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having mentioned the powers, he quickly leaped away from there, and having brought the discourse to things visible, here he lengthens it, going through everything one by one, the things above, the things below? Because these things were clearer to those hearing at that time, being seen and lying before their eyes. For this reason Moses too, beginning the account of creation, and discussing nothing about the things above, not small, not great, makes his beginning from heaven and earth, and then passes on through sun and moon, and plants, and swimming creatures, and four-footed animals, and brings his account to a close with man. But when he says "heavens of heavens" here, he is not indicating a multitude, but he calls the same thing "heaven of heaven." For in the Hebrew language it is customary to call heaven "heavens"; just as he says elsewhere 55.486: "The heaven of heaven is the Lord's; but the earth He has given to the sons of men." And "the water that is above the heavens." You have also heard Moses saying that some of the waters He left below, but others He caused to be raised above the back of the heavens, having fixed the firmament in the midst of the abyss, and letting the waters remain above its back. And how do these things praise, someone might perhaps say, having no voice, no tongue, no soul, no reason, no mind, no vocal organ, no thought? Because there are two ways of giving glory: one, through words; another, through sight; and a third besides these, through life and works. For glory is offered up to God not only by men who speak, but also by those who are silent; just as Christ says: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." And again, "Those who glorify me, I will glorify." There is also giving glory by the tongue, as Moses also glorified with Mary, saying: "Let us sing to the Lord; for He has been gloriously glorified." There is also that which is through creation itself, as this very one says: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands." So also here creation praises Him by its beauty, its position, its size, its nature, its use, its service, its permanence, the benefit that comes from them. When, therefore, he says, "Praise the Lord, you angels, powers, heavens, moon, sun, stars, the water that is above the heavens," he is saying this, that each of the things that have come to be is worthy of the wisdom of the one who made it, and is full of much wonder; which Moses briefly said in the prologues: "And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good;" so good as to glorify the one who made it, and to lead the beholder to praise the one who fashioned it. 2. This then he calls praise: the beauty of the things that have come to be giving birth to a hymn of praise to the one who made them. Which Paul also makes clear: "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead." And this prophet also, having mentioned the created things, and having left it to the sight of the beholders to learn their beauty and size and usefulness, he himself sets forth another reason, saying, "For He spoke, and they were made; He commanded, and they were created." "He has established them for ever and ever." "He has made a decree, which shall not pass." That they are, therefore, beautiful and wonderful, sight itself makes clear; but that they also have a Creator, and are not self-made nor uncreated, it is possible to perceive this also from the interpretation itself. But if anyone should doubt, let him learn from me that it has a Creator and Maker, and one who provides for and takes care of it. For here he posits two things, or rather three; and if one were to examine accurately, even four 55.487: that He made them, and made them out of nothing, and made them with ease, and upholds them now that they have been made. For to say, "He spoke," indicates the ease; as Paul also indicated when he said: "of Him who gives life to the dead, and calls the things that

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δυνάμεων εἰπὼν, ταχέως ἀπεπήδησεν ἐκεῖθεν, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὁρωμένοις τὸν λόγον ἀγαγὼν, ἐνταῦθα αὐτὸν μηκύνει, πάντα καθ' ἕκαστον ἐπεξιὼν, τὰ ἄνω, τὰ κάτω; Ὅτι ταῦτα τοῖς τότε ἀκούουσι σαφέστερα ἦν, ὁρώμενα καὶ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν κείμενα. ∆ιὸ καὶ Μωϋσῆς ἀρχόμενος τῆς δημιουργίας, καὶ μηδὲν περὶ τῶν ἄνω διαλεχθεὶς, μὴ μικρὸν, μὴ μέγα, ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς ποιεῖται τὴν ἀρχὴν, καὶ διαβαίνει λοιπὸν διὰ ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης, καὶ βοτανῶν, καὶ νηκτῶν, καὶ τετραπόδων, καὶ εἰς τὸν ἄνθρωπον καταλύει τὸν λόγον. Οὐρανοὺς δὲ οὐρανῶν ἐνταῦθα λέγων, οὐ πλῆθος ἐνδείκνυται, ἀλλ' οὐρανὸν οὐρανοῦ τὸν αὐτὸν λέγει. Τῇ γὰρ Ἑβραίων φωνῇ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔθος οὐρανοὺς καλεῖν· καθάπερ καὶ ἑτέ 55.486 ρωθί φησιν· Ὁ οὐρανὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ· τὴν δὲ γῆν ἔδωκε τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἤκουες καὶ Μωϋσέως λέγοντος, ὅτι τῶν ὑδάτων τὰ μὲν εἴασε κάτω, τὰ δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν νώτων τῶν οὐρανίων μετεωρίζεσθαι παρεσκεύασεν, ἐν τῷ μέσῳ τῆς ἀβύσσου πήξας τὸ στερέωμα, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν νώτων ἀφεὶς τὰ ὕδατα μένειν. Καὶ πῶς ταῦτα αἰνεῖ, ἴσως εἴποι τις ἂν, οὐ φωνὴν ἔχοντα, οὐ γλῶτταν, οὐ ψυχὴν, οὐ λογισμὸν, οὐ νοῦν, οὐ φωνητικὸν ὄργανον, οὐ διάνοιαν; Ὅτι δύο δοξολογίας τρόποι· εἷς μὲν, ὁ διὰ ῥημάτων, ἕτερος δὲ, ὁ δι' ὄψεως, καὶ τρίτος δὲ μετὰ τούτων, ὁ διὰ βίου καὶ ἔργων. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἀνθρώπων οὐ φθεγγομένων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σιγώντων, δόξα ἀναφέρεται τῷ Θεῷ· ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ Χριστός φησι· Λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσιν ὑμῶν τὰ καλὰ ἔργα, καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Καὶ πάλιν, Τοὺς δοξάζοντάς με δοξάσω. Ἔστι καὶ διὰ γλώττης δοξολογία, ὡς καὶ Μωϋσῆς ἐδόξασε μετὰ τῆς Μαρίας λέγων· Ἄσωμεν τῷ Κυρίῳ· ἐνδόξως γὰρ δεδόξασται. Ἔστι καὶ ἡ διὰ τῆς κτίσεως αὐτῆς, ὡς αὐτὸς οὗτός φησιν· Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ· ποίησιν δὲ χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγέλλει τὸ στερέωμα. Οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα αἰνεῖ αὐτὸν ἡ κτίσις τῷ κάλλει, τῇ θέσει, τῷ μεγέθει, τῇ φύσει, τῇ χρήσει, τῇ διακονίᾳ, τῇ διαμονῇ, τῇ λυσιτελείᾳ τῇ ἐξ αὐτῶν γινομένῃ. Ὅταν οὖν λέγῃ, Αἰνεῖτε τὸν Κύριον, ἄγγελοι, δυνάμεις, οὐρανοὶ, σελήνη, ἥλιος, ἀστέρες, τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν, τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι ἕκαστον τῶν γινομένων ἄξιον τῆς τοῦ πεποιηκότος σοφίας, καὶ πολλοῦ γέμει τοῦ θαύματος· ὅπερ συντόμως ὁ Μωϋσῆς ἐν προοιμίοις ἔλεγε· Καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς ὅσα ἐποίησε, καὶ ἰδοὺ καλὰ λίαν· οὕτω καλὰ, ὡς δοξάζειν τὸν πεποιηκότα, καὶ τὸν θεατὴν ἐνάγειν εἰς εὐφημίαν τοῦ τεκτηναμένου. βʹ. Αἶνον οὖν τοῦτόν φησι, τὸ κάλλος τῶν γενομένων τίκτον ὑμνολογίαν τῷ πεποιηκότι. Ὅπερ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δηλοῖ· Τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασι νοούμενα καθορᾶται, ἥ τε ἀΐδιος αὐτοῦ δύναμις καὶ θειότης. Καὶ ὁ προφήτης δὲ οὗτος, εἰπὼν τὰ κτίσματα, καὶ τῇ ὄψει τῶν θεωμένων καταλιπὼν τὸ κάλλος αὐτῶν καταμανθάνειν καὶ τὸ μέγεθος καὶ τὴν χρείαν, αὐτὸς ἑτέραν τίθησιν αἰτίαν, λέγων, ὅτι Αὐτὸς εἶπε, καὶ ἐγενήθησαν· αὐτὸς ἐνετείλατο, καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν. Ἔστησεν αὐτὰ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Πρόσταγμα ἔθετο, καὶ οὐ παρελεύσεται. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν καλὰ καὶ θαυμάσια, καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ ὄψις δηλοῖ· ὅτι δὲ καὶ δημιουργὸν ἔχει, καὶ οὐκ αὐτόματα ταῦτα, οὐδὲ ἀγένητα, ἱκανὸν μὲν καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῆς ἑρμηνείας αὐτῆς κατιδεῖν. Εἰ δέ τις ἀμφιβάλλοι, παρ' ἐμοῦ μανθανέτω, ὅτι δημιουργὸν ἔχει καὶ ποιητὴν, καὶ προνοητὴν καὶ κηδεμόνα. ∆ύο γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τίθησι, μᾶλλον δὲ τρία· εἰ δέ τις ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάζοι, καὶ τέσ 55.487 σαρα· ὅτι τε ἐποίησε, καὶ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων ἐποίησε, καὶ μετ' εὐκολίας ἐποίησε, καὶ γενόμενα διακρατεῖ. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ εἰπεῖν, Αὐτὸς εἶπε, τὴν εὐκολίαν δηλοῖ· ὡς καὶ Παῦλος δηλῶν ἔλεγε· Τοῦ ζωοποιοῦντος τοὺς νεκροὺς, καὶ καλοῦντος τὰ