The doctrine of the creation of the world

With the help of revelation we have drawn, although faintly, an image of the Divine, we have seen that God exists and how he exists; they saw the perfections of God, that in Him there is something similar to our mind and will; They also saw that in Him the trinity is counted with unity, that He is God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and that this entire Trinity, in relation to people, cares about their bliss. Man is connected with this Triune: this union is religion. We must go to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit through all eternity. Consequently, all our wisdom should consist in knowing Them, all virtue should consist in striving for Them; finally, all bliss is in union with Them. But besides man there are other creatures; The whole world stands on the path that a person must follow to the Trinitarian; it cannot but have an influence on the relationship of man to God and, conversely, of God to man. You can have different views on the world, these views may be incorrect, but religion requires one true view, because wrong views bring harm to it. Therefore, you need to start drawing up a correct view of the world. Note. What kind of religious view should there be? The one that the world is completely subordinate to God. This is in relation to God. In relation to a person, it should represent the world as the field of his activity. Man in relation to the world is a ruler - a king. Consequently, in relation to the earth, he must be its manager, its perfecter; That is why Adam was appointed to make... paradise (Gen. 2:15); for inanimate creatures he must be an interpreter; they proclaim the glory of God silently, and he must put this broadcast into words. Let us remember what concepts about the world the human mind formed in general, in entire nations, and in particular in philosophers. Some imagined the world as a random connection or coupling of atoms (Epicurus). The concept is the crudest, showing that those who were led by it had a coarsened soul. Others argued that the world is co-eternal with God, and God was revered only as the first perpetual motion machine (Aristotle). Others derived the world from God only in form, and recognized it as eternal in matter (Plato). Some, finally, admitted that the world came from God (emanatism), or united God and the world into one (pantheism). These are all the views that the mind had and which even today are found among philosophers. What does revelation do?.. In a few words it eliminates all these wrong views: it completely subordinates the world to the will of God. He said, it says, and it was done; speech, and was (Ps. 33:9). A better expression in human language and more satisfying to a moral purpose cannot be imagined. The doctrine of the creation of the world is Mosaic; therefore, it was given more than two thousand years before the birth of Christ, when other nations had an extremely crude teaching about the world. If only the Jews had this teaching in such purity, then this one feature shows that it is not the product of the human mind. In reasoning about the world, the mind offers three questions: 1) where the world comes from - how it came to be; 2) what the world is - how it exists; and 3) what will happen to it - what is its purpose? Revelation gives a direct and satisfactory answer to these questions. The world received its beginning from God and was created from nothing, that is, there were no materials for its creation, its basis is in God, the will of God is its cause. The Holy Scripture speaks about this in many places: creativity is attributed to God in the Old Testament as a special trait, that is, God is primarily called the Creator in the Old Testament (Gen. 1:1). Since God is threefold, the question arises: did all three Persons create the world, or one? The Holy Scripture ascribes the creation of the world to all Persons, but mainly to the second Person, for example, in the Gospel of John: All things came into being, and without Him nothing came into being (John 1:1-3) and in the Epistles of the Apostle Paul: In Him also made the worlds (Heb. 1:2); for by Him all things were created (Col. 1:16). We have no such passages about the Holy Spirit. Consequently, the Son had a special participation in the creation of the world: we cannot say what. Is it not because He has a special participation that He Himself is the first fruit of Divine activity and that the Holy Scripture calls Him the firstborn of all creation? And everything in us is done through the word internal and external, and such activity must be an imprint of Divine activity. However, the creation of the world is also assimilated to the Holy Spirit, but not so clearly and directly. The book of Genesis itself says about Him: The Spirit of God was carried on the surface of the waters (Gen. 1:2). The time of His wearing, object and action show that this is not a simple spirit, but a great, omnipotent one. David says that by the Spirit of the Lord all things are shaped and held together. By the word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the spirit of His mouth was all their strength (Ps. 32:6). What difference can you notice between Persons regarding the creation of the world? This difference, according to St. Basil the Great, is the following: the Father is the preparatory wine of the world, which brought the essence of the world into being. The son is a construction fault, on which the shape of the world and structure depend. The Holy Spirit is the perfecter who directed everything towards the goal. So, the essence of the world and existence depend on the Father. Laws and powers are from the Son, and direction and life are from the Holy Spirit. The view is pious and similar to Scripture. For in many places the command is attributed to the Son, and the accomplishment to the Holy Spirit, especially in the moral sense. So, the world was created by God the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. What is the world created from according to Christian teaching? From nothing, that is, matter preceding the existence of it is not allowed. The word from nothing, which expresses this thought, is borrowed from the Vulgate. In the original (2 Mac. 7:28) this place is read a little differently: it says here that the world was not created from nothing, but from non-existents. This, out of nothing, unsuccessfully expresses the thought that they want to mean. It is not found in the Holy Scriptures, but only that the will of God brought about the world by His omnipotence. But in fact, does Scripture teach that there was no prior matter? Teaches; for example, in the book of Genesis, Moses says: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1), but from what he does not mention; meanwhile, if any matter existed, then here is the most appropriate place to talk about it. But Moses kept silent, therefore, there was no such ready-made matter. Elsewhere this thought is stated more clearly: By faith we understand that the word of God has been perfected forever, in which things were not made visible (Heb. 11:3). Eyelids, that is, time and everything in time; By invisible here we cannot mean invisible matter: the invisible here is the same as in the Second Book of Maccabees: not existing (2 Mac. 7:28). The Apostle Paul says in another place that God calls things that are not as though they are. All these places give the idea that the world has become without matter. The same thought is in the testimony of Jesus Christ, when He, asking for glory from the Father, says: Glorify Me, O Father, with glory, since before You there was no peace (John 17:5). The Apostle Paul also inspires when he says that God chose us before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). Thus, Holy Scripture rejects the idea of ​​the existence of matter and asserts that it is from the will of God alone. But how could peace come from the will of God? Before solving this question, let’s ask: where does this misunderstanding come from? From our will - because our will cannot create with desire alone; but the will of God is not our will; It is in this creativity that it differs from our will. God represents the world, this representation is together with its implementation. But if so, then the world must exist from eternity: it exists in this way, you just need to know how to understand this existence. That the will of God has such creative power is evident from the fact that even now this creativity is partly expressed in our will. The world is created, but man brings something of himself into it. For example, in the arts, something is always added by man to ready-made matter; this something comes out of nothing and is our spirituality. These are: form, order, plan, etc. in buildings. But there is also real creation in the will of man: these moments in which the will shows its logical power occur in illness or in ecstatic states, when a person’s thought acts not only on objects close to him, but also on distant ones. So, there is a weak reflection of God’s creativity in the human will. In the will, in fact, there is the only source of all changes in the world. For, following all the laws, ascending from the lowest to the highest, you will finally reach a law or action, the beginning of which is hidden in will alone, the first act of movement could only flow from the concept and aspiration of the free. How is the world produced? How did it begin to exist? Revelation directly says that this method is a mystery; We understand by faith (Heb. 11:3), but we cannot with our understanding. How can one not be amazed that philosophy worked for so long to explain this method and after so many centuries did not recognize this impossibility? But is this really impossible? If it is impossible for a person to create a thing, then it is impossible to understand the way of its existence, for the latter is equivalent to the former. The way of existence of the world is the mystery of the being of God. The Holy Scripture expresses this mystery in our own way: the world became, it says, the word of God: it spoke, and it was (Ps. 33:9). The idea here is that the world began to exist and exists by God’s will and omnipotence. We don't have a better expression. Therefore, the pagan (Longinus) noted that in this case no one could express himself more decently than Moses. Why was the world created? What is its purpose? What did God want to achieve and express through his creation? What motive did He have for creating it? In this regard, both Christians and non-Christian writers have many views on the world. Some considered the glory of God to be the goal of the world; others - the bliss of creatures; Still others accepted a more particular one - the improvement of moral beings. Indeed, what is the purpose of the world? Is it in God or outside of Him? Apparently it must be outside of God. For He is a self-satisfied and all-perfect being. But for this reason He Himself cannot presuppose anything outside of Himself, for otherwise He could not be called such a being. So, it must be affirmed that just as God exists from himself and for himself, so the world exists from Him and for Him. And what could God imagine outside of himself, when Holy Scripture clearly says that all creatures came into existence after? The Apostle Paul presents to us the only passage that proves that the purpose of the world is not outside of God, but in God. In Romans and Hebrews he says that all things are through Him... from Him and for Him (Heb. 7:25; Rom. 11:36). So, if the purpose of the existence of creatures is in God, then the question is: what in God served as the purpose of the world? need? - it cannot be; replenishment of perfections? – impossible again. The world was created for this reason and because it is completely dependent on God; he is a reflection from the eternal sun - the shadow of the Divine. And in fact, it is known by reason and Scripture that the world is a reflection of God’s omnipotence and the greatness of His powers: holiness and wisdom in order and laws; love and goodness in enjoying the life of beings, and especially rational beings. We know this; how many other perfections of God does it reveal and reflect in other ways, unknown to us!.. Thus, the imperfections of God depend on the world, and the world is a natural consequence of the perfections of God. But if so, then the world must exist from eternity. He exists from eternity, as we will see, in the best sense of this word. Thus, the main goal of the world is God. The Holy Scripture also indicates other goals, for example, the moral perfection of beings: created in Christ Jesus for good works (Eph. 2:10), says the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Ephesians. Jesus Christ commanded: be... perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48). Another particular goal of many things according to Scripture is the bliss of rational beings. For example, David says, or rather, repeats what is said in the book of Genesis about the dominion of man on earth (Genesis 1:28): that man is, for thou shalt remember him. Thou hast placed him over Thy hand over the works (Heb. 2:7; Ps. 8:5, 143:3). This means that part of the world exists, by the way, for humans. Thus, the main goal must be distinguished; common goals - for all rational beings - spirits and humans; private goals - for a person; and the most particular ones, for example, the goal of the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom, and the goal of even the smallest insect. For the Holy Scripture strongly suggests that the least thing in the world is not forgotten. Incorrect or one-sided views in this regard are: 1) that everything was created for man - this is an egoistic view; 2) that everything was created for moral improvement; but there are things that are nothing more than dead tools. This one-sidedness is also seen in the writings of the fathers. For example, Lactantius argued that everything is for man; but Augustine and Basil the Great stand in the middle. Last question: when did the world happen? There are two sides to the issue that must be distinguished by the decision maker. Let us assume that this question is proposed by God and man. How would God Himself answer it? What would He say when asked when the world was created? He would say: never, because He has no time. This can only be from our side, and there this question is impossible. Consequently, looking from above, from God, we see that the world has no beginning in time and therefore, in this sense, it is true that it exists from eternity; for before it is eternity, and eternity cannot be measured. So, according to our only concept, we ask, when was the world created? But does this question retain its power in our understanding? For us, when means time, and by the word peace we include time; therefore, when we ask when the world happened, we are asking: when did time happen? the question is clearly nonsense; and that by the word world time is meant, this is clear from the words of the Apostle Paul: By Him also made the eyelids (Heb. 1:2), where the eyelids or time are taken to be the world itself. And in fact, the question is untenable. If we ask when, then before this “when” we assume a time or another when, and before that another when, and so on. Therefore, by asking in this way, we will be looking for the beginning of eternity. The mind must agree that there was no time before the existence of the world, and therefore ask: when did the world come into existence? – it’s not possible. This question turns to the following: how many years have elapsed or how many years do we consider the existence of the world? As if time seems short; but if millions of years had passed, the same question could have been proposed. Thus, the world did not come into existence in tempore, as Augustine says, but cum tempore, and asking about the beginning of time means asking about two incompatible things. The metaphysical question here might be: How is eternity related to time? But this combination has existed for several centuries, and therefore we cannot reject it. This is how the Holy Scripture explains the origin of the world, if we understand it sensibly. It says that the world received its beginning from God and is not eternal. How was God’s activity exercised before?.. The same as now. For the world is, as it were, an echo of God’s activity, which, in fact, lies in God. His activity was exercised, as we noted before, by the work of the Son and the Holy Spirit. So, according to Scripture, the world came into existence not so long ago: its existence is considered to be about six thousand years. There will be a time when millions will be counted and when the number of accounts will be lost, for the world will exist in eternity. But there may be a question: does Holy Scripture accurately teach that the world is so new? Is Moses describing the restoration of the world? This idea is and was still among the pagans. Its basis is that the existence of the world seems short. This reason is secret, but valid. Another reason is the fall of the Angels and the short duration of the innocent state of the first parents. If, they say, the Angels fell, then there must have been a time in which they lived in accordance with their former purpose; if there was an innocent state, then it must have lasted. They also argue that if before this world there was no other, then it must be assumed that the perfections of God: wisdom, goodness, omnipotence - remained, as it were, idle for a long time. Therefore, the Fathers of the Church did not consider it harmful to think that before this world there was another world. Thus, Basil the Great, in the First Conversation of the Six Days about the beginning of the world of the highest spirits, argues in this way: “there was probably before this world... a state that preceded the existence of the world, characteristic of supermundane forces, exceeding time,” and so on. In addition, modern history and geology have found many reasons for the fact that our earth is older. Based on them, one can come, if not to the idea that the world is from eternity, then at least to the idea that it has been remade - restored. The reasons that prove the old age of the world are of two kinds: historical and geological. Let's count them. 1) There is only one historical reason, namely: the tales of the Chinese and Indians about the antiquity of the world and their chronology, which goes back much further than the time in which we believe the beginning of the world. But this conclusion will be strong when criticism clarifies and defines these tales along with their chronology. What can now go against it is that the ancient peoples, as critics have already proven in many cases, loved to boast of their antiquity and trace it back to the most distant times. It should also be said that the legends of these peoples about the creation of the world are very similar to those of Moses; therefore, they indicate the same time, and only for certain purposes increase its count. 2) Of the physical and geological reasons, the following are remarkable: a) architectural monuments are found in wild lands. For example, in America they were digging a well and found part of a brick building, which none of the residents there remembers; similar discoveries were made on the island of Ceylon, b) In Sweden, on one mountain, traces of a pier were found: rings nailed to the mountain were found, to which the ships moored there were hooked, c) In Switzerland, on the heights of the mountains, traces of bridges are found - a clear sign of the former dwellings here, d) In the Duchy of Modena they were looking for water, and when they started, they found a human dwelling at a distance of thirty feet, then, at twenty feet, the surface of the earth, similar to what we see; finally, agricultural products were found at a distance of twenty feet, e) The lavas of the fire-breathing mountains turn into earth, that is, they acquire its properties, not soon, precisely after a thousand years, but eight layers of lava were found near Vesuvius; therefore, the existence of the world must be already eight thousand years old. f) In caves, droplets are formed, that is, drip stones, no less than after a thousand years, but in one cave they found twenty thousand such drops, therefore, the world must have existed for twenty thousand years. g) Corals, which belong to the genus of animal-plant creatures, and of which there are great abundance in the Pacific Ocean, in Australia, have multiplied so much that they have formed coral islands; for this, they say, more time is needed than is usually believed, h) Recently, the geologist Goutier, who dug up the earth in many places to recognize the interior of the globe, discovered in America that the earth's surface has fourteen layers, suggesting the same number or at least four main eras of the world, for in each layer he found special breeds of animals buried, i) Finally, according to the calculations of astronomers, it turns out, that light from some stars can take two million years to reach us; therefore the world must have existed for at least two million years. It is not difficult to answer all this. a) The fact that much is discovered that people do not remember, we can say that it could have been forgotten by people. Evidence of such neglect is not uncommon. There is an anecdote in the description of the French expedition that was in Egypt during the time of Napoleon that the Egyptians, wondering why the French looked at their pyramids with such surprise, said: “Is it true that these pyramids were built by their ancestors?” This means they forgot that this is the business of their pharaohs. b) What they say about Italy is not at all surprising. There have always been revolutions there since ancient times and still exist today. This is a country as abounding in internal fire as in external blessings. Over time, she will all be a victim of the fire boiling in her depths. So, there have always been revolutions here, but we only know about those that have happened since the appearance of newspapers; True, we know a little earlier about Herculaneus and Pompey, but we owe this to Scripture, and the fate of these cities did not suddenly become known to everyone. c) As for the traces of a pier found on one mountain in Sweden, then in response to this objection it must be said that the water was previously higher; Nowadays, in general, the elements have become more peaceful; the sands thrown up by the sea often produce great upheavals. For example, when in one part of England the water in the sea receded and the sand along the shore fell away, an entire village with stone walls of destroyed houses was revealed. d) In order to be able to prove a certain number of years of peace with layers of lava, it must first be proven that the forces of the earth have always acted in the same way. But the latter cannot be proven: we see that physical forces weaken and act more slowly than they acted before. And now we can see evidence that nature acted faster before. Falling stones, forming in the air with extreme speed, are, so to speak, the last attempts of nature, in which she expresses the speed of her previous activity. In general, geology cannot say anything decisive. For she herself does not yet have decisive beginnings, due to her recently begun education and introduction to science. e) The astronomical objection is derived from consideration of the distance of the luminaries and the amount of time in which light from the sun reaches us. But is this foundation solid? Can we guarantee that the law according to which light travels through a certain space is unchangeable? And that it is changeable, this was proven by one Dorpat astronomer. While disassembling and observing the star, he noticed that one star was missing, but four years later he found it again. So, the light from it reached us in four years, whereas it once, perhaps, reached no earlier than four hundred years. But that this star was covered by some other body, this cannot be proven, for the body could not cover it for so long; The passage of one body through another, for the most part, occurs within a few minutes. Astronomers have come up with a hypothesis to explain the glow of bodies. The body, they say, does not shine in itself, but only has the ability to activate the light-maker; the speed of this ability cannot be determined. Thus, there is no historical, geological, or astronomical evidence on the basis of which one could say that the world is older than we think. At least we don’t know enough about the world to be able to boldly decide this. The Holy Scripture not only says that the world is from God, but, outlining the history of the origin of the world, reveals the method and order of its creation in the Book of Genesis (Genesis 1: 1–31). But did the world happen as Moses describes? It must be so; otherwise there would be no point in describing it. Doubts about this arose later in the heads of people who wanted to see simple, ordinary people in God-inspired men. When this desire took possession of them, a thought was born in them: why could Moses know what he wrote? God, they said, did not reveal it to him; he himself was not a witness or eyewitness. Therefore, they argued, he wrote a story from the historical solution to the question he asked himself about the creation of the world. The basis of their opinion is the most empty. In support of it, they cited that this story is similar to the stories about this of other peoples; but this is not proof. For they are similar because they were copied from one thing - from the original of Moses. It is further pointed out that in the account of Moses there are two passages (one in the first and the other in the second chapter of the Book of Genesis) showing two writers. For in the second passage it is said, or rather repeated, that Adam and Eve were created separately; and in the first, what is together; in the first God is called by the name of Jehovah, and in the second Elohim. But this is a weak reason, because historians usually act in such a way that they will first say in general, and then dwell on the most important things and talk about them in detail. The words: Jehovah and Elohim are used almost indifferently by David and other prophets: in one chapter one thing, and in another another. Finally, they point out some incongruities unworthy of God-inspired men. For example, plants were created in Moses before the sun, and the second passage says that the garden was planted after the creation of man. But plants need light, and Moses could not help but know this; therefore, if he had known it himself, then, as an intelligent person, he would undoubtedly not have written like that. If he wrote it, it means he didn’t write it on his own behalf. However, there is no inconsistency in this either: plants were created before the sun; There was light even on the first day, therefore, it was also the case that plants borrow from the sun. So this objection is weak. That this story is history is proven, firstly, by the fact that the whole book is history; therefore, it was indecent to place some kind of theological-physical thought at the beginning of it; secondly, accuracy, separateness and clarity, which not only the literary works of the ancients, but even historical legends do not have. Moreover, other holy writers point to Moses as a historian. Moreover, is there, is there not a history of the creation of the world here (taking the word history in a limited sense, that is, meaning a possible description of this great matter for us), in any way similar to the matter itself, since we cannot describe it exactly, then it is not found anywhere in revelation, while it is very necessary for us. Thus, the attacks on Moses are completely unjust, and his story is true. The main parts of the Mosaic legend are the following: 1) God created the world with His word, without matter; 2) not suddenly, but over the course of six days; 3) moved, so to speak, from the general to the most particular, from the less perfect to the most perfect, from the physical to the human. Is this order befitting the business itself? How, they say, can God produce gradually?.. We answer that God produced the world suddenly, in its essence and in its main forces, and Moses already describes the development of the initial forces. Indeed, creativity cannot be gradual; but as for the formation of all created things, it could take place in six days. If this gradualness did not exist, then the instant creation of the world would be better? only so that it would more clearly demonstrate God’s omnipotence. But, on the other hand, through the constant formation of the world we are introduced into the mysteries of God and become familiar with them. What is clear here is that God loves us and shows us everything he can. So, from acting contrary to the gradual way of action there would be no benefit for us, while our admonition and teaching flow from the gradual way of acting; on the other hand, so that we ourselves act gradually. Moreover, it is not possible to say affirmatively: was the world capable of accepting instantaneous education? Rather, we can say that he was not capable of this. For its form is time, therefore, there must be gradualness in its actions; having destroyed this gradualism, it was necessary to destroy time itself and return the world to eternity; While there was no time, God suddenly produced the essence of the world, but when time appeared, it immediately assumed its power. Ascent from the general to the particular, from the simplest to the complex, from the physical to the human, is the most worthy image of God. We see this now, because nature is now observing the same process. Why six days and not more or less? If counting was necessary, then whether six or more days does not matter the difference. This means that the completeness of the world could be achieved only in six days; the further reason for this reckoning must be in the essence of God - in His will. What is the reason for the seventh number of days in the will of God? – we can’t say that. Revelation only says that there are seven glorious spirits at the throne of God (in the Revelation of John the Theologian), that there are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, and accordingly there are seven Sacraments in the Church. Thus, the physical number of seven, the spiritual number of seven and the moral spiritual number of seven show that in God there must be some kind of number of seven, of which these numbers of seven are reflections. And here they want to humiliate Moses, claiming that he directed the narrative of the seven days against the seven Egyptian deities to whom the days were dedicated. Let it be so, let Moses mean the Egyptian gods, but the Egyptians were not the only ones who counted seven days; Even those peoples who counted for ten days respected the number seven. The origin of this number comes from the cradle of humanity, therefore, it goes to the word of Moses; The number seven was held in high esteem in ancient times. Cicero says: “Numerus septem est omnium rerum nobus” (Latin: “The number seven is the measure of everything”). Its main origin is attributed to the Indians. Why did the deepest antiquity sanctify the number seven? Maybe, as some think, according to the number of seven planets? But knowledge of the seven planets is later than respect for the number seven. In general, it must be said that if a number was needed during creation, then there is no reason to oppose the number seven. How to understand these days? They say that these were periods, that by day Moses meant an indefinite time; Even some of the Church Fathers thought so. By this opinion, that is, by the adoption of epochs or periods instead of days, all geological perplexities about the old age of the world could be solved. But there is no reason to move away from the Mosaic legend; from it it is obvious that ordinary days are meant here, for each day is determined by morning and evening: and there was evening, and there was morning (Gen. 1:5). True, the prophets often mistook the day for an indefinite time, but in this case all speech had the appearance of uncertainty. They say: there was no sun, there was no rotation of the earth around its axis, and therefore there were no days. But there was probably some reversal of the light created on the first day. For the property of light is movement, life; since the property of darkness and cold is inertia, deadness. Together the movement of light must be followed by the movement of masses, and this constituted days. The most ancient legends of other peoples are all essentially similar to those of Moses. Everyone says that peace is from God from the invisible abyss or chaos. The Phoenicians have indications of the manner of its origin by means of Nout; Moses calls the abyss Togu, and others have the name Toga, there is Erevot from Erev; It is especially noteworthy that since Moses said about the Spirit that it nested (merakhofet) over the abyss, then for many this mass appears in the form of an egg; there is also the fact that the plant is before the sun, and there is also gradualism. Is there pure historical truth in the description of Moses, or is there an admixture of poetry in it? This story is purely historical in the sense that its content is a true incident, and not any fiction, or the imagination of a poet who asked himself the question: how could the world come about? - and then deciding according to his own concepts. But this story, in this respect purely historical, on the other hand is mixed with anthropomorphism: it says so about God that He speaks and thereby creates the world: speech ... and being (Gen. 1:9); also that He consults, praises His work, and the like. Consequently, the story of Moses is historical-anthropomorphic; There could not be a pure history here, for man not only cannot describe in his own language, but cannot even imagine in his mind how this great thing happened - the creation of the world. In addition to anthropomorphism in the image, there is also an adaptation to the human concept in the narrative of Moses - to our earthly view. That is why the sun and the moon are called great luminaries, while the latter is very small in comparison with the others. They are great, but only for us, looking from the ground - for our earthly gaze. According to this view, Moses had to depict the world. For what was the purpose of his story? Religion; he depicted the world to the people because they needed to know it for religion. Therefore, having spoken briefly about the world in general, he immediately moves on to the earth and describes it in detail. In a word, he described the origin of the world, guided by the gaze of a person - he described what a person could see if he witnessed the creation of the world. Is the world perfect? Moses often repeats: And God saw that it was good (Gen. 1:8), and in the end he says: “It is very good” (Gen. 1:31). This repetition is intended to show that everything that has come from God is good and perfect. Without a doubt, Moses had in mind here the opinion of dualists about the evil principle that existed in ancient times, and directs his narrative against it. By the name of the perfection of the world we mean that the world in general, and in particular each creature, has everything necessary to achieve its goals; to your existence. You might be interested in: