Homily I.

 1. It is right that any one beginning to narrate the formation of the world should begin with the good order which reigns in visible things. I am abou

 2. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” I stop struck with admiration at this thought. What shall I first say? Where shall I begin

 3. Do not then imagine, O man! that the visible world is without a beginning and because the celestial bodies move in a circular course, and it is di

 4. One day, doubtless, their terrible condemnation will be the greater for all this worldly wisdom, since, seeing so clearly into vain sciences, they

 5. It appears, indeed, that even before this world an order of things existed of which our mind can form an idea, but of which we can say nothing, bec

 6. Such being the different senses of the word beginning, see if we have not all the meanings here. You may know the epoch when the formation of this

 7. Among arts, some have in view production, some practice, others theory. The object of the last is the exercise of thought, that of the second, the

 8. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” If we were to wish to discover the essence of each of the beings which are offered for our

 9. Do you suppose that a heavier body prevents the earth from falling into the abyss? Then you must consider that this support needs itself a support

 10. There are inquirers into nature who with a great display of words give reasons for the immobility of the earth. Placed, they say, in the middle of

 11. We might say the same thing of the heavens. With what a noise of words the sages of this world have discussed their nature! Some have said that he

 Homily II.

 1. In the few words which have occupied us this morning we have found such a depth of thought that we despair of penetrating further. If such is the f

 2. But the corrupters of the truth, who, incapable of submitting their reason to Holy Scripture, distort at will the meaning of the Holy Scriptures, p

 3. God created the heavens and the earth, but not only half —He created all the heavens and all the earth, creating the essence with the form. For He

 4. “Darkness was upon the face of the deep.” A new source for fables and most impious imaginations if one distorts the sense of these words at the wil

 5. Do not then go beyond yourself to seek for evil, and imagine that there is an original nature of wickedness. Each of us, let us acknowledge it, is

 6.  And the Spirit of God was borne upon the face of the waters  .

 7.  And God said, Let there be light  .

 8. “  And God called the light Day and the darkness he called Night  .”

 Homily III.

 1. We have now recounted the works of the first day, or rather of one day. Far be it from me indeed, to take from it the privilege it enjoys of having

 2. And God said “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Yesterday we heard God’s decree,

 3. In the second place, does the firmament that is called heaven differ from the firmament that God made in the beginning? Are there two heavens? The

 4. “  And God said, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and

 5. But let us continue our explanation: “  Let it divide the waters from the waters  .”

 6. Survey creation you will see the power of heat reigning over all that is born and perishes. On account of it comes all the water spread over the e

 7. Therefore we read: “  Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters  .” I have said what the wo

 8. “  And God called the firmament heaven  .”

 9. But as far as concerns the separation of the waters I am obliged to contest the opinion of certain writers in the Church who, under the shadow of h

 10. “  And God saw that it was good  .” God does not judge of the beauty of His work by the charm of the eyes, and He does not form the same idea of b

 Homily IV.

 1. There are towns where the inhabitants, from dawn to eve, feast their eyes on the tricks of innumerable conjurors. They are never tired of hearing d

 2. “  And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear, and it was so  .” And the water

 3. “Let the waters be gathered together.” It was ordered that it should be the natural property of water to flow, and in obedience to this order, the

 4. To say that the waters were gathered in one place indicates that previously they were scattered in many places. The mountains, intersected by deep

 5. And God said: “  Let the waters be gathered together unto one place and let the dry land appear  .” He did not say let the earth appear, so as not

 6. “  And God saw that it was good  .”

 7. Thus, in the eyes of God, the sea is good, because it makes the under current of moisture in the depths of the earth. It is good again, because fro

 Homily V.

 1. “  And God said Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself 

 2. “  Let the earth bring forth grass yielding seed after his kind  .” So that although some kind of grass is of service to animals, even their gain i

 3. Up to this point, the order in which plants shoot bears witness to their first arrangement. Every herb, every plant proceeds from a germ. If, like

 4. What shall I say? What shall I leave unsaid? In the rich treasures of creation it is difficult to select what is most precious the loss of what is

 5. “  Let the earth bring forth grass  .” What spontaneous provision is included in these words,—that which is present in the root, in the plant itsel

 6. “  Let the earth  ,” the Creator adds, “  bring forth the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself 

 7. But let us return to the examination of the ingenious contrivances of creation. How many trees then arose, some to give us their fruits, others to

 8. Plants reproduce themselves in so many different ways, that we can only touch upon the chief among them. As to fruits themselves, who could review

 9. But what need is there to continue, when in the same fig tree we have the most opposite flavours, as bitter in the sap as it is sweet in the fruit?

 10. “  Let the earth bring forth  .” This short command was in a moment a vast nature, an elaborate system. Swifter than thought it produced the count

 Homily VI.

 1. At the shows in the circus the spectator must join in the efforts of the athletes. This the laws of the show indicate, for they prescribe that all

 2. “  And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to divide the day from the night  .”

 3. And let no one suppose it to be a thing incredible that the brightness of the light is one thing, and the body which is its material vehicle is ano

 4. “  And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years  .”

 5. But those who overstep the borders, making the words of Scripture their apology for the art of casting nativities, pretend that our lives depend up

 6. But what effects are produced? Such an one will have curly hair and bright eyes, because he is born under the Ram such is the appearance of a ram.

 7. They do not, however, stop here even our acts, where each one feels his will ruling, I mean, the practice of virtue or of vice, depend, according

 8. Let us return to the words which follow. “Let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” We have spoken about signs. By times, we u

 9. “  And God made two great lights  .”

 10. See again another evident proof of its greatness. Although the heaven may be full of stars without number, the light contributed by them all could

 11. On its variations depends also the condition of the air, as is proved by sudden disturbances which often come after the new moon, in the midst of

 Homily VII.

 1. “  And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life  ” after their kind, “  and fowl that may fly above the e

 2. “Let the waters bring forth moving creatures after their kind.” God caused to be born the firstlings of each species to serve as seeds for nature.

 3. The food of fish differs according to their species. Some feed on mud others eat sea weed others content themselves with the herbs that grow in w

 4. It is not thus with us. Why? Because we incessantly move the ancient landmarks which our fathers have set. We encroach, we add house to house, fiel

 5. I myself have seen these marvels, and I have admired the wisdom of God in all things. If beings deprived of reason are capable of thinking and of p

 6. Let husbands listen as well: here is a lesson for them. The viper vomits forth its venom in respect for marriage and you, will you not put aside t

 Homily VIII.

 1. And God said “  Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle and creeping things, and beast of the earth after his kind an

 2. “  Let the earth bring forth a living soul  .” Why did the earth produce a living soul? so that you may make a difference between the soul of cattl

 3. There are also innumerable kinds of birds. If we review them all, as we have partly done the fish, we shall find that under one name, the creatures

 4. What a variety, I have said, in the actions and lives of flying creatures. Some of these unreasoning creatures even have a government, if the featu

 5. How shall we make an exact review of all the peculiarities of the life of birds? During the night cranes keep watch in turn some sleep, others mak

 6. It is said that the turtle-dove, once separated from her mate, does not contract a new union, but remains in widowhood, in remembrance of her first

 7. “  Let the waters bring forth the moving creatures that have life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven  .” They r

 8. If we simply read the words of Scripture we find only a few short syllables. “Let the waters bring forth fowl that may fly above the earth in the o

 Homily IX.

 1. How did you like the fare of my morning’s discourse? It seemed to me that I had the good intentions of a poor giver of a feast, who, ambitious of h

 2. “  Let the earth bring forth the living creature  .”

 3. “  Let the earth bring forth the living creature  .” Thus when the soul of brutes appeared it was not concealed in the earth, but it was born by th

 4. Virtues exist in us also by nature, and the soul has affinity with them not by education, but by nature herself. We do not need lessons to hate ill

 5. But let us return to the spectacle of creation. The easiest animals to catch are the most productive. It is on account of this that hares and wild

 6. Beasts bear witness to the faith. Hast thou confidence in the Lord? “Thou shalt walk upon the asp and the basilisk and thou shalt trample under fee

7.  And God said, Let there be light .  27  Gen. i. 3. The first word of God created the nature of light; it made darkness vanish, dispelled gloom, illuminated the world, and gave to all beings at the same time a sweet and gracious aspect. The heavens, until then enveloped in darkness, appeared with that beauty which they still present to our eyes. The air was lighted up, or rather made the light circulate mixed with its substance, and, distributing its splendour rapidly in every direction, so dispersed itself to its extreme limits. Up it sprang to the very æther and heaven. In an instant it lighted up the whole extent of the world, the North and the South, the East and the West. For the æther also is such a subtle substance and so transparent that it needs not the space of a moment for light to pass through it. Just as it carries our sight instantaneously to the object of vision,  28  Light is said to travel straight at the rate of about 195,000 English miles a second; a velocity estimated by observations on the eclipses of Jupiter’s satellites. The modern undulatory theory of light, of which Huyghens († 1695) is generally regarded as the author, describes light as propagated by the vibrations of the imponderable matter termed Ether or Æther. so without the least interval, with a rapidity that thought cannot conceive, it receives these rays of light in its uttermost limits. With light the æther becomes more pleasing and the waters more limpid. These last, not content with receiving its splendour, return it by the reflection of light and in all directions send forth quivering flashes. The divine word gives every object a more cheerful and a more attractive appearance, just as when men in deep sea pour in oil they make the place about them clear. So, with a single word and in one instant, the Creator of all things gave the boon of light to the world.  29  The simile seems hardly worthy of the topic. The practice is referred to by Plutarch, Symp. Quæst. i. 9, and by Pliny, Hist. Nat. ii. 106. “Omne oleo tranquillari; et ob id urinantes ore spargere, quoniam mitiget naturam asperam lucemque deportet.” “gerere” says the Delph. note, “tum credas oleum vicem conspiciliorum.

 Let there be light . The order was itself an operation, and a state of things was brought into being, than which man’s mind cannot even imagine a pleasanter one for our enjoyment. It must be well understood that when we speak of the voice, of the word, of the command of God, this divine language does not mean to us a sound which escapes from the organs of speech, a collision of air  30  A statement not unlike the “Vibrations of the elastic medium,” to which sound might now be referred. “Sed vocem Stoici corpus esse contendunt: eamque esse dicunt ictum aera: Plato autem non esse vocem corpus esse putat. Non enim percussus, inquit, aer, sed plaga ipsa atque percussio, vox est: οὐκ ἁπλως πληγὴ αέρος ἐστὶν ἡ φωνή· πλήττει γὰρ τὸν ἀερα καὶ δάκτυλος παραγόμενος, καὶ οὐδέπω ποιεῖ φωνήν· ἀλλ᾽ ἡ πόση πληγὴ, καὶ σφοδρὰ, καὶ τόση δὲ ὥστε ἀκουστὴν γενέσθαι.” Aul. Gell., N.A. v. 15. So Diog. Laert. in Vita Zenonis; ἔστι φωνὴ αὴρ πεπληγμένος. struck by the tongue; it is a simple sign of the will of God, and, if we give it the form of an order, it is only the better to impress the souls whom we instruct.  31  Fialon quotes Bossuet 4me élév. 3me sem.: “Le roi dit Qu’on marche; et l’armée marche; qu’on fasse telle évolution, et elle se fait; toute une armée se remue au seul commandement d’un prince, c’est à dire, à un seul petit mouvment de ces livres, c’est, parmi les choses humaines, l’image la plus excellente de la puissance de Dieu; mais au fond que c’est image est dèfectueuse! Dieu n’a point de lèvres à remuer; Dieu ne frappe point l’air pour en tirer quelque son; Dieu n’a qu’à vouloir en lui même; et tout ce qu’il veut éternellement s’accomplit comme il l’a voulu, et au temps qu’il a marqué.

 And God saw the light, that it was good .  32  Gen. i. 4. How can we worthily praise light after the testimony given by the Creator to its goodness? The word, even among us, refers the judgment to the eyes, incapable of raising itself to the idea that the senses have already received.  33  St. Basil dwells rather on the sense of “beautiful” in the lxx. καλόν. The Vulgate has pulchra. But, if beauty in bodies results from symmetry of parts, and the harmonious appearance of colours, how in a simple and homogeneous essence like light, can this idea of beauty be preserved? Would not the symmetry in light be less shown in its parts than in the pleasure and delight at the sight of it? Such is also the beauty of gold, which it owes not to the happy mingling of its parts, but only to its beautiful colour which has a charm attractive to the eyes.

Thus again, the evening star is the most beautiful of the stars:  34  cf. Bion. xvi. 1: ῞Εσπερε, κυανέας ἱερὸν, φίλε, νυκτὸς ἄγαλμα, Τόσσον ἀφαυρότερος μήνας ὅσον ἔξοχος ἄστρων, and Milton, P.L. iv. 605: “Hesperus, that led The starry host, rode brightest.” not that the parts of which it is composed form a harmonious whole; but thanks to the unalloyed and beautiful brightness which meets our eyes. And further, when God proclaimed the goodness of light, it was not in regard to the charm of the eye but as a provision for future advantage, because at that time there were as yet no eyes to judge of its beauty. “  And God divided the light from the darkness ;”  35  Gen. i. 4. that is to say, God gave them natures incapable of mixing, perpetually in opposition to each other, and put between them the widest space and distance.

27 Gen. i. 3.
28 Light is said to travel straight at the rate of about 195,000 English miles a second; a velocity estimated by observations on the eclipses of Jupiter’s satellites. The modern undulatory theory of light, of which Huyghens († 1695) is generally regarded as the author, describes light as propagated by the vibrations of the imponderable matter termed Ether or Æther.
29 The simile seems hardly worthy of the topic. The practice is referred to by Plutarch, Symp. Quæst. i. 9, and by Pliny, Hist. Nat. ii. 106. “Omne oleo tranquillari; et ob id urinantes ore spargere, quoniam mitiget naturam asperam lucemque deportet.” “gerere” says the Delph. note, “tum credas oleum vicem conspiciliorum.
30 A statement not unlike the “Vibrations of the elastic medium,” to which sound might now be referred. “Sed vocem Stoici corpus esse contendunt: eamque esse dicunt ictum aera: Plato autem non esse vocem corpus esse putat. Non enim percussus, inquit, aer, sed plaga ipsa atque percussio, vox est: οὐκ ἁπλως πληγὴ αέρος ἐστὶν ἡ φωνή· πλήττει γὰρ τὸν ἀερα καὶ δάκτυλος παραγόμενος, καὶ οὐδέπω ποιεῖ φωνήν· ἀλλ᾽ ἡ πόση πληγὴ, καὶ σφοδρὰ, καὶ τόση δὲ ὥστε ἀκουστὴν γενέσθαι.” Aul. Gell., N.A. v. 15. So Diog. Laert. in Vita Zenonis; ἔστι φωνὴ αὴρ πεπληγμένος.
31 Fialon quotes Bossuet 4me élév. 3me sem.: “Le roi dit Qu’on marche; et l’armée marche; qu’on fasse telle évolution, et elle se fait; toute une armée se remue au seul commandement d’un prince, c’est à dire, à un seul petit mouvment de ces livres, c’est, parmi les choses humaines, l’image la plus excellente de la puissance de Dieu; mais au fond que c’est image est dèfectueuse! Dieu n’a point de lèvres à remuer; Dieu ne frappe point l’air pour en tirer quelque son; Dieu n’a qu’à vouloir en lui même; et tout ce qu’il veut éternellement s’accomplit comme il l’a voulu, et au temps qu’il a marqué.
32 Gen. i. 4.
33 St. Basil dwells rather on the sense of “beautiful” in the lxx. καλόν. The Vulgate has pulchra.
34 cf. Bion. xvi. 1: ῞Εσπερε, κυανέας ἱερὸν, φίλε, νυκτὸς ἄγαλμα, Τόσσον ἀφαυρότερος μήνας ὅσον ἔξοχος ἄστρων, and Milton, P.L. iv. 605: “Hesperus, that led The starry host, rode brightest.”
35 Gen. i. 4.

Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς, γενηθήτω φῶς. Πρώτη φωνὴ Θεοῦ φωτὸς φύσιν ἐδημιούργησε, τὸ σκότος ἠφάνισε, τὴν κατήφειαν διέλυσε, τὸν κόσμον ἐφαίδρυνε, πᾶσιν ἀθρόως χαρίεσσαν ὄψιν καὶ ἡδεῖαν ἐπήγαγεν. Οὐρανός τε γὰρ ἐξεφάνη κεκαλυμμένος τέως τῷ σκότῳ, καὶ τὸ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ κάλλος τοσοῦτον, ὅσον ἔτι καὶ νῦν ὀφθαλμοὶ μαρτυροῦσι. Περιελάμπετο δὲ ἀὴρ, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐγκεκραμένον ἑαυτῷ ὅλον διόλου εἶχε τὸ φῶς, ὀξείας τὰς διαδόσεις τῆς αὐγῆς ἐπὶ τὰ ὅρια ἑαυτοῦ πανταχοῦ παραπέμπων. Ἄνω μὲν γὰρ μέχρι πρὸς αὐτὸν αἰθέρα καὶ οὐρανὸν ἔφθανεν: ἐν δὲ τῷ πλάτει πάντα τὰ μέρη τοῦ κόσμου, βόρειά τε καὶ νότια καὶ τὰ ἑῷα καὶ τὰ ἑσπέρια, ἐν ὀξείᾳ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ κατεφώτιζε. Τοιαύτη γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἡ φύσις, λεπτὴ καὶ διαφανὴς, ὥστε μηδεμιᾶς παρατάσεως χρονικῆς προσδεῖσθαι τὸ φῶς δι' αὐτοῦ πορευόμενον. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰς ὄψεις ἡμῶν ἀχρόνως παραπέμπει πρὸς τὰ ὁρώμενα, οὕτω καὶ τὰς τοῦ φωτὸς προσβολὰς ἀκαριαίως, καὶ ὡς οὐδ' ἂν ἐπινοήσειέ τις ἐλάττονα χρόνου ῥοπὴν, ἐπὶ πάντα ἑαυτοῦ τὰ πέρατα ὑποδέχεται. Καὶ αἰθὴρ ἡδίων μετὰ τὸ φῶς: καὶ ὕδατα φανότερα, οὐ μόνον δεχόμενα τὴν αὐγὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρ' ἑαυτῶν ἀντιπέμποντα κατὰ τὴν ἀνάκλασιν τοῦ φωτὸς, μαρμαρυγῶν πανταχόθεν ἀποπαλλομένων τοῦ ὕδατος. Πάντα ἡ θεία φωνὴ πρὸς τὸ ἥδιστον καὶ τιμιώτατον μετεσκεύασεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ ἐν τῷ βυθῷ ἐνιέντες τὸ ἔλαιον, καταφάνειαν ἐμποιοῦσι τῷ τόπῳ: οὕτως ὁ ποιητὴς τῶν ὅλων ἐμφθεγξάμενος, τῷ κόσμῳ τὴν τοῦ φωτὸς χάριν ἀθρόως ἐνέθηκε. Γενηθήτω φῶς. Καὶ τὸ πρόσταγμα ἔργον ἦν: καὶ φύσις ἐγένετο, ἧς οὐδὲ ἐπινοῆσαί τι τερπνότερον εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν δυνατόν ἐστι λογισμοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις. Ὅταν δὲ φωνὴν ἐπὶ Θεοῦ καὶ ῥῆμα καὶ πρόσταγμα λέγωμεν, οὐ διὰ φωνητικῶν ὀργάνων ἐκπεμπόμενον ψόφον, οὐδὲ ἀέρα διὰ γλώσσης τυπούμενον, τὸν θεῖον λόγον νοοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐν τῷ θελήματι ῥοπὴν διὰ τὸ τοῖς διδασκομένοις εὐσύνοπτον ἡγούμεθα ἐν εἴδει προστάγματος σχηματίζεσθαι. Καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ φῶς ὅτι καλόν. Τίνα ἂν εἴποιμεν ἡμεῖς τοῦ φωτὸς ἄξιον ἔπαινον, ὃ προλαβὸν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ κτίσαντος μαρτυρίαν, ἔχει ὅτι καλόν; Καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν δὲ ὁ λόγος τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς παραπέμπει τὴν κρίσιν, οὕτως οὐδὲν ἔχων εἰπεῖν τοσοῦτον, ὅσον ἡ αἴσθησις μαρτυρεῖ προλαβοῦσα. Εἰ δὲ τὸ ἐν σώματι καλὸν ἐκ τῆς πρὸς ἄλληλα τῶν μερῶν συμμετρίας, καὶ τῆς ἐπιφαινομένης εὐχροίας, τὸ εἶναι ἔχει, πῶς ἐπὶ τοῦ φωτὸς ἁπλοῦ τὴν φύσιν ὄντος καὶ ὁμοιομεροῦς, ὁ τοῦ καλοῦ διασώζεται λόγος; Ἢ ὅτι τῷ φωτὶ τὸ σύμμετρον οὐκ ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις αὐτοῦ μέρεσιν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ πρὸς τὴν ὄψιν ἀλύπῳ καὶ προσηνεῖ μαρτυρεῖται; Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ χρυσὸς καλὸς, οὐκ ἐκ τῆς τῶν μερῶν συμμετρίας, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς εὐχροίας μόνης, τὸ ἐπαγωγὸν πρὸς τὴν ὄψιν καὶ τὸ τερπνὸν κεκτημένος. Καὶ ἕσπερος ἀστέρων κάλλιστος, οὐ διὰ τὸ ἀναλογοῦντα ἔχειν τὰ μέρη ἐξ ὧν συνέστηκεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ ἄλυπόν τινα καὶ ἡδεῖαν τὴν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ αὐγὴν ἐμπίπτειν τοῖς ὄμμασιν. Ἔπειτα νῦν ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίσις περὶ τοῦ καλοῦ, οὐ πάντως πρὸς τὸ ἐν ὄψει τερπνὸν ἀποβλέποντος, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὴν εἰς ὕστερον ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ὠφέλειαν προορωμένου γεγένηται. Ὀφθαλμοὶ γὰρ οὔπω ἦσαν κριτικοὶ τοῦ ἐν φωτὶ κάλλους. Καὶ διεχώρισεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ φωτὸς, καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σκότους. Τουτέστιν, ἄμικτον αὐτῶν τὴν φύσιν καὶ κατ' ἐναντίωσιν ἀντικειμένην ὁ Θεὸς κατεσκεύασε. Πλείστῳ γὰρ τῷ μέσῳ διέστηκεν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων αὐτὰ καὶ διώρισεν.