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of his legislation and strategy? I suggest something that is not my own, or rather, very much my own, if you consider it spiritually. Use golden and silver vessels from the Egyptians; travel with these; be supplied from what belongs to others, or rather, from what is your own; the wages for your slavery and your brick-making are owed to you; you too use some craft in the demand; despoil them well. Granted, you have toiled here, battling with the clay, with this wretched and filthy body, and building cities for others, treacherous cities, whose memory will perish with a crash. What then? Do you go out for free and without wages? What then? Will you leave to the Egyptians and to the opposing powers what they wickedly acquired and will spend even more wickedly? It is not theirs; they plundered, they seized from Him who said: "Mine is the silver, and mine is the gold, and I will give it to whom I will." Yesterday it was theirs; for it was permitted. Today the Master brings it and gives it to you, who will use it well and for salvation. Let us make for ourselves friends from the mammon of unrighteousness, so that when we fail, we may be received in the time of judgment.

21. If you are a Rachel, or a Leah, a patriarchal and great soul, steal also the idols, whatever you may find, of your father, not that you may keep them, but that you may destroy them; but if a wise Israelite, carry them away to the land of promise; and let the persecutor grieve over these things, and let him know, being outwitted, that he tyrannized in vain and enslaved those who were better. If you do thus, and thus come out of Egypt, I know well, you will be guided by a pillar of fire and cloud by night and day, the desert will be tamed, the sea will be divided for you, Pharaoh will be drowned, bread will rain down, the rock will gush forth, Amalek will be fought down; not only by arms, but also by the warlike hands of righteous men, at once forming a prayer and the invincible trophy of the cross; the river will be stopped, the sun will stand still, the moon will be held back, the walls will be brought down, and without engines, hornets will go before, making a way for Israel, and holding back the foreigners; and all the other things that are recorded on and with these, that I may not prolong the discourse, will be given to you by God. Such a feast you celebrate today; such for you is the birthday feast of the one who was born, and the funeral oration of the one who suffered; such for you is the mystery of the Passover. These things the law prefigured; these things Christ fulfilled, the destroyer of the letter, the perfecter of the Spirit, who by what he suffered, teaches us to suffer, and by the things in which he was glorified, grants that we be glorified with him. 36.653

22. There is, then, a matter and a doctrine to examine, which is overlooked by most, but for me, is very much to be examined. For to whom was the blood shed for us, and on whose account was it poured out, the great and renowned blood of God, and high priest, and victim? For we were held captive by the evil one, sold under sin, and receiving pleasure in exchange for wickedness. But if a ransom is paid to none other than the one who holds us captive, I ask to whom this was offered, and for what reason? If to the evil one, alas for the outrage! if the robber receives not only a ransom from God, but God Himself, and so extraordinary a reward for his own tyranny, for which it would have been just to spare even us; but if to the Father, first, how? For we were not held captive by him. And second, what is the reason that the blood of the Only-begotten would please the Father, who did not even accept Isaac when he was offered by his father, but exchanged the sacrifice, giving a ram in place of the rational victim? Or is it clear that the Father receives it, not having asked for it, nor having needed it, but because of the economy, and because man had to be sanctified by the humanity of God; so that he himself might deliver us, having conquered the tyrant by force, and bring us back to himself through the Son who acted as mediator, and arranged this for the honor of the Father, to whom He is seen to yield all things. Such, then, are the things of Christ, and may the greater part be revered in silence. But the bronze serpent hangs against

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ἐκείνου νομοθεσίας καὶ στρατηγίας; Εἰσηγοῦμαι τι καὶ τῶν οὐκ ἐμῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ λίαν ἐμῶν, ἂν πνευματικῶς θεωρῇς. Χρῆσαι παρ' Αἰγυπτίων σκεύη χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ· μετὰ τούτων ὅδευσον· ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐφοδιάσθητι, μᾶλλον δὲ τῶν σῶν· χρεωστεῖταί σοι μισθὸς τῆς δουλείας καὶ τῆς πλινθείας· σόφισαί τι καὶ σὺ περὶ τὴν ἀπαίτησιν· καλῶς ἀπο στέρησον. Ἔστω, τεταλαιπώρηκας ἐνταῦθα, τῷ πηλῷ μαχόμενος, τῷ μοχθηρῷ τούτῳ καὶ ῥυπαρῷ σώ ματι, καὶ πόλεις οἰκοδομῶν ἀλλοτρίας καὶ σφαλερὰς, ὧν ἀπολεῖται τὸ μνημόσυνον μετ' ἤχου. Τί δαί; προῖκα ἐξέρχῃ καὶ ἀμισθί; Τί δαί; καταλείψεις Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ ταῖς ἀντικειμέναις δυνάμεσιν, ἃ κα κῶς ἐκτήσαντο, καὶ χεῖρον δαπανήσουσιν; Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκείνων· ἐσύλησαν, ἥρπασαν τοῦ εἰπόντος· Ἐμόν ἐστι τὸ ἀργύριον, καὶ ἐμόν ἐστι τὸ χρυσίον, καὶ δώσω αὐτὸ ᾧ βούλομαι. Χθὲς ἦν ἐκείνων· συν εχωρεῖτο γάρ. Σήμερον σοὶ προσάγει καὶ δίδωσιν ὁ ∆εσπότης, καλῶς χρησομένῳ καὶ σωτηρίως. Κτη σώμεθα ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς φίλους ἐκ τοῦ μαμμωνᾶ τῆς ἀδι κίας, ἵν' ὅταν ἐκλίπωμεν, ἀντιλάβωμεν ἐν καιρῷ κρίσεως.

ΚΑʹ. Εἰ μέν τις εἶ Ῥαχὴλ, ἢ Λεία, ψυχὴ πατριαρ χικὴ καὶ μεγάλη, καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα κλέψον, ἅπερ ἂν εὕρῃς, τοῦ σοῦ πατρὸς, οὐχ ἵνα φυλάξῃς, ἀλλ' ἵν' ἀφανίσῃς· εἰ δὲ Ἰσραηλίτης σοφὸς, πρὸς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας μετένεγκε· καὶ περὶ τούτων ὁ διώ κτης ἀλγησάτω, καὶ γνώτω κατασοφισθεὶς, ὅτι μά την ἐτυράννει καὶ κατεδουλοῦτο τοὺς κρείττονας. Ἂν οὕτω ποιῇς, καὶ οὕτως ἐξέλθῃς Αἴγυπτον, εὖ οἶδα, στύλῳ πυρὸς καὶ νεφέλης ὁδηγηθήσῃ νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας, ἔρημος ἡμερωθήσεται, θάλασσά σοι τμηθήσεται, Φαραὼ βαπτισθήσεται, ἄρτος ὀμβρήσει, πέτρα πηγάσει, Ἀμαλὴκ καταπολεμηθήσεται· οὐχ ὅπλοις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολεμίαις χερσὶ δικαίων, εὐχὴν ὁμοῦ τυπούσαις, καὶ σταυροῦ τρόπαιον τὸ ἀήττητον· ποταμὸς ἀνακοπήσεται, ἥλιος στήσεται σελήνη σχεθήσεται, τείχη κατενεχθήσεται, καὶ δίχα μηχανημάτων, σφηκίαι προδραμοῦνται, ὁδοποιοῦσαι τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους ἀνείργουσαι· τἄλλα τε ὅσα ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ σὺν τούτοις ἱστόρηται, ἵνα μὴ μακρὸν ἀποτείνω λόγον, παρὰ Θεοῦ σοι δοθή σεται. Τοιαύτην ἑορτὴν ἑορτάζεις σήμερον· τοιοῦ τον ἑστιᾷ τὸ ἐπὶ σοὶ τοῦ γεννηθέντος γενέθλιον, καὶ τοῦ παθόντος ἐπιτάφιον· τοιοῦτόν σοι τὸ τοῦ Πάσχα μυστήριον. Ταῦτα ὁ νόμος ὑπέγραψε· ταῦτα Χριστὸς ἐτελείωσεν, ὁ τοῦ γράμματος καταλυτὴς, ὁ τελειωτὴς τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὃς οἷς ἔπαθε, τὸ πάσχειν διδάσκων, οἷς ἐδοξάσθη, τὸ συνδοξασθῆναι χαρίζεται. 36.653

ΚΒʹ. Ἔστι τοίνυν ἐξετάσαι πρᾶγμα καὶ δόγμα, τοῖς μὲν πολλοῖς παρορώμενον, ἐμοὶ δὲ, καὶ λίαν ἐξεταζόμενον. Τίνι γὰρ τὸ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν αἷμα, καὶ περὶ τίνος ἐχέθη, τὸ μέγα καὶ περιβόητον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀρχιερέως, καὶ θύματος; Κατειχόμεθα μὲν γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ, πεπραμένοι ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ ἀντιλαβόντες τῆς κακίας τὴν ἡδονήν. Εἰ δὲ τὸ λύτρον οὐκ ἄλλου τινὸς, ἢ τοῦ κατέχοντος γίνεται, ζητῶ τίνι τοῦτο εἰσηνέχθη, καὶ δι' ἥντινα τὴν αἰτίαν; Εἰ μὲν τῷ πονηρῷ, φεῦ τῆς ὕβρεως· εἰ μὴ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Θεὸν αὐτὸν λύ τρον ὁ λῃστὴς λαμβάνει, καὶ μισθὸν οὕτως ὑπερ φυῆ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ τυραννίδος, δι' ὃν καὶ ἡμῶν φείδεσθαι δίκαιον ἦν· εἰ δὲ τῷ Πατρὶ, πρῶτον μὲν πῶς; Οὐχ ὑπ' ἐκείνου γὰρ ἐκρατούμεθα. ∆εύτερον δὲ, τίς ὁ λόγος, Μονογενοῦς αἷμα τέρπειν Πατέρα, ὃς οὐδὲ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ ἐδέξατο παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς προσ φερόμενον, ἀλλ' ἀντηλλάξατο τὴν θυσίαν, κριὸν ἀντι δοὺς τοῦ λογικοῦ θύματος; Ἢ δῆλον, ὅτι λαμβάνει μὲν ὁ Πατὴρ, οὐκ αἰτήσας, οὐδὲ δεηθεὶς, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν, καὶ τὸ χρῆναι ἁγιασθῆναι τῷ ἀνθρωπίνῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν ἄνθρωπον· ἵν' αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ἐξέληται, τοῦ τυράννου βίᾳ κρατήσας, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐπαναγάγῃ διὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ μεσιτεύσαν τος, καὶ εἰς τιμὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς τοῦτο οἰκονομήσαν τος, ᾧ τὰ πάντα παραχωρῶν φαίνεται. Τὰ μὲν δὴ Χριστοῦ τοιαῦτα, καὶ τὰ πλείω σιγῇ σεβέσθω. Ὁ δὲ χαλκοῦς ὄφις κρεμᾶτοι μὲν κατὰ