Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VIII/Pseudo-Clementine Literature/The Clementine Homilies/Homily VI/Chapter 5

by Anonymous

Chapter V.—Kronos and Rhea Explained.

“Now you must think of Kronos as time (chronos), and Rhea as the flowing (rheon) of the watery substance.^[1]  For the whole body of matter was borne about for some Time, before it brought forth, like an egg, the sphere-like, all-embracing heaven (ouranos), which at first was full of productive marrow, so that it was able to produce out of itself elements and colours of all sorts, while from the one substance and the one colour it produced all kinds of forms.  For as a peacock’s egg seems to have only one colour, while potentially it has in it all the colours of the animal that is to be, so this living egg, conceived out of infinite matter, when set in motion by the underlying and ever-flowing matter, produces many different forms.  For within the circumference a certain living creature, which is both male and female, is formed by the skill of the indwelling divine spirit.  This Orpheus calls Phanes, because when it appeared (phaneis) the universe shone forth from it, with the lustre of that most glorious of the elements, fire, perfected in moisture.  Nor is this incredible, since in glowworms nature gives us to see a moist light.

Footnotes

1. [Comp. Recognitions, x. 17, 31, 32.—R.]