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the zealous and perfect man does not say that virtue belongs to him exclusively to those who are inferior, so that he may not introduce envy to them, but says that it is his sister, giving himself second place for the sake of union with virtue, so that he may condescend to the weak, and so that they may desire it and receive it as something commonly available. For often, wishing to instruct someone, we make common the doctrines, such as those concerning providence, so that in this way after this he may also accept it for himself. The evangelical teaching therefore is a noble wife of the zealous man; but he does not seize this for himself, even if he speaks of it among the perfect, but he makes it common to all, just as Paul says: "But I wish all men to be even as I myself am"; for having become such, they will know that this instruction is the spouse of the perfect man; for "wisdom" "bears prudence for a man", and I, says the perfect man, "became a lover of her beauty", of wisdom, that is; but the wise man wishes to impart of his own to all; for in this way they will not be envious. xii, 14-16. And it came to pass, when Abram entered 228 Egypt, the Egyptians, seeing the woman that she was very beautiful, and the princes of Pharaoh saw her, and they praised her to Pharaoh, and they brought her into Pharaoh's house; and they treated Abram well for her sake, and he had sheep and calves and donkeys and male servants and female servants <and> mules and camels. The wise counsel of the patriarch did not fail; for he was neither plotted against, but also a way is made for the marriage of the holy man not to be corrupted; for the Egyptians did not leap upon her as toward a neglected woman; but indeed the rulers, having seen her, wishing to do the king a favor, brought her as a gift to him, and so it happened that they also treated Abram well on account of her. Abram therefore enters Egypt in the allegorical sense as a perfect man to the imperfect, so that they may be benefited, fitting himself, having virtue, as has been said before, not as belonging to him exclusively, but showing it to all as a sister, condescending, so that in this way, having seen it, they might be able to love it. But observe that the rulers saw her; for there are also in the order of the allegorical Egyptians certain purer ones who also have great aptitude for seeing virtue. But these have not only gone so far as to see, but they also brought her to their own ruler, that is, their ruling reason, while praising her; for this was the purpose of the holy Abram, to easily lead them *** 229 <xv, 12. And about sunset a trance fell upon Abram, and behold a dark and great fear falls upon him.> 230 <But Abram>, seeing divine visions, was afraid with a fear befitting a perfect man. But observe that about sunset a trance fell upon him, the word signifying progress through the passing for him of the day of the present condition, so that another progress may succeed for him, a blessing having come upon him, according to which it is said: "With length of days I will satisfy him", not in every case promising him long life, but clearly progress in illuminations. A "trance" therefore falls upon him, but a trance not like madness, but wonder and the removal from visible things to invisible things. For the apostle says: "For whether we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or whether we are of sound mind, it is for you", not declaring this, that we were mad for God, but that, even if we go outside of human things through contemplation, we do this for God, just as David also says: "I said in my trance: Every man is a liar"; for having gone out of himself and having become a god he says concerning men that they are liars, being himself no longer a man through the fellowship of the holy spirit, but being other than those, concerning whom it is said: "For where there is envy and strife among you, are you not men and do you not walk according to man?" Abram therefore being in a trance, a dark fear

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σπουδαῖος καὶ τέλειος οὐκ ἀποκληρωτικῶς ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ἀρετὴν εἶναί φησιν τοῖς ὑποδεεστέροις, ἵνα μὴ φθόνον αὐτοῖς εἰσαγάγῃ, ἀδελφὴν δὲ ἑαυτοῦ αὐτὴν εἶναί φησιν τὰ δευτερεῖα πρὸς ἕνωσιν τὴν πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἑαυτοῦ διδούς, ἵνα συγκατέλθῃ τοῖς ἀσθενέσιν, οὕτω τε ποθήσωσιν αὐτὴν ὡς κοινῇ ἐκκειμένην δέξεσθαι. Πολλάκις γοῦν ἐπιστῆσαί τινα βουλόμενοι κοινοποιοῦμεν τὰ θεωρήματα οἷον τὰ περὶ προνοίας, ἵν' οὕτω μετὰ τοῦτο καὶ δέξηται ἑαυτῷ αὐτήν. Ἡ εὐαγγελικὴ οὖν διδασκαλία ἀστὴ γαμετὴ τοῦ σπουδαίου ἐστίν· ταύτην δὲ οὐχ ἁρπάζει, εἰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς τελείοις αὐτὴν λαλεῖ, ἀλλὰ κοινοποιεῖται πᾶσιν ταύτην, καθάπερ Παῦλος λέγων· "6Θέλω δὲ πάντας ἀνθρώπους εἶναι ὡς καὶ ἐμαυτόν"6· τοιοῦτοι γὰρ γεγενημένοι γνώσονται ὅτι τοῦ τελείου σύζυγός ἐστιν αὕτη ἡ παίδευσις· "6Ἡ σοφία"6 γὰρ "6τίκτει ἀνδρὶ φρόνησιν"6, καὶ ἐγώ, φησὶν ὁ τέλειος, "6ἐραστὴς ἐγενόμην τοῦ κάλλους αὐτῆς"6, σοφίας δηλονότι· ὁ σόφος δὲ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ πᾶσιν μεταδοῦναι βούλεται· οὕτω γὰρ οὐδὲ φθονήσουσιν. χιι, 14-16. Ἐγένετο δέ, ἡνίκα εἰσῆλθεν ὁ Ἀβρὰμ εἰς 228 Αἴγυπτον, ἰδόντες οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι τὴν γυναῖκα ὅτι καλὴ εἴη σφόδρα, καὶ εἶδον αὐτὴν οἱ ἄρχοντες Φαραώ, καὶ ἐπῄνεσαν αὐτὴν πρὸς Φαραώ, καὶ εἰσήγαγον αὐτὴν εἰς τὸν οἶκον Φαραώ· καὶ τῷ Ἀβρὰμ εὖ ἐχρήσαντο δι' αὐτήν, καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτῷ πρόβατα καὶ μόσχοι καὶ ὄνοι καὶ παῖδες καὶ παιδίσκαι <καὶ> ἡμίονοι καὶ κάμηλοι. Τὸ συνετὸν βούλευμα τοῦ πατριάρχου οὐκ ἠστόχησεν· οὔτε γὰρ ἐπεβουλεύθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁδός τις γίνεται τοῦ μὴ διαφθαρῆναι τὸν γάμον τοῦ ὁσίου· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὡς πρὸς ἠμελημένην ἐπεπήδησαν Αἰγύπτιοι· ἀλλὰ γὰρ οἱ ἄρχοντες θεασάμενοι τῷ βασιλεῖ χάριν κατατιθέμενοι προσήγαγον αὐτὴν ὡς δῶρον αὐτῷ, οὕτω τε συμβέβηκεν τὸ καὶ καλῶς αὐτοὺς τῷ Ἀβρὰμ δι' αὐτὴν χρήσασθαι. Εἰσέρχεται τοίνυν εἰς Αἴγυπτον ὁ Ἀβρὰμ κατὰ τὸν ἀλληγορίας τρόπον ὡς τέλειος πρὸς ἀτελεῖς, ἵν' ὠφελη- θῶσιν, ἁρμοζόμενος, ἔχων τὴν ἀρετήν, ὡς προείρηται, οὐχ ὡς ἀποκληρωτικῶς αὐτῷ προσοῦσαν, ἀλλ' ἅπασιν αὐτὴν ὑποδεικνὺς ὡς ἀδελφὴν συγκατιών, ἵν' οὕτω δυνηθῶσιν θεασάμενοι ἀγαπῆσαι αὐτήν. Παρατήρει δὲ ὅτι οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτὴν εἶδον· ἔστιν γὰρ καὶ ἐν τῷ τάγματι τῶν κατὰ ἀλληγορίαν Αἰγυπτίων καθαριότεροί τινες οἳ καὶ πολλὴν ἔχουσιν ἐπιτηδειότητα πρὸς τὸ θεάσασθαι τὴν ἀρετήν. Οὗτοι δὲ οὐκ ἄχρι μόνον τοῦ θεάσασθαι γεγένηνται, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰσήγαγον αὐτὴν πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα ἑαυτῶν, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τὸν ἡγεμονεύοντα αὐτῶν λόγον μετὰ τοῦ ἐπαινεῖν αὐτήν· οὗτος γὰρ ὁ σκοπὸς ἦν τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀβρὰμ εὐαγώγως αὐτοὺς *** 229 <χῃ, 12. Περὶ δὲ ἡλίου δυσμὰς ἔκστασις ἐπέπεσε τῷ Ἀβράμ, καὶ ἰδοὺ φόβος σκοτεινὸς μέγας ἐπιπίπτει αὐτῷ.> 230 <Ὁ δὲ Ἀβρὰμ> ὡς θεῖα θεάματα θεωρῶν ἐφοβήθη φόβον προσήκοντα τελείῳ. Παρατήρει δὲ ὅτι περὶ ἡλίου δυσμὰς ἔκστασις ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἐπέπεσεν, προκοπὴν σημαίνοντος τοῦ λόγου διὰ τοῦ παρεληλυθέναι αὐτῷ τὴν τῆς παρούσης καταστάσεως ἡμέραν, ἵν' ἄλλη αὐτὸν προκοπὴ διαδέξηται εὐλογίας ἐπ' αὐτὸν φθανούσης, καθ' ἣν εἴρηται· "6Μακρότητι ἡμερῶν ἐμπλήσω αὐτόν"6, οὐ πάντως πολυχρονιότητα αὐτῷ ἐπαγγελλόμενος, ἀλλὰ δῆλον ὡς φωτισμῶν προκοπάς. "6Ἔκστασις"6 οὖν ἐπι<πί>πτει αὐτῷ, ἔκ<σ>τασις δὲ οὐχ ἡ παραφροσύνῃ ὁμοία, ἀλλ' ὁ θαυμασμὸς καὶ τὸ μεταστῆναι ἀπὸ τῶν ὁρατῶν ἐπὶ τὰ ἀόρατα. Λέγει γοῦν ὁ ἀπόστολος· "6Εἴτε γὰρ ἐξέστημεν Θεῷ, εἴτε σωφρο- νοῦμεν ὑμῖν"6, οὐ τόδε δηλῶν ὅτι Θεῷ ἐμάνημεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι, κἂν ἔξω τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων διὰ θεωρίαν γενώμεθα, Θεῷ τοῦτο ποιοῦμεν, καθὰ καὶ ∆αυίδ φησιν· "6Ἐγὼ εἶπα ἐν τῇ ἐκστάσει μου· Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης"6· ἐκστὰς γὰρ καὶ γενόμενος θεὸς λέγει περὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὅτι ψεῦσταί εἰσιν, αὐτὸς οὐκέτι ἄνθρωπος ὑπάρχων διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος κοινωνίαν, ἀλλ' ἄλλος ἐκείνων τυγχάνων, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· "6Ὅπου γὰρ ἔρις καὶ ζῆλος ἐν ὑμῖν, οὐχὶ ἄνθρωποί ἐστε καὶ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε;"6 Ἐκστάντος οὖν τοῦ Ἀβράμ, σκοτεινὸς φόβος