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four from three months. And He commands around the table a twisted wave-molding round about, as it were a multitude of waters, that is, the Ocean; and again, round about the wave-molding a border of a handbreadth round about, that is, the land beyond and around the Ocean, where toward the east lies also paradise, where also the ends of heaven are bound to the ends of the earth. 2.37 And not only from this description are we taught concerning the luminaries and the stars that most of them traverse the south when they rise, but at the same time it also teaches concerning the earth that it has the Ocean encircling it on the outside, and again that beyond the Ocean there is land encircling the Ocean. But also from the prophecy of Noah's father, Lamech, we are taught concerning this, that Noah, through the world-bearing ark, is about to bring men and irrational animals into this land, saying somewhere thus: "This one will give us rest from our works and from the toils of our hands and from the earth, which the Lord God has cursed." For this reason he also named him Noah, that is, rest. 2.38 For after the first man had sinned and been cast out by God from paradise into a thorny and corrupt land, those ten generations were greatly distressed being disciplined, not having been commanded according to the sacred Letter to eat any longer from a fruit-bearing tree, because man had transgressed in the eating of a tree. And the diet of those ten generations from Adam to Noah was very dry, eating neither oil, nor tasting wine, nor meats, but commanded only to eat from seeds, and that from that land not being very fruitful, but toiling constantly; for thus says the Scripture: "Cursed is the ground in your works; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of your face you shall eat your bread." Side-note 2.39 It is clear concerning wine that after the flood, as it is written, having tended the vine and pressed from the fruit and drunk an excess of the new wine, not yet having experience of such things, he became drunk. It is even clearer also concerning meats, that God teaches him, saying: "Behold, I have given you everything to eat as the green herbs; only you shall not eat meat with its blood," so that he might say: 'Formerly I forbade you to eat from many things, but now I command you to eat from all things and to eat meat.' Sacrifice therefore and pour out the blood, and thus you shall eat the meat as herbs. And concerning oil, that it too is from a tree, from which they did not receive authority to eat before the flood. 2.40 But perhaps someone will say again: If it is true that they did not eat meat before the flood, how is it written: "And Abel was a keeper of sheep and he brought of the firstborn and of their fat"? Not eating meat, why did they tend a flock? And how, when offering for a sacrifice, did he not slaughter? Such a person will hear in truth that in the offering he offered living whole burnt offerings. For this is what one of the editions also signifies, saying: 'But upon Cain and upon his sacrifices He did not send fire,' so it is clear that the things offered were consumed by divine fire. And they kept a flock for milk and wool, providing for themselves. Again an objection: From where did they who did not eat meat get the idea to select fat for a sacrifice to God? Response: Because fat more so ignites the flame when it is being consumed by fire. The Text 2.41 God, wanting philanthropically to put an end to this diet and these toils for the human race, since men were now weaker—for the first ones, as newly created, withstood that discipline—seizing the occasion of their sins, and having found Noah alone to be righteous, brings on a flood for two or even more reasons, in order both to kill the sinners and to save the righteous one for the instruction of subsequent generations, and to deliver them too, being mortal and destined somehow to

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τέσσαρες ἀπὸ μηνῶν τριῶν. Προστάττει δὲ καὶ πέριξ τῆς τραπέζης κυμάτιον στρεπτὸν κύκλῳ, ὡσανεὶ πλῆθος ὑδάτων, τουτέστι τὸν Ὠκεανόν, καὶ πάλιν κύκλῳ τοῦ κυματίου στεφάνην παλαιστοῦ κύκλῳ, τουτέστι τὴν πέραν καὶ κύκλῳ τοῦ Ὠκεανοῦ γῆν, ἔνθα κατὰ ἀνατολὰς κεῖται καὶ ὁ παράδεισος, ἔνθα καὶ τὰ ἄκρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τοῖς ἄκροις συνδέδενται τῆς γῆς. 2.37 Οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐκ ταύτης τῆς διαγραφῆς διδασκόμεθα περὶ τῶν φωστήρων καὶ τῶν ἄστρων ὅτι τὸν νότον διατρέχουσιν οἱ πλείους ἀνατέλλοντες, ἀλλ' ἐν ταὐτῷ καὶ περὶ τῆς γῆς διδάσκει ὅτι ἔξωθεν ἑαυτῆς τὸν Ὠκεανὸν ἔχει κυκλοῦντα, καὶ πάλιν ὅτι πέραν τοῦ Ὠκεανοῦ γῆ ὑπάρχει κυκλοῦσα τὸν Ὠκεανόν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῆς προρρήσεως τοῦ πατρὸς Νῶε, Λάμεχ, διδασκόμεθα περὶ τούτου, ὡς ὅτι Νῶε διὰ τῆς κοσμοφόρου κιβωτοῦ μέλλει ἀγαγεῖν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ τὰ ἄλογα εἰς τὴν γῆν ταύτην, φάσκοντος ὧδέ που· "Οὗτος διαναπαύσει ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων ἡμῶν καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν λυπῶν τῶν χειρῶν ἡμῶν καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἧς κατηράσατο Κύριος ὁ Θεός." ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Νῶε αὐτὸν ὠνόμασε, τουτέστι ἀνάπαυσις. 2.38 Ἡμαρτηκότος γὰρ τοῦ πρώτου ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἐκβληθέντος ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκ τοῦ παραδείσου εἰς γῆν ἀκανθώδη καὶ σαπράν, πάνυ ἤχθοντο παιδευόμεναι αἱ δέκα γενεαὶ ἐκεῖναι, μὴ κελευσθεῖσαι κατὰ τὸ Γράμμα τὸ ἱερὸν ἔτι ἀπὸ ξύλου καρπίμου φαγεῖν διὰ τὸ ἐν βρώσει ξύλου παραβῆναι τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Καὶ πάνυ ξηρὰ ὑπῆρχεν ἡ δίαιτα τῶν δέκα γενεῶν ἐκείνων ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ μέχρι Νῶε, μήτε ἔλαιον ἐσθιόντων, μήτε οἴνου ἀπογευομένων, μήτε δὲ κρεῶν, μόνον δὲ ἀπὸ σπερμάτων κελευσθέντων ἐσθίειν, καὶ τοῦτο τῆς γῆς ἐκείνης μὴ πάνυ καρποφορούσης, ἀλλὰ μοχθούντων διαπαντός· οὕτω γὰρ λέγει ἡ Γραφή· "Ἐπικατάρατος ἡ γῆ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου, ἐν λύπαις φάγῃ αὐτὴν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου· ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἀνατελεῖ σοι, καὶ φάγῃ τὸν χόρτον τοῦ ἀγροῦ· ἐν ἱδρῶτι τοῦ προσώπου σου φάγῃ τὸν ἄρτον σου." Παραγραφή 2.39 Φανερόν ἐστι περὶ τοῦ οἴνου ὅτι μετὰ τὸν κατακλυσμόν, ὡς γέγραπται, ἐπιμελησάμενος τῆς ἀμπέλου καὶ θλίψας ἐκ τοῦ καρποῦ καὶ πιὼν περισσὸν ἐκ τοῦ γλεύκους, μήπω πεῖραν ἔχων τῶν τοιούτων, ἐμεθύσθη. Ἔτι φανερώτερον καὶ περὶ τῶν κρεῶν, ὅτι διδάσκει αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς λέγων· "Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ὑμῖν πάντα ὡς λάχανα χόρτου ἔδεσθαι· πλὴν κρέας ἐν αἵματι μὴ φάγεσθε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ", ἵνα εἴπῃ· Πρώην μὲν ἐκώλυσα ἀπὸ τῶν πολλῶν ὑμᾶς φαγεῖν, νυνὶ δὲ κελεύω ἀπὸ πάντων ὑμᾶς ἐσθίειν καὶ κρεοφαγεῖν. Θῦσον οὖν καὶ ἔκχεε τὸ αἷμα, καὶ οὕτως ὡς λάχανα τὸ κρέας φάγεσθε. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ ἐλαίου, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸ ἀπὸ ξύλου ἐστίν, ἐξ οὗ οὐκ ἔλαβον ἐξουσίαν πρὸ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ φαγεῖν. 2.40 Ἴσως δὲ πάλιν ἐρεῖ τις· Εἰ ἀληθές ἐστι τὸ μὴ κρεοφαγεῖν αὐτοὺς πρὸ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ, πῶς γέγραπται· "Καὶ ἦν ὁ Ἄβελ ποιμὴν προβάτων καὶ προσήνεγκεν ἀπὸ τῶν πρωτοτόκων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν στεάτων αὐτῶν"; Μὴ κρεοφαγοῦντες, διατί ἐπεμελοῦντο ποίμνης; Πῶς δὲ καὶ εἰς θυσίαν προσφέρων οὐκ ἔθυεν; Ἀκούσεται φιλαλήθως ὁ τοιοῦτος ὅτι ἐν τῇ μὲν προσφορᾷ ζῶντα προσέφερεν ὁλοκαυτώματα. Τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει καὶ μία τῶν ἐκδόσεων λέγουσα· "Ἐπὶ δὲ Καῒν καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐνεπύρισεν", ὡς δῆλον ὅτι τὰ προσφερόμενα πυρὶ θείῳ καταναλίσκετο. Περιεποιοῦντο δὲ ποίμνιον εἰς γάλα καὶ ἔρια προνοούμενοι ἑαυτῶν. Πάλιν ἀντίθεσις· Πόθεν αὐτοῖς ἔννοια μὴ κρεοφαγούντων πιμελῆ ἐπιλέγεσθαι εἰς θυσίαν τῷ Θεῷ; Ἀπάντησις· Ὅτι πλέον τὰ πιμελῆ ἐξάπτει τὴν φλόγα ἐν τῷ κατακαίεσθαι πυρί. Τὸ κείμενον 2.41 Ταύτης τῆς διαίτης καὶ τῶν μόχθων τούτων φιλανθρώπως ὁ Θεὸς παῦσαι βουλόμενος τὸ ἀνθρώπειον γένος, λοιπὸν καὶ ἀσθενεστέρων τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑπαρχόντωνοἱ πρῶτοι γὰρ ὡς νεόκτιστοι ἀντεῖχον τῇ παιδεύσει ἐκείνῃ, ἀφορμῆς δραξάμενος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν, τὸν Νῶε δὲ μόνον εὑρηκὼς δίκαιον, ἐπάγει κατακλυσμὸν διὰ δύο ἢ καὶ πλείους προφάσεις, ἵνα τοὺς μὲν ἁμαρτωλοὺς ἀποκτείνῃ καὶ τὸν δίκαιον διασώσῃ πρὸς παιδείαν καὶ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα γενεῶν, ἀπαλλάξῃ δὲ κἀκείνους θνητοὺς ὄντας καὶ μέλλοντας ὁπωσδήποτε