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his people." The God of all things himself also said this to Abraham: "But you shall go to your fathers in peace, buried in a good old age." From this also the Lord refuted the unbelief of the Sadducees, saying: "But that the dead are raised, have you not read: I am the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

QUAESTIONES IN EXODUM I

How is "they became common" to be understood? He did not set this down abusively, as some have understood, but rather indicated their multitude. For thus, he says, they increased, so that they were poured out over all that land. Thus also did Aquila and his circle interpret it. And what follows indicates this: "For," he says, "the land was filled with them." And a little later: "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong." II What does it mean, "because the midwives feared God, they made houses for themselves"? When Pharaoh commanded that the males be destroyed, they, out of piety, did not tolerate serving the law of infanticide, for which reason God, rewarding them, bestowed on them an abundance of good things. 101 III How did Pharaoh's daughter know that the child was a Hebrew? The circumcision indicated this. From this it is clear that the Egyptians at that time were not circumcised; but later, emulating the Hebrews, they embraced the law of circumcision. Wherefore also the God of all things said through Jeremiah: "I will visit upon all those who are circumcised in their foreskin, upon Egypt and upon the sons of Edom," and so on. IV Why did Moses marry a foreign woman? He was a type of the Lord Christ, who, having sprung from the Jews according to the flesh, called the church from the Gentiles his own bride. V Some say that an angel appeared to Moses in the bush. The reading of the passage indicates who appeared: "For," it says, "an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from a bush." And a little later: "And when the Lord saw that he drew near to see, the Lord called to him from the bush." And again, after a short while: "And he said to him: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."And immediately it added: "And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon 102 God." And it attached: "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry," and so on. And again: "I am who I am; thus you shall say to the sons of Israel: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" And the whole passage shows that the one who appeared was God. But it also called him an angel, so that we might know that the one who appeared is not God the Father; for whose angel is the Father? but the only-begotten Son, the "angel of great counsel," the one who said to the holy disciples: "All things that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you." And just as it set down the name "angel," not signifying some ministry, but revealing the person of the Only-begotten, so again it proclaims his nature and authority, saying that he had said: "I am who I am, and I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; this is my name forever, and my memorial for generations of generations." And these things declare the divine substance, and show what is eternal and everlasting. VI What does "the bush was burning, but was not consumed" mean? It proclaims the power and philanthropy of God, that the unquenchable fire did not consume what was dry brush. But I think other things are also signified through this. And that Israel, being plotted against by the Egyptians, will not be destroyed, but will be superior to its enemies. And that the Only-begotten, having become man and having dwelled in a virginal womb, will keep her virginity undefiled. And some say that God appeared in a bush and not in another plant, because no one is able to carve a god out of a bush. For it was likely

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λαὸν αὐτοῦ ". τοῦτο δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων ἔφη Θεός· " σὺ δὲ ἀπελεύσῃ πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ τραφεὶς ἐν γήρει καλῷ ". ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ὁ Κύ ριος τὴν τῶν σαδδουκαίων ἀπιστίαν διήλεγξεν εἰρηκώς· " ὅτι δὲ ἐγείρονται οἱ νεκροὶ οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε· ἐγὼ ὁ Θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ; οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ Θεὸς Θεὸς νεκρῶν, ἀλλὰ ζώντων ".

QUAESTIONES IN EXODUM I

Πῶς νοητέον τὸ " χυδαῖοι ἐγένοντο "; Οὐχ ὥς τινες νενοήκασιν ὑβριστικῶς αὐτὸ τέθεικεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πλῆθος δε δήλωκεν. οὕτως γάρ φησιν, ηὐξήθησαν, ὡς κατὰ πάσης ἐκείνης ἐκχεθῆναι τῆς γῆς. οὕτω καὶ οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀκύλαν ἡρμήνευσαν. τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δηλοῖ· " ἐπλήθυνε, γάρ φησιν, ἡ γῆ αὐτούς ". καὶ μετ' ὀλί γα· " καθότι δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐταπείνουν, τοσοῦτον πλείους ἐγίνοντο καὶ ἴσχυον σφόδρα σφόδρα ". II Τί ἐστιν, " ἐπειδὴ ἐφοβοῦντο αἱ μαῖαι τὸν Θεόν, ἐποίησαν ἑαυταῖς οἰκίας "; Τοῦ Φαραὼ κελεύσαντος διαφθείρειν τὰ ἄρρενα, ἐκεῖναι δι' εὐλάβειαν ὑπουργῆσαι τῷ τῆς παιδοκτονίας οὐκ ἠνέσχοντο νόμῳ, οὗ δὴ χάριν αὐτὰς ὁ Θεὸς ἀμειβόμενος ἀφθονίαν αὐταῖς ἀγαθῶν ἐδωρήσατο. 101 III Πόθεν ἔγνω τοῦ Φαραὼ ἡ θυγάτηρ, ὅτι ἑβραῖον ἦν τὸ παιδίον; Ἡ περιτομὴ τοῦτο δεδήλωκεν. ἐντεῦθεν δῆλον, ὡς αἰγύπτιοι κατ' ἐκεῖνον οὐ περιετέμνοντο τὸν καιρόν· ὕστερον δὲ τοὺς ἑβραίους ζηλώσαντες τὸν τῆς περιτομῆς ἠσπάσαντο νόμον. ὅθεν καὶ διὰ Ἱερεμίου ἔφη ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός· " ἐπισκέψομαι ἐπὶ πάντας περιτεμνομέ νους ἀκροβυστίαν αὐτῶν, ἐπ' Αἴγυπτον καὶ ἐπὶ υἱοὺς Ἐδώμ ", καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. IV ∆ιὰ τί ἀλλόφυλον γυναῖκα ἔγημεν ὁ Μωϋσῆς; Τύπος ἦν τοῦ δεσπότου Χριστοῦ, ὃς ἐξ ἰουδαίων κατὰ σάρκα βεβλαστη κώς, τὴν ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίαν νύμφην ἑαυτοῦ προσηγόρευσεν. V Τινές φασιν ἄγγελον ὀφθῆναι τῷ Μωϋσῇ ἐν τῷ βάτῳ Ἡ ἀνάγνωσις τοῦ χωρίου τὸν ὀφθέντα δηλοῖ· " ὤφθη, γάρ φησιν, αὐτῷ ἄγγελος Κυρίου ἐν φλογὶ πυρὸς βατοῦ ". καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· " ὡς δὲ εἶδε Κύριος ὅτι προσάγει ἰδεῖν, ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὸν Κύριος ἐκ τοῦ βάτου ". καὶ πάλιν μετὰ βραχέα· " καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεὸς Ἀβραάμ, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσαάκ, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακώβ ".καὶ εὐθὺς ἐπήγαγεν· " ἀπέστρεψε δὲ Μωϋσῆς τὸ πρό σωπον αὐτοῦ· ηὐλαβεῖτο γὰρ καταβλέψαι ἐνώ 102 πιον τοῦ Θεοῦ ". καὶ ἐπισυνῆψεν· " ἰδὼν εἶδον τὴν κά κωσιν τοῦ λαοῦ μου τοῦ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, καὶ τῆς κραυγῆς αὐτῶν ἤκουσα ", καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. καὶ αὖθις· " ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν· τάδε ἐρεῖς τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ· ὁ ὢν ἀπέσταλκέ με πρὸς ὑμᾶς ". καὶ ὅλον δὲ τὸ χωρίον δείκ νυσι Θεὸν ὄντα τὸν ὀφθέντα. κέκληκε δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ ἄγγελον, ἵνα γνῶμεν ὡς ὁ ὀφθεὶς οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ πατήρ· τίνος γὰρ ἄγγελος ὁ πατήρ; ἀλλ' ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός, ὁ " μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος ", ὁ τοῖς ἱεροῖς μαθηταῖς εἰρηκώς· " πάντα ὅσα ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου δεδήλωκα ὑμῖν ". ὥσπερ δὲ τὸ ἄγγελος ὄνομα τέθεικεν, οὐχ ὑπουργίαν τινὰ σημαίνων, ἀλλὰ τοῦ μονογενοῦς ἐμφαίνων τὸ πρόσωπον· οὕτω πάλιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν φύσιν καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν κηρύττει, λέγων αὐτὸν εἰρηκέναι· " ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν, καὶ ἐγὼ ὁ Θεὸς Ἀβραάμ, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσαάκ, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακώβ· τοῦτό μοι ὄνομα αἰώνιον, καὶ μνημόσυ νον γενεῶν γενεαῖς ". ταῦτα δὲ καὶ τὴν θείαν οὐσίαν δηλοῖ, καὶ τὸ αἰώνιον καὶ τὸ ἀΐδιον δείκνυσιν. VI Τί δηλοῖ τὸ " τὸν βάτον καίεσθαι, καὶ μὴ κατακαίεσθαι "; Τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμιν καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν κηρύττει, ὅτι δὴ φρυγανώδη ὄντα τὸ ἄσβεστον οὐκ ἀνήλισκε πῦρ. οἶμαι δὲ καὶ ἕτερα διὰ τούτου πα ραδηλοῦσθαι. καὶ ὅτι ὁ Ἰσραὴλ ὑπὸ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐπιβουλευόμενος οὐκ ἀναλωθήσεται, ἀλλὰ κρείττων ἔσται τῶν πολεμούντων. καὶ ὡς ὁ μονογενὴς ἐνανθρωπήσας, καὶ παρθενικὴν οἰκήσας νηδύν, φυλάξει τὴν παρθενίαν ἀκήρατον. φασὶ δέ τινες, ἐν βάτῳ φανῆναι τὸν Θεὸν καὶ οὐκ ἐν ἄλλῳ φυτῷ, διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαί τινα ἐκ βάτου γλύψαι Θεόν. εἰκὸς γὰρ ἦν