Commentary on the Six Days of Creation · §2

Tent at noon; second day — the firmament

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…economy from a clear example: that unquenchable light surrounds the outer place of heaven, while mist held the inside before the light was made. As if someone at steady noon pitched a tent of dense matter and made improvised darkness — and the enclosed place cannot be lit at all unless a gleam of light flashes out — so such unsubstantial darkness held the world covered under heaven, which God parted by creating the light, naming it day and the darkness night. For when light is poured out, day comes; when it is drawn in, night answers. That is why in measuring times we count days, not nights. On the second day God made the firmament. This is other than the heaven made from the beginning. Some have said it is the same — a working-out of the second, they say, because there the making of earth and heaven was given in summary, and here Scripture hands over more carefully how it came to be. We say they are other and other: for another name and a distinct use of the second heaven are handed down. So this one is other than the one made in the beginning, of a firmer nature. And God parted the water that was under the firmament. For he divided the boundless nature of the waters so that some would be above the firmament and some below. Ether is fiery and burning, and would have consumed the whole mainland if it were not held by the Maker’s bound. That is why there is also aerial water carried up in clouds from the rise of vapors — which rivers, springs, lakes, and all the seas send forth — so that ether may not burn everything up. It happens thus: […] the exhalations gather toward the height, air is packed by the press of winds, and the moistures sown in the cloud, drawing near one another, become drops and by the weight of what has been gathered are sent downward. Snow forms from the waters this way: the wet, struck back by the violence of the winds, foams up; struck through and through and chilled, it freezes, and when the cloud is shattered the snow is carried down. Thunder […] is a rebound — driven in the hollows of the clouds and bursting out by force, it makes the sound of thunder.

Greek

τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἐξ ἐναργοῦς παραδείγματος, ὅτι φῶς ἄσβεστον τὸν ἔξω χῶρον περιλάμπει τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Τὸν δὲ ἔσω ἀχλὺς περιεῖχε πρὸ τοῦ γενηθῆναι τὸ φῶς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ εἴ τις ἐν σταθερᾷ μεσημβρίᾳ πήξας ἐκ πυκνῆς ὕλης σκηνὴν σκότος αὐτοσχέδιον ποιεῖ, καὶ οὐδαμῶς φωτισθῆναι δύναται ὁ περιεχόμενος τόπος, εἰ μὴ φωτὸς ἐκλάμψῃ μαρμαρυγή· οὕτω τοιοῦτον ἀνυπόστατον σκότος περιεῖχε τὸν κόσμον ὑπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καλυπτόμενον, ὅπερ ὁ Θεὸς διεχώρησε δημιουργήσας τὸ φῶς, καὶ ἡμέραν αὐτὸ προσονομάσας, καὶ τὸ σκότος νύκτα. Ἀναχεομένου γὰρ τοῦ φωτὸς, ἡμέρα γίγνεται, συστελλομένου δὲ, νὺξ ἀντέπεισιν. Ὅθεν καὶ ἐν τῇ συμμετρήσει τῶν χρόνων ἡμέρας, καὶ οὐχὶ νύκτας ἀριθμοῦμεν. 712 Τῇ δὲ δευτέρᾳ ἡμέρᾳ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ στερέωμα. Τοῦτο δὲ ἕτερόν ἐστι παρὰ τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ποιηθέντα οὐρανόν. Καὶ εἵρηται τοῖς, ὅτι καὶ ταυτόν ἐστιν· ἐπεξέργασις γάρ ἐστί φησι τοῦ δευτέρου, διὰ τὸ ἐκεῖ μὲν παραδεδόσθαι ὡς ἐν κεφαλαίῳ γῆς καὶ οὐρανοῦ ποίησιν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἐπεξεργαστικώτερον τὸ πῶς γέγονεν ἡ Γραφὴ παραδίδωσιν. Ἡμεῖς δέ φαμεν ἄλλο, καὶ ἄλλο· ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὄνομα ἔτερον καὶ χρεία ἰδιάζουσα τοῦ δευτέρου οὐρανοῦ παραδέδοται. Ἕτερος οὖν ἐστι παρὰ τὸν ἐν ἀρχῇ ποιηθέντα οὗτος, στερεωτέρας ὑπάρχων φύσεως. Καὶ διεχώρησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ ὕδατος, ὃ ἦν ὑποκάτω τοῦ στερεώματος. Ἄπειρον γὰρ οὖσαν τῶν ὑδάτων τὴν φύσιν διεμέρισεν, ὥστε καὶ ἐπάνω εἶναι τοῦ στερεώματος, καὶ ὑποκάτω. Ὁ δὲ αἰθὴρ πυρώδης ἐστὶ καὶ διακαὴς, καὶ πᾶσαν ἂν τὴν ἤπειρον ἐξανάλωσεν, εἰ μὴ τῷ ὅρῳ τοῦ ποιήσαντος αὐτὸν κατείχετο. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ὕδωρ ἐστὶν ἀέριον ἐκ τῆς ἀναφορᾶς τῶν ἀτμῶν διὰ νεφῶν φερόμενον, οὒς ἀτμοὺς οἱ ποταμοὶ, καὶ αἱ κρῆναι, καὶ αἱ λίμναι, καὶ τὰ πελάγη πάντα προΐενται, ὡς ἂν μὴ πάντα ὁ αἰθὴρ πυρακτώσας ἐξαναλώσειε. Γίνεται δὲ οὕτως ὁ ὑ... συνάγονται περὶ τὸ ὕψος αἱ ἀναθυμιάσεις, καὶ πυκνοῦται ὁ ἀὴρ ταῖς τῶν πνευμάτων πιλήσεσι, καὶ αἱ νοτίδες αἱ τῷ νέφει ἐνεσπαρμέναι, ἀλλήλαις προσχωρήσασαι, σταγόνες γίνονται, καὶ τῷ βάρει τῶν συγκριθέντων πρὸς τὸ κάτω ἐφίενται. Ἡ δὲ χιὼν ἐκ τῶν ὑδάτων οὔτω συνίσταται· ἐκ τῆς βίας τῶν ἀνέμων ἀνακοπὲν τὸ ὑγρὸν ἐξαφρίζεται· καὶ ὅλον δι' ὅλου ἀνακοπὲν, καταψυχθὲν πήγνυται, καὶ θραυσθέντος τοῦ νέφους, ἡ χιὼν καταφέρεται. Ἡ δὲ βροντὴ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον .... ἀντιτυπία γίγνεται, ὅπερ ἐλαυνόμενον ἐν ταῖς κοιλότησι τῶν νεφῶν, καὶ βιαίως ἐκρηγνύμενον τὸν τῆς βροντῆς ἦχον ἀποτελεῖ. Τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ προστάγματι τοῦ Θεοῦ συνήχθη τὸ ὕδωρ εἰς τὰς συναγωγὰς αὐτῶν, καὶ ὤφθη ἡ ξηρά· Καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὴν ξηρὰν γῆν, καὶ τὰ συστήματα τῶν ὑδάτων ἐκάλεσε θαλάσσας. Συνήχθη διὰ τοῦτο εἰς συναγωγὴν μίαν, ἵνα μὴ ἐκ τῶν χωρίων ἔνθα ἐστὶν ........ καὶ ὑπεκβαῖνον ἐπικαλύπτῃ τὴν ἤπειρον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μαινομένη πολλάκις ἐξ ἀνέμων ἡ θάλασσα, καὶ εἰς ὕψος μέγιστον διανισταμένη τοῖς κύμασιν, ἐπειδὰν μόνον τῶν αἰγιαλῶν ἅψηται, εἰς ἀφρὸν διαλύσασα τὴν ὁρμὴν, ἐπανῆλθε, τῇ πάντων ἀσθενεστάτῃ ψάμμῳ χαλινωθεῖσα. Ἐπεὶ τί ἐκώλυσε τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν ἐπικλύσαι πᾶσαν τὴν Αἴγυπτον κοιλοτέραν αὐτῆς ὑπάρχουσαν, καὶ συναφθῆναι τῷ παρακειμένῳ πελάγει, εἰ μὴ ὑπῆρχε τῷ προστάγματι τοῦ κτίσαντος πεπεδημένη; Ὅτι δὲ ἀληθὲς τοῦτο ἔργῳ ἡμᾶς ἔπεισαν Σέσωστρις ὁ Αἰγύπτιος καὶ ∆αρεῖος ὁ Μῆδος. Τὸ γὰρ Αἰγύπτιον καὶ τὸ Ἰνδικὸν ἐπιχειρήσαντες συνάψαι πέλαγος, οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν. Οὕτως ὑπάρχει κοιλοτέρα τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης ἡ Αἴγυπτος. Προσέταξεν οὖν συναχθῆναι εἰς συναγωγὴν μίαν, καὶ μὴ ἀπὸ ταύτης ἄλλην γενέσθαι θάλασσαν, ἀλλὰ τῇ πρώτῃ ἀπομεῖναι συλλογῇ. Πολλὰ γὰρ ἦν ................... ὕδατα ............. κοιλότητες ............ 713 συλλογὴν καὶ αἱ φάραγγες. Τὸ δὲ, καὶ τὰ συστήματα τῶν ὑδάτων ἐκάλεσε θαλάσσας, τοὺς κόλπους σημαίνει τοὺς κατὰ τὸ ἴδιον σχῆμα ὑπὸ τῆς περικειμένης γῆς ἀπολειφθέντας· οἷον θάλασσα βόρειος, θάλασσα νότιος, ἑῴα, ἑσπέρια πελάγη, καὶ τούτων ὀνόματα ἰδιάζοντα, Πόντος Αἰγαῖος, Ἰώνιος, Σαρδωνικὸν, Σικελικὸν, Τυῤῥήνιον. Οὐ τὰ τυχόντα δὲ τῶν ὑδάτων ἀθροίσματα εἰς μίαν κατέληξε θάλασσαν, ἤτοι σύστασιν, ἀλλὰ τὰ μέγιστα καὶ ἐξέχοντα· οὐ γὰρ καὶ τὰ τελματιαῖα καὶ λίμνια χρὴ νοεῖν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ πῦρ καὶ εἰς μικρὰ κατακεκερματισμένον ἐστὶ καὶ ἀθρόον ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀέρος κέχυται, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὕδατος, εἰ καὶ μικραί τινές εἰσι διῃρημέναι συστάσεις, ἀλλὰ μία γε ἐστὶ συναγωγὴ, ἡ τὸ ὅλον στοιχεῖον τῶν λοιπῶν ἀποκρίνουσα. Πηγὴ γάρ ἐστι τῆς περὶ γῆν ἁπάσης νοτίδος

About this text

Commentary on the six days of creation (PG marks Spurious) attributed to Eustathius of Antioch.

Catalogue & scope

Khazarzar scan

Witnesses

Copy-text PG 18 (Khazarzar) (Greek)

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.