to have become less than both of the brothers. 20.3.14 It is possible, therefore, for one not being of the seed of Abraham—since, because of the story of the flood, all subsequent people necessarily came from Noah—to be of the seed of Noah; 20.3.15 and if this is so, also of the seed of Enoch, and certainly also of the seed of Enos and Seth; but it is unclear to us for most of those after Noah, who is of the seed of Shem, and who of Ham, and who of Japheth, and of those still later; except that there is no one who in no way partakes of the seed of the righteous. But I suggest that perhaps it is possible for one who is not of the seed of Abraham, having the starting points that Abraham had from the earlier seeds, to become such that, not being from 20.3.16 Abraham, he is made like Abraham. For just as Abraham, not being from the seed of Abraham but from the aforementioned, became Abraham, so it is possible for someone, by cultivating the better things sown within him, to become another Abraham, not necessarily from the seed of Abraham but himself also capable of sowing like Abraham. 20.4.17 But let us hear all these things, referring what is said not to bodies and human beings, but to certain intelligible realities and more or fewer principles, in which those descending into generation, or entering 20.4.18 it, and perhaps also in some way ascending, partake in different ways. And you will consider whether the saying, “Going, they went and wept, bearing their seeds,” can be referred to such seeds, already called the own seeds of those who receive them into themselves; for if anyone is able, let him understand the journey with weeping of certain souls coming into generation, bearing the seeds either of more righteous ones or of fewer 20.4.19 and likewise of unrighteous ones. And let him consider, observing them as farmers agonizing over the seeds they have, how they might cultivate these (I mean the excellent ones), and not sow those, if indeed they also come 20.4.20 with worse seeds. For what sort of weeping is it likely that those weep about whom the word says: “Going, they went and wept, 20.4.21 bearing their seeds”? And there is good hope in those who go and weep, bearing their own seeds; for these, for the most part, “coming they will come with rejoicing, bearing their 20.4.22 sheaves.” But perhaps others came, about whom you might say: "7Going, they went and laughed, bearing their own seeds"7; for whom will follow: "7But coming they will come with weeping, bearing their own sheaves"7; about whom you might say: “They were born like grass on the housetops, which withered before it was plucked up; with which the reaper did not fill his hand, nor he who gathers the sheaves his bosom. 20.4.23 And those who passed by did not say: The blessing of the Lord be upon you.” And see if, according to this, what is said by our Savior can be understood more profoundly and mystically: “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh”; 20.4.24 and, “Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.” However, the later the righteous ones of whom someone is the seed, the more principles of righteousness he bears, so that for this reason it is written, “Seed of Abraham, his servants, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones,” and for this reason somehow is also what was said about John: “Among those born of women there is no one greater than John the Baptist.” 20.4.25 Having come to these topics, consider if it is not reasonable that some of the seeds are destroyed by God, so that evils may not be more numerous upon the earth, when those are sown who do not have starting points from better ones for cultivating the things from excellent seeds; for this is why the flood happens, so that the seed of Cain might be wiped out, since those who came from him would not have been able to have anything to 20.4.26 cultivate, except only the things from Adam. But that the flood happened for the wiping out of the seed of Cain, the Wisdom ascribed to Solomon shows through these words: “But when an unrighteous man departed from her in his anger” (clearly, from wisdom) “he perished together with his brother-slaying rage, because of whom the earth, being flooded, wisdom again 20.4.27 saved, through a cheap piece of wood, the righteous one

ἀμφοτέρων τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐλάττων γεγονέναι. 20.3.14 Ἔξεστιν τοίνυν μὴ ὄντα σπέρμα τοῦ Ἀβραάμ, τῷ πάντως διὰ τὴν κατὰ τὸν κατακλυσμὸν ἱστορίαν ἀπὸ Νῶε τοὺς ἑξῆς γεγονέναι, εἶναι σπέρμα Νῶε· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, καὶ σπέρμα Ἐνώχ, πάντως δὲ καὶ σπέρμα Ἐνὼς καὶ Σήθ· ἄδηλον δ' ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τῶν πολλῶν κατωτέρω τοῦ Νῶε, τίς σπέρμα τοῦ Σὴμ καὶ τίς τοῦ Χὰμ καὶ τίς τοῦ Ἰάφεθ καὶ τῶν ἔτι κατωτέρω· πλὴν οὐκ ἔστιν τις μηδαμῶς μετέχων σπέρ 20.3.15 ματος δικαίων. ἐφίστημι δὲ μήποτε δυνατὸν ἔχοντα τὰς ἀφορμὰς ἃς εἶχεν ὁ Ἀβραὰμ ἐκ τῶν προτέρων σπερμάτων γενέσθαι τὸν μὴ ὄντα σπέρμα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τοιοῦτον, ὥστε αὐτὸν οὐκ ὄντα ἀπὸ τοῦ 20.3.16 Ἀβραὰμ ἐξομοιωθῆναι τῷ Ἀβραάμ. ὡς γὰρ Ἀβραάμ, οὐκ ἐκ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ τυγχάνων ἀλλὰ τῶν προειρημένων, γέγονεν Ἀβραάμ, οὕτω δυνατόν τινα τὰ κρείττονα τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ ἐγκατασπαρέντων γεωργήσαντα γενέσθαι ἄλλον Ἀβραάμ, οὐ πάντως ἐκ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸν ἱκανὸν σπείρειν ὡς Ἀβραάμ. 20.4.17 Ὅλων δὲ τούτων ἀκούωμεν ἀναφέροντες τὰ λεγόμενα οὐκ ἐπὶ σώματα καὶ ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλ' ἐπί τινα νοητὰ καὶ λόγους πλείονας ἢ ἐλάττονας, ὧν μετέχουσι διαφόρως οἱ κατιόντες εἰς γένεσιν ἢ εἰσ 20.4.18 ιόντες, καὶ τάχα δέ πως καὶ ἀνιόντες. ἐπιστήσεις δὲ εἰ δύναται ἐπὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα σπέρματα, ἤδη καὶ τῶν εἰς ἑαυτοὺς λαμβανόντων αὐτὰ ἴδια ὀνομαζόμενα, ἀναφέρεσθαι τὸ «Πορευόμενοι ἐπορεύοντο «καὶ ἔκλαιον, αἴροντες τὰ σπέρματα αὐτῶν»· εἴ τις γὰρ δύναται, τὴν μετὰ κλαυθμοῦ πορείαν τινῶν ψυχῶν εἰς γένεσιν ἐρχομένων κατα νοησάτω, φερουσῶν τὰ σπέρματα ἤτοι πλειόνων δικαίων ἢ ὀλιγω 20.4.19 τέρων καὶ ἀδίκων ὁμοίως. καὶ ἐννοείτω θεωρῶν ὡσπερεὶ γεωργοὺς ἀγωνιῶντας περὶ ὧν ἔχουσιν σπερμάτων, πῶς τάδε μὲν γεωργήσωσιν (λέγω δὲ τὰ διαφέροντα), τάδε δὲ μὴ σπείρωσιν, εἴγε ἔρχονται καὶ 20.4.20 μετὰ χειρόνων σπερμάτων. ποῖον γὰρ εἰκὸς κλαυθμὸν κλαίειν τού τους περὶ ὧν φησιν ὁ λόγος· «Πορευόμενοι ἐπορεύοντο καὶ ἔκλαιον, 20.4.21 «αἴροντες τὰ σπέρματα αὐτῶν»; καὶ ἐλπίς γε ἀγαθή ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς πορευομένοις καὶ κλαίουσιν, αἴρουσιν τὰ σπέρματα ἑαυτῶν· οὗτοι γὰρ ὡς ἐπίπαν «ἐρχόμενοι ἥξουσιν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει, αἴροντες τὰ δράγματα 20.4.22 «αὐτῶν». τάχα δὲ ἕτεροι ἦλθον, περὶ ὧν εἴποις ἄν· "7Πορευόμενοι ἐπορεύοντο καὶ ἐγέλων, αἴροντες τὰ σπέρματα ἑαυτῶν"7· οἷς ἀκολου θήσει τὸ "7Ἐρχόμενοι δὲ ἥξουσιν ἐν κλαυθμῷ, αἴροντες τὰ δράγματα ἑαυτῶν"7· περὶ ὧν εἴποις ἄν· «Ἐγεννήθησαν ὡσεὶ χόρτος δωμάτων, «ὃς πρὸ τοῦ ἐκσπασθῆναι ἐξηράνθη· οὗ οὐκ ἐπλήρωσεν τὴν χεῖρα «αὐτοῦ ὁ θερίζων, καὶ τὸν κόλπον αὐτοῦ ὁ τὰ δράγματα συλλέγων. 20.4.23 «καὶ οὐκ εἶπαν οἱ παράγοντες· Εὐλογία κυρίου ἐφ' ὑμᾶς». καὶ ὅρα εἰ δύναται κατὰ τοῦτο βαθύτερον καὶ μυστικώτερον λέγεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τὸ «Μακάριοι οἱ κλαίοντες νῦν, ὅτι γελάσονται»· 20.4.24 καὶ τὸ «Οὐαὶ οἱ γελῶντες νῦν, ὅτι πενθήσετε καὶ κλαύσετε». ὅσῳ μέντοι γε μεταγενεστέρων τίς ἐστιν δικαίων σπέρμα, τοσούτῳ πλείο νας φέρει δικαιοσύνης λόγους, ὡς διὰ τοῦτο μὲν γεγράφθαι τὸ «Σπέρμα Ἀβραὰμ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ, υἱοὶ Ἰακὼβ ἐκλεκτοὶ αὐτοῦ», διὰ τοῦτο δέ πως εἶναι καὶ τὸ περὶ τοῦ Ἰωάννου εἰρημένον· «Μείζων «ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ οὐδείς ἐστιν». 20.4.25 Ἐν τούτοις δὲ γενόμενος τοῖς τόποις πρόσχες εἰ μὴ λόγον ἔχει τὸ ἀφανίζεσθαί τινα τῶν σπερμάτων ὑπὸ θεοῦ, ἵνα μὴ πλείονα τὰ κακὰ ᾖ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, σπειρομένων τῶν μὴ ἐχόντων ἀφορμὰς ἀπὸ κρειττόνων πρὸς τὸ γεωργῆσαι τὰ ἀπὸ διαφερόντων σπερμάτων· διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ κατακλυσμὸς γίνεται, ἵνα ἐξαφανισθῇ τὸ τοῦ Κάϊν σπέρμα, οὐκ ἂν δυνηθέντων τῶν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ γενομένων ἔχειν τί 20.4.26 γεωργήσωσιν, εἰ μὴ τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ μόνα. ὅτι δὲ ὁ κατακλυσμὸς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἐξαφανισθῆναι τὸ σπέρμα τοῦ Κάϊν γεγένηται, παρίστησιν ἡ ἐπιγεγραμμένη τοῦ Σολομῶντος Σοφία διὰ τούτων· «Ἀποστὰς δὲ «ἀπ' αὐτῆς ἄδικος ἐν ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ» (δῆλον δ' ὅτι τῆς σοφίας) «ἀδελ «φοκτόνοις συναπώλετο θυμοῖς δι' ὃν κατακλυζομένην γῆν πάλιν 20.4.27 «ἔσωσεν σοφία, δι' εὐτελοῦς ξύλου τὸν δίκαιον