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they hoped in his salvation. For those who did not hope in Jesus, who is the salvation of God, did not even believe in God himself. For it was said by Christ to the apostles, "Believe in me, and believe in God." It is possible to think that the wrath which they endure, having been captured by Rome, came upon Israel who did not believe in God nor hope in his salvation, concerning which Paul said, "But wrath has come upon them to the uttermost." And he gave them the bread of heaven. The word "heaven" signifies the substance of intelligible things, as we have also understood in the preceding parts, and the opened windows of the heavens are the expansions and manifestations of the Father, with God pouring forth his gifts through these windows. Man ate the bread of angels; that it might say, the man in the secret part of the heart. Wherefore also, omitting all the other names, although he often mentioned them—of Jacob and of Israel and of Ephraim—he here mentions the appellation of "man" to show that the true man, made in the image and likeness of God, has become a table-companion and housemate of angels, partaking of the true manna. 809 Ps 77,38b "To destroy" sometimes means to fall into punishment, as in "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy," instead of "will punish." But since "to destroy" also denotes being given over to dishonorable passions as a recompense for error and other sins committed, God does not destroy in this sense those who are worthy to find him merciful, as he makes atonement for their sins with great mercy and compassion. 810 Ps 77,49c-51 He calls them evil angels not as being so by nature but as those who bring on the affliction of toils. He did not spare their souls from death, bringing upon them the death that destroys their wicked life; shutting up into this death also their irrational powers, tropically called cattle. For it will be for their good to cast off, along with their cattle, the wicked life, that is, the passionate movement. And you will understand more deeply; for since the psychical man lives according to soul but not according to spirit, he does not spare their so-called souls, so that by destroying their psychical state he might lead them to a spiritual condition. That the name of "soul" does not always signify substance is clearly shown from "A wicked soul will destroy him that has possessed it." For it does not say the body that has possessed a soul is wicked, but the substance in which the thing occurs for which the word "soul" is now used. And common usage, saying that some have a good and a wicked soul, agrees with the meaning set forth. The tenth plague brought upon the Egyptians was the death of their firstborn, from man to beast. Perhaps, then, while using the word "firstborn" literally for the firstborn of men, it called the "firstborn" of the irrational animals the firstfruits of their labors. For the firstborn are the firstfruits of the labors of those who raise animals. And I agree that this is what is signified; from the addition which says that in their dwellings the firstborn of the irrational animals were slain, so that their owners might suffer loss, but also the firstborn of men were subjected to death so that their parents might experience disaster. Indeed, to those who are not disciplined nor even repent at such divinely-sent plagues it is said, "In vain I have struck your children; you received no correction." And these firstborn either had death as a penalty for their own sins or were in no way harmed if they succumbed to death for the sake of others' discipline; for to have died is indifferent and happens of necessity, but in truth the judgments of God are unsearchable. For an anagogical interpretation: since spiritually every place about the earth is called Egypt, those who dwell in it are called Egyptians. By the grace of God, therefore, the first offspring of the soul of these Egyptians are destroyed, being ignorance and vice. For before the

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ηλπισαν ἐπὶ τὸ σωτήριον αὐτοῦ. οἱ γὰρ μὴ ἐλπίσαντες ἐπὶ τὸν ̓Ιησοῦν οντα θεοῦ σωτήριον οὐδὲ αὐτῷ τῷ θεῷ ἐπίστευσαν. τοῖς γοῦν ἀποστόλοις ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ ειρηται Πιστεύετε εἰς ἐμέ, καὶ εἰς τὸν θεὸν πιστεύετε. δυνατὸν δ' ἐπὶ τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ μὴ πιστεύσαντα εἰς τὸν θεὸν μηδ' ἐλπίσαντα ἐπὶ τὸ σωτήριον αὐτοῦ ἀναβεβηκέναι νομίζειν τὴν ὀργὴν ην ὑπομένουσιν ἁλόντες ὑπὸ ῥώμης, περὶ ης ὁ Παῦλος εφη Εφθασε δ' αὐτοὺς ἡ ὀργὴ εἰς τέλος. Καὶ αρτον οὐρανοῦ εδωκεν αὐτοῖς. ἡ οὐρανὸς φωνὴ σημαίνει τὴν τῶν νοητῶν οὐσίαν καθὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς εμπροσθεν διειλήφαμεν, αἱ δὲ ἀνοιγόμεναι θυρίδες τῶν οὐρανῶν αἱ ἐξαπλώσεις καὶ φανερώσεις τῶν πατρικῶν εἰσιν, ῥέοντος τοῦ θεοῦ τὰς αὐτοῦ δωρεὰς διὰ τούτων τῶν θυρίδων. Αρτον ἀγγέλων εφαγεν ανθρωπος· ινα ειπῃ τὸν ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ τῆς καρδίας ανθρωπον. διὸ καὶ πάντα τὰ αλλα ὀνόματα παρεὶς καίτοι πολλάκις αὐτῶν μνημονεύσας, τοῦ ̓Ιακὼβ καὶ τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ καὶ τοῦ ̓Εφραίμ, τῆς ἀνθρώπουπροσηγορίας ἐνταῦθα μνημονεύει πρὸς δεῖξιν τοῦ τὸν ἀληθῶς ανθρωπον τὸν κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν θεοῦ γεγενημένον ὁμοτράπεζον καὶ ὁμέστιον ἀγγέλοις γεγονέναι μεταλαμβάνοντα τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ μάννα. 809 Ps 77,38b Τὸ διαφθεῖραι σημαίνει ποτὲ τὸ κολάσει περιπεσεῖν καθάπερ Ει τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φθείρει, φθερεῖ τοῦτον ὁ θεός, ἀντὶ τοῦ κολάσει. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ δηλοῖ τὸ διαφθεῖραι καὶ τὸ παραδοθῆναι πάθεσιν ἀτιμίας κατὰ ἀντιμισθίαν πλάνης καὶ αλλων ἁμαρτημάτων γινομένων, οὐ διαφθείρει ὁ θεὸς κατὰ τοῦτο τὸ σημαινόμενον τοὺς ἀξίους τοῦ ιλεω εὑρεῖν αὐτόν, ὡς ἐλέῳ πολλῷ καὶ οἰκτιρμῷ ἱλάσασθαι ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις αὐτῶν. 810 Ps 77,49c-51 ̓Αγγέλους πονηροὺς οὐ φύσει οντας τοιούτους φησὶν ἀλλὰ τοὺς πόνων κάκωσιν ἐπιφέροντας. Οὐκ ἐφείσατο ἀπὸ θανάτου τῶν ψυχῶν αὐτῶν, ἐπαγαγὼν αὐτοῦ τὸν ἐπὶ καταλύσει τῆς μοχθηρᾶς ζωῆς θάνατον· εἰς τοῦτον τὸν θάνατον συγκλείσας καὶ τὰς ἀλόγους αὐτῶν δυνάμεις κτήνη τροπικῶς ὀνομαζομένας. πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ γὰρ αὐτοῖς εσται ἀποβαλεῖν καὶ τὰ κτήνη αὐτῶν τὴν φαύλην ζωήν, τουτέστι τὴν ἐμπαθῆ κίνησιν. Καὶ βαθύτερον δὲ νοήσεις· ἐπεὶ γὰρ ὁ ψυχικὸς ανθρωπος κατὰ ψυχὴν ἀλλ' οὐ κατὰ πνεῦμα ζῇ, οὐ φείδεται τῶν ουτω λεγομένων ψυχῶν αὐτῶν, ιν' ἀπολέσας τὴν ψυχικὴν κατάστασιν αὐτῶν εἰς πνευματικὴν εξιν αὐτοὺς ἀγάγῃ. οτι δὲ οὐκ ἀεὶ τὸ ονομα τῆς ψυχῆς οὐσίαν σημαίνει, σαφῶς παρίσταται ἐκ τοῦ Ψυχὴ πονηρὰ ἀπολεῖ τὸν κτησάμενον αὐτήν. οὐ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα κτησάμενον ψυχὴν λέγει πονηρὰν ἀλλὰ τὴν οὐσίαν ῃ συμβέβηκε τὸ πρᾶγμα καθ' ου κεῖται νῦν ἡ ψυχὴ λέξις. καὶ ἡ συνήθεια δὲ ψυχὴν καλὴν καὶ φαύλην εχειν τινὰς λέγουσα συμφέρεται τῷ προκειμένῳ σημαινομένῳ. ̔Η δεκάτη δὲ πληγὴ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις ἐπαχθεῖσα θάνατος ην τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς πρωτοτόκων ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου εως κτήνους. τάχα ουν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῶν πρῶτον τεχθέντων κυριολεκτοῦσαν τὴν πρωτότοκον φωνὴν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων ἀπαρχὴν πόνων τὴν πρωτότοκον ειπε. ἀπαρχὴ γὰρ πόνων τῶν ζῳοτροφούντων τὰ πρωτότοκα. συμφέρομαι δὲ εἰς τοῦτο ειναι τὸ δηλούμενον· ἐκ προσθήκης τῆς λεγούσης ἐν τοῖς σκηνώμασιν αὐτῶν τὰ πρωτότοκα τῶν ἀλόγων ἀνῃρέθη, οπως ζημίᾳ ὑποπέσωσιν οἱ κεκτημένοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπων πρωτότοκα ὑπεβλήθη θανάτῳ ἐπὶ τῷ πειραθῆναι συμφορᾶς τοὺς τούτων γονέας. πρὸς γοῦν τοὺς μὴ παιδευομένους μηδ' αυ μετανοοῦντας ἐπὶ τοιούτοις θεηλάτοις Μάτην ἐπάταξα τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν, ειρηται, παιδείαν οὐκ ἐδέξασθε. καὶ ουτοι δὲ οἱ πρωτότοκοι ητοι ἐπιτιμίαν εσχον τὸ θανεῖν τῶν σφῶν ἁμαρτιῶν η οὐδὲν ἐβλάβησαν, εἰ παιδεύσεως αλλων ενεκα ὑπέπεσον θανάτῳ· ἀδιάφορον γὰρ τὸ τεθνάναι καὶ ἐξ ἀνάγκης συμβαῖνον, πρὸς δ' ἀλήθειαν ἀνεξερεύνητα τὰ κρίματα τοῦ θεοῦ. Πρὸς ἀναγωγήν· ἐπεὶ πνευματικῶς Αιγυπτος καλεῖται πᾶς ὁ περὶ γῆν τόπος, οἱ ἐν τούτῳ διατρίβοντες Αἰγύπτιοι προσαγορεύονται. χάριτι θεοῦ τοίνυν τούτων τῶν Αἰγυπτίων τὰ πρῶτα γεννήματα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτῶν ἀναιρεῖται, αγνοια καὶ κακία τυγχάνοντα. πρὸ γὰρ τῶν