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wishing to make it unhindered, having cast down the particular dynasties, bringing all things to the Romans, he subjected them, a symbol of the dissolution 2057 of the polyarchy of demons, and he showed one state and one rule, just as, therefore, one Church and one faith. At which time indeed Caesar Augustus, having campaigned against the Egyptians, subdued them, as God by a violent south wind emptied the water of the river into the sea, on account of which, even without a battle, they thought Egypt would become impassable for Caesar, because of the number and at the same time the breadth of the lakes formed from it, which, flowing down from above, it creates in the lower parts through the seven mouths, through which it empties into the sea, which indeed the prophecy calls ravines. And again the prophet himself teaches us this, saying: "Thus says the Lord of Sabaoth: And the Egyptians will drink the water by the sea. But the river will fail and be dried up," and what follows. But the divine Scripture is accustomed to call even the lakes themselves seas. And it says a most violent spirit, meaning the onslaught of the south wind that came upon the waters, so that the mouths of the Nile were dried up so much, that it was possible to cross them even with sandals on. But some think fit to understand some things in the prophets literally, and others allegorically. For example, Jesse literally, but tropologically, the rod from his root. And literally, the nations, but tropologically, through the beasts by which they were indicated previously. And in the matters at hand, they say Egypt is the sensible land of the Egyptians, which the Lord has said He will not lay waste; but the sea being dried up, the multitude of idolatry. For the Hebrew, and the versions of the others saying in agreement, signify this, and the Lord will curse the tongue of the sea of Egypt. The word is accustomed to call "sea" either the multitude of the impious, or the flood of evil filled as it were with salty waters. For which reason also it says the dragon dwells in it. For David says other things are in it: "And the dragon which you formed to play in it." And so now through these things the word signifies the tongue of the impious who long ago were ignorant of God, as Pharaoh said: "I do not know the Lord, and I will not send Israel away." This, therefore, he says he will curse, so that they may not strengthen the error with the Egyptian tongue, but may learn to speak the oracles of God, and to swear in the name of the Lord of Sabaoth, which indeed he says further on; from this, the oracles among them are silent, and all sorcery and error of those formerly acting like Egyptians ceased after the advent of the Savior. And to see the river, being struck, we will take starting points from what was said before, because this people did not want the water of Siloam, that goes softly. Therefore, behold, the Lord brings up upon you the water of the river, strong and 2060 much, the king of the Assyrians. So therefore now also the prophet indicates the kingdom that was of old in Egypt, just as he himself had previously interpreted concerning the king of the Assyrians. And Ezekiel also speaks allegorically of the rivers of Egypt, which Pharaoh boasts to have made. And a desolation from wicked affairs brought on in an acceptable time is a beneficence of God; and you would not err in calling the violent spirit the ruler of the Romans who first overthrew the kingdom of Egypt. After which, for the rest, particular rulers were established among them by the Romans in Egypt, both civil and military, now called ravines, on account of the hollowness, and as it were, the more humble state of the former overall rule in it, which he has called a river. And the number seven represents the multitude of rulers in Egypt. And when these things happened, the land finally became passable for those preaching the gospel. For he calls these the people left behind, crossing the river in sandals, perhaps because it was said to Moses and Joshua to loose the sandal from the foot, because the ground on which they stood was holy; but since Egypt was not such, but profane, they are commanded to tread upon the river with their sandals on. And it is dried up, overcome by the violence of God

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προποιεῖν ἐθέλων ἀκώλυτον, τὰς κατὰ μέρος καθελὼν δυναστείας, Ῥωμαίοις πάντα φέρων, ὑπέταξεν σύμβολον καταλύσεως τῆς 2057 ἐκ δαιμόνων πολυαρχία, μίαν τε πολιτείαν, καὶ μίαν ἀρχὴν, ὥσπερ οὖν Ἐκκλησίαν καὶ πίστιν, ἀπέδειξεν. Ὅτε δὴ καὶ Καῖσαρ Αὔγουστος ἐπιστρατεύσας Αἰγυπτίοις κεχείρωται, Θεοῦ νότῳ βιαίῳ πρὸς θάλασσαν τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὸ ὕδωρ κενώσαντος, δι' οὗ καὶ χωρὶς μάχης ἄβατον ᾤοντο Καίσαρι γενέσθαι τὴν Αἴγυπτον, διὰ πλῆθος ἅμα καὶ πλάτος τῶν ἀποτελουμένων ἐκ τούτου λιμνῶν ἃς ἄνωθεν καταῤῥέων ἐν τοῖς κάτω μέρεσιν ἀπεργάζεται διὰ τῶν ἑπτὰ στομά των, δι' ὧν ἐκδίδοται πρὸς τὴν θάλασσαν, ἃ δὴ φάραγγας ἡ προφητεία καλεῖ. Τοῦτο δὲ πάλιν αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ὁ προφήτης διδάσκει λέγων· "Τάδε λέγει Κύριος Σαβαώθ· Καὶ πίονται οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ παρὰ θάλασσαν. Ὁ δὲ ποταμὸς ἐκλείψει καὶ ξηρανθήσεται," καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τούτοις. Φίλον δὲ τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ καὶ αὐτὰς τὰς λίμνας θαλάσσας ἀποκαλεῖν. Πνεῦμα δέ φησι βιαιότατον, τὴν γενομένην τοῦ νότου κατὰ τῶν ὑδάτων ἐπαγωγὴν, ὡς τοσοῦτον ξηρανθῆναι τοῦ Νείλου τὰ στόματα, ὡς δύνασθαι καὶ μεθ' ὑποδημάτων διαβαίνειν αὐτά. Τινὲς δὲ τῶν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις τὰ μὲν ῥητῶς ἀξιοῦντες ἐννοεῖν, τὰ δὲ δι' ἀλληγορίας. Οἷον ῥητῶς μὲν, τὸν Ἰεσσαὶ, τροπικῶς δὲ, τὴν ἐκ τῆς αὐτοῦ ῥίζης ῥάβδον. Καὶ ῥητῶς μὲν, τὰ ἔθνη, τροπικῶς δὲ, δι' ὧν ἐν τοῖς πρόσθεν ἐδηλοῦτο θηρίων. Κἀν τοῖς μετὰ χεῖρας, Αἴγυπτον μὲν τὴν αἰσθητὴν χώραν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων φασὶν, ἣν οὐκ ἐρημώσειν ὁ Κύριος εἴρηται· θάλασσαν δὲ ξηραινομένην, τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας τὸ πλῆθος. Τοῦτο γὰρ ὑποφαίνειν τό τε Ἑβραϊκὸν, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν τὰς ἐκδόσεις εἰπόντων συμφώνως, καὶ ἀναθεματίσει Κύριος τὴν γλῶσσαν θαλάσσης Αἰγύπτου. Θάλασσαν δὲ εἴωθεν ὁ λόγος καλεῖν, ἢ τῶν ἀσεβούντων τὸ πλῆθος, ἢ τῆς κακίας τὸ χύμα ἁλμυρῶν ὥσπερ ὑδάτων πεπληρωμένης. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸν δράκοντα κατοικεῖν φησιν ἐν αὐτῇ. Ἄλλα τε γὰρ ὥς ἐστιν ἐν αὐτῇ λέγει ∆αβίδ· "Καὶ δράκων ὃν ἔπλασας ἐμπαίζειν αὐτῷ." Καὶ νῦν οὖν γλῶσσαν ἀσεβῶν διὰ τούτων ὁ λόγος δηλοῖ πάλαι τὸν Θεὸν ἀγνοούντων, ὡς ἔφασκε Φαραώ· "Οὐκ οἶδα τὸν Κύριον, καὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ ἀποστελῶ." Ταύτην οὖν ἀναθεματίσειν φησὶν, ἵνα μὴ τὴν πλάνην γλώσσῃ Αἰγυπτίᾳ κρατύνωσι, μάθωσι δὲ λαλεῖν τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγια, ὀμνύναι τε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ, ὃ δή φησιν προϊών· ἐντεῦθεν σιγᾷ τὰ παρ' ἐκείνοις χρηστήρια, γοητεία τε πᾶσα καὶ πλάνη μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίαν ἐπαύσατο τῶν Αἰγυπτιαζόντων τὸ πρότερον. Εἰς δὲ τὸ ποταμὸν ἰδεῖν, πατασσόμενον, ἀφορμὰς ἐκ τῶν πρώην εἰρημένων ληψόμεθα, διὰ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ Σιλοὰμ, τὸ πορευόμενον ἡσυχῇ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ Κύριος ἀνάγει ἐφ' ὑμᾶς τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὸ ἰσχυρὸν, καὶ τὸ 2060 πολὺ, τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων. Οὕτως οὖν καὶ νῦν τὸ ἐξ αἰῶνος ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ βασίλειον ὁ προφήτης δηλοῖ, καθὰ φθάσας αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἑρμήνευσαν. Καὶ Ἰεζεκιὴλ δὲ ἀλληγορικῶς Αἰγύπτου λέγει ποταμοὺς, οὓς Φαραὼ πεποιηκέναι ἀλαζονεύεται. Εὐεργεσίας δὲ Θεοῦ ἡ ἀπὸ μοχθηρῶν πραγμάτων ἐρήμωσις ἐν καιρῷ ἐπαγομένη δεκτῷ· πνεῦμα δὲ βίαιον οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοις λέγων τὸν πρῶτον καθελόντα τὴν βασιλείαν Αἰγύπτου Ῥωμαίων ἄρχοντα. Μεθ' ὃ λοιπὸν μερικοὶ παρὰ τούτοις ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων κατέστησαν ἄρχοντες ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ πολιτικοί τε καὶ στρατιωτικοὶ, νῦν ὀνομαζόμενοι φάραγγες, διὰ τὸ κοῖλον, ὥσπερ καὶ ταπεινότερον τῆς καθόλης ἐν αὐτῇ πρώην ἀρχῆς, ἣν κέκληκε ποταμόν. Τὸ δὲ πλῆθος τῶν κατ' Αἴγυπτον ἀρχόντων ὁ τῶν ἑπτὰ παρίστησιν ἀριθμός. Τούτων δὲ γενομένων, βατὴ γέγονε λοιπὸν τοῖς εὐαγγελιζομένοις ἡ χώρα. Τούτους γὰρ [καλεῖ] καταλειφθέντα λαὸν ἐν ὑποδήμασι τὸν ποταμὸν διαβαίνοντα, τάχα ἐπειδὴ Μωϋσεῖ καὶ Ἰησοῦ λέλεκται λῦσαι τὸ ὑπόδημα τοῦ ποδὸς, διὰ τὸ τὴν γῆν, ἐφ' ἧς εἱστήκεσαν, ἁγίαν εἶναι· μὴ τοιαύτην δὲ εἶναι τὴν Αἴγυπτον, ἀλλὰ βέβηλον, κελεύονται τὸν ποταμὸν ὑποδεδεμένοι καταπατεῖν. Ξηραίνεται δὲ βιαίῳ Θεοῦ κεκρατημένος