is shown by God and by the wonders spoken of at each time; but the power of God must be recognized, and not at all an uninterrupted history of events. He does not say that the frogs simply came upon the land, but into the houses and the most prominent of the houses and the innermost parts of these, so that their attack might be unhindered and most violent, with no one, not even the most powerful, able to prevent it. And it was also a marvel that the gnat and the dog-fly were poured out over the whole land and stopped at the borders, not going further, so that the punishment might then be seen to be at work against Egypt alone. For this reason also the turning of the river to blood happened to stop at the borders, and into the neighboring land the outflows were no longer of this kind, because the punishment was against the Egyptians, taking away the abundance of the river. 188 Ps 104,37 In addition to the salvation that was given, he speaks of the abundance from the power of God, which led the Egyptians to provide many and costly things to those asking who were about to go out of the country. And it was a great thing also that they departed unharmed to a man from a land that had suffered the worst things.
189 Ps 105,14-18 When they tempted God in the waterless place, He, being untemptable and
not mindful of evils, not repaying them, Gave them their request, but also when They rebelled as they were going up at the Red Sea, even then He made known to them His dominion; but when they provoked Moses and Aaron in the camp, then The earth opened and swallowed them up. For it was necessary that the servants not be despised. But since there is both kindness and severity with Him, according to the verse, Behold then the kindness and severity of God, He first provided them with the things of kindness; but when they did not profit from it, He consequently pursues them with a suitable medicine, that of chastisement. Now, those with Dathan and Abiram provoked Moses, saying, Has God spoken to Moses alone? Has He not also to us? And Aaron, Korah and his congregation provoked, having dared to offer strange fire and sacrifices to God in the place of the priests. But those who spoke against Moses, Dathan with his whole family, the earth opened up and swallowed, and it covered over the congregation of Abiram, and Korah and those with him who were about to offer their incense, a flame coming forth from the tabernacle consumed. 190 Ps 105,23 According to justice, the sentence of destruction; but according to philanthropy, the pardon to be saved. And intercession has given place to the pardon, both because of the holiness of the one interceding and the providence for the world according to which the intercessor was supplicating, so that the grace of God toward Israel might not be thought incomplete, and because of the memory of the fathers and the promise to them which Moses called to mind while supplicating, since according to their impiety and the foreknowledge of their whole wickedness, they would have perished. 191 Ps 105,24-27 And the dispute concerning the land was older than the rebellion of Korah and Dathan, but greater and more impious, fighting against the promise of God and not being zealous about the service of God, it is therefore reasonably connected with the aforementioned impiety toward God, having come about through cowardice just as that one came about through faintheartedness, cowardice bringing on despair of success just as faintheartedness, because of the separation of Moses, caused despair of Moses' return. For not only desires but also cowardice and faintheartedness take away the fulfillment of what is owed to God and to men, hindering steadfastness in obedience to God and good order in honors from men, the nature according to the flesh corrupting that according to the spirit and with its own pleasure and lack of toil effacing the good in that one. But God brings on events in ways of instruction; of the
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θεοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἑκάστοτε λεγομένων τεράτων δείκνυται· δεῖ δὲ θεοῦ γνωρίζεσθαι δύναμιν καὶ οὐχ ἱστορίαν πραγμάτων ἀπαράλειπτον πάντως γίνεσθαι. οὐκ εἰς γῆν δὲ ἁπλῶς τοὺς βατράχους γεγενῆσθαί φησιν ἀλλ' εἰς τοὺς οἴκους καὶ τῶν οἴκων τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους καὶ τὰ τούτων ἐνδοτάτω, ὡς ἂν ἀκωλύτου τῆς ἐπιφορᾶς αὐτῶν γινομένης καὶ βιαιοτάτης καὶ μηδενὸς ἀποκωλῦσαι δυναμένου μηδὲ τῶν δυνατωτάτων. παράδοξον δὲ καὶ τὸ καθ' ὅλης τῆς γῆς χυθῆναι τὸν σκνῖπα καὶ τὴν κυνόμυιαν καὶ μέχρι τῶν ὅρων ἵστασθαι μὴ περαιτέρω χωροῦντας, ὡς ἂν κατὰ μόνης Αἰγύπτου τὴν δίκην ἐνεργεῖσθαι τότε φαίνοιτο. διὸ καὶ τὴν ἐξαιμάτωσιν τοῦ ποταμοῦ μέχρι τῶν ὁρίων συνέβαινεν ἵστασθαι, εἰς δὲ τὴν πλησιόχωρον μηκέτι τὰς ἐκροὰς εἶναι τοιαύτας, ὅτι κατ' Αἰγυπτίων ἡ κόλασις ἦν τὴν εὐπορίαν ἀφαιρουμένη τοῦ ποταμοῦ. 188 Ps 104,37 Πρὸς τῇ σωτηρίᾳ τῇ δοθείσῃ καὶ τὴν εὐπορίαν λέγει τὴν ἐκ θεοῦ δυνάμεως ἣ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ἀπηγάγετο παρασχεῖν αἰτοῦσι τοῖς ἐξιέναι τῆς χώρας μέλλουσι πολλά τε καὶ πολυτελῆ. μέγα δὲ καὶ τὸ ἐκ χώρας τὰ χείριστα παθούσης ἀπαθεῖς ἀπαλλάττεσθαι μέχρις ἑνός.
189 Ps 105,14-18 Ὅτε μὲν τὸν θεὸν ἐπείρασαν ἐν ἀνύδρῳ, ἀπείραστος ὢν καὶ
ἀμνησίκακος οὐκ ἀμειψάμενος αὐτοὺς Ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς τὸ αἴτημα αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅτε Παρεπίκραναν ἀναβαίνοντες ἐν τῇ ἐρυθρᾷ θαλάσσῃ, καὶ τότε ἐγνώρισεν αὐτοῖς τὴν δυναστείαν αὐτοῦ· ὅτε δὲ παρώργισαν τὸν Μωυσῆν καὶ τὸν Ἀαρὼν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ, τὸ τηνικαῦτα Ἠνοίχθη ἡ γῆ καὶ κατέπιεν αὐτούς. ἔδει γὰρ μὴ καταφρονηθῆναι τοὺς θεράποντας. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπείπερ χρηστότης ἐστὶ καὶ ἀποτομία παρ' αὐτῷ κατὰ τὸ Ἴδε οὖν χρηστότητα καὶ ἀποτομίαν θεοῦ, πρῶτα τὰ τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῖς παρέσχετο· ὡς δ' οὐκ ὤναντο δι' αὐτῆς, ἀκολούθως καταλλήλῳ μετέρχεται αὐτοὺς φαρμάκῳ τῷ κολαστηρίῳ. Μωυσῆν μὲν οὖν παρώργισαν οἱ περὶ ∆αθὰν καὶ Ἀβειρὼν εἰπόντες Μὴ Μωυσῇ μόνῳ ἐλάλησεν ὁ θεός; οὐχὶ καὶ ἡμῖν; τὸν δὲ Ἀαρὼν Κορὲ καὶ ἡ συναγωγὴ αὐτοῦ πῦρ ἀλλότριον προσαγαγεῖν καὶ θυσίας τῷ θεῷ ἐν χώρᾳ τῶν ἱερέων τολμήσαντες. ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν καταλαλήσαντες τοῦ Μωυσέως, τὸν ∆αθὰν παγγενεί, διανοιχθεῖσα ἡ γῆ κατέπιε καὶ συνεκάλυψεν ἐπὶ τὴν συναγωγὴν Ἀβειρών, τὸν δὲ Κορὲ καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ μέλλοντας προσφέρειν τὰ θυμιατήρια αὐτῶν φλὸξ ἀπὸ τῆς σκηνῆς προελθοῦσα κατέφλεξεν. 190 Ps 105,23 Κατὰ μὲν τὸ δίκαιον ὁ τῆς ἀπωλείας ὅρος, κατὰ δὲ τὸ φιλανθρώπινον ἡ τοῦ σῴζεσθαι συγχώρησις. τῇ δὲ συγχωρήσει χώραν ἡ πρεσβεία δέδωκε διά τε τὴν ὁσιότητα τοῦ πρεσβεύοντος καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ κόσμου πρόνοιαν καθ' ἣν ὁ πρεσβευτὴς ἱκέτευεν, ἵνα μὴ ἀτελὴς ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ νομισθείη περὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ, καὶ διὰ τὴν μνήμην τῶν πατέρων καὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἧς ὁ Μωυσῆς ἀπεμνημόνευσεν ἱκετεύων, ἐπεὶ κατά γε τὴν ἀσέβειαν καὶ τὴν πρόγνωσιν τῆς ὅλης κακίας αὐτῶν ἀπώλοντο ἄν. 191 Ps 105,24-27 Καὶ ἡ περὶ τῆς γῆς ἀντιλογία πρεσβυτέρα τῆς Κορὲ καὶ ∆αθὰν στάσεως ἀλλὰ μείζων καὶ δυσσεβεστέρα πρὸς ἐπαγγελίαν θεοῦ διαμαχομένη καὶ οὐ περὶ θεραπείας θεοῦ φιλοτιμουμένη, εἰκότως οὖν τῇ εἰς θεὸν ἀσεβείᾳ τῇ προειρημένῃ συντέτακται διὰ δειλίαν γεγονυῖα καθάπερ ἐκείνη διὰ μικροψυχίαν, δυσελπιστίαν τοῦ κατορθώματος τῆς δειλίας ἐπαγούσης ὥσπερ ἡ μικροψυχία διὰ τὸν Μωυσέως χωρισμὸν δυσελπιστίαν ἐποίει τῆς ἐπανόδου Μωυσέως. οὐ γὰρ ἐπιθυμίαι μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ δειλίαι καὶ μικροψυχίαι τῶν πρὸς θεὸν ὀφειλομένων καὶ τῶν πρὸς ἀνθρώπους τὴν πλήρωσιν ἀφαιροῦνται, τὸ καρτερικὸν ἐν ὑπακοῇ θεοῦ καὶ τὸ εὔτακτον ἐν ἀνθρώπων τιμαῖς ἐμποδίζουσαι, τῆς κατὰ σάρκα φύσεως τὴν κατὰ πνεῦμα λυμαινομένης καὶ τῷ ἰδίῳ τερπνῷ καὶ ἀπόνῳ τὸ παρ' ἐκείνῃ καλὸν ἐξαφανιζούσης. θεὸς δὲ παιδεύσεως τρόποις ἐπάγει τὰ πράγματα· τῆς
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