as the command ordained); how in summer, becoming higher, it makes the days longer, giving opportunity for work to men; but in winter, it shortens its course, so that the time of cold may not be longer, but that the nights, becoming greater, might contribute to the rest of men, and contribute also to the fruitfulness of the earth’s produce. But see also how the days in orderly fashion hand over to one another; in summer increasing, but in winter contracting, and in spring and autumn granting to each other equality of their lengths. And the nights in turn accomplish similar things; so that the Psalmist even says about them: Day to day utters speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. For to the heretics who have no ears they all but shout and say through their good order that there is no other God than the Creator and Ordainer and the one who arranged all things. 9.7 But let no one tolerate some who say that the maker of light is one, and of darkness another. For let him remember Isaiah who says: I am the God who made light and created darkness. Why are you vexed at it, O man? why do you bear heavily the time given for your rest? A servant would not have received rest from masters, if darkness had not of necessity brought on the appointed time. And how often, having toiled in the day, we are renewed in the nights, and he who yesterday was in labors, in the morning becomes strong because of the night’s rest. And what is more useful than night for wisdom? For in it we often contemplate the things of God; in it we do the reading and contemplation of the divine oracles. And when is our mind more ordered for psalmody and prayer? Is it not in the night? And when have we often come to the remembrance of our own sins? Was it not in the night? Let us not, then, wrongly accept that there is another maker of darkness; for experience shows this also to be good and most useful. 9.8 But they should have been astonished and marveled not only at the construction of the sun and moon, but also at the orderly choirs of the stars, and their unimpeded courses and the timely risings of each. And how some are signs of summer, and others of winter; and how some indicate the time of sowing, and others signify the beginning of sailing; and a man sitting in a ship and sailing on boundless waves, looking to the stars directs his vessel. For concerning these things scripture says well, "And let them be for signs and for seasons and for years;" not for astrology and the myths of genesis. And see how also the light of day He graciously gave us gradually (for we do not see the sun rising all at once, but a little light runs before, so that the pupil, having prepared, may be able to see the greater things of the ray;) and how He comforted the darkness of night with the illuminations of the moon. 9.9 Who is the father of rain, and who is he that has begotten the drops of dew? who is it that thickened the air into clouds, and commanded them to bear the waters of the rains, and sometimes brings from the north clouds gleaming with gold, and sometimes fashions them into one form and again transforms them into various shapes of circles and other figures? Who is able to number the clouds in wisdom? concerning which he says in Job: "He knows the divisions of the clouds, and He bowed the heaven to the earth;" and, "He who numbers the clouds in wisdom;" and, "The cloud is not rent under him." For so great measures of waters are upon the clouds, and they are not rent; but with all good order they come down upon the earth. Who brings forth the winds from their storehouses? And who is he, as we said before, that has begotten the drops of dew? And from whose womb does the ice come forth? For its substance is watery, and its effect is stony. And sometimes the water becomes snow like wool, and sometimes it serves Him who scatters the mist like ashes, and sometimes it is changed into a stony substance; since He steers the water as He wills. Its nature is of one form, and its effect is of many powers. The water, is wine in the vines, gladdening the heart of man; and oil in the olives, making bright

προστάγματος ὁρίσαντος)· πῶς θέρους μὲν ὑψηλότερος γινόμενος, μακροτέρας ἀπεργάζεται τὰς ἡμέρας, διδοὺς εὐκαιρίαν εἰς ἔργα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· χειμῶνος δὲ, συστέλλει τὸν δρόμον, ἵνα μὴ τοῦ ψύχους πλείων γένηται ὁ χρόνος, ἀλλ' ἵνα αἱ νύκτες μείζονες γινόμεναι, πρὸς ἄνεσιν μὲν συνεργῶσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, συνεργῶσι δὲ καὶ πρὸς καρποφορίαν τῶν γεννημάτων τῆς γῆς. Ὅρα δὲ καὶ πῶς ἀντιπαραδιδόασιν ἀλλήλαις εὐτάκτως αἱ ἡμέραι· θέρους μὲν αὐξανόμεναι, χειμῶνος δὲ συστελλόμεναι ἐν ἔαρι δὲ καὶ φθινοπώρῳ τὴν ἰσότητα τῶν διαστημάτων ἀλλήλαις χαριζόμεναι. Καὶ αἱ νύκτες πάλιν ἐπιτελοῦσι τὰ παραπλήσια· ὡς καὶ τὸν ψαλμῳδὸν λέγειν περὶ αὐτῶν· Ἡμέρα τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐρεύγεται ῥῆμα, καὶ νὺξ νυκτὶ ἀναγγέλλει γνῶσιν. Τοῖς γὰρ οὐκ ἔχουσιν ὦτα αἱρετικοῖς μονονουχὶ βοῶσι καὶ διὰ τῆς εὐταξίας λέγουσι, μὴ ἄλλον τινὰ εἶναι Θεὸν, ἢ τὸν δημιουργὸν καὶ ὁροθέτην καὶ τὸν ἐκτάξαντα τὰ ὅλα. 9.7 Μηδεὶς δὲ ἀνασχέσθω λεγόντων τινῶν, ἄλλον μὲν εἶναι τὸν φωτὸς ποιητὴν, ἄλλον δὲ σκότους. Μνημονευέτω γὰρ Ἡσαΐου λέγοντος· Ἐγὼ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιήσας φῶς καὶ κτίσας σκότος. Τί ἀσχάλλεις ἐπ' αὐτῷ, ὦ ἄνθρωπε; τί βαρέως φέρεις τὸν καιρὸν τὸν εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν σὴν δοθέντα; Οὐκ ἂν οἰκέτης παρὰ δεσποτῶν ἔλαβεν ἀνάπαυσιν, εἰ μὴ τὸ σκότος ἐπάναγκες ἐπῆγε προθεσμίαν. Πῶς δὲ πολλάκις καμόντες ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, ἐν νυξὶν ἀνανεούμεθα, καὶ ὁ τῇ χθὲς ἡμέρᾳ γεγονὼς ἐν καμάτοις, ἕωθεν γίνεται ῥωμαλέος διὰ τὴν τῆς νυκτὸς ἀνάπαυσιν. Τί δὲ νυκτὸς πρὸς σοφίαν χρησιμώτερον; Ἐν ταύτῃ μὲν γὰρ πολλάκις τὰ περὶ Θεοῦ φανταζόμεθα· ἐν αὐτῇ δὲ ἀνάγνωσιν καὶ θεωρίαν τῶν θείων λογίων ποιούμεθα. Πότε δὲ εἰς ψαλμῳδίαν μᾶλλον καὶ προσευχὴν συντέταται ἡ διάνοια ἡμῶν; Ἆρα οὐκ ἐν νυκτί; Πότε δὲ πολλάκις τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτιῶν ἤλθομεν εἰς ὑπόμνησιν; Οὐκ ἐν νυκτί; Μὴ τοίνυν παραδεξώμεθα κακῶς, ἄλλον σκότους εἶναι ποιητήν· ἀγαθὸν γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο δείκνυσιν ἡ πεῖρα καὶ χρησιμώτατον. 9.8 Ἐχρῆν δὲ αὐτοὺς οὐ μόνον ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης τὴν κατασκευὴν ἐκπλαγῆναι καὶ θαυμάσαι· ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τῶν ἀστέρων τὰς εὐτάκτους χορείας, καὶ τοὺς ἀνεμποδίστους δρόμους καὶ τὰς ἀνατολὰς τὰς εὐκαίρους ἑκάστου. Καὶ πῶς οἱ μὲν σημεῖά εἰσι θέρους, οἱ δὲ χειμῶνος· καὶ πῶς οἱ μὲν τοῦ σπόρου τὸν καιρὸν δηλοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ τοῦ πλέειν τὴν ἀρχὴν σημαίνουσι· καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἐν πλοίῳ καθήμενος καὶ ἐν ἀπεριορίστοις κύμασι πλέων, εἰς ἀστέρας βλέπων εὐθύνει τὴν ναῦν. Περὶ τούτων γὰρ τῶν πραγμάτων λέγει ἡ γραφὴ καλῶς τὸ, Καὶ ἔστωσαν εἰς σημεῖα καὶ εἰς καιροὺς καὶ εἰς ἐνιαυτούς· οὐκ εἰς ἀστρολογίας καὶ γενέσεως μυθολογίας. Ὅρα δὲ πῶς καὶ τὸ τῆς ἡμέρας φῶς καλῶς ἡμῖν ἐχαρίσατο ἐκ προσαγωγῆς (οὐ γὰρ ἅμα τὸν ἥλιον ἀνατέλλοντα θεωροῦμεν· ἀλλὰ προτρέχει μικρόν τι φῶς, ἵνα προμελετήσασα ἡ κόρη δύνηται βλέπειν τῆς ἀκτῖνος τὰ μείζονα·) ὅπως δὲ τὸ τῆς νυκτὸς σκότος παρεμυθήσατο τοῖς σεληνιαίοις αὐγάσμασι. 9.9 Τίς ἐστιν ὑετοῦ πατὴρ, τίς δέ ἐστιν ὁ τετοκὼς βόλους δρόσου; τίς ὁ τὸν ἀέρα παχύνας εἰς νέφη, καὶ κελεύσας τῶν ὄμβρων βαστάζειν τὰ ὕδατα, καί ποτε μὲν ἄγων ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ νέφη χρυσαυγοῦντά, ποτε δὲ εἰς ἓν εἶδος μεταποιῶν ταῦτα καὶ πάλιν μεταφέρων εἰς ποικίλα κύκλων καὶ ἄλλα σχήματα; Τίς ὁ δυνατὸς ἀριθμεῖν νέφη σοφίᾳ; περὶ οὗ φησιν ἐν τῷ Ἰώβ· Ἐπίσταται δὲ διακρίσεις νεφῶν, οὐρανὸν δὲ εἰς γῆν ἔκλινε· καὶ τὸ, Ὁ ἀριθμῶν νέφη σοφίᾳ· καὶ τὸ, Οὐκ ἐῤῥάγη νέφος ὑποκάτω αὐτοῦ. Τοσαῦτα γὰρ μέτρα ἐπὶ τὰ νέφη ὑδάτων ἐστὶ, καὶ οὐ ῥήγνυται· ἀλλὰ μετὰ πάσης εὐταξίας ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν κατέρχεται. Τίς ὁ ἐξάγων ἀνέμους ἐκ θησαυρῶν αὐτῶν; τίς δέ ἐστιν, ὡς προειρήκαμεν, ὁ τετοκὼς βόλους δρόσου; Ἐκ γαστρὸς δὲ τίνος ἐκπορεύεται ὁ κρύσταλλος; ὑδατώδης γὰρ ἡ ὑπόστασις, καὶ λιθώδης ἡ ἐνέργεια. Καί ποτε μὲν τὸ ὕδωρ γίνεται χιὼν ὡσεὶ ἔριόν, ποτε δὲ ὑπουργεῖ τῷ πάσσοντι τὴν ὁμίχλην ὡς σποδόν, ποτε δὲ εἰς λιθώδη ὑπόστασιν μεταβάλλεται· ἐπειδὴ οἰακίζει τὸ ὕδωρ ὡς ἂν βούληται. Μονοειδὴς ἡ φύσις, καὶ πολυδύναμος ἡ ἐνέργεια. Τὸ ὕδωρ, οἶνος μὲν ἐν ἀμπέλοις, εὐφραίνων καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου· καὶ ἔλαιον ἐν ἐλαίαις, λαμπρῦνον