Let us make humankind — dominion and God’s own making
God said: Let us make humankind in our image and likeness, and let them rule the fish of the sea and the birds of heaven and the beasts of the whole earth. God wants such a human to hold rule over those beasts already named. Let the waters — the mind — bring forth spiritual sense; let the earth — the flesh — put forth fleshly sense; and let the mind rule, not those over it. Mark the greatness: other things are made by command — Let there be a firmament, Let the water be gathered — but of the human: Let us make. Only heaven and earth, the lights, and the human are ascribed as God’s own making.
Latin
Et dixit Deus: faciamus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram, et principetur piscibus maris et volatilibus caeli et bestiis universae terrae. Talem hominem vult Deus principatum gerere praedictarum bestiarum. Aquae — mens — sensum spiritalem producat; terra — caro — sensum carnis; dominetur nus, non illa ei. Considera magnitudinem: cetera iussione fiunt — fiat firmamentum, congregetur aqua — at de homine: faciamus. Solum caelum et terra, luminaria, et homo factura ipsius Dei ascribuntur.
About this text
Origen’s Homilia I on Genesis (Rufinus’s Latin). Complete on this page: §§1–17.
English follows Baehrens, Origenes Werke VI (GCS 29, 1920), Rufinus’s Latin of Homilia I. Heine FOTC 71 was not used as wording. This page is Homilia I §§1–17 (closeout).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Baehrens, Origenes Werke VI = GCS 29 (1920) (Latin · Homilia I §§1–17)
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.