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of all. 15. "And he gave them their request, and sent fullness into their souls." He called their desire a request; for they did not ask, but murmured; yet he gave them both an abundance of meat, and bread not made by hands, and water both most sweet and abundant. 16. "And they provoked Moses in the camp, and Aaron the holy one of the Lord." For Korah, and his company, tried to seize the priesthood. But Dathan and Abiram plotted another tyranny. 17, 18. "The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the congregation of Abiram. And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the sinners." Dathan and Abiram were swallowed up with all their clan; but Korah, and those with him, were burned up by fire sent from God. God brought these punishments, compelling the others to be sober-minded; but they did not wish to receive any benefit from them; and the narrative of what they had dared to do shows this. 19. "And they made a calf in Horeb." He did not simply mention the mountain, but to teach the excess of their impiety. For on it the Lord of all appeared; on it he filled them with terror, 80.1728 appearing with much fire, using trumpets, and with crashing thunders, and with so much fear offering the law. On this they dared their impiety. "And they worshiped the graven image." This is an accusation of another madness; for to that which they saw receiving its form through human art, to this they offered divine worship. 20. "And they changed his glory into the similitude of a calf that eats grass." He very fittingly dramatized their folly. For instead of him who worked so many wonders, and bestowed that extraordinary salvation, and is able to do so many things, they honored an image of a calf, whose archetype is in need of food; and the food for the calf is not bread, which is offered to rational beings, but herbage and grass. But of the calf, whose nature is irrational, and grass is its food, and servitude has been given to men, the image is far more worthless. For it is not only irrational, but also lifeless, having no power to act, to low, or to eat; but nevertheless they preferred the inert thing to the God of all. 21, 22. "And they forgot God their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt; Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red sea." For they remembered neither their own salvation, nor the punishment of the Egyptians, nor the great wonder of the sea, but spat upon them all at once. 23. "Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them." For when the God of all said, "Let me alone, that in my fierce anger I may consume them, and I will make of you a great nation;" the blessed Moses said, "If you will forgive their sin, forgive it; but if not, blot me out of the book which you have written." "24, 25. "And they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word. And they murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord." He reminds them of another disobedience; for when God had pledged them to enter the promised land, receiving the passion of cowardice, they openly resisted, saying that the Canaanites were mighty, and that they themselves did not have sufficient power for battle against them. This is clearly proof of unbelief; for it was right for the eyewitnesses of so many and such wonders to be confident in all things through the power of him who had saved them. 80.1729 26, 27. "And he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness: And to overthrow their seed among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands." And he wished to impose a punishment suitable to their unbelief, and to bring destruction upon them all at once, but nevertheless, using his customary love for mankind, he brought a partial chastisement upon them. 28, 29. "And they were initiated to Baal-peor; and ate the sacrifices of the dead. And they provoked him with their

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πόντων. ιεʹ. "Καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς τὸ αἴτημα αὐτῶν, ἐξ απέστειλε πλησμονὴν εἰς τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν." Αἴ τημα τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐκάλεσεν· οὐ γὰρ ᾔτησαν, ἀλλὰ κατελάλησαν· δέδωκε δὲ ὅμως αὐτοῖς καὶ κρεῶν ἀφθονίαν, καὶ ἄρτον ἀχειροποίητον, καὶ ὕδωρ ἥδιστόν τε καὶ ἄφθονον. ιʹ. "Καὶ παρώργισαν τὸν Μωσῆν ἐν τῇ παρεμ βολῇ, τὸν Ἀαρὼν τὸν ἅγιον Κυρίου." Κορὲ μὲν γὰρ, καὶ ἡ τούτου συμμορία, ἐπειράθησαν τὴν ἱερω σύνην ἁρπάσαι. ∆αθὰν δὲ καὶ Ἀβειρὼν ἑτέραν ἐμελέτησαν τυραννίδα. ιζʹ, ιηʹ. "Ἠνοίχθη ἡ γῆ καὶ κατέπιε ∆αθὰν, καὶ ἐκάλυψεν ἐπὶ τὴν συναγωγὴν Ἀβειρών. Καὶ ἐξ εκαύθη πῦρ ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ αὐτῶν, φλὸξ κατέφλε ξεν ἁμαρτωλούς." ∆αθὰν μὲν καὶ Ἀβειρὼν μετὰ πάσης τῆς πατριᾶς κατεποντίσθησαν· Κορὲ δὲ, καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ, θεηλάτῳ πυρὶ κατεφλέχθησαν. Τὰς δὲ τιμωρίας ἐπήγαγεν ὁ Θεὸς, τοὺς ἄλλους σωφρο νεῖν ἀναγκάζων· οὐδεμίαν δὲ λαβεῖν ἐντεῦθεν ὄνησιν ἐβουλήθησαν· καὶ τοῦτο δηλοῖ ἡ τῶν τετολμημένων ἐξήγησις. ιθʹ. "Καὶ ἐποίησαν μόσχον ἐν Χωρήβ." Οὐχ ἁπλῶς τοῦ ὄρους ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν τῆς ἀσε βείας διδάσκων ὑπερβολήν. Ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ ὤφθη τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος· ἐν τούτῳ δείματος αὐτοὺς ἐν 80.1728 έπλησε, μετὰ πλείστου πυρὸς φανεὶς, σάλπιγξι χρώμενος, καὶ κατακτύπων βρονταῖς, καὶ μετὰ τοσ ούτου δέους τὴν νομοθεσίαν προσφέρων. Ἐν τούτῳ τετολμήκασι τὴν ἀσέβειαν. "Καὶ προσεκύνησαν τῷ γλυπτῷ." Ἑτέρας καὶ τοῦτο παραπληξίας κατ ηγορία· ὃ γὰρ ἑώρων διὰ τέχνης ἀνθρωπίνης τὸ εἶδος δεξάμενον, τούτῳ τὸ σέβας τὸ θεῖον προσήνεγκαν. κʹ. "Καὶ ἠλλάξαντο τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ ἐν ὁμοιώ ματι μόσχου ἐσθίοντος χόρτον." Σφόδρα αὐτῶν ἁρμοδίως τὴν ἄνοιαν ἐτραγῴδησεν. Ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ τοσαῦτα θαυματουργήσαντος, καὶ τὴν παράδοξον ἐκείνην σωτηρίαν χαρισαμένου, καὶ τοσαῦτα ἐνερ γεῖν δυναμένου, εἰκόνα τετιμήκασι μόσχου, ἧς τὸ ἀρχέτυπον τροφῆς ἐνδεές· τροφὴ καὶ τῷ μόσχῳ, οὐκ ἄρτος, ὁ τοῖς λογικοῖς προσφερόμενος, ἀλλὰ πόα καὶ χόρτος. Τοῦ δὲ μόσχου, οὗ ἄλογος ἡ φύσις, καὶ ὁ χόρτος τροφὴ, καὶ ἡ δουλεία δεδωρημένη ἀνθρώ ποις, ἡ εἰκὼν εὐτελεστέρα πολλῷ. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἄλογος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄψυχος, οὐκ ἐνεργεῖν, οὐ μυκᾶσθαι, οὐκ ἐσθίειν ἰσχύουσα· ἀλλὰ ὅμως ἀδρανῆ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων προτετιμήκασιν. καʹ, κβʹ. "Καὶ ἐπελάθοντο τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ σώζον τος αὐτοὺς, τοῦ ποιήσαντος μεγάλα ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ. Θαυμάσια ἐν γῇ Χὰμ, φοβερὰ ἐπὶ θαλάσσης Ἐρυθρᾶς." Οὔτε γὰρ τῆς οἰκείας ἐμνημόνευσαν σωτη ρίας, οὔτε τῆς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων τιμωρίας, οὔτε τοῦ μεγάλου τῆς θαλάττης θαύματος, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἀθρόως ἀπέπτυσαν. κγʹ. "Καὶ εἶπε τοῦ ἐξολοθρεῦσαι αὐτοὺς, εἰ μὴ Μωσῆς ὁ ἐκλεκτὸς αὐτοῦ ἔστη ἐν τῇ θραύσει ἐν ώπιον αὐτοῦ, τοῦ ἀποστρέψαι τὸν θυμὸν αὐτοῦ τοῦ μὴ ἐξολοθρεῦσαι αὐτούς." Τοῦ γὰρ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων εἰρηκότος, "Ἔασόν με, καὶ θυμωθεὶς ὀργῇ ἐκτρίψω αὐτοὺς, καὶ ποιήσω σε εἰς ἔθνος μέγα·" εἶ πεν ὁ μακάριος Μωσῆς, "Εἰ μὲν ἀφεῖς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἄφες· εἰ δὲ μὴ, ἐξάλειψόν με ἐκ τῆς βίβλου ἧς ἔγραψας." "κδʹ, κεʹ. "Καὶ ἐξουδένωσαν γῆν ἐπιθυμητὴν, οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν τῷ λόγῳ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐγόγγυσαν ἐν τοῖς σκηνώμασιν αὑτῶν, οὐκ εἰσήκουσαν τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου." Ἑτέρας ἀπειθείας ἀναμιμνήσκει· τοῦ γὰρ Θεοῦ παρεγγυήσαντος τῆς ἐπηγγελμένης ἐπιβῆναι γῆς, τῆς δειλίας τὸ πάθος δεξάμενοι, ἀντέτεινον προφανῶς, τοὺς μὲν Χαναναίους γενναίους εἶναι λέ γοντες, σφᾶς δὲ αὐτοὺς δύναμιν ἀξιόχρεων οὐκ ἔχειν πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνων παράταξιν. Τοῦτο δὲ ἀπιστίας προφανῶς τεκμήριον· τοὺς γὰρ τοσούτων καὶ τοιού των θαυμάτων αὐτόπτας θαῤῥεῖν εἰς πάντα δί καιον ἦν τῇ τοῦ σεσωκότος δυνάμει. 80.1729 κʹ, κζʹ. "Καὶ ἐπῆρε τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς, τοῦ καταβαλεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. Καὶ τοῦ κατα βαλεῖν τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ διασκορ πίσαι αὐτοὺς ἐν ταῖς χώραις." Ἐβουλήθη δὲ τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ κατάλληλον ἐπιθεῖναι τὴν τιμωρίαν, καὶ πᾶσι κατὰ ταυτὸν ἐπενεγκεῖν τὸν ὄλεθρον, ἀλλ' ὅμως τῇ συνήθει φιλανθρωπίᾳ χρώμενος, μερικὴν αὐτοῖς ἐπήγαγε κόλασιν. κηʹ, κθʹ. "Καὶ ἐτελέσθησαν τῷ Βεελφεγώρ· καὶ ἔφαγον θυσίας νεκρῶν. Καὶ παρώξυναν αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς