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and from there bringing it back towards the north at the summer solstice, so that by its gradual transition the mildness of climate is preserved for the region around the earth. But let them consider if they do not contradict themselves, who say that the sea does not overflow from the rivers because of the sun’s consumption, and moreover that it is left salty and bitter, the fine and potable part having been consumed by the heat; which happens especially from the sun’s separating action, as it draws up the light part, but leaves behind the thick and earthy part like a kind of mud and sediment; from which the bitter and salty and drying quality is added to the sea. Those who say these things about the sea, changing their minds again, say that no diminution of the moisture happens from the sun. 3.8 And God called the firmament heaven; as though the name properly applies to another, but this one also partakes of the name by resemblance. And we have observed in many places the visible region being called heaven (because of the dense and continuous nature of the air which clearly strikes our sight, and from being seen is deemed worthy of the name of heaven) in those passages where it says, The birds of the heaven. And again; The flying things across the firmament of the heaven. Of such a kind is also this, They go up to the heavens. And Moses, blessing the tribe of Joseph, gives the blessings from the seasons of heaven, and dew, and from the solstices of the sun, and the conjunctions of months, and from the top of mountains and everlasting hills, as the region around the earth is made to abound through the good order in these things. But also in the curses on Israel, he says, the heaven above your head shall be of bronze. What does this mean? The complete dryness and failure of the aerial waters, through which the fruitfulness of the crops belongs to the earth. When therefore it says that dew or rain is brought from heaven, we understand it of the waters which are appointed to occupy the region above. For when the exhalations are gathered on high, and the air is condensed by the pressures from the winds, when the moistures previously scattered in the cloud in a vaporous and fine manner approach one another, they become drops, being carried downwards by the weight of the combined parts; and this is the origin of rain. But when the moisture is whipped into foam, being beaten back by the violence of the winds, then is cooled to an extreme degree and is frozen through and through, the cloud being broken, the snow is brought down. And in general, by the same reasoning, it is possible for you to see the whole nature of moisture being formed in the air above our heads. And let no one compare the simple and unadorned character of the spiritual words to the idle speculation of those who have philosophized about heaven. For by as much as the beauty in modest women is more precious than that of a courtesan, by so much is the difference of our words from those of the outsiders. For the latter bring a forced plausibility to their arguments; but here the truth is set forth, naked of artifice. And why must we have the trouble of refuting their falsehood, for whom it is sufficient to set their own books against each other and in great tranquility sit as spectators of their war? For neither fewer in number, nor inferior in reputation, but also differing greatly in their multitude of voices, they stand opposed to the argument contrary to them—those who say the universe is consumed by fire, and comes to life again from the seminal principles remaining in the things burned; whence they also introduce infinite destructions and rebirths of the world. But those, on either side of the truth being split, from here and there find for themselves deviations into error. 3.9 But for us there is also some argument against those from the Church concerning the waters that were separated, who on the pretext of anagogical interpretation and of higher meanings have resorted to allegories, saying that spiritual and incorporeal powers are signified tropologically by the waters; and that the better ones have remained above upon the firmament, but the wicked ones have remained below in the terrestrial and material regions.

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κἀκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὰ προσάρκτια ὑπὸ τὰς θερινὰς τροπὰς ἐπανάγοντα, ὥστε τῇ κατὰ μικρὸν αὐτοῦ μεταβάσει τῷ περὶ γῆν τόπῳ τὴν εὐκρασίαν φυλάσ σεσθαι. Σκοπείτωσαν δὲ εἰ μὴ αὐτοὶ ἑαυτοῖς περιπίπτουσιν, οἵ γε τὴν θάλασσαν λέγουσι μήτε πλημμυρεῖν τοῖς ποταμοῖς ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ἡλίου δαπάνης, καὶ προσέτι ἁλμυρὰν καὶ πικρὰν ἀπολείπεσθαι, τοῦ λεπτοῦ καὶ ποτίμου ὑπὸ τῆς θέρμης ἀναλωθέντος· ὅπερ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ἡλίου μάλιστα γίνεται διακρίσεως, τὸ μὲν κοῦφον ἀπάγοντος, τὸ δὲ παχὺ καὶ γεῶδες οἷόν τινα ἰλὺν καὶ ὑποστάθμην ἐναφιέντος· ἐξ οὗ τὸ πικρὸν καὶ ἁλμυρὸν καὶ ξηραντικὸν τῇ θαλάσσῃ προσεῖ ναι. Οἱ δὴ ταῦτα περὶ θαλάσσης λέγοντες, πάλιν μεταβαλ λόμενοι, μηδεμίαν τοῦ ὑγροῦ γίνεσθαι μείωσιν ἐκ τοῦ ἡλίου φασί. 3.8 Καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ στερέωμα οὐρανόν· ὡς κυρίως μὲν ἑτέρῳ τῆς προσηγορίας ἐφαρμοζούσης, καθ' ὁμοίωσιν δὲ καὶ τούτου μεταλαμβάνοντος τῆς κλήσεως. Τετηρήκαμεν δὲ πολλαχοῦ τὸν ὁρώμενον τόπον οὐρανὸν λεγόμενον (διὰ τὸ ναστὸν καὶ συνεχὲς τοῦ ἀέρος ἐναργῶς ἡμῶν ταῖς ὄψεσιν ὑποπίπτοντος, καὶ παρὰ τὸ ὁρᾶσθαι τῆς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ προσηγορίας ἀξιουμένου) ἐν οἷς φησι, Τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν· Τὰ πετόμενα κατὰ τὸ στερέωμα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Τοιοῦτόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ, Ἀναβαίνουσιν ἕως τῶν οὐρανῶν. Καὶ Μωϋσῆς εὐλογῶν τὴν φυλὴν τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ, ἀπὸ ὡρῶν οὐρανοῦ, καὶ δρόσου, καὶ ἀπὸ ἡλίου τροπῶν, καὶ συνόδων μηνῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ κορυφῆς ὀρέων καὶ βουνῶν ἀεννάων τὰς εὐλογίας δίδωσιν, ὡς τοῦ περὶ γῆν τόπου διὰ τῆς ἐν τούτοις εὐταξίας εὐθηνουμένου. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ταῖς κατάραις τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, Ἔσται σοι, φησὶν, ὁ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς οὐρανὸς χαλκοῦς. Τί τοῦτο λέγων; Τὴν παντελῆ ξηρασίαν καὶ ἐπίλειψιν τῶν ἀερίων ὑδάτων, δι' ὧν τῇ γῇ τὸ γόνιμον τῶν καρπῶν ἐνυπάρχει. Ὅταν οὖν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ φέρεσθαι λέγῃ δρόσον ἢ ὑετὸν, περὶ ὑδάτων νοοῦμεν ὅσα τὴν ἄνω κατέχειν διατέτακται χώραν. Συναγομένων γὰρ τῶν ἀναθυμιάσεων περὶ τὸ ὕψος, καὶ πυκνουμένου τοῦ ἀέρος ταῖς ἐκ τῶν πνευμάτων πιλήσεσιν, ὅταν μὲν αἱ τέως ἀτμοειδῶς καὶ λεπτῶς ἐνεσπαρμέναι τῷ νέφει νοτίδες ἀλλήλαις προσχωρήσωσι, σταγόνες γίγνονται, τῷ βάρει τῶν συγκριθέντων φερόμεναι πρὸς τὸ κάτω· καὶ αὕτη ὑετοῦ γένεσις. Ὅταν δὲ τὸ ὑγρὸν ἐξαφρισθῇ, ταῖς βίαις τῶν ἀνέμων ἀνακοπὲν, εἶτα εἰς ἄκρον καταψυχθὲν ὅλον διόλου παγῇ, θραυομένου τοῦ νέφους, ἡ χιὼν καταφέρεται. Καὶ ὅλως, κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον, ἔξεστί σοι ὁρᾶν πᾶσαν τοῦ ὑγροῦ τὴν φύσιν περὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς ἡμῶν ἀέρα συνισ ταμένην. Καὶ μηδεὶς τῇ περιεργίᾳ τῶν περὶ οὐρανοῦ φιλο σοφησάντων τὸ ἁπλοῦν καὶ ἀκατάσκευον τῶν πνευματικῶν λόγων παραβαλλέτω. Ὅσῳ γὰρ τὸ ἐν ταῖς σώφροσι κάλλος τοῦ ἑταιρικοῦ προτιμότερον, τοσοῦτον καὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων λόγων πρὸς τοὺς ἔξωθεν τὸ διάφορον. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ κατηναγκασμένον τὸ πιθανὸν τοῖς λόγοις ἐπάγουσιν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ γυμνὴ τεχνασμάτων ἡ ἀλήθεια πρόκειται. Καὶ τί δεῖ πράγματα ἔχειν ἡμᾶς τὸ ψευδὲς αὐτῶν διελέγχοντας, οἷς ἐξαρκεῖ τὰς αὐτῶν ἐκείνων βίβλους ἀλλήλαις ἀντιπαρα θέντας ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ πολλῇ θεατὰς αὐτῶν τοῦ πολέμου καθῆ σθαι; Οὔτε γὰρ ἀριθμῷ ἐλάττους, οὔτε ἀξιώματι ὑφειμένοι, πολυφωνίᾳ δὲ καὶ παρὰ πολὺ διαφέροντες πρὸς τὸν ἐναντίον αὐτοῖς ἀντικαθίστανται λόγον, οἱ τὸ πᾶν ἐκπυροῦσθαι λέγοντες, καὶ ἀναβιώσκεσθαι πάλιν ἐκ τῶν σπερματικῶν λόγων τῶν ἐναπομενόντων τοῖς ἐκπυρωθεῖσιν· ὅθεν καὶ ἀπείρους φθορὰς κόσμου καὶ παλιγγενεσίας εἰσάγουσιν. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ἐφ' ἑκάτερα τῆς ἀληθείας ἀποσχιζόμενοι, ἔνθεν καὶ ἔνθεν τὰς ἐπὶ τὴν πλάνην ἑαυτοῖς ἐκτροπὰς ἐξευ ρίσκουσιν. 3.9 Ἡμῖν δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐστί τις λόγος περὶ τῶν διακριθέντων ὑδάτων, οἳ προφάσει ἀναγωγῆς, καὶ νοημάτων ὑψηλοτέρων, εἰς ἀλληγορίας κατέφυγον, δυνάμεις λέγοντες πνευματικὰς καὶ ἀσωμάτους τροπικῶς ἐκ τῶν ὑδάτων σημαίνεσθαι· καὶ ἄνω μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ στερεώ ματος μεμενηκέναι τὰς κρείττονας, κάτω δὲ τοῖς περιγείοις καὶ ὑλικοῖς τόποις προσαπομεῖναι τὰς πονηράς.