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by power and wisdom and not to be overly curious, nor to be meddlesome, nor to say: Why this? For what purpose this? How will this be? 10.8 And not only this is wonderful, but that even that son of his, the only-begotten and legitimate, after this promise he was commanded to sacrifice, and not even then was he scandalized. And yet there were many things that could scandalize one who was not sober, nor watchful; and first, the command itself, if God accepts such sacrifices and commands fathers to be child-murderers and to end life by a violent death and to deliver their children to an untimely death, and to become murderers of their own offspring, and wishes his own altar to be bloodied with such blood, and a father's right hand to be armed against his only-begotten child, and the just man to be harsher than murderers. 10.9 and with this also the tyranny of nature, causing turmoil, disturbing, not only because he was a father, but because he was also a loving father and the father of such a child, legitimate, only-begotten, fair to see, and fair to perceive. For he was in the very flower of his age and at the very peak of virtue, shining then with a double beauty, both that of the soul and that of the body. 10.10 And it was no small thing for tender affection that he had been given beyond all hope. For you know how lovely such children are, those born beyond hope and expectation and not granted by the law of nature, such as he was. And with all these things, indeed, that which was most able to provide a scandal was the announcement and the promise; for what was commanded was contrary to it. For what was announced was: "So shall your seed be as the stars of heaven," but what was commanded, that the only-begotten son from whom he was to fill the whole world, that this one be taken from their midst and delivered to death and to a most harsh slaughter. 10.11 And yet not even so was he scandalized, nor was that just man disturbed, nor did he suffer anything such as one of the foolish and groveling might be expected to suffer. For he did not say to himself: What is this? Was I deceived? Was I deluded? Is this a command from God? Away, I am not persuaded; for me to become a child-murderer is unjust and to stain my right hand with such blood. And how will the things of the promise come to pass? For if I destroy the root, from where will come the branches? from where the fruits? if I bury the spring, from where the rivers? if I slaughter the son, from where for me the multitude of descendants rivaling the multitude of the stars? 10.12 How then did he promise one thing and now command the contrary? He said none of these things, nor did he think them; but again taking refuge in the power of the one who promised, the ineffable, the resourceful, the abundant, which shines through contraries, which is superior to the laws of nature, which is more powerful than all things, which has nothing to oppose it, and with this full assurance he carried out the command and he slaughtered the son and bloodied his right hand and reddened the sword and drove the knife through the throat; for even if not in deed, yet in intention he fulfilled all these things. 10.13 Wherefore also Moses, marveling at him, spoke thus: "And it came to pass after these words, that God tested Abraham, and said to him: Take your beloved son whom you have loved, Isaac, and offer him up on one of the mountains which I shall tell you." These words of the promise, of the announcement, which say that he would be the father of a multitude of descendants and his seed would be as the stars of heaven? 10.14 See how after these words, having heard the command to slaughter his son, he accepted to destroy and sacrifice him from whom so great a multitude was to be, and to take him from their midst, and to bring him as a victim to God. And Paul also, marveling at him again, thus proclaimed, saying: "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac." Then, showing what a great thing he did and how much faith he displayed, he added: "And he who had received the promises offered up his only-begotten son." 10.15 What he says is something like this: It cannot be said that he had two legitimate children and expected, when this one was destroyed, to be the father of that multitude from the other one, but he had only him and from

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δυνάμει καὶ σοφίᾳ καὶ μὴ περιεργάζεσθαι, μηδὲ πολυπραγμονεῖν, μηδὲ λέγειν· ∆ιὰ τί τοῦτο; εἰς τί τοῦτο; πῶς τοῦτο ἔσται; 10.8 Οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ θαυμαστόν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐκεῖνον, τὸν μονογενῆ καὶ γνήσιον, μετὰ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν ταύτην ἐκελεύετο καταθύειν καὶ οὐδὲ τότε ἐσκανδαλίζετο. Καίτοι πολλὰ ἦν τὰ δυνάμενα σκανδαλίσαι τὸν μὴ νήφοντα, μηδὲ ἐγρηγορότα· καὶ αὐτὸ πρῶτον τὸ ἐπίταγμα, εἰ ὁ Θεὸς τοιαύτας καταδέχεται θυσίας καὶ παιδοκτόνους εἶναι κελεύει τοὺς πατέρας καὶ βιαίῳ τελευτῇ καταλύειν τὸν βίον καὶ ἀώρῳ παραδιδόναι τοὺς παῖδας θανάτῳ, καὶ αὐτόχειρας γενέσθαι τῶν γεννηθέντων καὶ αἵματι τοιούτῳ τὸν βωμὸν αἱμάσσεσθαι βούλεται τὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ δεξιὰν ὁπλίζεσθαι πατρικὴν κατὰ τοῦ μονογενοῦς παιδὸς καὶ φονέων εἶναι χαλεπώτερον τὸν δίκαιον· 10.9 καὶ μετὰ τούτου καὶ ἡ τῆς φύσεως τυραννὶς θορυβοῦσα, ταράττουσα, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ πατὴρ ἦν μόνον, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ καὶ φιλόστοργος καὶ πατὴρ τοιούτου παιδός, γνησίου, μονογενοῦς, καλοῦ μὲν ἰδεῖν, καλοῦ δὲ νοῆσαι. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ἄνθει τῆς ἡλικίας ἦν καὶ αὐτῇ τῆς ἀρετῆς τῇ ἀκμῇ, διπλῇ τότε ἀπολάμπων τῇ εὐμορφίᾳ καὶ τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τῇ τοῦ σώματος. 10.10 Οὐ μικρὸν δὲ εἰς φιλοστοργίαν ἦν καὶ τὸ παρ' ἐλπίδα δοθῆναι πᾶσαν. Ἴστε γὰρ πῶς ἐπέραστα τὰ τοιαῦτα παιδία, τὰ παρ' ἐλπίδα καὶ προσδοκίαν καὶ οὐ νόμῳ φύσεως κεχαρισμένα, οἷος ἐκεῖνος ἦν. Καὶ μετὰ τούτων δὴ πάντων τὸ μάλιστα ἱκανὸν παρασχεῖν σκάνδαλον ἡ ἐπαγγελία καὶ ἡ ὑπόσχεσις ἦν· ἐναντίον γὰρ ἦν αὐτῇ τὸ ἐπιταχθέν. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐπαγγελθὲν ἦν· «Οὕτως ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου ὡς τὰ ἄστρα οὐρανοῦ», τὸ δὲ ἐπιτεταγμένον, τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἀφ' οὗ πᾶσαν ἔμελλεν ἐμπλήσειν τὴν οἰκουμένην, τοῦτον ἐκ μέσου γίνεσθαι καὶ θανάτῳ παραδίδοσθαι καὶ σφαγῇ χαλεπωτάτῃ. 10.11 Καὶ ὁμῶς οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐσκανδαλίζετο, οὐδὲ ἐθορυβεῖτο ὁ δίκαιος ἐκεῖνος, οὐδὲ ἔπαθέ τι τοιοῦτον οἷον εἰκὸς ἦν τινα τῶν ἀνοήτων παθεῖν καὶ χαμαὶ συρομένων. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπε πρὸς ἑαυτόν· Τί τοῦτο; ἐπλανήθην; παρελογίσθην; Θεοῦ τοῦτο ἐπίταγμα; Ἄπαγε, οὐ πείθομαι· τὸ παιδοκτόνον με γενέσθαι ἄδικον καὶ τοιούτῳ φοινῖξαι αἵματι τὴν δεξιάν μου. Πῶς δὲ τὰ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἕξει πέρας; Ἂν γὰρ ἀνέλω τὴν ῥίζαν, πόθεν οἱ κλάδοι; πόθεν οἱ καρποί; ἂν καταχώσω τὴν πηγήν, πόθεν οἱ ποταμοί; ἂν σφάξω τὸν υἱόν, πόθεν μοι τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἐκγόνων τὸ τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἄστρων παρισούμενον; 10.12 Πῶς οὖν ὑπέσχετο ἕτερα καὶ ἐναντία ἐπιτάττει νῦν; Τούτων οὐδὲν οὐκ εἶπεν, οὐκ ἐνενόησεν· ἀλλὰ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐπαγγειλαμένου καταφυγὼν τὴν ἄφατον, τὴν εὐμήχανον, τὴν εὔπορον, τὴν διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων διαλάμπουσαν, τὴν ἀνωτέραν τῶν τῆς φύσεως νόμων, τὴν πάντων δυνατωτέραν, τὴν οὐδὲν ἔχουσαν τὸ ἀντιπῖπτον καὶ τοῦτο μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς πληροφορίας τὸ ἐπίταγμα ἤνυε καὶ ἔσφαξε τὸν υἱὸν καὶ ᾕμαξε τὴν δεξιὰν καὶ ἐφοίνιξε τὸ ξίφος καὶ διὰ τῆς δειρῆς τὴν μάχαιραν ἤλασεν· εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ τῷ ἔργῳ, ἀλλὰ τῇ γνώμῃ ταῦτα πάντα ἐπλήρωσε. 10.13 ∆ιὸ καὶ Μωυσῆς αὐτὸν θαυμάζων, οὕτως ἔφη· «Καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα, ὁ Θεὸς ἐπείραζε τὸν Ἀβραὰμ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Λαβὲ τὸν υἱόν σου τὸν ἀγαπητὸν ὃν ἠγάπησας τὸν Ἰσαὰκ καὶ ἀνένεγκε αὐτὸν ἐφ' ἓν τῶν ὀρέων ὧν ἄν σοι εἴπω.» Ταῦτα τὰ τῆς ὑποσχέσεως ῥήματα, τὰ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, τὰ λέγοντα ὅτι πλήθους ἐκγόνων ἔσται πατὴρ καὶ ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ὡς τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ; 10.14 Ὅρα πῶς μετὰ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα, ἀκούσας σφάξαι τὸν υἱόν, κατεδέξατο τὸν ἀφ' οὗ τοσοῦτον ἔμελλεν ἔσεσθαι τὸ πλῆθος, τοῦτον ἀνελεῖν καὶ καταθῦσαι καὶ ἐκ μέσου ποιῆσαι καὶ ἱερεῖον τῷ Θεῷ προσαγαγεῖν. Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δὲ αὐτὸν θαυμάζων πάλιν οὕτως ἀνεκήρυττε λέγων· «Πίστει προσενήνοχεν Ἀβραὰμ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ πειραζόμενος». Εἶτα δεικνὺς ἡλίκον πρᾶγμα ἐποίησε καὶ ὅσην ἐπεδείξατο πίστιν, ἐπήγαγε· «Καὶ τὸν μονογενῆ προσέφερεν ὁ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας δεξάμενος.» 10.15 Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ὅτι δύο παῖδας εἶχε γνησίους καὶ προσεδόκα, ἀναιρεθέντος τούτου, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἑτέρου τοῦ πλήθους ἐκείνου ἔσεσθαι πατήρ, ἀλλὰ καὶ μόνον εἶχεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἀπὸ