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having returned from abundance, he himself might know, how great is the 76 providence of the God of all, and might teach others. This care for him He immediately revealed through the appearance; for He showed him a ladder reaching up to heaven itself; and the holy angels ascending and descending. And He Himself, standing above, both encouraged him and drove out fear; and the angels were showing the divine ministry; for concerning these the blessed Paul also said, "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation"? And each of these things was sufficient to instill courage in the patriarch; for he is taught that nothing is uncared for, nor without guidance from the God of all; but He Himself rules all things, using the holy angels as ministers. And He gave him also the blessing which He had given both to his father and to his forefather, concerning both the fruitfulness of his seed and the Lord of the world; "for in your seed," He says, "all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed"; then He promises him also care in the present circumstances; "Behold," He says, "I am with you, keeping you in the way wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done all that I have spoken." LXXXV Why does Jacob anoint the stone? With what he had, he repaid the bountiful Lord; for having set up the stone which he had placed under his head, he poured oil on it; and this can even now be found being done by many women who have believed in the Lord. For they are accustomed in the sacred precincts to anoint with oil the gates of the sanctuaries, and the tombs of the holy martyrs; and this shows the nobility of the 77 soul; and the philanthropic Lord accepts even small things, approving the purpose of what is done. LXXXVI Many make a pretext for licentiousness of Jacob having had four wives. It is proper to examine the purpose of each of the things that happened; for judging thus we will find that Jacob the patriarch betrothed only Rachel, but was joined to Leah against his will. At any rate, on immediately perceiving the deceit he was both displeased and cried out against his father-in-law; and with Bilhah, he was united not because of love of pleasure, but for the consolation of his wife; for when Rachel was distressed on account of her childlessness and foolishly saying: "Give me children, or else I will die," the patriarch indeed piously rebuked her and pointed out the Maker of nature, and that marriage is not the creator of children but God, the lawgiver of marriage; for he said to her: "Am I in God's place, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"; nevertheless comforting her, he endured her request, when she asked him to be united with her maidservant, so that she might call the child born from her, her own. This also happened in the case of Zilpah; for again Leah, when she had ceased bearing children, besought him to sow in that field. These things suggest no love of pleasure, but show the forbearance of the man and how he was eager to minister to his wives. In addition to this, that too must be considered, that there was no law at that time forbidding polygamy, and that at that time they considered thrice-blessed those who became fathers of many children; And that this is true, the divine promises testify; For to Abraham the God of all said: "Look up to heaven and see the stars, if you are able to number them," and He added: "So shall your seed be." and "as 78 the sand that is on the seashore, which cannot be numbered for multitude. But He would not have given him this promise, if He did not consider fruitfulness a very great good. LXXXVII And for what reason were the wives jealous of one another? They were imperfect and daughters of an impious man, who called wooden images gods. For this reason God, when making law, forbids such a marriage; "for you shall not take," He says, "a woman in addition to her sister to be her rival." LXXXVIII Why does the scripture make mention of fortune? Proper to scripture are the oracles of the spirit, the divine ordinances, the words of pious men; but the

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περιουσίας ἐπανελθών, καὶ αὐτὸς γνῷ, ὅση τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἡ 76 προμήθεια, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους διδάξῃ. ταύτην αὐτῷ τὴν κηδεμονίαν παραυ τίκα διὰ τῆς ἐπιφανείας ἐδήλωσεν· ἐπέδειξε μὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ κλίμακα μέχρις αὐτοῦ διϊκνουμένην τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· τοὺς δὲ ἁγίους ἀγγέλους ἀνιόντας καὶ κατιόντας. αὐτὸς δὲ ἄνωθεν ἐφεστὼς παρεθάρρυνέ τε καὶ τὸ δέος ἐξή λασεν· ἐδήλουν δὲ οἱ ἄγγελοι τὴν θείαν διακονίαν· περὶ τούτων γὰρ καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Παῦλος, " οὐχὶ πάντες εἰσὶ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν "; τούτων δὲ ἕκαστον ἱκανὸν ἦν θάρσος ἐνθεῖναι τῷ πατριάρχῃ· διδάσκεται γάρ, ὡς οὐδὲν ἀτημέλητον, οὐδὲ ἀκηδεμόνευτον παρὰ τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ· ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἅπαντα πρυτανεύει, διακόνοις χρώμενος τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀγγέλοις. ἔδωκε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν εὐλογίαν ἣν καὶ τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ προπάτορι ἐδεδώκει, περί τε τῆς τοῦ σπέρματος πολυγονίας καὶ περὶ τοῦ τῆς οἰκου μένης δεσπότου· " ἐνευλογηθήσονται, γάρ φησιν, ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς "· εἶτα ὑπισχ νεῖται αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις κηδεμονίαν· " ἰδού, γάρ φησι, μετὰ σοῦ εἰμι διαφυλάσσων σε ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ οὗ ἐὰν πορευθῇς καὶ ἀποστρέψω σε εἰς τὴν γῆν ταύτην, ὅτι οὐ μή σε ἐγκαταλίπω ἕως τοῦ ποιῆ σαί με πάντα ὅσα ἐλάλησα ". LXXXV ∆ιὰ τί τὸν λίθον ἀλείφει ὁ Ἰακώβ; Οἷς εἶχε τὸν μεγαλόδωρον ἠμείψατο Κύριον· ὀρθώσας γὰρ τὸν λίθον ὃν ὑπέθηκε τῇ κεφαλῇ, κατέχεεν αὐτοῦ ἔλαιον· τοῦτο δὲ καὶ νῦν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν παρὰ πολλῶν γυναίων τῷ Κυρίῳ πεπιστευκότων γινόμενον. εἰώθασι γὰρ ἐν τοῖς θείοις σηκοῖς ἐλαίῳ χρίειν τὰς τῶν ἀνακτόρων κιγκλίδας, καὶ τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων τὰς θήκας· δηλοῖ δὲ τοῦτο τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν εὐγέ 77 νειαν· δέχεται δὲ καὶ τὰ σμικρὰ ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Κύριος, ἀποδεχόμενος τὸν τοῦ γινομένου σκοπόν. LXXXVI Πολλοὶ πρόφασιν ἀκολασίας ποιοῦνται τὸ τέτταρας ἐσχηκέναι γυναῖκας τὸν Ἰακώβ Τὸν σκοπὸν ἑκάστου τῶν γινομένων ἐξετάζειν προσήκει· οὕτω γὰρ κρί νοντες εὑρήσομεν καὶ Ἰακὼβ τὸν πατριάρχην, τὴν μὲν Ῥαχὴλ μνηστευσάμενον μόνην, παρὰ γνώμην δὲ συναφθέντα τῇ Λείᾳ. παραυτίκα γοῦν τῆς ἀπάτης αἰσθόμενος καὶ ἐδυσχέρανε καὶ τοῦ κηδεστοῦ κατεβόησε· τῇ δὲ Βαλλᾷ, οὐ διὰ φιληδονίαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τῆς ὁμοζύγου παραμυθίαν ἐμίγη· τῆς γὰρ Ῥαχὴλ διὰ τὴν ἀπαιδίαν ἀνιωμένης καὶ ἀνοήτως λεγού σης· " δός μοι τέκνα, εἰ δὲ μή γε ἀποθανοῦμαι ", ἐπέπληξε μὲν εὐσεβῶς ὁ πατριάρχης καὶ ἔδειξε τὸν τῆς φύσεως ποιητήν, καὶ ὅτι οὐ γάμος ἐστὶ παίδων δημιουργὸς ἀλλ' ὁ τοῦ γάμου νομοθέτης Θεός· ἔφη γὰρ πρὸς αὐτήν· " μὴ ἀντὶ Θεοῦ σοί εἰμι ἐγώ, ὃς ἐστέρησέ σε καρπὸν κοιλίας "; ψυχαγωγῶν δὲ ὅμως αὐτήν, ἠνέσχετο τῆς αἰτήσεως, ᾔτησε αὐτὸν τῇ παιδίσκῃ μιγῆναι, ἵνα τὸ ἐξ αὐτῆς φυόμενον οἰκεῖον ἀποκαλέσῃ παιδίον. τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Ζέλ φας ἐγένετο· πάλιν γὰρ ἡ Λεία παυσαμένη τοῦ τίκτειν, ἠντιβόλησεν αὐτὸν εἰς ἐκείνην σπεῖραι τὴν ἄρουραν. ταῦτα φιληδονίαν μὲν οὐδεμίαν αἰνίττεται, τὴν δὲ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐπιείκειαν δείκνυσι καὶ ὅπως τὰς γυναῖκας θεραπεύειν ἐσπούδαζε. πρὸς δὲ τούτῳ κἀκεῖνο σκοπητέον, ὅτι νόμος οὐ δεὶς τηνικαῦτα ἦν τὴν πολυγαμίαν κωλύων, καὶ ὡς τρισολβίους ὑπελάμ βανον τότε τοὺς πολλῶν παίδων γιγνομένους πατέρας· καὶ ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθές, αἱ θεῖαι μαρτυροῦσιν ἐπαγγελίαι· τῷ γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ ὁ τῶν ὅλων ἔφη Θεός· " ἀνάβλεψον εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἴδε τοὺς ἀστέρας, εἰ δυνήσῃ ἐξαριθμῆσαι αὐτούς ", καὶ ἐπήγαγεν· " οὕτως ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου ". καὶ " ὡς 78 ἡ ἄμμος ἡ παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος τῆς θαλάσσης, ἥτις οὐκ ἐξαριθμηθήσεται ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους . οὐκ ἂν δὲ αὐτῷ ταύτην ἔδωκε τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν, εἰ μὴ τὴν πολυγονίαν μέγιστον ἐνόμιζεν ἀγαθόν. LXXXVII Τίνος δὲ χάριν αἱ γυναῖκες ἐζηλοτύπουν ἀλλήλας; Ἀτελεῖς ἦσαν καὶ δυσσεβοῦς ἀνδρὸς θυγατέρες, τὰ ξόανα θεοὺς ὀνομά ζοντος. τούτου ἕνεκεν νομοθετῶν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν τοιοῦτον ἀπαγορεύει γάμον· " οὐ λήψῃ, γάρ φησι, γυναῖκα ἐπ' ἀδελφῇ αὐτῆς ἀντίζηλον αὐτῆς ". LXXXVIII ∆ιὰ τί ἡ γραφὴ μέμνηται τύχης; Ἴδια τῆς γραφῆς, τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος λόγια, αἱ θεῖαι διατάξεις, τῶν εὐσε βῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ ῥήματα· τὰ δὲ