Homilies on Genesis 3

What does 'according to likeness' mean; and why, though God said that we should rule over the beasts, do we not rule over them; and how this is a mark of much loving care.

Just as there is no profit to those who sow when the seeds are cast beside the road,

so neither will there be any advantage to the one who speaks, when the word is not borne toward the understanding of the hearers, but the echo of the voice, simply diffused into the air, leaves the listener without benefit.

These things I have said to you not without purpose, but that you may not gape only at the simpler of the thoughts, but may also boldly venture upon the deeper ones.

For if we do not now descend into the depth of the Scriptures—while our limbs are still light for swimming, our eye keener, no longer troubled by the evil stream of luxury, and our breath more enduring, so as not to be choked—when shall we descend? When there is luxury and feasting and drunkenness and a table laden with gluttony? But then it is not even easy to stir, so heavily does the burden of luxury press upon the soul.

Do you not see that those who wish to find precious stones do not find what they seek by sitting up above on the shore and counting the waves, but plunge into the very depth?

And yet great is the labor in the search, great the danger in the finding, and after the finding no profit at all. For what great thing would the finding of precious stones bring into our life? Would that it did not indeed introduce great evils!

For that which overturns our life and turns everything upside down is nothing other than the madness for riches.

Yet nonetheless those men expose both soul and body for the sake of their daily food, and dare to brave the waves;

but here there is no danger, no

toil so intense, but a little and light one, and that only for the guarding of the things found.

For the things found with ease seem to many to be also of little account.

There is no tumult of waves in the sea of the Scriptures, but this sea is calmer than any harbor;

there is no necessity to be borne down into the gloomy recesses of the abyss, nor to entrust the safety of the body to the rush of irrational waters;

but here there is much light, brighter than the very sunbeams, much calm, all tumult far removed, and the profit of the things found is as great as no word can set forth.

Let us not then grow weary, but let us set our hands to the search. You have heard that God made man according to the image of God;

and what this 'according to the image' and 'according to the likeness' means, we have already said;

namely, that it is not an identity of essence, but a likeness of rule;

and that 'according to the likeness' means to be gentle and meek, and so far as possible to be made like to God according to the principle of virtue, as Christ says:

Become like my Father who is in heaven.

For just as in this broad and spacious earth some of the animals are more irrational, others more savage;

so also in the breadth of our soul, of the thoughts some are more irrational and brutish, others more savage and wild.

We must then master and prevail over them, and hand over the rule of these to reason.

And how, one says, could anyone prevail over a savage thought? What do you say, O man? We prevail over lions, and tame their spirits, and do you doubt whether you can change the savagery of a thought into gentleness? And yet for the lion the wild is according to nature, and the tame contrary to nature;

but for you it is the opposite—gentleness is according to nature, while savagery is contrary to nature.

You then who cast out what is according to nature and implant what is contrary to nature in the soul of the beast, will you not be able to preserve in your own soul what is according to nature? And how great a slothfulness would this be! And in the case of the lion's soul there is besides this yet another difficulty:

for the soul of the beast is destitute of reasoning.

Yet nonetheless you have often seen lions, tamer than sheep, led through the marketplace; and many of those in the workshops have often paid down silver to the keeper as a wage for the art and skill by which he tamed the beast;

but in your soul there is both reasoning and the fear of God, and much help from every side.

Do not then tell me pretexts and excuses.

For it is possible, if you will, for you to be gentle and meek.

Let us make man according to our image and according to our likeness, and let them rule over the beasts.

Here the Greeks fasten upon us, and say that the oracle lies;

for we do not rule over the beasts;

rather they rule over us, and cast us into much distress.

First of all, then, this is not true;

for even the mere appearance of a human face is enough to make a beast get out of the way;

so great is the fear they have of us.

But if somewhere a beast should rush to defend itself—either driven by the constraint of hunger, or when we ourselves often press it hard and drive it out by force—this would not be a sign of dominion that has been abolished.

For neither, if one of us, seeing robbers coming on, should arm himself and go out to defend himself, is the matter a matter of ruling, but of much provision for his own safety;

yet not from this quarter do I make my defense, but from another, from which it will also be profitable for you to hear.

We fear the beasts and are terrified of them, and have fallen from our dominion;

but this does not prove the law of God to be false.

For at the beginning matters were not so disposed, but the beast feared and trembled and submitted, as to a master, to man; but since we fell from our confidence and our honor, for this reason we fear them.

Whence is this clear? God brought the beasts to Adam, to see what he would call them;

Adam did not leap away, as though afraid, but as to slaves subjected to him he set names upon them all.

And this is a token of lordship.

Therefore God also, wishing through this too to display to him the dignity of his authority, entrusted to him the assigning of names; and the names which were assigned by him have remained fixed upon them from that time.

For 'whatever Adam called them, this was their name,' Scripture says.

This, then, is one sign that the beasts were not fearful to man in the beginning.

And a second sign, even clearer than the first, is the serpent's conversation with the woman.

For if the beasts had been fearful to human beings, the woman, on seeing the serpent, would not have remained, but would have fled.

She would not have accepted its counsel, nor would she have conversed with it with such freedom from fear; but at once, at the very sight, she would have been struck with terror and would have leapt away.

But as it is, she converses, and is not afraid.

For as yet this fear did not exist.

But when sin entered, the marks of honour too were taken away.

And just as in the case of household servants, those who are in good standing are fearful to their fellow servants, whereas those who have given offence dread even their fellow slaves;

so also it came to pass in the case of man.

For as long as he had freedom of access toward God, he was fearful to the beasts;

but when he gave offence, thenceforth he dreads even the lowest of his fellow slaves.

But if this is not so, then show me, before the sin, that the beasts were fearful to human beings.

And if the fear entered afterward, this too belongs to the Master's providential care.

For if, when the commandment given by God to man had been disturbed and dissolved, the honour bestowed upon him by God had nonetheless remained unmoved, he would not have risen up again easily.

For when human beings, whether they obey or disobey, enjoy the same honour, they are rather trained up toward wickedness, and do not readily depart from vice.

For if now, though fears and punishments and chastisements press upon them, they do not consent to live soberly, what sort of people would they have been if they had suffered nothing dreadful for the offences they committed? So it is plain that God, caring for us and taking thought for us, cast us out of our dominion.

But here too consider for me his unspeakable love for mankind.

For Adam overturned the whole commandment, and transgressed the law;

yet God did not dissolve the whole honour, nor did he cast him out of all his authority;

but he left outside his dominion only those living creatures which do not greatly contribute to the needs of his life;

while the necessary and useful ones, which render much service to our life, these he allowed to remain in subjection.

He left us herds of oxen, that we might draw the plough, that we might cleave the earth, that we might cast in the seed;

he left us the kinds of beasts of burden, that they might share our toils in the transporting of goods;

he left us flocks of sheep, that we might have a sufficient supply for the making of garments;

and he allowed yet other kinds of animals to remain, bringing us much further benefit besides.

For since, in chastising the man, he had said, 'In the sweat of your face you shall eat your bread,' in order that this sweat and toil and labour might not be unbearable, he lightened the heavy and burdensome character of the sweat by the multitude of the irrational creatures that take part with us in this toil and hardship.

And just as a loving and considerate master, having scourged his own servant, applies some healing remedy to the stripes;

so also God, having imposed the sentence, wishes by every means to make this sentence lighter; having condemned us to sweat and unremitting labour, yet having provided that many kinds of irrational creatures should share with us in the toil.

For all these things, then, let us give him thanks;

for indeed the giving of honour to us, and again the taking away of the honour, and the not taking it all away, and the setting over us of the fear of the beasts, and all things, if one examines them, are full of much wisdom, much providential care, much love for mankind;

of which may it be granted to us all to have the enjoyment continually, unto the glory of...

to him be the glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.