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to say: All would agree that it is in accord with nature for water to be carried over the earth, but not the earth upon the waters. For the earth, being dense and hard and solid and cohesive, can easily contain the nature of the waters; but water, being fluid and porous, and soft and flowing, and yielding to all things that fall into it, would be able to contain no body, even if it were exceedingly light. For often, when a small pebble falls in, it yields, and makes way, and sends it to the bottom. When, therefore, you see not a small pebble, but the whole earth being carried above the waters and not being submerged, marvel at the power that works these wonders beyond nature. And whence is this clear, that the earth is carried above the waters? The prophet says this, speaking thus: He has founded it upon the seas, and prepared it upon the rivers. And again, To him who founded the earth upon the waters. What are you saying? Water would not be able to bear a small pebble on its back, and it carries so great an earth, and mountains, and hills, and cities, and plants, and humans, and animals, and is not submerged? What do I say, it is not submerged? How is it that, with the water being in contact with it from below 49.108 for so long a time, the whole was not dissolved and turned into mud? For if the nature of wood, after spending a short time in water, rots and is dissolved; and what do I say of the nature of wood, what could be stronger than iron? but even this is often weakened, when it remains constantly in water; and very reasonably; for it too has its existence from the earth. For this reason many runaway slaves, when they flee dragging their fetters and chains, come to streams of water, and placing their bound feet in the waters, and in this way making the iron softer, they easily break it by striking it with a stone. So then, iron is weakened, and wood rots, and stones are worn away by the nature of waters, but such a mass of earth, lying upon the waters for so long a time, has neither been submerged, nor been dissolved and destroyed. 4. And who would not be astonished and marvel at these things, and say with confidence, that they are not the works of nature, but of the Providence which is beyond nature? For this reason one says: He who hangs the earth upon nothing; and another, In his hand are the ends of the earth; and, that He founded it upon the seas. And these seem to be contradictory, but they have a great harmony. For he who said, that He founded it upon the waters, said the same as he who said, that He hung it upon nothing; for to stand upon the waters is the same as to be hung upon nothing. Where then does it hang and stand? Listen to the same one saying: In his hand are the ends of the earth; not that God has hands, but that you may learn that his power, which provides for all things, is that which holds together and sustains the body of the earth. But are you not persuaded by what has been said? Believe what you see; for it is possible to find this miracle-working even in another element. For the nature of fire is upward-tending and is naturally always leaping and jumping toward the heights, and even if you should compel and force it in countless ways, it would not tolerate a downward motion. For often, taking a burning torch and turning it upside down, we have not forced the fire's impulse to tend downwards, but even so it runs upwards, and hastens to the heights from below; but in the case of the sun, God did the very opposite; for he turned its rays toward the earth, and made its light tend downwards, as if saying to it through its form: Look down, he says, and shine for men; for you were made for them. And the flame of a lamp would not tolerate suffering this, but a star so great and wonderful tends downwards, and looks toward the earth contrary to fire, because of the power of the one who commanded it. Do you want me to speak of another such thing? The vault of the visible heaven is surrounded on all sides by waters, and it does not flow down, nor does it fall away, although the nature of waters is not such; but it runs together easily into hollow places; but when a body is convex, it slips off on all sides, and not even a little of it would stay

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εἰπεῖν· Πάντες ἂν ὁμολογήσαιεν, ὅτι φύσεώς ἐστιν ἀκολουθία τὸ ὕδωρ ὑπὲρ τὴν γῆν φέρεσθαι, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων· ἡ μὲν γὰρ γῆ πυκνή τις οὖσα καὶ σκληρὰ καὶ ἀντίτυπος καὶ συνεχὴς, ῥᾳδίως δύναται στέγειν τῶν ὑδάτων τὴν φύσιν· τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ ῥυτὸν ὂν καὶ χαῦνον, μαλακόν τε καὶ διαῤῥέον, καὶ τοῖς ἐμπίπτουσιν εἶκον ἅπασιν, οὐδὲν ἂν δυνηθείη σῶμα στέγειν, κἂν σφόδρα κουφότατον ᾖ· πολλάκις γοῦν ψηφῖδος μικρᾶς ἐμπεσούσης εἶξε, καὶ παρεχώρησε, καὶ πρὸς τὸ βάθος αὐτὴν παρέπεμψεν. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς οὐχὶ ψηφῖδα μικρὰν, ἀλλὰ τὴν γῆν ἅπασαν ὑπεράνω τῶν ὑδάτων φερομένην καὶ μὴ καταποντιζομένην, θαύμασον τὴν δύναμιν τὴν ὑπὲρ φύσιν ταῦτα θαυματουργοῦσαν. Καὶ πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον, ὅτι ἡ γῆ ὑπεράνω τῶν ὑδάτων φέρεται; Ὁ προφήτης τοῦτό φησιν, οὕτω λέγων· Αὐτὸς ἐπὶ θαλασσῶν ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτὴν, καὶ ἐπὶ ποταμῶν ἡτοίμασεν αὐτήν. Καὶ πάλιν, Τῷ θεμελιώσαντι τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων. Τί λέγεις; ψηφῖδα μικρὰν ὕδωρ ἐπὶ τῶν νώτων οὐκ ἂν δυνηθείη βαστάσαι, καὶ γῆν τοσαύτην φέρει, καὶ ὄρη, καὶ βουνοὺς, καὶ πόλεις, καὶ φυτὰ, καὶ ἀνθρώπους. καὶ ἄλογα, καὶ οὐ καταποντίζεται; τί λέγω, οὐ καταποντίζεται; πῶς κάτω 49.108 θεν ὁμιλοῦντος αὐτῇ τοῦ ὕδατος τοσοῦτον χρόνον οὐ διελύθη καὶ πηλὸς γέγονε τὸ πᾶν; Εἰ γὰρ ξύλων φύσις ὕδασι βραχὺν ἐνδιατρίψασα χρόνον σήπεται καὶ διαλύεται· καὶ τί λέγω ξύλων φύσις, τί σιδήρου γένοιτ' ἂν εὐτονώτερον; ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος χαυνοῦται πολλάκις, ὅταν διαπαντὸς ἐν ὕδατι μένῃ· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως· καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπὸ γῆς ἔχει τὴν ὕπαρξιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πολλοὶ τῶν δραπετευόντων οἰκετῶν, ἐπειδὰν τὰς πέδας καὶ τὰς ἁλύσεις ἐπισυρόμενοι φύγωσι, παρὰ ῥύακας ὑδάτων ἐλθόντες, καὶ δεδεμένους ἐναποθέμενοι τοὺς πόδας τοῖς ὕδασι, καὶ χαυνότερον ταύτῃ ποιήσαντες τὸν σίδηρον, ῥᾳδίως λίθῳ παίοντες διακλῶσιν. Εἶτα σίδηρος μὲν χαυνοῦται, καὶ ξύλα σήπεται, καὶ λίθοι φθείρονται ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν ὑδάτων φύσεως, γῆς δὲ ὄγκος τοσοῦτος ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον χρόνον ἐπικείμενος τοῖς ὕδασιν, οὔτε κατεποντίσθη, οὔτε διελύθη καὶ ἀπώλετο. δʹ. Καὶ τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐκπλαγείη ταῦτα καὶ θαυμάσειε, καὶ θαῤῥῶν ἂν εἴποι, οὐχὶ φύσεως εἶναι ἔργα, ἀλλὰ τῆς ὑπὲρ φύσιν Προνοίας; ∆ιὰ ταῦτά τίς φησιν· Ὁ κρεμάσας τὴν γῆν ἐπ' οὐδενός· ἄλλος δέ τις, Ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς· καὶ, ὅτι Ἐπὶ θαλασσῶν ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτήν. Καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν ἐναντία ταῦτα εἶναι, πολλὴν δὲ ἔχει τὴν συμφωνίαν. Ὁ γὰρ εἰπὼν, ὅτι Ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτὴν, ταυτὸν εἶπε τῷ εἰρηκότι, ὅτι ἐπ' οὐδενὸς αὐτὴν ἐκρέμασε· τὸ γὰρ ἐπὶ ὑδάτων ἑστάναι ἴσον ἐστὶ τοῦ κρέμασθαι ἐπ' οὐδενός. Ποῦ οὖν κρέμαται καὶ ἕστηκεν; Ἄκουσον τοῦ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς· οὐχ ὅτι χεῖρας ἔχει ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ἡ δύναμις αὐτοῦ ἡ προνοοῦσα πάντων, αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ συγκρατοῦσα καὶ διαβαστάζουσα τὸ σῶμα τῆς γῆς. Ἀλλ' οὐ πείθῃ τοῖς εἰρημένοις; Πίστευσον τοῖς ὁρωμένοις· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐφ' ἑτέρου στοιχείου τὴν θαυματουργίαν ταύτην ἔστιν εὑρεῖν. Τοῦ γὰρ πυρὸς ἡ φύσις ἀνωφερής τίς ἐστι καὶ πρὸς τὸ ὕψος ἀεὶ πηδᾷν καὶ ἅλλεσθαι πέφυκε, κἂν μυρία βιάσῃ καὶ καταναγκάσῃς, οὐκ ἂν ἀνάσχοιτο τῆς κάτω φορᾶς. Πολλάκις γοῦν δᾷδα καιομένην λαβόντες, καὶ κατὰ κεφαλῆς κλίναντες τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν ὁρμὴν οὐκ ἠναγκάσαμεν κάτω νεῦσαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὕτως ἄνω τρέχει, καὶ πρὸς τὸ ὕψος ἐπείγεται κάτωθεν· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ ἡλίου τοὐναντίον ἅπαν ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεός· τὰς γὰρ ἀκτῖνας αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὴν γῆν ἔτρεψε, καὶ τὸ φῶς κάτω νεύειν ἐποίησε, μονονουχὶ λέγων αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ σχήματος· Κάτω βλέπε, φησὶ, καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις φαῖνε· διὰ γὰρ ἐκείνους ἐγένου. Καὶ λύχνου μὲν φλὸξ οὐκ ἂν ἀνάσχοιτο τοῦτο παθεῖν, ἄστρον δὲ οὕτω μέγα καὶ θαυμαστὸν κάτω νεύει, καὶ πρὸς τὴν γῆν βλέπει ἀπεναντίας τῷ πυρὶ, διὰ τὴν τοῦ κελεύσαντος δύναμιν. Βούλει καὶ ἕτερον εἴπω τοιοῦτον; Τὰ νῶτα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τοῦ φαινομένου ὕδατα περιλαμβάνει πάντοθεν, καὶ οὐ καταῤῥεῖ, οὐδὲ ἐξίσταται, καίτοι γε οὐκ ἔστι τοιαύτη τῶν ὑδάτων ἡ φύσις· ἀλλ' εἰς μὲν τὰ κοῖλα συντρέχει ῥᾳδίως· ἐπειδὰν δὲ κεκυρτωμένον ᾖ σῶμα, διολισθαίνει πάντοθεν, καὶ οὐκ ἂν αὐτοῦ οὐδὲ μικρὸν σταίη