Chapter XLIII.

“Altogether absurd, and out of season,”813    ἔξωρον. he continues, “is the (account of the) begetting of children,” where, although he has mentioned no names, it is evident that he is referring to the history of Abraham and Sarah.  Cavilling also at the “conspiracies of the brothers,” he allies either to the story of Cain plotting against Abel,814    Cf. Gen. iv. 8. or, in addition, to that of Esau against Jacob;815    Cf. Gen. xxvii. 41. and (speaking) of “a father’s sorrow,” he probably refers to that of Isaac on account of the absence of Jacob, and perhaps also to that of Jacob because of Joseph having been sold into Egypt.  And when relating the “crafty procedure of mothers,” I suppose he means the conduct of Rebecca, who contrived that the blessing of Isaac should descend, not upon Esau, but upon Jacob.  Now if we assert that in all these cases God interposed in a very marked degree,816    ἄγχιστα δὲ τούτοις πᾶσι συμπολιτεύομενον. what absurdity do we commit, seeing we are persuaded that He never withdraws His providence817    θειότητα. from those who devote themselves to Him in an honourable and vigorous818    ἐῤῥωμένως. life?  He ridicules, moreover, the acquisition of property made by Jacob while living with Laban, not understanding to what these words refer:  “And those which had no spots were Laban’s, and those which were spotted were Jacob’s;”819    Cf. Gen. xxx. 42 (LXX.).  “The feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s” (Auth. Vers.). and he says that “God presented his sons with asses, and sheep, and camels,”820    Cf. Gen. xxx. 43. and did not see that “all these things happened unto them for ensamples, and were written for our sake, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”821    Cf. 1 Cor. x. 11.  The varying customs (prevailing among the different nations) becoming famous,822    παρ᾽ οἷς τὰ ποικίλα ἤθη ἐπίσημα γενόμενα, τῷ λογῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ πολιτεύεται, δοθέντα κτῆσις τῷ τροπικῶς καλουμένῳ ᾽Ιακώβ:  ἐπίσημα is the term employed to denote the “spotted” cattle of Laban, and is here used by Origen in its figurative sense of “distinguished,” thus playing on the double meaning of the word. are regulated by the word of God, being given as a possession to him who is figuratively termed Jacob.  For those who become converts to Christ from among the heathen, are indicated by the history of Laban and Jacob.

Ἀτοπωτάτην δὲ λέγει καὶ ἔξωρον παιδοποιΐαν, εἰ καὶ μὴ ὠνόμασε, δῆλον δ' ὅτι λέγων τὴν τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τῆς Σάρρας. Ῥίπτων δὲ καὶ τὰς τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐπιβουλὰς ἤτοι τὸν Κάϊν ἐπιβουλεύσαντα τῷ Ἄβελ λέγει ἢ πρὸς τούτῳ καὶ τὸν Ἠσαῦ τῷ Ἰακώβ· πατρὸς δὲ λύπην, τάχα μὲν καὶ τὴν Ἰσαὰκ ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ ἀποδημίᾳ τάχα δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ Ἰακὼβ διὰ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ πραθέντα εἰς Αἴγυπτον. Μητέρων δ' οἶμαι ἐνέδρας ἀναγράφοντα αὐτὸν δηλοῦν τὴν Ῥεβέκκαν, οἰκονομήσασαν τὰς τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ εὐχὰς μὴ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἠσαῦ ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰακὼβ φθάσαι. Ἄγχιστα δὲ τούτοιςπᾶσι συμπολιτευόμενον εἴ φαμεν τὸν θεόν, τί ἄτοπον πράσ σομεν πειθόμενοι μηδέ ποτε ἀφιστάνειν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ θειότητα τῶν μετὰ τοῦ καλῶς καὶ ἐρρωμένως βιοῦν αὐτῷ ἀνακει μένων; Ἐχλεύασε δὲ τὴν παρὰ τῷ Λάβαν κτῆσιν τοῦ Ἰακώβ, μὴ νοήσας, ἐπὶ τί ἀναφέρεται τὸ "Καὶ ἦν τὰ ἄσημα τοῦ Λάβαν, τὰ δὲ ἐπίσημα τοῦ Ἰακώβ", καί φησι τὸν θεὸν τοῖς υἱοῖς ὀνάρια καὶ προβάτια καὶ καμήλους δεδω ρῆσθαι· καὶ οὐχ ἑώρα ὅτι "Ταῦτα πάντα τυπικῶς συνέβαινεν ἐκείνοις, ἐγράφη δὲ δι' ἡμᾶς, εἰς οὓς τὰ τέλη τῶν αἰώνων κατήντησε"· παρ' οἷς τὰ ποικίλα ἔθνη "ἐπίσημα" γινόμενα τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ θεοῦ πολιτεύεται, δοθέντα κτῆσις τῷ τροπικῶς καλουμένῳ Ἰακώβ. Ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν ἐθνῶν οἱ εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύοντες ἐδηλοῦντο διὰ τῶν ἀναγεγραμμένων περὶ Λάβαν καὶ Ἰακώβ.