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the oracle to promise to the thirsty. Therefore, water "from the spring of salvation" signifies the evangelical proclamation, while wine and milk allude to the mystery of the rebirth in Christ; for "those who are reborn of water and spirit" "as newborn infants" are nourished with "spiritual milk" and partake of the wine of the new covenant. But one must not be ignorant that according to the ancient custom, mystical milk was offered to those being reborn in Christ along with the body and the blood of the new covenant; but they say that this custom is still even now preserved in some churches, except that even if not physically, at least in meaning the mystical blood of Christ is offered both in place of wine and in place of milk to those deemed worthy of the rebirth in Christ. But if, according to the Septuagint, fat is also spoken of, it alludes to the rich and fatty and nourishing quality of the spiritual food in Christ, which the Savior himself again made clear, saying: "unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in yourselves." So just as there he named the flesh, so here the fat, and as there the blood, so here the wine, through which the fat and the flesh signify his incarnate economy, but the wine and the blood mean the mystery of the passion. Therefore he promises to provide these things without payment and to give them as a free gift to those who thirst for salvation in God. And why do you spend your labor, being occupied with other things, from which it is not possible for the soul to be nourished nor to enjoy food to satiety. wherefore according to Symmachus it is said: why do you weigh out silver not for bread and your labors not for satiety? But you will understand those buying the bread of the soul for silver if you pay attention to those who bring money to those who profess some rational teaching, "the wise of this age," or even to those who sell the tradition of the Jewish readings for a price to their disciples. Next to these things he exhorts them to incline their ears through understanding and to render the ears of the soul obedient to the things being said. wherefore he says: listen and you will eat good things, and your soul will delight in good things; for in addition to the former things, he says that the hope also of other good things and divine delight has been stored up for the souls of the obedient. For he sets forth the gift "of the good things to come" not to bodies, but expressly to souls. To which he adds, saying: pay attention with your ears and follow my ways, but according to Symmachus: he says, incline your ear and come to me, but also listen to me, and your soul will live in good things, and all these things he promises to souls. Then, having urged through these things and having stirred up their hearing, he begins his teaching, saying: and I will make with you an eternal covenant, the holy things of David, the sure things; for the old covenant, being temporary, has passed away and has come to an end. But since in many places of the scriptures promises were given to David that from his "seed" would come forth the Christ of God, having composed yourselves, listen to the word concerning these things; for know well, that if you give yourselves to my words, I also will provide to you the fruit of obedience. The promise which I have made to David, this I will grant to you; I will therefore make with you "the new covenant," which will be not temporary like that of Moses, but lasting and eternal, and will remain until the consummation of all things. and the holy things of David, which I promised to him, I will make sure by fulfilling my promises. Then since the prophetic spirit was prognostic and prescient of the future, it was not ignorant that the Jews would indeed keep these words to themselves, but would have nothing more from them for the benefit of the soul. wherefore he turns the word to the foreign and alien nations, to whom he also promises to give promises, saying in these very words: behold, I have given him as a witness to the nations, a ruler and commander to the nations. Nations, which

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ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι τὸ λόγιον τοῖς διψῶσιν. ὕδωρ μὲν οὖν «ἀπὸ τῆς πηγῆς τοῦ σωτηρίου» δηλοῖ τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν κήρυγμα, οἶνον δὲ καὶ γάλα τὸ μυστήριον αἰνίττεται τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναγεννήσεως· «οἱ» γὰρ «ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος ἀναγεννώμενοι» «ὡς ἀρτιγέννητα βρέφη» «τῷ λογικῷ» τρέφονται «γάλακτι» καὶ τοῦ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης μεταλαμβάνουσιν οἴνου. χρὴ δὲ μὴ ἀγνοεῖν, ὅτι κατὰ τὸν παλαιὸν τοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναγεννωμένοις γάλα μυστικὸν προσεφέρετο μετὰ τοῦ σώματος καὶ τοῦ αἵματος τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης· φασὶ δὲ εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν τουτὶ τὸ ἔθος ἔν τισιν ἐκκλησίαις σῴζεσθαι, πλὴν εἰ καὶ μὴ σωματικῶς κατὰ γοῦν τὴν διάνοιαν τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸ μυστικὸν καὶ ἀντὶ οἴνου καὶ ἀντὶ γάλακτος τοῖς καταξιουμένοις τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναγεννήσεως προσφέρεται. εἰ δὲ κατὰ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα λέγοιτο καὶ στέαρ τὸ πῖον καὶ λιπαρὸν καὶ τρόφιμον τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ πνευματικῆς τροφῆς αἰνίττεται, ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ πάλιν ὁ σωτὴρ ἐδήλου λέγων· «ἐὰν μὴ φάγητέ μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίητέ μου τὸ αἷμα, οὐκ ἔχετε ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς». ὥσπερ οὖν ἐκεῖ τὴν σάρκα οὕτως ἐνταῦθα τὸ στέαρ ὠνόμασεν καὶ ὡς ἐκεῖ τὸ αἷμα, οὕτως ἐνταῦθα τὸν οἶνον, δι' ὧν τὸ μὲν στέαρ καὶ ἡ σὰρξ τὴν ἔνσαρκον αὐτοῦ οἰκονομίαν δηλοῖ, ὁ δὲ οἶνος καὶ τὸ αἷμα τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ πάθους σημαίνει. ταῦτ' οὖν τοῖς διψῶσι τῆς ἐν θεῷ σωτηρίας ἀμισθὶ παρέξειν καὶ προῖκα δωρήσασθαι ἐπαγγέλλεται. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ καταναλίσκετε τὸν μόχθον ὑμῶν, περὶ ἕτερα ἀσχολούμενοι, ἐξ ὧν οὐκ ἔστι ψυχὴν τραφῆναι οὐδ' εἰς πλησμονὴν ἀπολαῦσαι τροφῆς. διὸ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον εἴρηται· διὰ τί ἵστατε ἀργύριον οὐχ ὑπὲρ ἄρτων καὶ τοὺς κόπους ὑμῶν οὐχ ὑπὲρ πλησμονῆς; νοήσεις δὲ τοὺς ἀργυρίου ἐξωνουμένους τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ἄρτον ἐπιστήσας τοῖς χρήματα προσάγουσι τοῖς λογικήν τινα διδασκαλίαν ἐπαγγελλομένοις «σοφοῖς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου» ἢ καὶ τοῖς τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαϊκῶν ἀναγνωσμάτων παράδοσιν μισθοῦ πιπράσκουσι τοῖς μαθητευομένοις. ἑξῆς τούτοις παρακαλεῖ τὰ ὦτα κλῖναι διὰ τοῦ συνεῖναι καὶ τὰς τῆς ψυχῆς ἀκοὰς ὑπηκόους παρασχεῖν τοῖς λεγομένοις. διό φησιν· ἀκούσατε καὶ φάγεσθε ἀγαθά, καὶ ἐντρυφήσει ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν· πρὸς γὰρ τοῖς προτέροις καὶ ἑτέρων ἀγαθῶν ἐλπίδα καὶ τρυφὴν ἔνθεον τεταμιεῦσθαί φησι ταῖς τῶν ὑπηκόων ψυχαῖς. οὐ γὰρ τοῖς σώμασι, διαρρήδην δὲ ταῖς ψυχαῖς τὴν «τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν» δόσιν προβάλλεται. Οἷς προστίθησι λέγων· προσέχετε τοῖς ὠσὶν ὑμῶν καὶ ἐπακολουθήσατε ταῖς ὁδοῖς μου, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· κλίνατέ φησι τὸ οὖς ὑμῶν καὶ ἔλθετε πρός με, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰσακούσατέ μου, καὶ ζήσεται ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἐπαγγέλλεται. εἶτα προτρέψας διὰ τούτων καὶ διεγείρας τὰς ἀκοὰς ἄρχεται διδασκαλίας φάσκων· καὶ διαθήσομαι ὑμῖν διαθήκην αἰώνιον, τὰ ὅσια ∆αυὶδ τὰ πιστά· ἡ μὲν γὰρ παλαιὰ διαθήκη πρόσκαιρος οὖσα παρῆλθε καὶ τέλος εἴληφεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ πολλαχοῦ τῶν γραφῶν ἐπαγγελίαι τῷ ∆αυὶδ ἐδόθησαν ἐκ «σπέρματος» αὐτοῦ προελεύσεσθαι τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, συγκροτήσαντες ἑαυτοὺς ἀκούσατε τὸν περὶ τούτων λόγον· εὖ ἴστε γάρ, ὅτι ἐὰν ἐπιδῶτε ἑαυτοὺς τοῖς ἐμοῖς λόγοις, κἀγὼ τῆς ὑπακοῆς καρπὸν ὑμῖν παρέξω. ἣν πεποίημαι πρὸς τὸν ∆αυὶδ ἐπαγγελίαν, ταύτην ὑμῖν χαριούμενος· διαθήσομαι γοῦν ὑμῖν «τὴν καινὴν διαθήκην», ἥτις ἔσται οὐ κατὰ τὴν Μωσέως πρόσκαιρος, διαρκὴς δὲ καὶ αἰώνιος καὶ μέχρι συντελείας τοῦ παντὸς διαμενεῖ. καὶ τὰ ὅσια ∆αυίδ, ἃ ἐπηγγειλάμην αὐτῷ, πιστὰ ποιήσω ἐπαληθεύσας μου τὰς ἐπαγγελίας. Εἶτ' ἐπειδὴ προγνωστικὸν ἦν τὸ προφητικὸν πνεῦμα καὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος προορατικόν, οὐκ ἠγνόησεν, ὡς τὰς φωνὰς ταύτας καθέξουσι μὲν παρ' ἑαυτοῖς Ἰουδαῖοι, οὐ μὴν ἕξουσί τι πλέον ἐξ αὐτῶν πρὸς ψυχῆς ὠφέλειαν. διὸ στρέφει τὸν λόγον ἐπὶ τὰ ἀλλόφυλα καὶ ἀλλογενῆ ἔθνη, οἷς καὶ ἐπαγγελίας ὑπισχνεῖται δώσειν αὐτοῖς ῥήμασι φάσκων· ἰδοὺ μαρτύριον ἔθνεσιν ἔδωκα αὐτόν, ἄρχοντα καὶ προστάσσοντα ἔθνεσιν. ἔθνη, ἃ