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this beautiful, great, bright, star-adorned, enduring one, which has stood for so long a time, this God, whom you meddle with and subject to the limitation of your own reasonings, made with such ease, as if someone playing were to make a hut. And showing this, Isaiah said: “He who established the heaven as a vault and stretched it out as a tent upon the earth.” But do you wish to see the earth? But this too He made as nothing. For about that one he says: “He who established the heaven as a vault and stretched it out as a tent upon the earth,” but about this one: “He who holds the circle of the earth, who made the earth as nothing,” so great and of such size. For consider what a mass of mountains, how many nations of men, how many heights and multitudes of plants, how many cities and what great sizes of buildings, and what multitudes of all kinds of quadrupeds, wild beasts, and reptiles it bears upon its own back. But yet one of such kind and size He made with such ease, that the prophet, unable even to find an example of this ease, said that He made the earth “as nothing.” For since the sizes and beauties of visible things were not sufficient to represent the Creator's power, but fell short by a great measure of the greatness and strength of the One who made them all, the prophets found another way, through which, according to their own ability, they were able to reveal something more to us concerning the power of God. What way is this? Not only to set forth the sizes of the created things, but also to speak of the manner of their creation, so that from both sides, both from the greatness of the things that have come to be and from the ease of their creation, we might be able, according to our ability, to receive some worthy conception of the power of God. Therefore, do not examine only the size of the things that have come to be, but also the ease of the One who made them. And He shows this not only in the case of the earth, but also in the very nature of human beings. For at one time he says: “He who holds the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are as locusts,” and at another time he says: “All the nations are as a drop from a bucket before Him.” Do not simply pass over the saying, but unfold what has been said well and examine it; consider all the nations, Syrians, Cilicians, Cappadocians, Bithynians, those who inhabit the Euxine sea, Thrace, Macedonia, all of Greece, those on the islands, those in Italy, those beyond our inhabited world, those in the British isles, Sarmatians, Indians, those inhabiting the land of the Persians, the other countless races and tribes whose names we do not even know; but all these nations “...are as a drop, he says, from a bucket before Him.” What part of this drop are you, tell me, that you meddle with God, before whom “all the nations are as a drop from a bucket”? And what must be said concerning heaven and earth and sea and human nature? Let us ascend beyond the heaven in our discourse and come to the angels. For you surely know this, that a single angel alone is a counterweight to this visible creation; or rather, is also far more precious. For if the whole world would not be worthy of a righteous man, as Paul says: “...of whom this world was not worthy,” much more would it never be worthy of an angel; for angels are much greater than the righteous. But yet there are myriads of myriads of angels above and thousands of thousands of archangels and thrones and dominions and principalities and powers and countless hosts of incorporeal powers and unspeakable tribes, and all these powers He made with such ease as no speech is able to represent. For to will was sufficient for Him for all things, and just as for us the will does not cause toil, so neither for Him did the creation of so many and such great powers. And the prophet, indicating this, said: “Whatever He willed, He made, in heaven and on earth.” Do you see that not only for the creation of things on earth, but also for the creation of the powers above His will alone was sufficient? Therefore, hearing these things, do you not mourn for yourself, tell me, and bury yourself towards

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τοῦτον τὸν καλόν, τὸν μέγαν, τὸν φαιδρόν, τὸν κατηστερωμένον, τὸν διαρκῆ, τὸν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἑστηκότα χρόνον, ὁ Θεὸς οὗτος, ὃν σὺ περιεργάζῃ καὶ τῇ τῶν οἰκείων λογισμῶν ὑποβάλλεις περιγραφῇ, ὡς ἂν εἰ παίζων τις καλύβην ποιήσειεν, οὕτω μετ' εὐκολίας εἰργάσατο. Καὶ τοῦτο ἐμφαίνων ὁ Ἡσαΐας ἔλεγεν· «Ὁ στήσας τὸν οὐρανὸν ὡσεὶ καμάραν καὶ διατείνας αὐτὸν ὡς σκηνὴν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.» Ἀλλὰ τὴν γῆν βούλει ἰδεῖν; ἀλλὰ καὶ ταύτην ὡς οὐδὲν ἐποίησε. Περὶ μὲν γὰρ ἐκείνου λέγει· «Ὁ στήσας τὸν οὐρανὸν ὡσεὶ καμάραν καὶ διατείνας αὐτὸν ὡς σκηνὴν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς», περὶ δὲ ταύτης· «Ὁ κατέχων τὸν γῦρον τῆς γῆς, ὁ ποιήσας τὴν γῆν ὡς οὐδέν», τὴν τοσαύτην καὶ τηλικαύτην. Ἐννόησον γὰρ πόσον μὲν ὁρῶν ὄγκον, πόσα δὲ ἀνθρώπων ἔθνη, πόσα δὲ ὕψη καὶ πλήθη φυτῶν, πόσας δὲ πόλεις καὶ πόσα οἰκοδομημάτων μεγέθη καὶ πόσα τετραπόδων, θηρίων, ἑρπετῶν πλήθη παντοδαπῶν ἐπὶ τὸν νῶτον φέρει τὸν ἑαυτῆς. Ἀλλ' ὅμως τὴν τοιαύτην καὶ τοσαύτην οὕτως εὐκόλως ἐποίησεν, ὡς καὶ τὸν προφήτην, μηδὲ παράδειγμα τῆς εὐκολίας δυνάμενον εὑρεῖν, εἰπεῖν ὅτι τὴν γῆν ἐποίησεν «ὡς οὐδέν». Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἤρκει τὰ μεγέθη καὶ τὰ κάλλη τῶν ὁρωμένων τοῦ δημιουργοῦ παραστῆσαι τὴν δύναμιν, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ τῷ μέτρῳ ἐλείπετο τοῦ μεγέθους καὶ τῆς ἰσχύος τοῦ πεποιηκότος αὐτὰ ἁπάσης, εὗρον ἕτερον οἱ προφῆται τρόπον, δι' οὗ κατὰ δύναμιν τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἴσχυσαν παραδηλῶσαί τι πλέον ἡμῖν περὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμεως. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτον; Τὸ μὴ τὰ μεγέθη προθεῖναι τῶν κτισμάτων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν τρόπον τῆς δημιουργίας εἰπεῖν, ἵν' ἑκατέρωθεν, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ μεγέθους τῶν γεγενημένων καὶ ἐκ τῆς κατὰ τὴν δημιουργίαν εὐκολίας, δυνηθῶμεν ἀξίαν τινὰ κατὰ δύναμιν τὴν ἡμετέραν ἔννοιαν λαβεῖν περὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμεως. Μὴ τοίνυν τὸ μέγεθος ἐξέταζε μόνον τῶν γεγενημένων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν εὐκολίαν τοῦ πεποιηκότος. Οὐκ ἐπὶ γῆς δὲ τοῦτο ἐνδείκνυται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς φύσεως τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Νῦν μὲν γάρ φησιν· «Ὁ κατέχων τὸν γῦρον τῆς γῆς, καὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν αὐτῇ ὡσεὶ ἀκρίδας», νῦν δέ φησιν· «Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὡς σταγὼν ἀπὸ κάδου ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ.» Μὴ ἁπλῶς παρέλθῃς τὸν λόγον, ἀλλ' ἀνάπτυξον τὸ εἰρημένον καλῶς καὶ ἐξέτασον· ἀναλόγισαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, Σύρους, Κίλικας, Καππαδόκας, Βιθυνούς, τοὺς τὸν Εὔξεινον πόντον οἰκοῦντας, Θρᾴκην, Μακεδονίαν, τὴν Ἑλλάδα πᾶσαν, τοὺς ἐν ταῖς νήσοις, τοὺς ἐν τῇ Ἰταλίᾳ, τοὺς ὑπὲρ τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς οἰκουμένην, τοὺς ἐν ταῖς νήσοις ταῖς Βρεττανικαῖς, Σαυρομάτας, Ἰνδούς, τοὺς τὴν τῶν Περσῶν οἰκοῦντας γῆν, τὰ ἄλλα τὰ ἄπειρα γένη καὶ φῦλα ὧν οὐδὲ τὰ ὀνόματα ἴσμεν· ἀλλὰ πάντα ταῦτα τὰ ἔθνη «... ὡς σταγών, φησίν, ἀπὸ κάδου ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ». Πόσον μέρος εἶ τῆς σταγόνος ταύτης, εἰπέ μοι, ὅτι περιεργάζῃ τὸν Θεὸν ᾧ «πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὡς σταγὼν ἀπὸ κάδου»; Καὶ τί χρὴ λέγειν περὶ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης καὶ ἀνθρώπων φύσεως; Ἀναβῶμεν ὑπὲρ τὸν οὐρανὸν τῷ λόγῳ καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους ἔλθωμεν. Ἴστε γὰρ δήπου τοῦτο ὅτι τῆς κτίσεως τῆς ὁρωμένης ταύτης εἷς ἄγγελος μόνος ἀντίρροπός ἐστι· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πολλῷ τιμιώτερος. Εἰ γὰρ ἀνθρώπου δικαίου ἄξιος οὐκ ἂν εἴη πᾶς ὁ κόσμος, καθὼς ὁ Παῦλος φησίν· «... ὧν οὐκ ἦν ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος οὗτος», πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἀγγέλου οὐκ ἂν γένοιτό ποτε ἄξιος· πολλῷ γὰρ τῶν δικαίων ἄγγελοι μείζους. Ἀλλ' ὅμως μυρίαι μυριάδες εἰσὶν ἀγγέλων ἄνω καὶ χίλιαι χιλιάδες εἰσὶν ἀρχαγγέλων καὶ θρόνοι καὶ κυριότητες καὶ ἀρχαὶ καὶ ἐξουσίαι καὶ ἄπειροι δῆμοι ἀσωμάτων δυνάμεων καὶ φῦλα ἀμύθητα καὶ ταύτας ἁπάσας τὰς δυνάμεις μετὰ τοσαύτης εὐκολίας ἐποίησε μεθ' ὅσης οὐδεὶς λόγος παραστῆσαι δύναται. Ἤρκεσε γὰρ αὐτῷ τὸ θελῆσαι πρὸς ἅπαντα καὶ καθάπερ ἡμῖν ἡ βούλησις οὐ παρέχει κάματον, οὕτως οὐδὲ ἐκείνῳ τὸ δημιουργῆσαι τοσαύτας καὶ τηλικαύτας δυνάμεις. Καὶ τοῦτο ὁ προφήτης ἐμφαίνων ἔλεγε· «Πάντα ὅσα ἠθέλησεν ἐποίησεν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ.» Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὔχι πρὸς τὴν δημιουργίαν τῶν ἐν τῇ γῇ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὴν κτίσιν τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων ἤρκεσεν ἡ θέλησις αὐτοῦ μόνη; Ταῦτα οὖν ἀκούων οὐ θρηνεῖς σαυτόν, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ κατορύττεις πρὸς