The circle of elements and the goodness of the sea
Basil is explaining why God called the dry land 'earth' rather than calling the earth 'dry,' and now turns to the meaning of 'And God saw that it was good' regarding the gathered waters.
And so a circle and a harmonious dance comes into being, with all things in agreement and standing in order with one another. This is why the name “elements” is properly fitted to them. I have said all this to show the reason God called the dry land “earth,” but did not call the earth “dry land.” For dryness is not one of the things added to the earth later; it is one of the things that fill up its substance from the beginning. And the things that give it its cause of being are prior by nature and more honorable than the things added afterward. So it was reasonable that the earth’s distinguishing marks were conceived from what pre-existed and was older.
“And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:10). The text does not mean that some pleasant sight of the sea appeared to God. For the Maker does not see the beauties of creation with eyes, but contemplates what comes into being with ineffable wisdom. A whitening sea is a sweet sight when a steady calm holds it; it is sweet too when its back is roughened by gentle breezes and it casts a purple or dark-blue color before those who watch—when it does not strike the neighboring land violently, but kisses it as if with peaceful embraces. But we must not think Scripture means that the sea appeared beautiful and sweet to God in this way. Rather, the good there is judged by the reasoning of the Creator's work.
First, the water of the sea is the source of all moisture around the earth. It is distributed through hidden channels, as the porous and cavernous places of the continents show. Beneath them the flowing sea runs in channels, and when it is caught in winding passages that do not run straight, it is pushed by the spirit that moves it, breaks through the surface, and flows outside—and becomes drinkable, its bitterness healed by the filtering. Sometimes it also takes on a hotter quality from metals along the way, and from the same cause that moves it, it often becomes boiling and fiery. This can be observed in many islands and many coastal places. Even inland, some places near river waters—to compare small things with great—suffer something similar. Why have I said this? Because all the earth is undermined, with water making its way beneath from the sources of the sea through hidden pores.
So the sea is good to God also because of the under-running of moisture in its depths. It is good also because it is the reservoir of rivers, receiving streams from everywhere into itself, and yet remains within its own boundaries. It is good also because it is a beginning and source for the waters in the air: it is warmed by the sun’s ray and sends off the fine part of the water through vapors. This is drawn up to the upper region, then cooled because it has risen higher than the reflection of the rays from the ground—and at the same time the shade from the cloud intensifies the cooling—and it becomes rain and enriches the earth. No one doubts these things who has considered heated cauldrons: full of liquid, they are often left empty when everything being boiled has been dispersed into vapor.
Greek
Καὶ οὕτω γίνεται κύκλος καὶ χορὸς ἐναρμόνιος, συμφωνούντων πάντων καὶ συστοιχούντων ἀλλήλοις. Ὅθεν κυρίως αὐτοῖς καὶ ἡ προσηγορία τῶν στοιχείων ἐφήρμοσται. Ταῦτά μοι εἴρηται παριστῶντι τὴν αἰτίαν δι' ἣν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ξηρὰν ἐκάλεσε γῆν, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ τὴν γῆν προσεῖπε ξηράν. Διότι τὸ ξηρὸν οὐχὶ τῶν ὕστερον προσγινομένων ἐστὶ τῇ γῇ, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς συμπληρούντων αὐτῆς τὴν οὐσίαν. Τὰ δὲ αὐτὴν τοῦ εἶναι αἰτίαν παρέχοντα, πρότερα τῇ φύσει τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα προσγινομένων καὶ προτιμότερα. Ὥστε εἰκότως ἐκ τῶν προϋπαρχόντων καὶ πρεσβυτέρων ἐπενοήθη τῇ γῇ τὰ γνωρίσματα. 4.6 Καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι καλόν. Οὐκ αὐτὸ τοῦτο τερπνήν τινα ὄψιν θαλάσσης ὁ λόγος ἐνδείκνυται τῷ Θεῷ πεφηνέναι. Οὐ γὰρ ὀφθαλμοῖς βλέπει τὰ κάλλη τῆς κτίσεως ὁ ποιητὴς, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἀρρήτῳ σοφίᾳ θεωρεῖ τὰ γινόμενα. Ἡδὺ μὲν γὰρ θέαμα, λευκαινομένη θάλασσα, γαλήνης αὐτὴν σταθερᾶς κατεχούσης· ἡδὺ δὲ καὶ ὅταν πραείαις αὔραις τραχυνομένη τὰ νῶτα, πορφύρουσαν χρόαν ἢ κυανῆν τοῖς ὁρῶσι προσβάλλῃ· ὅτε οὐδὲ τύπτει βιαίως τὴν γείτονα χέρσον, ἀλλ' οἷον εἰρηνικαῖς τισιν αὐτὴν περιπλοκαῖς κατασπάζεται. Οὐ μὴν οὕτω καὶ Θεῷ οἴεσθαι χρὴ τὴν Γραφὴν εἰρηκέναι καλὴν καὶ ἡδεῖαν ὦφθαι τὴν θάλασσαν, ἀλλὰ τὸ καλὸν ἐκεῖ τῷ λόγῳ τῆς δημιουργίας κρίνεται. Πρῶτον μὲν, ὅτι πηγὴ τῆς περὶ γῆν ἁπάσης νοτίδος ἐστὶ τὸ τῆς θαλάσσης ὕδωρ· τοῦτο μὲν ἐν τοῖς ἀφανέσι πόροις διαδιδόμενον, ὡς δηλοῦσιν αἱ σομφώδεις τῶν ἠπείρων καὶ ὕπαντροι, ὑφ' ἃς ἡ ῥοώδης διαυλωνίζουσα θάλασσα, ἐπειδὰν σκολιαῖς καὶ οὐ πρὸς τὸ ὄρθιον φερομέναις ἐναποληφθῇ διεξόδοις, ὑπὸ τοῦ κινοῦν τος αὐτὴν πνεύματος ὠθουμένη, φέρεται ἔξω τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν διαρρήξασα, καὶ γίνεται πότιμος ἐκ τῆς διηθήσεως τὸ πικρὸν ἰαθεῖσα. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ θερμοτέρας ἐκ μετάλλων ποιότητος κατὰ τὴν διέξοδον προσλαβοῦσα, ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς τοῦ κινοῦντος αἰτίας ζέουσα γίνεται, ὡς τὰ πολλὰ, καὶ πυρώδης· ὅπερ πολλαχοῦ μὲν τῶν νήσων, πολλαχοῦ δὲ τῶν παραλίων τόπων ἔξεστιν ἱστορῆσαι. Ὅπου γε καὶ κατὰ τὴν μεσόγειαν, τόποι τινὲς τῶν ποταμίων ὑδάτων γείτονες, ὡς μικρὰ μεγάλοις εἰκάσαι, τὰ παραπλήσια πάσχουσι. Πρὸς οὖν τί τοῦτο εἴρηταί μοι; Ὅτι πᾶσα ὑπόνομός ἐστιν ἡ γῆ, διὰ πόρων ἀφανῶν ἐκ τῶν ἀρχῶν τῆς θαλάσσης ὑπονοστοῦντος τοῦ ὕδατος. 4.7 Καλὴ τοίνυν ἡ θάλασσα τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐν τῷ βάθει τῆς ἰκμάδος ὑποδρομήν· καλὴ καὶ διότι ποταμῶν οὖσα δοχεῖον, εἰς ἑαυτὴν τὰ πανταχόθεν καταδέχεται ῥεύματα, καὶ μένει τῶν ὅρων εἴσω τῶν ἑαυτῆς· καλὴ καὶ διότι τοῖς ἀερίοις ὕδασιν ἀρχὴ τίς ἐστι καὶ πηγὴ, θαλπομένη μὲν τῇ ἀκτῖνι τοῦ ἡλίου, ἀποτιθεμένη δὲ τὸ λεπτὸν τοῦ ὕδατος διὰ τῶν ἀτμῶν, ὅπερ ἑλκυσθὲν εἰς τὸν ἄνω τόπον, εἶτα καταψυχθὲν διὰ τὸ ὑψηλότερον γενέσθαι τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐδάφους ἀνακλάσεως τῶν ἀκτίνων, καὶ ὁμοῦ τῆς ἐκ τοῦ νέφους σκιᾶς τὴν ψύξιν ἐπιτεινούσης, ὑετὸς γίνεται, καὶ πιαίνει τὴν γῆν. Καὶ τούτοις οὐδεὶς ἀπιστεῖ πάντως τοὺς ὑποκαιομένους λέβητας ἐννοήσας, οἳ πλήρεις ὄντες ὑγροῦ, πολλάκις κενοὶ κατελείφθησαν, εἰς ἀτμὸν παντὸς τοῦ ἑψομένου διακρι θέντος.