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it runs up to the highest point of creation, and each one comes to be in its own place, neither ceasing from its ever-moving course, nor being moved from the position in which it is. But the order in these things has immobility, while nature has perpetual motion. And next, that which is second after the swiftest motion in its own course, takes up the circle that is set below it; and again from the third and fourth and up to the seventh, according to the proportion of its nature with respect to speed.

Each one descends so far below the one above it, as its nature is slower in motion than those above it. These things, therefore, happen on the fourth day, not with the light being created then, but with the illuminating property being gathered about that which is by nature its own and suitable for it; both the other stars appeared, and those seen with greater mass than the rest, both the sun and the moon, whose origin, in the first foundation, had the principles of light, but the constitution of each (since everything that is moved is certainly moved in time, and there must be a coming together of the parts to one another, and some interval of time) was completed in the three days; so that nothing has been written out of sequence by the great Moses in the arrangement of beings, if, with all things having been laid down materially at once by the power of the Creator for the constitution of beings, the partial manifestation of the things observed in the world was completed by a certain natural order and sequence in a stated interval; with the light having appeared all at once then, but now with all the illuminating nature having shone forth in its own particular way, of which are also the sun, and the moon. And just as in the case of things having a certain fluid power, even if all things flow, they are not altogether homogeneous with one another, but each has a certain difference from the other, for example in oil and mercury and water, which, if someone poured them all together into one vessel, after a short time has passed, he will first see the mercury, because it is heavier and tends to fall more than the others, joining with its own parts, even if these happen to have been scattered everywhere; then the water gathering to itself; then the parts of the oil floating on all that lies beneath, and collecting together; so I think one ought to consider also the present theory, having modified the example only this much, so that what happens here in fluids through weight, one should contemplate in the opposite way in the case of the upward-moving nature. For with all things being carried upwards by lightness at the same time as the first foundation of beings, as each one had speed according to the power inherent by nature in all things, it was consistent for all things that travel at the same speed to run together, and thus to be separated from one another according to the difference in speed, things of a like nature and power. Just as, therefore, in the example, the separation of these fluids did not through the separation create the matters, but revealed them as having already come into being and having been poured into each other, each one purely separated from the other; so also after the three-day interval of time, the illuminating nature and power of the sun did not come into being, but having been diffused throughout the universe was separated unto itself. But if anyone should ask us for an account concerning the third heaven, which Moses did not write about, but Paul saw, and being in it as in some inner sanctuary of wisdom, he heard unutterable things, we say this, that that third heaven is not outside the things that have been examined. For it seems to me that the great Apostle, stretching himself forward to all the things that are before, having crossed the boundaries of all sensible nature, entered into the intelligible state, the contemplation of intelligible things not happening for him in a strictly bodily way. For he himself indicates this in his own words, saying, that "whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know; God knows—such a one caught up to the third heaven." The highest point, therefore, of the sensible world I think Paul called the third heaven, having divided all that is apparent into three parts,

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ἀκρότατον τῆς κτίσεως ἀνατρέχει, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ ἕκαστον γίνεται τόπῳ, οὔτε παυόμενον τῆς ἀεικινή του φορᾶς, οὔτε μετακινούμενον ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν ᾧ ἐστι θέσεως. Ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν τάξις ἐν τούτοις τὸ ἀκίνητον ἔχει, ἡ δὲ φύσις τὸ ἀεικίνητον. Ἐφεξῆς δὲ ἡ δευτε 120 ρονοῦσα μετὰ τὴν ὀξυτάτην κίνησιν ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ φορᾷ, τὸν ὑποβεβηκότα κύκλον διαλαμβάνει· καὶ πά λιν ἐκ τρίτου καὶ τετάρτου καὶ ἕως ἑβδόμου πρὸς λόγον τῆς κατὰ τὸ τάχος φύσεως.

Τοσοῦτον ὑποκαταβαίνει τοῦ ἀνωτέρω ἕκαστον, ὅσον αὐτῷ σχολαιοτέρα τῶν ὑπερκειμένων ἡ φύσις ἐστὶ πρὸς τὴν κίνησιν. Ταῦτα οὖν γίνεται κατὰ τὴν τετάρτην ἡμέραν, οὐ τότε τοῦ φωτὸς δημιουργηθέντος, ἀλλὰ τῆς φωτιστικῆς ἰδιότητος περὶ τὸ κατὰ φύσιν ἑαυτῇ καὶ κατάλληλον ἀθροισθείσης· τά τε ἄλλα ἐξεφάνη τῶν ἀστέρων, καὶ οἱ ἐν μείζονι ὄγκῳ περὶ τὰ λοιπὰ καθορώμενοι, ὁ ἥλιός τε καὶ ἡ σελήνη, ὧν ἡ μὲν γένεσις, ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ καταβολῇ, τοῦ φωτὸς τὰς ἀφορμὰς ἔσχεν, ἡ δὲ σύ στασις ἑκάστου (ἐπειδὴ πάντως ἐν χρόνῳ κινεῖται πᾶν τὸ κινούμενον, καὶ δεῖ τὴν τῶν μορίων πρὸς ἄλληλα συνδρομὴν, καὶ χρονικοῦ τινος διαστήματος) ἐν ταῖς τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐτελειώθη· ὡς μηδὲν ἔξω τῆς ἀκολουθίας παρὰ τοῦ μεγάλου Μωσέως ἐν τῇ τῶν ὄντων διασκευῇ γεγράφθαι, εἰ πάντων κατὰ τὸ ἀθρόον παρὰ τῆς τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ δυνάμεως ὑλικῶς προκαταβεβλη μένων, πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὄντων σύστασιν, ἡ μερικὴ τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τεθεωρημένων ἀνάδειξις, τάξει τινὶ φυσικῇ καὶ ἀκολουθίᾳ ἐν ῥητῷ διαστήματι ἐτελειώθη· τότε μὲν ἀθρόου τοῦ φωτὸς ἐκφανέντος, νῦν δὲ πάσης τῆς φωτιστικῆς φύσεως ἰδικῶς διαφανείσης, ὧν ἐστι καὶ ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ ἡ σελήνη. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ῥευ στήν τινα δύναμιν ἐχόντων, κἂν πάντα ῥέῃ, οὐ πάν τως ὁμογενῶς ἔχει πρὸς ἄλληλα, ἀλλά τίς ἐστιν ἑκά στῳ διαφορὰ πρὸς τὸ ἕτερον, οἷον ἐν ἐλαίῳ καὶ ὑδραργύρῳ καὶ ὕδατι, ἅπερ εἴ τις ἀναχέας πάντα πρὸς ἄλληλα ἑνὶ περιβάλοι ἀγγείῳ, βραχέος ἐγγε νομένου χρόνου, πρῶτον ὄψεται τὴν ὑδράργυρον, διὰ τὸ βαρυτέραν τε καὶ κατωφερεστέραν εἶναι τῶν ἄλ λων, τοῖς ἰδίοις συμφυομένην μορίοις, κἂν πανταχῆ ταῦτα διεσκεδασμένα τύχῃ· ἔπεκτα τὸ ὕδωρ πρὸς ἑαυτὸ συναγόμενον· εἶτα τοῦ ἐλαίου τὰ μόρια πᾶσι τοῖς ὑποκειμένοις ἐπιπολάζοντα, καὶ περὶ ἑαυτὰ συν ιστάμενα· οὕτως οἶμαι δεῖν καὶ περὶ τῆς προκει μένης θεωρίας στοχάζεσθαι, τοσοῦτον ὑπαλλάξαντας μόνον τοῦ ὑποδείγματος, ὥστε τὸ ἐν τοῖς ῥευστοῖς ὧδε διὰ τοῦ βάρους γινόμενον, ἐπὶ τῆς ἀνωφεροῦς φύσεως κατὰ τὸ ἔμπαλιν θεωρῆσαι. Πάντων γὰρ ἀναφερομένων ὑπὸ κουφότητος ἅμα τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν ὄντων καταβολῇ, ὡς εἶχε τάχους ἕκαστον κατὰ τὴν ἐγκειμένην τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐκ φύσεως δύναμιν, ἀκόλουθον ἦν τῷ ἰσοδρομοῦντι ἀλλήλοις πάντα συνδραμεῖν, καὶ οὕτω διακριθῆναι κατὰ τὴν τοῦ τάχους διαφορὰν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων, τῶν ὡσαύτως πεφυκότων τε καὶ δυναμένων. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐπὶ τοῦ ὑποδείγματος ἡ τῶν ῥευ στῶν τούτων διάκρισις οὐκ ἐποίησε διὰ τῆς διαστο λῆς τὰς ὕλας, ἀλλὰ τὰς γεγενημένας καὶ ἐν ἀλλήλαις κεχυμένας καθαρῶς ἑκάστην ἀπὸ τῆς ἄλλης διακρι θεῖσαν ἀνέδειξεν· οὕτω καὶ μετὰ τὸ τριήμερον τοῦ χρόνου διάστημα οὐχ. ἐγένετο ἡ φωτιστικὴ τοῦ ἡλίου φύσις καὶ δύναμις, ἀλλὰ διακεχυμένη πρὸς τὸ πᾶν πρὸς ἑαυτὴ διεκρίθη. Εἰ δέ τις ἡμᾶς ἐπαιτοίη καὶ περὶ τοῦ τρίτου οὐρανοῦ λόγον, ὃν ὁ Μωσῆς μὲν οὐκ ἔγραψεν, Παῦλος δὲ εἶδεν, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ καθάπερ ἐν ἀδύτοις τισὶ τῆς σοφίας γενόμενος, τῶν ἀῤῥήτων ἐπ ηκροάσατο, τοῦτό φαμεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔξω τῶν ἐξητασμέ 121 νων ὁ τρίτος ἐκεῖνος οὐρανός ἐστι. ∆οκεῖ γάρ μοι ὁ μέγας Ἀπόστολος ὁ πᾶσι τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἑαυτὸν ἐπεκτείνων, διαβὰς πάσης τῆς αἰσθητῆς φύσεως τοὺς ὅρους, εἰς τὴν νοητὴν κατάστασιν παρεισδῦναι, οὐ σωματικῆς ἀκριβῶς γινομένης αὐτῷ τῆς τῶν νοητῶν θεωρίας. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ αὑτὸς τῷ ἰδίῳ λόγῳ παρα σημαίνεται εἰπὼν, ὅτι «εἴτε ἐν σώματι οὐκ οἶδα, εἴτε ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματος οὐκ οἶδα· ὁ Θεὸς οἶδεν ἁρπαγέντα τὸν τοιοῦτον ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ.» Τὸ οὖν ἀκρότατον τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ κόσμου τρίτον οἶμαι οὐρανὸν προειρη κέναι τὸν Παῦλον, τριχῆ μὲν τεμόντα πᾶν τὸ φαινόμε νον,