Early Christian Beliefs About the Firmament
Early Christians often read the firmament as a real part of creation, and many said there were waters above it. Writers like Theophilus of Antioch, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Novatian, and Victorinus repeat Genesis 1 and Psalm 148:4 in this way. Some also explained the waters above the heavens as part of God’s ordered world, not just a figure of speech.
110 early-church witnesses · 166 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about the Firmament and the Waters Above?
Early Christian writers often treated the firmament as a real feature of God’s ordered creation, and several also said there is water above it. Theophilus of Antioch, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Novatian, Victorinus, and the Apostolic Constitutions all repeat Genesis language about God dividing the waters and calling the firmament heaven.
Origen and Hippolytus also connect Psalm 148:4 to waters above the heavens, while Theophilus says the visible heaven was called firmament and half the water was taken up for rain, showers, and dew. The evidence is broad across the 2nd and 3rd centuries, though some texts are mainly biblical repetition, some are theological explanation, and a few use symbolic or speculative language about heavenly regions.
Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Theophilus of Antioch says the visible heaven was called the firmament and that part of the water was taken up above it.
- Tertullian, Hippolytus, Novatian, and Victorinus also speak of waters above the firmament or heaven.
- Origen ties Psalm 148:4 to waters above the heavens, showing that early Christians used that verse in this teaching.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians teach that God made the firmament to divide waters above from waters below?
Multiple early writers quote Genesis 1 and describe God making the firmament in the midst of the waters, dividing the waters below from the waters above. These sources present the passage as part of creation’s ordered structure.
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Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Direct teaching
..., "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." And God saw that the light was good, clearly made good for man. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the middle of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters," and it was so. And God made the firmament, and separated the waters under the firmament from the waters above the firmament. And God called the firmament Heaven, and God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, "Let the water under heaven be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear," and it was so. And the waters were gathered together into their places, and the dry land appeared. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas, and God saw that it was good. And God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed after its kind and in its likeness, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, whose seed is in itself, in its likeness," and it was so
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Tertullian, On Baptism Direct teaching
...which God afterward established the ordering of the world? He caused the suspension of the heavenly firmament in the midst by dividing the waters. He accomplished the suspension of the dry land by separating the waters. After the world had then been set in order through its elements, and inhabitants were given to it, the waters were the first to receive the command to bring forth living creatures. Water was the first to produce what had life, so that in baptism it might be no wonder if waters know how to give life. For was not the work of forming man himself also carried out with the help of waters? Suitable material is found in the earth, yet it is not fit for the purpose unless it is moist and juicy. The waters, having been separated four days earlier into their own place, temper the earth with their remaining moisture to a clay-like consistency. If, from that time onward, I go on recounting more generally, or at greater length, the proofs of the authority of this element that I can bring forward, to show how great its power or its grace is, how many ingenious devices, how many functions, how useful an instrumentality it provides to the world, I fear that I may seem to have ga
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching
...beginning, You brought the disordered parts into order. You divided the waters from the waters by a firmament, and put in them a spirit of life. You fixed the earth, stretched out the heaven, and arranged every creature with exact order. For by Your power, O Lord, the world is made beautiful. The heaven is fixed like an arch over us and made glorious with stars for our comfort in the darkness. The light also and the sun were begotten for the days and for the producing of fruit, and the moon for the changing of the seasons by its waxing and waning. One was called Night, and the other Day. And the firmament was set in the midst of the abyss, and You commanded the waters to be gathered together and the dry land to appear. But as for the sea itself, who can possibly describe it? It comes with fury from the ocean, yet it runs back again, being stopped by the sand at Your command. For You have said, "Thereby shall her waves be broken," Job 38:11. You have also made it able to support small and great creatures, and made it fit for ships to travel on. Then the earth became green and was planted with all kinds of flowers and with many different trees. And the shining lights, which nouris
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Hippolytus, Exegetical Fragments Direct teaching
And let it divide the water from the water. And it was so. And God made the firmament. And God divided the water under the firmament from the water above the firmament. And it was so.
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness
who fixed the earth, and stretch out the heaven, and disposed every creature by an accurate constitution.
Did early Christians say there were waters above the heavens?
Several writers explicitly cite Psalm 148:4 and speak of waters above the heavens. Some connect this to prayer, hope, or divine order, while others use the line as part of their interpretation of creation.
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Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Direct teaching
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament.
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Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness
for David long ago brought to view the profundity and multitude of the thoughts concerning God entertained by those who have ascended above visible things, when he said in the book of Psalms: Praise God, you heaven of heavens and you waters that be above the heavens, let them praise the name of the Lord .
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Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching
but we maintain that the heaven is neither Jupiter nor God, as we indeed know that certain beings of a class inferior to God have ascended above the heavens and all visible nature: and in this sense we understand the words, Praise God, you heaven of heavens, and you waters that be above the heavens: let them praise the name of the Lord .
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Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness
And therefore we hope, after the troubles and struggles which we suffer here, to reach the highest heavens, and receiving, agreeably to the teaching of Jesus, the fountains of water that spring up unto eternal life, and being filled with the rivers of knowledge, shall be united with those waters that are said to be above the heavens, and which praise His name.
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Hippolytus, Discourse on the Holy Theophany Supporting witness
And to this the prophet himself is a witness, when he exclaims, Praise the Lord, you heavens of heavens, and the water that is above the heavens.
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Psalms 148:4 Background
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
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Genesis 1:7 Background
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
Did early Christians identify the firmament with heaven?
The supplied sources include early Christian statements that the firmament was called heaven or described as the heaven above the world. This is presented as part of their reading of Genesis rather than as a separate speculative doctrine.
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Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse Direct teaching
...r all things. That is, heaven covers all things. At the command of God it had been made firm into a firmament from the flowing material of the waters, so that the strong hardness that divides the midst of the waters which formerly covered the earth might sustain, as if on its back, the weight of the water lying above it, its strength being established by frost. And moreover, wheels lie below, that is, the seasons, by which all the members of the world are always being rolled onward. Feet are added, by which these things do not stand still forever, but pass onward. And throughout all their limbs they are set with eyes, for the works of God must be looked upon with ever-watchful attention. In the midst, at the heart of these things, there is a fire of glowing embers, either because this world of ours is hurrying toward the fiery day of judgment, or because all the works of God are fiery and are not dark, but flourish. Or again, lest, because these things had arisen from earthly beginnings, they should by nature be inactive from the stiffness of their origin, the hot nature of an inward spirit was added to all things. And this nature, joined together with the cold bodies, might ser
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Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Direct teaching
... the very beginning of the history and origin of the world, Holy Scripture did not speak about this firmament that we see, but about another heaven, which is invisible to us. After that, this heaven that we see was called firmament. And to it half of the water was taken up, so that it might serve mankind for rains, showers, and dew. And half of the water was left on earth for rivers, springs, and seas. Then, since the water covered all the earth, especially its hollow places, God, through His Word, next caused the waters to be gathered into one place, and the dry land to become visible, though before it had been invisible. And when the earth became visible, it still had no form. Therefore God formed it and adorned it with all kinds of herbs, seeds, and plants.
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Tertullian, Against Hermogenes Supporting witness
how that God both separated the water which was below the firmament from that which was above the firmament, Genesis 1:7 and called the firmament heaven, — the very thing He had created in the beginning.
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Novatian, Treatise Concerning the Trinity Supporting witness
that is, the heaven covering all things, which at the command of God had been consolidated into a firmament from the fluent material of the waters, that the strong hardness that divides the midst of the waters that covered the earth before, might sustain as if on its back the weight of the superincumbent water, its strength being established by the frost.
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Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse Supporting witness
...s punishment, an immortality of guilt. Nevertheless, in the higher regions, that is, above even the firmament itself, in regions that are not now seen by our eyes, He previously ordained angels. He arranged spiritual powers. He placed thrones and powers in command. He also founded many other endless spaces of heavens, and boundless works of His mysteries. So this world, great as it is, might almost seem to be the latest work of bodily things rather than the only one. And truly, what lies beneath the earth is not itself without powers distributed and arranged. For there is a place where the souls of the just and the unjust are taken, conscious of the anticipated sentences of future judgment. Thus we may see the overflowing greatness of God's works in every direction, not shut up within the bosom of this world, spacious as it is, as we have said, but also able to conceive of them beneath both the abysses and the depths of the world itself. And so, by considering the greatness of the works, we should rightly admire the Artificer of such a structure.
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Hippolytus, Discourse on the Holy Theophany Supporting witness
So necessary is the element of water; for the other elements took their places beneath the highest vault of the heavens, but the nature of water obtained a seat also above the heavens.
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Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Background
...r them." Deuteronomy 4:19 And Isaiah himself also says, "Thus says the Lord God who established the heavens, and founded the earth and all that is in it, and gives breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk in it. This is the Lord your God." Isaiah 42:5 And again, through him He says, "I have made the earth, and man upon it. I by my hand have established the heavens." Isaiah 45:12 And in another chapter, "This is your God, who created the ends of the earth; He hungers not, neither is weary, and there is no searching of His understanding." Isaiah 40:28 So too, Jeremiah says, "Who has made the earth by His power, and established the world by His wisdom, and by His discretion has stretched out the heavens, and a mass of water in the heavens, and He caused the clouds to ascend from the ends of the earth; He made lightnings with rain, and brought forth winds out of His treasures." Jeremiah 10:12-13 One can see how consistently and harmoniously all the prophets spoke, having spoken through one and the same Spirit concerning the unity of God, and the creation of the world, and the formation of man. Moreover, they were in sore travail, grieving over the godless race of m
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Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Background
and having suspended the light elements on high, and depressed the heavy ones to the depths below, He strengthened the heavenly things, and established the earthly.
Common Questions
Did early Christians believe there were waters above the heavens?
Yes, many of them did, especially when reading Genesis 1:7 and Psalm 148:4. Theophilus, Tertullian, Hippolytus, and Origen all refer to waters above the heavens or firmament.
Did early Christians see the firmament as part of creation?
Yes. Several writers describe God making the firmament, dividing the waters, and calling the firmament heaven as part of creation’s order.
Which early Christian writer explains the waters above the firmament most clearly?
Theophilus of Antioch gives one of the clearest explanations, saying the visible heaven was called firmament and that half the water was taken up for rain, showers, and dew.
Source Index for the Firmament and the Waters Above
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 136 ranked source links from 166 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 136 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 110
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
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Hermas, Connection to 2 Peter 3:5
Bible Passages 56 included
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.