Σπιθαμή
hand-span
Translated by William Hutton18 Mar 2014Vetting: high2 revisions
Translation
"The prophetic text used the word figuratively in reference to God, because he holds creation together, and encompassing it with his grasp he brings everything into order and arrangement, having assigned symmetry to mountains and limits [to waters] and to all things in the cosmos their own order. He who encompasses the entirety of heaven with a small part of his own entire power, which the text figuratively called 'hand-span'."
Greek original · Adler’s text
Σπιθαμή· τροπικῶς ἐπὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος ὠνόμασεν, ὅτι συνέχει τὴν κτίσιν, καὶ περιδεδραγμένος αὐτῆς εἰς τάξιν ἅπαντα καὶ διακόσμησιν ἄγει, καὶ ὄρεσιν ἰσορροπίαν καὶ μέτρα, πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τὴν οἰκείαν τάξιν ἀποκληρώσας. ὁ τὸν οὐρανὸν ὅλον μικρῷ μέρει τῆς ὅλης αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως περιέχων· ἣν σπιθαμὴν τροπικῶς ὁ λόγος ὠνόμασε.
Betacode
*spiqamh/: tropikw=s e)pi\ tou= qeou= o( profhtiko\s lo/gos w)no/masen, o(/ti sune/xei th\n kti/sin, kai\ peridedragme/nos au)th=s ei)s ta/cin a(/panta kai\ diako/smhsin a)/gei, kai\ o)/resin i)sorropi/an kai\ me/tra, pa=si toi=s e)n tw=| ko/smw| th\n oi)kei/an ta/cin a)poklhrw/sas. o( to\n ou)rano\n o(/lon mikrw=| me/rei th=s o(/lhs au)tou= duna/mews perie/xwn: h(\n spiqamh\n tropikw=s o( lo/gos w)no/mase.
Notes
- Derived with minor modifications from Basil of Caesarea, On the Holy Spirit 5.7 (PG 32.80c); hence also Catena in epistulam ad Romanos (typus Monacensis) 428. 'The prophetic text' referred to is Isaiah 40:12 LXX, where the present headword -- nominative singular, probably a generic lexical reference -- appears in the dative singular.
For this term see also sigma 942; and cf. under (e.g.) alpha 518, gamma 367, delta 1434, pi 63.
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Revision history2 revisions · last 26 May 2016
- coding — David Whitehead
- more x-refs; cosmetics; raised status — David Whitehead
- Translated — William Hutton