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of those plundering in the sedition and a want of resources has come about, worse than those of war. And if the seditionists had perceived the smoke, they would have entered and taken down the dinners. Taking therefore her child—he was about three years old—she gave him some words, in which she also said this, that "it is better for you to be eaten by me than to suffer an evil fate and to endure slavery from the enemies. Come, therefore, and become food for me". And after slaughtering him, she roasted him. And a little later the seditionists rushed in and she did not prevent them from entering, but said to them, that: "Come, eat the half." And as if she had conquered them. And in darkness his name will be covered, and indeed he has not seen the sun and has not known rest, this one more than that one. This he says, that this one is nothing at all. And "darkness" signifies 175 the unknown "name," the ignorance concerning him because he is not known. He came to us neither by a perceptible nor a high road in darkness. The phrase: and indeed he has not seen the sun. He has neither used perception nor had any other rest. For it is possible to behold the sun by sight. Therefore he has not seen this; and if he has had no apprehension of this sense, it is clear that he had none of the others either. But I do not say this universally; "this one more than that one," the one who, compared to the one who considered he had "wealth and glory" and many children and a long life, since having been tried by these things he has come to be outside of them all and was not quickly deemed worthy. The abortion had none of these things, that one has not even suffered the same things as him. Regarding the allegorical meaning: "and indeed he has not known the sun." Again you take the allegorical meaning consistently, that many having been tried by the pleasant things of those who pursue glory, but another has not been tried by them at all. This one is better than that one. For that one, for the things he strove for and had, "will give an account" and will be punished. But this one does not undergo this, not having been turned at all to the human ... or having had experience of them. Again, he does not consider a man who has died in ignorance to be better than everyone, but than the one who in falsely named knowledge has judged that he has everything. ... Peter alludes to in his second epistle: "It were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them." For he does not say at all that it is good not to have known the way of righteousness, but that it is better not to have known it than, having known it, to despise it. He has not said other things as concerning Judas, as the savior did: "it had been good for him if he had not been born." it had been good for him, if he had not been called; if he had not been called, he would not have betrayed. Not otherwise would it have been good for Saul, if he had not been king; for he would not have fallen into the lawless acts into which he fell as king. And what, he lived a thousand years of descents, and did not see goodness? If he lived a thousand years of descents, then he was the father of a thousand children; "if a man beget an hundred." Therefore, take "to live" as a name in accord with "to beget." And would there not be a conception of seed and an infant 176 if there were no sowing of it; so these things would not happen unless a soul descended. Concerning the constitution that has come to be, there are two causes: of the body, marriage, and of the soul, "descent." And according to such things also this. Again, they thus call "descents" periods of years.

Each year has a certain beginning, which we call its "descent." And if, therefore, someone has become long-lived from a multitude of years, they have passed through in the life which he had, the one so eagerly sought, which makes wretched those who pursue it; he gains nothing from this, so that to be a thousand years old is equal to living a thousand years of descents; so that here it is a period. Regarding the saying: as something implausible and impossible? It is not implausible nor impossible; it has been said by way of hyperbole. And the things said by way of hyperbole are not implausible and impossible—impossible sometimes, yet not implausible. For someone will say thus: if a man is able to beget ten, he is also able to beget a hundred, and to live so many years, if he has lived fifty. At any rate, those before Methuselah lived close to a thousand. Hyperbole, therefore, is speech for the sake of emphasis

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τῶν ἁρπαζόν των ἐν τῇ σ̣τ̣α´̣σ̣ει καὶ χειρόνως τοῖς πολεμικοῖς γέγονεν α᾿̣π̣ορία. καὶ εἰ ἦσαν αἰσθηθέντες̣ κάπνου οἱ στασιασταὶ εἰσήρχοντ̣ο καὶ κα̣θ̣ε̣ῖλον τὰ δει῀̣π̣να. λαβοῦσα οὖν τὸν παῖδα ἑαυτῆς-ἦν δὲ ὡς τριετής-ἔδωκ̣ε̣ν αὐτῷ λόγους τ̣ιν̣α´̣ς, ἐν οἷς καὶ τοῦτο ἔλεγεν, ὅτι "ἀ´̣μ̣ε̣ινόν ἐστίν σε ὑπ' ἐμοῦ φαγῆναι ἢ κακὸν δι̣α´̣λλαξαι̣ καὶ δουλείαν ὑπο̣μ̣ε̣ι῀̣ν̣αι παρὰ τω῀̣ν πολεμίων. ἰ´̣θ̣ι οὖν καὶ γίνου μοι τροφή". καὶ σφαγιάσα̣σα ὤπτησεν α̣ὐτό. μ̣ικρῷ δὲ ὕστερον ε̣ι᾿̣σ̣ε̣π̣η´̣δων οἱ στασιασταὶ καὶ οὐκ ἐκώ λ̣υ̣σ̣εν αὐτοὺς εἰσιέναι, ἀλλ' ἔλ̣ε̣γε̣ν̣ αὐτοῖς, ὅτι· "δεῦτε, φάγ̣ε̣ τε τὸ ἥμισυ". καὶ ὡσανεὶ ἐνίκησεν αὐτούς. καὶ ἐν σκ̣ότει ὄν̣ομα̣ αὐτο̣ῦ καλυφ̣θήσεται, καί γε ἥλιον οὐχ εἶδεν καὶ οὐκ ἔγνω ἀνάπαυσιν, τούτῳ ὑπὲρ τοῦτον. τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι ὅλως οὐδέν ἐστιν οὗτος. τὸ "σ̣κότος" δὲ δ̣η̣λ̣ο̣ῖ 175 το`̣ ἄγνωστον το`̣ "ὄνομα", τ̣η`̣ν̣ ἀ´̣γνοιαν τὴν πε̣ρι`̣ αυ᾿̣τ̣οῦ διὰ τ̣ο`̣ μὴ ἔ γνωσθαι. ἦλθεν εἰς ἡμᾶς οὐδὲ αἰσθητὴν οὐδὲ ἀνηγ̣μένην ἐν σκότει ὁδόν. τό· καί γε ἥλιον οὐχ εἶδεν. οὐδὲ αἰσθήσει κέχρητ̣αι οὐδὲ ἀνάπα̣υσιν ἄλλην ἔσχεν. τὸν γὰρ ἥλιον ὄψει ἔστιν θεάσασθαι. οὐχ εἶδεν οὖν τοῦτον· εἰ δὲ ταύτης τῆς αἰσθήσεως οὐκ ἔσχεν ἀντίλημ̣ψιν, φανερόν, ὅτι οὐδὲ τῶν ἄλλων. οὐ καθόλου δὲ λέγω τοῦτο· "τούτῳ ὑπὲρ τοῦτον", τὸν παρὰ τὸν ἡγησάμενον "πλοῦτον καὶ δόξαν" καὶ πολυπαιδίαν ἐσχηκότα καὶ ζωὴν πολυχρόνιον, ἐπεί περ τούτων πειραθεὶς ἔξω πάντων γέγονεν καὶ οὐδὲ ταχέως ἠξιώθη. τὸ ἔκ τρωμα οὐδὲν ἔσχεν αὐτω῀̣ν τούτων, ἐκεῖνος οὐδὲ τὰ αὐτὰ αὐτῷ πέπονθεν. ἐπερ· τὴν ἀναγωγήν· "καί γε ἡ´̣λιον οὐκ ἔγνω". συμφώνως πάλιν λαμβάνεις τὴν ἀναγωγήν, ὅτι πολλοὶ πειραθέντες τῶν ἡδέ ων τῶν μεταδιώκουσιν δόξαν, ἄλλος δὲ οὐδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν̣ αὐτῶν ἐπειράθη. οὗ τος ἀγαθότερός ἐστιν ὑπὲρ ἐκεῖνον. ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ὑπὲρ ὧν ε᾿̣σπούδασεν καὶ ἐ´̣σ̣χεν, "λόγον δώσει" καὶ τιμωρ̣ηθήσεται. οὗτος δὲ τοῦτο ο̣υ᾿̣χ̣ ὑφίσταται οὐδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐντραπεὶς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κ̣···νοις ἢ πεῖραν αὐτῶν ε᾿̣σχη̣ κώς. π̣α´̣λιν οὐδὲ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ τελευτήσαν̣τ̣α̣ ἄνθρωπον κρείττονα εἶν̣α̣ι ἡγ̣εῖ τ̣αι παντός, του῀̣ δ̣ὲ ἐν τῇ ψευδωνύμῳ γνώσει κρι´̣ναντος ἔχειν πάντα. ε̣π̣ι̣·····κ̣····· ·κ̣·ν̣α̣············ ··· Πέτρος αἰνίττετα̣ι̣ ε᾿̣ν̣ τῇ ἐπ̣ι̣στολ̣ῇ τῇ δευτέρᾳ· "κρεῖττον ἦν αὐτ̣ο̣ι῀̣ς̣ μὴ ἐγνωκέν̣αι τη`̣ν̣ ὁδὸν τῆς δι καιοσύνης ἢ ἐπιγνοῦσιν ἀνακάμψαι εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἀπὸ τ̣ῆς παραδοθείσης αὐτοῖς ἁγίας ἐντολῆς". μὴ γὰρ καθάπαξ λέγει καλὸν εἶναι τὸ μη`̣ ε᾿̣γ̣νω κε´̣ν̣αι τὴν̣ ὁδὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης, ἀλλὰ κρεῖττον μὴ ε᾿̣γ̣νωκέναι ἢ γνόντα κ̣ατα̣φρονῆσαι αὐτῆς. οὐκ ἄλλα εἴρηκεν ὥσπερ περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδ̣α ὥσπ̣ερ ὁ σωτήρ· "καλὸν ἦν αὐτῷ, εἰ οὐ γεγέννητο". καλὸν ἦν αὐτῷ, εἰ μη`̣ κέκλη το· εἰ μὴ κέκλη̣το, οὐ προέδωκεν̣. οὐκ ἂν ἑτ̣έρως καλὸν ἦν τῷ Σαο̣υ´̣λ̣, ει᾿̣ μ̣ὴ βασιλεύσας ἦν· οὐ περ̣ιέπιπ̣τ̣εν γ̣ὰρ τοῖς ἀνο´̣μοις, οἷς περιέπ̣εσεν βασιλεύσας. καὶ τί ἔζησεν χιλίων ἐτῶν καθόδους, καὶ ἀγαθο σύνην οὐκ εἶδεν; ε̣ι᾿̣ ἔζη̣σεν χιλίων ἐτῶν κ̣αθόδ̣ο̣υς̣, τ̣ότε πατὴρ χιλίων παιδίων ἦν· "ἐὰν γεννήσῃ ἄνθρωπος ἑκατόν". τὸ ζ̣ῆσα̣ι οὖν̣ ὡς̣ ὀ´̣ν̣ο̣μ̣α̣ σύμφωνον τῇ γεν̣ν̣ήσει λαβέ. οὐχὶ δὲ ἂν̣ γένοιτο σύνλημ̣ψις σπέρματος̣ καὶ βρέ 176 φ̣ους οὐ γινομένης σπορᾶς αὐτοῦ· οὕτως οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο ταῦτα μὴ κατ ελθούσης ψυχῆς. κατὰ τῆς συνστάσεως τῆς γε̣ν̣ο̣μένης τὰ αἴτια δύο εἰ σίν· τοῦ δὲ σώματος γάμος, τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς "κάθοδος". κατὰ τοια´̣δε καὶ τό. πάλιν λέγουσιν οὕτως "καθόδους" περιόδους ἐτῶν.

ἕκαστος ἐνιαυτὸς ἔχει τινὰ ἀρχήν, ἣν καλοῦμεν "κάθοδον" αὐτοῦ. κἂν πολυέτης οὖν τις γέ γονεν ἐκ τοῦ πλήθους ἐνιαυτῶν, διέπεσαν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ᾗ ἔσχεν τῇ περι σπουδαστῷ, ἥτις ἐλεεινοὺς ποιεῖ τοὺς μεταδιώκοντας· οὐδὲν ἐκ τούτου κερδαίνει ἵνα ἴσον ᾖ τὸ γενέσθαι χιλίων ἐτῶν τῷ ζῆσ̣α̣ι̣ χιλίων ἐτῶν καθόδους· ὧδε περίοδος ἵνα ᾖ. ἐπερ· ὡς κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν καὶ ἀπίθανο̣ν̣ καὶ ἀδύνατον; οὐκ ἔστιν ἀπίθανον οὐδὲ ἀδύνατον· ὑπερβ̣ολῆς τρόπῳ ε̣ἰ´̣ρ̣η̣ται. τ̣ὰ δὲ κατ' ὑπερβολὴν λεγόμενα οὐκ εἰσὶν ἀπίθανα καὶ ἀδύνατα-ἀδύνατα μὲν ἐνίοτε, οὐ μὴν ἀπίθανα. λέξει τις γὰρ οὕτω· εἰ δύναται̣ ἄνθρωπος γεννῆσαι δ̣έκα̣, δύναται καὶ ἑκατὸν γεννῆσαι, καὶ τοσαῦτα ἔτη ζῆσαι, εἰ ἔζησεν πεντήκοντα. ἐγγὺς γοῦν τῶν χιλίων ἔζησαν οἱ πρότερον Μαθουσαήλ. ὑπερβολη`̣ οὖν ἐστιν̣ λόγος ἐμφάσεως ἕνεκα