This page is a collection of quotations celebrating ancient Christian attitudes towards God’s creation, with a few modern quotes as well. I include sources with each quote as I do get frustrated when people do not. It is a work in process and more will be added from time to time.
Anthony (251-356)
The story is told that a visiting philosopher once asked the ancient desert dweller Saint Anthony, how he was able to manage living in the remote desert without any books, Anthony replied, “My book is the nature of created things, and as often as I have a mind to read the words of God, it is at my hand.” See Thomas Merton, The Wisdom of the Desert: Sayings from the Desert Fathers of the fourth Century (New Directions Publishing Corporation, New York, 1960) 62.
Augustine of Hippo (354-430)
“For as the beauty of a picture is increased by well-managed shadows, so, to the eye that has skill to discern it, the universe is beautiful….” Augustine, City of God, Book 11, chapter 23.
“Observe the beauty of the world and praise the plan of the Creator. Observe what he made, love the one who made it. Hold on to this maxim above all: love the one who made it, because he also made you, his lover, in his image.” Augustine, Sermon 68. 5.
Augustine of Hippo wrote, “Others, in order to find God, will read a book. Well, as a matter of fact there is a certain great big book, the book of created nature. Look carefully at it top and bottom, observe it, read it. God did not make letters of ink for you to recognize him in; he set before your eyes all these things he has made. Why look for a louder voice? Heaven and earth cries out to you, ‘God made me.’” See Augustine, Sermon 68 in The Works of Saint Augustine: A Translation for the 21st Century: Sermons III (51-94) On the New Testament, Ed. John E. Rotelle, (New City Press, Brooklyn, New York, 1991) 225, 226.
Augustine writes, “All natures, then, inasmuch as they are, and have therefore a rank and species of their own, and a kind of internal harmony, are certainly good. And when they are in the places assigned to them by the order of their nature, they preserve such being as they have received.” Augustine, City of God (The Modern Library, New York, 1950) 384.
“Shall I speak of the manifold and various loveliness of sky and earth and sea; of the plentiful supply and wonderful qualities of the light; of sun, moon, and stars; of the shade of trees; of the colors and perfume of flowers; of the multitude of birds, all differing in plumage and in song; of the variety of animals, of which the smallest in size are often the most wonderful – the works of ants and bees astonishing us more than the huge bodies of whales? Shall I speak of the sea, which itself is so grand a spectacle, when it arrays itself as it were in vestures of various colors, now running through every shade of green, and again becoming purple or blue? Is it not delightful to look at it in storm, and experience the soothing complacency which it inspires…?” Augustine, City of God, 854.
“This cause, however, of a good creation, namely, the goodness of God,—this cause, I say, so just and fit, which, when piously and carefully weighed, terminates all the controversies of those who inquire into the origin of the world, has not been recognized by some heretics, because there are, forsooth, many things, such as fire, frost, wild beasts, and so forth, which do not suit but injure this thin blooded and frail mortality of our flesh, which is at present under just punishment. They do not consider how admirable these things are in their own places, how excellent in their own natures, how beautifully adjusted to the rest of creation, and how much grace they contribute to the universe by their own contributions as to a commonwealth; and how serviceable they are even to ourselves, if we use them with a knowledge of their fit adaptations,—so that even poisons, which are destructive when used injudiciously, become wholesome and medicinal when used in conformity with their qualities and design; just as, on the other hand, those things which give us pleasure, such as food, drink, and the light of the sun, are found to be hurtful when immoderately or unseasonably used. And thus divine providence admonishes us not foolishly to vituperate things, but to investigate their utility with care; and, where our mental capacity or infirmity is at fault, to believe that there is a utility, though hidden, as we have experienced that there were other things which we all but failed to discover. For this concealment of the use of things is itself either an exercise of our humility or a leveling of our pride; for no nature at all is evil, and this is a name for nothing but the want of good.” Augustine, The City of God, Book 11, Chapter 22.
Basil of Caesarea (330-379)
Writing to his friend Gregory of Nazianzus, Basil of Caesarea states, “God has shown me, a region which exactly suits my mode of life… A high mountain, covered with thick forest, is watered towards the north by fresh perennial streams. At the foot of the mountain a wide plain spreads out, made fruitful by the vapors which moisten it. The surrounding forest, in which many varieties of trees crowd together, shuts me off like a strong castle. The wilderness is bounded by two deep ravines. On one side the stream, where it rushes foaming down from the mountain, forms a barrier hard to cross; on the other a broad ridge obstructs approach.” Basil of Caesarea, “Letter XIV,” in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Volume 8, Second Series, ed. Philip Schaff & Henry Wace (Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Massachusetts, 1994) 124.
“I want creation to penetrate you with so much admiration that everywhere, wherever you may be, the least plant may bring to you the clear remembrance of the Creator.” Basil of Caesarea, The Hexameron, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Volume 8, Second Series, ed. Philip Schaff & Henry Wace (Hendrickson Publishing, Peabody, Massachusetts, 1994)76.
Basil instructed, “Rule the thoughts in yourself, that you may become the ruler of all beings.” Basil of Caesarea, On the Origin of Humanity, in On the Human Condition, (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Yonkers, New York, 2005) 703.
“And why do you serve the passions as a slave?” Basil asks his congregation rhetorically, “For what reason do you make yourself a prisoner of the devil? You were appointed ruler of creation, and you have renounced the nobility of your own nature.” Basil, On the Origin of Humanity, 514.
The sermons continue, quoting Genesis, “And God blessed the human being, and said, ‘Grow and multiply and fill the earth’.” Basil points out “this blessing was also given to the fishes and other creatures.” Basil, On the Origin of Humanity, 573.
“If such is the beauty of visible things, what shall we think of invisible things?” Basil, Hexaemeron, 82.
Basil’s advice was to, “…never cease to wonder, and, through every creature, to glorify the Creator.” Basil, Hexaemeron, 99.
“And for you this whole world is as it were a book that proclaims the glory of God, announcing through itself the hidden and invisible greatness of God to you who have a mind for the apprehension of truth.” Basil, On the Origin of Humanity, Discourse 2, 4, in On the Human Condition (Translated and Introduction by Nonna Verna Harrison, St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, New York, 2005) 51.
Columbanus (540-615)
The old Celtic missionary Columbanus (543-615) would insist, “He who tramples upon the world, tramples upon himself.” Christopher Bamforf & William Parker Marsh, Celtic Christianity: Ecology and Holiness, (Floris Classics, Edinburgh, 1991) 122.
“If you want to know the creator, understand the created things.”
Quoted in McGrath, The Reenchantment of Nature, 36.
Ephrem the Syrian (c. 306-373)
“Moses made a crown
for that resplendent alter;
with a wreath entirely of gold
did he crown
the alter in its beauty.
Thus gloriously entwined
is the wreath of Paradise
that encircles the whole of creation.”
Hymns of Paradise, Sebastian Brook translator, (St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, NY, 1990) Hymn I, 9
“In his book Moses
Described the creation of the natural world,
So that both Nature and Scripture
might bear witness to the Creator:
Nature, through man’s use of it,
Scripture, through his reading of it.
These are the witnesses
which reach everywhere,
they are to be found at all times,
present at every hour,
confuting the unbeliever
who defames the Creator.”
Hymn V, 2
“The keys of doctrine
which unlock all of Scripture’s books,
have opened up before my eyes
the book of creation,
the treasure house of the Ark,
the crown of the Law.
This is a book, above its companions,
has in its narrative
made the Creator perceptible
and transmitted al His craftsmanship,
made manifest His works of art.”
Hymn VI, 1
“The beauty that exists in nature
extolled the human mind.”
Hymn VI, 13
“In the world there is struggle,
In Eden, a crown of glory.
At our resurrection
Both earth and heaven will God renew,
Liberating all creatures,
Granting them pascal joy, along with us.
Upon our mother Earth, along with us,
Did He lay disgrace
When He placed on her, with the sinner, the curse;
So, together with the just, will He bless her too;
This nursing mother, along with her children,
Shall He who is Good renew.”
Hymn IX, 1
“Who has ever beheld
A mother give suck
With her whole being to everything?
Upon her hangs the whole universe,
While she depends on the One
Who is that Power which nourishes all.”
Hymn IX, 14
“What mouth
Has ever described paradise…?
I can only marvel at what is visible,
At those things which lie outside of Paradise
And so I realize how far I remain
From its hidden secrets.”
Hymn X, 1
“In the beginning God created the creation,
The fountainhead of delights;
The house which He constructed
Provisions those who live therein,
For upon His gift
Innumerable created things depend;
From a single table
Does He provide
Every day for each creature
All things in due measure.
Grant that we may acknowledge
Your grace, O Good One.”
Hymn XIII, 2
Saint Gall (c. 550-c. 645)
Stories (legends, Hagiographies) of saints and animals, especially and other dangerous animals are always intriguing. St. Gall was a disciple of one of st. Columbanus’ twelve traveling companions. “While he (Gall) was thus engaged (in prayer) a bear came down from the mountains and began stealthy to pick up the crumbs and broken morsels which they had let fall during their repast. When the man of God saw this, he said to the beast: ‘In the name of the Lord I command thee to take up a log and throw it into the fire.’ The monster turned at his bidding and brought a stout log and threw it into the fire. Thereupon the kindhearted saint went to his wallet and, drawing forth a loaf yet untouched from his scanty store, gave it to his servitor, saying: ‘In the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, depart from this valley; thou art free to range the hills and mountains around at will so long as thou does no harm to man or beast in this spot.” From Walahfrid Strabo, in Christopher Bamforf & William Parker Marsh, Celtic Christianity: Ecology and Holiness, (Floris Classics, Edinburgh, 1991) 123.
Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390)
“The Spirit indeed effects all these things, filling the universe with his being, sustaining the universe. His being ‘fills the world’.” On God and Christ: The Five Theological Orations and Two Letters to Cledonius, (Popular Patristics Series, Number 23), St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, New York, 2002,140.
Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335-c 394)
“Investigate Nature’s work, and you will learn…” Gregory of Nyssa, Against Eunomius, in NPNF, Volume 5, 71.
Jerome (c. 342-420)
“For the sake of a temporary gratification of the appetite, land and sea are ransacked, and we toil and sweat our lives through, that we may send down our throats honey-wine and costly food.” Jerome, Against Jovinianus, 394.
Jerome, having been trained in desert spirituality declared that, “the desert loves to strip bare….” Belden C. Lane, The Solace of Fierce Landscapes: Exploring Desert and Mountain Spirituality (Oxford University Press, New York, 1998) 38.
“O wilderness, gladdened with God’s special presence!” Jerome, Letter 14, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, volume 6, ed. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, (Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Massachusetts, 1994) 17.
John Cassian (c. 360-c. 435)
“He (God) is also to be known from the grandeur and beauty of His creatures, from His providence which governs the world day by day, from the wonders which He shows to His saints in each generation.” John Cassian, “On the Holy Fathers of Sketis,” in The Philokalia: The Complete Text, compiled by St Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St Makarios of Corinth, Volume I, (Faber and Faber, London, Boston, 1979) 96, 97.
John Chrysostom (c. 347-407)
In discussing this passage in his Homilies on Romans John Chrysostom refers back to Psalm 19, “The heavens declare the glory of God,” and commenting as if speaking to those that have rejected God he states, “Did ye then not hear the heaven sending forth a voice by the sight, while the well-ordered harmony of all things spoke out more clearly than a trumpet? …All things abiding in order and by their beauty and their grandeur, preaching aloud of the Creator?” John Chrysostom, “Homily 3” in (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Volume 11, First Series, ed. Philip Schaff, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Massachusetts, 1994) 352.
John of Damascus (c. 675-c. 749)
“He penetrates everything without mixing with it, and imparts to all His energy in proportion to the fitness and receptive power of each.” John of Damascus, Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, 15.
“(F)or God is in all things. …God then is mingled with everything, maintaining their nature.” John of Damascus, Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, 16.
John of Damascus is commonly quoted as having taught that, “The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God.” This quote appears to be a summarization of his teachings found in his Exposition of the Orthodox Faith.
“But from the creation of the world the invisible things of God are made clear by the visible creation.” John continues, “We see images in created things, which remind us faintly of divine tokens. For instance, sun and light and brightness, the running waters of a perennial fountain, our own mind and language and spirit, the sweet fragrance of a flowering rose-tree, are images of the Holy and Eternal Trinity.” John of Damascus, On Holy Images, (Thomas Backer, London, 1898), 96.
John of Karpathos (7th century ?)
“David in one of his Psalms describes the praise to God by the whole of creation (cf. Ps. 104). He speaks of the angels and all the invisible powers, but he also descends to the earth and includes wild animals, cattle, birds and reptiles. All of them, he believes, worship the Creator and sing His praise; for it is God’s will that everything He has made should glorify Him.” John of Karpathos, “Texts for the Monks in India,” in The Philokalia: The Complete Text, compiled by St Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St Makarios of Corinth, Volume I, (Faber and Faber, London, Boston, 1979) 299.
“How can someone with little or no faith be made to realize that an ant grows wings, a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, and many other strange and unexpected things happen in nature, so that in this way he shakes off the sickness of unbelief and despair, himself acquires wings, and buds in spiritual knowledge like a tree? ‘I am He’, says God, ‘who makes the dry tree flourish; I give life to the dry bones’ (cf. Ezek. 17:24; 37:1-14).” John of Karpathos, “Texts for the Monks in India,” in The Philokalia: The Complete Text, compiled by St Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St Makarios of Corinth, Volume I, (Faber and Faber, London, Boston, 1979) 308.
“Nevertheless the Lord, ‘who dwells on high but sees what is lowly’ extends His providence even to the spider, sending it food everyday, and causing tiny insects to fall into its web…. the huge whales that feed in the Atlantic Ocean: God gives them plenty to eat and they never starve, although each of them swallows daily more fish than a highly populated city would consume. ‘All things wait upon thee, to give them their food at the proper time.'” John of Karpathos, “Texts for the Monks in India,” in The Philokalia: The Complete Text, compiled by St Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St Makarios of Corinth, Volume I, (Faber and Faber, London, Boston, 1979) 309.
John Scotus Erigena (815-877)
“The light of divine knowledge receded from the world when man abandoned God. Since then the eternal Light reveals itself to the world in a twofold way: through Scriptures and through creature. For in no other way may divine knowledge be renewed in us, but through the letters of divine Scripture and the species of creature. Learn, therefore, to understand these divine modes of expression and to conceive their meaning in your soul: therein you will know the Word. Observe with your bodily senses the forms and beauties of sensible things, and comprehend in them the Word of God. In all these things the truth will reveal to you naught but Him Who made all things, outside of Whom you have nothing to contemplate, for He Himself is All. For in all things which are, whatever is, is He. For, just as no substantial good exists outside Him, no essence or substance exists besides Him.” The Homily on the Prologue to the Gospel of John, quoted in, Christopher Bamforf & William Parker Marsh, Celtic Christianity: Ecology and Holiness, (Floris Classics, Edinburgh, 1991) 137.
Julian of Norwich (1342- after 1416)
Writing of one of her visions, she states, “And in this he (God) showed me a little thing, the quantity of a hazelnut, lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed. And it was as round as any ball. I looked upon it with the eye of my understanding, and thought, ‘What may this be?’ And it was answered generally thus, ‘It is all that is made.’ I marveled how it might last, for I thought it might suddenly have fallen to nothing for littleness. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasts and ever shall, for God loves it. And so have all things their beginning by the love of God.” Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love.
Mark the Ascetic (360-430)
“Because of them (three vices) we are commanded not to love ‘the world’ and ‘the things that are in the world’; not so that we should hate God’s creation through lack of discernment, but so that we should eliminate the occasions for these three passions.” St Mark the Ascetic, “On the Spiritual Law,” in The Philokalia: The Complete Text, compiled by St Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St Makarios of Corinth, Volume I, (Faber and Faber, London, Boston, 1979) 117.
“When something accords with God’s will, all creation aids it. But when God rejects something, creation too opposes it.” St Mark the Ascetic, “No Righteousness by Works,” in The Philokalia: The Complete Text, compiled by St Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St Makarios of Corinth, Volume I, (Faber and Faber, London, Boston, 1979) 141.
Maximus the Confessor (c. 580-c. 662)
Maximus wrote that, “…with us and for us He (God) embraced the whole creation through what is in the center, the extremes as being part of Himself, and He wrapped them around Himself, insolubly united with one another….” Maximus, “Ambiguum 41,” as quoted in Lars Thunberg, Man and the Cosmos, 90.
“We do not know God from His essence. We know Him rather from the grandeur of His creation and from His providential care for all creatures. For through these, as though they were mirrors, we may attain insight into His infinite goodness, wisdom and power.” Maximus the Confessor, in The Philokalia: The Complete Text, compiled by St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth, Volume II, (Faber and Faber, London, Boston, 1984) 64.
This is why God became a man, Maximus writes, “in order to save lost humanity,” but he does not stop there. Christ fulfills, “the great purpose of God the Father, to recapitulate everything both in heaven and earth, in himself in whom everything has been created. Indeed being in himself the universal union of all…” Maximus, “Difficulty 41,” in Andrew Louth, Maximus the Confessor, (Routledge, London and New York, 1996) 159.
“Since God is absolute existence, absolute goodness and absolute wisdom, or rather, to put it more exactly, since God is beyond all such things, there is nothing whatsoever that is opposite to Him. Creatures, on the other hand, all exist through participation and grace.” The Philokalia: The Complete Text, compiled by St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth, Volume II, (Faber and Faber, London, Boston, 1984) 87.
“God, full beyond all fulness, brought creatures into being not because He had need of anything, but so that they might participate in Him in proportion to their capacity and that He Himself might rejoice in His works (cf. Ps. 104:31), through seeing them joyful and ever filled to overflowing with His inexhaustible gifts.” The Philokalia: The Complete Text, compiled by St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth, Volume II, (Faber and Faber, London, Boston, 1984) 90.
“If the visible world is so beautiful, what must the invisible world be like? And if the invisible world is superior to the visible world, how much superior to both is God their Creator?” The Philokalia: The Complete Text, compiled by St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth, Volume II, (Faber and Faber, London, Boston, 1984) 94.
“God is only participated in. Creation both participates and communicates: it participates in being and in well-being, but communicates only well-being. But corporeal nature communicates this in one way and incorporeal nature in another… Incorporeal nature communicates well-being by speaking, by acting, and by being contemplated; corporeal nature only by being contemplated.” The Philokalia: The Complete Text, compiled by St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth, Volume II, (Faber and Faber, London, Boston, 1984) 101.
Neilos the Ascetic (4th century)
“This is why Elijah left Judaea and went to live on Mount Carmel, which was desolate and full of wild animals; and apart from what grew on trees and shrubs there was nothing to eat, so he kept himself alive on nuts and berries. Elisha followed the same mode of life, inheriting from his teacher, besides many other good things, a love of wilderness.” St. Neilos the Ascetic, “Ascetic Discourse,” in The Philokalia: The Complete Text, compiled by St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth, Volume I, (Faber and Faber, London, Boston, 1979) 240, 241.
“…for the Creator has ordained the same way of life for both us and the animals. ‘Behold,’ says God to man, ‘I have given you every herb of the field, to serve as foo for you and the beasts.’ Thus we have been given a common diet with animals; but if we use our powers of invention to turn this into something extravagant, shall we not rightly be judged more unintelligent than they? The animals remain within the boundaries of nature, not altering in any way what God has ordained; but we, who have been honoured with the power of intelligence, have completely abandoned His original ordinance. Do animals demand a luxury diet? What chefs and pastry cooks pander to their bellies?Do they not prefer the original simplicity, eating herbs of the field, content with whatever is at hand, drinking water from springs…?” St. Neilos the Ascetic, “Ascetic Discourse,” in The Philokalia: The Complete Text, compiled by St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth, Volume I, (Faber and Faber, London, Boston, 1979) 246, 247.
Ninian of Whithorn (d. 432)
The supreme aim of the study of nature is “to perceive the eternal word of God reflected in every plant and insect, every bird and animal, and every man and woman.” (From a work attributed to Ninian, quoted in Alister McGrath’s The Reenchantment of Nature: The Denial of Religion and the Ecological Crisis, Double Day, New York, 2002. 35)
Origen of Alexandria (185-254)
Though “our understanding is unable of itself to behold God Himself as He is, it knows the Fatherhood of the world from the beauty of His works and the comeliness of His creatures.” Origen, Principles, 243.
“If, then, a man can so extend his thinking as to ponder and consider the beauty and the grace of all the things that have been created in the Word, the very charm of them will so smite him, the grandeur of their brightness will so pierce him as with a chosen dart – as says the prophet – that he will suffer from the dart Himself a saving wound, and will be kindled with the blessed fire of His love.” Origen, The Song of Songs, Commentary, and Homilies, in Ancient Christian Writers, 26, ed. Johannes Quasten & Joseph C. Plunpe (The Newman Press, New York, 1956) 29.
Patrick (5th century)
“Our God is the God of all men, the God of Heaven and Earth, of sea and river, of sun and moon and stars, of the lofty mountain and lowly valley, the God above Heaven, the God in Heaven, the God under Heaven; He has his dwelling round Heaven and Earth and sea and all that in them is. He inspires all, he quickens all, he dominates all, he sustains all. He lights the light of the sun; he furnishes the light of the light; he has put springs in the dry land and has set stars to minister to the greater lights…” Christopher Bamforf & William Parker Marsh, Celtic Christianity: Ecology and Holiness, (Floris Classics, Edinburgh, 1991) 19.
“The Cry of the Deer” a.k.a. “The Shield Of Saint Patrick”
Anonymous
“There is no life in the sea,
No creature in the river,
Nothing in the heavens,
That does not proclaim God’s goodness.”
There is no bird on the wing,
No star in the sky,
Nothing beneath the sun,
That does nor proclaim God’s goodness.”
Celtic quote found in McGrath, The Reenchantment of Nature, 35.
Scripture (Apocrypha included)
Torah (Pentateuch)
“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’” (Genesis 1: 26)
Historical Writings
“God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.” Besides the writings recorded in Scripture, Solomon, “spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish” (1 Kings 4). John Muir once defended his interest in botany to a critical blacksmith by pointing out that even king Solomon took the time to study the plants around him. The blacksmith, being a devout Christian, was convinced and approved of Muir’s hobby. John Muir, A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf, ed. William Frederic Bade, (Riverside Press, Cambridge, 1916) 15.
“The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” (1 Kings 8)
Wisdom
“Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young – a place near your alter, LORD Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising you.” (Psalm 84: 3, 4)
“The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth….” (Psalm 19)
“The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent
and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind.
He makes winds his messengers,
flames of fire his servants.” (Psalm 104)
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” David asks, “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there” (Psalm 139).
“Honor the field, so there may be lambs for you.” (Proverbs 27: 28)
“For it is he who gave me unerring knowledge of what exists, to know the structure of the world and the activity of the elements, the beginning and end and middle of times, the alternations of the solstices and the changes of the seasons, the cycles of the year and the constellations of the stars, the natures of animals and the tempers of wild animals, the powers of spirits and the thoughts of human beings, the varieties of plants and the virtues of roots; I learned both what is secret and what is manifest, for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me.” (Wisdom of Solomon, 7)
“For You (God) love all the things that exist, and You detest nothing of the things You made; for You would not even make anything You hated. How could anything continue to exist unless You willed it? Or how could anything be preserved unless it was called into existence by You? You spare all thing, because they are Yours, O Master who love human beings. For Your immortal Spirit is in all things.” (Wisdom of Solomon, 11, 12)
“Let them know how much better than these things is their Lord, for the Creator of beauty created them… For from the greatness and beauty of created things the Creator is seem by analogy.” (Wisdom of Solomon, 13)
In Ecclesiastes Solomon writes, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals…” His melancholy words continue stating, “All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?” (Ecclesiastes 3)
Prophets
“He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.” (Isaiah 40
“The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.”
(Isaiah 11)
“Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” (Isaiah 66).
“‘Who can hide in secret places
so that I cannot see them?’
declares the Lord.
‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’” (Jeremiah 23)
“‘I am a God who is near,’ says the Lord, ‘and not a God afar off. Can a man hide in secret, and I not see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ says the Lord.'” (Jeremiah 23: 23, 24)
“O Lord, I will cry out to you,
for fire has devoured the pleasant places of the wilderness
and a flame burned up all the trees of the field.
And the cattle of the field also look up to You,
because the brooks are dried up
and fire has devoured the pleasant places of the wilderness…
…O land, be of good courage;
be glad and rejoice.
For the Lord has done great things!
Take courage, you beasts of the field,
for the plains of the wilderness have budded.
The trees bear their fruit;
and again the vine and the fig tree yield their full potency.”
(The prophet Joel lamenting 1: 19, 20 & 2: 21, 22)
“The ground is cracked
because there is no rain in the land;
the farmers are dismayed
and cover their heads.
Even the doe in the field
deserts her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.
Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights
and pant like jackals;
their eyes fail
for lack of food.”
Although our sins testify against us,
do something, Lord, for the sake of your name.”
(Jeremiah 14: 4-7)
New Testament
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So, don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10)
“With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” (Ephesians 1)
The ancient Apostle wrote, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.” (Romans 1)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3: 16)
God “made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” (Ephesians 1)
More Recently
1 This is my Father’s world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas–
His hand the wonders wrought.
2 This is my Father’s world:
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world:
He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.
3 This is my Father’s world:
O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad!
(Maltbie D. Babcock, The School Hymnal, 1899)
“Love all God’s creation, the whole and every grain of sand of it. Love every leaf, every ray of God’s light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love.” Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov, ed. Manuel Komroff (Signet Classic, New York, 1957) 294.
The Early Church for Today 