70

the price of a male, and of a female, thirty with those in their prime and the aged being excepted. For he limited it to the middle age, having specified from twenty years old up to sixty years old; for to those younger than these, and older, he set another price. But the poor he left to the judgment of the priests; so that they might set the prices according to their means; And he forbids the consecrated irrational animals to be exchanged by those who offer them; and so that they not do this, he imposes on them the necessity of a penalty; "for if," he says, "in exchanging he should exchange it, it and its exchange shall be holy." However, of the unclean beasts, he commanded the priest to set the price. This he also commanded to be done for a house and a field. And he also determined the amount of the didrachma; for he commanded it to weigh twenty obols; but some of the interpreters called the didrachma a "stater." However, what was dedicated to God he commanded not to be redeemed.

190 QUAESTIONES IN NUMEROS

I Why did God command the people to be numbered? So that He might show the truth of His own promise. For when making a promise to Abraham he said: "I will surely multiply your seed, as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the seashore." And He showed the truth of the announcement; for from the seventy-five who had gone down into Egypt six hundred and three thousand six hundred and fifty men able to make war were numbered, with the over-aged and the under-aged set apart, and furthermore also the female sex, and the levitical tribe; for not even this one was numbered with the rest. Teaching this His power, the Lord God, also said through the prophet Isaiah: "Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you, for he was one, and I called him and blessed him and multiplied him." II Why is the number of the Levites smaller? 191 As being rulers; for it is necessary that the rulers be fewer than the ruled. And besides, they were exempt from warfare, and were devoted only to the divine service. III How then did the tribe of Judah surpass all in number, although it was the royal one? From the royal tribe one man reigned; but all those of the levitical tribe served; some performing priestly duties, others ministering to these. And it was necessary for the royal tribe to be superior in number also because of the blessing of the Lord Christ; for from them he was to spring forth according to the flesh; and so that the kings appointed from it would have the chief support of their tribesmen. And here too he assigned the priests to the royal tribe; for having stationed the tribe of Judah towards the rising sun, he joined the priests to them with the ark. To Dan, however, he allotted the northern part. "For," it says, "from the face of the north evils shall be kindled upon all the inhabitants of the land." And it has been said by us in the blessings of Jacob, that from the tribe of Dan the avenger shall be born, who, while calling himself Christ, performs deeds contrary to the title, and usurps what in no way belongs to him. And to Judah he very fittingly assigned the east; since concerning the Lord Christ the divine prophets also proclaim: "Behold a man, whose name is the East." And: "To those who fear me the sun of righteousness shall arise; and healing is in his wings." And: "To those who sit in darkness 192 and in the shadow of death a light has dawned for them." IV What were the works of the priests and what were those of the Levites? The God of all Himself teaches. "The Lord," he says, "said to Moses: Take the tribe of Levi and you shall set them before Aaron the priest; and they shall minister to him and shall keep his charge and the charge of the sons of Israel before the tabernacle of testimony, to perform the works of the tabernacle; and they shall keep all the

70

ἄρρενος τὴν τιμήν, τῆς δὲ θηλείας τριάκοντα καὶ τῶν 189 ἀκμαζόντων καὶ τῶν γεγηρακότων ὑπεξῃρημένων. τὴν γὰρ μέσην περι ώρισεν ἡλικίαν ἀπὸ εἰκοσαετοῦς εἰρηκὼς ἕως ἑξηκονταετοῦς· τοῖς γὰρ τούτων νεωτέροις, καὶ πρεσβυτέροις, ἄλλην ὥρισε τιμήν. τοὺς δὲ πένη τας ὑπὸ τὴν τῶν ἱερέων καταλέλοιπε κρίσιν· ἵν' ἐκεῖνοι πρὸς τὰς δυνά μεις ὁρίζωσι τὰς τιμάς· τὰ δὲ ἀφιερούμενα ἄλογα ἐναλλάττεσθαι παρὰ τῶν προσφερόντων ἀπαγορεύει· καὶ ὥστε μὴ τοῦτο δρᾶν τὴν τῆς ζημίας αὐτοῖς ἐπιτίθησιν ἀνάγκην· " ἐάν, γάρ φησιν, ἀλλάσσων ἀλλάξῃ αὐτό, ἔσται αὐτὸ καὶ τὸ ἄλλαγμα αὐτοῦ ἅγιον ". τῶν μέντοι ἀκαθάρτων κτηνῶν ὁρίσαι τὴν τιμὴν τὸν ἱερέα ἐκέλευσε. τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ οἰκίας, καὶ ἀγροῦ γενέσθαι ἐκέλευσεν. ὥρισε δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ διδράχμου ποσότητα· εἴκοσι γὰρ ἐκέλευσεν ἕλκειν ὀβολούς· τὸ δὲ δίδραχμον τινὲς τῶν ἑρμηνευτῶν " στατῆρα " ἐκάλεσαν. τὰ μέντοι ἀνατιθέμενα τῷ Θεῷ προσέταξε μὴ λυτροῦσθαι.

190 QUAESTIONES IN NUMEROS

I ∆ιὰ τί προσέταξεν ἀριθμηθῆναι τὸν λαὸν ὁ Θεός; Ἵνα τῆς οἰκείας ἐπαγγελίας δείξῃ τὸ ἀληθές. ὑπισχνούμενος γὰρ τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ἔφη· " πληθύνων πληθυνῶ τὸ σπέρμα σου, ὡς τοὺς ἀστέρας τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ὡς τὴν ἄμμον τὴν παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος τῆς θαλάσσης ". ἔδειξε δὲ τὴν τῆς ἀπαγγελίας ἀλήθειαν· ἐκ πέντε γὰρ καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα τῶν εἰς Αἴγυπ τον κατεληλυθότων ἑξακόσιαι χιλιάδες καὶ τρισχίλιοι καὶ ἑξακόσιοι καὶ πεντήκοντα ἠριθμήθησαν ἄνδρες δυνάμενοι πολεμεῖν, καὶ τῆς ἐξώρου ἡλικίας καὶ τῆς ἀώρου κεχωρισμένης, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τοῦ θήλεως γένους, καὶ τῆς λευϊτικῆς φυλῆς· οὐδὲ γὰρ αὕτη ταῖς λοιπαῖς συνηριθμήθη. ταύ την αὑτοῦ διδάσκων τὴν δύναμιν ὁ δεσπότης Θεός, καὶ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἠσαΐου ἔφη· " ἐμβλέψατε εἰς Ἀβραὰμ τὸν πατέρα ὑμῶν καὶ εἰς Σάρραν τὴν ὠδίνουσαν ὑμᾶς, ὅτι εἷς ἦν, καὶ ἐκάλεσα αὐτὸν καὶ εὐλόγησα αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπλήθυνα αὐτόν ". II ∆ιὰ τί ἐλάττων ἐστὶν ὁ τῶν λευϊτῶν ἀριθμός; 191 Ὡς ἀρχόντων· δεῖ γὰρ τοὺς ἄρχοντας ἐλάττους εἶναι τῶν ἀρχομένων. ἄλλως τε καὶ τοῦ πολεμεῖν ἦσαν ἀπηλλαγμένοι, καὶ μόνῃ τῇ θείᾳ λατρείᾳ προσήδρευον. III Πῶς οὖν ἡ τοῦ Ἰούδα φυλὴ ὑπερέβαλε πάσας τῷ ἀριθμῷ καίτοι οὖσα βασιλική; Ἐκ τῆς βασιλικῆς εἷς ἀνὴρ ἐβασίλευσεν· οἱ δὲ τῆς λευϊτικῆς ἅπαντες ἐλει τούργουν· οἱ μὲν ἱερατεύοντες, οἱ δὲ τούτοις διακονοῦντες. ἐδεῖ δὲ καὶ τὴν βασιλικὴν ὑπερέχειν τῷ ἀριθμῷ καὶ διὰ τὴν εὐλογίαν τοῦ δεσπότου Χριστοῦ· ἐξ αὐτῶν γὰρ ἔμελλεν κατὰ σάρκα βλαστάνειν· καὶ ὥστε τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῆς χειροτονουμένους βασιλέας ἀρχοῦσαν ἔχειν τῶν φυλετῶν τὴν ἐπικουρίαν. συνέταξε δὲ κἀνταῦθα τῇ βασιλικῇ φυλῇ τοὺς ἱερέας· πρὸς ἥλιον γὰρ ἀνίσχοντα τὴν Ἰούδα τάξας φυλήν, συνῆψεν αὐτοῖς τοὺς ἱερέας μετὰ τῆς κιβωτοῦ. τῷ μέντοι ∆ὰν τὸ βόρειον ἀπεκλήρωσε τμῆμα. " ἀπὸ προσώπου, γάρ φησι, βορρᾶ ἐκκαυθήσεται τὰ κακὰ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν ". εἴρηται δὲ ἡμῖν ἐν ταῖς τοῦ Ἰακὼβ εὐλογίαις, ὡς ἐκ τῆς ∆ὰν φυ λῆς ὁ ἀλάστωρ τεχθήσεται, ὁ Χριστὸν μὲν ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζων, τἀναντία δὲ τῇ προσηγορίᾳ διαπραττόμενος, καὶ σφετεριζόμενος τὰ μηδαμόθεν προσήκοντα. καὶ τῷ Ἰούδᾳ δὲ μάλα εἰκότως τὸ ἑῷον ἀπένειμεν· ἐπειδὴ καὶ περὶ τοῦ δεσπότου Χριστοῦ οἱ θεῖοι βοῶσι προφῆται· " ἰδοὺ ἀνήρ, ἀνατολὴ ὄνομα αὐτῷ ". καί· " τοῖς φοβου μένοις με ἀνατελεῖ ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης· καὶ ἴασις ἐν ταῖς πτέρυξιν αὐτοῦ ". καί· " τοῖς ἐν σκότει 192 καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου καθημένοις φῶς ἀνέτειλεν αὐτοῖς ". IV Τίνα ἦν τὰ ἔργα τῶν ἱερέων καὶ τίνα τὰ τῶν λευϊτῶν; Αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων διδάσκει Θεός. " εἶπε, γάρ φησι, Κύριος πρὸς Μωϋσῆν· λάβε τὴν φυλὴν τοῦ Λευῒ καὶ στήσεις αὐτοὺς ἐναντίον Ἀαρὼν τοῦ ἱερέως· καὶ λειτουργήσουσιν αὐτῷ καὶ φυλάξουσιν τὰς φυλακὰς αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς φυλακὰς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσ ραὴλ ἐναντίον τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου, ἐρ γάζεσθαι τὰ ἔργα τῆς σκηνῆς· καὶ φυλάξουσι πάντα τὰ