4. And God said, Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heaven to distinguish between the day and the night; and (in verse 18), to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light and the darkness (Castellio). (14) It is indicated in verse 3, that these great luminaries, or the sun and moon, existed in fact from the beginning of creation; for it is by the mediation of the sun that the herb and the tree are produced. But before the axillary motion was impressed on the earth, and thence its circumvolutory motion in its orbit around the sun; that is to say, before the earth pursued its path according to the signs of the zodiac, there were as yet no regular times, or times duly divided into days and years. This regular distinction of times, both into days and into years, is signified by these great luminaries, which God commanded to exist, that they might divide day from night, and might also make signs and times, and days and years; and that, shining in the liquid heaven, they might give light to the earth [Castellio]. (15) That, for the production of these times, the sun does not go around this little globe of our earth, but the earth goes around the sun; in other words, that the sun stands immovable in the centre of its universe, while the terrestrial globe goes around it, is indicated: in the words that follow, namely, That God set, or placed these luminaries in the liquid heaven. (17) Here no mention is made of its apparent circumgyration, but only that they were made, to govern the day and the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. (18) To this work is attributed a space of time which is called the fourth day; far when it was accomplished, From the evening and the morning came the fourth day. (19) In this same day also the moon and stars are said to have been produced, although they had existed before; but they could not become apparent, especially the stars, until the shades of night, and particularly of autumn and winter, had been first induced. And therefore on this fourth day, when regular times were introduced, it is said that the moon and stars also were created. This day therefore properly involves the production of times by the set alternations of the earth's circumvolution. For God made the lesser luminary to govern over the night; and the stars also. Therefore God here says, that He made luminaries (vs. 16), that they might give light to the earth (vs. 17). (16)
