26. See Lk 12:7.
232 The Literal Meaning of Genesis beings—as though, indeed, it made any difference to our ultimate good through what channels this now lifeless flesh passes in the secluded depths of nature, from which it is in due course to be extracted and refashioned by the marvelous omnipotence of the creator! Here too, in fact, the wise can learn a lesson—so wholeheartedly to trust themselves to the faithful creator, who governs all things, the greatest and the least, at his secret pleasure, and for whom our very hairs are numbered,26 that they do not let vain anxieties about the disposal of their lifeless corpses fill them with dread of any kind of death, but instead have no hesitation in bracing themselves with devout courage to be ready for it in whatever shape it comes.
Why and when thorns and thistles and trees that bear nofruit were created
18, 27. The same kind of problem commonly arises over thorns and thistles and some kinds of tree that bear no fruit: why or when they were created, seeing that God said: Let the earth produce grass forfodder seeding seed, and fruit trees makingfruit (Gn 1 : 1 1 ). But people who are worried by this are unaware, it would seem, of common formulae in human law, which talk about "usufruct"; what is referred to, after all, in the word "fruit," is the thing's uses for those who enjoy it.27 And how many uses there are of all the things the earth brings forth and nourishes through their roots, well the obvious ones these people can observe for themselves, the more special less known ones they can learn about from the experts.
28. About thorns and thistles, indeed, a more unconditional answer can be given, because after his sin the man was told about the earth: thorns and thistles shall it bringforth to you (Gn 3:18). Still, that does not mean one can simply say that that was when these things began to spring up from the earth. It is possible, after all, that many uses can be found for seeds of this kind too, and so they could have had their place without any penal inconvenience to the man. But that these too should be produced in the fields in which he was now condemned to toil away, this served, we can suppose, to pile on the punishment, since they could have come up elsewhere as food for birds and cattle, or for some human uses or other.
Though as a matter of fact the following way of taking these words does no violence to them either; thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you can be understood to mean that while the earth did bring them forth previously, it did not do so to add to the man's labor, but to provide food for animals of whatever sort—there are some, you see, which find these kinds of plant, both with softer and harder leaves, appropriate and pleasant to eat; but it was when the man
26. See Lk 12:7. 27. Fructus derived from fruor, 1 enjoy.