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law9, etc. Being related, then, to what has been said, it was spoken concerning the sea of Egypt and the river. However, those things indicated that there would be a very easy way for those preaching the gospel of Christ; but the present things foretold the best things for the Egyptians. But in none of the aforementioned visions was it said that the Lord would come on a light cloud. But certain other things are peculiar concerning them; A vision of Egypt, but not against Egypt, as has been written before in the case of the others; or as Egypt itself being about to see with a discerning mind the things being said; or as the prophecy containing the best things for Egypt; for what is more blessed than for the Lord to visit it, and to impart knowledge of himself? And they say He will come on a light cloud, that is, of the very body which he assumed from the Holy Spirit and the holy Virgin. For just as the cloud has no other composition than from air and the vapor of the earth, so in the case of the Lord, the body was constituted from the Holy Spirit and an earthly substance. On which indeed God, being carried in his infancy, came into Egypt, which was benefited in the greatest ways by an ineffable power through his visit to it. For the people of Egypt especially needed this, having become the most superstitious of all, so as to have fallen even to the worship of irrational animals; so that their king cried out brazenly, "I do not know the Lord." Thus they considered the universe to be without a master and without providence. And they were always enemies to those of Israel. Therefore, for those who are exceedingly ignorant of him, the knowledge of him is prophesied, with all impiety of idols being abolished. But if the phrase, "on a cloud," had not been added, it would have seemed to be spoken of an incorporeal power, by which he governs the universe, being in all things. For he was in the world, and the world was made through him. In which manner he was also in Egypt before. For the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt. And again, the Lord was with Joseph. And it would have been superfluous, since it could be applied to every country. But indeed he indicated the visit with a body, by calling this a cloud. Perhaps also because he was free from more earthly movements and soared above bodily desires, "who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth." But others have supposed that the holy Virgin was called a light cloud, in whose arms he was carried into Egy 2145 pt; that is to say, they say, as Isaiah saw him on a high throne, being hymned by divine powers. And Daniel [speaks of] the Ancient of Days on a throne and as a son [of man] coming with the clouds. And Ezekiel, a form of a man from electrum and fire. Which things hint at a certain manifestation of God-befitting glory and of the mystery concerning Christ. So also now the cloud must be understood in terms of spiritual rain and dew, and of the saving baptism itself. Therefore Paul says that those of Israel were baptized in the cloud and in the sea. And a cloud went before them by day; and by night, a pillar of fire. If then it was necessary for the Lord, coming in a manner befitting God for the overthrow of the Egyptians, to be seen on a light cloud, through which it was also possible to wipe away the stains of idolatry alone. And a light [cloud] makes light those who have put off the burden of their sins. And the sitting signifies either rest or, that is, authority. For Christ does not rest in the legal worship, but in the perfection through baptism, through which he also reigns over those on earth. And visiting the Egyptians, he sets right for them the shaking of their idols, when the Churches of God were established throughout all Egypt. And God visited these [churches] when He came, according to the saying, "where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." And he says the heart of the Egyptians will be conquered, since they will not resist the divine proclamation, but will be conquered with a good defeat. But some say that the "heart" of the statues refers to the demons, who will be conquered, or according to the other interpreters, will melt away by an unseen and invisible power. For their error, from the time that Churches came to be among them, was gradually extinguished. And the Lord visited these in a glorified body, that of the resurrection from the dead, which would be the cloud

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νομόν9, κ.τ.λ. Συγγεγενημένη δὴ τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἐῤῥέθη περὶ θαλάσσης Αἰγύπτου καὶ ποταμοῦ. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνα μὲν ἐδήλου ῥᾴστην ὁδὸν ἔσεσθαι τοῖς εὐαγγελιζομένοις Χριστόν· τὰ δὲ παρόντα προεφώνει τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις τὰ κάλλιστα. Ἐπ' οὐδεμιᾶς δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων ὁράσεων ἥξειν ὁ Κύριος ἐπὶ νεφέλης κούφης ἐλέγετο. Ἕτερα δέ τινα περὶ αὐτῶν ἰδιάζοντα· Αἰγύπτου δὲ ὅρασις, ἀλλ' οὐ κατ' Αἰγύπτου, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων προγέγραπται· ἢ ὡς αὐτῆς Αἰγύπτου μελλούσης ὁρᾷν νῷ διορατικῷ τὰ λεγόμενα· ἢ ὡς τῆς προφητείας περιεχούσης Αἰγύπτῳ τὰ κάλλιστα· τί γὰρ μακαριώτερον τοῦ ἐπιδημῆσαι ταύτῃ τὸν Κύριον, καὶ γνώσεως μεταδιδόναι τῆς ἑαυτοῦ; Ἥξει δέ φασιν ἐπὶ νεφέλης κούφης, ἢ οὗπερ ἀνείληφε σώματος ἐξ ἁγίου Πνεύματος καὶ τῆς ἁγίας Παρθένου. Ὡς γὰρ ἡ νεφέλη οὐκ ἄλλοθεν ἔχει σύστασιν, ἢ ἐξ ἀέρος καὶ ἀναθυμιάσεως τῆς γῆς· οὕτως ἐπὶ τοῦ Κυρίου τὸ σῶμα ἐξ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ὑπέστη καὶ γεώδους οὐσίας. Ὧ δὴ Θεὸς ἐποχούμενος κατὰ τὴν νηπίαν ἡλικίαν ἦλθεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον ὠφελουμένην ἀῤῥήτῳ δυνάμει διὰ τῆς εἰς αὐτὴν ἐπιδημίας τὰ μέγιστα. Ταύτης γὰρ οἱ κατ' Αἴγυπτον ἐξαιρέτως ἐδέοντο δεισιδαιμονέστατοι γεγονότες ἁπάντων, ὡς καὶ μέχρι τῆς τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων ἐκπεπτωκέναι λατρείας· ὡς καὶ γυμνῇ κεφαλῇ τὸν τούτων βασιλέα βοᾷν, οὐκ οἶδα τὸν Κύριον. Οὕτως ἀδέσποτόν τε καὶ ἀπρονόητον ἠγοῦντο τὸ πᾶν. ∆ιαπαντὸς δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ ὑπῆρχον πολέμιοι. ∆ιὸ τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν ἄγαν αὐτὸν ἡ τούτου προθεσπίζεται γνῶσις, πάσης εἰδώλων ἀσεβείας ἀνῃρημένης. Εἰ δὲ μὴ τὸ, ἐπὶ νεφέλης προσέκειτο, ἔδοξεν ἂν ἀσωμάτων λέγεσθαι δυνάμει, καθ' ἣν διέπει τὸ πᾶν, ὑπάρχων ἐν ἅπασιν. Ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ γὰρ ἦν, καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο. Ὧ τρόπῳ καὶ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ πρότερον ἦν. Εἶπεν γὰρ Κύριος πρὸς Μωσέα καὶ Ἀαρὼν ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτου. Καὶ πάλιν ἦν Κύριος μετὰ Ἰωσήφ. Καὶ περιττὸν ὑπῆρχεν ἐπὶ πάσης χώρας ἁρμόσαι δυνάμενον. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ τὴν μετὰ σώματος ἐπιδημίαν ἐδήλωσεν, τοῦτο νεφέλην εἰπών. Τάχα καὶ διὰ τὸ κινημάτων ἀπηλλάχθαι γεωδεστέρων, ἐπιθυμίας τε σωματικὰς ὑπερίπτασθαι, ὃς ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ δόλος. Ἕτεροι δὲ κούφην ὑπειλήφασιν εἰρῆσθαι νεφέλην τὴν ἁγίαν Παρθένον, ἧς ἐν ἀγκάλαις εἰς Αἴγυ 2145 πτον ἐκομίζετο· ἤγουν φασὶν, ὡς ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ τοῦτον εἶδεν Ἡσαΐας ὑπὸ δυνάμεων θείων ὑμνούμενον. Καὶ παλαιὸν ἡμερῶν ὁ ∆ανιὴλ ἐπὶ θρόνου καὶ ὡς ὑν [ἀνθρώπου] μετὰ τῶν νεφελῶν ἐρχόμενον. Ἰεζεκιήλ τε εἶδος ἀνθρώπου ἐξ ἠλέκτρου τε καὶ πυρός. Ἅπερ ἔμφασίν τινα δόξης θεοπρεποῦς καὶ μυστηρίου τοῦ κατὰ Χριστὸν ὑπαινίττεται. Οὕτω καὶ νῦν τὴν νεφέλην ληπτέον ἐφ' ὑετοῦ τε καὶ δρόσου πνευματικῆς, αὐτοῦ τε τοῦ σωτηρίου βαπτίσματος. Τοιγαροῦν τοὺς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ Παῦλος βεβαπτίσθαι φησὶν ἐν τῇ νεφέλῃ, καὶ ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ. Προηγεῖτο δὲ αὐτῶν ἐν μὲν ἡμέρᾳ, νεφέλη· ἐν δὲ νυκτὶ, στύλος πυρός. Εἰ χρῆν οὖν ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει τῶν Αἰγυπτίων θεοπρεπῶς ἰόντα τὸν Κύριον ἐπὶ κούφης ὁρᾶσθαι νεφέλης, δι' ἧς ἦν καὶ μόνης τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας, ἀποσμήχεσθαι τὰς κηλίδας. Κούφη δὲ κούφους ἐργάζεται τὸ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀποθεμένους φορτίον. Ἡ δὲ κάθισις ἢ ἀνάπαυσιν, ἤγουν ἐξουσίαν αἰνίττεται. Ἐπαναπαύεται γὰρ οὐ νομικῇ λατρείᾳ Χριστὸς, τῇ δὲ τελειώσει τῇ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, δι' ἧς καὶ βασιλεύει τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς. Κατορθοῖ δὲ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις ἐπιδημῶν, τὸ σεισθῆναι τούτων τὰ εἴδωλα, ὅτε Θεοῦ μὲν Ἐκκλησίαι καθ' ὅλης Αἰγύπτου καθίδρυντο. Ἐπεσκόπει δὲ ταύτας ἐπιδημῶν ὁ Θεὸς κατὰ τὸ, ὅπου δύο ἢ τρεῖς συνηγμένοι εἰσὶν εἰς τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα, ἐκεῖ εἰμι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. Καρδίαν δὲ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων φησὶν ἡττηθήσεσθαι, μὴ ἀντιβαινόντων τῷ θείῳ κηρύγματι, τὴν δὲ καλὴν ἧτταν ἡττησομένων. Τινὲς δὲ καρδίαν φασὶν εἰρῆσθαι τῶν ἀγαλμάτων τοὺς δαίμονας, οὓς ἡττηθήσεσθαι, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνέας, τακήσεσθαι ἀφανεῖ καὶ ἀοράτῳ δυνάμει. Τούτων γὰρ ἡ πλάνη, ἐξ οὗ γεγόνασιν αὐτοῖς Ἐκκλησίαι, κατ' ὀλίγον ἐσβέννυτο. Ἐπεδήμει δὲ ταύταις ὁ Κύριος ἐνδόξῳ σώματι, τὸ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως, ὅπερ ἂν εἴη νεφέλη