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a hidden meaning signified by another manifest one. But allegory is that concerning inanimate things, such as mountains and hills, trees and the rest. But tropology is that concerning our members, such as the head, eyes, and the rest; tropology is so called from "to turn." From here, consider for me the acts of the judges. 1.98 We thought it necessary to also remark briefly on the acts of the judges of Israel, so that we might bring to remembrance those who know, and provide from here some small knowledge to those who are ignorant. After the death of Jesus, nations were left to test Israel; for by divine foreknowledge God knew their apostasy, that they would be added to idols, and he gave them over into the hands of their enemies who had been left, and they humbled and taxed them. And an angel of the Lord came down to the valley and all Israel; and the angel reproved them concerning their apostasy, and that for this reason they had been delivered to the nations. And all the people wept, remembering the Lord's benefits and their present affliction. Wherefore that place was called the valley of weeping; for because Israel did not exterminate the nations which the Lord told them, but also learned their works and mingled with them and served their graven images, for this reason they were delivered into the hands of foreigners. But God, moved by his own love for mankind, pitied Israel, and raised up for him the first judge, Othniel, being the son-in-law of Caleb, which Caleb, having lived 107 years, in strength as a young man went in and went out in the war. And the Lord strengthened Othniel, and he struck the king of Syria. And the land had peace until his life for 40 years. And again Israel apostatized from the Lord, and 1.99 the Lord raised up against them Eglon king of Moab, and he enslaved Israel for 18 years. And the people cried out again to the Lord, and he gave them a judge, Ehud, an ambidextrous man, who dared to slay Eglon in his house by deceit, and fleeing was saved. And immediately he takes Israel, and strikes Moab a great blow, and the land has rest for eighty years. And after his death the people apostatized again, and Sisera the commander, king Jabin, humbled them for 8 years. And Deborah the prophetess summons Barak (for she was then judging the people), and goes with him to Tabor, and gives him signs that this is the day in which the Lord will save Israel from the hand of Midian. And Barak pursued Sisera, and shattered his chariots. And Sisera came down from his chariot, and fled alone, until Jael, a gracious woman, saw him, and called him, saying, "Turn aside, my lord, to me; do not be afraid." And he went in to her, and she gave him milk to drink because of his thirst, and having put him to sleep, she killed him with a tent peg. And the land had rest under Barak for 40 years. Again Israel turned to idols, and they were in the hand of Midian for 7 years. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, saying, "Into your hand the Lord delivers Midian." And Gideon asked that a sacrifice be made to the Lord, and the angel touched the sacrifice with the tip of his staff, and fire came out and consumed it. And the angel departed from him.

Then 1.100 Gideon knew that an angel was speaking with him, and he was afraid. Then he makes the two-fold request concerning the fleece, and obtains the request. Then he destroys the altar where his father had served Baal, and makes an altar there, and sacrifices a heifer to God. Then he summons the people and sends away those who were afraid, twenty-two thousand. Then he takes the remaining ten thousand, and by the command of God goes down to the river, and he keeps the three hundred who lapped with their tongues, but sends away the rest. And when he became anxious because of the small number of his allies, he is permitted by God that night to go down into the camp of Midian alone with a servant. And having gone down, he heard in the camp men saying

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λόγος ἀπόκρυφος δι' ἑτέρου προδήλου σημαινόμενος. ἀλληγορία δ' ἐστὶν ἡ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀψύχων, οἷον ὀρέων καὶ βουνῶν, δένδρων καὶ λοιπῶν. τροπολογία δ' ἐστὶν ἡ ἐπὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων μελῶν, οἷον κεφαλῆς ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν· τροπολογία δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ τρέπεσθαι λέγεται. ἐντεῦθεν ὅρα μοι τὰς πράξεις τῶν κριτῶν. 1.98 Ἀναγκαῖον δὲ ἡγησάμεθα καὶ περὶ τῆς τῶν κριτῶν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ πράξεως ἐν βραχεῖ ἐπισημήνασθαι, ἵνα τοὺς μὲν εἰδότας εἰς ἀνάμνησιν ἀναγάγωμεν, τοῖς δὲ ἀγνοοῦσι μικράν τινα εἴδησιν ἐντεῦθεν παράσχωμεν. Μετὰ τελευτὴν Ἰησοῦ κατελείφθησαν ἔθνη πρὸς τὸ πειρά σαι τὸν Ἰσραήλ· θείᾳ γὰρ προγνώσει ὁ θεὸς ᾔδη τὴν ἀποστασίαν αὐτῶν, ὅτι προστεθήσονται τοῖς εἰδώλοις, καὶ ἐξέδοτο αὐτοὺς εἰς χεῖρας τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτῶν τῶν καταλειφθέντων, καὶ ἐταπείνωσαν καὶ ἐφορολόγουν αὐτούς. κατῆλθε δὲ ἄγγελος κυρίου εἰς τὴν κοι λάδα καὶ πᾶς Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἤλεγξεν αὐτοὺς ὁ ἄγγελος περὶ τῆς ἀποστασίας αὐτῶν, καὶ ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο παρεδόθησαν τοῖς ἔθνεσι. καὶ ἔκλαυσε πᾶς ὁ λαός, μνησθέντες τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν κυρίου καὶ τῆς ἐνισταμένης κακώσεως αὐτῶν. ὅθεν ἐκλήθη ὁ τόπος ἐκεῖνος κοιλὰς κλαυθμῶνος· διὰ γὰρ τὸ μὴ ἐξολοθρεῦσαι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ τὰ ἔθνη ἃ εἶπε κύριος αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ μαθεῖν τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν καὶ μιγῆναι αὐτοῖς καὶ δουλεῦσαι τοῖς γλυπτοῖς αὐτῶν, διὰ τοῦτο παρεδόθησαν εἰς χεῖρας τῶν ἀλλοφύλων. τῇ οἰκείᾳ δὲ φιλανθρω πίᾳ κινούμενος ὁ θεὸς ᾠκτείρησε τὸν Ἰσραήλ, καὶ ἀνέστησεν αὐτῷ πρῶτον κριτὴν τὸν Γοθονιήλ, γαμβρὸν ὄντα τοῦ Χάλεβ, ὅστις Χάλεβ ζήσας ἔτη ρζʹ ἐν δυνάμει ὡς νεανίας εἰσήρχετο καὶ ἐξήρχετο ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ. καὶ ἐνίσχυσε κύριος τὸν Γοθονιήλ, καὶ τὸν βασι λέα Συρίας ἐπάταξε. καὶ εἰρήνευσεν ἡ γῆ ἕως τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ ἔτη μʹ. καὶ πάλιν ἀπέστη Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ κυρίου, καὶ ἐπήγειρεν αὐ 1.99 τοῖς κύριος τὸν Ἐκλὼμ βασιλέα Μωάβ, καὶ ἐδουλώσατο τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἔτη ιηʹ. καὶ ἐβόησεν πάλιν ὁ λαὸς πρὸς κύριον, καὶ ἔδω κεν αὐτοῖς κριτὴν τὸν Ἀὼδ ἄνδρα ἀμφοτεροδέξιον, ὃς τολμήσας ἀνεῖλεν Ἐκλὼμ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ δόλῳ, καὶ φυγὼν διεσώθη. καὶ παρευθὺς λαμβάνει τὸν Ἰσραήλ, καὶ πατάσσει τὴν Μωὰβ πατα γμὸν μέγαν, καὶ ἡσυχάζει ἡ γῆ ἔτη ὀγδοήκοντα. καὶ μετὰ τελευ τὴν τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπέστη πάλιν ὁ λαός, καὶ ἐταπείνωσεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Σισάρρα ὁ δυνάστης, βασιλεὺς Ἰαβίν, ἔτη ηʹ. καὶ προσκαλεῖται ∆εβόρρα ἡ προφῆτις τὸν Βαράκ (ἦν γὰρ αὕτη τότε κρίνουσα τὸν λαόν), καὶ συμπορεύεται μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Θαβώρ, καὶ δίδωσιν αὐτῷ δήλους ὅτι αὕτη ἡμέρα ἐν ᾗ σώσει κύριος τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ χει ρὸς Μαδιάμ. κατεδίωξε δὲ Βαρὰκ τὸν Σισάρρα, καὶ συνέτριψε τὰ ἅρματα αὐτοῦ. κατέβη δὲ Σισάρρα ἐκ τοῦ ἅρματος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔφυγε μόνος, ἕως εἶδεν αὐτὸν Ἰαὴλ γυνὴ ἀστεία, καὶ προσεκαλέ σατο αὐτὸν λέγουσα "ἔκκλινον κύριε πρός με, μὴ φοβοῦ." καὶ εἰσῆλθε πρὸς αὐτήν, καὶ ἐπότισεν αὐτὸν γάλα διὰ τὸ δίψος, καὶ κοιμίσασα πασσάλῳ ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτόν. καὶ ἡσύχασεν ἡ γῆ ἐπὶ Βαρὰκ ἔτη μʹ. αὖθις δὲ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπέθετο τοῖς εἰδώλοις, καὶ γεγόνασιν ἐν χειρὶ Μαδιὰμ ἔτη ζʹ. τότε ὤφθη ἄγγελος κυρίου τῷ Γεδεών, λέγων "ἐν τῇ χειρί σου κύριος παραδίδωσι τὴν Μαδιάμ." ᾔτησε δὲ Γεδεὼν γενέσθαι θυσίαν τῷ κυρίῳ, καὶ ἥψατο ὁ ἄγγε λος τῷ ἄκρῳ τῆς ῥάβδου αὐτοῦ τῆς θυσίας, καὶ ἐξῆλθε πῦρ καὶ κατέκαυσεν αὐτήν. καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ὁ ἄγγελος.

Tότε ἔγνω 1.100 Γεδεὼν ὅτι ἄγγελος συνελάλει, καὶ ἐφοβήθη. εἶτα αἰτεῖ τὴν δισ σὴν αἴτησιν περὶ τοῦ πόκου, καὶ τυγχάνει τῆς αἰτήσεως. εἶτα καταστρέφει τὸν βωμὸν ἐν ᾧ ἐθεράπευσεν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ τὸν Βαάλ, καὶ ποιεῖ ἐκεῖ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ θύει τῷ θεῷ δάμαλιν. εἶτα προκαλεῖται τὸν λαὸν καὶ ἀποστρέφει τοὺς δεδιότας, εἴκοσι καὶ δύο χιλιάδας. εἶτα παραλαμβάνει τὰς ἀπολειφθείσας δέκα χιλιάδας, καὶ προστάξει θεοῦ κάτεισιν ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ, καὶ τοὺς λάψαντας τῇ γλώσσῃ τριακοσίους κατέχει, ἀποπέμπει δὲ τοὺς λοι πούς. ὡς δὲ ἐναγώνιος ἐγένετο τῇ βραχύτητι τῶν συμμάχων, ἐπι τρέπεται παρὰ θεοῦ τῇ νυκτὶ ἐκείνῃ κατελθεῖν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ Μαδιὰμ μόνος μετὰ παιδαρίου. κατελθὼν δὲ ἤκουσεν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ λεγόντων