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they were baptized in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.” Again he proceeds to the things of the old history; but the phrase, ‘I do not want you to be ignorant,’ is an indication that they were not very well instructed in these things. But for what reason does he set forth the example, except to show that, just as it did not benefit them to have enjoyed so great a gift, so neither will it benefit these to have received baptism and enjoyed spiritual mysteries, if they are not going to show a life worthy of the grace. Therefore he also brings forward the types of the baptism and of the mysteries. What does it mean, ‘they were baptized into Moses’? Just as we, having believed in Christ and in his resurrection, are baptized, as having ourselves partaken of the same things; for we are baptized for the dead, that is, for our bodies; so also they, having taken courage in Moses, that is, having seen him cross first, they themselves also dared the waters; but since he wants to bring the type near to the truth, he does not say it thus, but uses the names of the truth also for the type. And this is a symbol of the washing; but the things after this, of the 95.645 holy table. For just as we eat the Lord’s body, so they ate the manna; and just as we drink the Lord’s blood, so they drank water from the rock. For even if the things given were perceptible, yet they were provided spiritually, not according to the sequence of nature, but according to the grace of the gift; and along with the body it nourished the soul, leading it to faith. For this reason concerning the food he said nothing; for it was changed; but concerning the drink, since only the manner of its provision, was paradoxical, and it needed preparation, for this reason after saying that they all drank the same spiritual drink, he added: ‘For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.’ For not even the nature of the rock sent forth the water. For it would have gushed forth even before this, but another spiritual rock was working the whole thing, that is, Christ, who is present everywhere, and working all wonders. For this reason he also said, ‘that followed them.’ “But with most of them God was not pleased.” And yet all of them perished; but lest he seem to be prophesying utter destruction for these as well, for this reason he said that it was most of them. Since many disbelieve the words concerning Gehenna, as they are not present, nor visible, from the things that have already happened he shows that God punishes sinners, even if he is ten thousand times good. “For they were overthrown in the wilderness.” He indicates their faithless destruction. “Now these things became examples for us, so that we might not be cravers of evil things, as they also craved, nor become idolaters, as some of them did, as it is written.” Lest they say: And what is their destruction to us? for this was for our sake, so that we might become more sober-minded by those examples. “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play; nor let us commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication, and fell in one day twenty-three thousand.” Just as they, he says, from luxury went out into idolatry, so there is a fear that you also might fall away from here. “Nor let us test the Lord, as some of them also tested, and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them grumbled, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples. And they were written for our instruction.” By this he alludes to another charge, which he also places near the end, accusing them that they fought over signs, and also on account of temptations; for they would be taken away, saying: When will the better prizes come? 95.648 For which reason he also says: Let us not grumble. For this is not what is sought, to suffer for Christ, but to suffer all things with pleasure for Christ. “Upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” Again he frightens them, speaking of the ends, and preparing the expectation of greater things than what has happened. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Again the pride
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ἐβαπτίσαντο ἐν τῇ νεφέλῃ, καὶ ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, καὶ πάντες τὸ αὐτὸ βρῶμα πνευματικὸν ἔφαγον, καὶ πάντες τὸ αὐτὸ πόμα πνευματικὸν ἔπιον. Ἔπινον γὰρ ἐκ πνευματικῆς ἀκολουθούσης πέτρας, ἡ δὲ πέτρα ἦν ὁ Χριστός.» Πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ τῆς παλαιᾶς πρόεισιν ἱστορίας· τὸ δὲ, οὐ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, δεικνύοντός ἐστιν, ὡς οὐ σφόδρα ἦσαν ταῦτα πεπαιδευμένοι. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν τὸ ὑπόδειγμα τίθησιν, ἢ ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι, ὥσπερ οὐκ ὤνησεν ἐκείνους τὸ τοσαύτης ἀπολαῦσαι δωρεᾶς, οὕτως οὐδὲ τούτους τοῦ βαπτίσματος τυχεῖν, καὶ μυστηρίων πνευματικῶν ἀπολαῦσαι, εἰ μὴ μέλλοιεν ἄξιον τῆς χάριτος ἐπιδείκνυσθαι βίον. ∆ιὸ καὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος καὶ τῶν μυστηρίων παράγει τοὺς τύπους. Τί δέ ἐστι τὸ, εἰς τὸν Μωϋσῆν ἐβαπτίσθησαν; Καθάπερ ἡμεῖς τῷ Χριστῷ πιστεύσαντες, καὶ τῇ ἀναστάσει αὐτοῦ, βαπτιζόμεθα, ὡς καὶ αὐτοὶ τῶν αὐτῶν κοινωνήσαντες· βαπτιζόμεθα γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῶν νεκρῶν, τουτέστι σωμάτων· οὕτω καὶ ἐκεῖνοι θαρσήσαντες τῷ Μωϋσῇ, τουτέστιν, ἰδόντες αὐτὸν διαβάντα πρῶτον, κατετόλμησαν καὶ αὐτοὶ τῶν ὑδάτων· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ βούλεται τὸν τύπον ἐγγὺς τῆς ἀληθείας ἀγαγεῖν, οὐ λέγει οὕτως, ἀλλὰ τοῖς τῆς ἀληθείας ὀνόμασι κέχρηται καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ τύπου. Καὶ τοῦτο μὲν τοῦ λούτρου σύμβολον· τὰ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα, τῆς 95.645 ἱερᾶς τραπέζης. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἡμεῖς τὸ σῶμα ἐσθίομεν τὸ ∆εσποτικὸν, οὕτω κἀκεῖνοι τὸ μάννα· καὶ ὥσπερ ἡμεῖς τὸ αἷμα πίνομεν τὸ ∆εσποτικὸν, οὕτω κἀκεῖνοι ὕδωρ ἐκ πέτρας. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ αἰσθητὰ ἦν τὰ διδόμενα, ἀλλὰ πνευματικῶς παρείχετο, οὐ κατὰ φύσεως ἀκολουθίαν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ δωρεᾶς χάριν· καὶ μετὰ τοῦ σώματος τὴν ψυχὴν ἔτρεφεν, εἰς πίστιν ἐνάγοντα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο περὶ μὲν τῆς τροφῆς οὐδὲν εἶπεν· ἐξηλλαγμένη γὰρ ἦν· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ πότου, ἐπειδὴ ὁ τρόπος μόνος τῆς χορηγίας, μόνος ἦν παράδοξος, καὶ κατασκευῆς ἐδεήθη, διὸ εἰπὼν ὅτι τὸ αὐτὸ ἔπινον πόμα πνευματικὸν, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἔπινον γὰρ ἐκ πνευματικῆς ἀκολουθούσης πέτρας· ἡ δὲ πέτρα ἦν ὁ Χριστός. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡ τῆς πέτρας φύσις τὸ ὕδωρ ἠφίει. Ἢ γὰρ ἂν καὶ πρὸ τούτου ἀνέβλυσεν, ἀλλ' ἑτέρα τις πέτρα πνευματικὴ τὸ πᾶν εἰργάζετο, τουτέστιν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὁ παρὼν πανταχοῦ, καὶ πάντα θαυματουργῶν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ εἶπεν, ἀκολουθούσης. «Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τοῖς πλείοσιν αὐτῶν εὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεός.» Καὶ μὴν πάντες ἀπώλοντο· ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ καὶ τούτοις πανωλεθρίαν προφητεύειν, διὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν ὅτι πλείους. Ἐπειδὴ τοῖς περὶ γεέννης λόγοις οἱ πολλοὶ ἀπιστοῦσιν, ὡς μὴ παροῦσι, μηδὲ φαινομένοις, ἀπὸ τῶν ἤδη γεγενημένων δείκνυσιν ὅτι κολάζει τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας ὁ Θεὸς, κἂν μυριάκις ἀγαθὸς ᾖ. «Κατεστρώθησαν γὰρ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ.» Τὴν ἄπιστον αὐτῶν ἀπώλειαν κατασημαίνει. «Ταῦτα δὲ τύποι ἡμῶν ἐγενήθησαν, εἰς τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἐπιθυμητὰς κακῶν, καθὼς κἀκεῖνοι ἐπεθύμησαν, μηδὲ εἰδωλολάτραι γίνεσθε, καθώς τινες αὐτῶν, ὥσπερ γέγραπται.» Ἵνα μὴ λέγωσι· Καὶ τί πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἡ ἐκείνων ἀπώλεια; τοῦτο γὰρ δι' ἡμᾶς, ὥστε σωφρονεστέρους γενέσθαι τοῖς ὑποδείγμασιν ἐκείνοις. «Ἐκάθισεν ὁ λαὸς φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν, καὶ ἀνέστησαν παίζειν· μηδὲ πορνεύωμεν, καθώς τινες ἐπόρνευσαν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔπεσαν ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ εἴκοσι τρεῖς χιλιάδες.» Ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνοι, φησὶν, ἀπὸ τρυφῆς εἰς εἰδωλολατρείαν ἐξέβησαν, οὕτω δέος μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐντεῦθεν ἐκπέσητε. «Μηδὲ ἐκπειράζωμεν τὸν Κύριον, καθὼς καί τινες αὐτῶν ἐπείρασαν, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ὄφεων ἀπώλοντο. Μηδὲ γογγύζετε, καθώς τινες αὐτῶν ἐγόγγυσαν, καὶ ἀπώλοντο ὑπὸ τοῦ ὀλοθρευτοῦ. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα τύποι συνέβαινον ἐκείνοις. Ἐγράφη δὲ πρὸς νουθεσίαν ἡμῶν.» ∆ιὰ τούτου ἕτερον αἰνίττεται ἔγκλημα, ὃ καὶ πρὸς τῷ τέλει τίθησιν, ἐγκαλῶν αὐτοῖς ὅτι περὶ σημείων ἐμάχοντο, καὶ τῶν πειρασμῶν δὲ ἕνεκεν· ἐξελοῖντο γὰρ, λέγοντες· Πότε ἥξει τὰ ἀγαθώτερα ἔπαθλα; 95.648 ∆ιὸ καί φησι· Μηδὲ γογγύζωμεν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ζητούμενον, τὸ πάσχειν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὸ μετὰ ἡδονῆς πάντα πάσχειν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ. «Εἰς οὓς τὰ τέλη τῶν αἰώνων κατήντησαν.» Πάλιν ἐκφοβεῖ, τὰ τέλη λέγων, καὶ μείζονα τῶν γεγενημένων τὴν προσδοκίαν παρασκευάζων. «Ὥστε ὁ δοκῶν ἑστάναι, βλεπέτω μὴ πέσῃ.» Πάλιν τὸν τύφον