Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus 15
On the fourth day God brought the luminaries into existence. Because God is foreknowing, He knew that vain philosophers would claim earthly growth originates from the elements in order to deny Him. To demonstrate the truth, He caused plants and seeds to appear before the elements, since what comes later cannot produce what came before.
These events serve as a specimen and type of a great mystery. The sun typifies God; the moon typifies humanity. Just as the sun far surpasses the moon in power and glory, so God far surpasses humanity. Just as the sun always remains full, never diminishing, so God always remains perfect, being full of all power, understanding, wisdom, immortality, and every good thing. The moon, by contrast, wanes each month and dies in power, typifying humanity; then it is reborn and waxes as a specimen of the coming resurrection.
Likewise, the three days that existed before the luminaries are types of the triad: God, His Word, and His Wisdom. On the fourth day there is a type of humanity, who needs light so that there may be God, Word, Wisdom, and humanity. For this reason the luminaries were also created on the fourth day.
The arrangement of the stars embodies an economy and order of the righteous, the pious, and those who keep God's law and commandments. The conspicuous, shining stars imitate the prophets; therefore they remain fixed, not moving from place to place. Stars of a different order of brightness typify the people of the righteous. But those that move and flee from place to place — the ones called wanderers — themselves become a type of humans who revolt from God, abandoning His law and commandments.
Greek
Τετάρτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐγένοντο οἱ φωστῆρες.Ἐπειδὴ ὁ θεὸς προγνώστης ὢν ἠπίστατο τὰς φλυαρίας τῶν ματαίων φιλοσόφων, ὅτι ἤμελλον λέγειν ἀπὸ τῶν στοιχείων εἶναι τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς φυόμενα, πρὸς τὸ ἀθετεῖν τὸν θεόν· ἵν᾿ οὖν τὸ ἀληθὲς δειχθῇ, προγενέστερα γέγονεν τὰ φυτὰ καὶ τὰ σπέρματα τῶν στοιχείων· τὰ γὰρ μεταγενέστερα οὐ δύναται ποιεῖν τὰ αὐτῶν προγενέστερα. Ταῦτα δὲ δεῖγμα καὶ τύπον ἐπέχει μεγάλου μυστηρίου.Ὁ γὰρ ἥλιος ἐν τύπῳ θεοῦ ἐστιν, ἡ δὲ σελήνη ἀνθρώπου. Καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ ἥλιος πολὺ διαφέρει τῆς σελήνης δυνάμει καὶ δόξῃ, οὕτως πολὺ διαφέρει ὁ θεὸς τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος· καὶ καθάπερ ὁ ἥλιος πλήρης πάντοτε διαμένει μὴ ἐλάσων γινόμενος, οὕτως πάντοτε ὁ θεὸς τέλειος διαμένει, πλήρης ὤν· πάσης δυνάμεως καὶ συνέσεως καὶ σοφίας καὶ ἀθανασίας καὶ πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν. Ἡ δὲ σελήνη κατὰ μῆνα φθίνει καὶ δυνάμει ἀποθνήσκει, ἐν τύπῳ οὖσα ἀνθρώπου, ἔπειτα ἀναγεννᾶται καὶ αὔξει εἰς δεῖγμα τῆς μελλούσης ἔσεσθαι ἀναστάσεως. Ὡσαύτως καὶ αἱ τρεῖς ἡμέραι πρὸ τῶν φωστήρων γεγονυῖαι τύποι εἰσὶν τῆς τριάδος, τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ λόγου αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ. Τετάρτῳ δὲ τύπῳ ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπος ὁ προσδεὴς τοῦ φωτός, ἵνα ᾖ θεός, λόγος, σοφία, ἄνθρωπος. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τετάρτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐγενήθησαν φωστῆρες. Ἡ δὲ τῶν ἄστρων θέσις οἰκονομίαν καὶ τάξιν ἔχει τῶν δικαίων καί εὐσεβῶν καὶ τηρούντων τὸν νόμον καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ. Οἱ γὰρ ἐπιφανεῖς ἀστέρες καὶ λαμπροί εἰσιν εἰς μίμησιν τῶν προφητῶν· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ μένουσιν ἀκλινεῖς, μὴ μεταβαίνοντες εἰς τόπον ἐκ τόπου. Οἱ δὲ ἑτέραν ἔχοντες τάξιν τῆς λαμπρότητος τύποι εἰσὶν τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν δικαίων. Οἰ δ᾿ αὖ μεταβαίνοντες καὶ φεύγοντες τόπον ἐκ τόπου, οἱ καὶ πλάνητες καλούμενοι, καὶ αὐτοὶ τύπος τυγχάνουσιν τῶν ἀφισταμένων ἀνθρώπων ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, καταλιπόντων τὸν νόμον καὶ τὰ προστάγματα αὐτοῦ.