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which formerly was a valley having wells of asphalt, but the land having disappeared, it has become a lake, which is also called the Dead Sea. And it is by nature very bitter and barren; and it possesses light water, so that heavy things thrown into it, such as stone or iron, do not sink to the bottom, but are blown up again as if by a spirit, and float on the surface. For living people thrown into it bob up; but dead ones sink; and burning lamps are carried on top, but when extinguished they are submerged. And it brings up bitter salt, and alum, and black clods of asphalt, so that these resemble headless bulls in size. And the sailors, grabbing these clods, fill their boats and drag them to the mainland. And the asphalt sticks to the wood of the boat and hardens, so that it cannot otherwise be detached, unless it is wetted with urine and menstrual blood; for it is its nature to yield to these alone. They say the water changes color three times a day and sends forth a variety of appearance, reflecting against the ray of the sun. And Abraham, having become one hundred years old, begot a legitimate 764 son, Isaac, from Sarah; and after the eighth day he circumcised him, from which the Hebrews observe this custom even now, being circumcised on this day. For the Arabs and the Ishmaelites are circumcised in the thirteenth year, since their forefather Ishmael was thus circumcised. And being persuaded by Sarah, Abraham sent Ishmael to live elsewhere, lest after his death, as the firstborn, he might act maliciously toward Isaac concerning the birthright. At any rate, the descendants of Ishmael occupied the land stretching from the Euphrates to the Red Sea. And after a time, God commanded him that Isaac be offered as a sacrifice; and Abraham, considering this also a very great symbol of piety, arrives with great eagerness at a certain mountain peak, and having prepared everything for the sacrifice, says to his son: "O son, having asked with countless prayers for you to be born to me from God, since you came into life, there is nothing I did not lavish upon your upbringing, nor did I think I would be happier for anything more, than that when I die I might leave you, a grown man, as successor to my authority. But since by God's will I became your father, again I dedicate you to Him who asks for you. Bear therefore the consecration nobly; for I yield you to God, who has deemed us worthy of this honor, in return for which He has been gracious and a protector to me. Go then, not dying the common way out of life, but by your own father being sent forth to God the father of all by the law of sacrifice. I think He judged you worthy not to die by disease, nor by war, nor by any other of the sufferings which are wont to befall men, but with prayers and sacred rites for Him to receive your soul. And you will be to me as a guardian and sustainer of my old age by providing God to me in your place." Hearing these things, Isaac said to him: "I would not be worthy to have been born at all, if I were to reject the decision of God and my father, and not readily offer myself to the wills of both. But even if my father alone had chosen this, it would have been unjust not to obey." And saying these things, he rushed to the altar and to the slaughter. But God, accepting the eagerness of each, granted the son to the father, showing a ram for the whole burnt offering instead of the child; and immediately he offered this one instead of Isaac his son. And to Abraham first the Word of God, appearing in the form of a man, foretold the calling of the nations, which He, visiting the world in our time, brought to fulfillment through His evangelical teaching to all the nations. And Isaac, being in the fortieth year of his life, 765 takes Rebecca to be his wife, from whom he begot two sons, Esau and Jacob. And the

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ἣ πρότερον μὲν ἦν κοιλὰς φρέατα ἔχουσα ἀσφάλτου, ἀφανισθείσης δὲ τῆς χώρας, λίμνη γεγένηται, ἥτις καὶ Νεκρὰ θάλασσα προσαγορεύεται. Καὶ ἔστι μὲν πικροτάτη φύσει καὶ ἄγονος· κοῦφον δὲ τὸ ὕδωρ κέκτηται, ὡς τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ ῥιπτομένων βαρέων, λίθου ἢ σιδήρου, τυχὸν μὴ καταδύνειν εἰς τὸν βυθὸν, ἀλλ' αὖθις ὥσπερ ὑπὸ πνεύματος ἀναφυσᾶσθαι, καὶ ἐπιπολᾶσθαι. Ῥιφέντες γὰρ ἐπ' αὐτῇ ζῶντες ἄνθρωποι ἀναβλυστάνουσι· νεκροὶ δὲ καταδύνουσι· καὶ λύχνοι δὲ καιόμενοι ἐπιφέρονται, σβεσθέντες δὲ καταποντοῦνται. Ἀναφέρει δὲ ἅλας πικρὸν, καὶ στυπτηρίαν, καὶ τῆς ἀσφάλτου μελαίνας βώλους, ὡς ἐοικέναι τούτους ταύροις ἀκεφάλοις τὸ μέγεθος. Καὶ οἱ ναῦται, τὰς βώλους ταύτας δρασσόμενοι, πληροῦσι τὰ σκάφη, καὶ ἕλκουσιν ἐπὶ τὴν χέρσον. Προσπήγνυται δὲ τῷ ξύλῳ τοῦ πλοίου ἡ ἄσφαλτος, καὶ ἀποξυλοῦται, ὡς μὴ δύνασθαι ἄλλως ἀποκολληθῆναι, εἰ μὴ βρεχθείη οὔροις καὶ γυναικείοις ἐμμήνοις· τούτοις γὰρ εἴκειν μόνοις πέφυκεν. Ἀλλάττειν δέ φασι τῆς ἡμέρας χροιὰς τρεῖς τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ ποικιλίαν ὄψεως ἐκπέμπειν πρὸς τὴν ἀκτῖνα τοῦ ἡλίου ἀνταυγοῦσαν. Ὁ δὲ Ἀβραὰμ, ἑκατοντούτης γενόμενος, γνήσιον 764 παῖδα ἐκ τῆς Σάῤῥας τὸν Ἰσαὰκ ἐγέννησε· καὶ μετὰ τὴν ὀγδόην ἡμέραν αὐτὸν περιέτεμεν, ἐξ οὗ καὶ νῦν τὸ ἔθος τοῦτο οἱ Ἑβραῖοι φυλάττουσι, τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ περιτεμνόμενοι. Ἄραβες γὰρ καὶ οἱ Ἰσμαηλῖται τρισκαιδεκάτῳ περιτέμνονται ἔτει, τοῦ προπάτορος αὐτῶν Ἰσμαὴλ οὕτω περιτμηθέντος. Πεισθεὶς δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς Σάῤῥας, ὁ Ἀβραὰμ τὸν Ἰσμαὴλ ἀλλαχόσε μετῴκησε, μήποτε μετὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀποβίωσιν, ὡς πρωτότοκος περὶ τῶν πρεσβείων κακουργήσῃ τὸν Ἰσαάκ. Κατέσχον γοῦν τοῦ Ἰσμαὴλ οἱ ἀπόγονοι τὴν ἀπὸ Εὐφράτου καθήκουσαν γῆν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν. Μετὰ δὲ χρόνον εἰς θυσίαν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Ἰσαὰκ ἀνενεχθῆναι αὐτῷ προσέταξεν· καὶ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ, μέγιστον καὶ τοῦτο εὐσεβείας σύμβολον ἡγησάμενος, ἀφικνεῖται σὺν πολλῇ προθυμίᾳ ἐπ' ἀκρωρείας τινὸς, καὶ πάντα τὰ πρὸς τὴν θυσίαν εὐτρεπίσας, φάσκει πρὸς τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ· «Ὦ παῖ, μυρίαις εὐχαῖς αἰτησάμενός σε γενέσθαι μοι παρὰ Θεοῦ, ἐπεὶ παρῆλθες εἰς τὸν βίον, οὐκ ἔστιν ὅ τι μὴ περὶ τὴν σὴν ἀνατροφὴν ἐφιλοτιμησάμην, οὐδ' ἐφ' ᾧ μᾶλλον εὐδαιμονήσειν ᾤμην, ὡς ἐπειδή μέ σε ἠνδρωμένον καὶ τελευτῶν διάδοχον ἀρχῆς τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ καταλείποιμι. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ Θεοῦ βουλομένου σὸς πατὴρ ἐγενόμην, πάλιν τούτῳ αἰτοῦντι ἀνατίθημί σε. Φέρε οὖν γενναίως τὴν καθιέρωσιν· τῷ Θεῷ γάρ σε παραχωρῶ, ταύτης ἀξιώσαντι παρ' ἡμῶν τῆς τιμῆς, ἀνθ' ὧν εὐμενὴς καὶ προστάτης μοι γέγονεν. Ἄπιθι οὖν οὐκ ἀποθανὼν τὸν κοινὸν ἐκ τοῦ ζῇν τρόπον, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ πατρὸς ἰδίου Θεῷ τῷ πάντων πατρὶ νόμῳ θυσίας προπεμπόμενος. Ἄξιον οἶμαί σε κρίναντος αὐτοῦ, μήτε νόσῳ, μήτε πολέμῳ, μήτε ἄλλῳ τινὶ τῶν παθῶν, ἃ συμπίπτειν ἀνθρώποις πέφυκε, μετ' εὐχῶν δὲ καὶ ἱερουργίας ἐκείνου τὴν σὴν ψυχὴν προσδεξαμένου. Ἔσῃ δέ μοι εἰς κηδεμόνα καὶ γηροκόμον τὸν Θεόν μοι ἀντὶ σαυτοῦ παρασχόμενος.» Τούτων ἀκούσας ὁ Ἰσαὰκ ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· «Οὐδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν γεγονέναι δίκαιος εἴην ἂν, εἰ Θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς μέλλοιμι κρίσιν ἀπωθεῖσθαι, καὶ μὴ παρέχειν ἐμαυτὸν τοῖς ἀμφοτέρων βουλήμασιν ἑτοίμως. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ μόνος ταῦτα ὁ πατὴρ προῃρεῖτο, μὴ ὑπακούειν ἄδικον ἦν.» Καὶ ταῦτα λέγων ὥρμησεν ἐπὶ τὸν βωμὸν, καὶ τὴν σφαγήν. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς, τὴν ἑκατέρου προθυμίαν ἀποδεξάμενος, ἐχαρίσατο τῷ πατρὶ τὸν παῖδα, κριὸν ἀντὶ τῆς τοῦ παιδὸς δείξας ὁλοκαυτώσεως· καὶ παραχρῆμα τοῦτον ἀνήνεγκε ἀντὶ Ἰσαὰκ τοῦ παιδὸς αὐτοῦ. Πρώτῳ δὲ τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος ἐπιφανεὶς ἐν σχήματι ἀνθρώπου τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν κλῆσιν ἐθέσπισεν, ἣν καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐπιδημήσας τῷ κόσμῳ, ἐπὶ πέρας ἤγαγεν διὰ τῆς εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη εὐαγγελικῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ. Ἄγων δὲ τεσσαρακοστὸν ἔτος τῆς ἡλικίας ὁ Ἰσαὰκ 765 τὴν Ῥεβέκκαν πρὸς γάμον ἄγεται, ἐξ ἧς δύο παῖδας ἐγέννησεν, Ἡσαῦ καὶ Ἰακώβ. Καὶ ὁ