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commands it to cycle back on itself, counting out the movement of time. And the week again completes the one day, turning back on itself seven times, and this figure is cyclical, to begin from itself and to end in itself. This is also proper to the aeon, to turn back on itself, and to be bounded nowhere. For this reason he called the head of time not the first day, but one day; so that from its name it might have kinship with the aeon. For what shows the character of the solitary, having no communion with another, was appropriately and fittingly named one. But if Scripture presents us with many aeons, speaking in many places of an aeon of an aeon, and of aeons of aeons, yet even there no first, nor second, nor third aeon has been enumerated for us; so that from this, differences of conditions and of various matters are shown to us, rather than descriptions and limits and successions of aeons. For the day of the Lord, it says, is great and manifest. And again, Why do you seek the day of the Lord? And this is darkness and not light. Darkness, that is, for those worthy of darkness. Since the Word knows that day to be without evening and without successor and without end, which the psalmist also called the eighth, because it lies outside of this seven-day time. So whether you say day, or aeon, you will speak the same concept. Whether, then, that state be called a day, it is one and not many; or if it be called an aeon, it would be solitary and not one of many. Therefore, in order to lead the thought to the future life, he named the image of the aeon one, the beginning of days, the contemporary of light, the holy Lord's day, honored by the resurrection of the Lord. And there was evening, it says, and there was morning, one day. But indeed, the words concerning that evening, having been overtaken by the present evening, here set a limit for our discourse. But may the Father of the true light, who adorned the day with the heavenly light, who brightened the night with the rays of fire, who prepared the rest of the coming aeon with intellectual and unceasing light, enlighten your hearts in the knowledge of the truth, and keep your life without stumbling, granting us to walk becomingly as in the day, that you may shine forth, as the sun in the brightness of the saints, to my boasting, unto the day of Christ, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

HOMILY 3.

Concerning the firmament.

3.1 The works of the first day, or rather of the one day; for let us not take away its dignity, which it has in its nature, having been produced by the Creator by itself, not numbered in order with the others; except that the discourse, having come yesterday to the things that happened on it and having divided the explanation for the hearers, making one part the morning food of souls, and the other the evening's gladness, now passes on to the wonders of the second. And I say this not referring to the ability of the interpreter, but to the grace of what is written, which naturally has what is easily received, and is pleasant and dear to every heart, of those who prefer the true to the plausible; Just as the psalmist also most emphatically represents the pleasure that comes from the truth, How sweet, he says, are your words to my throat, more than honey to my mouth. Yesterday, then, as far as was possible, having gladdened your souls with the study of the oracles of God, we have met again today on a second day, to behold the wonders of the works of the second day. But it has not escaped my notice that many artisans of the mechanical arts, contentedly from their daily work the

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ἑαυτὴν ἀνακυκλοῦσθαι κελεύει, ἐξαριθ μοῦσαν τοῦ χρόνου τὴν κίνησιν. Τὴν ἑβδομάδα δὲ πάλιν ἐκπληροῦν τὴν ἡμέραν μίαν, ἑπτάκις αὐτὴν εἰς ἑαυτὴν ἀναστρέφουσαν, τοῦτο δὲ κυκλικόν ἐστι τὸ σχῆμα, ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἄρχεσθαι, καὶ εἰς ἑαυτὸ καταλήγειν. Ὃ δὴ καὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἴδιον, εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀναστρέφειν, καὶ μηδαμοῦ περα τοῦσθαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ χρόνου οὐχὶ πρώτην ἡμέραν, ἀλλὰ μίαν ὠνόμασεν· ἵνα καὶ ἐκ τῆς προσηγορίας τὸ συγγενὲς ἔχῃ πρὸς τὸν αἰῶνα. Τοῦ γὰρ μοναχοῦ ἀκοι νωνήτου πρὸς ἕτερον ἡ τὸν χαρακτῆρα δεικνύουσα, οἰκείως καὶ προσφυῶς προσηγορεύθη μία. Εἰ δὲ πολλοὺς ἡμῖν αἰῶνας παρίστησιν ἡ Γραφὴ, αἰῶνα αἰῶνος, καὶ αἰῶνας αἰώνων πολλαχοῦ λέγουσα, ἀλλ' οὖν κἀκεῖ οὐχὶ πρῶτος, οὐδὲ δεύτερος, οὐδὲ τρίτος ἡμῖν αἰὼν ἀπηρίθμηται· ὥστε μᾶλλον καταστάσεων ἡμῖν καὶ πραγμάτων ποικίλων διαφορὰς, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ περιγραφὰς καὶ πέρατα καὶ διαδοχὰς αἰώνων ἐκ τούτου δείκνυσθαι. Ἡμέρα γὰρ Κυρίου, φησὶ, με γάλη καὶ ἐπιφανής. Καὶ πάλιν, Ἵνα τί ὑμῖν ζητεῖν τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ Κυρίου; Καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶ σκότος καὶ οὐ φῶς. Σκότος δὲ, δηλονότι τοῖς ἀξίοις τοῦ σκότους. Ἐπεὶ ἀνέσπερον καὶ ἀδιάδοχον καὶ ἀτελεύτητον τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην οἶδεν ὁ λόγος, ἣν καὶ ὀγδόην ὁ ψαλμῳδὸς προσηγόρευσε, διὰ τὸ ἔξω κεῖσθαι τοῦ ἑβδοματικοῦ τούτου χρόνου. Ὥστε κἂν ἡμέραν εἴπῃς, κἂν αἰῶνα, τὴν αὐτὴν ἐρεῖς ἔννοιαν. Εἴτε οὖν ἡμέρα ἡ κατάστασις ἐκείνη λέγοιτο, μία ἐστὶ καὶ οὐ πολλαί· εἴτε αἰὼν προσαγορεύοιτο, μοναχὸς ἂν εἴη καὶ οὐ πολλοστός. Ἵνα οὖν πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ζωὴν τὴν ἔννοιαν ἀπαγάγῃ, μίαν ὠνόμασε τοῦ αἰῶνος τὴν εἰκόνα, τὴν ἀπαρχὴν τῶν ἡμερῶν, τὴν ὁμήλικα τοῦ φωτὸς, τὴν ἁγίαν κυριακὴν, τὴν τῇ ἀναστάσει τοῦ Κυρίου τετιμημένην. Ἐγένετο οὖν ἑσπέρα, φησὶ, καὶ ἐγένετο πρωΐ, ἡμέρα μία. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ οἱ περὶ τῆς ἑσπέρας ἐκείνης λόγοι ὑπὸ τῆς παρούσης ἑσπέρας καταληφθέντες, ἐνταῦθα ἡμῖν τὸν λόγον ὁρίζουσιν. Ὁ δὲ Πατὴρ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς, ὁ τὴν ἡμέραν κοσμήσας τῷ οὐρανίῳ φωτὶ, ὁ τὴν νύκτα φαιδρύνας ταῖς αὐγαῖς τοῦ πυρὸς, ὁ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν εὐτρεπίσας τῷ νοερῷ καὶ ἀπαύστῳ φωτὶ, φωτίσειεν ὑμῶν τὰς καρδίας ἐν ἐπιγνώσει τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ ἀπρόσκοπον ὑμῶν διατηρήσειε τὴν ζωὴν, παρεχόμενος ἡμῖν, ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ εὐσχημόνως περιπατεῖν, ἵνα ἐκλάμψητε, ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ λαμπρότητι τῶν ἁγίων, εἰς καύχημα ἐμοὶ, εἰς ἡμέραν Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ γʹ.

Περὶ τοῦ στερεώματος.

3.1 Τὰ τῆς πρώτης ἡμέρας ἔργα, μᾶλλον δὲ τὰ τῆς μιᾶς· μὴ γὰρ οὖν ἀφελώμεθα αὐτῆς τὸ ἀξίωμα, ὃ ἐν τῇ φύσει ἔχει, παρὰ τοῦ κτίσαντος καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἐκδοθεῖσα, οὐκ ἐν τῇ πρὸς τὰς ἄλλας συντάξει ἀριθμηθεῖσα· πλὴν ἀλλ' ὅτι τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ γενόμενα χθὲς ἐπελθὼν ὁ λόγος καὶ διελὼν τὴν ἐξήγησιν τοῖς ἀκροωμένοις, τὴν μὲν ἑωθινὴν τροφὴν τῶν ψυχῶν, τὴν δὲ ἑσπερινὴν εὐφροσύνην ποιησάμενος, νῦν ἐπὶ τὰ τῆς δευτέρας θαύματα μεταβαίνει. Λέγω δὲ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ ἐξηγουμένου δύναμιν ἀναφέρων, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν χάριν τῶν γεγραμμένων, φυσικῶς ἔχουσαν τὸ εὐπαράδεκτον, καὶ πάσῃ καρδίᾳ προσηνές τε καὶ φίλον, τῶν τὸ ἀληθὲς τοῦ πιθανοῦ προτιμώντων· Καθὸ καὶ ὁ ψαλμῳδὸς ἐμφατικώτατα τὸ ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας ἡδὺ παριστῶν, Ὡς γλυκέα, φησὶ, τῷ λάρυγγί μου τὰ λόγιά σου, ὑπὲρ μέλι τῷ στόματί μου. Χθὲς τοίνυν, καθόσον ἦν δυνατὸν, τῇ περὶ τὰ λόγια τοῦ Θεοῦ διατριβῇ τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν εὐφρά ναντες, πάλιν ἀπηντήσαμεν σήμερον ἐν δευτέρᾳ ἡμέρᾳ, τῶν τῆς δευτέρας ἡμέρας ἔργων τὰ θαύματα κατοψόμενοι. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐ λέληθέ με, ὅτι πολλοὶ τεχνῖται τῶν βαναύσων τεχνῶν, ἀγαπητῶς ἐκ τῆς ἐφ' ἡμέραν ἐργασίας τὴν