This is in the style of exegesis hitherto popular.  To hearers familiar with exegesis of the school of Origen, it is an innovation for Basil to adopt such an exclusively literal system of exposition as he does,—e.g. in Hom. IX. on the Hexæmeron,—the system which is one of his distinguishing characteristics. Im Allgemeinen und im Grundsatze aber ist Basil gegen die allegorische Erkärungsweise, so oft er sie dann auch im Einzelnen anwendet.  Böhringer, Basil, p. 116.  In his common-sense literalism he is thus a link with the historical school of Antioch, whose principles were in contrast with those of Origen and the Alexandrians, a school represented by Theodore of Mopsuestia, Diodorus of Tarsus, and later by Theodoret. cf. Gieseler i. p. 109.