[519-38.] But the next point to which I will apply myself is the words found in the Book of Genesis that were spoken by God, when he was about to bring the flood in the days of Noah, «My spirit shall not dwell among those men forever, because they are flesh; but their days shall be 120 years» . You ask how it is that, when a space of 120 years had been granted, he is seen to have carried out the same threat after 100 years, and flooded the whole earth together. For Noah was 500 years old on the day on which he granted him the space; and the divine Scripture said, «And the waters of the flood came upon the earth in the 600th year of the life of Noah, in the 2nd month on the 27th day of the month» . Upon this, being directed to the truth by the divine Scripture itself, we say that the term of 120 years was given in mercifulness, in order that those who were living an evil life might change for the better in fear of the threat. But they came to the utmost limit of wickedness, and treated the divine long-suffering with contempt, and accordingly God brought the punishment immediately; not as if he did not know what was to happen, but to show by the long term the abundance of his own long-suffering, and to establish also the greatness of those men's wickedness, who so much increased their impiety, and went down to the very end and bottom of wickedness, so as to call the sentence quickly down upon them. Therefore he further also said to the righteous Noah, «The end of all flesh hath come in before me, because the earth hath been filled with iniquity by them» . For it is his custom to change his own sentences in the direction of fury and goodness according to our change, either towards wickedness or towards virtue. And this he stated plainly through Jeremiah the prophet: «If I speak a determination against a people or against a kingdom to root it out and destroy it, and that people turn from their evil deeds, I will repent concerning the evil things which I spake to do to them. And, if I speak a determination against a people and against a kingdom, that it be built and planted, and they do evil deeds before me, and hearken not to my voice, I will repent concerning the good things which I spake to do to them» . And that these things are so is laid down by the very wise John also who became bishop of Constantinople, when he is interpreting the 104th Psalm and writing thus, and contending as against the Jews, who adduced the promises to their fathers: «But, if the Jew argues against these things, and holds to the promise that was made to them, I learn that many such promises were indeed made in the Old Testament also. He promised to give the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates, and did not give it. He promised Adam to lay the fear and dread of him upon the animals, and the promise was not brought to completion. He promised that the life of men should be 120 years, and he brought the punishment before the term. And in the opposite cases the same things are to be seen. He threatened Hezekiah with death, and turned it away. He threatened the Ninevites with overthrow, and dispelled the wrath, showing that neither good things nor painful things depend on him only, but also on the recipients. For, if he threaten something grievous, and those who receive the threat change, they repel the wrath from them. But, if he promise something good, and they show themselves to be unworthy, they will be deprived. Therefore he says, ' I will speak a determination against a people and against a kingdom, to build and to plant', but, 'if he says 'they are seen to be unworthy, I will not bring these things'. Let them not therefore bring God's promises before us, but let them show if they were seen to be worthy of these. But they cannot show it: therefore they passed to others. For we nowhere find that they are able to show that the words 'In thy seed shall all the nations be blessed' 'were fulfilled of them» . It is the same difficulty and elucidation to which the words' also relate which the holy Cyril wrote in the 12th book of the commentary on the Gospel of John, as follows: «But, because , though he often promised to do many things at the fitting time, he nevertheless did them even before the time appointed, for the purpose of persuading us, in order that we may truly believe that even under all circumstances the things said by him will come to effect, we will show from the following. He promised to raise the dead, and to bring back to life those who are laid in the earth and dust. For, 'there cometh', he saith, 'an hour, wherein the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of man and come forth, they that have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but they that have done evil deeds to the resurrection of judgment'. And that he will easily make this good, and will hasten to persuade he taught by saying, ' I am the resurrection and the life'. And, because he would not make the greatness of the thing that the dead should rise at that time so to speak incredible, for a useful purpose the time of the resurrection is hastened and he shows the sign in that he raised Lazarus and the widow's son, and Jairus' daughter. And what else besides these things? He says that the resurrection of the saints shall be something exceedingly glorious. 'Then', he says, 'the righteous shall shine in their Father's kingdom', that he may again be believed as one who speaks truly, in that he saw the disciples beforehand and gave the sight of this . For 'he took Peter and James and John, and went up into a mountain, and was transfigured before them; and his face shone as lightning, and his raiment became white as snow'» . But in the above-mentioned commentary on the 104th Psalm we find the holy John bishop of Constantinople solving the point in Exodus that seemed doubtful; and the point that seemed doubtful is, you said, as follows: «How is it that, after Moses had turned all the water in Egypt into blood, Scripture said that the magicians were able to show the same sign against that? For, since all the water had been changed, how was it possible for pure water to be found in which these men were to show the sign?» Some have said that it was possible for sea-water to come, since the sea was not at a great distance, in order that they might change this by magic skill; while others have said that it is not incredible that Moses himself, after the change to blood, turned the water back to its own appearance and nature, in order that the magicians might show their own skill on the other side. But the wise doctor John, since he understood the divine power as is right and in very discerning1 fashion, said that, as in the case of the darkness the Egyptians had that darkness, while the sons of Israel had light, and, as in the matter of the herds, and in the case of the yoke-animals when they died, those belonging to the Israelites remained unharmed, and, in the case of the plague of hail, where the sons of Israel were in the land of Goshen no hail fell, in the same way you should understand as regards all the plagues too, among which that change from water to blood was also included, and it must be believed that in the land of Goshen, and where the sons of Israel were, the water remained for the sons of Israel in its own nature without change, in which it was possible for the magicians to show the performances of their own skill. Among the words uttered by the doctor is contained the following passage by way of summary: «' He sent darkness and made it dark' ; and it was a very glorious fact that, while the ray shone everywhere, in, Egypt darkness appeared; and there not throughout, but only where the Egyptians were. For, lest any one should say that what happened was an eclipse , that is a disappearance of the moon, nor the course of nature, the Hebrews who were living in the same country with them were not affected by this plague, a thing which happened in the other plagues». After a similar manner Gregory also bishop of Nyssa, who was great in the knowledge of divine things, in the treatise which he composed about virtue said these things: he said: «For then all the nature of the waters in Egypt was in accordance with Moses' command turned to blood, and the fish were destroyed, because the water was converted to fleshlike density; but the Hebrews, when they drew the blood, had water . Therefore there arose an occasion for the display of skill, that with the water found among the Hebrews they might in a defective manner contrive to produce the appearance of blood» . The words used in the 1st Book of Kingdoms to Ahimelech the priest by the holy David, «Is the journey itself also profane? because it will be hallowed to-day by means of my implements», if it is very carefully and clearly read, is seen to be much plainer than the sun, and to be free from all obscurity. David asked for bread to eat; and the priest answered and said, «There are no profane loaves under my hands; but there are holy loaves. If the slaves have refrained, at least from a woman, they shall eat». And David answered and said, «But we have kept away from a woman since yesterday, and since the third day. Since I set out on the journey, all the slaves have been pure». And, these things having been so stated first, what follows should be read as a question, «Is the journey itself also profane?» ; and thereupon the addition will give the reason for which the journey is not profane; and the addition runs, «Because it will be hallowed to-day by means of my implements», that is to say, 'Will anyone call the same journey a profane thing, a journey which has been hallowed by means of my implements?', viz 'by means of my armour, and the burden of my implements, and by my going to war'. And from this it is manifest that, inasmuch as the slaves were accustomed to carry his implements and arms, when he went out to war, they were purified. And, that slaves again used to march after generals or commanders, as armour-bearers, this is manifest from many instances; for the present from the end of the Ist Book of Kingdoms, in which it is stated that Saul said to his weapon-carrier, «Draw thy sword and transfix me with it» . And towards the end of the 2nd book he says, in the numeration and reckoning of the generals or commanders of the divine David. «Naharai the Berothite, weapon-carrier of Joab the son of Zeruiah» . This then is what David here said, «Even the slaves themselves are pure, because they are weaponbearers»; and this now when he had fled from Saul, and was not carrying arms. Wherefore also he asked the priest saying, «See if there be here under thine hand a spear or a sword, because I did not take my sword and my weapons in mine hand, because the king's word was pressing» . And from what is here stated especially it is manifest that those who went out for the purpose of being ranged in order of battle were purified. And this is very clearly recognised also from the commandments given in Deuteronomy; for he says: «If thou go out against thine enemies, keep thyself from every evil action. And, if there be among thee a man who is not pure from his discharge at night, he shall go outside the camp and shall not' come into the camp. And it shall be that towards evening he shall bathe his body in water, and, when the sun hath set, he shall go into the camp. And thou shalt have a place outside the camp, and he shall go out there without. And thou shall have a peg on thy loins, and it shalt be that, when thou sittest outside, thou shalt dig with it, and shalt turn and hide thy shame with it; because the Lord thy God walketh in thy camp, to rescue thee, and to deliver thine enemies into thine hands; and thy camp shall be holy; and the shame of an act shall not be seen in thee and shall turn away from thee» . And in the 2nd Book of Kingdoms Uriah too also manifests this same sentiment. When he had returned from the lines, and was about to go to them, David ordered him to go down to his own house after supper; and he answered and said, «If the ark and Israel and Judah dwell in tents, and my lord Joab and my lord's bondmen are encamped upon the face of the field, shall even I go into mine house and eat and drink and sleep with my wife? how? As my soul liveth, I will not do this thing» . These are the conclusions at which we for our part have arrived on the questions that were presented to me by your saintliness according to the capacity that our meanness possesses.