Noah's Altar and the Sacrifice
No one being harmed. And Noah built an altar. Even if he did indeed act in concert with something for salvation, having constructed the ark and having safely sealed it and having done the other things, he did not set it upon himself; rather, as one giving thanks, he builds an altar.
And previously we said properly that he brought more fittingly clean animals into the ark than unspecified animals; for it was intended to perform sacred rites from them. And even if it was not commanded by law to perform sacred rites, but being righteous—just as Abel from the beginning did and had and was receiving from God (Gen 4:4)—he considered it just to receive from the Giver thankfully.
And the 'from all' must be heard as him having presented to the altar with prudence. For there are three things brought up for sacrifice: among the animals of the livestock, a calf, a sheep, and of these missing text, and a dove. These therefore are the 'all'.
And it is possible to find this from the Scriptures, that, regarding what is said in the general, it is proper to take it according to what follows; for the 'And all flesh shall see the salvation of God' (Isa 49:6) must not simply be understood as all, but the livestock are clean except for the living thing, which is the human nature. This was previously spoken because of those things said in the law.
Greek
οὐδένος βλαβέντος. ῃιιι, 20. Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν Νῶε θυσιαστήριον. Εἰ καὶ συνε´̣πραξέν τι πρὸς σωτηρίαν Νῶε κατα- σκευάσας τὴν κιβωτὸν καὶ ἀσφαλῶς αὐτὴν ἀσφαλτώσας καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ποιήσας, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ ἐβάλετο, ἀλλ' εὐχα- ριστῶν θυσιαστήριον οἰκοδομεῖ. Οἰκείως δὲ πρὸ τούτου ἐλέγομεν ὅτι πλείονα εἰκότως τῶν ζῴων τῇ κιβωτῷ καθαρὰ ζῷα εἰσήγαγεν· ἔμελλεν γὰρ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἱερουρ- γεῖν ***. Εἰ δὲ καὶ μήπω νόμῳ προστεταγμένον ἦν ἱερουργεῖν, ἀλλὰ δίκαιος ὤν, καθὰ καὶ Ἄβε̣λ̣ ἐξ̣ ὡ῀̣ν̣ ἔκαμνεν καὶ εἶχεν ἀπήρχετο Θεῷ, δίκαιον ἡ[γούμ]ενος τῷ δεδωκότι εὐχαριστητικῶς ἀπάρχεσθαι. Τὸ δὲ "6ἀπὸ πάντων"6 εἴρ̣ησθαι αὐτὸν τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ προσανενεγκεῖν συνετῶς ἀκούειν δεῖ. Τρία γάρ ἐστι τὰ εἰς θυσίαν ἀνα- φερόμεν[α] ··· ζῴων τῶν ἐν κτήνεσιν μόσχος, πρόβατον, ·ει̣[··]··νων δὲ τούτων, καὶ περιστερά. Ταῦτα οὖν ἐστι τὰ "6πάντα"6. Καὶ ἔστι τοῦτο ἐκ τῶν γραφῶν εὑρεῖν, ὅτι, τοῦ καθόλου λεγομένου, πρὸς τὸ [ἀκ]ολούθως αὐτὸ ἐκλαμβάνειν προσήκει· τὸ γὰρ "6Καὶ ὄψεται πᾶσα [σὰρ]ξ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ"6 οὐχ ἁπλῶς πᾶσαν ἡγεῖσθαι δεῖ, Καθαρὰ δὲ τὰ κτήνη τὰ ἀλλὰ τὴν [πεφ]υκυῖαν, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνθρώπου φύσις. [π]ροειρημένα διὰ τ̣ὰ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ εἰρημένα ***
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.