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they partook of impiety. For they served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth. And through these things we are taught how much the piety of rulers benefits their subjects, and how much anarchy harms them, and again, the leadership of wicked men. For this history also teaches this. "For the Lord, it says, raised up judges for them 294 and saved them from the hand of those who plundered them." And when "He raised up the judges for them, and the Lord was with the judge and saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge." And a little later: "And it came to pass, when the judge died, that they turned back and became more corrupt than their fathers, to go after other gods, to serve them and to worship them." And I think there is another reason why they did not possess all the promised land; and it is this. The observance of the legal polity required a very small land; for the law commanded them to celebrate a feast three times a year, all running together to one place, in which they had built the divine temple. There it commanded them to bring the first-fruits and the tithes and the firstborn of their livestock, and indeed also the other sacrifices. Therefore, it reasonably confined them to a small place, so that even the sluggish might easily be gathered to the consecrated temple. VIII How is this passage to be understood, "These are the nations which Jesus left, to test Israel by them, all those who had not known the wars of Canaan; only that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught war; only those before them did not know them"? When Jesus son of Nave was general, the people, when drawn up for battle, conquered not by the art of war, but by enjoying assistance from above; "for I will send," He said, "the hornets before you; and they will destroy the Canaanite and the Hittite," and so on. And indeed also, sending thunderbolts from above and a hail of stones having 295 measure, He consumed the enemies. Therefore, He says that for this reason He did not utterly destroy all who inhabited that land when Jesus son of Nave was general, so that those after him might also be taught by experience the providence of God, and because of the necessity of war they might call upon the Lord for an alliance; however, for "to test," Symmachus says "to exercise," He wished them, and to teach the art of war. And the word "to test," as it stands in the Septuagint, does not indicate ignorance on God's part. For He did not test Abraham for this reason, that He might learn Abraham's knowledge. For there too He taught that God knew that Abraham would command his sons, and his house after him, to keep all the judgments of the Lord God. Therefore, He tests not that He himself might learn, but that He might teach those who are ignorant. Therefore, just as He had given the commandment to Adam for the exercise of reason, so also here He has left behind some of the nations; so as to show the piety of some, and to convict the impiety of others. For this is what He says: "to test Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commandments of the Lord, which He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses." And the facts themselves teach that they themselves were the cause of their not being completely rid of those impious nations. For Jesus struck down twenty-nine kings, besides the generals of Jericho and Ai, with their armies, having no city, no base of operations, no soldiers skilled in the experience of war. But those after him, who had strong cities, and had acquired very great wealth from the spoils, and had full armor and walls and ramparts, were not strong enough to overcome those who were left, because of their own impiety. 296 IX How is Othniel both the brother of Caleb and the son of Kenaz? For Caleb is the son of Jephunneh. It is likely that Jephunneh had two names and was also called Kenaz. It is likely also that they were from different fathers, but of one mother; and that Caleb had Jephunneh as a father; and after his death his mother was married to Kenaz and bore Othniel. That, however, he named Jericho the city of palm trees, the things concerning Eglon teach.

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ἀσεβείας μετέλαχον. ἐλάτρευσαν γὰρ τοῖς Βααλεὶμ καὶ τοῖς Ἀσταρώθ. διδασκόμεθα δὲ διὰ τούτων, ὅσον τοὺς ὑπηκόους ὀνίνησιν ἡ τῶν ἀρχόντων εὐσέβεια, καὶ ὅσον ἡ ἀναρχία λυμαί νεται, καὶ αὖ πάλιν ἡ τῶν πονηρῶν ἡγεμονία. τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἥδε ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. " ἤγειρε γὰρ αὐτοῖς φησί, Κύριος κριτὰς 294 καὶ ἔσωσεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν προνομευσάν των αὐτούς ". καὶ ὅτε " ἤγειρεν αὐτοῖς τοὺς κριτὰς καὶ ἦν Κύριος μετὰ τοῦ κριτοῦ καὶ ἔσωζεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτῶν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ κριτοῦ ". καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· " καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἀπέθνῃσ κεν ὁ κριτὴς καὶ ἀπέστρεφον καὶ διέφθειρον πά λιν ὑπὲρ τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν τοῦ πορευθῆναι ὀπίσω θεῶν ἑτέρων, τοῦ λατρεύειν αὐτοῖς καὶ προσκυνεῖν αὐτοῖς ". οἶμαι δὲ καὶ ἑτέραν αἰτίαν εἶναι, δι' ἣν οὐ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην ἐκομίσαντο γῆν· ἔστι δὲ αὕτη. στενω τάτης ἐδεῖτο γῆς τῆς νομικῆς πολιτείας ἡ φυλακή· τρὶς γὰρ τοῦ ἔτους ἑορτάζειν ὁ νόμος ἐκέλευσεν εἰς ἓν ἅπαντας χωρίον συντρέχοντας, ἐν ᾧ τὸν θεῖον νεὼν ἐδομήσαντο. ἐκεῖ καὶ τὰς ἀπαρχὰς καὶ τὰς δεκάτας καὶ τὰ τῶν θρεμμάτων πρωτότοκα καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὰς ἄλλας θυσίας κομίζειν ἐκέλευσεν. εἰκότως τοίνυν αὐτοὺς σμικρῷ περιώρισε τόπῳ, ὥστε ῥᾳδίως καὶ τοὺς νωθεῖς εἰς τὸν ἀφιερωμένον νεὼν συναγείρεσθαι. VIII Πῶς νοητέον τόδε τὸ χωρίον, " ταῦτα τὰ ἔθνη ἀφῆκεν Ἰησοῦς, ὥστε πειρᾶσαι ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸν Ἰσραήλ, πάν τας τοὺς μὴ ἐγνωκότας τοὺς πολέμους Χαναάν· πλὴν διὰ τὰς γενεὰς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ διδά ξαι αὐτοὺς πόλεμον· πλὴν οἱ ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔγνωσαν αὐτά "; Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ στρατηγοῦντος οὐ κατὰ πολεμικὴν τέχνην ὁ λαὸς ἐνίκα παραταττόμενος, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἄνωθεν ἀπολαύων ἐπικουρίας· " ἀποσ τελῶ, γὰρ ἔφη, τὰς σφηκίας ἔμπροσθεν ὑμῶν· καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσει τὸν χαναναῖον καὶ τὸν χετταῖον ", καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. καὶ μέντοι καὶ σκηπτοὺς ἄνωθεν ἀφιεὶς καὶ χάλαζαν λίθων ἔχου 295 σαν μέτρον, τοὺς πολεμίους ἀνήλισκε. λέγει τοίνυν, ὅτι τούτου χάριν οὐ πάντας ἄρδην διώλεσε τοὺς τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην οἰκοῦντας Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ στρατηγοῦντος, ἵνα καὶ οἱ μετ' ἐκεῖνον τῇ πείρᾳ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δι δαχθῶσι κηδεμονίαν, καὶ διὰ τὴν πολεμικὴν ἀνάγκην τὸν δεσπότην κα λῶσιν εἰς συμμαχίαν· τὸ μέντοι " πειρᾶσαι " ὁ Σύμμαχος " ἀσκῆ σαί " φησιν αὐτοὺς ἠβουλήθη, καὶ διδάξαι τοῦ πολέμου τὴν τέχνην. καὶ τὸ " πειρᾶσαι " δὲ κατὰ τοὺς ἑβδομήκοντα κείμενον, οὐ τὴν ἄγ νοιαν τοῦ Θεοῦ δηλοῖ. οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ τούτου χάριν ἐπείραζεν, ἵνα μάθῃ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τὴν γνῶσιν. κἀκεῖ γὰρ ἐδίδαξεν, ὅτι ᾔδει ὁ Θεός, ὅτι συντάξει Ἀβραὰμ τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ μετ' αὐτόν, φυλάσσειν πάντα τὰ κρίματα Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ. οὐχ ἵνα τοίνυν αὐτὸς μάθῃ πειράζει ἀλλ' ἵνα τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας διδάξῃ. ὥσπερ τοίνυν εἰς γυμ νασίαν τοῦ λογικοῦ τῷ Ἀδὰμ ἐδεδώκει τὴν ἐντολήν, οὕτω κἀνταῦθα ἔνια τῶν ἐθνῶν καταλέλοιπεν· ὥστε τῶν μὲν δεῖξαι τὸ εὐσεβές, τῶν δὲ διελέγξαι τὸ δυσσεβές. τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει· " ὥστε πειρᾶσαι ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸν Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ γνῶναι εἰ ἀκούσονται τὰς ἐντολὰς Κυρίου, ἃς ἐνετείλατο τοῖς πατρά σιν αὐτῶν ἐν χειρὶ Μωϋσῆ ". καὶ αὐτὰ δὲ διδάσκει τὰ πράγ ματα, ὡς αὐτοὶ αἴτιοι γεγένηνται τοῦ μὴ παντάπασιν ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῶν δυσσεβῶν ἐκείνων ἐθνῶν. ἐννέα γὰρ καὶ εἴκοσι βασιλέας, δίχα τῶν τῆς Ἰεριχὼ καὶ τῆς Γαῒ στρατηγῶν, ὁ Ἰησοῦς σὺν ταῖς στρατίαις αὐτῶν κατηκόντισε, μὴ πόλιν ἔχων, μὴ ὁρμητήριον, μὴ στρατιώτας ἐμπειρίαν ἠσκημένους πολεμικήν. οἱ δέ γε μετ' ἐκεῖνον καὶ πόλεις ὀχυρὰς ἐσχηκότες, καὶ πλοῦτον ὅτι μάλιστα πλεῖστον ἐκ τῶν λαφύρων κτησάμενοι καὶ πα νοπλίας ἔχοντες καὶ τείχη καὶ περιβόλους περιγενέσθαι τῶν ὑπολειφθέντων οὐκ ἴσχυσαν διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀσέβειαν. 296 IX Πῶς ὁ Γοθονιὴλ καὶ τοῦ Χαλὲβ ἀδελφὸς καὶ Κενὲζ υἱός; ὁ γὰρ Χαλὲβ Ἰεφονῆ υἱός. Εἰκὸς καὶ διώνυμον εἶναι τὸν Ἰεφονῆ καὶ καλεῖσθαι καὶ Κενέζ. εἰκὸς καὶ ἐκ διαφόρων αὐτοὺς εἶναι πατέρων, μιᾶς δὲ μητρός· καὶ τὸν μὲν Χαλὲβ τὸν Ἰεφονῆ ἐσχηκέναι πατέρα· μετὰ δὲ τὴν τούτου τελευτὴν γήμασθαι τὴν αὐτοῦ μητέρα τῷ Κενὲζ καὶ τεκεῖν τὸν Γοθονιήλ. ὅτι μέντοι τὴν Ἰεριχὼ πόλιν φοινίκων ὠνόμασε, τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἐγλὼμ διδάσκει. "