From the present history we learn many things, and that it is possible to wage war with words, and for great matters to be managed, and to be accomplished through words; and the saints indeed wage war with words of prayers; but the impious with words of sorceries. From the same. The opposing power never does a good work, but accomplishes all things in the worst way; and what evil it will work, it cannot restore to the better, for it does not have the order of the better. But for the better power, all things are possible. For our God makes to grieve, and again restores, but He does not have it in Him to work evil; for He is good not only by habit, but also by essence. From the same. Among human things there are also certain accomplished divinations, and sacrifices, and certain gifts offered to demons; so that through these offerings those who wish may divine. But each thing is a divination. For it is not a true prophecy. And the Lord came to him. In truth 12.580 a divine power came to Balaam, not having been summoned by him. It came, therefore, to make an averting of the demons summoned by Balaam, and to manage the divine prophecies. And the angel of God rose up to oppose him on the way. The angel opposing Balaam in the way, is this not he of whom God said to Moses that 'My angel goes before you, guarding you in the way?' Go with these men. God did not permit Balaam to go to Balak; but since he wished to go, He allows it. But He commands him to say only the things revealed; and the angel, appearing and frightening him, confirms this. Build for me seven altars. And there are works done through the body of another, both among the better and among the worse. Such as the things done in Egypt by Moses and Aaron and the enchanters. But the divine power, being compared with the opposing power in the presence of those who doubt, this divine power conquers, as the rod of Moses swallowed the rods of the enchanters. From the same. Balaam was accustomed to summon the demons by serving them with these same sacrifices. For such sacrifices were performed in the world for the demons. For this reason, therefore, God demands sacrifices from the first people, so that through the offering to God, the offering to demons might be abolished, even though they were especially symbols. From the same. The Savior, therefore, having become man, sent his disciples to loose the donkey, that is, from the bonds with which the opposing power, the spiritual Balaam, had bound it; and having loosed it, they brought it to Jesus, and placing their garments on the donkey, that is, the virtues of the Gospel; and the Savior, having sat upon it, entered into the holy city. And Balak took Balaam to the summit of Peor. Balak supposed the art of Balaam to be measured by places. Therefore he took him to the summit of Peor, thinking the magician would be able from there to curse the people of God. Peor is interpreted as seasoning, or skin of the mouth, that is, the height of love of pleasure, and the deadness of reason. From which things Balaam attempted to curse the people of God. From the same. There are two summits, that is, of the highest virtue and of wickedness; and Moses has ascended to the height of virtue, but Balaam to the height of wickedness. He did not go, as was his custom, to meet the omens. This Balaam is a symbol of the people from the nations who formerly followed omens, but having known that it is displeasing to the Lord, did not continue; but indeed he is also interpreted as a vain 12.581 people, and the son of Beor is interpreted as 'of skin'. The 'vain' was according to the former state of the nations, and 'Beor' that of being in vanity and in deadness, clearly according to the former state. The man who truly sees. I, who was once Balaam, the vain people, having opened the inner eyes of my mind, and having seen the spiritual Israel of old, and the dispensation concerning him, am made worthy of the Holy Spirit. It does not befit the former Balaam to say, 'The man who truly sees says,' and what follows,

προκειμένης ἱστορίας μανθάνομεν πολλὰ, καὶ ὅτι ἔστι στρατεύεσθαι λόγοις, καὶ μεγάλα πράγματα οἰκονομεῖσθαι, καὶ κατορθοῦσθαι διὰ λόγων· καὶ οἱ μὲν ἅγιοι στρατεύονται λόγοις εὐχῶν· οἱ δὲ ἀσεβεῖς λόγοις μαγειῶν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ἡ ἐναντία δύναμις οὐδέποτε ποιεῖ ἔργον καλὸν, ἀλλὰ πάντα χείριστα ἐνεργεῖ· καὶ ὅπερ ἐνεργήσει κακὸν, οὐ δύναται ἀποκαταστῆσαι εἰς τὸ βέλτιον, οὐ γὰρ ἔχει τάξιν τοῦ κρείττονος. Τῇ δὲ κρείττονι δυνάμει πάντα δυνατά. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἀλγεῖν ποιεῖ, καὶ πάλιν ἀποκαθίστησιν, ἐνεργῆσαι δὲ κακὸν οὐκ ἔχει· οὐ γὰρ καθ' ἕξιν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατ' οὐσίαν ἀγαθός ἐστιν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις ἐστί τινα καὶ μαντεῖα τετελεσμένα, καὶ θυσίαι, καί τινα δῶρα προσφερόμενα τοῖς δαίμοσιν· ὥστε διὰ τούτων προσ φερομένων μαντεύεσθαι τοὺς βουλομένους. Μαν τεῖα δέ ἐστιν ἕκαστον πρᾶγμα. Οὐ γὰρ ἀληθὴς πρόῤῥησις. Καὶ ἦλθεν ὁ Κύριος πρὸς αὐτόν. Κατὰ ἀλήθειαν 12.580 θεία δύναμις παρεγένετο πρὸς Βαλαὰμ οὐ κληθεῖσα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Παρεγένετο οὖν, ἵνα ἀποτροπιασμὸν ποιή σῃ τῶν καλουμένων ὑπὸ τοῦ Βαλαὰμ δαιμόνων, καὶ τὰς θείας προῤῥήσεις οἰκονομήσῃ. Καὶ ἀνέστη ὁ ἄγγελος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνδιαβάλλειν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ. Ὁ ἐνδιαβάλλων ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ἄγγελος τὸν Βαλαὰμ, ἆρα μὴ οὗτός ἐστι περὶ οὗ εἶ πεν ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς τὸν Μωϋσῆν ὅτι «Ἄγγελός μου προ πορεύεται ἔμπροσθεν ὑμῶν διαφυλάσσων ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ;» Συμπορεύθητι μετὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τούτων. Οὐκ ἐπέτρεψε τῷ Βαλαὰμ ὁ Θεὸς ἀπελθεῖν πρὸς τὸν Βα λάκ· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀπελθεῖν ἐβούλετο, συγχωρεῖ. Παρ αγγέλλει δὲ αὐτῷ μόνα τὰ ἀποκαλυπτόμενα εἰπεῖν· καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος δὲ φανεὶς καὶ φοβήσας τοῦτο βεβαιοῖ. Οἰκοδόμησόν μοι ἑπτὰ βωμούς. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ διὰ σώματος ἑτέρου ἔργα γινόμενα, καὶ ἐν τοῖς κρείτ τοσι καὶ ἐν τοῖς χείροσιν. Οἷον ὡς τὰ γινόμενα ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ὑπὸ Μωϋσῆ καὶ Ἀαρὼν καὶ τῶν ἐπαοιδῶν. Ἀλλὰ συγκρινομένη ἡ θεία δύναμις πρὸς τὴν ἀντι κειμένην κατὰ πρόσωπον τῶν ἀμφιβαλλόντων, αὕτη ἡ θεία δύναμις νικᾷ ὡς ἡ ῥάβδος Μωϋσῆ τὰς τῶν ἐπαοιδῶν ῥάβδους κατέπιεν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Εἰώθει ὁ Βαλαὰμ ταῖς αὐταῖς θυσίαις θεραπεύων προσκαλεῖσθαι τοὺς δαίμονας. Τοιαῦται γὰρ αἱ θυσίαι ἐτελοῦντο ἐν κόσμῳ τοῖς δαίμοσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὖν ὁ Θεὸς θυσίαις ἀπαιτεῖ τὸν πρῶτον λαὸν, ἵνα διὰ τὸ προσφέρεσθαι τῷ Θεῷ, καταργηθῇ τὸ προσφέρεσθαι τοῖς δαίμοσιν εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα σύμ βολα ἦσαν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ἐνανθρωπήσας οὖν ὁ Σωτὴρ ἀπέστειλε τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἵνα λύσωσι τὴν ὄνον, τουτέστιν ἐκ τῶν δεσμῶν ὧν ἔδησεν ἡ ἀντικειμένη δύναμις, ὁ νοητὸς Βαλαάμ· καὶ λύσαντες ἤγαγον πρὸς τὸν Ἰη σοῦν, καὶ ἐπιθέντες τῇ ὄνῳ τὰ ἱμάτια, τουτέστι τὰς ἀρετὰς τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου· καὶ ἐπικαθίσας αὐτῇ ὁ Σω τὴρ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν. Καὶ παρέλαβε Βαλὰκ τὸν Βαλαὰμ ἐπὶ τὴν κο ρυφὴν τοῦ Φογώρ. Ὑπελάμβανεν ὁ Βαλὰκ μεμε τρημένην τὴν τέχνην τοῦ Βαλαὰμ ἐν τοῖς τόποις. ∆ιὸ παρελάμβανεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν κορυφὴν τοῦ Φογὼρ, οἰόμενος ἰσχύειν τὸν μάγον ἐκεῖθεν ἀράσασθαι τὸν λαὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν Βαλαάμ. Φογὼρ δὲ ἑρμηνεύεται ἡδυσμὸς, ἢ στόματος δέρμα, τουτέστιν, ἀκρότης φιληδονίας, καὶ νεκρότης λόγου. Ἐξ ὧν ἐπειρᾶτο ἀράσασθαι τὸν λαὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ Βαλαάμ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. ∆ύο εἰσὶ κορυφαὶ, τουτέστιν ἀκροτάτης ἀρετῆς καὶ τῆς κακίας· καὶ ὁ μὲν Μωϋσῆς ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀναβέβηκεν, ὁ δὲ Βαλαὰμ ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς κακίας. Οὐκ ἐπορεύθη κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς αὐτῷ εἰς συνάντησιν τοῖς οἰωνοῖς. Σύμβολόν ἐστιν ὁ Βαλαὰμ οὗτος τοῦ ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν λαοῦ ὅστις ἐπηκολούθει τοῖς οἰωνοῖς τὸ πρότερον, γνοὺς δὲ ὅτι ἀκόρεστόν ἐστι Κυρίῳ, οὐ προσέθετο· ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ἑρμηνεύεται μάταιος 12.581 λαὸς, υἱὸς δὲ Βεὼρ ἑρμηνεύεται δερμάτινος. Τὸ μὲν μάταιος ἦν κατὰ τὸ πρότερον τῶν ἐθνῶν, Βεὼρ δὲ τοῦ ἐν ματαιότητι καὶ ἐν νεκρότητι κατὰ τὸ πρό- τερον δηλονότι. Ἄνθρωπος ὁ ἀληθινῶς ὁρῶν. Ἐγὼ ὁ ποτὲ Βαλαὰμ, ὁ λαὸς ὁ μάταιος, διανοίξας τοὺς ἔσω μου ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ νοὸς, καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν πνευματικόν ποτε Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ τὴν κατ' αὐτὸν οἰκονομίαν, τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἀξιοῦμαι. Οὐχ ἁρμόζει τῷ ποτὲ Βαλαὰμ τὸ, «Φησὶν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ἀληθινῶς ὁρῶν,» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς,