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in the ancient days, as in Exodus; in Egypt it was impossible to learn that an exodus had occurred since they did not report it, unless perhaps those who wrote it down ... ... ... for in every way it is necessary to say all the things that have happened, so that someone may not come and say ... ... ... ... might snatch. "in ancient days," therefore, "in the first days." But what is this, ... ... ... ... ... has happened ... ... ... of ... and a worse land against the saints and the ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 309 having happened. But this very thing is not primarily signified in every way, but it is said, so that through this that might be perceived. God transfers men from the place around the earth to the high heavens. "3work"3 therefore if it says, it does not mean one in number, but in kind or even in genus. in their illumination—for since we take the fathers as knowledgeable men, we say that: "in the days," in which they were, being illumined by the true light of the sun of righteousness—a work has been done in the illumination of their life, which they did not begrudge to impart to us. He said, what, and he remembers: He cast down seven nations from the land later called holy. They were planted, having been brought by God into that country. Indeed, at any rate, Moses prays, mixing in again the mystical meaning: "bringing them in, plant them on the mountain of your inheritance, a sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have prepared." Observe that no one living and hearing outwardly is able to enter the holy mountain. The crowds, therefore, hearing in parables, being outside, did not enter the holy mountain, where the parables were made clear. Therefore it is necessary to be brought in first, and then to be planted. 3 Your hand destroyed nations, and you planted them. not of God in the ancient days. He was ancient of days, and we do not say that he was in ancient days, but he was ancient of days; for he was before days, before all time; and for him to be ancient of days is the same as existing before the ages, as has been said: "he who exists before the ages." "Your hand," therefore, "destroyed nations." Your punishing power. The angels who minister punishments can also be called the hands of God, just as we speak of the hand of a king, and we certainly do not mean the limb of the body by this. And Job also, concerning the punishing power—and this was the devil—was saying: "Send forth your hand." Therefore this is what it says: "Your hand," that is, your punishing power, or the power active in toils, or your ministering power, "destroyed nations." And take the destruction of the nations anagogically as the death of men as to their qualities and the rejection of the life according to which they were nations alien to God. "and you planted" our fathers. The nations are destroyed from the evil which they have; for their country and city was evil. And they are planted not by another than his right hand. But hand and right hand are not the same; for the right hand is in every case a hand, but not every hand is a right hand; for we have it that things done praiseworthily are said to be accomplished by the right hand. Thus in the psalms it says: "You have held my right hand." The practical power for good things is the right hand, while the left is the opposite. And since things that are done come from a disposition and from the mind called the "3heart"3, it is said that the wise man has a heart to the right, but the foolish man to the left; here we do not take this as places of bodies. The wise man has a mind that thinks rightly, he has understanding concerning intelligible things. But the heart of a foolish man is to the left, it is turned only to material things. But often in the scriptures the left is used not for censure, but for something of lesser value, as in the Song of Songs it says that: "His left hand is under my head, and his right hand will embrace me." And concerning 310 wisdom it has been said: "For length of life and years of life are in her right hand"—and length means the immortal things, those not subject to dissolution—"and in her left hand, wealth and glory." And it gives perceptible wealth. of the left hand of wisdom

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ταῖς ἀρχαίαις ἡμέραις, οἷον ἐν Ἐξόδῳ· ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἔξοδον γεγενῆσθαι ἀδύνατον μαθεῖν ἦν ἐκείνων ο̣ὐκ̣ α᾿̣π̣αγγελλόντων, εἰ μὴ ἄρα τοὺς συνγραψαμένους ····· ····· ····· ἐκ παντὸς γὰρ τρόπου δεῖ τὰ γεγενημέν̣α πάντα λέγειν, ἵνα μὴ ἔλθῃ τις καὶ εἴπῃ ····· ····· ····· ····ς̣ ἁρπάσῃ. "ἐν ἡμέραις" οὖν "ἀρχαίαις", ἐν πρώταις ἡμέραις. τί δέ ἐστιν τοῦτο, α····· ····· ····· ····· ···· γέγονεν ····· ····· ····ω̣ν καὶ χείρονος γῆς ἐπὶ τοὺς ἁγίους καὶ τὴν ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· ····· 309 γεγενημένον. οὐ πάντως δὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο προηγουμένως σημαίνεται, ἀλλὰ λέγεται, ἵνα διὰ τούτου ἐκεῖνο θεωρηθῇ. μετατίθεται ὁ θεὸς τοὺς̣ ἀνθρώπους ἀπὸ τοῦ περὶ γῆν τόπου εἰς τοὺς ὑψηλοὺς οὐρανούς. "3ἔργον"3 οὖν ἐὰν λέγῃ, οὐχ ἓν λέγει τῷ ἀριθμῷ, ἀλλὰ τῷ εἴδει ἢ καὶ τῷ γένει. ἐν τῷ φωτισμῷ αὐτῶν-ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἐπιστήμονας λαμβάνομεν τοὺς πατέρας, λέγομεν ὅτι· "ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις", αἷς ἔσχον καταυγαζόμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀληθινο̣υ῀̣ φωτὸς τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης-γέγονεν ἐν τῷ φωτισμῷ τοῦ βίου αὐτῶν ἔργον, ὃ οὐκ ἐφθόνουν̣ ἡμῖν μεταδοῦναι. εἶπεν, τί, καὶ μέμνηται· ἔθνη ἑπτὰ ὑπὸ τῆς ὕστερον κληθείσης ἁγίας γῆς καθεῖλεν. κατεφυτεύθησαν εἰσαχθέντες ὑπὸ θεοῦ εἰς ἐκείνην τὴν χώραν. ἀμέλει γοῦν Μωϋσῆς εὔχεται ἐπιμίσγων πάλιν τὸ μυστικόν· "εἰσαγαγὼν καταφύτευσον αὐτοὺς εἰς ὄρος κληρονομίας σου, ἁγίασμα, κύριε, ὃ ἡτοίμασαν αἱ χεῖρές σου". θεώρει ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἐξωτ̣ερικ̣ῶς βιῶν καὶ ἀκούων δύναται εἰς τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἅγιον εἰσελθεῖν. οἱ ἐν παραβολαῖς οὖν ὄχλοι ἀκούοντες ἔξω ὄντες οὐκ̣ εἰση῀̣λθον εἰς ὄρος τὸ ἅγιον, ἔνθα αἱ παραβολαὶ ἐσαφηνίζοντο. δεῖ οὖν εἰσαχθῆναι πρ̣ῶτον, εἶτ' οὕτω καταφυτευθῆναι. 3 ἡ χείρ σου ἔθνη ἐξωλέθρευσεν, καὶ κατεφύτευσας αὐτούς. οὐ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τ̣αῖς ἡμέραις ἀρχαίαις. ἀρχαῖος ἡμερῶν ἦν, καὶ οὐ λέγομεν ὅτι ἐν ἡμέραις ἀρχαίαις ἠ῀̣ν, ἀλλὰ ἀρχαῖος ἡμερῶν ἦν· ἦν γὰρ πρὸ ἡμερῶν, πρὸ παντὸς χρόνου· καὶ ἴσον ἐστὶν τῷ ἀρχαῖον ἡμερῶν αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸ ὑπάρχειν πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων, ὡς εἴρηται· "ὁ ὑπάρχων πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων". "ἡ χείρ σου" οὖν "ἔθνη ἐξωλόθρευσεν". ἡ κολαστική σου δύναμις. δύνανται καὶ οἱ ὑπηρετοῦντες ταῖς κολάσεσιν ἄγγελοι χεῖρες το̣ῦ θεοῦ λέγεσθαι, ὡς λέγομεν χεῖρα βασιλέως, καὶ οὐ δήπου τὸ μέλος τοῦ σώματος διὰ τούτων σημαίνομεν. καὶ ὁ Ἰὼβ δὲ περὶ τῆς κολαστικῆς δυνάμεως-αὐτὸς δὲ ἦν ὁ διάβολος ἦν-ἔλεγεν· "ἀπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου". τοῦτο οὖν λέγει· "ἡ χείρ σου" ἤτοι ἡ κολαστικὴ δύναμις ἤτοι ἡ δραστήριος τῶν ἐπιπόνων ἤτοι ἡ διακονοῦσα δύναμ̣ίς σου "ἐξωλόθρευσεν ἔθνη". τὸν δὲ ὄλεθρον τῶν ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν λάβε θάνατον ἀνθρώπων ᾗ ποιῶν καὶ ἀποβολὴν τῆς ζωῆς, καθ' ἣν ἔθνη ἦσαν ἀλλότρια τοῦ θεοῦ. "καὶ κατεφύτευσας" τοὺς πατέρας̣ η῾̣μῶν. τὰ δὲ ἔθνη ἐξολεθρεύονται ἀφ' ἧς ἔχουσιν κακίας· χώρα γὰρ καὶ πόλις ἦν αὐτῶν ἡ κ̣ακία̣. καὶ κατ̣αφυτεύον̣ται ἐκεῖνοι οὐχ ὑπὸ ἄλλης ἢ τῆς δεξιᾶς αὐτοῦ. οὐ ταὐτὸν δέ ἐστιν χεὶρ καὶ δεξιά· ἡ μὲν γὰρ δεξ̣ιὰ πάντως χείρ ἐστιν, οὐ πᾶσα δὲ χεὶρ δεξιά· ἔχομεν γὰρ τὰ ἐπαινετῶς γινόμενα διὰ δεξιᾶς ἐπιτελούμεν̣α εἰπεῖν. ο̣ὕτως ε᾿̣ν ψαλμοῖς λέγει· "ἐκράτησας τῆς χειρὸς τῆς δεξιᾶς μου". ἡ πρακτικὴ δύν̣αμις τῶν καλῶν ἐστιν ἡ δεξιά, ἡ ἀριςτερὰ δὲ ἡ ἀντικειμένη. καὶ ἐπεὶ τὰ πραττόμενα ἀπὸ διαθέσεως γίνεται καὶ ἀπὸ νοήσεως "3καρδία"3 λεγομένης, λέγεται δὲ ὁ σοφὸς καρδίαν ἔχειν εἰς δεξιάν, ὁ δὲ ἄφρων εἰς ἀριστεράν, ὧδε οὐ λαμβάνομεν τόπους σωμάτων. ὁ σοφὸς δὲ νοῦν ἔχει δεξιῶς̣ ν̣ο̣οῦντα, σύνεσιν ἔχει περ̣ὶ τῶν νοητῶν. καρδία δὲ ἄφρονος ἀριστερά ἐστιν, περὶ τὰ ὑλικὰ στρέφεται μόνα. πολλάκις δὲ κεῖται ἐν γραφαῖς ἡ ἀριστερὰ οὐκ ἐπὶ ψόγου, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ ἐλαττώσεως, ὡς ἐν τῷ ᾄσματι τῶν ᾀσμάτων λέγει ὅτι· "εὐώνυμος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλήν μου, καὶ δεξιὰ αὐτοῦ περιλήμψεταί με". καὶ π̣ερ̣ὶ 310 τη῀̣ς σοφίας εἴρηται· "μῆκος γὰρ βίου καὶ ἔτη ζωῆς ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ"-μῆκος δὲ τὰ ἀθάνατα, τὰ μὴ καταλυόμενα-, "ἐν δὲ τῇ ἀριστερᾷ αὐτῆς πλοῦτον κ̣αὶ δόξαν". δίδωσιν δὲ πλοῦτον τὸν αἰσθητόν. ἀριστερᾶς δὲ τῆς σοφίας