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For since one of the seven days of the week was honored with inactivity for a certain mystical reason, on the day before it, when the supply was the same as on the previous days and the eagerness of the gatherers was the same, a double portion of the usual measure was found to be gathered, so that they might have no pretext, because of the necessity for food, to break the law of inactivity. In this, the divine power was shown even more, because while on the other days the leftover portion became useless, only on the day of preparation before the Sabbath (for this is the name for the day of inactivity) did what was stored up remain uncorrupted, so that it seemed in no way staler than what was fresh. 1.39 Then war is joined for them against a foreign nation. And the account names those who rose up against them at that time Amalekites. And then for the first time the Israelite force is armed for battle, not with the whole host of everyone being mobilized for the fight, but with the best men chosen and the picked men among them undertaking the war, in which Moses again showed a new manner of generalship. For while Jesus, who led the people after Moses, was at that time leading the army out against the Amalekites, Moses, without arms, looked up to heaven on a certain hilltop lookout, with two of his companions standing on either side of him. 1.40 Then from the history we hear of such a wonder in the events: if Moses raised his hands to heaven, his people were strengthened against their enemies; but if he lowered them, the army also gave way to the assault of the foreigners. When those standing by him understood this, and that Moses’ hands had become heavy and difficult to move from some hidden cause, they came up under on either side and supported them. And since they were too weak to hold him up in an upright position, they propped up his seat with a stone, and thus they made Moses raise his hands to heaven by their own efforts. When this was done, the foreign nation was utterly defeated by the Israelites.

1.41 And while the cloud which guided the people's journey remained in the same place, it was absolutely necessary that the people not move, since there was no guide for their departure. Thus, since abundance for living was present for them without toil—the air from above raining ready bread for them, the rock from below providing drink, and the cloud in turn alleviating the discomfort of the open air, so as to become a barrier against the heat by day and to dispel the darkness at night, shining with a certain fiery radiance—their stay in that desert at the foot of the mountain where the camp was established was free from distress. 1.42 Meanwhile, Moses was also leading them in a more secret initiation, as the divine power itself, through wonders beyond description, initiated both all the people and their leader himself. And the initiation was accomplished in this way. The people had been instructed to be free of all other defilements, as many as are perceived concerning both body and soul, and to purify themselves with certain sprinklings, and to be clean even from marriage for a specified number of days, so that, washed clean of every passionate and bodily disposition, one might approach the mountain free from passion to be initiated (and Sinai was the name of the mountain), which at that time was permitted for ascent only to rational beings, and of these only to the men, and of these in turn only to those purified of every stain. And every guard and precaution was taken that none of the irrational animals should set foot on the mountain, and if it should somehow happen, that anything of an irrational nature appearing on the mountain was to be stoned by the people. 1.43 Then the light in the air from the clear sky was blackened with darkness, so that the mountain became invisible, encompassed round about by the thick gloom. And fire, showing through from the gloom, made the sight terrifying to those who saw it, consuming the region of the mountain on all sides, so that through the encompassing fire all that was visible was smoldering with smoke. And Moses led the people toward the ascent, not even he being confident

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γὰρ τῆς ἑβδομάδος ἡμερῶν τῆς μιᾶς κατά τινα λόγον μυστικὸν ἀπραξίᾳ τετιμημένης, ἐν τῇ πρὸ αὐτῆς ἡμέρᾳ τῆς ἴσης ὡς πρὸς τὸν ἔμπροσθεν χρόνον γινομένης ἐπιρροῆς καὶ τῆς τῶν συλλεγόντων προθυμίας τὸ ἴσον ἐχούσης, διπλάσιον ηὑρίσκετο τοῦ συνήθους μέτρου τὸ συναγόμενον, ὡς ἂν μηδεμίαν ἔχοιεν ἀφορμὴν τῇ τῆς τροφῆς ἀνάγκῃ παραλύειν τῆς ἀπραξίας τὸν νόμον. Ἐν ᾧ δὴ καὶ πλέον ἡ θεία ἐδείκνυτο δύναμις, ὅτι ταῖς ἄλλαις ἡμέραις ἀχρειουμένου τοῦ περισσεύοντος ἐν μόνῃ τῇ πρὸ τοῦ σαββά του παρασκευῇ (τοῦτο γὰρ ὄνομα τῇ ἀπράκτῳ ἡμέρᾳ) τὸ ταμιευθὲν ἀδιάφθορον ἔμενεν, ὡς κατ' οὐδὲν εἶναι τοῦ προσφάτου δοκεῖν ἑωλότερον. 1.39 Εἶτα πόλεμος αὐτοῖς συγκροτεῖται πρός τι ἔθνος ἀλλόφυλον. Ἀμαληκίτας δὲ τοὺς κατ' αὐτῶν τότε συστάντας ὀνομάζει ὁ λόγος. Καὶ τότε πρῶτον εἰς παράταξιν τὸ Ἰσραηλιτικὸν ἐξοπλίζεται, οὐ πανστρατιᾷ πάντων συγκινη θέντων ἐπὶ τὴν μάχην, ἀλλ' ἀριστίνδην ἐξειλεγμένων καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς λογάδων ἀναδεξαμένων τὸν πόλεμον, ἐν ᾧ πάλιν καινὸν ἔδειξε στρατηγίας τρόπον ὁ Μωϋσῆς. Τοῦ γὰρ Ἰησοῦ, ὃς μετὰ τὸν Μωϋσέα τοῦ λαοῦ καθηγήσατο, τότε τοῖς Ἀμαληκίταις τὸν στρατὸν ἀντεξάγοντος, ἔξω τῶν ὅπλων ὁ Μωϋσῆς ἐπί τινος γεωλόφου σκοπιᾶς πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβλέπει, συνεστώτων ἑκατέρωθεν αὐτῷ δύο τῶν ἐπιτηδείων. 1.40 Τότε τοιοῦτον ἐν τοῖς γινομένοις θαῦμα παρὰ τῆς ἱστορίας ἀκούομεν· εἰ μὲν ἐπῆρε πρὸς οὐρανὸν τὰς χεῖρας ὁ Μωϋσῆς, ἐπερρώννυτο κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τὸ ὑπήκοον· εἰ δὲ καθῆκεν, ἐνεδίδου καὶ ὁ στρατὸς τῇ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ὁρμῇ, ὃ δὴ συνέντες οἱ παρεστῶτες αὐτῷ, βαρείας τε καὶ δυσκινήτους ἔκ τινος κεκρυμμένης αἰτίας τὰς τοῦ Μωϋσέως χεῖρας γεγενημένας, ἑκατέρωθεν ὑποβάντες ὑπήρειδον· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀσθενέστεροι ἦσαν ἢ ὥστε ἀνέχειν αὐτὸν ἐν ὀρθίῳ τῷ σχήματι, λίθῳ τὴν καθέδραν αὐτοῦ ὑπερείσαντες, οὕτως εἰς οὐρανὸν ἐπαίρειν τὸν Μωϋσέα δι' ἑαυτῶν τὰς χεῖρας ἐποίησαν, οὗ γενομένου ἡττᾶται κατὰ κράτος ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν τὸ ἀλλόφυλον.

1.41 Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ αὐτοῦ τόπου τῆς νεφέλης μενούσης ἣ καθηγεῖτο τοῦ λαοῦ τῆς πορείας, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα ἦν μηδὲ τὸν λαὸν μετανίστασθαι, μηδενὸς ὄντος τοῦ καθηγουμένου πρὸς τὴν μετανάστασιν. Οὕτω δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀμογητὶ τῆς πρὸς τὸ ζῆν ἀφθονίας παρούσης, ἄνωθεν μὲν τοῦ ἀέρος ἕτοιμον αὐτοῖς ὕοντος ἄρτον, κάτωθεν δὲ τῆς πέτρας τὸ πότον παρεχούσης, τῆς τε αὖ νεφέλης τὴν ὕπαιθρον ἀηδίαν θεραπευούσης, ὡς καὶ τοῦ θάλπους διατείχισμα γίνεσθαι τῇ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ τῇ νυκτὶ λύειν τὸν ζόφον ἐν αὐγῇ τινι πυροειδεῖ καταλάμπουσαν, ἄλυπος αὐτοῖς ἦν ἡ κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον ἐκείνην ἐν τῇ ὑπωρείᾳ τοῦ ὄρους διατριβὴ καθ' ἣν ἵδρυτο τὸ στρατόπεδον. 1.42 Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καί τινος αὐτοῖς ἀπορρητοτέρας μυήσεως ὁ Μωϋσῆς καθηγεῖτο, αὐτῆς τῆς θείας δυνάμεως διὰ τῶν ὑπὲρ λόγον θαυμάτων τόν τε λαὸν πάντα καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν καθηγεμόνα μυσταγωγούσης. Ἡ δὲ μυσταγωγία τοῦτον ἐπετελεῖτο τὸν τρόπον. Προείρητο τῷ λαῷ τῶν τε ἄλλων μολυσμάτων ἐκτὸς εἶναι πάντων, ὅσα περί τε σῶμα καὶ ψυχὴν καθορᾶται, καὶ περιρραντηρίοις τισὶν ἀφαγνίσασθαι, καὶ αὐτοῦ δὲ τοῦ γάμου ἐν ῥητῷ τινὶ ἡμερῶν ἀριθμῷ καθαρεῦσαι, ὡς πασῆς ἐμπαθοῦς τε καὶ σωματικῆς διαθέσεως ἐκπλυθέντα καθαρὸν πάθους προσβῆναι τῷ ὄρει μυηθησόμενον (Σινὰ δὲ ἦν τὸ τοῦ ὄρους ὄνομα) ὃ μόνοις ἀνείθη κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον τοῖς λογικοῖς εἰς ἐπίβασιν καὶ τούτων τοῖς ἀνδράσι μόνοις καὶ τούτων πάλιν τοῖς παντὸς ἀφαγνισ θεῖσι μιάσματος· φυλακὴ δὲ πᾶσα ἦν καὶ προμήθεια τοῦ μηδὲν τῶν ἀλόγων ἐπιβατεῦσαι τοῦ ὄρους, εἰ δέ που καὶ γένοιτο, καταλευσθῆναι παρὰ τοῦ λαοῦ πᾶν ὅτιπερ ἦν τῆς ἀλόγου φύσεως κατὰ τὸ ὄρος φαινόμενον. 1.43 Εἶτα τὸ ἐναέριον φῶς ἐκ καθαρᾶς αἰθρίας ζόφῳ κατεμελαίνετο, ὡς ἀόρατον γενέσθαι τὸ ὄρος, ἐν κύκλῳ τῷ γνόφῳ διειλημμένον. Πῦρ τε ἐκ τοῦ γνόφου διαφαινόμενον φοβερὰν ἐποίει τοῖς ὁρῶσι τὴν ὄψιν, πανταχόθεν τὴν περιοχὴν τοῦ ὄρους ἐπιβοσκόμενον, ὡς καὶ καπνῷ διὰ τῆς τοῦ πυρὸς περιδρομῆς ἅπαν τὸ φαινόμενον ὑποτύφεσθαι. Ἡγεῖτο δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ ὁ Μωϋσῆς πρὸς τὴν ἄνοδον, οὐδὲ αὐτὸς θαρσῶν