The Allegory of Water and Senses

It is to be noted that he does not speak concerning the sea monsters as 'let the waters bring forth sea monsters' (Gen 1:21), but that he himself has made them. And these things are found to be of immense size, just as those who have recorded history marvel, as he says they are appropriate to be called islands, into which men often say they have gone out as if into a desert, only then knowing that they are sea monsters, when they provide the sensation of being moved.

Pay attention also to 'God made the great sea monsters and every living soul of creeping animals' (Gen 1:21), because the waters bring forth their bodies—I say, of those composed from the waters—but God makes the sea monsters along with the other animals, providing for them the power of life, not perhaps of the bodies being pre-existent and thus being called souls—for the soul of the irrational does not have life apart from the body—but that, as they subsist together with the will of God, the Scripture says the bodies have come forth from the waters, but that God has made the souls, which is the animation and the movement, not from the waters but from such a purpose of God. And clear also is 'according to their kind' (Gen 1:25), meaning here the species instead of the genus. 'And God saw' (Gen 1:31) he says, 'that it was good.' For regarding the former things it was said 'that it was good' (Gen 1:25) because either the thing becoming was one, or it was composed in one part of the world; but since now it has possessed diverse regions, some of them being airy and others watery, consequently 'God saw that they were good' (Gen 1:31) is said. 'And God blessed them' (Gen 1:22). Why is this, that in the others before these, no blessing is appropriate, whereas here it is said: 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places' (Eph 1:3)? But these are spiritual.

They touch the mind and the inner man, which do not approach the irrational. For the spiritual was added, making it clear that bodily blessings are also, such as health, the well-being of the body, and various other things. Therefore, the growth which He commanded to happen in the living things and the multitude, He called a blessing.

But 'in the seas' is a simpler expression, and concerning lakes and rivers it is said, from the greater one desiring to declare all water. Consequently, concerning the winged ones, 'upon the earth' is said because these approach the earth; for they were not able to have their habitation in the ether because of its heat. 'And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day' Gen 1:5, and appropriately; for it was fitting that the many irrational animals, having senses, should be shown to come into being in the pentad, denoting the senses. For even if men participate in sense, they have the greater of sense, the mind and reason, whereas the irrational have sense alone.

These things, then, are regarding the literal; but for an ascent, water is said in those who have received the law of allegory, especially when we are being set alongside. 'Many waters will not be able to quench the love' Song of Songs 8:7; but this does not happen from the sensible, but from that from which a little virtue is said to be, from 'because the lawlessness has been multiplied, the love of many will be cooled' Matt 24:12. Is not the water that attempts to quench the loving disposition lawlessness? For this stirs up hatred and shuts out the things of love, which has been composed from the communal and the day, which by nature exists in men.

God therefore wills from the waters, having been interpreted, for the creeping things and the winged ones to come forth, which hints at a difference of manners: of those who are low, having reached the depths of wickedness and for this reason having despised the high—for an impious man falling into a depth of evils despises—the manner of creeping things, having been defiled and beset by the multitude of this water.