ROQUERO, GYNESIS

Oct, 23, 2020

Read book of Genesis Chapter 1-3 and formulate 15 questions correspond with 15 answers at
least 3 sentences each answer.

1. What is the meaning of the words, " And

God made every green thing of the field before it came
into being on the earth, and every grass before it grew " ?

Ans: In these words he alludes to the incorporeal ideas. For

the expression, " before it came into being " points to the
perfection ^ of every green thing and grass, of plants and
trees. And as Scripture says that before they grew on
the earth He made plants and grass and the other things,

2. Who is the " moulded " * man ? And

how does he diiFer from him who is (made) " in accordance
with the image (of God) " ?

Ans: The moulded man is the sense-perceptible ". man and a

likeness of the intelligible type.** But the man made in accordance with (God's) form * is
intelligible and incor- poreal and a likeness of the archetype, so far as this is visible. And he is a
copy of the original seal.^ And this
is the Logos of God, the first principle, the archetypal
idea," the pre-measurer ^ of all things. For this reason the
man who was moulded as by a potter was formed out of
dust and earth, in respect of the body.

3. Why is He said to have breathed life into

his face?
Ans:First of all, because the face is the principal part of the
body. For the rest (of the body) was made like a pedestal,
while the face, like a bust, is firmly placed above it. And
sense-perception is the principal part of the animal species,
and sense-perception is in the face. In the second place,
man is admitted to be part not only of the animal order
but also of that of rational animals, and the head is the
temple of the mind, as some have said.

4. Why is God said to have " planted Para-

dise " and for whom ? And what is Paradise ?
Ans: Of Paradise, so far as the literal meaning is concerned,
there is no need to give an explicit interpretation. For
it is a dense place full of all kinds of trees. Symbolically,
however, it is wisdom <* or knowledge '' of the divine and
human and of their causes.

5. What is " the tree of life " and why is it in the midst of Paradise ?
Ans: Some believe that as plants are corporeal and subject to death, so also some have life and
immortality. Wherefore
they say that life and death are opposed to each other.
And some plants are destructive, and it is necessary to be
saved (from their effects). '^ But that this state is healthful
they do not know.

6. What is " the tree of knowing the

science ** of good and evil " ? This very clear statement, which in its literal meaning
is elusive, it presents to us as an allegory. For, as he
intimates, it is prudence,* and this is the science of know-
ing, through which good and beautiful things and bad and
ugly things are distinguished ; and (the science of know-
ing) all things which are contrary to each other, of which
the one is of a superior order, and the other of an inferior order.

7. Why does (God) place the man in Para-

dise for two things, to work and guard it, when Paradise was not in need of work, for it was
complete in all things
as having been planted by God, and was not in need of a guardian, for who was there to be
harmed ? These are the two things which a cultivator should keep
in mind and achieve, cultivation of the field and guarding
of the things in it, for it may be ruined either by idleness or by invasion.

8. What is the meaning of the words,

" Ye shall die by the death » " ? The death of worthy men is the beginning of another
life. For life is twofold ; one is with corruptible body ; the other is without body (and)
incorruptible. So that
the evil man dies by death even when he breathes, before
he is buried, as though he preserved for himself no spark
at all of the true life, and this is excellence of character.*
The decent and worthy man, however, does not die by
death, but after living long, passes away to eternity, that
is, he is borne to eternal life.
 9. Why, after first saying, " Let us make
a helper for man," does (God) create wild animals and
cattle ? Intemperate"* and gluttonous people would say that wild
animals and fowl, being necessary food, are a help to man.
For the eating of meat co-operates with the stomach toward
(attaining) health and bodily strength. But I believe that
now, because evil is found in him, man has enemies and
adversaries in terrestrial animals and fowl.

10. Why does (God) bring all the animals

to the man that he may give names to them ? Scripture has cleared up the great j)erplexity of
those
who are lovers of wisdom by showing that names exist by
being given and not by nature, since each is an apt and
naturally suitable name through the skilful calculation of
a wise man who is pre-eminent in knowledge.

11. What is the meaning of the words,

" Whatever he called a living soul, that was its name " ? It is necessary to believe that he gave
names not only
to animals but also to plants and to all other things without
life, beginning with the highest genus : and the animal is the highest thing. Scripture contents
itself with the best
part, not completely illustrating the naming of all things
for stupid men. Wherefore the naming of inanimate
things, which could not change their places or make use
of the affections of the soul,* was easy.

12. What is the meaning of the words,

" And He cast a trance " upon Adam, and made him
sleep " .'' Philosophers are at a loss and uncertain how to explain
how sleep comes about. But the prophet clearly solved
the problem. For sleep in itself is properly * a trance, not
that which comes about through madness,'' but that which comes about through the relaxing '^
of the senses and the
withdrawal of the reason. For then the senses withdraw
from sense-perceptible things, and the intellect withdraws
from the senses, not activating the nerves and not giving
motion even to those parts which have as their special
function the production of energy, being separated from
sense-perceptible things.

13. Why are both the earth-born man and

the woman said to be naked, and were not ashamed ? First, because they were related to the
world, and its parts are naked, all showing their own qualities and using
their own covering. Second, because of the simplicity of
their morals " and because they were by nature without
arrogance ; for not yet had presumption been created.
Third, because the pleasant climate of the place was also a quite sufficient covering to them, so
that there was
neither too much cold nor too much heat for them. Fourth,
because of their kinship with the world, they suffered no harm from any of its parts, it being
closely related to them.

14. Did the serpent speak in the manner of

men
Ans: First, it is likely that not even in the beginning of the
world's creation were the other animals without a share
in speech, but that man excelled in voice (or utterance),
being more clear and distinct. Second, when some mira-
culous deed is prepared, God changes the inner nature. Third, because our souls are filled with
many sins and deaf
to all utterances except one or another tongue to which
they are accustomed ; but the souls of the first creatures,^ as being pure of evil and unmixed,
were particularly keen
in becoming familiar " with every sound.

15. Why does the woman first touch the

tree and eat of its fruit, and afterwards the man also take of it ?
Ans: According to the literal meaning the priority (of the
woman) is mentioned with emphasis.** For it was fitting
that man should rule over immortality and everything
good, but woman over death and everything vile. In
the allegorical sense, however, woman is a symbol of sense, and man, of mind. Now of
necessity sense comes into contact with the sense-perceptible ; and by the participa-
tion of sense,* things pass into the mind ; for sense is moved by objects,' while the mind is
moved by sense.