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the multitudes of their soldiers, in the midst of whom the dragon likely sat and boasted. But the fish we will understand as those subjected to the regional rulers. And he equipped with horns those serving under him, whom he also said he trampled, ruling tyrannically. For they say it is necessary to understand these things figuratively, like the nation spoken of before, hopeless and trampled down, whose land the rivers have plundered. If, then, in addition to these things, the prophecy also brought on the destruction of men, there would be nothing left to seek. For it would have followed that the animals also would perish together with all the waters. But now, after the destruction of the waters, he mentions that there will be a great population in Egypt, and that there will be an altar to the Lord, on which the Egyptians will offer sacrifice [he says]. And how could they exist, if all the water had failed? Therefore these things must be understood figuratively, signifying the kingdom of the Egyptians and the multitudes of their fighting force. But others, understanding the aforesaid things literally, say that Vespasian, having taken Judea, campaigned against the Egyptians. And God, having done all things for him, dried up every body of water, so that due to a lack of water, the Egyptians had to seek drinkable water somehow in trenches by the shore, through which the sea water, being filtered, becomes more drinkable. Then, they say, those who proclaimed the saving message also came into Egypt. Of those inhabiting Egypt, some have been allotted the plains, others the marshes, who are called marsh-dwellers and herdsmen because of the multitude of cattle among them. And they do not use grain and wine, being destitute of these, but fish and milk and beer and the tender things cut from the marshes, who also work the fine-spun flax. A lack of which, he says, will occur when all the waters have failed. But those who have given the first exegesis, also allegorize this in turn in this manner. Understand the river, they say, as also the philosophy that once flourished among the Egyptians. For it is said, And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, of which a great stream of discourse flowed. Of which the parts and rivers and channels were the discourses of each of the subjects of study among them, from which grew not 2152 olive and vine, nor anything necessary or fruitful, but reed and rush-grass and papyrus. And the dragon, whom he formed to play with him, is said in Job to lie down beside papyrus and reed and rush. And Ezekiel also has called Pharaoh a dragon; So that these things might fail, both the Egyptian dragon and his philosophy, the Lord fittingly comes to these, putting a stop to these things by his presence, but giving in their place a saving drink of new waters, concerning which was said before, And you will draw water with joy from the springs of salvation. And instead of a river, a river, whose streams make glad the city of God. Do you see how these things are prophesied for the benefit of the Egyptians? Therefore according to the Seventy it is said, the Egyptians will drink the water that is by the sea, but the river will fail. For since the Egyptian water does not exist, and the sea water is not drinkable, he promises them new water. But indeed, when the Egyptian waters fail, the hunters of fish, that is, of human souls, are said to mourn, being opposed to those to whom the Savior said: Come, and I will make you fishers of men. For those men, through their philosophy and sorcery, used to lure souls as with a dragnet, catching them with the intricacies of their arguments. But opposed to this dragnet is the one about which it is said: The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind. The word of the parable about the kingdom also signifying men as fish. Therefore they mourn, as no longer having work because of Christ who has stopped them, according to that which says, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the intelligence of the intelligent I will thwart." And those who work the flax, not the strong and unbreakable, but the word that is broken through and rent. And fine linen was also irrigated by the river of the Egyptians. Therefore the workers of these things will groan, when no longer for them for a covering,

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πλήθη τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς στρατευομένων, ὧν μέσων ἐγκαθήμενον τὸν δράκοντα εἰκὸς ἦν μεγαλαυχεῖν. Ἰχθύας δὲ τοὺς ὑποκειμένους τοῖς κατὰ μέρος νοήσομεν ἄρχουσιν. Ἐκεράτιζε δὲ τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτῷ στρατευομένοις οὓς καὶ καταπατεῖν αὐτὸν ἔφη τυραννικῶς δυναστεύοντα. Τροπικῶς γάρ φασιν ἀνάγκη ταῦτα νοεῖν, ὡς καὶ τὸ πρόσθεν ῥηθὲν ἔθνος ἀνέλπιστον καὶ καταπεπατημένον, οὗ οἱ ποταμοὶ διήρπασαν τὴν γῆν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανισμὸν ἐπῆγεν ἡ προφητεία, οὐδὲν ἐλείπετο ζητεῖν. Ἀκόλουθον γὰρ ἦν καὶ τὰ ζῶα πᾶσι τοῖς ὕδασι συναπόλλυσθαι. Νῦν δὲ μετὰ τὴν τῶν ὑδάτων ἀπώλειαν, πολυπληθίας ἐσομένης κατ' Αἴγυπτον μέμνηται, καὶ ὡς ἔσται θυσιαστήριον Κυρίῳ, ἐν ᾧ θύσειν τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους [φησί]. Καὶ πῶς ἐγίνοντο, εἰ τὸ ὕδωρ ἅπαν ἐξέλιπεν; ὅθεν τροπικῶς νοητέον ταῦτα σημαίνοντα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τὰ πλήθη τῆς μαχίμου δυνάμεως. Ἄλλοι δὲ ῥητῶς τὰ προειρημένα νοοῦντές φασιν, ὡς Οὐασπασιανὸς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν ἑλὼν κατ' Αἰγυπτίων ἐστράτευσε. Καὶ Θεὸς αὐτῷ κατὰ πάντα ποιήσας, πᾶσαν ὑδάτων συναγωγὴν ἀπεξήρανεν, ὡς ὑδάτων ἐνδείᾳ, τοῖς παρ' αἰγιαλὸν ὀρύγμασιν πότιμον πῶς ὕδωρ Αἰγυπτίους ζητεῖν, δι' ὧν τὸ τῆς θαλάσσης διηθούμενον ὕδωρ ποτιμώτερον γίνεται. Τότε φασὶν εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἐλθεῖν καὶ τοὺς τὸ σωτηρίον κήρυγμα διαγγέλλοντας. Τῶν δὲ τὴν Αἴγυπτον οἰκούντων οἱ μὲν τὰ πεδία, οἱ δὲ τὰ ἕλη κεκλήρωνται, οἵπερ ἕλιοι καὶ βουκόλοι διὰ πλῆθος τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς γινομένων βοῶν ὀνομάζονται. Χρῶνται δὲ οὐ σίτῳ καὶ οἴνῳ τούτων ἀποροῦντες, ἰχθύσι δὲ καὶ γάλακτι καὶ ζύψῳ καὶ τοῖς ἐξ ἑλῶν ἁπαλοῖς τεμνομένοις οἳ καὶ τὸ λινὸν ἐργαζόμενοι τὸ σχιστόν. Ὧν ἔνδεια, φησὶ, πάντων ἐκλελοιπότων τῶν ὑδάτων γενήσεται. Οἱ δὲ τὴν πρώτην ἐκδεδωκότες ἐξήγησιν, καὶ τοῦτον αὖθις ἀλληγοροῦσι τὸν τρόπον. Νόει ποταμὸν λέγοντες καὶ τὴν πάλαι παρ' Αἰγυπτίοις φιλοσοφίαν ἀκμάζουσαν. Εἴρηται γὰρ, καὶ ἐπαιδεύθη Μωσῆς πάσῃ σοφίᾳ Αἰγυπτίων, ἧς λόγος ἔῤῥει πολύς. Οὗ μέρη καὶ ποταμοὶ καὶ διώρυχες τῶν καθ' ἕκαστον παρ' αὐτοῖς μαθημάτων οἱ λόγοι, ἐξ ὧν ἐφύοντο οὐκ 2152 ἐλαία καὶ ἄμπελος, οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον ἢ κάρπιμον οὐδὲ ἓν, κάλαμος δὲ καὶ ἄχι, καὶ πάπυρος. Ὁ δὲ δράκων, ὃν ἔπλασεν ἐμπαίζειν αὐτῷ, παρ' Ἰὼβ λέγεται κοιτάζεσθαι παρὰ πάπυρον καὶ κάλαμον καὶ βούτομον. Καὶ Ἰεζεκιὴλ δὲ τὸν Φαραὼ κέκληκε δράκοντα· Ἵν' οὖν ἐκλείπῃ ταῦτα, δράκων τε Αἰγύπτιος, καὶ ἡ τούτου φιλοσοφία, Κύριος εἰκότως τούτοις ἐπιδημεῖ, ταῦτα μὲν παύων τῇ παρουσίᾳ, ἀντιδοὺς δὲ ποτὸν καινῶν ὑδάτων σωτήριον, περὶ οὗ πρόσθεν ἐλέγετο, καὶ ἀντλήσετε ὕδωρ μετ' εὐφροσύνης ἐκ τῶν πηγῶν τοῦ σωτηρίου. Καὶ ἀντὶ ποταμοῦ ποταμὸν, οὗ τὰ ὁρμήματα εὐφραίνουσι τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὁρᾷς ὡς ἐπὶ ὠφελείᾳ ταῦτα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων θεσπίζεται; ∆ιὸ κατὰ τοὺς ἑβδομήκοντα λέγεται τὸ, πίονται οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ παρὰ θάλασσαν. ὁ δὲ ποταμὸς ἐκλείψει. Μὴ ὑφεστῶτος γὰρ ὕδατος Αἰγυπτιακοῦ, μηδὲ ποτίμου τοῦ θαλαττίου τυγχάνοντος, καινὸν ὕδωρ αὐτοῖς ἐπαγγέλλεται. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐκλειπόντων τῶν Αἰγυπτιακῶν ὑδάτων, οἱ θηραταὶ τῶν ἰχθύων, δηλαδὴ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ψυχῶν, πενθήσειν λέγονται τυγχάνοντες ἐναντίοι τοῖς, πρὸς οὓς ἔλεγεν ὁ Σωτήρ· ∆εῦτε, καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων. Ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ διὰ τῆς παρ' αὐτοῖς φιλοσοφίας καὶ γοητείας, τὰς ψυχὰς ἐδελέαζον οἱονεὶ σαγήνῃ, ταῖς τῶν λόγων πλοκαῖς συλλαμβάνοντες. Ἐναντία δὲ ταύτῃ σαγήνῃ περὶ ἧς εἴρηται· ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν σαγήνῃ βληθείσῃ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ συλλαβούσῃ ἀπὸ παντὸς γένους ἰχθύων. Τὸν λόγον τὸν περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῆς παραβολῆς καὶ ἰχθύας τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὑποδηλούσης. Πενθοῦσιν οὖν, ὡς μηκέτι διὰ τὸν παύσαντα Χριστὸν ἔχοντες ἐργασίαν, κατὰ τὸ, "Ἀπολῶ τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν, καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν συνετῶν ἀθετήσω." Καὶ τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὸ λίνον, οὐ τὸ στέῤῥον καὶ ἀῤῥαγὲς, ἀλλὰ τὸν λόγον τὸν διεῤῥωγότα καὶ ἐσχισμένον. Καὶ βύσσος δὲ τοῦ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἠρδεύετο ποταμοῦ. Οἱ τοίνυν τούτων ἐργάται στενάξουσιν, ὅτε μηκέτι αὐτοῖς πρὸς περιβολὴν,