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in ninety-five years it was completed; and his son was Jared, who lived nine hundred and sixty-two 148 years and died, who begot Enoch. 8, 21-24. And Enoch lived one hundred and sixty-five years and begot Methuselah, and Enoch pleased God for two hundred years after he begot Methuselah, and he begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch pleased God, and he was not found, because God translated him. The Apostle, taking up the passage about Enoch in the letter to the Hebrews, says: "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death". And his life is circumscribed to the number of days of a year, and then he was translated, which one might wisely reckon that, having attained perfection and fullness according to the virtue that ought to exist among men, he was translated to better things. But his translation was not like that of other men; for the bodies of others, having remained here and been dissolved, were separated from their souls, but concerning this one it is said that he was translated, about whom we understand that either he was taken up like Elijah or in another way was snatched up to a divine place. Here then it is fitting to examine how the statement made by Paul, "And as it is appointed for men to die once," is true. For if these men, I mean Elijah and Enoch, were taken up with their very dense bodies, being destined to exist until now and for all eternity, false is the word spoken by the wise and holy Paul concerning the necessity for all men to die. But it is not false. Therefore, the matter at hand has a fitting interpretation, even if they have not partaken of death in the way now customary for other men, but in having put aside their material life according to the ineffable reason of God, their mortality must be understood. For if the Savior is "the firstborn from the dead," he would also be the firstborn of these. 149 For it is inglorious for them to be outside such a principle, especially since, if they did not put away their material life, as we said, they have not partaken of the divine resurrection either, according to which we will all receive the body, from dishonorable honorable, from inglorious glorious, from weak powerful, from natural spiritual. But if anyone is fond of reading the book of the covenant, he will know that he is said to have been snatched up into paradise; and to know this, even if it is not from an undisputed book, is not unfitting. But there are some who say the translation is from one manner to another, according to which the Savior said to the disciples: "You are no longer of this world, but I have chosen you," the election effecting a translation from worldly things, and they accept another saying as confirmation of this: "We know that we have passed from death to life"; for we who have passed from the death that follows vice to the life that comes from virtue have been translated. But this interpretation fits not only Enoch, but also all the saints; wherefore consider whether it is proper to approve the former one. 8, 32. And Noah was 500 years old, and Noah begot three sons, Shem, Ham, Japheth. It must be observed that it did not say in his case at how many years old he began to beget, but being 500 he had three sons not born at the same time. And it is good also that it is not recorded that he had begotten daughters, but sons, it being shown through a symbol that the righteous man does not beget females, as it is also recorded concerning Moses and Abraham; for neither did these have daughters. At any rate, one is blessed in 150 soul, being a father of vigorous offspring, hearing: "Blessed are you, and it shall be well. Your sons like young olive plants around your table; thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord". But daughters happen to be symbols of things of the senses. For example, the tyrant Pharaoh, being a lover of passion, killed the male children born to the Hebrews,

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ἐν πέντε καὶ ἐνενήκοντα ἔτεσιν συνετελέσθη· καὶ τούτου δὲ υἱὸς Ἰάρεδ, ὃς ἔζησεν δύο καὶ ἑξήκοντα 148 ἔτη καὶ ἐννακόσια καὶ ἀπέθανεν, ὃς ἐ[γ]έννησεν τὸν Ἑνώχ. ῃ, 21-24. Καὶ ἔζησεν Ἑνὼχ πέντε καὶ ἑξήκοντα καὶ ἑ[κα]τὸν ἔτη καὶ ἐγέννησεν τὸν Μαθουσαλά, εὐηρέστησεν δὲ Ἑνὼ[χ] τῷ Θεῷ μετὰ τὸ γεννῆσαι αὐτὸν τὸν Μαθουσαλὰ διακόσια ἔτη, καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας. Καὶ ἐγένοντο πᾶσαι αἱ ἡμέραι Ἑν[ὼ]χ πέντε καὶ ἑξήκοντα καὶ τριακόσια ἔτη. Καὶ εὐηρέστησεν Ἑνὼχ [τ]ῷ Θεῷ, καὶ οὐχ ηὑρίσκετο̣, ὅτι μετέθηκεν αὐτὸν ὁ Θεός. Τὴν περ[ὶ τοῦ] Ἑνὼχ λέξιν παραλαβὼν ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους λέ[γ]ει· "6Πίστει Ἑνὼχ μετετέθη τοῦ μὴ ἰδεῖν θάνατον"6. Περιγράφετα[ι] δ̣' ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ εἰς ἀριθμὸν ἡμερῶν ἐνιαυτὸν καὶ λοιπὸν μετε[τ]έθη, ὅπερ συνετῶς λογίσαιτο ἄν τις ὅτι τελειότητος καὶ πληρό[τ]ητος ἐπειλημμένος κατὰ τὴν ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὑπᾶρξαι ὀφείλουσαν ἀρετὴν μετετέθη [εἰς] τὰ κρείττονα. Ἡ δὲ μετάθεσις [α]ὐτοῦ οὐ κατὰ τοὺς ἄλλους γέ[γονεν] ἀνθρώπους· τὰ γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων σω´̣ματα ἐνταῦθα διαμείναν[τα καὶ δια]λυ- θέντα ἐχωρίσθη τῶν ψυχῶν, περὶ δὲ τούτου λέγε[ται ὅτι μ]ετετέθη, περὶ οὗ νοοῦμεν ὅτι ἢ ὡς Ἠλίας ἀνελήμφθη ἢ καθ' ἕ[τ]ερον τρόπον εἰς θεῖον ἡρπάγη χῶρον. Ἐνταῦθα λοιπὸν σκοπεῖν προσήκει τὸ ὑπὸ Παύλου εἰρημένον "6Καὶ καθὼς ἀπόκειται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἅπαξ ἀποθανεῖν"6 πῶς ἀληθεύεται. Εἰ γὰρ οὗτοι, Ἠλίας λέγω καὶ Ἑνώχ, μετὰ τῶν παχυτάτων σωμάτων ἄχρις̣ καὶ νῦν καὶ τοῦ παντὸς αἰῶνος ἔσεσθαι μέλλοντες ἀνελήμ- φθησαν, ψευδὴς ὁ λόγος ὁ περὶ τοῦ δεῖν πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἀποθανεῖν παρὰ Παύλου τοῦ σοφοῦ καὶ ἁγίου λεγόμενος. Ἀλλ' οὐ ψευδής. Θεωρίαν ἄρα πρέπουσαν ἔχει τὸ προ- κείμενον, εἰ καὶ μὴ τῷ εἰθισμένῳ τ̣ὸ νῦν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις θανάτῳ κεκοινωνήκασιν, ἀλλὰ τῷ τὴν ἔνυλον ζωὴν ἀποτεθεῖσθαι κατὰ τὸν ἀπόρρητον ἡμῖν τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγον τὸ θνητὸν αὐτῶν δεῖ νο̣η῀̣σαι. Εἰ γὰρ "6πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν"6 ὁ Σωτήρ, καὶ τούτων ἂν εἴη πρωτότοκος. 149 Ἄδοξον γὰρ τὸ ἐκτὸς αὐτοὺς εἶναι τοῦ τοιούτου λόγου, ἄλλως τε, εἰ οὐκ ἀπέθε<ν>το τὴν ἔνυλον ζωήν, ὡς εἴπομε[ν, ο]ὐδὲ τῆς θείας ἀναστάσεως κεκοινωνήκασιν, καθ' ἣν ἐξ ἀτίμ[ο]υ ἔντιμον, ἐξ ἀδόξου ἐπίδοξον, ἐξ <ἀ>σθενοῦς δυνατόν, ἐξ ψυχικοῦ πνευματικὸν ἀπολημψόμεθα πάντες τὸ σῶμα. Εἰ δέ τῳ φίλον κα̣[ὶ] τὴν βίβλον τῆς διαθήκης ἀναγιγνώ- σκειν, γνώσεται ὡς [εἰς] τὸν παράδεισον ἡρπᾶσθαι λέγεται· καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ εἰδέναι, [εἰ κα]ὶ μὴ ἐξ ἀναντιρρήτου βιβλίου ἐστίν, οὐκ ἄτοπον. Εἰσὶ δὲ οἳ τὴν μετάθεσιν τὴν ἐκ τρόπου εἰς τρόπον φασὶν εἶναι, καθ' ἣν [το]ῖς μαθηταῖς ὁ Σωτὴρ ἔλεγεν· "6Οὐκέτι ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου [ἐσ]τέ, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς"6, τῆς ἐκλογῆς μετάθεσιν ἐκ τῶν κοσμικῶν ποιούσης, καὶ ἕτερον δὲ ῥητὸν τούτου κατα- σκευαστικὸν δέχονται· "6Ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν ὅτι μεταβεβή[κ]αμεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴ[ν ζω]ήν"6· οἱ γὰρ μεταβεβηκότες ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ ἑπ[ομένου] τῇ κακίᾳ ἐπὶ τὴν ζωὴν τὴν ἐξ ἀρετῆς μετεληλύ[θαμεν]. Αὕτη δὲ ἡ ἀπόδοσις οὐ μόνῳ τῷ Ἑνώχ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶ[σι]ν τοῖς ἁγίοις ἁρμόζει· διόπερ ἐπιστῆσον εἰ τὴν προτέραν ἐγκρίναι προσήκει. ῃ, 32. Καὶ ἦν Νῶε ἐτῶν ˉφ, καὶ ἐγέννησεν Νῶε τρεῖς υἱούς, τὸν Σήθ, τὸν Χάμ, τὸν Ἰάφετ. Παρατηρητέον ὅτι οὐκ εἶπεν ἐπὶ τούτου πόσων ὑπάρχων ἐτῶν ἤρξατο γεννᾶν, ἀλλὰ ˉφ τυγχάνων εἶχεν τρεῖς οὐχ ἅμα γεννηθέντας υἱούς. Εὖ δὲ καὶ ὅτι οὐ θυγατέρας γεγεννηκέναι ἀναγέγραπται, ἀλλ' υἱούς, διὰ συμβόλου δεικνυμένο̣υ ὅτι οὐ θηλυτόκος ὁ δίκαιος, ὡς καὶ περὶ Μωσέως καὶ Ἀβραὰμ ἀναγέγρα[πτ]αι· οὐδὲ γὰρ οὗτοι θυγατέρας ἔσχον. Μακαρίζεται γοῦν τις κατὰ 150 ψυχὴν πατὴρ εὐτόνων γεννημάτων ὑπάρχων, ἀκούων· "6Μακάριο[ς] εἶ καὶ καλῶς γὰρ ἔσται. Οἱ υἱοί σου ὡς νεόφυτα ἐλαιῶν κ[ύκλ]ῳ τῆς τραπέζης σου· οὕτως εὐλογηθήσεται ἄνθρωπος ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Κύριον"6. Αἰσθητῶν δὲ σύμβολα τυγχάνουσιν αἱ θυγατέρες. Αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ ὁ τύραννος Φαραὼ φιλοπαθὴς [ὢν] τὰ γεννώμενα παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβραίοις ἄρρενα ἀνῄρει,