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of chastity drawing upon God for the goodwill and protection of the whole house. Thus the noble men of old took wives, seeking nobility of soul, and not an abundance of money. And that this is true, for the sake of an example, I will mention one marriage: And Abraham was old and advanced in days, it says, and he said to his servant, the eldest of his house, who was in charge of all that he had: Put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son Isaac from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but you shall go to my country where I was born, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son from there. Have you seen the virtue of the just man, how much forethought he took concerning marriage? For he did not call procuresses, as men do now, nor matchmakers, nor little old women telling tales, but to his own servant he entrusted the matter; which is itself a very great sign of the piety of the patriarch, that he had formed such a servant, as to consider him a trustworthy agent for such a matter. Then he seeks a wife, not wealthy, nor beautiful, but noble in character, and for this reason he sends him on so great a journey. But see also the good sense of the servant; for he did not say, What is this? So many nations are near us, so many daughters of wealthy men, of notable and illustrious men; but you send me to so distant a land, to unknown people; to whom shall I speak? who will know me? what if they plot against me, if they work deceit? for nothing is so easily assailed as a foreigner. He said none of these things, but overlooking all these things, he was wary of that which was most to be wary of, showing his obedience by not contradicting him in anything, and revealing his own understanding and forethought by asking only that which most of all needed to be asked. What then is this? And what did he ask his master? But if the woman is not willing to follow me, he says, shall I take your son back to the land from which you came out? Then Abraham said: Do not take my son back there. The Lord, the God of heaven and of earth, who took me from my father's house, and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, 'To you I will give this land, and to your seed,' he will send his angel before you, and he will prosper your way. Do you see the man's faith? He did not call on friends, or relatives, nor anyone else, but gave him God as a mediator and fellow traveler. Then, wishing to encourage the servant, he did not simply say, 'The Lord, the God of heaven and of earth,' but he adds, 'Who took me from my father's house.' Remember, he says, how we came on so great 51.234 a journey, how having left our own land we have enjoyed greater prosperity in a foreign one, how impossible things have become possible. He said this not only wishing to declare this, 'Who took me from my father's house,' but also that he has God as his debtor. He is a debtor to us, he says; he himself said, 'To you I will give this land, and to your seed.' So that even if we are unworthy, yet on account of his own promise, and in order that he may bring it to fulfillment, he will be with us, and will make easy all the things that lie before us, and will bring to pass that for which we pray. Having said these things, he sent the servant. Then, having come to that country, he did not approach any of the city's inhabitants, he did not converse with men, he did not call upon women; but see how he too, being faithful, held fast to the mediator whom he had received, spoke with him alone, and standing, he prayed, it says, And said, O Lord, God of my master Abraham, grant me success today; and he did not say, 'O Lord my God,' but what? 'O Lord, God of my master Abraham.' Even if I am lowly and cast aside, he says,

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τῆς σωφροσύνης τὸν Θεὸν ἐπισπώμενος εἰς τὴν τῆς οἰκίας ἁπάσης εὔνοιάν τε καὶ προστασίαν. Οὕτως ἐλάμβανον οἱ γενναῖοι τῶν παλαιῶν ἀνδρῶν γυναῖκας, ψυχῆς εὐγένειαν ἐπιζητοῦντες, καὶ οὐκ εὐπορίαν χρημάτων. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθὲς, παραδείγματος ἕνεκεν, ἑνὸς ἐπιμνησθήσομαι γάμου· Καὶ Ἀβραὰμ πρεσβύτερος ἦν καὶ προβεβηκὼς ἡμερῶν, φησὶ, καὶ εἶπε τῷ παιδὶ αὐτοῦ τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ τῆς οἰκίας αὐτοῦ, τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν αὐτοῦ πάντων· Θὲς τὴν χεῖρά σου ὑπὸ τὸν μηρόν μου, καὶ ἐξορκιῶ σε Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, ἵνα μὴ λάβῃς γυναῖκα τῷ υἱῷ μου Ἰσαὰκ ἀπὸ τῶν θυγατέρων τῶν Χαναναίων, μεθ' ὧν ἐγὼ οἰκῶ μετ' αὐτῶν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν γῆν μου οὗ ἐγεννήθην, πορεύσῃ, καὶ εἰς τὴν φυλήν μου, καὶ λήψῃ γυναῖκα τῷ υἱῷ μου ἐκεῖθεν. Εἶδες τοῦ δικαίου τὴν ἀρετὴν, πόσην ὑπὲρ γάμου πρόνοιαν ἐποιήσατο; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μαστρωποὺς καλέσας γυναῖκας, καθάπερ οἱ νῦν, οὐδὲ προμνηστρίας, οὐδὲ γραΐδια μυθεύοντα, ἀλλὰ τὸν οἰκέτην τὸν ἑαυτοῦ, τούτῳ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐνεχείρισεν· ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ τῆς εὐλαβείας τοῦ πατριάρχου μέγιστόν ἐστι σημεῖον, ὅτι τοιοῦτον κατεσκεύασε τὸν οἰκέτην, ὡς καὶ τοιούτου πράγματος νομίσαι ἀξιόπιστον εἶναι διάκονον. Εἶτα γυναῖκα ζητεῖ, οὐκ εὔπορον, οὐδὲ εὔμορφον, ἀλλ' εὐγενῆ τοῖς τρόποις, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τοσαύτην ὁδὸν ἀποδημίας προπέμπει. Ὅρα δὲ καὶ τοῦ οἰκέτου τὴν εὐγνωμοσύνην· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπε, Τί ποτε τοῦτό ἐστιν; ἔθνη τοσαῦτα πλησίον ἡμῶν, εὐπόρων ἀνδρῶν θυγατέρες τοσαῦται, ἐπισήμων καὶ περιφανῶν· σὺ δὲ εἰς μακρὰν οὕτω πέμπεις γῆν, πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ἀγνῶτας· τίνι διαλέξομαι; τίς με εἴσεται; τί δὲ, ἂν δόλον μοι ῥάψωσιν, ἂν ἀπάτην ἐργάσωνται; οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως εὐεπιχείρητον, ὡς ξένος. Οὐδὲν τούτων εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα ἅπαντα παριδὼν, ὃ μάλιστά ἐστιν ὑπιδέσθαι, τοῦτο ὑπείδετο, ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ μηδὲν ἐκείνῳ ἀντειπεῖν τὴν ὑπακοὴν ἐπιδεικνύμενος, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ μόνον ἐκεῖνο ἐρέσθαι, ὃ μάλιστα πάντων ζητῆσαι ἔδει, τὴν σύνεσιν τὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ πρόνοιαν δηλῶν. Τί ποτ' οὖν ἐστι τοῦτο; καὶ τί τὸν δεσπότην ἤρετο τὸν ἑαυτοῦ; Ἐὰν δὲ μὴ βουληθῇ, φησὶν, ἡ γυνὴ πορευθῆναι μετ' ἐμοῦ, ἀποστρέψω τὸν υἱόν σου εἰς τὴν γῆν, ὅθεν ἐξῆλθες; Εἶτα ὁ Ἀβραάμ· Μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸν υἱόν μου ἐκεῖ. Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, ὃς ἔλαβέ με ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός μου, καὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς, ἧς ἐγεννήθην, ὃς ἐλάλησέ μοι καὶ ὤμοσέ μοι λέγων· Σοὶ δώσω τὴν γῆν ταύτην καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου, αὐτὸς ἀποστελεῖ τὸν ἄγγελον αὐτοῦ ἔμπροσθέν σου, καὶ κατευοδώσει τὴν ὁδόν σου. Ὁρᾷς πίστιν ἀνδρός; Οὐ παρεκάλεσε φίλους, ἢ συγγενεῖς, οὐκ ἄλλον οὐδένα, ἀλλὰ τὸν Θεὸν ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ μεσίτην καὶ συνοδοιπόρον. Εἶτα βουλόμενος παραθαρσῦναι τὸν οἰκέτην, οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπε, Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀλλὰ προστίθησιν, Ὃς ἔλαβέ με ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός μου. Ἀναμνήσθητι, φησὶ, πῶς τοσαύτην ἤλθομεν 51.234 ἀποδημίαν, πῶς τὴν οἰκείαν ἀφέντες ἐπὶ τῆς ἀλλοτρίας πλείονος ἀπελαύσαμεν εὐημερίας, πῶς τὰ ἀδύνατα γέγονε δυνατά. Οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον βουλόμενος δηλῶσαι ἔλεγεν, Ὃς ἔλαβέ με ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός μου, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ὀφειλέτην ἔχει τὸν Θεόν. Χρεώστης, φησὶν, ἡμῖν ἐστιν· αὐτὸς εἶπε, Σοὶ δώσω τὴν γῆν ταύτην καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου. Ὥστε εἰ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀνάξιοι, διὰ γοῦν τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν αὐτὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ἵνα αὐτὴν εἰς τέλος ἀγάγῃ, συμπαρέσται, καὶ ἐξευμαριεῖ τὰ προκείμενα ἅπαντα, καὶ τέλος ἐπιθήσει τούτου οὗπερ εὐχόμεθα. Ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἔπεμψε τὸν παῖδα. Εἶτα ἐλθὼν ἐκεῖνος εἰς τὴν χώραν ἐκείνην, οὐ προσῆλθέ τινι τῶν τὴν πόλιν οἰκούντων, οὐ διελέχθη ἀνθρώποις, οὐκ ἐκάλεσε γυναῖκας· ἀλλ' ὅρα πῶς καὶ ἐκεῖνος πιστὸς ὢν, τὸν μεσίτην, ὃν ἔλαβεν, αὐτὸν κατεῖχεν, αὐτῷ διελέγετο μόνῳ, καὶ στὰς ηὔξατο, φησὶ, Καὶ εἶπε, Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ κυρίου μου Ἀβραὰμ, εὐόδωσον ἐναντίον μου σήμερον· καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, ἀλλὰ τί; Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ κυρίου μου Ἀβραάμ. Εἰ καὶ ἐγὼ εὐτελὴς καὶ ἀπεῤῥιμμένος, φησὶν,