The Intellectual Female and the Seed of the Logos
A seed, so that having nourished them they might send them far away, and also of the most beast-like men, concerning whom it has been said: 'Become not like the horse and the mule, to whom there is no understanding' (Psalm 32:9), and: 'You have become female horses.' But the holy ones begin all these things, having transferred them from the hands to better things through the Word. But man has also received authority over the creeping things, which, when he carries them toward pleasures and passions, he would not sin, by abstaining from fleshly desires in the overcoming of them and killing 'the members upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, passion, desire, evil' (Colossians 3:5).
And rightly, according to the reciprocity, it is said: 'And God made the man, according to the image of God He made him' (Genesis 1:27). For the command containing, at the 'according to the image,' the making of him 'also according to likeness,' the text states that 'according to the image He made him,' without adding the 'according to likeness,' concerning which we discussed briefly before. And the 'male and female He made them' (Genesis 1:27) is to be examined: how, concerning one man commanded by God, the reciprocity says: 'He made them.' And this might be a demonstration according to the literal sense of the woman being consubstantial with the man, being categorized under one kind of them, and because of this the saying 'let us make man' (Genesis 1:26) was uttered; but the 'male and female' is a representation of the parts for the sake of the succession which God established, showing at once also that the woman is 'according to the image of God' (Genesis 1:27), both of them being recipients of the same, both of the imitation and of the participation in God and the taking up of virtue of the Holy Spirit.
And since we were saying that the approach of man is made manifest also in the intellect and soul, let us consider by anagogical ascent thus the 'male and female': just as the one, being able to be a capable teacher, as being able to receive the seed of the Word into the souls capable of receiving it, so if he were male,
They symbolically possess the place of the female, being unable to conceive anything of their own, but receiving instruction from others like the manner of sowing. In the sensible realm, the female and male are made by God; but in the intelligible realm, one possesses a place for himself through his own choice or a teacher, who is male and a sower of good things, or a disciple receiving the seed of another and thus becoming female.
Thus anyone might perceive the greater things through the lesser of the rational. If one wished to take it regarding the Word of God, every rational nature would have a female rank toward Him. This is a bridegroom of the rational essence; for 'he who has' is 'the bridegroom of the bride' (Song of Solomon 2:16). And in the Song of Songs, a bridal song is sung of a bride to a bridegroom, the church being understood as the bride, or the perfect soul already able to be joined to the Word, who is the sower of every rational essence, this essence receiving the benefit from Him both in moral and in the doctrines of truth.
Regarding the sensible, a change of nature is impossible; but regarding the intelligible, a man currently receiving lessons and therefore being in a female rank might at any time, through progress, become as others become a teacher, just as one might again, from sloth, fall away so that he is barely able to receive from another what he himself formerly instructed others. And a testimony of those receiving the seeds of the Word would be, 'From the fear of you we conceived in the womb and labored and brought forth a spirit of salvation upon the earth.' For fear works a holy apprehension concerning God; it has been said: 'The fear of the Lord is pure, remaining for an age of ages' (Psalm 111:10), and: 'The fear of the Lord surpassed all things' (Psalm 111:10), so that whoever possesses it and progresses in it, as a man becomes a rational woman and because of this...
Greek
σπόρον, ἵνα θηρεύοντες αὐτὰ πόρρω αὐτοὺς ἀποπέμπωσιν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῶν κτηνωδεστέρων ἀνθρώπων, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· "6Μὴ γίνεσθε [ὡ]ς ἵππος καὶ ἡμίονος, οἷς οὐκ ἔστιν σύνεσις"6, καί· "6Ἵπποι θηλυμαν[εῖ]ς ἐγενήθητε."6 Ἄρχουσι δὲ τούτων ἁπάντων 62 οἱ ἅγιοι μετατιθέντες αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν χειρόνων ἐπὶ κρείτ- τονα διὰ τοῦ λόγου. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἑρπετῶν ἐξουσίαν εἴληφεν ἄνθρωπος, ἅπερ εἰς τὰς ἡδονὰς καὶ τ[ὰ] πάθη ἀναφέρων οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοις, ἀπεχόμενος τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν ἐν τῷ κατεξανίστασθαι αὐτῶν καὶ νεκροῦν "6τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πορνείαν, ἀκαθαρσίαν, πάθος, ἐπιθυμίαν, κακήν"6. Καλῶς δὲ κατὰ τῆς ἀνταποδόσεως ἔχει λεγούσης· "6Καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ ἐποίησεν αὐτόν."6 Τῆς γὰρ προστάξεως περιεχούσης, πρὸς τῷ "6κατ' εἰκόνα"6, "6καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν"6 αὐτὸν γενέσθαι, ἡ ἀνταπόδοσίς φησιν ὅτι "6κατ' εἰκόνα ἐποίησεν αὐτόν"6, οὐ προσθεῖσα τὸ "6καθ' ὁμοίωσιν"6, περὶ οὗ ἐν τοῖς ὀλίγῳ πρότερον διειλήφαμεν. Τὸ δὲ "6ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐ[τ]οὺς"6 ἐξεταστέον, πῶς, περὶ ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου προστάξαντος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἡ ἀνταπόδοσις λέγει· "6Ἐποίησεν αὐτούς."6 Καὶ εἴη ἂν κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν ἀπόδειξις αὕτη τοῦ ὁμοούσιον εἶναι τὴν γυναῖκα τῷ ἀνδρί, ὑπὸ ἓν εἶδος αὐτῶν ταττομένων καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εἰρημένου τοῦ "6ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον"6· τὸ δὲ "6ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ"6 παραστατικὸν τῶν τμημάτων <ὧν> τῆς διαδοχῆς ἕνεκεν ὁ Θεὸς ᾠκονόμησεν, ἐμφαῖνον ἅμα ὡς καὶ ἡ γυνὴ "6κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ"6 ἐστιν, τῶν αὐτῶν δεκτικοὶ ἀμφότεροι, μιμήσεώς τε τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν καὶ τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος μετουσίας καὶ ἀναλήμψεως ἀρετῆς. Καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐλέγομεν δηλοῦσθαι τὴν ἀνθρώπου π[ρο]σηγο- ρίαν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ νοῦ καὶ ψυχῆς, νοήσομεν κατ' ἀναγωγὴν οὕτω τὸ "6ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ"6, ὡς ὁ μὲν δυνάμενος διδα- σκ[α]λικὸς εἶναι, ὡς τὸν τοῦ λόγου σπόρον εἰσ̣ι̣έναι ταῖς παραδέξ[ασ]θαι δυναμέναις ψυχαῖς, οὕτως ἂν ἄρρην εἴη, 63 ἐκείνων συμβ[ολι]κῶς τὸν θήλεος ἐπεχόντων τόπον τῶν ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν μὲν τίκτειν οὐδὲν δυναμένων, τὰς δὲ παρ' ἑτέρων παιδεύσεις δεχομένων δίκην σπόρου. Καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ παρὰ Θεοῦ τὸ θῆλυ καὶ τὸ ἄρρεν γίνεται, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ νοητοῦ ἑαυτῷ τις καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας προαιρέσεως ἢ διδασκάλου χώραν ἐπέχει, ὅς ἐστιν ἄρρην καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν σπορεύς, ἢ μαθητὴς τὸν ἑτέρου σπόρον δεχόμενος καὶ θῆλυ κατὰ τοῦτο τυγχάνων. Καὶ οὕτω μὲν ἄν τις νοήσαι τὰ μείζονα πρὸς τὰ ὑποδεέστερα τῶν λογικῶν δεχόμενος. Εἰ δὲ ὡς πρὸς τὸν Λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ τις ἐκλαβεῖν βούλοιτο, πᾶσα ἡ λογικὴ φύσις θήλεος πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔχοι τάξιν. Νυμφίος ἐστὶν οὗτος τῆς λογικῆς οὐσίας· "6<Ὁ> ἔχων"6 γὰρ "6τὴν νύμφην νυμφί[ος ἐσ]τίν."6 Καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἄισματι δὲ τῶν ᾀσμάτων καὶ ἐπιθαλάμι[ος] ὕμνος ᾄδεται νύμφης πρὸς νυμφίον, τῆς ἐκκλησίας ν[ύ]μφης νοουμένης ἢ τῆς τελείας ψυχῆς τῆς ἤδη δυναμέ[νη]ς ἁρμοσθῆναι τῷ Λόγῳ, ὅστις σπορεὺς ὑπάρχει πάσης λογ[ι]κῆς οὐσίας, ταύτης δεχομένης τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ 25 ὠφελίαν ἔν τε ἠθικοῖς καὶ τοῖς τῆς ἀληθείας δόγμασιν. Καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἐξαλλαγὴν γενέσθαι τῆς φύσεως ἀδύνατον, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν νοητῶν ὁ νῦν μαθήματα δεχόμενος καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐν τάξει θήλεος ὑπάρχων εἴη ἄν ποτε ἐκ προκοπῆς ἀνὴρ ὡς ἄλλων γενέσθαι διδάσκαλος, ὡς καὶ ἀνάπαλιν ἐκ ῥᾳθυμίας ἀποβαλεῖν τις δύναται τὸ διδάσκαλος εἶναι ὥστε μάλα μόγις δύνασθαι δέξασθαι παρ' ἄλλου ἃ αὐτὸς πρότερον τοὺς [ἄλλο]υς ἐπαίδευεν. Καὶ εἴη ἂν μαρτύ- ριον τῶν δεχομένων τὰς τοῦ Λόγου σπορὰς τὸ "6ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου σου ἐν γαστρὶ ἐλάβο<με>ν καὶ ὠδινήσαμεν καὶ ἐτέκομεν πνεῦμα σωτηρίας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς"6. ῾Ο̣ φόβος δὲ τὴν [ἁγί]αν ἐργάζεται σύλληψιν περὶ Θεοῦ· εἴρηται· "6Ὁ φόβος Κυρίου ἁγν[ός], διαμένων εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος"6, 64 καί· "6Φόβος Κυρίου πάντα ὑπερέβαλεν"6, ὅντινα ἔχων τις καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ προκόπτων ὡς καὶ ἀνὴρ γενέσθαι γυναικὸς νοητῆς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο
About this text
Didymus the Blind reads the creation account verse by verse, finding Christ and the Spirit in Genesis.
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.