222

to those afflicted places, where even the choice is perilous because those to whom they were delivered rejoice in wickedness, they were sent like physicians among enemies, in order to care for them, bringing aids, some preserving the health they already had, others curing disease and bringing health. For they do not speak, as some think, blaming the day. Therefore, in addition to other things said, they add this: "You have given us as sheep for food." We ourselves were given as food for them; like lions and wolves they devour us. Yet even if we are devoured, we do not cease to be sheep; "Israel is a straying sheep, lions have driven him out; the king of Assyria first devoured him." But it is wickedness for something that has become praiseworthy not to remain what it is, but to be changed into another quality. If he who eats bread sends it down into his stomach, it does not remain bread. But those who were swallowed up and became food for enemies did not cease to be sheep. It is often said that the disciple becomes food for the teacher, about whom he also says: "My food is that one should do the will of my Father." The Samaritan woman, at any rate, was a disciple, about whom he also said: "I have food to eat that you do not know." ... ... ... but again ... ... ... ... to be bread. But the bread becomes nourishment. In a way ... ... ... ... ... ... if, therefore, the man who preserves the image and likeness of God, having become a teacher according to Jesus, should by instructing 316 a savage man eat ... ... ... ... ... ... ... by the teacher and having become his food, he will not be a lion. For this reason he is blessed and is called blessed, not because he is a lion, but because he has become a man. But if ever a rational man who moves rationally should be eaten by some cruel, savage man or by a wicked power, he becomes a lion, and such a one is wretched; for "woe to the man whom a lion shall eat." These, therefore, say: "You have given us as sheep for food." Having been eaten, they remained sheep. 12 and you have scattered us among the nations. According to the plain sense of the word, they seem to say this: we were sown among the nations, we were scattered in many places. But they appear to have suffered this only in Babylon and in Assyria. What it says, therefore, is something like this: First, one must use an evangelical saying: the sowing of these seeds, like wheat and barley, if they are sown upon the earth, they receive it into their own substance through turning and change; for they changed from the earth, becoming many from one grain; from the earth they changed into grain. it draws up ... ... ... ... the adjacent earth and gives it form and transforms it into its own nature. But by seeds he means the saints who say these things, that: "in you we will be praised and in your name we will give thanks forever." Behold, those who say: "in you we will push down our enemies" and the rest, let them say: "You have sown us among the nations" like seeds, so that, in a way, if we are sown upon them in a foreign land, we may change the nations into ourselves, and one of us may become an ear of grain bearing many kernels, many souls having been helped. And those who are helped are spoken of in different ways: sometimes as children of those who help, when the latter are named fathers; sometimes as sheep, when the latter have the state and conduct of a shepherd. These, therefore, were cast down as seeds; they took up into themselves those who were helped by being set beside them. The seeds, having been set beside it, changed the earth. The nations, therefore, are the earth, and the seeds are those cast down for the benefit of others. But let this also be stated more simply, that the Assyrians were in Babylon, but they are not many nations and all the nations. But let it also be stated in relation to the history. 13 you sold your people for no price. for no price ... ... ... you sold; for having been led into captivity, we were not brought there with honor, but led according to the law of captivity; for nothing is more dishonorable than this. "without

222

ἐκείνοις τοῖς θλιβηροῖς, ἔνθα καὶ τὸ τῆς προαιρέσεως ἐπισφαλές̣ ἐστιν διὰ τὸ τοὺς οἷς παρε̣δόθησαν ἐπὶ κακίᾳ χαίρειν, ἀπεστάλησαν ὥσπερ ἰατροὶ μετὰ πολεμίων, ἵνα ἐπιμελῶνται αὐτῶν, βοηθήματα προσάγουσιν τὰ μὲν φυλάττοντα αὐτῶν τὴν ἤδη ἐνοῦσαν ὑγίειαν, τὰ δὲ λύοντα νόσον καὶ φέροντα ὑγείαν. οὐ γάρ, ὥς τινες οἴονται, αἰτιώμε̣νοι τη`̣ν ἡμέραν λέγουσιν. ἐπιφέρουσιν οὖν πρὸς ἑτέροις εἰρημένοις καὶ τό· "ὡς πρόβατα βρώσεως ἔδωκας ἡμᾶς". αὐτοὶ εἰς βρῶσιν αὐτῶν παρεδόθημεν, λεόντων δίκην καὶ λύκων κατεσθίουσι̣ν ἡμᾶς. ὅμως εἰ καὶ κατεσθιόμεθα, οὐκ ἀφιστάμεθα τοῦ εἶναι πρόβατα· "πρόβατον πλανώμενον ὁ Ἰσραήλ, λέοντες ἐξῶσαν αὐτόν· ὁ πρῶτος κατέφαγεν αὐτὸν βασιλεὺς Ἀσσούρ". κακότης δέ ἐστιν τὸν γενόμενόν τι ἐπαινετόν, μὴ μεῖναι ὅπερ ἔστιν, ἀλλ' εἰς ἑτέραν ποιότητα ἀναλυθῆναι. ὁ ἐσθίων ἄρτου ἐὰν εἰς γαστέρα καταπέμψῃ αὐτόν, οὐ μένει ἄρτος. οἱ δὲ καταποθέντες καὶ β̣ρῶμ̣α ἐχθρῶν γεγενημένοι οὐκ ἀπέστησαν τοῦ εἶναι πρόβατα. λέγεται πολλάκις βρῶμα γίνεσθαι ο῾̣ μαθητὴς τοῦ διδασκάλου, περὶ οὗ καὶ λέγει· "ἐμὸν βρῶμά ἐστιν, ἵνα τις ποιήσῃ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός μου". ἡ γυνὴ ἡ Σα̣μαρῖτις γοῦν μαθητὴς ἦν, περὶ ἧς καὶ εἶπεν· "ἐγὼ βρῶσιν ἔχω φαγεῖν ἣν ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατε". ····· ····· · δ̣ὲ πάλιν̣ ····· ····· ····· · ἄρτον εἶναι. ὁ δὲ ἄρτος τροφὴ γίνεται. τρόπον δέ τινα τ̣ρ̣····· ··ε̣·ι̣······· ····· ····· · ἐὰν οὖν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ σῴζων τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ τὸ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν θεοῦ διδάσκαλος κατὰ Ἰησοῦν γενόμενος ἄγριον ἄνθρωπον διὰ τοῦ παιδεῦσαι 316 φάγῃ ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· · ····ις ὑπὸ τοῦ διδασκάλου καὶ τροφὴ αὐτοῦ γεγενημένος οὐκ ἔσται λέων. διὰ τοῦτο μακάριός ἐστιν καὶ μακαρίζεται οὐχ ὅτι λέων ἐστίν, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἄνθρωπος γέγονεν. εἰ δέ ποτε ἄνθρωπος λογικὸς καὶ λογικῶς κινούμενος̣ ὑπὸ ὠμοθύμου τινὸς ἀγρίου ἀνθρώπου ἢ πονηρᾶς δυνάμεως βρωθείη, γίνεται λέων καὶ τάλας ἐςτὶν ὁ τοιοῦτος· "οὐαὶ" γὰρ "τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ὃν φάγεται λέ ων". οὗτοι οὖν λέγουσιν· "ἔδωκας ἡμᾶς ὡς πρόβατα βρώσεως". βρω̣θέντες πρόβατα ἔμειναν. 12 καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν διέσπειρας ἡμᾶς. κατὰ τὸ πρόχειρον τῆς λέξεως φαίνονται τοῦτο λέγοντες ὅτι· ἐπεσπάρημεν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ἐσκεδάσθημεν πολλαχοῦ. φαίνονται δὲ ἐν μόνῃ τῇ Βαβυλῶνι καὶ τῇ Ἀσσυρίᾳ τοῦτο παθόντες. ὃ λέγει οὖν, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· εὐαγγελικῷ πρ̣ω῀̣τον χρηστέον ῥητῷ ἡ σπορὰ τούτων τῶν σπερμάτων, οἷον σίτου κριθῆς, ἐὰν ἐπισπαρῶσιν τῇ γῃ῀̣, ταύτην̣ δέχονται εἰς τὴν ἑαυτῶν οὐσίαν διὰ τροπῆς καὶ μεταβολῆς· ἐκ τῆς γῆς γὰρ μετέβαλον γενόμενοι πολλοὶ ε᾿̣ξ ἑνὸς κόκκου, ἐκ τῆς γῆς μετέβαλον εἰς τοὺς σίτους. ἀνιμᾶται ····· ····· ····· ·ν̣ τὴν παρακειμένην γῆν καὶ εἰδοποιεῖ αὐτὴν καὶ μεταποιοῖ εἰς τὴν ἑαυτῆς φύσιν. σπέρματα δὲ λέγει τοὺς ταῦτα λέγοντας ἁγίους ὅτι· "ἐν σοὶ ἐπαινεσθησόμεθα καὶ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου ἐξομολογησόμεθα ε̣ἰς τὸν αἰῶνα". ἰδου`̣ οἱ λέγοντες· "ἐν σοὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡμῶν κερατιοῦμεν" καὶ τὰ ἄλλα, λεγέτωσαν· "ἐπέσπειρας ἡμᾶς ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν" σπερμάτων δίκην, ἵνα τὰ ἔθνη τρόπον τινά, ἐὰν ἐπὶ ξένης ἐπισπαρῶμεν αὐτοῖς, μεταβάλωμεν εἰς ἑαυτούς, καὶ εἷς ἡμῶν γένηται στάχυς πολλοὺς φέρων κόκκους, πολλὰς ψυχὰς ὠφεληθείσας. καὶ διαφόρως λέγονται οἱ ὠφελούμενοι ὁτὲ μὲν παῖδες τῶν ὠφελούντων, ὅταν ἐκεῖνοι πατέρες ὀνομάζωνται, ποτὲ δὲ πρόβατα, ὅταν ἐκεῖνοι τὴν ποιμένος ἔχωσιν κατάστασιν καὶ διαγωγήν. οὗτοι οὖν ὡς σπέρματα κατεβλήθησαν, ἀνέλαβον εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἐκείνους τοὺς ὠφελουμένους ἐκ τοῦ παρατεθεῖσθαι αὐτοῖς. παρατεθέντα τὰ σπέρματα μετέβαλεν̣ τὴν γῆν. τὰ ἔθνη οὖν γῆ εἰσίν̣, σπέρματα δὲ τὰ καταβληθέντα ἐπ' ὠφελίᾳ ἄλλων. κείσθω δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἁπ̣λουστέρως, ὅτι γεγόνα̣σιν οἱ Ἀσσύριοι ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, οὐ μὴν πολλὰ ἔθνη καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη εἰσίν. κ̣είσθω δὲ καὶ πρὸς τη`̣ν ἱστορίαν. 13 ἀπέδου τὸν λαόν σου ἄνευ τιμῆς. ἄνευ τιμῆς ····· ····· ··· ἀπέδου· εἰς αἰχμα̣λωσίαν γὰρ ἀχθέντες οὐ μετὰ τιμῆς ἐκεῖ ἤχθημεν, ἀλλὰ νόμῳ αἰχμαλωσίας ἀχθέν̣τες· οὐδὲν γα`̣ρ̣ τούτου ἀτιμότερον. "ἄνευ