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changed into a light thing from the corruptible and earthly substance. Upon which, being invisibly carried, he came to Egypt, working together with those who proclaimed him. And when, being a child, he came to the Egyptians, we should say, by an ineffable power, it must be understood that by the presence of Christ the demons were weakened, their power having been cast down. When also, he says, Egyptians will rise up against Egyptians. Instead of 'they will rise up,' Aquila has 'I will defeat Egyptians with Egyptians'; but Symmachus has said 'I will clash'; according to, "I came not to bring peace on earth, but a sword." For some ran to, while others opposed the preaching, so that every house was divided, and every village, and city, and region. For they used to call the regions nomes. And in another sense, the law of the worship of demons was opposed to that according to Christ, being deposed by him 2148 the agreement for evil in Egypt being dissolved, which is especially shown by, 'I will cause sedition' and 'I will clash.' For this is, 'two will be divided against three, and three against two.' Therefore also 'the Spirit of the Egyptians will be troubled,' he says, but according to Symmachus 'it will be broken,' and according to Theodotion 'it will be split.' And according to Aquila 'it will be made flabby.' All these things indeed will happen for the advancement of the Egyptians, when their superstitious counsel is scattered, at which time also, being at a loss as is their custom, they will turn to oracles and various divinations. He says the necromancers speak from the earth. And ventriloquists, those who speak from their own heart, or who belch forth from an indwelling demon, just as he also called diviners those who inspect entrails. And they especially made use of these when the Romans were coming against them. For he calls these men harsh as unconquered, and unyielding in every defeat. And through these things he indicates the time of the deposition of the idols, when the kingdom of the Egyptians was being cast out. For along with the saving proclamation also entered the deposition of the kings in Egypt; or rather, it happened with the very birth of the Savior under Augustus Caesar. For this powerful king was the first to subject Egypt to the Romans. After whom, likewise, all the mighty kings of the Romans enslaved Egypt, sending them military governors. Daniel indicated the harshness of these, calling their kingdom iron. And a beast having iron teeth, and iron claws. To which is added: And the Egyptians will drink water by the sea. Instead of which Aquila says, The waters will be drunk up from the sea. And Symmachus, They will be made to disappear. Figuratively, 'sea' is the turbulent multitude of the Egyptians, which is why above he also spoke of the many nations as a surging sea. And in the things he discussed concerning the one from the root of Jesse, he said: and the Lord will lay waste the sea of Egypt. And Jeremiah also likened the multitude of this to locusts and a forest, saying: "Cut down her forest, says the Lord, for it shall not be imagined, for it will multiply more than the locust, and they have no number." And the failure of the river is significant of the kingdom, as he also said in the things concerning the one from the root of Jesse, and the Lord will lay his hand upon the river, and what follows. And elsewhere it is said, And the river will fail, and every gathering of water will be dried up. And after the first river, he says that others and the canals will also fail, indicating along with the kingdom the rulers in their turn. And he called their military forces 'gatherings'. And Ezekiel also says things in harmony with these: Thus says the Lord: "Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh the 2149 great ruler, who sits in the midst of his rivers." After which he also says: "I will make the fish of the river stick to your fins." And after other things: "And they will all draw their swords against Egypt, and the land will be filled with the wounded. And I will make their rivers desolate." And again: "You gored with your rivers, and you trampled your rivers." And Jeremiah also says: "Who is this? as a river he will come up, and as rivers the water surges. The waters of Egypt [as a river will come up]. Through which are shown the

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κούφη μεταβληθὲν τῆς φθαρτῆς καὶ γεώδους οὐσίας. Ἐφ' ᾧπερ ἀοράτως ὀχούμενος ἐπεδήμει συμπράττων ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ τοῖς αὐτὸν καταγγέλλουσιν. Κἂν ὅτε δὲ παῖς ὢν Αἰγυπτίοις ἐπεδήμησεν, εἴπωμεν ἀῤῥήτῳ δυνάμει, τῇ Χριστοῦ παρουσίᾳ νοητέον ἠσθενηκέναι τοὺς δαίμονας καθῃρημένης αὐτῶν τῆς δυνάμεως. Ὅτε καὶ ἐπαναστήσονται, φησὶν, Αἰγύπτιοι ἐπ' Αἰγυπτίους. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ ἐπαναστήσονται, ἡττήσω μὲν Ἀκύλας Αἰγυπτίους Αἰγυπτίοις· συμβαλῶ δὲ Σύμμαχος εἴρηκεν· κατὰ τὸ, "Οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν." Οἱ μὲν γὰρ προσέτρεχον, οἱ δὲ ἀντέτεινον τῷ κηρύγματι, ὡς διεστάναι πάντα μὲν οἶκον, πᾶσαν δὲ κώμην, καὶ πόλιν, καὶ χώραν. Νομοὺς γὰρ ἐκάλουν τὰς χώρας. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ, δαιμόνων νόμος λατρείας τῷ κατὰ Χριστὸν ἀντετάσσετο πρὸς αὐτοῦ καθαιρούμενος 2148 λυομένης Αἰγύπτῳ τῆς ἐπὶ κακῷ συμφωνίας, ὃ δηλοῖ μάλιστα τὸ, στασιάσω καὶ συμβαλῶ. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, ἔσονται μεμερισμένοι δύο ἐπὶ τρισὶ, καὶ τρεῖς ἐπὶ δυσίν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ταραχθήσεται τὸ Πνεῦμα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, φησὶ, κατὰ Σύμμαχον δὲ ῥαγήσεται, σχισθήσεται δὲ κατὰ Θεοδοτίωνα. Κατὰ δὲ Ἀκύλαν πλαδαρωθήσεται. Ἃ δὴ πάντα ἐπὶ προκοπῇ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων γενήσεται, διασκεδαννυμένης τῆς δεισιδαίμονος ἐκείνων βουλῆς, ὅτε καὶ ἀποροῦντες κατὰ τὸ σύνηθες αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ χρησμοὺς καὶ μαντείας διαφόρους τραπήσονται. Ἐκ γῆς δὲ φωνοῦντας τοὺς νεκρομάντεις φησίν. Ἐγγαστριμύθους δὲ, τοὺς ἐκ τῆς αὐτῶν καρδίας, ἢ δαίμονος τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος ἐρευγομένους, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ γνώστας, τοὺς σπλαγχνοσκοποῦντας ἐκάλεσεν. Μάλιστα δὲ ταύταις τῶν Ῥωμαίων αὐτοῖς ἐπιόντων ἐκέχρηντο. Τούτους γὰρ σκληροὺς ὡς ἀνικήτους, καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἧτταν ἀνενδότους καλεῖ. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ διὰ τούτων τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων καθαιρέσεως τὸν καιρὸν, τῆς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων βασιλείας ἐκβαλλομένης. Συνεισῆλθε γὰρ τῷ σωτηρίῳ κηρύγματι καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ βασιλέων καθαίρεσις· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ αὐτῇ τῇ τοῦ Σωτῆρος γεννήσει ἐπὶ Αὐγούστου Καίσαρος γενομένη. ∆υνατὸς γὰρ ὢν οὗτος βασιλεὺς τὴν Αἴγυπτον πρῶτος τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ὑπέταξε. Μεθ' ὃν ὁμοίως οἱ Ῥωμαίων ἅπαντες κραταιοὶ βασιλεῖς κατεδουλοῦντο τὴν Αἴγυπτον, στρατιωτικοὺς αὐτοῖς ἐκπέμποντες ἄρχοντας. Ὧν τὸ σκληρὸν ἐδήλωσε ∆ανιὴλ, σιδηρᾶν αὐτῶν τὴν βασιλείαν εἰπών. Καὶ θηρίον ἔχον ὀδόντας σιδηροῦς, καὶ ὄνυχας σιδηροῦς. Οἷς ἐπιφέρεται· Καὶ πίονται ὕδωρ Αἰγύπτιοι τὸ παρὰ θάλασσαν. Ἀνθ' οὗ φησιν Ἀκύλας, Ἀναποθήσεται ὕδατα ἀπὸ θαλάσσης. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Ἀφανισθήσεται. Τροπικῶς δὲ θάλασσα, τὸ ταραχῶδες πλῆθος τῶν Αἰγυπτίων διὸ καὶ ἀνωτέρω τὰ πολλὰ ἔθνη ὡς θάλασσαν ἔφη κυμαίνουσαν. Καὶ ἐν οἷς περὶ τοῦ ἐκ ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ διελάμβανεν, ἔλεγε· καὶ ἐρημώσει Κύριος τὴν θάλασσαν Αἰγύπτου. Ταύτης δὲ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ Ἱερεμίας ἀκρίσιν ἀπείκασε καὶ δρυμῷ, λέγων· "Ἐκκόψατε τὸν δρυμὸν αὐτῆς, λέγει Κύριος, ὅτι οὐ μὴ εἰκασθῇ, ὅτι πολὺ πληθυνεῖ ὑπὲρ ἀκρίδα, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς ἀριθμός." Ἡ δὲ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἔκλειψις, τῆς βασιλείας ἐστὶ σημαντικὴ, ὡς κἂν τοῖς περὶ τοῦ ἐκ ῥίζης ἔφασκεν Ἰεσσαὶ, καὶ ἐπιβαλεῖ Κύριος τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμὸν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ εἴρηται, Ὁ δὲ ποταμὸς ἐκλείψει, καὶ ξηρανθήσεται πᾶσα συναγωγὴ ὕδατος. Μετὰ δὲ τὸν πρῶτον ποταμὸν, καὶ ἑτέρους ἐκλείψειν φησὶ καὶ τὰς διώρυγας, μετὰ τῆς βασιλείας καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας τοὺς κατὰ μέρος δηλῶν. Συναγωγὰς δὲ τὰς πολεμικὰς αὐτῶν δυνάμεις ἐκάλεσε. Καὶ Ἰεζεκιὴλ δὲ συνῳδὰ τούτοις φησί· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· "Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπὶ σὲ Φαραὼ τὸν ἄρχοντα τὸν 2149 μέγαν, τὸν καθήμενον ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ποταμῶν αὐτοῦ." Μεθ' ὃ καί φησι· "Προσκολλήσω τοὺς ἰχθύας τοῦ ποταμοῦ πρὸς πτέρυγάς σου." Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα· "Καὶ ἐκκενώσουσι πάντες τὰς μαχαίρας αὐτῶν εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ πλησθήσεται ἡ γῆ τραυματιῶν. Καὶ δώσω τοὺς ποταμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐρήμους." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἐκεράτιζες τοῖς ποταμοῖς σου, καὶ κατεπάτεις τοὺς ποταμούς σου." Καὶ Ἱερεμίας δέ φησι· "Τίς οὗτος; ὡς ποταμὸς ἀναβήσεται, καὶ ὡς ποταμοὶ κυμαίνουσιν ὕδωρ. Ὕδατα Αἰγύπτου [ὡς ποταμὸς ἀναβήσεται]. ∆ι' ὧν δηλοῦται τὰ