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he has shown through his own Scripture; but Asaph, being a prophet, teaches through the preceding words that in the plain of Tanis the wonders done in Egypt were accomplished through Moses. So then, he says again, proceeding through the following words: How he set his signs in Egypt and his wonders in the plain of Tanis. But why in the plain of Tanis? Because in this place demonic energy particularly prevailed; for at that time the demons established in Tanis were very powerful. Isaiah the prophet shows this in the vision of Egypt, saying: And the princes of Tanis will be fools, the wise counselors of the king, their counsel will be made foolish. How will you say to the king, We are sons of the wise, sons of kings from the beginning? Where are your wise men? Let them tell you, and let them say to you what the Lord has planned against Egypt. The princes of Tanis have failed, and the princes of Memphis are destroyed. And they were, it is likely, wicked demons, promising a certain wisdom through oracles and divinations, and in this becoming counselors of those who held power over the regions of Egypt. Perhaps also those who were addicted to the Egyptian sorceries, and who opposed Moses with their magic, were the princes of Tanis, and the wise counselors of the king? Wherefore it is reasonable that the present text teaches that the things done through Moses in Egypt happened in the plain of Tanis. He tore apart the sea and led them through, he made the waters stand up like a wineskin. The things done in Egypt itself he summarized in one word, saying: The wondrous things which he did in the land of Egypt, and adding what we did not know, in the plain of Tanis. And what the wondrous things were, the Scripture of Moses contains at length; but the present psalm 23.913 summarizes them in the following, saying: He turned their rivers into blood, and their rain-waters, so that they could not drink. He sent among them the dog-fly and it devoured them, and the things mentioned after these. These things, therefore, happened against the Egyptians in the plain of Tanis; which the text, passing over for the present, sets forth the benefactions to the people; how they passed through the sea, the waters having been divided into many parts; which is presented through the text that says: To him who divided the Red Sea into divisions, and led Israel through the midst of it. Indeed, the children of the Hebrews say that it was divided into twelve sections according to the number of the twelve tribes of the people; so that each tribe passed through separately, according to the path assigned to it. But as the waters stood apart, and dry land was formed in the middle, it followed that there was a holding together of the waters, so that they curved, being held together against each other and were raised up in the air itself and lifted on high, curving and suspended, and as if enclosed in the air like a wineskin; wherefore it is said: He made the waters stand up like a wineskin. And after so great a wonder, he guided them, it says, in a cloud by day, the cloud overshadowing and providing them cover, so that they would not be exhausted by the heat of the sun. And corresponding to the cloud of the day, a pillar of fire led them through the night, making a bright day for them; wherefore it is said, And all the night in a light of fire. After these things it is said: He tore apart a rock in, the wilderness, and gave them drink as from a great deep. But observe how here also he called the multitude of waters a deep. But instead of, he tore apart a rock, Aquila has rendered, he split rocks in the wilderness, having followed the Hebrew scripture, by which it is presented that it was not one rock that gushed forth the waters for them, but many. Whence the divine Apostle indicates, saying: For they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them; * and the rock was Christ; as the rock accompanied them everywhere, and was present at stations and at encampments and in every place. And having observed this you will also find it in the Scripture of Moses; for in the

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ἐδήλωσε διὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ Γραφῆς· ὁ δὲ Ἀσὰφ, προφήτης ὢν, διδάσκει διὰ τῶν προκειμένων, ὡς ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ Τάνεως τὰ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ πραχθέντα θαύματα διὰ Μωσέως ἐπετελέσθη. Λέγει δ' οὖν αὖθις προϊὼν διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς· Ὡς ἔθετο ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ τὰ σημεῖα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ τέρατα αὐτοῦ ἐν πεδίῳ Τάνεως. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ ἐν τῷ τῆς Τάνεως πεδίῳ; Ἐπειδήπερ ἐν τούτῳ μάλιστα τὰ τῆς δαιμονικῆς ἐνεργείας ἐπεκράτει· τότε πολλά τε ἴσχυον κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ οἱ ἐν τῇ Τάνει ἱδρυμένοι δαίμονες. Τοῦτο δὲ δηλοῖ Ἡσαΐας ὁ προφήτης ἐν τῇ ὁράσει τῆς Αἰγύπτου λέγων· Καὶ μωροὶ ἔσονται οἱ ἄρχοντες Τάνεως, οἱ σοφοὶ σύμβουλοι τοῦ βασιλέως, ἡ βουλὴ αὐτῶν μωρανθήσεται. Πῶς ἐρεῖτε τῷ βασιλεῖ, Υἱοὶ συνετῶν ἡμεῖς, υἱοὶ βασιλέων τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς; Ποῦ εἰσὶν οἱ σοφοί σου, καὶ ἀναγγειλάτωσάν σοι, καὶ εἰπάτωσάν σοι τί βεβούλευται Κύριος ἐπ' Αἴγυπτον; Ἐξέλιπον οἱ ἄρχοντες Τάνεως, καὶ ἀπώλοντο οἱ ἄρχοντες Μέμφεως. ∆αίμονες δὲ ἦσαν, ὡς εἰκὸς, πονηροὶ διὰ χρησμῶν καὶ μαντειῶν σοφίαν τινὰ ἐπαγγελλόμενοι, καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ τῶν κατὰ τόπους κρατούντων τῆς Αἰγύπτου σύμβουλοι γινόμενοι. Μήποτε δὲ καὶ οἱ ταῖς γοητείαις ταῖς Αἰγυπτιακαῖς προσανέχοντες, οἵ τε ἀντιστάντες Μωσεῖ ταῖς φαρμακείαις αὐτῶν, οἱ ἄρχοντες ἦσαν Τάνεως, καὶ οἱ σοφοὶ σύμβουλοι τοῦ βασιλέως; ∆ιόπερ εἰκότως ἐν πεδίῳ Τάνεως ὁ παρὼν λόγος διδάσκει πεπρᾶχθαι τὰ διὰ Μωσέως ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ γεγενημένα. ∆ιέῤῥηξε θάλασσαν καὶ διήγαγεν αὐτοὺς, παρέστησεν ὕδατα ὡσεὶ ἀσκόν. Τὰ μὲν ἐν αὐτῇ πεπραγμένα τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ διὰ μιᾶς ἐπετέμετο λέξεως εἰπών· Ἃ ἐποίησε θαυμάσια ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ προσθεὶς ὅπερ οὐκ ᾔδειμεν, ἐν πεδίῳ Τάνεως. Τίνα δὲ ἦν τὰ θαυμάσια, εἰς πλάτος μὲν ἡ Μωσέως περιέχει Γραφή· ἐπιτέμνεται δὲ ταῦτα ὁ παρὼν ψαλμὸς 23.913 ἐν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα λέγων· Μετέστρεψεν εἰς αἷμα τοὺς ποταμοὺς αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ ὀμβρήματα ὅπως μὴ πίωσιν. Ἐξαπέστειλεν εἰς αὐτοὺς κοινόμυιαν καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἐπιλεγόμενα. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν κατ' Αἰγυπτίων ἐγίνετο ἐν πεδίῳ Τάνεως· ἃ δὴ παρελθὼν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ὁ λόγος, τὰς εἰς τὸν λαὸν εὐεργεσίας προτάττει· ὡς διῆλθον τὴν θάλασσαν, εἰς πολλὰ μέρη διαιρεθέντων τῶν ὑδάτων· ὃ δὴ παρίσταται διὰ τοῦ φάσκοντος λόγου· Τῷ καταδιελόντι τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν εἰς διαιρέσεις, καὶ διαγαγόντι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ διὰ μέσου αὐτῆς. Φασὶ γοῦν Ἑβραίων παῖδες εἰς ιβʹ τμήματα διῃρῆσθαι αὐτὴν κατ' ἀριθμὸν τῶν ιβʹ φυλῶν τοῦ λαοῦ· ὥστε ἀφωρισμένως ἑκάστην διελθεῖν φυλὴν, κατὰ τὴν ἀπονεμηθεῖσαν αὐτῇ πορείαν. ∆ιισταμένων δὲ τῶν ὑδάτων, καὶ ξηρᾶς γῆς ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ συνισταμένης, ἀκόλουθον ἦν συνοχὴν γίνεσθαι τῶν ὑδάτων, ὡς κυρτοῦσθαι αὐτὰ συνεχόμενα πρὸς ἄλληλα καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ἀέρι ἐπαίρεσθαι καὶ ὑψοῦσθαι κυρτούμενα καὶ μετεωριζόμενα, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐν ἀσκῷ τῷ ἀέρι περικλειόμενα· διὸ λέλεκται· Παρέστησεν ὕδατα ὡσεὶ ἀσκόν. Μετὰ δὲ τὸ τηλικοῦτον θαῦμα, ὡδήγησεν αὐτοὺς, φησὶν, ἐν νεφέλῃ ἡμέρας, ἐπισκιαζούσης καὶ σκέπην αὐτοῖς παρεχούσης τῆς νεφέλης, ὡς ἂν μὴ ὑπὸ τοῦ φλογμοῦ τοῦ ἡλιακοῦ καταπονοῖντο. Καταλλήλως δὲ τῇ τῆς ἡμέρας νεφέλῃ, στύλος πυρὸς διὰ τῆς νυκτὸς προῆγεν αὐτοὺς, ἡμέραν αὐτοῖς φωτεινὴν ἀπεργαζόμενος· διὸ λέλεκται, Καὶ ὅλην τὴν νύκτα ἐν φωτισμῷ πυρός. Ἐπὶ τούτοις λέγεται· ∆ιέῤῥηξε πέτραν ἐν, τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καὶ ἐπότισεν αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐν ἀβύσσῳ πολλῇ. Τήρει δὲ ὅπως καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ὑδάτων ἄβυσσον ὠνόμασεν. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, διέῤῥηξε πέτραν, ὁ Ἀκύλας, ἔσχισε πέτρους ἐν ἐρήμῳ, ἐξέδωκε, δουλεύσας τῇ Ἑβραϊκῇ γραφῇ, δι' ἧς παρίσταται, ὡς οὐ μία πέτρα ἦν ἡ ἀναβλύσασα αὐτοῖς τὰ ὕδατα, ἀλλὰ πολλαί. Ὅθεν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος ἐπισημαίνεται λέγων· Ἔπινον γὰρ ἐκ πνευματικῆς ἀκολουθούσης αὐτοὺς * πέτρας· ἡ πέτρα δὲ ἦν ὁ Χριστός· ὡς ἁπανταχοῦ παρεπομένης αὐτοὺς πέτρας, καὶ κατὰ σταθμοὺς καὶ κατὰ μονὰς καὶ κατὰ πάντα τόπον παρούσης. Ἐπιτηρήσας δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῇ Μωσέως εὑρήσεις Γραφῇ· ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῇ