“All flesh is grass,” that is, to make the flesh subject and to subordinate “the mind of the flesh,” so that in this way one might be able to partake of the loaves which <ὁ> Jesus blessed. Then, since there are different orders of those in need of food from Jesus, not all being fed by the same words, for this reason I think that Mark has written: “And he commanded them all to recline in companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties,” but Luke: “And he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in companies of about fifty each.’” For it was necessary for those who were going to rest upon the food of Jesus to be either in the order of the one hundred, <ὄντος> a sacred number and dedicated to God because of the monad, or in the order of the fifty, a number containing remission according to the mystery of the Jubilee which occurs every fifty years, and of the feast of Pentecost. And I think that the twelve baskets were with the disciples to whom it was said: “You will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” And just as one might say there is a mystery in a throne for judging the tribe of Reuben and a throne for judging the tribe of Simeon and another for the tribe of Judah and so on in order, so also there might be a basket of food for Reuben and another for Simeon and another for Levi. But it is not in keeping with the present discourse to now digress so much from the subject at hand, as to bring together the matters concerning the twelve tribes and specifically the matters concerning each of them and to say what each tribe of Israel is. 11.4 And immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, until he should dismiss the crowds (14, 22[-36]). It should be observed how often in the same places the name “the crowds” and the other name “the disciples” is said, so that from the observation and from the collection of these instances it may be seen that the purpose of the evangelists was to present through the gospel history the differences of those who come to Jesus; of whom some are crowds and are not called disciples, while others are the disciples, being better than the crowds. But it is sufficient for the present for us to set forth a few sayings, so that, moved by these, someone may do the same for all the gospels. It is written, then, with the crowds being below, but the disciples being able to approach Jesus when he went up the mountain where the crowds could not be, something like this: “And seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain; and when he sat down, his disciples came to him; and opening his mouth, he taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit,’” and so on. And again in another place, as the crowds were in need of healing, it is said: “Great crowds followed him, and he healed them.” But we do not find a healing recorded concerning the disciples; since if one is already a disciple of Jesus, he is healthy and, being well, has need of Jesus not as a physician, but according to his other powers. Again in another place: “While he was speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to him”; which was made known to him, to whom he answered, “stretching out his hand,” not toward the crowds but “toward his disciples, and said: ‘Behold my mother and my brothers,’” and testifying to the disciples that they do the will of the Father in heaven and for this reason have been deemed worthy of the names of kin and closest relatives to Jesus, he adds to “‘Behold my mother and my brothers’”: “For whoever does the will of the Father <μου> in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.” And again in another place it is written that “the whole crowd stood on the shore, and he spoke many things to them in parables”; then after the parable of the sower, “coming,” no longer the crowds but “the disciples said to him,” not “Why do you speak” to us “in parables?” but “Why do you speak to them in parables?” When also “he answered and said,” not to the crowds but to the disciples, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,” but “to the rest in parables.” Therefore of the

«πᾶσα σὰρξ χόρτος», τουτέστιν ὑποκάτω ποιῆσαι τὴν σάρκα καὶ ὑποτάξαι «τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκός», ἵν' οὕτω τις δυνηθῇ ὧν εὐλογεῖ ἄρτων <ὁ> Ἰησοῦς μεταλαβεῖν. Εἶτα ἐπεὶ τάγματα διάφορά ἐστι τῶν δεομένων τῆς ἀπὸ Ἰησοῦ τροφῆς, μὴ πάντων τοῖς ἴσοις λόγοις τρεφομένων, διὰ τοῦτο οἶμαι τὸν μὲν Μᾶρκον πεποιηκέναι· «Καὶ ἐπέταξεν αὐτοῖς πᾶσιν ἀνακλιθῆναι συμπόσια συμπόσια ἐπὶ τῷ χλωρῷ χόρτῳ. Καὶ ἀνέπεσον πρασιαὶ πρασιαὶ ἀνὰ ἑκατὸν καὶ πεντήκοντα», τὸν δὲ Λουκᾶν· «Εἶπε δὲ πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ· κατακλίνατε αὐτοὺς κλισίας ὡσεὶ ἀνὰ πεντήκοντα.» Ἔδει γὰρ τοὺς ἀναπαυσομένους ἐπὶ ταῖς Ἰησοῦ τροφαῖς ἤτοι ἐν τάγματι εἶναι τῶν ἑκατόν, <ὄντος> ἱεροῦ ἀριθμοῦ καὶ τῷ θεῷ διὰ τὴν μονάδα ἀνακει μένου, ἢ ἐν τάγματι τῶν πεντήκοντα, ἀριθμῷ περιέχοντι τὴν ἄφεσιν κατὰ τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ Ἰωβηλαίου γινομένου διὰ πεντηκονταετίας, καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν Πεντηκοστὴν ἑορτῆς. Οἶμαι δὲ ὅτι οἱ δώδεκα κόφινοι ἦσαν παρὰ τοῖς μαθηταῖς πρὸς οὓς εἴρηται· «Καθήσεσθε ἐπὶ δώδεκα θρόνους κρίνοντες τὰς δώδεκα φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ.» Καὶ ὥσπερ λέγοιτο ἂν μυστήριον εἶναι θρόνος κρίνοντος φυλὴν Ῥουβεὶμ καὶ θρόνος κρίνοντος φυλὴν Συμεὼν καὶ ἄλλος φυλὴν Ἰούδα καὶ οὕτω καθεξῆς, οὕτως εἴη ἂν καὶ κόφινος τροφῆς Ῥουβεὶμ καὶ ἄλλος Συμεὼν καὶ ἄλλος Λευΐ. Οὐ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα δέ ἐστι λόγον νῦν τοσοῦτον ἐκβῆναι τοῦ προκειμένου, ὡς συναγαγεῖν τὰ περὶ τῶν δώδεκα φυλῶν καὶ ἰδίᾳ τὰ περὶ ἑκάστης αὐτῶν καὶ εἰπεῖν τίς ἑκάστη τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ φυλή. 11.4 Καὶ εὐθέως ἠνάγκασε τοὺς μαθητὰς ἐμβῆναι εἰς τὸ πλοῖον καὶ προάγειν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ πέραν, ἕως οὗ ἀπολύσει τοὺς ὄχλους (14, 22[-36]). Παρατηρητέον ποσάκις εἴρηται κατὰ τοὺς αὐτοὺς τόπους τὸ ὄνομα οἱ ὄχλοι καὶ ἄλλο ὄνομα οἱ μαθηταί, ἵν' ἐκ τῆς παρατηρήσεως καὶ τῆς περὶ τούτου συναγωγῆς θεωρηθῇ ὅτι τὸ προκείμενον τοῖς εὐαγγελισταῖς ἦν διὰ τῆς εὐαγγελι κῆς ἱστορίας παραστῆσαι διαφορὰς τῶν προσερχομένων τῷ Ἰησοῦ· ὧν οἱ μέν εἰσιν ὄχλοι καὶ οὐ χρηματίζουσι μαθηταί, ἕτεροι δὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ κρείττους τυγχάνοντες τῶν ὄχλων. Ἀρκεῖ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ὀλίγα ῥητὰ ἡμᾶς παραθέσθαι, ἵνα ἀπὸ τούτων κινηθείς τις τὸ ὅμοιον ποιήσῃ ἐπὶ ὅλων τῶν εὐαγγελίων. Γέγραπται τοίνυν, ὡς κάτω τῶν ὄχλων τυγχανόντων, τῶν δὲ μαθητῶν ἀναβάντι εἰς τὸ ὄρος τῷ Ἰησοῦ δυναμένων προσελθεῖν ἔνθα οὐχ οἷοί τε ἦσαν οἱ ὄχλοι γενέσθαι, τοιαῦτα· «Ἰδὼν δὲ τοὺς ὄχλους ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ὄρος· καὶ καθίσαντος αὐτοῦ προσῆλθον αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ἐδίδασκεν αὐτοὺς λέγων· μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ πάλιν ἐν ἄλλῳ τόπῳ, ὡς τῶν ὄχλων δεομένων θεραπείας, λέλεκται· «Ἠκολού θησαν αὐτῷ ὄχλοι πολλοί, καὶ ἐθεράπευσεν αὐτούς.» Οὐχ εὕρομεν δὲ περὶ τῶν μαθητῶν ἀναγεγραμμένην θεραπείαν· ἐπεὶ εἴ τίς ἐστιν ἤδη μαθητὴς τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ὑγιαίνει ἐκεῖνος καὶ καλῶς ἔχων δεῖται τοῦ Ἰησοῦ οὐχ ᾗ ἰατροῦ, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὰς ἄλλας αὐτοῦ δυνάμεις. Πάλιν ἐν ἄλλῳ τόπῳ· «Λαλοῦν τος αὐτοῦ τοῖς ὄχλοις, ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ εἱστήκεσαν ἔξω ζητοῦντες λαλῆσαι αὐτῷ»· ὅπερ αὐτῷ ἐδηλώθη, πρὸς ὃν ἀπεκρίνατο «ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα», οὐκ ἐπὶ τοὺς ὄχλους ἀλλ' «ἐπὶ τοὺς μαθητάς, καὶ εἶπεν· ἰδοὺ ἡ μήτηρ μου καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου», καὶ μαρτυρῶν τοῖς μαθηταῖς ὡς ποιοῦσι τὸ θέλημα τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς πατρὸς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀξιωθεῖσι τῶν συγγενῶν καὶ οἰκειοτάτων ὀνομάτων πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ἐπιφέρει τῷ «ἰδοὺ ἡ μήτηρ μου καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου»· «Ὅστις ἂν ποιήσῃ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός <μου> τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, αὐτός μου καὶ ἀδελφὸς καὶ ἀδελφὴ καὶ μήτηρ ἐστί.» Καὶ πάλιν ἐν ἄλλῳ τόπῳ γέγραπ ται ὅτι «πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν εἱστήκει, καὶ ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς πολλὰ ἐν παραβολαῖς»· εἶτα μετὰ τὴν τοῦ σπόρου παραβολὴν «προσελθόντες», οὐκέτι οἱ ὄχλοι ἀλλ' «οἱ μαθηταί, εἶπον αὐτῷ», οὐχὶ «διὰ τί ἐν παρα βολαῖς» ἡμῖν «λαλεῖς;» ἀλλὰ «διὰ τί ἐν παραβολαῖς λαλεῖς αὐτοῖς;» Ὅτε καὶ «ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν», οὐ τοῖς ὄχλοις ἀλλὰ τοῖς μαθηταῖς τὸ «ὑμῖν δέδοται γνῶναι τὰ μυστήρια τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν», «τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς ἐν παραβολαῖς». Οὐκοῦν τῶν