Commentaria in Exodum
I say the same of the second and third signs, namely of the water turned into blood, and of the frogs produced by the magicians: that both the blood and the frogs were not produced by the demon, but brought from elsewhere. For naturally true blood cannot be generated elsewhere than in an animal, nor otherwise than by virtue of the soul, and by the natural heat which is in the animal. But Moses supernaturally, by the power of God, turned water into blood, and suddenly produced frogs out of the waters. Hence these Hebrew magicians are called mecassephim, that is, conjurers, not as to the thing produced, or rather brought, but as to the manner of working. For they seemed to turn a rod into a dragon, when in fact they did not turn it, but brought a dragon from elsewhere, and secretly substituted it for the rod.
Thou wilt ask, why did God permit the magicians to work these wonders?
I answer first, to show how much magic art can do, and how it imposes upon the senses of men. Secondly, that in these wonders the magicians might be overcome by Moses, and Moses not be thought a magician, but rather appear the antagonist, victor and subduer of the magicians, and consequently the true and great servant and Prophet of the great God: so St. Chrysostom, hom. 46 on the Acts of the Apostles. Thirdly, to show that the impious are always adverse and opposed to the pious, false prophets to prophets: so Lucifer resisted Michael, Cain Abel, Ismael Isaac, Esau Jacob, the brothers Joseph, Dathan and Abiron Moses, Simon Magus St. Peter, the Jews Paul, philosophers, magicians and heretics the Apostles. Fourthly, to show that the demon is as it were the ape of God; for as God, so the demon, the rival of God, wishes to have his prophets, his temples, his sacrifices, his miracles, his Religious. Fifthly, to prove the faith and constancy of Moses and the Hebrews, whether through these signs of the magicians they would waver and doubt in the worship of the true God and His promises made to them.
Sixthly, for the greater blinding and punishment of Pharao. Finally the demon was permitted to make a serpent, because he is the old serpent who deceived Eve, and still deceives many. Hear St. Cyprian, tract. on the Simplicity of Clerics: “The devil is a serpent, because he creeps in secretly, because, deceiving under the image of peace, he crawls by hidden approaches (whence he has the name of serpent); such is his cunning, such the blind and lurking fallacy of circumventing man; that he seems to assert night for day, poison for health, despair under the pretext of hope, perfidy under the pretext of faith, Antichrist under the name of Christ: so that, while he feigns things like the truth, he may frustrate truth by subtlety. For he transforms himself into an angel of light.” So far Cyprian, or rather Origen. For that this tract is Origen’s, and was turned from Greek into Latin by Cyprian or another of that age, Pamelius teaches in the preface to that book, both from the phrase and Graecisms and from the authority of several Doctors. And St. Gregory, book 32 Moral. chap. 30: “The devil,” he says, “is called a beast of burden, a dragon and a bird; for he tempts men with three vices: lust, malice and pride. In those therefore whom he excites to lust, he is a beast of burden; to malice of hurting, he is a dragon; to pride, he is a bird.” And St. Leo, serm. 8 On the Nativity: The devil is a crafty serpent: because “he knows to whom to apply the heat of covetousness, to whom to bring the allurements of gluttony, to whom to set the incitements of lust, into whom to pour the venom of envy. He knows whom to disturb with sorrow, whom to deceive with joy, whom to oppress with fear, whom to seduce with admiration; he examines the habit of all, weighs their cares, searches their affections: and there seeks the causes of harming, where he sees each more earnestly occupied.”
BUT AARON’S ROD DEVOURED THEIR RODS.—“The rod,” that is, the serpent into which the rod had been turned, “devoured the rods,” that is, the serpents or dragons into which their rods had been turned. For it was now not a rod but a serpent; and not rods but serpents have a mouth with which to devour other things; it is a metonymy: for things are often named from what they were, or by the name of the thing from which they were changed. So Philo, St. Augustine, Prosper above, Ambrose book 3 Offices chap. 14, Cajetan and others.
In a like but stronger way (whatever Calvin here clamour), the flesh of Christ in the Venerable Sacrament is called bread, 1 Cor. chap. 11, verse 26, and John chap. 6, verse 34 [Vulg. 6:34]. For the Hebrews call any food, even flesh, bread; especially since in the Eucharist the accidents of bread remain and are seen, so that men judging by eyes and sense rightly name it bread, because they see and touch the species of bread.
Hence it is plain that God permitted the magicians to work such wonders to this end, that His victory might be the more illustrious, that is, that of the true God against the gods, or rather demons, of the Egyptians; for with a true miracle He overcame their false ones.
Note here: God is wont to disclose, or give sufficient indications of, the fraud and imposture when magicians, heretics or unbelievers work wonders which they sell as miracles. For this belongs to God’s providence and care which He has about men, especially the faithful and good, that they be not led unwillingly and unknowingly into error. Pharao therefore was here inexcusable.
Thou wilt ask, by what ways God is wont to discern true miracles from false. Eight ways:
Theodoret assigns three signs and differences in these magicians. First: “They indeed,” he says, “turned rods into serpents, but the rod of Moses devoured their rods: they turned water into blood, but could not restore the blood to its former nature: they produced frogs, but could not take away the trouble and inconvenience of the frogs from the Egyptians, as Moses did. God therefore granted the magicians to do such things, that even by them He might chastise the Egyptians: yet He did not grant them to be able to take away the plague inflicted. God therefore was not content with the plagues inflicted by Moses, but increased them through the magicians, as if to say to the king: Since it pleases thee to be punished, I will chastise thee also by the work of thine own servants, and will strike more heavily.”
Second: “When He saw the king thereby more hardened, He restrained the power of the magicians, so that they who had produced larger animals, namely frogs, could not produce small sciniphs, and forced them to confess their weakness, and to say: This is the finger of God,” chap. 8, verse 19.
Third: “He afflicted the bodies of the magicians with boils, chap. 9, verse 11, so that both they and their foolish king might plainly know that they could not only not take away the plagues sent by God, but were themselves smitten with the rest.” So far Theodoret.
Fourth, to these St. Augustine adds, Quest. 79 of the 83, that true miracles are rightly discerned from false by right, that is, by the authority and power by which they are done: “Magicians,” he says, “work wonders by private dealings with the demon, but the Saints do them by public administration, and by the command of Him to whom every creature is subject. Magicians therefore work by private contracts, the Saints by public justice.”
Add fifth, those who work true miracles are, for the most part, faithful, upright and holy; but those who work false ones are wicked, flagitious and often evil-doers.
Sixth, what the magicians do is often only phantastic and feigned, and therefore not lasting, but their falsity and vanity is soon detected; or it is plainly useless, nay even pernicious: but true miracles are true and solid works, useful to men, and done only for some great utility or necessity.
Seventh, magicians in their works use many illusions, lies, mockeries of men, and various signs and figures, e.g. letters and words signifying nothing or absurdities, and other superstitious ceremonies, and mix sacred things with profane, and so profane and contaminate them: the Saints do nothing of the kind, but work miracles by prayers, the sign of the cross and other sacred things.
Eighth, magicians and demons work wonders for an evil end, as for gain, vain show, glory or honour, to win to themselves divine name and worship; or to pervert the true faith and persuade men of the false; or to perpetrate evil deeds and crimes, such as thefts, adulteries, killing of men and animals: but the Saints do them to honour and glorify God, and to edify and make illustrious the holy Church, and to help men both in body and more in mind and spirit. “Magicians,” says St. Augustine above, “do what seem miracles, seeking their own glory: but the Saints do miracles, seeking the glory of God.” These magicians therefore brought forth their signs for the sake of vain ostentation; Aaron, for the sake of just vengeance and rebuke. For Pharao knew that he was unjustly oppressing the Hebrews, and so justly felt the avenging hand of God. The magicians therefore did their signs by secret charm and rite, which showed sufficiently what prince was invoked: Aaron by the command of God and a public lifting of hands, commanding the waters and other things as in the name of God; and that He was the true God could easily be known, both because nature teaches that the first being, or being of beings from which all being flows, which the name Jeheva always put forward by Moses in his signs signifies, is God Himself; and because from the history of former ages they could easily know that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, etc., worshipped the true God, and were always wonderfully helped by Him; and the same God Moses here invoked as the God of his fathers.