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the opportunities for childbearing, since she was openly prevented from taking them. And in addition to this, she also convicts her father-in-law, as he himself was not being chaste, while forcing her to be chaste. And he also made this clear in his judgment; for having learned that she was pregnant, he condemned her to death; 84 but when he found out from whom she had conceived, he declared her innocent and condemned himself; "For," he said, "Tamar is more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son"; And that Tamar contrived this for the sake of childbearing, and not for love of pleasure, what followed makes clear; for no longer was she joined either to Judah or to any other, but she was content to be called mother of those who had sprung from that seed. XCVIII Of what was the story of Zarah and Perez a sign? Of the two peoples, Perez of the Jews, and Zarah of those from the nations who have believed; for even before the law there were many nurtured in piety, living according to faith, not according to law; for this reason Zarah put forth his hand, showing the way of life before the law; and the scarlet thread was a sign of the ancient sacrifices; for they too propitiated God with sacrifices: both Abel and Enoch and Noah and Melchizedek and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob; then, when he drew back his hand, Perez came out; for the law is between those before the law and after the law. Wherefore also the blessed Paul says: "but the law entered in," teaching that both before the law they were justified by faith, and after the law grace shone forth. And the Lord according to the flesh sprang from Perez; "Whose," it says, "are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is God over all"; and in the Epistle to the Hebrews: "For it is evident that from Judah our Lord Jesus Christ has sprung." This the blessed Matthew also taught in writing the genealogy. However, the blessed Moses set down this narrative teaching the Jews that the much-famed lineage of David was established 85 from foreign women; so that they might not boast against those from the nations who have believed, as having kept their noble birth pure. XCIX Let us grant that Leah, as being imperfect in piety, said, "I have had good fortune," how did the historian, in writing the story of Joseph, say, "he was a successful man"? Read the preceding saying and you will find the solution; for having said, "The Lord was with Joseph," he added, "and he was a successful man"; and he added further, "and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. And his master knew that the Lord was with him, and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper." Therefore he was successful in all things because the Lord was with him; for He Himself made the things done by him to prosper. This also he said when narrating the events in prison; "For all things," he says, "were by the hand of Joseph, because the Lord was with him, and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper in his hands. C How, being a eunuch, did the chief cook have a wife? In the first place, then, they call both eunuchs and castrated men by the same name; and there was nothing unlikely in a man who was a eunuch having a wife in the house, to take care of the domestic affairs. CI For what reason, after so much time had passed, did neither Joseph make known his slavery to his father, nor did God through a revelation make this known to Jacob? 86 It was necessary, according to the prophecy made to Abraham, for Jacob with his children and descendants to go down into Egypt. But if he had known Joseph's situation, he would certainly have sent a ransom for him and brought him back. For this reason He overlooked his despondency, in order to both fulfill the divine plan and make his life more pleasant for him afterwards; and Joseph himself teaches his brothers the divine plan; "For to preserve life," he says, "God sent me before you, to preserve a great people." And David says these things: "And He called a famine upon the land, He broke every staff of bread, He sent a man before them, Joseph was sold as a slave," and so on. But if the patriarch had known of his son's slavery, he would certainly have ransomed him; but having been ransomed, he would not have dwelt in prison; and if this had not happened, he would not have the

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παιδοποιΐας τὰς ἀφορμάς, ἐπειδὴ προφανῶς λαβεῖν αὐτὰς ἐκωλύετο. πρὸς δὲ τούτῳ καὶ ἐλέγχει τὸν κηδεστήν, ὡς αὐτὸν μὲν οὐ σωφρονοῦντα, αὐτὴν δὲ σωφρονεῖν ἀναγκάζοντα. τοῦτο δὲ κἀκεῖνος κρί νων ἐδήλωσε· κύουσαν μὲν γὰρ αὐτὴν μεμαθηκώς, κατεψηφίσατο θάνα 84 τον· γνοὺς δὲ ὅθεν ἐκύησε, τὴν μὲν ἀθῷον ἀπέφηνεν, ἑαυτὸν δὲ κατέκρινε· " δεδικαίωται, γὰρ ἔφη, Θάμαρ ἢ ἐγώ, οὗ εἵνε κεν οὐ δέδωκα αὐτὴν Σηλὼμ τῷ υἱῷ μου "· ὅτι δὲ παιδοποιΐας χάριν, καὶ οὐ φιληδονίας, τοῦτο ἡ Θάμαρ ἐμηχανήσατο, τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα δηλοῖ· οὐκ ἔτι γάρ, οὔτε τῷ Ἰούδᾳ, οὔτε ἄλλῳ συνήφθη τινί, ἠρκέσθη δὲ μήτηρ κληθῆναι τῶν ἐξ ἐκείνου βεβλαστηκότων τοῦ σπέρματος. XCVIII Τίνος ἦν μήνυμα τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ζαρὰ καὶ τὸν Φαρές; Τῶν δύο λαῶν, ὁ Φαρὲς τῶν ἰουδαίων, καὶ ὁ Ζαρὰ τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπιστευ κότων· καὶ γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ νόμου ἦσαν πολλοὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας τρόφιμοι, κατὰ πίστιν, οὐ κατὰ νόμον πολιτευόμενοι· διὰ τοῦτο ὁ Ζαρὰ προεξήνεγκε τὴν χεῖρα, τὴν πρὸ τοῦ νόμου πολιτείαν δεικνύς· τὸ δὲ κόκκινον σπαρ τίον μήνυμα ἦν τῶν παλαιῶν θυσιῶν· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι θυσίαις τὸν Θεὸν ἱλεύοντο καὶ Ἄβελ καὶ Ἐνὼχ καὶ Νῶε καὶ Μελχισεδὲκ καὶ Ἀβραὰμ καὶἸσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ· εἶτα ἐκείνου τὴν χεῖρα συστείλαντος, ἐξῆλθεν ὁ Φαρές· μέσος γὰρ ὁ νόμος τῶν πρὸ νόμου καὶ μετὰ νόμον. διὸ καὶ ὁ μακάριος λέγει Παῦλος· " νόμος δὲ παρεισῆλθε ", διδάσκων, ὅτι καὶ πρὸ τοῦ νόμου κατὰ πίστιν ἐδικαιοῦντο, καὶ μετὰ τὸν νόμον ἡ χάρις διέ λαμψε. καὶ ὁ Κύριος δὲ κατὰ σάρκα ἐκ τοῦ Φαρὲς ἐβλάστησεν· " ὧν, γάρ φησιν, οἱ πατέρες καὶ ἐξ ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεός "· καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς ἑβραίους· " πρόδηλον γὰρ ὅτι ἐξ Ἰούδα ἀνα τέταλκεν ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός ". τοῦ το καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ματθαῖος τὴν γενεαλογίαν συγγράφων ἐδίδαξε. τοῦτο μέντοι τὸ διήγημα τέθεικεν ὁ μακάριος Μωϋσῆς διδάσκων ἰουδαίους, ὡς τοῦ ∆αβὶδ τὸ πολυθρύλλητον γένος, ἐκ γυναικῶν ἀλλοφύλων συνέσ 85 τη· ἵνα μὴ κατὰ τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκότων ἀλαζονεύωνται, ὡς ἀκή ρατον φυλάξαντες τὴν εὐγένειαν. XCIX Θῶμεν τὴν Λείαν, ὡς ἀτελῆ κατὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν, εἰρηκέναι τό " ηὐ τύχηκα ", πῶς ὁ ἱστοριογράφος τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ συγγράφων εἶπε τό, " ἦν ἀνὴρ ἐπιτυγχάνων "; Ἀνάγνωθι τὸ προτεταγμένον ῥητὸν καὶ εὑρήσεις τὴν λύσιν· εἰπὼν γάρ, " ἦν Κύριος μετὰ Ἰωσήφ ", ἐπήγαγε, " καὶ ἦν ἀνὴρ ἐπιτυγχάνων "· καὶ προστέθεικε, " καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ παρὰ τῷ κυρίῳ τῷ αἰγυπτίῳ. ᾔδει δὲ ὁ κύ ριος αὐτοῦ, ὅτι Κύριος μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅσα ἂν ποιεῖ Κύριος εὐοδοῖ ". οὐκοῦν εἰς ἅπαντα ἐπετύγχανεν ἐπει δὴ Κύριος ἦν μετ' αὐτοῦ· αὐτὸς γὰρ εὐώδου τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ γιγνόμενα. τοῦτο καὶ τὰ κατὰ δεσμωτήριον διηγούμενος ἔφη· " πάντα γὰρ ἦν, φησί, διὰ χειρὸς Ἰωσήφ, διὰ τὸ τὸν Κύριον μετ' αὐτοῦ εἶναι, καὶ ὅσα αὐτὸς ἐποίει, Κύριος εὐώ δου ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ. C Πῶς εὐνοῦχος ὢν ὁ ἀρχιμάγειρος γυναῖκα εἶχεν; Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν καὶ τοὺς εὐνούχους καὶ τοὺς ἐκτομίας ὁμωνύμως καλοῦ σιν· οὐδὲν δὲ ἦν ἀπεικὸς καὶ εὐνοῦχον ὄντα γυναῖκα ἔχειν ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ, τῶν ἔνδον ἐπιμελουμένην πραγμάτων. CI Τίνος ἕνεκεν, χρόνου τοσούτου παρεληλυθότος, οὔτε Ἰωσὴφ τῷ πατρὶ τὴν δουλείαν ἐγνώρισεν, οὔτε ὁ Θεὸς δι' ἀποκαλύψεως ἐδήλωσε τοῦτο τῷ Ἰακώβ; 86 Ἔδει κατὰ τὴν πρόρρησιν τὴν πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ γεγενημένην, τὸν Ἰακὼβ μετὰ τῶν παίδων καὶ τῶν ἐκγόνων εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον κατελθεῖν. εἰ δὲ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ἐγνώκει, πάντως ἂν αὐτὸν λύτρα πεπομφὼς ἐπανήγαγε. τούτου χάριν αὐτὸν ἀθυμοῦντα παρεῖδεν, ἵνα καὶ τὴν οἰκο νομίαν πληρώσῃ καὶ θυμηρεστέραν αὐτῷ μετὰ ταῦτα τὴν ζωὴν κατασ τήσῃ· καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ἰωσὴφ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν οἰκονομίαν διδάσκει τοὺς ἀδελφούς· " εἰς γὰρ ζωήν, φησίν, ἀπέσταλκέ με ὁ Θεὸς ἔμπροσθεν ὑμῶν, τοῦ διαθρέψαι λαὸν πολύν ". καὶ ὁ ∆αβὶδ ταῦτά φησι· " καὶ ἐκάλεσε λιμὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, πᾶν στήριγμα ἄρτου συνέτριψεν, ἀπέστειλεν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν ἄνθρωπον, εἰς δοῦλον ἐπρά θη Ἰωσήφ ", καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. εἰ δὲ ὁ πατριάρχης τοῦ παιδὸς τὴν δου λείαν ἐγνώκει, πάντως ἂν αὐτὸν ἐλυτρώσατο· λυτρωθεὶς δὲ οὐκ ἂν δεσ μωτήριον ᾤκησεν· εἰ δὲ μὴ τοῦτο ἐγεγόνει, οὐκ ἂν τοὺς