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of which the prophet says; "Draw water with joy from the springs of the Savior. "And the Savior, "but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will become a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." And again, "My flesh," he says, "is true 1896 food, and my blood is true drink;" which not having, they did not have the strength of bread and water. From weak foods, weak are those who are fed. The strength of the prophetic spirit also failed them, and they happen to be very thirsty for it. But there is also among us food not imparting strength, but preventing one from dying; of which the Corinthians partook, being infants. But also vegetables are the food of the weak, for solid food was for the perfect. But it is necessary to open the eyes in order to be filled with such bread and water. "For open," he says, "your eyes, and be filled with bread." And Hagar's eyes, it says, were opened, and she saw the water. And otherwise the life-giving bread has been taken away from the Jews, which gives life to the world, and the water of holy baptism, and its strength, the putting away of sins, the spiritual stirring that works conformity to Christ, and to have boldness for the kingdom of heaven; "For unless someone," he says, "is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven." But as for giant, neither the Hebrew word, nor the rest of the interpreters named it thus; but instead of this, Aquila rendered it "able," and Symmachus "brave," and Theodotion "ruler." However, here we find the appellation of giant used in a good sense, as also in, "He will rejoice as a giant to run his course." But it signifies one who has come to the height of spiritual strength. And the strong man, one who has come a little short, and is less than the pre-eminence understood in the former. For to each has been given a measure of grace from God. For Paul says, "I wish that all men were as I myself am. "But each of you has his own gift from God, one in this way, and another in that." And otherwise a giant could signify one who has advantages by nature for the attainment of knowledge, or for the practice of virtue; for the strength of giants is natural, and a strong man, one who has perfected the natural good through practice and labors. No longer are there warriors among the Jews; for they are not even counted in the military rolls. But they are conquered by pleasures and passions of the soul, and by contrary words, being no longer able to prevail; nor even to judge the thoughts according to the mind. For they do not have God to direct them toward what is right; nor do they know how to judge concerning the things that befall them, which is pleasing to him. And these were handed over to the judges who had taken them captive, they themselves no longer judging; and in the Church, on the one hand, are warriors, those who take up the whole armor of the Lord, and stand bravely against the schemes of the devil, sharing in suffering for the Gospel, and not becoming entangled in the affairs of this life, so that they may please the one who enlisted them. And judges are those who reconcile the brethren, by whom also the world 1897 is judged, who will also judge angels. But if there are none, they are judged before the unbelievers for lack of saints; and thus it is a sign of abandonment. He also takes away the prophet. For the grace of prophecy has ceased among them. And vision and prophecy have been sealed, according to Daniel. For until John, prophecy existed among them. But in the Church God has appointed first apostles, and second prophets. "For if," he says, "you prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted person enters, he is convicted." But the prophet, on the one hand, by the revelation of the Spirit, foretells the things to come; while the diviner, on the other hand, with the understanding that comes through experience of things, infers the future from the comparison of similar things; so that when we do the things of the Sodomites, we will suffer similar things, if we repent, like the Ninevites we are saved. And an elder is not simply one who has been deemed worthy of the presidency, but one adorned with nobility of mind, and bearing the character of an elder intact; especially unmarried; but if not, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, and so on; holding fast to the according to the

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ὧν φησιν ὁ προφήτης· "Ἀντλήσατε ὕδωρ μετ' εὐφροσύνης ἐκ τῶν πηγῶν τοῦ Σωτηρίου. "Καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ, "Ὃς δ' ἂν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, γενήσεται πηγὴ ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον." Καὶ πάλιν, "Ἡ σάρξ μου, φησὶν, ἀλη 1896 θής ἐστι βρῶσις, καὶ τὸ αἷμά μου ἀληθής ἐστι πόσις·" ἃ μὴ ἔχοντες, οὐκ εἶχον ἰσχὺν ἄρτου καὶ ὕδατος. Ἐξ ἀσθενῶν δὲ τροφῶν, ἀσθενεῖς οἱ τρεφόμενοι. Ἐπέλιπε δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἡ ἰσχὺς τοῦ προφητικοῦ πνεύματος, καὶ κατάδιψοι τούτου τυγχάνουσιν. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν τροφὴ ἰσχὺν μὲν οὐκ ἐμποιοῦσα, κωλύουσα δὲ τελευτᾷν· ἧς οἱ Κορίνθιοι νήπιοι ὄντες μετέλαβον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ λάχανα ἀσθενούντων τροφή, Τελείων γὰρ ἦν στερεὰ τροφή. ∆εῖ δὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀνοῖξαι πρὸς τὸ τοιούτου ἐμπλησθῆναι ἄρτου καὶ ὕδατος. "∆ιάνοιξον γὰρ, φησὶ, τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου, καὶ ἐμπλήσθητι ἄρτων." Καὶ διηνοίγησαν, φησὶ τῆς Ἄγαρ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ, καὶ ἴδεν τὸ ὕδωρ. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀφῄρηται ὁ ζωοποιὸς ἄρτος, ὃς δίδωσι τῷ κόσμῳ ζωὴν, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος, καὶ ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ ἡ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἀπόθεσις, ἡ πνευματικὴ ἀνακίνησις ἡ συμμόρφους ἐργαζομένη Χριστοῦ, καὶ τὸ παῤῥησίαν ἔχειν εἰς οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν· "Ἐὰν γάρ τις, φησὶ, μὴ γεννηθῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ Πνεύματος, οὐ δύναται εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν." Γίγαντα δὲ, οὔτε τῶν Ἑβραίων ἡ φωνὴ, οὔτε οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν ἑρμηνευσάντων ὠνόμασαν· ἀντὶ δὲ τούτου, Ἀκύλας μὲν δύνατον, ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος ἀνδρεῖον, ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων δυνάστην ἐξέδωκαν. Πλὴν ἐπὶ καλοῦ τὴν γίγαντος ἐνταῦθα προσηγορίαν εὑρίσκομεν, ὡς κἂν τῷ, "Ἀγαλλιάσεται ὡς γίγας δραμεῖν ὁδόν." ∆ηλοῖ δὲ τὸν εἰς ἄκρον ἰσχύος ἐλθόντα πνευματικῆς. Ἰσχύοντα δὲ, τὸν ὑποβεβηκότα βραχὺ, καὶ τῆς ἐν ἐκείνῳ νοουμένης ὑπεροχῆς ἐλαττούμενον. Ἑκάστῳ γὰρ δέδοται χάριτος μέτρον παρὰ Θεοῦ. Φησὶν γὰρ ὁ Παῦλος, "Θέλω δὲ πάντας ἀνθρώπους εἶναι ὡς καὶ ἐμαυτόν. "Ἀλλ' ἕκαστος ὑμῶν ἴδιον ἔχει χάρισμα ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, ὁ μὲν οὕτως, ὁ δὲ οὕτως." ∆ύναιτο δ' ἂν καὶ ἄλλως γίγας μὲν δηλοῦν τὸν ἐκ φύσεως ἔχοντα προτερήματα εἰς ἀνάληψιν ἐπιστήμης, ἢ πρὸς ἄσκησιν ἀρετῆς· φυσικὴ γὰρ ἡ τῶν γιγάντων ἰσχὺς, ἰσχύων δὲ, τὸν ἐκ μελέτης καὶ πόνων τὸ ἐκ φύσεως ἀγαθὸν τελειώσαντα. Οὐκ ἔτι δὲ παρ' Ἰουδαίοις πολεμισταί· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐναριθμοῦνται τοῖς στρατιωτικοῖς καταλόγοις. Νικῶνται δὲ ταῖς ἡδοναῖς καὶ πάθεσι ψυχικοῖς, καὶ λόγοις ἐναντίοις, κρατεῖν οὐκέτι δυνάμενοι· ἀλλ' οὐ δὲ ταῖς κατὰ νοῦν δικάζειν ἐννοίαις. Οὐκ ἔχουσι γὰρ τὸν κατευθύνοντα πρὸς τὸ δέον Θεόν· ἀλλ' οὐ δὲ περὶ τῶν προσπιπτόντων κρίνειν ἴσασιν, ὅπερ ἀρέσκον ἐστὶν αὐτῷ. Οὗτοι δὲ καὶ παρεδόθησαν δικασταῖς τοῖς αἰχμαλωτίσασιν αὐτοὺς, αὐτοὶ μηκέτι δικάζοντες· καὶ ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ δὲ πολεμισταὶ μὲν, οἱ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου πανοπλίαν ἀναλαμβάνοντες, καὶ πρὸς τὰς τοῦ διαβόλου μεθοδίας γενναίως ἱστάμενοι, συγκακοπαθοῦντες τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ, καὶ μὴ ἐμπλεκόμενοι ταῖς τοῦ βίου πραγματείαις, ἵνα τῷ στρατολογήσαντι ἀρέσωσιν. ∆ικασταὶ δὲ οἱ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς συμβιβάζοντες, ἀφ' ὧν καὶ ὁ κόσμος 1897 κρίνεται, οἳ καὶ ἀγγέλους κρινοῦσιν. Ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ὦσιν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπίστων κρίνονται δι' ἀπορίαν ἁγίων· καὶ οὕτω σημεῖον ἐγκαταλείψεως. Ἀφαιρεῖ δὲ καὶ προφήτην. Πέπαυται γὰρ παρ' αὐτοῖς τῆς προφητείας ἡ χάρις. Καὶ ἐσφράγισται ὅρασις καὶ προφητεία κατὰ τὸν ∆ανιήλ. Μέχρι γὰρ Ἰωάννου παρ' αὐτοῖς ὑπῆρχεν ἡ προφητεία. Ἐν δὲ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ Θεὸς ἔθετο πρῶτον ἀποστόλους, δεύτερον δὲ προφήτας. "Ἐὰν γὰρ, φησὶ, προφητεύητε, εἰσέλθῃ δὲ ἄπιστος, ἢ ἰδιώτης· ἐλέγχεται." Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν προφήτης, ἀποκαλύψει τοῦ Πνεύματος, προαγορεύει τὰ μέλλοντα· ὁ δὲ στοχαστὴς, συνέσει τῇ δι' ἐμπειρίαν πραγμάτων, ἐξ ὁμοίου παραθέσεως τὸ μέλλον τεκμαίρεται· ὥσθ' ὅταν τὰ Σοδομιτῶν ποιήσωμεν, πεισόμεθα παραπλήσια, ἐὰν μετανοήσωμεν, ὡς οἱ Νινευῗται σωζόμεθα. Πρεσβύτερος δὲ οὐχ ἀπλῶς ὁ τῆς προεδρίας ἀξιωθεὶς, ἀλλ' ὁ φρενῶν κοσμούμενος γενναιότητι, καὶ τὸν τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου χαρακτῆρα φέρων ἀκέραιον· μάλιστα μὲν ἄγαμος· εἰ δὲ μὴ, μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἀνὴρ τέκνα ἔχων πιστὰ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· ἀντεχόμενος τοῦ κατὰ τὴν