OT § 42
Theophany, Elevation Vespers
Chapter 15
So Moses brought up the children of Israel from the Red Sea, and brought them into the wilderness of Sur; and they went three days in he wilderness, and found no water to drink.
᾿Εξῇρε δὲ Μωυσῆς τοὺς υἱοὺς ᾿Ισραὴλ ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἐρυθρᾶς καὶ ἤγαγεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν ἔρημον Σούρ· καὶ ἐπορεύοντο τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ οὐχ ηὕρισκον ὕδωρ ὥστε πιεῖν.
Поѧ́тъ же мѡѷсе́й сы́ны і҆и҃лєвы ѿ мо́рѧ чермна́гѡ и҆ ведѐ и҆̀хъ въ пꙋсты́ню сꙋ́ръ: и҆ и҆дѧ́хꙋ трѝ дни̑ въ пꙋсты́ни, и҆ не ѡ҆брѣта́хꙋ воды̀ пи́ти.
and they came to Merrha, and could not drink of Merrha, for it was bitter; therefore he named the name of that place, Bitterness.
ἦλθον δὲ εἰς Μερρᾶ καὶ οὐκ ἠδύναντο πιεῖν ἐκ Μερρᾶς, πικρὸν γὰρ ἦν· διὰ τοῦτο ἐπωνόμασε τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου Πικρία.
Прїидо́ша же въ ме́ррꙋ, и҆ не можа́хꙋ пи́ти воды̀ ѿ ме́рры, горька́ бо бѣ̀: сегѡ̀ ра́ди нарече́сѧ и҆́мѧ мѣ́стꙋ томꙋ̀ го́ресть.
And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
καὶ διεγόγγυζεν ὁ λαὸς ἐπὶ Μωυσῇ λέγοντες· τί πιόμεθα;
И҆ ропта́хꙋ лю́дїе на мѡѷсе́а, глаго́люще: что̀ пїе́мъ;
and said, If thou wilt indeed hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and do things pleasing before him, and wilt hearken to his commands, and keep all his ordinances, no disease which I have brought upon the Egyptians will I bring upon thee, for I am the Lord thy God that heals thee.
καὶ εἶπεν· ἐὰν ἀκοῇ ἀκούσῃς τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου καὶ τὰ ἀρεστὰ ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ ποιήσῃς καὶ ἐνωτίσῃ ταῖς ἐντολαῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ φυλάξῃς πάντα τὰ δικαιώματα αὐτοῦ, πᾶσαν νόσον, ἣν ἐπήγαγον τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις, οὐκ ἐπάξω ἐπὶ σέ· ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου ὁ ἰώμενός σε.
и҆ речѐ: а҆́ще слꙋ́хомъ ᲂу҆слы́шиши гла́съ гдⷭ҇а бг҃а твоегѡ̀, и҆ ᲂу҆гѡ́днаѧ пред̾ ни́мъ сотвори́ши, и҆ внꙋши́ши за́повѣдемъ є҆гѡ̀, и҆ сохрани́ши всѧ̑ ѡ҆правда̑нїѧ є҆гѡ̀: всѧ́кꙋ болѣ́знь, ю҆́же наведо́хъ є҆гѵ́птѧнѡмъ, не наведꙋ̀ на тѧ̀: а҆́зъ бо є҆́смь гдⷭ҇ь бг҃ъ тво́й и҆сцѣлѧ́ѧй тѧ̀.
And they came to Aelim, and there were there twelve fountains of water, and seventy stems of palm-trees; and they encamped there by the waters.
Καὶ ἤλθοσαν εἰς Αἰλείμ, καὶ ἦσαν ἐκεῖ δώδεκα πηγαὶ ὑδάτων καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα στελέχη φοινίκων· παρενέβαλον δὲ ἐκεῖ παρὰ τὰ ὕδατα.
И҆ прїидо́ша во є҆лі́мъ, и҆ бѧ́хꙋ та́мѡ двана́десѧть и҆сто́чникѡвъ во́дъ, и҆ се́дмьдесѧтъ сте́блїй фі́нїковыхъ: и҆ ѡ҆полчи́шасѧ та́мѡ при вода́хъ.
When the people of God went out from Egypt, their sixth resting place, in which "there were twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees," was called Elim (that is, "of rams"), so that both by its name and by its appearance it might contain the figure of the apostles and the apostolic men.
On the Tabernacle 2.4Again, you can multiply the four cardinal virtues by the three theological, and then there are twelve: for prudence must be faithful, trusting, and loving; and so it is with the others. And they are represented by the twelve springs, the twelve gems in the High Priest's vestment, and the twelve doors of the City. First, the twelve springs, for as they flow into each other, they make the soul clean. Second, the twelve gems, for they adorn the soul with all the virtues carried in the heart, as these gems were carried on the High Priest's chest. Third, the twelve doors, in so far as they lead in: for in the east, there is the sincerity of temperance; in the south, the serenity of prudence; in the north, the stability of constancy; and in the west, the sweetness of justice.
Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 7They arrived at a place called Elim, where there were twelve very pure springs of water and a multitude of seventy flourishing palm trees. See the mystery of God—how, after the bitterness of the law, the richness of gospel piety abounds. There the one spring is harsh to drink, but here the many are all sweet to imbibe. Once there was no refreshment after weariness, but now there is refreshment after labor. For springs are at the disposal of the thirsty, and palms are offered to victors. Palms are offered to victors, I say, because after the hardness of the law it is a victory to have arrived at the grace of the gospel. For part of the victor's reward is to moisten his mouth from a flowing spring and to take the triumphal palm in his hand. With the spring the confessor's tongue is purified, and with the palm the martyr's hand is honored—the former because it has praised the glory of Christ, the latter because it has refused the altar of sacrilege.
SERMON 68.2Chapter 16
And they departed from Aelim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Aelim and Sina; and on the fifteenth day, in the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt,
ΑΠῌΡΑΝ δὲ ἐξ Αἰλεὶμ καὶ ἤλθοσαν πᾶσα συναγωγὴ υἱῶν ᾿Ισραὴλ εἰς τὴν ἔρημον Σίν, ὅ ἐστιν ἀνὰ μέσον Αἰλεὶμ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον Σινά. τῇ δὲ πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τῷ μηνὶ τῷ δευτέρῳ ἐξεληλυθότων αὐτῶν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου,
Воздвиго́шасѧ же ѿ є҆лі́ма, и҆ прїи́де ве́сь со́нмъ сынѡ́въ і҆и҃левыхъ въ пꙋсты́ню сі́нъ, ꙗ҆́же є҆́сть междꙋ̀ є҆лі́момъ и҆ междꙋ̀ сі́ною. Въ пѧ́тый же на́десѧть де́нь втора́гѡ мцⷭ҇а и҆зше́дшымъ и҆̀мъ ѿ землѝ є҆гѵ́петскїѧ,
And Moses cried to the Lord, and the Lord shewed him a tree, and he cast it into the water, and the water was sweetened: there he established to him ordinances and judgments, and there he proved him,
ἐβόησε δὲ Μωυσῆς πρὸς Κύριον, καὶ ἔδειξεν αὐτῷ Κύριος ξύλον, καὶ ἐνέβαλεν αὐτὸ εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ ἐγλυκάνθη τὸ ὕδωρ. ἐκεῖ ἔθετο αὐτῷ δικαιώματα καὶ κρίσεις καὶ ἐκεῖ αὐτὸν ἐπείρασε.
Возопи́ же мѡѷсе́й ко гдⷭ҇ꙋ, и҆ показа̀ є҆мꙋ̀ гдⷭ҇ь дре́во, и҆ вложѝ є҆̀ въ во́дꙋ, и҆ ᲂу҆слади́сѧ вода̀: та́мѡ положѝ є҆мꙋ̀ ѡ҆правда̑нїѧ и҆ сꙋдьбы̑, и҆ та́мѡ є҆го̀ и҆скꙋсѝ,
Marah was a fountain of most bitter water. Moses cast wood into it and it became sweet. For water without the preaching of the cross of the Lord is of no avail for future salvation. But after it has been consecrated by the mystery of the saving cross, it is made suitable for the use of the spiritual laver and of the cup of salvation. As then Moses, that is, the prophet, cast wood into that fountain, so too the priest utters over this font the proclamation of the Lord's cross, and the water is made sweet for the purpose of grace.
On the Mysteries 3.14As wood sweetens Marah so that seventy palm trees are watered by its streams, so the cross makes the waters of the law lifegiving to the seventy who are Christ's apostles.
LETTER 69.6In this mystical number, I say, the children of Israel, arriving at Marah and being unable to draw the water because of its bitterness (for the well had water but no sweetness, and it was pleasing to the eye but polluted to the taste), drank water that became sweet and mild as soon as wood was thrown into it by Moses. The sacrament of the wood removed the harshness that the noxious water bore. I believe that this happened as a sign, for I think that the bitter water of Marah is the Old Testament law, which was harsh before it was tempered by the Lord's cross.
SERMON 67.4Again, water is restored from its defect to its native grace of "sweetness" by the tree of Moses. That tree was Christ, restoring of himself the veins of what had been envenomed and bitter nature into the all-salutary waters of baptism.
ON BAPTISM 9.2