Babylonian Talmud

English

And R. Yehudah said in the name of Rav, Ten things were created on the first day, and they are these: Heaven and earth, chaos and desolation, light and darkness, wind and waters, the measure of the day and the measure of the night. "Heaven and earth", as it is written, (Genesis 1:1) "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Chaos and desolation, as it is written, (Genesis 1:2) "And the earth was chaos and desolation." Light and darkness, darkness as it is written, (Genesis 1:2) "and darkness was upon the face of the deep," light as it is written, (Genesis 1:2) "And God said, Let there be light." Wind and water, as it is written, (Genesis 1:3) "and the wind of God floated upon the face of the waters." The measure of the day and the measure of the night, as it is written, (Genesis 1:5) "And there was evening and there was morning, one day."

Sefaria Community Translation · cc0

Hebrew / Aramaic

b. Chagigah 12a (Vilna) · cc-by-sa

Notes

Rav Yehuda in Rav's name lists ten things made on the first day, and the tenth pair is proof-texted from our verse: the measure of the day and the measure of the night, 'and there was evening and there was morning, one day.' The day's own measure is itself a creature of day one — which is the rabbinic way of answering the question the Latin bench asks as 'what kind of day was it, with no sun?' Hugh of St Victor's dies naturalis is the same instinct in computistical dress.

Threads

• → parallel · Augustine
  Both answer the question 'what is contained in heaven and earth?' — and answer it in opposite modes. Rav Yehudah in Rav's name enumerates: ten things were created on the first day, and heaven and earth head the list, each proved from its verse. Augustine generalises: by the name of heaven and earth the whole creation is signified, put in visible words for the weakness of little ones. An enumeration and a generalisation of the same clause, at roughly the same date, with no contact.
• → parallel · Bereshit Rabbah
  Both list what was made on day one and both must decide whether anything besides God was there. Chagigah counts ten things and includes the measures of day and night from our verse; Bereshit Rabbah rules that nothing at all was created on the first day, so that no partner in creation can be alleged.