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But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken; and, For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show in you all my power. But when you hear this, do not take it blasphemously, saying: Why does He punish them, preparing him to resist Him? why does He strike, if there is no injustice with God? But let it first be known, that the things in Scripture that seem to be contradictory are resolved not by reasonings, but by examples. For just as the best of physicians, being eager to devise something beneficial for human nature, after requesting those who have been subjected to a death sentence, dissect them, so that through those condemned to death they might discover something beneficial for humankind; so God, who surpasses all human 789 wisdom, shows great signs through Pharaoh who had sinned incurably, punishing the one worthy of punishment, but healing those born after these things, providing his punishment to them as a basis for salvation. Pharaoh therefore, having gathered all his force, two hundred chariots and 20 myriads of horsemen, pursued the Israelites. But they, after the Red Sea was divided by Moses, proceeded by the command of God; and the Egyptians, driving after them, were drowned, when Moses struck with his rod and brought the waters together. On the next day, the water, pushed by the wind, brought the weapons of the Egyptians to the multitude of the Hebrews. And Moses, conjecturing that this too had happened by the providence of God, ordered them to procure them, so that they might not be unarmed. So they arrive in the desert. And Raguel and Jethro (for he happened to have two names) comes to Moses, bringing to him his wife and his sons; and having learned from him all God’s wondrous works against the Egyptians, he was astonished, and glorified God. This man was, as they say, a descendant of Abraham, born from one of those begotten for him by Keturah; for from Jokshan were born Dedan, Raguel, Jethro and Hobab. Moses, therefore, having skillfully treated him kindly, sent him forth to his own places. But Moses himself, having legislated many things for the benefit of the Hebrews, died, having lived 120 years. and Joshua the son of Nun succeeds to his leadership, and leads the people out of the desert, after they had spent 40 years in it, in which the traces of the habitation of the Jews are still preserved. For those who have visited the places for the sake of history relate that impressions of the tents still remain, being of a countless multitude [f. of being], and that Mount Sinai is seen, where Moses received the laws, and each of the things written in detail. But it must be investigated: The Hebrews sojourned in Egypt for 430 years, and not 215; for the sequential record of the times indicates 215, but Scripture 430. For it says that the seed of Abraham will be a sojourner in a foreign land for 430 years. First, then, it must be observed, that it did not say in Egypt, but that the seed of Abraham will be a sojourner in a foreign land; and the land of Canaan was also a foreign land, in which Isaac sojourned, he being himself above all the special seed of Abraham; for he was the son. It is clear, then, that before they inherited the land of the foreigners, they were sojourners for 430 years, as the Apostle also says somewhere: A covenant previously ratified by God after 430 years, for the promise to bear fruit; and he adds: But God granted it to Abraham through a promise. It is likely, therefore, that they sojourned in Canaan for 215 years, and in 792 Egypt for the same 215, which together becomes 430 years. And as Joshua was leading the people and the ark of the Covenant through the Jordan, the waters stood apart into one heap, standing very far off; and that which was descending into the sea of the salt plains of Arabah went down, until it failed completely, and all crossed over on dry land, and

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Ἰδὼν δὲ Φαραὼ, ὅτι γέγονεν ἀνάψυξις, ἐβάρυνε τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ εἰσήκουσεν αὐτῶν, καθάπερ ἐλάλησεν ὁ Κύριος· καὶ, Εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐξήγειρά σε, ὅπως ἐνδείξωμαι ἐν σοὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμίν μου. Ἀλλ' ἀκούων μὴ δυσφήμως ὑπολάβῃς, λέγων· ∆ιὰ τί τιμωρεῖται αὐτοὺς, ἀντιστῆναι αὐτῷ παρασκευάζων αὐτόν; διὰ τί τύπτει, εἰ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀδικία παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ; Ἀλλὰ γινωσκέτω πρῶτον, ὅτι τὰ δοκοῦντα εἶναι ἀντιλεγόμενα παρὰ τῇ Γραφῇ, οὐ λογισμοῖς, ἀλλὰ παραδείγμασι λύεται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ ἄριστοι τῶν ἰατρῶν, ὠφέλιμόν τι ἐπινοῆσαι τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει σπουδάζοντες, τοὺς θανατικῇ ἀποφάσει ὑποβληθέντας αἰτησάμενοι ἀνατέμνουσιν. ἵνα διὰ τῶν ὑποδίκων τῷ θανάτῳ ὠφέλιμόν τι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐφεύρωσιν· οὕτως ὁ πᾶσαν ἀνθρωπί 789 νην σοφίαν ὑπερβαίνων Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ ἀνίατον ἡμαρτηκότος Φαραὼ σημεῖα μεγάλα δείκνυσι, τὸν μὲν ἄξιον τιμωρίας κολάζων, τοὺς δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα γεννωμένους θεραπεύων, σωτηρίας ὑπόθεσιν τὴν αὐτοῦ τιμωρίαν αὐτοῖς παρεχόμενος. Συναγαγὼν οὖν πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν ὁ Φαραὼ, ἅρματα μὲν διακόσια, ἱππέων δὲ μυριάδας κʹ, τοὺς Ἰσραηλίτας ἐδίωκεν. Οἱ δὲ, διαιρεθείσης τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης ὑπὸ Μωϋσέως, προστάγματι Θεοῦ ἐπορεύοντο· καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι κατόπιν αὐτῶν ἐλαύνοντες κατεποντώθησαν, τῇ ῥάβδῳ τοῦ Μωϋσέως πατάξαντος, καὶ συναγαγόντος τὰ ὕδατα. Τῇ δ' ὑστεραίᾳ ἡμέρᾳ, τὰ ὅπλα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων τῷ πλήθει τῶν Ἑβραίων προσήνεγκε τὸ ὕδωρ ὠθούμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος. Καὶ ὁ Μωϋσῆς εἰκάσας καὶ τοῦτο τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγενῆσθαι προνοίᾳ, ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὰ πορίσασθαι, ὅπως μὴ εἶεν ἄνοπλοι. Ἀφικνοῦνται γοῦν εἰς τὴν ἕρημον. Καὶ ὁ Ῥαγουῆλος καὶ Ἰοθὼρ (διώνυμος γὰρ ἐτύγχανεν) ἀφικνεῖται πρὸς τὸν Μωϋσῆν, ἐπαγόμενος αὐτῷ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τοὺς υἱούς· καὶ μαθὼν πᾶσαν παρ' αὐτοῦ τὴν κατ' Αἰγυπτίων τοῦ Θεοῦ θαυματουργίαν, κατεπλάγη, καὶ ἐδόξασε τὸν Θεόν. Ἦν δὲ οὗτος, ὥς φασι, τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἀπόγονος, ἐξ ἑνὸς τῶν ἐκ Χεττόυρας γεννηθέντων αὐτῷ τεχθείς· ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ Ἰεζὰν ἐγένετο ∆άδαν, Ῥαγουὴλ, Ἰοθὼρ καὶ Ὀβάβ. ∆εξιῶς οὖν αὐτὸν φιλοφρονησάμενος ὁ Μωϋσῆς, εἰς τοὺς οἰκείους τόπους προέπεμψεν. Αὐτὸς δὲ πολλὰς πρὸς τὸ χρήσιμον τοῖς Ἑβραίοις νομοθετήσας ὁ Μωϋσῆς ἐτελεύτησε, βιώσας ἔτη ρκʹ. καὶ Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναυῆ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν αὐτοῦ διαδέχεται, καὶ ἐξάγει τῆς ἐρήμου τὸν λαὸν, ἔτη μʹ ἐν αὐτῇ διατρίψαντα, ἐφ' ἧς ἔτι τὰ ἴχνη τῆς κατοικήσεως τῶν Ἰουδαίων σώζεται. Οἱ γὰρ χάριν ἱστορίας τοῖς τόποις ἐπιδημήσαντες, τῶν σκηνῶν τύπους ἔτι συνεστάναι διηγοῦνται μυρίου πλήθους ὑπαρχούσας [φ. ὑπαρχουσῶν], τό τε Σιναῖον ὄρος θεωρεῖσθαι, παρ' ᾧ τὰς νομοθεσίας ὁ Μωϋσῆς εἴληφε, καὶ ἕκαστα τῶν ἐν μέρει ἀναγεγραμμένων. Ζητητέον δέ· Οἱ Ἑβραῖοι ἐν τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ παρῴκησαν ἔτη υʹ καὶ λʹ, καὶ οὐχὶ ιεʹ καὶ διακόσια· ἡ μὲν γὰρ τῶν χρόνων ἐφεξῆς ἀναγραφὴ σιεʹ σημαίνει, ἡ δὲ Γραφὴ υʹ καὶ λʹ. Λέγει γὰρ, ὅτι πάροικον ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἐν γῇ ἀλλοτρίᾳ ἔτη υλʹ. Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ἐπιτηρητέον, ὅτι οὐκ εἶπεν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, ἀλλ' ἐν γῇ ἀλλοτρίᾳ πάροικον ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα τοῦ Ἀβραάμ· ἀλλοτρία δὲ ὑπῆρχε καὶ ἡ Χαναναία γῆ, ἣν παρῴκησεν ὁ Ἰσαὰκ, σπέρμα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ πρὸ πάντων αὐτὸς τυγχάνων ἐξαίρετον· υἱὸς γὰρ ἦν. ∆ῆλον οὖν, ὅτι πρὸ τοῦ κληρονομῆσαι τῶν ἀλλοφύλων τὴν γῆν, ὑπῆρχον πάροικοι μέχρις ἐτῶν υλʹ, ὥς που καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος λέγει· ∆ιαθήκην προκεκυρωμένην ὑπὸ Θεοῦ μετὰ ἔτη υλʹ, εἰς τὸ καρποφορῆσαι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν· καὶ ἐπιφέρει· Τῷ δὲ Ἀβραὰμ δι' ἐπαγγελίας ἐχαρίσατο ὁ Θεός. Εἰκὸς οὖν, ὅτι ἐν μὲν τῇ Χαναναίᾳ σιεʹ παρῴκησαν, ἐν δὲ 792 τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ τὰ αὐτὰ σιεʹ, ἅπερ ὁμοῦ γίνεται ἔτη υλʹ. ∆ιάγοντος δὲ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τὸν λαὸν καὶ τὴν κιβωτὸν τῆς ∆ιαθήκης διὰ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, διέστη τὰ ὕδατα εἰς πῆγμα ἓν ἀφεστηκὸς μακρὰν σφόδρα· τὸ δὲ καταβαῖνον εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τῶν ἀλῶν Ἄραβα κατῆλθεν, ἕως οὗ εἰς τέλος ἐξέλιπε, καὶ πάντες ἐπὶ ξηρᾶς διέβησαν, καὶ