V. 24. et 25., interpretari Panem Angelo-

rum Panem ab Angelis paratum, seu An- gelorum ministerio a Coslo demissum ; Hugonem autem Cardinalem Panem An- gelorum exponere : quia ille cibus hoc effi- ciebat in Judceis, quod in Angelis efjicit cibus illorum, pro parte ; Angeli enim non incurrunt injirmitatem. Voluerunt enim expositores Hebrxi, ut etiam asseverat Josephus, quod Judcei in Deserto vescentes manna, nec senescerent, nec cegrotarent, nec lassarentur ; proinde ilia esset tan- quam panis, quo vescuntur Angeli, qui nec senio, nec cegritudine, nec lassitudine tin- quam laborant.
93. Istas quidem expositiones recipere cequum est , utpote tantorum Doctorum aucthoritate suffultas. Facessit tamen dif- ficultatem , quod ministerio Angelorum
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anacephalasosis, or summing up of all the benefits conferred by God on the Hebrew People from the exodus from Egypt to the days of David, and the Manna of the Wild- erness is spoken of in it ; how, and in what sense is it styled the Bread of Angels ? that is the question.
92. I am aware that others look upon the Bread of Angels as bread prepared by Angels, or sent down from Heaven by the ministry of Angels. But Cardinal Hugo explains that qualification by saying that that food partly produced the same effect upon the Jews, which the food of Angels produces upon the latter. Angels, in fact, are not liable to any infirmity ; on the other hand Hebrew commentators, and Jo- sephus himself, assert that whilst in the Wilderness, living upon Manna, the Jews neither grew old, nor sickened, nor tired ; so that Manna was like unto the bread that Angels feed upon, who know neither old age, nor sickness, nor fatigue.
93. These interpretations should indeed be received with the respect due to the au- thority of such eminent Doctors. There is however one difficulty in this : that, by the
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Hebrceis non minus parata fuere columna nubis, et ignis, coturnices, et aqua de petra, cquam manna; nec tamen ista dicta fuere columna, aqua, ant potus Angelorum. Cur ergo potius vocari deberet manna, quia parata ministerio Angelorum, Panis An- gelorutn, quam Potus Angelorum aqua eorumdem ministerio saxo educta? Insu- per in sacra Scriptura panis dum dicitur panis alicujus, dicitur panis ejus qui illo vescitur, non ejus qui ilium parat, aut fa- bricat, et de hoc injinita habemus exempla in sacra Scriptura : ut Exod. c. 23. v. 25. Bcnedicam panibus tuis,^et aquis ; lib. 2. Reg. c. 12.V. 3. De pane illius comedens; Tob. c. 4, V. 17. Panem tuum cum ege- nis comede; et v. 18. Panem tuum super sepulturam Justi constitue; Ecclesiast. c. II. V. I. Mitte panem tuum super tran- seuntes aquas; Isai. c. 58. v. 7. Frange esurienti panem tuum ; Jercm. c. 11. v. 19. Mittamus lignum in panem ejus; Maith. c. i5. V. 26. Nonest bonum sumere pa- nem filiorum; Luc. c. 11. v. 3. Panem nostrum quotidianuni. Ex quibus locis patenter habetur, quod panis dicitur ejus qui eo vescitur, non vero, qui ipsum confi- cit, affert, aut parat. Commode igitur in loco citato Psalmi accipi potest Panis An- gelorum, cibus quo vescuntur Angeli non
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ministry of Angels, the pillars of the cloud and fire, the quails, and the water from the rock were provided for the Hebrews, no less than the Manna ; and yet they were not styled the pillar, the water or the bev- erage of Angels. Why therefore should Manna be called Bread of Angels, because provided by their ministry, when the qual- ification Beverage of Angels is not given to the water drawn from the rock likewise by their ministry? Besides, in Holy Scrip- ture, when it is said of bread that it is the bread of somebody, it is always the bread of him who feeds on it, not of him who pro- vides or makes it. Of this there are num- berless instances : thus, Exodus, ch. 23,