129

that all await it with the same things, and of striving before the prizes. And the things concerning Joseph are of faith alone; for that He had announced to Abraham, that He had promised: To you and to your seed I will give this land, Joseph heard; and being in a foreign land, and not yet seeing the promise fulfilled, not even so did he lose heart, but so believed, as even to speak concerning the exodus, and to give commandment concerning his own bones. Therefore not only did he himself believe, but he also led the others into faith. For this reason he also gives commandment, that they might always be mindful of the exodus; but he would not have given commandment concerning his own bones, if he had not been fully convinced that the return would happen. So when some say, Behold, righteous men also cared for tombs; let us say to them that it was for this reason, and otherwise not at all; for he knew, that The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. Therefore he would not have been ignorant of this, having lived with so great a philosophy, he who lived his whole time in Egypt. And yet it was possible, if he wished, to return, and not to mourn nor to be distressed. But having also brought his father up there, for what reason did he charge them to bring up his own bones from there, if not clearly for this reason? 2. What then, tell me, do not the bones of Moses himself lie in a foreign land? and those of Aaron, and those of Daniel, and those of Jeremiah, and those of the apostles, we do not even know of most of them where they lie. For of Peter, and Paul, and John, and Thomas, the tombs are known; but of the others, so many as there were, they have nowhere become known. Let us not therefore lament over this, nor be so fainthearted; for wherever we may be buried, The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. What must happen, happens anyway; but to mourn and lament for the departed and to wail, comes from faintheartedness. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents. Do you see that here they hoped for the things after death in the land? And many things came to pass after their death. This is in response to some who say that after death these things happen to those who did not attain them while living, and that they did not believe [it would happen] after death. And Joseph did not say, 63.180 To me while living He did not give the land, nor to my father, nor to my grandfather, whose virtue should have been respected; and will He count these wicked men worthy of things of which He did not count those men worthy? He said none of these things, but by faith he both conquered and rose above all these things. He spoke of Abel, of Noah, of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, of Joseph, all glorious and wonderful. Again he increases the exhortation, bringing the matter down to humble persons. For that wonderful persons should suffer this is not at all wonderful, and to appear less than them is not so terrible; but to be seen as less even than nameless persons, this is the terrible thing. And he begins with the parents of Moses, certain obscure people, and having nothing so great as their child. For this reason as he proceeds he increases the strangeness, cataloguing harlots and widows; For by faith, he says, Rahab the harlot did not perish with those who were disobedient, having received the spies with peace. And not only of faith, but also of unbelief he sets forth the wages, as in the case of Noah. For now however it is necessary to speak about the parents of Moses. Pharaoh commanded all the males to be destroyed, and no one escaped the danger. Whence then did these expect to save the child? From faith. Of what faith? They saw, it says, that the child was beautiful. This sight drew them to faith. Thus from above and from his very swaddling clothes great grace was poured out upon the righteous one, not of nature, but of God, which worked this. For consider: straightway when born the child appears beautiful, and not ugly. Whose work then was this? Not of nature, but of the grace of God, which also stirred up and strengthened that barbarian Egyptian woman, and captivated and drew her; and yet their faith did not have a sufficient basis in these things; for what was there to believe from the sight? But you, he says, believe from facts, and having many pledges of faith; for to accept the seizure of your possessions with joy, and all such things, is of faith and

129

τοῖς αὐτοῖς αὐτὴν ἀναμένειν πάντας, καὶ τοῦ πρὸ τῶν ἐπάθλων ἀθλεῖν. Καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ δὲ πίστεως μόνης ἐστίν· ὅτι γὰρ ἐπηγγείλατο τῷ Ἀβραὰμ, ὅτι ὑπέσχετο· Σοὶ δώσω καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου τὴν γῆν ταύτην, ἤκουσεν ὁ Ἰωσήφ· καὶ ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ ὢν, καὶ οὐδέπω ὁρῶν ἐκβεβηκυῖαν τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν, οὐδὲ οὕτω κατέπεσεν, ἀλλ' οὕτως ἐπίστευσεν, ὡς καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐξόδου εἰπεῖν, καὶ περὶ τῶν ὀστῶν αὑτοῦ ἐντείλασθαι. Οὐκ ἄρα μόνος αὐτὸς ἐπίστευσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐνῆγεν εἰς πίστιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐντέλλεται, ἵνα ἀεὶ τῆς ἐξόδου μεμνημένοι ὦσιν· οὐκ ἂν δὲ περὶ τῶν ὀστῶν αὑτοῦ ἐνετείλατο, εἰ μὴ πεπληροφόρητο ἔσεσθαι τὴν ἐπάνοδον. Ὥστε ὅταν τινὲς λέγωσιν, Ἰδοὺ καὶ δίκαιοι ἐφρόντισαν μνημείων· λέγωμεν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο, ἄλλως δὲ οὐδαμῶς· ᾔδει γὰρ, ὅτι Τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ γῆ καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς. Οὐκ ἂν οὖν ἐν τοσαύτῃ ζήσας φιλοσοφίᾳ τοῦτο ἠγνόησεν, ὁ τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ζήσας. Καίτοι γε ἐξῆν, εἴ γε ἐβούλετο, ἐπανελθεῖν, καὶ μὴ πενθῆσαι μηδὲ δυσχερᾶναι. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν πατέρα ἐκεῖ ἀναγαγὼν, τίνος ἕνεκεν καὶ τὰ αὑτοῦ ὀστᾶ ἀναγαγεῖν ἐκεῖθεν ἐπέσκηψεν, ἢ δῆλον ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο; βʹ. Τί δὲ, εἰπέ μοι, τοῦ Μωϋσέως αὐτοῦ τὰ ὀστᾶ οὐκ ἐν ξένῃ κεῖται; τὰ δὲ Ἀαρὼν, τὰ δὲ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ, τὰ δὲ τοῦ Ἱερεμίου, τὰ δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων οὐδὲ ἴσμεν τῶν πολλῶν ὅπου κεῖται. Πέτρου μὲν γὰρ, καὶ Παύλου, καὶ Ἰωάννου, καὶ Θωμᾶ δῆλοι οἱ τάφοι· τῶν δὲ ἄλλων τοσούτων ὄντων, οὐδαμοῦ γνώριμοι γεγόνασι. Μηδὲν τοίνυν ὑπὲρ τούτου κοπτώμεθα, μηδὲ οὕτω μικροψυχῶμεν· ὅπου γὰρ ἂν ταφῶμεν, Τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ γῆ καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς. Πάντως ὃ δεῖ γενέσθαι, γίνεται· τὸ μέντοι πενθεῖν καὶ κόπτεσθαι τοὺς ἀπελθόντας καὶ ὀδύρεσθαι, ἀπὸ μικροψυχίας γίνεται. Πίστει Μωϋσῆς γεννηθεὶς ἐκρύβη τρίμηνον ὑπὸ τῶν πατέρων αὐτοῦ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἐνταῦθα τὰ μετὰ θάνατον ἤλπιζον ἐν τῇ γῇ; Καὶ πολλὰ ἐκβέβηκε μετὰ θάνατον αὐτῶν. Τοῦτο πρὸς τὸ λέγειν τινὰς, μετὰ θάνατον γίνεται ταῦτα ἐκείνοις, ὧν οὐκ ἔτυχον ζῶντες, οὔτε μετὰ θάνατον ἐπίστευον. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν ὁ Ἰωσὴφ, 63.180 Ζῶντί μοι τὴν γῆν οὐκ ἔδωκεν, οὐδὲ τῷ πατρὶ τῷ ἐμῷ, οὐδὲ τῷ πάππῳ τῷ ἐμῷ, οὗ καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν αἰδεσθῆναι ἔδει· τούτους δὲ τοὺς μοχθηροὺς ἀξιώσει ὧν ἐκείνους οὐκ ἠξίωσεν; Οὐδὲν τούτων εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ πίστει ταῦτα πάντα καὶ ἐνίκησε καὶ ὑπερέβη. Εἶπε τὸν Ἄβελ, τὸν Νῶε, τὸν Ἀβραὰμ, τὸν Ἰσαὰκτὸν Ἰακὼβ, τὸν Ἰωσὴφ, πάντας ἐπιδόξους καὶ θαυμαστούς. Πάλιν αὔξει τὴν παράκλησιν, εἰς πρόσωπα εὐτελῆ κατάγων τὸ πρᾶγμα. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ θαυμαστὰ πρόσωπα τοῦτο παθεῖν θαυμαστὸν οὐδὲν, καὶ τὸ ἐκείνων ἐλάττους φανῆναι οὐχ οὕτω δεινόν· τὸ δὲ καὶ ἀνωνύμων ἐλάττους ὀφθῆναι, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ δεινόν. Καὶ ἄρχεται ἀπὸ τῶν γονέων τοῦ Μωϋσέως, ἀσήμων τινῶν ἀνδρῶν, καὶ οὐδὲν τοσοῦτον ἐχόντων ὅσον ὁ παῖς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ προϊὼν αὔξει τὴν ἀτοπίαν, καὶ πόρνας γυναῖκας καὶ χήρας καταλέγων· Πίστει γὰρ, φησὶ, Ῥαὰβ ἡ πόρνη οὐ συναπώλετο τοῖς ἀπειθήσασι, δεξαμένη τοὺς κατασκόπους μετ' εἰρήνης. Καὶ οὐ μόνον τῆς πίστεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἀπιστίας τίθησι τὰ ἐπίχειρα, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ Νῶε. Τέως δὲ περὶ τῶν γονέων τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν. Πάντα τὰ ἄῤῥενα ἀπόλλυσθαι ἐκέλευσεν ὁ Φαραὼ, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐξέφυγε τὸν κίνδυνον. Πόθεν οὖν οὗτοι προσεδόκησαν σῶσαι τὸ παιδίον; Ἀπὸ πίστεως. Ποίας πίστεως; Εἶδον, φησὶν, ἀστεῖον τὸ παιδίον. Αὕτη ἡ ὄψις αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὴν πίστιν ἐπεσπάσατο. Οὕτως ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν σπαργάνων πολλὴ τῷ δικαίῳ ἡ χάρις ἐπεκέχυτο, οὐ τῆς φύσεως, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦτο ἐργαζομένης. Σκόπει γάρ· εὐθέως τεχθὲν καλὸν φαίνεται τὸ παιδίον, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ εἰδεχθές. Τίνος οὖν ἦν τοῦτο; Οὐ τῆς φύσεως, ἀλλὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἢ καὶ τὴν βάρβαρον ἐκείνην γυναῖκα τὴν Αἰγυπτίαν διήγειρε καὶ ἀνέῤῥωσε, καὶ εἷλε καὶ ἐπεσπάσατο· καίτοι γε ἡ πίστις οὐχ ἱκανὴν εἶχεν ἐπὶ τούτων τὴν ὑπόθεσιν· τί γὰρ ἦν ἀπὸ τῆς ὄψεως πιστεῦσαι; Ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς, φησὶν, ἀπὸ πραγμάτων πιστεύετε, καὶ πολλὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐνέχυρα ἔχοντες· τὸ γὰρ μετὰ χαρᾶς τὴν ἁρπαγὴν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων προσδέξασθαι, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα, πίστεώς ἐστι καὶ