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for if one were to become virtuous, these things would immediately confront him. And if this has been said because temptations press upon the virtuous, you will observe, him being in the midst of those who afflict him and overcoming them.

16, 1-2. Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children. And she had a female servant

an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children; go in therefore to my servant, that I may obtain children by her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. The Apostle referred these to the two covenants 235 by way of allegory; but since the literal event also took place, it is worthy of consideration itself. The saints lived together in such a way as not to hunt for pleasures but for the sake of children. For such a tradition is reported about them, that they only came together with their wives when it was the time for conception; they came together neither with one who was nursing, nor with one who was raising an infant, nor with one who was pregnant; for in none of these times did they consider union appropriate. And Jacob also confirms the tradition; for after testing for a long time that Rachel could not bear children, he no longer went in to her; but when she thought that if he went in to her, she would bear children, she said, "Give me children, or else I die." For was she unaware that Jacob was not the creator, but she demanded union as the holy man had ceased for the reason stated, so that he might not labor in vain? And he to her: "Am I in God's stead, who has withheld <from you> the fruit of the womb?" And so Sarai, being wise and holy, knowing after a long time that though she lay with him she did not conceive in her womb, abstained from union with him and, since she knew it was fitting for him to have children, she gave her own servant to him as a concubine wife. The moderation and at the same time the ungrudging nature of Sarai and the dispassion of Abram are <shown>, who chose this at his wife's urging and not from his own impulse, but yielding for the sake of the generation of children. The literal account is therefore useful, as we have discussed. But the anagogical interpretation would be explained thus, as the blessed Paul typologically referred the two women to the two covenants; using this, Philo also, in other matters, referred Sarai to perfect virtue and philosophy, she being a wife free, noble, and a partner according to the laws; for 236 virtue cohabits with the wise man according to the laws, in order that he might beget divine offspring from her; for "Wisdom bears prudence for a man," and to the devout and holy man it is said, "Your wife as a fruitful vine ***, your sons like young olive plants around your table. Thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord." Therefore, Sarai is referred to perfect and spiritual virtue, while Hagar the Egyptian servant is said by Philo to signify the preparatory exercises, and by Paul, the shadow. For it is impossible to grasp any of the spiritual or lofty concepts without the shadow of the letter or of introductory preparatory training; for one must first beget from the lesser things. Therefore, according to the shadow they sacrificed oxen, celebrated Passover perceptibly, and were circumcised bodily, being led by these things to sacrifice "to God a sacrifice of praise," which is characteristic of the free woman. Since, therefore, it is the concern of the wise man to proceed in order to greater things, virtue, with a divine purpose, suggests that he first use the introductory teachings and beget children from them. For since one just approaching virtue is not able to grasp perfection so as to beget children from her, she suggests to him first to train in the preliminary studies, so that he may thus also perfectly comprehend her, if he is able.

16, 3-4. And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her own servant, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife, and he went in to Hagar, and

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γάρ τις εἰ γίνοιτο ἀρετῆς, ταῦτα αὐτῷ εὐθὺς προαπαντᾷ. Εἰ δὲ καὶ διὰ τὸ ἐπικεῖσθαι πειρασμοὺς τῷ ἐναρέτῳ τοῦτο εἰ´̣ρ̣η̣ται, ἐπιστήσ̣εις, μέσου αὐτοῦ ὄντος τῶν θλιβόντων καὶ ὑπερνικῶντος.

χῃι, 1-2. Σάρα δὲ ἡ γυνὴ Ἀβρὰμ οὐκ ἔτικτεν αὐτῷ. Ἦν δὲ αὐτῇ παιδίσκη

Αἰγυπτι´̣α, ᾗ ὄνομα Ἁγάρ. Εἶπεν δὲ Σάρα πρὸς Ἀβράμ· Ἰδοὺ δὴ συνέκλεισέν με Κύριος τοῦ μὴ τίκτειν· εἴσελθε οὖν πρὸς τὴν παιδίσκην μου, ἵνα τεκνοποιήσω ἐξ αὐτῆς. Ὑπήκουσεν δὲ Ἀβρὰμ τῆς φωνῆς Σάρας. Ἀνήγαγεν τα̣ύτας ἀπόστολος εἰς τὰς δύο διαθήκας 235 ἀλληγορίας νόμῳ· ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τὸ ῥητὸν γεγένηται, καὶ αὐτὸ ἄξ̣ιον θεωρῆσαι. Οἱ ἅγιοι οὕτως συνεβίουν ὡς μὴ ἡδονὰς θηρᾶν ἀλλὰ τέκνων χάριν. Καὶ γὰρ παράδοσις τοιαύτη περὶ αὐτῶν φέρεται, ὅτι τότε μόνον συνῄεσαν ταῖς γυναιξίν, ὅτε καιρὸν εἶχον συλλήμψεως· οὔτε δὲ θηλαζούσῃ οὔτε τρεφούσῃ τὸ βρέφος συνῄε̣σ̣αν οὔτε̣ κυοφο- ρούσῃ· ἐν οὐδενὶ γὰρ το̣υ´̣των τῶν καιρῶν οἰκείαν ἡγοῦντο τὴν σύνοδον. Βεβαιοῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰακὼβ τὴν παράδοσιν· ἐν γὰρ πολλῷ χρόνῳ δοκιμάσας ὅτι οὐκ ἐπεδέχετο ἡ Ῥαχὴλ τεκνῶσαι, οὐκέτι προσῄει αὐτῇ· ἐκείνης δ' οἰομένης ὅτι, ἐὰν προσέλθῃ αὐτῇ, τεκνοῖ, ἔλεγεν· "6Ἢ δός μοι τέκνα, εἰ δὲ μὴ, ἀπόκτεινόν με σύ"6. Μὴ γὰρ οὐκ ᾔδει ὅτι οὐκ ἦν πλάστης ὁ Ἰακώβ, ἀλλὰ σύνοδον ἀπῄτει ὡς τοῦ ἁγίου παυσαμένου διὰ τὴν εἰρημένην αἰτίαν, ἵνα μὴ ματαιουργῇ. Ὃς δὲ πρὸς αὐτήν· "6Μὴ ἀντὶ Θεοῦ σοι ἐγώ εἰμι, ὃς ἐστέρησέ <σε> καρπὸν κοιλίας;"6 Καὶ ἡ Σάρα οὖν, σοφὴ καὶ ἁγία οὖσα, πολλῷ χρόνῳ εἰδυῖα ὅτι συνευναζομένη οὐκ ἔλαβεν κατὰ γαστρός, ἀπέσχετο τῆς πρὸς αυ᾿̣τὸν κοινωνίας καί, ἐπειδὴ ἐγίγνωσκεν ἀκόλουθον εἶναι ἔχειν ἐκεῖνον τέκνα, τὴν παιδίσκην ἑαυτῆς ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ εἰς γυναῖκα παλλακίδα. Σωφροσύνη ἅμα καὶ ἀφθονία τῆς Σάρας καὶ τοῦ Ἀβρὰμ <δείκνυται> ἀπάθεια το<ῦ> πρὸς τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ ἰδίας ὁρμῆς ἑλομένου τοῦτο ἀλλ' εἴκοντος διὰ τέκνων γένεσιν. Χρήσιμον μὲν οὖν καὶ τὸ ῥητόν, καθὰ διεξεληλύθαμεν. Ὁ δὲ τῆς ἀναγωγῆς λόγος οὕτως ἂν ἐξομαλισθείη, ὡς τύπῳ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος εἰς τὰς δύο διαθήκας ἀνήγαγεν τὰς δύο γυναῖκας· τούτῳ καὶ Φίλων χρώμενος ἐν ἑτέροις πράγμασιν ἀνήγαγεν τὴν μὲν Σάραν εἰς τὴν τελείαν ἀρετὴν καὶ φιλοσοφίαν, αυ᾿̣τὴν οὖσαν γαμετὴν ἐλευθέραν τε καὶ εὐγενίδα καὶ κ̣ατὰ νόμους σύνοικον· συνοικεῖ δὲ ἡ 236 ἀρετὴ τῷ σοφῷ κατὰ νόμους, ἵνα θεῖα γεννήματα ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀπογεννήσῃ· "6Ἡ σοφία"6 γὰρ "6τίκτει ἀνδρὶ φρόνησιν"6, καὶ πρὸς τὸν εὐλαβῆ καὶ ὅσιον λέγεται· "6Ἡ γυνή σου ὡς ἄμπελος εὐθηνοῦσα ***, οἱ υἱοί σου ὡς νεόφυτα ἐλαιῶν κύκλῳ τῆς τραπέζης σου. Οὕτως εὐλογη- θήσεται ἄνθρωπος ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Κύριον"6. Εἰς μὲν οὖν τὴν τελείαν ἀρετὴν καὶ πνευματικὴν ἡ Σάρα ἀνάγεται, ἡ δὲ Ἁγὰρ ἡ παιδίσκη ἡ Αἰγυπτία παρὰ μὲν Φίλωνος τὰ προγυμνάσματα σημαίνειν εἴρηται, παρὰ δὲ Παύλῳ τὴν σκιάν. Ἀδύνατον γάρ τι τῶν πνευματικῶν ἢ ὑψηλῶν νοημάτων χωρὶς τῆς κατὰ τ̣ο`̣ γ̣ρ̣α´̣μ̣μα σκιᾶς ἢ τῶν εἰσαγωγικῶν προπαιδεύσεω̣ς̣ κ̣α̣τ̣αλαβεῖν· δεῖ γὰρ ἐκ τῶν ὑποδεεστέρων πρότερον τεκ̣ν̣ο̣υ῀̣ν̣. Κατὰ γοῦν τὴν σκιὰν ἐβουθύτουν, πάσχα ἐπετέλουν αἰσ̣θ̣η̣τ̣ῶς καὶ περιετέμνοντο σωματικῶς, διὰ τούτων χειραγωγούμενοι ἐπὶ τὸ θύειν "6τῷ Θεῷ θυσίαν αἰνέσεως"6, ὅπερ ἐστὶν τῆς ἐλευθέρας ἴδιον. Ἐπεὶ οὖν σπουδὴ τῷ σοφῷ τάξει χωρεῖν ἐπὶ τὰ μείζονα, ὑποβάλλει ἡ ἀρετὴ σκοπῷ θείῳ τοῖς εἰσαγωγικοῖς πρότερον χρῆσθαι καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν τεκνοποιεῖν. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἄρτι προσιὼν τῇ ἀρετῇ τελειότητος ἐφάψασθαι οὐχ οἷός τέ ἐστιν ὥστε καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς τεκνῶσαι, ὑποτίθεται αὐτῷ πρότερον ἐγγυμνάσασθαι τοῖς προπαι- δεύμασιν, ἵν' οὕτω καὶ αὐτὴν τελείως χωρῇ, εἰ δυνηθῇ. χῃι, 3-4. Καὶ λαβοῦσα Σάρα ἡ γυνὴ Ἀβρὰμ Ἁγὰρ τὴν Αἰγυπτίαν τὴν ἑαυτῆς παιδίσκην μετὰ δέκα ἔτη τοῦ οἰκῆσαι μετὰ Ἀβρὰμ ἐν γῇ Χαναὰν καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν Ἀβρὰμ τῷ ἀνδρὶ αὐτῆς αὐτῷ γυναῖκα, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν πρὸς Ἁγάρ, καὶ