66
110.1 And if they say that the God of the Law is good, who defrauded the Egyptians and taught his own people to despoil them as they were going out of the land of Egypt, the foolish do not know that with God nothing is lost and that it is a just judgment 110.2 and "God is not mocked." For what did the Egyptians think, that they sought these things for the Jews to work without wages, and not for a random number of years, but for two hundred and fifteen with † the two hundred and fifteen years of 110.3 Joseph? For when the sojourning of four hundred and thirty years was decreed for Abraham and his seed, as it says, "Your seed shall be a sojourner 110.4 in a foreign land," then what was decreed was fulfilled. Therefore, in his compassion God divided the years of their sojourning. And immediately, while there were still two hundred and fifteen years in the land of Canaan, he took hold of them, and the other two hundred and fifteen he divided for those who went to Egypt. 110.5 For the number of these years is calculated thus: it was then the seventy-fifth year of Abraham. Thus, from the seventy-fifth year of Abraham until the birth of Isaac are 25 years; Isaac begets Jacob in his sixtieth year, and it becomes 85 years; and Jacob, being 89 years old, begets Levi, and it becomes 174 years; Levi, being 44 years old, begets Kohath; and in the forty-seventh year of Levi, Jacob goes down into Egypt, and it becomes two hundred and eleven years. And after their entry into Egypt, another four years, and the two hundred and fifteen are completed. 110.6 From here again are calculated for me the remaining two hundred and fifteen years of the sojourning of the Israelites. And Kohath, after the descent into Egypt, in his sixty-fifth year, begets Abraham, the father of Moses; thus, from the first Abraham, from his seventy-fifth year, until the birth of the latter 110.7 Abraham are 280 years, and from the descent into Egypt, 65 years. And Abraham, being seventy years old, begets Moses, and it becomes 350 years from the first Abraham, and from the descent into Egypt 110.8 135 years. And Moses in his eightieth year crosses the Red Sea, as he goes out of Egypt with the Israelites. And it becomes 380 years from the great Abraham, and from the descent into Egypt 110.9 165 years. And the remaining fifty years they spent after the crossing 110.9 of the Red Sea until their arrival in Palestine, not because of the length of the journey, but because of fighting and being hindered by 110.10 the nations found along their way. Therefore, from the seventy-fifth year of the great Abraham, from when this prophecy was given to him by God, until Moses and the arrival of the sons of Israel in Palestine are 430 years, and from the descent into Egypt and until their arrival in Palestine are 215 years. 111.1 Therefore, for the Jews who had worked for so many years without wages, was it not just, both with God and with men, for their wages to be given to them, even at the end? Not unjust, therefore, was God in sending his own people out from there with spoils. 111.2 But if anyone should doubt that the years are to be numbered thus, let him hear Moses saying, "And the sojourning 111.3 of the sons of Israel in the land of Canaan and in the land of Egypt was 430 years." Since, therefore, the Lord was taking care of the most just wage, what foolish objection is still left for those who wish to bring blame against the holy God? But no one would ever blame the true God, but those who blame, blame themselves. 111.4 And another foolish objection is reported by them, similar to the first, that the God of the Law is good who defrauded the Canaanites, in order to give their place to the Israelites, "houses
66
110.1 Ἄν τε εἴπωσιν ὅτι καλὸς ὁ θεὸς τοῦ νόμου, ὁ τοὺς μὲν Αἰγυπτίους πλεονεκτήσας καὶ σκυλεῦσαι διδάξας τοὺς ἰδίους αὐτοῦ ἀνθρώπους ἐν τῷ ἐξέρχεσθαι αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, οὐκ οἴδασιν οἱ μάταιοι ὅτι παρὰ θεῷ οὐδὲν ἀπόλλυται καὶ ὅτι δικαιοκρισία ἐστὶ 110.2 καὶ «θεὸς οὐ μυκτηρίζεται». τί γὰρ ἐνόμιζον Αἰγύπτιοι ὅτι ἐζήτουν ταῦτα ἀμισθὶ ἐργάζεσθαι τοὺς Ἰουδαίους καὶ οὐ τὰ τυχόντα ἔτη, ἀλλὰ διακόσια δεκαπέντε σὺν † τοῖς διακοσίοις δεκαπέντε ἔτεσι τοῦ 110.3 Ἰωσήφ; τετρακοσίων γὰρ καὶ τριάκοντα ἐτῶν παροικίας ὁρισθείσης τῷ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τῷ αὐτοῦ σπέρματι, ὡς λέγει «πάροικον ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα 110.4 σου ἐν γῇ ἀλλοτρίᾳ», τότε τὸ ὁρισθὲν ἐτελειοῦτο. τῇ οὖν ἑαυτοῦ εὐσπλαγχνίᾳ ὁ θεὸς τὰ ἔτη τῆς αὐτοῦ παροικίας διεμέρισε. καὶ εὐθὺς μὲν διὰ ˉσ δεκαπέντε ἐτῶν ἔτι ὄντων ἐν τῇ Χανανίτιδι ἀντελάβετο αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ˉσ πεντεκαίδεκα διεῖλε τοῖς εἰς Αἴγυπτον μετελ110.5 θοῦσιν. ὁ γὰρ ἀριθμὸς τούτων τῶν ἐτῶν οὕτως ἀναλογεῖται· ἦν τότε ἑβδομηκοστὸν πέμπτον ἔτος τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. γίνονται τοίνυν ἀπὸ ἑβδομηκοστοῦ πέμπτου ἔτους Ἀβραὰμ ἕως γεννήσεως Ἰσαὰκ ἔτη ˉκˉε· Ἰσαὰκ γεννᾷ τὸν Ἰακὼβ κατάγων ἔτος ἑξηκοστὸν καὶ γέγονεν ἔτη ˉπˉε· Ἰακὼβ δὲ γενόμενος ἐτῶν ˉπˉθ γεννᾷ τὸν Λευὶ καὶ γίνονται ἔτη ˉρˉοˉδ· Λευὶ ἐτῶν γενόμενος ˉμ τεσσάρων γεννᾷ τὸν Καάθ· ἐν δὲ τῷ τεσσαρακοστῷ ἔτει καὶ ἑβδόμῳ Λευὶ κάτεισιν Ἰακὼβ εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ γίνονται ἔτη διακόσια ἕνδεκα. καὶ μετὰ τὴν εἴσοδον αὐτῶν τὴν εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἕτερα τέσσαρα ἔτη καὶ πληροῦνται τὰ διακόσια δεκαπέντε. 110.6 ἐντεῦθέν μοι πάλιν ἀριθμεῖται τὰ λοιπὰ διακόσια πεντεκαίδεκα ἔτη τῆς τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν παροικίας. Καὰθ δὲ μετὰ τὴν εἰς Αἴγυπτον κάθοδον ἐν τῷ ἑξηκοστῷ πέμπτῳ ἔτει αὐτοῦ γεννᾷ τὸν πατέρα Μωυσέως Ἀβραάμ· γίνονται τοίνυν ἀπὸ τοῦ πρώτου Ἀβραάμ, τοῦἑβδομηκοστοῦ αὐτοῦ πέμπτου ἔτους ἕως τῆς γεννήσεως τοῦ ἐσχάτου 110.7 Ἀβραὰμ ἔτη ˉσˉπ, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς εἰς Αἴγυπτον καταγωγῆς ἔτη ˉξˉε. Ἀβραὰμ δὲ ἐτῶν ἑβδομήκοντα ὢν γεννᾷ τὸν Μωυσέα, καὶ γίνονται ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ πρώτου Ἀβραὰμ ἔτη ˉτˉν, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς εἰς Αἴγυπτον καταγωγῆς 110.8 ἔτη ˉρˉλˉε. ὁ δὲ Μωυσῆς ἐν τῷ ˉλ αὐτοῦ ἔτει πατεῖ τὴν ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν, ἅμα Ἰσραηλίταις ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐξιών. καὶ γίνονται ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ μεγάλου Ἀβραὰμ ἔτη ˉτˉπ, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς εἰς Αἴγυπτον καθόδου ἔτη 110.9 ˉρˉξˉε. τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ πεντήκοντα ἔτη κατηνάλωσαν μετὰ τὴν διαπεραίωσιν 110.9 τῆς ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης μέχρι τῆς εἰς Παλαιστίνην ἀπαντήσεως, οὐ διὰ τὸ μῆκος τῆς ὁδοῦ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ μάχεσθαι καὶ ἐμποδίζεσθαι παρὰ 110.10 τῶν καθ' ὁδὸν αὐτῶν εὑρισκομένων ἐθνῶν. γίνονται οὖν ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ ἑβδομηκοστοῦ πέμπτου ἔτους τοῦ μεγάλου Ἀβραάμ, ἀφ' οὗ ἡ πρόρρησις αὕτη ἐδόθη αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, μέχρι Μωυσέως καὶ τῆς εἰς τὴν Παλαιστίνην ἀφίξεως τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ἔτη ˉυˉλ, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς καθόδου τῆς εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ μέχρι τῆς εἰς Παλαιστίνην αὐτῶν ἀφίξεως ἔτη ˉσˉιˉε. 111.1 Τοσούτοις οὖν ἔτεσιν ἐργασαμένοις τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἀμισθὶ οὐκ ἦν δίκαιον καὶ παρὰ θεῷ καὶ ἀνθρώποις δοθῆναι αὐτοῖς τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν κἂν ἐπὶ τέλει; οὐκ ἄδικος τοίνυν ὁ θεὸς μετὰ σκύλων 111.2 ἐκεῖθεν ἐκβαλὼν τοὺς οἰκείους. εἰ δέ τις ἀμφιβάλλοι μὴ οὕτως ἐξαριθμεῖσθαι τὰ ἔτη, ἀκουέτω Μωυσέως λέγοντος «ἡ δὲ κατοίκησις 111.3 τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ἐν γῇ Χαναὰν καὶ ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ ἔτη ˉυˉλ». τοῦ οὖν δικαιοτάτου μισθοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἐπιμελομένου, ποία τις ἔτι ὑπολείπεται μάταιος ἀντιλογία τοῖς βουλομένοις κατὰ τοῦ ἁγίου θεοῦ καταφέρειν ψόγον; θεὸν δὲ ἀληθινὸν οὐκ ἄν ποτέ τις ψέξειεν, ἀλλ' οἱ ψέγοντες ἑαυτοὺς ψέγουσιν. 111.4 Ἑτέρα δέ τις παρ' αὐτῶν μάταιος καταγγέλλεται ἀντιλογία ὁμοία τῇ πρώτῃ, ὅτι καλὸς ὁ θεὸς τοῦ νόμου ὃς ἐπλεονέκτησε τοὺς Χαναναίους, ἵνα δῷ τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις τὸν αὐτῶν τόπον, «οἰκίας