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he presided. For it was necessary that those who were to be called the people of God should become illustrious and conspicuous through the wonders performed on their behalf. For the care shown for them proclaimed their God, and illuminated the hearers with the light of the knowledge of God. They humbled his feet in fetters; the iron passed through his soul. For after the slander of adultery, he dwelt in the prison, and immediately, as was likely, they put iron bonds on him. For so Symmachus said: His soul came into iron, instead of, he was in danger even to slaughter; or it called the hardness of the temptations and their strength iron; which Joseph passed through by patience, and for him the grievous things became a passage because of his long-suffering. Until his word came to pass; the oracle of the Lord tested him. And he endured all these things, being tested like gold, not so that the God of all, who knows all things before their creation, might learn the genuineness of Joseph's virtue, but so that He might set before men his philosophy and archetype of truth. And indeed a given written law did not yet exist, but for every rational being the natural law is an oracle from God, on account of which we are also called rational. And the phrase, 'Until his word came to pass,' means his word, which he saw in the visions and spoke to his father and his brothers concerning both the sheaves and the 55.657 stars. For until these things came to pass, he was trained by evils. The king sent and loosed him; the ruler of the people, and let him go. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possession. And showing the benefit from the stewardship, he added: To instruct his princes as himself, and to make his elders wise. Having been tested like gold according to the phrase, 'Prove me, Lord, and try me,' when God brought it to Pharaoh's mind, he is both loosed and rules. But Pharaoh's reasoning does not appear to be ordinary. For what prevented him, having learned about the famine, from releasing this man, and managing the affairs of the grain with his own rulers? But he was not so much concerned with the guarding of the crops as with the spiritual benefit of his princes and elders who were to be saved by him, and to be made wise by him; through whom it was necessary that the subjects also become better. For having become distinguished to the king through the interpretation of dreams, and having received authority, he guided the others to the knowledge of God, not only using words, but also drawing them to the same piety by his deeds. And Israel went into Egypt, and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. The sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, Japheth. And Ham's son was Canaan; and of him, Mizraim, which is interpreted as Egypt, from whom the land is also named. Therefore, since Jacob went into Egypt, it was likely that Ham, being the grandfather of Mizraim, dwelt in Egypt, while Canaan dwelt in what is called Palestine. And by 'Israel and Jacob went into Egypt,' his children are also indicated. And 'Israel went down into Egypt with seventy souls,' said the Scripture. And it has been rendered otherwise: 'This,' it says, 'became the pretext for the patriarch's journey into Egypt.' And it calls Egypt the land of Ham, since Mizraim was the second son of Ham. For Ham, it says, begot Cush his firstborn, and Mizraim his brother. And the divine Scripture calls Cush Ethiopia, and Mizraim Egypt; and it names the same one Jacob and Israel; for he received the one name from his fathers, but God gave him the other, signifying through the address the divine epiphany that appeared to him. For God remembered the promise to Abraham. For when Abraham said, 'How shall this be?' He added: 'Know for certain that your seed will be a sojourner in a land not their own, and they will enslave and afflict them for four hundred years.' And he increased his people exceedingly, and made stronger

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ἐπρυτάνευσεν. Ἔδει γὰρ τοὺς λαὸν Θεοῦ μέλλοντας χρηματίζειν, περιφανεῖς γενέσθαι καὶ περιβλέπτους διὰ τῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν γινομένων θαυμάτων. Ἡ γὰρ εἰς αὐτοὺς γινομένη κηδεμονία τὸν τούτων Θεὸν ἀνεκήρυττε, καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας τῷ φωτὶ τῆς θεογνω σίας κατέλαμπεν. Ἐταπείνωσαν ἐν πέδαις τοὺς πό δας αὐτοῦ· σίδηρον διῆλθεν ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ. Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν τῆς μοιχείας συκοφαντίαν, τὸ δεσμωτήριον ᾤκησε, καὶ παραυτίκα ὡς εἰκὸς περιέθηκαν αὐτῷ τὰ ἐκ σιδήρου δεσμά. Οὕτω γὰρ ὁ Σύμμαχος εἴρηκεν· Εἰς σίδηρον ἦλθεν ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ, ἀντὶ τοῦ, μέχρι σφα γῆς ἐκινδύνευσεν· ἢ τὸ στεῤῥὸν τῶν πειρασμῶν καὶ τὸ ἰσχυρὸν προσηγόρευσε σίδηρον· ὅπερ διὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς ὁ Ἰωσὴφ διέβαινε, καὶ πάροδος αὐτῷ τὰ λυπηρὰ διὰ μακροθυμίαν ἐγίνετο. Μέχρι τοῦ ἐλθεῖν τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ· τὸ λόγιον Κυρίου ἐπύρωσεν αὐτόν. Ταῦτα δὲ ὑπέμενεν ἅπαντα, χρυσοῦ δίκην δοκιμαζόμενος, οὐχ ἵνα δὲ τὸ ἀκίβδηλον τῆς τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἀρετῆς ὁ τῶν ὅλων μάθῃ Θεὸς, ὁ γινώσκων πάντα πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν· ἀλλ' ἵνα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὴν ἐκείνου φιλοσοφίαν καὶ ἀρχέτυπον ἀληθείας προθῇ. Καὶ μὴν οὔπω νόμος δοθεὶς ὑπῆρχεν ἔγγραφος, ἀλλ' ἑκάστῳ λογικῷ λόγιον παρὰ Θεοῦ ὁ φυσικὸς νόμος, δι' ὃν καὶ λογικοὶ λεγόμεθα. Τὸ δὲ, Μέχρι τοῦ ἐλθεῖν τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ, τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ φησιν, ὃν ἐπὶ τοῖς ὁράμασιν ἰδὼν ἐξεῖπε τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς περί τε τῶν δραγμάτων καὶ τῶν 55.657 ἀστέρων. Μέχρι γὰρ ἐξέβη ταῦτα, τοῖς κακοῖς ἐγυμνά ζετο. Ἀπέστειλε βασιλεὺς, καὶ ἔλυσεν αὐτόν· ἄρ χων λαοῦ, καὶ ἀφῆκεν αὐτόν. Κατέστησεν αὐτὸν κύριον τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἄρχοντα πάσης τῆς κτήσεως αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας ὠφέλειαν δεικνὺς ἐπήγαγε· Τοῦ παιδεῦσαι τοὺς ἄρχοντας αὐ τοῦ ὡς ἑαυτόν· καὶ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους αὐτοῦ σο φίσαι. Χρυσοῦ δίκην πυρωθεὶς κατὰ τὸ, ∆οκίμασόν με, Κύριε, καὶ πείρασόν με, τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς νοῦν ἀγα γόντος τῷ Φαραὼ, λύεταί τε καὶ ἄρχει. Οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν δὲ φαίνεται τοῦ Φαραὼ λογισμός. Τί γὰρ ἐκώλυεν αὐτὸν μαθόντα τὰ περὶ τοῦ λιμοῦ, τοῦτον μὲν ἀπολῦσαι, τὰ δὲ περὶ τὸν σῖτον διοικῆσαι μετὰ τῶν ἰδίων ἀρχόντων; Ἀλλ' οὐ τοσοῦτον τῆς τῶν καρπῶν ἐφρόντισε φυλακῆς, ὅσον τῆς ψυχικῆς ὠφελείας τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ σωθῆναι μελ λόντων ἀρχόντων τε καὶ πρεσβυτέρων αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ σοφισθῆναι· δι' ὧν ἔδει βελτίους καὶ τοὺς ὑπ ηκόους γενέσθαι. Ἐπίσημος γὰρ διὰ τῆς τῶν ὀνείρων ἑρμηνείας τῷ βασιλεῖ γενόμενος, καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν λα χὼν, εἰς θεογνωσίαν ἐποδήγει τοὺς ἄλλους, οὐ λόγοις μόνον χρώμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν εὐσέβειαν ἐφελκόμενος. Καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Ἰσραὴλ εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ Ἰακὼβ παρῴκησεν ἐν γῇ Χάμ. Υἱοὶ Νῶε Σὴμ, Χὰμ, Ἰάφεθ. Τοῦ δὲ Χὰμ παῖς Χαναάν· τούτου δὲ Μεσραῒμ, ὃς ἑρμηνεύεται Αἴγυπτος, ἀφ' οὗ καὶ ἡ χώρα. Ὅτι τοίνυν εἰσῆλθεν Ἰακὼβ εἰς Αἴγυπτον, εἰκὸς ἦν τὸν Χὰμ πάππον ὄντα τοῦ Μεσραῒμ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ κατοικῆσαι, τοῦ Χα ναὰν ἐπὶ τῆς καλουμένης Παλαιστίνης οἰκοῦντος. ∆ιὰ δὲ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰακὼβ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον,καὶ οἱ τούτου παῖδες δηλοῦνται. Ἐν ἑβδομήκοντα δὲ ψυχαῖς κατέβη Ἰσραὴλ εἰς Αἴγυπτον, εἶπεν ἡ Γραφή. Ἐξεδόθη δὲ καὶ ἑτέρως· Αὕτη, φησὶν, ἡ πρόφασις ἐγέ νετο τῷ πατριάρχῃ τῆς εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἐκδημίας. Γῆν δὲ Χὰμ τὴν Αἴγυπτον ὀνομάζει, ἐπειδὴ ὁ Μεσραῒμ υἱὸς τοῦ Χὰμ ἐγένετο δεύτερος. Χὰμ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐγέννησε τὸν Χοῦς πρωτότοκον, καὶ Μεσραῒμ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ. Χοῦς δὲ τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν ἡ θεία καλεῖ Γραφὴ, Μεσραῒμ δὲ τὴν Αἴγυπτον· Ἰακὼβ δὲ καὶ Ἰσραὴλ τὸν αὐτὸν ὀνομάζει· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ τῶν πατέρων ἔλαχεν ὄνομα, τὸ δὲ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῷ τέθεικε, τὴν γενομένην αὐτῷ θείαν ἐπιφά νειαν διὰ τῆς προσηγορίας δηλῶν. Ἐμνήσθη γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς τῆς πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἐπαγγελίας. Ὅτε γὰρ εἶπενἈβραὰμ, Πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο; ἐπήγαγε· Γινώσκων γνώ σῃ, ὅτι πάροικον ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου ἐν γῇ οὐκ ἰδίᾳ, καὶ δουλώσουσιν αὐτὸ καὶ κακώσουσιν ἔτη τετρακόσια. Καὶ ηὔξησε τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ σφόδρα, καὶ ἐκραταίωσεν