Chapter XIX.—An Appeal to the History of Creation. True Meaning of the Term Beginning, Which the Heretic Curiously Wrests to an Absurd Sense.

But I shall appeal to the original document188    Originale instrumentum: which may mean “the document which treats of the origin of all things.” of Moses, by help of which they on the other side vainly endeavour to prop up their conjectures, with the view, of course, of appearing to have the support of that authority which is indispensable in such an inquiry. They have found their opportunity, as is usual with heretics, in wresting the plain meaning of certain words. For instance the very beginning,189    Principium. when God made the heaven and the earth, they will construe as if it meant something substantial and embodied,190    Corpulentum. to be regarded as Matter. We, however, insist on the proper signification of every word, and say that principium means beginning,—being a term which is suitable to represent things which begin to exist. For nothing which has come into being is without a beginning, nor can this its commencement be at any other moment than when it begins to have existence. Thus principium or beginning, is simply a term of inception, not the name of a substance.  Now, inasmuch as the heaven and the earth are the principal works of God, and since, by His making them first, He constituted them in an especial manner the beginning of His creation, before all things else, with good reason does the Scripture preface (its record of creation) with the words, “In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth;”191    Gen. i. 1. just as it would have said, “At last God made the heaven and the earth,” if God had created these after all the rest.  Now, if the beginning is a substance, the end must also be material. No doubt, a substantial thing192    Substantivum aliquid. may be the beginning of some other thing which may be formed out of it; thus the clay is the beginning of the vessel, and the seed is the beginning of the plant. But when we employ the word beginning in this sense of origin, and not in that of order, we do not omit to mention also the name of that particular thing which we regard as the origin of the other. On the other hand,193    De cetero. if we were to make such a statement as this, for example, “In the beginning the potter made a basin or a water-jug,” the word beginning will not here indicate a material substance (for I have not mentioned the clay, which is the beginning in this sense, but only the order of the work, meaning that the potter made the basin and the jug first, before anything else—intending afterwards to make the rest. It is, then, to the order of the works that the word beginning has reference, not to the origin of their substances. I might also explain this word beginning in another way, which would not, however, be inapposite.194    Non ab re tamen. The Greek term for beginning, which is ἀρχή, admits the sense not only of priority of order, but of power as well; whence princes and magistrates are called ἀρχοντες. Therefore in this sense too, beginning may be taken for princely authority and power. It was, indeed, in His transcendent authority and power, that God made the heaven and the earth.

CAPUT XIX.

Sed et ad originale instrumentum Moysi provocabo, unde et diversa pars suspiciones suas ingratis fulcire conatur, ne scilicet non inde instrui videretur unde oportet. Itaque occasiones sibi sumpsit quorumdam verborum, ut haereticis fere mos est simplicia quaeque torquere. Nam et ipsum principium, in quo Deus fecit coelum et terram, aliquid volunt fuisse quasi substantivum et corpulentum, quod in materiam interpretari possit. Nos autem unicuique vocabulo proprietatem suam vindicamus, principium initium esse, et competisse ita poni rebus incipientibus fieri. Nihil enim, quod 0214B fieri habet, sine initio esse, quin initium sit illi ipsum dum incipit fieri. Ita principium sive initium, incoeptionis esse verbum, non alicujus substantiae nomen. Jam nunc, si principalia Dei opera coelum et terra sunt, quae ante omnia Deus fecit suorum esse proprie principium, quae priora sunt facta, merito sic praefatur Scriptura : In principio fecit Deus coelum et terram (Gen. I, 1); quemadmodum dixisset: In finem Deus fecit coelum et terram: si post universa fecisset. Aut si principium aliqua substantia est, erit et finis aliqua materia. Plane licebit etiam substantivum aliquid principium esse alii rei, quae ex ipso sit futura, ut argilla principium testae, ut semen principium herbae. Sed cum ita utimur vocabulo principii quasi originis, non quasi ordinis 0214C nomine, adjicimus et mentionem ipsius rei specialiter, quam volumus principium alterius rei. De caetero si sic ponamus, verbi gratia: In principio fecit figulus pelvim vel urnam; jam non materiam significabit principium: non enim argillam nominavi principium, sed ordinem operis; quia figulus ante caetera primum pelvim et urnam fecit, exinde facturus et caetera; ad ordinationem operum principii vocabulum pertinebit, non ad originem substantiarum. 0215A Possum et aliter principium interpretari, non ab re tamen: nam et in graeco principii vocabulum, quod est ΑΡΧΗ, non tantum ordinativum, sed et potestativum capit principatum. Unde et ΑΡΧΟΝΤΑΣ dicunt principes et magistratus. Ergo secundum hanc quoque significationem, principium pro principatu et potestate sumetur. In principatu enim et in potestate Deus fecit coelum et terram.