253

characterizing, representing the courses of day and night, guiding travelers of land and sea, providing countless other needs. you see how "his mercy endures forever." 1198 Ps 135,10-12 And tropologically, Egypt being the world around the earth, its seeming firstborn are struck by God for the benefit of Israel. For when these are struck, the mind that sees God, guided by God, goes out of it. And God leads Israel out of the very midst of the so-called allegorical Egypt with his word and his wisdom, which is called his arm and his mighty hand. And these things might be said about Christ, since according to the epistle of Jude, it is Jesus who saved the people out of Egypt. And a mighty hand and a high arm should be called his wonder-working energy and power. 1199 Ps 135,13-15 God divided the Red Sea not into one division but into several, so that Israel, walking as on dry land, might be led out from its midst by God. And it is handed down that it was into twelve divisions so that there would be twelve passages, in order that each tribe of Israel, having its own crossing, might pass through. 1200 Ps 135,13-15 And these things are according to the literal sense; but in the spiritual sense, the life of men, as has often been said before, is a sea, which, filled with waves and much saltiness and turmoil, the Word of God makes passable for us, holding back and parting the towering waves that arise from passions, so that, when the passions have been dried up, all their moisture being restrained by God, it might become passable for us, the spiritual Pharaoh and all his power, made up of demons and unclean spirits, being drowned in it, as God shakes them off into it like the most worthless dust. 1201 Ps 135,17-22 Being clever in deceiving because they are prepared sophistically, since "Amorites" is interpreted as "talkers" or "embitterers" and their king, Sihon, as "temptation" or "provocation," who else ought one to consider embitterers and talkers than those who through sophistic arguments embitter the enemies of the truth and wish to be spoken of and famed for their preparation for deceiving and have as their purpose to tempt and to provoke? But also, since "Bashan" is interpreted as "shame," being a symbol of the wickedness that brings shame upon those who practice it, consequently also its king, Og, along with Sihon king of the Amorites, is struck and killed, so that their land, which they wrongfully held, might be given to Israel, who, occupying themselves sophistically and with a wicked disposition concerning the nature of things, seemed to rule it; but their interpreted land, taken from them, is given to Israel for a possession that he might inherit it, being a true servant of the cause of all things. 1202 Ps 135,23.24 And when we are humbled through freedom from pride, he remembers us and redeems us.

1203 Ps 137,2 My confession is made for your mercy and for the truth

of you, since having often received mercy and having beheld the truth illuminated for me by you, I was delivered from all wickedness and its kindred deceit, your mercy providing for me the remission of sins, and your truth keeping me from all error. But since you have magnified the oracle given to me by you, having linked it to your name so that it might be called your oracle, I will worship toward your holy temple and I will confess to your name, giving thanks for the magnifying of your oracle for me; for then it is magnified for me, when, advancing according to it, I press on to be perfected. 1204 Ps 137,2d There is also another reading that says: "For you have magnified your holy name above all." And when is this fulfilled, but when in

253

χαρακτηρίζοντα, δρόμους ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς εἰκάζοντα, ὁδοιπόρους γῆς καὶ θαλάττης ὁδηγοῦντα, μυρίαν ἑτέραν χρείαν παρεχόμενα. ειδες πῶς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ελεος αὐτοῦ. 1198 Ps 135,10-12 Καὶ πρὸς διάνοιαν δὲ Αἰγύπτου τροπικῶς τοῦ περὶ γῆν κόσμου ὑπάρχοντος, τὰ ταύτης δοκοῦντα πρωτότοκα ἐπ' εὐεργεσίᾳ τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ ὑπὸ θεοῦ πατάσσεται. παταχθέντων γὰρ τούτων ὁ θεὸν ὁρῶν νοῦς εξω αὐτῆς γίνεται ὑπὸ θεοῦ ποδηγούμενος. ἐξάγει δὲ τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ ὁ θεὸς ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ μεσαιτάτου τῆς ἀλληγορικῆς Αἰγύπτου καλουμένης τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ, βραχίονος καὶ κραταιᾶς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ ὀνομαζομένης. καὶ περὶ Χριστοῦ δὲ ῥηθείη ταῦτα, ἐπεὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ̓Ιούδα ὁ τὸν λαὸν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου σώσας ̓Ιησοῦς ἐστι. κραταιὰν δὲ χεῖρα καὶ ὑψηλὸν βραχίονα ῥητέον τὴν παραδοξοποιὸν ἐνέργειαν καὶ δύναμιν αὐτοῦ. 1199 Ps 135,13-15 Οὐκ εἰς μίαν διαίρεσιν ἀλλ' εἰς πλείονας καταδιεῖλεν ὁ θεὸς τὴν ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν ἐπὶ τῷ τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ ὡς ἐπὶ ξηρᾶς βαδίζοντα ἐξαχθῆναι ἐκ μέσου αὐτῆς ὑπὸ θεοῦ. παραδέδοται δὲ εἰς δώδεκα διαιρέσεις ἐπὶ τῷ δώδεκα διόδους ειναι, οπως ἑκάστη τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ φυλὴ ἰδίαν διάβασιν εχουσα διέλθοι. 1200 Ps 135,13-15 Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν κατὰ τὸ ῥητόν· πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίος πολλάκις καὶ ἐν τοῖς εμπροσθεν ειρηται θάλασσα, ηνπερ κυμάτων καὶ πολλῆς ἁλμυρότητος καὶ ταραχῆς πεπληρωμένην διοδεύσιμον ἡμῖν ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος παρέχει, ἀναστελλόμενος καὶ διϊστῶν τὰς ἐκ παθῶν ἐπιθεμένας τρικυμίας ἐπὶ τῷ, ἀναξηρανθέντων τῶν παθῶν πάσης τῆς ὑγρότητος αὐτῶν ὑπὸ θεοῦ κωλυομένης, διοδεύσιμον ἡμῖν γενέσθαι, καταποντιζομένων ἐν αὐτῇ τοῦ νοητοῦ Φαραὼ καὶ πάσης τῆς ἐκ δαιμόνων καὶ πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων, συμπληρουμένης δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ ωσπερ εὐτελεστάτην κόνιν ἐκτινάσσοντος αὐτοὺς εἰς αὐτὴν τοῦ θεοῦ. 1201 Ps 135,17-22 Τυγχάνοντας περὶ τὸ ἀπατᾶν δεινοὺς τῷ σοφιστικῶς παρεσκευᾶσθαι, ἐπεὶ ̓Αμορραῖοι ἑρμηνεύονται λαλητοὶ ητοι παραπικραίνοντες καὶ ὁ τούτων βασιλεὺς Σηὼν πειρασμὸς η παροργισμός, τίνας δὲ αλλους παραπικραίνοντας καὶ λαλητοὺς ἡγεῖσθαι ἐχρῆν η τοὺς διὰ σοφιστικῶν λόγων παραπικραίνοντας τοὺς τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθροὺς καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ πρὸς τὸ ἀπατᾶν παρασκευῇ λαλεῖσθαι καὶ βεβοῆσθαι θέλοντας καὶ πειράζειν καὶ παροργίζειν σκοπὸν εχοντας; ̓Αλλὰ καὶ ἐπεὶ Βασὰν αἰσχύνη ἑρμηνεύεται σύμβολον ουσα τῆς καταισχυνούσης τοὺς πράττοντας κακίας, ἀκολούθως καὶ ὁ ταύτης βασιλεὺς Ωγ σὺν τῷ Σηὼν βασιλεῖ τῶν ̓Αμορραίων πατάσσεται καὶ ἀποκταίνεται, οπως δοθῇ τῷ ̓Ισραὴλ ἡ γῆ αὐτῶν, ην κακῶς ἐκράτουν σοφιστικῶς καὶ μετὰ μοχθηρᾶς εξεως περὶ τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων διατρίβοντες φύσιν δοκοῦντες βασιλεύειν αὐτῆς· ἀλλὰ ἀφαιρεθεῖσα αὐτῶν ἡ ἑρμηνευομένη γῆ αὐτῶν εἰς κατάσχεσιν τῷ ̓Ισραὴλ δίδοται ἐπὶ τῷ κληρονομεῖν αὐτήν, δοῦλος γνήσιος τοῦ πάντων αἰτίου τυγχάνων. 1202 Ps 135,23.24 Καὶ ταπεινωθέντων δὲ ἡμῶν δι' ἀτυφίαν, μνημονεύει ἡμῶν καὶ λυτροῦται ἡμᾶς.

1203 Ps 137,2 Γίνεταί μοι ἡ ἐξομολόγησις ἐπὶ τῷ ἐλέει σου καὶ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ

σου, ἐπείπερ πολλάκις ἐλεηθεὶς καὶ θεωρήσας τὴν φωτισθεῖσάν μοι παρὰ σοῦ ἀλήθειαν ἐρρύσθην πάσης κακίας καὶ τῆς συγγενοῦς αὐτῆς ἀπάτης, τοῦ ἐλέους σου αφεσίν μοι ἁμαρτημάτων παρέχοντος, τῆς δὲ ἀληθείας σου ἐκτός με πλάνης πάσης ποιούσης. ἀλλ' ἐπείπερ τὸ δοθέν μοι παρὰ σοῦ λόγιον ἐμεγάλυνας ἐξαρτήσας αὐτὸ τῆς σῆς προσηγορίας ὡς σὸν χρηματίσαι λόγιον, προσκυνήσω πρὸς ναὸν τὸν αγιόν σου καὶ ἐξομολογήσομαι τῷ ὀνόματί σου, χάριν ὁμολογῶν ἐπὶ τῷ μεγαλύνεσθαί μοι τὸ λόγιόν σου· τότε γὰρ μεγαλύνεταί μοι, οταν προκόπτων κατ' αὐτὸ ἐπὶ τὸ τελειωθῆναι ἐπείγομαι. 1204 Ps 137,2δ Φέρεται καὶ ἑτέρα γραφὴ λέγουσα Οτι ἐμεγάλυνας ἐπὶ πάντας τὸ ονομα τὸ αγιόν σου. πότε δὲ πληροῦται τοῦτο, η οταν ἐν