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of the double nature of the waters, the heaven, which is said to have been created in the beginning with the earth and all the things established for the construction of the world, but now having been perfected and named in the showing forth of the firmament which was defined by the circuit of the fire, and the second revolution of the light, again darkened and enlightened the subject in part. Which was also named according to the preceding sequence, and this a day. And necessarily and consequently the nature of number also entered into creation. For number is nothing other than a composition of units. And everything that is considered with some definite outline is called a unit. Since, therefore, the circle is on all sides complete, being defined in itself; the Word rightly named the one period of the circle as one thing, saying: "There was evening, and there was morning, one day;" and again the other likewise one. And combining both, he made two. And thus the Word brought the genesis of number together with the parts of creation, marking the sequence of the order with the names of number. For he says, "There was evening, and there was morning, a second day." Since, therefore, these things came to be, again the nature of beings, proceeding in sequence, produces what necessarily follows upon what has come before; and a divine command precedes this work also, with Moses everywhere securing our thought so that nothing of the things that exist might be established godlessly, so that the wonder concerning each of the things that came to be might have its reference to the one who made them.

For since all of the illuminating and fiery substance had been separated from the others by its own qualities, the creation of the air is passed over in silence, and yet it was fitting to discuss this in the second place after the upward course of fire; because there is a certain kinship to it in respect to lightness, with the lightness observed in fire; and then thus to narrate concerning the heavy nature. But Moses speaks 88 about this; but he passes over the air in his account, not as contributing nothing to the completion of the whole world, nor as separated from the power of the elements, but perhaps because, by the soft and pliant nature of each of the beings, the air is receptive, showing beings in itself, having no color of its own, no shape, no surface, but it is formed around by foreign colors and shapes. For it becomes bright by the illumination of light, and again it is blackened when shadowed; but in and of itself is it neither bright nor black? But it grows around every shape, and is colored by every kind of color, and is suited to every movement of the things borne in it. For it yields without effort to what is borne from either side, and being automatically split here and there by the bulk of what is moved, it is restored behind it. But also when one pours out the liquid of an amphora, whatever it happens to have in itself, it then parts for what is being poured, and automatically re-enters into the things inside the vessel toward what is being emptied; and countless such things show the soft and pliant nature of the air. Since, therefore, in this is the life of men, and almost all the power of living, and the activity of the senses has its strength in the air; for through it we see and hear, and likewise we perceive smells through it, by the drawing of breath is the most important of the things activated in life; for he who has ceased to breathe, has certainly also ceased to live; for this reason the wise Moses left undiscussed the element that is our fellow-nursling and kinsman, on which we are nourished immediately from birth; considering the innate and congenital relation of our nature to the air to be a sufficient teacher of this part; but the things appearing in it according to creation, how each one came to be, he will relate in his account. For when the second day had passed, again the wise and all-harmonious order of things coming into being which separates the water from the earth, is called the voice and command of God; for truly everything in wisdom

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τῆς διπλῆς τῶν ὑδάτων φύσεως ὁ οὐρανὸς, ὁ ἐν ἀρχῇ μὲν γεγενῆσθαι μετὰ τῆς γῆς καὶ πάντων τῶν πρὸς τὴν κατασκευὴν τοῦ κόσμου καταβληθέντων λεγόμε νος, νυνὶ δὲ τελειωθείς τε καὶ ὀνομασθεὶς ἐν τῇ ἀνα δείξει τοῦ στερεώματος τοῦ διὰ τῆς περιδρομῆς τοῦ πυρὸς ὁρισθέντος, καὶ ἡ δευτέρα τοῦ φωτὸς κυκλο φορία, πάλιν τὸ ὑποκείμενον ἀνὰ μέρος ἐπεσκότισέ τε καὶ ἐφώτισεν. Ὅπερ καὶ ὠνομάσθη κατὰ τὴν προλαβοῦσαν ἀκολουθίαν, καὶ τοῦτο ἡμέρα. Ἀναγ καίως δὲ καὶ ἀκολούθως καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ φύσις συνεισῆλθε τῇ κτίσει. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἀρι θμὸς, εἰ μὴ μονάδων σύνθεσις. Πᾶν δὲ τὸ διωρισμένῃ τινὶ περιγραφῇ θεωρούμενον, μονὰς ὀνομάζεται. Ἐπεὶ οὖν πανταχόθεν ὁ κύκλος ἀνελλειπής ἐστιν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὁριζόμενος· καλῶς ὁ λόγος ἕν τι ὠνόμασε τὴν μίαν τοῦ κύκλου περίοδον, εἰπών· «Ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα, καὶ ἐγένετο πρωῒ ἡμέρα μία·» καὶ πάλιν τὴν ἄλλην ὡσαύτως ἕν. Συνθεὶς δὲ ἀμφότερα, δύο ἐποίησε. Καὶ οὕτως ὁ λόγος τὴν τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ γένεσιν τοῖς μορίοις συνήγαγε τῆς κτίσεως, τὴν ἀκολουθίαν τῆς τάξεως τοῖς ὀνόμασι τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ σημειούμενος. «Ἐγένετο» γὰρ, φησὶν, «ἑσπέρα, καὶ ἐγένετο πρωῒ ἡμέρα δευ τέρα.» Ἐπεὶ οὖν ταῦτα ἐγένετο, πάλιν ἡ φύσις τῶν ὄντων δι' ἀκολούθου βαδίζουσα, τὸ ἀναγκαίως τοῖς προγεγονόσιν ἑπόμενον ἐξεργάζεται· προηγεῖται δὲ καὶ τούτου τοῦ ἔργου θεῖον ἐπίταγμα, πανταχοῦ τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἀσφαλιζομένου ἡμῶν τὴν διάνοιαν τοῦ μη δὲν ἀθεεί τι τῶν ὄντων συστῆναι, ὡς ἂν τὸ περὶ ἑκά στου τῶν γεγονότων θαῦμα, εἰς τὸν πεποιηκότα τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχοι.

Πάσης γὰρ τῆς φωτιστικῆς τε καὶ πυρώδους οὐσίας ταῖς ἰδίαις ποιότησι τῶν ἄλλων ἀποκριθείσης, ἡ μὲν τοῦ ἀέρος κατασκευὴ σιωπᾶται, καί τοι καὶ τοῦτο ἐν δευτέροις εἰκὸς ἦν μετὰ τὴν τοῦ πυρὸς ἀναδρομὴν φυσιολογῆσαι· διότι συγγένειά τίς ἐστιν αὐτῷ κατὰ τὸ κοῦφον, πρὸς τὴν τῷ πυρὶ ἐν θεωρουμένην κουφότητα· εἶθ' οὕτως περὶ τῆς βα ρείας διηγήσασθαι φύσεως. Ὁ δὲ Μωϋσῆς τὰ μὲν 88 περὶ ταύτης λέγει· τὸν δὲ ἀέρα τῷ λόγῳ παρίησιν, οὐχ ὡς μηδὲν συνεισφέροντα πρὸς τὴν τοῦ κόσμου παντὸς συμπλήρωσιν, οὐδὲ ὡς ἀποκεκριμένον τῆς τῶν στοιχείων δυνάμεως, ἀλλὰ τάχα ὅτι τῷ μαλακῷ τε καὶ εὐείκτῳ τῆς φύσεως ἑκάστου τῶν ὄντων δεκτικός ἐστιν ὁ ἀὴρ, ἐν ἑαυτῷ δεικνύων τὰ ὄντα, οὐ χρῶμα ἴδιον ἔχων, οὐ σχῆμα, οὐκ ἐπιφάνειαν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀλ λοτρίοις χρώμασί τε καὶ σχήμασι περιμορφοῦται. Λαμπρός τε γὰρ γίνεται τῇ τοῦ φωτὸς ἐλλάμψει, καὶ πάλιν μελαίνεται σκιαζόμενος· αὐτὸς δὲ καθ' ἑαυτὸν οὔτε λαμπρὸς οὔτε μέλας ἐστί; παντὶ δὲ σχήματι περιφύεται, καὶ ὑπὸ πάσης χρωμάτων ἰδέας καταχρώννυται, καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν κίνησιν τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ φερομένων ἐπιτη δείως ἔχει. Ἀπόνως τε γὰρ ὑποχωρεῖ πρὸς τὸ φερόμενον ἑκατέρωθεν, καὶ αὐτομάτως τῷ ὄγκῳ τοῦ κινουμέ νου περισχιζόμενος ἔνθεν καὶ ἔνθεν, εἰς τὸ κατόπιν ἀντικαθίσταται. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὑγρὸν τοῦ ἀμφορέως προχέοντος, ὅτι περ ἂν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τύχῃ, τότε προ χεομένῳ διίσταται, καὶ ἀντεισέρχεται αὐτομάτως ἐπὶ τὰ ἐντὸς τοῦ ἀγγείου πρὸς τὸ κενούμενον· καὶ μυρία τοιαῦτα τὸ μαλακόν τε καὶ εὔεικτον τῆς τοῦ ἀέρος δείκνυσι φύσεως. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐν τούτῳ ἐστὶν ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ζωὴ, καὶ πᾶσα σχεδὸν ἡ τοῦ ζῇν δύναμις, καὶ ἡ τῶν αἰσθητηρίων ἐνέργεια ἐν τῷ ἀέρι τὴν ἰσχὺν ἔχει· βλέπομέν τε γὰρ δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκούομεν, καὶ τῶν ὁσφρητῶν τὴν ἀντίληψιν ὡσαύ τως δι' αὐτοῦ ποιούμεθα, τῇ τοῦ πνεύματος ὁλκῇ τὸ κυριώτατον τῶν κατὰ τὴν ζωὴν ἐνεργουμένων ἐστίν· ὁ γὰρ τοῦ ἀνὰ παυσάμενος, καὶ τοῦ ζῇν πάντως ἐπαύσατο· τούτου χάριν ὁ σοφὸς Μωϋσῆς ἀφυσιολό γητον εἴασε τὸ σύντροφόν τε καὶ ὁμόφυλον ἡμῖν στοιχεῖον, ᾧ ἀπὸ γεννήσεως εὐθὺς ἐντρεφόμεθα· ἀρ κοῦσαν ἡγούμενος τοῦ μέρους τούτου διδάσκαλον, τὴν ἔμφυτόν τε καὶ συγγενῆ τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν πρὸς τὸν ἀέρα σχέσιν· τὰ δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ κατὰ τὴν κτίσιν φαι νόμενα, ὅπως τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον ἔσχε, τῷ λόγῳ διέξεισι. Παρελθούσης γὰρ τῆς δευτέρας ἡμέρας, πάλιν ἡ σοφή τε καὶ παναρμόνιος τῶν γινομένων τάξις ἡ τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς γῆς ἀποκρίνουσα, Θεοῦ φωνὴ καὶ πρόστα γμα λέγεται· ἀληθῶς γὰρ πᾶν τὸ ἐν σοφίᾳ