{"id":"01KJR8Q6JHKDH8Z83TJHJEF5EP","cid":"bafkreiddupc4egwcwdj2bwgmrohr3gps6lg6uv7e4f46ylqkbrjc4yiq4u","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":520759,"char_start":512760,"chunk_index":72,"chunk_total":89,"estimated_tokens":2000,"source_file_key":"confessions","text":"world; so as afterwards by the enumeration of the several days, to\r\narrange in detail, and, as it were, piece by piece, all those things,\r\nwhich it pleased the Holy Ghost thus to enounce. For such were that\r\nrude and carnal people to which he spake, that he thought them fit to be\r\nentrusted with the knowledge of such works of God only as were visible.\"\r\nThey agree, however, that under the words earth invisible and without\r\nform, and that darksome deep (out of which it is subsequently shown,\r\nthat all these visible things which we all know, were made and arranged\r\nduring those \"days\") may, not incongruously, be understood of this\r\nformless first matter.\r\n\r\nWhat now if another should say that \"this same formlessness and\r\nconfusedness of matter, was for this reason first conveyed under the\r\nname of heaven and earth, because out of it was this visible world with\r\nall those natures which most manifestly appear in it, which is ofttimes\r\ncalled by the name of heaven and earth, created and perfected?\" What\r\nagain if another say that \"invisible and visible nature is not indeed\r\ninappropriately called heaven and earth; and so, that the universal\r\ncreation, which God made in His Wisdom, that is, in the Beginning, was\r\ncomprehended under those two words? Notwithstanding, since all things be\r\nmade not of the substance of God, but out of nothing (because they are\r\nnot the same that God is, and there is a mutable nature in them all,\r\nwhether they abide, as doth the eternal house of God, or be changed, as\r\nthe soul and body of man are): therefore the common matter of all things\r\nvisible and invisible (as yet unformed though capable of form), out of\r\nwhich was to be created both heaven and earth (i.e., the invisible and\r\nvisible creature when formed), was entitled by the same names given to\r\nthe earth invisible and without form and the darkness upon the deep, but\r\nwith this distinction, that by the earth invisible and without form is\r\nunderstood corporeal matter, antecedent to its being qualified by any\r\nform; and by the darkness upon the deep, spiritual matter, before it\r\nunderwent any restraint of its unlimited fluidness, or received any\r\nlight from Wisdom?\"\r\n\r\nIt yet remains for a man to say, if he will, that \"the already perfected\r\nand formed natures, visible and invisible, are not signified under the\r\nname of heaven and earth, when we read, In the beginning God made heaven\r\nand earth, but that the yet unformed commencement of things, the stuff\r\napt to receive form and making, was called by these names, because\r\ntherein were confusedly contained, not as yet distinguished by their\r\nqualities and forms, all those things which being now digested into\r\norder, are called Heaven and Earth, the one being the spiritual, the\r\nother the corporeal, creation.\"\r\n\r\nAll which things being heard and well considered, I will not strive\r\nabout words: for that is profitable to nothing, but the subversion of\r\nthe hearers. But the law is good to edify, if a man use it lawfully: for\r\nthat the end of it is charity, out of a pure heart and good conscience,\r\nand faith unfeigned. And well did our Master know, upon which two\r\ncommandments He hung all the Law and the Prophets. And what doth it\r\nprejudice me, O my God, Thou light of my eyes in secret, zealously\r\nconfessing these things, since divers things may be understood under\r\nthese words which yet are all true,--what, I say, doth it prejudice me,\r\nif I think otherwise than another thinketh the writer thought? All we\r\nreaders verily strive to trace out and to understand his meaning whom we\r\nread; and seeing we believe him to speak truly, we dare not imagine\r\nhim to have said any thing, which ourselves either know or think to\r\nbe false. While every man endeavours then to understand in the Holy\r\nScriptures, the same as the writer understood, what hurt is it, if a man\r\nunderstand what Thou, the light of all true-speaking minds, dost show\r\nhim to be true, although he whom he reads, understood not this, seeing\r\nhe also understood a Truth, though not this truth?\r\n\r\nFor true it is, O Lord, that Thou madest heaven and earth; and it is\r\ntrue too, that the Beginning is Thy Wisdom, in Which Thou createst all:\r\nand true again, that this visible world hath for its greater part\r\nthe heaven and the earth, which briefly comprise all made and created\r\nnatures. And true too, that whatsoever is mutable, gives us to\r\nunderstand a certain want of form, whereby it receiveth a form, or is\r\nchanged, or turned. It is true, that that is subject to no times, which\r\nso cleaveth to the unchangeable Form, as though subject to change,\r\nnever to be changed. It is true, that that formlessness which is almost\r\nnothing, cannot be subject to the alteration of times. It is true, that\r\nthat whereof a thing is made, may by a certain mode of speech, be called\r\nby the name of the thing made of it; whence that formlessness, whereof\r\nheaven and earth were made, might be called heaven and earth. It is\r\ntrue, that of things having form, there is not any nearer to having\r\nno form, than the earth and the deep. It is true, that not only every\r\ncreated and formed thing, but whatsoever is capable of being created and\r\nformed, Thou madest, of Whom are all things. It is true, that whatsoever\r\nis formed out of that which had no form, was unformed before it was\r\nformed.\r\n\r\nOut of these truths, of which they doubt not whose inward eye Thou hast\r\nenabled to see such things, and who unshakenly believe Thy servant Moses\r\nto have spoken in the Spirit of truth;--of all these then, he taketh\r\none, who saith, In the Beginning God made the heaven and the earth; that\r\nis, \"in His Word coeternal with Himself, God made the intelligible and\r\nthe sensible, or the spiritual and the corporeal creature.\" He another,\r\nthat saith, In the Beginning God made heaven and earth; that is, \"in\r\nHis Word coeternal with Himself, did God make the universal bulk of this\r\ncorporeal world, together with all those apparent and known creatures,\r\nwhich it containeth.\" He another, that saith, In the Beginning God made\r\nheaven and earth; that is, \"in His Word coeternal with Himself, did\r\nGod make the formless matter of creatures spiritual and corporeal.\" He\r\nanother, that saith, In the Beginning God created heaven and earth; that\r\nis, \"in His Word coeternal with Himself, did God create the formless\r\nmatter of the creature corporeal, wherein heaven and earth lay as yet\r\nconfused, which, being now distinguished and formed, we at this day see\r\nin the bulk of this world.\" He another, who saith, In the Beginning God\r\nmade heaven and earth; that is, \"in the very beginning of creating and\r\nworking, did God make that formless matter, confusedly containing in\r\nitself both heaven and earth; out of which, being formed, do they now\r\nstand out, and are apparent, with all that is in them.\"\r\n\r\nAnd with regard to the understanding of the words following, out of all\r\nthose truths, he chooses one to himself, who saith, But the earth was\r\ninvisible, and without form, and darkness was upon the deep; that is,\r\n\"that corporeal thing that God made, was as yet a formless matter of\r\ncorporeal things, without order, without light.\" Another he who says,\r\nThe earth was invisible and without form, and darkness was upon the\r\ndeep; that is, \"this all, which is called heaven and earth, was still\r\na formless and darksome matter, of which the corporeal heaven and the\r\ncorporeal earth were to be made, with all things in them, which are\r\nknown to our corporeal senses.\" Another he who says, The earth was\r\ninvisible and without form, and darkness was upon the deep; that is,\r\n\"this all, which is called heaven and earth, was still a formless and\r\na darksome matter; out of which was to be made, both that intelligible\r\nheaven, otherwhere called the Heaven of heavens, and the earth, that is,\r\nthe whole corporeal nature, under which name is comprised this corporeal\r\nheaven also; in a word, out of which every visible and invisible\r\ncreature was to be created.\" Another "},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KJR8NK5DAD726FMQ6JCHGZ5R","peer_label":"confessions","peer_type":"text","predicate":"derived_from"},{"peer":"01KJR8M0JHPZXCPKJ34HTYXSWW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KJR8RE392KZXBVTQNPQM266C","peer_label":"holy scriptures","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"religious_text","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RFNWG2X8T00NW85WN134","peer_label":"god","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"divine_entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RNM7Y4HPBH7YH481V2PG","peer_label":"moses","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RWJ6D4561JGGYMSXTXWX","peer_label":"holy ghost","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"divine_entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RWJQ9E6GX8K90NC4AWXX","peer_label":"spiritual matter primordial","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"theological_concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RWGGTZY64HFEEPTA2Y7D","peer_label":"primordial matter biblical concept","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"theological_concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RWKMSZAXNFXRKNBW7AP6","peer_label":"created world","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"cosmological_concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RX0EVBDRR17AWTS0QNCT","peer_label":"corporeal matter primordial","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"theological_concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RXAQP6SQE8BSQRXH8HJZ","peer_label":"charity virtue","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"virtue","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RX0NV4JS0YG5WWT5HTQ6","peer_label":"divine wisdom the beginning","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"theological_concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RX8N4GARM357Y5FZ4KK5","peer_label":"created realm spiritual","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"cosmological_concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RXA9RJRH4N3VF0R9M5FV","peer_label":"divine law biblical","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"religious_doctrine","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RXDR9CP6MR8VBVWKZ19G","peer_label":"created realm corporeal","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"cosmological_concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RXRK04A2BKNZ37DW5DC1","peer_label":"in the beginning god made heaven and earth scriptural phrase","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"scriptural_phrase","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RXRJQW4GG13VSXG70TKV","peer_label":"scriptural author genesis","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person_role","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RXZJYABV7AX9KHCRGE8G","peer_label":"spirit of truth","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RY3JR4JGDFZW1JCVJ0NN","peer_label":"but the earth was invisible and without form and darkness was upon the deep scriptural phrase","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"scriptural_phrase","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RY26DT2W1P4STDX9CEJP","peer_label":"divine word coeternal with god","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"theological_concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:24.513Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-02T21:54:24.977Z","ts":"2026-03-02T21:55:25.612Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}