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105

about whom God said: "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my will." But Dathan and Abiram and the Korahites, saying to Moses: "Is it a small thing that you have brought us up from the land of Egypt, from a land flowing with honey and milk? And why is it that you have put out our eyes? And you rule over us?" And they gathered a great congregation against him. And the Korahites: "Has God spoken to Moses alone? Why is it that he has given the high priesthood to Aaron alone? Is not the whole congregation of the Lord holy? And why is it that Aaron serves as priest alone?" And before these, another said: "Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?" And they rose up against Moses, the servant of God, who was meek and faithful above all men, who had performed so many signs and wonders from God for the people, who had accomplished glorious and wondrous works for their benefit, who had fulfilled the ten plagues upon the Egyptians, who had divided the Red Sea and made the waters stand as a wall on this side and on that, and had led the people as through a dry wilderness, and had drowned Pharaoh and the Egyptians and all those with them from their side, who had sweetened a spring for them with a piece of wood and brought forth water for them when they were thirsty from the steep rock, who had given them manna from heaven and provided them with meat from the air, who provided them a pillar of fire by night for light and guidance, and a pillar of cloud for shade by day because of the sun's heat, who provided them the law of God from His mouth and hand, and the writing of God carved on stone tablets, the Decalogue of perfect number, with whom God spoke face to face, as one might speak to his own friend, about whom it was said: "And there has not arisen a prophet like Moses." Against this man the Korahites and the Reubenites rose up, and they cast stones at Moses as he was praying and saying: "Do not regard their sacrifice." And the glory of God appeared and brought some down into the earth, and burned up others with fire. And so, for the leaders of the error of schism who were saying, "Let us give ourselves a leader," the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their tents and their possessions, and they went down alive into Hades, and the Korahites it destroyed by fire. If, therefore, God immediately brought punishment upon those who separated out of love of rule, how much more upon those who have led impious heresies? will he not bring a more severe vengeance

105

περὶ οὗ εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι· «Eὗρον ∆αυὶδ τὸν τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ ἄνδρα κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου, ὃς ποιήσει πάντα τὰ θελήματά μου.» Ὁ δὲ ∆αθὰν καὶ Ἀβειρὼν καὶ οἱ Κορεῖται λέγοντες Μωϋσεῖ· «Μὴ μικρόν, ὅτι ἀνήγαγες ἡμᾶς ἐκ γῆς Aἰγύπτου, ἐκ γῆς ·εούσης μέλι καὶ γάλα; Καὶ τί ὅτι ἐξέκοψας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἡμῶν; Καὶ σὺ ἄρχεις ἡμῶν;» Καὶ ἐπισυνέστησαν ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἐκκλησίαν μεγάλην· Καὶ οἱ Κορεῖται· «Μὴ Μωϋσεῖ λελάληκεν μόνῳ ὁ Θεός; Τί ὅτι τῷ Ἀαρὼν δέδωκεν τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην μόνῳ; Oὐχὶ πᾶσα ἡ συναγωγὴ Κυρίου ἁγία; Καὶ τί ὅτι Ἀαρὼν ἱερατεύει μόνος;» Καὶ πρὸ τούτων ἄλλος τις ἔλεγεν· «Τίς σε κατέστησεν ἄρχοντα καὶ δικαστὴν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς;» Καὶ ἐπανέστησαν Μωϋσεῖ τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ θεράποντι, τῷ παρὰ πάντας ἀνθρώπους πραοτάτῳ καὶ πιστῷ, τῷ τοσαῦτα παρὰ Θεοῦ σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα τῷ λαῷ πεποιηκότι, τῷ τὰ ἔνδοξα καὶ θαυμαστὰ ἔργα εἰς εὐεργεσίαν αὐτῶν τετελεκότι, τῷ ἐπ' Aἰγυπτίου δεκάπληγον πεπληρωκότι, τῷ τὴν ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν διῃρηκότι καὶ ὡς τεῖχος τὰ ὕδατα ἔνθεν καὶ ἔνθεν διαστήσαντι καὶ ὡς δι' ἐρήμου ξηρᾶς τὸν λαὸν ἀγηοχότι καὶ βυθίσαντι Φαραὼ καὶ τοὺς Aἰγυπτίους καὶ πάντας τοὺς παρ' αὐτῶν μετ' αὐτῶν, τῷ γλυκάναντι πηγὴν αὐτοῖς διὰ ξύλου καὶ ἐκ πέτρας ἀκροτόμου προαγα γόντι αὐτοῖς ὕδωρ διψῶσιν, τῷ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ μαννοδοτήσαντι αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐξ ἀέρος κρεοδοτήσαντι, τῷ ἐν νυκτὶ στῦλον πυρὸς εἰς φωτισμὸν καὶ ὁδηγίαν αὐτοῖς παρεχομένῳ καὶ στῦλον νεφέλης εἰς σκιασμὸν ἡμέρας διὰ τὸν ἐξ ἡλίου φλογμόν, τῷ νόμον Θεοῦ ἐκ στόματος καὶ χειρὸς καὶ γραφῆς Θεοῦ ἐν πλαξὶ λιθίναις κεκολαμμένον παρασχομένῳ αὐτοῖς τελείου ἀριθμοῦ δεκάλογον, ᾧ ὁ Θεὸς ἐνώπιος ἐνωπίῳ ὡμίλει, ὡσεί τις λαλήσαι πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ φίλον, περὶ οὗ εἶπεν· «Καὶ οὐκ ἀνέστη προφήτης ὡς Μωϋσῆς.» Τούτῳ ἐπανέστησαν οἱ Κορεῖται καὶ οἱ Ῥουβηλῖται, καὶ λίθους ἔβαλον κατὰ τοῦ Μωϋσέως προσευχομένου καὶ λέγοντος· «Μὴ πρόσχῃς εἰς τὴν θυσίαν αὐτῶν.» Καὶ ὀφθεῖσα ἡ δόξα τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὺς μὲν εἰς γῆν κατήνεγκεν, τοὺς δὲ πυρὶ κατέφλεξεν. Καὶ οὕτως τοὺς ἀρχηγοὺς τῆς πλάνης τοῦ σχίσματος λέγοντας· «∆ῶμεν ἀρχηγὸν ἑαυτοῖς», ἤνοιξεν ἡ γῆ τὸ στόμα αὐτῆς καὶ κατέπιεν αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰς σκηνὰς αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν ἀποσκευὴν αὐτῶν, καὶ κατῆλθον εἰς ᾅδου ζῶντες, τοὺς δὲ Κορείτας ἀπώλεσεν διὰ πυρός. Eἰ οὖν τοῖς διὰ φιλαρχίαν ἀποσχίσασιν παραυτίκα ὁ Θεὸς ἐπήγαγεν τὴν τιμωρίαν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τοῖς αἱρέσεων ἀσεβῶν καθηγησαμένοις; οὐ σφοδροτέραν ἐπάξει τὴν τίσιν