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And Moses himself for forty days did not eat bread, but also the Savior fasted for this number of days, which will provide a consistent understanding to those who do not go through the divine writings cursorily. Therefore also the rush of water happened in such a number of days.Someone might inquire about the floodgates of heaven, putting forth those things, that God, calling forth the water of the sea, sends the rain, how the flood happened, in a way, by a sort of mechanism, the rain coming from the sea and going back to it again; to which it might be said that first, the fountains of the abyss burst forth and provided the supply, -for indeed, since He willed to restrain them, it is written: "The fountains of the abyss were stopped", -then it is not at all unlikely that God also increased the amount of water, just as in the gospels the five loaves were increased for five thousand. ηιι, 13-16. On that day Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth, the sons of Noah, and the wife of Noah and the three wives of his sons with him entered into the ark, and all the wild beasts according to their kind and all the cattle according to their kind and every creeping thing that moves upon the earth according to 191 its kind and every bird according to its kind. They went in to Noah into the ark, two by two of all flesh in which is the breath of life. And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in, as God had commanded Noah. It is clear that the flood did not happen all at once, but He also gave some sign, as was said before, so that the <irrational creatures> might enter the ark in an orderly manner and not in a jumble, and so that, the water rushing in all at once, no damage might happen to the ark, from the waters dashing against it. The entrance also happened in order, with Noah first, through whom the others were also saved, then the others in succession, and thus the irrational creatures entered, which must be observed to have happened by divine power; for it was not a matter of human enterprise to bring in the untamed, unless it happened with God’s cooperation. And well also the "according to its kind"; for it was not possible for their way of life to be the same, being divided by their natures. He added the "in which is the breath of life" to distinguish them from the dead. Someone might note how then he did not mention the clean but the unclean; for he says, "two [by two] entered into the ark", and it is clear that these were the unclean; to which one might say that it is evident that, when the unclean entered, the clean also entered; for if the lesser entered, it is clear that the better did also. Then the "two by two" might also be taken to refer to the clean, the account indicating that all things entered in pairs. ηιι, 16-18. And the Lord God shut the ark from outside him, and the flood was for forty days and forty nights upon the earth, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, and it was raised from the earth, and the water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark was borne upon the water. 192 And according to the history itself, the ark was shut "from the outside" by the power of God, since no man was outside. For since he had pitched it all within and without, but the door, not yet being closed, he was not able to pitch from the outside, so that no one might say that an entrance was made for the water through the door, he added the security from God; and this is varied and resourceful. And well also the "lifted up the ark" smoothly and not all at once, as we also set forth the reason before. ηιι, 19-20. And the water prevailed exceedingly greatly upon the earth and it covered all the high mountains that were under heaven; fifteen cubits upward the water was raised. Those who say that men were saved on the high mountains speak superfluously. For it noted that the water was raised fifteen cubits above the high mountains, from which it is clear that that was said in vain, especially since also contrary to the

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καὶ Μωσῆς δὲ αὐτὸς τεσσεράκοντα ἡμέρας ἄρτον οὐκ ἔφαγεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ἀριθμῷ τω῀̣ν ἡμερῶν ἐνήστευσεν, ὅπερ τοῖς μὴ παρε[ρ]χ̣ομένοις παρέργως τὰ θεῖα γράμματα παρέξει διάνοιαν ἀκόλουθον. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἡ φορὰ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐν τοσούτῳ γέγονεν ἡ[μερῶν] ἀριθμῷ.Ζητήσειεν ἄν τις τὰ περὶ τῶν καταρακτῶν τοῦ οὐραν[οῦ] [ἐ]κ̣εῖνα παρατιθέμενος, ὅτι προσκαλούμενος ὁ Θεὸς τὸ ὕδωρ [τῆς] θαλάσσης τὸν υ῾̣ετὸν ἐπιπέμπει, πῶς ὁ κατακλυσμὸς γέγονε[ν], τρόπον τινὰ μηχανῆς τρόπῳ ἐκ τῆς θαλάττης τοῦ ὑετοῦ [γι]νομένου καὶ πάλιν ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἰόντος· πρὸς ὃ λεχθείη ὅτι [πρῶ]τον μὲν αἱ πηγαὶ τῆς ἀβύσσου ῥαγεῖσαι τὴν χορηγίαν παρέσχον, -καὶ γάρ, ἅτε ἐπισχεῖν ἐβουλήθη, ἀναγέγραπται· "6Ἐπεκαλύφθη- σαν αἱ πηγαὶ τῆς ἀβύσσου"6, -ἔπειτα οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς καὶ τὸ ποσ[ὸν] τοῦ ὕδατος ἐπαύξειν τὸν Θεόν, καθάπερ ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις [ο]ἱ πέντε ἄρτοι ἐπὶ πεντακισχιλίους ηὐξήθησαν. ῃιι, 13-16. [Ἐν] τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ εἰσῆλθεν Νῶε, Σήμ, Χάμ, Ἰάφεθ, οἱ υἱοὶ Νῶε, καὶ ἡ γυνὴ Νῶε καὶ αἱ τρεῖς γυναῖκες τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ μετ' αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν κιβωτόν, [κ]αὶ πάντα τὰ θηρία κατὰ γένος καὶ πάντα τὰ κτήνη κατὰ γέν̣[ος καὶ] πᾶν ἑρπετὸν κινούμενον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κατὰ 191 γένος καὶ πᾶν πετεινὸν κατὰ γένος. Εἰσῆλθον πρὸς Νῶε εἰς τὴν κι[βω]τὸν δύο δύο ἀπὸ πάσης σαρκός, ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν πνεῦμα [ζ]ωῆς. Καὶ τὰ εἰσπορευόμενα ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἀπὸ πάσης σαρκ̣ὸς εἰσῆλθον, καθὰ ἐνετείλατο ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Νῶε. ∆ῆλον ὡς οὐκ ἀθρόως ὁ κατακλυσμὸς γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ παρέσχεν τι καὶ σημεῖον, ὡς καὶ πρότερον εἴρηται, ἵν' εὐαγώγως τὰ <ἄλογα> ἐπὶ τὴν κιβωτὸν εἰσέλθωσιν καὶ μὴ συμπεφυρμένως, καὶ ὅπως μή, ἀθρόως τοῦ ὕδατος ἐπιρρεύσαντος, καὶ τῆς κιβωτοῦ βλάβη γένηται, προσαρα- ξάντων τῶν ὑδάτων. Ἐν τάξει δὲ καὶ ἡ εἴσοδος γέγονεν πρώτου Νῶε, δι' ὃν καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἐσῴζοντο, εἶθ' ἑξῆς καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι καὶ οὕτω τὰ ἄλογα εἰσῆλθον, ὅπερ παρατηρητέον ὅτι θείᾳ δυνάμει γέγονεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνης ἦν ἐπιχει- ρήσεως τὰ ἀτίθασα εἰσαγαγεῖν, εἰ μὴ Θεοῦ γεγόνει συνεργείᾳ. Εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ "6κατὰ γένος"6· οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἦν ἅμα εἶναι αὐτῶν τὴν δίαιταν, διῃρημένω[ν ταῖς] φύσεσιν. Προσέθηκεν δὲ τὸ "6ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν πνεῦμα ζωῆς"6 πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν νεκρῶν. Σημειώσαιτο ἄν τις πῶς [οὖ]ν ο[ὐκ ἐ]μ̣νήσθη τῶν καθαρῶν ἀλλὰ τῶν μὴ καθαρῶν· "6δύο [δύο]"6 γ[άρ φη]σιν "6εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν κιβωτόν"6, δῆλον δὲ ὅτι ταῦτα [ἦσ]α̣ν̣ [τὰ μὴ] καθαρά· πρὸς ὃ λέγοι τις ὅτι φανερὸν ὅτι, τῶν μ̣η`̣ κ[αθαρῶ]ν εἰσελθόντων, καὶ τὰ καθαρὰ εἰσῄει· εἰ γὰρ τὰ ἐλάτ̣[τονα] εἰσῄεσαν, δῆλον ὅτι τὰ κρείττω. Ἔπειτα τὸ "6δύο δύο"6 εἴη [ἂν καὶ] περὶ τῶν καθαρῶν ἐκλαβεῖν, δηλοῦντος τοῦ λόγου ὅτι κ[ατὰ] σ̣υζυγίαν τὰ πάντα εἰσῆλθεν. ῃιι, 16-18. Καὶ ἔκλ[εισε] Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἔξωθεν αὐτοῦ τὴν κιβωτόν, καὶ ἐγένετο ὁ κατα[κλ]υ̣σμὸς τεσσεράκοντα ἡμέρας καὶ τεσσεράκοντα νύκτα̣ς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐπληθύνθη τὸ ὕδωρ κ<αὶ> ἐπῆρεν τὴν κιβωτόν, καὶ ὑψώθη ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐπεκράτει τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ ἐπληθύνετο σφόδρα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐπεφέρετ[ο] ἡ κιβωτὸς ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατος. 192 Καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἱστορίαν αὐτὴν ἀκολούθως Θεοῦ δυνάμει "6ἔξωθεν"6 κέκλεισται ἡ κιβωτός, ἀνθρώπου μὴ ὑπάρχοντος ἔξωθε̣[ν]. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἅπασαν ἀσφαλτώσας ἐτύγχανεν ἔσωθεν κα̣[ὶ ἔ]ξωθεν, τὴν δὲ θύραν μήπω κλεισθεῖσαν οὐχ οἷός τε ἦν ἔξ[ω]θεν ἀσφαλτῶσαι, πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἄν τινα εἰπεῖν ὅτι διὰ τῆς θύρας εἴσοδος ἐγίνετο τῷ ὕδατι, τὴν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἀσφάλειαν προσέθηκεν· ποικίλη δὲ αὕτη καὶ εὔπορος. Καλῶς δὲ καὶ τὸ "6ἐπῆρεν τὴν κιβωτὸν"6 ὁμαλῶς καὶ οὐκ ἀθρόως, καθὰ καὶ πρότερον τὴν αἰτίαν παρεθέμεθα. ῃιι, 19-20. Τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ ἐπεκράτει σφόδρα σφόδρα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπεκάλυψεν πάντα τὰ ὄρη τὰ ὑψηλά, ἃ ἦν ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· πεντεκαίδεκα πήχεις ἐπάνω ὑψώθη τὸ ὕδωρ. Περιττῶς οἱ φάσκοντες διασεσῶσθαι ἀνθρώπους εἰς τὰ ὑψηλὰ ὄρη φασίν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐσημειώσατο ὡς πεντεκαίδεκα [π]ήχεισἐπήρθη τὸ ὕδωρ ἐπάνω τῶν ὑψηλῶν ὀρῶν, ἐξ οὗ δῆλον ὡς ἐκεῖνο εἰκαίως εἴρηται, μάλιστα ὅτι καὶ ἐν̣α̣ν[τίον] τοῦ