{"author":null,"canonical_references":[],"database_sha256":"8cfbe7284c6936871d57c02dc6aa63ebbdfd4722422d539dd9f716e46e91112e","date_end":null,"date_start":null,"edition_year":null,"id":"sermonindex-ecf-4125","native_reference":{"book_number":250,"chapter_from":3,"chapter_to":3,"system":"MyBible module coordinates (mapping unverified)","verse_from":14,"verse_to":14},"public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"verse-keyed-module-record","review_required":["English edition and exact text","author/work attribution","dating","verse mapping and citation kind","reuse and attribution","split author quotations and deduplicate"],"review_status":"unreviewed","source_html":"<p><b>Didymus the Blind</b>: In the spiritual and higher sense one can also say the following: The invisible things are God's creations in the real sense. They are eternal. The timely and visible things are secondary and accidental and created for the sake of the eternal ones. These visible things have come into being for the sake of humankind, which by nature is invisible regarding the soul and the inner being. The visible things cannot primarily be called God's creations. God certainly has created them, but for the purpose of other things.<br/><i>— COMMENTARY ON Ecclesiastes 87:6</i></p><p><b>Didymus the Blind</b>: God has made creation so that human beings, through an outward picture of the greatness and beauty of created things, might [understand] that God exists. He himself manages the cosmos and looks after it so that we—while the whole cosmos is orderly guided by one commander and provider and ruler and charioteer and king—get the outward picture that there is someone who rules the cosmos. When you see a ship which is piloted and holds its course, you perceive the idea of a helmsman even if he is not visible. And if you see a chariot which travels orderly, you get the idea of a charioteer. Likewise the Creator is known by his works and the order of his providence.<br/><i>— COMMENTARY ON Ecclesiastes 88:29</i></p><p><b>Jerome</b>: \"I<br/>realised that whatever God does will endure forever: nothing can be added to it<br/>and nothing taken away, and God has acted so that man should fear Him. \"There is nothing in the world that is<br/>new. The course of the sun and moon in<br/>turn and the dryness and verdure of the earth and trees are born and take shape<br/>with the world itself. And therefore God<br/>governed all things by a defined plan and commanded the elements to be at the<br/>disposal of man, for his use, so that when men see these things they know that<br/>there is providence and fear the appearance of God; while from the equality of<br/>the world, the natural season, order, and constancy they understand their<br/>creator. \"For his invisible work in<br/>the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things<br/>which are made, even his eternal virtue and power\" [Rom. 1, 20.]. If we want we can read this as if from the<br/>beginning, with the meaning of the first part already understood: \"and God<br/>has acted so that man should fear Him\" then this is the meaning: God made<br/>all these things, so that men fear him, and reject for another what God once<br/>created for man. But he governed<br/>perfectly, saying: \"so that they should fear his appearance\". [Ps. 33, 17.] The image of the Lord, indeed, is powerful<br/>over those who are wicked.<br/><i>— Commentary on Ecclesiastes</i></p>","source_html_sha256":"6e4ce43b419a30609bcb80e8169c149ba20036fcab43122251be5ece44c4365f","source_module":"ECF","source_row_id":4125,"source_url":"https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/ecf/","text_sha256":"1068e711c3020a6ed518a400f1a71e751e05ee3d9b49271760900e9f13869ce2","translator":null,"work":null}