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but the law has spoken on account of the apostles, and the God who spoke in the law thus takes care of the apostles of Christ in commanding not to muzzle them, that is, either to speak the teaching of Christ himself or to have their daily food from the peoples without want. Therefore He does not know the apostles as foreign to His divinity, nor do the apostles consider Him a foreign God. from which the holy apostle has given testimony for all, saying "Does God care for oxen? But he has spoken on account of the apostles." And if he has spoken on account of the apostles, and he is the creator of men and beasts, from which are oxen and sparrows, creeping things and beasts, sea creatures and the rest, then he cares for all according to the proportion of each. And indeed he cares for all in saying "you will save men and beasts, Lord" and in having said "Who has given food to the raven?" and "the young of ravens have cried to the Lord, seeking their food" and "you will give their food in due season to all." But it was not in the context of oxen threshing that he commanded not to muzzle an ox while it is threshing, since it would show that God is not able to feed his creation otherwise, even if not through the food provided to the beasts by men. And the holy apostle showed that it was not for lack of food that God cares for oxen through the thresher in commanding not to muzzle such ones, but that through the riddle the relationship concerning the apostles is signified. † For he exercises providence over all perceptible things and likewise cares for all. For the apostle did not write in opposition to the Savior, that many might make such a pretext. For the sparrows are smaller than the oxen, concerning which the Savior said that "five sparrows are sold for two assaria" and again "Are not two sparrows sold for one assarion?". If, therefore, two sparrows are sold for one assarion and one of them will not fall into a snare without your Father who is in heaven, he both provides for all, and cares for the greater ones according to the greater form of the spiritual sequence. So then, it is universally confessed that he is the same maker and creator and lawgiver of the old and new covenant, being God, both good and just and Lord of all. ˉη 20and20 ˉιˉ 20commentary20. "Does God care for oxen?" ˉη 20and20 ˉιˉ 20refutation20. It has already been treated and interpreted at length in the saying before it. Therefore, considering it superfluous to speak about it again, I was content with what has been said before. ˉθ 20and20 ˉιˉζ 20commentary20. "For I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, that our fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea and all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them; and the rock was Christ. But with most of them he was not well pleased. Now these things became types for us, so that we would not be cravers of evil things, as they also craved. Nor become idolaters, as some of them were, as it is written: The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Nor let us tempt Christ" until where he says "Now these things happened to them as types, and were written for us" and what follows. ˉθ 20and20 ˉιˉζ 20refutation20. O, much madness! Who having eyes for the rising sun will lead himself astray from the light? For if the holy apostle calls those of that time his fathers and says that they passed under the cloud and through the sea and that there was spiritual food and drink, and that they had eaten and drunk from a spiritual rock that followed, and he asserts that the rock was Christ, who will be persuaded by the foolishness of Marcion, who darkens his own mind and the minds of those who listen to him, to say that Christ is foreign to the things that happened in the law, which are confessed by the apostle in truth and not in appearance?

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δὲ διὰ τοὺς ἀποστόλους εἴρηκεν ὁ νόμος, καὶ ὁ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ θεὸς λαλήσας ἐπιμελεῖται ἄρα τῶν ἀποστόλων τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῷ μὴ φιμοῦν αὐτοὺς παρακελεύεσθαι, ἤτοι τοῦ λαλεῖν τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίαν ἤτοι τὴν ἐφήμερον τροφὴν παρὰ τῶν λαῶν ἀνενδεῶς αὐτοὺς ἔχειν. οὐκ ἄρα ἀλλοτρίους τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἑαυτοῦ τῆς θεότητος οἶδεν οὐδὲ οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἀλλότριον αὐτὸν θεὸν ἡγοῦνται. ἐξ ἧσπερ ὑπὲρ πάντων μαρτυρίαν ὁ ἅγιος ἀπόστολος ἀποδέδωκε φήσας «μὴ περὶ τῶν βοῶν μέλει τῷ θεῷ; ἀλλὰ διὰ τοὺς ἀποστόλους εἴρηκεν». καὶ εἰ διὰ τοὺς ἀποστόλους εἴρηκε, κτιστὴς δέ ἐστιν ἀνθρώπων καὶ κτηνῶν, ἐξ ὧν βόες τε καὶ στρουθοί, ἑρπετά τε καὶ κνώδαλα, ἐνάλιά τε καὶ τὰ ἄλλα, ἄρα μέλει αὐτῷ περὶ πάν2.163 των κατὰ τὴν ἑκάστου ἀναλογίαν. καὶ μέλει μὲν αὐτῷ περὶ πάντων ἐν τῷ λέγειν «ἀνθρώπους καὶ κτήνη σώσεις, κύριε» καὶ ἐν τῷ εἰρηκέναι «τίς δέδωκε κόρακι βοράν;» καί «νεοσσοὶ κοράκων πρὸς κύριον κεκράγασι. τὰ σῖτα ζητοῦντες» καί «δώσεις τὴν τροφὴν εὔκαιρον τοῖς πᾶσιν». ἀλλὰ οὐκ ἐν τῷ ἀλοᾶν τοὺς βοῦς παρεκελεύετο μὴ φιμοῦν βοῦν ἀλοῶντα, ἐπεὶ ἐδείκνυεν ἂν μὴ δύνασθαι τὸν θεὸν τρέφειν αὐτοῦ τὴν κτίσιν ἄλλως εἰ καὶ μὴ διὰ τῆς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοῖς κτήνεσιν ἐπικουρουμένης τροφῆς. ἔδειξε δὲ ὁ ἅγιος ἀπόστολος οὐ δι' ἀπορίαν τροφῆς τὸν θεὸν διὰ τοῦ ἀλοητοῦ ἐπιμέλεσθαι βοῶν ἐν τῷ παρακελεύεσθαι μὴ φιμοῦν τοὺς τοιούτους, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ αἰνίγματος περὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων σημαίνεσθαι τὴν σχέσιν. † τῶν γὰρ κατὰ τὸ αἰσθητὸν πάντων ποιεῖται τὴν πρόνοιαν καὶ ὁμοίως μέλει αὐτῷ περὶ πάντων. οὐ γὰρ ἀντιθέτως ὁ ἀπόστολος πρὸς τὸν σωτῆρα ἔγραφεν, ἵνα οὕτως προφασίσωνται οἱ πολλοί. μικρότερα γὰρ τῶν βοῶν τὰ στρουθία, περὶ ὧν ὁ σωτὴρ ἔλεγεν ὅτι «πέντε στρουθία πωλεῖται ἀσσαρίων δύο» καὶ πάλιν «οὐχὶ δύο στρουθία πωλεῖται ἀσσαρίου ἑνός;». εἰ οὖν δύο στρουθία πωλεῖται ἀσσαρίου ἑνὸς καὶ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ πεσεῖται εἰς παγίδα ἄνευ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ὁμοῦ μὲν πάντων προνοεῖ, τῶν δὲ μειζόνων ἐπιμελεῖται κατὰ τὸ μεῖζον εἶδος τῆς πνευματικῆς ἀκολουθίας. ὥστ' οὖν ἐκ παντὸς ὁμολογεῖται τὸν αὐτὸν ποιητὴν καὶ δημιουργὸν καὶ νομοθέτην παλαιᾶς καὶ καινῆς διαθήκης ὄντα, θεὸν ἀγαθόν τε καὶ δίκαιον καὶ τῶν πάντων κύριον. ˉη 20καὶ20 ˉιˉ 20σχόλιον20. «Μὴ τῶν βοῶν μέλει τῷ θεῷ;» ˉη 20καὶ20 ˉιˉ 20ἔλεγχος20. Ἤδη διαπεπραγμάτευται καὶ διὰ πλάτους ἡρμήνευται ἐν τῷ πρὸ αὐτοῦ ῥητῷ. διὸ περιττὸν ἡγησάμενος αὖθις περὶ αὐτοῦ λέγειν ἠρκέσθην τοῖς προειρημένοις. ˉθ 20καὶ20 ˉιˉζ 20σχόλιον20. «Οὐ θέλω γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ὑπὸ τὴν νεφέλην ἦσαν καὶ πάντες διὰ τῆς θαλάσ2.164 σης διῆλθον καὶ πάντες τὸ αὐτὸ πνευματικὸν ἔφαγον βρῶμα καὶ πάντες τὸ αὐτὸ πνευματικὸν ἔπιον πόμα. ἔπινον γὰρ ἐκ πνευματικῆς ἀκολουθούσης πέτρας· ἡ δὲ πέτρα ἦν ὁ Χριστός. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τοῖς πλείοσιν αὐτῶν ηὐδόκησε. ταῦτα δὲ τύποι ἡμῶν ἐγενήθησαν, πρὸς τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἐπιθυμητὰς κακῶν, καθὼς καὶ ἐκεῖνοι ἐπεθύμησαν. μηδὲ εἰδωλολάτραι γίνεσθε, καθώς τινες αὐτῶν, ὡς γέγραπται· ἐκάθισεν ὁ λαὸς φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν καὶ ἀνέστησαν παίζειν. μηδὲ ἐκπειράζωμεν τὸν Χριστόν» ἕως ὅπου λέγει «ταῦτα δὲ τυπικῶς συνέβαινεν ἐκείνοις, ἐγράφη δὲ ἡμῖν» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ˉθ 20καὶ20 ˉιˉζ 20ἔλεγχος20. Ὦ πολλῆς φρενοβλαβείας. τίς ἔχων ὀφθαλμοὺς ἡλίου ἀνατέλλοντος ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς πλανήσει; εἰ γὰρ πατέρας ἑαυτοῦ τοὺς τότε λέγει ὁ ἅγιος ἀπόστολος καὶ ὑπὸ νεφέλην καὶ διὰ θαλάσσης διεληλυθέναι καὶ πνευματικὸν βρῶμα καὶ πόμα εἶναι, βεβρωκέναι δὲ καὶ πεπωκέναι ἐκ πνευματικῆς ἀκολουθούσης πέτρας, Χριστὸν δὲ εἶναι τὴν πέτραν φάσκει, τίς πεισθήσεται Μαρκίωνος τῇ ἀνοίᾳ, τοῦ σκοτίζοντος ἑαυτοῦ τὸν νοῦν καὶ τῶν ἀκουόντων αὐτοῦ, ἀλλότριον φάσκειν τὸν Χριστὸν τῶν ἐν νόμῳ γενομένων, ὁμολογουμένων δὲ παρὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ οὐκ ἐν δοκήσει;