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just as by saying, In heaven, things above the heavens. By which, even though they are so many, His will is nowhere hindered, but accomplishes all things; and what is wonderful, the one who made them, did so not with toil, not with labor, not with a command, but with His will; for he only willed, and the work followed. Did you see how he presented the ease, and the abundance of the created things, and the unhindered authority? Then, omitting to speak of the heaven and the sea, he sets down the things in them; and not even all the things in them, but passing over the things in heaven, although they are more wonderful, he speaks of the things about the heaven. Why is that? Because the former, though they were great, were yet unseen by the many; but the latter, though they were smaller, were nevertheless visible, and had everyone as spectators. Since therefore his discourse was to men, not so much instructed by faith to have a conception of the unseen things, as led by the hand from the things that are seen. 55.390 from here he weaves his discourse, and begins his teaching, doing himself what he exhorted others to do. What is this? To praise God from his works, and to offer up praises to him, by learning each of the things that have been made, and giving glory for each one. For since, exhorting to praise God, he said continuously, Praise the name of the Lord, praise, you servants, the Lord; he shows also how one ought to praise, by going through the body of creation, and marveling, and being struck with amazement at the wisdom, the providence, the power, the care. From this we learn that this sea of ours is not one, but many and various, and that the oceans are boundless. For he said, In the seas and in all the deeps. For the Caspian, the Indian, and the Red seas are almost separated from this one, and the Ocean surrounds them on the outside. Bringing up clouds from the ends of the earth. Another, Causing to ascend. Another, He draws up from the ends. Another, From the consummation. This is also said in Job: Who binds up the water in his clouds. And Solomon: Who holds the water in a garment. But he says not this, but another wonderful thing. What is this? That the air, being thicker, is carried upwards, and is supported, and the heavy thing ascends, going the opposite way. It is wonderful then that the water is contained in it, but much more wonderful that being contained it is borne upon the light thing; and what is even more paradoxical, that what is contained by that air, when it flows out of the cloud, is no longer held by the air after it, and contained, but flows away on all sides, and is carried to the earth. And yet if this were contained according to nature, it ought to be contained in the air also. For just as if someone let a waterskin full of water into the air, and it was then carried by the air, the water contained within, having flowed out of the skin, would also have been carried; so it would be logical for this to happen here too. But since all things are full of wonder, and the things that happen are paradoxical, all these things happen beyond consequence, beyond reason. For what is contained in the air of the cloud, is not contained in the air that is after it. Did you see the paradox, and how, by setting down what seems to be inferior to the others, he showed it to be wonderful? Then he also shows another wonderful thing, saying, From the ends of the earth, or, From the extremities of the earth. For they do not only ascend, but they also walk, nor where they appear, there do they also let go the rain, but often having passed by many regions, they produce the rain elsewhere, having gone past cities and nations. This then is not the only wonderful thing, that they are brought up, but that they also walk as if in upper rooms, carrying a mass of so much water. 3. He made lightnings for the rain. See again another paradox, and contrary natures coming together. For there is nothing more fiery than lightning, nor colder than water, but nevertheless these are mixed together, and are not confounded, nor are they blended, but their own

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ὥσπερ διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν, Ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, τὰ ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ὑφ' ὧν καὶ τοσούτων ὄντων οὐδαμοῦ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ἐμποδίζεται, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἔπεισι, καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστὸν, ὁ ποιήσας, οὐ πόνῳ, οὐ μόχθῳ, οὐκ ἐπιτάγματι, ἀλλὰ θελήματι ἐποίησε· μόνον γὰρ ἐβουλήθη, καὶ τὸ ἔργον εἵπετο. Εἶδες πῶς καὶ τὴν εὐκολίαν παρέστησε, καὶ τὴν ἀφθονίαν τῶν δημιουργημάτων, καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τὴν ἀκώλυτον; Εἶτα ἀφεὶς εἰπεῖν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς τίθησι, καὶ οὐδὲ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς πάντα, ἀλλὰ παραδραμὼν τὰ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καίτοι θαυμαστότερα ὄντα, λέγει τὰ περὶ τὸν οὐρανόν. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι τὰ μὲν, εἰ καὶ μεγάλα ἦν, ἀλλ' ἄδηλα ἦν τοῖς πολλοῖς· ταῦτα δὲ, εἰ καὶ ἐλάττονα, ὅμως φαινόμενα, καὶ πάντας ἔχοντα θεωρούς. Ἐπεὶ οὖν πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ἦν ὁ λόγος αὐτῷ, οὐ τοσοῦτον πίστει παιδευομένους τῶν ἀφανῶν ἔχειν ἔννοιαν, ὅσον ἀπὸ τῶν φαινομένων χειραγωγουμένους. 55.390 ἐντεῦθεν ὑφαίνει τὸν λόγον, καὶ τῆς διδασκαλίας ἄρχεται, ὃ τοῖς ἄλλοις παρῄνεσε ποιεῖν, τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς ποιῶν. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Τὸ αἰνεῖν τὸν Θεὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ, καὶ εὐφημίας ἀναφέρειν αὐτῷ, ἕκαστον τῶν γενομένων καταμανθάνοντα, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἑκάστου δοξολογοῦντα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ περὶ τοῦ τὸν Θεὸν αἰνεῖν παραινῶν, συνεχῶς εἶπεν, Αἰνεῖτε τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, αἰνεῖτε, δοῦλοι, τὸν Κύριον· δείκνυσι καὶ πῶς δεῖ αἰνεῖν, ἐπιόντα τὸ σῶμα τῆς κτίσεως, καὶ θαυμάζοντα, καὶ ἐκπληττόμενον τὴν σοφίαν, τὴν πρόνοιαν, τὴν δύναμιν, τὴν κηδεμονίαν. Ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, ὅτι οὐ μία τίς ἐστι θάλασσα αὕτη ἡ καθ' ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ πολλαὶ καὶ διάφοροι, καὶ πελάγη ἄπειρα. Ἔφη γὰρ, Ἐν ταῖς θαλάσσαις καὶ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἀβύσσοις. Ἥ τε γὰρ Κασπία, ἥ τε Ἰνδικὴ, ἥ τε Ἐρυθρὰ διῃρημέναι σχεδὸν ταύτης εἰσὶ, καὶ ἔξωθεν περικείμενος ὁ Ὠκεανός. Ἀνάγων νεφέλας ἐξ ἐσχάτων τῆς γῆς. Ἄλλος, Ἀναβιβάζων. Ἕτερος, Ἀνασπᾷ ἀπ' ἄκρων. Ἄλλος,Ἐκ τελέσματος. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἰὼβ εἴρηται· Ὁ δεσμεύων ὕδωρ ἐν νεφέλαις αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ὁ Σολομῶν· Συνέχων ὕδωρ ἐν ἱματίῳ. Οὗτος δὲ οὐ τοῦτό φησιν, ἀλλ' ἕτερον θαυμαστόν. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Ὅτι παχύτερος ὢν ὁ ἀὴρ, τὴν ἄνω φέρεται φορὰν, καὶ διαβαστάζεται, καὶ ἄνεισι τὸ βαρὺ, τὴν ἐναντίαν ἐρχόμενον ὁδόν. Θαυμαστὸν μὲν οὖν καὶ τὸ στέγεσθαι τὸ ὕδωρ ἐν αὐτῷ, πολὺ δὲ θαυμαστότερον τὸ φέρεσθαι στεγόμενον ἐπὶ τοῦ κούφου· καὶ τὸ δὴ ἔτι παραδοξότερον, ὅτι τὸ στεγόμενον ὑπ' ἐκείνου τοῦ ἀέρος, ἐπειδὰν ἐκρυῇ τοῦ νέφους, οὐκέτι κατέχεται τῷ μετ' αὐτὸν ἀέρι, καὶ στέγεται, ἀλλὰ διαῤῥεῖ πανταχόθεν, καὶ εἰς τὴν γῆν φέρεται. Καὶ μὴν εἰ κατὰ φύσιν ἐστέγετο τοῦτο, ἔδει καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀέρι στέγεσθαι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀσκὸν εἴ τις εἴασεν εἰς τὸν ἀέρα πεπληρωμένον ὕδατος, εἶτα ἐφέρετο ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀέρος, ἠνέχθη ἂν καὶ τὸ ἔνδον στεγόμενον ὕδωρ διαῤῥυὲν ἐκ τοῦ ἀσκοῦ· οὕτως ἀκόλουθον καὶ ἐνταῦθα γίνεσθαι. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πάντα θαύματος γέμει, καὶ παράδοξα τὰ γινόμενα, ὑπὲρ ἀκολουθίαν, ὑπὲρ λόγον ἅπαντα ταῦτα γίνεται. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ στεγόμενον ἐν τῷ ἀέρι τῆς νεφέλης, οὐ στέγεται ἐν τῷ ἀέρι τῷ μετὰ ταῦτα. Εἶδες τὸ παράδοξον, καὶ πῶς ὃ δοκεῖ τῶν ἄλλων εἶναι καταδεέστερον, τοῦτο θεὶς, ἔδειξεν ὂν θαυμαστόν; Εἶτα καὶ ἄλλο δείκνυσι θαυμαστὸν, Ἐξ ἐσχάτων, λέγων, τῆς γῆς, ἢ, Ἀπ' ἄκρων τῆς γῆς. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον ἀνιᾶσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ βαδίζουσιν, οὐδ' ἔνθα ἂν φανῶσιν, ἐκεῖ καὶ τὸν ὑετὸν ἀφιᾶσιν, ἀλλὰ πολλὰ πολλάκις παραδραμόντα χωρία ἀλλαχοῦ τὸν ὑετὸν ἐργάζονται, καὶ πόλεις καὶ ἔθνη παρελθοῦσαι. Οὐ τοῦτο τοίνυν τὸ θαυμαστὸν μόνον, ὅτι ἀνάγονται, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ βαδίζουσι καθάπερ ἐν ὑπερῴοις, ὄγκον φέρουσαι τοσούτων ὑδάτων. γʹ. Ἀστραπὰς εἰς ὑετὸν ἐποίησεν. Ὅρα παράδοξον ἕτερον πάλιν, καὶ ἐναντίας φύσεις συνιούσας. Οὔτε γὰρ ἀστραπῆς τι πυρωδέστερον, οὔτε ὑδάτων ψυχρότερον, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἀναμίγνυνται αὗται, καὶ οὐ συγχέονται, οὐδὲ κεράννυνται, ἀλλὰ τοὺς οἰκείους