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they used words when they brought forth the water. For the lawgiver spoke thus: "Hear me, you rebels, must I bring you water out of this rock?"; For this reason the Lord God passed sentence against them; and he spoke thus: "Because you did not believe in me, to sanctify me in the sight of the sons of Israel; therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them." The divine David also said this in song: "And Moses was afflicted for their sakes, because they provoked his spirit," and "he spoke rashly with his lips." For being angry with them, he brought forth the word doubtfully; and the doubt was not of the soul, but of the tongue. For this he said, 217 "he spoke rashly with his lips." However, it must be known that God, managing another matter, passed this sentence; which we will declare in due time. XXXVIII Why did God command that the bites of the snakes be healed by means of the bronze serpent? This also prefigures the saving passion. For through the serpent sin sprouted; whence also it received the curse from the God of all. The serpent, therefore, is a type both of sin and of the curse. Since, therefore, the Lord Christ appeared "in the likeness of sinful flesh," as the divine apostle says; for he truly took a body, but committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth; the saving passion is prefigured in the bronze serpent. For just as the bronze serpent was an image of the serpents, but did not have the venom of the serpents; so the only-begotten Son had a human body, but did not have the stain of sin. And just as those bitten by the serpents, looking upon the bronze serpent, enjoyed salvation, so those smitten by sin, believing without doubt in the passion of our Savior, are shown to be stronger than death, and enjoy eternal life. XXXIX If Balaam was a seer, why did he ask the Lord? He did not ask the true God; but the one who answered him was not the one called by him, but the one unknown to him. "For," it says, "God came to Balaam and said to him: Who are these men with you?" not because he was ignorant of the reason for their presence, but so that, taking the occasion from the seer, he might command what should be done. 218 XL For what reason, having commanded him not to go, did he again command him to go? Because Balaam, desiring the money that was offered, asked again if he should go with those who were sent, thinking that the Lord God had changed his mind, he permitted him to go, as much as to say: Go, since you desire to do this, but know that you will speak whatever I wish. XLI Why, having commanded him to go, does he hinder the journey by means of an angel? He frightens him both by the voice of the ass, which was produced contrary to nature, and by the sight of the angel, so that he might know how much care God takes for his people. And some say that the angel was Michael, the protector of the people. XLII And what power did the seer's curse have, if God did not wish it? It had no power at all; for the opinion held about him was false. But since the people, continually transgressing, endured plagues sent by God, the Lord God arranged the events concerning Balaam according to their weakness. For so that they, being chastised by God, might not think they were falling into misfortunes because of the seer's curses, he did not allow the seer to use the curses, cutting off the pretexts of the foolish. For that, even if the seer's curses had some power, it would have been easy for the one who created all things to show them to be in vain, is clear to those instructed in divine matters. "For the Lord," 219 he says, "frustrates the counsels of the nations, and he thwarts the reasonings of the peoples and thwarts the counsels of rulers; but the counsel of the Lord endures forever." Yet Balaam, having learned of God's care, tries to persuade him with sacrifices, supposing him to be one of the falsely named ones, whom their worshipers also call changeable. And the phrase, "he went straight on," indicates that what was to be done was truly

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ἐχρήσαντο ῥήμασιν τὸ ὕδωρ ἐξαγαγόντες. ἔφη γὰρ οὕτως ὁ νομοθέτης· " ἀκούσατέ μου, οἱ ἀπειθεῖς, μὴ ἐκ τῆς πέτρας ταύτης ἐξάξω ὑμῖν ὕδωρ "; τούτου χάριν ὁ δεσπότης Θεὸς τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν ἐξενήνοχε ψῆφον· ἔφη δὲ οὕτως· " ὅτι οὐκ ἐπιστεύσατέ μοι, ἁγιάσαι με ἐναντίον τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ· διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ εἰσάξετε ὑμεῖς τὴν συναγωγὴν ταύτην εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἣν ἔδωκα αὐτοῖς ". τοῦτο καὶ μελῳδῶν ὁ θεῖος εἶπε ∆αβίδ· " καὶ ἐκακώθη Μωϋσῆς δι' αὐτούς, ὅτι παρεπίκραναν τὸ πνεῦ μα αὐτοῦ ", καὶ " διέστειλεν ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐ τοῦ ". ὀργιζόμενος γὰρ ἐκείνοις, ἀμφιβόλως τὸν λόγον προήνεγκε· καὶ ἦν οὐ τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀλλὰ τῆς γλώττης ἡ ἀμφιβολία. τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφη, 217 " διέστειλεν ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ ". ἰστέον μέντοι, ὡς ἕτερον οἰκονομῶν ὁ Θεὸς ταύτην ἐξενήνοχε τὴν ἀπόφασιν· ὅπερ εἰς καιρὸν δηλώσομεν. XXXVIII Τί δήποτε διὰ τοῦ χαλκοῦ ὄφεως θεραπεύεσθαι προσέταξεν ὁ Θεὸς τὰ τῶν ὄφεων δήγματα; Προτυποῖ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ σωτήριον πάθος. διὰ γὰρ τοῦ ὄφεως ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐβλάστησεν· ὅθεν καὶ τὴν κατάραν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐδέξατο. τύπος τοίνυν καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τῆς κατάρας ὁ ὄφις. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ὁ δεσπότης Χριστὸς " ἐν ὁμοιώματι σαρκὸς ἁμαρτίας ", ᾗ φησιν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος, ἐπεφάνη· σῶμα μὲν γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἔλαβεν, ἁμαρ τίαν δὲ οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ· προ τυποῦται τὸ σωτήριον πάθος ἐν τῷ ὄφει τῷ χαλκῷ. ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ χαλ κοῦς ὄφις ἴνδαλμα μὲν τῶν ὄφεων ἦν, οὐκ εἶχε δὲ τῶν ὄφεων τὸν ἰόν· οὕτως ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς σῶμα μὲν εἶχεν ἀνθρώπινον, κηλίδα δὲ ἁμαρτημάτων οὐκ εἶχε. καὶ καθάπερ οἱ ὑπὸ τῶν ὄφεων δακνόμενοι, εἰς τὸν χαλκοῦν ἀπο βλέποντες ὄφιν σωτηρίας ἀπήλαυον, οὕτως οἱ ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας πλητ τόμενοι, τῷ πάθει τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀνενδοιάστως πιστεύοντες, κρείττους ἀποφαίνονται τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς ἀπολαύουσιν. XXXIX Εἰ μάντις ἦν ὁ Βαλαάμ, τί δήποτε τὸν Κύριον ἠρώτα; Ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὐ τὸν ἀληθινὸν ἠρώτα Θεόν· ἀπεκρίνατο δὲ αὐτῷ, οὐχ ὁ παρ' αὐτοῦ καλούμενος, ἀλλ' ὁ παρ' αὐτοῦ ἀγνοούμενος. " ἦλθε, γάρ φησιν, ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς Βαλαὰμ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· τί οἱ ἄνθρω ποι οὗτοι παρὰ σοί "; οὐκ ἐπειδὴ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἐκείνων παρουσίας ἠγνόει ἀλλ' ἵνα παρὰ τοῦ μάντεως λαβὼν ἀφορμὴν τὸ πρακ τέον κελεύσῃ. 218 XL Τίνος χάριν κελεύσας αὐτῷ μὴ ἀπελθεῖν, πάλιν ἐκέλευσεν ἀπελθεῖν; Ἐπειδὴ τῶν ἀπαγγελθέντων χρημάτων ὁ Βαλαὰμ ἐρασθείς, ἤρετο πάλιν, εἰ χρὴ τοῖς ἀποσταλεῖσιν συναπελθεῖν, νομίσας μεταμελείᾳ κεχρῆσθαι τὸν δεσπότην Θεόν, ἐπέτρεψεν ἀπελθεῖν, μονονουχὶ λέγων· ἄπελθε μὲν, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο πρᾶξαι ποθεῖς, ἴσθι μέντοι, ὡς ἅπερ ἂν ἐθελήσω λαλήσεις. XLI ∆ιὰ τί κελεύσας ἀπελθεῖν, διὰ ἀγγέλου τὴν πορείαν κωλύει; ∆εδίττεται αὐτὸν καὶ τῇ τῆς ὄνου φωνῇ παρὰ φύσιν γεγενημένῃ καὶ τῇ τοῦ ἀγγέλου θεωρίᾳ, ἵνα γνῷ πόσην ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ λαοῦ ποιεῖται κηδεμονίαν. φασὶ δέ τινες, τὸν ἄγγελον τὸν Μιχαὴλ εἶναι τὸν τοῦ λαοῦ προστα τεύοντα. XLII Καὶ ποίαν ἰσχὺν εἶχεν ἡ τοῦ μάντεως ἀρὰ μὴ βουλομένου Θεοῦ; Ἰσχὺν μὲν εἶχεν οὐδεμίαν· ψευδὴς γὰρ ἦν ἡ περὶ αὐτοῦ κατέχουσα δόξα. ἐπειδὴ δὲ συνεχῶς παρανομῶν ὁ λαὸς ὑπέμενεν θεηλάτους πληγάς, πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνων ἀσθένειαν τὰ κατὰ τὸν Βαλαὰμ ᾠκονόμησεν ὁ δεσπότης Θεός. ἵνα γὰρ μὴ νομίσωσι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ παιδευόμενοι, διὰ τὰς τοῦ μάντεως ἀρὰς συμφοραῖς περιπίπτειν, οὐκ εἴασε τὸν μάντιν χρήσασθαι ταῖς ἀραῖς, τὰς τῶν ἀνοήτων ἀφορμὰς περικόπτων. ὅτι γὰρ, εἰ καὶ ἰσχύν τινα εἶχον αἱ τοῦ μάντεως ἀραί, ῥᾴδιον ἦν τῷ τὰ πάντα τεκτηναμένῳ ταύτας ἀπο φῆναι ματαίας, δῆλον τοῖς τὰ θεῖα πεπαιδευμένοις. " Κύριος, γάρ 219 φησι, διασκεδάζει βουλὰς ἐθνῶν, ἀθετεῖ δὲ λογισ μοὺς λαῶν καὶ ἀθετεῖ βουλὰς ἀρχόντων· ἡ δὲ βουλὴ τοῦ Κυρίου μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ". ὁ μέντοι Βαλαὰμ καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν κηδεμονίαν μεμαθηκώς, ταῖς θυσίαις μεταπεῖσαι πειρᾶται· ἕνα τῶν ψευδωνύμων εἶναι τοπάζων, οὓς καὶ τρεπτοὺς ὀνο μάζουσιν οἱ τούτων θεραπευταί. τὸ δέ, " ἐπορεύθη ἐπ' εὐ θεῖαν ", δηλοῖ ὅτι τὸ πρακτέον ἀληθῶς