64
of the life of Pharies and Amosis Pharaoh, who according to some was her father, but according to others her brother. For they wish both to have been raised as children of the one before Amosis, in whose time they also confirm that Moses was born. But for us two years of his reign have been reckoned in the time of Amosis, corresponding to Inachus, the first king of Argos, in whose time also all the historians, both those of the circumcision and those of grace—Josephus and Justus, Clement the sacred Stromatist, and Tatian and Africanus—agree that Moses was born in the time of Inachus and was at his prime in the time of Phoroneus, the son of Inachus and Niobe, and in the time of Apis he led the journey of Israel out of Egypt, promising proofs also from the reputed historians among the Greeks, to whom Eusebius of Caesarea alone, even contradicting himself, later in time said that Moses was born in the time of Cecrops the two-natured, the first king in Athens, after Ogygus and the flood in his time, although he mentioned the aforementioned wiser men; against whom I think our account has sufficiently accomplished the truth in what has been said before, and it is superfluous to repeat the same thing here. Moses, therefore, having grown to manhood, leaves all human prosperity and goes to his afflicted kinsmen. And once, seeing an Egyptian striking one of the Hebrews, he struck him and hid him in the sand. And again, when he tried to stop a fight between two Hebrews who were fighting, he was publicly accused by the Hebrew of being the murderer of the Egyptian killed yesterday, and word of it reached the ruler of Egypt. And from there he withdrew into the land of Midian, having found the beginning of a greater philosophy in the solitary life separated from the many. Here he was purified until the 80th 141 year of his life, from the 40th year of his life shepherding near Mount Sinai, he is deemed worthy of a certain fearful theophany at steadfast noonday, his eyes being illuminated by a light greater than that of the sun. At which, being astonished, he gazed at a bush and saw it burning with fire like a bramble-bush and its branches flourishing as if in dew. Besides these things, being greatly astonished in his hearing by a voice calling, he is commanded to approach the mountain barefoot and unburdened of leather coverings and to touch the ground, as it was lit up all around by so great a light. And indeed, having approached with much reverence, he turns away his eyes at the divine words being spoken to him, and after much refusal, the leadership of his kinsmen is entrusted to him. And being armed with signs and wonders, he goes down to Egypt together with his two sons and his wife, to whom a certain angel is said to have appeared and threatened death, whom his wife, although a foreigner, placated with the blood of the circumcision of their son; And Aaron, having been sent from God, met him and consulted with him about the gathering of the people into one assembly and about the words to be spoken to them as from God, and all that needed to be announced concerning freedom to those who for a long time had made it as if it had not happened, and concerning the wonders of the rod and of Moses' hand turning white and then being restored again, and of the river water turning to blood, from that point on Pharaoh contended against him. For coming to the one called Misphragmuthosis, they were shown making the divine pronouncements with boldness; at which the tyrant became angry and increased the affliction for the Israelites, countering with sophistry and through magical trickery which displays to the easily deceived mind by illusion alone and not by effect, but he was shamed along with his magicians when their rods were devoured by the rod of Moses. 142 And Moses, seeing him disobeying God along with those around him, brings the first plague common to the nation, having made all the water blood by the command of God, so that the whole land of Egypt and the stones and the wood were full of blood. But for Moses and Aaron and the Hebrews, the water was drinkable. For from there also it was counterfeited by the magicians that the water found among the Hebrews appeared to seem like blood. The same is to be understood also concerning the second plague of the frogs, that all the Egyptians were scourged by the affliction,
64
ζωῆς Φαρίης καὶ Ἀμώσιος Φαραῶ, τοῦ κατὰ τινὰς μὲν πατρός, καθ' ἑτέρους δὲ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτῆς. ἄμφω γὰρ παῖδας αὐξηθῆναι βούλονται τοῦ πρὸ Ἀμώσιος, ἐφ' οὗ καὶ Μωυσέα γεννηθῆναι βεβαιοῦνται. Ἀλλ' ἡμῖν ἐπὶ Ἀμώσιος ἐπιλελόγισται ἔτη δύο αὐτοῦ κατὰ Ἴναχον πρῶτον Ἄργους βασιλέα, καθ' ὃν καὶ πάντες οἵ τε ἐκ περιτομῆς οἵ τε ἐκ χάριτος ἱστορικοί, Ἰώσηππος καὶ Ἰοῦστος, Κλήμης ὁ ἱερὸς στρωματεύς, Τατιανός τε καὶ Ἀφρικανὸς συνομολογοῦσι κατὰ Ἴναχον γεννηθῆναι Μωυσέα καὶ κατὰ Φορωνέα τὸν Ἰνάχου παῖδα καὶ Νιόβης ἀκμαῖον, κατὰ Ἄπιδα δὲ τῆς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου πορείας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἡγήσασθαι, τὰς ἀποδείξεις καὶ ἐκ τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι δοκουμένων ὑποσχόντες ἱστορικῶν, οἷς μόνος ὁ Καισαρεὺς Εὐσέβιος καὶ ἑαυτῷ ἀντιπίπτων χρόνοις ὕστερον κατὰ Κέκροπα τὸν διφυῆ, πρῶτον Ἀθήνησι βασιλέα, μετὰ Ὤγυγον καὶ τὸνἐπ' αὐτοῦ κατακλυσμὸν ἔφη γενέσθαι Μωυσέα, καίτοι τῶν εἰρημένων ἐπιμνησθεὶς σοφωτέρων ἀνδρῶν· πρὸς ὃν ἐν τοῖς προλαβοῦσιν ἀρκούντως οἶμαι τῆς ἀληθείας ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος διήνυσται καὶ περιττὸν ἐνταῦθα ταυτο λογεῖν. Μωυσῆς οὖν ἀνδρωθεὶς καταλιμπάνει τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην πᾶσαν εὐημε ρίαν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ὁμοφύλους χωρεῖ κακοχουμένους. καὶ κατανοήσας δέ ποτε τύπτοντα Αἰγύπτιόν τινα τῶν Ἑβραίων, πατάξας τῇ ἄμμῳ κρύβει. Αὖθίς τε δυσὶ μαχομένοις Ἑβραίοις πειρασθεὶς καταστεῖλαι τὴν μάχην, φονεὺς τοῦ χθὲς ἀναιρεθέντος Αἰγυπτίου δημοσίως ἐλέγχεται πρὸς τοῦ Ἑβραίου, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἐπὶ τὸν κρατοῦντα τῆς Αἰγύπτου χωρεῖ. κἀντεῦθεν εἰς γῆν Μαδιὰμ ὑποχωρεῖ, μείζονος φιλοσοφίας ἀρχὴν ἐσχηκὼς τὴν ἐρημικὴν καὶ διεζευγμένην ζωὴν τῶν πολλῶν. ταύτῃ καθαρθεὶς ἕως πʹ 141 αὐτοῦ τῆς ζωῆς ἔτους, ἀπὸ μʹ τῆς ζωῆς ἔτους ποιμαίνων κατὰ τὸ Σιναῖον ὄρος, θεοφανείας τινὸς ἐν σταθηρᾷ μεσημβρίᾳ καταξιοῦται φοβερᾶς, κρείτ τονι φωτὶ τοῦ ἡλιακοῦ τὰς ὄψεις καταυγασθείς. Ἐφ' ᾧ θαμβηθεὶς θάμνον ἀτενίσας ὁρᾷ βάτου πυροειδῶς ἐξάπτοντα καὶ τοῖς κλάδοις ὡς ἐν δρόσῳ συνθάλλοντα. πρὸς οἷς τὴν ἀκοὴν φωνῇ καλούσῃ μειζόνως ἐκπλαγεὶς ἀνυπόδετος καὶ ἀβαρὴς δερματίνων περιβόλων προσ βῆναι τῷ ὄρει καὶ τῆς γῆς, ὡσεὶ τηλικούτῳ φωτὶ περιήστραπτο, προσ ψαῦσαι κελεύεται. καὶ δὴ προσελθὼν εὐλαβείᾳ πολλῇ τὰς ὄψεις ἐπὶ θείοις αὐτῷ ῥήμασι λαλουμένοις ἀποστρέφεται, καὶ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν τῶν ὁμοφύ λων μετὰ πλείστην παραίτησιν ἐγχειρίζεται. σημείοις δὲ καὶ τέρασι καθ οπλισθεὶς εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἅμα δυσὶ παισὶ καὶ γυναικὶ κάτεισιν, ᾧτινί τις ἄγγελος ἐπιστὰς λέγεται θάνατον ἀπειλεῖν, ὃν ἱλεώσατο καίπερ οὖσα ἀλλόφυλος ἡ γυνὴ τῷ τῆς περιτομῆς αἵματι τοῦ παιδός· συναντήσας δ' αὐτῷ Ἀαρὼν θεόθεν σταλεὶς κοινολογεῖται περὶ τῆς τοῦ λαοῦ συνελεύ σεως εἰς μίαν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ περὶ τῶν λαληθησομένων αὐτοῖς ὡς ἐκ θεοῦ ῥημάτων, ὅσα τε περὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἐχρῆν ἀγγελθῆναι τοῖς χρόνῳ πολλῷ πεποιηκόσιν, οὔτε γεγονότος, καὶ τῶν περὶ τὴν ῥάβδον καὶ τὴν χεῖρα Μωυσέως ἀπολευκουμένην καὶ αὖθις ἀποκαθισταμένην θαυμάτων καὶ πο τάμιον ὕδωρ αἱματούμενον, πρὸς αὐτὸν ἤδη λοιπὸν ἠγωνίζετο Φαραῶ. εἰς γὰρ τὸν λεγόμενον Μισφραγμούθωσιν ἐλθόντες καὶ τοὺς θείους παρρησίᾳ ποιούμενοι διεδείκνυντο λόγους· ἐφ' οἷς χαλεπήνας ὁ τύραννος ἐπέτεινε τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις τὴν κάκωσιν, ἀντισοφισάμενος μὲν καὶ διὰ γοητικῆς μαγγανείας φαντασίᾳ μόνῃ καὶ οὐκ ἐνεργείᾳ τοῖς εὐεξαπατήτοις τὸν νοῦν παραδεικνύσης, αἰσχυνθεὶς δὲ σὺν τοῖς γόησι καταβρωθεισῶν αὐτοῖς τῶν ῥάβδων ὑπὸ τῆς ῥάβδου Μωυσέως. 142 Ὁρῶν δ' αὐτὸν ὁ Μωυσῆς ἀπειθοῦντα τῷ θεῷ σὺν τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν πρώ την ἐπάγει κοινὴν τῷ ἔθνει πληγήν, αἷμα τὸ πᾶν ὕδωρ προστάγματι ποιήσας θεοῦ, ὡς καὶ τὴν γῆν ὅλην Αἰγύπτου καὶ τοὺς λίθους καὶ τὰ ξύλα τοῦ αἵματος γέμειν. Μωυσῇ δὲ καὶ Ἀαρὼν καὶ τοῖς Ἑβραίοις ἐπίνετο τὸ ὕδωρ. ἔνθεν γὰρ καὶ τοῖς γόησιν ἀντεσοφίσθη τὸ παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβραίοις εὑρισκόμενον ὕδωρ αἷμα δοκεῖν φαίνεσθαι. Τὸ δ' αὐτὸ νοητέον καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς δευτέρας πληγῆς τῶν βατράχων, Αἰγυ πτίους μὲν πάντας τῷ πάθει μαστίζεσθαι,