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"those who hope in his mercy," so that he may deliver "their souls from death." Here we do not understand death as the common one which the pious and the impious, the just and the unjust die, but it is the death of the soul that drags the soul down from the blessed life. From this death we turn to abstain, concerning this it is said: "the soul that sins, it shall die." And again: "when sin is finished, it brings forth death." And since this death follows upon sins, God, who gives remission of sins, will deliver from the ensuing death those who have been previously held. 19 and to feed them in famine. 182 those who fear him and hope in his mercy. Just as he delivers their souls from death, so also he feeds them in famine. Indeed, such a thing has often happened in history. Thus, he nourished the Hebrew people on their long journey in the desert, stretching out the manna, providing it daily. And in individual cases you will find this: for example, Elijah was fed by the widow and by the angel shown to him through the bread and the pitcher of water. And again, when Jezebel was persecuting Elijah and all the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah, the chief officer of king Ahab, fed fifty men at a time in two caves, God having prepared him for this. Indeed, he said this to Elijah when he met him: "And your servant fears the Lord." And he who feared the Lord fed them for the Lord's sake. .... If it has then allegorical meanings—these other things happened according to the history—, again, he nourishes those who fear him with his fear and who hope in his mercy, by providing them the bread of life, the one coming down from heaven, his flesh being "true food." Being the savior of all, he holds them. He does this not according to one meaning, but in relation to the subjects; he saves in wars, placing them outside the reach of enemies and not allowing them to fall into captivity, he saves those who are sick, and he saves as a pilot when we are tossed by storms in the sea of life. Since he gives to each to have a spring? —the one in whom is "a spring for eternal life," this one, being in a waterless place, is nourished. And: "open your eyes and be filled with bread." He who has opened the eyes of his soul and been filled with divine words, like bread being chewed, is not starved; for "the Lord will not let the soul of the righteous starve." Whoever is in desire of bread without opening his eyes to his own bread, lives in famine; for the soul has in itself many foods from God. 20 Our soul waits for the Lord. This it says: since we know these things, that the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him—and if ever they have been in death, he has delivered them, and if ever they have been in famine, he has fed them, and if ever we are in any need, we wait, knowing that we too shall enjoy these things; and our soul, if it be in death, will be delivered. 20 for he is our helper and our shield. You see that it then becomes the plural number: "from heaven the Lord looked down, he saw all the sons of men." If ever some discordant and contrary things are said, consider if these things are said concerning one person; for then a contradiction arises. But if they are said concerning a church or a city or a house, they are not contrary; for some things are said concerning these people, and other things concerning those. And you ought to know this too, that the saints do not offer up their prayers and thanksgivings for themselves alone, but for all whom they lead. It is not the same thing for something to be said to one person, which must be fitting for one, and to a multitude such as a people or a nation or a city. It is impossible for the same person to be at once good and bad, and temperate and licentious. But the apostle writes to the Corinthians as having been enriched "in all speech and all 183 knowledge." Does he not say again: "It is reported that there is fornication among you"? 183

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"τοὺς ἐλπίζοντας ἐπὶ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ", ἵνα ῥύσηται "ἐκ θανάτου τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν". θάνατον ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὸν κοινὸν ἐκλαμβάνομεν ὃν ἀποθνῄσκουσιν εὐσεβεῖς καὶ ἀσεβεῖς καὶ δίκαιοι καὶ ἄδικοι, ἀλλὰ θάνατος ψυχῆς ἐστιν ὁ κατασπῶν τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπὸ τῆς μακαρίας ζωῆς. ἀπὸ τούτου τοῦ θανάτου τρεπόμεθα ἀπέχεσθαι, περὶ τούτου λέγεται· "ψυχὴ ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα αὕτη ἀποθανεῖται". καὶ ἔτι· "ἡ ἁμαρτία ἀποτελεσθεῖσα ἀποκύει θάνατον". καὶ ἐπεὶ ἁμαρτίαις ἕπεται ὁ θάνατος οὗτος, ὁ ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν διδοὺς θεὸς ρ῾̣ύσεται ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολουθοῦντος θανάτου τοὺς προκατεσχημένους. 19 καὶ διαθρέψαι αὐτοὺς ἐν λιμῷ. 182 τοὺς φοβουμέν̣ου̣ς αὐτὸν καὶ ἐλπ̣ίζοντας ἐπὶ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. ὥσπερ ἐκ θανάτου ῥύεται τὰς ψυχάς, οὕτω καὶ διατρέφει αὐτοὺς ἐν λιμῳ῀̣. γέγονεν γοῦν καὶ ἐπὶ ἱστορίας πολλάκις τὸ τοιοῦτο. τὸν Ἑβραίων οὖν λαὸν ἐπὶ πολυχρόνιον πορείαν διέθρεψεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ὀρέγων τὸ μάννα καθ' ἡμέραν αὐτὸ παρέχων. καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κ̣αθέκαστα τοῦτο εὑρήσεις· οἷον ὁ Ἠλίας ἐτράφη ὑπὸ τῆς χήρας καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ δειχθέντος αὐτῷ ἀγγέλου διὰ τοῦ ἄρτου καὶ τοῦ κανψάκου τοῦ ὕδατος. καὶ ἔτι τῆς Ἰεζάβελ διωκούσης τὸν Ἠλίαν καὶ πάντας τ̣οὺς προφήτας κυρίου, Ἀβδιοὺ δὲ τ ὁ υ ἀρχιστράτηγος τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ Ἀχαὰ ἀνὰ πεντήκοντα ἄνδρας ἐν δύο σπηλαίοις διέτρεφεν̣ θεοῦ εἰς τοῦτο αὐτὸν παρασκευάσαντος. ἀμέλει γοῦν τοῦτο πρὸς τὸν Ἠλίαν εἶπεν ὅτε ἐν̣έτυχεν αὐτῷ· "καὶ ὁ δοῦλός σου φοβούμενος τὸν κύριον". ὁ δὲ φοβούμενος τὸν κύριον διὰ τὸν κύριον ἔθρεψεν ἐκείνους. ···· εἰ ἔχει οὖν ἀναγωγάς-ταῦτα ἄλλα κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν γεγένηται-, πάλιν τοὺς φοβουμένους τὸν φόβον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐλπίζοντας ἐπὶ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ διατρέφει παρέχων αὐτοῖς τὸν ἄρτον τῆς ζωῆς, τὸν οὐραν̣όθεν κατ̣αβαίνοντα, τὰς σάρκας αὐτοῦ τυγχανούσας "βρῶσις ἀληθινή". σωτὴρ πάντων ὑπάρχων κ̣ρατεῖ αὐτούς̣. οὐ καθ' ἓν σημαινόμενον τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰ ὑποκείμενα· σῴζει ἐν πολέμοις ἔξω πολεμίων καθιστὰς καὶ οὐκ ἐπιτρέπων αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ὑποπεσεῖν, σῴζει τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας, σῴζει καὶ ὡς κυβερνήτης ὅταν χειμαζώμεθα ἐν τῷ πελάγει τῆς θαλάττης τοῦ βίου. ἐπερ · δίδωσιν ἑκάστῳ ἔχειν πηγήν; -ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν "πηγὴ εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον", οὗτος ἐν ἀνύδρῳ γενόμενος διατρέφε ται. καί· "διάνοιξον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου καὶ ἐνπλήσθητι ἄρτων". ὁ διανοίξας τὰ ὄμματα τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ πληρωθεὶς θείων λόγων ἄρτων τρόπῳ μασω̣μένων οὐ λιμοκτονεῖται· "οὐ λιμοκτονήσει" γὰρ "κύριος ψυχὴν δικαίου". ὅστις ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἄρτων ἐστὶν μὴ ἀνοίγων τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἄρτοις τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ, ἐν λιμῷ διάγει· ἔχει γὰρ ἐν ἑαυτῇ π̣αρὰ θεοῦ ἡ ψυχὴ φαγήματα πολλά. 20 ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν ὑπομένει τῷ κυρίῳ. τοῦτο λέγει· ἐπεὶ ταῦτα ἔγνωμεν ὅτι εἰσὶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τοῦ κυρίου ἐφορῶντες τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν-κἄν ποτε γεγόνασιν ἐν θανάτῳ, ἐρύσατο α̣ὐτούς, κἄν ποτε δὲ γεγόνασιν ἐν λιμῷ, ἔθρεψεν αὐτούς, κἄν ποτε δὲ γενώμεθα ἔν τινι ὑστερήματι, ὑπομ̣ένομεν ἐγνωκότες ὅτι καὶ ἡμεῖς τούτων ἀπολαύσομεν· καὶ ἡ ἡμῶν ψυχὴ ἐὰν γένηται ἐν θανάτῳ, ῥυσθήσεται. 20 ὅτι βοηθὸς καὶ ὑπερασπιστὴς ἡμῶν ἐστιν. θεωρεῖς ὅτι εἰς πληθυντικὸν λοιπὸν ἐγίνετο ἀριθμόν· "ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἐπέβλεψεν ὁ κύριος, εἶδεν πάντας τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων". ἐάν ποτε λέγητα̣ί τινα διάφωνα καὶ ἐναντία, σκόπει εἰ περὶ ἑνὸς λέγηται ταῦτα· τότε γὰρ ἐναντίωμα γίνεται. ἐὰν δὲ λέγηται περὶ ε᾿̣κκλησίας ἢ πόλεως ἢ οἴκου, οὔκ εἰσιν ἐναντία· τὰ μὲν γὰρ περὶ τῶνδε, τὰ δὲ περὶ τῶνδε λέγεται. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ὀφείλεις εἰδέναι, ὅτι οἱ ἅγιοι οὐ περὶ ἑαυ τῶν μόνων ἀναπέμπουσιν τὰς εὐχὰς καὶ τὰς εὐχαριστίας, ἀλλὰ περὶ πάντων ὧν ἡγοῦνται. οὐ ταὐτόν ἐστιν πρὸς ἕνα τι λέγεσθαι ὃ δεῖ ἡρμόσθαι ἑνί, καὶ πλήθει οἷον λαῷ ἢ ἔθνει ἢ πόλει. ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν τὸν αὐτὸν ἅμα ἀγαθὸν καὶ κακὸν εἶναι καὶ σώφρονα καὶ ἀκόλαστον. γράφει δὲ Κορινθίοις ὁ ἀπόστολος ὡς πλουτήσασιν "ἐν παντὶ λόγῳ καὶ πά183 σῃ γνώσει". οὐ λέγει πάλιν· "ἀκούεται ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία"; 183