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He recalls the things that happened at the Red Sea: The arm of his glory prevailed over the water before him to make for himself an everlasting name. For by the energy of the divine command the sea was divided and it became for them “the water a wall on the right and a wall on the left.” For this he said: it prevailed, that is: it stood still and its flowing nature imitated the construction of walls. 13He led them through the abyss as a horse through the desert 14and as cattle through a plain, and they did not grow weary. In the deserts a horse is able to run easily; for there are no hindrances of hedges and trees. And likewise cattle cross mountains with much difficulty, but traverse plains very easily. Therefore, through these things he has shown the great ease of the crossing, and he also points out the cause of what happened: A spirit from the Lord came down and guided them; thus you led your people to make for yourself a name of glory. For the divine grace guided them, and the God of Israel became manifest to all. From here the prophet transfers his discourse to God himself, offering a supplication on behalf of the people: 15Look down from heaven, Lord, and see from your holy house and glory. Seeing the people deprived of their former care and the temple become empty of divine grace, propitiating him he says: Return from heaven, Lord, for from above you are able to watch over our affairs; fill again the temple with your grace. Where is your zeal and your strength? Where is the multitude of your mercy and your compassions, when you bore with us; You were always long-suffering with us, master, you bore our lawlessness, you used zeal against our enemies and made your invincible power manifest. 16For you are our father, because Abraham did not know us and Israel did not acknowledge us, but you, Lord, are our father, deliver us, from the beginning your name is upon us. None of those ancient forefathers knows us; therefore we call you alone both master and father; for we have been called your people from of old. 17Why have you made us wander, Lord, from your way, and hardened our hearts so as not to fear you? Your great long-suffering has worked this shamelessness in us; for since you did not bear to punish us when we transgressed, we have persisted in transgressing and despising your laws. Such also is that which was said to the blessed Moses: “But I will harden the heart of Pharaoh.” For using great forbearance and long-suffering, he first scourged him with frogs and gnats and flies, but he supposed that God was not able to subject him to greater punishments. But when the destroyer corrupted the firstborn of the Egyptians and the feeling of pain reached his hard and obstinate heart, then he yielded and let the people go. It is clear therefore that, if he had commanded this to happen right from the beginning, the people would have been let go from the beginning. But since, using his customary long-suffering and love for mankind, he brought small chastisements upon him, he resisted defiantly. For which reason the God of all said: “But I will harden the heart of Pharaoh,” that is, by being forbearing and long-suffering. For we too are accustomed to say to slaves who continually sin: If you had been disciplined from the beginning, you would not be like this. Thus also the prophet, entreating the master on behalf of the people, said:|181 a| Why have you made us wander, Lord, from your way, and hardened our hearts so as not to fear you? For a very long time, he says, you were long-suffering; seeing us transgressing without fear, you did not discipline us; from this we have gotten an obstinate heart, for this reason we have left the straight way. Return for the sake of your servants, for the sake of the tribes of your inheritance, 18that we might inherit for a little while your holy mountain. Remember our forefathers, who were called your attendants; remember our tribes which you set apart in the desert, which you named your inheritance, and do not utterly cast us out from your holy precincts. Our adversaries have trampled upon your sanctuary. The holy of holies and untouchable and for the only

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Ἐρυθρᾷ Θαλάττῃ γεγενημένων ἀναμιμνῄσκει· Ὁ βραχίων τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ κατίσχυσεν ὕδωρ ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ποιῆσαι ἐν αὐτῷ ὄνομα αἰώνιον. Τῇ γὰρ ἐνεργείᾳ τοῦ θείου προστάγματος διῃρέθη τὸ πέλαγος καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτοῖς «τὸ ὕδωρ τεῖχος ἐκ δεξιῶν καὶ τεῖχος ἐξ εὐωνύμων». Τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν· κατίσχυσεν, τουτέστιν· ἔστη καὶ ἡ ῥοώδης φύσις ἐμιμεῖτο τειχῶν οἰκοδομίαν. 13Ἤγαγεν αὐτοὺς δι' ἀβύσσου ὡς ἵππον δι' ἐρήμου 14καὶ ὡς κτήνη διὰ πεδίου, καὶ οὐκ ἐκοπίασαν. Ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις εὐπετ ῶς ὁ ἵππος δύναται τρέχειν· οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν αἱμασιῶν καὶ δένδρων κωλύματα. Καὶ τὰ κτήνη δὲ ὡσαύ τως μετὰ πολλῆς μὲν δυσκολίας τὰ ὄρη διαβαίνει, εὐπετῶς δὲ μάλα τὰ πεδία διέρχεται. Τὴν πολλὴν τοίνυν τῆς διαβάσεως διὰ τούτων δεδήλωκεν εὐκολίαν, ὑποδείκνυσι δὲ καὶ τῶν γεγενημένων τὸ αἴ τιον· Κατέβη πνεῦμα παρὰ κυρίου καὶ ὡδήγησεν αὐτούς· οὕτως ἤγαγες τὸν λαόν σου τοῦ ποιῆσαι σεαυτῷ ὄνομα δόξης. Ἡ θεία γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἐποδήγησε χάρις, καὶ δῆλος ἐγένετο πᾶσι τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ θεός. Ἐντεῦθεν πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν θεὸν ὁ προφήτης μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν ἱκετείαν προσφέρων· 15Ἐπίβλεψον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κύριε καὶ ἴδε ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ ἁγίου σου καὶ δόξης. Ὁρῶν τὸν λαὸν τῆς προτέρας κηδεμονίας ἐστερη μένον καὶ τὸν ναὸν τῆς θείας χάριτος γενόμενον ἔρημον, ἱλεούμενος αὐτὸν λέγει· Ἐπίστρεψον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κύριε, ἄνω θεν γὰρ ἐποπτεύειν δύνασαι τὰ ἡμέτερα· πλήρωσον πάλιν τὸν ναὸν τῆς χάριτός σου. Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ ζῆλός σου καὶ ἡ ἰσχύς σου; ποῦ ἐστι τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ ἐλέους σου καὶ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν σου, ὅτε ἀνέσχου ἡμῶν· Μακροθυμῶν ἡμῖν ἀεὶ δέσποτα διετέλεις, ἔφερες τὴν ἡμετέραν παρανομίαν, ζήλῳ κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἐκέχρησο καὶ τὴν ἄμαχόν σου δύναμιν δήλην ἐποίεις. 16Σὺ γὰρ ἡμῶν πατὴρ εἶ, ὅτι Ἀβραὰμ οὐκ ἔγνω ἡμᾶς καὶ Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ ἐπέγνω ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ σὺ κύριε πατὴρ ἡμῶν, ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς, ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ἐστιν. Οὐδεὶς ἡμᾶς ἐκείνων τῶν παλαιῶν προγόνων ἐπίσταται· διὸ σὲ μόνον καὶ δεσπότην καὶ πατέρα καλοῦμεν· σὸς γὰρ λαὸς ἐχρηματίσαμεν ἄνωθεν. 17Τί ἐπλάνησας ἡμᾶς κύριε ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ σου, ἐσκλήρυνας τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν τοῦ μὴ φοβεῖσθαί σε; Ἡ πολλή σου μακροθυμία ταύτην ἡμῖν εἰργάσατο τὴν ἀναίδειαν· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ παρανομοῦντας οὐκ ἠνείχου κολάζειν, ἐπεμείναμεν παρανομοῦντες καὶ τῶν σῶν νόμων καταφρονοῦντες. Τοιοῦτόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ τῷ μακαρίῳ Μωυσῇ εἰρημένον· «Ἐγὼ δὲ σκληρυνῶ τὴν καρδίαν Φαραώ.» Ἀνεξικα κ ί ᾳ γὰρ πολλῇ καὶ μακροθυμίᾳ χρησάμενος βατράχοις αὐτὸν καὶ σκνιψὶ καὶ μυίαις κατ' ἀρχὰς ἐ μασ τίγωσεν, ὁ δὲ ὑπέλαβε τὸν θεὸν μὴ δύνασθαι μείζοσιν αὐτὸν ὑποβάλλειν τιμ ωρίαις. Ὅτε δὲ τὰ πρωτότοκα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ὁ ὀλοθρεύων διέφθειρε καὶ καθί κετο αὐτοῦ τῆς σκληρᾶς καὶ ἀντιτύπου καρδίας ἡ τῆς ὀδύνης αἴσθησις, τότε εἴξας ἀπέλυσε τὸν λαόν. ∆ῆλον δὲ το ί νυν ὅτι, εἰ τοῦ το εὐθὺς ἐξ ἀρχῆς γενέσθαι προσέταξεν, ἀφέθη ἂν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὁ λαός. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῇ συ νήθει μακροθυμίᾳ καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ χρώμενος σμικρὰς αὐτῷ παιδείας προσήνεγκεν, ἀντέτεινεν ὀνει δίζων . Οὗ δὴ χάριν εἶπεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεός· «Ἐγὼ δὲ σκληρυνῶ τὴν καρδίαν Φαραώ», τουτέστιν ἀνεξικακῶν καὶ μακροθυ μῶν. Καὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς τοῖς συνεχῶς ἁμαρτάνουσιν οἰκέταις εἰώθαμεν λέγειν· Εἰ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπαι δεύθης, οὐκ ἂν ἦσθα τοιοῦτος. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ λαοῦ τὸν |181 a| δεσπότην ἀντιβολῶν ἔλεγεν· Τί ἐπλάνησας ἡμᾶς κύριε ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ σου, ἐσκλήρυνας τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν τοῦ μὴ φοβεῖσθαί σε; Ἐπὶ πλεῖστόν φησιν ἐμακροθύμησας, ὁρῶν ἀδεῶς παρανομοῦντας οὐκ ἐπαίδευσας· ἐντεῦθεν ἀντίτυπον καρδίαν ἐσχήκαμεν, διὰ τοῦτο τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὁδὸν κατελίπομεν. Ἐπίστρεψον διὰ τοὺς δούλους σου, διὰ τὰς φυλὰς τῆς κληρονομίας σου, 18ἵνα μικρὸν κληρονομήσωμεν τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ ἁγίου σου. Ἀναμνήσθητι τῶν ἡμετέρων προγόνων, οἳ σοὶ θεράποντες ἐχρημάτισαν, ἀναμνήσθητι τῶν ἡμετέρων φυλῶν ἃς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ διέκρινας, ἃς σὸν ὠνόμα σας κλῆρον, καὶ μὴ παντελῶς ἡμᾶς ἐξελάσῃς τῶν ἁγίων σου περιβόλων. Οἱ ὑπεναντίοι ἡμῶν κατεπάτησαν τὸ ἁγίασμά σου. Τὰ ἄδυτα καὶ ἄψαυστα καὶ μόνοις