est divino adversa mandato, et inimica sensibus nostris. Unde sanctus Paulus ait: Video aliam legem in membris meis repugnantem legi mentis meae, et captivantem me in lege peccati. Si autem ad diabolum referas, verus inimicus est generis humani. Quae autem causa inimicitiarum nisi invidia? Sicut Salomon ait: Quia invidia diaboli mors introivit in orbem terraru. Invidiae autem causa beatitudo hominis in paradiso positi, et ideo quoniam ipse diabolus acceptam gratiam tenere non potuit, invidit homini, eo quod figuratus e limo, ut incola paradisi esset, electus est. Considerabat enim diabolus quod ipse qui fuisset superioris naturae, in haec saecularia et mundana deciderat; homo autem inferioris naturae sperabat aeterna. Hoc est ergo quod invidet dicens: Iste inferior adipiscitur quod ego servare non potui? Iste de terris migrabit ad coelum, cum ego de coelo lapsus in terra sim? Multas vias habeo quibus hominem decipere possim. De limo factus est, terra ei mater est, corruptibilibus involutus est. Et si anima superioris naturae, tamen et ipsa lapsui potest esse obnoxia, in corporis carcere constituta; quando ego lapsum vitare non potui. Est igitur via prima, ut decipiatur, dum conditione sua majora desiderat. Hic enim quidam conatus est industriae. Deinde carnis est, quod non habeat, desiderare. Postremo in quo videor ego omnibus esse sapientior, nisi circumscribam hominem, et versutia et fraude contendam? Itaque machinatus est, ut non primo Adam adoriretur, sed Adam per mulierem circumscribere conaretur. Non adorsus est eum qui coram acceperat coeleste mandatum: sed eam adorsus est quae a viro didicerat, non a Deo quid observaret, acceperat. Neque enim habes quia mulieri dixit Deus, sed quia Adae dixit; et ideo per Adam cognovisse mulier aestimanda est. Cognoscens igitur hoc loco tentamenti genus, plurima etiam aliis locis tentamenti genera reperies. Alia sunt per principem istius mundi, qui quaedam venena sapientiae in hunc mundum evomuit; ut vera putarent homines esse quae falsa sunt, et specie quadam hominum caperetur affectus. Non enim semper quasi apertus hostis ingreditur: sed sunt quaedam potestates quae amorem simulent, gratiamque praetendant; ut paulatim cogitationibus nostris venenum suae iniquitatis infundant, a quibus oriuntur illa peccata quae vel ex delectatione, vel ex quadam mentis facilitate nascuntur. Sunt etiam aliae potestates quae veluti colluctantur nobiscum. Unde et Apostolus ait: Quia non est nobis colluctatio adversus carnem et sanguinem, sed adversus principatus, et potestates, et rectores hujus mundi, tenebrarum harum, adversus nequitiam spiritalium quae sunt in coelestibus. Volunt enim hac quadam contentione nos frangere, et veluti quoddam animae nostrae corpus elidere. Unde et Paulus quasi bonus athleta non solum ictus adversantium potestatum vitare cognoverat, verum etiam adversantes ferire. Unde et ait: Percutio pugnis, non ut aera caedens. Et ideo quasi bonus athleta ad coronam meruit pervenire. Ergo multiplicia tentamenta sunt diaboli. Et ideo bilinguis serpens habetur atque lethalis, eo quod diaboli minister aliud lingua loquatur, aliud corde meditetur. Sunt et alii ministri qui et cordis et vocis suae infectas veneno veluti verborum suorum jactant sagittas, quibus Dominus ait: Generatio viperarum, quomodo potestis bona loqui, cum sitis mali? Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Paradiso, Caput XII Source: Migne PL 14.301b-302c

'The serpent was wiser than any of the beasts on the earth which the Lord God had made, and the serpent said to the woman, 'Why did God say, you shall not eat of any tree of the garden?' 1 When it says that the serpent was more cunning, you understand who is spoken of, that is, the one who is our enemy, who has the wisdom of this world. Gratification of pleasure has been fittingly called wisdom, because it is called the wisdom of the flesh, as in the statement, 'Because the wisdom of the flesh is hostile to God.' 2 And for seeking out gratification there is cleverness, since there are seekers of pleasure. If, therefore, you understand the gaining of pleasure to be contrary to the Divine command and hostile to our senses, this is in accord with what Paul states: 'I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and making me a captive in the law of sin.' 3 And if you ascribe this to the Devil, the true enemy of mankind, what other cause of enmity is there unless it is envy? As Solomon says: 'By the envy of the devil death came into the world.' 4 The cause of envy was the happiness of man placed in Paradise, and therefore because the devil was not able to hold to the grace once accepted, he envied man, who though fashioned from mud, had been chosen to be an inhabitant of Paradise. The Devil began to think how it was that he who was of a higher nature had fallen into this worldly existence, but man, an inferior creature, yet had hopes of eternal life. In envy he said, 'This inferior will acquire what I could not keep? He will leave the earth for heaven, when I have fallen from heaven to earth? I have many ways by which I can deceive man. He was made of mud, earth is his mother, and he is bound up in things corruptible. And if his soul is of superior nature, yet it is open to being cast down, since it is established in the prison of the body. When I fell, I could not avoid it. This, therefore, is the first way, to deceive him while he wants to make his state greater. Thus trial will be made of his ambition. The next way is by the flesh, the desire of what he does not have. Finally, how else can I appear to be wiser than all else if not by the use of cunning and fraud to ensnare man?' Thus he did not plan his first attack against Adam, but he plotted to to trap him through the woman. He did not assail the man who had in his presence received the heavenly command, but her who had learned of it from her husband and who had not received from God the command that should be observed. There is no passage in which God spoke to the woman, but because He spoke to Adam, we must judge that she learnt of it from Adam that the command was communicated through Adam to the woman. Recognise, then, in this place the nature of the temptation, for in other places there are  many other kinds of temptations await. Some come from the Prince of this world, who has vomited into this world a sort of poisonous wisdom, so that men think the false to be true and the emotions of men are carried away by mere appearance. The enemy's advance is not always in the open, but certain powers feign what is desirable and becoming pleasing by that, they pour into our thoughts the poison of their iniquities, from which source arise those sins which are born of indulgence in pleasures, or from some weakness of the mind. And there are yet other powers who may be said to wrestle with us, as the Apostle says, 'For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood but against the Principalities and Powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness on high.' 5 They wish by such exertions to break us, and, as if were, drive out the soul from the body. Wherefore, like a good athlete, Paul knew how to avoid the blows of the opposing powers and even to strike those who were set against him. Hence he says, 'I strike with my fists, not as one beating the air.' 6 And so like a good athlete he merited the crown of victory. The temptations of the Devil, then, are manifold. For that reason his is the double tongued serpent, because a servant of Devil says one thing with the tongue and, meditates something else in the heart. There are other servants who cast forth the shafts of their word and thought smeared in venom, to whom the Lord says, 'You brood of vipers, how can you speak good things when you are evil?' 7 Saint Ambrose, On Paradise, Chapter 12 1 Gen 3.1 2 Rom 8.7 3 Rom 7.23 4 Wisd. 2.24 5 Ephes 6.12 6 1 Cor 9.26, 2 Tim 4.8 7 Mt 12.34

Creating The Devil

ΕΡΩΤ ΛϚ’ Διὰ τί δὲ τὸν διάβολον ἐποίησεν, εἰδὼς τοιοῦτον ἐσόμενον; Ο Θεὸς πᾶσαν τῶν ἀσωμάτων τὴν φύσιν έδημιούργησε, λογικὴν αὐτὴν καὶ ἀθάνατον ἀποφήνας· τοῦ λογικοῦ δὲ τὸ αὐτεξούσιον ἴδιον. Τούτων δὲ οἱ μὲν τὴν περὶ τὸν ποιητὴν ἐφύλαξαν εὔνοιαν, οἱ δὲ εἰς πονηρίαν ἀπέκλιναν. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔστιν εὑρεῖν. Οἱ μὲν γάρ εἰσι τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐρασταὶ, οἱ δὲ τῆς κακίας εργάται. Εἰ τοίνυν μέμφεταί τις τῇ τῶν πονηρῶν δημιουργίᾳ, ἀποστερεῖ ἄρα τῶν τῆς νίκης βραβείων τοὺς τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀθλητάς. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐν τῇ αἱρέσει τῆς γνώμης εἶχον τὸν πόθον τῆς ἀρετῆς, ἀλλὰ ἐμπεφυκὸς τὸ ἄτρεπτον, ἔλαθον ἂν οἱ ἀξιόνικοι τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀγωνισταί· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὴν αἵρεσιν τῶν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων, ἔχει ἡ γνώμη, δικαίως καὶ οὗτοι τυγχάνουσι τῶν νικηφόρων στεφάνων, κἀκεῖνοι δίκας τιννύουσιν ὑπὲρ ὧν κατὰ γνώμην ἐξήμαρτον. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Τὴν Γένεσιν Source: Migne PG 80.132b-c

Question 36 Why did God create the devil when He knew what would come to be? God created the whole incorporeal nature, making it rational and immortal, and it is the special property of rationality that it has free will. So it was that some of them cleaved to the benevolence of God and others fell into wickedness, which it is possible to observe even among men, for some are lovers of virtue and others exert themselves in wickedness. If, then, someone is troubled by the creation of wicked things, he deprives the athlete of virtue of the rewards of victory, for if in the choices of the will they had no desire for virtue, but their nature was fixed for it, they would be utterly ignorant of the excellence of the holy athlete, but when the will has the choice of good and evil, some rightly gain the crown of victory, and those who do not choose such things suffer punishment. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On Genesis

The First And Second Man

Ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος ἐκ γῆς χοϊκός, ὁ δεύτερος ἄνθρωπος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ. Ὁ πρῶτος, φησὶν, ἄνθρωπος, τουτέστιν Ἀδὰμ, εἰς ψυχὴν πεποίητο ζῶσαν, τουτέστιν γεώδης καὶ σαρκικός· ὃ γε μὴν δεύτερος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ γέγονε σὰρξ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, κατὰ τὰς Γραφὰς ἀλλ' ἡ ... καὶ ὁ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἐπαάνω πάντων, κατὰ τὴν Ἰωάννου φωνήν. Οὐκ οῦν ἄμφω μὲν ἤστην, ὡς ἔφην, ἐν γηῖνοις σώμασιν, οὐ μήν καὶ ἐν ἴσοις ἔτι κατὰ γε τὴν γνώμην ἤτοι τὸν τῆς ζωῆς τρόπον· ἤν μὲν γὰρ ὁ πρῶτος ἐν φρονήματι σαρκικῷ, πνεῦμα δὲ ζωοποιοῦν ὁ δεύτερος καὶ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἐφορέσαμεν τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοῖμοῦ, τουτέστι τὴν πρὸς Ἀδὰμ ὁμοίωσιν, καὶ παθῶν ἠττώμενοι καὶ ἀσθηνοῦντες εἰς ἁμαρτίας, καίτοι τῆς φθορᾶς ὑπενηνεγμένοι ζυγοῖς, οὔτω φορέσομεν καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου, τουτέστι Χριστοῦ· καὶ φιλοσαρκίας ἀμείνους καὶ τοῦ πλημμελεῖν ἐθέλειν ἔτι γεγενημένοι, καὶ αὐτὸν ἤδη νενικηκότες τὸν πάλαι δεινὸν καὶ δυσάντητον καὶ ἀγρίως καθ' ἡμῶν τυραννήσαντα θάνατον. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Εἰς Τὴν Πρωτάν Ἐπιστολήν Παύλου Πρὸς Κορινθίους, Ἐκλογαι Source: Migne PG 74.909d-912a

The first man from earth, earthly, the second man from heaven. 1 The first man, he says, that is, Adam, was made with a living soul, that is, with one earthly and carnal, and the second was from heaven. For even if the Word of God was made flesh, according to the Scriptures, yet He was from heaven, and superior to everything, as John says. 2 Thus both were, as I say, in earthly bodies, but they were not equal in mind or in way of life, for the first was amid carnal affections, and the second was a living spirit and from heaven. And as we have borne the image of earth, that is the likeness of Adam, bound up in the infirmity of passions and sins and subject to the yoke of corruption, so we should bear the image of heaven, that is, Christ, being made superior in will to lusts and sinning, and finally conquerors of that old and terrible and oppressive and cruel tyrant death. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the First Letter to the Corinthians, Fragment 1 1 Cor 15.47 2 Jn 3.31

Angels Ascending and Descending

Et dormiens vidit scalam subnixam, innitentem coelo, et angelos Dei ascendentes et descendentes. Porro scala Christus est, qui dixit: Ego sum via. Per hanc ascendunt, et descendunt angeli, in quibus significati sunt evangelistae, et praedicatores Christi. Ascendentes utique, cum ad intelligendam ejus supereminentissimam divinitatem excedunt universam creaturam, ut eum inveniant in principio verbum, Deum apud Deum, per quem facta sunt omnia. Descendentes autem, ut eum inveniant factum ex muliere, factum sub lege, ut eos qui sub lege erant redimeret. In illa enim scala a terra usque in coelum, a carne usque ad spiritum, carnales proficiendo, velut ascendendo, spirituales fiunt; ad quos lacte nutriendos etiam ipsi spirituales descendunt quodammodo, cum eis non possunt loqui, quasi spiritualibus, sed quasi carnalibus. Ipse est sursum in capite suo; ipse deorsum in corpore suo, quod est Ecclesia. Ipsum ergo scalam intelligimus, quia ipse dixit: Ego sum via. Ad ipsum ergo ascenditur, ut in excelsis intelligatur. Et ad ipsum descenditur, ut in membris suis parvulus nutriatur. Et per illum se erigunt, ut eum sublimiter spectent. Per ipsum etiam se humiliant, ut eum sublimiter ac temperanter annuntient. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis, Mysticorum Expositiones Sacramentorum Seu Quaestiones In Vetus Testamentum, In Genesin, Caput XXIV Source: Migne PL 83.258a-d

And sleeping he saw a ladder set on the earth, and the top of it touched heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending. 1 The ladder is Christ who said, 'I am the way,' 2 By this angels ascend and descend, in which are signified the evangelists and the preachers of Christ. They ascend when they bring every creature to the understanding of His supereminent Divinity, so that they find Him to be the Word in the Beginning, God with God, through whom all things were made. 3 And they descend so that they find Him born of a woman, under the law, so that He might redeem those who were under the law. 4 For in that ladder stretching from earth to heaven is the advance from the flesh to the spirit, when a carnal people advance on its ascent and becomes spiritual, and the spiritual descent is to those who are nourished on milk, when they cannot be spoken to as spiritual people but only as carnal people. 5 He is above as the head and He is below as the body, which is the Church. 6 We understand Him, then, as the ladder, because He said, 'I am the way.' And therefore to Him there is ascent in the understanding of high things. And in Him there is descent so that in His members the little one is nourished. And through Him they rise so that they look on Him sublimely, and indeed through Him they are lowered so that they preach sublimely and temperately. Saint Isidore of Seville, Expositions of Sacred Mysteries or Questions on the Old Testament, On Genesis, Chapter 24 1 Gen 28.12 2 Jn 14.16 3 Jn 1.1-3 4 Gal 4.4-5 5 1 Cor 3.2 6 Colos 1.18

The Ways Of Brothers

Fratres enim sumus... Tribus enim modis in Scriptura sancta fratres vocantur: natura, sicut Jacob et Isaac: cognatione, sicut Abraham et Lot; Lot enim filius fuerat fratris sui Aran: gente, sicut omnes Judaei fratres dicuntur, dicente lege: Si attenuatus frater tuus Hebraeus vendiderit se tibi. Et attendendum quanta cura concordiae sancto viro fuerit propter quam custodiendam optionem dedit Lot, ut aut ipse pergeret illo remanente aut certe, si ipse alibi vellet recedere, ipse ibi maneret. Remigius Antissiodorensis, Commentarius In Genesim, Caput XIII Source: Migne PL 131.83b

For we are brothers... 1 Brothers are spoken of in three ways in Sacred Scripture: by nature, as Jacob and Isaac; by relation, as Abraham and Lot, for Lot was the son of his brother Aran; and by people, as all the Jews are brothers, with the law saying: 'If your Hebrew brother falls into poverty and sells himself to you...' 2 And let it be noted how much care there is in this holy man for peace, because of which he gives the choice to Lot, that either he will go and Lot will remain, or if Lot wishes to go elsewhere, he will remain. Remigius of Auxerre, Commentary On Genesis, Chapter 13 1 Gen 13.8 2 Levit 25.23

Two Cities

Cognovit autem Cain uxorem suam, et concepit, et peperit Henoch, et aedificavit Cain civitatem Quid ergo sibi per figuram vult, quod impiorum progenies civitatem in ipsa mundi origine construxit? Nisi quod noveris impios in hac vita esse fundatos, sanctos vero hospites esse et peregrinos. Unde et Abel tanquam peregrinus in terris, id est, populus Christianus non condidit civitatem. Superna enim est sanctorum civitas, quamvis hic pariat cives, in quibus peregrinatur, donec regni ejus tempus adveniat. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis, Mysticorum Expositiones Sacramentorum Seu Quaestiones In Vetus Testamentum, In Genesin, Caput VI Source: Migne PL 83.227a

Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Henoch, and Cain built a city. 1 What, then, does he wish to convey with this figure, that the offspring of the wicked built a city at the beginning of this world? What but that you understand that the wicked are established in this life and the holy are as guests and passers by. Whence Abel also was a wanderer on the earth, that is, the Christian people have not founded a city here. For the city of the holy is above, 2 although it brings forth citizens here, among whom it wanders about, until the time of its kingdom shall come. Saint Isidore of Seville, Expositions of Sacred Mysteries or Questions on the Old Testament, On Genesis, Chapter 6 1 Gen 4.17 2 Heb 12.22-24, Apoc 21.2-4

Cain's Grief

ΕΡΩΤ ΚΜΑ’ Εἰ ἐλυπήθη Κάϊν μὴ δεχθέντων τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ προσενεχθέντων, δῆλον ὅτι μετεμελήθη· τῶν γὰρ μεταμελουμένων ἡ λύπη. Ἠνίασεν αὐτὸν οὐχ ἡ αὐτοῦ πλημμέλεια, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ εὐπραξία. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας ᾐνίξατο· ἔφη δὲ οὕτως, Καὶ ὀργίλον τῷ Κάϊν σφόδρα, καὶ ἔπεσε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ. Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Κάϊν, Εἰς τί τὸ ὀργίλον σοι. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Τὴν Γένεσιν Source: Migne PG 80.143b

Question 41 If Cain grieved because his offerings were not accepted, therefore he was penitent, for penitence is sorrowful. He was not anguished because of his own fault, but because of the good of his brother. To this Aquila alludes when he translates it in this way: 'And Cain was gravely angered, and he cast down his face. And the Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry?' 1 Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On Genesis 1 Gen 4.5-6

Gifts And Offerings

Respexit Dominus ad Abel et ad munera eius... Sed quaeri potest quare Deus respexit ad munera Abel, ad Cain vero munera non respexit? Nunquid enim plus placet peculiaris hostia quam sacrificium Deo de fructibus? Sed sciendum quia Deus plus mentes offerentium, quam id quod offerebatur, attendit, et ideo respexit, id est, acceptum habuit et placuit illi munus ejus. Potest et aliud dici, quia avaritia detestatus est in labore Cain. Sunt enim quidam qui plus justo desudant in laborando, non tantum ut habeant sufficientiam, sed ut superflua quaeque et minus necessari congregent. Hunc laborem superfluum vidit Deus in Cain et ideo ad munus ejus non respexit. Ars vero pastoralis simplex est et innocua, quam post Abel sancti Patres habuisse leguntur. Remigius Antissiodorensis, Commentarius In Genesim, Cap IV Source: Migne PL 131.68d-69a

The Lord looked on Abel and his gift... 1 But one may ask: why did God look on the gifts of Abel but not on the gifts of Cain? Shall it be that the offering of one's own animals is more pleasing to God than a sacrifice of fruits? But it must be understood that God looks more on the mind of those who offer, than what is offered, and therefore He looked on, that is, he accepted and was pleased, by his gift. It is possible to say something else, that the avarice that was in the labour of Cain was detested. For there are some who toil more in their labour than the righteous man, so that they might not only have what is sufficient, but that they even gather to themselves what is superfluous and quite unneeded. God sees this superfluous labour in Cain and therefore He does not look on his gift. The art of the shepherd is simple and harmless, which one reads that the holy patriarchs possessed after Abel. Remigius of Auxerre, Commentary On Genesis, Chapter 4 1 Gen 4.4

Water And Trees

Plantaverat autem Dominus Deus paradisum voluptatis a principio, in quo posuit hominem quem formaverat. Produxitque Dominus Deus de humo omne lignum pulchrum visu, et ad vescendum suave... Ergo paradisus est plurima ligna habens, sed ligna fructifera, ligna plena succi atque virtutis, de quibus est: Exultabunt omnia ligna silvarum; ligna semper florentia viriditate meritorum, sicut illud lignum quod plantatum est secus decursus aquarum, cujus folium non defluet; quia totus in eo fructus exuberat. Hic ergo paradisus est. Locus autem ejus in quo est plantatus, voluptas dicitur. Unde et sanctus David ait: Ex torrente voluptatis tuae potabis eos. Legisti enim: Quia fons procedit ex Eden, qui rigat paradisum. Haec igitur sanctorum ligna, quae plantata sunt in paradiso, quasi profluvio quodam torrentis spiritus irrigantur. De quo etiam alibi ait: Fluminis impetus laetificat civitatem Dei. Est autem civitas illa quae sursum est Hierusalem libera, in qua diversa sanctorum merita pullularunt. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Paradiso, Caput I Source: Migne PL 14.276a-b

And the Lord God had planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning, in which He placed the man whom He had made. And from the ground the Lord God brought forth all manner of trees, fair to behold, and pleasant to eat... 1 Therefore paradise has many trees, but they are fruit bearing trees, trees full of vigour and virtue, concerning which it is said, 'Every tree of the wood shall exult.' 2 They are trees that are always flourishing with the bloom of merits, just like that tree which has been planted by the flowing waters, whose leaf does not fall, 3 because its every fruit comes forth in abundance. Here, then, is paradise. And this place which he planted is named 'delight,' whence the holy David says: 'From the stream of your delight you give them drink.' 4 And you read that a fount comes out of Eden which waters paradise. 5 These, then, are the trees of holy people, who have been planted in paradise, which are, as it were, watered by the flood of the rushing Spirit. Concerning which it is said elsewhere, 'The current of the river gives joy to the city of God.' 6 And that city is the free Jerusalem on high, 7 in which the various merits of the holy spring forth. Saint Ambrose, On Paradise, Chapter 1 1 Gen 1.8-9 2 Ps 95.12 3 Ps 1.3 4 Ps 35.9 5 Gen 2.10 6 Ps 45.5 7 Galat 4.26

Understandings Of Man

Tribus modis hominem Scriptura appellat: Per naturam, ut Faciamus hominem; per culpam, ut Vos sicut homines moriemini; per infirmitatem, ut Maledictus qui confidit in homine. Hugo De Sancte Victore, Miscellanea, Liber VI, Tit LXXVI De triplici hominis acceptione Source: Migne PL 177.848b

There are three ways in which Scripture names man. According to nature, as with 'Let us make man.' 1 According to fault, as 'You shall die like men.' 2 According to weakness, as 'Cursed is he who puts his trust in man.' 3 Hugh Of Saint Victor, Miscellanea, Book 6, Chapter 76, On The Threefold Understanding of Man 1 Gen 1.26 2 Ps 81.7 3 Jerem 17.5

Paradise Lost And Gained

ΕΡΩΤ ΚΔ’ Τι δήποτε τὸν παράδεισον ἐφύτευσεν ὁ Θεὸς μέλλων ἐκεῖθεν τὸν Ἀδαμ διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν εὐθὺς ἐξορίζειν; Πρῶτον οὐκ ἀνέχεται ἐκ προγνώσεως κατακρῖναι ὁ δεσπότης Θεός. Διὸ καὶ τὴν παράβασιν προορῶν, τῶν ἀγαθῶν αὐτῷ μεταδέδωκεν. Ἔπειτα καὶ γνῶναι αὐτὸν τὰς θείας δωρεὰς ἠβουλήθη· ἵνα τούτων στερηθεὶς μισήσῃ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ὡς τοσούτων αὐτὸν γυμνώσασαν ἀγαθῶν. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, ἔδει τὸν δίκαιον ἀγωνοθέτην τοῖς τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀθληταῖς προθεῖναι τῆς νίκης τὰ ἆθλα. Οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἔφη· Δεῦτε, οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ Πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἠτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Τὴν Γένεσιν Source: Migne PG 80.121c

Question 24 Why did God plant the paradise from which he was soon going to expel Adam because of sin? 1 Firstly God is not accustomed to condemn from foreknowledge, whence foreseeing the transgression of Adam, He yet gave good things to him. He wished the man to know of the Divine benefactions so that being stripped of them he would deplore sin as that which had deprived him of such goods. Besides it befits the righteous athlete that he should exert himself in the virtues so that he might come to the rewards of victory. 2 Regarding which it is said of the kingdom, 'Come, blessed of my Father, and possess the kingdom which was prepared for you from the beginning of the world.' 3 Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On Genesis 1 Gen 2.8 2 1 Cor 9.24-25 3 Mt 25.34

Light And Darkness

Et lux in tenebris lucet, cum peccatores fecit vera cognoscere. Et tenebrae eam non comprehenderunt: quia infidelitatis tenebris obcaecati non cognoscunt: Genesis primo: Tenebrae erant super faciem abyssi, id est, infidelitas in facie cordis humani. Unde ad Ephesios quinto: Fuistis aliquando tenebrae, nunc autem lux in Domino; primae Ioannis primo: Deus lux est, et tenebrae in eo non sunt ullae. Si dixerimus, quoniam societatem habemus cum eo et in tenebris ambulamus; mentimur et veritatem non fecimus. Et per hoc eliditur error ille, qui posuit, omnia esse a fortuna, et non esse providentiam, nec Deum cognoscere acta nostra. Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput I Source: Here, p249

'The light shines in the darkness,' 1 when it tries to make sinners know the truth. 'And the darkness was not able to grasp it,' since being blinded with the darkness of faithlessness they did not know. In the first chapter of Genesis, 'Darkness was on the face of the abyss,' 2 that is, faithlessness on the face of the human heart. Whence in the fifth chapter of Ephesians: 'You were once in darkness, now you are light in the Lord.' 3 In the first chapter of the first letter of John, 'God is light and there is no darkness at all in Him. If we say that we have a relationship with Him and we walk in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true.' 4 And with this that error is crushed down which has claimed that everything is by chance, and there is no providence, nor does God know our deeds. Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 1 1 Jn 1.5 2 Gen 1.2 3 Ephes 5.8 4 1 Jn 1.5-6

Birth And Grace

ΕΡΩΤ ΟΕ' Διατί τῶν πατριαρχῶν αἱ γυναῖκες στεῖραι; Καὶ γὰρ Σὰῥῥα στεῖρα, καὶ ἡ Ῥεβέκκα ὡσταύτως, καὶ ἡ Ῥακὴλ μέντοι, καὶ ἡ Λεία. Ἰδὼν γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος, ὅτι μισεῖται ἡ Λεία, ἀνέῳξε αὐτῆς τὴν μήτραν.; Τὸ Ἰσρατηλιτικὸν συστῆσαι γένος βουληθεὶς ὁ Θεὸς, δείκνυσιν οὐ κατὰ φύσεως ἀκολουθίαν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν τῆς χάριτος φιλοτιμίαν τὴν πολυγονίαν δεξάμενον. Ταύτης δὲ τῆς κηδεμονίας ἐκεῖνο τὸ γένος τετύχηκεν, ἐπειδήπερ ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστὸς, ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱὸς, ἐκεῖθεν ἔμελλε τὸ κατὰ σάρκα βλαστήσειν. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Τὴν Γένεσιν Source: Migne PG 80.185c

Question 75 Why were the wives of the patriarchs sterile? For Sarah was sterile, and Rebecca also, similarly Rachel and Leah. 'For the Lord, seeing that Leah was despised, opened her womb.' 1 Wishing to commend the race of Israel, God shows that it is not by natural succession but by grace that the reception of honourable fecundity comes about. And this race obtained this care because The Lord Christ, the Only Begotten Son, would be born from it according to the flesh. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On Genesis 1 Gen 29.31

The Medicine Of Death

ΕΡΩΤ Μ’ Τι ἐστι τὸ Ἰδου γέγονεν Ἀδὰμ ὡς εἰς ἐξ ἡμῶν; Ἐπειδὴ διάβολος εἶπεν, Ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοὶ, γινωσκοντες καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν, ἐδεξατο δὲ τοῦ θανάτου τὸν ὄρον τὴν ἐντολὴν παραβὰς, εἰρωνικῶς τοῠτο εἴρηκεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, δεικνὺς τῆς διαβολικῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὸ ψεῦδος. Μεταλαβεῖν δὲ αὐτὸν τοῦ καρποῦ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς διεκώλυεν· οὐ φθονῶν αὐτῷ τῆς ἀθανάτου ζωῆς, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐπέχων τὸν δρόμον. Ἰατρεία τοίνυν ὁ θάνατος, οὐ τιμωρία ἐστιν. Ἐπέχει γὰρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὴν ὁρμήν. Ὁ γαρ ἀποθανὼν, φησὶ, δεδικαίωται ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Καταντικρὺ δὲ τοῦ παραδείσου διάγειν αὐτὸν προσέταξεν· ἵνα τῆς ἀλύπου βιοτῆς εἰς μνήμην ἐρχόμενος, μισῇ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ὡς πρόξενον τῆς ἐπιπόνου ζωῆς. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Τὴν Γένεσιν Source: Migne PG 80.137b

Question 40 Why was it said, 'Behold, Adam has become one like us'? 1 Since the devil said, 'You shall be like gods, knowing good and evil,' 2 and Adam received the sentence of death because he transgressed the commandment, the God of all things spoke ironically, exposing the lie of the diabolic promise. God did not prohibit him from taking from the tree of life because He begrudged man eternal life, but that He might restrain him from the way of sin. Therefore death is a medicine and not a punishment, for it curbs the drive to sin. 'For he that is dead is justified from sin.' 3 Then God commanded Adam to go out from the region of paradise, so that in sorrow he might recall to his memory the loss of his former life, and in hatred of it drive out sin, which is the author of his toil and his wretched life. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On Genesis 1 Gen 3.22 2 Gen 3.5 3 Rom 6.7

The Staff And The Serpent

ΕΡΩΤ Θ' Διατί πρῶτον σημεῖον δέδωκε τῆς ῥαβδου τὴν εἰς ὄφιν μεταβολὴν; Ἐπειδὴ λογικῆς ὁ Φαραὼ φύσεως ῶν ὠμότητι κατὰ τῶν Ἐβραίων ἐχρήσατο, καὶ τὸ θεοειδὲς θηριῶδες ἀπέφηνε, τὴν ῥάβδον δι' ἦς αὐτὸν ἐμαστίγωσεν, εἰς ὄφιν μεταβληθῆναι προσέταξεν· εἰς ἔλεγχον μὲν τῆς ἐκείνου θηριωδίας, ἔμφασιν δὲ τῆς δυσμενείας. Καὶ γὰρ τῇ τοῦ ὄφεως ἀρᾷ καὶ τοῦτο προστέθεικεν· Ἔχθραν θήσω ἀναμέσον σοῦ καὶ ἀναμέσον τῆς γυναικὸς. καὶ τὰ ἐξῆς. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Τὴν Ἐξοδον Source: Migne PG 80.232b-c

Question 9 Why for the first sign did God change the staff into a serpent? 1 Because the Pharaoh, though of a rational nature, savagely used this to oppose the Hebrews, and thus he turned what was Divine in himself into a monster. Therefore God commanded the staff, by which he would strike him, to turn into a serpent, for a reproach of his savagery and declaration of his malevolence. For even this is added to the curse of the serpent: 'I shall place enmity between you and the woman,' and the rest. 2 Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On Exodus 1 Exod 7.8-10 2 Gen 3.15

The Cherubim And The Blade

Et collacavit ante paradisum voluptatis cherubim, et flammeum gladium, atque versatilem, ad custodiendam viam ligni vitae Cherubim namque plenitudo scientiae interpretatur. Framea vero versailis, posita ad custodiendam viam ligni vitae, temporales poenae intelliguntur. Nemo enim potest pervenire ad arborem vitae, nisi per has duas res, tolerantiam scilicet molestiarum et scientie plenitudinem, id est, per charitatem Dei et proximi. Plenitudo enim legis charitas est. Sanctus Isidorus Hispalensis, Mysticorum Expositiones Sacramentorum Seu Quaestiones In Vetus Testamentum, In Genesin, Caput III Source: Migne PL 83.222c-223a

And He set the Cherubim before the garden of delight, with a sword of fire, that turned this way and that for the guarding of the way to the tree of life. 1 The name of Cherubim is interpreted as 'fullness of knowledge.' But the turning blade that is placed for the guarding of the way to the tree of life is understood to be temporal suffering. For no one is able to come to the tree of life, unless through these two things, obviously endurance of troubles and the fullness of knowledge, that is, through the love of God and neighbour, for the fullness of the Law is love. 2 Saint Isidore of Seville, Expositions of Sacred Mysteries or Questions on the Old Testament, On Genesis, Chapter 3 1 Gen 3.24 2 Rom 13.10

Growing And Multiplying

Dixitque ei: Ego Dominus omnipotens: Cresce et multiplicare; gentes et populi nationum erunt ex te; reges de lumbis tuis egredientur; terramque quam dedi Abraham et Isaac, dabo tibi et semini tuo post te; et recessit ab eo. Haec promissio ad spirituale semen Jacob pertinet, sicut de Abraham ante jam dictum est. Omnes enim qui supplantant vitia, et veterem hominem cum acitbus ejus deponunt, mentisque suae oculos ad videndum Deum intentos habent, rite ad Jacob pertinent, cujus fidem et actus imitantur; regesque de lumbis ejus egredientar, hoc est sancti, qui vere reges dicuntur, eo quod veraciter secundum Dei voluntatem semetipsos ac sibi subditos regunt. De ejus semine spirituali, hoc est fidei imitatione in bonis operibus fecundantur. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Genesim, Liber III, Caput XXIII Source: Migne PL 107.616c-d

And He said to Jacob, 'I am the Lord Almighty. Grow and multiply. Nations and peoples of the nations shall come from you. Kings shall come forth from your lions, and the land I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I shall give to you and your seed after you.' And He withdrew from him. 1 This promise pertains to the spiritual seed of Jacob, as it was spoken to Abraham previously. For all who overthrow vices and cast down the old man with his acts, and have the eyes of the soul intent on seeing God, rightly belong to Jacob, and they imitate his faith and deeds. And kings shall come forth from his lions, that is, saints, who rightly are named kings, because more correctly, according to the will of God, they rule themselves and those below them. Concerning his spiritual seed, it is by the imitation of faith they are made fruitful in good works. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On Genesis, Book 3, Chapter 23 1 Gen 35.11-12