Theological Themes:
Trinitarian Creation: The Father, Son ("the Beginning"), and Holy Spirit act together in creation.
Christ as the Beginning: John 8:25 ("I am the Beginning") is applied to Genesis 1:1, reading creation Christologically.
The Church as the New Creation: The allegorical interpretation consistently identifies the earth with the Church, waters with baptism/Scripture, and luminaries with the Testaments.
The Six Days as Six Ages: A traditional patristic schema (Irenaeus, Augustine) mapping creation week onto salvation history.
The Seventh Day as Eternal Rest: The Sabbath prefigures the eschatological rest of the blessed, without "evening" (i.e., without end).
Scholarly Method:
St. Bruno of Segni (c. 1045–1123) exemplifies early medieval monastic exegesis: a balanced literal-allegorical approach, heavy dependence on patristic sources (especially Augustine and Gregory the Great), Trinitarian and Christological reading of the Old Testament, and a pastoral aim ordered toward the spiritual formation of monks and clergy. His commentary on Genesis 1–2 is both theologically rich and accessible, ordered toward helping readers see Christ and the Church in the very first words of Sacred Scripture. The translation was done by Qwen.
St. Bruno of Segni's Commentary on Genesis 1:1–2:2
On the Six Days of Creation: Literal and Allegorical Exposition
Genesis 1:1: "In the Beginning God Created Heaven and Earth"
"In the beginning," he says, "and before every creature, God created heaven and earth." For this is also attested by the Psalmist, saying: "And You, in the beginning, O Lord, have founded the earth, and the works of Your hands are the heavens" (Psalm 101:26). Therefore, God did not first create heaven and then earth, but simultaneously God created both heaven and earth. Whence also that saying: "He who lives forever created all things simultaneously" (Ecclesiasticus 18:1).
On the Six Days:
For even if in this same book it is narrated that God made these things in six days, nevertheless it ought not to be doubted that He created all things from nothing. He created simultaneously the very matter of all things, from which, at distinct times, He commanded the rest to come forth as He willed.
Interpretation of "In the Beginning":
Let it therefore be said: "In the beginning of all things, God created heaven"—and in it are contained, namely, the angels and the heavenly powers—"and earth," now as it were pregnant and bringing forth the matter of all these things and whatever arises from it.
The Priority of Earth:
It is manifest, therefore, that even of those things which now seem to be made, and if they are first in time, nevertheless in nature earth did not first exist.
Genesis 1:2: "The Earth Was Void and Empty"
"The earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God moved upon the waters."
"Void": For the earth was void because, like formless matter, it did not yet have impressed upon it those forms which we now see.
"Empty": Moreover, it was also empty, with no one inhabiting it.
Why Not Said of Heaven?
But why is it not said similarly of heaven that it was void and empty, unless because, as I judge, immediately in its very creation it had angels as inhabitants?
"The Deep": Therefore, although the earth naturally contained within itself all things which are made from it, nevertheless because nothing had yet been made from it temporally, not undeservedly is it called void and empty.
"Darkness upon the face of the deep": Moreover, darkness was upon the face of the deep because light had not yet been made, which might illumine that new creature. The "deep," indeed, is understood as the high profundity of heaven and earth, which indeed was entirely filled with darkness.
"The Spirit of God moved upon the waters": But the Spirit of God moved upon the waters because, as a good artisan, He was already then disposed to make this manifold variety of creatures which we see.
Analogy of the Builder: For thus also we, for example, when about to construct a house, contemplating with eyes and mind the material of woods, destine some for beams, others indeed for columns, and others for other uses.
On the Creation of Water: Moreover, that He had said nothing above concerning the creation of water, and yet introduced them as if already created by speaking, certainly demonstrates that by the name "earth" all things ought to be understood which are contained in the earth, such as fire and water; and by the name "heaven," whatever heaven contains, such as air—whose creation is not described singularly.
Genesis 1:3-5: "Let There Be Light"
"And God said: Let there be light. And there was made light. And God saw the light that it was good; and He divided the light from the darkness. And He called the light Day, and the darkness Night."
God's Word and Deed: Moreover, it appears that between God's speaking and making there is no distance. He said therefore: "Let there be light," and there was made light. What else, indeed, is God's speaking than willing? For not by crying out or by moving lips, but by willing, He perfected all things.
What Is This First Light?
But what is this light which is said to exist before the sun, moon, and stars? Hear what follows: "He called the light Day, and the darkness Night." Light, therefore, is put for day. Good, therefore, is the light which, divided from darkness, illumines the forms and colors of things. But we are scarcely able to denote this light, since we are suffused with the greater light, namely, of the sun.
"And there was made evening and morning, one day":
Some understand "evening and morning" as night and day. For since, with the nights passed over, He enumerates all the days in order, by the one name "day" they wish to understand both day and night.
The Order of "Evening and Morning":
But marvelous is the order of speaking, in which evening is placed before morning, as if He had begun to work not from morning but from evening. For if He had said: "And there was made morning and evening, one day," perhaps there would be no question; but because He placed evening between two mornings, it can be doubted to which of them it is referred.
For if evening is referred to the preceding morning, undoubtedly the whole night is left out.
But if to the following, indeed the whole day is passed over, and only the limits of night are placed.
Bruno's Resolution:
Whence it would have been more convenient to say: "And there was made evening and morning, one day," but "one night" could have been said. But because divine providence created night not for labor but for rest, there is no incongruity if in God's operation—which indeed was done not in night but in day—only the limits of day are placed.
Why "Day" and Not "Night"?
For if in this place we understand the whole space of day and night as "day," as some wish, in vain did God divide both from Himself, and to those divided He gave diverse names; for He called the light "day," and the darkness "night." Therefore, no day consists of night and day.
The Purpose of the Narrative:
Because, therefore, not dreams which are seen in night, but works which are done in day are here described, undoubtedly it was necessary to enumerate days, not nights.
Literal Summary:
God therefore made in the beginning heaven and earth and light; with these accomplished, "there was made evening," and with this preceding, "morning"—the first day was continued.
Allegorical Interpretation: Christ as the Beginning
"In the beginning God created heaven and earth." (v. 1)
Christ the Beginning:
In what beginning? Undoubtedly in Him who said: "I am the Beginning, who also speak to you" (John 8:25). For "all things were made by Him, and without Him was made nothing that was made" (John 1:3).
Christ in the End of Ages:
In this Beginning, in the end of ages, flesh having been assumed, God created heaven and earth: the apostles and the Church, the just and sinners, Jews and gentiles—by the word of preaching, and the water of baptism, and the illumination of the Holy Spirit, He begot, created, and restored to a new and pristine nature.
The Earth as the Church:
Yet still the earth was void and empty; still the Church was infecund and without children—whom also the prophet, consoling concerning sterility and promising fecundity, said: "Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry, you who do not travail: for many are the children of the desolate, more than of her who has a husband" (Isaiah 54:1; Galatians 4:27).
Why "Void and Empty"?
But why void and empty? Because still "darkness was upon the face of the deep." For no one understood the Scriptures, as being profound and wrapped in the darkness of ignorance—which indeed, that they might be understood, "deep calls upon deep" (Psalm 41:8).
Christ Removes the Darkness:
But Christ removed these darknesses when He opened the understanding of the apostles that they might understand the Scriptures. For if the Jews understood these, they would flee to the Church; but because, as the Apostle says, "until this day, when Moses is read, the veil is placed upon their heart" (2 Corinthians 3:15), they indeed are not able to understand them. But when the fullness of the gentiles shall have entered in, then with the veil removed, "all Israel shall be saved" (Romans 11:25). For no longer shall our earth be called void and empty, inhabited with the fullness of so many children.
How This Comes About:
Moreover, how this comes about, the following teaches.
"And the Spirit of the Lord moved upon the waters."
The Waters as Scripture:
For what we understand by the "deep," this we understand by the waters. For these are the waters leaping up to eternal life, which whoever drinks shall never thirst (John 4:14). Concerning which it is said: "You who thirst, come to the waters" (Isaiah 55:1).
The Holy Spirit's Illumination:
Upon these waters, therefore, the Holy Spirit moved, who by the splendor of His illumination, having put the darkness to flight, illumined them and rendered them potable and intelligible. Whence it is well subjoined:
"And God said: Let there be light, and there was made light."
The Meaning of "Let There Be Light":
As if to say: The darknesses have been put to flight, the earth has been illumined; let light therefore be made, let ignorance perish. "Arise, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for your light has come" (Isaiah 60:1).
The Light as Conscience:
Moreover, this light—this conscience inspired by the Holy Spirit to the faithful—because it pleased in the eyes of the majesty on high, He divided it from the darknesses. Whence the Apostle: "For what participation has light with darkness? Or what fellowship has the faithful with the unbeliever? Or what concord has Christ with Belial?" (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). And elsewhere: "A heretical man, after the second correction, avoid" (Titus 3:10). For God signified this separation when He divided light from darkness.
Genesis 1:6-8: The Firmament (Second Day)
"And God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters; and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made a firmament, and divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament. And it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven; and there was made evening and morning, the second day."
The Nature of the Waters:
For if—which is true—the firmament was made in the midst of the waters, and indeed the waters were everywhere cannot be doubted. But if they were everywhere, I ask, where were they withdrawn, with so great a space of heaven and earth left vacant? Therefore, it is manifest that they were not of that density which they now have, but like a mist and clouds filled all things.
The Firmament as the Rotating Heaven:
Moreover, the firmament which is said to be in the midst of the waters is not understood to be that which God is said to have created in the beginning—otherwise heaven would have been created twice—but undoubtedly that which is turned without ceasing, in which the sun and moon and stars appear.
The Higher Heaven:
Moreover, that heaven is of a much worthier and more excellent nature, over which the ancient enemy, desiring to ascend, said: "I will ascend into heaven" (Isaiah 14:13). For he was in heaven when he said these things, but desiring to ascend higher, he spoke such words.
On the Upper Waters:
Whether, moreover, the upper waters also, with the firmament interposed, changed their nature, I would not easily say.
Literal Summary:
With these things therefore accomplished, evening was made, with which morning cohering, the second day is completed.
Allegorical Interpretation: The Apostles as Firmament
"Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."
The Firmament as the Apostles:
For what is the firmament except the apostles? Whence the Psalmist says: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands" (Psalm 18:2). For this firmament protects and strengthens us; this furnishes the rains of salvation and light; this divides the lower waters from the upper.
The Two Testaments as Waters:
For the waters which are under the firmament are understood to be the New Testament; but those which are above the firmament, the Old Testament.
How the Apostles Divide the Waters:
But how do the apostles divide these waters? Do you wish to hear how? For the Law commands that each one circumcise the flesh of his foreskin. On the contrary, the Apostle: "Behold, I Paul say to you, that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing" (Galatians 5:2). Do you see therefore how great a division, and how great a firmament interposed, prohibits the waters from being joined to the waters?
"He Called the Firmament Heaven":
Moreover, that which is here said: "And God called the firmament Heaven," seems to agree with the apostles; for they conceal and keep the heavenly secrets. Whence the Apostle says: "I heard secret words, which it is not granted to man to speak" (2 Corinthians 12:4).
Genesis 1:9-10: The Gathering of Waters (Third Day)
"And God said: Let the waters that are under the heaven be gathered together into one place; and let the dry land appear. And it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gatherings together of the waters He called Seas."
The Literal Sense:
Moreover, this place into which the waters are gathered is understood to be the sea, lakes, and rivers, and that very deep from which we see certain secret veins of the earth, fountains of waters, flow forth. Thus therefore by divine providence the waters were gathered into one place, that they might neither cover the surface of the earth as before, and yet might everywhere fecundate the dryness of the earth by their moisture.
The Names "Earth" and "Sea":
Moreover, God imposed names sufficiently congruous to the things themselves, when both He called the dry land "Earth," and the gatherings of waters He called "Seas." "Earth" is said from terendo (to rub/wear down), which both by cultivating and by treading upon, men and all animals continually rub. But "sea" from amaritudo (bitterness), because we have proved it to be salty and bitter.
Allegorical Interpretation: The Doctors of the Church
"Let the waters that are under the heaven be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear."
The Waters as Sacred Scripture:
For this place into which the waters are gathered, the seas and lakes and rivers, we have interpreted above, through which we understand either the two volumes of the New and Old Testaments, or the apostles and doctors of the Church. For in these all the fullness of wisdom and knowledge is contained, which indeed are signified by the name of waters.
Why "Dry Land"?
But that He says "and let the dry land appear," seems to pertain more to history than to allegory. But why, with the name changed, did God call the dry land "earth," unless because He already then signified that the holy Church was to be scourged, crushed, trodden upon, and afflicted in many ways?
The Seas as the Precepts of Scripture:
Moreover, He called the gatherings of waters "seas," because although to know and understand the sacred Scriptures is sweet and pleasant, yet to do what they command is bitter and harsh. For "sea" received its name from bitterness. For to fast, to keep vigil, to relinquish all the delights of this world—to whom does it not seem to be bitter? For the sacred Scriptures command these things; meritously therefore are they signified by such a name.
Genesis 1:11-13: Vegetation (Third Day Continued)
"And God said: Let the earth bring forth the green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was so. And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was made evening and morning, the third day."
Allegorical Interpretation:
These things also, which are sufficiently clear according to the letter, if they are understood spiritually, we see to be done in the Church of the saints.
The Earth as the Church:
For what do we understand by the earth except the Church? What by the green herb and the fruit-bearing tree except the examples and doctrine of the apostles and prophets? For these always flourish and live, always bear fruit, and according to their kind and species bear diverse fruits and seeds; for they have naturally implanted in themselves a seed which indeed is always scattered and never fails, always sprouts, and always grows.
The Fruit of Scripture:
For behold from how long a time this book was edited; behold how many volumes it has fruited from itself. Consider its fruits and seeds—namely, doctrine and precepts—how living, how powerful they are. And indeed you will find some fruits in the Old, others in the New Testament. As many doctors, so many varieties of seeds and fruits.
"God Saw That It Was Good":
Moreover, that which is said: "And God saw that it was good," is such as if He were to say: He made us see and understand that He created nothing except good.
The Completion of the Third Day:
And evening was made, and with the night passed over, morning was made, and together with its night the third day was completed. For thus some understand this place.
Eschatological Interpretation:
But if it is understood allegorically, it can be said in this way: Because with the end of this present and laborious life completed, evening will be made, and morning—evening indeed for those who from light and felicity will be precipitated into darkness and miseries; but morning for those who from this unhappy and sorrowful life will be transferred into perpetual light and eternal joys.
Genesis 1:14-19: The Luminaries (Fourth Day)
"And God said: Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years: To shine in the firmament of heaven, and to give light upon the earth. And it was so. And God made two great lights: a greater light to rule the day; and a lesser light to rule the night, and the stars. And He set them in the firmament of heaven to shine upon the earth. And to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was made evening and morning, the fourth day."
The Literal Sense:
For two great lights are understood: the sun and the moon, which, placed in the firmament of heaven, divide day and night, which also are for a sign to us both of fair and of rainy weather, and in whatever part of the world we may be, they designate for us the regions of the world. Which signs indeed how necessary they are, sailors understand, who suddenly snatched into the deep by winds, unless through the signs of heaven, know not whither they should tend.
Other Signs:
Moreover, they give also other signs, concerning which it is said in the Gospel: "There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars" (Luke 21:25). Moreover, these determine both seasons and days and years—which how it is done, because it is easily plain, let us pass to other things.
The Greater and Lesser Lights:
And indeed He calls the greater light the Sun, which indeed holds the principate in the day; but the lesser, the Moon, which we see to preside over the darkness of night. Moreover, the stars also, diverse in splendor and magnitude, placed in heaven, furnish for us both light and signs.
Allegorical Interpretation: The Two Testaments
"Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven."
Spiritual Meaning:
Moreover, spiritually, the two great lights—the sun indeed and the moon—designate the New and Old Testament. And indeed the greater is understood to be the New, but the lesser the Old Testament.
The Old Testament:
For the Law, as the Apostle says, "was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator" (Galatians 3:19). But concerning the New Testament he speaks, saying: "Last of all, in these days, He has spoken to us by His Son" (Hebrews 1:2). And again: "Now if the ministration of death, engraven with letters upon stones, was glorious, how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather in glory?" (2 Corinthians 3:7-8). And a little after: "For neither that which was made glorious was made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that excels" (2 Corinthians 3:10).
The New Testament is Greater:
From these and similar passages it is openly gathered that indeed the New Testament is greater than the Old.
Placed in the Firmament:
Moreover, these, placed in the firmament of heaven—that is, firmly inhering in the breasts of the apostles and doctors—divide day and night, preside over day and night.
Day and Night as Church and Synagogue:
For day and night are understood to be the Church and the Synagogue, the people of the gentiles and of the Jews. The New Testament therefore presides over the day, because it illumines the holy Church with the rays of its splendor, and designating the way of the right path, separates it from the darkness of night and the fog of error.
The Moon Presides Over Night:
But the moon, obscure and pale, presides over night and darkness, because the Old Testament demonstrates to the people of the Jews, always dark and blind, an obscure and darksome light; for "blindness in part has happened in Israel" (Romans 11:25). Whence when Moses received the Law, a cloud and fog covered the whole mount Sinai.
Both Illuminate the Earth:
These therefore both divide day and night, yet illumine both earths, rule both Churches, both fixed in heaven—that is, in the hearts of the apostles—shine forth.
Signs for Avoiding Enemies:
Moreover, they furnish for us signs by which we may be able to avoid the assaults and ambushes of enemies; they determine days and years, while they say that those things which are seen are fugitive and transitory, those things which are not seen are eternal—and therefore they admonish us to despise these, truly to desire those.
Psalm Citations:
Whence the Psalmist: "For better is one day in Your courts above thousands" (Psalm 83:11). And again: "But You are always the selfsame, and Your years shall not fail" (Psalm 101:28). Thus therefore these most clear lights of heaven are for us both a sign, and for seasons, and days, and years.
The Stars as Prophetic Books:
Moreover, God also made the stars, which also He placed in the firmament, that they might shine upon the earth, and preside over day and night, and divide light from darkness—through which indeed we can understand the individual books of the prophets and apostles, by which the doctors of the Church—who are signified by the name of heaven—being illumined, illumine our earth and the holy Church.
The Higher Heaven:
When therefore we see this firmament so elegantly adorned with sun and moon and stars and all beauty, what shall we think concerning that higher heaven, in which the orders of heavenly spirits, admiring the very sun of justice, contemplate?
Genesis 1:20-23: Creatures of Water and Air (Fifth Day)
"And God said: Let the waters bring forth the creeping creature having life, and the fowl that may fly over the earth under the firmament of heaven. And God created the great whales, and every living and moving soul, which the waters brought forth, according to their kinds, and every fowl according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And He blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea: and let the birds be multiplied upon the earth. And there was made evening and morning, the fifth day."
Two Genera of Animals from Waters:
A twofold genus of animals arises from the waters: one indeed which inhabits above the waters and does not live outside them; but the other which, flying, seeks the higher regions and feeds on the nourishments of the earth.
The Order of Divine Disposition:
And marvelous is the order of divine disposition: before He would create animals, He made herbs and fruit-bearing trees, that immediately upon being born they might find whence to live. But last of all man was created, to whom all these things were given by God for use.
The Great Whales:
Moreover, the whales are reported to be so great in the farther part of the sea that they exceed the magnitude of mountains. But of the remaining fish and birds, how diverse and manifold their species and genera are, cannot be told—which all God, blessing, commanded to fill the waters and the lands by multiplying; which blessing indeed so prevailed that they both increase daily, and nothing of them is able to perish entirely.
Allegorical Interpretation: Baptism and the Faithful
"Let the waters bring forth the creeping creature having life."
The Waters as Baptism:
But what do we understand metaphorically by the waters except baptism? What indeed by the fish and birds which arise from them except the people of the faithful, who are regenerated by the waters of baptism?
Two Types of the Faithful:
Of whom indeed some, with the wings of wisdom and knowledge and of the other virtues taken up, strive to fly even to heavenly things.
Heretics as Importunate Birds:
From whom heretics and philosophers hold the specimen of importunate birds, because both they fly higher than is necessary, and exulting in rapines, they most greedily pour forth the blood of souls.
The Simple Faithful:
But the remaining ones who are not separated from the waters, we understand to be the simple ones, who although they do not know how to fly through wisdom and empty philosophy, nevertheless so live that they merit to be presented by the fishermen of the Church at the banquet of Christ.
The Great Whales as Princes:
Moreover, the great whales designate also princes; but also among fish, just as among birds, there are certain ones who live after the manner of robbers—who indeed signify those who, although they have received the faith and name of Christ in baptism, nevertheless living the life of tyrants and the wicked, are reckoned among the unclean animals.
Why God Blessed Them:
Moreover, God meritoriously blessed these, because none except the baptized merit the benediction of Christ.
Genesis 1:24-25: Land Animals (Sixth Day)
"And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living soul in its kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth, according to their kinds. And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and cattle, and every thing that creeps on the earth after its kind. And God saw that it was good."
A Question Arises:
Here indeed a question arises: Since God created all things except man, why were so many venomous and deadly and hostile things to man made?
Response: The Consequence of Sin:
To which it must be said: Because unless man had sinned, all things would obey his command; the serpent would harm no more than the eel; just as the sheep, so also the wolf would serve him. But after he, by being proud, existed disobedient to his Creator, he began to be held in contempt by the very animals also, and they were unwilling to obey him whom they saw disobedient to Him to whose dominion they had been subjected, and which formerly had been created for service, afterward were turned into vengeance.
Another Question: Why Not Earlier?
That also is asked: Why did God not create the world before, through such immense and infinite spaces of time? Whence did so sudden a change of mind happen to Him who cannot be changed?
The Question Is Useless:
Moreover, this question seems to be useless, because if it had pleased God to do this before or after, nevertheless it could be asked equally why then and not at another time He acted.
No Change in God:
Moreover, there is no change in God, to whom nothing new happens, to whom both past and future things are present; who before He made the world, already bore it made in the disposition of His mind.
God's Immutability:
Nor when He creates anything is He moved in any respect, because He does nothing new as regards Himself, but because before the ages He disposed how and in what place or time the things disposed should be made to happen.
The World in God's Mind:
Therefore the world existed before it was made, which in God's disposition never had any beginning. For never did God not have what He has; otherwise He would be subject to accidents, if now He had disposed to do something which before He had not disposed.
John 1:3-4:
Whence therefore the Apostle John says: "That which was made, in Him was life" (John 1:3-4). For all things which are made temporally, in Him indeed before the ages lived and flourished. Whence it is well said: "He who lives forever created all things simultaneously" (Ecclesiasticus 18:1).
Simultaneous Creation:
For He created all things simultaneously, because when or how all things should be made, He disposed simultaneously.
Nothing New to God:
When therefore at the disposed time heaven was made and earth, nothing new happened to God, because what then was made temporally, with God had been disposed long before that it should be made then.
A Warning:
But because to dispute concerning these things is dangerous and difficult, let it suffice that we have said so much.
Allegorical Interpretation: The Church and the Faithful
"Let the earth bring forth the living soul."
The Earth as the Church:
Moreover, spiritually we understand the earth to be the holy Church.
The Living Soul:
But by the living soul, the multitude of all the faithful, who indeed live because in baptism they have risen with Christ.
The Different Types of Believers:
Beasts of burden signify those who mercifully bear the works of others, concerning whom the Apostle says: "Bear one another's burdens, and so you shall fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2).
Creeping things are those who love earthly things more than heavenly, and therefore adhering to these with the whole effort of the body, scarcely at any time direct the eyes of the mind to heavenly things.
Beasts of the earth signify those who do not think of greater things, do not entangle themselves in questions, but always need the guidance and rule of others.
All These Are Good:
Moreover, all these, because our earth—that is, the holy Church—produced them and regenerated them by the waters of baptism, are called good. For this is that which is said: "And God saw that it was good."
Genesis 1:26-27: The Creation of Man
"And God said: Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moves upon the earth. And God created man to His own image: to the image of God He created him: male and female He created them."
"God Said: Let Us Make Man":
God therefore is He who speaks. Is it to the angels? By no means. For man was not created by angels; otherwise there would not be one but many creators, as God alone is the Creator of all. For thus it is written: "The Creator of all is terrible and strong" (2 Maccabees 1:24). And again: "You have made all things in wisdom" (Psalm 103:24).
The Trinity in Creation:
If therefore it is true—which cannot be denied—that God alone created all things, whom was He inviting to create man, saying: "Let us make man"? Let us hear therefore what is said in the beginning of this book: "In the beginning God created heaven and earth." You have therefore God—that is, the Father; you have also the Beginning—that is, the Son; for thus He Himself says: "I am the Beginning, who also speak to you" (John 8:25).
The Holy Spirit:
But what follows? "And the Spirit of God moved upon the waters." You have therefore also the Holy Spirit.
The Psalmist's Testimony:
Moreover, that not the Father alone created heaven, but together with Him the Son also and the Holy Spirit, let the Psalmist say: "By the word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the Spirit of His mouth all their power" (Psalm 32:6).
The Whole Trinity:
Moreover, the whole Trinity—that is, God and His Word and His Spirit—one God; and this One indeed says: "Let us make man," not seeking help outside Himself, but within Himself, with His Son and Holy Spirit, disposing all things.
God's Eternal Decree:
For once God spoke, because He disposed all things simultaneously, nor does He any longer have need to dispose anything.
The Ineffable Voice of Disposition:
Therefore, with the time, hour, or moment coming in which, that something should be made, was disposed before the ages, with God indeed remaining in His immobility, His very disposition proclaims with an ineffable voice: "The time has come, the hour is now, let it be made now," and let that appear made which was disposed before the ages that it should be made now.
A Challenge to the Jews:
Therefore either let the Jews believe the Trinity, or let them find other creators of man besides God.
To Whose Likeness Was Man Made?
"To our image and likeness."
Image and Likeness:
Although indeed one thing is image, another likeness, nevertheless in this place both image and likeness signify the same thing. Thus man was made to the likeness of God: wise indeed, just, and good; immortal and incorruptible he was made. For God indeed is such.
The Loss of Immortality:
But indeed man then lost immortality when he sinned, and in this was made unlike to God—although nothing is like to God in all respects.
When We Sin, We Lose God's Likeness:
Therefore, as often as we have sinned, we have lost the likeness of God. Therefore, they alone have the likeness of God who rationally preserve wisdom, justice, goodness, and other things similar to these.
The Great Honor of Virtue:
Great is the honor to man to adhere to the virtues, according to which he seems to be like to God.
The External Image of Christ:
But because it is said: "God created man to His image," and then it is subjoined: "to the image of God He created him," it can be so understood that He also gave corporally such an image to man as He had disposed before the ages that the Son—who indeed is God—would sometime assume. Thus therefore not only our interior but also our exterior man would be in a certain way assimilated to God.
Man's Dominion Over Creation
"And let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea..."
Nor Was This Sufficient to God:
Nor was this sufficient to God, that He made man to His likeness, but moreover He placed him over every creature which is under heaven.
Allegorical Interpretation: The Rulers of the Church:
But with these things thus disposed, let us see the signification. Who indeed, I ask, is this man who has the likeness of God, to whom the fishes of the sea and the birds of heaven and the beasts and the whole creation of the earth and all creeping things are subject?
Not Only Christ, But Also Church Leaders:
Although indeed some not undeservedly understand this to be Christ, nevertheless I think this to be the order of apostles and doctors and of the others who hold the principate in the Church of God—whence indeed they are called prelates because others are subject to them; for because they have the likeness of God, therefore as if superior all venerate them.
Paul's Imitation of Christ:
For the Apostle had the likeness of God, who said: "Be followers of me, as I also am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1; Philippians 3:17).
The Subjection of All to Church Leaders:
To these indeed the fishes of the sea—that is, those regenerated by the waters of baptism; to these the birds of heaven—that is, philosophers and wise men; to these the beasts—that is, the ignorant and undisciplined; to these the whole creation of the earth—that is, of whatever sex or genus or nature or condition; to these all creeping things are subject. For when the lovers of the world and those adhering to earthly pleasures serve them, then undoubtedly even the creeping things venerate them.
Male and Female:
But because among the doctors of the Church some have masculine fortitude, others feminine softness, meritously it is said that "male and female He created them."
Genesis 1:28: The Blessing of Man
"And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth."
Explanation:
Moreover, these things have been explained above. He blessed, he says, and subjoining the very benediction, He said: "Increase and multiply"—namely, in wisdom, indeed in virtues, and in the progeny of holy children.
Genesis 1:29-30: Food for Man and Animals
"And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be meat for you: And to all beasts of the earth, and to all fowls of the air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is a living soul, that they may have to feed upon. And it was so."
Explanation:
Moreover, these things also have been explained in that place where it is said: "Let the earth bring forth the green herb and the fruit-bearing tree." These things therefore, just as according to the letter they were given to all the animals of the earth for food, so also according to spiritual understanding, not only to the wise and doctors, but also to all wishing to use them, these delights are prepared.
Paul's Debt to All:
Whence the Apostle to the Jews says: "I am a debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise" (Romans 1:14).
The Great Commission:
And the Lord in the Gospel says: "Go into the whole world, preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15).
All Scripture for Our Instruction:
For "whatever things were written, were written for our doctrine" (Romans 15:4). Who therefore shall perish by hunger, with so many and so great riches placed before him?
Genesis 1:31: "God Saw All Things That He Had Made, and They Were Very Good"
"And God saw all the things that He had made, and they were very good; and there was made evening and morning, the sixth day."
Where Is Evil?
When therefore God had made all things, and on the sixth day on which all things were accomplished, inspecting them, He saw all things good—where is evil, where is the devil himself, the prince of evil? Had he not yet fallen, who, as it is said, "stood not in the truth, and was a liar from the beginning" (John 8:44)? Or perhaps on that very day on which man was made, envying his glory and therefore suggesting deadly things, he lost together with goodness the very principate also?
The Simultaneous Condemnation:
For simultaneously, and not before, the condemnation of man and of the devil is read. For because the woman said: "The serpent deceived me, and I did eat," immediately the Lord, cursing the serpent, said: "Cursed art thou among all living creatures and beasts of the earth" (Genesis 3:14). To the woman also He said: "I will multiply your sorrows" (Genesis 3:16). But to Adam: "Cursed is the earth in your work" (Genesis 3:17).
Uncertainty Concerning the Devil's Fall:
Concerning these things which are in the books of the apostles and prophets, I have found nothing certain, and I have learned that the doctors of the Church have felt diversely; I leave these things to be disputed by others.
Even If the Devil Fell Earlier:
Nevertheless, I say that even if he had fallen before, it could nevertheless be said that "God saw all the things that He had made, and they were very good."
"Very Good" Even in the Devil:
Very good, I say, were all things which He had made, because even in the devil himself, that which God made is still good.
Genesis 2:1-3: The Seventh Day and Rest
"And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the furniture of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made: and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because in it He had rested from all His work which God created to make."
"God Completed His Work on the Seventh Day":
Moreover, that which is said: "And God completed on the seventh day His work which He had made," is not so to be understood as if on the seventh day He made something, but that with Him beginning, all things were completed, and He Himself was the limit after which nothing was lacking for completion.
The Six Days as Six Ages of the World:
But what do the six days signify allegorically except the six ages of the world?
The first age indeed from Adam to Noah.
The second from Noah to Abraham.
The third from Abraham to David.
The fourth from David to the Babylonian transmigration.
The fifth from the Babylonian transmigration to Christ.
The sixth from the advent of the Lord to the end of the age.
God's Continuous Operation:
In these God does not cease to work, as in the Gospel the very Truth says: "My Father works until now, and I work" (John 5:17). For who except He Himself made those things which we see to be made continually? For even if in six days He made the seeds of all things, nevertheless nothing except by His commanding and willing can those seeds by themselves produce anything.
Paul on Growth:
For as the Apostle says: "Neither he that plants is anything, nor he that waters, but God who gives the increase" (1 Corinthians 3:7).
God's Threefold Operation:
First therefore He disposed, then He created, afterward indeed from the very things created He caused all things which are to arise.
The End of the Sixth Age:
Moreover, this third operation of God will not cease unless first this sixth day—that is, the last age—makes an end; with which finished, all things will be made new, nor will anything new any longer be made.
The New Heaven and New Earth:
But when then a new heaven is made and a new earth is made, and the brightness of the moon shall be as the brightness of the sun, and the brightness of the sun shall be sevenfold—what species do we think the earth will then have? For after that general burning, it will not be necessary to produce also herbs and fruit-bearing trees as before, since there will be no one who would use them. Or perhaps those things alone will be which, by arising and dying, will need no further renewal.
A Question Not to Be Pursued:
But because perhaps to seek this is superfluous, let us pass to other things.
The Seventh Day: Eternal Rest
"And He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done."
The Blessed Seventh Day:
Concerning this day indeed it is written: "For better is one day in Your courts above thousands" (Psalm 83:11). This day will not have an end; no night will succeed this; nor indeed, as in the others, is it said in this one: "And there was made evening and morning, the seventh day."
Why No Evening and Morning?:
Why this? Because although it has morning, it will not decline toward evening.
God Blessed the Seventh Day:
To this God gave His benediction. What is "He blessed" except that He bestowed upon it all pleasantness, all joy, and all benediction? For thus God both blessed and sanctified it.
Admirable Sanctification:
O admirable sanctification, after which no one will be able to sin!
"Because in It He Had Rested":
It follows: "Because in it He had rested from all His work which God created to make." For He created in six days that He might make in six ages; how He disposed this, no one knows.
CONTINUE
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