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struck with invisibility, who also ῃαξατ ῃαξατ ῃαξατ ῃαξατ not by compulsion, you will say, do those who rise up against the truth through sophistic and persuasive arguments fall into darkness by day and at midday as if in the night, but whenever the one who stands with the truth refutes by proofs the unsoundness of their persuasiveness, being unable to stand against which, they resemble blind and foolish men. Who also are destroyed in the war that is the struggle for the truth. Symbols of whom are both the Egyptians serving under Pharaoh and defeated by the Israelites with God's 127 help, and Goliath by David, and all those who were defeated by the servants of God even in the perceptible realm. For these offer a proof that not even the intellectual enemies of the wise are able [to stand] against the truth revered by them. Moreover, the story of Moses is a very clear example of this, when he was warring against Amalek. For when his hands were lowered, a rout occurred, with victory occurring when they happened to be stretched up toward God. From this it is shown that he who relies on the lofty mindset of the truth, being invincible, also tramples on "knowledge falsely so called." But he who is turned downward toward earthly things, being blind and having his mind darkened by ignorance, suffers a most grievous defeat. "And may the powerless one come forth from the hand of a potentate." These things might be, according to the form of the phrase, thus indicating optatives, so that what is said might be: May it be that the weak obtain help, so as to escape the hands of the powerful. It is possible also for it to be taken as from a narrative, so that it would be thus: "Who does great and unsearchable things, glorious and also wonderful things, of which there is no 128 number, who gives rain upon the earth, who sends water upon the place under heaven, who sets up the lowly on high, who raises up the lost," as has been said, and what follows. This one rescues all, even the powerless, from the hand of the powerful. We have this in the Books of Kingdoms, for when Saul was pursuing David in such a way that he hid himself in a cave, in which Saul also took shelter. And what was the wonderful thing? For though surrounded by his enemies, he was saved by divine power, so that his enemy was even given into his hand, although by the virtue of forgiveness he overlooked the slaughter of his opponent, not only not striking him down but also teaching him to desist from his wickedness. For by cutting off "the corner of his robe" he showed him that he could have cut off his head as well. He teaches both, therefore, God's care for His servants and his own forbearance, to which forbearance he calls his enemy to imitate him, teaching him that God delivers the powerless from the powerful and the treacherous. "But let there be hope for the powerless, and may the mouth of the unrighteous be stopped." And with the 129 doctrine of providence the saying fits. If someone is powerless, lacking strength, let him not reject himself, let him not turn away from all expectation; for there is hope even for the powerless. And the mouth of the unrighteous is also stopped, when, being puffed up by arrogance against those who are wronged, he sees them escaping the violence from him and, in addition to this, having become glorious ·····therefore the 15 ··ṣ common 15 blameworthy id 12 from the saints 16 ịl ·isap 16 by phai 16 ·s ·uṭou 16 on ···ṇ 16 non 18 achos thar20-24 u 18 antes 18 but also 18 those who saw 15 n and also 20 e᾿̣kla18 ··nai 10 "I will plunder the strength of the nations and by the wisdom of my understanding I will remove the boundaries of nations, I will grasp the whole 130 inhabited world in my hand like a nest and I will take it up like abandoned eggs," which things are done out of arrogance, as good as saying: the whole inhabited world like ···meа······ word · on·····eik····· ·mmeṇ·· po············ ··po pterothen 14 but easily subdued 16 "he will escape" 15 but a᾿̣p 15 the hopes 15 to escape according to 15 of echo; p· 16 on account of innocence 15 of shields t 18 liou me; ḳ 15 "He has given authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy." For indeed o·· pro· 18-22 b 20-24 ta an 14 "and the way of escape of the

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ἀορασίᾳ πληγέντες, οἳ καί ῃαξατ ῃαξατ ῃαξατ ῃαξατ ου᾿̣κ̣ ἀναγκαστῶς δὲ ἐρεῖς καὶ τοὺς κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας γινομένους διὰ σοφιστικῶν καὶ πιθανῶν λόγων περιπίπτειν ἐν ἡμέραι σκότῳ καὶ μεσημβρίᾳ καθάπερ ἐν νυκτί, ἀλλ' ἐπὰν ὁ συνιστάμενος τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ταῖς ἀποδείξεσιν τὸ σαθρὸν αὐτῶν τῆς πιθανότητος ἐλέγχῃ, πρὸς ἃς μὴ δυνάμενοι ἀντιστῆναι τυφλοῖς καὶ ἀνοήτοις ἐοίκασιν. οἳ καὶ ἐν πολέμῳ τῷ κατὰ τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀπόλλυνται. ὧν σύμβολα οἵ τε Αἰγύπτιοι ὑπὸ Φαραὼ στρατευόμενοι καὶ ἡττηθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰσδραηλιτῶν θεοῦ 127 βοηθείᾳ καὶ Γολιὰθ ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ καὶ πάντες, ὅσοι ὑπὸ τῶν θεραπευτῶν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ κατὰ τὸ αἰσθητὸν ἡττήθησαν. οὗτοι γὰρ δεῖγμα ἐκφέρουσιν τοῦ μηδὲ τοὺς κατὰ διάνοιαν πολεμίους τῶν σοφῶν δύνασθαι πρὸς τὴν πρεσβευομένην ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἀλή θειαν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ κατὰ Μωσέα τούτου σαφέστατόν ἐστι δεῖγμα, ὅτε πρὸς Ἀμαλῆκα ἐπολέμει. ἡνίκα γὰρ αἱ χεῖρες καθεῖντο, τροπὴ ἐγίγνετο νίκης γιγνομένης ὅτε ἄνω πρὸς θεὸν ἐκτεταμέναι ἐτύγχανον. ἐξ οὗ παρίσταται, ὡς ὁ τῷ ὑψηλῷ φρονήματι τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπερειδόμενος ἀήττητος ὢν καὶ "τὴν ψευδώνυμον γνῶσιν" πατεῖ. ὁ δὲ κάτω περὶ τὰ γήϊνα στρεφόμενος τυφλώττων καὶ ἀγνοίαι σκοτωθεὶς τὴν διάνοιαν ἧτταν ὑπομένει χαλεπωτάτην. "ἀδύνατος δὲ ἐξέλθοι ἐκ χειρὸς δυνάστου." εἴη μὲν ταῦτα καὶ κατὰ τὸ σχῆμα τῆς λέξεως οὕτω δηλοῦντα εὐκτικά, ἵν' ᾖ τὸ λεγόμενον· γένοιτο τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς τυχεῖν βοηθείας, ὡς διαφυγεῖν τῶν δυνατῶν τὰς χεῖρας. δυνατὸν καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ διηγήσεως αὐτὸ φέρεσθαι, ἵν' ᾖ οὕτως· "ὁ ποιῶν μεγάλα καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστα, ἔνδοξά τε καὶ εν ἐξαίσια, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν 128 ἀριθμός, ὁ διδοὺς ὑετὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, ὁ ἀποστέλλων ὕδωρ ἐπὶ τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανόν, ὁ ταπεινοὺς ὑψῶν, ὁ ἀπο λωλότας ἐξεγείρων", ὡς εἴρηται, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. πάντας οὗτος καὶ τοὺς ἀδυνάτους ἐκ χειρὸς δυνατῶν ῥύεται. ἔχομεν τοῦτο ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις, ὁπηνίκα γὰρ ὁ Σαοὺλ τὸν ∆αυὶδ ἐδίωκεν οὕτως, ὡς εἰς σπήλαιον αὐτὸν ὑποκρύπτεσθαι, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ηὐλίσθη ὁ Σαούλ. καὶ τί τὸ παράδοξον; περιστοιχισθεὶς γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν δυνάμει θείᾳ διεσώθη, ὡς καὶ τὸν ἐχθρὸν ὑπὸ χεῖρα αὐτῷ δοθῆναι, εἰ καὶ ἀρετῇ ἀμνησικακίας ὑπερεῖδεν τὴν κατὰ τοῦ ἀντιπάλου σφαγήν, οὐ μόνον μὴ καθελὼν ἀλλὰ καὶ παιδεύων ἀποστῆναι τῆς μοχθηρίας. ἀποτεμὼν γὰρ αὐτοῦ "τὸ πτερύγιον τῆς διπλοΐδος" ἔδειξεν αὐτῷ, ὅτι καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτεμεῖν ἐδύνατο. ἀμφότερα οὖν παιδεύει, καὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ περὶ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ θεράποντας κηδεμονίαν καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀνεξικακίαν, ἐφ' ἣν εἰς μίμησιν αὐτοῦ προκαλεῖται τὸν ἐχθρὸν διδάσκων αὐτόν, ὅτι τοὺς ἀδυνάτους ὁ θεὸς ἐξαιρεῖται ἀπὸ τῶν δυνατῶν καὶ ἐπιβούλων. "εἴη δὲ ἀδυνάτῳ ἐλπίς, ἀδίκου δὲ στόμα ἐνφραχθείη." καὶ πρὸς 129 το`̣ν τῆς π̣ρ̣ονοίας λόγον ἁρμόζει ἡ λέξις. εἰ ἀδύνατός ἐστιν λειπόμενος δυνα´̣μεως, μὴ ἀποδοκιμαζέτω ἑαυτόν, μὴ πᾶσαν προσδοκίαν ἀποστρεφέσθω· κ̣α̣ι`̣ τ̣οῖς ἀδυνάτοις γὰρ ἐλπίς ἐστιν. ἐμφράσσεται δὲ καὶ τοῦ ἀδίκου τὸ στόμα, ὅταν ὑπ' ἀλαζονείας ἐπιφυσόμενος̣ κ̣ατ̣α`̣ τῶν ἀδικουμένων θεάσ̣η̣ται αὐτοὺς διαφυγόντας τὴν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ βίαν καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο ἐνδόξους γεγενημένους ·····τα μὲν οὖν ο 15 ··ς̣ κοιναὶ 15 μεμπτὰς ἰδ 12 ἐκ τῶν ἁγίων 16 ι̣λ ·ισαπ 16 ὑπὸ φαι 16 ·σ ·υτ̣ου 16 ων ···ν̣ 16 νον 18 αχως θαρ20-24 υ 18 αντες 18 ἀλλὰ καὶ 18 τοὺς ἰδόν 15 ν δὲ καὶ 20 ε᾿̣κλα18 ··ν̣αι 10 "τὴν ἰσχὺν τῶν ε᾿̣θνῶν προνομεύσω καὶ τῇ σ̣οφι´̣ᾳ τῆς συνέσεως ἀφελῶ ὅρια ἐθνῶν̣, τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην καταλήμ130 ψομαι τῇ χειρὶ ὡς νοσσιὰν καὶ ὡς ᾠὰ καταλελειμμένα ἀρῶ", ἅπερ ὑπ' ἀλαζονείας πρ̣άτ̣τ̣εται μονονουχὶ λέγων· ἡ πᾶσα οἰκουμένη ὥσπ̣ερ ···μεα······ λόγον · ων·····εικ····· ·μμεν̣·· πο············ ··πω πτερωθεν 14 ἀλλ' εὐχει̣ρωτ 16 "διαφεύξεται" 15 ἀλλα α᾿̣π 15 τὰς ἐλπίδας 15 διαφυγεῖν κατ 15 του ἐχω· π̣· 16 διὰ τὴν ἀκακίαν 15 ἀσπίδων τ 18 λιου μη· κ̣ 15 "δέδωκεν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ." καὶ γὰρ ο·· προ· 18-22 β 20-24 τα αν 14 "καὶ τὴν ἔκβασιν τοῦ