![]() Thus, these words the earth was invisible are explained by those that follow the deep covered it and itself was in darkness. The rays of the sun, penetrating the water, often allow us to see the pebbles which form the bed of the river, but in a dark night it is impossible for our glance to penetrate under the water. How then was it that no part of the earth appeared through the water? Because the air which surrounded it was still without light and in darkness. But we know that we can see many bodies through clear and transparent water. What is the deep? A mass of water of extreme depth. Why? Because the deep was spread over its surface. ![]() The earth was invisible … because being submerged under the waters which over-flowed the surface, it could not be seen, since the waters had not yet been gathered together into their own places, where God afterwards collected them, and gave them the name of seas. The formless earth was also invisible because it was submerged under a large body of water. While it could be debated whether the Hebrew term encompasses the idea of being invisible or just that the earth was barren prior to the rest of creation, Basil is working off of that text and translation.Īs nothing of all this yet existed, Scripture is right in calling the earth without form. ![]() The use of the term “invisible” instead of “empty” may indicate that Basil is using the LXX ( ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος) instead of the Hebrew text. The earth was created underwater Source: ĭuring his homily Basil explores why the earth was “invisible and without form”. In this concluding post we will once more touch on these concepts as we look at how Basil understood the firmament itself. In prior posts we have seen how Basil understood the waters of creation. If you have not already read it, I recommend starting with part 1. This post is part of a series looking at Basil’s views on the creation account in Genesis.
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