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so also these things are in verses, so to speak, being two hundred and more. 3. And in many other holy books we have found, sometimes more lying in our copies than in the Hebrews', and sometimes less. For the sake of an example, since it is not possible to include everything, we will set out a few 11.53 things. For example, from Esther, neither the prayer of Mordecai, nor that of Esther, which are able to edify the reader, are found among the Hebrews; but neither are the letters; but neither is the one written to Haman for the destruction of the Jewish nation, nor the one of Mordecai in the name of Artaxerxes releasing the nation from death. But also from Job, the parts from: "But it is written that he will rise again, with those whom the Lord raises up," to the end, are not found among the Hebrews; wherefore neither are they in Aquila; but in the Septuagint and Theodotion there are things equivalent to one another. And we found countless other things in Job, both a little and a lot more in our copies than in those of the Jews, a little, for instance, when "rising up in the morning he offered sacrifices for them, according to their number," the part: "one calf for a sin offering for their souls." 11.56 And when "the angels of God came to present themselves before God, and the devil came with them," the part: "Having gone around the earth and walked up and down in it." Furthermore, after "The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away," the part: "As it seemed good to the Lord, so it came to pass," was not in the Hebrew. And there is more in our copies than in the Hebrew when his wife said to Job, from: "How long will you hold out, saying: 'Behold, I wait a little longer, awaiting the hope of my salvation,'" up to: "that I may rest from my toils and my pains, which now encompass me;" for only the words of the wife are recorded: "But say some word against the Lord, and die." And again, there are very many things throughout all of Job that are found in the Hebrew but not in our copies; and often four or three verses, and sometimes even fourteen and nineteen and sixteen. And why must I list the things which with much labor we have collected, so that the difference between the copies of the Jews and ours should not escape us? We have noted many such things also in Jeremiah, in which we also found much transposition and alteration of the wording of the prophecies. And in Genesis, the phrase "God saw that it was good," after the firmament was made, is not found in the Hebrew; and this is no small problem among them. And it is possible to find other things in Genesis, to which we have placed 11.57 signs, the ones called by the Greeks obeli, so that such a thing might be known to us; as again asterisks for those things that are present in the Hebrew, but not found in our copies. And what must I say about Exodus, where the parts about the tabernacle and its court, and the ark, and the garments of the high priest and of the priests, have been greatly altered, so that not even the meaning seems to be similar? Is it time then, if such things do not escape our notice, to set aside the copies used in the Churches, and to legislate for the brotherhood to put away the sacred books in their possession, and to flatter the Jews, and persuade them to give us the pure ones that have no forgery? Did Providence, then, which gave edification 11.60 to all the Churches of Christ in the holy Scriptures, not care for "those bought with a price, for whom Christ died;" whose Son being he whom "God," who is love, "did not spare," "but delivered him up for us all, that with him he might also freely give us all things?" In addition to these things, consider if it is not good to remember: "You shall not move the ancient landmark which your fathers have set." And I say these things not out of a reluctance to investigate the Scriptures according to the Jews, and to compare all of our versions with theirs, and to see the differences in them. If it is not burdensome to say so, we have done this to a great extent, as much as we were able, exercising our mind in all the editions and

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οὕτω καὶ ταῦτα ἐν ἔπεσιν, ὡς στοχασμῷ εἰπεῖν, τυγχάνοντα διακοσίοις καὶ πρός. γ. Καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις δὲ πολλοῖς ἁγίοις βιβλίοις εὕρομεν, πὴ μὲν πλείονα παρ' ἡμῖν κείμενα ἢ παρ' Ἑβραίοις, πὴ δὲ λείποντα. Παραδείγματος δὲ ἕνεκεν, ἐπεὶ μὴ πάντα οἷόν τέ ἐστι περιλαβεῖν, ὀλίγα ἐκθησό 11.53 μεθα. Οἷον ἐκ τῆς Ἐσθὴρ οὔτε ἡ τοῦ Μαρδοχαίου εὐχὴ, οὔτε ἡ τῆς Ἐσθὴρ, οἰκοδομῆσαι δυνάμεναι τὸν ἐντυγχάνοντα, παρ' Ἑβραίοις φέρονται· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αἱ ἐπιστολαί· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἡ τῷ Ἀμμὰν ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει τοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους γεγραμμένη, οὐδὲ ἡ τοῦ Μαρδοχαίου ἐξ ὀνόματος Ἀρταξέρξου ἀπολύουσα τοῦ θανάτου τὸ ἔθνος. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰὼβ, τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ· «Γέγραπται δὲ αὐτὸν πάλιν ἀναστήσεσθαι, μεθ' ὧν ὁ Κύριος ἀνίστησιν,» ἄχρι τέλους, οὐ κεῖται παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβραίοις· διόπερ οὐδὲ παρὰ τῷ Ἀκύλᾳ· παρὰ δὲ τοῖς Οʹ, καὶ Θεοδοτίωνι τὰ ἰσοδυναμοῦντα ἀλλήλοις. Καὶ ἄλλα δὲ μυρία εὕρομεν ἐν τῷ Ἰὼβ, καὶ κατ' ὀλίγον, καὶ ἐπὶ πλέον ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις ἀντιγράφοις, ἢ ἐν τοῖς παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις, κατ' ὀλίγον μὲν, ὅτε «ἀνιστάμενος τὸ πρωῒ προσέφερε περὶ αὐτῶν θυσίας, κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν αὐτῶν,» τό· «μόσχον ἕνα περὶ ἁμαρτίας περὶ τῶν ψυχῶν αὐτῶν.» 11.56 Καὶ ὅτε «ἦλθον οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ Θεοῦ παραστῆναι ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ὁ διάβολος ἦλθε μετ' αὐτῶν,» τό· «Περιελθὼν τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐμπεριπα- τήσας ἐν αὐτῇ.» Ἔτι δὲ οὐκ ἦν παρ' Ἑβραίοις μετὰ τό· Ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλετο· «Ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐγένετο.» Πλείονα δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις παρὰ τὰ Ἑβραϊκὰ, ὅτε εἶπε τῷ Ἰὼβ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ, ἀπὸ τοῦ· «Μέχρι τίνος καρ- τερήσεις; λέγων· Ἰδοὺ, ἀναμενῶ χρόνον ἔτι μικρὸν προσδεχόμενος τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς σωτηρίας μου,» ἕως τοῦ· «ἵνα ἀναπαύσωμαι τῶν μόχθων μου καὶ τῶν ὀδυνῶν, αἵ με νῦν συνέχουσι·» μόνον γὰρ τὰ ῥητὰ τῆς γυναικὸς ἀναγέγραπται· τό· «Ἀλλ' εἶπόν τι ῥῆμα πρὸς Κύριον, καὶ τελεύτα.» Πάλιν τε αὖ πλεῖστά τε ὅσα διὰ μέσου ὅλου τοῦ Ἰὼβ παρ' Ἑβραίοις μὲν κεῖται, παρ' ἡμῖν δὲ οὐχί· καὶ πολλάκις μὲν ἔπη τέσσαρα ἢ τρία, ἔσθ' ὅτε δὲ καὶ δεκατέσσαρα καὶ δεκαεννέα καὶ δεκαέξ. Καὶ τί με δεῖ καταλέγειν ἃ μετὰ πολλοῦ καμάτου ἀνελεξάμεθα, ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ λανθάνειν ἡμᾶς τὴν διαφορὰν τῶν παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις καὶ ἡμῖν ἀντιγράφων; Πολλὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ κατενοήσαμεν, ἐν ᾧ καὶ πολλὴν μετάθεσιν καὶ ἐναλλαγὴν τῆς λέξεως τῶν προφητευομένων εὕρομεν. Καὶ ἐν τῇ Γενέσει δὲ τό· «Εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι καλὸν,» ἐπὶ τῷ γενέσθαι στερέωμα, παρ' Ἑβραίοις οὐχ εὑρίσκεται· καὶ πρόβλημα δέ ἐστι παρ' αὐτοῖς οὐ τὸ τυχὸν τοῦτο. Καὶ ἄλλα δὲ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν ἐν τῇ Γενέσει, οἷς σημεῖα παρε 11.57 θήκαμεν τοὺς καλουμένους παρ' Ἕλλησιν ὀβελοὺς, ἵν' ἡμῖν γνώριμον ᾖ τὸ τοιοῦτον· ὡς πάλιν ἀστερίσκους, τοῖς κειμένοις μὲν ἐν τῷ Ἑβραϊκῷ, παρ' ἡμῖν δὲ μὴ εὑρισκομένοις. Τί δέ με δεῖ λέγειν περὶ τῆς Ἐξόδου, ἔνθα τὰ περὶ τὴν σκηνὴν καὶ τὴν αὐλὴν αὐτῆς, καὶ τὴν κιβωτὸν, καὶ τὰ ἐνδύματα τοῦ ἀρχιερέως, καὶ τῶν ἱερέων, ἐπὶ πολὺ παρήλλακται, ὡς μηδὲ τὴν διάνοιαν παραπλησίαν εἶναι δοκεῖν; Ὥρα τοίνυν, εἰ μὴ λανθάνει ἡμᾶς τὰ τοιαῦτα, ἀθετεῖν τὰ ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις φερόμενα ἀντίγραφα, καὶ νομοθετῆσαι τῇ ἀδελφότητι, ἀποθέσθαι μὲν τὰς παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐπιφερομένας ἱερὰς βίβλους, κολακεύειν δὲ Ἰουδαίους, καὶ πείθειν, ἵνα μεταδῶσιν ἡμῖν τῶν καθαρῶν, καὶ μηδὲν πλάσμα ἐχόντων. Ἆρα δὲ καὶ ἡ Πρόνοια, ἐν ἁγίαις 11.60 Γραφαῖς δεδωκυῖα πάσαις ταῖς Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίαις οἰκοδομὴν, οὐκ ἐφρόντισε «τῶν τιμῆς ἀγορασθέντων, ὑπὲρ ὧν Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν·» οὗ Υἱοῦ ὄντος «οὐκ ἐφείσατο ὁ Θεὸς,» ἡ ἀγάπη, «ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάντων παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν, ἵνα σὺν αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα ἡμῖν χαρίσηται;» Πρὸς ταῦτα δὲ σκόπει, εἰ μὴ καλὸν μεμνῆσθαι τοῦ· «Οὐ μεταθήσεις ὅρια αἰώνια, ἃ ἔστησαν οἱ πρότεροί σου;» Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ φημὶ οὐχὶ ὄκνῳ τοῦ ἐρευνᾷν καὶ τὰς κατὰ Ἰουδαίους Γραφὰς, καὶ πάσας τὰς ἡμετέρας ταῖς ἐκείνων συγκρίνειν, καὶ ὁρᾷν τὰς ἐν αὐταῖς διαφοράς. Εἰ μὴ φορτικὸν γοῦν εἰπεῖν, ἐπὶ πολὺ τοῦτο, ὅση δύναμις, πεποιήκαμεν, γυμνάζοντες αὑτῶν τὸν νοῦν ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἐκδόσεσι καὶ