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sacrificing to God whatever first-born male children virgins bear, opening their mothers' wombs.” 9.29.13 And again concerning this same feast he says that he has spoken, working it out more accurately: “Of the Hebrew men, in this month, taking according to their families sheep and unblemished bull calves on the tenth; and let it be kept until the fourteenth dawns, and toward evening having sacrificed, you shall thus eat all of it roasted, along with the innards; with loins girded and sandals bound to your feet and holding a staff in your hand. For in haste the king will command all to be cast out from the land; and everyone will be called. And when you sacrifice, taking a bunch of hyssop sprigs in your hands, dip it in the blood and touch the two doorposts, so that death may pass by from the Hebrews. You shall keep this feast for the master, seven days of unleavened bread; and leaven shall not be eaten. For he will be delivered from these evils, and in this month God grants an exodus; and this is the beginning of months and years.” 9.29.14 Again after other things he adds: “And Ezekiel also says in the drama entitled *Exagoge*, introducing an angel who speaks of the disposition of the Hebrews and the destruction of the Egyptians thus: ‘For when King Pharaoh set out from his house with this crowd, with ten thousand arms and with all his horse and four-horse chariots, and with commanders and adjutants together, it was a fearsome crowd of men drawn up in battle array. Foot soldiers were in the middle and in phalanxes, having places for the chariots to sally forth; and he placed the horsemen, some on the left, and all the others on the right of the Egyptian army. And I asked the entire number of their army; there were one hundred myriads of valiant people. But when my army met the Hebrews, they, encamped near the shore of the Red Sea, went gathered together. Some were giving food to their infant children and wives together, worn out with toil; and many cattle and baggage from their homes; but they themselves, all unarmed for battle, seeing us, cried out a tearful voice and were stretched out all together towards the sky. their ancestral God. And it was a great crowd of men. And joy held us all in turn. Then we made an encampment near them at a city called by mortals Baal-zephon. But when the Titan sun was approaching its setting, we held back, wanting to fight at dawn, confident in our people and fearsome weapons. Then divine and awesome portents began, wonderful to see. And suddenly a great, cloudy pillar stood before the land, great, between our camp and that of the Hebrews. And then their leader, Moses, taking the rod of God, with which he had before brought forth evil signs and wonders upon Egypt, struck the back of the Red Sea and split the middle depth of the sea; and they all with strength rushed swiftly through the salty path. And we went promptly on the very path, in their tracks; at night we rushed in to help; but suddenly the wheels of the chariots would not turn, and were fixed as if bound. And from heaven a light like a great fire appeared to us; and as one might guess, God was present as a helper for them. And when they were already across the sea, a great wave rushed roaring very near to us. And someone, seeing it, shouted: ‘Let us flee homeward from before the hands of the Most High; for to them he is a helper, but upon us wretches he works destruction.’ And the passage of the Red Sea was closed over and destroyed the army.’” 9.29.15 and again after a little: “From there they went for three days, as Demetrius himself says and in agreement with him the holy book. And having no sweet water there, but bitter, when God told him to throw a piece of wood into the spring, the water became sweet. And from there he came to Elim and found there twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. Concerning these things and the bird that appeared, Ezekiel in the *Exagoge* introduces someone speaking to Moses about the palm trees and the twelve springs thus: 9.29.16 “Most excellent Moses, pay heed to what a place we have found near this very airy glen. For it is, as you too happen to see, there; and from there a light now shone forth in the darkness, a sign like a pillar of fire. Here we found a shaded meadow

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θύοντες θεῷ, ὅσ' ἂν τέκωσι παρθένοι πρώτως τέκνα τἀρσενικὰ διανοίγοντα μήτρας μητέρων.»« 9.29.13 Καὶ πάλιν περὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ταύτης ἑορτῆς φησὶν ἐπεξεργαζόμενον ἀκριβέστερον εἰρηκέναι· ««Ἀνδρῶν Ἑβραίων τοῦδε τοῦ μηνὸς λαβὼν κατὰ συγγενείας πρόβατα καὶ μόσχους βοῶν ἄμωμα δεκάτῃ· καὶ φυλαχθήτω μέχρι τετρὰς ἐπιλάμψει δεκάδι, καὶ πρὸς ἑσπέραν θύσαντες ὀπτὰ πάντα σὺν τοῖς ἔνδοθεν οὕτως φάγεσθε ταῦτα· περιεζωσμένοι καὶ κοῖλα ποσσὶν ὑποδέδεσθε καὶ χερὶ βακτηρίαν ἔχοντες. ἐν σπουδῇ τε γὰρ βασιλεὺς κελεύσει πάντας ἐκβαλεῖν χθονός· κεκλήσεται δὲ πᾶς. καὶ ὅταν θύσητε δέ, δέσμην λαβόντες χερσὶν ὑσσώπου κόμης εἰς αἷμα βάψαι καὶ θιγεῖν σταθμῶν δυοῖν, ὅπως παρέλθῃ θάνατος Ἑβραίων ἄπο. ταύτην δ' ἑορτὴν δεσπότῃ τηρήσετε, ἕφθ' ἡμέρας ἄζυμα· καὶ οὐ βρωθήσεται ζύμη. κακῶν γὰρ τῶνδ' ἀπαλλαγήσεται, καὶ τοῦδε μηνὸς ἔξοδον διδοῖ θεός· ἀρχὴ δὲ μηνῶν καὶ χρόνων οὗτος πέλει.»« 9.29.14 πάλιν μεθ' ἕτερα ἐπιλέγει· «Φησὶ δὲ καὶ Ἐζεκιῆλος ἐν τῷ δράματι τῷ ἐπιγραφομένῳ Ἐξαγωγή, παρεισάγων ἄγγελον λέγοντα τήν τε τῶν Ἑβραίων διάθεσιν καὶ τὴν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων φθορὰν οὕτως· «Ὡς γὰρ σὺν ὄχλῳ τῷδ' ἀφώρμησεν δόμων βασιλεὺς Φαραὼ μυρίων ὅπλων μέτα ἵππου τε πάσης καὶ ἁρμάτων τετραόρων καὶ προστάταισι καὶ παραστάταις ὁμοῦ, ἦν φρικτὸς ἀνδρῶν ἐκτεταγμένων ὄχλος. πεζοὶ μὲν ἐν μέσοισι καὶ φαλαγγικοὶ διεκδρομὰς ἔχοντες ἅρμασιν τόπους· ἱππεῖς δ' ἔταξε τοὺς μὲν ἐξ εὐωνύμων, ἐκ δεξιῶν δὲ πάντας Αἰγυπτίου στρατοῦ. τὸν πάντα δ' αὐτῶν ἀριθμὸν ἠρόμην ἐγώ στρατοῦ· μυριάδες ἦσαν ἑκατὸν εὐάνδρου λεώς. ἐπεὶ δ' Ἑβραίων οὑμὸς ἤντησε στρατός, οἱ μὲν παρ' ἀκτὴν πλησίον βεβλημένοι Ἐρυθρᾶς Θαλάσσης ᾔεσαν ἠθροϊσμένοι· οἱ μὲν τέκνοισι νηπίοις δίδουν βορὰν ὁμοῦ τε καὶ δάμαρσιν, ἔμπονοι κόπῳ· κτήνη τε πολλὰ καὶ δόμων ἀποσκευή· αὐτοὶ δ' ἄνοπλοι πάντες εἰς μάχην χέρας ἰδόντες ἡμᾶς ἠλάλαξαν ἔνδακρυν φωνὴν πρὸς αἰθέρα τ' ἐτάθησαν ἀθρόοι. θεὸν πατρῷον. ἦν πολὺς δ' ἀνδρῶν ὄχλος. ἡμᾶς δὲ χάρμα πάντας εἶχεν ἐν μέρει. ἔπειθ' ὑπ' αὐτοὺς θήκαμεν παρεμβολήν Βεελζεφών τις κλῄζεται πόλις βροτοῖς. ἐπεὶ δὲ Τιτὰν ἥλιος δυσμαῖς προσῆν, ἐπέσχομεν, θέλοντες ὄρθριον μάχην, πεποιθότες λαοῖσι καὶ φρικτοῖς ὅπλοις. ἔπειτα θείων ἄρχεται τεραστίων θαυμάστ' ἰδέσθαι. καί τις ἐξαίφνης μέγας στῦλος νεφώδης ἐστάθη πρὸ γῆς, μέγας, παρεμβολῆς ἡμῶν τε καὶ Ἑβραίων μέσος. κἄπειθ' ὁ κείνων ἡγεμὼν Μωσῆς, λαβὼν ῥάβδον θεοῦ, τῇ δὴ πρὶν Αἰγύπτῳ κακὰ σημεῖα καὶ τεράατ' ἐξεμήσατο, ἔτυψ' Ἐρυθρᾶς νῶτα καὶ ἔσχισεν μέσον βάθος Θαλάσσης· οἱ δὲ σύμπαντες σθένει ὤρουσαν ὠκεῖς ἁλμυρᾶς δι' ἀτραποῦ. ἡμεῖς δ' ἐπ' αὐτῆς ᾠχόμεσθα συντόμως κατ' ἴχνος αὐτῶν· νυκτὸς εἰσεκύρσαμεν βοηδρομοῦντες· ἁρμάτων δ' ἄφνω τροχοὶ οὐκ ἐστρέφοντο, δέσμιοι δ' ὣς ἥρμοσαν. ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ δὲ φέγγος ὡς πυρὸς μέγα ὤφθη τι ἡμῖν· ὡς μὲν εἰκάζειν, παρῆν αὐτοῖς ἀρωγὸς ὁ θεός. ὡς δ' ἤδη πέραν ἦσαν θαλάσσης, κῦμα δ' ἐρροίβδει μέγα σύνεγγυς ἡμῶν. καί τις ἠλάλαξ' ἰδών· Φεύγωμεν οἴκοι πρόσθεν Ὑψίστου χέρας· οἷς μὲν γάρ ἐστ' ἀρωγός, ἡμῖν δ' ἀθλίοις ὄλεθρον ἕρδει. καὶ συνεκλύσθη πόρος Ἐρυθρᾶς Θαλάσσης καὶ στρατὸν διώλεσε.»« 9.29.15 καὶ πάλιν μετ' ὀλίγα· «Ἐκεῖθεν ἦλθον ἡμέρας τρεῖς, ὡς αὐτός τε ὁ ∆ημήτριος λέγει καὶ συμφώνως τούτῳ ἡ ἱερὰ βίβλος. μὴ ἔχοντα δὲ ὕδωρ ἐκεῖ γλυκύ, ἀλλὰ πικρόν, τοῦ θεοῦ εἰπόντος ξύλον τι ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς τὴν πηγὴν καὶ γενέσθαι γλυκὺ τὸ ὕδωρ. ἐκεῖθεν δὲ εἰς Ἐλεὶμ ἐλθεῖν καὶ εὑρεῖν ἐκεῖ δώδεκα μὲν πηγὰς ὑδάτων, ἑβδομήκοντα δὲ στελέχη φοινίκων. περὶ τούτων καὶ τοῦ φανέντος ὀρνέου Ἐζεκιῆλος ἐν τῇ Ἐξαγωγῇ παρεισάγει τινὰ λέγοντα τῷ Μωσεῖ περὶ μὲν τῶν φοινίκων καὶ τῶν δώδεκα πηγῶν οὕτως· 9.29.16 «Κράτιστε Μωσῆ, πρόσχες, οἷον εὕρομεν τόπον πρὸς αὐτῇ τῇδέ γ' εὐαεῖ νάπῃ. ἔστιν γάρ, ὥς που καὶ σὺ τυγχάνεις ὁρῶν, ἐκεῖ· τόθεν δὲ φέγγος ἐξέλαμψέ νυν κατ' εὐφρόνης σημεῖον ὡς στῦλος πυρός. ἐνταῦθα λειμῶν' εὕρομεν κατάσκιον