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

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 earth, as well as that which is beyond our sight and is dispersed in the depths of the earth. On account of it are abundance of fountains, springs or wells, courses of rivers, both mountain torrents and ever flowing streams, for the storing of moisture in many and various reservoirs. From the East, from the winter solstice flows the Indus, the greatest river of the earth, according to geographers. From the middle of the East proceed the Bactrus,  27  Balkh. the Choaspes,  28  Kerak. and the Araxes,  29  Probably the Volga is meant. from which the Tanais  30  Don. detaches itself to fall into the Palus-Mæotis.  31  Sea of Asov. Add to these the Phasis  32  Phaz. which descends from Mount Caucasus, and countless other rivers, which, from northern regions, flow into the Euxine Sea. From the warm countries of the West, from the foot of the Pyrenees, arise the Tartessus  33  Ebro. and the Ister,  34  The Danube. of which the one discharges itself into the sea beyond the Pillars and the other, after flowing through Europe, falls into Euxine Sea. Is there any need to enumerate those which the Ripæan mountains  35  Used vaguely for any mountains in the north of Europe and Asia. Strabo (vii. pp. 295, 299) considers them fabulous. pour forth in the heart of Scythia, the Rhone,  36  A varia lectio is Eridanus. and so many other rivers, all navigable, which after having watered the countries of the western Gauls and of Celts and of the neighbouring barbarians, flow into the Western sea? And others from the higher regions of the South flow through Ethiopia, to discharge themselves some into our sea, others into inaccessible seas, the Ægon  37  Αἰγών is properly the Ægean Sea. the Nyses, the Chremetes,  38  Basil’s geography is bad. He might have improved it by consulting Strabo or Ptolemæus, but has been content to go for his facts to Aristotle (Met. i. 13), whose errors he repeats. Fialon remarks “nouvelle preuve de l’indifférence des cités grecques de l’ Asie pour cet Occident lointain dont elles se séparèrent si facilement.” If this refers to the theological separation it is hardly fair. The East in the 4th c. and 5th c. shewed no indifference to the sympathy of the W., and when the split came the “separation” was not taken “easily.” and above all the Nile, which is not of the character of a river when, like a sea, it inundates Egypt. Thus the habitable part of our earth is surrounded by water, linked together by vast seas and irrigated by countless perennial rivers, thanks to the ineffable wisdom of Him Who ordered all to prevent this rival element to fire from being entirely destroyed.

However, a time will come, when all shall be consumed by fire; as Isaiah says of the God of the universe in these words, “That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers.”  39  Isa. xliv. 27. Reject then the foolish wisdom of this world,  40  Schools of “the wisdom of the world” did, however, teach that the world was a world γενόμενον καὶ φθαρτόν. cf. Lucretius v. 322, “totum nativum mortali corpore constat.” and receive with me the more simple but infallible doctrine of truth.

27 Balkh.
28 Kerak.
29 Probably the Volga is meant.
30 Don.
31 Sea of Asov.
32 Phaz.
33 Ebro.
34 The Danube.
35 Used vaguely for any mountains in the north of Europe and Asia. Strabo (vii. pp. 295, 299) considers them fabulous.
36 A varia lectio is Eridanus.
37 Αἰγών is properly the Ægean Sea.
38 Basil’s geography is bad. He might have improved it by consulting Strabo or Ptolemæus, but has been content to go for his facts to Aristotle (Met. i. 13), whose errors he repeats. Fialon remarks “nouvelle preuve de l’indifférence des cités grecques de l’ Asie pour cet Occident lointain dont elles se séparèrent si facilement.” If this refers to the theological separation it is hardly fair. The East in the 4th c. and 5th c. shewed no indifference to the sympathy of the W., and when the split came the “separation” was not taken “easily.”
39 Isa. xliv. 27.
40 Schools of “the wisdom of the world” did, however, teach that the world was a world γενόμενον καὶ φθαρτόν. cf. Lucretius v. 322, “totum nativum mortali corpore constat.”

Περίβλεψαι πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν, καὶ ὄψει τοῦ θερμοῦ τὴν δύναμιν τοῖς ἐν γενέσει καὶ φθορᾷ πᾶσιν ἐνδυναστεύουσαν. Διὰ τοῦτο πολὺ τὸ ὕδωρ ὑπὲρ γῆς κεχυμένον, καὶ ὑπερέκεινα τῶν ὁρωμένων ἀπενεχθὲν, καὶ προσέτι παντὶ τῷ βάθει τῆς γῆς ἐνεσπαρμένον. Ὅθεν πηγῶν ἀφθονίαι, καὶ φρεάτων σύρροιαι, καὶ ποταμῶν ῥεύματα, χειμάρρων τε καὶ ἀεννάων, ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἐν πολλοῖς καὶ ποικίλοις ταμείοις διατηρεῖσθαι τὴν ὑγρασίαν. Ἐκ μέν γε τῆς ἕω, ἀπὸ μὲν χειμερινῶν τροπῶν ὁ Ἰνδὸς ῥεῖ ποταμὸς ῥεῦμα πάντων ποταμίων ὑδάτων πλεῖστον, ὡς οἱ τὰς περιόδους τῆς γῆς ἀναγράφοντες ἱστορήκασιν: ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν μέσων τῆς ἀνατολῆς ὅ τε Βάκτρος, καὶ ὁ Χοάσπης, καὶ ὁ Ἀράξης, ἀφ' οὗ καὶ ὁ Τάναϊς ἀποσχιζόμενος εἰς τὴν Μαιῶτιν ἔξεισι λίμνην. Καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ὁ Φάσις τῶν Καυκασίων ὀρῶν ἀπορρέων, καὶ μυρίοι ἕτεροι ἀπὸ τῶν ἀρκτῴων τόπων ἐπὶ τὸν Εὔξεινον Πόντον φέρονται. Ἀπὸ δὲ δυσμῶν τῶν θερινῶν ὑπὸ τὸ Πυρηναῖον ὄρος Ταρτησός τε καὶ Ἴστρος: ὧν ὁ μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν ἔξω Στηλῶν ἀφίεται θάλασσαν: ὁ δὲ Ἴστρος διὰ τῆς Εὐρώπης ῥέων, ἐπὶ τὸν Πόντον ἐκδίδωσι. Καὶ τί δεῖ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀπαριθμεῖσθαι οὓς αἱ Ῥιπαὶ γεννῶσι, τὰ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐνδοτάτω Σκυθίας ὄρη; Ὧν ἐστὶ καὶ ὁ Ῥοδανὸς μετὰ μυρίων ἄλλων ποταμῶν, καὶ αὐτῶν ναυσιπόρων, οἳ τοὺς ἑσπερίους Γαλάτας καὶ Κελτοὺς, καὶ τοὺς προσεχεῖς αὐτοῖς βαρβάρους παραμειψάμενοι, ἐπὶ τὸ ἑσπέριον πάντες εἰσχέονται πέλαγος. Ἄλλοι ἐκ τῆς μεσημβρίας ἄνωθεν διὰ τῆς Αἰθιοπίας, οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔρχονται θάλασσαν: οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν ἔξω τῆς πλεομένης ἀποκενοῦνται: ὅ τε Αἰγὼν καὶ ὁ Νύσης καὶ ὁ καλούμενος Χρεμέτης, καὶ πρός γε ἔτι ὁ Νεῖλος, ὃς οὐδὲ ποταμοῖς τὴν φύσιν ἔοικεν, ὅταν ἴσα θαλάσσῃ πελαγίζῃ τὴν Αἴγυπτον. Οὕτως ὁ τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς οἰκουμένης τόπος ὕδατι περιείληπται, πελάγεσί τε ἀπλέτοις ἐνδεδεμένος καὶ μυρίοις ποταμοῖς ἀεννάοις κατάρρυτος, διὰ τὴν ἄρρητον σοφίαν τοῦ τὴν ἀντίπαλον τῷ πυρὶ φύσιν δυσεξανάλωτον εἶναι οἰκονομήσαντος. Ἔσται μέντοι ὅτε καὶ πάντα καταφρυγήσεται τῷ πυρὶ, ὥς φησιν Ἡσαΐας ἐν οἷς πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν διαλέγεται: Ὁ λέγων τῇ ἀβύσσῳ, ἐρημωθήσῃ, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ποταμούς σου ξηρανῶ. Ὥστε ἀπορρίψας τὴν μωρανθεῖσαν σοφίαν, κατάδεξαι μεθ' ἡμῶν τὸ διδασκάλιον τῆς ἀληθείας, ἰδιωτικὸν μὲν τῷ λόγῳ, ἀδιάπτωτον δὲ κατὰ τὴν γνῶσιν.