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to be multiplied as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is by the sea shore, and that in them all the nations would be blessed; and instead of sojourning then in the land of Canaan, to make them masters of the land; which both things indeed happened to those from them, who increased to a multitude like sand. But through his seed, in whom the nations were blessed, these too became as the stars of heaven in multitude. For to these it has been said: Among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life. And they went from one nation to another, and from one kingdom to another people. For the patriarchs continued as sojourners, and not established in one place, but now here, and now moving their tents elsewhere. And he speaks of the kingdom in Egypt, from which, having passed over, they came to the people of the Canaanites. Wherefore also He suffered no man to do them wrong. For He showed them to be stronger than those who attempted to wrong them. And He reproved kings for their sakes. Do not 55.656 touch my anointed ones, and do my prophets no harm. This is a defense of the just rejection of those descended from them, because they did not even respect the benefits from their ancestors, which also benefited those from the nations. Their forefathers, then, he says, being few in number and sojourners, with so much lack of mingling at that time and cruelty of the rulers, made their journeys safe by the providence of God. For Abraham moved from Chaldea to Canaan, and from Palestine to Egypt, and from there to Gerar, where Isaac dwelt after him; and Jacob moved from Palestine to Egypt. And Moses writes how God, having tried kings for their sake, did not allow them to be wronged. Thus he tried Pharaoh with great and terrible trials on account of Sarah, the wife of Abraham. Thus at night He terrified Abimelech, saying: Behold, you are a dead man, because of Sarah the wife of Abraham, for she is a man's wife. Thus He made Isaac revered by those then inhabiting Palestine. Thus He threatened Laban in his murderous intent: For see, He said, that you speak not harsh things against my servant Jacob. And He calls them anointed, not as having been anointed with oil, but as having become chosen. And God also called Abraham a prophet: For restore, He says, the man his wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will be saved. Or He says anointed ones, as having received an invisible anointing through the Spirit. For He showed that it was He Himself who spoke to them, saying: Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad. And when did he see it? When he lifted up his eyes and saw God standing by him at the oak of Mamre; at which time the Scripture said: God appeared to Abraham. And He called for a famine upon the land.

3. Sin draws on chastisement; and chastisement reproves the beastly life; and reproof brings about a change of life. He therefore brought on the famine because of the lawless life of the people of that time; but nevertheless, even so He took care of His own servants. And God providentially caused the famine, so that by going down because of it and being increased, they might receive the land of the promise. He broke the whole staff of bread; that is, He has made scarce everything that can nourish, not only wheat, but also barley and legumes, and other things, by which people live. And this is accustomed to happen by the wrath of God in a time of famine, that people are not sustained by eating. He sent a man before them; Joseph was sold as a slave. He showed both at the same time, both the wickedness of the brothers, and his own wisdom. For He used their wickedness for a necessary purpose. For He did not Himself compel them to sell their brother, but He gave way to their malice, and using this for a necessary purpose, He showed the slave to be a king, and for the family the descent into Egypt

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πληθυνθήσεσθαι ὡς τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ὡς τὴν ἄμμον τὴν παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ ἐνευλογήσειν ἐν αὐτοῖς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη· ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ τότε παροικεῖν ἐν γῇ Χαναὰν δεσπότας αὐτοὺς καταστῆσαι τῆς γῆς· ἃ δὴ καὶ γέγονεν ἄμφω τοῖς ἐξ αὐτῶν, οἵ τινες εἰς πλῆθος ἄμμου δίκην ἐπέδωκαν. ∆ιὰ δὲ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ, ἐν ᾧ εὐλογήθη τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ ταῦτα γέγονεν ὡς τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ πλήθει. Τούτοις γὰρ λέλεκται· Ἐν οἷς φαίνεσθε ὡς φωστῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ, λόγον ζωῆς ἐπέχοντες. Καὶ διῆλθον ἐξ ἔθνους εἰς ἔθνος, καὶ ἐκ βασιλείας εἰς λαὸν ἕτερον. Παροικοῦντες γὰρ οἱ πατριάρχαι διετέλεσαν, καὶ οὐδὲ ἐφ' ἑνὸς ἱδρυμένοι τόπου, ἀλλὰ νῦν μὲν ὧδε, νῦν δὲ τὰς σκηνὰς ἀλλαχοῦ μεταφέροντες. Βασιλείαν δὲ τὴν ἐν Αἰ γύπτῳ λέγει, ἐξ ἧς διαβάντες, εἰς τὸν λαὸν Χαναναίων κατήντησαν. ∆ιὸ καὶ οὐκ ἀφῆκεν ἄνθρωπον ἀδικῆσαι αὐτούς. Κρείττους γὰρ αὐτοὺς τῶν ἀδικεῖν πειραθέν των ἀπέφηνε. Καὶ ἤλεγξεν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν βασιλεῖς. Μὴ 55.656 ἅπτεσθε τῶν χριστῶν μου, καὶ ἐν τοῖς προφήταις μου μὴ πονηρεύεσθε. Ταῦτα τῆς τῶν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀπο βολῆς δικαίας ἀπολογία, ὅτι μηδὲ τὰς ἐκ προγόνων εὐεργεσίας ᾐδέσθησαν, ἅπερ καὶ τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ὠφέλει. Οἱ προπάτορες οὖν αὐτῶν, φησὶν, ὀλιγοστοὶ καὶ πάροι κοι ὄντες, τοσαύτης οὔσης ἀμιξίας τότε καὶ τῶν κρα τούντων ὠμότητος, ἀσφαλεῖς ἐποιοῦντο Θεοῦ προνοίᾳ τὰς μεταβάσεις. Μετῆλθε γὰρ ὁ μὲν Ἀβραὰμ ἀπὸ Χαλ δαίων εἰς Χαναὰν, ἀπὸ δὲ Παλαιστίνης εἰς Αἴγυπτον, κἀκεῖθεν εἰς Γέραρα, ἔνθα μετ' αὐτὸν κατῴκησεν Ἰσαάκ· Ἰακὼβ δὲ μετῆλθεν ἀπὸ Παλαιστίνης εἰς. Αἴγυπτον. Γράφει δὲ Μωϋσῆς, πῶς ἐτάσας ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ὁ Θεὸς βασιλεῖς, οὐκ ἀφῆκεν αὐτοὺς ἀδικεῖσθαι. Οὕτω τὸν Φαραὼ ἤτασεν ἐτασμοῖς μεγάλοις καὶ φοβεροῖς περὶ Σάῤῥας τῆς γυναικὸς Ἀβραάμ. Οὕτω νύκτωρ τὸν Ἀβιμέλεχ ἐξεδειμάτωσεν, εἰρηκώς· Ἰδοὺ σὺ ἀποθνήσκεις περὶ Σάῤῥας τῆς γυναικὸς Ἀβραὰμ, αὐτὴ δέ ἐστι συνῳκηκυῖα ἀνδρί. Οὕτω τὸν Ἰσαὰκ αἰδέσιμον τοῖς τηνικαῦτα τὴν Παλαιστίνην οἰκοῦσιν ἀπέφηνεν. Οὕτω φονῶντι τῷ Λάβαν ἠπείλησεν· Ὅρα γὰρ, ἔφη, μὴ λα λήσῃς σκληρὰ κατὰ τοῦ παιδός μου Ἰακώβ. Χριστοὺς δὲ προσαγορεύει, οὐχ ὡς ἐλαίῳ κεχρισμένους, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐκλεκτοὺς γενομένους. Προφήτην δὲ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ προσηγόρευσεν· Ἀπόδος γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν γυναῖκα τῷ ἀνδρὶ, ὅτι προφήτης ἐστὶ, καὶ προσεύξε ται περὶ σοῦ, καὶ σωθήσῃ. Ἢ χριστούς φησιν, ὡς διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος χρῖσιν λαβόντας ἀόρατον. Ὅτι γὰρ αὐ τὸς ἦν ὁ λαλήσας αὐτοῖς ἐδήλωσε λέγων· Ἀβραὰμ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ἠγαλλιάσατο, ἵνα ἴδῃ τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν ἐμήν· καὶ εἶδε, καὶ ἐχάρη. Πότε δὲ εἶδεν; Ὅτε ἀνα βλέψας τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς εἶδεν ἐπιστάντα αὐτῷ τὸν Θεὸν πρὸς τῇ δρυῒ τῇ Μαμβρῆ· ἡνίκα εἶπεν ἡ Γραφή· Ὤφθη ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Ἀβραάμ. Καὶ ἐκάλεσε λιμὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν.

γʹ. Ἡ ἁμαρτία τὴν παιδείαν ἐφέλκεται· ἡ δὲ παιδεία τὸν θηριώδη βίον ἐλέγχει· ὁ δὲ ἔλεγχος τὴν τοῦ βίου μεταβολὴν πραγματεύεται. Τὸν τοίνυν λιμὸν ἐπήγαγε διὰ τὸν παράνομον βίον τῶν τηνικαῦτα ἀνθρώπων· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ οὕτω τῶν οἰκείων θεραπόντων ἐπεμελήθη. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς οἰκονομικῶς ἐποίησε τὸν λιμὸν, ἵνα δι' αὐτὸν κατελθόντες καὶ αὐξηθέντες τὴν γῆν ἀπολάβωσι τῆς ἐπαγγελίας. Πᾶν στήριγμα ἄρτου συνέτριψεν· ἀντὶ τοῦ, πᾶν διαθρέψαι δυνάμενον σπανίσαι πεποίηκεν, οὐ μόνον σῖτον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κριθὰς καὶ ὄσπρια, καὶ ἄλλα, δι' ὧν διαζῶσιν ἄνθρωποι. Τοῦτο δὲ κατ' ὀργὴν Θεοῦ ἐν καιρῷ λιμοῦ εἴωθε συμβαίνειν, τὸ μὴ στηρίζεσθαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐσθίοντας. Ἀπέστειλεν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν ἄνθρωπον· εἰς δοῦλον ἐπράθη Ἰωσήφ. Ἀμφότερα κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἐδήλωσε, καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τὴν μοχθηρίαν, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ σοφίαν. Τῇ γὰρ ἐκείνων εἰς δέον ἐχρήσατο πονηρίᾳ. Οὐ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐκείνους ἠνάγκασεν ἀπεμπολῆσαι τὸν ἀδελφὸν, ἀλλὰ τῇ κακοηθείᾳ μὲν ἐκεί νων ἐνδέδωκεν, αὐτὸς δὲ εἰς δέον ταύτῃ χρησάμενος, βασιλέα τὸν δοῦλον ἀπέφηνε, καὶ τῷ γένει τὴν εἰς Αἴ γυπτον κάθοδον