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they see the divine mighty works, while falling into harsh tempests, and enjoying salvation beyond all human hope; so also the Jews, having fallen into those calamities and having received their freedom, understood the divine power. And indeed all people, seeing the strange change of affairs, and the cessation of the former error, and the calm of souls, and the harbor of the resurrection, marvel at the Giver of these things. But here one must understand our life as the sea; the ships, the Churches, in which the apostles wrought salvation, that is, among the multitude of men. They saw also the works of God, that is, the works of creation and the wonders, the signs which He, ordering our salvation, placed in the deep, that is, in wisdom, with which He orders our affairs. For the wisdom of God is a depth, on account of its incomparable and immeasurable nature. He spoke, and a stormy wind arose, and its waves were lifted up. They go up to the heavens, and go down to the depths. And through these things He taught that at His nod both painful things happen, and pleasant things are added. He speaks of the temptations, which the spirit of the storm raises, that is, the opposing spirit, with God permitting it for the training and manifestation of the righteous. And God himself makes this clear, when he permitted the devil to tempt, saying to Job: 'Do you think I have dealt with you otherwise, than that you might be revealed as righteous?' For what fire is to gold, this is what temptations are to souls, melting them, not so as to destroy them, but so that it might be revealed how much brightness they have. Their soul melted away in troubles. They were troubled, they reeled like a drunken man, and all their wisdom was swallowed up.

δʹ. He continued in the figure of speech; and he seems to speak about those who sail, but by these things he alludes to the various calamities of the soul, which no one using human wisdom is able to dispel. For not even pilots, being carried about hither and thither like drunken men, when the surging wave prevails, bringing all their skill to bear, are able to overcome the dangers. And they cried to the Lord in their affliction; and he brought them out of their distresses. And he commanded the storm, and it stood as a breeze; and its waves were silent. And they were glad, because they were quiet. And to those sailors who call upon him he extends his own inclination, and nods, and immediately the storm changes into a gentle breeze, and the sea is rid of the surge, and those who wrestle with some sorrows find through his grace a change from their evils. Thus the Jews were freed from that bitter slavery. And he guided them to the harbor of his will. For as soon as he willed, there was a release from the evils, and instead of the surging wave the harbor appeared. And this is more fitting for us than for them. For he has brought us to anchor in the harbor of his will, having gifted his divine knowledge, that is, the kingdom; which is fittingly called a harbor, as not having the waves of temptations, and necessarily the harbor of the will of Christ, who says: 'Father, those whom you have given me, I will that where I am, they may be also.' Let them confess to the Lord his mercies, and his wonders to the children of men. Let them exalt him in the Church of the people, and praise him in the seat of the elders. Consequently after the apostles he makes mention of the Church and of the presbytery in it. For these things also had to be added to the good tidings. It is necessary, he says, to glorify God who does wondrous things in the Church of the nations. For the nations and the Jews have exchanged their respective places. For the latter having been cast out on account of wickedness, deprived of angelic appearances and prophetic gifts, both their country and city

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τὰς θείας μεγαλουργίας ὁρῶσι, κλύδωσι μὲν χαλεποῖς περιπίπτοντες, παρὰ πᾶσαν δὲ ἀνθρωπίνην ἐλπίδα τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπολαύοντες· οὕτω καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι ταῖς συμφοραῖς ἐκείναις προπεσόντες καὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἀπειληφότες, τὴν θείαν κατέμαθον δύναμιν. Καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ ἅπαντες ἄνθρωποι τὴν ξένην τῶν πραγμάτων ὁρῶν τες μεταβολὴν, καὶ τῆς προτέρας πλάνης τὴν παῦλαν, καὶ τῶν ψυχῶν τὴν γαλήνην, καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τὸν λιμένα, τὸν τούτων θαυμάζουσι χορηγόν. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ θάλασσαν νοῆσαι χρὴ τὸν βίον τὸν ἡμέτερον· πλοῖα, τὰς Ἐκκλησίας, ἐν αἷς οἱ ἀποστόλοι εἰργάσαντο σωτηρίαν, ἐν τῷ πλήθει δηλαδὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Εἴδοσαν δὲ καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ἔργα, τουτέστι, τὰ δημιουργήματα καὶ τὰ θαυ μάσια, τὰ σημεῖα ὅσα τὴν σωτηρίαν οἰκονομῶν τὴν ἡμετέραν ἔθετο ἐν τῷ βυθῷ, τουτέστιν, ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ, μεθ' ἧς οἰκονομεῖ τὰ ἡμέτερα. Βάθος γὰρ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφία, διὰ τὸ ἀνείκαστον αὐτῆς καὶ ἀμέτρητον. Εἶπε, καὶ ἔστη πνεῦμα καταιγίδος, καὶ ὑψώθη τὰ κύματα αὐ τῆς. Ἀναβαίνουσιν ἕως τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ καταβαί νουσιν ἕως τῶν ἀβύσσων. Καὶ διὰ τούτων ἐδίδαξεν, ὡς αὐτοῦ νεύοντος καὶ τὰ λυπηρὰ γίνεται, καὶ τὰ θυμήρη προσγίνεται. Λέγει δὲ τοὺς πειρασμοὺς, οὓς ἐγείρει τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς καταιγίδος, δηλαδὴ τὸ ἀντικείμενον πνεῦμα, ἐπιτρέψαντος τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς τὴν τῶν δικαίων γυμνασίαν καὶ φανέρωσιν. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς, ἡνίκα τῷ διαβόλῳ πειράσαι ἐπέτρεψε, λέγων πρὸς τὸν Ἰώβ· Οἴει με ἄλλως σοι κεχρηματικέναι, ἢ ἵνα ἀναφανῇς δίκαιος; Ὅπερ γάρ ἐστι τῷ χρυσίῳ τὸ πῦρ, τοῦτο ταῖς ψυχαῖς οἱ πειρασμοὶ τυγχάνουσι, τήκοντες αὐτὰς, οὐχ ὥστε διαφθεῖραι, ἀλλ' ὥστε φανερωθῆναι, πῶς λαμπρό τητος ἔχουσιν. Ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῶν ἐν κακοῖς ἐτήκετο. Ἐταράχθησαν, ἐσαλεύθησαν ὡς ὁ μεθύων, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ σοφία αὐτῶν κατεπόθη.

δʹ. Ἐπέμεινε τῇ τροπῇ· καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν περὶ τῶν ναυ τιλλομένων λέγειν, αἰνίττεται δὲ διὰ τούτων τὰς παντο δαπὰς τῆς ψυχῆς συμφορὰς, ἃς οὐδεὶς ἀνθρωπίνῃ σοφίᾳ χρώμενος ἱκανὸς διαλῦσαι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ κυβερνῆται τῇδε κἀκεῖσε μεθυόντων δίκην περιφερόμενοι, ὅταν ὑπερσχῇ τὸ κλυδώνιον, πᾶσαν εἰσφέροντες τὴν τέχνην, περιγενέ σθαι δύνανται τῶν δεινῶν. Καὶ ἐκέκραξαν πρὸς Κύριον ἐν τῷ θλίβεσθαι αὐτούς· καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀναγκῶν αὐτῶν ἐξήγαγεν αὐτούς. Καὶ ἐπέταξε τῇ καταιγίδι, καὶ ἔστη εἰς αὔραν· καὶ ἐσίγησαν τὰ κύματα αὐτῆς. Καὶ εὐφράνθησαν, ὅτι ἡσύχασαν. Κἀκείνοις τοῖς πλείουσιν ἐπικαλουμένοις τὴν οἰκείαν ῥοπὴν ὀρέγει, καὶ νεύει, καὶ παραχρῆμα εἰς αὔραν πραεῖαν ἡ καταιγὶς μεταβάλλεται, καὶ τῆς ζάλης τὸ πέλαγος ἀπαλλάττεται, καὶ οἱ λυπηροῖς τισι προσπαλαίοντες διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ χάριτος μεταβολὴν εὑρίσκουσι τῶν κακῶν. Οὕτως Ἰουδαῖοι τῆς πικρᾶς δου λείας ἐκείνης ἠλευθερώθησαν. Καὶ ὡδήγησεν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ λιμένα θελήματος αὐτοῦ. Ἅμα γὰρ ἠθέλησε, καὶ λύσις ἐγένετο τῶν κακῶν, καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ κλύδωνος ὁ λιμὴν ἀνεφάνη. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ μᾶλλον ἡμῖν ἢ ἐκείνοις ἁρμόδιον. Ἡμᾶς γὰρ εἰς τὸν τοῦ θελήματος λιμένα καθώρμισε τὴν θείαν αὐτοῦ δωρησάμενος γνῶσιν, δηλαδὴ τὴν βασιλείαν· ἥτις λιμὴν, ὡς οὐκ ἔχουσα τῶν πειρασμῶν τὰ κύματα, εἰκότως προσηγόρευται, καὶ λιμὴν θελήματος τοῦ Χρι στοῦ ἀναγκαίως, τοῦ λέγοντος· Πάτερ, οὓς δέδωκάς μοι, θέλω, ἵνα ὅπου ἐγώ εἰμι, κἀκεῖνοι ὦσιν. Ἐξομο λογησάσθωσαν τῷ Κυρίῳ τὰ ἐλέη αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ὑψωσά τωσαν αὐτὸν ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ λαοῦ, καὶ ἐν καθέδρᾳ πρεσβυτέρων αἰνεσάτωσαν αὐτόν. Ἀκολούθως μετὰ τοὺς ἀποστόλους τῆς Ἐκκλησίας καὶ τοῦ πρεσβυτερίου τοῦ ἐν ταύτῃ μνήμην ποιεῖται. Προστεθῆναι γὰρ τοῖς τῶν ἀγαθῶν εὐαγγελίοις ἔδει καὶ ταῦτα. ∆εῖ δὲ, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ τῶν ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίᾳ δοξάζειν τὸν παράδοξα ποιοῦντα Θεόν. Ἔθνη γὰρ καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι τὴν ἀλλήλων μετειλήφασι τάξιν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ διὰ κακίας ἀποβληθέντες, ἀγγελικῆς ἐπιφανείας καὶ προφητικῶν χαρισμάτων ἐστερημένοι, ἥ τε τούτων χώρα καὶ πόλις