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nowhere does it appear except in the eighty years of Moses. But the remaining one hundred eighty-three years from the first year of Levi until the first year of Moses is thus truly agreed upon by all. Levi at forty-seven years of age begot Kohath; Kohath at sixty years of age begot Amram. Amram at seventy-five years of age begot Moses. Moses' first year. Together they become one hundred eighty-three from the first year of Levi to the first year of Moses. but up to the eighty-first year of the same Moses, at which time he led the journey of Israel out of Egypt, are two hundred sixty-three years. And these were one hundred sixty-seven years from the seventy-fifth year of Abraham to the first year of Levi. Together, the sojourning of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and the patriarchs in the land of Canaan and Egypt are four hundred thirty years until the eighty-first year of Moses. Let no one think that the understanding of these times disagrees with what was said by God to Abraham, in Genesis, which says, “Know for certain that your seed will be a sojourner in a land that is not theirs, and they will enslave them and mistreat them and humble them for four hundred years,” and in the book of Exodus, “But the dwelling of the sons of Israel, which they and their fathers dwelt in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, was four hundred thirty years. And it came to pass after the four hundred thirty years, all the host of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt by night.” For both are true, the four hundred years being numbered after the one hundredth year of Abraham from the time of Isaac, who was also properly his seed by the promise of God and by faith, and the four hundred thirty from the seventy-fifth year of Abraham and the first sojourning into the land of Canaan. But the “they will enslave and mistreat and humble” must be understood disjunctively and indefinitely of the four hundred years, as one might say: Your seed will be a sojourner in a land not its own for four hundred years, and they will enslave and mistreat it. For the time of the servitude is found to be completed in one hundred forty-five whole years from the death of Joseph until the eighty-first year of Moses, beginning indeed from lighter misfortunes after the end of Joseph, but increasing in degree in the time of Moses and Aaron and those around them. 137 And these things have been briefly noted at the end of Genesis, being useful both for the times before Moses, in his time, and after him, about which the holy books of Exodus and Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy contain. It remains for us to discuss a few things about the twelve tribal patriarchs before the detailed canonography. These, being twelve in number, were the sons of Jacob by four women, two free women, Leah and Rachel, and two handmaids, Zilpah and Bilhah. Reuben was the firstborn of all in time and by nature, who, having lain with his father's concubine, was deprived of the priesthood and kingship along with the birthright. But he was blessed and became numerous in number for not allowing Joseph to be destroyed by his brothers. They say that although he went up to his father's bed, he did not lie with the concubine. This does not agree with scripture. With this birthright the sons of Joseph the chaste were honored, both because while Reuben was dishonored through a woman, Joseph was glorified by not lying with the Egyptian woman, and because he was the firstborn of Rachel. Upon these Israel, placing his hands interchangeably and crosswise, blessed them with prophetic eyes and made them his own: upon Manasseh, standing on the right as Joseph's firstborn, he placed his left hand, and upon Ephraim his right, although he was standing on the left, as the second, appointing the two as tribal leaders and patriarchs instead of Joseph. For he himself is not numbered, but instead of Levi with Ephraim. For the tribe of Levi, being the priestly one, is separate from the twelve and by itself. And he was deemed worthy of such an honor, both because Levi was third from Reuben and because, by counting backwards from the last of all, Benjamin, he was found to be the tenth in the time of the tithing of all the father's possessions, and was consecrated to God. For when Jacob was fleeing Esau, he vowed to tithe to the Lord whatever he should acquire. Besides, if Asher, the tenth from Reuben, had been consecrated, a shameful race, born of a handmaid, would have served as priests, which did not please God. And after 138 Jacob blessed his sons

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οὐδαμοῦ φαίνεται πλὴν τῶν πʹ Μωυσέως. τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ ρπγʹ ἀπὸ πρώτου ἔτους Λευὶ ἕως πρώτου ἔτους Μωυσέως οὕτως πᾶσιν ἀψευδῶς συμπεφώνη ται. Λευὶ ἐτῶν μζʹ ἐγέννησε τὸν Καάθ· Καὰθ ἐτῶν ξʹ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ἄμ βραμ. Ἄμβραμ ἐτῶν οεʹ ἐγέννησε τὸν Μωυσῆν. Μωυσέως ἔτος αʹ. ὁμοῦ γίνονται ρπγʹ ἀπὸ πρώτου ἔτους Λευὶ ἐπὶ πρῶτον ἔτος Μωυσέως. ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ παʹ ἔτος τοῦ αὐτοῦ Μωυσέως, καθ' ὅ τι ἐξ Αἰγύπτου πορείας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἡγήσατο, ἔτη σξγʹ. ἦν δὲ καὶ αὐτὰ ἀπὸ οεʹ ἔτους Ἀβραὰμ ἐπὶ τὸ αʹ ἔτος Λευὶ ρξζʹ ἔτη. ὁμοῦ τῆς ἐν γῇ Χαναὰν καὶ Αἰγύπτου παροικίας Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ καὶ τῶν πατριαρχῶν ἔτη υλʹ ἕως παʹ ἔτους Μωυσέως. Μή τις δὲ νομιζέτω διαφωνεῖν τὴν περὶ τῶνδε τῶν χρόνων ἔννοιαν πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ Ἀβραὰμ εἰρημένην, ἐν τῇ Γενέσει μέν, ἥ φησι «γινώσκων γνώ σῃ ὅτι πάροικον ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου ἐν γῇ οὐκ ἰδίᾳ, καὶ δουλώσουσιν αὐ τοὺς καὶ κακώσουσι καὶ ταπεινώσουσιν αὐτοὺς υʹ ἔτη», ἐν δὲ τῇ βίβλῳ τῆς Ἐξόδου «ἡ δὲ κατοίκησις τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ, ἣν κατῴκησαν αὐτοὶ καὶ οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ ἐν γῇ Χαναὰν ἔτη υλʹ. καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ τὰ υλʹ ἔτη, ἐξῆλθε πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις κυρίου ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου νυκτός.» ἄμφω γὰρ ἀληθῆ, τά τε υʹ μετὰ τὸ ρʹ ἔτος Ἀβραὰμ ἀριθμούμενα ἀπὸ τῶν χρό νων Ἰσαὰκ ἔτη, ὃς ἦν καὶ κυρίως σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐξ ἐπαγγελίας θεοῦ καὶ πίστεως, τά τε υλʹ ἀπὸ τοῦ οεʹ ἔτους Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τῆς πρώτης παροικίας εἰς γῆν Χαναάν. τὸ δὲ «δουλώσουσι καὶ κακώσουσι καὶ ταπεινώσουσι» διεζευγμένως καὶ ἀπροσδιορίστως νοητέον τῶν υʹ ἐτῶν, ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι· πάροικον ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου ἐν γῇ οὐκ ἰδίᾳ ἔτη υʹ καὶ δουλώσουσι καὶ κακώσουσιν αὐτό. ὁ γάρ τοι τῆς δουλείας χρόνος ἐν ὅλοις ἔτεσιν εὑρίσκε ται τοῖς ἀπὸ τελευτῆς Ἰωσὴφ ἕως παʹ ἔτους Μωυσέως συμπεραιούμενος ρμεʹ, ἀρξάμενος μὲν ἐκ κουφοτέρων τῶν συμφορῶν μετὰ τὴν Ἰωσὴφ λῆξιν, αὐξηθεὶς δὲ κατὰ πρόσβασιν κατὰ Μωυσέα καὶ Ἀαρὼν καὶ τοὺς ἀμφ' αὐτούς. 137 Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐν βραχεῖ τῷ πέρατι τῆς Γενέσεως ἐπισεσήμανται χρη σιμεύοντα κἀν τοῖς πρὸ Μωυσέως καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ μετ' αὐτὸν χρόνοις, περὶ ὧν ἥ τε τῆς Ἐξόδου καὶ τοῦ Λευιτικοῦ Ἀριθμῶν τε καὶ ∆ευτερονομίου περιέχουσιν ἱεραὶ βίβλοι. Ὑπολείπεται δὲ ἡμῖν μικρὰ περὶ τῶν δώδεκα φυλάρχων πατριαρχῶν διαλαβεῖν πρὸ τῆς κατὰ μέρος κανονογραφίας. οὗτοι δὴ τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὄντες ιβʹ τῷ Ἰακὼβ παῖδες ἐκ δʹ γυναικῶν, δύο μὲν ἐλευθέρων τῆς Λείας καὶ τῆς Ῥαχήλ, δύο δὲ παιδισκῶν Ζελφᾶς καὶ Βαλᾶς, Ῥουβὴν πάντων ἦν τῷ χρόνῳ πρωτότοκος καὶ τῇ φύσει, ὃς τῇ παλλακῇ συνελθὼν τοῦ πατρὸς ἱερωσύνην ἀφῃρέθη καὶ βασιλείαν σὺν τοῖς πρωτοτοκίοις. ηὐλόγηται δὲ καὶ πολὺς ἐν ἀριθμῷ γέγονε τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν διαφθαρῆναι μὴ συγχωρήσας. φασὶ δ' ὅτι καὶ ἀνῆλθε μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν πατρικὴν κοίτην, οὐ συνῆλθε δὲ τῇ παλλακῇ. ὅπερ οὐ συμφωνεῖ τῇ γραφῇ. τούτοις τοῖς πρω τοτοκίοις ἐτιμήθησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰωσὴφ τοῦ σώφρονος παῖδες, ὅτι τε ἐν γυ ναικὶ τοῦ Ῥουβὴν ἀτιμωθέντος Ἰωσὴφ ἐν γυναικὶ τῇ Αἰγυπτίᾳ μὴ συνελθὼν ἐδοξάσθη καὶ ὅτι πρωτότοκος ἐκ Ῥαχήλ. τούτοις Ἰσραὴλ τὰς χεῖρας ἐναλλὰξ καὶ σταυροειδῶς ἐπιθείς, τῷ Μανασσῇ μὲν ἐκ δεξιῶν ἑστῶτι ὡς πρωτοτόκῳ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ τὴν ἀριστεράν, τῷ δὲ Ἐφραὶμ τὴν δεξιάν, καίπερ ἐξ ἀριστερῶν ἑστῶτι, ὡς βʹ, προφητικοῖς ηὐλόγησεν ὄμμασί τε καὶ ἰδιοποιήσατο, φυλάρχους ἀναδείξας τοὺς δύο καὶ πατριάρχας ἀντὶ Ἰωσήφ. Οὗτος γὰρ καθ' ἑαυτὸν οὐκ ἐνηρίθμηται, ἀλλ' ἀντὶ τοῦ Λευὶ σὺν τῷ Ἐφραΐμ. ἡ γὰρ τοῦ Λευὶ φυλὴ ἱερατικὴ οὖσα τῶν ιβʹ χωρίς ἐστι καὶ καθ' ἑαυτήν. τιμῆς δὲ τοιαύτης ἠξιώθη, ὅτι τε ἀπὸ Ῥουβὴν τρίτος ὁ Λευὶ καὶ ὅτι κατὰ ἀναστροφὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑστάτου πάντων Βενιαμὶν δέκατος εὑρεθεὶς ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἀποδεκατώσεως πάντων τῶν προσόντων τῷ πατρὶ τῷ θεῷ ἀφιερώθη. φεύγων γὰρ τὸν Ἡσαῦ ὁ Ἰακὼβ ηὔξατο ὁπόσα ἂν κτήσαιτο ἀποδεκατώσειν κυρίῳ. Ἄλλως τε εἰ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ῥουβὴν ὁ δέκατος Ἀσὴρ ἱερώθη, παιδίσκης ἂν ἱεράτευεν ἐπονείδιστον γένος, ὅπερ οὐκ ἤρεσε τῷ θεῷ. μετὰ δὲ τὸ εὐλο 138 γῆσαι τὸν Ἰακὼβ τοὺς υἱοὺς