Contents – Book XII
Chapter I
The Discovery of Truth is Difficult, but God Has promised that he who seeks shall find.
Chapter II
Of the double heaven,—the visible, and the heaven of heavens.
Chapter III
Of the Darkness upon the deep, and of the invisible and formless earth.
Chapter IV
From the Formlessness of matter, the beautiful world has arisen.
Chapter V
What may have been the form of matter.
Chapter VI
He confesses that at one time he himself thought erroneously of matter.
Chapter VII
Out of nothing God made heaven and earth.
Chapter VIII
Heaven and Earth were made “In the beginning;” afterwards the world, during six days, from shapeless matter.
Chapter IX
That the Heaven of Heavens was an Intellectual creature, but that the Earth was invisible and formless before the days that it was made.
Chapter X
He begs of God that he may live in the true light, and may be instructed as to the mysteries of the sacred books.
Chapter XI
What may be discovered to him by God.
Chapter XII
From the formless Earth God created another Heaven and a visible and formed Earth.
Chapter XIII
Of the intellectual Heaven and formless Earth, out of which, on another day, the firmament was formed.
Chapter XIV
Of the depth of the Sacred Scripture, and itS enemies.
Chapter XV
He argues against adversaries concerning the Heaven of Heavens.
Chapter XVI
He wishes to have no intercourse with those who deny divine truth.
Chapter XVII
He mentions five explanations of the words of Genesis I.
Chapter XVIII
What error is harmless in sacred scripture.
Chapter XIX
He enumerates the things concerning which all agree.
Chapter XX
Of the words, “in the beginning,” Variously understood.
Chapter XXI
Of the explanation of the words, “The Earth was invisible.”
Chapter XXII
He discusses whether matter was from eternity, or was made by God.
Chapter XXIII
Two kinds of disagreements in the books to be explained.
Chapter XXIV
Out of the many true things, it is not asserted confidently that Moses understood this or that.
Chapter XXV
It behoves interpreters, when disagreeing concerning obscure places, to regard God the author of truth, and the rule of charity.
Chapter XXVI
What he might have asked of God had he been enjoined to write the Book of Genesis.
Chapter XXVII
The style of speaking in the Book of Genesis is simple and clear.
Chapter XXVIII
The words, “In the beginning,” and, “The Heaven and the Earth,” are differently understood.
Chapter XXIX
Concerning the opinion of those who explain it “At first he made.”
Chapter XXX
In the great diversity of opinions, it becomes all to unite charity and divine truth.
Chapter XXXI
Moses is supposed to have perceived whatever of truth can be discovered in his words.
Chapter XXXII
First, the sense of the writer is to be discovered, then that is to be brought out which divine truth intended.