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falls <up>on him, not partaking of darkness but of obscurity and of not being readily known; this, being a great fear, does not happen to small ones. But that darkness is often taken for obscurity has been said: "And he made darkness his secret place"; and in reality the contemplation and comprehension of supernatural doctrines produces dizziness even in the great, and imposes a divine fear with reverence on those who attempt such things. ch., 13-14. And it was said to Abram: Know for certain that your seed will be a sojourner in a land not their own, and they will enslave them and mistreat them for four hundred years; but the nation whom they will serve, I will judge; and after these things they will come out from here with much baggage. 231 The oracle proclaims beforehand the sojourning of the people into Egypt; for they sojourned in a land not their own, serving Pharaoh and being mistreated much by him and the Egyptians. But what is written in Exodus does not conflict with what is here; for there it is said: "After four hundred and thirty years the host of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt", but here it says "after four hundred"; but one must note that it was not said that they went out when the four hundred years were completed, but *after* four hundred years, which implies the thirty. And the statement "but I will judge the nation whom they will serve" has come to pass according to what is written in Exodus; for he brought a ten-fold plague upon them and finally they sank like lead in mighty waters. But they also went out "with much baggage", as the history shows, from which we are taught that even if God mistreats someone for a time, he does not do this indifferently but for a good end. But if the word also alludes to the sojourning of the saints, you should consider it together. ch., 15-16. But you shall go to your fathers <in peace>, being buried in a good old age; and in the fourth generation they shall return here; for the iniquities of the Amorites are not yet full to this day. At first glance, it appears to announce beforehand to him his departure from life. But for an allegorical sense, these things might be said. The wise man departs from life in peace, but the sinner has confused thoughts, he has a troubled soul; and as one is taken in death, so also is he judged. He who has prepared peace for himself from here departs also in peace, but he who has troubles and confused thoughts will be judged accordingly. This is shown from the passage in Ecclesiastes: "Where the tree falls, there it will remain". But this is not so in a historical sense; for a tree does not always remain where it falls, for it is often also moved; but it is clear that it is man who is signified enigmatically by the tree, to be judged as he is found. 232 Fittingly, therefore, in peace Abraham will go to his fathers, being well-pleasing to God, sharing in the same promise; for "Christ the firstfruits, then those who are Christ's". And even for the righteous themselves, the promise and the dwelling place is different; for there are many dwelling places with the Father. Therefore the virtuous man will go to his fathers according to the spirit, being their son by similarity of ways, even if according to the flesh he has wicked fathers. Having said these things about Abraham himself, he speaks about his descendants, that "in the fourth generation they shall return here", indicating to the land of the inheritance. And for this reason he says the return will be after "four hundred years", because the Amorites had not yet filled up their sins, for which they will then suffer destruction, so that when those have been judged, they themselves might become inhabitants of their land. For God also brings punishments with measure and at the right time, being long-suffering until the time of retribution arrives. Similar to this and confirmatory is what is said in the Gospel: "Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth

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ἐπι- <πί>πτει αὐτῷ, οὐ σκότους μετέχων ἀλλ' ἀσαφείας καὶ μὴ γιγνωσκόμενος προχείρως· οὗτος μέγας ὑπάρχων φόβος οὐ μικροῖς συμβαίνει. Ὅτι δὲ ἀντὶ ἀσαφείας πολλάκις ὁ σκότος παραλαμβάνεται, εἴρηται· "6Καὶ ἔθετο σκότος ἀποκρυφὴν αὐτοῦ"6· καὶ τῷ ὄντι ἡ τῶν ὑπερφυῶν δογμάτων θεωρία καὶ κατάλημψις καὶ τοῖς μεγάλοις εἴλιγγον ἐμποιεῖ καὶ φόβον θεῖον μετ' εὐλαβείας τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐπιβάλλουσιν. χῃ, 13-14. Καὶ ἐρρέθη πρὸς Ἀβράμ· Γιγνώσκων γνώσῃ ὅτι πάροικον ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου ἐν γῇ οὐκ ἰδίᾳ, καὶ δουλώσουσιν αὐτοὺς καὶ κακώσουσιν αὐτοὺς τετρακόσια ἔτη· τὸ δὲ ἔθνος, ᾧ ἂν δουλεύσουσιν, κρινῶ ἐγώ· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐλεύσονται ὧδε μετὰ ἀποσκευῆς πολλῆς. 231 Τὴν εἰς Αἴγυπτον παροίκησιντοῦ λαοῦ τὸ λόγιον προαναφωνεῖ· οὐκ ἰδίαν γὰρ οὖσαν παρῴκησαν δουλεύ- σαντες τῷ Φαραὼ καὶ πολλὰ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων κακωθέντες. Οὐ μάχεται δὲ τοῖς ἐνταῦθα τὰ ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ γεγραμμένα· ἐκεῖ γὰρ εἴρηται· "6Μετὰ τετρακόσια καὶ τριάκοντα ἔτη ἐξῆλθεν ἡ δύναμις Κυρίου ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου"6, ἐνταῦθα "6μετὰ τετρακόσιά"6 φησιν· ἀλλ' ἐπιστῆσαι δεῖ ὅτι οὐκ ἐρρέθη ὡς πληρωθέντων τῶν τετρακοσίων ἐτῶν ἐξῆλθον ἀλλὰ μετὰ τετρακόσια ἔτη, ὅπερ ἐμφαίνει τὰ τριάκοντα. Καὶ τὸ "6κρινῶ δὲ ἐγὼ τὸ ἔθνος ᾧ ἂν δουλεύσωσιν"6 ἐκβάσεως τετύχηκεν κατὰ τὰ ἐν Ἐξόδῳ γεγραμμένα· δεκάπληγον γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐπήγαγεν καὶ τελευταῖον ἔδυσαν ὡσεὶ μόλιβος ἐν ὕδατι πολλῷ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ "6μετὰ ἀποσκευῆς πολλῆς"6 ἐξεληλύθασιν, ὡς ἡ ἱστορία δηλοῖ, ἐξ ἧς παιδευόμεθα ὅτι, κἂν ἐν χρόνῳ Θεός τινα κακώσῃ, οὐκ ἀδιαφόρως τοῦτο ποιεῖ ἀλλ' ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ τέλει. Εἰ δὲ αἰνίττεται ὁ λόγος καὶ τὴν τῶν ἁγίων παροίκησιν, συνεπισκέψαι. χῃ, 15-16. Σὺ δὲ ἀπελεύσῃ πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας σου <μετ' εἰρήνης> τραφεὶς ἐν γήρει καλῷ· τετάρτῃ δὲ γενεᾷ ἀποστραφήσονται ὧδε· οὔπω γὰρ ἀναπεπλήρωνται αἱ ἁμαρτίαι τῶν Ἀμορραίων ἕως τοῦ νῦν. Φαίνεται ἐκ τοῦ προχείρου τὴν ἐκ τοῦ βίου ἀναχώρησιν αὐτῷ προαπαγγέλλων. Πρὸς δὲ ἀναγωγὴν ταῦτα ἂν λεχθείη. Ὁ σοφὸς ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἀπέρχεται τοῦ βίου, ὁ δ' ἁμαρτάνων συγκεχυμένους ἔχει λογισμούς, ταραττομένην ἔχει τὴν ψυχήν· καὶ ὡς παραλαμβάνεταί τις ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ, οὕτω καὶ κρίνεται. Ὁ εἰρήνην ἑαυτῷ ἀπ' ἐντεῦθεν κατασκευάσας ἐν εἰρήνῃ καὶ ἀπέρχεται, ὁ δὲ ταράχους ἔχων καὶ συγκεχυμένους λογισμοὺς πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ κρι- θήσεται. Τοῦτο δηλοῦται ἐκ τοῦ ἐν τῷ Ἐκκλησιαστῇ· "6Οὗ ἐὰν πέσῃ τὸ ξύλον, ἐκεῖ μενεῖ"6. Οὐκ ἔστι δὲ τοῦτο οὕτως ἔχον ἐπὶ ἱστορίας· οὐ γὰρ πάντως ἔνθα πίπτει ξύλον, ἐκεῖ μενεῖ· πολλάκις γὰρ καὶ μετάγεται· ἀλλὰ δῆλον ὡς ὁ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ διὰ τοῦ ξύλου ἐν αἰνιγμῷ σημαινόμενος, οὕτω κριθησόμενος ὡς καὶ εὑρίσκεται. 232 Ἁρμοζόντως οὖν ἐν εἰρήνῃἈβραὰμ ἀπελεύσεται πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ε̣ὐάρεστος ὢν Θεῷ, τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπαγγελίας κοινωνῶν· "6Ἀπαρχὴ"6 γὰρ "6Χριστός, ἔπειτα οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ"6. Καὶ αὐτῶν δὲ τῶν δικαίων διάφορος ἡ ἐπαγγελία καὶ ἡ μονή· πολλαὶ γὰρ μοναὶ παρὰ τῷ Πατρί. Πρὸς οὖν τοὺς πατέρας τοὺς κατὰ πνεῦμα ἀπελεύσεται ὁ σπουδαῖος τῇ ὁμοιότητι τῶν τρόπων υἱὸς ὑπάρχων αὐτῶν, κἂν κατὰ σάρκα φαύλους ἔχῃ πατέρας. Ταῦτα περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἀβρὰμ εἰπὼν περὶ τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ λέγει ὅτι "6τετάρτῃ γενεᾷ ἀποστραφήσονται ὧδε"6, τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τῆς κληρονομίας δηλῶν. ∆ιὰ δὲ τοῦτο μετὰ "6τετρακόσια ἔτη"6 φησὶν τὴν ἀποστροφὴν ἔσεσθαι, διότι̣ ο̣ὔπω ἐξεπλήρωσαν οἱ Ἀμορραῖοι ἑαυτῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας, δι' ἃς λοιπὸν πείσονται καταστροφήν, ἵν' ἐκείνων δικασθέντων αὐτοὶ οἰκήτορες τῆς γῆς ἐκείνων γένωνται. Καὶ τὰς τιμωρίας γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς μέτρῳ καὶ καιρῷ ἐπιφέρει μακροθυμῶν ἕως ὁ καιρὸς ἐνστῇ τῆς ἀνταποδόσεως. Τούτῳ ὅμοιον καὶ κατασκευαστικὸν ὑπάρχει τὸ ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ λεγόμενον· "6Τότε Ἰησοῦς ἤρξατο ὀνειδίζειν τὰς πόλεις ἐν αἷς ἐγένοντο αἱ πλεῖσται δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ, ὅτι οὐ μετενόησαν· Οὐαί σοι, Χοραζίν· οὐα<ί> σοι Βηθσαϊδάν, ὅτι εἰ ἐν Τύρῳ καὶ Σιδόνι ἐγένοντο αἱ δυνάμεις αἱ γενόμεναι ἐν σοί, πάλαι ἂν ἐν σάκκῳ