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the first of the schisms, Jeroboam, being from the tribe of Ephraim; for in the same way that the Savior is called Judah because he sprang from the tribe of the same name, being the ruler of the Church, so the word that leads the heterodoxies is Ephraim, promising much fruitfulness because it prevails among those who are deceived. 3.148 Concerning the chariots that are being destroyed, the camp of truth in the Psalms says concerning those who ride and drive them: “Some in chariots and some in horses, but we will be magnified in the name of the Lord our God. They were entangled and fell, but we have risen and been set upright.” 3.156 they were in agreement for sin and impiety. 3.157 To each of those who are of this opinion the royal law says: “You shall not be with the majority for evil; nor shall you agree with a multitude to be an unjust witness.” Concerning this destructive thing and that which has a tendency toward evil, the personified harlot in Proverbs, whoever she may be, has cried out shamelessly and boldly to each of those being deceived: “A peace offering is mine; today I pay my vows.” 3.158 When all the things that have been interpreted by the all-king are destroyed, this also will be brought about: “He will rule,” it says, “the waters to the sea,” showing them to be salty and not potable, and “the outlets of the rivers of the earth,” waters carried down to the sea. The impious words are on this account salty, falsely representing as sweet and potable the outlets of the rivers of the earth. Such are those of Pharaoh, in which he sits and boasts, saying: “The rivers are mine, and I made them.” The drinking of these is forbidden by God in Jeremiah the prophet: “And now,” he says, “what have you to do with the land of Egypt, to drink the water of Gihon? And what have you to do with the land of Assyria, to drink the water of the rivers?” 3.159 The outlets of the rivers of the earth are said to be the rational expositions concerning them that are made plausibly and elegantly, because their drink seems to have sweetness. 3.160 Zach. IX, 11-12: And you by the blood of the covenant have sent forth your prisoners from the pit that has no water; You shall sit in a stronghold, prisoners of the congregation, and for one day of your sojourning, I will repay you double. 3.161 The Word in the prophet, or rather God, having commanded Zion and Jerusalem, the one to rejoice greatly, the other to proclaim the coming king, who is saving and strong and meek, turns the word to him who is coming, saying: “And you by the blood of the covenant have sent forth your prisoners from the pit that has no water.” For where should the prisoners be but imprisoned in a pit that has no water by those who oppress them? One can therefore find many of the holy men cast into waterless pits by those who plot against and murder them. 3.162 Joseph, for example, being envied for his inherent goodness, those who unjustly envied him cast into a pit that had no water. Likewise also the most wise Daniel, the friend of God, the Babylonians cast into a pit that had no water, its being waterless being shown by the fact that lions dwelt there, not being able to live if it had been filled with water. And Jeremiah, for example, the great prophet, his opponents cast into a pit full of mire. And no one of those who were thus plotted against remained without help, their God having sent them forth unharmed from the waterless pit. 3.163 And since these things were fulfilled symbolically, see if the waterless pit, being indicated through the symbols, is not the Hades of the impious and sinful, there being no life-giving water there, because there is no praiseworthy moisture there at all. 3.164 For example, the rich man who was there, who [wore] purple and fine linen ..................................................... daily ............................................ in a fire of flame ..................................................... a drop of water

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σχισμάτων πρῶτον Ἰεροβοάμ, ὄντα ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Ἐφράιμ φυλῆς· ὅνπερ γὰρ τρόπον ὁ Σωτὴρ Ἰούδας προσαγορεύεται διὰ τὸ ἐκ τῆς ὁμωνύμου φυλῆς ἀνατεταλκέναι, ἄρχων τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, οὕτως ὁ ἡγούμενος τῶν κακοδοξιῶν λόγος Ἐφράιμ ἐστίν, καρποφορίαν πολλὴν ἐπαγγελλόμενος διὰ τὸ ἀνύειν ἐν τοῖς ἀπατωμένοις. 3.148 Περὶ τῶν ὀλεθρευομέν̣ων ἁρμάτων, τὸ τῆς ἀληθείας στρατόπεδον ἐν τοῖς Ψαλμοῖς φασιν περὶ τῶν ἐποχουμένων καὶ ἡνιοχούντων· «Οὗτοι ἐν ἅρμασιν καὶ οὗτοι ἐν ἵπποις, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου Θεοῦ ἡμῶν μεγαλυνθησόμεθα. Αὐτοὶ συνεποδίσθησαν καὶ ἔπεσαν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀνέστημεν καὶ ἀνωρθώθημεν.» 3.156 συνεφώνουν εἰς ἁμαρτίαν καὶ δυσσέβειαν. 3.157 Πρὸς ἕκαστον τῶν οὕτω γνώμης ἐχόντων ὁ βασιλεὺς νόμος φησίν· «Οὐκ ἔσῃ μετὰ πλειόνων ἐπὶ κακίᾳ· οὐδὲ συγκαταθήσει μετὰ πλήθους γενέσθαι μάρτυς ἄδικος.» Περὶ τῆς ὀλεθρίου ταύτης καὶ πρὸς τὸ κακὸν ῥοπὴν ἐχούσης, ἡ προσωποποιουμένη πόρνη ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις, ἥτις ποτ' ἂν ᾖ, πρὸς ἕκαστον τῶν φενακιζομένων ἀναιδῶς καὶ θρασέως κέκραγεν· «Θυσία εἰρηνική μοί ἐστιν, σήμερον ἀποδίδωμι τὰς εὐχάς μου.» 3.158 Ἀναιρεθέντων πάντων τῶν ἡρμηνευμένων πρὸς τοῦ παμβασιλέως, ὑπαρχθήσεται καὶ τόδε· «Κατάρξει, φησίν, ὕδατα ἕως θαλάσσης», φανερῶν αὐτὰ ἁλμυρὰ καὶ οὐ πότιμα ὄντα, καὶ «τὰς τῶν τῆς γῆς ποταμῶν διεκβολάς», ὕδατα καταγόμενα ἕως θαλάσσης. Οἱ αὐτόθεν δι' ἁλμυρίδα ἀσεβεῖς λόγοι τυγχάνουσιν, διεκβολὰς ἐχόντων τῶν τῆς γῆς ποταμῶν τὸ γλυκὺ καὶ πότιμον ἐπιψευδόμενοι. Οἷοί εἰσιν οἱ τοῦ Φαραὼ οἷς ἐγκαθεζόμενος κομπάζει λέγων· «Ἐμοῦ εἰσιν οἱ ποταμοί, κἀγὼ ἐποίησα αὐτούς.» Τούτων ὁ ποτισμὸς ἀπαγορεύεται ὑπὸ Θεοῦ ἐν Ἰερεμίᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ· «Καὶ νῦν γάρ, φησίν, τί σοι καὶ τῇ γῇ Αἰγύπτου, τοῦ πιεῖν ὕδωρ Γηών; καὶ τί σοι καὶ τῇ γῇ Ἀσσυρίων, τοῦ πιεῖν ὕδωρ ποταμῶν;» 3.159 ∆ιεκβολαὶ εἴρηνται τῶν τῆς γῆς ποταμῶν αἱ πιθανῶς καὶ κεκομψευμένως γινόμεναι περὶ αὐτῶν λογικαὶ διέξοδοι, διὰ τὸ δοκεῖν γλυκύτητα ἔχειν τὴν πόσιν αὐτῶν. 3.160 Zach. IX, 11-12: Καὶ σὺ ἐν αἵματι διαθήκης ἐξαπέστειλας τοὺς δεσμίους σου ἐκ λάκκου οὐκ ἔχοντος ὕδωρ· Καθήσεσθε ἐν ὀχυρώματι, δέσμιοι τῆς συναγωγῆς, καὶ ἀντὶ μιᾶς ἡμέρας παροικεσίας σου, διπλᾶ ἀνταποδώσω σοι. 3.161 Προστάξας ὁ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ λόγος, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ Θεός, τῇ Σιὼν καὶ Ἰερουσαλήμ, τῇ μὲν σφόδρα χαίρειν, τῇ δὲ κηρύττειν τὸν ἐρχόμενον βασιλέα σῴζοντα καὶ ἰσχύοντα καὶ πρᾷον ὄντα, πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν ἐρχόμενον τρέπει τὸν λόγον, φάσκων· «Καὶ σὺ ἐν αἵματι διαθήκης ἐξαπέστειλας δεσμίους σου ἐκ λάκκου οὐκ ἔχοντος ὕδωρ.» Ποῦ γὰρ ἔδει εἶναι τοὺς δεσμίους ἢ ἐν λάκκῳ ὕδωρ οὐκ ἔχοντι καθειργμένους ὑπὸ τῶν καταπονούντων; Εὑρεῖν οὖν ἔστιν πολλοὺς τῶν ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν εἰς ἀνύδρους λάκκους βεβλημένους πρὸς τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων καὶ φ̣ο̣νώντων κατ' αὐτῶν. 3.162 Τὸν Ἰωσὴφ γοῦν φθονούμενον διὰ προσοῦσαν καλοκἀγαθίαν, οἱ ἀδίκως φθονοῦντες εἰς λάκκον οὐκ ἔχοντα ὕδωρ ἔβαλον. Ὡσαύτως καὶ τὸν σοφώτατον ∆ανιήλ, τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φίλον, εἰς οὐκ ἔχοντα ὕδωρ λάκκον ἔρριψαν οἱ Βαβυλώνιοι, τοῦ ἄνυδρον αὐτὸν εἶναι παρισταμένου ἐκ τοῦ λέοντας ἐκεῖ διάγειν, οὐ δυναμένων ζῆν εἰ πεπληρωμένος ὑδάτων ὑπῆρχεν. Καὶ τὸν Ἰερεμίαν γοῦν, τὸν μέγαν προφήτην, οἱ ἀντικείμενοι εἰς λάκκον βορβόρου πλήρης ἔρριψαν. Καὶ οὐδεὶς τῶν οὕτως ἐπιβουλευθέντων ἀβοήθητος ἔμεινεν, ἀποστείλαντος αὐτοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ αὐτῶν ἀβλαβεῖς ἐκ τοῦ ἀνύδρου λάκκου. 3.163 Καὶ ἐπεὶ ταῦτα συμβολικῶς ἐτελεῖτο, ὅρα μὴ ἄνυδρός ἐστιν λάκκος, διὰ τῶν συμβόλων δηλούμενος, τῶν ἀσεβῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν ὁ ᾅδης, οὐκ ὄντος ἐκεῖ ὕδατος ζωτικοῦ, διὰ τὸ μηδαμῶς εἶναι ἐκεῖ ὑγρότητα ἐπαινετήν. 3.164 Αὐτίκα γοῦν ἐκεῖ γενάμενος ὁ πλούσιος ὁ πορφύραν καὶ βύσσαν κ̣································· καθ' ἡμέραν ευ·································· ἐν πυρὶ φλογὸς τ̣········································ ῥανίδα ὕδατος