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to be carried downwards, does the account attribute this to the command of the creator? For as long as the water happens to lie on a level surface, it is stationary, having nowhere to flow away; but whenever it reaches some downward slope, as soon as the leading part has rushed forward, the part contiguous to it takes the place of that which was moved, and the part following takes the place of that one; and thus the leading part is always escaping, while the part coming on pushes it; and the motion becomes that much swifter, the greater the weight of what is being carried down, and the more hollow the place towards which the flow is directed. If then water is of such a nature, the command which orders it to be gathered into one collection would be superfluous. For it was certainly going, because of the downward tendency of its nature, to come together automatically into the most hollow place of all, and not to stop before its surface was made level. For no place is so level as the surface of water. Then how, it is said, were the waters commanded to run together into one collection, when there appear to be many seas, and they are very far separated from one another in position? In response, then, to the first of the questions raised, we say this: that you, for your part, after the Lord's command, have come to know the movements of water, that it is prone to flow downwards and unstable, and by nature is carried towards sloping and hollow places; but before this, what power it had, before the course from this command was engendered in it, you neither saw yourself, nor heard from one who saw. For understand that the voice of God is creative of nature, and the command that was then given to creation provided the sequence for what was to follow for the things being created. Day and night were created once, and from that time until now, succeeding one another and dividing time in equal measure, they do not cease. 4.3 Let the waters be gathered together. The nature of the waters was commanded to run, and it never tires, being continually urged on by that command. And I say this with a view to the flowing portion of the waters. For some flow of their own accord, such as spring waters and river waters; while others are collected and do not flow. But for me now the discussion is about rushing waters. Let the waters be gathered together into one collection. If ever, while standing at a spring that yields abundant water, the thought has occurred to you, who is it that pushes this water from the flanks of the earth? who urges it forward? what are the storehouses from which it comes? what is the place towards which it hastens? how is it that these do not fail, and those are not filled up? These things depend on that first voice. From there comes the impulse for the water to run. In every account of waters, remember the first voice, Let the waters be gathered together. It was necessary for them to run in order to reach their own place; then, having arrived in their appointed places, to remain by themselves and not to go any further. For this reason, according to the word of Ecclesiastes, All the rivers run into the sea, and the sea is not full. Since both the flowing of the waters through the divine command, and the sea's being circumscribed within its boundaries, are from the first legislation: Let the waters be gathered together into one collection. So that the flowing water, overflowing the places that receive it, constantly passing on and filling one place after another, should not inundate the whole continent in succession, it was commanded to be gathered into one collection. For this reason the sea, often raging because of the winds, and rising up to a very great height with its waves, whenever it only touches the shores, dissolving its force into foam, has returned. Will you not fear me? says the Lord, who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea? By sand, the weakest of all things, that which is unbearable in its violence is bridled. For what would have prevented the Red Sea from coming over all of Egypt, which is lower than it, and from joining with the sea that lies next to Egypt, if it had not been bound by the command of the creator? For that Egypt is lower than the Red Sea, we were convinced by the deed of those who wished to join the seas to one another, both the Egyptian and the Indian, in

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φέρεσθαι πρὸς τὸ κάταντες, τοῦτο ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσταγμα τοῦ δημιουργοῦ ὁ λόγος ἀνάγει; Ἕως μὲν γὰρ ἂν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἰσοπέδου κείμενον τύχῃ τὸ ὕδωρ, στάσιμόν ἐστιν, οὐκ ἔχων ὅπου μεταρρυῇ· ἐπειδὰν δέ τινος πρανοῦς λάβηται, εὐθὺς ὁρμήσαντος τοῦ προάγοντος, τὸ συνεχὲς αὐτῷ τὴν βάσιν τοῦ κινηθέντος ἐπιλαμβάνει, καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου τὸ ἐφεπόμενον· καὶ οὕτως ὑπεκφεύγει μὲν ἀεὶ τὸ προάγον, ἐπωθεῖ δὲ τὸ ἐπερχόμενον· καὶ τοσούτῳ ὀξυτέρα ἡ φορὰ γίνεται, ὅσῳπερ ἂν καὶ τὸ βάρος ᾖ πλεῖον τοῦ καταφερομένου, καὶ τὸ χωρίον κοιλότερον, πρὸς ὃ ἡ ἐπίρρυσις. Εἰ οὖν οὕτω πέφυκε τὸ ὕδωρ, παρέλκοι ἂν τὸ πρόσταγμα τὸ κελεῦον συναχθῆναι εἰς συναγωγὴν μίαν. Ἔμελλε γὰρ πάντως, διὰ τὸ κατάρροπον τῆς φύσεως, ἐπὶ τὴν πάντων κοιλοτέραν χώραν αὐτομάτως συνδίδοσθαι, καὶ μὴ πρότερον στήσεσθαι πρὶν ὁμαλισθῆναι τὰ νῶτα. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω χωρίον ἰσόπεδον, ὡς ἡ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐπιφάνεια. Ἔπειτα πῶς, φησὶν, εἰς συναγωγὴν μίαν ἐκελεύσθη τὰ ὕδατα συνδραμεῖν, ὅπουγε φαίνονται πολλαὶ οὖσαι θάλασσαι, καὶ πλεῖστον ἀλλήλων τῇ θέσει διωρισμέναι; Πρὸς μὲν οὖν τὸ πρότερον τῶν ἐπιζητηθέντων ἐκεῖνό φαμεν· ὅτι μάλιστα μὲν σὺ μετὰ τὸ πρόσταγμα τὸ δεσποτικὸν ἐπέγνως τοῦ ὕδατος τὰς κινήσεις, ὅτι τε περιρρεπές ἐστι καὶ ἀστή ρικτον, καὶ πρὸς τὰ πρανῆ καὶ κοῖλα φέρεται κατὰ φύσιν· πρὸ τούτου δὲ, πῶς εἶχε δυνάμεως πρὶν αὐτῷ τὸν ἐκ τοῦ προστάγματος τούτου ἐγγενέσθαι δρόμον, οὔτε εἶδες αὐτὸς, οὔτε ἰδόντος ἤκουσας. Νόησον γὰρ ὅτι Θεοῦ φωνὴ φύσεώς ἐστι ποιητικὴ, καὶ τὸ γενόμενον τότε τῇ κτίσει πρόσταγμα τὴν πρὸς τὸ ἐφεξῆς ἀκολουθίαν τοῖς κτιζομένοις παρέσχετο. Ἡμέρα καὶ νὺξ ἅπαξ ἐδημιουργήθη, καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνου καὶ νῦν ἀλλήλας διαδεχόμεναι, καὶ κατ' ἰσομοιρίαν διαιρούμεναι τὸν χρόνον οὐκ ἀπολήγουσι. 4.3 Συναχθήτω τὰ ὕδατα. Ἐκελεύσθη τρέχειν τῶν ὑδάτων ἡ φύσις, καὶ οὐδέποτε κάμνει τῷ προστάγματι ἐκείνῳ κατασπευδομένη διηνεκῶς. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγω, πρὸς τὴν ῥυτὴν ἀφορῶν τῶν ὑδάτων μοῖραν. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ αὐτόματα ῥεῖ, οἷον τὰ κρηναῖα καὶ τὰ ποτάμια· τὰ δὲ συλλογιμαῖά ἐστι καὶ ἀπόρευτα. Ἀλλ' ἐμοὶ νῦν περὶ τῶν ὁρμητικῶν ὑδάτων ὁ λόγος. Συναχθήτω τὰ ὕδατα εἰς συναγωγὴν μίαν. Εἴ ποτέ σοι ἐπὶ κρήνης ἑστῶτι ἄφθονον ὕδωρ ἀναδιδούσης ἔννοια ἐγένετο, τίς ὁ ὠθῶν ἐκ τῶν λαγόνων τῆς γῆς τοῦτο τὸ ὕδωρ; τίς ὁ ἐπείγων ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσω; ποῖα ταμεῖα ὅθεν προέρχεται; τίς ὁ τόπος ἐφ' ὃν ἐπείγεται; πῶς καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ ἐκλείπει, κἀκεῖνα οὐκ ἀποπίμπλαται; Ταῦτα τῆς πρώτης ἐκείνης φωνῆς ἤρτηται. Ἐκεῖθεν τοῦ τρέχειν τῷ ὕδατι τὸ ἐνδόσιμον. Κατὰ πᾶσαν ἱστορίαν ὑδάτων μέμνησο τῆς πρώτης φωνῆς, Συναχθήτω τὰ ὕδατα. Ἔδει δραμεῖν αὐτὰ, ἵνα τὴν οἰκείαν καταλάβῃ χώραν· εἶτα γενόμενα ἐν τοῖς ἀφωρισμένοις τόποις, μένειν ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν, καὶ μὴ χωρεῖν περαιτέρω. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κατὰ τὸν τοῦ Ἐκκλη σιαστοῦ λόγον, Πάντες οἱ χείμαρροι ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν πορεύονται, καὶ ἡ θάλασσα οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμπιμπλαμένη. Ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὸ ῥεῖν τοῖς ὕδασι διὰ τὸ θεῖον πρόσταγμα, καὶ τὸ εἴσω τῶν ὅρων περιγεγράφθαι τὴν θάλασσαν, ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης ἐστὶ νομοθεσίας· Συναχθήτω τὰ ὕδατα εἰς συνα γωγὴν μίαν. Ἵνα μὴ τὸ ἐπιρρέον ὕδωρ τῶν δεχομένων αὐτὸ χωρίων ὑπερχεόμενον, μετεκβαῖνον ἀεὶ καὶ ἄλλα ἐξ ἄλλων πληροῦν, πᾶσαν κατὰ τὸ συνεχὲς ἐπικλύσῃ τὴν ἤπειρον, ἐκελεύσθη συναχθῆναι εἰς συναγωγὴν μίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μαινομένη πολλάκις ἐξ ἀνέμων ἡ θάλασσα, καὶ εἰς ὕψος μέγιστον διανισταμένη τοῖς κύμασιν, ἐπειδὰν μόνον τῶν αἰγιαλῶν ἅψηται, εἰς ἀφρὸν διαλύσασα τὴν ὁρμὴν ἐπανῆλθεν. Ἢ ἐμὲ οὐ φοβηθήσεσθε, λέγει Κύριος, τὸν τιθέντα ἄμμον ὅριον τῇ θαλάσσῃ; Τῷ ἀσθενεστάτῳ πάντων τῇ ψάμμῳ ἡ ταῖς βίαις ἀφόρητος χαλινοῦται. Ἐπεὶ τί ἐκώλυε τὴν ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν πᾶσαν τὴν Αἴγυπτον κοιλοτέραν οὖσαν ἑαυτῆς ἐπελθεῖν, καὶ συναφθῆναι τῷ παρακειμένῳ τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ πελάγει, εἰ μὴ τῷ προστάγματι ἦν πεπεδημένη τοῦ κτίσαντος; Ὅτι γὰρ ταπεινοτέρα τῆς ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης ἡ Αἴγυπτος, ἔργῳ ἔπεισαν ἡμᾶς οἱ θελήσαντες ἀλλήλοις τὰ πελάγη συνάψαι, τό τε Αἰγύπτιον καὶ τὸ Ἰνδικὸν, ἐν