The Hypocrisy of Cain and the Divine Visitation

whitewashed tombs

But 'Cain rose up against Abel' also shows the intention along with the act. These things are contained in the account of history; since we have judged Cain to be a hypocrite according to the account of the anagoge, such things would also be the case now. The secret man is a brother to the man appearing outwardly, and a man in thought; for it is proper to attend to both the serious matters, both in rightly calculating and in displaying an outward adornment suitable to the ways, which the Psalmist, instructing, says in the first Psalm: 'Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly' (Ps 1:1), and shortly after: 'He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, which shall bring forth its fruit in its season, and its leaf shall not fall' (Ps 1:3). By saying 'fruit' he means virtuous action from a disposition, but 'leaf' is the outward appearance, which is shown in form, adornment, and the smiling of teeth.

Therefore, whenever the hypocrite strives at these things, while his thought is found to be straying, he kills the brother, having a thought discordant with the outward. The plain is this: the mechanism against those being deceived, into which he brings himself previously to sin by means of them. Such also are the sophists, using the plain of words, through which they lead their own brothers into impiety. And the Lord God said to Cain: 'Where is Abel your brother?' (Gen 4:9). And he said: 'I do not know; am I not a keeper of my brother?'

The Philanthropic God also visits again those who have been entirely estranged from him through much goodness, and through the visitation raises them to perception, which he also does now toward Cain, first by bringing to him the words from conscience, and then also by saying 'Abel the brother,' as if weighing him down with the designation of nature and leading him to the perception of the stain. The magnitude of the deed is presented, that he killed both a brother and a righteous brother, whom God had made, having raised up, for help and assistance. For this is what the saying says: 'A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity' (Prov 17:17). For the reason of the brothers' existence, the word states...

Greek

ὁ Κύριος ἔλεγεν· "6Τί παρομοιάζετε τάφοις κεκονι[αμ]ένοις· ἔσωθεν γέμουσιν ὀστέων νεκρῶν καὶ πάσης ἀκαθ[αρ]σίας."6 Ἀλλ' οἱ ἐνάρετοι, ὅλοι δι' ὅλων ὄντες Θεοῦ καὶ διαθέσει καὶ π[ρ]α´̣ξει, καὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα, ἃ δὴ τῆς σωματικῆς ἀνάγκης ἕνεκ[εν] εἰς αὐτοὺς ὅρα, καὶ αὐτὰ σοφῶς ἐπ̣ιτελοῦντες, ὀρθῶς τῇ π[ρο]σαγωγῇ τῇ πρὸς Θεὸν χρῶνται, καὶ τῷ σώματι καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ καθα[ρ]ότητος ἐπιμελόμενοι, ὧν τύπος ὁ Ἄβελ ὑπάρχει 126 ἄρχοντα καὶ προστάτην τὸν Θεὸν τῶν ἑαυτοῦ πράξεων τιθέμενος. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐναρέτου ἴδιον, τῆς πράξεως τοῦ ὑποκριτοῦ ὑποστρεφούσης ἐπ' αὐτόν· Θεὸς γὰρ τὸ βάθος τῆς διανοίας ἐνορῶν οὐχ ὑποδέχεται τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ τοιούτου ἐνεργούμενα. ιῃ, 8. Καὶ εἶπεν Κάιν πρὸς Ἄβελ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ. ∆ιέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πεδίον· καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ καὶ ἀνέστη Κάιν ἐπὶ Ἄβελ τὸν ἀδελ[φ]ὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτόν. Ἡ κατ' ὀλίγον ἐπίδοσις τῆ[ς κ]ακίας μὴ ἐμποδιζομένη εἰς ἀμετρίαν φθάνει, καὶ κρυπτο´̣[μ]ενον ἁμάρτημα τῇ διανοίᾳ, ἐπὰν μὴ ἀπὸ λογισμοῦ κω[λ]υθῇ, ἀποτελέσει τὰ τῆς ἐνεργείας, κἂν δόξῃ πρὸς βραχὺν [ἀ]ν̣αμένειν χρόνον. Τοῦτ' αὐτὸ ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι τῶν ἀποστ[ό]λων φέρεται· τοῦ γὰρ ἡγέμονος πλεῖστα ὅσα παρὰ τοῦ Παύ[λο]υ ἀκούσαντος περὶ τῆς διδασκαλίας τῆς θείας καὶ ἐμφό[βο]υ γεγενημένον, ἐνέκειτο πάλιν τὸ τῆς φιλαργυρίας [π]ά[θ]ος· φησὶν γὰρ τὸ συγγραφικὸν Πνεῦμα ὡς ἔφη πρὸς Παῦλον· "6[Και]ρὸν ἔχων μεταπέμψομαί σε"6, ἅμα καὶ προσδοκῶν χρ[ήμα]τα παρ' αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν. Τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ ὁ ἀλάστωρ Κάιν [πάσχ]ει· μετ[ὰ γ]ὰρ τὸ ἐντραπῆναι ὀλίγον ἐνίσχων τρέφει [τ]ὸν φθόν[ον ἐν] τῇ διανοίᾳ καί φησιν πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν με[τ]ὰ δόλο[υ· "6∆ι]έλθωμεν εἰστὸ πεδίον"6· καὶ διελθὼν οὐκ ἀφῆκ[εν] τὸν θυ[μό]ν, ἀλλ' ἐπιθέμενος ἀναιρεῖ τὸν ἀδελφόν. [Τι]νὲς καὶ ταῦτα ζητεῖν θέλοντές φασιν· Τίνι ἀμυντηρ[ίῳ] χρησάμενος ἀνεῖλεν τὸν Ἄβελ; Οὐδὲν δέ τοι τὸ ἄπ[ορ]ον· καὶ γάρ, εἰ καὶ μὴ σιδήρῳ, ἀλλὰ γοῦν ἢ λίθῳ ἢ ξύλῳ τοῦ[το] οἷόν τε ἦν γενέσθαι, ὃ καὶ ἡ βίβλος τῆς διαθήκης ᾐν[ίξ]ατο. Σφαγὴν δὲ ὁμῶς ἡ γραφὴ τὴν ὁπωσδήποτε γινομ[έ]νην ἀναίρεσιν εἶναί φησιν, ὡς δηλοῦται ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ τῇ Ἰωάννου· "6Καθὼς 127 Κάιν ἔσφαξεν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, ὅτ[ι τ]ὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ πονηρὰ ἦν, τὰ δὲ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ δίκαια"6. Τ[ὸ] δὲ "6ἀνέστη Κάιν ἐπὶ Ἄβελ"6 καὶ τὴν ἐπίθεσιν ἅμα καὶ τὴν ἑκ[ού]σιον ὁρμὴν δηλοῖ. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὁ τῆς ἱστορίας περιέχει λόγο[ς]· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τρόπον ὑποκριτὴν ἐφάσκομεν εἶναι τὸν Κά[ι]ν κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀναγωγῆς λόγον, τοιαῦτα ἂν εἴη καὶ [τὰ] νῦν. Ἀδελφός ἐστι τοῦ φαινομένου ἔξω ἀνθρώπου [ὁ κ]ρυπτ[ὸς] καὶ ἐν διανοίᾳ ἄνθρωπος· ἀμφοτέρων γὰρ τὸν σπουδ[αῖο]ν̣ ἐπι[μ]έλεσθαι προσήκει, καὶ ὀρθά τε λογιζόμενον καὶ σ[τολι]σμὸν [ο]ἰκεῖον τοῖς 52 τρόποις ἐπιδεικνύμενον, ὅπερ καὶ ὁ ψαλ[μ]ῳδὸς [π]αιδεύων ἐν πρώτῳ ψαλμῷ φησιν· "6Μακάριος ἄνη[ρ ὃ]ς οὐκ ἐ[π]ορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν"6, καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· "6ὃ τὸν καρπὸ[ν] αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ φύλλον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀπορρυ[ήσε]ται"6, καρπὸν μὲν λέγων τὴν ἀπὸ διαθέσεως ἐνάρετο[ν πρ]ᾶξιν, φύλλον δὲ <τ>ὸ ἔξωθεν κατάστημα, ὃ ἐν σχήμα[τι κα]ὶ στολισμῷ καὶ μειδιασμῷ ὀδόντων διαφ[αίν]εται. [Ἐπὰ]ν οὖν ὁ ὑποκριτὴς ταῦτα σπουδάζῃ, τοῦ λογ[ισμοῦ] δὲ αὐτ[οῦ] διεστραμμένου τυγχάνοντος, τὸν ἀδελφ[ὸν σ]φάτ- τ[ει], ἀσύμφωνον τὴν διάνοιαν τοῖς ἔξωθεν ἔχων. [Π]εδιὰς δ[ὲ] τούτῳ ἡ κατὰ τῶν ἀπατωμένων μηχανή, ει᾿̣[ς] ἣν χωρῶ[ν] τῇ κατ' ἐκείνων ἀπάτῃ ἑαυτὸν πρότερον εἰς ἁμαρτίαν ἄγε[ι]. Τοιοῦτοι δὲ καὶ οἱ σοφισταὶ τυγχά- νουσιν, πεδια´̣δι τῇ λέξε[ι] χρώμενοι, δι' ἧς εἰς ἀσέβειαν περιάγουσιν τοὺς ἑαυτῶ[ν ἀ]δελφούς. ιῃ, 9. Καὶ εἶπεν Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς Κάιν· [Πο]ῦ ἐστιν Ἄβελ ὁ ἀδελφός σου; Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· Οὐ γιγνώσκω· μ[ὴ] φύλαξ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μού εἰμι ἐγώ; Ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Θεὸς καὶ τ[οὺ]ς πάντη ἀλλοτριωθέντας 128 αὐτοῦ διὰ πολλὴν ἀγαθότητα πάλιν ἐπισκέπτεται καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐπισκέψεως εἰς αἴσθησιν διεγε̣ίρει, ὅπερ καὶ νῦν ἐπὶ τοῦ Κάιν ποιεῖ, πρῶτον μὲν ἐνιεὶς αὐτῷ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς συνειδήσεως λόγους, ἔπειτα καὶ δ[ι]ὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν "6Ἄβελ ὁ ἀδελφὸς"6 ὥσπερ βαρύνει αὐτὸν τῇ προσηγορίᾳ τῆς φύσεως καὶ ἄγει εἰς συναίσθησιν τοῦ μιάσμα[το]ς. Μέγεθος παρίσταται τ̣οῦ τολμήματος, ὅτι καὶ ἀπέκτει[ν]εν κ[αὶ] ἀδελφὸν καὶ δίκαιον ἀδελφὸν, ὃν δι' ἐπικουρίαν καὶ [β]οή- θε[ιαν] ὁ Θεὸς πεποίηκεν, ἀνελών. Τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ λόγιόν φησιν· "6Εἰς πά[ντ]α̣ καιρὸν φίλος ὑπαρχέτω σοι, ἀδελφοὶ δὲ ἐν ἀνάγκ[α]ις χρή[σι]μοι ἔστωσαν· τούτου γὰρ χάριν γεννῶνται"6. Τὴν γ[ὰ]ρ αἰτί[αν] τῆς τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑποστά- σεως ταύτην ὁ λόγος

About this text

Didymus the Blind reads the creation account verse by verse, finding Christ and the Spirit in Genesis.

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