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having been omitted. God called, it says, the firmament heaven and the dry land he called earth and the light day and the darkness night. 2.1.270 How then, they will say, since scripture confesses that the names for these things were given by God, do you say that the names are of human invention? What then shall we say to these things? Again we take refuge in common speech and we say that he who brought all creation out of non-being into being is the creator of things seen in substance, not of insubstantial names which consist in the sound of a voice and the noise of a tongue; but the things, according to the nature and power inherent in each, are named by means of some significant sound, according to the custom prevailing in each nation, with the 2.1.271 appellation being fitted to the subjects. But since many of the things seen in creation do not have a simple nature, so that the subject can be powerfully comprehended in one word, as for example in the case of fire, the underlying thing is one thing by nature, and the name signifying the thing is another (for the one is flashing and burning, both dry and heating and consuming of the matter it may seize, while the name is a certain short sound uttered in one syllable), for this reason reason, which distinguishes the powers and qualities seen in fire, names each one particularly, as we have already said; and one would not say that only a name has been applied to fire, when someone calls it either 'shining' or 'consuming' or something else of the things seen about it; for such sounds are significant of the 2.1.272 powers naturally inherent in it. In the same way, also in the case of 'heaven' and 'firmament', although one nature is signified in each of the names, the difference of the names presents something particular of the things known in this creation, so that, looking to this, we learn one thing through the appellation 'heaven', and another through 2.1.273 'firmament'. For when the account delineates the limit of the sensible creation, after which follows the intelligible and super-cosmic domain, by comparison with what is intangible and incorporeal and formless the beginning and the limit of all material substance is called 'firmament'; but when we examine the boundary of the subjects, by which all material nature is contained, we call this 'heaven', which becomes the boundary of all 2.1.274 visible things. In the same way also in the case of 'earth' and 'dry land', since the downward-tending and heavy nature was divided into these two elements, I mean, into earth and waters, the appellation 'dry land' is somehow distinctive of the corresponding quality; for by contrast with the moist, it was named 'dry', when, having been stripped by divine command of the water poured around it, it appeared in its 2.1.275 own quality; but the name 'earth' no longer indicates the meaning of any one of the qualities about it, but through its inherent emphasis includes everything conceived in the element, such as what is solid, dense, heavy, resistant, and suitable for the nourishment of all fruits and living things. Therefore, the dry land was not renamed by the account to the name last imposed on it (for through the second name it did not lay aside being and being called 'dry'), but while the name remained, both this one and that one, a particular meaning underlies each of the names, the one being counter-distinctive of the heterogeneous nature and property, the other being comprehensive of all the power seen in it. 2.1.276 Thus also in the case of 'light' and 'day' and again in the case of 'night' and 'darkness' we find not a sound of syllables being created for these things by the maker of all, but we recognize the substance of things through these 2.1.277 appellations. the prevailing darkness at the first creation is dissolved according to the will of God by the entrance of the light; and with the earth being contained in the middle and sustaining itself by the surrounding of heterogeneous elements from all sides, as Job says, that 'He hangs the earth upon nothing', it was necessary

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παραλειφθείσης. Ἐκά λεσε, φησίν, ὁ θεὸς τὸ στερέωμα οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν ξηρὰν ἐκάλεσε γῆν καὶ τὸ φῶς ἡμέραν καὶ τὸ σκότος νύκτα. 2.1.270 πῶς οὖν, ἐροῦσι, τῆς γραφῆς ὁμολογούσης παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τεθεῖσθαι τούτοις τὰς κλήσεις ὑμεῖς ἀνθρωπίνης ἐπινοίας εἶναί φατε τὰ ὀνόματα; τί οὖν πρὸς ταῦτα ἡμεῖς; πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸν ἰδιώτην καταφεύγομεν λόγον καί φαμεν ὅτι ὁ πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος ἀγαγὼν εἰς οὐσίαν πραγμάτων ἐστὶ δημιουργὸς ἐν ὑποστάσει θεωρουμένων, οὐκ ὀνομάτων ἀνυποστάτων ἐν φωνῆς ἤχῳ καὶ ψόφῳ γλώττης συνιστα μένων· τὰ δὲ πράγματα κατὰ τὴν ἐγκειμένην ἑκάστῳ φύσιν καὶ δύναμιν διά τινος σημαντικῆς φωνῆς ὀνομάζεται, κατὰ τὴν ἐπιχωριάζουσαν ἐν ἑκάστῳ [τῷ] ἔθνει συνήθειαν τῆς 2.1.271 προσηγορίας τοῖς ὑποκειμένοις ἁρμοζομένης. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τὰ πολλὰ τῶν ἐν τῇ κτίσει θεωρουμένων οὐχ ἁπλῆν ἔχει τὴν φύσιν, ὡς ἑνὶ ῥήματι δυνατῶς ἔχειν ἐμπεριληφθῆναι τὸ ὑποκείμενον, οἷον ἐπὶ τοῦ πυρὸς ἄλλο μέν ἐστι τῇ φύσει τὸ ὑποκείμενον πρᾶγμα, ἕτερον δὲ τὸ σημαντικὸν τοῦ πράγ ματος ὄνομα (τὸ μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ἐκλαμπτικὸν καὶ καυστικὸν ξηρόν τε καὶ θερμαντικὸν καὶ ἀναλωτικὸν τῆς ὕλης ἧς ἂν περιδράξηται, τὸ δὲ ὄνομα φωνή τις βραχεῖα διὰ μιᾶς συλ λαβῆς ἐκφωνουμένη), τούτου ἕνεκεν ὁ διαιρῶν λόγος τὰς ἐν τῷ πυρὶ θεωρουμένας δυνάμεις τε καὶ ποιότητας ἑκάστην ἰδίως κατονομάζει, καθὼς φθάσαντες εἴπομεν· καὶ οὐκ ἄν τις εἴποι ὄνομα μόνον ἐπιβεβλῆσθαι τῷ πυρί, ὅταν τις ἢ φανὸν ἢ ἀναλωτικὸν ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν περὶ αὐτὸ θεωρουμένων κατονομάσῃ· τῶν γὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ φυσικῶς ἐγκειμένων δυνά 2.1.272 μεων σημαντικαί εἰσιν αἱ τοιαῦται φωναί. κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τοῦ στερεώματος μιᾶς φύσεως ἐν ἑκατέρῳ τῶν ὀνομάτων σημαινομένης ἴδιόν τι τῶν ἐν τῇ κτίσει ταύτῃ γινωσκομένων ἡ διαφορὰ τῶν ὀνο μάτων παρίστησιν, ὥστε πρὸς τοῦτο βλέποντας ἡμᾶς ἄλλο τι μαθεῖν διὰ τῆς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ προσηγορίας, ἕτερον δὲ διὰ 2.1.273 τοῦ στερεώματος. ὅταν μὲν γὰρ τὸ πέρας τῆς αἰσθητῆς κτίσεως ὑπογράφῃ ὁ λόγος, μεθ' ἣν ἡ νοητή τε καὶ ὑπερ κόσμιος διαδέχεται λῆξις, συγκρίσει τῇ πρὸς τὸ ἀναφὲς καὶ ἀσώματον καὶ ἀνείδεον στερέωμα λέγεται ἡ ἀρχή τε καὶ τὸ πέρας πάσης τῆς ὑλικῆς ὑποστάσεως· ὅταν δὲ τὴν τῶν ὑποκειμένων περιοχὴν ἐξετάζωμεν, ᾧ πᾶσα ἡ ὑλικὴ περι κρατεῖται φύσις, οὐρανὸν τοῦτον προσαγορεύομεν τὸν τῶν 2.1.274 ὁρατῶν πάντων ὅρον γινόμενον. τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ τῆς ξηρᾶς, ἐπειδὴ πρὸς δύο ταῦτα <τὰ> στοι χεῖα ἡ κατωφερής τε καὶ βαρεῖα φύσις διεμερίσθη, πρός τε τὴν γῆν φημι καὶ τὰ ὕδατα, ἡ μὲν τῆς ξηρᾶς προσηγορία διασταλτική πως τῆς ἀντιστοιχούσης ποιότητος· τῇ γὰρ πρὸς τὸ ὑγρὸν ἀντιπαραθέσει ξηρὰ κατωνόμασται, ὅτε ἀποδυσα μένη θείῳ προστάγματι τὸ περικεχυμένον ὕδωρ ἐπὶ τῆς 2.1.275 ἰδίας ἐφάνη ποιότητος· τὸ δὲ τῆς γῆς ὄνομα οὐκέτι μιᾶς τινος τῶν περὶ αὐτὴν ποιοτήτων τὴν σημασίαν ἐνδείκνυται, ἀλλὰ πᾶν ἐμπεριλαμβάνει διὰ τῆς ἐγκειμένης ἐμφάσεως τὸ ἐν τῷ στοιχείῳ νοούμενον, οἷον τὸ ναστόν, τὸ πυκνόν, τὸ ἐμβριθές, τὸ ἀντίτυπον, τὸ πρὸς πᾶσαν καρπῶν τε καὶ ζῴων ἀνατροφὴν ἐπιτήδειον. οὔκουν οὐ μετωνομάσθη παρὰ τοῦ λόγου ἡ ξηρὰ πρὸς τὸ τελευταῖον αὐτῇ ἐπιβληθὲν ὄνομα (οὐ γὰρ ἀπέθετο διὰ τοῦ δευτέρου ὀνόματος τὸ ξηρὰ καὶ εἶναι καὶ λέγεσθαι), ἀλλὰ μενούσης τῆς κλήσεως καὶ ταύτης κἀκείνης ἑκατέρῳ τῶν ὀνομάτων ἰδία τις ὕπεστι σημασία, ἡ μὲν ἀντιδιαιρετικὴ τῆς ἑτερογενοῦς φύσεως τε καὶ ἰδιότητος, ἡ δὲ περιεκτικὴ πάσης τῆς ἐν αὐτῇ θεωρου μένης δυνάμεως. 2.1.276 Οὕτως καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ τῆς νυκτὸς καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σκότους εὑρίσκομεν οὐ συλλα βῶν ἦχον παρὰ τοῦ ποιητοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐπὶ τούτων δη μιουργούμενον, ἀλλὰ πραγμάτων ὑπόστασιν διὰ τῶν προση 2.1.277 γοριῶν τούτων ἐπιγινώσκομεν. λύεται κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ τῇ εἰσόδῳ τοῦ φωτὸς τὸ ἐπικρατοῦν σκότος παρὰ τὴν πρώτην κτίσιν· τῆς δὲ γῆς ἐν τῷ μέσῳ περισχεθείσης καὶ τῇ πανταχόθεν τῶν ἑτεροφυῶν στοιχείων περιβολῇ ἑαυτὴν ἀνεχούσης, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἰὼβ ὅτι Κρεμάζων γῆν ἐπὶ μηδενός, ἐπάναγκες ἦν