On the Creation of the World (Victorinus)

On the Creation of the World

To me, as I meditate and consider in my mind concerning the creation of this world in which
we are kept enclosed, even such is the rapidity of that creation; as is contained in the book
of Moses, which he wrote about its creation, and which is called Genesis. God produced that
entire mass for the adornment of His majesty in six days; on the seventh to which
He consecrated it . . . with a blessing. For this reason, therefore, because in
the septenary number of days both heavenly and earthly things are ordered, in place of the
beginning I will consider of this seventh day after the principle of all matters pertaining to
the number of seven; and as far as I shall be able, I will endeavour to portray the day
of the divine power to that consummation.

In the beginning God made the light, and divided it in the exact measure of twelve hours by
day and by night, for this reason, doubtless, that day might bring over the night as an
occasion of rest for men's labours; that, again, day might overcome, and thus that labour
might be refreshed with this alternate change of rest, and that repose again might be
tempered by the exercise of day. On the fourth day He made two lights in the heaven, the
greater and the lesser, that the one might rule over the day, the other over the
night, Genesis 1:16-17 — the lights of the sun and moon and He placed the rest of the stars
in heaven, that they might shine upon the earth, and by their positions distinguish the
seasons, and years, and months, and days, and hours.

Now is manifested the reason of the truth why the fourth day is called the Tetras, why
we fast even to the ninth hour, or even to the evening, or why there should be a passing
over even to the next day. Therefore this world of ours is composed of four elements— fire,
water, heaven, earth. These four elements, therefore, form the quaternion of times or
seasons. The sun, also, and the moon constitute throughout the space of the year
four seasons— of spring, summer, autumn, winter; and these seasons make a quaternion.
And to proceed further still from that principle, lo, there are four living creatures
before God's throne, four Gospels, four rivers flowing in paradise; Genesis 2:10 four
generations of people from Adam to Noah, from Noah to Abraham, from Abraham to Moses,
from Moses to Christ the Lord, the Son of God; and four living creatures, viz., a man, a calf,
a lion, an eagle; and four rivers, the Pison, the Gihon, the Tigris, and the Euphrates. The
man Christ Jesus, the originator of these things whereof we have above spoken, was taken
prisoner by wicked hands, by a quaternion of soldiers . Therefore on account of
His captivity by a quaternion, on account of the majesty of His works—that the seasons
also, wholesome to humanity, joyful for the harvests, tranquil for the tempests, may roll on
—therefore we make the fourth day a station or a supernumerary fast.

On the fifth day the land and water brought forth their progenies. On the sixth day the
things that were wanting were created; and thus God raised up man from the soil, as lord of
all the things which He created upon the earth and the water. Yet
He created angels and archangels before He created man, placing spiritual beings before
earthly ones. For light was made before sky and the earth. This sixth day is
called parasceve, that is to say, the preparation of the kingdom. For He perfected Adam,
whom He made after His image and likeness. But for this reason He completed His works
before He created angels and fashioned man, lest perchance they should falsely assert that
they had been His helpers. On this day also, on account of the passion of the Lord Jesus
Christ, we make either a station to God, or a fast. On the seventh day He rested from all His
works, and blessed it, and sanctified it. On the former day we are accustomed
to fast rigorously, that on the Lord's day we may go forth to our bread with giving of
thanks. And let the parasceve become a rigorous fast, lest we should appear to observe
any Sabbath with the Jews, which Christ Himself, the Lord of the Sabbath, says by
His prophets that His soul hates; Isaiah 1:13-14 which Sabbath He in His body abolished,
although, nevertheless, He had formerly Himself
commanded Moses that circumcision should not pass over the eighth day, which day very
frequently happens on the Sabbath, as we read written in the Gospel. John 7:22 Moses,
foreseeing the hardness of that people, on the Sabbath raised up his hands, therefore, and
thus figuratively fastened himself to a cross. Exodus 22:9, 12 And in the battle they were
sought for by the foreigners on the Sabbath day, that they might be taken captive, and, as
if by the very strictness of the law, might be fashioned to the avoidance of its
teaching. 1 Maccabbees 2:31-41

And thus in the sixth Psalm for the eighth day, David asks the Lord that He would not
rebuke him in His anger, nor judge him in His fury; for this is indeed the eighth day of that
future judgment, which will pass beyond the order of the sevenfold
arrangement. Jesus also, the son of Nave, the successor of Moses, himself broke
the Sabbath day; for on the Sabbath day he commanded the children of Israel Joshua 6:4 to
go round the walls of the city of Jericho with trumpets, and declare war against the
aliens. Matthias also, prince of Judah, broke the Sabbath; for he slew the prefect of
Antiochus the king of Syria on the Sabbath, and subdued the foreigners by pursuing them.
And in Matthew we read, that it is written Isaiah also and the rest of his colleagues broke
the SabbathMatthew 12:5 — that that true and just Sabbath should be observed in the
seventh millenary of years. Wherefore to those seven days the Lord attributed to each a
thousand years; for thus went the warning: In Your eyes, O Lord, a thousand years are as
one day. Therefore in the eyes of the Lord each thousand of years is ordained, for I find that
the Lord's eyes are seven. Zechariah 4:10 Wherefore, as I have narrated,
that true Sabbath will be in the seventh millenary of years, when Christ with His elect shall
reign. Moreover, the seven heavens agree with those days; for thus we are warned: By the
word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the powers of them by the spirit of His
mouth. There are seven spirits. Their names are the spirits which abode on
the Christ of God, as was intimated in Isaiah the prophet: And there rests upon Him
the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of
wisdom and of piety, and the spirit of God's fear has filled Him. Isaiah 11:2-3 Therefore the
highest heaven is the heaven of wisdom; the second, of understanding; the third, of
counsel; the fourth, of might; the fifth, of knowledge; the sixth, of piety; the seventh,
of God's fear. From this, therefore, the thunders bellow, the lightnings are kindled, the fires
are heaped together; fiery darts appear, stars gleam, the anxiety caused by the
dreadful comet is aroused. Sometimes it happens that the sun and moon approach one
another, and cause those more than frightful appearances, radiating with light in the field of
their aspect. But the author of the whole creation is Jesus. His name is the Word; for thus
His Father says: My heart has emitted a good word. John the evangelist thus says: In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same
was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was nothing
made that was made. Therefore, first, was made the creation; secondly, man, the lord of
the human race, as says the apostle. 1 Corinthians 15:45-47 Therefore this Word, when it made
light, is called Wisdom; when it made the sky, Understanding; when it made land and sea,
Counsel; when it made sun and moon and other bright things, Power; when it calls forth
land and sea, Knowledge; when it formed man, Piety; when it blesses and sanctifies man, it
has the name of God's fear.

Behold the seven horns of the Lamb, Revelation 5:6 the seven eyes of God Zechariah 4:10 — the

seven eyes are the seven spirits of the Lamb; Revelation 4:5 seven torches burning before the
throne of God Revelation 4:5 seven golden candlesticks, Revelation 1:13 seven young
sheep, Leviticus 23:18 the seven women in Isaiah, Isaiah 4:1 the
seven churches in Paul, seven deacons, Acts 6:3 seven angels, seven
trumpets, seven seals to the book, seven periods of seven days with which Pentecost is
completed, the seven weeks in Daniel, also the forty-three weeks in Daniel; with Noah,
seven of all clean things in the ark; seven revenges of Cain, Genesis 4:15 seven years for
a debt to be acquitted, Deuteronomy 15:1 the lamp with seven orifices, Zechariah 4:2 seven
pillars of wisdom in the house of Solomon. Proverbs 11:1

Now, therefore, you may see that it is being told you of the
unerring glory of God in providence; yet, as far as my small capacity shall be able, I will
endeavour to set it forth. That He might re-create that Adam by means of the week, and
bring aid to His entire creation, was accomplished by the nativity of His Son Jesus
Christ our Lord. Who, then, that is taught in the law of God, who that is filled with the Holy
Spirit, does not see in his heart, that on the same day on which the dragon seduced Eve,
the angel Gabriel brought the glad tidings to the Virgin Mary; that on the same day the Holy
Spirit overflowed the Virgin Mary, on which He made light; that on that day He
was incarnate in flesh, in which He made the land and water; that on the same day He was
put to the breast, on which He made the stars; that on the same day He
was circumcised, on which the land and water brought forth their offspring; that on the
same day He was incarnated, on which He formed man out of the ground; that on the same
day Christ was born, on which He formed man; that on that day He suffered, on
which Adam fell; that on the same day He rose again from the dead, on which
He created light? He, moreover, consummates His humanity in the number seven: of His
nativity, His infancy, His boyhood, His youth, His young-manhood, His mature age, His
death. I have also set forth His humanity to the Jews in these manners: since He is hungry,
is thirsty; since He gave food and drink; since He walks, and retired; since He slept upon a
pillow; Mark 4:38 since, moreover, He walks upon the stormy seas with His feet, He
commands the winds, He cures the sick and restores the lame, He raises the blind by His
speech, — see that He declares Himself to them to be the Lord.

The day, as I have above related, is divided into two parts by the number twelve— by the
twelve hours of day and night; and by these hours too, months, and years, and seasons,
and ages are computed. Therefore, doubtless, there are appointed also twelve angels of the
day and twelve angels of the night, in accordance, to wit, with the number of hours. For
these are the twenty-four witnesses of the days and nights which sit before the throne
of God, having golden crowns on their heads, whom the Apocalypse of John the
apostle and evangelist calls elders, for the reason that they are older both than the
other angels and than men.