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marveled at and mentioned by mouth among the ancients, but now at the present time I advise to no longer marvel at those things, neither the things done in Babylon nor those in Egypt. Wherefore I say: Do not remember the former things and do not consider the ancient things, or according to Symmachus: do not consider. But why do I not wish you to marvel at those things from now on, but that certain other, newer wonders, not inferior to those ancient ones, will arise like a light for all people, which you will also know at the proper time. And what are these? In the desert, he says, I will make a way? And it again indicates the church that would be established among the nations, which was a desert of the knowledge of God, before the coming of the Christ of God who said: “I am the way.” But in that formerly desert place, he says, I will make a way, just as before I made one in the Red Sea. And rivers of divine oracles will also flow from the teaching of the Holy Spirit into the formerly waterless land, just as also in the time of Moses rivers "flowed" in the desert, but there, indeed, of bodily water, being of a fluid and perishable substance, but now from the divine supply of rational and spiritual water. And when a way comes to be in the desert and rivers from my springs flood the waterless land, about which "springs" it was said above: “and you will drink water from the springs of salvation,” then the beasts of the field, the savage souls, will be changed from their beastly condition, having been altered by the power of the river, so that they, the former beasts, may bless me, which has never happened from eternity. For neither in the time of the former people nor in the time of Egypt nor during the exodus from Egypt nor during the sojourn in Babylon has anything of this sort been recorded as having happened. And if also there were certain sirens charming the souls of men with pleasure and demonic song in the fictions of poets adorned with eloquence of words, yet these too, having been changed, will bless me. Moreover also the daughters of sparrows, or according to the other interpreters: and ostriches, an animal found in deserts and uninhabited lands, this too, having been tamed, will learn to bless me, God. And the cause of these things will be the water given by me in the desert and the power of the rivers that flowed in the desert. And when the wild beasts and the sirens and the sparrows, having drunk of my water, change into a tame and rational nature, they will learn, since they have become my people and my chosen race, to recount my virtues, or my hymn according to Symmachus. But when these things have been so wondrously accomplished, know you, O Jacob, that you will not be worthy of my calling then, or according to Symmachus: neither did you call me, Jacob, but according to Aquila and Theodotion: and you did not call me, Jacob. For the wild beasts and the sirens and the daughters of the sparrows will bless me; but you, O Jacob, did no such thing, but you did not even deign to call upon me, but you were wearied of me according to Symmachus, but according to Aquila and Theodotion: for you have grown weary in me, although I did not make you grow weary. For whatever things indeed were thought to cause you labors, these I have already rejected, having said before: “What is the multitude of your sacrifices to me? says the Lord. I am full of the whole burnt offerings of rams and the fat of lambs and I do not desire the blood of bulls and goats.” But neither incense nor frankincense nor sacrifices nor any more of such things did I ask from you in the laws of the new covenant, which I ordained “through my servant,” “whom I have chosen,” but neither did you offer these things to me. But if one must speak the truth, you did other things instead of others; for in your sins I was set over you, or according to the other interpreters: in your sins you called me and in your iniquities. Do you see how also in the foregoing he preaches the good news of the hope of good things to the “desert” and to the “beasts” in it, but the people of the circumcision he reproves for their impieties, whom he calls Jacob

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θαυμαζόμενα καὶ διὰ στόματος μνημονευόμενα παρὰ τοῖς παλαιοῖς, νυνὶ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος παραινῶ μηκέτι θαυμάζειν ἐκεῖνα μήτε τὰ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι πεπραγμένα μήτε τὰ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ. διό φημι· Μὴ μνημονεύετε τὰ πρῶτα καὶ τὰ ἀρχαῖα μὴ συλλογίζεσθε, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· μὴ ἐννοεῖσθε. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ οὐ βούλομαι ἐκεῖνα τοῦ λοιποῦ θαυμάζειν ὑμᾶς ἢ ὅτι ἕτερά τινα καινότερα θαύματα οὐ λειπόμενα τῶν παλαιῶν ἐκείνων φωτὸς δίκην ἀνατελεῖ εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους, ἃ καὶ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν γνώσεσθε. τίνα δὲ ἔστι ταῦτα· ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ φησὶ ποιήσω ὁδόν; δηλοῖ δὲ πάλιν τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι συστησομένην ἐκκλησίαν, ἥτις ἔρημος ἦν θεοῦ γνώσεως, πρὶν ἐπιδημῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν εἰπόντα· «ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός». ἀλλ' ἐν ἐκείνῃ φησὶ τῇ πάλαι ἐρήμῳ ὁδὸν ποιήσω, ὥσπερ καὶ πρότερον ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρυθρᾶς πεποίηκα θαλάσσης. ῥεύσουσι δὲ καὶ ποταμοὶ θείων λογίων ἐκ διδασκαλίας ἁγίου πνεύματος εἰς τὴν πάλαι ἄνυδρον, ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ Μωϋσέως «ἔρρευσαν» ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ποταμοί, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μὲν ὕδατος σωματικοῦ ῥευστῆς οὐσίας ὄντος καὶ φθαρτοῦ, νυνὶ δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἐνθέου χορηγίας τοῦ λογικοῦ καὶ πνευματικοῦ ὕδατος. ἐπειδὰν δὲ ὁδὸς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ γένηται καὶ ποταμοὶ ἐμῶν πηγῶν τὴν ἄνυδρον χώραν κατακλύσωσι, περὶ ὧν «πηγῶν» ἀνωτέρω ἐλέγετο· «καὶ πίεσθε ὕδωρ ἐκ τῶν πηγῶν τοῦ σωτηρίου», τὸ τηνικαῦτα τὰ θηρία τοῦ ἀγροῦ, αἱ ἀπηγριωμέναι ψυχαὶ μεταβληθήσονται τῆς θηριώδους καταστάσεως ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ποταμοῦ δυνάμεως ἀλλοιωθεῖσαι, ὡς αὐτοὺς τοὺς πάλαι θῆρας εὐλογῆσαί με, ὅπερ οὐ γέγονεν ἐξ αἰῶνος πώποτε· οὔτε γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ προτέρου λαοῦ οὔτε ἐπὶ τῆς Αἰγύπτου οὔτε κατὰ τὴν ἔξοδον τὴν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου οὔτ' ἐπὶ τῆς ἐν Βαβυλῶνι διατριβῆς ἱστόρηταί τι τοιοῦτον γεγονός. εἰ δὲ καὶ σειρῆνές τινες ἦσαν θέλγουσαι ἡδονῇ καὶ ᾄσματι δαιμονικῷ τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ψυχὰς ἐν ποιητῶν πλάσμασιν εὐεπείᾳ λόγων κεκοσμημένοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὗται μεταβαλοῦσαι εὐλογήσουσί με. ἔτι μὴν καὶ θυγατέρες στρουθῶν, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς· καὶ στρουθοκάμηλοι, ζῷον ἐν ἐρημίαις καὶ χώραις ἀοικήτοις γινόμενον καὶ αὐτὸ ἡμερωθὲν εὐλογεῖν ἐμὲ τὸν θεὸν μαθήσεται. τούτων δὲ αἴτιον ἔσται τὸ ὑπ' ἐμοῦ δοθὲν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ὕδωρ καὶ ἡ τῶν ποταμῶν δύναμις τῶν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ῥευσάντων. ἐπειδὰν δὲ οἱ ἄγριοι θῆρες καὶ αἱ σειρῆνες καὶ οἱ στρουθοὶ ἐμπιόντες τοῦ ἐμοῦ ὕδατος εἰς ἥμερον καὶ λογικὴν μεταβάλωσι φύσιν, μαθήσονται, ἅτε δὴ λαός μου καὶ γένος μου ἐκλεκτὸν γενόμενοι τὰς ἀρετάς μου διηγήσασθαι, ἢ τὸν ὕμνον μου κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον. Τούτων δὲ οὕτως παραδόξως ἀποτελεσθέντων, ἴσθι σύ, ὦ Ἰακώβ, ὡς οὐκ ἄξιος γενήσῃ τῆς ἐμῆς κλήσεως τότε, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· οὐδὲ ἐμὲ ἐκάλεσας, Ἰακώβ, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν καὶ τὸν Θεοδοτίωνα· καὶ οὐκ ἐμὲ ἐκάλεσας Ἰακώβ. οἱ μὲν γὰρ θῆρες οἱ ἄγριοι καὶ αἱ σειρῆνες καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες τῶν στρουθῶν εὐλογήσουσί με· σὺ δὲ, ὦ Ἰακώβ, οὐδὲν τοιοῦτο διεπράξω, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἠξίωσας ἐπικαλέσασθαί με, ἐκοπιάθης δὲ εἰς ἐμὲ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν καὶ τὸν Θεοδοτίωνα· ὅτι ἐκοπίασας ἐν ἐμοί, καίτοι ἐμοῦ μὴ ποιήσαντός σε κοπιάσαι. ὅσα γοῦν καὶ ἐνομίζετο κόπους σοι παρέχειν, ταῦτα παρῄτημαι ἤδη καὶ πρότερον εἰπών· «τί μοι πλῆθος τῶν θυσιῶν ὑμῶν; λέγει κύριος· πλήρης εἰμὶ ὁλοκαυτωμάτων κριῶν καὶ στέαρ ἀρνῶν καὶ αἷμα ταύρων καὶ τράγων οὐ βούλομαι». ἀλλ' οὐδὲ θυμίαμα οὐδὲ λίβανον οὐδὲ θυσίας οὔτ' ἔτι τῶν τοιούτων ᾔτησα παρὰ σοῦ ἐν τοῖς τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης νόμοις, οἷς διεταξάμην «διὰ τοῦ παιδός μου», «ὃν ἐξελεξάμην», ἀλλ' οὐδὲ σὺ ταῦτά μοι προσήνεγκας. εἰ δὲ χρὴ τἀληθῆ λέγειν, ἕτερα ἀνθ' ἑτέρων ἔπραξας· ἐν γὰρ ταῖς σαῖς ἁμαρτίαις προέστην σου, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς· ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις σου ἐκάλεσάς με καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀδικίαις σου. ὁρᾷς ὅπως καὶ ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις τῇ μὲν «ἐρήμῳ» καὶ τοῖς ἐν αὐτῇ «θηρίοις» ἀγαθῶν ἐλπίδας εὐαγγελίζεται, τὸν δὲ λαὸν τὸν ἐκ περιτομῆς ἐπ' ἀσεβείαις ἐλέγχει, ὃν Ἰακὼβ καλεῖ