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mocking, as it were, the old man. But Ham, when he ought, like his brothers, not to have approached his father irreverently, but even to have rebuked the one who first saw and slandered him, was himself persuaded, and went in, and saw, and reported it to his brothers. And this seems to be a myth, were it not for the strength of the proof; For it says, "And Noah awoke from his sleep, and knew what his younger son had done to him." For Ham was not his youngest son, but the second. For it says, "Shem, and Ham, and Japheth"; and if he had wanted to indicate the youngest, he would have said Japheth. But since grandfathers always call their descendants sons, even those far removed, 12.109 Scripture has said that the youngest of the descendants, Canaan, was known by Noah to have done these things. And that this is so, the divine oracle immediately adds, and said: "Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren." But if anyone should wonder why Ham, being himself irreverent, did not receive the same curse as his son, let him know that if it had been said to Ham, "a servant of servants shall he be," his brothers would also have shared in the servitude, just as the brothers of Canaan became servants according to the curse, of whom Canaan was declared a servant. All flesh shall not die anymore. He promises to no longer bring about a universal flood, if the thought of men from their youth is set on evil things, it is no longer so every day, as it was before the flood. For he grants some small pardon to the young because of the proneness to slip of their age. Wherefore, "I will not," he says, "again curse the ground for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is set diligently on evil from his youth"; that is, I know beforehand that youth will be prone to slip for those to come. Therefore, do not be afraid. For this reason I will no longer bring upon you complete destruction. "And Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard, and he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his house." Noah did not know the nature of wine, that it intoxicates; and this Scripture testifies by saying, "he began," and "he was uncovered." Of the same. Earthly wine strips the mind of the knowledge of intelligible things. Of the same. Such was the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, like the wine that stripped Noah bare. Of the same. And if Noah was drunk and was uncovered, yet it was in his house; for it is the mark of a holy man not to be uncovered outside his house. "He was a mighty hunter before the Lord God." The hunter is not now spoken of in terms of the just; and observe that perhaps it is not at other times either. "And the whole earth was of one lip, and of one speech for all." To those who do not understand, "I and the Father are one," and for this reason deny the proper hypostasis of the Son, we shall bring forward, "And the whole earth was of one lip, and of one speech for all." And seeking the difference between lip 12.112 and speech, we will say that "speech" refers to dialect, and perhaps "lip" refers to thought; or the reverse. "Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." The confounding of languages is a sign of evil; a sign of virtue, when of all who believed there was one heart and one soul. And thus by observing Scripture you will find that where there is a multitude of number, where there is schism, where there is division, and disagreement, and such things, they are signs of evil; but where there is unity, and concord, and great power in words, they are signs of virtue. "And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, and Nahor, and Haran." Terah, having become seventy years old, begat the father of the nation that celebrates the seventh day. But I consider whether perhaps he begat the three as triplets. For otherwise, being seventy years old, he could not have become the father of three from one birth. But neither is it indicated that he had more wives. "And Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land." Abraham did not dwell in Egypt, but sojourned, because the famine was grievous in the land. "And the Canaanites and the Perizzites dwelt then in the land." As base men, the Canaanites dwelt, and did not sojourn in the land. So that

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καταμωκώμενος ὥσπερ τοῦ γέροντος. Ὁ δὲ Χὰμ, δέον ὁμοίως τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μὴ προσελθεῖν τῷ πατρὶ ἀσεβῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιπλῆξαι τῷ πρώτῳ θεα σαμένῳ καὶ διαβάλλοντι, αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ πέπεισται, καὶ εἰσῆλθε, καὶ εἶδε, καὶ ἀνήνεγκε τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς. Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ δοκεῖ μῦθος εἶναι, εἰ μὴ τὸ τῆς ἀποδείξεως ἦν ἰσχυρόν· Καὶ ἐξυπνίσθη γὰρ, φησὶ, Νῶε ἐκ τοῦ ὕπνου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔγνω ὅσα ἐποίησεν αὐτῷ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ὁ νεώτερος. Μικρότερος μὲν γὰρ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ὁ Χὰμ οὐκ ἦν, ἀλλὰ δεύτερος. Σὴμ γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ Χὰμ, καὶ Ἰάφεθ· καὶ εἰ τὸν μικρὸν ἤθελε δεῖξαι, τὸν Ἰάφεθ ἂν ἔλεγεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοὺς ἐκγόνους υἱοὺς ἀεὶ λέγουσιν οἱ πάπποι, καὶ τοὺς μακρόθεν ἀπογόνους, 12.109 τὸν βραχύτατον τῶν ἐκγόνων τὸν Χαναὰν εἴρηκεν ἡ Γραφὴ ἐγνῶσθαι παρὰ τοῦ Νῶε, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἐποίησε ταῦτα. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτο οὕτως ἔχει, εὐθὺς ἐπάγει τὸ θεῖον λόγιον, καὶ εἶπεν· Ἐπικατάρατος Χαναὰν, δοῦλος δούλων ἔσται τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς αὐτοῦ. Εἰ δέ τις θαυμάζοι, τί δήποτε ὁ Χὰμ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀσεβὴς ὢν, τὴν αὐτὴν κατάραν οὐκ ἔσχε τῷ υἱῷ, ἐπιγνώτω ὡς, εἰ ἦν λελεγμένον τῷ Χὰμ, δοῦλος δούλων ἔσται, τῆς δουλείας μετέσχον ἂν καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ, ὡς οἱ τοῦ Χαναὰν ἀδελφοὶ δοῦλοι ἐγέ νοντο κατὰ τὴν κατάραν, ὧν δοῦλος ἀπεφάνθη Χα ναάν. Οὐκ ἀποθανεῖται πᾶσα σὰρξ ἔτι. Ὑπισχνεῖται μηκέτι τὸν οἰκουμενικὸν ποιήσειν κατακλυσμὸν, ἐὰν ᾗ ἡ διάνοια τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐκ νεότητος ἐγκει μένη ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρὰ, οὐκέτι οὕτως ἔχει πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, ὥσπερ πρὸ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ. Νέμει γὰρ βραχεῖάν τινα συγγνώμην τοῖς νέοις διὰ τὸ τῆς ἡλι κίας εὐόλισθον. ∆ιόπερ, Οὐ μὴ προσθῶ, φησὶν, ἔτι καταράσασθαι τὴν γῆν διὰ τὰ ἔργα τῶν ἀνθρώ πων· ὅτι ἔγκειται ἡ διάνοια τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπι μελῶς ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρὰ ἐκ νεότητος· τουτέστι, Προ οῖδα, ὅτι ἡ νεότης τοῖς ἐσομένοις εὐόλισθος ἔσται. Μὴ τοίνυν δείσητε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ οὐκέτι ἐπάξω ὑμῖν ἀφανισμὸν παντελῆ. Καὶ ἤρξατο Νῶε ἄνθρωπος γεωργὸς γῆς, καὶ ἐφύτευσεν ἀμπελῶνα, καὶ ἔπιεν ἐκ τοῦ οἴνου, καὶ ἐμεθύσθη, καὶ ἐγυμνώθη ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ. Οὐκ ᾔδει Νῶε τὴν τοῦ οἴνου φύσιν, ὅτι μεθύσκει· καὶ τοῦτο μαρτυρεῖ ἡ Γραφὴ λέγουσα τὸ, ἤρξατο, καὶ ἐγυμνώθη. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Οἶνος γήϊνος γυμνοῖ τὸν νοῦν τῆς τῶν νοητῶν γνώσεως. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ καρπὸς τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ γνωστοῦ καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ, οἷος ὁ οἶνος, ὁ τὸν Νῶε γυμνώσας. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Εἰ καὶ ἐμεθύσθη, καὶ ἐγυμνώθη ὁ Νῶε, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ· ἁγίου γὰρ τὸ μὴ ἕξω τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ γυμνοῦσθαι. Οὗτος ἦν γίγας κυνηγὸς ἐναντίον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὁ κυνηγὸς οὐκ ἐπὶ δικαίων κεῖται νῦν· καὶ τήρει μήποτε οὐδὲ ἄλλοτε. Καὶ ἦν πᾶσα ἡ γῆ χεῖλος ἓν, καὶ φωνὴ μία πᾶσι. Τοῖς μὴ νοοῦσι τὸ, Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀρνουμένοις ὑπόστασιν ἰδίαν Υἱοῦ, προσοίσομεν τὸ, Ἦν πᾶσα ἡ γῆ χεῖλος ἓν, καὶ φωνὴ μία πᾶσι. Ζητοῦντες δὲ διαφορὰν χείλους 12.112 καὶ φωνῆς, φήσομεν τὴν μὲν φωνὴν ἐπὶ τῆς διαλέκτου τάσσεσθαι, τάχα δὲ τὸ χεῖλος ἐπὶ τῆς διανοίας· ἢ τὸ ἔμπαλιν. ∆εῦτε, καὶ καταβάντες συγχέωμεν αὐτῶν ἐκεῖ τὴν γλῶσσαν, ἵνα μὴ ἀκούσωσιν ἕκαστος τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ πλησίον. Γνώρισμα κακίας τὸ συγχυθῆναι τὰς γλώσσας· γνώρισμα ἀρετῆς, ὅτε ἦν πάντων τῶν πιστευόντων καρδία, καὶ ψυχὴ μία. Καὶ οὕτω τηρῶν τὴν Γραφὴν εὑρήσεις, ὅτι ὅπου πλῆθος ἀριθμοῦ, ὅπου σχίσμα, ὅπου διαίρεσις, καὶ διαφωνία, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα, κακίας ἐστὶ γνω ρίσματα· ὅπου δὲ ἑνότης, καὶ ὁμόνοια, καὶ πολλὴ δύναμις ἐν λόγοις, ἀρετῆς γνωρίσματα. Καὶ ἔζησε Θάῤῥα ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη, καὶ ἐγέν νησε τὸν Ἀβρὰμ, καὶ τὸν Ναχὼρ, καὶ τὸν Ἀῤῥάμ. Τὸν πατέρα τοῦ ἑορτάζοντος ἔθνους τὴν ἑβδομά δα ἐγέννησεν ὁ Θάῤῥα γενόμενος ἑβδομηκονταέτης. Ἐφίστημι δὲ μήπως τοὺς τρεῖς τριδύμους ἐγέννησεν. Ἄλλως γὰρ, ἑβδομηκονταέτης ὢν, οὐ δύναιτ' ἂν τῶν τριῶν ἐκ μιᾶς γενέσθαι πατήρ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οὐ δηλοῦν ται πλείους αὐτοῦ γυναῖκες. Καὶ κατέβη Ἀβρὰμ εἰς Αἴγυπτον παροικῆσαι ἐκεῖ, ὅτι ἐνίσχυσεν ὁ λιμὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ἀβραὰμ οὐ κατῴκει Αἴγυπτον, ἀλλὰ παρῴκει, ὅτι ἐνίσχυσεν ὁ λιμὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Οἱ δὲ Χαναναῖοι καὶ οἱ Φερεζαῖοι τότε κατῴκουν τὴν γῆν. Ὡς φαῦλοι οἱ Χαναναῖοι κατῴκουν, καὶ οὐ παρῴκουν τὴν γῆν. Ὥστε