if the separate members of a statue were to lie scattered, they would appear beautiful to no one; but if they are restored to their proper place and order, the beauty that arises from their proportion, which before hardly came into view, now becomes manifest even to the unlearned and unskilled observer. A Yet the artist, even before the assembly of the parts, knows the beauty of each, and praises them singly, as he directs his mind to their end. God is therefore described now as a sort of craftsman of this kind, who praises each individual work, and indeed does not hesitate to award fitting praise to the whole world once it is completed. But let our discourses on the second day end here, so that an opportunity may be offered to studious listeners to weigh what they have heard, so that if there is anything useful in it, they may retain it in their memory; and through diligent meditation, as if by a certain process of digestion, they may await the distribution of those things which are beneficial. And let it give leisure to those who are occupied with providing their livelihood, that, arranging their affairs in the intervening time, they may appear with a soul purged of cares for the evening banquet of words. May God, who has created the great things and has ordained that these small things be spoken of, grant you understanding in all the truth of Himself, so that from the things that are seen you may perceive the invisible, and from the magnitude and beauty of the creatures you may acquire the fitting opinion regarding our Creator. B 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; so that in the earth, in the air, in the heaven, in the water, in the night, in the day, and in all visible things, we may clearly receive reminders of our Benefactor. C For neither shall we give any occasion for sins, nor shall we leave any place for the enemy in our hearts, if we have God dwelling within us through constant memory; to whom be all glory and adoration, now and always, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
HOMILY IV. On the gathering of the waters.
1. There are certain cities which feast the eyes from early morning until the very evening with all kinds of shows by prestidigitators. And indeed, although they sing certain dissolute and corrupt songs, and those which in every way generate much impurity in souls,
they never grow sated. Many people also count such crowds blessed, because they have left behind the commerce of the marketplace, or the inventions of the arts that look to the preservation of life, and spend the time of life allotted to them in complete leisure and pleasure; not knowing that the orchestra, which abounds with impure spectacles, is a common and public workshop of lasciviousness for those who sit there. But even those A flute melodies, being very elegant, and the harlot-like songs, settling into the minds of the listeners, persuade everyone—inasmuch as they emulate the striking of the citharists or the flute players—to do nothing other than behave shamefully. Indeed, there are some now who are so horse-mad that they struggle over horses even in their dreams, swapping chariots and changing drivers, and in short, they do not refrain from their daytime folly even in their dream-time fantasies. But we, whom the Lord, the great creator and artificer of marvelous things, has called to the demonstration of His works, shall we grow weary in contemplating and listening to the oracles of the Spirit, or shall we be lazy? Shall we not rather, by standing around this great and manifold workshop of divine creation, and by each of us returning in mind to the ages of old, contemplate the ordering of the whole world? The heaven, indeed, according to the prophetic discourse, B fashioned like a vault; the earth, infinite in size and weight, resting upon itself; the air, diffused, soft, and moist by nature, providing a proper and perpetual nourishment to those who breathe, yet yielding and being parted by things that move through it because of its softness, so that it is no obstacle to those passing through it, as it easily returns and flows around to the backs of those who divide it. Finally, you will contemplate the nature of water, both that which provides nourishment and that which is intended for our other uses, and at the same time its orderly gathering into the defined places, from what has just been read to us. C
2. 34 And God said: Let the water under heaven be gathered into one congregation, and let the dry land appear. And it was so: and the water which was under heaven was gathered into its congregations: and the dry land appeared. And God called the dry land, Earth; and the gatherings of the waters He called Seas 61. How many matters you set before me in the previous discourses, while you kept asking for the reason how the earth was invisible: when indeed any body naturally possesses color, and every color D
A is apprehended by the sense of sight; and perhaps what has been said did not seem sufficient to you, in that "invisible" was spoken not with respect to nature, but with respect to us, because of the interposition of the water which then covered the whole earth. Behold now, hear the Scripture itself explaining itself: *Let the waters be gathered together, and let the dry land appear.* The veils are drawn aside, so that that which was not previously seen may present itself to our gaze.
Perhaps someone might also inquire further on these matters. First, why does the discourse refer to the command of the Creator that which naturally belongs to water, namely, to be carried toward a decline? For as long as water happens to be lying on level ground, it is stationary, having nowhere to flow off; but once it encounters some slope, immediately the leading part being set in motion, the part continuous with it occupies the base of that which has been moved, and the following part occupies the place of that one; and thus the part that leads always escapes, and the one coming up behind pushes it on; and the motion becomes all the faster the greater the weight of what is being carried, and the deeper the basin toward which the flow is directed. If, then, such is the nature of water, the command bidding it to be gathered into one collection would be idle and superfluous. For surely it was destined, because of its natural proclivity toward the depths, to concede of its own accord to the most concave location of all, and not to stand still until its back was leveled. For there is no location so B level as the surface of water.
Next, one might ask, how were the waters commanded to run together into one collection, since many seas are seen, and they are separated from one another by a very great interval and position? Now, as to the first of the questions, we say this: that you did indeed acknowledge the movements of the water well enough after the Master’s command—that it is flowing and unstable, and by its nature is carried toward slopes and hollows; but what strength it possessed before this movement was implanted in it by that command, you neither saw yourself, nor have you heard from anyone who saw it. For reflect that the voice of God is the maker of nature, and the command that was given at that time to the creation provided a subsequent sequence for the things being created. Day and night were created once, and from that time they have not ceased to succeed one another, and to divide time into equal parts.
C 3. *Let the waters be gathered together.* It was commanded that the nature of the waters run, and it never tires of being perpetually urged by that command. I say this, referring to the fluid portion of the waters. For some flow of their own accord, such as springs and rivers; others are collected and stationary. But my discourse now concerns the rushing waters. D
A Has it ever occurred to you, as you stood by a fountain producing abundant water, to wonder who it is that impels this water from the bowels of the earth? Who urges it forward? What are the storehouses from which it proceeds? What is the place to which it hastens? How is it that these do not run dry, nor those become full? These things depend upon that first command. From that time the water was incited to run. In every history of waters, be mindful of that first voice: "Let the waters be gathered together." It behooved them to run, that they might occupy their proper place; then, being collected into the appointed spots, to remain within themselves and not advance further. For this reason, according to the word of the Preacher, "All the torrents go into the sea, and the sea is not filled" (Eccl. 1, 7). For both the flowing of the waters and the circumscription of the sea within its own boundaries depend upon that first legislative decree: "Let the waters be gathered together into one congregation." So that the flowing water, spreading into the regions that receive it, moving onward constantly and filling one place after another, might not inundate the whole of the continent, it was commanded to be gathered into one congregation. B On this account, the sea, often raging from the winds and rising to a vast height with its waves, as soon as it touches the shores, breaks its force into foam and turns back. "Will you not fear me," says the Lord, "who have placed the sand as a bound for the sea?" (Jer. 5, 22). By the weakest of all things, by sand, that force which is unendurable is bridled and restrained. For what else would prevent the Red Sea from invading the whole of Egypt, which is lower than itself, and being joined to the sea that lies adjacent to Egypt, if it were not bound by the command of the Creator? For that Egypt is lower than the Red Sea, those who desired to join the seas together—the Egyptian sea and the Indian sea, in which the Red Sea is—persuaded us by the deed itself. On this account, that Egyptian Sesostris, C who first attempted it, and later Darius the Mede, who planned to accomplish this very thing, desisted from their undertaking. These things I have said, that we might understand the power and efficacy of that command: "Let the waters be gathered together into one congregation." That is to say, let no other congregation be formed after this one, but let that which has been collected remain in its first collection.
4. "Then he who said, 'Let the waters be gathered together into one D congregation,' showed you that the waters were once divided into many places. But..."
A For the hollows of the mountains, broken through by deep ravines, contained the collection of waters. And furthermore, many plains and low-lying lands, nothing inferior in size to the greatest seas, and countless dales, and valleys excavated in various shapes—all these were then filled with water—were emptied by the divine command, as the water from everywhere was driven toward one congregation.
And let no one say, "If there was water upon the earth, all the hollows that now receive the sea must have been filled." Where, then, were the collections of water to be made, if the hollows were already occupied? To this we shall answer that the receptacles were prepared at that very time, when it was necessary for the water to be separated into one coacervation. For there was not then the sea beyond the Pillars of Hercules; B nor that great and terrible sea to those who sail, which encompasses the British island and the western Iberians; but after the most spacious place was formed by the command of God, then the multitudes of water betook themselves into it.
As for the objection that the theory of the creation of the world as held by us is contrary to experience (for it is clear that not all the water has run into one congregation), much could be said, and things known to everyone of themselves; but perhaps it is ridiculous even to contend with such arguments. For are they going to bring forward the marshy waters against us, and those collected from rains, and think that by these they can refute our position? Nay, Scripture has called the greatest and most perfect C gathering of waters "one congregation." For wells are also man-made collections of water, when moisture flows into the hollowed part of the earth. Therefore, the term "congregation" does not indicate just any collection of waters, but the primary and greatest one, in which the whole element is displayed in one mass. For just as fire is divided into small parts for our use here, and is diffused in a mass in the ether; and just as air is divided into small parts, yet also occupies the space around the earth in a mass; D so also with water: even if there are some small, divided gatherings, yet there is one "congregation" which distinguishes the whole element from the rest. For the lakes—both those situated in the northern regions, and those around the Greek territory, and those occupying Macedonia and the region of the Bithynians and the Palestinians—are indeed congregations; but our discourse now is about the one that is the greatest of all, and which is equal in magnitude to the earth. That they contain a multitude of water no one will deny; yet no one would call them "seas" by a proper appellation.
A For one might even, with good reason, deny that they share anything resembling the great sea, like the Asphaltite lake in Judaea, or the Serbonis, which stretches between Egypt and Palestine through the Arabian desert. For these are lakes, but the sea is one, as those who have traveled round the earth relate. Even if some think that the Hyrcanian and the Caspian are circumscribed within themselves, yet if one must place any trust in the geographies of those who have studied them, they are perforated into one another, and all of them drain into the greatest sea; just as they say the Red Sea is connected to what lies beyond Gades. How then, one asks, did God call the collections of water "seas"? B Because, although the waters flowed together into one gathering, the Lord called the coacervations of water—that is, the gulfs which are held within their own shape by the surrounding land—"seas." There is the northern sea, the southern sea, the eastern sea, and another to the west. There are also the proper names of the seas: the Euxine Pontus, the Propontis, the Hellespont, the Aegean and the Ionian, the Sardinian sea and the Sicilian, and the Tyrrhenian, which is another. And there are countless names of seas, which it would be long and clearly absurd to enumerate accurately at this time. Therefore God called the coacervations of waters "seas." But the sequence of the discourse has led us to this point; let us now return to what we originally proposed.
5. C *And God said, Let the waters be gathered into one gathering, and let the dry land appear.* He did not say: "And let the earth appear," lest He should again show it to be unformed, muddy, mixed with water, not yet clothed with its own proper form or power. At the same time, we should avoid attributing the cause of the dryness to the sun, for the Creator prepared the dryness of the earth before the generation of the sun. But pay close attention to the meaning of what is written: that not only did the overflowing water drain away from the earth, but also whatever was mixed into it through the deeper places, this too withdrew, obeying the inevitable command of the Master. And it was so. This addition sufficiently demonstrated that the voice of the Creator had reached its effect; yet it is added in many manuscripts: *And the water which was under the heaven was gathered into its gatherings, and the dry land appeared.* D
These things neither have any of the other interpreters A handed down, nor does the usage of the Hebrews appear to possess them. For indeed, after that testimony, *It was so*, the repetition of the same things is superfluous. The more accurate copies, therefore, have been marked with an obelus; but the obelus is a symbol of rejection. *And God called the dry land Earth, and the collections of the waters He called Seas* (96). Why is it also mentioned in what follows: *Let the waters be gathered into one gathering, and let the dry land appear*, but it is not written: *And let the earth appear*? And here again: *The dry land appeared, and God called the dry land Earth*? Because "dry land" is, as it were, a property, which in a way expresses and designates the nature of the subject; but "earth" is a bare name of the thing. For just as "rational" is the property of man, while "man" signifies the animal itself in which that property resides; so also "dry" is the proper and peculiar quality of the earth. Therefore, that in which dryness inherently resides is called earth; just as that in which "neighing" inherently resides is named a horse.
Neither does this hold true only for the earth; but every one of the other B elements possesses a distinct and allotted quality, by which it is distinguished from the others, and each one is recognized for what it is. Water, indeed, has for its proper quality coldness; air, moisture; and fire, heat. But these things are considered by reason as primary elements of composite bodies in the manner stated; whereas those which are already arranged in a body and fall under the senses have joined qualities. And nothing of the things seen and perceived by the senses is absolutely isolated, nor simple, nor pure; but the earth is dry and cold; water is moist and cold; again, air is hot and moist, and fire is hot and dry. For in this way, through the joined quality, the power C proceeds to be mixed one with another. For each element is mingled with its neighbor through the common quality, and through the fellowship which it has with the near, it is joined to its opposite (98). For example, the earth, being dry and cold, is united to water by the affinity of coldness, and is united to air through the water; since water, being set in the middle of both, as if by the application of two hands, touches each of the adjacent qualities, namely, the coldness of the earth and the moisture of the air. Again, the air, by its own mediation, becomes a reconciler of the warring nature of water and D fire, being joined to water through moisture and to fire through heat. Moreover, fire, which by its own nature
A is hot and dry, is joined by means of the heat to the air, and by means of the dryness it returns to communion with the earth. And thus there comes to be a circle and a harmonious chorus, all things agreeing and coordinating with one another. Whence the designation of the elements has been properly applied to them. These things I have said in order to state the reason why God called the dry 'earth,' but did not call the earth 'dry.' For the dry is not one of those things which were later added to the earth, but one of those things which from the beginning constitute its very essence. Moreover, those things which are the cause of something's existence are by nature prior and more excellent than those things which come subsequently. Wherefore, certain distinguishing marks from the earlier and more ancient things were rightly devised to designate the earth.
6. *And God saw that it was good.* The Scripture B does not indicate that a certain pleasant aspect of the sea was presented to God. For the Creator does not look upon the beauty of the creation with eyes, but contemplates the things that are made with ineffable wisdom. It is indeed a pleasant spectacle when the sea is whitening, while a stable tranquility possesses it; it is also pleasant when its surface, roughened by gentle breezes, offers to those who see it a purple or azure color: when it does not beat violently against the neighboring land, but embraces it as if with certain peaceful caresses. Yet we must not suppose that the Scripture intended to say in this manner that the sea appeared beautiful and pleasant to God; but rather, beauty here is judged by the reason of its creation. First, because the water of the sea is the fountain and origin of all the moisture of the earth. This is distributed through hidden channels, as the porous and hollow parts of the continents C indicate, into which the sea enters; which, when it is enclosed in winding, and not straight-running, byroads, and is impelled by the wind that moves it, then bursts forth, having broken through the surface; and as the percolation improves its bitterness, it becomes suitable for drinking. But now, having also received a hotter quality from minerals in its passage, because of the same cause that moves it, it becomes, for the most part, hot and fiery: which it is possible to observe in many islands and many maritime places. Furthermore, that we may compare small things with great, in the inland regions D certain places bordering on river waters experience something similar. What, then, is the reason why this has been said by me? Because the whole earth is honeycombed, being filled and replenished by water passing underneath through hidden channels from the sources of the sea.