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But one must know that if someone sins persistently, testing God as one who does not punish the wicked, such a person is not deemed worthy of either repentance or forgiveness, just as indeed many others and this Pharaoh. And if someone says to himself, may it be a holy thing for me, that 1.73 I will walk in the conduct of my wicked heart, and someday late repent, like Amos the son of Manasseh. wherefore God also swiftly destroyed him. That the Egyptians were the first to invent geometry, and the Chaldeans astrology and the casting of horoscopes, the Arabs and Phrygians augury, and sacrificing to the gods the Chaldeans or rather the Cyprians (for they are disputed, being a Persian people), and the Babylonians astronomy through Zoroaster, from whom the Egyptians received it, and the Medes and Persians magic and sorcery and the use of potions. Magic is the invocation of supposedly beneficent demons for the constitution of some good, like the deeds of Apollonius of Tyana; sorcery is so called from the groans and laments that occur around tombs for those who practice such things; and the use of potions is when a deadly preparation is given as a potion to someone through the mouth. It should be known that Pharaoh is the common name of all the kings of Egypt, from the first Pharaoh, just as later the Ptolemies, and the Augusti, kings of the Romans, were called from Augustus. But each used his own name, just as also this hard-hearted Pharaoh Petissonios, as the ancients record, was called by his own name, who, being beset by the divinely sent plagues, having come to the famous oracle in Memphis and having sacrificed, inquired of the Pythia, speaking thus: 1.74 "Make clear to me, who is first of you and the great God of Israel." And immediately the spirit, delivering an oracle, uttered thus: "There is one who has walked upon the great heaven, surpassing flame, a clear, ever-flowing, immortal fire, at which all things tremble, heaven and earth and sea, and the Tartarean, abyssal demons have shuddered. This God is fatherless, self-fathered, father and son, himself of himself, thrice-blessed. But you are a small part of the angels. Having learned this, depart in silence." Having heard this, Pharaoh immediately commanded these words to be written on a stone slab; and they are engraved there in the temple in Memphis. Having come down from there, he immediately released the people. That from Adam until the death of Joseph there were 23 generations, years #223672. That Moses was also named Admoses and Tethmosis, son of Abraham, grandson of Kohath son of Levi; for Levi begot Kohathath, and he Abraham. And he, taking to wife Jochebed of his father's brother, first begot Aaron, then Moses and their sister Mariam. And Moses was from the tribe of Levi, and for this reason he is not included in the genealogy with Joseph. And there are 65 years from the death of Joseph until the birth of Moses. And the four hundred and thirty years are fulfilled from the 75th year of Abraham until the first year of Moses. But if you seek four hundred 1.75 only, you will find it by counting from the hundredth year of Abraham. For by some the years of bondage are numbered as 145 from the death of Joseph until the 81st year of Moses. And they say that when Moses was born he was called Melchias by his father, which means king. But his being called Moses, from the waters, this was given later, foreshadowing the miracles that happened through him at the Red Sea. And his father, being beloved of God, received a divine communication concerning all things about him. And Pharaoh ordered the male children of the Hebrews to be killed, having heard a prophecy from a certain terrible sacred scribe, who said that the child born at this time would overthrow the rule of the Egyptians. And Mouthis, the daughter of Pharaoh, who is also Phareis, being a princess, having taken him up from the water, allowed the women accompanying her to nurse him. But he turned away from them all. And Maria, his sister, being with Mouthis, who also watched what would happen when Moses was cast out, calls her own mother, named Jochebeth, as if a stranger, and having been promised wages for her nursing, she gave him to her to raise, after the
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Εἰδέναι δὲ δεῖ ὅτι ἐάν τις ἐκ παρατάσεως ἁμαρτάνει πειράζων τὸν θεὸν ὡς μὴ ἐπεξιόντα τοῖς πονηροῖς, ὁ τοιοῦτος οὔτε μετα νοίας ἀξιοῦται οὔτε ἀφέσεως, ὥσπερ γε καὶ ἄλλοι πλείους καὶ οὗ τος Φαραώ. κἂν λέγῃ τις παρ' ἑαυτῷ, ὅσιά μοι γένοιτο, ὅτι 1.73 πορεύσομαι ἐν τῇ ἀναστροφῇ τῆς καρδίας μου τῆς πονηρᾶς, καὶ ὀψέ ποτε μετανοήσω, ὥσπερ Ἀμὼς ὁ τοῦ Μανασσῆ. διὸ καὶ τὸ τάχος ἐξωλόθρευσεν αὐτὸν ὁ θεός. Ὅτι γεωμετρίαν μὲν Αἰγύπτιοι πρῶτοι ἐξεῦρον, ἀστρολο γίαν δὲ καὶ γενεθλιαλογίαν Χαλδαῖοι, Ἄραβες καὶ Φρύγες οἰωνο σκοπίαν, θεοῖς δὲ θύειν Χαλδαῖοι εἴτ' οὖν Κύπριοι (διφοροῦν ται γάρ, ἔθνος Περσικὸν ὄντες), ἀστρονομίαν δὲ Βαβυλώνιοι διὰ Ζωροάστρου, ἐξ ὧν παρέλαβον Αἰγύπτιοι, μαγείαν δὲ καὶ γοη τείαν καὶ φαρμακείαν Μῆδοι καὶ Πέρσαι. ἔστι δὲ μαγεία μὲν ἐπίκλησις δαιμόνων ἀγαθοποιῶν δῆθεν πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ τινὸς σύστα σιν, ὥσπερ τὰ τοῦ Τυανέως Ἀπολλωνίου· γοητεία δὲ καλεῖται ἀπὸ τῶν γόων καὶ θρήνων τῶν περὶ τοὺς τάφους τοῖς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπι τηδεύουσι γινομένων· φαρμακεία δέ, ὅταν συσκευασία θανατη φόρος ᾖ πρὸς φίλτρον δοθεῖσά τινι διὰ τοῦ στόματος. Ἰστέον ὅτι τὸ Φαραὼ κοινὸν ὄνομα πάντων τῶν Αἰγύπτου βασιλέων ἐστίν, ἀπὸ τοῦ πρώτου Φαραώ, ὥσπερ καὶ Πτολεμαῖοι ὕστερον, καὶ Αὔγουστοι οἱ βασιλεῖς Ῥωμαίων ἀπὸ τοῦ Αὐγού στου ἐκαλοῦντο. ἰδίῳ δὲ ὀνόματι ἕκαστος ἐχρῆτο, ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ σκληροκάρδιος οὗτος Φαραὼ Πετισσώνιος, ὡς ἱστοροῦσιν οἱ πα λαιοί, ἰδίῳ ὠνόμαστο ὀνόματι, ὃς ὑπὸ τῶν θεηλάτων πληγῶν περιστατούμενος, εἰς τὸ περιβόητον ἐν Μέμφει μαντεῖον γενόμε νος καὶ θυσιάσας, ἐπύθετο παρὰ τῆς Πυθίας οὕτω φάσκων 1.74 "σαφήνισόν μοι, τίς ἐστι πρῶτος ὑμῶν καὶ μέγας θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ." καὶ εὐθὺς ἀπεφθέγξατο χρησμολογοῦν οὕτω τὸ πνεῦμα "ἔστι κατ' οὐρανοῦ μεγάλοιο βεβηκός, φλογὸς ὑπερ βάλλον, αἴθριον ἀέναον ἀθάνατον πῦρ, ὃ τρέμει πᾶν, οὐρανὸς γαῖά τε καὶ θάλασσα, ταρτάριοι βύθιοί τε δαίμονες ἐρρίγησαν. οὗτος θεὸς ἀπάτωρ, αὐτοπάτωρ, πατὴρ υἱὸς αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ τρισόλβιος. εἰς μικρὸν δὲ μέρος ἀγγέλων ὑμεῖς. μαθὼν ἄπιθι σιγῶν." οὕτως ἀκούσας Φαραὼ αὐτίκα πλακὶ λιθίνῃ γραφῆναι ταῦτα κελεύει τὰ ῥήματα· καὶ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ γεγλυμμένα ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἐν Μέμφει. ἐκεῖθεν καταβὰς ἀπέλυσε παραχρῆμα τὸν λαόν. Ὅτι ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ ἕως τῆς τελευτῆς τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ γενεαὶ κγʹ, ἔτη #22γχοβʹ. Ὅτι Μωϋσῆς καὶ Ἄδμωσις καὶ Τέθμωσις ὠνομάζετο, υἱὸς Ἀβραάμ, ἔγγονος Καγὰθ υἱοῦ Λευί· ὁ γὰρ Λευὶ ἐγέννησε τὸν Καγαθάθ, ὁ δὲ τὸν Ἀβραάμ. ὁ δὲ τὴν Ἰοχαβὲδ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦτοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ λαβὼν γυναῖκα ἐγέννησε πρῶτον τὸν Ἀαρών, εἶτα Μωϋσῆν καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτῶν Μαριάμ. ἐκ φυλῆς δὲ Λευὶ ἦν Μωϋσῆς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐ γενεαλογεῖται μετὰ Ἰωσήφ. ξεʹ δὲ ἔτη εἰσὶν ἀπὸ τῆς τελευτῆς Ἰωσὴφ ἕως γεννήσεως Μωϋ σέως. καὶ πληροῦται τὰ τετρακόσια τριάκοντα ἔτη ἀπὸ τοῦ οεʹ ἔτους Ἀβραὰμ ἕως τοῦ πρώτου ἔτους Μωϋσέως. εἰ δὲ τετρακό 1.75 σια μόνα ζητεῖς, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἑκατοστοῦ ἔτους Ἀβραὰμ ἀριθμήσας εὑρήσεις. ἀριθμοῦνται γὰρ παρά τινων τὰ τῆς δουλείας ἔτη ρμεʹ ἀπὸ τῆς τελευτῆς Ἰωσὴφ ἕως παʹ ἔτους Μωϋσέως. λέγουσι δὲ ὡς τοῦ Μωϋσέως γεννηθέντος Μελχίαν παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς κληθῆναι, ὅπερ ἐστὶ βασιλεύς. τὸ δὲ καλεῖσθαι Μωϋσέα, ἐξ ὑδάτων τοῦτο ἐτέθη ὕστερον, προϊστοροῦν τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρυθρᾶς δι' αὐτοῦ γενό μενα θαύματα. θεοφιλὴς δὲ ὢν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ ἐχρηματίσθη τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν ἅπαντα. ἀναιρεῖσθαι δὲ προσέταξε Φαραὼ τὰ τῶν Ἑβραίων ἄρρενα δεινοῦ τινὸς ἱερογραμματέως ἀκούσας πρόρρησιν, εἰπόντος ὅτι τὸ γενόμενον παιδίον τούτῳ τῷ καιρῷ τὴν τῶν Αἰγυ πτίων ἀρχὴν καταλύσει. Μούθιδις δὲ ἡ θυγάτηρ Φαραώ, ἡ καὶ Φαρηΐς, βασιλὶς οὖσα, τοῦτον ἀνελομένη τοῦ ὕδατος, ταῖς συμ πορευομέναις γυναιξὶ τοῦτον θηλάζειν ἐπέτρεψεν. αὐτὸς δὲ πάσας ἀπεστράφη. Μαρία δὲ ἡ τούτου ἀδελφὴ τῇ Μούθιδι συνοῦσα, ἥτις καὶ ῥιφέντος Μωϋσέως ἐσκόπει τὸ ἐκβησόμενον, τὴν ἰδίαν μητέρα Ἰοχαβέτην λεγομένην καλεῖ ὡς ἀλλοτρίαν, καὶ μισθοὺς ὑποσχεθέντας αὐτῇ τῆς τιτθείας ἀνατρέφειν δοῦσα, μετὰ τὴν