The Allegory of the Net and the Sea
They shall glory in the Lord their God, and in his name, says the Lord (Jeremiah 9:24).
Continuously in the divine words, the manner of the earth and the cosmic movement of the sea are brought forward. The evangelical parable concerning the net indicates nothing sensible, all of it pronouncing an ascent; for the net cast into human life upon a field of the fishes in it, so named allegorically, is the God-breathed scripture, manifoldly woven by 'the manifold wisdom of God.' But the sea is the condition regarding us, widening and broadening for the greedy and the passion-loving, near to those remaining in the motionless; for the fish does not leave a voice, nor does it have a distinct appearance, since even its sensation is not precise.
Even if the fishes being caught by it have nothing manifest, because of the weakness of their soul and sensation, nevertheless the holy men, being fishermen and catchers of fishes, do work and in the multitude of the water of the sea. Concerning them indeed it has been written in divine hymns: 'Those descending into the sea in ships, doing work in many waters, they themselves saw the works of God and his wonders in the depth.'
Human lives descend into the surging, salt-filled swell in human ships, which are bodies, in order to do work in many waters, fishing and steering; for each of the intelligent ones has steering, being one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. For it has been said that 'the comprehension and the steering' of the Holy Spirit is a gift. In being a pilot, the intelligent one and fisherman exists, having that art about which Jesus said to the known ones: 'Come after me and I will make you fishers of men' (Matthew 4:19).
Those doing work in many waters see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the depth, approaching as if to the judgments of God, encountering a great abyss. For even if they are unsearchable, but having the Spirit of God who searches its depths, they see in the depth the wonders and works of God.
See also another work of those descending into the sea, being announced in the prophet Isaiah: 'They shall be cast in ships of foreigners, they shall manage the sea at once' (Isaiah 23:3); saying ships of foreigners regarding the bodies because they are of a different nature from the souls that are sailing, being substances not of intellect, and this very thing according to...
Greek
αὐτοὺς ἐν Κυρίῳ Θεῷ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ κατακαυχήσονται, λέγει Κύριος. 3.310 Συνεχῶς ἐν τοῖς θείοις λόγοις ὁ περὶ γῆν τρόπος καὶ κοσμικὴ διαγωγὴ θάλασσα προσαγορεύεται. Ἡ περὶ τῆς σαγήνης γοῦν εὐαγγελικὴ παραβολὴ οὐδὲν αἰσθητὸν αἰνίττεται, πάντα πρὸς ἀναγωγὴν διαγορ̣εύουσα· ἡ γὰρ βαλλομένη σαγήνη εἰς τὸν ἀνθρώπινον βίον ἐπὶ ἄγρᾳ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ ἰχθύων, ἀλληγορικῶς οὕτως ὠνομασμένων, ἡ θεόπνευστός ἐστι γραφή, πολυειδῶς πεπλεγμένη ὑπὸ «τῆς πολυποικίλου τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας». Θάλασσα δὲ ἡ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐστι κατάστασις, πλατυνομένη̣ καὶ εὐρυνομένη τοῖς φιληδόνοις κα̣ὶ φιλοπαθέσιν ἐγγύς που τοῦ ἀκινήτου διακειμένοις· οὐδὲ γὰρ φωνὴν ἰχθὺς ἀφίησιν, οὐδὲ τρανὴν ἔχει φαντασίαν, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ αἴσθησιν ἠκριβωμένην. 3.311 Εἰ καὶ οἱ ἰχθύες οἱ ἐννη̣χ̣όμενοι αὐτῇ οὐδὲν ἔχουσιν ἐναργές, διὰ τὸ καταδεὲς τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ αἰσθήσεως αὐτῶν, ἀλλ' οὖν οἱ ἅγιοι ἄνδρες ἁλιεῖς ὄντες καὶ τῶν ἰχθύων ἀγρευταί, ποιοῦσιν ἐργασίαν καὶ ἐν τῷ πλήθει τοῦ ὕδατος τῆς θαλάσσης. Περὶ αὐτῶν γοῦν γέγραπται ἐν θείοις ὕμνοις· «Οἱ καταβαίνοντες εἰς θάλασσαν ἐν̣ πλοίοις ποιοῦντες ἐργασίαν ἐν ὕδασιν πολλοῖς, αὐτοὶ εἶδον τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ βυθῷ.» 3.312 Καταβαίνουσιν εἰς τὸν κεκυματωμένον ζάλης τε και`̣ ἁλμυρίδος πεπληρωμένον ἀνθρώπων βίον ἐν πλοίοις τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις σώμασιν αἱ ψυχαί, ἐπὶ τῷ ποιῆσαι 112 ἐργασίαν ἐν ὕδασι πολλοῖς, ἁλιεύοντες̣ κυβερνῶντες· ἕκαστος γὰρ τῶν νοημόνων κυβέρνησιν ἐ´̣χ̣ει, ἓν οὖσαν τῶν χαρισμάτων τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Εἴρηται γὰρ ὡς «ἡ ἀντίλημψις καὶ ἡ κυβέρνησις» τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματός ἐστι δῶρον. Πρὸς τῷ κυβερνήτης εἶναι, ὁ νοήμων καὶ ἁλιεὺς ὑπάρχει, τέχνην ἔχων ἐκείνην περὶ ἧς τοῖς γνωρίμοις Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· «∆εῦτε ὀπίσω μου καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων.» 3.313 Οἱ ἐν πολλοῖς ὕδασιν ἐργασίαν ποιοῦντες, τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου καὶ τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ ο῾̣ρῶσιν ἐν τῷ βυθῷ, ἐφιστάνοντες ὡς οἷόν τε τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίμασιν, ἀβύσσῳ πολλῇ τυγχανούσῃ. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀνεξεραύνητά εἰσιν, ἀλλά γε ἔχοντες τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ἐραυνοῦν αὐτοῦ τὰ βάθη, ὁρῶσιν ἐν τῷ βυθῷ τὰ θαυμάσια καὶ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ. 3.314 Ὅρα δὲ καὶ ἕτερον ἔργον τῶν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν καταβάντων, ἐν̣ τῷ προφήτῃ Ἠσαΐᾳ ἀπαγγελλόμενον· «Πετασθήσονται, φησίν, ἐν πλοίοις ἀλλοφύλων, θάλασσαν ἅμα προνομεύσουσιν», ἀλλόφυλα πλοῖα λέγων τὰ σώματα διὰ τὸ ἑτέρας εἶναι φύσεως παρὰ τὰς ἐμπλεούσας ψυχάς, οὐσίας οὔσας νοέρας καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο κατ̣'
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.