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being, and very few in number; and by this He shows the power of the one who promised; for even though they were so few, He was able to grant them dominion over so much land. 13. "And they passed from nation to nation, and from a kingdom to another people." For the patriarchs continued as sojourners, and were not established in one 80.1713 place; but now here, now there, moving their tents. 14. "He did not let man wrong them." For He showed them to be stronger than those who attempted to wrong them. "And He rebuked kings for their sake." 15. "Do not touch my anointed ones, and do no harm to my prophets." Thus He chastised Pharaoh with great and terrible punishments concerning Sarah, the wife of Abraham. Thus at night He terrified Abimelech, saying: Behold, you are a dead man because of Sarah, the wife of Abraham; for she is married to a man. Thus He made Isaac venerable to those who at that time inhabited Palestine. Thus He threatened Laban when he was pursuing him with murderous intent: "See to it," He said, "that you do not speak harshly against my servant Jacob." He calls them anointed, not as having been anointed with oil, but as having become chosen ones. And God Himself also called Abraham a prophet: "For return," He said, "the wife to the man, for he is a prophet; and he will pray for you, and you will be saved." 16. "And He called a famine upon the land." Sin draws down chastisement; and chastisement reproves the bestial life; and reproof brings about a change of life. Therefore He brought on the famine because of the lawless life of the people of that time; but nevertheless, even so He took care of His own servants. "He broke every staff of bread." That is, He has made everything that can provide nourishment to be scarce; not only wheat, but also barley, and legumes, and the other things by which people live. 17. "He sent a man before them; Joseph was sold as a slave." He revealed both things at the same time, both the wickedness of the brothers, and His own wisdom; for He used their evil for a necessary purpose. For He did not compel them to sell their brother, but He gave way to their malevolence. But He, using this for a necessary purpose, made the slave a king, and ordained the descent into Egypt for the family. For it was necessary for those who were to be called the people of God to become renowned and conspicuous through the wonders performed on their behalf. For the care shown to them proclaimed their God, and illuminated the hearers with the light of the knowledge of God. 18. "They humbled his feet in fetters, iron pierced his soul." For after the false accusation of adultery, he lived in the prison, and immediately, as was likely, they put iron bonds on him. Symmachus, however, has stated this thus, 80.1716 His soul went into iron, instead of, He was in danger even to the point of being slaughtered. 19. "Until his word came to pass, the oracle of the Lord tested him." And he endured all these things, being tested like gold; not so that the God of all, who knows all things before their creation, might learn the genuineness of Joseph's virtue; but so that He might show his philosophy to other men, and set forth an archetype of truth. 20, 21. "The king sent and released him; the ruler of the people, and set him free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions." And showing the benefit from this dispensation, he added: 22. "To instruct his princes as himself, and to make his elders wise." For having become distinguished to the king through the interpretation of the dreams, and having obtained the authority, he led the others to the knowledge of God, not using words only, but also by his works drawing them to the same piety. 23. "And Israel entered into Egypt, and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham." This, he says, was the reason for the patriarch's journey into Egypt. He calls Egypt the land of Ham, since Mizraim was the second son of Ham. "For Ham," he says, "begot Cush his firstborn, and Mizraim his brother."

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οὖσι, καὶ σφόδρα εὐαριθμήτοις· δηλοῖ δὲ διὰ τούτου τοῦ ὑπισχνου μένου τὴν δύναμιν· ὅτι καί τοι οὕτως ὀλίγοις τοσαύτης γῆς δεσποτείαν παρέχειν ἠδύνατο. ιγʹ. "Καὶ διῆλθον ἐξ ἔθνους εἰς ἔθνος, καὶ ἐκ βα σιλείας εἰς λαὸν ἕτερον." Παροικοῦντες γὰρ οἱ πατριάρχαι διετέλεσαν, καὶ οὐδὲ ἐφ' ἑνὸς ἱδρύμενοι 80.1713 τόπου· ἀλλὰ νῦν μὲν ὧδε, νῦν δὲ ἐκεῖ τὰς σκηνὰς μεταφέροντες. ιδʹ. "Οὐκ ἀφῆκεν ἄνθρωπον ἀδικῆσαι αὐτούς." Κρείττους γὰρ αὐτοὺς τῶν ἀδικιῶν πειραθέντων ἀπέφηνεν. "Καὶ ἤλεγξεν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν βασι λεῖς." ιεʹ. "Μὴ ἅπτεσθε τῶν χριστῶν μου, καὶ ἐν τοῖς προφήταις μου μὴ πονηρεύσεσθε." Οὕτω τὸν Φαραὼ ἤτασεν ἐτασμοῖς μεγάλοις καὶ φοβεροῖς περὶ Σάῤῥας τῆς γυναικὸς Ἀβραάμ. Οὕτω νύκτωρ τὸν Ἀβιμέλεχ ἐξεδειμάτωσεν εἰρηκώς· Ἰδοὺ σὺ ἀποθνήσκεις περὶ Σάῤῥας τῆς γυναικὸς Ἀβραάμ· αὕτη δέ ἐστιν συνῳκηκυῖα ἀνδρί. Οὕτω τὸν Ἰσαὰκ αἰδέσιμον τοῖς τηνικαῦτα τὴν Παλαιστίνην οἰκοῦσιν ἀπέφηνεν. Οὕτω φονῶντι τῷ Λάβαν ἠπείλησεν· "Ὅρα γὰρ, ἔφη, μὴ λαλήσῃς σκληρὰ κατὰ τοῦ παιδός μου Ἰακώβ." Χριστοὺς δὲ προσαγορεύει, οὐχ ὡς ἐλαίῳ κεχρισμένους, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐκλεκτοὺς γενομέ νους. Προφήτην δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ προσηγόρευσεν· "Ἀπόδος γὰρ, ἔφη, τὴν γυναῖκα τῷ ἀνδρὶ, ὅτι προφήτης ἐστί· καὶ προσεύξεται περὶ σοῦ, καὶ σωθήσῃ." ιʹ. "Καὶ ἐκάλεσε λιμὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν." Ἡ ἁμαρ τία τὴν παιδείαν ἐφέλκεται· ἡ δὲ παιδεία τὸν θηριώδη βίον ἐλέγχει· ὁ δὲ ἔλεγχος τὴν τοῦ βίου μεταβολὴν πραγματεύεται. Τὸν τοίνυν λιμὸν ἐπήγαγε διὰ τὸν παράνομον βίον τῶν τηνικαῦτα ἀνθρώπων· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ οὕτω τῶν οἰκείων θεραπόντων ἐπεμελήθη. "Πᾶν στήριγμα ἄρτου συνέτριψεν." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Πᾶν διαθρέψαι δυνάμενον σπανίσαι πεποίηκεν· οὐ μόνον σῖτον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κριθὰς, καὶ ὄσπρια, καὶ τ' ἄλλα δι' ὧν βιοτεύουσιν ἄνθρωποι. ιζʹ. "Ἀπέστειλεν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν ἄνθρωπον, εἰς δοῦλον ἐπράθη Ἰωσήφ." Ἀμφότερα κατὰ ταυτὸν ἐδήλωσε, καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τὴν μοχθηρίαν, καὶ τὴν αὑτοῦ σοφίαν· τῇ γὰρ ἐκείνων εἰς δέον ἐχρήσατο πονηρίᾳ. Οὐ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐκείνους ἠνάγκα σεν ἀπεμπολῆσαι τὸν ἀδελφὸν, ἀλλὰ τῇ κακοηθείᾳ μὲν τῇ ἐκείνων ἐνδέδωκεν. Αὐτὸς δὲ εἰς δέον ταύτῃ χρησάμενος, βασιλέα τὸν δοῦλον ἀπέφηνε, καὶ τῷ γένει τὴν εἰς Αἴγυπτον κάθοδον ἐπρυτάνευσεν. Ἔδει γὰρ τοὺς λαὸν Θεοῦ μέλλοντας χρηματίζειν, περι φανεῖς γενέσθαι καὶ περιβλέπτους διὰ τῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν γινομένων θαυμάτων. Ἡ γὰρ εἰς αὐτοὺς γινομένη κηδεμονία τὸν τούτων Θεὸν ἀνεκήρυττε, καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας τῷ φωτὶ τῆς θεογνωσίας κατ έλαμψεν. ιηʹ. "Ἐταπείνωσαν ἐν πέδαις τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ, σίδηρον διῆλθεν ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ." Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν τῆς μοιχείας συκοφαντίαν, τὸ δεσμωτήριον ᾤκησε, καὶ παραυτίκα ὡς εἰκὸς περιέθηκαν αὐτῷ τὰ ἐκ σιδήρου δεσμά. Τοῦτο μέντοι ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτως εἴρηκεν, 80.1716 Εἰς σίδηρον διῆλθεν ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Μέ χρι σφαγῆς ἐκινδύνευσεν. ιθʹ. "Μέχρι τοῦ ἐλθεῖν τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ, τὸ λόγιον Κυρίου ἐπύρωσεν αὐτόν." Ταῦτα δὲ ὑπέμεινεν ἅπαντα χρυσοῦ δίκην δοκιμαζόμενος· οὐχ ἵνα τὸ ἀκίβδηλον τῆς τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἀρετῆς ὁ τῶν ὅλων μάθῃ Θεὸς, ὁ γινώσκων τὰ πάντα πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν· ἀλλ' ἵνα τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις τὴν ἐκείνου φιλοσοφίαν δείξῃ, καὶ ἀρχέτυπον ἀληθείας προθῇ. κʹ, καʹ. "Ἀπέστειλε βασιλεὺς, καὶ ἔλυσεν αὐτόν· ἄρχων λαοῦ, καὶ ἀφῆκεν αὐτόν. Κατέστησεν αὐτὸν κύριον τοῦ οἴκου αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἄρχοντα πάσης τῆς κτήσεως αὑτοῦ." Καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας ὠφέλειαν δεικνὺς, ἐπήγαγε· κβʹ. "Τοῦ παιδεῦσαι τοὺς ἄρχοντας αὐτοῦ ὡς ἑαυτὸν, καὶ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους αὐτοῦ σοφίσαι." Ἐπίσημος γὰρ διὰ τῆς τῶν ὀνείρων ἑρμηνείας τῷ βασιλεῖ γενόμενος, καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν λαχὼν, εἰς θεογνωσίαν ἐποδήγει τοὺς ἄλλους, οὐ λόγοις μόνοις χρώμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν εὐσέβειαν ἐφελκόμενος. κγʹ. "Καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Ἰσραὴλ εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ Ἰακὼβ παρῴκησεν ἐν γῇ Χάμ." Αὕτη, φησὶν, ἡ πρόφασις ἐγένετο τῷ πατριάρχῃ τῆς εἰς Αἴγυπτον, ἐκδημίας. Γῆν δὲ Χὰμ τὴν Αἴγυπτον ὀνομάζει, ἐπει δὴ ὁ Μεσρὲμ υἱὸς τοῦ Χὰμ ἐγένετο δεύτερος. "Χὰμ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐγέννησεν τὸν Χοὺς πρωτότοκον, καὶ Μεσρὲμ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ."