- Source
- Philo Judaeus. Opera quae supersunt, Volume 2. Wendland, Paul, editor. Berlin: Reimer, 1897.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0018.tlg007.humanitext-grc1:1-11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Based on Genesis 6, the author explains why the birth of Noah highlights the increase of the unjust, and argues that the "angels" in Genesis are souls hovering in the air, asserting the necessity that the universe is entirely filled with life.
„Καὶ δὴ ἐγένετο, ἡνίκα ἤρξαντο οἱ ἄνθρωποι πολλοὶ γίνεσθαι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ θυγατέρες ἐγεννήθησαν αὐτοῖς“(Gen. 6,1). ἄξιον οἶμαι διαπορῆσαι,1 διὰ τί μετὰ τὴν Νῶε καὶ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ γένεσιν εἰς πολυανθρωπίαν ἐπιδίδωσιν ἡμῶν τὸ γένος. ἀλλ’ ἴσως οὐ χαλεπὸν ἀποδοῦναι τὴν αἰτίαν· ἀεὶ γὰρ ἐπειδὰν τὸ σπάνιον φανῇ, πάμπολυ τὸ ἐναντίον εὑρίσκεται.
”And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them” (Gen. 6:1). I think it is worth inquiring why our race, after the birth of Noah and his sons, increases into a great multitude of people. But perhaps it is not difficult to give the reason; for always, whenever that which is rare appears, its opposite is found in great abundance.
ἑνὸς οὖν εὐφυΐα τὴν περὶ μυρίους διαδείκνυσιν ἀφυΐαν, καὶ τὰ τεχνικὰ μέντοι καὶ ἐπιστημονικὰ καὶ ἀγαθὰ καὶ καλὰ ὄντα ὀλίγα τὴν τῶν ἀτέχνων καὶ ἀνεπιστημόνων καὶ ἀδίκων καὶ συνόλως φαύλων ἄπειρον ὅσην πληθὺν ἐπεσκιασμένην ἀποφαίνει.2
Thus, the natural excellence of one demonstrates the lack of natural talent in ten thousand; and indeed, things that are artistic, scientific, good, and beautiful, being few, show that the infinitely vast multitude of the unartistic, unlearned, unjust, and generally worthless, is cast into the shade.
οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῷ παντὶ ἥλιος εἷς ὢν τὸ μυρίον καὶ βαθὺ σκότος κατὰ γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν κεχυμένον ἐπιλάμψας ἀνασκίδνησιν; εἰκότως οὖν καὶ ἡ τοῦ δικαίου Νῶε γένεσις καὶ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ τοὺς ἀδίκους πολλοὺς διασυνίστησι· τῷ γὰρ ἐναντίῳ τὰ ἐναντία πέφυκέ πως μάλιστα γνωρίζεσθαι.
Do you not see that in the universe also, the sun, being one, by shining scatters the vast and deep darkness poured over the land and sea? Reasonably, then, the birth of the righteous Noah and his sons also brings into relief the many unjust; for opposites are naturally known best by their opposites.
ἄδικος δὲ οὐδεὶς ἄρρενα γενεὰν ἐν ψυχῇ σπείρει τὸ παράπαν, ἀλλὰ θηλυγονοῦσιν ἐκ φύσεως ἄνανδροι καὶ κατεαγότες καὶ θηλυδρίαι τὰ φρονήματα, δένδρον οὐδὲν ἀρετῆς, οὗ καλοὺς καὶ γενναίους ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἔδει τοὺς καρποὺς γενέσθαι, πάντα δὲ κακίας καὶ παθῶν, ὧν γυναικώδεις αἱ βλάσται, φυτεύσαντες·3
But no unjust man sows a male generation in his soul at all; rather, those who are unmanly, broken, and effeminate in their minds naturally produce female offspring, planting no tree of virtue, whose fruits must of necessity have been beautiful and noble, but only trees of vice and passions, whose shoots are effeminate.
οὗ χάριν θυγατέρας οἱ ἄνθρωποι οὗτοι γεννῆσαι λέγονται, υἱὸν δὲ οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν. ἐπεὶ γὰρ ὁ δίκαιος ἀρρενογονεῖ Νῶε τέλειον καὶ ὀρθὸν λόγον καὶ ἄρρενα ὄντως μετιών, θηλυτόκος ἡ κατὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἀδικία πάντως ἀναφαίνεται· ἀμήχανον γὰρ τὰ αὐτὰ πρὸς τῶν ἐναντίων, ἀλλὰ μὴ τὰ ἐναντία πάλιν γενέσθαι.
For which reason, these men are said to generate daughters, but none of them a son. For since the righteous Noah produces male offspring, pursuing perfect and right reason, which is truly male, the injustice of the multitude is shown by all means to be a mother of females; for it is impossible that the same things, and not rather opposite things, should be produced by opposites.
„Ἰδόντες δὲ οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ θεοῦ τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅτι καλαί εἰσιν, ἔλαβον ἑαυτοῖς γυναῖκας ἀπὸ πασῶν, ὧν ἐξελέξαντο“(Gen. 6,2). οὓς ἄλλοι φιλόσοφοι δαίμονας, ἀγγέλους Μωυσῆς εἴωθεν ὀνομάζειν· ψυχαὶ δ’ εἰσὶ κατὰ τὸν ἀέρα πετόμεναι.
”And when the angels of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful, they took for themselves wives from all whom they chose” (Gen. 6:2). Those whom other philosophers call daemons, Moses is accustomed to call angels; and they are souls hovering in the air.
καὶ μηδεὶς ὑπολάβῃ μῦθον εἶναι τὸ εἰρημένον· ἀνάγκη γὰρ ὅλον δι’ ὅλων τὸν κόσμον ἐψυχῶσθαι, τῶν πρώτων καὶ στοιχειωδῶν μερῶν ἑκάστου τὰ οἰκεῖα καὶ πρόσφορα ζῷα περιέχοντος,4 γῆς μὲν τὰ χερσαῖα, θαλάττης δὲ καὶ ποταμῶν τὰ ἔνυδρα, πυρὸς δὲ τὰ πυρίγονα — λόγος δὲ ἔχει ταῦτα κατὰ Μακεδονίαν μάλιστα γίνεσθαι —, οὐρανοῦ δὲ τοὺς ἀστέρας.
And let no one suppose that what is said is a myth; for it is necessary that the universe should be animated through and through, since each of its primary and elemental parts contains its own peculiar and appropriate living creatures: the earth, terrestrial animals; the sea and rivers, aquatic ones; fire, those born of fire—and report has it that these are especially produced in Macedonia—and heaven, the stars.
καὶ γὰρ οὗτοι ψυχαὶ ὅλαι δι’ ὅλων ἀκήρατοί τε καὶ θεῖαι, παρὸ καὶ κύκλῳ κινοῦνται τὴν συγγενεστάτην νῷ κίνησιν· νοῦς γὰρ ἕκαστος αὐτῶν ἀκραιφνέστατος. ἔστιν οὖν ἀναγκαῖον καὶ τὸν ἀέρα ζῴων πεπληρῶσθαι· ταῦτα δὲ ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἀόρατα, ὅτιπερ καὶ αὐτὸς οὐχ ὁρατὸς αἰσθήσει.
For indeed these also are souls, entire through and through, undefiled and divine, which is why they move in a circle with a motion most akin to mind; for each of them is a mind most pure. It is necessary, therefore, that the air also should be filled with living creatures; but these are invisible to us, because the air itself is not visible to our senses.
ἀλλ’ οὐ παρόσον ἀδύνατος ἡ ὄψις ψυχῶν φαντασιωθῆναι τύπους, διὰ τοῦτ’ οὔκ εἰσιν ἐν ἀέρι ψυχαί,5 καταλαμβάνεσθαι δ’ αὐτὰς ἀναγκαῖον ὑπὸ νοῦ, ἵνα πρὸς τῶν ὁμοίων τὸ ὅμοιον θεωρῆται. ἐπεὶ καὶ τί φήσομεν;
But because our sight is unable to receive impressions of the forms of souls, it does not follow on that account that there are no souls in the air; rather, it is necessary that they be apprehended by the mind, so that like may be contemplated by like. Since what else shall we say?
πάνθ’ ὅσα χερσαῖα καὶ ἔνυδρα οὐκ ἀέρι καὶ πνεύματι ζῇ; τί δέ; οὐκ ἀέρος κακωθέντος τὰ λοιμικὰ συνίστασθαι παθήματα φιλεῖ, ὡς ἂν αἰτίου τῆς ψυχώσεως ἑκάστοις; τί δέ; ὁπότε ἀπήμων καὶ ἀβλαβὴς εἴη, ὁποῖον ἐν ταῖς βορείοις μάλιστα αὔραις εἴωθε γίνεσθαι, οὐ καθαρωτέρου σπῶντα τοῦ πνεύματος πρὸς πλείονα καὶ κραταιοτέραν διαμονὴν ἐπιδίδωσιν;
Do not all things that are terrestrial and aquatic live by air and breath? And what? When the air is corrupted, is it not customary for pestilential diseases to arise, as if the air were the cause of life to each? And what? Whenever the air is harmless and uninjured, such as it is accustomed to be especially in northern breezes, do not creatures, by drawing in purer breath, advance to a longer and more vigorous duration of life?
ἆρ’ οὖν εἰκὸς δι’ οὗ τὰ ἄλλα, ἔνυδρά τε καὶ χερσαῖα, ἐψύχωται, ἔρημον εἶναι ἢ ψυχῶν ἀμοιρεῖν; τοὐναντίον μὲν οὖν, εἰ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ζῴων ἄγονα ἦν, μόνος ἀὴρ ὤφειλε ζῳοτοκῆσαι τὰ ψυχῆς κατ’
Is it therefore reasonable that that by which other things, both aquatic and terrestrial, are animated, should itself be destitute of life or have no share in souls? On the contrary, even if all other things were barren of living creatures, the air alone ought to have generated things of soul according to...
- 1ἄξιον οἶμαι διαπορῆσαι
The impersonal adjective ἄξιον is used with the copula ἐστί omitted. The infinitive διαπορῆσαι (to inquire, to doubt) functions as the logical subject, meaning "I think it is worth inquiring."
- 1τὴν τῶν ἀτέχνων ... πληθὺν ἐπεσκιασμένην ἀποφαίνει
The verb ἀποφαίνει takes an accusative object (πληθύν) and a predicate accusative participle (ἐπεσκιασμένην, perfect passive participle of ἐπισκιάζω), forming a construction meaning "shows... to be overshadowed/cast into the shade."
- 4δένδρον οὐδὲν ἀρετῆς ... φυτεύσαντες
A long hyperbaton spanning from the object δένδρον οὐδὲν at the beginning to the participle φυτεύσαντες (nominative plural masculine) at the end. The participle shares its subject with the main adjectives ἄνανδροι etc., and functions adverbially (expressing cause or manner) to modify the main verb θηλυγονοῦσιν.
- 7τῶν πρώτων καὶ στοιχειωδῶν μερῶν ἑκάστου τὰ οἰκεῖα καὶ πρόσφορα ζῷα περιέχοντος
A genitive absolute construction where ἑκάστου (dependent on μερῶν) is the subject in the genitive, and περιέχοντος is the present participle in the genitive, providing the reason for the preceding statement ἀνάγκη γὰρ ... ἐψυχῶσθαι.
- 9ἀλλ’ οὐ παρόσον ἀδύνατος ἡ ὄψις ψυχῶν φαντασιωθῆναι τύπους, διὰ τοῦτ’ οὔκ εἰσιν ἐν ἀέρι ψυχαί
The conjunction παρόσον (inasmuch as, although) correlates with διὰ τοῦτο (on that account), forming a logical structure "not because A, does B follow." The infinitive φαντασιωθῆναι is an epexegetic/limitation infinitive dependent on the adjective ἀδύνατος.