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and a path in mighty water9, etc. Benefiting you, he says, and wishing to discipline you, I delivered you to the Babylonians. Then, having shown you to be free, I pursued with justice those who had insulted you, so that of their Chaldeans some fled, and others were led as captives across their sea, when others stronger than them attacked them. But some say that Cyrus, having taken Babylon, sent them as captives overseas into exile, which things I did, demonstrating my kingdom to men. But instead of, *the one who appointed Israel your king*, Symmachus says: I, he says, am the Lord your holy one, the creator of Israel, your king. Unless perhaps he alludes to Christ having been established as king, whom Scripture is accustomed to call Israel and Jacob, and indeed also David, as one descended from their seed. For since he mentioned the partial redemption that was to come from Babylon, when Cyrus took it, concerning which a certain prophet said: "As you have done, so shall your recompense be;" he elevated the discourse to the most perfect redemption through Christ, not of one nation, as before, but one that was to be universal for all. And that God is capable of both, he has shown by saying: I am the Lord God. And at the beginning of the entire passage, he said, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel. For being God by nature, what will he not do easily? These things, then, will befall the Babylonians, though they have not yet happened, not as if I am just now beginning to demonstrate my power and my providence for you. For long ago I led them out of Egypt through the sea, casting Pharaoh's power into it, so that sleeping in the deep they would no longer rise, and so as to be compared to a flame near 2393 an extinguished flax, which is easily kindled and extinguished perhaps with a bare and single hand. And I made a path for them in the water at the sea and the river Jordan. At which David, marveling, says: "What is it to you, O sea, that you fled, and you, O Jordan, that you turned back?" And again: "He who turns the sea into dry land, they will cross the river on foot." But how did he himself bring out chariots and horse? For it is clear that Pharaoh pursued Israel of his own will, since it was said by God to him: "For this purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be declared in all the earth." Thus also God miraculously saves those who flee the concern for earthly things and are pursued by the devil, making the storm of the present life passable for them, not allowing them to be overwhelmed by its distractions, as if drying up the temptations that befall them, so that having been in a desolate land, they might be able in a leisurely and pure state of mind to eat the bread from heaven, and drink the water from the rock; which is to come into participation of Christ, and to cross the Jordan and obtain the promised land. But let us return to the history. These things, he says, I have done long ago. But now the things in Egypt and Babylon will be silenced by the excess of the things to come. And instead of 'consider,' Symmachus says, 'understand.' What are the new things, which you will know in their proper time? I will make a way in the wilderness. For the Church from the gentiles, formerly being a wilderness of the knowledge of God (for its teachers, claiming to be wise, became fools), received Christ as the way, who said: "I am the way;" or also the evangelical and saving preaching. And David showed their former desolation, saying: "There is none who does good, no, not one." And just as above he passed from a partial redemption to the universal one, speaking of the manifestation of Christ the king, so also now, having mentioned the way in the water, he passed to the mystery of Christ. Therefore he says to consign the former things to oblivion, the lesser being covered by the greater, as is also the saying: "We know in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away." Finally, he compares to the great things of old the things which by far surpass the intermediate things. For as I made, he says, a way in the Red Sea, so I would make one in the wilderness, and rivers will flow in it,

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καὶ ἐν ὕδατι ἰσχυρῷ τρίβον9, κ.τ.λ. Εὐεργετῶν ὑμᾶς, φησὶ, καὶ παιδεῦσαι βουλόμενος, Βαβυλωνίοις παρέδωκα. Εἶτα δείξας ἐλευθέρους, δίκῃ μετῆλθον τοὺς ὑμῖν ἐνυβρίσαντας, ὡς τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς Χαλδαίων τοὺς μὲν φυγεῖν, τοὺς δὲ δεσμώτας διὰ τῆς παρ' αὐτοῖς ἀχθῆναι θαλάττης, ἑτέρων αὐτοῖς ἰσχυροτέρων ἐπιθεμένων. Τινὲς δέ φασιν ὡς Κῦρος ὁ Βαβυλῶνα λαβὼν, δεσμώτας αὐτοὺς διαποντίους εἰς ὑπερορίαν ἐξέπεμψεν, ἅπερ ἔπραξα τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνθρώποις βασιλείαν ἐπιδεικνύμενος. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ὁ καταδείξας Ἰσραὴλ βασιλέα ὑμῶν, ὁ Σύμμαχος· Ἐγὼ, φησὶ, Κύριος ὁ ἅγιος ὑμῶν, κτίστης Ἰσραὴλ, βασιλεὺς ὑμῶν. Εἰ μὴ ἄρα τὸν Χριστὸν αἰνίττεται βασιλέα καθεστακέναι, ὃν οἶδεν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰακὼβ καλεῖν ἡ Γραφὴ, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ∆αβὶδ, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῶν καταγόμενον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μερικῆς ἐμνήσθη λυτρώσεως τῆς ἐσομένης ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος, ἡνίκα ταύτην εἷλεν ὁ Κῦρος, πρὸς ἥν τις ἔφη προφήτης· "Καθὼς ἐποίησας, οὕτως ἔσται τὸ ἀνταπόδομά σου·" ἐπὶ τὴν διὰ Χριστοῦ τὸν λόγον τελειοτάτην ἀνήγαγε λύτρωσιν, οὐκ ἔθνους ἑνὸς, καθάπερ τὸ πρότερον, καθολικὴν δὲ πᾶσι μέλλουσαν ἔσεσθαι. Ὅτι δὲ πρὸς ἄμφω δυνατὸς ὁ Θεὸς, δεδήλωκε φήσας· Ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεός. Καὶ τῆς ὅλης δὲ ἀρχόμενος ῥήσεως ἔλεγεν, Οὕτω λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ. Θεὸς γὰρ ὢν φύσει, τί μὴ ποιήσει ῥᾳδίως; Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἔσται Βαβυλωνίοις μήπω γενόμενα, οὐ νῦν ἀρξαμένου μου τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ δυναστείαν τήν τε περὶ ὑμᾶς ἐπιδείκνυσθαι πρόνοιαν. Καὶ πάλαι γὰρ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου διὰ θαλάττης διήγαγον τοῦ Φαραὼ ῥίψας ἐν ταύτῃ τὴν δύναμιν, ὡς κοιμηθέντας ἐν βυθῷ μηκέτι λοιπὸν ἀναστῆναι, καὶ ὥς τε φλογὶ παρα 2393 πλησίους ἐσβεσμένῳ παραβάλλεσθαι λίνῳ τῷ ῥᾳδίως ἀναπτομένῳ καὶ σβεννυμένῳ τυχὸν ψιλῇ καὶ μόνῃ χειρί. ∆ιήγαγον δὲ τρίβον αὐτοὺς ἐν ὕδατι πρὸς τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ τὸν ποταμὸν Ἰορδάνην. Ὃ καὶ θαυμάζων φησὶν ὁ ∆αβίδ· "Τί σοί ἐστι, θάλασσα, ὅτι ἔφυγες, καὶ σὺ, Ἰορδάνη, ὅτι ἐστράφης εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω;" Καὶ πάλιν· "Ὁ μεταστρέφων τὴν θάλασσαν εἰς ξηρὰν, ἐν ποταμῷ διελεύσονται ποδί." Πῶς δὲ αὐτὸς ἐξήγαγεν ἅρματα καὶ ἵππον; ∆ῆλον γὰρ ὡς τὸν Ἰσραὴλ οἰκείᾳ προαιρέσει Φαραὼ κατεδίωξεν, ἐπειδήπερ εἴρηται παρὰ Θεοῦ πρὸς αὐτόν· "Εἰς τοῦτο ἐξήγειρά σε ὅπως ἐνδείξωμαι ἐν σοὶ τὴν δύναμίν μου, καὶ ὅπως διαγγελῇ τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ." Οὕτω δὲ καὶ τοὺς φεύγοντας τὴν περὶ τὰ γήϊνα σπουδὴν, ὑπό τε τοῦ διαβόλου διωκομένους σώζει παραδόξως Θεὸς βάσιμον αὐτοῖς ἀποφαίνων τοῦ παρόντος βίου τὸν κλύδωνα, τοῖς τούτου περισπασμοῖς οὐ συγχωρῶν κατακλύζεσθαι, οἱονεὶ καταξηραίνων τοὺς ἐπιπίπτοντας πειρασμοὺς, ἵν' ἰσχύσειαν ἐν γῇ γεγονότες ἐρήμῳ νοῦ καταστάσει σχολαίᾳ καὶ καθαρᾷ τὸν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ μὲν ἄρτον φαγεῖν, τὸ δὲ ἐκ πέτρας ὕδωρ πιεῖν· ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἐν μεθέξει γενέσθαι Χριστοῦ, διελθεῖν τε τὸν Ἰορδάνην καὶ γῆς τῆς ἐπηγγελμένης τυχεῖν. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν ἱστορίαν παλινδρομήσωμεν. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν, φησὶ, πάλαι πεποίηκα. Νυνὶ δὲ τὰ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ Βαβυλῶνι τῇ τῶν ἐπιόντων ὑπερβολῇ σιγηθήσεται. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ συλλογίζεσθε, Σύμμαχος ἐννοεῖσθε, φησί. Τίνα δὲ τὰ καινὰ, ἃ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τὸν ἴδιον γνώσεσθε; Ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ποιήσω ὁδόν. Ἡ γὰρ ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησία πρότερον ἔρημος οὖσα Θεοῦ γνώσεως (ταύτης γὰρ οἱ διδάσκαλοι, φάσκοντες εἶναι σοφοὶ, ἐμωράνθησαν) ἔσχεν ὁδὸν τὸν Χριστὸν εἰπόντα· "Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός·" ἢ καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν καὶ σωτήριον. Τὴν δὲ πρὶν αὐτῶν ἐρημίαν ἐδήλωσεν ὁ ∆αβὶδ λέγων· "Οὐκ ἔστι ποιῶν χρηστότητα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός." Ὥσπερ δὲ ἄνω ἐκ μερικῆς λυτρώσεως ἑπὶ τὴν καθόλου μετῆλθε, τὴν ἀνάδειξιν εἰπὼν τοῦ βασιλέως Χριστοῦ, οὕτω καὶ νῦν ὁδοῦ μνησθεὶς τῆς ἐν ὕδατι, ἐπὶ τὸ Χριστοῦ μυστήριον μετῆλθεν. ∆ιὸ λήθῃ τὰ πρῶτα παραδοῦναί φησι τοῦ βραχυτέρου καλυπτομένου τῷ μείζονι, ὁποῖόν ἐστι καὶ τό· "Ἐκ μέρους γινώσκομεν. Ὅτ' ἂν δὲ ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται." Λοιπὸν τοῖς πάλαι μεγάλοις ἀντεξετάζει τὰ πολλῷ τῶν μέσων νικῶντα. Ὡς γὰρ ἐποίησα φησὶν, ἐπ' Ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάττης ὁδὸν, οὕτως ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ποιήσαιμι, καὶ ῥεύσουσιν ἐν αὐτῇ ποταμοὶ,