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of trees, the unripe, the ripe, those in plains, those by the sea, those by lakes, those by rivers, those by springs, those in the mountains. One Word was at work, and the earth received its proper comeliness. Explain to me, O Jew, how this is; but you cannot. Do you see how error is tripped up by itself? Pay close attention. For as I was saying, whenever God is about to administer something that seems unbelievable to men, He provides beforehand the type and the shadow, so that the truth, by not coming suddenly, might not cast them into unbelief. It was necessary for the Son of God to come down, and to baptize the human race, and to drown the old man, and to submerge the one wishing to renew sin, and to bring back the blessing, and to abolish the curse, and to bestow righteousness, and to make men angels; He was about to take an adulterer, and make him a son; which indeed He also did; He was about to take one not worthy of earth, and make him worthy of heaven. Since, therefore, this was a great and unbelievable wonder to many, how the same nature drowns and justifies the one man, abolishes sin, and brings back the truth; so that the Jews might not say, 'The Christians' stories are a myth, how is it possible for the same water to drown one and give life to another?' The water is one, and how can it have two effects? What then does God preordain, so that the shamelessness of the Jews may be refuted? The sons of Israel were worn out in Egypt, in their labors, and bound to brick-making and other toils; and they cried out weeping and saying, 'Who will deliver us from the slavery of the Egyptians?' 'We are perishing, we are utterly destroyed in these evil works.' What then? God heard them, and sends Moses, having armed him with signs and wonders. Moses came bringing the punishments against Pharaoh; he brought on an army of wicked locusts, he commanded the locust-grub, and it came; he changed the water into blood, he caused boils to break out on 50.743 men and on the four-footed animals. Then, when after these plagues Pharaoh did not yield, God finally brings the death of the firstborn; then, to cut the story short—for it is necessary to be brief, so that by dwelling on the same things we may not fail to fulfill our promise—they went out from the land of Egypt, and came to the sea. Pharaoh encamped behind them with a multitude of chariots and horses; and when Israel saw the battle-line, it was afraid. And they came to the shore of the sea; and God says to Moses, 'Why do you cry to me?' And yet Moses was saying nothing. But He says, 'I am God, hearing not only the things from the lips, but also knowing the things in the heart, so that you may learn that prayer is not in shouting, but in the disposition.' 'Why do you cry to me?' For his lips were not speaking, but his heart was crying out; for prayer is sought from a good disposition, not from a strong cry. 'Why do you cry to me? Stretch out the rod in your hand over the water, and pass through, you and all Israel.' And Moses stretched out the rod in his hand, and struck the water, and the unruly current of the waters became dry land, and it forgot its own nature. For such is the element, whenever God gives a sign, even it forgets its own nature, and restrains its energy. For like a well-disposed handmaid, the sea, seeing its Master's servant, obeyed and hearkened; and it obeyed, not revering the dry wood, but on account of the One who was to be crucified on the wood. It saw, therefore, the image, and immediately it understood the truth, and it drew back. 'Pass through,' it says, 'you and all the people of Israel.' Then he and all Israel passed through; and the Egyptians also followed, pursuing them, both Pharaoh and his chariots and his horsemen. Then, when the sons of Israel had passed through, the water came on and covered the Egyptians. Tell me then, O Jew, how the water of baptism has two effects, and drowns one, but gives life to another? tell me, how did that sea, being one in nature, give life to some, and kill others, drown some, but become a path for others, and yet the unruly current of the waters was one? and

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δένδρων, τὰ ἄωρα, τὰ ὥριμα, τὰ ἐν πεδίοις, τὰ παρὰ θάλασσαν, τὰ παρὰ λίμνας, τὰ παρὰ ποταμοὺς, τὰ παρὰ πηγὰς, τὰ ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι. Λόγος εἷς ἦν ὁ ἐργαζόμενος, καὶ ἡ γῆ τὴν οἰκείαν εὐπρέπειαν ἀπελάμβανεν. Ἑρμήνευσόν μοι, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, πῶς τοῦτο· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔχεις. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἡ πλάνη παρ' ἑαυτῆς ὑποσκελίζεται; Πρόσεχε ἀκριβῶς. Ὡς γὰρ ἔλεγον, ὅταν μέλλῃ ὁ Θεὸς διοικεῖν τι πρᾶγμα ἄπιστον δοκοῦν εἶναι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, προλαμβάνει τὸν τύπον καὶ τὴν σκιὰν, ἵνα μὴ αἰφνίδιον ἐλθοῦσα ἡ ἀλήθεια εἰς ἀπιστίαν αὐτοὺς ἐμβάλῃ. Ἔδει κατελθεῖν τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ βαπτίσαι τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος, καὶ τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀποπνῖξαι, καὶ τὸν ἀνανεῶσαι θέλοντα τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καταποντίσαι, καὶ τὴν εὐλογίαν ἐπαναγαγεῖν, καὶ τὴν κατάραν ἀφανίσαι, καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην χαρίσασθαι, καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀγγέλους ποιῆσαι· μοιχὸν ἔμελλε λαμβάνειν, καὶ υἱὸν ποιεῖν· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐποίησε· μὴ ὄντα ἄξιον γῆς ἤμελλε λαμβάνειν, καὶ ἄξιον οὐρανοῦ ποιεῖν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τοῦτο μέγα ἦν τὸ θαῦμα καὶ ἄπιστον τοῖς πολλοῖς, πῶς ἡ αὐτὴ φύσις τὸν ἕνα ἄνθρωπον πνίγει καὶ δικαιοῖ, τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀφανίζει, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπανάγει· ἵνα οὖν μὴ λέγωσιν Ἰουδαῖοι, μῦθος τὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν, πῶς οἷόν τε τὸ αὐτὸ ὕδωρ τὸν μὲν πνίγειν, τὸν δὲ ζωοποιεῖν; ἕν ἐστι τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ πῶς δύναται δύο ἐνεργείας ἔχειν; Τί οὖν προδιοικεῖ ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα ἡ ἀναισχυντία τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐλέγχηται; Οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ κατεπονοῦντο ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις, καὶ τῇ πλίνθῳ προσηλωμένοι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις πονήμασι· καὶ ἐβόων κλαίοντες καὶ λέγοντες, τίς ἡμᾶς ῥύσεται ἐκ τῆς δουλείας τῶν Αἰγυπτίων; ἀπολώλαμεν, ἐξολώλαμεν ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς πονηροῖς. Τί οὖν; εἰσήκουσεν αὐτῶν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ πέμπει τὸν Μωϋσέα, σημείοις καὶ τέρασιν αὐτὸν ὁπλίσας. Ἦλθεν ὁ Μωϋσῆς φέρων τὰς κατὰ τοῦ Φαραὼ τιμωρίας· στρατόπεδον πονηρῶν ἀκρίδων ἐπήγαγε, βροῦχον ἐκέλευσε, καὶ παρεγένετο· τὸ ὕδωρ εἰς αἷμα μετέβαλε, φλυκτίδας ἐποίησεν ἀναζέσαι ἐν 50.743 τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ ἐν τοῖς τετράποσιν. Εἶτα ὡς μετὰ τὰς πληγὰς ταύτας οὐκ εἶξεν ὁ Φαραὼ, λοιπὸν ὁ Θεὸς θάνατον τῶν πρωτοτόκων ἐπάγει· εἶτα, ἵνα ἐπιτέμω τὸν λόγον χρὴ γὰρ ἐπιτεμεῖν, ἵνα μὴ περὶ τὰ αὐτὰ εἱλούμενοι μὴ πληρώσωμεν τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν, ἐξῆλθον ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἦλθον παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν. Ἐστρατοπέδευσε Φαραὼ ὀπίσω αὐτῶν μετὰ πλήθους ἁρμάτων καὶ ἵππων· ὡς δὲ εἶδεν Ἰσραὴλ τὴν παράταξιν, ἐφοβήθη. Ἦλθον δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ χείλους τῆς θαλάσσης· καί φησιν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Μωϋσεῖ, Τί βοᾷς πρός με; καὶ μὴν οὐδὲν ἔλεγε Μωϋσῆς. Ἀλλά φησι, Θεός εἰμι, οὐ τὰ ἐκ χειλέων μόνον ἀκούων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ γνωρίζων, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τῷ κράζειν ἡ εὐχὴ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ γνώμῃ. Τί βοᾷς πρός με; Τὰ μὲν γὰρ χείλη αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐλάλει, ἡ δὲ καρδία ἐβόα· εὐχὴ γὰρ ἀπὸ γνώμης ἀγαθῆς ζητεῖται, οὐκ ἀπὸ κραυγῆς ἰσχυρᾶς. Τί βοᾷς πρός με; Ἔκτεινον τὴν ῥάβδον τὴν ἐν τῇ χειρί σου ἐπὶ τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ δίελθε σὺ καὶ πᾶς Ἰσραήλ. Ἐξέτεινε δὲ Μωϋσῆς τὴν ῥάβδον τὴν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπάταξε τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ ἡ ἄτακτος ῥύμη τῶν ὑδάτων ἐχερσώθη, καὶ τῆς ἰδίας φύσεως ἐπελάθετο. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ τὸ στοιχεῖον, ὅταν νεύσῃ ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ αὐτὰ τῆς οἰκείας φύσεως ἐπιλανθάνεται, καὶ τὴν ἐνέργειαν χαλινοῖ. Καθάπερ γὰρ θεραπαινὶς εὐγνώμων ἡ θάλασσα, ∆εσπότου δοῦλον ἰδοῦσα, ἐπείθετο καὶ ὑπήκουσεν· ὑπήκουσε δὲ οὐ ξύλον τὸ ξηρὸν αἰδουμένη, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν μέλλοντα ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ σταυροῦσθαι. Εἶδεν οὖν τὴν εἰκόνα, καὶ εὐθὺς ἐνενόησε τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ ὑπεχώρησε. Πάρελθε, φησὶ, σὺ καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς Ἰσραήλ. Εἶτα παρῆλθεν αὐτὸς καὶ πᾶς Ἰσραήλ· ἐπηκολούθησαν δὲ καὶ οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι καταδιώκοντες ἐκείνους, ὅ τε Φαραὼ καὶ τὰ ἅρματα αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ ἱππεῖς. Εἶτα τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ παρελθόντων ἐπῆλθε τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ ἐκάλυψε τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους. Εἰπέ μοι οὖν, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, πῶς τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος δύο ἐνεργείας ἔχει, καὶ τὸν μὲν πνίγει, τὸν δὲ ζωοποιεῖ; εἰπέ μοι, πῶς ἡ θάλασσα ἐκείνη, μία οὖσα τῇ φύσει, τοὺς μὲν ἐζωοποίησε, τοὺς δὲ ἀπέκτεινε, τοὺς μὲν ἀπέπνιξε, τοῖς δὲ ὁδὸς ἐγένετο, καίτοι μία ἦν ἡ ἄτακτος ῥύμη τῶν ὑδάτων; καὶ