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laboring in many waters, fishing, steering. For each of the intelligent has governance, which is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. For it is said that "helping and governing" is a gift of the Holy Spirit. In addition to being a pilot, the intelligent one is also a fisherman, having that skill about which Jesus said to his disciples, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." 3.313 Those who labor in many waters see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep, applying themselves as much as possible to the judgments of God, which are a great abyss. For even if they are unsearchable, yet having the Spirit of God which searches his depths, they see in the deep the wonders and works of God. 3.314 But see also another work of those who go down to the sea, announced in the prophet Isaiah: "They shall fly," he says, "in the ships of foreigners, they shall plunder the sea together," calling bodies foreign ships because they are of a different nature than the souls sailing in them, which are intellectual substances and for this very reason created in the image and likeness of God. And these plunder the sea, despoiling the dragon in it, taking from him the souls he deceived with contentious and deceitful teaching. And that the dragon dwells in the sea, the psalmist proclaims in the one hundred and third Psalm, saying: "This is the sea, great and wide, there ships pass through, small animals with great ones, this dragon which you formed to play in it." 3.315 It must be noted that here the sea is great and wide for those who dwell with the dragon, but narrow for those who hasten to be outside of it. For just as for the righteous the gate is narrow and the way afflicted for those who seek eternal life by living rightly, while the gate is wide and the way broad for the wicked and lovers of pleasure, so that many fall into destruction, so the allegorized sea is found to be narrow for those "afflicted in every way" for piety's sake "but not crushed," so that they say with confidence: "For through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom." 3.316 The waves of the interpreted sea are struck by him who is its master and who has power over it, to whom the saints sing, saying: "You rule the power of the sea and you calm the surge of its waves." 3.317 Jesus accomplished this both perceptibly and intellectually, rebuking the sea that foamed against the apostolic vessel and the wind that stirred up its waves, so that immediately calm and clear weather came to be, with the water and air being still. 3.318 In addition to the waves of the sea being rebuked allegorically, the depths of the rivers were also laid waste, about which the king of Egypt, called a dragon on account of his venom and poison, boasted, saying: "The rivers are mine, and I made them." Those who have experienced the sea being made narrow, its waves being struck, and the depths of the rivers being dried up, approaching him who accomplished these things, send up a hymn of thanksgiving, saying thus: "He who turns the sea into dry land, they will cross the river on foot," with their depths obviously having been laid waste and the waves of the sea having been struck. 3.319 With the waves of the sea having been struck and all the depths of the rivers laid waste, the insolence of the Assyrians will perish, and the scepter of Egypt will be taken away, no longer ruling, and the insolence of the Assyrians . . . . . For they were insolent in both ways, on the one hand being slanderers, and on the other hand boasters and being insolent out of arrogance. 3.320 With the opposing things destroyed, those who journey on the narrow sea are strengthened by the Lord their God, so that each says with thanksgiving: "My strength and my

113

ἐργασίαν ἐν ὕδασι πολλοῖς, ἁλιεύοντες̣ κυβερνῶντες· ἕκαστος γὰρ τῶν νοημόνων κυβέρνησιν ἐ´̣χ̣ει, ἓν οὖσαν τῶν χαρισμάτων τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Εἴρηται γὰρ ὡς «ἡ ἀντίλημψις καὶ ἡ κυβέρνησις» τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματός ἐστι δῶρον. Πρὸς τῷ κυβερνήτης εἶναι, ὁ νοήμων καὶ ἁλιεὺς ὑπάρχει, τέχνην ἔχων ἐκείνην περὶ ἧς τοῖς γνωρίμοις Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· «∆εῦτε ὀπίσω μου καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων.» 3.313 Οἱ ἐν πολλοῖς ὕδασιν ἐργασίαν ποιοῦντες, τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου καὶ τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ ο῾̣ρῶσιν ἐν τῷ βυθῷ, ἐφιστάνοντες ὡς οἷόν τε τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίμασιν, ἀβύσσῳ πολλῇ τυγχανούσῃ. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀνεξεραύνητά εἰσιν, ἀλλά γε ἔχοντες τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ἐραυνοῦν αὐτοῦ τὰ βάθη, ὁρῶσιν ἐν τῷ βυθῷ τὰ θαυμάσια καὶ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ. 3.314 Ὅρα δὲ καὶ ἕτερον ἔργον τῶν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν καταβάντων, ἐν̣ τῷ προφήτῃ Ἠσαΐᾳ ἀπαγγελλόμενον· «Πετασθήσονται, φησίν, ἐν πλοίοις ἀλλοφύλων, θάλασσαν ἅμα προνομεύσουσιν», ἀλλόφυλα πλοῖα λέγων τὰ σώματα διὰ τὸ ἑτέρας εἶναι φύσεως παρὰ τὰς ἐμπλεούσας ψυχάς, οὐσίας οὔσας νοέρας καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο κατ̣' ει᾿̣κόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ κτισθείσας. Προνομεύουσι δὲ οὗτοι τὴν θάλασσαν, σκυλ̣εύοντες τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ δράκοντα, λαμβάνοντες ἀπ̣' αὐτοῦ ἃς ἠπάτησεν ψυχὰς ἐριστικῇ καὶ ἀπατηλῇ διδασκαλίᾳ. Ὅτι δὲ ὁ δράκων ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ διατρίβει, ὁ ὑμνῳδὸς ἐν τρίτῳ καὶ ἑκατοστῷ Ψαλμῷ ἀναφ̣θέγγεται φάσκων· «Αὕτη ἡ θάλασσα ἡ μεγάλη καὶ εὐρύχωρ̣ος, ἐκεῖ πλοῖα διαπορεύονται, ζῷα μικρὰ μετὰ μεγάλων, δράκων οὗτος ὃν ἔπλασας ἐμπαίζειν αὐτῷ.» 3.315 Ἐπιστατέον ὡς ἐνταῦθα μὲν μεγάλη καὶ εὐρύχωρός ἐστιν ἡ θάλασσα τοῖς μετὰ τοῦ δράκοντος διατρίβουσιν, στενὴ δὲ τοῖς ἔξω αὐτῆς σπεύδουσιν εἶναι. Ὅνπερ γὰρ τρόπον τοῖς δικαίοις στενή ἐστιν ἡ πύλη καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδὸς τοῖς ἐν τῷ ὀρθῶς πο̣λιτ̣εύεσθαι ζητοῦσιν τὴν ζωὴν αἰώνιον, πλατεῖα πύλη καὶ ευ᾿̣ρύχωρος ὁδὸς ὑπάρχουσα τοῖς φαύλοις καὶ φιληδόνοις, ὡς πολλοὺς περιπίπτειν τῇ ἀπωλείᾳ, οὕτως ἡ ἀλληγορουμένη θάλαττα στενὴ ευ῾̣ρίσκεται «τοῖς ἐν παντὶ θλιβομένοις» διὰ θεοσέβειαν «καὶ μὴ στενοχωρουμένοις», ὡς μετὰ πεποιθήσεως φάναι· «Ὅτι διὰ πολλῶν θλίψεων δεῖ ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν εἰσελθεῖν.» 3.316 Πατάττεται τῆς ἡρμηνευμένης θαλάττης τὰ κύματα ὑπὸ τοῦ δεσπόζοντος αὐτῆς καὶ τοῦ κρατοῦντος αὐτῆς, πρὸς ὃν κελαδοῦντές φασιν οἱ ἅγιοι· «Σὺ δεσπόζεις τοῦ κράτους τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ τὸν σάλον τῶν κυμάτων αὐτῆς καταπραΰνεις.» 3.317 Τοῦτο κατώρθωσεν αἰσθητῶς καὶ νοητῶς Ἰησοῦς, ἐπιτιμήσας τῇ ἀφριζούσῃ τῇ θαλάττῃ κατὰ τοῦ ἀποστολικοῦ σκεύους καὶ τῷ ἀνέμῳ τῷ διεγείραντι αὐτῆς τ̣ὰ κύματα, ὡς παραχρῆμα εὐδίαν καὶ αἰθρίαν γενέσθαι, ἠρεμοῦντος τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ ἀέρος. 3.318 Πρὸς τῷ ἐπιτιμηθῆναι τὰ κύματα τῆς θαλάσσης ἀλληγορικῶς, ἠρημώθη καὶ τὰ βάθη τῶν ποταμῶν, περὶ ὧν αὐχῶν ὁ τῆς Αἰγυ´̣πτου βασιλεύς, δράκων ὀνομαζόμενος διὰ τὸ ἰῶδες κ̣αὶ δηλητήριον, κομπάζων εἶπεν· «Ἐμοῦ εἰσιν οἱ ποταμοί, καὶ ἐγὼ ἐποίησα αὐτούς.» Οἱ πεῖραν λαβόντες τῆς θαλάσσης στενωθείσης, παταχθέντων τῶν κυμάτων αὐτῆς, καὶ τῶν βαθῶν τῶν ξηρανθέντων ποταμῶν, τῷ ταῦτα κατορθώσαντι προσελθόντε̣ς χαριστηρίως ἀναπέμπουσιν ὕμνον, οὕτω λέγοντες· «Ὁ μεταστρέφων τὴν θάλασσαν εἰς ξ̣ηράν, ἐν ποταμῷ διελεύσονται ποδί», ἐρημωθέντων τῶν βαθῶν αὐτῶν δηλονότι καὶ παταχθέντων τῶν κυμάτων τῆς θαλάσσης. 3.319 Τῶν κυμάτων τῆς θαλάσσης παταχθέντων καὶ πάντων τῶν βαθῶν τῶν ποταμῶν ἐρημωθέντων, ἡ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ὕβρις α᾿̣π̣ο̣λ̣εῖται, καὶ τὸ σκῆπτρον τῆς Αἰγύπτου περιαιρεθήσεται, οὐκέτι βασιλευούσης, καὶ ἡ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ὕβρις ·······ι̣σχει. Ἀμφοτέρως γὰρ ὕβριζον, τοῦτο μὲν λοίδοροι ὑπάρχοντες, τοῦτο δὲ ἀλαζόνες καὶ καθ' ὑπερηφανίαν ἐξυβρίζοντες. 3.320 Τῶν ἀντικειμένων καταλυθέντων, κατισχύονται ὑπὸ Κυρίου Θεοῦ αὐτῶν οἱ ἐν θαλάσσῃ στενῇ πορευόμενοι, ὡς χαριστηρίως λέγειν ἕκαστον· «Ἰσχύς μου καὶ ἡ