But the end of discipline is the rectification of man towards what is right, in the leadership of the spirit, but in the obedience of the flesh. For this reason he deferred the provisions of pleasant things, teaching that the desire for these things should be subordinated to the mind that is according to God’s will, and he led them into dangers, training them to endure things otherwise to be avoided, for the sake of the hope in God which is fitting for those who think rightly. And since people are more carnal in their present state, at first he also spared the disobedient and faint-hearted from punishment, but later he chastised them for their conversion. For instance, although he did not punish those who were cowardly and contradicted him at the Red Sea, he punishes those who did not dare to follow him to the promised land. For this was clearly evidence of unbelief. For it was right for the eyewitnesses of so many and such great wonders to be confident in all things through the power of the one who saved them. And indeed, since he punished the making of the calf less severely in a few, although it was more impious, he chastised more harshly with the death of the people for the disobedience of all the people at that time regarding the possession of the land, because they were not chastened by the former punishment and they persisted for a very long time in testing God. 192 Ps 105,28 He did not state the cause of the idolatry, which was the fornication leading them into communion with the worship (for this was connected to gluttony), but he accuses them of the result, for the sake of which the law also forbade intermingling with foreign women, so that they might not be led into communion with impiety through sympathy for the women, which indeed also happened. For it led them to such a degree of folly as to be initiated into the rites of Beelphegor and to be defiled with sacrifices offered to the dead. 193 Ps 105,46.47 He shows in this that the return through the mercy of their captors will not be unshakable, by adding a prayer concerning the gathering from the nations and concluding with this, so that they may find the sure and immovable salvation from God himself and may always give thanks to the one who saved them and have their boast in God. And it is necessary to await the mercy that comes after the present disobedience, as the apostle says, so that having prayed, they may dance for God all their days, as Zacharias foretells.

194 Ps 106,6-9 He says that these things were spoken concerning the Jews, who long ago were freed from their sojourn in Egypt by crying out to the Lord, and now will suffer the same and be delivered from all manner of error, if they would cry out to the Lord and desire to obtain the perfect freedom that is through Christ himself. 195 Ps 106,10-12 And this is an allegory about the same things, whence these things also appear to be allegorized not least of all. For taken literally, it is not consistent for the same people to be wandering in the desert and to be bound in a dark prison. But clear according to Isaiah is the one who says to those in bonds, 'Come forth,' and to those in darkness, 'Be revealed', concerning whom Zacharias also says that 'By the blood of his covenant he has sent forth his prisoners from the pit that has no water.' Christ therefore is savior from the Father, and the Father through Christ. But Israel now is covered by death and bound by humility and the necessity of slavery. For the covering is a shadow, the humility is poverty, and the necessity is iron. And being cast out into the land of nations that were poor from the beginning, they are placed in this same state with the nations, concerning whom the 21st psalm says 'The poor shall eat and be filled'. 196 Ps 106,23-32 Having allegorized the evils of the Jews as wandering and hunger and thirst and darkness and bonds, he now also uses a sea-faring allegory, bringing the disturbances at sea and the changes from these to fair weather and salvation even to a calm harbor to the same point as their toils; and to the rest that will succeed the toils, he shows that their former calm was disturbed into a surge not without God, but by a divine command, as if the command had raised a storm and with the waves

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δὲ παιδεύσεως τὸ τέλος ἡ πρὸς τὸ ὀρθὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κατόρθωσις ἐν ἡγεμονίᾳ πνεύματος, ὑπακοῇ δὲ σαρκός. διὰ τοῦτο τῶν τε ἡδέων τὰς χορηγίας ὑπερετίθετο παιδεύων τὴν τούτων ἐπιθυμίαν ὑποτετάχθαι τῇ κατὰ βούλησιν θεοῦ διανοίᾳ, καὶ ἐπὶ κινδύνους ἦγε διαγυμνάζων ὑπομένειν τὰ ἄλλως φευκτὰ δι' ἐλπίδα τὴν πρὸς θεὸν ἣ προσήκει τοῖς ὀρθῶς διανοουμένοις. καὶ ἐπείπερ ἄνθρωποι σαρκικώτεροι τῇ νῦν καταστάσει, τὰ μὲν πρῶτα καὶ ἀνίει τῆς δίκης τοὺς ἀπειθεῖς καὶ μικροψύχους, ὕστερον δὲ πρὸς ἐπιστροφὴν ἐκόλαζεν. ἐπεὶ γοῦν τῆς ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης δειλιῶντας καὶ ἀντιλέγοντας μὴ κολάσας, ἐπὶ τῇ ἐπηγγελμένῃ γῇ κολάζει τοὺς μὴ θαρρήσαντας ἐπὶ ταύτην ἀκολουθεῖν αὐτῷ. ἀπιστίας γὰρ ἦν προφανῶς τεκμήριον. τοὺς γὰρ τοσούτων καὶ τοιούτων θαυμάτων αὐτόπτας θαρρεῖν εἰς ἅπαντα δίκαιον ἦν τῇ τοῦ σεσωκότος δυνάμει. καὶ μὴν ἐπεὶ τῆς μοσχοποιΐας καίτοι δυσσεβεστέρας οὔσης ἐλαττόνως τιμωρησάμενος ἐν μερικοῖς, θανάτῳ τοῦ λαοῦ χαλεπώτερον ἐκόλασεν ἐν τῇ παντὸς τοῦ τότε λαοῦ ἀπειθείᾳ τῇ περὶ καθέξεως τῆς γῆς, ὅτι διὰ τῆς προτέρας δίκης οὐκ ἐσωφρονίσθησαν καὶ τῷ πειράζειν θεὸν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ὑπέμειναν. 192 Ps 105,28 Οὐ τὸ τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας αἴτιον εἶπεν ὅπερ ἦν ἡ πορνεία εἰς κοινωνίαν τοῦ σεβάσματος αὐτοὺς ἐπαγομένη (ἦν γὰρ τοῦτο τῇ γαστριμαργίᾳ συναφές), ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀποτέλεσμα κατηγορεῖ οὗ χάριν καὶ τὴν ἐπιμιξίαν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων γυναικῶν ἀπεῖπεν ὁ νόμος, ὡς μὴ τῇ συμπαθείᾳ τῶν γυναικῶν εἰς κοινωνίαν τῆς ἀσεβείας ὑπάγοιντο, ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονεν. εἰς τοσοῦτον γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἀπονοίας προήγαγεν, ὡς μυεῖσθαι τὰ τοῦ Βεελφεγὼρ καὶ θυσίαις νεκρῶν τελουμέναις συμμολύνεσθαι. 193 Ps 105,46.47 Τὴν δι' ἐλέου τῶν αἰχμαλωτισάντων ἐπάνοδον οὐκ ἀσάλευτον ἐσομένην ἐν τούτῳ δείκνυσιν εὐχὴν ἐπαγαγὼν περὶ τῆς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐπισυνάξεως καὶ εἰς ταύτην καταλήξας, ἵνα τὴν βεβαίαν καὶ ἀμετακίνητον εὕρωνται τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ σωτηρίαν καὶ διὰ παντὸς εὐχαριστῶσι τῷ σεσωκότι καὶ τὴν ἐν θεῷ καύχησιν ἔχωσι. καὶ χρὴ τὸν ἔλεον ἐκδέχεσθαι τὸν μετὰ τὴν νῦν ἀπείθειαν, ὡς ὁ ἀπόστολός φησιν, ἵνα χορεύσωσι θεῷ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας δεηθέντες, ὡς ὁ Ζαχαρίας προαγορεύει.

194 Ps 106,6-9 Περὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων εἰρῆσθαι ταῦτά φησι πάλαι μὲν

ἐλευθερωθέντων ἐκ τῆς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ διαγωγῆς ἐκ τοῦ κεκραγέναι πρὸς κύριον, νυνὶ δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ πεισομένων καὶ τῆς παντοδαπῆς πλάνης ἀπαλλαττομένων, εἰ πρὸς κύριον κεκράξοιντο καὶ τῆς δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τελείας ἐλευθερίας ὀρεχθῶσι τυχεῖν. 195 Ps 106,10-12 Καὶ αὕτη περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἡ ἀλληγορία ὅθεν οὐχ ἥκιστα καὶ ἀλληγορ ούμενα ταῦτα φαίνεται. κυριολογούμενα γὰρ οὐ συνᾴδει τὸ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἐν ἐρήμῳ πλανᾶσθαι καὶ ἐν σκοτεινῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ δεδέσθαι. δῆλος δὲ κατὰ τὸν Ἡσαΐαν ὁ λέγων τοῖς ἐν δεσμοῖς Ἐξέλθατε καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῷ σκότει Ἀνακαλύφθητε, περὶ οὗ καὶ Ζαχαρίας ὅτι Αἵματι διαθήκης αὐτοῦ ἐξαπέστειλε δεσμίους ἐκ λάκκου οὐκ ἔχοντος ὕδωρ. Χριστὸς οὖν παρὰ πατρὸς σωτὴρ καὶ πατὴρ διὰ Χριστοῦ. ὑπὸ θανάτου δὲ καλυπτόμενος τὰ νῦν ὁ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ταπεινότητι δεδεμένος καὶ ἀνάγκῃ δουλείας. σκιὰ μὲν γὰρ τὸ καλύπτον, πενία δὲ ἡ ταπεινότης, σίδηρος δὲ ἡ ἀνάγκη. εἰς αὐτὸ δὲ τοῖς ἔθνεσι καθιστᾶσιν ἀποβληθέντες εἰς χώραν ἐθνῶν τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς πενήτων περὶ ὧν ὁ ΚΑ ψαλμὸς τὸ Φάγονται πένητες καὶ ἐμπλησθήσονται. 196 Ps 106,23-32 Πλάνην καὶ λιμὸν καὶ δίψαν καὶ σκότος καὶ δεσμοὺς ἀλληγορήσας τὰ Ἰουδαίων κακὰ χρῆται καὶ θαλαττίων νῦν ἀλληγορίᾳ, τὰς ἐν θαλάττῃ ταραχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐκ τούτων εἰς εὐδίαν μεταβολὰς καὶ ἄχρι λιμένος εὐδίου σωτηρίας εἰς ταὐτὸν ἄγων τοῖς τούτων πόνοις· καὶ τῇ διαδεξομένῃ τοὺς πόνους ἀναπαυλῇ οὐκ ἄνευ θεοῦ ταραχθεῖσαν εἰς κλύδωνα τὴν πάλαι γαλήνην αὐτῶν ἀλλὰ θείῳ προστάγματι δείκνυσιν, ὥσπερ καταιγίδα τοῦ προστάγματος ἐγείραντος καὶ τοῖς κύμασιν

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