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they say that the divine Moses performed wonders by sorcery. For this reason God allowed the magicians to do some things, so that the difference might be shown. For they turned their rods into serpents; but the rod of Moses swallowed theirs; and they also turned the water into blood, but they were not able to return the water to its former nature. And they brought forth the frogs, but they were not able to rid the houses of the Egyptians of them. And to punish the Egyptians, he allowed the magicians also to work; but to stop the punishment, he did not. For since the king of the Egyptians, being punished 114 by God, was not content with the divinely-sent plagues, but commanded the magicians also to increase the punishment; and through these God punished him, as if to say: “since you delight in being punished, I both chastise you through my servants, and I punish you through your own.” But seeing him growing more hardened, he prevented their working; and those who had brought forth the larger animal, the frog, were not able to bring forth the gnat, the smallest, but called the plague the finger of God. Moreover, he brought the boils upon their own bodies, so that both they and their foolish king might learn that not only are they unable to stop the divinely-sent plagues, but they are also punished along with the others. It is therefore shameless to say that Moses performed wonders by some sorcery, when the magicians cried out that the signs were of divine power. For if what was done by him was an illusion, they too should have created an illusion, and refuted their fellow craftsman; but now they cry out plainly, "This is the finger of God." XIX Why did he bring upon them the plague of water first? First, because they were very proud of the river, and considered it a god, providing them the service of the clouds; then, also on account of the infants of the Jews that were committed to it. For having been changed into blood, it accuses them of the infanticide that had occurred. For this reason the waters also gushed forth frogs, given up in place of the children who were drowned in them. For in a way, crawling infants imitate frogs; for not yet being able to use their feet alone, they support the weakness of their feet with their hands. And the land stank from the frogs; since "the 115 bruises of the Egyptians stank and were corrupt" from their great wickedness. XX If all the water was turned into blood, how did the enchanters of the Egyptians do likewise with their magic arts? The sea was also near them, but only the drinking water was turned into blood. They were able, therefore, to transport sea water to the palace, and to change it into the color of blood, with God, of course, permitting them to work for the reasons we have stated. However, this too must be noted, that he brought the frogs out of the waters, the gnats out of the dust, and the dog-fly from wherever he wished, so that they might learn that it is easy for God, both without earth and without waters, to produce what he wants. For this reason he also foretells the punishments, so that they might not suppose these things happen by chance, but might know the plagues are sent from God. XXI Why, when he was about to bring on the hail, did he command them to gather their livestock into the houses? The Master, being a lover of mankind, tempers the punishments with mercy. Besides, he knew that some were worthy of being spared; for this the divine scripture also teaches: "for he," it says, "of the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord gathered his livestock into the houses; but he who did not give heed in his mind to the word of the Lord, left his livestock in the 116 fields." He brought upon them the hail and the lightning bolts, showing that he himself is the master of all the elements. For since both Egyptians and Greeks believed that there were celestial, terrestrial, and subterranean gods; and that some rule the earth, and others the sea; and that some have authority over the mountains, and others over the plains—for which reason the Syrians also said, "The God of Israel is a God of the mountains and not a God of the valleys"—; most necessarily, the God of all not only

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φασι γοητείᾳ τεθαυμα τουργηκέναι τὸν θεσπέσιον Μωϋσῆν. τούτου χάριν ἐνδέδωκε ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς φαρμάκοις ἔνια δρᾶσαι, ἵνα δειχθῇ τὸ διάφορον. μετέβαλον μὲν γὰρ αὐτοὶ τὰς ῥάβδους εἰς ὄφεις· ἀλλ' ἡ Μωϋσέως ῥάβδος τὰς ἐκείνων κατέπιεν· καὶ μετέβαλον εἰς αἷμα τὸ ὕδωρ κἀκεῖνοι, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν προτέραν ἐπανα γαγεῖν τὸ ὕδωρ οὐκ ἴσχυσαν φύσιν. καὶ τοὺς βατράχους ἐξήγαγον, οὐ μὴν καὶ ἀπαλλάξαι αὐτῶν τὰς τῶν αἰγυπτίων ἠδυνήθησαν οἰκίας. καὶ εἰς μὲν τὸ παιδεύειν τοὺς αἰγυπτίους, καὶ τοῖς φαρμάκοις ἐνεργεῖν ἐνεδί δου· εἰς δὲ τὸ παύειν τὴν τιμωρίαν οὐκέτι. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ κολα 114 ζόμενος τῶν αἰγυπτίων ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἠρκεῖτο ταῖς θεηλάτοις πληγαῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς φαρμάκοις αὔξειν τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐκέλευσεν· καὶ διὰ τούτων αὐτὸν ἐκόλαζεν ὁ Θεὸς μονονουχὶ λέγων· ἐπειδὴ τέρπῃ κολαζόμενος καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐμῶν θεραπόντων παιδεύω, καὶ διὰ τῶν σῶν σε κολάζω· ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτὸν πλέον σκληρυνόμενον, ἐκώλυσε τὴν ἐκείνων ἐνέργειαν· καὶ οἱ τὸ μεῖζον ζῷον ἐξαγαγόντες τὸν βάτραχον, τὸν σκνῖπα τὸν σμικρότατον ἐξαγαγεῖν οὐκ ἴσχυσαν, ἀλλὰ δάκτυλον Θεοῦ τὴν πληγὴν προσηγόρευ σαν. τὰς μέντοι φλυκταίνας καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνων ἐπήνεγκε σώμασιν, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ μάθωσι καὶ ὁ ἀνόητος αὐτῶν βασιλεύς, ὡς οὐ μόνον ἐπέχειν οὐ δύνανται τὰς θεηλάτους πληγάς, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ συντιμωροῦνται τοῖς ἄλλοις. ἀναιδείας τοίνυν τὸ λέγειν μαγγανείᾳ τινὶ τεθαυματουργηκέναι τὸν Μωϋσῆν, τῶν μάγων βοώντων ὅτι θείας ἦν δυνάμεως τὰ σημεῖα. εἰ γὰρ φαντασία ἦν τὸ παρ' αὐτοῦ δρώμενον, ἔδει κἀκείνους φαντάσαι, καὶ τὸν ὁμότεχνον διελέγξαι· νῦν δὲ διαρρήδην βοῶσι " δάκτυλος Θεοῦ ἐστι τοῦτο ". XIX Τί δήποτε πρώτην αὐτοῖς τὴν τοῦ ὕδατος ἐπάγει πληγήν; Πρῶτον ἐπειδὴ μέγα ἐφρόνουν ἐπὶ τῷ ποταμῷ, καὶ θεὸν τοῦτον ἐνόμιζον, τὴν τῶν νεφῶν αὐτοῖς παρέχοντα χρείαν· ἔπειτα καὶ διὰ τὰ βρέφη τῶν ἰουδαίων τὰ τούτῳ παραπεμφθέντα. μεταβληθεὶς γὰρ εἰς αἷμα, τῆς γεγε νημένης κατηγορεῖ παιδοκτονίας. τούτου χάριν καὶ τοὺς βατράχους ἀνέβλυσε τὰ ὕδατα, ἀντὶ τῶν ἐν ἐκείνοις ἀποπνιγέντων ἀναδοθέντας παιδίων. μιμεῖται γάρ πως τὰ βρέφη τοὺς βατράχους βαδίζοντα· μηδέ πω γὰρ τοῖς ποσὶ μόνοις κεχρῆσθαι δυνάμενα, ταῖς χερσὶν ἐπαμύνει τῇ τῶν ποδῶν ἀσθενείᾳ. προσώζεσε δὲ ἐκ τῶν βατράχων ἡ γῆ· ἐπειδὴ "προ 115 σώζεσαν καὶ ἐσάπησαν τῶν αἰγυπτίων οἱ μώλωπες "ἐκ τῆς παμπόλλης πονηρίας. XX Εἰ ὅλον τὸ ὕδωρ εἰς αἷμα μετεβλήθη, πῶς ἐποίησαν οἱ ἐπαοιδοὶ τῶν αἰ γυπτίων ταῖς φαρμακείαις αὐτῶν ὡσαύτως; Ἐπέλαζεν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἡ θάλαττα, τὸ δὲ πότιμον ὕδωρ εἰς αἷμα μετεβλήθη μόνον. ἠδύναντο τοίνυν μετακομίσαι θαλάττιον ὕδωρ εἰς τὰ βασίλεια, καὶ μεταβαλεῖν εἰς τὴν τοῦ αἵματος χροιάν, τοῦ Θεοῦ δηλονότι συγχω ροῦντος αὐτοῖς ἐνεργεῖν δι' ἃς εἰρήκαμεν αἰτίας· ἐπισημήνασθαι μέντοι καὶ τοῦτο δεῖ, ὡς τοὺς μὲν βατράχους ἐκ τῶν ὑδάτων ἐξήγαγε, τοὺς δὲ σκνῖπας ἐκ τοῦ χώματος, τὴν δὲ κυνόμυιαν ὅθεν ἠθέλησεν, ἵνα μάθωσιν, ὡς ῥᾴδιον τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ δίχα γῆς, καὶ δίχα ὑδάτων παράγειν ἃ βούλεται. τούτου χάριν καὶ προλέγει τὰς τιμωρίας, ἵνα μὴ ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου ταῦτα συμβαίνειν τοπάσωσιν, ἀλλὰ γνῶσιν θεηλάτους εἶναι πληγάς. XXI Τί δήποτε μέλλων ἐπιφέρειν τὴν χάλαζαν παρηγγύησεν αὐτοῖς εἰς τοὺς οἴκους τὰ κτήνη συναγαγεῖν; Φιλάνθρωπος ὢν ὁ δεσπότης, ἐλέῳ τὰς τιμωρίας κεράννυσιν. ἄλλως τε καὶ ᾔδει τινὰς ἀξίους φειδοῦς· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἡ θεία διδάσκει γραφή· " ὁ φοβούμενος, γάρ φησι, τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου τῶν θε ραπόντων Φαραὼ συνήγαγε τὰ κτήνη αὐτοῦ εἰς τοὺς οἴκους· ὃς δὲ οὐ προσέσχε τῇ διανοίᾳ εἰς τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου, ἀφῆκε τὰ κτήνη ἐν τοῖς 116 πεδίοις ". τὴν δὲ χάλαζαν καὶ τοὺς σκηπτοὺς αὐτοῖς ἐπενή νοχε δεικνύς, ὡς αὐτός ἐστι τῶν στοιχείων ἁπάντων δεσπότης. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ αἰγύπτιοι καὶ ἕλληνες ἐνόμιζον τοὺς μὲν οὐρανίους, τοὺς δὲ ἐπι γείους, τοὺς δὲ ὑποχθονίους εἶναι θεούς· καὶ τοὺς μὲν τῆς γῆς, τοὺς δὲ τῆς θαλάσσης δεσπόζειν· καὶ τοὺς μὲν τῶν ὀρέων, τοὺς δὲ τῶν πεδίων ἔχειν τὴν ἐξουσίαν-διὸ καὶ οἱ σύροι ἔλεγον " Θεὸς ὀρέων ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ καὶ οὐ Θεὸς κοιλάδων "-· ἀναγκαίως ἄγαν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς οὐ μόνον