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having said: Great is the heaven, and great is the sun, because it turns in the circle of the heaven, and returns to its own place in one day. These things, then, are according to the physical contemplation. But the preceding things prophesy the power of the evangelical theophany; and how through it the multitudes of the nations came to know God, and the abysses were troubled, and the aforementioned clouds gave a voice, and so that his arrows passed through, and how the voice of his thunder was in the wheel; and over all these things how his lightnings shone upon the world. What would you call his lightnings but the shining gifts of the Holy Spirit flashing throughout the whole world? For there are divisions of gifts, but the same Spirit. And to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge, and to another faith, and the rest; which, being exceptional gifts of God, flash and illuminate his Church. Your way is in the sea and your paths in many waters, and your footsteps will not be known. Following what was given, the earth was shaken and trembled. For instead of "and was trembling," according to all the interpreters, "and was shaken" is said. And so the earth was shaken, as is said in the Gospels, And when the Savior entered into Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken, saying, Who is this? For as those who inhabit the city were indicated by the place, in the same way now the oracle says that those who inhabit the earth were shaken and trembled. Therefore every ear has been moved by the evangelical preaching proclaimed as a testimony to all the nations. Accordingly, the earth was shaken and trembled, or was shaken because of the things said before. For if his lightnings shone upon the world, the voice of his thunder resounded in the wheel, if his arrows passed through to all, if the clouds gave their voice, it was consistent that from all these things the earth should be shaken and tremble. But how his way was in the sea, and his paths in many waters, and how his footsteps are not known, you will know by paying attention to his promise to his disciples which said: Go, make disciples of all nations in my name; and, Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. For invisibly, being with his disciples everywhere on earth, he walked in the sea of life and in the many waters of the nations; and he did this with an invisible and unseen power; therefore it has been said: And your footsteps will not be known. These things, then, were fulfilled according to the salvific theophany; So these things, it says, happened at his coming among men, according to the changing of the right hand of the Most High; just as also of old with the former people, when having led them out of the land of Egypt, he led them through the sea; for then also, showing his virtues, he made a way and paths in many waters, so that all Israel followed him as he went before 23.901 in the passage of the sea, and his passage was unknown and incomprehensible to men, when he also led his people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Another, then, will refer all the preceding things to the exodus from Egypt, saying that then was fulfilled, The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you, and were afraid, the abysses were troubled, the great sound of water; and he will refer the whole pericope accordingly to the history that took place then; but I, not finding how the things said next were fulfilled according to the letter; for the law of Moses does not mention that some clouds at that time gave a voice physically, nor that perceptible arrows passed through, nor that his lightnings shone upon the whole world, at the time they were in the desert, I have set forth the interpretation that came to mind for these passages. But which of the stated interpretations one should choose, the reader will know by divine judgment.
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εἰρηκώς· Μέγας ὁ οὐρανὸς, καὶ μέγας ὁ ἥλιος, ὅτι στρέφεται ἐν τῷ κύκλῳ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἐπανέρχεται εἰς τὸν ἴδιον τόπον ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν κατὰ φυσικὴν θεωρίαν. Τὰ δὲ προκείμενα θεσπίζει τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς θεοφανείας τὴν δύναμιν· καὶ ὡς δι' αὐτῆς τὰ πλήθη μὲν τῶν ἐθνῶν τὸν Θεὸν ἐπέγνω, αἱ δὲ ἄβυσσοι ἐταράχθησαν, αἱ δὲ προλεχθεῖσαι νεφέλαι ἔδωκαν φωνὴν, καὶ ὥστε τὰ βέλη αὐτοῦ διεπορεύθη, καὶ ὡς φωνὴ τῆς βροντῆς αὐτοῦ γέγονεν ἐν τῷ τροχῷ· καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσι τούτοις ὡς ἔφαναν αἱ ἀστραπαὶ αὐτοῦ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ. Τίνας δ' ἂν εἴποις τὰς ἀστραπὰς αὐτοῦ ἢ τὰ φέγγη τῶν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος χαρισμάτων τὰ ἀστράπτοντα καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης; ∆ιαιρέσεις γὰρ χαρισμάτων εἰσὶ, τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα. Καὶ ᾧ μὲν διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος δίδοται λόγος σοφίας, καὶ ἄλλῳ λόγος γνώσεως, καὶ ἄλλῳ πίστις, καὶ τὰ λοιπά· ἅτινα, ἐξαίρετα ὄντα τοῦ Θεοῦ χαρίσματα, ἐξαστράπτει καὶ καταλάμπει τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν αὐτοῦ. Ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἡ ὁδός σου καὶ αἱ τρίβοι σου ἐν ὕδασι πολλοῖς, καὶ τὰ ἴχνη σου οὐ γνωσθήσονται. Ἀκολούθως τοῖς ἀποδεδομένοις ἐσαλεύθη καὶ ἐσείσθη ἡ γῆ. Ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ, καὶ ἔντρομος, κατὰ πάντας τοὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς, καὶ ἐσείσθη εἴρηται. Οὕτω δὲ ἐσείσθη ἡ γῆ, ὡς εἴρηται ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις, Καὶ εἰσελθόντος τοῦ Σωτῆρος εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ἐσείσθη πᾶσα ἡ πόλις λέγουσα· Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος; Ὡς γὰρ οἱ τὴν πόλιν οἰκοῦντες ἐδηλοῦντο διὰ τοῦ τόπου, κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ νῦν τοὺς τὴν γῆν οἰκοῦντας κλονηθῆναί φησι καὶ σεισθῆναι τὸ λόγιον. ∆ιὸ πᾶσα ἀκοὴ κεκίνηται ἐκ τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ κηρύγματος εἰς μαρτύριον πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι κεκηρυγμένου. Ἀκολούθως δὲ ἐσαλεύθη καὶ ἐσείσθη ἡ γῆ, ἢ ἐκλονήθη διὰ τὰ ἔμπροσθεν λελεγμένα. Εἰ γὰρ ἔφαναν αἱ ἀστραπαὶ αὐτοῦ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ, ἡ φωνὴ τῆς βροντῆς αὐτοῦ ἐξήχησεν ἐν τῷ τροχῷ, εἰ τὰ βέλη αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πάντας διαπορεύηται, εἰ αἱ νεφέλαι τὴν αὐτῶν ἔδωκαν φωνὴν, ἀκόλουθον ἦν ἐκ τούτων ἁπάντων κλονηθῆναι καὶ σαλευθῆναι τὴν γῆν. Ὅπως δὲ ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτοῦ γέγονε, καὶ αἱ τρίβοι αὐτοῦ ἐν ὕδασι πολλοῖς, καὶ ὡς τὰ ἴχνη αὐτοῦ οὐ γινώσκεται, εἴσῃ ἐπιστήσας τῇ πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς ἐπαγγελίᾳ αὐτοῦ φησάσῃ· Πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου· καὶ, Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ἀοράτως γὰρ ἁπανταχοῦ τῆς γῆς συνὼν τοῖς αὐτοῦ μαθηταῖς ἐν τῇ τοῦ βίου θαλάσσῃ καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν ὕδασιν ἐπορεύετο· καὶ τοῦτ' ἔπραττεν ἀοράτῳ καὶ ἀφανεῖ δυνάμει· διὸ λέλεκται· Καὶ τὰ ἴχνη σου οὐ γνωσθήσονται. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπληροῦτο κατὰ τὴν σωτήριον θεοφάνειαν· Οὕτω δὲ ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἐγίνετο ἐπὶ τῆς εἰς ἀνθρώπους παρουσίας αὐτοῦ, κατὰ τὴν ἀλλοίωσιν τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ Ὑψίστου· ὥσπερ καὶ πάλαι ἐπὶ τοῦ προτέρου λαοῦ ὁπηνίκα ἐξαγαγὼν αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου διήγαγε διὰ τῆς θαλάσσης· καὶ τότε γὰρ δεικνὺς τὰς ἀρετὰς αὐτοῦ ὁδὸν ἐποίει καὶ τρίβους ἐν ὕδασι πολλοῖς, ὡς προηγουμένῳ αὐτῷ ἐπακολουθεῖν 23.901 ἐν τῇ πορείᾳ τῆς θαλάσσης τὸν πάντα Ἰσραὴλ, ἄγνωστόν τε εἶναι καὶ ἀκατάληπτον ἀνθρώποις τὴν πορείαν αὐτοῦ, ὅτε καὶ ὡδήγησεν ὡς πρόβατα τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν χειρὶ Μωϋσῆ καὶ Ἀαρών. Ἄλλος μὲν οὖν τὰ προκείμενα ἅπαντα ἐπὶ τὴν ἔξοδον τὴν ἀπ' Αἰγύπτου ἀνοίσει, τότε πεπληρῶσθαι φάσκων τὸ, Εἴδοσάν σε ὕδατα, ὁ Θεὸς, εἴδοσάν σε ὕδατα, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν, ἐταράχθησαν ἄβυσσοι, πλῆθος ἤχους ὕδατος· πᾶσάν τε τὴν περικοπὴν ἀκολούθως ἐπὶ τὴν τότε πραχθεῖσαν ἱστορίαν ἀναπέμψει· ἐγὼ δὲ, μὴ εὑρὼν ὅπως τὰ ἑξῆς εἰρημένα κατὰ τὴν λέξιν ἐπληροῦτο· οὐ γὰρ μέμνηται ὁ Μωϋσέως νόμος, ὡς νεφέλαι τινὲς κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον φωνὴν ἔδωκαν σωματικῶς, οὐδὲ ὡς βέλη αἰσθητὰ διεπορεύετο, οὐδὲ ὡς ὅλῃ οἰκουμένῃ ἔφαναν αἱ ἀστραπαὶ αὐτοῦ, καθ' ὃν χρόνον ἦσαν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, τὴν ὑποπεσοῦσαν εἰς τοὺς τόπους ἑρμηνείαν παρεθέμην. Ὁποίαν δὲ χρὴ τῶν εἰρημένων ἐκδοχῶν αἱρεῖσθαι θείᾳ κρίσει ὁ ἐντυγχάνων εἴσεται.