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they were fittingly compared, as in juxtaposition to the river that formerly flooded among them, I mean the royal one, which indeed inundated all of Egypt itself at once and the nations around it in a single stream, with one royal power overcoming all things. Thus, therefore, the Egyptian river was also struck, and partial ravines appeared instead of it, so that Egypt would henceforth be passable for those who preach the gospel of Christ, with no one standing in their way or preventing them from entering. Therefore, since the kingdom of the Egyptians no longer existed and since the demonic activity among them was extinguished, the evangelical proclamation was announced to them at leisure according to the saying of the oracle: and there will be a way for my people left in Egypt, but also, it says, it will be for Israel as the day when they went out from the land of Egypt; for just as the people of Moses crossed the Red Sea on foot as 'through dry land,' then after the passage 'they sang the song, saying, Let us sing to the Lord, for he has been gloriously glorified,' in the same way also the prophesied evangelists of our Savior, they being those left from the whole nation of the Jews, making their course unhindered and running through all the land of the Egyptians, preaching the gospel to the Jews in their synagogues, and establishing churches of Christ from the conversion of the Gentiles, taught those who benefited through them to 'sing a new song' similarly to those in the time of Moses. And this was what was proclaimed by the prophetic word that says: And you will say in that day: I will praise you, Lord, because you were angry with me, and you turned away your anger from me and had mercy on me. behold, my God is my savior, I will trust in him and I will be saved. And I will not be afraid, because the Lord is my glory and my praise and he has become my salvation. These things are taught to be said by those who proclaim the Christ of God in the land of the Egyptians, or also by the Egyptians themselves who have accepted the Christ of God; for it is as if the aforementioned 'river' no longer existed among them, nor the 'sea' that once surged. Therefore they say: behold, my God is my savior, I will trust in him and I will not be afraid, because there are no longer those who frighten them or prevent them from worshiping God according to the word of Christ, because, he says, my glory and my praise is he, and he has become my salvation. And the phrase 'you were angry with me' represents a confession of former sins, on account of which the Egyptians were worthy of God's wrath before the saving call. And the phrase: 'you turned away your anger and had mercy on me' signifies the forgiveness of sins granted to them after the call. 'For the grace and the truth which came through Jesus Christ' granted to the Egyptians themselves and to all who have accepted the Son of God the loosening of bonds and the forgiveness of sins. Next to these things, he adds: And you will draw water with joy from the springs of salvation. And here again the water and the springs of salvation must be understood allegorically; and you will understand these things when you hear the Savior himself saying: 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.' Therefore, the springs of salvation were the evangelical words rained down from the Holy Spirit, just as the prophetic words were called the springs of Israel by the Scripture which says: 'in the congregations bless God, the Lord from the springs of Israel.' But indeed, it is prophesied that the Egyptians will drink from the springs of the saving word, and those who ministered this saving drink to them. Next to the things previously said, he further commands to say these things: And you will say in that day: Praise the Lord, call upon his name. And the phrase 'you will say' you should address to the choir of the evangelists of our Savior; for in that day, he says, that is, in the prophesied time, you will say, you, the preacher of the saving gospel,
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εἰκότως παρεβλήθησαν ὡς ἐν παραθέσει τοῦ πάλαι πλημμυροῦντος παρ' αὐτοῖς ποταμοῦ, λέγω δὲ τοῦ βασιλείου, ὃ δὴ πᾶσαν αὐτὴν ἀθρόως τε τὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ τὰ ἀμφὶ ταύτην ἔθνη ἑνὶ ῥεύματι περιέκλυζε, μιᾷ δυνάμει βασιλικῇ κατακρατούσῃ τῶν ὅλων. οὕτως οὖν ἐπατάσσετο καὶ ὁ Αἰγύπτιος ποταμός, μερικαί τε φάραγγες ὑφίσταντο ἀντ' αὐτοῦ ὡς βατὴν εἶναι τοῦ λοιποῦ τὴν Αἴγυπτον τοῖς τὸ Χριστοῦ εὐαγγέλιον κηρύττουσι, μηδενὸς ἐμποδὼν αὐτοῖς ἱσταμένου μηδ' ἐπιβαίνειν κωλύοντος. ∆ιόπερ ὡς μηκέτι συνεστώσης τῆς Αἰγυπτίων βασιλείας καὶ ὡς τῆς δαιμονικῆς ἐνεργείας τῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀποσβεσθείσης τὸ κήρυγμα τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν ἐπὶ σχολῆς αὐτοῖς κατηγγέλλετο κατὰ τὸ φῆσαν λόγιον· καὶ ἔσται δίοδος τῷ καταλειφθέντι μου λαῷ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔσται φησὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα ὅτε ἐξῆλθον ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου· ὡς γὰρ ὁ Μωσέως λαὸς διέβη ποσὶ τὴν ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν ὡς «διὰ ξηρᾶς», εἶτα μετὰ τὴν δίοδον «τὴν ᾠδὴν ᾖσαν λέγοντες Ἄισωμεν τῷ κυρίῳ, ἐνδόξως γὰρ δεδόξασται», τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ οἱ προφητευόμενοι τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν εὐαγγελισταί, αὐτοὶ ὄντες οἱ ἐκ τοῦ παντὸς Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους περιλειφθέντες, ἀκώλυτον ποιούμενοι τὸν δρόμον καὶ πᾶσαν διατρέχοντες τὴν Αἰγυπτίων χώραν καὶ Ἰουδαίοις μὲν κηρύσσοντες τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν, ἐκκλησίας δὲ Χριστοῦ συνιστῶντες ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπιστροφῆς, «καινὸν ᾆσμα» ἐμφερῶς τοῖς ἐπὶ Μωϋσέως ἐδίδασκον «ᾄδειν» τοὺς δι' αὐτῶν ὠφελημένους. Τοῦτο δὲ ἦν τὸ προφωνηθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ φάσκοντος προφητικοῦ λόγου· Καὶ ἐρεῖς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ Εὐλογήσω σε, κύριε, διότι ὠργίσθης μοι καὶ ἀπέστρεψας τὸν θυμόν σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ καὶ ἠλέησάς με. ἰδοὺ ὁ θεός μου σωτήρ μου, πεποιθὼς ἔσομαι ἐπ' αὐτῷ καὶ σωθήσομαι. καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσομαι, ὅτι ἡ δόξα μου καὶ ἡ αἴνεσίς μου κύριος καὶ ἐγένετό μοι εἰς σωτηρίαν. ταῦτα διδάσκονται λέγειν οἱ τῇ Αἰγυπτίων χώρᾳ τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καταγγέλλοντες ἢ καὶ αὐτοὶ Αἰγύπτιοι τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ παραδεδεγμένοι· ὡς γὰρ μηκέτ' ὑφεστῶτος ἐν αὐτοῖς «τοῦ» προλεχθέντος «ποταμοῦ» μηδὲ «τῆς» πάλαι κυματουμένης «θαλάσσης». διό φασιν· ἰδοὺ ὁ θεός μου ὁ σωτήρ, πεποιθὼς ἔσομαι ἐπ' αὐτῷ καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσομαι διὰ τὸ μηκέτ' εἶναι τοὺς ἐκφοβοῦντας αὐτοὺς μηδὲ κωλύοντας κατὰ τὸν Χριστοῦ λόγον θεοσεβεῖν, ὅτι ἡ δόξα μου φησὶ καὶ ἡ αἴνεσίς μού ἐστι καὶ ἐγένετό μοι εἰς σωτηρίαν. τὸ δὲ ὠργίσθης μοι ἐξομολόγησιν προτέρων ἁμαρτημάτων παρίστησιν, ὧν ἕνεκα θεοῦ ἦσαν ὀργῆς ἄξιοι πρὸ τῆς σωτηρίου κλήσεως οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι. τὸ δέ· ἀπέστρεψας τὸν θυμόν σου καὶ ἠλέησάς με τὴν μετὰ τὴν κλῆσιν δωρηθεῖσαν αὐτοῖς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτημάτων σημαίνει. «ἡ γὰρ χάρις καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ γενομένη» καὶ αὐτοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ παραδεδεγμένοις δεσμῶν λύσιν καὶ ἁμαρτιῶν συγχώρησιν ἐδωρήσατο. Ἑξῆς τούτοις ἐπιλέγει· καὶ ἀντλήσετε ὕδωρ μετ' εὐφροσύνης ἐκ τῶν πηγῶν τοῦ σωτηρίου. πάλιν δὲ κἀνταῦθα ἀλληγορικῶς παραδεκτέον τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὰς πηγὰς τοῦ σωτηρίου· νοήσεις δὲ ταῦτα αὐτοῦ λέγοντος ἀκούων τοῦ σωτῆρος· «εἴ τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με καὶ πινέτω. ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ, καθὼς εἶπεν ἡ γραφή, ποταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος». πηγαὶ τοίνυν σωτηρίου λόγοι ἦσαν εὐαγγελικοὶ ἐξ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἀνομβρώμενοι, ὥσπερ οἱ προφητικοὶ λόγοι πηγαὶ ὠνομάζοντο Ἰσραὴλ ὑπὸ τῆς λεγούσης γραφῆς· «ἐν ἐκκλησίαις εὐλογεῖτε τὸν θεόν, κύριον ἐκ πηγῶν Ἰσραήλ». ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν πηγῶν τοῦ σωτηρίου λόγου προφητεύονται πίεσθαι οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι καὶ οἱ τούτοις τὸ ποτὸν τὸ σωτήριον διακονήσαντες. Ἑξῆς τοῖς προλεχθεῖσιν ἔτι καὶ ταῦτα λέγειν προστάττει· καὶ ἐρεῖς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ Ὑμνεῖτε κύριον, βοᾶτε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ. τὸ δὲ ἐρεῖς προσφωνήσῃς τῷ χορῷ τῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν· ἐν ἐκείνῃ γάρ φησι τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, δηλαδὴ ἐν τῷ προφητευομένῳ καιρῷ, ἐρεῖς σύ, ὁ κῆρυξ τοῦ σωτηρίου εὐαγγελίου,