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92 earth’s properties, nourishes the airy qualities through their own expenditure; so one might say that the moist and the cold are opposite to the hot and the dry, yet that these are not nourished by each other's destruction, nor does the power for each of them to exist depend on the non-existence of the other. For in this way neither would exist, if the persistence of both derived its power from the destruction of the two; for the power in each to destroy the other is equal, and the annihilation of the weaker is always brought about by the predominance of the prevailing one; and that this reasoning is true, it is possible to learn this from experience itself. For when fire seizes upon some material, and then water is brought to it, it is possible to see clearly the mutual destruction of these two; for the prevailing one among them annihilates the other, as each yields equally to the dominion of its neighbor. But so long as the power in both is balanced, the annihilation is wrought equally by both upon each other, and neither is nourished by the other, but the two are mutually annihilated. Just as, therefore, in the case of beasts that devour one another, it is not in their nature for both to live through each other, being destroyed by each other; so also the opposition of the moist to the dry would preserve neither in existence, if the loss of the one were to nourish the other. But it seems to me that the argument might be better understood by us in the following way: since all things that God made are very good, I say that in each of the existing things the perfection of the good must be contemplated. For the addition of 'very', through its intensive meaning, clearly indicates what is complete for perfection. For just as in the generation of animals it is possible to see countless differences in their kinds, yet we say that in the universal principle of the acceptance of things, it is fitting for each to be equally very good; not, however, that the acceptance is according to appearance, or else the centipede, and the land frog, and the things brought to life from the decay of mud, would be 'very good'; but the divine eye, not looking to the beauty of the things that have come into being, defines the good in some comeliness and fine form, but in the fact that each, as it is, has its nature complete in itself; for it is not in the non-existence of the ox that the horse can exist, but in each of these nature preserves itself, possessing its own resources for its own continuance, its power for existence not residing in the destruction of another nature. Thus, even if the elements are disposed differently toward one another, yet each in itself is very good. For in itself, according to its own principle, it is made complete in the good. The earth is good; for it does not need the destruction of the air in order to be earth, but it abides in its own qualities, preserving itself through the natural power implanted in it by God. The air is good; not in the non-existence of the earth, but in that it is sufficient in itself for its own continuance by the powers naturally existing in it. So too water is very good, and fire is very good, each being made complete by its own qualities, and by the power of the divine will abiding for ever according to the proper measures of its first creation. “The earth,” he says, “stands for ever;” not diminishing, not increasing. The air is kept within its own bounds, the fire is not lessened; how is it that water alone of all things is among those that are consumed? And still 93 in addition to these things, we see in comparison of things that the fiery substance and power is vast; and this is clearly brought for proof by those who have philosophized about celestial phenomena, that the sun is many times larger than the earth; so that the shadow from it does not even extend far into the air, being contracted into a cone by the impact of the rays, on account of the surpassing size of the sun. If then this is so small when judged against that, so that the water, together with the whole earth, when measured against it, is a small fraction of the sun's size; for how long a time would this small amount have lasted for consumption by so great a fire? And yet we see the sea always swelling to the same level, and the flow of the rivers remaining within their proper measures; therefore

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92 γῆν ἰδιώματα, διὰ τῆς ἑαυτῶν δαπάνης τρέφει τὰς ἀερίους ποιότητας· οὕτως εἴποι τις ἂν ἐξ ἐναντίου μὲν εἶναι τὸ ὑγρόν τε καὶ ψυχρὸν, τῷ θερμῷ καὶ ξηρῷ, μὴ μέντοι τρέφεσθαι ταῦτα ταῖς ἀλλήλων φθοραῖς, μηδὲ τὴν τοῦ εἶναι τούτων ἑκάτερον δύναμιν, ἐν τῷ μὴ εἶναι τὸ ἕτερον ἔχειν. Οὕτω γὰρ ἂν οὐθέτερον εἴη, εἴπερ ἡ διαμονὴ ἀμφοτέρου ἐν τῇ τῶν δύο φθορᾷ τὴν δύναμιν ἔχοι· ἴση γὰρ ἐν ἑκάστῳ ἡ τοῦ φθείρειν τὸ ἕτερον δύναμις, καὶ ἀεὶ καταπλεονά ζων τοῦ ἐπικρατοῦντος ὁ ἀφανισμὸς τοῦ λειπομένου γίνεται· καὶ ὅτι ἀληθὴς ὁ λόγος, ἐξ αὐτῆς ἔστι τῆς πείρας τοῦτο μαθεῖν. Ὅταν γάρ τινος ὕλης τὸ πῦρ περιδράξηται, εἶτα ἐπαχθῇ τὸ ὕδωρ, σαφῶς ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τῶν δύο τούτων τὴν ἐν ἀλλήλοις φθοράν· τὸ γὰρ ἐπικρατοῦν ἐν τούτοις ἀφανίζει τὸ ἕτερον, ἴσως εἴκοντος ἑκατέρου τῇ δυναστείᾳ τοῦ πλησιάζοντος. Ἕως δ' ἂν ἰσόῤῥοπος ἐν ἀμφοτέροις ἡ δύναμις, ἢ ὁμοίως παρ' ἀμφοτέρων ἀλλήλοις ὁ ἀφανισμὸς ἐνεργεῖται, καὶ οὐθέτερον τῷ ἑτέρῳ τρέφεται, ἀλλὰ τὰ δύο ἀλλήλοις ἐναφανίζεται. Ὡς τοίνυν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀλληλοφαγούντων θηρίων οὐκ ἔχει φύσιν, ἀμφότερα δι' ἀλλήλων ζῇν, τὰ ὑπ' ἀλλήλων φθειρόμενα· οὕτω καὶ ἡ τοῦ ὑγροῦ πρὸς τὸ ξηρὸν ἐναντίωσις, οὐθέτερον ἂν ἐν τῷ εἶναι φυλάσσοι, εἴπερ ἡ τοῦ ἑτέρου ἀπώ λεια τρέφοι τὸ ἕτερον. Ἀλλά μοι δοκεῖ καλῶς ἔχειν οὕτως ἂν μᾶλλον ἡμῖν κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον διαληφθῆναι τὸν λόγον· ἐπειδὴ πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς, καλὰ λίαν ἐστὶν, ἑκάστῳ φημὶ δεῖν τῶν ὄντων ἐνθεωρεῖ σθαι τὴν τοῦ καλοῦ τελειότητα. Ἡ γὰρ τοῦ λίαν προσθήκη, διὰ τῆς ἐπιτατικῆς σημασίας σαφῶς ἐν δείκνυται τὸ ἀνελλειπὲς εἰς τελείωσιν. Ὡς γὰρ ἐν τῇ γενέσει τῶν ζώων μυρίας μὲν ἔστι διαφορὰς ἰδεῖν τῶν ἐν τούτοις γενῶν, τῷ δὲ καθολικῷ λόγῳ τῆς τῶν ὄντων ἀποδοχῆς ἁρμόζειν ἐφ' ἑκάστου φαμὲν, κατὰ τὸ ἶσον τὸ καλὸν εἶναι λίαν· οὐ μὴν πρὸς τὸ φαινό μενον τὴν ἀποδοχὴν εἶναι, ἢ ἂν καὶ ἡ σκολόπενδρα, καὶ ὁ χερσαῖος βάτραχος, καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῆς σήψεως τῶν βορβόρων ζωογονούμενα, ἔχοι τὸ λίαν καλά· ἀλλ' οὐ πρὸς τὴν ὥραν τῶν γεγονότων ὁ θεῖος ὀφθαλμὸς βλέ πων, ἐν εὐχροίᾳ τινὶ καὶ εὐμορφίᾳ τὸ καλὸν ὁρίζεται, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ ἕκαστον, καθὸ ἔστι, τελείαν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἔχειν τὴν φύσιν· οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῷ βοῦν μὴ εἶναι, τὸν ἵππον ἔστιν εἶναι, ἀλλ' ἐν ἑκάστῳ τούτων συντηρεῖ ἑαυτὴν ἡ φύσις, ἰδίας ἀφορμὰς πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν διαμονὴν κεκτημένη, οὐκ ἐν φθορᾷ τῆς φύσεως, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν τοῦ εἶναι δύναμιν ἔχουσα. Οὕτω κἂν ἑτέρως ἔχοι τὰ στοιχεῖα πρὸς ἄλληλα, ἀλλ' οὖν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἕκαστον καλόν ἐστι λίαν. Ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ γὰρ κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον λόγον ἐν τῷ καλῷ συμπεπλήρωται. Καλόν ἐστιν ἡ γῆ· οὐ γὰρ τῆς ἀπωλείας τοῦ ἀέρος χρῄ ζει πρὸς τὸ εἶναι γῆ, ἀλλὰ μένει ἐν ταῖς ἰδίαις ποιότησι, διὰ τῆς φυσικῆς αὐτῇ θεόθεν ἐγκειμένης δυνάμεως ἑαυ τὴν συντηροῦσα. Καλὸν ὁ ἀήρ· οὐκ ἐν τῷ μὴ εἶναι τὴν γῆν, ἀλλ' ἐν ᾧ αὐτός ἐστι ταῖς κατὰ φύσιν ἐνυπαρχού σαις αὐτῷ δυνάμεσι πρὸς τὴν διαμονὴν ἐξαρκῶν. Οὕτω καὶ ὕδωρ λίαν καλὸν, καὶ τὸ πῦρ καλόν ἐστι λίαν, ταῖς ἰδίαις ἑκάτερον συμπεπληρωμένον ποιότησι, καὶ τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ θείου θελήματος κατὰ τὰ ἴδια μέτρα τῆς πρώτης γενέσεως, εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς παραμένον. «Ἡ γῆ,» φησὶν, «εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἕστηκεν·» οὐκ ἐλαττου μένη, οὐ πλεονάζουσα. Ὁ ἀὴρ ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις ὅροις φυλάσσεται, τὸ πῦρ οὐ μειοῦται· πῶς μόνον ἐκ πάντων τὸ ὕδωρ τῶν δαπανωμένων ἐστί; Καὶ ἔτι 93 πρὸς τούτοις πολλὴν ὁρῶμεν ἐν συγκρίσει τῶν ὄντων τὴν πυρώδη οὐσίαν καὶ δύναμιν· καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς ἐκ τῶν τὰ μετέωρα πεφιλοσοφηκότων εἰς ἀπόδειξιν ἄγεται, τὸ πολλαπλασίονα τῆς γῆς εἶναι τὸν ἥλιον· ὡς μηδὲ ἐπὶ πολὺ τοῦ ἀέρος τὴν ἀπ' αὐτῆς σκιὰν ἐξικνεῖσθαι, τῷ ὑπερβάλλοντι τοῦ ἡλιακοῦ μεγέθους κωνοειδῶς ἐν τῇ προσβολῇ τῶν ἀκτίνων συστελλομέ νην. Εἰ οὖν οὕτως ὀλίγον τοῦτο ὡς πρὸς ἐκεῖνο κρινό μενον, ὥστε πολλοστὸν εἶναι τοῦ ἡλιακοῦ μεγέθους μετὰ πάσης τῆς γῆς τὸ ὕδωρ ἀντιμετρούμενον· εἰς πόσον ἂν χρόνον τὸ βραχὺ τοῦτο τῷ τοσούτῳ πυρὶ πρὸς τὴν δαπάνην διήρκεσεν; Ἀλλὰ μὴν διαπαντὸς ὁρῶμεν τὴν θάλασσαν ἐν τῷ ἴσῳ πλημμύρουσαν, καὶ τῶν ποταμῶν τὴν φορὰν ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις μένουσαν μέ τροις· ἄρα