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restoring them in pairs at the departure from the ark. And he says that the animals had entered in common, having mentioned the clean ones first because of their value; and the things said befo-re, when Noah was commanded by God to bring some of the animals into the ark, you will also connect here, so that we may not always say the same things. ῃιι, 10-19. And it came to pass after the seven days that the water of the fl[oo]d came upon the earth in the six hundredth year in the [life] ọf Noah, of the second month, on the twenty-seventh of the mon[th]. [S]ọme have observed, because the f[loo]d wa[s bro]ught o[n in su]ch a number, [say]ịng that, since for the perfection of a work e[...] g[...]e[...]a[...]ṣ to lift up, for this reason it was mentioned, a pe[rfect] influx occurring, which was for the salvation of the worl[d]. For both for sinners to be removed from the [earth and] for the human race to receive a beginning to live with virtue is a p[erfect] thing; and j[u]st as it is the mark of the best physician not only to cut o[ut de]cay that has occurred in bodies, but also to grow fle[sh in place] of what has suffered decay, so it is the work of God to d[estro]y sinners, so that those who live according to righteousness may receive a beginning. At any rate, indeed, ạfter these things there c̣[am]e to be Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. But if someone should wish for an anagogical interpretation, he would [s]ay that, since the number seven is a symbol of rest, [he who] in 189 this does not wish to remain, because of not choosing that rest, about which the Savior says: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am me[e]k a[nd] hu[mbl]e in heart, and you will find rest for your sou[ls]", comes under the flood of sin and the punishment brought on because of wickedness. And this happens in the six hundredth year, not yet completed, it being shown through a symbol that even in perceptible things those who came under the flood were imperfect, not even using these things as is proper. For six hundred has a kinship with six, being completed in six hundreds. But if it is necessary to also speak on the flood having happened "on the twenty-seventh", this might be said: not every threat is confirmed, being either fulfil[l]ed or stopped by us, just as also happened in the case of the Ninevites; since th[er]efore this number is a symbol of certainty, -for thr[ee] times three times three-, for this reason a certain punishment was brought on in it against those w[ho did not t]urn back but were immovably disposed toward wick[edness]. And he says that t[he] flo-od happened "in the six hundredth year", touching upon its beginning. This is a custom in [S]cṛipture, just as the Savior also says: "For just as Joṇah remained [in the b]elly of the whale <three days and three nights>, so <will the Son of Man be> in the hear[t o]f the earth three days and three nights". For if someone were to hold to thi[s] entirely, saying that H[e] remained for three whole days and nights, he lies; for He was crucified at the sixth hour of the Prepar[ation] Ḍay, which he calls a day, naming it so from touching upon the [da]y -evidently the night also being tak[en] into account, the preceding night is reckoned with the whole day, and with custom being so that nights are reckoned with the following days-, after which was a most comple[te] night and day of the sabbath, then a night and the beginning of the resurrect[io]n day, for he touched upon it as well. And so from 190 the beginning, touching upon the fir[st inter]val of the day-and-night of the Preparation and of the Lord's Day, and of the whole day-and-night of the sabbath, it is said that he completed three day[s an]d three nights in the heart of the earth. [The]se things have been said by us as in a digression, wishing to show that scripture customarily, touching upon the beginning of time periods, uses such modes of expression. ῃιι, 11-12. On this day all the fountains of the abyss were broken open, and the floodgates of heaven were ope-ned, and the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. This number is associated with affliction. For the sons of Israel also spent so many years in their journeying,

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συζυγίας ἀποδιδοὺς αὐτὰς ἐν τῇ ἀπὸ τῆς κιβωτοῦ ἐξόδῳ. Ἀπὸ κοινοῦ δὲ καὶ τὰ ζῷα εἰσεληλυθέναι φησίν, τῶν καθαρῶν προτέρων μνημονεύσας διὰ τὸ τίμιον· καὶ τὰ προειρη- μένα δέ, ὅτε πρὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ προσετάττετο Νῶε εἰσαγαγεῖν ἀπὸ τῶν ζῴων εἰς τὴν κιβωτόν, καὶ ἐνταῦθα συμβαλεῖς, ἵνα μὴ ἀεὶ τὰ αὐτὰ λέγωμεν. ῃιι, 10-19. Καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ τὰς ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ κατ[ακ]λυσμοῦ ἐγένετο ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐν τῷ ἑξακοσιοστῷ ἔτει ἐν τῇ [ζωῇ] τ̣οῦ Νῶε, τοῦ δευτέρου μηνός, ἑβδόμῃ καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ μην[ός]. Παρετήρησάν [τ]ι̣νες διὰ τὸ ἐν ἀριθμῷ τοιούτῳ ἐπῆχθαι τὸ[ν κ]ατακλυ[σ]μὸ[ν λέ]γ̣οντες ὅτι, ἐπειδὴ ἐπὶ τελειότητι ἔργου ε[··· ·] γον[···]ε·[·]α̣[·]·ς̣ ἐξᾶραι, διὰ τοῦτο τούτου ἐμνήσθη, τε[λείας] ἐπιρύσεως γινομένης, ἥτις ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τοῦ κόσμ[ου ἐγίνε]το. Καὶ τὸ τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς γὰρ ἀφαιρεθῆναι ἀπὸ τῆς [γῆς καὶ] τὸ ἀρχὴν λαβεῖν τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος σὺν ἀρετῇ ζῆν τ[έλειόν] ἐστιν· καὶ ὥ[σπ]ερ ἀρίστου ἰατροῦ ἐστιν οὐ μόνον ἐκτεμε[ῖν σῆ]ψιν γεγενημένην σωμάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπαυξῆσαι σάρκ[ας ἀν]τὶ τῶν σῆψιν ὑπομεινασῶν, οὕτω Θεοῦ ἔργον ἁμαρτωλοὺς φ[θεῖρ]αι, ἵνα ἀρχὴν λάβωσιν οἱ κατὰ δικαιοσύνην ζῶντες. Ἀμέλει γοῦν μ̣ετὰ ταῦτα ε᾿̣[γ]ένοντο Ἀβραὰμ ἸσαὰκἸακώβ. Εἰ δὲ καὶ πρὸς ἀναγωγήν τις ἐθέλοι, [λ]έγοι ἂν ὅτι, ἐπεὶ ὁ <ἑ>πτὰ ἀριθμὸς ἀναπαύσεώς ἐστι σύμβολον, [ὁ ἐ]ν 189 τούτῳ μένειν μὴ βουλόμενος διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐκλέγεσθαι τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν ἐκείνην, περὶ ἧς ὁ Σωτήρ φησιν· "6Ἄρατε τὸν ζυγόν μου ἐφ' ὑμᾶς καὶ μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὅτι πραΰς εἰμι κ[α]ὶ τα[πε]ινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμ[ῶ]ν"6, ὑπὸ τὸν κατακλυσμὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας γίνεται καὶ τὴν κόλασιν τὴν ἐπαγομένην διὰ τὴν κακίαν. Τοῦτο δὲ συμβαίνει ἐν τῷ ἑξακοσιοστῷ ἔτει οὔπω πληρωθέντι, διὰ συμβόλου δεικνυμένου ὅτι καὶ ἐν τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς ἀτελεῖς ἦσαν οἱ ὑπὸ τὸν κατακλυσμὸν γεγενημένοι, οὐχ ὡς δεῖ οὐδὲ τούτοις χρώμενοι. Τὰ γὰρ ἑξακόσια συγγένειαν ἔχει πρὸς τὸν ἕξ, ἐν ἒξ ἑκατοντάσιν συμπλη- ρούμεν<α>. Εἰ δὲ δεῖ καὶ εἰς τὸ "6ἑβδόμῃ καὶ εἰκάδι"6 γεγενῆσθαι τὸν κατακλυσμὸν εἰπεῖν, λεχθείη ἂν τοῦτο· οὐ πᾶσα ἀπειλὴ βεβαιοῦται, ἐξ ἡμῶν ἢ συμπληρου̣[μ]ένη ἢ παυο- μένη, καθὰ καὶ ἐπὶ Νινευειτῶν γέγονεν· ἐπεὶ ο[ὖ]ν ὁ ἀριθμὸς οὗτος βεβαιότητός ἐστι σύμβολον, -τρεῖς [γ]ὰρ τρὶς τρίς-, διὰ τοῦτο ἐν αὐτῷ ἐπήχθη κατὰ τῶν μ̣[ὴ ἐπι]στραφέντων ἀλλ' ἀμετακινήτως ἐχόντων πρὸς κακ[ίαν] βεβαία κόλασις. "6Ἐν ἑξακοσιοστῷ"6 δὲ λέγει γεγενῆσθαι τ̣[ὸν] κατα- κλυσμὸν ἐξ ἄκρου αὐτοῦ ἁψάμενος. Τοῦτο δὲ ἔθος [τῇ γ]ρ̣αφῇ, καθὰ καὶ ὁ Σωτήρ φησιν· "6Ὥσπερ γὰρ Ἰων̣ᾶς ἔμενεν [ἐν τῇ κ]οιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους <τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας>, οὕτως <ἔσται ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου> ἐν τῇ καρ- [δίᾳ τ]ῆς γῆς τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας"6. Εἰ γὰρ δι' ὅλου τις τού[του] ἔχοιτο, ὁλοκλήρους λέγων ἡμέρας τρεῖς καὶ νύκτας αὐ[τὸν] μεμενηκέναι, ψεύδεται· τῇ γὰρ ἕκτῃ ὥρᾳ τῆς παρασκ[ευῆ]ς̣ ἐσταυρώθη, ἥντινα ἡμέραν καλεῖ, ἐκ τοῦ ἅψασθαι τῆς [ἡμέρ]ας οὕτως ὀνομάζων -δηλονότι καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς παραλαμ̣[βα]νομένης, πάσῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἡ παρελθοῦσα νὺξ συμμετρεῖται, καὶ τῆς συνηθείας οὕτως ἐχούσης ὡς τὰς νύκτας ἐπιγινομένων ἡμερῶν λογίζεσθαι-, μεθ' ἣν νὺξ πληρεστάτ[η] καὶ ἡμέρα τοῦ σαββάτου, εἶτα νὺξ καὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ἀνα- στασί[μο]υ ἡμέρας, ἥψατο γὰρ καὶ αὐτῆς. Καὶ οὕτω ἐξ 190 ἄκρου τοῦ τε πρώ[του δια]στήματος τοῦ νυχθημέρου τῆς παρασκευῆς ἁψάμενος καὶ τοῦ τῆς κυριακῆς, ὅλου τε τοῦ νυχθημέρου τοῦ σαββάτου, τρεῖς ἡμέρα[ς κα]ὶ τρεῖς νύκτας διατετελεκέναι ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς εἴρηται. [Ταῦ]τα δὲ ὡς ἐν παρεκβάσει ἡμῖν εἴρηται, δηλῶσαι βουλομένοις ὅτι ἡ γραφὴ συνηθῶς ἐξ ἄκρου τῶν χρόνων ἁπτομένη χρῆται τοιούτοις τρόποις. ῃιι, 11-12. Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ ἐρράγησαν πᾶσαι αἱ πηγαὶ τῆς ἀβύσσου, καὶ οἱ καταράκται τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἠνεῴχ- θησαν, καὶ ἐγένετο ὁ ὑετὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τεσσεράκοντα ἡμέρας καὶ τεσσεράκοντα νύκτας. Ὁ ἀριθμὸς οὗτος κακωτικός ἐστιν. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ τοσαῦτα ἔτη διετέλεσαν ἐν τῇ ὁδοιπορίᾳ,