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to know the difference; for the one was before the light, and the other after the light; and the one was not from something; but the other from waters; 14 "For," it says, "let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it be dividing between water and water." Then, having said that the word became a deed; for this is what "and it was so" makes clear. It also teaches how it came to be: "For," it says, "God made the firmament, and God divided between the water which was under the firmament, and between the water which was above the firmament. and God called the firmament heaven." But the first heaven was not called a firmament, but was named heaven from the beginning; for this one received its name from the thing itself, for since it was formed from the flowing substance of the waters, and the fluid nature became most solid and firm, it was called a firmament. Then, as it lies above, and fulfills for us the need of the first heaven, it was additionally named heaven. The God of all divided the nature of the waters in two; and some he placed above the firmament, and some he left below so that the ones lying above, by their moisture and coolness, might not permit the fire of the luminaries to damage the firmament, and that the ones remaining below might nourish with their vapors the air, which is dried and parched by the fire lying above. Therefore, he who disbelieves in the second heaven steps off the straight path; and he who tries to count more follows myths, despising the teaching of the divine Spirit. But divine Scripture names the heavens in the plural, saying "the heavens of the heavens," because the language of the Hebrews does not know how to name 15 either heaven or water in the singular. And one might find many such things also in the Greek tongue; for no one names the city Athen in the singular, but Athens in the plural; and again, no one calls the city of the Delphians Delphos, but Delphi in the plural. Therefore, divine Scripture did not say "heavens of heavens" as if there were many heavens, but to preserve the idiom of the Hebrew tongue; since in another psalm, teaching us this more clearly and omitting the idiom of that language, it spoke thus: "The heaven of heaven is the Lord's," so that it is clear that just as this heaven is a roof for us, and the earth a floor, so the visible heaven has the heaven above it as a roof. XII Why, having spoken of one gathering of the waters, does it then indicate many? "For," it says, "let the water that is under the heaven be gathered into their gatherings." There is one gathering of the waters; for the seas are joined to one another; some from below through certain subterranean channels; and others along the surface itself. But again it named the "gatherings" in the plural, because the Indian sea is one thing, the Pontic another, and the Tyrrhenian another; and the Propontis is one, the Hellespont another, the Aegean another, and again the Ionian gulf another. And beyond these again lies the greatest sea, which some name the Atlantic, and others the Ocean. For this reason, it named it one gathering, as it is connected; but as they are divided, gatherings. 16 XIII Why did God command the non-edible plants to sprout? The kinds of irrational animals are many; some being called wild beasts, and others cattle; and some reptiles, and others birds; for all these God prepared food, and these he made for the sake of human needs. Indeed, it says they are nourished for our sake: "For," it says, "to him who causes grass to grow for the cattle, and green herbs for the service of men." Therefore what is useless to this one is useful to that one, and the things not necessary for humans are suitable for those made on account of them. In addition to these things, God, foreseeing that afflictions would also befall humans, since they had indeed received the sentence of death on account of sin, commanded the earth to sprout not only edible plants, but also plants that ward off afflictions. And one might learn this more accurately from those who have practiced the art of medicine; that even things that seem to be poisons, are for afflictions

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διάφορον γνῶναι· ὁ μὲν γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ φωτός, ὁ δὲ μετὰ τὸ φῶς· καὶ ὁ μὲν οὐκ ἔκ τινος· ὁ δὲ ἐξ ὑδάτων· 14 " γενηθήτω , γάρ φησι, στερέωμα ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ὕδα τος, καὶ ἔστω διαχωρίζον ἀνὰ μέσον ὕδατος καὶ ὕδατος ". εἶτα εἰπὼν ὡς ὁ λόγος ἔργον ἐγένετο· τοῦτο γὰρ δήλοι τὸ " καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως ". διδάσκει καὶ πῶς ἐγένετο· " ἐποί ησε, γάρ φησιν, ὁ Θεὸς τὸ στερέωμα, καὶ διεχώ ρισεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ ὕδατος ὃ ἦν ὑποκάτω τοῦ στερεώματος, καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ ἐπάνω τοῦ στερεώματος. καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ στερέωμα οὐρανόν ". ὁ δὲ πρότερος οὐρανὸς οὐκ ἐκλήθη στε ρέωμα, ἀλλ' οὐρανὸς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὠνομάσθη· οὗτος γὰρ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πράγματος τὴν προσηγορίαν ἐδέξατο, ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκ τῆς ῥοώδους τῶν ὑδάτων οὐσίας συνέστη, καὶ ἡ ῥυτὴ φύσις στεγανωτάτη γέγονε καὶ στερέμνιος προσηγορεύθη στερέωμα. εἶτα ὡς ἄνωθεν ἐπικείμενος, καὶ τοῦ προτέρου οὐρανοῦ τὴν χρείαν ἡμῖν πληρῶν, οὐρανὸς προ σωνομάσθη. διχῆ δὲ διεῖλε τῶν ὑδάτων τὴν φύσιν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός· καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄνωθεν ἐπιτέθεικε τῷ στερεώματι, τὰ δὲ κάτω καταλέλοιπεν ἵνα τὰ μὲν ἄνωθεν ἐπικείμενα τῇ τε ὑγρότητι καὶ ψυχρό τητι μὴ συγχωρῇ τῷ πυρὶ τῶν φωστήρων λωβᾶσθαι τὸ στερέωμα, τὰ δὲ κάτω μεμενηκότα διατρέφῃ τοῖς ἀτμοῖς τὸν ἀέρα διαυαινόμενον καὶ ξηραινόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ ἄνωθεν ἐπικειμένου πυρός. τοιγαροῦν καὶ ὁ τῷ δευτέρῳ διαπιστῶν οὐρανῷ ἔξω βαίνει τῆς εὐθείας ὁδοῦ· καὶ ὁ πλείους πειρώμενος ἀριθμεῖν μύθοις ἕπεται, τῆς τοῦ θείου πνεύματος διδασκαλίας καταφρονῶν. πληθυντικῶς δὲ θεία γραφὴ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ὀνομάζει λέ γουσα "οἱ οὐρανοὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν", ἐπειδὴ τῶν ἑβραίων ἡ γλῶττα οὔτε 15 τὸν οὐρανόν, οὔτε τὸ ὕδωρ οἶδεν ἑνικῶς ὀνομάσαι. εὕροι δ' ἄν τις τοιαῦτα πολλὰ καὶ παρὰ τῇ Ἑλλάδι φωνῇ· Ἀθήναν γὰρ τὴν πόλιν οὐδεὶς ἑνικῶς ὀνομάζει, ἀλλ' Ἀθήνας πληθυντικῶς· καὶ ∆ελφῶν πάλιν τὴν πόλιν οὐδεὶς ∆ελφόν, ἀλλὰ ∆ελφοὺς πληθυντικῶς. οὐ τοίνυν ὡς πολλῶν ὄντων οὐρα νῶν οὐρανοὺς οὐρανῶν ἡ θεία εἶπε γραφή, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἰδίωμα φυλάξασα τῆς ἑβραΐδος φωνῆς· ἐπεὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ ψαλμῷ σαφέστερον ἡμᾶς τοῦτο διδάσ κουσα καὶ παραλιποῦσα τὸ τῆς γλώττης ἐκείνης ἰδίωμα οὕτως ἔφη· " ὁ οὐρανὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ", ὡς εἶναι δῆλον, ὅτι καθάπερ οὗτος ὁ οὐρανὸς ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὄροφος, ἡ δὲ γῆ ἔδαφος, οὕτως ὁ ὁρώμενος οὐρανὸς ὄροφον ἔχει τὸν ὑπερκείμενον οὐρανόν. XII Τί δή ποτε μίαν εἰπὼν τὴν τῶν ὑδάτων συναγωγήν, πολλὰς μετὰ ταῦτα δηλοῖ; " συνάχθη , γάρ φησι, τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ εἰς τὰς συναγωγὰς αὐτῶν ". Μία μέν ἐστι τῶν ὑδάτων συναγωγή· τὰ πελάγη γὰρ ἀλλήλοις συνήρμοσ ται· τὰ μὲν κάτωθεν διά τινων ὑπογείων πόρων· τὰ δὲ καὶ κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν. πληθυντικῶς δὲ πάλιν τὰς " συναγωγὰς " ὠνόμασεν, ἐπειδὴ ἄλλο μὲν τὸ Ἰνδικὸν πέλαγος, ἄλλο δὲ τὸ Ποντικὸν καὶ τὸ Τυρρηνι κὸν ἕτερον· καὶ ἄλλη μὲν ἡ Προποντίς, ἄλλος δὲ ὁ Ἑλλήσποντος, καὶ ὁ Αἰγαῖος ἕτερος καὶ ἄλλος πάλιν ὁ Ἰώνιος κόλπος. ἔξωθεν δὲ πάλιν ἐπίκειται τὸ μέγιστον πέλαγος, ὅ τινες μὲν Ἀτλαντικόν, τινὲς δὲ Ὠκεανὸν ὀνομάζουσι. τούτου χάριν, ὡς μὲν συνημμένην συναγωγὴν μίαν ὠνόμασεν· ὡς δὲ διῃ ρημένας, συναγωγάς. 16 XIII Τί δή ποτε τὰς οὐκ ἐδωδίμους βοτάνας βλαστῆσαι προσέταξεν ὁ Θεός; Πολλὰ τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων τὰ γένη· τὰ μὲν θηρία, τὰ δὲ κτήνη προσαγο ρευόμενα· καὶ τὰ μὲν ἑρπετά, τὰ δὲ πετεινά· τούτοις ἅπασι τροφὴν προ ηυτρέπισεν ὁ Θεός, καὶ ταῦτα δὲ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἕνεκα πεποίηκε χρείας. αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ δι' ἡμᾶς αὐτά φησι διατρέφεσθαι· " τῷ ἐξανατέλ λοντι , γάρ φησι, χόρτον τοῖς κτήνεσι καὶ χλόην τῇ δουλείᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ". τὸ τοίνυν τούτῳ ἄχρηστον, ἐκείνῳ χρήσιμον καὶ τὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις οὐκ ἀναγκαῖα, τοῖς δι' αὐτοῦ γεγενημέ νοις ἁρμόδια. πρὸς δὲ τούτοις προορῶν ὁ Θεός, ὅτι καὶ πάθη προσγενήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἅ τε δὴ διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν δεξαμένοις τοῦ θανάτου τὸν ὅρον, οὐ μόνον ἐδωδίμους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀλεξικάκους τῶν παθημάτων βοτάνας βλαστῆσαι τῇ γῇ προσέταξε. καὶ τοῦτο μάθοι τις ἂν ἀκριβέστερον παρὰ τῶν τὴν ἰατρικὴν ἠσκημένων τέχνην· ὅτι καὶ τὰ δοκοῦντα εἶναι δηλητήρια, παθῶν ἐστιν