Origen of Alexandria, Selections on Genesis

I have done nothing. The 'doing nothing' native to the Egyptians he hints at through this: Here I have done nothing. For it was a work of the Egyptians also to have intercourse with the wife of the master. And Joseph answering said to him: This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. And above it has been said, the three branches are three days. Therefore, the 'three days' is represented both through branches and through baskets, Providence having used for the representation of three days appropriate examples from the life of each. Such things you might find also in the other Scriptures: the same thing being signified by examples that seem to be different. And it came to pass on the third day, it was Pharaoh's birthday, and he made a feast for all his servants. Indeed, one of those before us observed that he who honors the things of birth is wicked, and he who accepts the day of his birth; we 12.132 confirm the narrative, having found the similar case with Herod, when also the daughter of Herodias danced, and the head of John was cut off; and nowhere does a just man appear to celebrate a birthday. And it came to pass after two years of days, Pharaoh saw a dream. He thought he was standing upon the river, and so on. He who trusts in fleeting and uncertain things thought he was standing upon the river, from which the things that seem to be prosperous ascend, when his cows are fat; but these things are always consumed by the worse ones. And with 'he thought,' you will compare, 'I thought we were binding sheaves.' And concerning the second dream, 'As,' he says, 'the sun, and the moon, and the stars were bowing down to me.' And again, on the other hand, the chief cupbearer: 'In my sleep,' he says, 'there was a vine,' and so on; but the chief baker: 'I thought I was carrying three baskets of fine meal on my head,' and so on. From the same. The narrative persona of the Scripture says: 'He thought he was standing upon the river,' not 'beside the bank of the river'; but Pharaoh says: 'I thought I was standing beside the bank of the river,' not 'upon the river.' The affairs in Egypt, however, those in worldly matters, beginning from better things, of which the abundance is a symbol, end in more bitter things, of which the abundance and the famine are a type. It is possible to see such a thing also in the case of the account of the rich man. For the seven years of abundance were, as it were, for him, receiving his good things in his life, being clothed in purple, and fine linen, and making merry splendidly every day; but it ends for him in the opposites, receiving evil things after his departure from here. Such things you might see also in the case of those who travel the broad and spacious way, whose end is destruction; but for those whose beginning is the narrow and afflicted way, the end is life. Therefore, woe to those who are full, for they will hunger; and to those who laugh, for they will weep. Blessed are those who mourn and weep, for they will be comforted. And behold, as it were from the river, seven cows were coming up, and so on. Pharaoh's dreams were of cows and ears of grain. For through what the earth is cultivated, and what it bears, became for the king significations of both abundance and famine. And Pharaoh awoke, and he dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain were coming up on one stalk, choice and good. Joseph saw not ears of grain, but sheaves; but the Egyptian saw not sheaves, but ears of grain. And again, the chief cupbearer sees the three branches as three days; but the king sees the seven ears of grain on one stalk as the connection of the seven years; and the interpretation of the one word 'stalk' becomes different. If, therefore, someone interprets the Scripture differently at any time, let him not seem to be doing violence to it. And it should be further observed that in the case of the 12.133 abundance, there are seven ears of grain coming up on one stalk, but in the case of the famine, there are seven ears of grain, but no longer on one stalk; another says: on one reed. And it came to pass in the morning, that his spirit was troubled, and having sent, he called all the interpreters of Egypt, and all its wise men. How he called the interpreters and wise men of all Egypt must be investigated at the same time in regard to the literal meaning, and if, for a higher meaning, Pharaoh needs Egyptian interpreters as being wiser. And we say 'of all Egypt,' as following, 'All the interpreters of Egypt, and all'

ἐποίησα οὐδέν. Τὸ μηδὲν ἐπιχωρίων Αἰγυ πτίων ποιεῖν αἰνίσσεται διὰ τοῦ· Ὧδε οὐκ ἐποίησα οὐδέν. Αἰγυπτίων δὲ ἔργον ἦν καὶ τὸ συνελθεῖν τῇ τοῦ κυρίου γυναικί. Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ Ἰωσὴφ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Αὕτη ἡ σύγκρισις αὐτοῦ· τὰ τρία κανᾶ τρεῖς ἡμέραι εἰ σίν. Καὶ ἀνωτέρω εἴρηται, οἱ τρεῖς πυθμένες τρεῖς ἡμέραι εἰσίν. Οὐκοῦν τὸ, τρεῖς ἡμέραι, καὶ διὰ πυθμένων καὶ διὰ κανῶν παρίσταται· συγχρη σαμένης Προνοίας εἰς παράστασιν τριῶν ἡμερῶν οἰκείοις παραδείγμασι τοῦ ἑκατέρου βίου. Τοιαῦτα δ' ἂν εὕροις καὶ ἐν ταῖς λοιπαῖς Γραφαῖς· τὸ αὐτὸ δηλούμενον ἀπὸ διαφόρων εἶναι δοκούντων παρα δειγμάτων. Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ, ἡμέρα γενέ σεως ἦν Φαραὼ, καὶ ἐποίει πότον πᾶσι τοῖς παι σὶν αὐτοῦ. Τῶν μὲν πρὸ ἡμῶν ἐτήρησέ τις, ὅτι φαῦλός ἐστιν ὁ τὰ γενέσεως τιμῶν πράγματα, καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ ἀποδεχόμενος· ἡμεῖς 12.132 δὲ βεβαιοῦμεν τὴν διήγησιν, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἡρώδου τὸ παραπλήσιον εὑρόντες, ὅτε καὶ ἡ θυγάτηρ Ἡρω διάδος ὠρχήσατο, καὶ ἀπετμήθη ἡ Ἰωάννου κεφα λή· καὶ οὐδαμοῦ δίκαιος φαίνεται γενέθλιον ἄγων ἡμέραν. Ἐγένετο δὲ μετὰ δύο ἔτη ἡμερῶν, Φαραὼ εἶδεν ἐνύπνιον. Ὤετο ἑστάναι ἐπὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ὁ ἐπὶ τοῖς ῥευστοῖς καὶ ἀβεβαίοις πε ποιθὼς ᾤετο ἑστάναι ἐπὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ, ἀφ' οὗ τὰ δο κοῦντα εὐδαιμονικὰ εἶναι ἀναβαίνει, ὅτε οἱ βόες αὐ τοῦ παχεῖς εἰσιν· ἀλλὰ πάντως κατεσθίεται ταῦτα ὑπὸ τῶν χειρόνων. Πρὸς δὲ τὸ, ᾤετο, συγκρινεῖς τὸ, ᾤμην ὑμᾶς δεσμεύειν δράγματα. Ἐπὶ δὲ δευτέρου ἐνυπνίου, Ὥσπερ, φησὶν, ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ ἡ σελήνη, καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες προσεκύνουν μοι. Πάλιν τε αὖ ὁ μὲν ἀρχιοινοχόος· Ἐν τῷ ὕπνῳ μου, φησὶν, ἦν ἄμπελος, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· ὁ δὲ ἀρχισιτοποιός· Ὤμην τρία κανᾶ χονδριτῶν αἵρειν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς μου, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Τὸ μὲν διηγηματικὸν τῆς Γραφῆς πρόσ ωπόν φησιν· Ὤετο ἑστάναι ἐπὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ, οὐ παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος τοῦ ποταμοῦ· ὁ δὲ Φαραώ φησιν· Ὤμην ἑστάναι παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος τοῦ ποταμοῦ, οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ. Τὰ μέντοιγε ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ πράγματα τὰ ἐν τοῖς κοσμικοῖς, ἀπὸ χρηστοτέρων ἀρχόμενα, ὧν σύμβολον ἡ εὐθηνία, εἰς πικρότερον καταλήγει, ὧν ἡ εὐθηνία καὶ ὁ λιμὸς τύπος. Τοιοῦτον δέ ἐστι καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν πλούσιον λόγου θεωρῆσαι. Οἱονεὶ γὰρ τὰ ἑπτὰ ἔτη τῆς εὐθηνίας ἦν αὐτῷ, ἀπολαμβά νοντι τὰ ἀγαθὰ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ, ἐνδεδυμένῳ πορφύραν, καὶ βύσσον, καὶ εὐφραινομένῳ καθ' ἡμέ ραν λαμπρῶς· λήγει δὲ αὐτῷ εἰς τὰ ἐναντία, ἀπο λαμβάνοντι τὰ κακὰ μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀπαλλαγήν. Τοιαῦτα δ' ἂν ἴδοις καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν τὴν πλατείαν καὶ εὐ ρύχωρον ὁδευόντων, ὧν τὸ τέλος ἀπώλεια· οἷς δὲ ἀρ χὴ τὸ στενὸν καὶ τὸ τεθλιμμένον, τὸ τέλος ζωή. ∆ιὸ οὐαὶ τοῖς ἐμπεπλησμένοις, ὅτι πεινάσουσι· καὶ τοῖς γελῶσιν, ὅτι κλαύσουσι. Μακάριοι οἱ πενθοῦντες καὶ κλαίοντες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται. Καὶ ἰδοὺ ὥσπερ ἐκ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἀνέβαινον ἑπτὰ βόες, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τοῦ Φαραὼ τὰ ἐνύπνια βόες ἦσαν καὶ στάχυες. ∆ι' ὧν γὰρ γεωργεῖται ἡ γῆ, καὶ ἅπερ φέρει, προσημαντικὰ εὐθηνίας τε καὶ ἀφορίας ἐγένετο τῷ βασιλεῖ. Ἠγέρθη δὲ Φαραὼ, καὶ ἐνυπνιάσθη τὸ δεύτε ρον· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἑπτὰ στάχυες ἀνέβαινον ἐν πυθμέ νι ἑνὶ ἐκλεκτοὶ καὶ καλοί. Ὁ μὲν Ἰωσὴφ οὐ στάχυας, ἀλλὰ δράγματα εἶδεν· ὁ δὲ Αἰγύπτιος οὐ δράγματα, ἀλλὰ στάχυας. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ μὲν ἀρχιοινο χόος τοὺς τρεῖς πυθμένας βλέπει εἰς τρεῖς ἡμέρας· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τοὺς ἐν πυθμένι ἑνὶ ἑπτὰ στάχυας εἰς τὸ συνημμένον τῶν ἑπτὰ ἐνιαυτῶν· καὶ γίνεται τοῦ ἑνὸς ὀνόματος τοῦ πυθμένος διάφορος ἡ ἑρμηνεία. Εἴποτε οὖν ἄλλως τις διηγεῖται τὴν Γραφὴν, μὴ δοκείτω βιάζεσθαι αὐτήν. Καὶ ἔτι τηρητέον, ὅτι ἐπὶ μὲν τῆς 12.133 εὐθηνίας ἑπτὰ στάχυες ἀναβαίνοντες ἐν πυθμένι ἑνὶ, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ λιμοῦ ἑπτὰ μὲν στάχυες, οὐκ ἔτι δὲ ἐν πυθμένι ἑνί· ἄλλος φησίν· ἐν καλάμῳ ἑνί. Ἐγένετο δὲ πρωῒ, καὶ ἐταράχθη ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀποστείλας ἐκάλεσε πάντας τοὺς ἐξηγητὰς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ πάντας τοὺς σοφοὺς αὐτῆς. Ὅλης Αἰγύπτου πῶς ἐκάλεσε τοὺς ἐξηγητὰς καὶ σο φοὺς, ἅμα ζητητέον ὡς πρὸς τὴν λέξιν, καὶ εἰ πρὸς ἀναγωγὴν δεῖται ἐξηγητῶν Αἰγυπτίων ὁ Φαραὼ ὡς σοφωτέρων. Ὅλης δὲ Αἰγύπτου φαμὲν, ὡς ἀκο λούθου τῷ, Πάντας τοὺς ἐξηγητὰς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ πάντας