22

able by its subtlety to comprehend the divine wisdom, let no one be surprised, looking at the poverty of our nature, for which it is desirable not to fail in anything, but to be able to succeed in at least one thing. And I say these things looking to this: what is the reason for this three-day interval, so that such a length of time was sufficient for the distinction of each of the things seen in the light. For it is clear that there is certainly some reason, even if it is beyond our comprehension, according to which the measure of this time is suitable for the distinction of the luminous substance, by the measured extension of time, and by the amount of energy in the movement of the fire, the separation of the lights having been divided into the property of the luminaries, so that these infinite differences of the lights were each separated to their own position, being placed there by their natural property, where the inherent natural power led each one, with no 117 disorder or confusion occurring in these things, because there had been decreed in them by divine wisdom, according to the natural property implanted in each, the inviolable order, so that the highest region was occupied by those things that are higher than any upward-moving substance; and among those, again to be placed either in the middle, or for some to become southern, or toward the north, or to occupy the space in between, or to fill up the galaxy, or the zodiacal circle, and again in this, to produce this or that constellation, and in the star again, not for each of the stars lying in the formation to have its position here or there by chance, but a property inherent in it in equal measure led it away, to remain there in unchangeable stability, being held by the power of its own nature, according to the wisdom of the maker. These and such are the things at which the mind, looking, grows dizzy, and condemns its own sluggishness, being unable to find the reason how the three-day extension of time was sufficient for the distinction of so many stars, or how, through the infinite substance of the fixed sphere of the terrestrial regions in the midst of all space, the great wisdom of God arranged the solar nature, so that we might not live completely in darkness, the brilliance shining forth from the stars being expended in the intervening space before it could reach us. For this reason He placed the brilliant power of the solar nature so far above us, that its ray is neither dimmed by the great distance, nor is it painful by being too close, or how the more material and dense of the things above, I mean the lunar body, was drawn down to the lower region, and circles the earthly space? its nature is seen to be in a way intermediate, partaking equally of both the non-luminous and the luminous power. For the density of its substance dimmed its innate brilliance, but by the reflection of the solar ray it is not entirely estranged from a luminous nature. But the poverty of our nature is unable to see the reason for the wisdom that appears in each of existing things, yet to contemplate a certain sequence in the things that have come to be, according to the order set forth by the lawgiver in the creation of beings, this I think is possible for those who know how to look moderately at the sequence, to understand it somehow through certain conjectures. Therefore let us take up the sequence of the things that have come to be. And it is this: the universal and general light having appeared before the others on account of its mobility, there followed the delineation of the firmament, defined by the circular circuit of the fire. And the light nature having been separated from the heavier, the heavy qualities are consequently separated from one another, being distinguished into earth and water. And the lower nature having been ordered, the subtle and light and lofty substance, because it is not entirely of one nature with itself, in the intervening space of the past time, is distinguished from the common mass into its kindred properties, in which the infinite multitude of the stars, having been spread out, according to the natural property inherent in each part, towards the

22

δυναμένη τῇ λεπτότητι συνεξελθεῖν τῆς θείας σοφίας, ξενιζέσθω μὲν μηδεὶς πρὸς τὴν πτωχείαν τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν ἀποβλέπων, ᾗ ἀγαπητόν ἐστιν οὐ τὸ μηδενὸς διαμαρτεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἑνὸς γοῦν ἐπιτυχεῖν δυνηθῆναι. Ταῦτα δέ φημι πρὸς ἐκεῖνο βλέπων, τίς ὁ λόγος τοῦ τριημέρου τούτου διαστήματος, ὥστε τὸν τοσοῦτον χρόνον ἀρκέσαι πρὸς τὴν ἑκάστου τῶν ἐν τῷ φωτὶ θεωρουμένων διάκρισιν. ∆ῆλον γὰρ ὅτι πάν τως ἐστί τις λόγος, κἂν κρείττων ᾖ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐπόψεως, καθ' ὃν συμβαίνει τὸ μέτριον τοῦ χρόνου τούτου πρὸς τὴν διάκρισιν τῆς φωτιστικῆς οὐσίας, τῇ μεμετρημένῃ παρατάσει τοῦ χρόνου, καὶ τῷ ποσῷ τῆς κατὰ τὴν κίνησιν τοῦ πυρὸς ἐνεργείας, τῆς τῶν φώ των διαστολῆς ἐν τῇ τῶν φωστήρων ἰδιότητι διαιρε θείσης, ὥστε τὰς ἀπείρους ταύτας τῶν φώτων διαφο ρὰς πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν θέσιν ἑκάστην ἀποκριθῆναι, ὑπὸ τῆς φυσικῆς ἰδιότητος ἐκεῖ ταχθείσας, ὅπου ἡ ἐγ κειμένη φυσικὴ δύναμις ἑκάστην ἤγαγεν, μηδεμιᾶς 117 ἐν τούτοις ἀταξίας, ἢ συγχύσεως γενομένης, διὰ τὸ κεκρίσθαι ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐκ θείας σοφίας, κατὰ τὴν ἐν τεθεῖσαν ἑκάστῳ φυσικὴν ἰδιότητα, τὴν ἀπαράβατον τάξιν, ὥστε τὴν μὲν ἀνωτάτω χώραν ἐπισχεῖν ἐκεῖνα τὰ πάσης ἀνωφεροῦς οὐσίας ἀνωφερέστερα· καὶ ἐν ἐκείνοις, πάλιν ἢ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ ταχθῆναι, ἢ νότια γε νέσθαι τινὰ, ἢ πρὸς ἄρκτια, ἢ τὴν μεταξὺ χώραν καταλαβεῖν, ἢ τὸν γαλαξίαν, ἢ τὸν ζωδιακὸν κύκλον ἀναπληρῶσαι, καὶ πάλιν ἐν τούτῳ, ἢ ταύτην ἢ τὴν ἑτέραν τοῦ ἄστρου περιγραφὴν ἀπεργάσασθαι, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἄστρῳ πάλιν, μὴ κατὰ τὸ αὐτόματον ἕκαστον τῶν ἐν τῷ σχήματι κειμένων ἄστρων, ἢ ὧδε ἢ ὧδε τὴν θέσιν ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ ἰσομερῶς ἐγκειμένη αὐτῷ ἰδιότης ἀπήγαγεν, ἐκεῖ μένειν ἐν ἀμεταθέτῳ τῇ παγιότητι, τῇ τῆς ἰδίας φύσεως δυνάμει, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ πεποιηκότος σοφίαν περικρατούμενον. Ταῦτά ἐστι καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, πρὸς ἃ βλέπων ὁ νοῦς ἰλιγγιᾷ, καὶ τῆς ἰδίας νωθείας καταψηφίζεται, μὴ δυ νάμενος ἐξευρεῖν τὸν λόγον, πῶς ἡ τριήμερος τοῦ χρόνου παράτασις πρὸς τὴν τοσούτων ἀστέρων διάκρισιν ἤρκε σεν, ἢ πῶς διὰ τὴν ἄπειρον τῆς ἀπλανοῦς σφαίρας τῶν περιγείων ὑπόστασιν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ παντὸς διαστήματος, τὴν ἡλιακὴν φύσιν ἡ μεγάλη τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφία κατ έταξεν, ὡς ἂν μὴ τελείως ἐν τῷ σκότῳ διαβιῶμεν, τῆς ἐκ τῶν ἄστρων ἀπαυγαζομένης λαμπηδόνος πρὶν ἢ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐλθεῖν ἐνδαπανωμένης τῷ μεταξὺ διαστή ματι. Οὗ χάριν τὴν ἐκλαμπτικὴν τῆς ἡλιακῆς φύσεως δύναμιν τοσοῦτον ἡμῶν ὑπερέθηκεν, ὥστε μήτε ἀμαυροῦσθαι τὴν ἀκτῖνα τῷ πολλῷ διαστήματι, μήτε τῷ ἄγαν προσεγγισμῷ λυπηρὰν εἶναι, ἢ πῶς τὸ ὑλι κώτερόν τε καὶ παχύτερον ἐκ τῶν ὑπερκειμένων, τὸ σεληναῖον σῶμά φημι, πρὸς τὸ κατώτερον κατεσπάσθη, καὶ τὸν περίγειον χῶρον περιπολεῖ; οὗ μέση πως θεωρεῖται ἡ φύσις, τῆς τε ἀλαμποῦς, καὶ τῆς φωτι στικῆς δυνάμεως κατὰ τὸ ἴσον μετέχουσα. Τὴν μὲν γὰρ οἴκοθεν λαμπηδόνα ἡ τῆς οὐσίας παχύτης ἀπήμ βλυνε, τῷ δὲ ἀντιφωτισμῷ τῆς ἡλιακῆς ἀκτῖνος οὐ πάντη τῆς φωτιστικῆς ἠλλοτρίωται φύσεως. Ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν λόγον τῆς ἐν ἑκάστῳ τῶν ὄντων φαινομένης σοφίας ἰδεῖν ἡ πτωχεία τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν ἀδυνατεῖ, τὸ μέν τοι κατὰ τὴν ἐκτεθεῖσαν παρὰ τοῦ νομοθέτου τάξιν ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν ὄντων κτίσεως, ἀκολουθίαν τινὰ τοῖς γεγονόσιν ἐνθεωρῆσαι, τούτοις οἶμαι δυνατὸν εἶναι, τὸ μετρίως πρὸς τὸ ἀκόλουθον ἐπισταμένοις βλέπειν, διά τινων στοχασμῶν ὁπωσοῦν κατανοῆσαι. Οὐκοῦν ἀναλάβωμεν τὴν τῶν γεγονότων ἀκολουθίαν. Ἔστι δὲ αὕτη· τοῦ καθολικοῦ τε καὶ γενικοῦ φωτὸς διὰ τὸ εὐκίνητον προφανέντος τῶν ἄλλων, ἐπηκολούθησε τοῦ στερεώματος περιγραφὴ, τῇ κυκλοτερεῖ περιόδῳ τοῦ πυρὸς ὁρισθεῖσα. Τῆς δὲ κούφης φύσεως τῶν βα ρυτέρων ἀποκριθείσης, ἀκολούθως διαστέλλονται ἀπ' ἀλλήλων αἱ βαρεῖαι ποιότητες, ἐν γῇ τε καὶ ὕδατι διακριθεῖσαι. Τῆς δὲ κάτω φύσεως διακοσμηθείσης, ἡ λεπτή τε καὶ κούφη καὶ μετέωρος οὐσία, διὰ τὸ μὴ πᾶσαν αὐτὴν ὁμοφυῶς πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἔχειν, ἐν με ταξὺ διαστήματι τοῦ παρῳχηκότος χρόνου, πρὸς τὰς ὁμογενεῖς ἰδιότητας ἐκ τοῦ κοινοῦ διακρίνεται, ἐν ᾗ τὸ ἄπειρον τῶν ἄστρων πλῆθος ἐξαπλωθὲν, κατὰ τὴν ἐγκειμένην ἑκάστῳ μέρει φυσικὴν ἰδιότητα, ἐπὶ τὸ