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a sword. And they brought the sword before the king. And the king said: Divide the living child in two, and give half of it to this one, and half of it to that one. And the woman whose son was the living one answered the king, because her womb was stirred for her son, and she said: In me, Lord; give her the living child, and do not put it to death. And this one said: Let it be neither mine nor hers; divide it. And the king answered and said: Give the child to the one who said: Give this to her, and do not put it to death; for she is its mother. And all Israel heard the judgment that the king had judged, and they feared the king, because they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.” For if it is necessary to pronounce mockingly on the things that are circulated in the Churches, it would be better to compare the story of the two harlots to a mime of Philistion, than the one about the chaste Susanna. And just as it was not sufficient to persuade the people for Solomon to say: “Give her the living child; for she is its mother;” so the rebuke of Daniel to the elders was not sufficient, without the addition of the refutation from their own mouths; for while they said they had seen her sleeping with the young man under a certain tree, they did not agree as to what kind of tree it was. And since you said, as if you understood, that Daniel had judged the matters concerning the elders by inspiration, refuting them perhaps in this way, perhaps in another, pay attention: and these things concerning Daniel seem to me to be similar to the judgment of Solomon; about whom the Scripture testifies that the people saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice. This could also be said about Daniel; that because wisdom was in him to do justice, the things written about the elders were judged. And this also I almost forgot, which is necessary to set forth concerning the *prinos-prisein* and *schinos-schisein*; that in our Scriptures too there are certain quasi-etymologies which in 11.77 Hebrew are fitting, but among us not similarly so. It is not surprising, therefore, that the translators of the story of Susanna managed to find either something harmonious with the Hebrew—for I am not persuaded of this—or a paronymous name analogous to that which is harmonious with the Hebrew. And how such a thing is found in our Scripture, we will demonstrate. Adam says concerning the woman built by God from the side of the man: “She shall be called woman, because she was taken from her man.” And the Hebrews say that the woman is called “essà”; and from the word is signified “I have taken,” as is clear from: “Chos isouoth essà,” which is translated: “I will take the cup of salvation;” and “is” the man, as is clear from: “Esre aïs,” which is: “Blessed is the man.” Therefore, according to the Hebrews, *is* and *essà* of a man, because from *is* her man she was taken. It is not surprising, therefore, that some who translated the Hebrew story of Susanna, which likely lay among them in secret from of old, and was preserved by the more studious and truth-loving, either rendered the words literally, or found an analogue to the Hebrew paronyms, so that we Greeks might be able to follow them. For in many other cases one can find things providentially rendered by the translators; which we have observed by comparing all the versions with one another. 11.80 In addition to these things, you question in these very words: “How, being captives in Babylon, shackled, and thrown unburied in the streets, as is recorded in the former captivity of Israel, with their sons taken away to be made eunuchs, and their daughters for concubines, as was prophesied, did these men judge concerning death, and this to the wife of their king Joakim, whom the Babylonian king had made to share his throne? But if not this one, but another Joakim of the people; whence did a captive possess such a dwelling, and a spacious garden? And from where did you get it to say the:

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μάχαιραν. Καὶ προσήνεγκαν τὴν μάχαιραν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς· ∆ιέλετε τὸ παιδίον τὸ ζῶν εἰς δύο, καὶ δότε τὸ ἥμισυ αὐτοῦ ταύτῃ, τὸ ἥμισυ αὐτοῦ ταύτῃ. Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ἡ γυνὴ ἧς ὁ υἱὸς ἦν ὁ ζῶν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, ὅτι ἐταράχθη ἡ μήτρα αὐτῆς ἐν τῷ υἱῷ αὐτῆς, καὶ εἶπεν· Ἐν ἐμοὶ, Κύριε· δότε αὐτῇ τὸ παιδίον τὸ ζῶν, καὶ θανάτῳ μὴ θανατώσητε αὐτό. Καὶ αὕτη εἶπε· Μήτε ἐμοὶ, μήτε αὐτῇ ἔστω· διέλετε. Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ εἶπε· ∆ότε τὸ παιδίον τῇ εἰπούσῃ· ∆ότε αὐτῇ τοῦτο, καὶ θανάτῳ μὴ θανατώσητε αὐτό· αὕτη γὰρ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἤκουσε πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ τὸ κρῖμα ὃ ἔκρινεν ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ βασιλέως, ὅτι εἶδον, ὅτι φρόνησις Θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ τοῦ ποιεῖν δικαίωμα.» Εἴπερ γὰρ χρὴ περὶ τῶν φερομένων ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις ἀποφαίνεσθαι χλευαστικῶς, μᾶλλον τὴν περὶ τῶν δύο ἑταιρῶν ἱστορίαν τῷ Φιλιστίωνος μίμῳ, ἢ τὴν περὶ τῆς σεμνῆς Σωσάννης ὁμοιῶσαι ἐχρῆν. Καὶ ὥσπερ οὐκ ἤρκει πρὸς πειθὼ τοῦ λαοῦ τὸ εἰπεῖν Σολομῶντα· «∆ότε τῇδε τὸ ζῶν παιδίον· αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ·» οὕτως οὐκ ἤρκει ἡ πρὸς τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους ἐπίπληξις τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ, μὴ προσπαραλαμβανομένου τοῦ ἐκ στόματος αὐτῶν ἐλέγχου· εἰπόντων μὲν ὑπό τι δένδρον αὐτὴν ἑωρακέναι κοιμωμένην μετὰ τοῦ νεανίσκου, μὴ μὴν συμφωνησάντων περὶ τοῦ τί δένδρον ἦν. Καὶ ἐπείπερ ὡς καταλαβὼν ἔφασκες ἐξ ἐπιπνοίας τὸν ∆ανιὴλ κεκρικέναι τὰ περὶ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους, τάχα μὲν οὕτως ἐλέγχοντα, τάχα δὲ ἑτέρως, πρόσχες· καὶ ταῦτα παραπλήσια δοκεῖ μοι εἶναι τὰ κατὰ τὸν ∆ανιὴλ τῇ κρίσει τοῦ Σολομῶντος· περὶ οὗ μαρτυρεῖ ἡ Γραφὴ, ὅτι εἶδεν ὁ λαὸς, ὅτι φρόνησις Θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ τοῦ ποιεῖν δικαίω- μα. Τοῦτο ἂν δύναιτο λέγεσθαι καὶ περὶ τοῦ ∆ανιήλ· ὅτι φρονήσεως οὔσης ἐν αὐτῷ τοῦ ποιεῖν δικαίωμα, ἐκρίθη τὰ ἀναγεγραμμένα περὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ μικροῦ δεῖν ἔλαθέ με, ἀναγκαῖον παρατεθῆναι περὶ τοῦ πρῖνον-πρίσειν καὶ σχῖνον- σχίσειν· ὅτι καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμετέραις Γραφαῖς κεῖνταί τινες οἱονεὶ ἐτυμολογίαι αἵτινες παρὰ μὲν 11.77 Ἑβραίοις οἰκείως ἔχουσι, παρὰ δὲ ἡμῖν οὐχ ὁμοίως. Οὐδὲν οὖν θαυμαστὸν, ᾠκονομηκέναι τοὺς ἑρμηνεύσαντας τὰ περὶ τὴν Σωσάνναν ἀνευρεῖν ἤτοι σύμφωνον τῷ Ἑβραϊκῷ, οὐ γὰρ πείθομαι, ἢ ἀνάλογον τῷ συμφωνοῦντι τῷ Ἑβραϊκῷ ὄνομά τι παρώνυμον. Πῶς δὲ ἐν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ Γραφῇ κεῖται τὸ τοιοῦτον, παραστήσομεν. Φησὶν ὁ Ἀδὰμ ἐπὶ τῇ γυναικὶ οἰκοδομηθείσῃ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκ τῆς πλευρᾶς τοῦ ἀνδρός· «Αὕτη κληθήσεται γυνὴ, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς ἐλήφθη.» Φασὶ δὲ οἱ Ἑβραῖοι «ἐσσὰ» μὲν καλεῖσθαι τὴν γυναῖκα· δηλοῦσθαι δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς λέ- ξεως τὸ «ἔλαβον,» ὡς δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ· «Χῶς ἰσουὼθ ἐσσά,» ὅπερ ἑρμηνεύεται· «Ποτήριον σωτηρίου λήψομαι·» «ἴς» δὲ τὸν ἄνδρα, ὡς φανερὸν ἐκ τοῦ· «Ἐσρὴ ἀΐς,» ὅπερ ἐστί· «Μακάριος ἀνήρ.» Κατὰ μὲν οὖν Ἑβραίους ἲς καὶ ἐσσὰ ἀνδρὸς, ὅτι ἀπὸ ἲς ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς ἐλήφθη αὕτη. Οὐδὲν οὖν θαυμαστὸν ἑρμηνεύσαντάς τινας τὸ περὶ Σωσάννης Ἑβραϊκὸν, ἐν ἀποῤῥήτοις, ὡς εἰκὸς, πάλαι παρ' αὐτοῖς κείμενον, καὶ παρὰ τοῖς φιλομαθεστέροις καὶ φιλαληθεστέροις σωζόμενον, ἤτοι κυρίως ἐκδεδωκέναι τὰ τῆς λέξεως, ἢ εὑρηκέναι τὸ ἀνάλογον τοῖς κατὰ τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν παρωνύμοις, ἵνα δυνηθῶμεν οἱ Ἕλληνες αὐτοῖς παρακολουθῆσαι. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπ' ἄλλων πολλῶν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν οἰκονομικῶς τινα ὑπὸ τῶν ἑρμηνευσάντων ἐκδεδομένα· ἅπερ ἡμεῖς τετηρήκαμεν συνεξετάζοντες πάσας τὰς ἐκδόσεις ἀλλήλαις. 11.80 Πρὸς τούτοις ἐπαπορεῖς αὐταῖς λέξεσι· «Πῶς αἰχμάλωτοι ὄντες ἐν τῇ Βαβυλῶνι, ἠστραγαλωμένοι, καὶ ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις ἄταφοι ῥιπτούμενοι, ὡς ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἱστόρηται, τῶν παίδων αὐτοῖς ἀποσπωμένων εἰς εὐνουχισμὸν, καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων εἰς παλλακὰς, ὡς προπεφήτευτο, οἵδε περὶ θανάτου ἔκρινον, καὶ ταῦτα τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτῶν γενομένῃ γυναικὶ Ἰωακεὶμ, ὃν σύνθρονον πεποίητο ὁ Βαβυλώνιος βασιλεύς; Εἰ δὲ οὐχ οὗτος, ἄλλος δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ Ἰωακείμ· πόθεν τοιαύτη κατάλυσις αἰχμαλώτῳ περιῆν, καὶ παράδεισος ἀμφιλαφὴς ἦν; πόθεν δὲ λαβὼν ἔλεγες τό·