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I would have those whom I will punish, I made men, but creating out of goodness, with it I also govern. But when your enemies come upon you, he says, every weapon of war will be useless; for just as the Jews hated every righteous man, calling him useless; so those around Judea turned away from the God-fearing people, being displeased at the favor of God they saw was with them. Furthermore, the prophet shows that he is not a lifeless instrument serving God, but as one who himself has an understanding of what is done, he either rebukes sinners, saying, “Woe, sinful nation;” or he rouses the negligent, just as now. It will not be unprofitable for you, he says, to believe in God, but you will have hopes of becoming an heir of God. And he, showing that virtue is of free will, says: You will be righteous for me. CHAPTER 55:1-3. 9You who are thirsty, go to the water, and as many as do not have silver, go and buy, and drink without silver and price, wine and fat. Why do you pay with silver, and your labor not for satisfaction? Hearken to me, and you will eat good things, and your soul will delight in good things9, etc. Christ preached to all: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me," saying that rivers would flow from his belly, by which he signified the Holy Spirit. And to the Samaritan woman he says: "But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him, rivers of living water will flow from his belly." And concerning Christ himself David said: "And you will give them to drink of the torrent of your pleasure, for with you is the fountain of life." And again: "The streams of the river make glad the city of God." But Christ himself said through the prophets: "Behold, I am turning toward them like a river of peace;" and Zechariah also says that "A fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord, and it shall water the torrent of the rushes." 2552 To these things the prophet now also exhorts, saying that the gift is set before all free of charge. But Aquila and Symmachus say, "Without exchange, wine and milk," so that these are in addition to the water. For instead of "fat," they say "milk." The water signifies the evangelical proclamation. And wine and milk are the mystical symbols of regeneration. For those who are reborn of water and spirit, as newborn babes are nourished with spiritual milk, and they drink wine, concerning which he says: "This is my blood which is shed for you." And of old, to those being enlightened, milk was offered with the body and the blood. And they say that in some Churches the custom is still preserved. This Moses also hinted at, saying: "His eyes shall be brighter than wine. And his teeth whiter than milk." But the fat hints at the richness and nourishment of the food in Christ, signifying the body of Christ, called flesh in the Gospels, but here fat; just as there it is blood, but now wine. For the fat and the flesh signify the incarnate economy. But wine and blood, the mystery of the passion, which he promises to give without cost to those who thirst for salvation, and having said to the disciples: "Freely you have received, freely give." But how does he say, "Buy," and again, "Without price?" Because it is sold for faith, not for silver. Whence it is said: Why do you pay with silver? And why do you not spend your time on nourishing words, laboring in vain on external studies, buying these things not with silver, which in beauty of speech, are void of truth and intelligible food? Therefore Symmachus said: Weigh out silver, not for bread, and your labors, not for satisfaction. And it will also be fitting for those who buy the tradition of the Judaic readings. For they learned the bare letter. But among the wise men outside, just as in a golden vessel, falsehood, like filth, was hidden. For we possess the treasure of Christ in earthen vessels. Therefore Paul also says: "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" And again: "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe;" calling foolishness, that of the word

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σχοίην οὓς τιμωρήσομαι, τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐποίησα, ἐξ ἀγαθότητος δὲ κτίζων, μετ' αὐτῆς καὶ διοικῶ. Ἐχθρῶν δέ σοι, φησὶν, ἐπιόντων πᾶν σκεῦος ἀργήσει πολεμικόν· ὡς γὰρ Ἰουδαῖοι πάντα δίκαιον ἐμίσουν, δύσχρηστον καλοῦντες αὐτόν· οὕτως οἱ κύκλῳ τῆς Ἰουδαίας θεοσεβοῦντα τὸν λαὸν ἀπεστρέφοντο, δυσχεραίνοντες ἐφ' οἷς Θεοῦ ῥοπὴν ἑώρων παροῦσαν αὐτοῖς. Λοιπὸν δείκνυσιν ὁ προφήτης ὡς οὐκ ἄψυχον σκεῦος διακονεῖ τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλ' ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς παρακολούθησιν ἔχων τῶν πραττομένων, ἢ ἐπιτιμᾷ ἁμαρτάνουσι λέγων· "Οὐαὶ ἔθνος ἁμαρτωλόν·" ἢ ἀμελοῦντας διανίστησιν, ὥσπερ καὶ νῦν, Οὐκ ἔσται σοι, φησὶν, ἀνόνητον τὸ πιστεύειν Θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἕξεις ἐλπίδας κληρονόμος γενέσθαι Θεοῦ. Ὃς καὶ αὐτεξούσιον δεικνὺς τὴν ἀρετὴν, φησίν· Ἔσεσθέ μοι δίκαιοι. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΝΕʹ. αιγʹ. 9Οἱ διψῶντες, πορεύεσθε ἐφ' ὕδωρ, καὶ ὅσοι μὴ ἔχετε ἀργύριον, βαδίσαντες ἀγοράσατε, καὶ πίετε ἄνευ ἀργυρίου καὶ τιμῆς, οἶνον καὶ στέαρ. Ἵνα τί τιμᾶσθε ἀργυρίου καὶ τὸν μόχθον ὑμῶν οὐκ εἰς πλησμονήν; Ἀκούσατέ μου, καὶ φάγεσθε ἀγαθὰ, καὶ ἐντρυφήσει ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν9, κ.τ.λ. Ὁ Χριστὸς πᾶσιν ἐκήρυττεν· "Εἴ τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με," ποταμοὺς ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσειν εἰπὼν, δι' ὧν ἐδήλου τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Καὶ πρὸς τὴν Σαμαρεῖτιν δέ φησιν· "Ὃς δ' ἂν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος, οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, ποταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος." Περὶ αὐτοῦ δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἔλεγε· "Καὶ τὸν χειμάῤῥουν τῆς τρυφῆς σου ποτιεῖς αὐτοὺς, ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ πηγὴ ζωῆς." Καὶ πάλιν· "Τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὰ ὁρμήματα εὐφραίνουσι τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ." Αὐτὸς δὲ ἔλεγεν ἐν προφήταις Χριστός· "Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐκκλίνω ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ὡς ποταμὸς εἰρήνης·" φησὶ δὲ καὶ Ζαχαρίας, ὅτι "Πηγὴ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου Κυρίου ἐξελεύσεται, καὶ ποτιεῖ τὸν χειμάῤῥουν τῶν σχοινίων." 2552 Πρὸς ἃ νῦν καὶ ὁ προφήτης παρακαλεῖ, προῖκα πᾶσι λέγων προκεῖσθαι τὴν δωρεάν. Ἀκύλας δὲ καὶ Σύμμαχος, Ἄνευ ἀλλάγματος οἶνον καὶ γάλα, φασὶν, ὡς εἶναι ταῦτα πρὸς τῷ ὕδατι. Ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ στέαρ, γάλα φασί. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ τὸ μὲν ὕδωρ, τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν κήρυγμα. Οἷνος δὲ καὶ γάλα τὰ μυστικὰ τῆς ἀναγεννήσεως σύμβολα. Οἱ γὰρ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος ἀναγεννώμενοι, ὡς ἀρτιγέννητα βρέφη τῷ λογικῷ τρέφονται γάλακτι, οἶνόν τε πίνουσι, περὶ οὗ φησι· "Τοῦτό μού ἐστι τὸ αἷμα τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐκχυνόμενον." Καὶ πάλαι δὲ τοῖς φωτιζομένοις γάλα μετὰ τοῦ σώματος προσεφέρετο καὶ τοῦ αἵματος. Καὶ ἔν τισι δέ φασιν Ἐκκλησίαις τὸ ἔθος ἔτι φυλάττεσθαι. Τοῦτο καὶ Μωσῆς ᾐνίττετο λέγων· "Χαροποὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ οἴνου. Καὶ λευκοὶ οἱ ὀδόντες αὐτοῦ εἰ γάλα." Τὸ δὲ στέαρ, τὸ λιπαρὸν καὶ τρόφιμον τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ τροφῆς αἰνίττεται, τὸ σῶμα δηλοῦν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, σάρκα μὲν λεγόμενον ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις, ἐνταῦθα δὲ στέαρ· ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ μὲν αἷμα, νῦν δὲ οἶνος. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ στέαρ καὶ ἡ σὰρξ τὴν ἔνσαρκον οἰκονομίαν δηλοῖ. Οἶνος δὲ καὶ αἷμα, τὸ τοῦ πάθους μυστήριον, ἃ τοῖς διψῶσι σωτηρίας δώσειν ἀμισθὶ ἐπαγγέλλεται καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς εἰπών· "∆ωρεὰν ἐλάβετε, δωρεὰν δότε. Πῶς δὲ λέγει, Ἀγοράσατε, καὶ πάλιν, Ἄνευ τιμῆς; ἐπειδὴ πίστεως, οὐκ ἀργυρίου πιπράσκεται. Ὅθεν εἴρηται· Ἵνα τί τιμᾶσθε ἀργυρίου; ∆ιὰ τί δὲ μὴ περὶ τροφίμους λόγους τὸν χρόνον καταναλίσκετε, μάτην μοχθοῦντες περὶ τὰ ἔξω μαθήματα, οὐκ ἀργυρίου ταῦτα ὠνούμενοι, ἅπερ ἐν κάλλει λέξεως, ἀληθείας κενὰ καὶ νοητῆς ἐστι τροφῆς; ∆ιὸ Σύμμαχος ἔφησε· ∆ιίστατε ἀργύριον, οὐχ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, καὶ τοὺς κόπους ὑμῶν, οὐχ ὑπὲρ πλησμονῆς. Ἁρμόσει δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὠνουμένων τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαϊκῶν ἀναγνωσμάτων παράδοσιν. Ψιλὴν γὰρ τὴν λέξιν ἐμάνθανον. Παρὰ δὲ τοῖς ἔξω σοφοῖς, καθάπερ ἐν χρυσῷ σκεύει, τὸ ψεῦδος, βορβόρου δίκην, ἐκρύπτετο. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσι τὸν Χριστοῦ κεκτήμεθα θησαυρόν. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλός φησι· "Ποῦ σοφός; ποῦ γραμματεύς; ποῦ συζητητὴς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου; οὐχὶ ἐμώρανεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ κόσμου τούτου;" Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἔγνω ὁ κόσμος διὰ τῆς σοφίας τὸν Θεὸν, ηὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τῆς μωρίας τοῦ κηρύγματος σῶσαι τοὺς πιστεύοντας·" μωρίαν εἰπὼν, τὸ τῆς λέξεως