325

the Lord, and His wrath was kindled; and fire from the Lord was kindled among them, and consumed part of the camp. And the people cried to Moses; and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire ceased. And the name of that place was called Burning, because fire from the Lord was kindled among them. Therefore also in what follows it is said: And fire was kindled in Jacob, and wrath went up against Israel, because they did not believe in God, nor did they hope in His salvation. And He commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven. And He rained manna upon them to eat, and gave them the bread of heaven. Man ate the bread of angels. But the phrase, He commanded the clouds from above, seems to me to hint that a command was given to the angelic powers, which were then ministering for the wonders, through which also the manna was supplied to the people. And from this we are also taught that the angelic powers are called clouds, as also in the prophet who says: And I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it; so that the clouds are to be understood as the angels, just as also here. And it was likely that the plagues against the Egyptians were carried out through evil powers, according to the word that says: He sent upon them wrath and anger, affliction and a sending through evil angels; but that the better things happened through favorable and propitious angels. Therefore it is said: And He commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven. And by the doors of heaven being opened, understand the heavenly actions. For all the things wondrously done by God were divine and heavenly; which indeed were also closed to men, when they did not happen; but when they happened wondrously, it was as if He opened certain heavenly doors to them. But instead of, Man ate the bread of angels, Aquila translated, A man ate the bread of the mighty, and Symmachus, And He provided them with heavenly wheat, man ate the bread of the great. And observe how the Hebrew language does not contain the phrase, Bread of angels; but either according to Aquila, bread of the mighty; or according to Symmachus, bread of the great; or according to Theodotion, bread of the mighty; or according to the fifth edition, bread of the mighty. But of angels, no one has translated. Since the Hebrew does not have this sense either, so that no one may think that the angelic powers also use tangible food. And our Savior and Lord in the Gospels also rebukes those who think that the manna supplied to the people in the desert was the food of angels; for this reason He said: Truly, truly, I say to you; Moses did not give you the true bread from heaven; and again: Your fathers ate the manna in the desert, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. If, then, He says, it was heavenly bread, which it is likely the ang 23.920 els use, those who partook of the bread in the desert would not have died; but now since it was not heavenly, nor was it truly the bread of angels, for this reason they died. But this is truly heavenly bread, of which he who partakes would never die. And who this was, He teaches, saying: For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world; and He presents Himself, saying: I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst; and again: I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of My bread, he will live forever. Therefore the angelic powers also reap eternal life from partaking of the Word. For only the only-begotten Word of God happens to be the nourishment of every rational being. Wherefore precisely the Hebrew reading in the preceding verses does not contain the phrase, Man ate the bread of angels. He sent them provisions to the full. He removed the south wind from heaven, and by His power He brought in the southwest wind. And He rained flesh upon them as dust, and

325

Κύριος, καὶ ἐθυμώθη ὀργὴ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐξεκαύθη ἐν αὐτοῖς πῦρ παρὰ Κυρίου, καὶ κατέφαγε μέρος τῆς παρεμβολῆς. Καὶ ἐκέκραξεν ὁ λαὸς πρὸς Μωσῆν· καὶ ηὔξατο Μωσῆς πρὸς Κύριον, καὶ ἐκόπασε τὸ πῦρ. Καὶ ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου Ἐμπυρισμός, ὅτι ἐξεκαύθη ἐν αὐτοῖς πῦρ παρὰ Κυρίου. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐν τῷ μετὰ χεῖρας εἴρηται· Καὶ ἀνήφθη πῦρ ἐν Ἰακὼβ, καὶ ὀργὴ ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν ἐν τῷ Θεῷ, οὐδὲ ἤλπισαν ἐπὶ τὸ σωτήριον αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐνετείλατο νεφέλαις ὑπεράνωθεν, καὶ θύρας οὐρανοῦ ἀνέῳξε. Καὶ ἔβρεξεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς μάννα φαγεῖν, καὶ ἄρτον οὐρανοῦ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς. Ἄρτον ἀγγέλων ἔφαγεν ἄνθρωπος. Τὸ δὲ, Ἐνετείλατο νεφέλαις ὑπεράνωθεν, αἰνίττεσθαί μοι δοκεῖ πρόσταγμα δεδόσθαι ἀγγελικαῖς δυνάμεσι, ταῖς εἰς τὰ παράδοξα τότε διακονουμέναις, δι' ὧν καὶ τὸ μάννα ἐχορηγεῖτο τῷ λαῷ. ∆ιδασκόμεθα δὲ καὶ ἐντεῦθεν, ὡς ἄρα νεφέλαι αἱ ἀγγελικαὶ δυνάμεις κέκληνται, ὡς καὶ ἐν τῷ φάσκοντι προφήτῃ· Καὶ ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐντελοῦμαι τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι εἰς αὐτὸν ὑετόν· ὥστε τοὺς ἀγγέλους νοεῖσθαι τὰς νεφέλας, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Καὶ εἰκός γε ἦν διὰ μὲν πονηρῶν δυνάμεων τὰς κατ' Αἰγυπτίων ἐπιτελεῖσθαι πληγὰς κατὰ τὸν φάσκοντα λόγον· Ἀπέστειλεν εἰς αὐτοὺς ὀργὴν καὶ θυμὸν, θλίψιν καὶ ἀποστολὴν δι' ἀγγέλων πονηρῶν· τὰ δὲ χρηστότερα δι' αἰσίων καὶ δεξιῶν ἀγγέλων γεγενῆσθαι. ∆ιὸ λέλεκται· Καὶ ἐνετείλατο νεφέλαις ὑπεράνωθεν, καὶ θύρας οὐρανοῦ ἀνέῳξε. Θύρας δὲ οὐρανοῦ ἀνοιγνυμένας τὰς οὐρανίους νόει πράξεις. Πάντα γὰρ τὰ παραδόξως ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ πεπραγμένα θεῖα καὶ οὐράνια ἦν· ἃ δὴ καὶ ἀνθρώποις ἀποκέκλειστο, ὅτε μὴ ἐγίγνετο· ὅτε δὲ παραδόξως ἐγίγνετο, ὥσπερ θύρας τινὰς οὐρανίους ἀνέῳγεν αὐτοῖς. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Ἄρτον ἀγγέλων ἔφαγεν ἄνθρωπος, ὁ Ἀκύλας, Ἄρτον δυναστῶν ἔφαγεν ἀνὴρ, ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Καὶ πυρὸν οὐράνιον παρέσχεν αὐτοῖς, ἄρτον μεγάλων ἔφαγεν ἄνθρωπος. Καὶ τήρει ὅπως ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ φωνὴ οὐ περιέχει τὸ, Ἄρτον ἀγγέλων· ἀλλ' ἤτοι κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, ἄρτον δυναστῶν· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, ἄρτον μεγάλων· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Θεοδοτίωνα, ἄρτον δυναστῶν· ἢ κατὰ τὴν πέμπτην ἔκδοσιν, ἄρτον δυναστῶν. Ἀγγέλων δὲ, οὐδεὶς ἡρμήνευσεν. Ἐπεὶ μηδὲ τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, ἵνα μή τις νομίσῃ καὶ τὰς ἀγγελικὰς δυνάμεις αἰσθητῇ χρῆσθαι τροφῇ. Μέμφεται δὲ καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις τοῖς νομίζουσιν, ὅτι ἀγγέλων ἦν τροφὴ τὸ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ χορηγηθὲν τῷ λαῷ μάννα· διὸ ἔλεγεν· Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν· οὐ Μωσῆς δέδωκεν ὑμῖν τὸν ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸν ἀληθινόν· καὶ πάλιν· Οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν ἔφαγον ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τὸ μάννα, καὶ ἀπέθανον. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβαίνων, ἵνα τις ἐξ αὐτοῦ φάγῃ καὶ μὴ ἀποθνήσκῃ. Εἰ μὲν οὖν, φησὶν, οὐράνιος ἦν ἄρτος, ᾧ χρῆσθαι τοὺς ἀγγέ 23.920 λους εἰκὸς, οὐδ' ἂν ἀπέθανον οἱ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ μετασχόντες ἄρτου· νῦν δὲ ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἦν οὐράνιος, οὐδὲ ἦν ἀληθῶς ἄρτος ἀγγέλων, διὰ τοῦτο ἀπέθανον. Οὗτος δέ ἐστιν ἀληθῶς οὐράνιος ἄρτος, οὗ ὁ μεταλαβὼν οὐκ ἂν ἀποθάνοι ποτέ. Καὶ τίς οὗτος ἦν διδάσκει λέγων· Ὁ γὰρ ἄρτος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν ὁ καταβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ζωὴν διδοὺς τῷ κόσμῳ· παρίστησί τε αὐτὸν λέγων· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς· ὁ ἐρχόμενος πρὸς μὲ οὐ μὴ πεινάσει, καὶ ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, οὐ μὴ διψήσει πώποτε· καὶ αὖθις· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς. Ἐάν τις φάγῃ ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ ἄρτου, ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Οὐκοῦν καὶ αἱ ἀγγελικαὶ δυνάμεις ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Λόγου μεταλήψεως αἰώνιον ζωὴν καρποῦνται. Μόνος γὰρ ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος πάσης λογικῆς οὐσίας θρεπτικὸς τυγχάνει. ∆ιόπερ ἀκριβῶς ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ ἀνάγνωσις ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις οὐ περιέχει τὸ, Ἄρτον ἀγγέλων ἔφαγεν ἄνθρωπος. Ἐπισιτισμὸν ἀπέστειλεν αὐτοῖς εἰς πλησμονήν. Ἀπῆρεν Νότον ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἐπήγαγεν ἐν τῇ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ Λίβα. Καὶ ἔβρεξεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ὡσεὶ χοῦν σάρκας, καὶ