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True also from the things now being managed is that which was said by Gamaliel, that If it is from God, you cannot overthrow it. But you, learning that those who are plotted against become the causes of salvation for those who plot, be astonished at the resourcefulness and the understanding of God; for if the ones had not been plotted against, the others would not have been saved. There was a famine, and it did not consume them. And not only this, but they were also saved through him who was expected to have perished. A royal command, and it did not wipe them out; but the multitude increased all the more, at the time he who knew them died. They wished to kill their savior, and not even so did they prevail. βʹ. Do you see that by the very means through which the devil attempted to destroy the promise of God, by these it increased? It would have been fitting for them also to say then, that God is resourceful and able to lead us up from here. For 60.129 the resourcefulness of God was especially this, that even in adversity the nation increased, while being enslaved, and ill-treated, and being killed. This is the great thing of the promise. For if it had increased in their own land, it would not have been so wonderful. And they were not in the foreign land for a short time, but for four hundred years. From this we learn that they displayed great philosophy. For they did not treat them as masters treat slaves, but as enemies and tyrants. Therefore He also foretold that they would be in great liberty; for this is the meaning of, They shall serve Me; and that they would return here, and not unavenged. And see how he seems to concede something to circumcision, but gives nothing; since indeed the promise was before it, and this came after. And the patriarchs, he says, moved with envy. Where it does no harm, he makes a concession to them. But he calls their forefathers patriarchs, since in these too they took great pride. And otherwise he also shows that the saints were not outside of affliction, but even while being in the very midst of afflictions they obtained help. But they not only did not release them, but even cooperated with their oppressors, when they ought rather to have put a stop to them. Just as, then, these men made Joseph more glorious by selling him, so did the king to Moses, by commanding that the male children be killed; for if he had not commanded it, this would not have happened. And consider God's providence. That one sends Moses into exile; but God does not prevent it, arranging what was to come, so that there he might become worthy of the vision. So also He makes the slave who was sold a king there, where he was thought to be a slave. And just as this one reigns there, where they sold him, so also Christ shows His power in death. This was a mark not only of honor, but also of confidence in His own power. But let us look at what was said from the beginning. And he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. See what things He contrives because of a famine. With seventy-five souls, he says, Jacob went down into Egypt. And he died, himself and our fathers. And they were carried over to Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem. He shows that they were not masters even of their own burial. But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, until another king arose, who did not know Joseph. See that He does not increase them during all those many years, but when the end was about to draw near; and yet four hundred years and more had already passed in Egypt. This, then, is the wonderful thing. This man, he says, dealing craftily with our race, ill-treated our fathers, so that they cast out their infants, to the end they might not live. He said, dealing craftily, alluding to the secret killing; for he did not wish to kill them openly; therefore he also added this to make it clear: To cast out the infants. In which time Moses was born, and was exceedingly fair to God. This is the wonderful thing, that he who was to be their leader is born not after this nor before it, but in the very midst of the wrath. And he was nourished three months in his father’s house. 60.130 When, therefore, human means were despaired of and they cast him out, then the providence of God was shown, shining forth. And when he was cast out, the daughter

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ἀληθὲς καὶ ἐκ τῶν νῦν οἰκονομουμένων ἐκεῖνο τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Γαμαλιὴλ εἰρημένον, ὅτι Ἐὰν ᾖ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐ δύνασθε καταλῦσαι αὐτό. Σὺ δὲ τοὺς ἐπιβουλευομένους τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων αἰτίους σωτηρίας γινομένους μανθάνων, ἐκπλάγηθι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ εὐμήχανον καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν· εἰ μὴ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι ἐπεβουλεύθησαν, οὐκ ἂν οὗτοι ἐσώζοντο. Λιμὸς ἦν, καὶ οὐκ ἀνάλωσεν αὐτούς. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ἐκείνου ἐσώθησαν τοῦ προσδοκηθέντος ἀπολωλέναι. Πρόσταγμα βασιλικὸν, καὶ οὐκ ἠφάνισεν αὐτούς· ἀλλὰ τότε μᾶλλον ηὔξετο τὸ πλῆθος, ὅτε ἐκεῖνος ἀπέθανεν ὁ εἰδὼς αὐτούς. Τὸν σωτῆρα αὐτῶν ἠβουλήθησαν ἀνελεῖν, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἴσχυσαν. βʹ. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι δι' ὧν ὁ διάβολος ἐπεχείρει καταλύειν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, διὰ τούτων ηὔξετο; Τοῦτο καὶ αὐτοὺς ἥρμοττε τότε εἰπεῖν, ὅτι εὐμήχανός ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἀναγαγεῖν ἡμᾶς δυνατὸς ἐντεῦθεν. Τὸ γὰρ 60.129 εὐμήχανον τοῦ Θεοῦ μάλιστα τοῦτο [ἦν], ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀποστροφῇ ηὔξετο τὸ ἔθνος, δουλούμενον, καὶ κακούμενον, καὶ ἀναιρούμενον. Τὸ μέγα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τοῦτό ἐστιν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῶν ηὔξετο, οὐχ οὕτω θαυμαστὸν ἦν. Καὶ οὐδὲ μικρὸν χρόνον ἐπὶ τῆς ἀλλοτρίας ἦσαν, ἀλλὰ τετρακόσια ἔτη. Ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, ὡς φιλοσοφίαν ἐπεδείξαντο μεγάλην Καὶ γὰρ οὐχ ὡς δεσπόται δούλοις αὐτοῖς ἐχρῶντο, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐχθροὶ καὶ τύραννοι. ∆ιὸ καὶ προεῖπεν, ὅτι ἐν ἐλευθερίᾳ ἔσονται μεγάλῃ· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Λατρεύσουσί μοι· καὶ ὅτι ἐνταῦθα ἐπανελεύσονται, καὶ οὐκ ἀτιμωρητί. Καὶ ὅρα, πῶς δοκεῖ μέν τι χαρίζεσθαι τῇ περιτομῇ, οὐδὲν δὲ δίδωσιν· εἴ γε ἡ μὲν ἐπαγγελία πρὸ ταύτης, αὕτη δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα. Καὶ οἱ πατριάρχαι, φησὶ, ζηλώσαντες. Ἔνθα οὐ βλάπτει, χαρίζεται αὐτοῖς. Πατριάρχας δέ φησι τοὺς προγόνους, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἐν τούτοις μέγα ἐφρόνουν. Ἄλλως δὲ καὶ δείκνυσιν, ὅτι οἱ ἅγιοι οὐχὶ ἐκτὸς ἦσαν θλίψεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν αὐταῖς ὄντες μέσαις ταῖς θλίψεσι βοηθείας ἐτύγχανον. Οἱ δὲ οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἔλυον, ἀλλὰ καὶ συνέπραττον τοῖς θλίβουσιν, ὀφείλοντες μᾶλλον αὐτὰς διακόπτειν. Ὥσπερ οὖν οὗτοι τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ἐνδοξότερον ἐποίησαν ἀποδόμενοι, οὕτως ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν Μωϋσῆν, κελεύσας ἀναιρεῖσθαι τὰ παιδία· εἰ μὴ γὰρ ἐκέλευσεν, οὐκ ἂν τοῦτο ἐγίνετο. Καὶ σκόπει Θεοῦ κηδεμονίαν. Ἐκεῖνος φυγαδεύει τὸν Μωϋσῆν· ὁ δὲ οὐ κωλύει, τὸ μέλλον οἰκονομῶν, ἵνα ἐκεῖ τῆς ὄψεως τύχῃ ἄξιος γενόμενος. Οὕτω καὶ τὸν δοῦλον τὸν πραθέντα ποιεῖ ἐκεῖ βασιλέα, ἔνθα ἐνομίζετο δοῦλος εἶναι. Ὥσπερ δὲ οὗτος ἐκεῖ βασιλεύει, ἔνθα αὐτὸν ἐπώλησαν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ τὴν δύναμιν ἐπιδείκνυται. Τοῦτο οὐχὶ τιμῆς μόνον ἦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ θαῤῥεῖν τῇ οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει. Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν ἄνωθεν τὰ εἰρημένα. Καὶ κατέστησεν αὐτὸν ἡγούμενον ἐπ' Αἴγυπτον καὶ ὅλον τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ. Ὅρα διὰ λιμὸν οἷα κατασκευάζει. Ἐν ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ πέντε ψυχαῖς κατέβη, φησὶν, Ἰακὼβ εἰς Αἴγυπτον. Καὶ ἐτελεύτησεν αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν. Καὶ μετετέθησαν εἰς Συχὲμ, καὶ ἐτέθησαν ἐν τῷ μνήματι, ὃ ὠνήσατο Ἀβραὰμ τιμῆς ἀργυρίου παρὰ τῶν υἱῶν Ἐμμὼρ τοῦ Συχέμ. ∆είκνυσιν, ὅτι οὐδὲ μέχρι ταφῆς κύριοι ἦσαν. Καθὼς δὲ ἤγγιζεν ὁ χρόνος τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ἧς ὤμοσεν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Ἀβραὰμ, ηὔξησεν ὁ λαὸς, καὶ ἐπληθύνθη ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, ἄχρις οὗ ἀνέστη βασιλεὺς ἕτερος, ὃς οὐκ ᾔδει τὸν Ἰωσήφ. Ὅρα, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς τοσούτοις ἔτεσιν αὐτοὺς αὔξει, ἀλλ' ὅτε ἔμελλεν ἐγγίζειν τὸ τέλος· καίτοι ἤδη τετταρακόσια ἔτη ἦν παρελθόντα καὶ πλείονα ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ. Τὸ γοῦν θαυμαστὸν τοῦτό ἐστιν. Οὗτος, φησὶ, κατασοφισάμενος τὸ γένος ἡμῶν, ἐκάκωσε τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν τοῦ ποιεῖν ἔκθετα τὰ βρέφη αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ μὴ ζωογονεῖσθαι. Κατασοφισάμενος εἶπεν, αἰνιττόμενος τὴν λάθρα ἀναίρεσιν· οὐ γὰρ ἐβούλετο φανερῶς αὐτοὺς ἀναιρεῖν· διὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε τοῦτο δηλῶν· Ποιεῖν ἔκθετα τὰ βρέφη. Ἐν ᾧ καιρῷ ἐγεννήθη Μωϋσῆς, καὶ ἦν ἀστεῖος τῷ Θεῷ. Τοῦτο τὸ θαυμαστὸν, ὅτι ὁ προστάτης μέλλων ἔσεσθαι οὐδὲ μετὰ ταῦτα οὐδὲ πρὸ τούτου, ἀλλ' ἐν αὐτῷ μέσῳ τῷ θυμῷ τίκτεται. Καὶ ἀνατρέφεται μῆνας τρεῖς ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ πατρός. 60.130 Ὅτε τοίνυν τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ἀπηλπίσθη καὶ ἔῤῥιψαν αὐτὸν, τότε τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ οἰκονομία ἐδείχθη διαλάμπουσα. Ἐκτεθέντα δὲ αὐτὸν ἀνείλετο ἡ θυγάτηρ