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From the Work on Things Created

Methodius of Olympus

Section 9

About this work

Author: Methodius of Olympus

IX. He says that Origen, after having fabled many

things

concerning

the

eternity

of

the

universe

,

adds

this

also

:

Nor

yet

from

Adam

,

as

some

say

,

did

man

,

previously

not

existing

,

first

take

his

existence

and

come

into

the

world

.

Nor

again

did

the

world

begin

to

be

made

six

days

before

the

creation

of

Adam

.

But

if

any

one

should

prefer

to

differ

in

these

points

,

let

him

first

say

,

whether

a

period

of

time

be

not

easily

reckoned

from

the

creation

of

the

world

,

according

to

the

Book

of

Moses

,

to

those

who

so

receive

it

,

the

voice

of

prophecy

here

proclaiming

:

“

Thou

art

God

from

everlasting

,

and

world

without

end

.

…

For

a

thousand

years

in

Thy

sight

are

but

as

yesterday

:

seeing

that

is

past

as

a

watch

in

the

night

.

”

For

when

a

thousand

years

are

reckoned

as

one

day

in

the

sight

of

God

,

and

from

the

creation

of

the

world

to

His

rest

is

six

days

,

so

also

to

our

time

,

six

days

are

defined

,

as

those

say

who

are

clever

arithmeticians

.

Therefore

,

they

say

that

an

age

of

six

thousand

years

extends

from

Adam

to

our

time

.

For

they

say

that

the

judgment

will

come

on

the

seventh

day

,

that

is

in

the

seventh

thousand

years

.

Therefore

,

all

the

days

from

our

time

to

that

which

was

in

the

beginning

,

in

which

God

created

the

heaven

and

the

earth

,

are

computed

to

be

thirteen

days

;

before

which

God

,

because

he

had

as

yet

created

nothing

according

to

their

folly

,

is

stripped

of

His

name

of

Father

and

Almighty

.

But

if

there

are

thirteen

days

in

the

sight

of

God

from

the

creation

of

the

world

,

how

can

Wisdom

say

,

in

the

Book

of

the

Son

of

Sirach

:

“

Who

can

number

the

sand

of

the

sea

,

and

the

drops

of

rain

,

and

the

days

of

eternity

?

”

This

is

what

Origen

says

seriously

,

and

mark

how

he

trifles

.

Notes

8
Ps. xc. 2, 4.
9
Ecclus. i. 2.