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they were put to shame when they were drowned in the Red Sea, so that a refrain was sung against them beginning with: “Let us sing to the Lord, for He has been gloriously glorified; horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.” Concerning these riders it is also stated in one of the Psalms: “At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, those who were mounted on the horses fell into a deep sleep.” 3.270 It must be considered who these are. The horses being understood as human bodies because of their skittish and unruly nature, the riders are the souls, who do not tame the horses they ride in an orderly or skillful manner; for this reason they also suffer shame, being driven by a gadfly, as the prophetic saying states: “The riders of horses will be put to shame.” 3.271 According to another interpretation, let horses be understood as boastful and sophistical men, upon whom wicked powers ride, carried along disorderly, not knowing how to use a bridle but to be carried by a disordered force, who will be put to shame because they unskillfully urge on the four-footed passions; they head for pits because of their drowsiness and sleepiness, with those who ride for salvation not enduring the things of those who are shamed; for the soul that subdues and brings into bondage the body that it wears, is not a rider, not a mounter, but a horseman, skillfully breaking the colt. 3.272 Likewise, certain divine powers riding upon the best men with equestrian skill are borne like horsemen, being borne by the force of divine teaching, having as leader and chief the one whose riding is salvation, to whom it was said: “Mount Your horses, and Your riding is salvation.” 3.273 A certain wise man of the ancients distinguished a horseman from a rider, and said the one was blameworthy, the other praiseworthy; for one who is mounted without skill, not bridling the horse, is a rider, as the aforesaid wise man represented, while one mounted according to the art of horse-breaking is rightly called a horseman. For instance, when the great prophet Elijah was taken up, Elisha the prophet cried out, saying: “Father, father, the chariot of Israel and its horseman.” For he who was excellently mounted had to be a horseman and not a rider, having bridled his own vehicle. 3.274 Since this is the difference between a horseman and a rider, not the horsemen but the riders will be put to shame, being drowsy while mounted on the horses, while those who ride with skill hold the reins soberly and watchfully; therefore, proving to be victorious, they carry off the victory, while the riders of the blameworthy horses are put to shame. 3.275 The men of Judah are strong and the house of Joseph lives and will be saved by the all-sovereign God; in parallel, Joseph and Judah is the incarnate Savior, since He sprang from Judah and gave grain to those afflicted by famine and lack of food, so that he was shown to be full of bread, with the greatest abundance following; for indeed it was said at the birth from Mary that those who were formerly hungry were filled with good things because they neglected spiritual food, which their spiritual Joseph gave as grain. Indeed, He has come to such a point of abundance that even in the desert He fed to satiety those lacking food, feeding large multitudes with very few loaves. 3.276 Having strengthened the house of Judah and saved that of Joseph, God promises to settle them, for no other reason than that He loved them. When will this be, but when they receive the promises which... persuaded, about which it is written thus: “The eye of man has not seen, nor has the ear of mortals heard, nor has it entered into the heart, what things God has prepared for those who love Him.” And the promised things will be theirs in the way that I have not turned away from them, but I look upon and watch over them, being the Lord “their God.” Indeed I will hear them being very fruitful according to Ephraim, which is interpreted as fruitfulness, so that their intellect might be pleased and rejoice as in the wine harvested from the
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κατῃσχύνθησαν ὅτε κατεποντώθησαν ἐν τῇ Ἐρυθρᾷ θαλάσσῃ, ὡς ἐφύμνιον ᾄδεσθαι κατ' αὐτῶν ἀρχόμενον ἀπὸ τοῦ· «Ἄισωμεν τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἐνδόξως γὰρ δεδόξασται· ἵππον καὶ ἀναβάτην ἔρριψεν εἰς θάλασσαν.» Περὶ τῶν ἀναβατῶν τούτων καὶ ἐν ἑνὶ τῶν Ψαλμῶν φέρεται· «Ἀπὸ ἐπιτιμήσεώς σου, ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακώβ, ἐνύσταξαν οἱ ἐπιβεβηκότες τοὺς ἵππους.» 3.270 Τίνες δὲ οὗτοι τυγχάνουσιν ἐπιστατέον. Ἵππων νοουμένων τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων σωμάτων διὰ τὸ σκιρτητικὸν καὶ ἀφηνιάζον, ἐπιβάται αἱ ψυχαὶ τυγχάνουσιν οὐ τεταγμένως, οὐκ ἐπιστημονικῶς δαμάζουσαι τοὺς οἷς̣ ε᾿̣πιβαίνουσιν ἵππους· διὸ καὶ αἰσχύνην ὑπομένουσιν οἰστρηλατούμεναι, ὡς τὸ προφητικὸν ῥητόν φησιν· «Καταισχυνθήσονται ἀναβάται ἵππων.» 3.271 Καθ' ἑτέραν νόησιν ἵπποι νοείσθωσαν οἱ κομπώδεις καὶ σοφισταὶ ἄνθρωποι, ὧν ἐπιβαίνουσιν πονηραὶ δυνάμεις ἀτάκτως φερόμεναι οὐκ εἰδυῖαι χαλιναγωγεῖν ἀλλ' ἀτάκτῳ ῥύμῃ φέρεσθαι, αἵτινες διὰ τὸ ἀτέχνως ἐπισπέρχειν τὰ τετρασκελῆ πάθη καταισχυνθήσονται· κατὰ βαράθρων χωροῦσιν διὰ τὸ νυστάζειν καὶ ὑπνώττειν, τ̣ῶν σωτηριωδῶς ἱππαζομένων οὐχ ὑπομενόντων τ̣ὰ τ̣ῶν καταισχυνομένων· ἡ γὰρ ὑπωπιάζουσα ψυχὴ καὶ δουλαγωγοῦσα ὃ περίκειται σῶμα, οὐκ ἐπιβάτης, οὐκ ἀναβάτης, ἀλλ' ἱππεύς ἐστιν ἐπιστημονικῶς πωλοδαμνοῦσα. 3.272 Ὡσαύτως ἱππικῇ τέχνῃ ἐπιβαίνουσαι θεῖαί τινες δυνάμεις ἀνδράσιν ἀρίστοις ἱππικῶς φέρονται, ῥύμῃ θείας διδασκαλίας φερόμεναι, ἡγεμόνα καὶ ἔξαρχον ἔχουσαι τὸν οὗ ἡ ἱππασία σωτηρία ἐστίν, πρὸς ὃν εἴρηται· «Ἐπίβηθι ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους σου καὶ ἡ ἱππασία σου σωτηρία.» 3.273 ∆ιεστείλατό τις τῶν ἀρχαίων σοφὸς ἱππέα ἀπ' ἀναβάτου, καὶ τὸν μὲν ψεκτόν, τὸν δ' ἐπαινετὸν εἶπε̣ν̣· ὁ γὰρ ἄνευ τέχνης ἐποχούμενος, οὐ χαλιναγωγῶν τὸν ἵππον, ἀναβάτης ἐστίν, ὡς ὁ προειρημένος σοφὸς παρέστησεν, τοῦ κατὰ πωλοδαμνικὴν τέχνην ὀχουμένου ἱππέως ἐν δίκῃ καλουμένου. Αὐτίκα γοῦν τοῦ μεγάλου προφήτου Ἠλίου ἀναλαμβανομένου, Ἐλισαῖε ὁ θεοπρόπος κέκραγε λέγων· «Πάτερ, πάτερ, ἅρμα Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἱππεὺς αὐτοῦ.» Ἱππέα γὰρ ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀναβάτην ἔδει εἶναι τὸν ἀρίστως ὀχούμενον, χαλιναγωγήσαντα τὸ ἴδιον ὄχημα. 3.274 Ταύτης τῆς διαφορᾶς ἱππέως καὶ ἀναβάτου οὔσης, οὐχ οἱ ἱππεῖς ἀλλὰ οἱ ἐπιβάται καταισχυνθήσονται, νυστάζοντες ἐν τῷ ἐπιβεβηκέναι τῶν ἵππων, νηφόντως καὶ γρηγορούντως ἡνιοχούντων τῶν σὺν τέχνῃ ἱππαζομένων· διὸ καὶ νικηφόροι ἀποδεικνύμενοι νίκην ἀποφέρονται, καταισχυνομένων τῶν ἐπιβατῶν τῶν ψεκτῶν ἵππων. 3.275 Οἱ τοῦ Ἰούδα κ̣ατισχύουσιν καὶ ὁ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ οἶκος ζῇ καὶ σώσεται ὑπὸ τοῦ παμβασιλέως Θεοῦ· ἐκ παραλλήλου Ἰωσὴφ καὶ Ἰούδας ὁ ἐνανθρωπήσας Σωτὴρ ὑπάρχει, ἅτε ἐκ τοῦ Ἰούδα ἀνατείλας καὶ σιτοδοτήσας τοὺς λιμῷ καὶ ἀσιτίᾳ καταπονουμένους, ὡς λοιπὸν πλήρης ἄρτων ἀναδειχθῆναι, μεγίστης εὐετηρίας διαδεξαμένης· εἴρηται γοῦν ἐπὶ τῷ τοκετῷ τῆς Μαρίας ὡς ἐνεπλήσθησαν ἀγαθῶν οἱ πρότερον λιμώττοντες διὰ τὸ ἀλογεῖν πνευματικῆς τροφῆς, ἧς ὁ νοητὸς αὐτῶν Ἰωσὴφ ἐσιτοδότησεν. Εἰς τοσοῦτον γοῦν δαψιλ̣είας προελήλυθεν ὡς καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τοὺς τροφῆς στερομένους εἰς κόρον ἔθρεψεν ἐκ πάνυ ὀλίγων ἄρτων πολυάνθρωπα πλήθη. 3.276 Ἐνισχύσας τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Ἰούδα καὶ τὸν τοῦ Ἰωσὴφσώσας ὁ Θεὸς κατοικίζειν αὐτοὺς ἐπαγγέλλεται, οὐκ ἄλλου χάριν ἢ ὅτι ἠγάπησεν αὐτούς. Πότε δ' ἔσται τοῦτο ἢ ὅτε ἀπολαμβάνουσιν ἃς εν̣·· ἔπεισεν ἐπαγγελίας, περὶ ὧν γράφεται ὧδε· «Ὀφθαλμὸς ἀνθρώπου οὐκ εἶδεν, οὐδὲ θνητῶν οὖς ἤκουσεν, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀναβέβηκεν, ὅσα ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν.» Ἔσται δὲ αὐτοῖς τὰ ἐπηγγελμένα ὃν τρόπον οὐκ ἀπεστρεψάμην αὐτούς, ἀλλ' ἐπιβλέπω καὶ ἐφορῶ αὐτούς, Κύριος «Θεὸς αὐτῶν» ὑπάρχων. Εἰσακούσομαι γοῦν αὐτῶν σφόδρα καρποφορούντων κατὰ τὸν Ἐφράιμ, καρποφορίαν ἑρμηνευόμενον, ὡς ἡσθῆναι καὶ χαρῆναι τὸ διανοητικὸν αὐτῶν ὡς ἐν οἴνῳ τῷ τρυγωμένῳ ἐκ τῆς