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For when God promised the childbearing from Sarah, he himself said: "Let this Ishmael live before you." But nevertheless, though he loved the child dearly, he did what the Master commanded; and so he trusted in the divine promises; for not having given servants, nor maidservants, nor gold, nor silver, he sent the child away from the house; but a few loaves of bread and a skin of water and his mother. For he knew that the 68 promise of the one who had commanded was without falsehood; and God had promised him to make him into a great nation, as indeed having been deemed worthy of His husbandry. which indeed He also fulfilled. For as soon as the child cried, desiring a drink, an angel sent from God showed a well full of drinking water; and that He also gave the multitude of offspring as He promised, the things that are seen bear witness; for from the borders of Egypt to Babylon, the desert is full of this race. Abraham, however, also gave names to the places out of his piety; for having planted a field at the well of the oath, he called the name of that place Eternal God. LXXIV If God foreknows all things, for what reason did He test Abraham? Not so that He Himself might learn what He knew, but so that He might teach those who did not know, that He loved the patriarch very justly; for this reason for three days and as many nights He tested his divine longing. For the patriarch, being in the middle of nature and faith and being pricked from both sides, gave the victory to faith. And God, having shown his piety, forbade the sacrifice; for He who forbids even the sacrifices of irrational animals, how could He have endured such a sacred rite? For He continued to accuse the Jews of this, and through David the prophet He cries: "they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons, and they shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan." And through Ezekiel: "And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to me, and you offered them to your lovers." Then, showing the excess of the absurdity, He added this: "beyond all your 69 fornication." He, therefore, who accuses those who dare such things, how could He Himself have endured to receive a only-begotten child being offered by his father? But these things were a shadow of the economy that came to be for our sake; for on behalf of the inhabited world the Father offered His beloved Son; for Isaac was a type of the divinity, and the ram of the humanity; and the time itself is of equal number; for three days and three nights both here and there. LXXV What is, "Put your hand on my thigh?" He sent the chief of his servants for a marriage; knowing on the one hand that the race of Canaan was accursed, but on the other that his own kinship was deemed worthy of a blessing. Since, therefore, in his seed he had received both the blessing and the promise of good things, he ordered the servant to place his hand there, where he had also received the sign of faith; for having believed the divine promises, he received the seal of circumcision; and he ordered him to place his hand there, so that, remembering both the divine promise and the circumcision, he might not disgrace the master's noble lineage with a foreign marriage. It should be known, however, that while the hand was placed under the thigh, the oath was made in the name of the God of all; "I adjure you," for he said, "by the Lord, the God of heaven and of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son Isaac from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell," and what follows. And the question of the servant was exceedingly wise; for, fearing the oath, he begged that the terms of the marriage be made clear to him; "If," for he says, "70 the betrothed maiden should not choose to come here, but commands the suitor to go to her, do you command the son to return to that nation?" But the patriarch Abraham, knowing that the divine call had brought him out from there, and concerning the marriage had not received a divine law; but he himself, as one reared in piety, wished to betroth a wife for his son from his kindred house; he forbids that from happening, as being forbidden by divine law; but this he entrusts to divine providence. Encouraged by this, the servant

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γὰρ ἡνίκα τὴν ἐκ τῆς Σάρρας παιδοποιΐαν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπηγγείλατο, αὐτὸς ἔφη· " Ἰσμαὴλ οὗτος ζήτω ἐναντίον σου ". ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ στέργων κομιδῇ τὸ παιδίον πεποίηκεν ὅπερ ὁ δεσπότης προσέταξεν· οὕτω δὲ ταῖς θείαις ἐπαγγελίαις πεπίστευκεν· ὅτι οὐ παῖδας, οὐ παιδίσ κας, οὐ χρυσόν, οὐκ ἄργυρον δεδωκώς, ἀπέλυσε τῆς οἰκίας τὸ παιδίον· ἀλλ' ἄρτους ὀλίγους καὶ ἀσκὸν ὕδατος καὶ τὴν μητέρα. ᾔδει γὰρ ὡς ἀψευ 68 δὴς ἡ τοῦ προστεταχότος ὑπόσχεσις· ὑπέσχετο δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς εἰς ἔθνος μέγα ποιήσειν αὐτὸν ἅτε δὴ τῆς αὐτοῦ γεωργίας ἠξιωμένον. ὃ δὴ καὶ πεπλήρωκεν. ἅμα γὰρ ἔκλαυσε τὸ παιδίον πόματος ἐφιέμενον καὶ ἄγγελος θεόθεν ἀποσταλεὶς φρέαρ ὑπέδειξε ποτίμου ὕδατος πλῆρες· ὅτι δὲ καὶ τῆς παιδοποιΐας τὸ πλῆθος δέδωκεν ὡς ὑπέσχετο, μαρτυρεῖ τὰ ὁρώμενα· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν ὅρων Αἰγύπτου μέχρι Βαβυλῶνος, τοῦδε τοῦ γένους ἡ ἔρη μος πλήρης. ὁ μέντοι Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τοῖς τόποις ἐκ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐπιτέθεικε τὰ ὀνόματα· φυτεύσας γὰρ ἄρουραν ἐπὶ τῷ φρέατι τοῦ ὅρκου, ἐπεκαλέ σατο τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου Θεὸς αἰώνιος. LXXIV Εἰ πάντα ὁ Θεὸς προγινώσκει, τίνος χάριν τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἐπείρασε; Οὐχ ἵνα αὐτὸς ἅπερ ἠπίστατο μάθῃ, ἀλλ' ἵνα τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας διδάξῃ, ὡς μάλα δικαίως τὸν πατριάρχην ἠγάπησε· τούτου χάριν ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέ ραις καὶ τοσαύταις νυξὶ τὸν θεῖον ἐβασάνιζε πόθον· μέσος γὰρ ὢν ὁ πα τριάρχης φύσεώς τε καὶ πίστεως καὶ νυττόμενος ἑκατέρωθεν, ἔδωκε τῇ πίστει τὰ νικητήρια. ὁ δὲ Θεὸς δείξας αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐσέβειαν, τὴν θυσίαν ἐκώλυσεν· ὁ γὰρ καὶ τὰς τῶν ἀλόγων ἀπαγορεύων θυσίας, πῶς ἂν τοι αύτης ἱερουργίας ἠνέσχετο; τοῦτο γὰρ ἰουδαίων κατηγορῶν διετέλεσε καὶ διὰ μὲν ∆αβὶδ τοῦ προφήτου βοᾷ· " ἔθυσαν τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας αὐτῶν τοῖς δαιμονίοις καὶ ἐξέχεαν αἷμα ἀθῷον, αἷμα υἱῶν αὐτῶν καὶ θυγατέρων, ὧν ἔθυσαν τοῖς γλυπτοῖς Χαναάν ". διὰ δὲ τοῦ Ἰεζεκιήλ· " καὶ ἔλαβες τοὺς υἱούς σου καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας σου, οὓς ἐγέννησάς μοι καὶ προσή νεγκας αὐτοὺς τοῖς ἐρασταῖς σου ". εἶτα δεικνὺς τὴν τῆς ἀτοπίας ὑπερβολὴν ἐπήγαγε τοῦτο· " παρὰ πᾶσαν τὴν 69 πορνείαν σου ". ὁ τοίνυν τῶν ταῦτα τολμώντων κατηγορῶν, πῶς ἂν αὐτὸς ἠνέσχετο δέξασθαι παῖδα μονογενῆ παρὰ πατρὸς προσ φερόμενον; ἀλλὰ γὰρ ταῦτα σκιὰ ἦν τῆς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γεγενημένης οἰκο νομίας· ὑπὲρ γὰρ τῆς οἰκουμένης τὸν ἀγαπητὸν υἱὸν ὁ πατὴρ προσενή νοχε· τύπος γὰρ τῆς μὲν θεότητος ὁ Ἰσαάκ, τῆς δὲ ἀνθρωπότητος ὁ κριός· καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ χρόνος ἰσάριθμος· τρεῖς γὰρ ἡμέραι καὶ τρεῖς νύκτες καὶ ἐνταῦθα κἀκεῖ. LXXV Τί ἐστι, " θὲς τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐπὶ τὸν μηρόν μου; Ἐπὶ γάμον ἀπέστελλεν τῶν οἰκετῶν τὸν ἡγούμενον· ἐπάρατον μὲν ἐπισ τάμενος τοῦ Χαναὰν τὸ γένος, εὐλογίας δὲ ἠξιωμένην τὴν οἰκείαν συγ γένειαν. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἐν τῷ σπέρματι καὶ τὴν εὐλογίαν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐπαγγελίαν ἐδέξατο, ἐκεῖ θεῖναι τὸν παῖδα τὴν χεῖρα προσέταξεν, ἔνθα καὶ τῆς πίστεως τὸ σημεῖον ἐδέξατο· πιστεύσας γὰρ ταῖς θείαις ἐπαγ γελίαις ἔλαβε τῆς περιτομῆς τὴν σφραγῖδα· ἐκεῖ δὲ θεῖναι τὴν χεῖρα προ σέταξεν, ἵνα καὶ τῆς θείας ἐπαγγελίας καὶ τῆς περιτομῆς μεμνημένος, ἀλ λοφύλῳ γάμῳ τὴν δεσποτικὴν εὐγένειαν μὴ λωβήσηται. ἰστέον δὲ ὡς ἡ μὲν χεὶρ ὑπὸ τὸν μηρὸν ἐτέθη, ὁ δὲ ὅρκος κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐγέ νετο· " ἐξορκίζω σε, γὰρ ἔφη, Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, ἵνα μὴ λάβῃς γυναῖκα τῷ υἱῷ μου Ἰσαὰκ ἀπὸ τῶν θυγατέρων τῶν χανα ναίων μεθ' ὧν ἐγὼ οἰκῶ ἐν αὐτοῖς ", καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. σο φωτάτη δὲ ἄγαν καὶ τοῦ παιδὸς ἡ ἐρώτησις· δείσας γὰρ τὸν ὅρκον, δήλους αὐτῷ γενέσθαι παρεκάλει τοῦ γάμου τοὺς ὅρους· εἰ, γάρ φησι, 70 μὴ ἕλοιτο ἐνταῦθα ἐλθεῖν ἡ μνηστευομένη κόρη, ἀλλὰ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀπελθεῖν τὸν μνηστῆρα κελεύει, προστάττεις τὸν υἱὸν εἰς ἐκεῖνο τὸ ἔθ νος ἐπανελθεῖν; ἀλλ' ὁ πατριάρχης Ἀβραὰμ εἰδὼς ὡς ἐκεῖθεν μὲν αὐτὸν ἡ θεία κλῆσις ἐξήγαγε, περὶ δὲ τοῦ γάμου νόμον οὐκ ἐδέ ξατο θεῖον· αὐτὸς δὲ ὡς εὐσεβείᾳ συντεθραμμένος, ἠθέλησεν ἐκ τῆς συγ γενικῆς οἰκίας τῷ παιδὶ κατεγγυῆσαι γυναῖκα· ἐκεῖνο μὲν ἀπαγορεύει γενέσθαι, ἅτε δὴ θείῳ νόμῳ κεκωλυμένον· τοῦτο δὲ τῇ θείᾳ ἐγχειρίζει κη δεμονίᾳ. ταύτῃ θαρρήσας ὁ παῖς