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of the spirit. For the spirit of the flesh would be such as is also in irrational animals, which is 23.925 a spirit that goes forth and does not return. The Apostle calls it by its proper name, the mind of the flesh, in what he says: For the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace. Thus those who are accused became flesh from loving the body; so that about them it would most rightly be said: Man, being in honor, did not understand; he is compared to the senseless beasts, and is like them. How often did they provoke him in the wilderness, and anger him in the waterless land! And they turned back and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember his hand, the day when he redeemed them from the hand of the oppressor. How he set his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanis. He turned their rivers into blood, and their rain waters, so that they could not drink. He sent the dog-fly among them, and it devoured them; and the frog, and it destroyed them. And he gave their fruit to the blight, and their labors to the locust. And he killed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost. And he gave over their cattle to the hail, and their possessions to the fire. After all that has been said, they remained provoking, that is, making God bitter for themselves, who is by nature kind and good and sweet, but is considered bitter by those worthy of punishment. These, therefore, in the wilderness angered him, drawing his wrath upon themselves. And again they turned back and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel. And they did all these things, not calling to mind the wondrous powers shown to them long ago; at which time, redeeming them from the hand of the oppressor Pharaoh, he freed them from the dominion of the Egyptians, variously tormenting their enemies in the field of Tanis; in which first occurred the change of the river into blood, being such for the Egyptians, but not for those being helped. Whence also their rain waters, or according to Aquila, their streams, or according to Symmachus, their currents, were changed into blood. For every body of water suffered the same things as the river. But of these things the accused made no remembrance, nor did they pay attention to the plague of the dog-fly against the Egyptians, nor to the scourge of the frogs, nor to that of the blight; nor how because of them the Egyptians were punished, being given over to locust, and hail, and frost, and fire. But having experience of these things by deeds, they became forgetful of all of them. Therefore according to Symmachus it is said: They did not remember his hand, the day in which he delivered them from the oppressor; who performed his signs and his wonders in Egypt, in the field of Tanis; who changed their rivers into blood, and their streams, so that they might not drink; who sent the dog-fly upon them to 23.928 eat them, and the frog to destroy them; who gave their produce to the mildew, and their labors to the locust; who killed their vine with hail and their sycamores with the worm; who gave over their cattle to pestilence, and their possessions to birds of prey. Instead of "to the blight," Symmachus likewise translated it "to the mildew," and Aquila "to the cankerworm"; and again, instead of "with frost," Symmachus rendered it "with the worm," and Aquila "in cold." But these things, which were passed over in silence by Moses, the present passage taught. And it seems that the blight and the mildew itself are what is called gnats by Moses. For while the Writing of Moses mentions ten plagues, the present account mentioned that of the blood, and of the frogs, and of the dog-fly, and of the locust, and of the hail, and
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πνεύματος. Τό γέ τοι τῆς σαρκὸς πνεῦμα τοιοῦτον ἂν εἴη, οἷον καὶ τὸ ἐν τοῖς ἀλόγοις ζώοις, ὅπερ ἐστὶ 23.925 πνεῦμα πορευόμενον καὶ οὐκ ἐπιστρέφον. Ὀνομάζει δὲ αὐτὸ οἰκείῳ ὀνόματι ὁ Ἀπόστολος, φρόνημα σαρκὸς, ἐν οἷς φησι· Τὸ γὰρ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς ἔχθρα εἰς Θεόν· τῷ γὰρ νόμῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐχ ὑποτάσσεται, οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναται· τὸ δὲ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος ζωὴ καὶ εἰρήνη. Οὕτω δὲ σάρκες οἱ κατηγορούμενοι γεγόνεισαν ἐκ τοῦ φιλοσωματεῖν· ὡς καὶ περὶ αὐτῶν δικαιότατα ἂν εἰρῆσθαι τό· Ἄνθρωπος ἐν τιμῇ ὢν οὐ συνῆκε, παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις, καὶ ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς. Ποσάκις παρεπίκραναν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, παρώργισαν αὐτὸν ἐν γῇ ἀνύδρῳ! Καὶ ἐπέστρεψαν καὶ ἐπείρασαν τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ τὸν Ἅγιον τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ παρώξυναν. Οὐκ ἐμνήσθησαν τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ, ἡμέρας ἧς ἐλυτρώσατο αὐτοὺς ἐκ χειρὸς θλίβοντος. Ὡς ἔθετο ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ τὰ σημεῖα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ τέρατα αὐτοῦ ἐν πεδίῳ Τάνεως. Μετέστρεψεν εἰς αἷμα τοὺς ποταμοὺς αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ ὀμβρήματα αὐτῶν ὅπως μὴ πίωσιν. Ἐξαπέστειλεν εἰς αὐτοὺς κυνόμυιαν καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ βάτραχον καὶ διέφθειρεν αὐτούς. Καὶ ἔδωκε τῇ ἐρυσίβῃ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῶν, καὶ τοὺς πόνους αὐτῶν τῇ ἀκρίδι. Καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν ἐν χαλάζῃ τὴν ἄμπελον αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰς συκαμίνους αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ πάχνῃ. Καὶ παρέδωκεν εἰς χάλαζαν τὰ κτήνη αὐτῶν, καὶ τὴν ὕπαρξιν αὐτῶν τῷ πυρί. Μετὰ τὰ προλεχθέντα πάντα παρέμενον παραπικραίνοντες, τουτέστι πικρὸν ἑαυτοῖς τὸν Θεὸν καθιστῶντες, χρηστὸν ὄντα τῇ φύσει καὶ ἀγαθὸν καὶ γλυκὺν, τοῖς δὲ τιμωρίας ἀξίοις πικρὸν νομιζόμενον. Οὗτοι γοῦν οἱ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ παρώργισαν αὐτὸν, ἑαυτοῖς τὴν ὀργὴν ἐπισπώμενοι. Καὶ πάλιν ἐπέστρεφον καὶ ἐπείραζον τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ τὸν Ἅγιον τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ παρώξυνον. Καὶ ταῦτα πάντα διέπραττον μὴ ἀναλαμβάνοντες τῇ μνήμῃ τὰς πάλαι δειχθείσας αὐτοῖς παραδόξους δυνάμεις· καθ' ὃν καιρὸν λυτρούμενος αὐτοὺς ἐκ χειρὸς θλίβοντος τοῦ Φαραὼ, ἠλευθέρου τῆς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων δυναστείας, διαφόρως τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτῶν αἰκιζόμενος ἐν τῷ Τάνεως πεδίῳ· ἐν ᾧ πρῶτον ἐγίγνετο ἡ τοῦ ποταμοῦ εἰς αἷμα μεταβολὴ, Αἰγυπτίοις οὖσα τοιαύτη, οὐ μὴν καὶ τοῖς βοηθουμένοις. Ὅθεν καὶ τὰ ὀμβρήματα αὐτῶν, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, αἱ κατάῤῥοιαι αὐτῶν, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, τὰ ῥεῖθρα αὐτῶν, μετεβάλλετο εἰς αἷμα. Πᾶσα γὰρ σύστασις ὑδάτων τὰ ὅμοια τῷ ποταμῷ ἔπασχεν. Ἀλλὰ τούτων οὐδεμίαν ἐποιοῦντο μνήμην οἱ κατηγορούμενοι, οὐδὲ τῇ διὰ τῆς κυνομυίας κατ' Αἰγυπτίων πληγῇ προσεῖχον τὸν νοῦν, οὐδὲ τῇ διὰ τῶν βατράχων μάστιγι, οὐδὲ τῇ διὰ τῆς ἐρυσίβης· ἀλλ' οὐδ' ὅπως δι' αὐτοὺς οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ἀκρίδι καὶ χαλάζῃ, καὶ πάχνῃ καὶ πυρὶ παραδοθέντες ἐκολάζοντο. Τούτων δ' ἔργοις τὴν πεῖραν εἰληφότες, ἀμνήμονες ἁπάντων ἐγίγνοντο. ∆ιὸ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον εἴρηται· Οὐκ ἀνεμιμνήσκοντο τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, τὴν ἡμέραν ἐν ᾗ ἐῤῥύσατο αὐτοὺς ἐκ τοῦ θλίβοντος· τοῦ ποιήσαντος τὰ σημεῖα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ τέρατα αὐτοῦ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, ἐν πεδίῳ Τάνεως· τοῦ μεταβαλόντος εἰς αἷμα τοὺς ποταμοὺς αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ ῥεῖθρα αὐτῶν, ἵνα μὴ πίωσι· τοῦ ἐπιπέμψαντος αὐτοῖς κυνόμυιαν φα 23.928 γεῖν αὐτοὺς, καὶ βάτραχον διαφθεῖραι αὐτούς· τοῦ δόντος τῷ μυζήτῃ τὰ γεννήματα αὐτῶν, καὶ τοὺς κόπους αὐτῶν τῇ ἀκρίδι· τοῦ ἀποκτείναντος ἐν χαλάζῃ τὴν ἄμπελον αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς συκομόρους αὐτῶν ἐν σκώληκι· τοῦ ἐκδόντος λοιμῷ τὰ κτήνη αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ κτήματα αὐτῶν οἰωνοῖς. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, τῇ ἐρυσίβῃ, ὁ μὲν Σύμμαχος ὁμοίως τῷ μυζήτῃ, ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας τῷ βρούχῳ, ἡρμήνευσε· καὶ πάλιν ἀντὶ τοῦ, τῇ πάχνῃ, ὁ μὲν Σύμμαχος τῷ σκώληκι, ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας ἐν κρύει, ἐκδεδώκασι. Σεσιωπημένα δὲ ταῦτα παρὰ Μωσεῖ τὸ παρὸν λόγιον ἐδίδαξεν. Ἔοικε δὲ ἡ ἐρυσίβη καὶ ὁ μυζήτης αὐτὸς εἶναι ὁ παρὰ Μωσεῖ κεκλημένος κνίψ. Τῆς γὰρ Μωσέως Γραφῆς μνημονευούσης δέκα πληγῶν, ὁ παρὼν λόγος τοῦ αἵματος ἐμνημόνευσε καὶ τῶν βατράχων καὶ τῆς κυνομυίας καὶ τῆς ἀκρίδος καὶ τῆς χαλάζης, καὶ