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2.101 On the first day, that is, on the Lord's day, the foundation of the world and the beginning of creation took place, God having begun from the evening to create the containing elements of the whole world, I mean heaven and earth, creating together with them also the darkness and the water and the air and the fire mixed in the earth and the angels, having brought all these things forth at once. For this reason on the same day and in the same night again the re-creation of the whole world took place. For the whole world is circumscribed in man, because man is the bond, as has often been said, of the whole world. 2.102 Man, therefore, having risen on the same night of the Lord's day incorruptible and immortal and immutable, guarantees for all creation, visible and invisible, to obtain the same things. For this reason the Apostle said: "To sum up all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth," and: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation being renewed. The old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." "All things," he said, because in man are seen the visible and the invisible. Therefore, he who denies that the humanity in Christ is perfect, this one is harmed, not understanding the great economy of God and the Christian dogma; likewise also he who denies the perfect divinity, is liable and is very much harmed. The text 2.103 Therefore, with the stars circling by means of the invisible Powers, according to the divine Scripture, and running through the north and coming under the height of the earth, it is possible for the eclipses, those of the moon and of the sun, to be accomplished in such a figure. For the angelic Powers, moving the figures logically and orderly and more swiftly than us, accomplish them, having this as their task, night and day, without ceasing. For in the same way that the outsiders say they circle underneath the earth, inconsiderately, as was shown before, this not agreeing with the nature of things, but also opposing God. We, following the divine Scripture, slightly inclining in our mind the revolution, that is, the course of the stars, say that they are accomplished by means of this figure. For the same eclipses follow of necessity, and we neither oppose God, nor the nature of things. For God must be believed above every conception and teaching of men. 2.104 Again, concerning the four elements we say that God, having established the earth first, being dry, has set it as the foundation of the universe, as it is heavy; again the water, that is the wet, being fluid, He placed upon the earth; and as they are opposite in qualities, He deemed it right for them to be together for the sake of a good mixture. Again, higher than these He placed the air, being cold, and again higher, the fire, that is the hot, both again as lighter, but again as opposites. Therefore, the two middle elements together, both the water as wet and the air as cold, having great affinity for one another, the one being of a fluid nature, the other of a porous one, and both soft and easily receiving into themselves both each other's qualities and those of the opposites and transmitting them to each other and mixing the whole, He deemed it right for them to be in the middle of the other two, the dry and the hot, so that the whole might not be destroyed and turned to ash. For from the fact that the two middle elements easily partake of one another, the outsiders fell into error and by inversion called the air wet, and the water cold; consequently, from this they also attribute two qualities to one, and often even four. 2.105 And God appointed the rains to occur according to what is useful, through the angelic Powers, who serve and bring them up from the sea to the clouds; and ministering to the divine command they send them forth wherever the divine command should bid. For the Scripture says through Amos the prophet: "He who calls forth the water of the sea and pours it out upon the face of the earth." Likewise also through Zechariah thus: "Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the early and late rain, and he will give them winter rain, to each one grass in the field." And in Kings in the time of Elijah it says thus: "And the servant returned

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2.101 Ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ ἡμέρᾳ, τουτέστι τῇ κυριακῇ, ἡ καταβολὴ τοῦ κόσμου καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κτίσεως ἐγένετο, ἀφ' ἑσπέρας ἀρξάμενος ὁ Θεὸς κτίζειν τὰ περιεκτικὰ τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου, λέγω δὴ οὐρανὸν καὶ γῆν, συνδημιουργήσας αὐτοῖς καὶ τὸ σκότος καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸν ἀέρα καὶ τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἐν τῇ γῇ ἀναμεμιγμένον καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους, ὑφ' ἓν ταῦτα πάντα παραγαγών. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ νυκτὶ πάλιν ἡ ἀνάκτισις τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου ἐγένετο. Ὁ πᾶς γὰρ κόσμος ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ περιγράφεται, ὅτι σύνδεσμός ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὡς πολλάκις εἴρηται, παντὸς τοῦ κόσμου. 2.102 Ἀναστάντος οὖν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ νυκτὶ τῆς κυριακῆς ἀφθάρτου καὶ ἀθανάτου καὶ ἀτρέπτου, πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν ἐγγυᾶται, ὁρατὴν καὶ ἀόρατον, τῶν ὁμοίων τυχεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· "Ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι τὰ πάντα ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ, τά τε ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς", καί· "Εἴ τις ἐν Χριστῷ, καινὴ κτίσις ἀνακαινίζεται. Τὰ ἀρχαῖα παρῆλθεν, ἰδοὺ γέγονε πάντα καινά." "Τὰ πάντα" εἶπεν, ὅτι ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ θεωροῦνται ὁρατὰ καὶ ἀόρατα. Ὁ ἀθετῶν οὖν τῷ Χριστῷ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα τελείαν μὴ ὑπάρχειν, οὗτος βέβλαπται μὴ ἐπιστάμενος τὴν μεγάλην οἰκονομίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὸ δόγμα τὸ χριστιανικόν· ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ τὴν θεότητα τελείαν ἀθετῶν, ἔνοχός ἐστι καὶ πάνυ βέβλαπται. Τὸ κείμενον 2.103 Κυκλευόντων τοίνυν τῶν ἄστρων διὰ τῶν ἀοράτων ∆υνάμεων, κατὰ τὴν θείαν Γραφήν, καὶ διὰ τοῦ βορρᾶ διατρεχόντων καὶ ὑπὸ τὸ ὕψος τῆς γῆς γινομένων, δυνατὸν τῷ τοιούτῳ σχήματι τὰς ἐκλείψεις ἀποτελεῖσθαι, τὰς τῆς σελήνης καὶ τοῦ ἡλίου. Λογικῶς γὰρ καὶ εὐτάκτως καὶ ὀξυτέρως ἡμῶν αἱ ἀγγελικαὶ ∆υνάμεις τὰ σχήματα κινοῦσαι ἀποτελοῦσιν, ἔργον αὐτὸ κεκτημέναι νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας ἀπαύστως. Ὅνπερ γὰρ τρόπον οἱ ἔξωθεν λέγουσιν ὑποκάτωθεν τῆς γῆς κυκλεύειν αὐτά, ἀπερισκέπτως, ὡς πρόσθεν ἐδείχθη, μὴ συμβαῖνον τῇ φύσει τῶν πραγμάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ Θεῷ ἐναντιούμενοι. Ἡμεῖς ἀκολουθοῦντες τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ, ὀλίγον πλαγιάσαντες τῷ νῷ τὴν περιφοράν, ἤτοι τὴν πορείαν τῶν ἄστρων, διὰ τούτου τοῦ σχήματος ἀποτελεῖσθαι αὐτὰς λέγομεν. Αἱ αὐταὶ γὰρ ἐκλείψεις ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἐπακολουθοῦσι, καὶ οὔτε τῷ Θεῷ ἐναντιούμεθα, οὔτε τῇ φύσει τῶν πραγμάτων. Πιστευτέον γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν ἔννοιαν καὶ διδασκαλίαν ἀνθρώπων. 2.104 Πάλιν περὶ τῶν τεσσάρων στοιχείων λέγομεν ὅτι τὴν γῆν πρῶτον, ξηρὰν οὖσαν, ἑδράσας ὁ Θεὸς θεμέλιον τοῦ παντὸς ὡς βαρεῖαν τέθεικε· πάλιν τὸ ὕδωρ, τουτέστι τὸ ὑγρόν, ὡς ῥευστὸν ὄν, ἐπάνω τῆς γῆς ἔταξεν· ὡς δὲ ἐναντία ταῖς ποιότησιν ὁμοῦ ἐδικαίωσεν εἶναι διὰ τὴν εὐκρασίαν. Πάλιν ἀνώτερον τούτων τὸν ἀέρα ἔταξε ψυχρόν, καὶ πάλιν ἀνώτερον τὸ πῦρ, τουτέστι τὸ θερμόν, ἀμφότερα πάλιν ὡς κουφότερα, ὡς δὲ πάλιν ἐναντία. Ὁμοῦ τὰ δύο οὖν μέσα, τό τε ὕδωρ ὡς ὑγρὸν καὶ τὸν ἀέρα ὡς ψυχρόν, πολλὴν συγγένειαν ἔχοντα πρὸς ἄλληλα, τὸ μὲν ῥευστῆς φύσεως ὄν, τὸ δὲ χαύνης, ἀμφότερα δὲ ἁπαλὰ καὶ εὐχερῶς εἰσδεχόμενα εἰς ἑαυτὰ καὶ ἀλλήλων καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων τὰς ποιότητας καὶ ἀλλήλοις μεταδιδόντα καὶ τὸ πᾶν συγκιρνῶντα, τοῖς ἄλλοις δύο μεσάζειν ἐδικαίωσε, τῷ τε ξηρῷ καὶ θερμῷ, ἵνα μὴ τὸ πᾶν διαφθαρῇ καὶ ἀποτεφρωθῇ. Ἐκ τοῦ γὰρ εὐχερῶς μεταλαμβάνειν ἀλλήλων τὰ δύο μέσα στοιχεῖα πλάνην ὑπέμειναν οἱ ἐκτὸς καὶ ἐξ ἀντιστρόφου τὸν μὲν ἀέρα ὑγρόν, τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ ψυχρὸν προσηγόρευσαν· λοιπὸν καὶ ἐκ τούτου δύο ποιότητας τῷ ἑνὶ χαρίζονται, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ τέσσαρας. 2.105 Τοὺς δὲ ὑετοὺς κατὰ τὸ χρήσιμον ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τῶν ἀγγελικῶν ∆υνάμεων ἔταξε γίνεσθαι, ἐξυπηρετούντων καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάττης ἐπὶ τὰς νεφέλας ἀναγόντων· καὶ τῷ προστάγματι τῷ θείῳ διακονοῦντες ἐκπέμπουσιν ὁπουδὰν τὸ θεῖον πρόσταγμα κελεύσοι. Λέγει γὰρ ἡ Γραφὴ διὰ Ἀμὼς τοῦ προφήτου· "Ὁ προσκαλούμενος τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ ἐκχέων αὐτὸ ἐπὶ προσώπου τῆς γῆς." Ὁμοίως καὶ διὰ Ζαχαρίου οὕτως· "Αἰτεῖσθε ὑετὸν παρὰ Κυρίου καθ' ὥραν πρώϊμον καὶ ὄψιμον, καὶ ὑετὸν χειμερινὸν δώσει αὐτοῖς, ἑκάστῳ βοτάνην ἐν ἀγρῷ." Ἐν δὲ ταῖς Βασιλείαις ἐπὶ Ἠλιοὺ οὕτω φησί· "Καὶ ἐπέστρεψε τὸ παιδάριον