Genesis 1:2 (WEB)
The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
Catechism · 5
The Sacrament of Baptism
“Sacred Scripture sees it as "oveshadowed" by the Spirit of God:” — Catechism footnote: Cf. Gen 1:2.
The Father
“At work since creation, having previously "spoken through the prophets", the Spirit will now be with and in the disciples, to teach them and guide them "into all the truth".” — Catechism footnote: Cf. Gen 1:2; Nicene Creed (DS 150); Jn 14:17, 26; 16:13.
The Creator
“The Old Testament suggests and the New Covenant reveals the creative action of the Son and the Spirit,” — Catechism footnote: Cf. Pss 33 6; 104:30; Gen 1:2-3.
Heaven and Earth
God himself created the visible world in all its richness, diversity and order. Scripture presents the work of the Creator symbolically as a succession of six days of divine "work", concluded by the "rest" of the seventh day.
"I Believe in the Holy Spirit"
“The Word of God and his Breath are at the origin of the being and life of every creature:” — Catechism footnote: Cf. Pss 33:6; 104:30; Gen 1:2; 2:7; Eccl 3:20-21; Ezek 37:10.
Fathers and councils · 33
Irenaeus of Lyons
“Indicating also its invisible and hidden nature, he said, “Now the earth was invisible and unformed.”” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
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Tertullian
“But he draws an argument from the following words, where it is written: “And the earth was without form, and void.”” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
Read the whole comment“He accordingly maintains that there are two earths set before us in the passage in question: one, which God made in the beginning; the other being the Matter of which God made the world, and concerning which it is said, “And the earth was without form, and void.”” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
Read the whole comment“Indeed, how full and complete is the meaning of these words: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth; but the earth was without form, and void,”—the very same earth, no doubt, which God made, and of which the Scripture had been speaking at that very moment.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 1, 2.
Read the whole comment“The following words will in like manner apparently corroborate the conjecture of Hermogenes, “And darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water;” as if these blended substances, presented us with arguments for his massive pile of Matter.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
Read the whole comment“Of the wind also Amos says, “He that strengtheneth the thunder, and createth the wind, and declareth His Christ unto men;” thus showing that that wind was created which…” — editor's note: De spiritu. This shows that Tertullian took the spirit of Gen. i. 2 in the inferior sense.
Read the whole comment“But the earth was invisible, and unorganized, and darkness was over the abyss; and the Spirit of the Lord was hovering over the waters.”” — editor's note: Gen. i. 1, 2, and comp. the LXX.
Read the whole comment“Of him who gives not even the mundane spirit; or of Him “who maketh His angels spirits,” and whose Spirit it was which in the beginning hovered upon the waters.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
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John Damascene
“And this is just what the Scripture means when it says, And darkness was upon the deep; for its object is to shew that the air has not derived its light from itself, but that it is quite a different essence from light.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
Read the whole comment“And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
Read the whole comment“In the beginning, then, as the Holy Scripture says, it was hidden beneath the waters, and was unwrought, that is to say, not beautified.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
Read the whole comment“For from the beginning the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, and anew the Scripture witnesseth that water has the power of purification.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
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Cyril of Jerusalem
“Heaven is the dwelling-place of Angels, but the heavens are from the waters: the earth is the place of men, but the earth is from the waters: and before the whole six days’ formation of the things that were made, the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
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Augustine of Hippo
“And truly this earth was invisible and formless, and there was I know not what profundity of the deep upon which there was no light, because it had no form.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2, as rendered by the Old Ver. from the LXX.: ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος. Kalisch in his Commentary translates תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ: “dreariness and…
Read the whole comment“For it was invisible and “without form,” and there was a deep over which there was not light; or, darkness was over the deep, that is, more than in the deep.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
Read the whole comment“But the earth was invisible and without form, and darkness was upon the deep.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
Read the whole comment“How has corporeal matter deserved of Thee, to be even invisible and formless, since it were not even this hadst Thou not made it; and therefore since it was not, it could not deserve of Thee that it should be made?” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
Read the whole comment“For Thy good Spirit was borne over the waters, not borne up by them as if He rested upon them.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
Read the whole comment“And the earth was invisible, and without order; and darkness was over the abyss: and the Spirit of God moved over the waters.”” — editor's note: Gen. i. 1, 2.
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Origen
- Origen, De Principiis IV.3Book IV
“…in the language used by Moses in the beginning of Genesis: “In the beginning God made heaven and earth; and the earth was invisible, and not arranged:” for by the words “invisible and not arranged” Moses would seem to mean nothing else than shapeless matter.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2, “invisibilis et incomposita;” “inanis et vacua,” Vulg.
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Basil the Great
““The Earth was Invisible and Unfinished.”” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2, LXX.
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John Chrysostom
““In the beginning,” it is said, “God made the Heaven and the earth, and the earth was invisible and unformed.” ( Gen. i. 2.)” — the author cites it
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Jerome
“The Spirit of God above moved, as a charioteer, over the face of the waters, and produced from them the infant world, a type of the Christian child that is drawn from the laver of baptism.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
Read the whole comment“For it is not mere water which washes the soul, but it is itself first purified by the Spirit that it may be able to spiritually wash the souls of men.“The Spirit of the Lord,” says Moses, “moved upon the face of the waters,” from which it appears that there is no baptism without the Holy Ghost.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
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Ambrose of Milan
“In the very beginning, when God made the heaven and the earth, “the Spirit,” it is said, “moved upon the waters.”” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
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Gregory of Nazianzus
“Everything has reverted to the original state of things before the world, with its present fair order and form, came into being.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
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Aphrahat
“For in that hour in which the priests invoke the Spirit, the heavens open and it descends and moves upon the waters.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
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Leo the Great
“For as it is now day time and now night time, so the Creator has constituted divers kinds of luminaries, although even before they were made there had been days without the sun and nights without the moon.” — editor's note: He is of course following the Mosaic order of creation, where the creation of the day and night is ascribed to the first day and that of the Sun and Moon to…
Read the whole comment“No interpretation is required for understanding, no practice for using, no time for studying, but the Spirit of Truth blowing where He wills, the languages peculiar to each nation become common property in the mouth of the Church.” — editor's note: Cf. S. John iii. 8; and below, Gen. i. 2.
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Hippolytus of Rome
“This is the Spirit that at the beginning “moved upon the face of the waters;” by whom the world moves; by whom creation consists, and all things have life; who also wrought mightily in the prophets, and descended in flight upon Christ.” — editor's note: Gen. i. 2.
Read the whole comment“…produced prior to all the Ages, this is, he says, the seventh power, respecting which Moses utters the following words: “And the Spirit of God was wafted over the water;” that is, says (the Simonian), the Spirit which contains all things in itself, and is an image of the indefinite power about which Simon speaks,—“an…” — editor's note: “Brooded over” (see Gen. i. 2).
Read the whole comment“When, therefore, he says, Moses mentions that the rod was changeably brandished for the (introduction of the) plagues throughout Egypt—now these plagues, he says, are allegorically expressed symbols of the creation—he did not (as a symbol) for more plagues than ten shape the rod.” — editor's note: The plagues, being transformations, were no doubt considered symbols of creation, in accordance with the view of the ancient philosophers, that creation itself…
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Clement of Alexandria
“And it is added, “And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.”” — editor's note: Gen. i. 1–3.
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Cross-references · 33
Cited together in Catechism §703 and 2 other places.
Cited together in An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith II.9 and 1 other place.
Cited together in On the Mysteries Chapter 3.
Cited together in The City of God VIII.11.
Cited together in The Refutation of All Heresies VIII.7.
Cited together in On the Mysteries Chapter 3.
Cited together in Confessions XIII.4.
Cited together in On the Mysteries Chapter 3.
Cited together in An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith II.10.
Cited together in An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith II.10.
Cited together in Catechism §703 and 1 other place.
Cited together in Confessions XIII.4.
Cited together in An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith II.10.
Cited together in Catechism §292 and 1 other place.
Cited together in Confessions XII.8.
Cited together in An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith II.10.
Cited together in The Refutation of All Heresies VI.9.
Cited together in The Refutation of All Heresies VI.9 and 1 other place.
Cited together in Catechism §703.
Cited together in Catechism §703.
Cited together in Catechism §703.
Cited together in On Baptism Chapter 2.
Cited together in Catechism §243.
Cited together in Catechism §243.
Cited together in Catechism §243 and 1 other place.
Cited together in Sermons Sermon 75.
Cited together in Sermons Sermon 75.
Cited together in Sermons Sermon 75.
Cited together in On the Mysteries Chapter 3.
Cited together in On the Mysteries Chapter 3.
Cited together in The Refutation of All Heresies VI.9.
Cited together in Sermons Sermon 75.
Cited together in Sermons Sermon 75.