tiful look about it, he makes it perfectly clear that he was now casting up trees
304 The Literal Meaning ofGenesis from him, are enough to indicate to us that none of this belongs to that work of God from which he rested on the seventh day, but rather to this at which he goes on working through the march of time until now. When Paradise, you see, was being planted, this is how he tells the story: And Godplanted Paradise in Eden to the East, andput the man there whom he had molded. And God still cast upfrom the earth every tree that had a beautiful look about it and was goodfor eating (Gn 2:8-9).
4. So when he says, he still cast upfrom the earth every tree that had a beau tiful look about it, he makes it perfectly clear that he was now casting up trees from the earth quite differently from the way the earth then on the third day produced grass for fodder, seeding seed according to its kind, and fruit trees according to their kind. This surely is the force ofhe still cast up: over and above, that is to say, what he had already cast up. Then, of course, it was done poten tially, causally, in the work involved in creating all things together simulta neously, from which he rested on the seventh day when they were completed; whereas now it was being done visibly in the work belonging to the march of time.
6. Unless maybe someone wants to say that not every kind of tree was created on the third day, but that some kinds were put aside to be created on the sixth, when the man was made and established in Paradise. But scripture states in the clearest terms what things were created on the sixth day, namely "live soul" exemplified in every kind of quadruped and crawling thing and beast, and man himself to the image of God, male and female. Now it could indeed pass over how the man was made, while telling us all the same that he was made on that day, in order to take up the story later on of exactly how he had been made—that is, from the dust of the earth, and the woman for him from his side. But it could not possibly pass over any specific kind of creature, either when God said Let it be made or Let us make, or when it says Thus it was made, or God made. Other wise it would have been pointless to distinguish things so carefully for every single day, if we could be left with any suspicion of the days being mixed up, so that while grass and trees were allotted to the third day, we were to believe that some trees were also created on the sixth day, which scripture kept quiet about on the sixth day itself.
5, 7. Finally, what answer shall we give about the beasts of the field and the flying things of heaven, which God brought to Adam, to see what he would call them? Here is what the text says: And the Lord God said: lt is not goodfor the man to be alone; let us makeforhim a help suited to him. And God stillfashioned from the earth all the beasts ofthefieldand all theflying things ofheaven, and he brought them toAdam to see what he would call them; and everything thatAdam called a live soul, that is its name. AndAdam gave names to all cattle and to all theflying things ofheaven and to all the beasts ofthefield. ForAdam, however.