Origen of Alexandria, Selections on Genesis

her wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dream, and there was no one who could interpret it to Pharaoh. I do not think they were completely silent, but rather said everything except the interpretation of the dreams. But someone will say: How did Pharaoh know whether the interpreters and wise men of Egypt were succeeding in interpreting the dreams or not? But the Hebrew said in response to this that when Pharaoh saw the dream, he also saw its interpretation, which then fell from his memory. Therefore, when he heard each one speaking, he did not recall what he knew he had seen. For this reason he was astonished at Joseph, and at once advanced him to entrust to him all of Egypt, and its grain, and the salvation of the Egyptians; since as soon as he interpreted the dreams, this man was reminded that they were the same things that had been previously revealed to him. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying: Without God the salvation of Pharaoh will not be answered. Blessed is Joseph in that he prefaces from God. But observe, that to the woman he said: And shall I do this wicked thing, and sin against God? But also to the eunuchs in the prison he says: Is not the interpretation of them through God? And Pharaoh said to all his servants: Shall we find such a man as this, who has the spirit of God in him? When Pharaoh saw something greater than human, that the solution of the dream that had fallen from his memory was clarified by Joseph, he said that he had the spirit of God in him. From the same. Even Pharaoh was compelled to speak of one God; and with this agrees what was previously given concerning the solution of the dream. And a herald cried before him. The Hebrew has Abrech, which properly means, tender father. Rightly did he call the 12.136 Joseph tender father, since though tender in age, he showed a saving rule to the Egyptians like a father. But the word signifies nothing other than to kneel. For the voice of the herald is clear. And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Psonthomphanech. Psomthomphanech, which is interpreted, to whom the future was revealed. Aquila, Saphamphane; Symmachus, Saphthphane, he revealed hidden things. And he gave him Asenath the daughter of Petephres priest of Heliopolis as his wife. The name Potiphar is in the name of the father of the one married to Joseph. But someone will think this is a different person from the one who bought Joseph. However, the Hebrews have not supposed so; but from an apocryphal source they say he is the same one, and became both master and father-in-law. And they say that this Asenath had slandered her mother to her father as having plotted against Joseph, and not having been plotted against. And the one he gave to Joseph, he did so, being eager to show also to the Egyptians that no such sin had been committed in his house. And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, "For God has made me forget all my toil, and all of my father's." That God made him forget all his toils is clearly good; but whether Joseph also forgot all the things of his father Jacob, with God doing this for him, is a matter for inquiry. For God does not make Joseph forget the words of Jacob, and his sons; unless perhaps it means his toils, so that "toils" is understood in common, thus: all my toils and all my father's toils. He called the name of the second Ephraim, "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction." Mystically, the spiritual Egypt is a land of the just man's affliction; whence it is said by the Apostle: The body of our humiliation; and in the Psalms: Our life is brought low to the dust; and again: You have humbled us in a place of affliction. And Joseph was governor of Egypt. He it was who sold to all the people of the land. And the brothers of Joseph came and bowed down to him with their faces to the earth. Because the sons of Jacob were not people of the land, he did not sell to them; but he returned their money twice. For it was fitting for the sons of Israel to receive the grain for free. From the same. Charmingly, concerning the same men, when they are buying, it says, "sons of Israel"; but when they are bowing down to Joseph, "the brothers of Joseph."

τοὺς σοφοὺς αὐτῆς. Καὶ διηγήσατο αὐτοῖς Φαραὼ τὸ ἐνύπνιον αὐ τοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἀπαγγέλλων αὐτὸ τῷ Φαραώ. Οὐκ οἶμαι, ὅτι τέλεον ἐσιώπων, ἀλλὰ πάντα μᾶλλον ἔλεγον ἢ αὐτὸ τὸ τῆς ἐνυπνίων διηγήσεως. Ἀλλ' ἐρεῖ τις· Πῶς ᾔδει ὁ Φαραὼ πότερον ἐπιτυγ χάνουσιν οἱ ἐξηγηταὶ καὶ σοφοὶ Αἰγύπτου διηγούμε νοι τὰ ἐνύπνια, ἢ μή; Ἔλεγε δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ Ἑβραῖος, ὅτι ὁ Φαραὼ ἰδὼν τὸ ἐνύπνιον, εἶδε αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν διήγησιν, ἥτις αὐτοῦ ἀπέπεσε τῆς μνήμης. Ἑκάστου οὖν ἀκούων λέγοντος, οὐκ ἀνεμιμνήσκετο οὗ ᾔδει ἑωρακέναι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὲ ἐξεπλάγη τὸν Ἰω σὴφ, καὶ ἀθρόως αὐτὸν προήγαγεν εἰς τὸ πιστεῦ σαι τὴν πᾶσαν Αἴγυπτον, καὶ τὸν σῖτον αὐτῆς, καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, αὐτῷ· ἐπεὶ ἅμα γε ἐκδιηγήσατο τὰ ὀνείρατα, καὶ οὗτος ὑπεμνή σθη τὰ αὐτὰ εἶναι τὰ προδεδηλωμένα αὐτῷ. Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ Ἰωσὴφ τῷ Φαραὼ, εἶπεν· Ἄνευτοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἀποκριθήσεται τὸ σωτήριον Φαραώ. Εὔλογος Ἰωσὴφ ἐν ᾧ προοιμιάζεται ἀπὸ Θεοῦ. Τήρει δὲ, ὅτι πρὸς μὲν τὴν γυναῖκα εἶπε· Καὶ ποιή σω τὸ ῥῆμα τὸ πονηρὸν τοῦτο, καὶ ἁμαρτήσομαι ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τῇ φυ λακῇ εὐνούχους φησίν· Οὐχὶ διὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ δια σάφησις αὐτῶν ἐστι; Καὶ εἶπε Φαραὼ πᾶσι τοῖς παισὶν αὐτοῦ· Μὴ εὑρήσομεν ἄνθρωπον τοιοῦτον, ὃς ἔχει πνεῦμα Θεοῦ ἐν ἑαυτῷ; Μεῖζον ἢ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον ἰδὼν Φαραὼ τὸ τὴν ἐκπεσοῦσαν τῆς μνήμης αὐτοῦ λύσιν τοῦ ὀνείρατος σεσαφηνίσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ, πνεῦμα εἶπε Θεοῦ ἔχειν αὐτὸν ἐν ἑαυτῷ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ἠναγκάσθη καὶ Φαραὼ ἕνα εἰπεῖν Θεόν· καὶ τούτῳ δὲ συνᾴδει τὸ περὶ τῆς λύσεως τοῦ ὀνείρατος προαποδεδομένον. Καὶ ἐκήρυσσεν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ κήρυξ. Τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν ἔχει Ἀβρὴχ, ὃ κυρίως σημαίνει, πατὴρ ἁπαλός. Εἰκότως πατέρα ἁπαλὸν ἐκάλεσε τὸν 12.136 Ἰωσὴφ, ἐπειδήπερ ἁπαλὸς ὢν κατὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν, ὡς πατὴρ σωτήριον ἀρχὴν Αἰγυπτίοις ἐνεδείξατο. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ οὐδὲν ἡ λέξις, ἢ τὸ γονατίζειν. Φανερὰ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ φωνὴ τοῦ κήρυκος. Καὶ ἐκάλεσε Φαραὼ τὸ ὄνομα Ἰωσὴφ Ψονθομ φανήχ. Ψομθομφανὴχ ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται, ᾧ ἀπε καλύφθη τὸ μέλλον. Ἀκύλας, Σαφαμφανή· Σύμ μαχος, Σαφθφανὴ, κεκρυμμένα ἀπεκάλυψε. Καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ τὴν Ἀσενὲθ θυγατέρα Πετε φρῆ ἱερέως Ἡλιουπόλεως αὐτῷ γυναῖκα. Τὸ μὲν Φουτιφὰρ ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ πατρός ἐστι τῆς γαμη θείσης τῷ Ἰωσήφ. Οἰήσεται δέ τις ἕτερον εἶναι τοῦ τον παρὰ τὸν ὠνησάμενον τὸν Ἰωσήφ. Οὐ μὴν οὕτως ὑπειλήφασιν Ἑβραῖοι· ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀποκρύφου λέγουσι τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι, καὶ δεσπότην καὶ πενθερὸν γενέσθαι. Καὶ φασὶ ταύτην τὴν Ἀσενὲθ διαβεβληκέναι τὴν μητέρα παρὰ τῷ πατρὶ ὡς ἐπιβουλεύσασαν τῷ Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ οὐκ ἐπιβουλευθεῖσαν. Ἣν δὲ ἐκδέδωκε τῷ Ἰωσὴφ, δεῖξαι σπουδάσας καὶ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις, ὅτι μηδὲν τοιοῦτον ἡμάρτηται εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ. Ἐκάλεσε δὲ Ἰωσὴφ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πρωτοτόκου Μανασσῆ, ὅτι ἐπιλαθέσθαι ἐποίησέ με ὁ Θεὸς πάντων τῶν πόνων μου, καὶ πάντων τῶν τοῦ πατρός μου. Τὸ μὲν πάντων ἐπιλαθέσθαι τῶν πόνων τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦτο ποιήσαντος, σαφῶς καλόν ἐστιν· εἰ δὲ καὶ πάντων τῶν τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ Ἰα κὼβ ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἐπελάθετο, καὶ τοῦτο ποιήσαντος τοῦ Θεοῦ αὐτῷ, ζητητέον. Οὐ γὰρ Θεὸς ποιεῖ ἐπι λαθέσθαι τὸν Ἰωσὴφ λόγων τοῦ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ υἱῶν αὐτοῦ· εἰ μὴ ἄρα πόνων αὐτοῦ, ἵν' ᾖ ἀπὸ κοινοῦ τὸ, πόνων, οὕτως· πάντων τῶν πόνων μου καὶ πάντων τῶν τοῦ πατρὸς πόνων. Τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ δευτέρου ἐκάλεσεν Ἐφραῒμ, ὅτι ηὔξησέ με ὁ Θεὸς ἐν γῇ ταπεινώσεώς μου. Μυ στικῶς ἡ πνευματικὴ Αἴγυπτος γῆ ταπεινώσεώς ἐστι τοῦ δικαίου· παρὸ παρὰ τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ λέγεται· Τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν· καὶ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς· Ἐταπεινώθη εἰς χοῦν ἡ ζωὴ ἡμῶν· καὶ πάλιν· Ἐταπείνωσας ἡμᾶς ἐν τόπῳ κακώσεως. Ἰωσὴφ δὲ ἦν ἄρχων τῆς Αἰγύπτου. Οὗτος ἐπώλει παντὶ τῷ λαῷ τῆς γῆς. Ἐλθόντες δὲ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ Ἰωσὴφ προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ ἐπὶ πρόσω πον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. ∆ιὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι λαοὺς τῆς γῆς τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰακὼβ, οὐκ ἐπώλει αὐτοῖς· ἀπεδίδου δὲ τὰ ἀργύρια δίς. Ἔπρεπε γὰρ τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ προῖκα λαμβάνειν τὸν σῖτον. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Χαριέντως περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν, ὅτε μὲν ἀγοράζουσι, φησὶν, υἱοὶ Ἰσραήλ· ὅτε δὲ προσκυ νοῦσιν Ἰωσὴφ, οἱ ἀδελφοὶ Ἰωσήφ.