Homily VI

in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God, may we flourish in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

HOMILY VI. On the creation of the luminaries.

^A be raised up to heaven. If we learn these things, we shall recognize ourselves; we shall recognize God; we shall worship the Creator; we shall serve the Lord; we shall glorify the Father; we shall love our Nourisher; we shall revere our Benefactor; we shall not cease to honor the Author of our present and our future life—He who, indeed, through those riches which He has already bestowed, also makes credible the promises of future goods, and confirms to us by the experience of present things that which is expected. For if worldly things are such, what must the eternal ones be? And if visible things are so beautiful, how must the invisible be judged? If the magnitude of the heaven exceeds the measure of human understanding, what mind shall be able to investigate the nature of eternal things? If the sun, ^B which is subject to corruption, is so beautiful and so great—swift in its motion, completing its measured circuits, possessing a magnitude so accommodated to the universe that it does not exceed the proportion it holds with the whole, and by its beauty, like a pellucid eye, adorning all created things—if the sight of this is insatiable, what is the beauty of the Sun of Justice? If it is a disadvantage for a blind man not to see this sun, what is the disadvantage for the sinner to be deprived of the true Light?

2. *And God said: Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth: that they may divide the day and the night*. Heaven and earth had preceded; after this, light had been created; day and night had been distinguished; likewise ^C the firmament had been made, and the dry land had been revealed. The water had been gathered into a stable and defined congregation. The earth was replete with its own natural fruits, since it had brought forth innumerable kinds of grasses and abounded in every form of plant. Yet there was not yet a sun, nor a moon, lest they should call the sun the author and father of light, and lest those who were ignorant of God might think it to be the maker of things growing from the earth. Wherefore the fourth day had already arrived, and then God said: *Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven*. When you recognize the speaker, immediately join in your mind the one who heard. *God said: Let there be lights... and God made the two lights*. Who spoke, and who made? Do you not perceive in this a double Person? Everywhere, ^D in a mystical way, the dogma of theology is interspersed in the history. The necessity for the generation of the lights is also added: *For illumination*, He says, *upon the earth*. If the generation of light had preceded, how is the sun now again said to have been brought forth for illumination? First of all, then, let not the peculiar character of this expression provoke your laughter; for we do not pursue that refined choice of words of yours, nor are we concerned...

with the sonorousness of terms, but everywhere we prefer the clarity of the names. ^A Consider, then, whether he has not sufficiently indicated what he meant by this word; for in place of "illumination" he has said "the phausis" (the shedding of light). And this is in no way in conflict with what was said regarding the light. For at that time the very nature of light was produced, but now this solar body has been prepared to be a vehicle for that primordial light. For just as fire is one thing and a lamp is another—the former having the power of illuminating, the latter being made to provide light to those in need—so too have these luminaries now been prepared as a vehicle for that most pure and sincere and immaterial light. For as the Apostle says that some are "lights in the world" ^B (Phil. ii, 15), yet there is another true light of the world, by participation in which the saints became lights to the souls they trained, rescuing them from the darkness of ignorance; so also has the Creator of all now kindled this sun in the world, having fitted it to that most brilliant light, after it had been created.

3. Let it not seem incredible to anyone that has been said, that the brilliance of light is one thing, and the body underlying the light is something else. First of all, then, from the fact that all composite things are thus divided by us into the receptive substance and the quality that is added to it. Just as, therefore, whiteness is one thing by nature, and the whitened body is another, so also the things just mentioned, though different in nature, ^C are united by the power of the One who created them. And do not tell me that it is impossible for these to be separated from one another. For I do not say that the separation of the light from the solar body is possible for me and for you; but I do say that those things which are separable in our thought can also, by the very operation of the Maker of their nature, be parted. For even for you, it is impossible to separate the burning power of fire from its brightness; yet God, wishing to turn his servant toward Himself by a marvelous sight, placed fire on the bush ^D which acted solely from its brightness, while having its power to burn idle. As also the Psalmist (Ps. xxviii, 7) testifies, saying, "The voice of the Lord dividing the flame of fire." Whence also in the retributions of our lives, a certain secret teaching instructs us that the nature of fire shall be divided, and that the light shall be destined for the enjoyment of the righteous, but the painful quality of burning for those being punished. And furthermore, we can bring confirmation of these things from the phenomena concerning the moon. For when it wanes and decreases, it is not consumed in its entire body, but by laying aside its surrounding light and assuming it again, it...

provides us with the appearances of waning and waxing. And that its body is not destroyed as it wanes is clearly proved by what we see. For it is possible for you, even in a clear sky, free from all mist, when it happens to be ^A in a crescent shape, to observe—if you watch carefully—its dark and unilluminated part being outlined by an arc of the same size as that which fills it out entirely in the full moons. Thus, the full circle is clearly seen, provided that the sight refers the opaque and shadowy hollow to the illuminated part. And do not, I beg you, tell me that the light of the moon is adventitious, for the reason that it wanes as it approaches the sun and waxes again as it departs. For it is not that which is proposed for us to investigate at present, but rather that its body is one thing, and the illuminating force is another. Think of something similar in my view regarding the sun: except that the sun, having once received the light and having it tempered to itself, does not lay it aside; whereas the moon, by continually, as it were, putting off and putting on the light, confirms by its own self the things that have been said about the sun. ^B These luminaries were also commanded to separate the day from the night. For God previously divided the light from the darkness, and then He parted their nature into the contrary, so that no intermingling might occur between them, and light might have no communion with darkness. For what the shadow is in the day, that must one consider the nature of darkness to be at night. Since every shadow, when some splendor shines, falls from bodies on the side opposite to the light, and in the morning it stretches toward the west, and in the evening it inclines toward the east, and at midday it turns toward the north; so also, night withdraws into parts opposite to the rays, being by nature nothing other than the shadow of the earth. For just as shadow subsists in the day because something obstructs the light, so naturally night is born when the air surrounding the earth is shaded. Therefore, this is what was said: "God divided the light ^C from the darkness," since the darkness avoids the approaches of the light, a natural alienation having been established between them at the first creation. But now, having measured the sun, He has set it over the day; and the moon, when it has been completed in its own circle with all its numbers, He has appointed as the ruler of the night. For then, the luminaries are almost opposite each other by the diameter. For at full moon, when the sun rises, the moon vanishes from sight; on the contrary, when the sun sets, ^D this same moon often rises from the east. And if, in the other phases, the lunar light is not perfectly balanced with the night, it makes no difference to the discourse at hand. Nevertheless, when it reaches its most perfect state, it holds the primacy of the night, with its own light and splendor.

and divides the measures of time equally with the sun. 4. ^A *Let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years.* The indications given by the luminaries are necessary for human life. For if someone does not investigate the signs from them beyond what is reasonable, he will find their observations, derived from long experience, to be useful. For it is possible to learn much about rain, much about droughts, and about the movement of winds—whether particular or general, violent or gentle. For the Lord even revealed to us one of the signs from the sun when He said, "There will be a storm, for the sky is red and gloomy" (Matth. XVI, 3). For when the sun rises through a mist, its rays are dimmed, and it appears coal-colored and reddish in hue, because the thickness of the air creates this impression for the eyes. And the air, which had been thick and dense, not having been dispersed by the ray, becomes evident because it is unable to be broken through by the exhalation of vapors from the earth; rather, by the abundance of moisture, it is about to bring a storm upon the regions around which it gathers. ^B Similarly, also, when the moon is surrounded by a halo; and when what are called haloes are drawn around the sun, they signify either an abundance of aerial water or the motion of violent winds; or even those which they call "anthelia," when they run around with the sun’s course, become signs of certain aerial occurrences. Just as, then, those rods which imitate the color of the rainbow and appear straight in the clouds indicate rain or extraordinary storms, or generally a change in the air of the greatest magnitude. Those who have devoted themselves to these things have observed many noteworthy features regarding the waxing or waning moon, as the air surrounding the earth necessarily changes along with its phases. For when it is thin and clear around the third day, it promises steady fine weather; but when it appears thick and reddish at its horns, it threatens either torrential rain from the clouds or the violent movement of a south wind. ^C And who is unaware of how much utility the observation of these things provides to life? For it is possible for a sailor to keep his ship inside the harbors, foreseeing dangers from the winds; it is possible for a traveler to avoid harms from afar, expecting a change in air from the gloominess of the sky. Farmers, too, who labor over seeds and the care of plants, find from this all the opportunities for their works. ^D And indeed, the Lord has also foretold that signs of the dissolution of the universe will appear in the sun, and the moon, and the stars.

^A The Lord said that these things would appear: The sun shall be turned into blood, and the moon shall not give her light. These are signs of the completion of the universe.

5. But those who trespass beyond their rightful limits ^B divert this text to defend the art of the genethliacs, and they say that our life hangs upon the motion of the heavens; and therefore, the occurrences that befall us are signified by the Chaldaeans through the agency of the stars. And they interpret the simple wording of Scripture, "Let them be for signs," not as referring to the changes of the air or the variations of the seasons, but as referring to the lot of our lives, according to what seems good to them. For what do they say? That the conjunction of these planets, when they come together in such and such a shape with the stars that are situated in the zodiac, produces such and such births; and that a different position of the same stars produces the opposite lot in life. Concerning which, perhaps for the sake of clarity, it will not be useless to repeat a little from further back and discuss the matter. I shall say nothing of my own, but to refute them I shall use their own words; so that I may bring some remedy to those already occupied by this malady, and provide a bulwark and protection for the others, so that they do not fall into similar errors. The inventors of this genethliology, understanding that in the breadth of time and space many configurations escape them, have narrowed the measures of time completely into a small compass: as if even within the smallest and briefest interval, such as the Apostle says, "in a moment, in an instant of an eye," there exists the greatest difference ^C between birth and birth. And hence, he who was born in this moment is a king of cities, and a most wealthy and powerful prince of peoples; but he who was born in the other point of time is to be some beggar, and a wanderer, going from door to door for the sake of procuring his daily food. For this reason, since they divided the circle called the sign-bearer into twelve parts, because the sun traverses the twelfth part of that sphere which is called the inerrant one in the space of thirty days, they have therefore divided each of those twelve parts into thirty portions. Then, having divided the individual parts into sixty, they have again cut each of the sixties sixty times. Now, therefore, since they predetermine the births of those being born, let us see

if they are able to preserve this precision in the division of time. For exactly when the child is born, the midwife observes whether the newborn is male or female; then she waits for the cry, which is a sign of the life of the one just born. How many sixtieths do you wish to have passed in this interval? She declares to the Chaldean what has been born. How many of the finest parts, do you wish, shall we assume to have elapsed while the midwife was speaking? Especially if it happens that the one who is observing and charting the hour was standing outside the women's quarters? For it is necessary that he who intends to master the horoscopes accurately record the hour, whether they be diurnal or nocturnal. How great a multitude of sixtieths again flows by in this stretch of time? For it is necessary to find the star ^A that is in the ascendant, not only according to which twelfth part it occupies, but also according to which degree of that twelfth part, and in which sixtieth—into which we have said the degree is divided; or, so that the truth of the matter may be found, in which sixtieth of those parts that were subdivided from the first sixtieths. And they say that it is necessary to perform this so fine and incomprehensible investigation of time for each of the planets, so that it might be discovered what relation they had to the fixed stars, and what was their configuration toward one another at the time of the birth of the one being born. So if it is impossible to attain the hour accurately, and yet the slightest variation causes one to miss the truth entirely, worthy of ridicule are both those who have ^B spent their labor on this non-existent art, and those who gape at them as if they were able to know the things concerning themselves.

6. What sort of effects do they produce? The hair, they say, will be curly, and the eyes attractive: for he has the hour of Aries; and that animal is, in a way, like that in appearance. But he will also be magnanimous, since Aries is a leader; and he will be liberal, and again gainful, since this animal sheds its wool without pain, and in turn is easily clothed by nature. But he who is born in Taurus, they say, is long-suffering and servile, because the bull is subject to the yoke. And the one who is born in Scorpio is a striker, on account of his resemblance to that beast. And the one born under Libra is just, because of the ^C equality of the scales among us. What could be more ridiculous than these things? That Aries, from which you derive the birth of a man, is a twelfth part of the heaven, in which, when the sun is present, it touches the spring signs. And Libra, and Taurus likewise; each of these is a twelfth part of the so-called zodiacal circle.

How then, claiming that the primary causes for human lives proceed from thence, do you characterize the morals of those born from our own flocks? For the ram ^A is open-handed, not because that part of the heaven is productive of such a character, but because such a nature is inherent in that animal. Why then do you overawe us with the credibility of the stars, while attempting to persuade us by means of bleating? For if the heaven receives such properties of character from the animals, it is itself subject to foreign principles, inasmuch as it derives its causes from these flocks. But if it is ridiculous to assert this, it is far more ridiculous to attempt to render that opinion credible and probable from things between which no connection exists. And yet these subtleties of theirs are like spiders' (29) webs, in which, when a gnat, or a fly, or any other animal similar to these in weakness becomes entangled, it is caught and held fast; but when a stronger animal approaches, it easily passes right through, and breaks and dissipates the fragile fabric.

7. And not only in regard to these matters do they stop ^B, but also in those things where the free choice of each one of us is sovereign (I mean, the pursuits of virtue or vice), they attribute the causes even of these to the heavenly bodies. To contradict whom, while otherwise ridiculous, is yet perhaps necessary not to pass over in silence, because the majority are preoccupied by that error. First, then, let us ask them this: do the configurations of the stars not change six hundred times every single day? For since those stars which are called wandering stars are always in motion—and some, moving more quickly, overtake one another, while others make slower circuits—at the same hour they often both behold each other and are hidden; and since, at the time of birth, it is of the greatest importance whether one ^C is looked upon by a beneficent star, as they call it, or by a maleficent one; and since often they do not attain to the time when the beneficent star was bearing witness, and because of the ignorance of a single most minute interval, they have recorded this very birth as though it were situated in misfortune (I am compelled to use their very own words). Truly there is much madness in these words, but far more impiety. For the maleficent stars transfer the cause of their own malignancy onto their Creator. For if evil is in them by nature, the Creator will be the ^D author of evil; but if they become evil of their own accord and will, in the first place they will be animals endowed with the faculty of choice, using untethered and sovereign impulses—and to falsely invent this concerning inanimate things is the height of madness. Then, how contrary to reason it is that bad or good are not distributed to each according to their merit.

^A And since it is in this position, it is considered beneficent, and because it is seen from here, therefore it becomes malicious; and when it again deviates slightly from the figure, does it immediately forget its malice? And this, indeed, so much for that.

But if at every instantaneous moment of time they are transformed into one shape after another, and in these myriad changes, often many times a day, the configurations defining royal births are completed, why are kings not born every day? Or why, in general, are royal successions among them paternal? For no king carefully adjusts the birth of his own son to the royal configuration of the stars. For what man is master of such a thing? How then did Uzziah beget Jotham, Jotham Ahaz, and Ahaz Hezekiah, and none of them happened to be born at a servile hour of birth? ^B Furthermore, if the principles of vices or virtues are not situated within us, but are necessities depending upon birth, then legislators are useless, who prescribe to us what should be done and what avoided; useless, too, are judges, who honor virtue and punish wickedness. For the injustice is not of the thief, nor of the murderer, who—even if he willed it—could not restrain his hand on account of the inescapable necessity compelling him to the deed.

Most vain of all are those who labor at the arts; for the farmer will have abundance even if he does not cast seeds into the ground nor sharpen his sickle; and the merchant, whether he likes it or not, will grow rich beyond measure, with fate gathering wealth for him. ^C But those great hopes of the Christians will vanish for us, since neither justice is honored nor sin punished, because nothing is accomplished by men through free exercise of the will. For where necessity and fate rule, merit and worth have no place—which, however, is the principal foundation of just judgment.

And so much for those [arguments]. Neither do you stand in need of more words, being of sound mind yourselves, nor does the occasion permit us to inveigh against them beyond measure.

8. But let us return to the following words: ^D "Let them be," he says, "for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years" [c] (Gen. 1, 14). We have already spoken concerning the signs. We consider that by "seasons" he means the changes of the weather—of winter, and spring, and summer, and autumn—which the ordained motion of the luminaries provides, so that we may orderly...

^A trace the sequence of our cycle. For winter occurs when the sun abides in the southern regions, casting much nocturnal shadow upon our parts; the result is that the air encompassing the earth is chilled, and all the humid exhalations concentrating about us become the cause and origin of rains, frosts, and unmeasured snows. But when it returns again from the southern regions and stands in the middle, so as to divide the time between night and day equally, then by as much as it lingers longer over the places above the earth, by so much does it gradually bring back a mild temperature. And spring comes to pass, the initiator of growth for all plants, providing to most trees a reanimation, and preserving for land and water animals alike their kind through the succession of those born. ^B From there the sun, already traveling toward the summer solstice toward the very north, presents us with the longest days. And because it dwells for a very long time in the air, it scorches the air immediately above our heads and dries up the entire earth, in this way aiding the seeds toward maturity and hastening the fruit of the trees toward ripening—when the sun is also at its most flaming, causing the shadows at midday to be short, because it illuminates the region around us from a high point. For the days are at their longest when the shadows are at their shortest, and conversely, the days are at their shortest which have the longest shadows. ^C And this happens to us who are called "heteroscii," we who inhabit the northern parts of the earth. For there are those who for two days of the whole year are completely shadowless at midday, because the sun, shining from directly overhead, illuminates them equally from all sides, so that even the water of deep wells is lit up through their narrow mouths; whence some call them "ascii." But those who live beyond the aromatic land shift their shadows toward both sides. For only those in our habitable world cast their shadows toward the south at midday; whence some have named them "amphiscii." And all these things happen when the sun has already traveled toward the northern part. From these things it is possible to conjecture the ^D maturation which comes from the solar ray.

^A From this, the season of autumn, having taken us in charge, breaks the excess of the heat, and by gradually lessening the warmth, through the temperate nature of this mixture, it leads us unharmed through itself into the winter, as the sun obviously returns again from the northern regions to the southern. These revolutions of the seasons, following the motions of the sun, order our life for us. "Let them be," he says, "also for days"; not in the sense that they create days, but in the sense that they preside over the days. For day and night preceded the creation of the luminaries. The psalm declares this same thing to us, in which it is said: "He set the sun for the power of the day; the moon and the stars for the power of the night." How then does the sun hold the power of the day? Because, carrying the light within itself, whenever it has crossed our horizon, it brings the day, having dissolved and scattered the darkness. Therefore, one would not be wrong if he defined day as being the air illuminated by the sun, or as a measure of time during which the sun remains in the hemisphere above the earth. But also for years were the sun and moon appointed. The moon indeed, when it has completed its own course twelve times, is productive of a year; except that often a month of intercalation is needed for the accurate coincidence of the seasons, just as the Hebrews formerly ^B computed the year, and the most ancient of the Greeks. But a solar year is the return of the sun from the same sign to the same sign according to the proper motion of the sun.

9. "And God made the two great luminaries." Since "great" in one sense has an absolute meaning—as the heaven is great, and the earth is great, and the sea is great—and since, for the most part, it is of such a nature as to be referred to something else—as a horse is great, or an ox is great (for such things do not obtain the testimony of greatness because of the vast bulk of their corporeal mass, but because of a comparison made with like things)—how then are we to receive the notion of "great"? Are we to call them great in the way we call an ant, or some other animal small by nature, “great” by noting its superiority in comparison to those of the same kind? Or is “great” now to be understood in this way, as the greatness appearing in the very constitution of the luminaries themselves? I for my part think this. For they are not great because they are larger than the lesser stars, but because they have such a circumference that the radiance poured out from them is sufficient to illuminate both heaven and air, and is spread out alike over all the earth and the sea. For as they come to be in every part of the heaven, and as they rise and set and occupy the middle, they appear the same from everywhere to men, which is ^C a clear proof of the abundance of their magnitude, by the fact that they do not at all show... ^D

breadth of the earth brings nothing to bear so that they might appear either larger or smaller. For we see things that are far away as somewhat smaller; but the closer we approach them, the better we discover their true magnitude. But for the sun, no one is nearer and no one farther; rather, it strikes those dwelling in every part of the earth from an equal distance. A proof of this is that both the Indians and the Britons see it the same. For neither does it diminish in magnitude when it sets for those who inhabit the east, nor does it appear smaller when rising for those settled in the regions of the west; nor indeed, when it reaches the middle of the sky, does it deviate ^A in its appearance to one side or the other. Let not the appearance deceive you; nor, because it appears a cubit in size to those who behold it, should you reckon it to be so much. For it is natural for the magnitudes of visible objects to shrink at very great distances, since the power of sight is not able to traverse the intervening space, but is, as it were, consumed in the middle, and only a small part of it reaches the objects seen. Therefore, since our vision becomes small, it makes the things seen appear small, transferring its own condition to the objects viewed. Since, then, the vision is deceived, no faith should be placed in its judgment. Remember, moreover, your own experiences, and from yourself you will have the argument and proof for what is being said. If you have ever looked from the summit of a great mountain ^B at a plain that is vast and flat, how large did the yokes of oxen appear to you? And how large the plowmen themselves? Did they not present to you an image of ants? And if you have cast your eyes from a vantage point over the vast sea, how large did the greatest of the islands appear to you? And how large, again, did some heavy-laden, very great merchant ship appear to you, carried over the blue sea with white sails? Did it not present to you an image smaller than any dove? Because, as I said, the vision, being consumed in the air and becoming faint, is insufficient for an accurate apprehension of the things seen. And even now, the vision says that the greatest mountains, cut through by deep ravines ^C, are rounded and smooth, hitting only the projections and, due to weakness, unable to enter into the intermediate hollows. Thus, it does not even preserve the shapes of bodies as they are; but it thinks the square towers are round. Therefore, it is clear from every side that at the greatest distances it does not take a distinct, but a confused impression of bodies ^D.

^A Great, then, is the luminary, according to the testimony of Scripture, and far greater than it appears.

10. And let this also be evident to you as a sign of its magnitude. Although the multitude of stars in the heavens is numberless, the light gathered from them is not sufficient to dissolve the sadness of night. But that single luminary, as soon as it appears above the horizon, or rather even while it is still expected, before it is fully above the earth, has already vanished the darkness, outshone the stars, and melted and dispersed the air around the earth that was hitherto frozen and dense. Hence it is that morning winds and dews flow around the earth in clear weather. And being so great as the earth is, how could it illuminate the whole in a single moment of time, unless it were emitting its light from a great orb? Learn here, I pray you, the wisdom of the Creator, how He bestowed upon it heat proportional to this distance. For its fiery nature is so tempered that it neither burns the earth through excess, nor leaves it frozen and barren through deficiency. ^B Let the things concerning the moon be understood as akin to what has been said. For its body also is great, and truly most shining after the sun. Yet its magnitude does not remain always visible; but now it appears perfect in its circle, and now deficient and diminished, pointing out elsewhere the part of itself that is missing. For it is eclipsed in one part as it increases, and another part of it is hidden at the time of its waning. And there is a certain ineffable reason for this varied change of shapes on the part of the wise Creator. It is either to provide us with a manifest example of our own nature: that nothing of human things is stable; but that things which were not, proceed to perfection, and others, having reached their own prime and attained the highest measure of their growth, again gradually diminish, decay, and are destroyed, and, becoming lessened, are abolished. ^C So that from the spectacle of the moon we may be taught our own affairs, and receiving the concept of the rapid turning of human things, we may not think highly of the good fortunes of life, not boast in powers, not be puffed up by the uncertainty of wealth, but despise the flesh which is subject to alteration, and take care of the soul whose good is immovable. But if the moon, consuming its light by small degrees, causes you sadness, let there be greater pain in you for a soul that has acquired virtue, and through neglect causes the good to vanish, and never remains in the same disposition, but is frequently turned ^D and changed.

^A For in truth, according to the saying, "The fool changes as the moon" (Eccli. XXVII, 12). I believe also that the moon’s change contributes not a little to the formation of living creatures and to the maturation of other things that grow from the earth. For bodies are affected in one way when it is waning, and in another way when it is waxing. Now, as it fails, they become porous and empty, while now, as it increases and hastens toward fullness, they are in turn filled again; because it secretly injects a certain moisture mixed with heat, which reaches into the inner parts. ^B Those who sleep under the moonlight, having the cavities of their heads filled with abundant moisture, declare this; as do meats that have been freshly slaughtered, which are quickly altered by the moon’s influence; as well as the brains of animals, the most moisture-laden parts of sea creatures, and the piths of trees. All of these would not have been able to change through its own alteration, had there not been something extraordinary and supereminent in power, according to the testimony of Scripture.

11. And the states of the air are affected by the moon's changes, as is testified to us by the sudden disturbances that often arise at the new moon from calm and still weather, with clouds being agitated and colliding with one another, as well as the ebb and flow of the straits, and the tide of the sea ^C which is called the Ocean, which those who dwell nearby have discovered to correspond in an orderly fashion to the circuits of the moon. For the straits flow back and forth during the other phases of the moon; but at the time of its new (or "birth") phase, they do not remain at rest even for the shortest moment, but remain in continuous surge and oscillation, until, having reappeared again, it provides a certain order to the ebb and flow. The western sea undergoes these tides, now receding and then flooding back again, as if drawn backward by the inhalations of the moon, and again driven to its own measure by its exhalations. These things have been said by me to demonstrate the magnitude of the luminaries, and to establish that not even a single syllable of the divinely inspired words is idle; ^D although our discourse has touched upon almost nothing of what is of any significant or primary importance; for one who has not cursorily examined their energies and powers could think up many things through reasoning regarding the magnitudes and distances of the sun and moon. Therefore, we ought to candidly accuse our own weakness, so that the greatest of the works of creation may not be measured by our own discourse, but rather from a few...

things that come to our attention and from noting how great and how numerous are those which have been passed over. Do not, therefore, measure the moon with the eye, but with reason, which is far more accurate than the eyes for finding the truth. Certain ridiculous fables, foolishly invented by drunken old women, have been spread everywhere, suggesting that by certain incantations the moon is moved from its proper seat and brought down toward the earth. How then could the incantation of sorcerers move that which the Most High Himself has established? And what place could have received it, had it been dragged down? Do you wish to take the proof of its size from small indications? Cities throughout the inhabited world, although separated from one another by the greatest distances, all receive the light of the moon equally in the streets that face toward the east. If it were not opposite to them all, it would certainly illuminate those directly in line with the streets, while casting its rays obliquely onto the sides ^B of those beyond its width. This is something that can also be seen happening with lamps in homes. When many people stand around a lamp, the shadow of the one standing directly in front extends straight, while the others deviate to either side. So, if the celestial body of the moon were not something vast and of exceeding size, it would not extend itself as it does to all people. For just as it rises from the equinoctial regions, so those who dwell in the frozen zone and are situated beneath the revolutions of the Bear, as well as those who are neighbors to the hollows of the burning southern region, all enjoy the moon rising from the equinoctial places equally, and to all of them, encountering them perpendicularly along its width, it provides the clearest testimony of its size. Who, then, will deny that its body is vast, since it is equated to such great and such numerous distances at once? And so much regarding the sizes of the sun and moon. ^C May He who has granted us the intellect to learn the great wisdom of the Artificer from the smallest things of creation, grant us also that we may obtain greater thoughts of the Creator from the great things. Yet, in comparison to the Creator, the sun and the moon hold the ratio of a gnat and an ant. For no notion worthy of the greatness of the God of all can be derived from these, but we are encouraged by these small and faint impressions, just as we are by each of the smallest things among animals or herbs. Let us be content with what has been said. I, for my part, give thanks to Him who bestowed upon me this small ministry of the word; ^D may you render thanks to Him who nourishes you with spiritual food, who even now has fed you, as it were, with a barley loaf through the humility of my voice, and may He continue to feed you forever, according to the...