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Why Man's Form is Upright; And that Hands Were Given Him Because of Reason; Wherein Also is a Speculation on the Difference of Souls
Patrologia Graeca 44.144-9 * Greek Fonts
Let us, however, before discussing this point, consider the matter we
passed over (for the subject of the order of created things almost
escaped our notice), why the growth of things that spring from the
earth takes precedence, and the irrational animals come next, and
then, after the making of these, comes man: for it may be that we
learn from these facts not only the obvious thought, that grass
appeared to the Creator useful for the sake of the animals, while the
animals were made because of man, and that for this reason, before the
animals there was made their food, and before man that which was to
minister to human life. |
μᾶλλον δὲ πρὶν περὶ τούτων διεξετάσαι͵ τὸν παρεθέντα λόγον κατανοήσωμεν. Μικροῦ γὰρ ἡμᾶς τὸ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν τῶν γεγονότων διέλαθεν· τίνος χάριν προηγεῖται μὲν ἡ βλάστη τῶν ἐκ τῆς γῆς φυομένων͵ ἐπιγίνεται δὲ τὰ ἄλογα τῶν ζώων͵ καὶ οὕτω μετὰ τὴν κατασκευὴν τούτων ὁ ἄνθρωπος. Τάχα γὰρ οὐ μόνον τὸ ἐκ τοῦ προχείρου νοούμενον διὰ τούτου μανθάνομεν. ὅτι τῶν ζώων ἕνεκεν ἡ πόα χρήσιμος ἐφάνη τῷ κτίσαντι͵ διὰ δὲ τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὰ βοτά· οὗ χάριν πρὸ μὲν τῶν βοσκημάτων͵ ἐκείνων τροφή͵ πρὸ δὲ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ὑπηρετεῖν μέλλον τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ ζωῇ.Ἀλλ' ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ δόγμα τι τῶν κεκρυμμένων παραδηλοῦν διὰ τούτων ὁ Μωϋσῆς͵ καὶ τὴν περὶ ψυχῆς φιλοσοφίαν δι' ἀποῤῥήτων παραδιδόναι͵ ἣν ἐφαντάσθη μὲν καὶ ἡ ἔξωθεν παίδευσις͵ οὐ μὴν τηλαυγῶς κατενόησε. Διδάσκει γὰρ ἡμᾶς διὰ τούτων ὁ λόγος͵ ἐν τρισὶ διαφοραῖς τὴν ζωτικὴν καὶ ψυχικὴν δύναμιν θεωρεῖσθαι. Ἡ μὲν γάρ τίς ἐστιν αὐξητική τε μόνον καὶ θρεπτικὴ͵ τὸ κατάλληλον εἰς προσθήκην τῶν τρεφομένων προσάγουσα͵ ἣ φυσικὴ λέγεται καὶ περὶ τὰ φυτὰ θεωρεῖται. Ἔστι γὰρ καὶ ἐν τοῖς φυομένοις ζωτικήν τινα δύναμιν αἰσθήσεως [145] ἄμοιρον κατανοῆσαι. Ἕτερον δὲ παρὰ τοῦτο ζωῆς εἶδός ἐστιν͵ ὃ καὶ τοῦτο ἔχει͵ καὶ τὸ κατ' αἴσθησιν οἰκονομῆσαι προσείληφεν͵ ὅπερ ἐν τῇ φύσει τῶν ἀλόγων ἐστίν. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον τρέφεται καὶ αὔξεται͵ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν αἰσθητικὴν ἐνέργειάν τε καὶ ἀντίληψιν ἔχει. Ἡ δὲ τελεία ἐν σώματι ζωὴ ἐν τῇ λογικῇ͵ τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ λέγω͵ καθορᾶται φύσει͵ τρεφομένη τε καὶ αἰσθανομένη καὶ λόγου μετέχουσα καὶ νῷ διοικουμένη. |
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