By St. Gregory of Nissa
Indeed, this great and invaluable good, the man, did not yet exist in the world of created things. It would not be, of course, naturally the ruler appeared before his subordinates appear; But as soon as the base is prepared, then the king should rise.
So, the Creator of the universe pre-prepared something like a royal palace for the one who was about to reign: it was the earth, the islands and the sea, and above them – the sky, curved as a roof. And in these palaces a variety of wealth was laid – all creation: plants and greenery, everything that feels, breathes and has a soul; And, to say everything, this wealth also includes substances that, because of its colorfulness and splendor, the human eye considers valuable – gold, silver and those stones that people love.
All this abundance has hidden the Creator as in royal treasures, and only then introduced the man into the world to be one of the wonders of the spectator and the other master. Thus, through the pleasure, he knows the mind of the donor, and through the beauty and majesty of the visible to reach out to the unspoken and exceeding every reason of the Creator. Therefore, the man was introduced into being the last, after the rest of the creation-not as rejected or rejected, but because he had been the king of the lower than him from his very occurrence. The kind-hearted host does not invite the guest at the table before preparing the dishes; But when he decorated the home with proper decorations, he ordered the seats and the table, then he introduced the compatriot when everything about the food is ready.
In the same way, the generous, rich in the blessing of nature, after decorating with all kinds of beauties the home and prepared this great and diverse feast, then introduced man, but not to seek what he is missing, but to enjoy what is in front of him. And gave him a double bet, mixing the Divine and the earthly; Thus, with these two beginnings, he should be related and close to each of the two joys – enjoying God through his divine nature, and of earthly goods through their related senses.
Source: St. Gregory of Nissa, περὶ κατασκευῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, 2. Άπαντα τα έργα. 5. Ερμηνευτικά α΄. Θεσσαλονίκη, 1987.
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First published in this link of The European Times.
