Philoxenus of Mabbug

In his own words on Exodus

• Exodus 14:14

  But fear thou not, neither be thou afraid, for instead of Moses, Jesus is with thee, for like as Moses clave to the congregation, even so also doth Christ cleave to thy soul, and He saith unto thy tortured and afflicted mind that which was said by Moses to the Jews, "The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." Therefore thou shalt not be in fear as were the people, but thou shalt rouse up, and watch like Moses, and cry out to the Lord even as he cried out. Therefore do thou in thy thoughts repeat the words of Moses, "The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace"; and as the Hebrews passed over with Moses, even so shall all thy triumphs pass over with thee.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 9 -- Second Discourse on Poverty

• Exodus 14:15

  Moses prayed the whole night with much crying out and suffering, and at the morning watch the Lord said to him, "Why criest thou before Me? Incline thy hand over the sea, and divide it, and the Hebrews shall pass over it, but the Egyptians shall be drowned therein." Now all the things which happened at that time are a type of those which shall be done unto thee. And enemies, that is, evil devils, shall gather together and crowd against thy soul, even as the Egyptians who pursued after the Jews were gathered together and crowded upon them; but as Moses forsook the fear of the Egyptians and turned himself unto prayer and unto crying out to God, do thou also forsake the anxieties and thoughts which devilish enemies make to rise up in thee. And stand thou up in earnest prayer, and cry out with deep feeling from the heart, and from the depth of the thoughts of the soul let the voice of thy cry rise up, and straightway that answer which was returned unto Moses shall also be spoken unto thee, "Why dost thou cry out before Me? Incline thy hand over the sea, and divide it"; and straightway thy afflictions will give way, and the covering which was set before thy face will be rolled up, and the terrible depths of affliction will give way, and the things which thou didst think could not be crossed over with the foot, thou shalt tread upon, and thou shalt pass over the depth thereof. And difficult things shall become easy for thee, and that wall, which is built in such a manner that thou didst think it could not be broken through, shall be immediately swept away from before thee, and thy prayer shall rend and pass over the abyss of all the wickedness which is gathered together and laid before thee.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 9 -- Second Discourse on Poverty

• Exodus 16:3

  The Jews ate flesh in the wilderness, and it is written concerning them that, "While the flesh was yet between their teeth the anger of God had dominion over them," not because they had eaten flesh, but because with lust they had asked to eat it. And in the place where they required flesh it is written that, "The people said to Moses, It was better for us when we were in Egypt, for we sat by the flesh pots, and did eat, and were filled with everything that our soul lusted for." Behold then, according to the word of Moses unto the Jews, every one that eateth in lust, rejecteth the Lord Who is in him, and he resteth upon his lust's desire.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence

• Exodus 16:20

  And thou must in another way understand that it is lust which is reprehensible, for every day, morning after morning, the people gathered the manna which came down, and so long as they gathered it according to the command they were not reprehended or condemned; but when they lusted to gather it in too great a quantity, it swarmed with worms and stank, to the shame of the lust which gathered it.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence

• Exodus 16:31

  And moreover when they ate it formerly, its taste was changed into that of all kinds of meats in their mouth, and it is well known that it also took the place of flesh unto them, for it is written, "It was like honey comb, and its taste was as if it had been kneaded in oil." And although it was changed into all these varieties of food the eaters thereof were not condemned thereby, for it was a gift of Grace, and not that which their lust had demanded.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence

• Exodus 20:13

  And God also gave the law by the hand of Moses, which was filled with many and divers commandments, and to all the commandments He linked fear, for without fear the commandments would not be kept. "Thou shalt do no murder", and "whosoever slayeth shall be slain;" for the sickness He ordained the medicine of fear, that it might not increase and grow strong in iniquity.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 6 -- First Discourse on the Fear of God

• Exodus 20:14

  "Thou shalt not commit adultery", and "whosoever committed adultery shall be slain;" and fear keepeth [this] commandment from being held in contempt. For by fear He checked them from doing wickedness to one another, and because He saw that they loved wickedness, He restrained them from their [evil] deed by the fear of the judgment. Where there is no love, it is fear that keepeth the commandments.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 6 -- First Discourse on the Fear of God

• Exodus 24:18

  And like this holy man the blessed Moses also was twice deemed worthy to go unto the thick darkness and to receive the law upon the tablets; and he was made pure by fasting like unto this, and then he was deemed worthy of the terrible sight.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence

• Exodus 32:4

  Now this is the first lust which conquered the world, and because of it the first transgression of the law took place. It destroyed the people in the wilderness by penalties of all kinds; from the table of lust they rose up and worshipped a dead calf. Incited thereby they were ungrateful for all the acts of grace which had been shewn unto them.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence

• Exodus 32:6

  Now this is the first lust which conquered the world, and because of it the first transgression of the law took place. It destroyed the people in the wilderness by penalties of all kinds; from the table of lust they rose up and worshipped a dead calf. Incited thereby they were ungrateful for all the acts of grace which had been shewn unto them.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence

• Exodus 32:6

  And together with the testimony of the Word we may also see from the fact itself how they came to offer praises before the calf in the wilderness, "The people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play;" until food had entered in blasphemies did not go forth, and until wine had been poured into them they were not clothed with the fornication which is against God.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 10 -- On Gluttony

• Exodus 32:28

  And that He might increase in them this fear, immediately, by the mouth of offence, the rod of His chastisement was revealed, and after the offence the Chastiser gave them no respite, because their servitude was not worthy of His longsuffering. Above their head the rod of justice hung continually, and immediately they committed sin they were chastened, and at the time of their offence they were beaten, and at the entrance of the path of their sins they forthwith received rebuke; for longsuffering teacheth the foolish servant contempt, and in order that that stupid nation, which in the manner of an evil-doing servant, sat in the house of God, might not [learn] contempt, the Chastiser took away longsuffering, especially when they went forth from Egypt. And we must also understand the object of that swift punishment in another way, and that there was not longsuffering as regardeth the correction of their sins; for God the Teacher took the people, like a child, from Egypt their nurse, that He might deliver unto them the doctrine of His knowledge, and might teach them the instruction of His wisdom. But the people, in their ignorance, when instruction had been delivered unto them, forgot it, and they never kept in remembrance the meditation of the commandments of God, and they were frequently punished with severity, so that, if it were only through fear of chastisement, they might lay hold upon the remembrance of instruction. The man who gathered sticks on the Sabbath day was stoned by all the congregation; and the earth opened and swallowed up others who were called by Moses, and who scorned him and came not; and fire went forth suddenly, and burnt up the bodies of others who thought lightly of his priestly office, and who sought honour for themselves; and others, who in the guise of paying honour, brought strange fire out of season, were burnt up by a tongue of fire which went forth from the tabernacle, and they perished; and others, because they asked for flesh and rejected the bread of angels, were tortured by the indigestion which came upon them; and others who went astray as concerning the calf, were pierced through by the swords of the Levites; and others, who were the cause of the revolt at the waters of trial were set apart for destruction; and others who murmured against the Lord perished by fiendish snakes; and likewise they all, because they strove against going into the land of promise, came to an end and were destroyed in the wilderness. To these offences, then, these punishments were united, and together with each act of wickedness a punishment straightway sprang up by its side, so that evil deeds might be suppressed by stripes, and sins by vengeance, and so that the people might be like a child who feareth the teacher who giveth him instruction, and that it might tremble before the Judge who would beat them like a wrongdoing slave.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 7 -- Second Discourse on the Fear of God

• Exodus 33:11

  "But the young man Joshua departed not from the tent, but was there continually in the service of Moses;" and he that was free from going out and coming in among the multitude was especially nigh unto simplicity. If cunning and wickedness are gathered together from conversation with the multitude, it is evident that simplicity and integrity can be acquired from being brought up to lead a life of silent contemplation, and the more a man increaseth his life of contemplation, the more his possession of simplicity groweth.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 4 -- On Faith: First Discourse on Simplicity

• Exodus 34:28

  And like this holy man the blessed Moses also was twice deemed worthy to go unto the thick darkness and to receive the law upon the tablets; and he was made pure by fasting like unto this, and then he was deemed worthy of the terrible sight.

  13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence