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the prophesied times, in which it is said “the Lord will add” “to show his hand”; for by the addition it indicates that other similar things will happen to those that have already occurred, for in these, long ago through Moses the hand of the Lord led out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt and led them across the Red Sea and brought them “into the land of promise,” which formerly belonged to foreigners. Now through him “from the root of Jesse” the same hand of the Lord, making an addition of good things, made the apostles of the Savior and the heralds of the saving gospel, being Jews and originating from the Jews, glorious and zealous throughout the whole world, and not least in Egypt itself, where they went about unhindered, with no one standing in their way. And they went down for the destruction of Egyptian idolatry. And those in the time of Moses went out fleeing Pharaoh and the Egyptians, but the disciples of Christ went into Egypt as willing heralds of the word of salvation. And for those in the time of Moses the sea was divided perceptibly, and the water of the Egyptian river was turned into blood; but the addition of good things in the indicated times threatens desolation to the Egyptian sea, and to their river a complete failure, so that without any hindrance the heralds of the saving gospel might travel throughout the lands of the Egyptians and bring about the overthrow of their polytheistic superstition, and deliver the knowledge of the God over all and of his Christ who came forth “from the root of Jesse.” But it must be observed how it is said that the Lord will lay waste not the land of Egypt, but its sea, the multitude of idolatry being thus signified. If, then, the multitudes of the wickedness of life are compared to a sea, see if it is not reasonable that the tongue of atheistic and impious men, who long ago were ignorant of God, as Pharaoh showed when he said: “I do not know the Lord, and I will not send Israel away.” which the Word, proceeding, prophesies will be. Thus the tongue of the Egyptian sea has been anathematized, so as to silence the oracles and prophecies of the evil demons formerly proclaimed by it; and their evil arts through sorcerers have been undone. All these things were fulfilled in deeds after the evangelical preaching that was preached to the Egyptians themselves. From that time and even to our own, all the power of the gods considered such by the Egyptians was extinguished, and of all the atheistic and impious men throughout the whole world who act like Egyptians in the same manner of idolatry, the sea, once overflowing and surging, has suffered ultimate desolation. It is said that the Lord will lay waste the sea of Egypt, that is, the multitude of idolatry, and not only will he lay waste the sea, but also he will lay his hand upon its river, the kingdom that has existed for the Egyptians from eternity being thus signified in a way, with a violent spirit being understood as the Roman ruler who first overthrew the kingdom of the Egyptians; for the river itself was dissolved, being struck, or as it were humbled into deep valleys and changed into seven ravines. You will understand this too if you apply your mind, that long ago the mightiest stream of one river, by which the kingdom of Egypt was signified, ruled over all the nations there, but when that was struck and dissolved, certain partial rulers led them from time to time; some administering the parts of the Libyans, others separately those of the Thebans, and others of Egypt itself and Alexandria. And of these, some have been honored with governorships, entrusted with the care of public and civil affairs, while others, again separately, lead the military detachments, and all these are advanced to the indicated offices by the greater authority. And then as private citizens in ravines

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προφητευομένους χρόνους, ἐν οἷς «προσθήσειν» εἴρηται «ὁ κύριος τοῦ δεῖξαι τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ»· τῇ γὰρ προσθήκῃ προγενομένοις πράγμασιν ἕτερα ὁμοιότροπα ἐπιγενήσεσθαι δηλοῖ, ἐφ' οἷς γὰρ πάλαι διὰ Μωσέως ἡ χεὶρ τοῦ κυρίου ἐξήγαγε τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ διήγαγε τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν ἐρυθρὰν καὶ εἰσήγαγεν «εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας» τὴν οὖσαν ἀλλοφύλων πρότερον. νυνὶ διὰ τοῦ «ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ» ἡ αὐτὴ χεὶρ τοῦ κυρίου προσθήκην ἀγαθῶν ποιουμένη τοὺς ἀποστόλους τοῦ σωτῆρος καὶ τοὺς κήρυκας τοῦ σωτηρίου εὐαγγελίου Ἰουδαίους ὄντας καὶ ἐξ Ἰουδαίων ὁρμωμένους ἐπιδόξους καὶ ζηλωτοὺς ἐποίει καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ ἐπ' αὐτῆς Αἰγύπτου, ἔνθα παρῄεσαν ἀκωλύτως μηδενὸς ἐμποδὼν αὐτοῖς γιγνομένου. καὶ κατῄεσαν ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει τῆς Αἰγυπτιακῆς εἰδωλολατρίας. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ Μωϋσέως ἐξῄεσαν φεύγοντες τὸν Φαραὼ καὶ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους, οἱ δὲ Χριστοῦ μαθηταὶ εἰσῄεσαν εἰς Αἴγυπτον αὐτόμολοι κήρυκες τοῦ σωτηρίου λόγου. καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἐπὶ Μωϋσέως διῄρητο ἡ θάλασσα αἰσθητῶς, τό τε ὕδωρ τοῦ Αἰγυπτίου ποταμοῦ μετεβάλλετο εἰς αἷμα· ἡ δὲ τῶν ἀγαθῶν προσθήκη ἐπὶ τῶν δηλουμένων χρόνων τῇ μὲν θαλάσσῃ ἐρημίαν ἀπειλεῖ τῇ Αἰγυπτίᾳ, τῷ δὲ ποταμῷ αὐτῶν παντελῆ ἔκλειψιν, πρὸς τὸ δίχα τινὸς κωλύματος τοὺς τοῦ σωτηρίου εὐαγγελίου κήρυκας ἐκπεριελθεῖν τὰς Αἰγυπτίων χώρας καὶ ἀνατροπὴν μὲν τῆς πολυθέου αὐτῶν δεισιδαιμονίας ἐργάσασθαι, τοῦ δὲ ἐπὶ πάντων θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ τοῦ «ἐκ ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ» προελθόντος παραδοῦναι τὴν γνῶσιν. θεωρητέον δὲ ὅπως οὐ τὴν χώραν Αἰγύπτου, ἀλλὰ τὴν θάλασσαν αὐτῆς λέγεται ὁ κύριος ἐρημώσειν τοῦ τῆς εἰδωλολατρίας πλήθους οὕτω δηλουμένου. εἰ τοίνυν τὰ πλήθη τῆς κακίας τοῦ βίου θαλάσσῃ παραβάλλεται, ὅρα εἰ μὴ εὐλόγως τὴν τῶν ἀθέων καὶ ἀσεβῶν ἀνδρῶν γλῶσσαν τῶν πάλαι τὸν θεὸν ἀγνοούντων, ὡς ἐδήλου λέγων ὁ Φαραώ· «οὐκ οἶδα τὸν κύριον καὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ ἐξαποστέλλω». ὃ δὴ προϊὼν ὁ λόγος ἔσεσθαι θεσπίζει. οὕτω δὲ ἀνατεθεμάτισται τῆς Αἰγυπτίας θαλάσσης ἡ γλῶσσα, ὡς ἀποσιωπῆσαι τῶν παρ' αὐτῆς πάλαι βοωμένων πονηρῶν δαιμόνων τὰ χρηστήρια καὶ τὰ μαντεῖα· λελύσθαι δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς δι' ἀνδρῶν γοήτων κακοτεχνίας. ἃ δὴ πάντα δι' ἔργων ἐπληροῦτο μετὰ τὸ κήρυγμα τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν τὸ κηρυχθὲν αὐτοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις. ἐξ ἐκείνων δὲ καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς τῶν παρ' Αἰγυπτίοις νενομισμένων θεῶν ἡ πᾶσα δύναμις ἀπέσβη καὶ πάντων δὲ τῶν ἀθέων καὶ δυσσεβῶν ἀνδρῶν τῶν καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης Αἰγυπτιαζόντων κατὰ τὸν ὅμοιον τῆς εἰδωλολατρίας τρόπον ἡ ποτὲ πλημμυροῦσα καὶ κυματουμένη θάλασσα τὴν ἐσχάτην πέπονθεν ἐρημίαν. θάλασσαν δὲ τῆς Αἰγύπτου λέγεται κύριος ἐρημώσειν, τοῦτ' ἔστι τῆς εἰδωλολατρίας τὸ πλῆθος, οὐ μόνον δὲ τὴν θάλασσαν ἐρημώσειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπιβαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμὸν αὐτῆς τῆς ἐξ αἰῶνος συνεστώσης τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις βασιλείας, οὕτως πως δηλουμένης βιαίου πνεύματος νοουμένου τοῦ πρῶτον καθελόντος τὴν βασιλείαν Αἰγυπτίων Ῥωμαίων ἄρχοντος· λέλυτο γοῦν αὐτὸς ὁ ποταμὸς παταχθεὶς ἢ καὶ ὥσπερ εἰς κοιλάδας βαθείας ταπεινωθεὶς καὶ εἰς φάραγγας μεταβληθεὶς ἑπτά. ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸ νοήσεις ἐπιστήσας τὸν νοῦν, ὡς πάλαι μὲν ἑνὸς ποταμοῦ ῥεῦμα μέγιστον, δι' οὗ τὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου βασίλειον ἐδηλοῦτο, τῶν αὐτόθι πάντων ἐθνῶν ἐκράτει, παταχθέντος δ' ἐκείνου καὶ λυθέντος μερικοί τινες ἄρχοντες αὐτῶν κατὰ χρόνους ἡγοῦντο· οἱ μὲν τὰ Λιβύων διέποντες μέρη, οἱ δὲ ἀφωρισμένως τὰ Θηβαίων, οἱ δ' αὐτῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ Ἀλεξανδρείας. καὶ τούτων οἱ μὲν ἡγεμονίαις τετίμηνται, τῶν δημοτικῶν καὶ πολιτικῶν πραγμάτων ἐγκεχειρισμένοι τὴν φροντίδα, οἱ δ' ἀφωρισμένως πάλιν τῶν στρατιωτικῶν καθηγοῦνται ταγμάτων, καὶ οὗτοί γε πάντες ὑπὸ τῆς μείζονος ἐξουσίας ἐπὶ τὰς δηλωθείσας ἀρχὰς προαγόμενοι. κἄπειτα ἰδιωτεύοντες φάραγξιν