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Sarah: I am wronged by you; I gave my handmaid into your bosom; but when she saw that she had conceived, I was dishonored in her sight; may God judge between me and you. The "by you" is twofold, either "from you" or "from when", so that in the case of "from you" it is thus: when someone for the sake of virtue and perfect wisdom, wishing to use preliminary studies, remains in these, in a way he wrongs virtue by not using for the necessary purpose the things that come before it, and the "from when" will receive the same meaning, with only the aforementioned difference existing, that he who is eager to bear fruit from the introduction alone and makes this his end, in fact dishonors virtue. But attend also to the "in her sight"; for virtue was not simply dishonored but "in her sight"; for when someone, having used the preliminary studies for the sake of perfect wisdom, goes beyond what is needed, he dishonors virtue in himself. And the "may God judge between me and you" one might say, according to the literal text, was spoken from some human emotion that arose in her, but according to the meaning, following what has been said before, it would be said to the one who remains in the introductory character, that it is not 241 because of me that you have not borne perfect fruit, but because of your still remaining in those things. χῃι, 6. But Abram said to Sarah: Behold, your handmaid is in your hands; do to her as it is pleasing to you. The word of the patriarch introduces impassibility, as regards the literal text, for having received the handmaid from his wife, he was not hunting for pleasure and now yields to her and withdraws whenever she wishes; but as for the allegorical meaning, the earnest man, even if he remains in the introduction, not being completely estranged from virtue, gladly receives the reproof from it and, quickly turning away from lesser things, as if subjecting himself to it according to its instructions, he uses the preliminary exercises, attributing the authority to it. For since he is eager to say, do, and think all things for the purpose of virtue, he receives corrections from it most readily. χῃι, 6. And Sarah dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her presence. The harsh treatment of the handmaid, whom we interpreted allegorically as the preliminary exercises, happens, which is in a way their abolition. For he who is hastening toward perfection no longer needs these things. For this reason she reasonably flees; for the introductory things no longer remain when progress and perfection have occurred. χῃι, 7-8. And an angel of the Lord God found her by the spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. And the angel of the Lord said to her: Hagar, handmaid of Sarah, where have you come from and where are you going? And she said: I am fleeing from the presence of Sarah my mistress. From these things it is possible to perceive the virtue of Hagar and to know that she is not to be despised, since an angel converses with her and takes care of her 242 not as a secondary matter; for it is clear that according to God's will ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· And it is not unlikely that she is virtuous, as she was chosen by the holy Sarah for cohabitation with Abram. And her good sense is shown from her saying "I am fleeing from the presence of Sarah my mistress", nothing bad about her ··· ··· ··· · απ··· ·θεν··ς̣ fleeing to do and the ··· ··· ·· τατ··· ··· · in the things said before Sarah was set down to be virtue and the spiritual understanding of the scriptures, while Hagar was the introductory and shadowy one. Therefore, he who approaches divine instruction ought to attend to it in such a way as to understand it according to letter and spirit, proceeding by a path and in order. One must therefore be a child of Sarah of the introduction, so that he may thus reach the more perfect things, just as the Israelites, concerning whom it is said "that first they were entrusted with the oracles of God", which were given until the time of reformation. For no one who remains in the letter or in its introduction lays claim to wisdom. Therefore, if this lover of wisdom, while using the introductory things, should remain in them, he in a way dishonors virtue; but if he should come to his senses, he casts off the introductory training as

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Σάρα· Ἀδικοῦμαι ἐκ σοῦ· ἐγὼ ἔδωκα τὴν παιδίσκην̣ μ̣ο̣υ̣ εἰς τὸν κόλπον σου· ἰδοῦσα δὲ ὅτι ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχει ἠτιμάσθην ἐνα̣ντίον αὐτῆς· κρίναι ὁ Θεὸς ἀνάμεσον ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ. Τὸ "6ἐκ σοῦ"6 διττόν, ἤτοι "3ἀπὸ σοῦ"3 ἢ "3ἀφ' οὗ"3, ἵν' ᾖ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ "3ἀπὸ σοῦ"3 οὑ´̣τ̣ω̣ς̣· ὅταν τις τῆς ἀρετῆς χάριν καὶ τῆς τελείας σοφίας προπαιδεύμ̣α̣σιν ἐθέλων χρῆσθαι καταμένῃ ἐν τούτοις τρόπον τινὰ ἀδικ̣ε̣ι῀̣ τὴν ἀρετὴν οὐκ εἰς τὸ δέον τοῖς πρὸ αὐτῆς κεχρημένος, καὶ τὸ "3α᾿̣φ' οὗ"3 δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν δέξεται διάνοιαν, μόνης διαφορᾶς τῆς προει- ρημένης τυγχανούσης, ὅ<τι> καὶ τῷ ὄντι ἀτιμάζει τὴν ἀρετὴν ὁ τεκνῶσαι ἐκ τῆς εἰσαγωγῆς μόνης σπεύδων καὶ τοῦτο τέλος τιθέμενος. Πρόσ<σ>χες δὲ καὶ τῷ "6ἐναντίον αὐτῆς"6· οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ἠτιμάσθη ἡ ἀρετὴ ἀλλ' "6ἐναντίον αὐτῆς"6· ὅτε γάρ τις τοῖς προπαιδεύμασιν κεχρημένος διὰ τὴν τελείαν σοφίαν ἔξω τῆς χρείας γίνεται, ἀτιμάζει ἐν αὑτῷ τὴν ἀρετήν. Τὸ δὲ "6κρίναι ὁ Θεὸς ἀνάμεσον ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ"6 εἴποι μὲν ἄν τις κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν ὡς ἀπὸ ἀνθρω- πίνου τινὸς κινήματος ἐγγεγενημένου ἐν αὐτῇ εἰρῆσθαι, πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν ἑπομ̣ε´̣νως τοῖς φθάσασιν λεχθείη πρὸς τὸν καταμείναντα τῷ εἰσαγωγ̣ι̣κ̣ῷ χαρακτῆρι, ὅτι οὐ 241 παρ' ἐμὲ οὐκ ἐτέκνωσας τὰ τέλεια α᾿̣λλὰ παρα`̣ τὸ ἔτι ἐν ἐκείνοις παραμένειν. χῃι, 6. Εἶπεν δὲ Ἀβρὰμ πρὸς <Σ>άραν· Ἰδοὺ ἡ παιδίσκη σου ἐν ταῖς χερσίν σου· χρῶ αὐτῇ ὡς ἄν σοι ἀρεστὸν ᾖ. Ἀπάθειαν μὲν ὡς πρὸς τὸ ῥητὸν εἰσάγει ὁ λόγος τοῦ πατριάρχου καὶ παρὰ τῆς γυναικὸς τὴν παιδίσκην δεξα- μένου οὐχ ἡδονὴν θη̣ρῶντος καὶ νῦν εἴκοντος αὐτῇ καὶ ἀφισταμένου ὅτε καὶ βούλεται· πρὸς δὲ ἀναγωγὴν ὁ σπουδαῖος, κἂν τῇ εἰσαγωγῇ καταμένῃ, καὶ μ̣ὴ τέλεον τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀλλοτριωθεὶς δέχεται ἀσμένως τὸν παρὰ ταύτης ἔλεγχον καὶ θᾶττον μεταστὰς ἀπὸ τῶν μικρῶν ὥσπερ ὑποτάττων ἑαυτὸν αὐτῇ κατὰ τὰς ἐκείνης ὑφηγή- σεις χρῆται τοῖς προγυμνάσμασιν ἐκείνῃ τὸ κῦρος ἀνάπτων. Ἅτε γ̣ὰρ πρὸς τὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς σκοπὸν ἅπαντα καὶ λέγειν καὶ πράττειν καὶ διανοεῖσθαι προθυμούμενος τὰς παρ' ἐκείνης διορθώσεις ἑτοιμότατα δέχεται. χῃι, 6. Καὶ ἐκάκωσεν αὐτὴν Σάρα καὶ ἀπέδρα ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῆς. Κάκωσις τῆς παιδίσκης, ἣν ἀνήγομεν εἰς τὰ προ- γυμνάσματα, τυγχάνει, ἣ τρόπον τινὰ κατάργησίς ἐστιν αὐτῶν. Τούτων γὰρ ὁ ἐπὶ τ[ὴ]ν̣ τελειότητα ἐπειγόμενος οὐκέτι δέεται. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο εἰκο´̣τως ἀποδιδράσκει· οὐ γὰρ ἔτι ὑπομένει τὰ εἰσαγωγικὰ προ[κο]πῆς ἐγγενομένης καὶ τελειότητος. χῃι, 7-8. Εὗρεν δὲ αὐτὴν ἄγγελος Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς πηγῆς τοῦ ὕδατος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἐπὶ τῆς πηγῆς ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ Σούρ. Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ ὁ ἄγγελος Κυρίου· Ἁγὰρ παιδίσκη Σάρας, πόθεν ἔρχῃ καὶ ποῦ πορεύῃ; Καὶ εἶπεν· Ἀπὸ προσώπου Σάρας τῆς κυρίας μου ἐγὼ ἀποδιδράσκω. Ἐκ τούτων ἔστιν καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν τῆς Ἁγὰρ συνιδεῖν καὶ γνῶναι ὡς οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητος αὐτή, ἀγγέλου αὐτῇ συνομιλοῦντος καὶ τιθεμένου τὴν περὶ αὐτη῀̣ς̣ κηδεμονίαν 242 οὐκ ἐν παρέργῳ· δῆλον γὰρ ὡς κ̣α̣τ̣α`̣ Θεοῦ βούλησιν ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· Οὐκ ἀπεικὸς δὲ ταύτην εἶνα̣ι̣ σπουδαίαν ω῾̣ς̣ α̣ι῾̣ρ̣ε̣θ̣ε̣ι῀̣σ̣α̣ν̣ ὑπὸ Σάρα̣ς̣ τῆς ἁγίας εἰς σ̣υ̣ν̣ο̣ι´̣κησιν Ἀβράμ. Καὶ τὸ εὔγνωμον δε`̣ αυ᾿̣τ̣η῀̣ς̣ παρίσταται ἐκ τοῦ λέγειν "6ἀπὸ προσώπου Σα´̣ρ̣α̣ς τῆς̣ κ̣υρίας μου ἐγὼ ἀποδιδράσκω"6 οὐδὲν φαῦλον περὶ αυ᾿̣τ̣η῀̣ς̣ ··· ··· ··· · απ··· ·θεν··ς̣ ἀποδιδράσκων ποιεῖν καὶ τὰ ··· ··· ·· τατ··· ··· · ε᾿̣ν τοῖς προειρημένοις ἐτίθετο εἶναι ἡ Σάρα ἡ ἀρετὴ καὶ ἡ πνευματικὴ τ̣ω῀̣ν γραφῶν νόησις, ἡ δὲ Ἁγὰρ ἡ εἰσαγ̣ω̣γικὴ καὶ σκιώδης. Ὁ προσερχόμενος τοίνυν τῇ θείᾳ παιδεύσε̣ι̣ οὕτως αὐτῇ προσέχ̣εσθαι ὀφείλει ὡς νοῆσαι αὐτη`̣ν κατὰ γράμμα καὶ πνεῦμα ὁδῷ καὶ τάξει χωροῦντα. ∆εῖ οὖν τεκνῷ Σάρας τῆς εἰσαγωγῆς, ἵν' οὕτως ἐπὶ τὰ τελειότερα φθάσῃ καθὰ καὶ οἱ Ἰσραηλῖται περὶ ὧν εἴρηται "6ὅτι πρῶτοι ἐπιστεύθησαν τὰ λόγια τοῦ Θεοῦ"6, ἅπερ δέδονται μέχρι καιροῦ διορθώσεως. Οὐδει`̣ς̣ γ̣α`̣ρ̣ καταμένων ἐν τῷ γράμματι ἢ τῇ εἰσαγωγῇ αὐτῆς σοφίας ἀντιποιούμενός ε᾿̣σ̣τ̣ι̣ν̣. Οὗτος οὖν ὁ τῆς σοφίας ἐραστὴς εἰ τοῖς εἰσαγωγικοῖς χρώμενος παραμένοι τούτοις, τρόπον τινὰ ἀτιμάζει τὴν ἀρετήν· εἰ δ' ἀνανήψοι, ἀπω- θεῖται μὲν τὴν εἰσαγωγικὴν ἀγωγὴν ὡς