8

But nevertheless, though the promises were so great, you considered what was said a mockery, and cried out with boldness, lamenting your childlessness and saying: What will you give me, Lord? I am perishing childless. When you let go of this voice, you received a child. You have become a father; let go of this voice now, that you might save the child. Say again, What will you give me, Master, by taking away my heir? Alas, perhaps you loved children then, when you were not a father. When Sarah said these things, what should 56.549 Abraham have done? Clearly, to disregard the divine command, to make speeches about piety, and to persuade Sarah that, if God should take this one, He will give you a better one. And how could he persuade a woman intoxicated with passion? But indeed, he has persuaded her. For the woman is pious, and the wife of a most faithful man; at any rate, it followed that she, having been persuaded, sent her son on his way to the sacrifice, forcing herself perhaps to endure the pain because of what seemed good to God, but being led unwillingly to lamentations by her very nature. How many manservants there were tormented by their longing for the youth? How many maidservants suffering with their mistress? How many Canaanites, acquaintances and neighbors, marveling at the things that had happened to him? From these there was much turmoil, and wailing, and lamentation, and tears, as if for a dead man being sent forth. And the mother, wailing loudly, would have said: Give me, child, a last embrace. I for my part was hoping to be sent forth by you, child, and for my death to be graced by your tears; but since the decree of the Creator has overcome my hopes, and I mourn him by whom I expected to be mourned, this one thing I ask of you: as you mount the fire of the sacrifice, intercede with the Divine on my behalf, that I might depart from life before the priest returns from the sacrifice. For I cannot bear to see a father's right hand stained with his child's blood. So the mother said such things. But who could have borne the reproaches from the Canaanites, who had run together then at the sight? For one would have said: Oh, to what a bridal chamber the good father leads his son! Another: From what flock, then, is his sacrificial victim? And another: Well does God wish to multiply his offspring, as the stars of heaven. Another: Oh, how many old men mourn the wretched one as a son, but this foolish old man does not even weep for his own child! These things the Canaanites said; but of the servants, one groaned and said: O wretched child, born late and perishing untimely! Both your birth was strange, and your end is strange. Alone of all men from a barren womb, alone of all men hearing the lamentation at your own burial. Oh, what an image of life his master erases! These things, then, each one said; but all together, having returned home, would have said as from one mouth: Journey on now, old man, bearing this one thing in mind, that if you sacrifice this one, you will not have another son from Sarah. Foreseeing these things with a sound mind, Abraham, the blessed one, having considered these things, concealed the command deep within, disposed as one who had heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. O hidden treasure of the Lord's commands! O storehouse of secrets, storehouse of the sacred words of God! These mysteries proclaimed you throughout the whole world. For these reasons the father journeys in silence with Isaac, taking along only two servants, and these not knowing the manner of the sacrifice; and he journeys a three days' journey. But you must learn of the testing of the forefather's will, and this from the length of the journey. For God does not show him the altar nearby, lest by the heat of faith the affection of nature be stolen away; but so that by walking a long road, and gazing at his son for a very long time as he playfully approached him as usual, running to his arms, by the thought of what must be done, like gold in a fire, having been tested by desire for a long time, he might display a more brilliant choice of obedience. Oh, how many times in this three-day interval did the father picture to himself the slaughter of his son! how many times did he place the child's body upon the pyre, being struck to the heart as many times as he thought of the sacrifice! For an evil once done immediately looks toward oblivion,

8

ἀλλ' ὅμως τοσούτων ὄντων τῶν ἐν ἐπαγγελίαις χρηστῶν, χλεύην ἡγοῦ τὰ λεγόμενα, καὶ μετὰ παῤῥησίας ἐβόας, τὴν ἀπαιδίαν ὀλοφυρόμενος καὶ λέγων· Τί μοι δώσεις, Κύριε; ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπόλλυμαι ἄτεκνος. Ταύτην ἀφεὶς τὴν φωνὴν, ἔλαβες τέκνον. Γενοῦ πατὴρ, ταύτην ἄφες νῦν, ἵνα σώσῃς τὸ τέκνον. Εἰπὲ πάλιν, Τί μοι δώσεις, ∆έσποτα, ἀναιρῶν μου τὸν κληρονόμον; Οἴμοι, τάχα τότε φιλότεκνος ἦς, ὅτε οὐκ ἦς πατήρ. Ταῦτα λεγούσης τῆς Σάῤῥας, τί ποιεῖν ἔδει τὴν 56.549 Ἀβραάμ; ∆ηλονότι ἀφέμενον τοῦ θείου προστάγματος, τοὺς περὶ θεοσεβείας ποιεῖσθαι λόγους, καὶ πείθειν τὴν Σάῤῥαν, ὅτι, τοῦτον ἂν λάβῃ Θεὸς, δίδωσί σοι κρείσσονα. Καὶ πῶς ἂν ἔπεισε γυναῖκα τῷ πάθει μεθύουσαν; Ἀλλὰ δὴ πέπεικε. Θεοσεβὴς γὰρ ἡ γυνὴ, καὶ ἀνδρὸς πιστοτάτου σύνοικος· πάντως γοῦν ἀκόλουθον πεισθεῖσαν αὐτὴν προπέμψαι τὸν υἱὸν ἐπὶ τὴν θυσίαν ὁδεύοντα, στέγειν μὲν ἴσως τὸν πόνον βιαζομένην διὰ τὸ δοκοῦν τῷ Θεῷ, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς φύσεως αὐτῆς πρὸς θρήνους ἀβουλήτως ἐξαγομένην. Πόσοι θεράποντες ἐκεῖ τῷ πόθῳ τοῦ νέου δακνόμενοι; πόσαι θεράπαιναι τῇ δεσποίνῃ συμπάσχουσαι; Χαναναῖοι πόσοι, συνήθεις καὶ γείτονες, οἱ ἐπὶ τοῖς τούτῳ συμβεβηκόσι θαυμάζοντες; Θόρυβος ἐκ τούτων πολὺς, καὶ οἰμωγὴ, καὶ θρῆνος, καὶ δάκρυα, ὡς ἐπὶ προπεμπομένῳ νεκρῷ. Εἶπε δ' ἂν ἡ μήτηρ ἀνακωκύσασα μέγα· ∆ός μοι, τέκνον, τελευταίας περιπλοκάς. Ἐγὼ μὲν ἤλπιζον ὑπὸ σοῦ προπεμφθῆναι, τέκνον, καὶ τὸν ἐμὸν θάνατον τοῖς σοῖς κοσμηθῆναι δακρύοις· ἐπεὶ δὲ ψῆφος τοῦ κτίσαντος τὰς ἐμὰς ἐλπίδας νενίκηκε, καὶ θρηνῶ τοῦτον, ὑφ' οὗ θρηνηθῆναι προσεδόκησα, τοῦτό σε μόνον αἰτῶ, ἐπιβαίνων τῷ τῆς θυσίας πυρὶ, πρέσβευσον πρὸς τὸν Θεῖον ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, ἀπελθεῖν με τοῦ βίου πρὶν ἐπανελθεῖν τῆς θυσίας τὸν ἱερέα. ∆εξιὰν γὰρ πατρὸς αἵματι παιδὸς ἰδεῖν ᾑμαγμένην οὐ δύναμαι. Ἡ μὲν οὖν μήτηρ τοσαῦτα. Τίς δ' ἂν ἤνεγκε τὰ παρὰ τῶν Χαναναίων ὀνείδη, τῶν ἐπὶ τῇ θέᾳ τότε συνδεδραμηκότων; Ὁ μὲν γὰρ εἶπεν ἄν· Ὢ, ἐφ' οἷον θάλαμον τὸν υἱὸν ὁ καλὸς ἄγει πατήρ! Ὁ δὲ, Ἐκ ποίας ἄρα ποίμνης αὐτῷ τὸ ἱερεῖον; Ὁ δὲ, Καλῶς αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς πληθῦναι θέλει τὸ γένος, ὡς τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Ἄλλος, Ὢ πόσοι γέροντες ὡς υἱὸν θρηνοῦσι τὸν ἄθλιον, οὗτος δὲ ἠλίθιος γέρων οὐδὲ δακρύει τὸ ἴδιον τέκνον! Ταῦτα μὲν οἱ Χαναναῖοι· τῶν δὲ θεραπόντων ὁ μὲν ἀνοιμώξας εἶπεν· Ὦ παιδίον ἄθλιον, καὶ γενόμενον ὄψιμον, καὶ ἀπολλύμενον ἄωρον! Σοῦ καὶ παράδοξος ἡ γέννησις, καὶ παράδοξος ἡ τελευτή. Μόνος ἐκ πάντων ἐξ ἀγόνου μήτρας, μόνος ἐκ πάντων ἀκούων τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ταφῇ σου θρῆνον. Ὢ, οἵαν ὁ δεσπότης αὐτοῦ εἰκόνα ἐξαλείφει τοῦ βίου! Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν οἱ καθ' ἕκαστον· ὁμοῦ δὲ πάντες ὑποστρέψαντες οἴκαδε, ὡς ἀφ' ἑνὸς στόματος εἶπον ἄν· Ὅδευε λοιπὸν, ὦ πρεσβῦτα, τοῦτο μόνον ἐνθυμούμενος, ὅτι τοῦτον ἂν θύσῃς, ἄλλον υἱὸν ἀπὸ Σάῤῥας οὐχ ἕξεις. Ταῦτα λογισμῷ σώφρονι προειδόμενος Ἀβραὰμ, ταῦτα σκοπήσας ὁ μακάριος, ἐμβύθιον ἔκρυψε τὸ πρόσταγμα, οὕτω διατεθεὶς, ὡς ἀκούσας ἄῤῥητα ῥήματα, ἃ οὐκ ἐξὸν ἀνθρώπῳ λαλῆσαι. Ὦ θησαυρὲ κρύφιε δεσποτικῶν ἐντολῶν! ὦ ταμιεῖον ἀποῤῥήτων, ταμιεῖον ἱερῶν Θεοῦ λόγων! Ταῦτά σε τὰ μυστήρια καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀνεκήρυξεν. Ὁδεύει διὰ ταῦτα σιγῇ μετὰ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ ὁ πατὴρ, δύο μόνους θεράποντας ἐπαγόμενος, καὶ τούτους οὐκ εἰδότας τῆς θυσίας τὸν τρόπον· ὁδεύει δὲ τριῶν ἡμερῶν ὁδόν. Σὺ δὲ μάνθανε τὴν δοκιμασίαν τῆς γνώμης τοῦ προπάτορος, καὶ τοῦτ' ἐκ τοῦ διαστήματος τῆς ὁδοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ ἐγγὺς αὐτῷ Θεὸς δείκνυσι τὸ θυσιαστήριον, ἵνα μὴ τῇ θερμότητι τῆς πίστεως κλαπῇ φύσεως τὴν στοργήν· ἀλλ' ὅπως μακρὰν βαδίζων ὁδὸν, καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον θεώμενος χρόνον συνήθως προσπαίζοντα, ταῖς ἀγκάλαις προστρέχοντα, τῇ ἐννοίᾳ τοῦ πρακτέου, καθάπερ χρυσὸς ἐν πυρὶ, τῷ πόθῳ πολλῷ χρόνῳ δοκιμασθεὶς, λαμπροτέραν τῆς ὑπακοῆς ἐπιδείξηται τὴν προαίρεσιν. Ὢ, ποσάκις ἐν τῷ τριημέρῳ τούτῳ διαστήματι καθ' ἑαυτὸν ὁ πατὴρ ἀνετυπώσατο τοῦ υἱοῦ τὴν σφαγήν! ποσάκις ἐπέθηκε τῇ πυρᾷ τοῦ τέκνου τὸ λείψανον, τοσαυτάκις τὴν καρδίαν πληγεὶς, ὁσάκις ἂν τὴν θυσίαν ἀνελογίζετο! Τὸ μὲν γὰρ πεπραγμένον κακὸν εὐθὺς πρὸς λήθην ὁρᾷ,