2

For one angel from heaven, running down with a sword in the night, destroyed one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the foreigners, with none of them being strong enough to withstand the impulse of his right hand, so that the races of the foreigners might be taught not to sharpen a blasphemous tongue against God. So great a good it is, beloved, to pray and to render thanks to the Lord our God. But David the most wise, in the time of Saul the king of Israel, when the foreigners had encamped against the race of the Israelites, and had put forward one man for single combat, a giant in the strength of his body, greater than a giant in the judgment of his mind, speaking great things, and promising great things; this man was named Goliath, whose size the sons of the Hebrews, when they saw it, were seized with much cowardice and fear, avoiding the engagement of battle; but the shrewd David, knowing that the mass of a body avails nothing for victory, nor the array of weapons and horses (For a king is not saved by great power, and a giant will not be saved by the abundance of his strength; a horse is a false thing for salvation; and by the abundance of its power it will not be saved), taking five stones, a symbol of the Pentateuch given to them by God, the small one, the younger, the one despised by his own people and by the foreigners, striking him on the forehead with the cast of one stone, brought the arrogant giant down on his face.

And it is worthy of inquiry, beloved, how Goliath, having been struck 55.596 on the forehead, did not fall backwards, but was thrown down on his face. Is it not clear, that we must understand that an angel was standing behind the God-fighter, casting him forward onto his face. Thus it is a good thing to pray, and to give thanks to the Lord our God.

2. But the blessed Moses the people of the Hebrews from Egypt

having led them away, and having come to the streams of the Red Sea, and with the Egyptians having rushed upon them with a strong and numerous crowd, and the Hebrews being able neither to withstand the war, nor to secure their own salvation through flight; for before them the sea was spread out, preventing escape, and behind them the dark, sword-bearing people of the Egyptians was brandished against them; and as overjoyed as the Hebrews were at the thought of what had been accomplished, so much were they seized with fear upon suddenly seeing Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and were driven about confusedly by their worries, just as the sea is driven when violent winds blow upon it, so that they even dared, because of the excess of their fear, to say to Moses: Do you see how far matters have come, even to death itself, and how fear drags at our souls as if through mud? For already they threaten that we will become a feast for birds, understanding that we have come to our final end, and that our circumstances are altogether hopeless. What are you waiting for, Moses? It would have been better for us to die in Egypt, than to come out here to see our infants and our wives and ourselves become a feast and torn pieces for birds and land animals.

For Pharaoh, believing these things especially, is full of pain, and as if holding authority in his hands, acts arrogantly, and speaks insolently against God Himself. Then what does Moses say to them? Do not be afraid, nor be cowardly; Pray and give thanks to the Lord our God, and you will see the help from God being given to you. The Lord will fight for us, and you will be silent. And when such a prayer was offered up to God, immediately the wet sea was turned into dry land, and served them without hindrance. And it was possible to see, beloved, a wondrous sight, the sea that once foamed and murmured then being split, and a watery, dark-blue, black-colored, unbroken wall on either side enclosing Israel. And the water hung suspended for so long, until Israel, as when a man proceeding gently and on foot, had crossed the breadth of the sea.

2

Εἷς γὰρ ἄγγελος ἀπ' οὐρανῶν ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ξιφήρης καταδρα μὼν, ἑκατὸν ὀγδοηκονταπέντε χιλιάδας τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἀνῄρει, μηδενὸς αὐτῶν ἰσχύοντος πρὸς τὴν τῆς δεξιᾶς αὐτοῦ ὁρμὴν ἀντισχεῖν, ἵνα παιδευθῶσι τὰ τῶν ἀλλοφύ λων γένη κατὰ Θεοῦ γλῶσσαν βλάσφημον μὴ ὀξύνειν Τοσοῦτον ἀγαθόν ἐστιν, ἀγαπητοὶ, τὸ εὔξασθαι, καὶ ἀποδοῦναι Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν. ∆αυῒδ δὲ ὁ σοφώτατος, ἐπὶ Σαοὺλ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰσραὴλ, τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἐπι στρατοπεδευσάντων κατὰ τοῦ Ἰσραηλιτῶν γένους, καὶ ἕνα προβεβλημένων πρὸς μονομαχίαν ἄνδρα τῇ τοῦ σώματος ῥώμῃ γίγαντα, τῇ τῆς φρονήσεως γνώμῃ ὑπὲρ γίγαντα, μεγάλα λαλοῦντα, καὶ μεγάλα ἐπαγγελλόμενον· οὗτος δὲ ἦν ὀνόματι Γολιὰθ, οὗ τὸ μέγεθος Ἑβραίων παῖδες θεωρήσαντες, δειλίᾳ καὶ φόβῳ πιεσθέντες πολλῷ συνείχοντο, τὴν τοῦ πολέμου συμβολὴν ἀποφεύγοντες· γνοὺς δὲ ὁ ἀγχίνους ∆αυῒδ, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἰσχύει πρὸς νίκην ὁλκὴ σώματος, οὔτε ὅπλων καὶ ἵππων παράταξις (Οὐ σώζεται γὰρ βασιλεὺς διὰ πολλὴν δύναμιν, καὶ γίγας οὐ σωθήσεται ἐν πλήθει ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ· ψευδὴς ἵππος εἰς σωτηρίαν· ἐν δὲ πλήθει δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ οὐ σωθήσεται), λαβὼν πέντε λίθους, σύμβολον τῆς παρὰ Θεοῦ δεδομένης αὐτοῖς Πεντατεύχου, ὁ μικρὸς, ὁ νεώτε ρος, ὁ παρὰ τοῖς ἰδίοις καὶ τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις ἐξουδενωμέ νος, μιᾷ λίθου βολῇ κατὰ τοῦ μετώπου τύψας, ἐπὶ στόματος ἔφερε τὸν ὑπερήφανον γίγαντα.

Καὶ ἔστιν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ζητήσεως ἄξιον, πῶς κατὰ τοῦ μετώπου λαβὼν 55.596 ὁ Γολιὰθ, οὐκ εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἐτρέπετο, ἀλλὰ ἐπὶ πρόσ ωπον ἐῤῥήγνυτο. Ἦ δῆλον, ὅτι δεῖ νοεῖν ἡμᾶς, ὅτι ἄγγελος ἦν ἑστὼς ὄπισθεν τοῦ θεομάχου, ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτὸν ἀκοντίζων. Οὕτως ἀγαθόν ἐστι τὸ εὔξασθαι, καὶ ἀπο δοῦναι Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν.

βʹ. Μωϋσῆς δὲ ὁ μακάριος τὸν τῶν Ἑβραίων λαὸν ἐκ τῆς Αἰγύπτου

μεταναστήσας, καὶ ἐλθὼν παρὰ τὰ ῥεῖθρα τῆς ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης, καὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων μετὰ ὄχλου ἰσχυροῦ καὶ πολυαρίθμου ἐπιδραμόντων, τῶν δὲ Ἑβραίων μὴ δυναμένων μηδὲ τῷ πολέμῳ ἀντιστῆναι, μηδὲ διὰ τῆς φυγῆς τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν περιποιήσασθαι· ἔμ προσθεν γὰρ αὐτοῖς θάλασσα ἥπλωτο φυγεῖν κωλύουσα, καὶ ὄπισθεν ὁ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων σκοτεινὸς λαὸς ξιφήρης αὐτοῖς ἐπεσείετο· καὶ ὅσον περιχαρεῖς ἦσαν οἱ Ἑβραῖοι ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν πεπραγμένων ἐννοίᾳ, τοσοῦτον ἀθρόως θεωρήσαντες τὸν Φαραὼ καὶ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους, τῷ φόβῳ συνείχοντο, καὶ ἠλαύνοντο χύδην ταῖς φροντίσιν, ὅπερ ἐλαύνεται θάλασσα σφοδρῶν πνευσάντων ἀνέμων εἰς αὐτὴν, ὡς καὶ ἀποτολμήσαντας διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τοῦ φόβου λέγειν πρὸς τὸν Μωϋσέα· Ὁρᾷς ὅσον καὶ ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἥκει τὰ πράγματα τὴν τελευτὴν, καὶ ὥσπερ εἰς τὰς ψυ χὰς ἡμῶν ἰλυσπᾶται ὁ φόβος; Ἤδη γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἀπειλοῦσι ὀρνέων θοίνην γενέσθαι, συνιέντες ὡς εἰς ἐσχάτην ἥκαμεν, καὶ ὅτι παντάπασιν ἄπορά ἐστι τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς. Τί μέλλεις, Μωϋσῆ; Βέλτιον ἦν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ τεθνάναι ἡμᾶς, ἢ ἐνταῦθα ἐξελθόντας ἰδεῖν τὰ νήπια ἡμῶν καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ὀρνέων καὶ χερσαίων θοίνην καὶ σπαράγματα γιγνομένους.

Τούτοις γὰρ μάλιστα πιστεύσας ὁ Φαραὼ ὀδύνης γέμει, καὶ ὡς ἐν χερσὶν ἔχων τὸ κῦρος, αὐθαδιάζεται, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν Θεὸν θρα συστομεῖ. Τότε Μωϋσῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς τί φησι; Μὴ φοβεῖσθε, μηδὲ δειλιᾶτε· Εὔξασθε καὶ ἀποδῶτε Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν, καὶ ὄψεσθε τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ βοήθειαν ὑμῖν διδομένην. Κύριος πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ὑμεῖς δὲ σιωπήσεσθε. Τῆς δὲ τοιαύτης εὐχῆς πρὸς Θεὸν ἀναδο θείσης, εὐθὺς ἡ ὑγρὰ θάλασσα εἰς ξηρὰν μετεστρέφετο, καὶ ἀνεμποδίστως αὐτοῖς καθυπούργει. Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν, ἀγαπητοὶ, θαυμαστὸν θέαμα, τήν ποτε ἀφρομορφωμυ ροῦσαν θάλασσαν τότε σχιζομένην, καὶ τεῖχος δίυγρον, κυανόχροον, μελανόχροον, ἀῤῥαγὲς ἑκατέρωθεν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ περιφρασσόμενον. Καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἀπῃωρεῖτο κρεμαμένη τὸ ὕδωρ, ἕως τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ὡς ὅτε ἄνθρωπος ἠρέμα καὶ βάδην πορευόμενος, τὸ τῆς θαλάσσης ὑπήρ χετο πλάτος.