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with their differences, while also to some extent practicing the interpretation of the Seventy; so that we might not seem to be falsifying anything for the Churches under heaven, and give pretexts to those seeking occasions, who wish to slander those in our midst, and to accuse those who are prominent in the community. But we take care not to be ignorant of their texts as well, so that, when we dispute with the Jews, we might not bring forward to them things that are not found in 11.61 their copies, and so that we might make use of what is current among them, even if it is not found in our books; for if this is our preparation for debates with them, they will not despise us, nor, as is their custom, will they mock the believers from the gentiles, as being ignorant of the true things that have been recorded among them. Let these things, then, have been said about the fact that the story of Susanna is not found among the Hebrews. But let us also see the charges you bring to the discussion. And first let us begin from what would have been able to make one reluctant to accept the story; that is, the matter of the paronomasia of *prinos* with *prisis*, and of *schinos* with *schisis*; about which you indeed have declared, as if you have understood in what way such things happen to sound alike in Greek words, but in Hebrew are entirely different; but I still have doubts; since, having considered the matters of this passage, and having been perplexed by them myself, I consulted not a few Hebrews, asking how *prinos* is named among them, and how they say 'to saw'; and further, what they call the *schinos* plant, and how they name 'to split'. But they said they did not know the Greek words for *prinos* and *schinos*; and they demanded that the trees be shown to them, so that they might know what words they themselves assign to them. And (for truth is a friend), I was not at a loss to present the trees to their sight. But another said that regarding things not named anywhere in the Scriptures, one cannot be certain how they are said in Hebrew; and that it is rash for someone at a loss to use a Syriac word instead of a Hebrew one; and he said that even among the very wise certain words are sometimes sought. 'If, therefore,' he says, 'you are able to point out how the *schinos* was ever named in any Scripture, or the *prinos*, from there we might find what is sought, and the paronomasia based on them; but if it was never named, such a thing escapes us also.' Therefore, since these things were said by the Hebrews with whom I associated, in so far as it is not in the story, I for my part am cautious about declaring whether the equivalence of these paronomasia is preserved among the Hebrews or not; but you perhaps know for yourself how you became so certain. I remember, however, having met with a certain Hebrew, a lover of learning, and called among them the son of a wise man, who was raised 11.64 to succeed his father, about many things; from whom I learned that the story of Susanna was not rejected and also the names of the elders, as found in Jeremiah in this manner: "May the Lord make you as he made Zedekiah, and as Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire because of the iniquity they committed in Israel." How is one sawn asunder by an angel, and the other split asunder? It must be said, that these things are not prophesied for them in the present age, but in the judgment by God after their departure from hence. For just as the wicked steward who says, 'My lord delays his coming,' and for this reason gives himself to drunkenness, and eats and drinks with the drunkards, and beats his fellow servants, the lord, when he comes, 'will cut him in two, and will assign his portion with the unfaithful;' so also these men, who were called elders but administered their stewardship badly, analogously to the wicked steward being cut in two there, certain angels set over punishments will inflict these things; and one will split 'one grown old in evil days, who has judged unjust judgments, and has condemned the innocent, but acquitted the guilty;' and the other will saw asunder 'one who is the seed of Canaan, and not of Judah, who was deceived by beauty, and by the

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ταῖς διαφοραῖς αὐτῶν, μετὰ τοῦ ποσῶς μᾶλλον ἀσκεῖν τὴν ἑρμηνείαν τῶν Οʹ· ἵνα μή τι παραχαράττειν δοκοίημεν ταῖς ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν Ἐκκλησίαις, καὶ προφάσεις διδῶμεν τοῖς ζητοῦσιν ἀφορμὰς, ἐθέλουσι τοὺς ἐν μέσῳ συκοφαντεῖν, καὶ τῶν διαφαινομένων ἐν τῷ κοινῷ κατηγορεῖν. Ἀσκοῦμεν δὲ μὴ ἀγνοεῖν καὶ τὰς παρ' ἐκείνοις, ἵνα, πρὸς Ἰουδαίους διαλεγόμενοι, μὴ προφέρωμεν αὐτοῖς τὰ μὴ κείμενα ἐν 11.61 τοῖς ἀντιγράφοις αὐτῶν, καὶ ἵνα συγχρησώμεθα τοῖς φερομένοις παρ' ἐκείνοις· εἰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις οὐ κεῖται βιβλίοις· τοιαύτης γὰρ οὔσης ἡμῶν τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν ταῖς ζητήσεσι παρασκευῆς, οὐ καταφρονήσουσιν, οὐδ' ὡς ἔθος αὐτοῖς, γελάσονται τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν πιστεύοντας, ὡς τ' ἀληθῆ καὶ παρ' αὐτοῖς ἀναγεγραμμένα ἀγνοοῦντας. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν εἰρήσθω πρὸς τὸ μὴ φέρεσθαι παρ' Ἑβραίοις τὰ περὶ Σωσάννης. Ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ ἃ προσφέρεις τῷ λόγῳ ἐγκλήματα. Καὶ πρῶτόν γε ἀρξώμεθα ἀπὸ τοῦ δυνηθέντος ἂν δυσωπῆσαι πρὸς τὸ μὴ παραδέξασθαι τὴν ἱστορίαν· ὅπερ ἐστὶ τὸ περὶ τὴν παρωνυμίαν πρίνου μὲν πρὸς πρίσιν, σχίνου δὲ πρὸς σχίσιν· περὶ οὗ σὺ μὲν ἀπεφήνω, ὡς καταλαβὼν τίνα τρόπον ἐν μὲν ἑλ- ληνικαῖς φωναῖς τοιαῦτα ὁμοφωνεῖν συμβαίνει, ἐν δὲ τῇ Ἑβραΐδι τῷ παντὶ διέστηκεν· ἐγὼ δὲ ἔτι ἀμφιβάλλω· ἐπείπερ φροντίσας τῶν κατὰ τὸν τόπον, τῷ καὶ αὐτὸς ἠπορηκέναι ἐν αὐτοῖς, οὐκ ὀλίγοις Ἑβραίοις ἀνεθέμην πυνθανόμενος, πῶς παρ' αὐτοῖς ὀνομάζεται πρῖνος, καὶ πῶς λέγουσι τὸ πρίζειν· ἔτι δὲ εἰς τί μεταλαμβάνουσι τὴν σχῖνον τὸ φυτὸν, καὶ πῶς τὸ σχίζειν ὀνομάζουσιν. Οἱ δὲ τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν ἔφασκον ἀγνοεῖν φωνὴν τὴν πρίνου καὶ τὴν σχίνου· ἀπῄτουν δὲ αὑτοῖς δειχθῆναι τὰ δένδρα, ἵν' εἴδειεν ποίας ἐπὶ τούτων αὐτοὶ τάσσουσι φωνάς. Καὶ (φίλη γὰρ ἡ ἀλήθεια), οὐκ ἠπόρησα αὐτοῖς ὄψει παραστῆσαι τὰ ξύλα. Ἄλλος δὲ ἔφασκε τὰ μὴ ὀνομασθέντα τῶν Γραφῶν ποὺ οὐκ ἔχειν διαβεβαιώσασθαι, ὅπως Ἑβραϊστὶ λέγεται· προπετὲς δὲ εἶναι, τὸν ἀπορήσαντα φωνῇ τῇ Συριακῇ χρήσασθαι ἀντὶ τῆς Ἑβραΐδος· καὶ ἔλεγε, καὶ παρὰ τοῖς πάνυ σοφοῖς ἐνίοτε λέξεις τινὰς ζητεῖσθαι. Εἰ μὲν οὖν, φησὶ, ἔχεις τι παραστῆσαι τὴν σχῖνον ὅπως ποτὲ ὀνομασθεῖ- σαν ἔν τινι Γραφῇ, ἢ τὴν πρῖνον, ἐκεῖθεν ἂν εὕροιμεν τὸ ζητούμενον, καὶ τὴν παρ' αὐτὰ παρωνυμίαν· εἰ δὲ μηδαμοῦ ὠνομάσθη, καὶ ἡμᾶς διαλανθάνει τὸ τοιοῦτον. Τούτων οὖν ὅσον ἐπὶ μὴ ἱστορίᾳ ὑπὸ Ἑβραίων, οἷς συνέμιξα, εἰρημένων, ἐγὼ μὲν εὐλαβῶς ἔχω ἀποφήνασθαι, πότερον καὶ παρ' Ἑβραίοις ἡ ἰσοδυναμία τῶν κατὰ ταῦτα παρωνυμιῶν σώζεται, ἢ οὔ· σὺ δὲ ὅπως διεβεβαιώσω, αὐτὸς οἶδας ἴσως. Μέμνημαι μέν τοί γε φιλομαθεῖ Ἑβραίῳ, καὶ χρηματίζοντι παρ' αὐτοῖς σοφοῦ υἱῷ, ἀνατραφέντι 11.64 ἐπὶ τὸ διαδέξασθαι τὸν πατέρα, συμμίξας περὶ πλειόνων· ἀφ' οὗ ὡς μὴ ἀθετουμένης τῆς περὶ Σωσάννης ἱστορίας ἐμάνθανον καὶ τὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ὀνόματα, ὡς παρὰ τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ κείμενα τοῦτον ἔχοντα τὸν τρόπον· «Ποιήσαι σε Κύριος, ὡς Σεδεκίαν ἐποίησε, καὶ ὡς Ἀχιὰβ, οὓς ἀπετηγάνισε βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος ἐν πυρὶ δι' ἣν ἐποίησαν ἀνομίαν ἐν Ἰσραήλ.» Πῶς ὁ μὲν ὑπ' ἀγγέλου πρίζεται, ὁ δὲ σχίζεται; λεκτέον, οὐ κατὰ τὸν ἐνεστῶτα αἰῶνα ταῦτα αὐτοῖς προφητεύεσθαι, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἔξοδον κρίσιν. Ὡς γὰρ τὸν πονηρὸν οἰκονόμον λέγοντα· «Χρονίζει ὁ κύριός μου ἔρχεσθαι·» καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μέθαις σχολάζοντα, καὶ ἐσθίοντα καὶ πίνοντα μετὰ τῶν μεθυόντων, καὶ τύπτοντα τοὺς συνδούλους, ὁ κύριος ἐλθὼν «διχοτομήσει, καὶ τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀπίστων θήσει·» οὕτω καὶ τούτους πρεσβυτέρους μὲν χρηματίσαντας, κακῶς δὲ τὴν οἰκονομίαν οἰκονομήσαντας, ἀναλόγως τῷ ἐκεῖ διχοτομεῖσθαι τὸν μοχθηρὸν οἰκονόμον, ἄγγελοι ἐπὶ τῶν κολάσεων τεταγμένοι τινὲς ταῦτα διαθήσουσι· καὶ ὁ μὲν σχίσει «πεπαλαιωμένον ἡμερῶν κακῶν, κρίναντα κρίσεις ἀδίκους, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀθώους κατακρίναντα, ἀπολύοντα δὲ τοὺς αἰτίους·» ὁ δὲ πρίσει ὡς «σπέρμα λαναὰν ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ οὐκ Ἰούδα, τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ κάλλους ἐξηπατημένον, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς