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that which perishes; He set the prize before them, saying: But that which endures to eternal life; then He healed their objection, saying that He had been sent from the Father. What then did they do? As if they had heard nothing, What then shall we do, they say, that we might work the works of God? And they said this, not so that they might learn and do it (and what follows shows this), but leading Him back again to the provision of food, and wanting to provoke Him into satisfying them. What then does Christ say? This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent. But they said, What sign do you perform, that we may see and believe? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. Nothing could be more senseless than these men, nothing more irrational. With the sign still before their eyes, as if nothing had happened, they said, What sign do you perform? and having said this, they do not even leave Him lord of the choice of the sign, but think to compel Him to do nothing other than such a thing as happened in the time of their ancestors. This is why they say, Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; thinking by this to provoke Him, so that He might perform such a sign as could feed them carnally. For why did they not mention any other of the former signs, although many had happened then, both in Egypt and at the sea and in the wilderness, but only the manna? Was it not because they greatly desired it on account of the tyranny of the belly? And how is it that you, who called Him a prophet and attempted to make Him king because you saw the sign, have now become ungrateful and unmindful as if nothing had happened, and ask for a sign, uttering the words of starving parasites and dogs? Is the manna now marvelous to you, when your soul is withered? And see the irony. They did not say, "Moses performed this sign, what do you do?" thinking to vex Him; but for the time being they speak to Him with great honor, in expectation of the food. Nor, on the other hand, do they say this, "God did this; what do you do?" so that they might not seem to make Him equal to God; nor do they bring Moses forward, so that they might not seem to humble Him; but they have put it in the middle, saying, Our fathers ate the manna in the 59.252 wilderness. And it was possible for Him to say, "I have now worked greater wonders than Moses, not needing a rod, nor having need of prayer, but doing all things from myself; and if you remember the manna, behold, I also provided you bread." But now was not the time for these words, but the one thing that was striven for was to lead them to the spiritual food. And see the infinite wisdom, how He answers: Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. Why then did He not say, "Moses did not give it, but I did"; but instead of Moses He put God, and instead of the manna He put Himself? Because the weakness of the hearers was great; and it is clear from what follows. For even having spoken thus, not even so did He restrain them, although at the beginning He said, You seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. And that they are seeking these things, He also corrected them through what follows, and not even so do they depart. But when He promised the Samaritan woman to give the water, He did not mention the Father, but said something like this: If you knew who it is that says to you, 'Give me to drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water; and again, The water that I shall give; and He does not refer to the Father. But here He mentions the Father, that you may learn how great was the faith of the Samaritan woman, and how great the weakness of the Jews. So then the manna was not from heaven; how then is it said to be from heaven? Just as Scripture says, The birds of the heaven; and again, And the Lord thundered from heaven. And He calls that one the true bread, not because the miracle of the manna was false, but because it was a type, not the reality itself. And having mentioned Moses, He did not set Himself against him; for they did not yet prefer Him to Moses, but still had a greater opinion of that one. For this reason, having said, Moses did not give, He did not add, "but I give," but instead of

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τὴν ἀπολλυμένην· ἔθηκεν αὐτοῖς τὸ ἔπαθλον, εἰπών· Ἀλλὰ τὴν μένουσαν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον· ἔπειτα τὸ προσιστάμενον αὐτοῖς ἐθεράπευσεν, εἰπὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἀπεστάλθαι. Τί οὖν ἐκεῖνοι; Ὥσπερ οὐδὲν ἀκηκοότες, Τί οὖν ποιῶμεν, φασὶν, ἵνα ἐργαζώμεθα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγον, οὐχ ὥστε μαθεῖν καὶ πρᾶξαι (καὶ δείκνυσι τὰ ἑξῆς), ἀλλὰ πάλιν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς τροφῆς χορηγίαν ἄγοντες, καὶ εἰς τὸ κορέσαι αὐτοὺς προκαλέσαι ἐθέλοντες. Τί οὖν ὁ Χριστός; Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ἔργον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα πιστεύσητε εἰς ὃν ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος. Οἱ δὲ εἶπον· Τί σημεῖον ποιεῖς, ἵνα ἴδωμεν καὶ πιστεύσωμεν; Οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἔφαγον τὸ μάννα ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. Οὐδὲν τούτων ἀναισθητότερον, οὐδὲν ἀλογώτερον. Τοῦ σημείου ὄντος ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτῶν ἔτι, ὡς οὐδενὸς γεγονότος, οὕτως ἔλεγον, Τί σημεῖον ποιεῖς; καὶ εἰπόντες, οὐδὲ αὐτῆς τῆς αἱρέσεως τοῦ σημείου κύριον ἀφιᾶσιν εἶναι, ἀλλ' εἰς ἀνάγκην αὐτὸν οἴονται μεθιστᾷν τοῦ μηδὲν ἕτερον ποιῆσαι, ἀλλ' ἢ τοιοῦτον, οἷον ἐγένετο ἐπὶ τῶν προγόνων. ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ λέγουσιν· Οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἔφαγον τὸ μάννα ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· διὰ τούτου νομίζοντες αὐτὸν ἐρεθίζειν, ὥστε τοιοῦτον ποιῆσαι σημεῖον, ὅπερ αὐτοὺς θρέψαι δύναται σαρκικῶς. ∆ιατί γὰρ οὐδενὸς ἑτέρου τῶν προτέρων σημείων ἐμνημόνευσαν, καίτοι γε πολλῶν γενομένων τότε, καὶ κατ' Αἴγυπτον καὶ κατὰ τὴν θάλατταν καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, ἀλλὰ τοῦ μάννα; ἆρ' οὐ διότι σφόδρα αὐτοῦ ἐπεθύμουν διὰ τὴν τῆς γαστρὸς τυραννίδα; Πῶς δὲ οἱ προφήτην αὐτὸν λέγοντες καὶ βασιλέα ἐπιχειροῦντες ποιεῖν, ἐπειδὴ τὸ σημεῖον εἴδετε, νῦν ὡς οὐδενὸς γενομένου ἀχάριστοι καὶ ἀγνώμονες γεγόνατε, καὶ σημεῖον αἰτεῖτε, παρασίτων καὶ κυνῶν λιμωττόντων ῥήματα ἀφιέντες; νῦν τὸ μάννα θαυμαστὸν ὑμῖν, ὅτε ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν κατάξηρος; Καὶ ὅρα εἰρωνείαν. Οὐκ εἶπον, ὅτι Μωϋσῆς τόδε ἐποίησε τὸ σημεῖον, σὺ τί ποιεῖς; νομίζοντες πλήττειν αὐτόν· ἀλλὰ τέως αὐτῷ μετὰ πολλῆς διαλέγονται τῆς τιμῆς, προσδοκίᾳ τῆς τροφῆς. Ἄλλως δὲ οὔτε τοῦτο λέγουσιν, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς τόδε ἐποίησε· Σὺ τί ποιεῖς; ἵνα μὴ δόξωσιν αὐτὸν ἐξισοῦν τῷ Θεῷ· οὔτε Μωϋσέα παράγουσιν, ἵνα μὴ δόξωσιν αὐτὸν ταπεινοῦν· ἀλλὰ μέσον αὐτὸ τεθείκασι, λέγοντες· Οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἔφαγον τὸ μάννα ἐν τῇ 59.252 ἐρήμῳ. Καὶ ἐνῆν μὲν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Μωϋσέως μείζονα ἐθαυματούργησα νῦν, οὐ ῥάβδου δεηθεὶς, οὐκ εὐχῆς χρείαν ἐσχηκὼς, ἀλλὰ πάντα ποιήσας ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ· εἰ δὲ καὶ τοῦ μάννα μέμνησθε, ἰδοὺ καὶ ἄρτον ὑμῖν παρέσχον. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν ὁ καιρὸς τούτων τῶν λόγων νῦν, ἀλλ' ἓν ἦν τὸ σπουδαζόμενον, ἐπὶ τὴν πνευματικὴν αὐτοὺς ἀγαγεῖν τροφήν. Καὶ ὅρα τὴν ἄπειρον σύνεσιν, πῶς ἀποκρίνεται· Οὐ Μωϋσῆς ἔδωκεν ὑμῖν τὸν ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἀλλ' ὁ Πατήρ μου δίδωσιν ὑμῖν τὸν ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸν ἀληθινόν. Τί δήποτε οὖν οὐκ εἶπεν, Οὐχ ὁ Μωϋσῆς δέδωκεν, ἀλλ' ἐγώ· ἀλλ' ἀντὶ μὲν Μωϋσέως τὸν Θεὸν, ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ μάννα ἑαυτὸν τέθεικεν; Ὅτι πολλὴ ἦν τῶν ἀκουόντων ἡ ἀσθένεια· καὶ δῆλον ἐκ τῶν ἑξῆς. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ οὕτως εἰρηκὼς, οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτοὺς κατέσχε, καίτοι γε ἀρχόμενος ἔλεγε, Ζητεῖτέ με, οὐχ ὅτι εἴδετε σημεῖα, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐφάγετε ἐκ τῶν ἄρτων, καὶ ἐχορτάσθητε. Καὶ ὅτι ταῦτα ζητοῦσι, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς αὐτοὺς διωρθώσατο, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀφίστανται. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὅτε τῇ Σαμαρείτιδι ὑπισχνεῖτο δώσειν τὸ ὕδωρ, ἐμνημόνευσε τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἀλλ' οὕτω πως εἶπεν· Εἰ ᾔδεις τίς ἐστιν ὁ λέγων σοι, ∆ός μοι πιεῖν, σὺ ἂν ᾔτησας αὐτὸν, καὶ ἔδωκεν ἄν σοι ὕδωρ ζῶν· καὶ πάλιν, Τὸ ὕδωρ ὃ ἐγὼ δώσω· καὶ οὐ παραπέμπει πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ τοῦ Πατρὸς μέμνηται, ἵνα μάθῃς πόση μὲν τῆς Σαμαρείτιδος ἡ πίστις, πόση δὲ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἡ ἀσθένεια. Οὐκ ἄρα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἦν τὸ μάννα· πῶς οὖν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ λέγεται; Ὥσπερ Πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, φησὶν ἡ Γραφή· καὶ πάλιν, Καὶ ἐβρόντησεν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ὁ Κύριος. Ἄρτον δὲ ἀληθινὸν καλεῖ ἐκεῖνον, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ψευδὲς ἦν τὸ θαῦμα τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ μάννα, ἀλλ' ὅτι τύπος ἦν, οὐκ αὐτοαλήθεια. Μνησθεὶς δὲ Μωϋσέως, οὐχ ἑαυτὸν ἀντέθηκεν ἐκείνῳ· οὔπω γὰρ αὐτὸν προετίμων Μωϋσέως, ἀλλ' ἔτι περὶ ἐκείνου μείζονα δόξαν εἶχον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἰπὼν, Οὐ Μωϋσῆς δέδωκεν, οὐκ ἐπήγαγεν, ὅτι Ἐγὼ δίδωμι, ἀλλ' ἀντ'