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their folds will be lain down in. Man will go forth to his work and to his labor until evening ". Thus having said these things, he marvels at the Creator's magnificent work, and says: " How magnified are your works, O Lord; in wisdom you have made them all ". We have learned precisely, therefore, that darkness is necessary; but that it is not some substance, but an accidental property, is easy to understand. For it is a shadow of heaven and earth; for this very reason it vanishes when the light rises. But light is a substance and has existence, and when it sets it rises again, and when it departs it returns. For just as our body is some substance, but the shadow produced by it is an accidental property, not a substance, so heaven and earth, the greatest bodies, are different substances; but the shadow produced from them, when light is not present, is named darkness. But when the light enters, it makes the darkness disappear. One might know this also from another source. For a house having no windows is full of darkness. But when a lamp is brought in, it is illuminated, not because the darkness moves elsewhere; for it does not have existence, but is a non-existent thing, but is rather utterly destroyed by the presence of light. For it is a shadow formed by the roof and the floor and 12 the walls, then dissolved by the rays of light. This we see happening each day. For when the light recedes, the shadow of heaven and earth produces darkness; but when it rises again, this is dissolved. Darkness is therefore not an uncreated substance, nor indeed any created hypostasis, but a necessary use composed from created things and proclaiming the wisdom of God. At any rate, the prophet immediately hymns the God of all things from this as well: " who made," for he says, "light and prepared darkness ". He has very fittingly applied each term: "made" to the light, but "prepared" to the darkness. For it is an accidental property, being formed and dissolved. And the thrice-blessed children, having called all creation to hymnody, yoked night to day, and joined darkness to light; since by their successions both time is measured, and the life of men is constituted. VIII What spirit "was moving over the water"? To some it seems to be the all-holy Spirit, giving life to the nature of the waters and prefiguring the grace of baptism; I think, however, that argument is truer, that here he calls the air "spirit." For having said that he made heaven and earth, and having mentioned the waters through the abyss, he necessarily also mentioned the air, which extends from the surface of the water up to heaven; for it is the nature of air to move over the bodies lying below. And very fittingly he said "was moving over" and not "was lying upon"; for "was moving over" indicated the motive substance of the air. But if someone does not accept this argument because it is written, "the Spirit of God was moving over the water," 13 let him hear the blessed David saying about the God of all: " His spirit will blow and the waters will flow ". That he thus called the wind is clear even if I do not say it; for when the East wind or the South wind blows, the frozen water is naturally dissolved. IX To whom does God say, "Let there be light," and, "Let there be a firmament"? He does not command some other to create, but he calls the things that are not; here the command is the will. "For," he says, "whatever God willed, he did." But if he also used some voice in creating, it is clear that it was not for the sake of the lifeless elements, but for the sake of the invisible powers; so that they might know that at his command the things that are not are established. X Why has the writer set down, "God saw that it was good"? So that he might persuade the ungrateful not to blame what the divine decree names good. XI Is there one heaven or are there two? Since the divine Scripture teaches that "in the beginning God made the heaven and the earth," and then says that after the creation of light, on the second day the firmament came to be, the question of those who ask shows great foolishness. For it was necessary both from the time and certainly also from the manner of creation that the

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τὰς μάνδρας αὐτῶν κοιτασθήσονται. ἐξελεύσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐπὶ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐργασίαν αὐτοῦ ἕως ἑσπέρας ". οὕτως ταῦτα εἰπὼν τὴν τοῦ ποιητοῦ θαυμάζει μεγαλουρ γίαν, καί φησιν· " ὡς ἐμεγαλύνθη τὰ ἔργα σου, Κύριε, πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας ". ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἀναγκαῖον τὸ σκότος ἀκριβῶς μεμαθήκαμεν· ὅτι δὲ οὐκ οὐσία τίς ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ πρᾶγ μα συμβεβηκός, καταμαθεῖν εὐπετές· οὐρανοῦ γὰρ καὶ γῆς ἐστιν ἀπο σκίασμα· διά τοι τοῦτο φροῦδον γίνεται τοῦ φωτὸς ἀνίσχοντος. τὸ δὲ φῶς οὐσία ἐστὶ καὶ ὑφέστηκε, καὶ δυόμενον ἀνίσχει, καὶ ἀπιὸν ἐπαν έρχεται· ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα τὸ ἡμέτερον οὐσία τίς ἐστιν, ἡ δὲ διὰ τούτου ἀποτελουμένη σκιὰ συμβεβηκός ἐστιν, οὐκ οὐσία, οὕτως ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ, τὰ μέγιστα σώματα, οὐσίαι εἰσὶ διάφοροι· ἡ δὲ ἐκ τούτων ἀποτε λουμένη σκιά, τοῦ φωτὸς οὐ παρόντος, ὀνομάζεται σκότος· εἰσελθὸν δὲ τὸ φῶς ἀφανίζει τὸ σκότος. τοῦτο δὲ γνοίη τις ἂν καὶ ἑτέρωθεν· οἶκος γὰρ οὐκ ἔχων φωταγωγοὺς σκότους ἐστὶν ἀνάπλεως. εἰσκομισθείσης δὲ λαμπάδος φωτίζεται, οὐ τοῦ σκότους ἄλλοσε μεταβαίνοντος· οὐ γὰρ ὑφέστηκεν, ἀνυπόστατον δὲ χρῆμά ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ πάμπαν διολλυμένου τῇ τοῦ φωτὸς παρουσίᾳ. σκιὰ γάρ ἐστι διὰ τῆς ὀροφῆς καὶ τοῦ ἐδάφους καὶ 12 τῶν τοίχων συνισταμένη, εἶτα ταῖς τοῦ φωτὸς διαλυομένη μαρμαρυγαῖς. τοῦτο καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ὁρῶμεν ἐπιτελούμενον· ὑποχωροῦντος γὰρ τοῦ φωτός, οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς ἡ σκιὰ τὸ σκότος ἀποτελεῖ· ἀνίσχοντος δὲ πάλιν διαλύεται τοῦτο. οὐ τοίνυν ἀγένητος οὐσία τὸ σκότος, οὔτε μὴν γενητή τις ὑπόστασις, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῶν γενητῶν συνισταμένη χρῆσις ἀναγ καία καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν σοφίαν κηρύττουσα. αὐτίκα γοῦν ὁ προφήτης τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ὑμνεῖ· " ὁ ποιήσας, γάρ φησι, φῶς καὶ κατασκευάσας σκότος ". ἁρμοδίως δὲ ἄγαν ἑκάτερα τέθεικεν· τὸ μὲν ποιήσας ἐπὶ τοῦ φωτός, τὸ δὲ κατασκευάσας ἐπὶ τοῦ σκό τους· συμβεβηκὸς γάρ ἐστι, συνιστάμενον καὶ διαλυόμενον. καὶ οἱ τρισμα κάριοι δὲ παῖδες πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν εἰς ὑμνῳδίαν καλέσαντες, τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τὴν νύκτα συνέζευξαν, καὶ φωτὶ τὸ σκότος συνήρμοσαν· ἐπειδὴ ταῖς τού των διαδοχαῖς καὶ ὁ χρόνος μετρεῖται, καὶ ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων συνίσταται βίος. VIII Ποῖον πνεῦμα " ἐπεφέρετο ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατος "; Τισὶ δοκεῖ τὸ πανάγιον πνεῦμα ζωογονοῦν τῶν ὑδάτων τὴν φύσιν καὶ προδιαγράφον τὴν τοῦ βαπτίσματος χάριν· ἀληθέστερον μέντοι ἐκεῖνον οἶμαι τὸν λόγον, ὅτι πνεῦμα ἐνταῦθα τὸν ἀέρα καλεῖ. εἰπὼν γάρ, ὅτι τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν ἐποίησε καὶ τῶν ὑδάτων διὰ τῆς ἀβύσσου μνησ θείς, ἀναγκαίως καὶ τοῦ ἀέρος ἐμνήσθη, ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ὕδατος ἐπιφανείας μέχρι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ διήκοντος· ἀέρος γὰρ φύσις τὸ τοῖς κάτω κειμένοις ἐπιφέρεσθαι σώμασι. μάλα δὲ ἁρμοδίως τὸ " ἐπεφέρετο " καὶ οὐκ ἐπέ κειτο εἴρηκε· τὸ γὰρ " ἐπεφέρετο " τὴν κινητικὴν τοῦ ἀέρος οὐσίαν παρεδήλου. εἰ δέ τις τοῦτον οὐ προσίεται τὸν λόγον ἐπειδὴ γέγραπται· " πνεῦμα Θεοῦ ἐπεφέρετο ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατος ", 13 ἀκουσάτω τοῦ μακαρίου ∆αβὶδ λέγοντος περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων· " πνεύσει τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ καὶ ῥυήσεται ὕδατα ". ὅτι δὲ τὸν ἄνεμον οὕτως ἐκάλεσε, δῆλόν ἐστι κἂν μὴ λέγω· Εὔρου γὰρ ἢ Νότου πνέοντος, τὸ πεπηγὸς ὕδωρ διαλύεσθαι πέφυκεν. IX Τίνι λέγει ὁ Θεός· " γενηθήτω φῶς " καί, " γενηθήτω στε ρέωμα "; Οὐκ ἄλλῳ τινὶ κελεύει δημιουργεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὴ ὄντα καλεῖ· ἐνταῦθα δὲ πρόσταγμα τὸ βούλημα· " πάντα, γάρ φησιν, ὅσα ἠθέλησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν ". εἰ δὲ καὶ φωνῇ τινι δημιουργῶν ἐχρήσατο, δῆλον ὡς οὐ τῶν ἀψύχων ἕνεκα στοιχείων, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀοράτων χάριν δυνάμεων· ἵνα γνῶσιν ὡς αὐτοῦ κελεύοντος τὰ μὴ ὄντα συνίσταται. X ∆ιὰ τί τέθεικεν ὁ συγγραφεὺς τό· " εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι καλόν "; Ἵνα πείσῃ τοὺς ἀχαρίστους μὴ ψέγειν ἅπερ ἡ θεία ψῆφος ὀνομάζει καλά. XI Εἷς οὐρανὸς ἢ δύο εἰσίν; Τῆς θείας διδασκούσης γραφῆς, ὡς "ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν", εἶτα μετὰ τὴν τοῦ φωτὸς δημιουργίαν ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ λε γούσης ἡμέρᾳ τὸ στερέωμα γεγενῆσθαι, πολλὴν ἡ ἐρώτησις τῶν πυν θανομένων ἐμφαίνει τὴν ἄνοιαν. ἔδει γὰρ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ καιροῦ καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἐκ τοῦ τρόπου τῆς δημιουργίας τὸ