SEVERIAN OF GABALA Homilies on Creation and Fall On the first day of creation1 Our souls’ improvement is the whole purpose of religious devotion; all the lessons stemming from religious devotion have regard to this business of saving our souls. The Word of God, for instance, is also concerned with this, the law of Moses supplies a basis for it, the spiritual statements of the Old Testament authors proclaim it, the New Testament authors cry aloud about it with mouths that are never silent2