Genesis 1:24Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

‘And God said, Let the earth bring forth a living soul’ (Genesis 1:24). The earth has received a dual honor from God: it gives life to both plants and animals. This is not by happenstance, as it was intended to house mankind. Furthermore, since man is to find sustenance from the earth itself, God confers upon it the honor of being the provider and nurturer of this esteemed creature. Consider the orderly progression in which the Creator acted: He first prepared sustenance before introducing those who would partake in it. Likewise, in the case of humankind, He created the dwelling place before bringing forth the steward of the household. ‘Let the earth bring forth a living soul.’ How does the inanimate earth generate a living soul? From where arise the roaring lion, the swift horse, the hardworking ox, or the sturdy donkey? How can such a variety of living creatures spawn from the lifeless earth? The heretics shamelessly proclaim that the inanimate earth produces life it does not possess; yet when they hear that God generated life from His own essence, they quickly weave intricate arguments, concluding: ‘therefore God is divided, therefore He suffers,’ and other similar assertions unique to their ideology.

Now is not the time to discuss all the heretical claims against the Only Begotten, or rather their own salvation. God gains nothing from His glorification nor suffers harm from blasphemy, unless one considers our salvation a gain for Him. He is filled with every goodness and is satisfied with all that exists; He abounds in everything and requires nothing. What could anyone bestow upon Him, the Source of all blessings, from whose goodness everything derives? ‘All ... expect from Thee,’ David proclaims. ‘Thou openest Thy hand, and satisfiest all that live according to Thy good pleasure’ (Psalms 103:27, Psalms 144:16). However, let us conclude our discussion. It pleases us and maintains the integrity of our argument. The earth, obeying the divine command, produces what it does not possess; should we claim that the divine and pure nature is incapable of producing what it possesses?

Let us not misinterpret the term ‘has’ to suggest a human limitation, as if to say, ‘see how even the teacher Himself recognized that the Father precedes the Son.’ Rather, take a humble approach to the term, for these are individuals equipped with human limitations, attempting to articulate a divine and transcendent nature to fellow beings of the same nature. As human beings, we understand how to communicate in human terms. Yet, the misguided heretics fail to recognize that when discussing God, they apply terms unsuitable for Him. For instance, they claim that everything born must have a commencement. Why? They readily respond: ‘You, who were born, do you not have a beginning? So too your father, your grandfather?’ If you counter their reasoning with another that refutes their folly, they will retort, ‘This pertains to God, and you are using the reasoning pertaining to humanity.’ Thus, they accept the roots of wickedness grounded in common reasoning, while rejecting the same reasoning as a rebuttal against it.

Frequently, heretics inquire whether any man can exist and be born. If I show that Scripture affirms this not only concerning God but also regarding man, what will they assert? Scripture notes that the descendants of blessed Abraham are born; it does not suggest they did not exist, but rather that they preexisted. Abraham fathered Isaac; Isaac fathered Jacob; Jacob fathered Levi, from whom the priestly tribe descended. The Apostle Paul, providing theological insight into the narrative of Abraham’s encounter with Melchizedek, states: Melchizedek met Abraham and blessed him (Heb. 7:1), then immediately adds: ‘and, so to speak, Levi himself, who receives tithes, in the person of Abraham paid tithes: for he was yet in the loins of his father’ (Heb. 7:9, 10). Hence, he existed before his birth. Just as the root lives, so too, the apostle affirmed the existence of the fruit.

Here, however, where there is no suffering, no notion of successive lineage, no fruit-bearing, or other human afflictions, the heretic does not acknowledge the Being who is begotten from the Being, though He exists eternally. ‘If He is begotten,’ they argue, ‘how can He be eternal?’ Everyone born experiences a beginning. The term father, among us, is acquired after a time. Consider a young man who desires to marry; initially, he seeks a spouse, then he becomes a bridegroom, followed by becoming a husband, and ultimately, when he fathers a child, he assumes the title of father. If the offspring do not confer this title, he is not regarded as a father, even if he lived with his wife for a millennium. Similarly, a woman transitions from maiden to fiancée to wife, ultimately becoming a mother upon childbirth. Even if she bears fruit, if the child does not recognize her as mother in return for her nurturing, she remains unnamed as such. The wise God structured it this way so that fathers would not elevate themselves above their children. A father cannot claim to a son, ‘I have given you life, by me you were born, I am the source of your existence’; for the son could retort, ‘I was born by you, but you also became a father through me’; nor could a child say to the mother, ‘You gave me life, therefore I made you a mother.’

Our birth is a mutual exchange. In a similar vein, a son does not immediately become a son; he is first a seed, then a fetus, and only upon birth does he attain the title of son. All this occurs under the constraints of time, its tribulations, and bodily conditions. But where the act of creation is incorporeal, where the entity that is birthed is beyond the physical realm, is there any justification for claiming there once was a time when the One to be born did not exist or was born after the temporal order? Thus, we conclude: if God is perpetually unchanged, never gaining, He is eternally the Father; if He is eternally the Father, He always has the Son; therefore, the Son is of the same substance as the Father. We affirm that the Son is born without suffering, but we cannot explicate the nature of His birth. True understanding entails acknowledging our limitations when confronted with the divine nature. Therefore, we revere His birth but refrain from probing into its essence. If the One who gave birth was human, His offspring would reflect human birth; if He had a body, He would give birth as one with a body. Yet, if He is entirely abstract, do not ascribe human suffering to the incorporeal.

However, they claim He gave birth from His own essence, arguing He did so with suffering and separation. To counter this assertion, consider the natural world. The vine produces, the olive tree yields, even water brings forth life—not in a manner like our nature, but according to their own principles. When a woman receives the gift of motherhood from God, her body changes as she bears a fetus and recovers post-birth. With trees, the opposite occurs; prior to bearing fruit, the tree does not increase in size. Upon producing fruit, it swells, bear more fruit, with roots expanding, without any decrease in the root that gives birth, nor diminishment of the fruit borne. The vine does not bear fruit according to our understanding; rather, it does so according to God’s transcendent nature. Thus, when you hear that He has given birth, do not impose human suffering on divine acts.

‘And God said, Let the earth bring forth a living soul after its kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind. And it became so.’ ‘Cattle’ refers to domestic animals, ‘creeping things’ include serpents and dragons. Domestic cattle encompass not only those used for labor but also all herbivores, such as sheep and oxen. This is corroborated by Scripture, which states, ‘He had herds of small cattle and herds of large cattle’ (Genesis 26:14). The earth was flourishing, adorned with fruit, and populated with creatures; only the householder was missing. The heavens were adorned, the earth was adorned, the sea was filled, and the air resounded with birds; all was ready, save for humanity. Nevertheless, the fact that he is last in creation is not a mark of humiliation, but rather one of honor. The dwelling is prepared, and the steward is introduced. God acts with perfect timing and purpose, ensuring that all things are done wisely. Note the sequence: He created grass and grains before calling forth the animals that feed on them. If there were no sustenance, the creation of animals would be premature; they would suffer from lack. He first created the means of sustenance and then the ones who would partake of it. This reflects the divine wisdom regarding Scripture; the Scriptures foretold Christ, and then He, of whom they spoke, had already arrived. The testimonies were provided so that they might believe in Him, of whom the testimonies were given. The law was established to herald the Lawgiver. The prophets came before to proclaim the One they foretold. Observe God’s wisdom in this: He allowed the writings of the prophets to reside not only within the Church but also among the Jews; He retained them even with those who opposed God—enemies of Christ—to serve as a reminder. Why did He maintain the Scriptures with them rather than remove them? The answer is evident and does not require lengthy discussion—this ensures that my preaching is beyond reproach. Were I the sole custodian of prophetic writings, an unbeliever might challenge me. Would I dare claim, ‘Moses said,’ or ‘Isaiah said,’ or ‘other prophets have spoken of Christ and what will occur at His coming?’ An astute individual might counter, asking, ‘How do we know Moses was a prophet and spoke these proclamations, as Christians assert, fabricating prophets and concocting names to substantiate their beliefs? Must we accept your biases?’

Thus, to silence objections, even from a well-versed critic, we must offer them no ground for contention since the very testimonies we cite in support of our beliefs also belong to them. Can we not expose their folly? Therefore, for the sake of the Jews not objecting, God has decreed that the Scriptures remain with them; so if they do not regard me, a witness confirming my beliefs, they may instead believe those who are disconnected from them. When you inquire of a Jew—not one among the ignorant masses, but one knowledgeable in the law—‘Is there a Christ?’ he will not deny the existence of one but will assert, ‘There is, but not the one you speak of; rather, he is another.’ Thus, he does not negate the fact; he only challenges the identity. Distinguishing between denying a fact and denying a person is vital. For instance, if someone sought a payment from me, it is one thing to deny the debt itself, and another to deny that I owe it to a specific individual. The recognition of the debt remains.

Likewise, the Jews affirm that there is a Christ, but they question whether He is the one we preach; they acknowledge a non-existent Christ because they have rejected the true one. Moreover, consider how Moses, the lawgiver, in detailing the creation of man, refers to the Son, imparting knowledge of Him. He states, ‘Let the firmament be made’; he commands, ‘Let the earth be produced’; he declares, ‘Let the waters be produced.’

However, it is important to consider what is specifically meant by cattle and beasts since these terms can denote all irrational creatures. The term "creeping things," particularly pertains to serpents; while snakes could technically fit under the classification of beasts, they are not designated as cattle. Beasts can refer to lions, tigers, wolves, foxes, dogs, monkeys, and similar creatures. Cattle typically refers to domesticated animals that assist humans, such as oxen and horses, or supply products like wool, alongside livestock like sheep and swine.

The term quadrupeds encompasses all four-legged creatures except for certain snakes. The historical narrative might not delineate these animals explicitly signifying that not all quadrupeds are addressed at once. True quadrupeds include deer, wild asses, and boars, which share characteristics with cattle, though they exist independently of human care. While all quadrapeds possess four legs, the term is not indiscriminately applied, as it has a nuanced association depending on the context.

When the writer references the word "kind," it’s used to denote the specific types of creatures discussed, encompassing the quadrupeds within the broader category of creeping things. The phrase "of the earth" ensures that crawling creatures on four legs also fall under this general classification. Similarly, in speaking of beasts where the phrase “by kind” appears again, it includes predatory animals that display their ferocity through their teeth and claws, excluding only serpents.

In examining the term applied to cattle—repeated for emphasis regarding its uniqueness—it suggests creatures that do not possess defensive or offensive capabilities, but exhibit strength in other ways. The expansive use of "quadrupeds" is indicative of the number of legs, and the term cattle can imply any unintelligent creature in context. In the Latin tongue, "fera" embodies a similar concept, illustrating the distinctiveness of these classifications as presented in this scriptural passage.

The phrase "according to their kind," applied to creatures but absent in reference to humanity, compels the consideration of its purpose. It prompts inquiry into whether this expression signifies prior existence or denotes the divine principles underpinning creation. The essence of divine wisdom underlies all created order, and examining light, heaven, earth, and celestial bodies reveals the unchanging and eternal ideas that reside in God’s nature. The phrase appears with various elements: from plants to animals, illuminating the purpose of creation for continuation through offspring.

Regarding living things created from water, although the term "according to their kind" is not immediately used, it reappears in the recounting of creation: God produced great sea creatures and every living creature that swims according to their kind, along with every bird to follow suit. This reiteration reinforces the notion of perpetuity—that animals exist to reproduce and maintain their forms across generations.

The question arises as to why the creation of humankind lacks this phrase about likeness. Perhaps it rests in the singular nature of man’s creation, distinguishing humanity from all other life forms and highlighting the potential for obedience, thereby negating the necessity for lineage in the same way found amongst the animals. Yet, post-fall, humanity became akin to irrational beings, giving birth and perpetuating life through succession.

When contemplating the blessing imparted after humanity’s creation—“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth”—there lies an acknowledgment of life born through human generation. It may be prudent to reserve some discussions until we reach scriptural passages that address these deeper questions directly. For now, it suffices to note that humanity's singular origin is a precursor to relational likeness, setting the stage for distinction among men, unlike the broader classifications among plants and animals.

As we explore the creation of lesser creatures, questions concerning certain life forms arise—were they part of the initial creation or did they emerge through decay processes? Many arise from decomposing bodies or rotting plants, yet all of these creations must still point back to God as their Creator. Each creature reveals a character of inherent beauty, showcasing the power and wisdom of the Creator, who ensures that even small beings evoke wonder and glory.

The inquiry continues regarding the origins of these tiny creatures; we ponder if they sprang forth during the initial creative acts or from the subsequent disintegration of corporeal forms. Notably, we may argue that the smallest forms from the earth and water were indeed created at the outset, possibly alongside those emerging as the earth flourished. These organisms complement the environment rather than merely populate it.

Contrastingly, the question arises about some harmful creatures: were they a postlapsarian creation meant for punishment, or were they initially innocuous? Even if the latter were true, the incompleteness of human righteousness and the necessity for trials remain evident. Through trials and tribulations, human virtue is tested and refined, leading one closer to eternal salvation.

Addressing the painful relationship among creatures may reveal the intricate lessons of divine purpose; though no creature possesses sin, they exist within the created order to function meaningfully. While the seemingly irrational may not understand their roles, humanity is invited to reflect on the created world as a mirror for understanding spiritual truths and eternal realities.

In God’s plan, nothing is superfluous; every element contributes to the harmony of existence. The complexity of animal existence offers mankind opportunities for deeper spiritual reflection—inducing a longing for the ultimate divine comfort. When we perceive order in all creation, we engage in recognizing the Creator’s handiwork; understanding that true righteousness hinges on glorifying Him through every facet of existence and humility.

Thus, let us acknowledge, even within uncertainty, that all creatures—whether perceived as useful or unnecessary—play a part in the greater tapestry of creation, a testament to God’s sovereign designs, with each life affirming God’s rule over all things, visible and invisible.

Lions approached Daniel, driven by hunger, yet held back, perceiving within him the divine likeness of God's image. When the echidna bit the Apostle, it found no sinful weakness in him and promptly cast itself into flames, punishing itself for attacking a body it should have left alone. Our fear of animals arises from our lack of virtuous living. In His care for the negligent, God assigned beasts to wild places and granted them the night to find sustenance, as it is written, "in it, all the beasts of the forest creep forth" (Psalm 104:20).

Moreover, animals serve practical purposes; physicians derive many medicinal remedies from them. Thus, one should not reproach the Creator for the existence of animals, lacking an understanding of their utility. The human body possesses remarkable beauty and order, yet it also contains phlegm, saliva, and unpleasant waste. Nonetheless, no one of sound mind would scorn a living being for these elements, as such aspects are essential for life and growth. Just as the body requires mucus, blood, and bile, an imbalance or excess of these can lead to deterioration. Similarly, if a joint is severed from a finger, it becomes entirely ineffective; yet, while connected, it serves the body well. Each part of creation should not be viewed in isolation, but rather in its contribution to the whole universe.

Fire may incinerate and destroy our bodies, houses, and fields, yet it remains one of the four essential elements of existence, integral to life itself. Water can flood the land, devastate domiciles, and endanger lives, especially when consumed recklessly, yet no rational person would deem water inherently destructive. It nourishes the earth, sustains plant life, and supports humanity. Hence, we ought to evaluate every creature not merely on whether it appears harmful or advantageous in isolation, but rather on its role in the greater scheme of creation. Even animals respect humanity, acknowledging the dominion bestowed upon us from the beginning, yet they may scorn us for violating Divine Law, akin to how unruly servants might treat those tasked with authority when they perceive that their own misconduct has stripped them of freedom.

These individuals carry the name of humanity but are preoccupied with temporary and worldly concerns, burdened by their transgressions. Beasts, derived from the Greek term (θηρια), received their name because they became wild (απο του θηριουσθαι); this occurrence did not stem from an inherent evil or venomous nature, for God created all things good and beautiful. It was through humanity's sin that corruption entered, leading both man and the creatures under his dominion to deviate from their intended state. As it is said, when the master of a household conducts himself righteously, it is expected that his servants will emulate him; likewise, when the master falters, his servants will follow suit. Thus, when humanity, the overseer of creation, fell into transgression, those created to serve him also turned towards wickedness. Yet, should man once more embrace his true nature, the creatures of the earth will be restored to their original demeanor of gentleness.

Those who squander their youthful days in laziness are warned by these unvoiced creatures and chastised by the words of Holy Scripture: "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise" (Proverbs 6:6). Observing how the ant diligently gathers provisions for the future, let him inspire you to collect the fruits of righteous deeds for eternal life.