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other things he says historically. Therefore, one must pay attention not only to the word, but also to the person of the one speaking; therefore the word " I have had good fortune " is not Jacob's, but that of his wife Leah, as I said, who was raised in impiety and was gradually being instructed in divine things; so also her father said " I have learned by divination, " but the divine law forbids using omens. Let no one, therefore, think such words belong to the divine scripture; for the author includes the things spoken by the impious, since indeed he is writing a history; thus the most divine Moses also included the blasphemous word of Pharaoh; " I do not know the Lord, and I will not send Israel away ". But this word is not of the divine spirit, but of the impious king. So again we hear Sennacherib saying; " Do not let your God, in whom you trust, 79 deceive you, saying that the Lord will deliver Jerusalem from my hand, " but from this we do not learn to blaspheme, but to condemn blasphemy. LXXXIX But Jacob himself also said to Laban: " The Lord has blessed you at my foot. " The meaning of the saying is clear; for he called his presence "foot"; meaning, through my presence, and my care, you have enjoyed God-given goods; for God, looking upon my piety, deemed all things entrusted to me by you worthy of every blessing. XC For what reason did he peel the rods and place them before the sheep as they drank? Just as he married desiring to have children, he did not place his hope of having children in the marriage, but in God, the lawgiver of marriage; so also he peeled the rods, not trusting in them, but awaiting divine assistance. Whence he also obtained a divine appearance, and heard one saying: " Look up with your eyes and see the he-goats and the rams mounting the she-goats, streaked, and speckled, and grizzled; for I have seen all that Laban does to you. I am the God who appeared to you in the place of God, where you anointed a pillar for me, and you made a vow to me there. " For since the grey and the speckled had been entrusted to the sons of Laban and those flocks were a three days' journey away from these; the champion of the wronged shows him speckled rams and he-goats mounting, so that he might learn by experience how much providence those who trust in the God of all enjoy. But it is fitting to note, that having called the one who appeared above an angel, he showed him to be 80 also God; " For I am, " he says, " the God who appeared to you on the way. " And he saw angels ascending and descending by the ladder, but the Lord established above; here he called this one both angel and God; God, as being this in nature, but angel, so that we might know that it is not the Father who appeared, but the only-begotten Son. For of whom is the Father an angel? But the Son is both God and " angel of great counsel "; for he himself announced to us the mysteries of the Father; " for what I have heard, " he says, " from my Father, I have made known to you. " Thus he called the one who called Abraham both angel and God. XCI What was the purpose of the theft of the idols? Some have said that Rachel, still being disposed toward them, stole them; but I suppose the opposite, that she plundered them wanting to free her father from superstition; for the divine scripture teaches her piety; " For God, " it says, " remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. " For having heard from Jacob, " Am I in God's stead, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb "? it is clear that she offered a more earnest prayer to God and had obtained her request. And indeed, after giving birth she also revealed her piety; " For Rachel said, " it says, " God has taken away my reproach; and she called his name Joseph, saying, May God add to me another son. " How then, having this disposition toward God, could she have endured to serve those who are not gods? But I think that something else is also presaged from this; for Jacob was a type of the God of all; for God also had two 81 peoples, the elder, having a veil over its heart; but the

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ἄλλα ἱστορικῶς λέγει. χρὴ τοίνυν μὴ μόνον προσέχειν τῷ λόγῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ λέγοντος· τὸ τοίνυν " εὐτύχηκα " οὐ τοῦ Ἰακώβ ἐστι ῥῆμα, ἀλλὰ τῆς Λείας γυναικός, ὡς ἔφην, ἐν δυσσεβείᾳ τραφείσης καὶ κατὰ βραχὺ τὰ θεῖα παιδευομένης· οὕτω καὶ ὁ ταύτης πατὴρ ἔφη τὸ " οἰωνισάμην ", ἀλλ' ὁ θεῖος ἀπαγορεύει νόμος τοῖς οἰωνοῖς κεχρῆσθαι. μηδεὶς τοίνυν τοὺς τοιούτους λόγους τῆς θείας εἶναι νομιζέτω γραφῆς· τὰ γὰρ παρὰ τῶν οὐκ εὐσεβῶν εἰρημένα τίθησιν ὁ συγγραφεύς, ἅτε δὴ ἱστορίαν συγγράφων· οὕτω τέ θεικεν ὁ θειότατος Μωϋσῆς καὶ τοῦ Φαραὼ τὸν βλάσφημον λόγον· " οὐκ οἶδα τὸν Κύριον καὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ ἐξαποσ τέλλω ". ἀλλ' οὐ τοῦ θείου πνεύματος οὗτος ὁ λόγος, ἀλλὰ τοῦ δυσσεβοῦς βασιλέως. οὕτω πάλιν ἀκούομεν τοῦ Σεναχηρεὶμ λέγοντος· " μή σε ἀπατάτω ὁ Θεός σου ἐφ' ᾧ σὺ πέποιθας 79 ἐπ' αὐτῷ λέγων ὅτι ῥύσεται Κύριος τὴν Ἰερου σαλὴμ ἐκ χειρός μου ", ἀλλ' οὐ βλασφημεῖν ἐντεῦθεν μανθά νομεν ἀλλὰ βλασφημίας κατηγορεῖν. LXXXIX Ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Ἰακὼβ ἔφη τῷ Λάβαν· " εὐλόγησέ σε Κύριος ἐπὶ τῷ ποδί μου " ∆ήλη τοῦ ῥητοῦ διάνοια· πόδα γὰρ τὴν παρουσίαν ἐκάλεσεν· ἀντὶ τοῦ διὰ τῆς ἐμῆς παρουσίας, καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς κηδεμονίας, τῶν θεοσδότων ἀπή λαυσας ἀγαθῶν· εἰς γὰρ τὴν ἐμὴν εὐσέβειαν ἀφορῶν ὁ Θεός, τὰ ἐγχει ρισθέντα μοι παρὰ σοῦ πάσης εὐλογίας ἠξίωσεν. XC Τίνος ἕνεκεν τὰς ῥάβδους λεπίσας πίνουσιν παρέθηκε τοῖς προβάτοις; Ὥσπερ ἠγάγετο μὲν παιδοποιῆσαι ποθῶν, οὐκ ἐν τῷ γάμῳ δὲ εἶχε τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς παιδοποιΐας, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ τοῦ γάμου νομοθέτῃ θεῷ· οὕτω καὶ τὰς ῥάβδους ἐλέπισεν, οὐ ταύταις θαρρῶν, ἀλλὰ τὴν θείαν ἐπικουρίαν προσμένων. ὅθεν καὶ τῆς θείας ἐπιφανείας τετύχηκε, καὶ λέγοντος ἤκου σεν· " ἀνάβλεψον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς σου καὶ ἴδε τοὺς τράγους καὶ τοὺς κριοὺς ἀναβαίνοντας ἐπὶ τὰς αἶγας, διαλεύκους καὶ ποικίλους καὶ σπο δοειδεῖς ῥαντούς· ἑώρακα γὰρ ὅσα σοι Λάβαν ποιεῖ. ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ὀφθείς σοι ἐν τόπῳ Θεοῦ οὗ ἤλειψάς μοι ἐκεῖ στήλην, καὶ ηὔξω μοι ἐκεῖ εὐχήν ". ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὰ φαιὰ καὶ τὰ ποικίλα τοῖς υἱέσι τοῦ Λάβαν ἐνεχειρίσθη καὶ τριῶν ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν ἀφεστήκεσαν ἐκεῖναι τούτων αἱ ποίμναι· δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ τῶν ἀδικουμένων ὁ πρόμαχος ποι κίλους κριοὺς καὶ τράγους ὀχεύοντας, ἵνα τῇ πείρᾳ μάθῃ πόσης ἀπο λαύουσι προμηθείας οἱ τεθαρρηκότες τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ. ἐπισημήνασθαι δὲ προσήκει, ὡς ἄγγελον εἰρηκὼς τὸν ἄνω ὀφθέντα, ἔδειξεν τὸν αὐτὸν 80 καὶ Θεόν· " ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι, φησίν, ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ὀφθείς σοι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ". εἶδε δὲ ἀγγέλους μὲν ἀνιόντας καὶ κατιόντας διὰ τῆς κλίμακος, τὸν δὲ Κύριον ἄνω ἐστηριγμένον· τοῦτον ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἄγγελον ὠνόμασε καὶ Θεόν· Θεὸν μὲν ὡς τοῦτο τὴν φύσιν ὄντα, ἄγγελον δὲ ἵνα γνῶμεν ὡς οὐχ ὁ πατήρ ἐστιν ὁ ὀφθείς, ἀλλ' ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός. τίνος γὰρ ἄγγελος ὁ πατήρ; ὁ δὲ υἱὸς καὶ Θεὸς καὶ " μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγ γελος "· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἡμῖν ἀπήγγειλε τοῦ πατρὸς τὰ μυστήρια· " ἃ γὰρ ἤκουσα, φησί, παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου, ἐγνώ ρισα ὑμῖν ". οὕτω τὸν κεκληκότα τὸν Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ἄγγελον ὠνό μασε καὶ Θεόν. XCI Τίς ὁ σκοπὸς τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων κλοπῆς; Τινὲς ἔφασαν ἔτι διακειμένην περὶ αὐτὰ τὴν Ῥαχὴλ κεκλοφέναι αὐτά· ἐγὼ δὲ τοὐναντίον ὑπολαμβάνω, ὅτι καὶ τὸν πατέρα τῆς δεισιδαιμονίας ἐλευθερῶσαι βουλομένη σεσύληκεν αὐτά· τὸ γὰρ εὐσεβὲς αὐτῆς ἡ θεία διδάσκει γραφή· " ἐμνήσθη, γάρ φησιν, ὁ Θεὸς Ῥαχήλ, καὶ ἐπήκουσεν αὐτῆς ὁ Θεός, καὶ ἀνέῳξεν αὐτῆς τὴν μήτραν ". ἀκούσασα γὰρ παρὰ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ " μὴ ἀντὶ Θεοῦ σοι ἐγώ εἰμι ὃς ἐστέρησέν σε καρπὸν κοι λίας "; δῆλον ὅτι σπουδαιοτέραν τῷ Θεῷ προσενήνοχε προσευχὴν καὶ ἐτετυχήκει τῆς αἰτήσεως. καὶ μέντοι καὶ τεκοῦσα δεδήλωκε τὴν εὐσέ βειαν· " εἶπε, γάρ φησι, Ῥαχήλ· ἀφεῖλε μου ὁ Θεὸς τὸ ὄνειδος· καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰωσὴφ λέ γουσα· προσθήτω μοι ὁ Θεὸς υἱὸν ἕτερον ". πῶς τοίνυν ταύτην ἔχουσα περὶ τὸν Θεὸν τὴν διάθεσιν, τοῖς οὐκ οὖσι θεοῖς δουλεύειν ἠνείχετο; ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι καὶ ἕτερον ἐντεῦθεν προδηλοῦσθαι· τύπον γὰρ εἶχεν ὁ Ἰακὼβ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ· δύο γὰρ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἔσχε 81 λαούς, τὸν μὲν πρεσβύτερον, κάλυμμα ἔχοντα ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν· τὸν δὲ