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two brothers, again an elder and a younger. And the one was a hunter, the elder, but the other a keeper of the house, the younger.” And this has a certain greater pleasure than the former, inasmuch as it also has a great reversal of fortune and they were greater in age. “These two brothers were also twins. But when they were born, the mother loved the younger, but the father the elder. And that one spent most of his time outside in the fields, but this one, the younger, at home. And once, he says, his father, having grown old, says to the one whom he loved: ‘Since, my child, I have grown old, go and prepare game for me;’ that is, catch a deer or a hare and bring it and cook it, ‘so that after I eat, I may bless you.’ But to the younger he said nothing of the sort. The mother, having heard the father say these things, calling the younger says to him: ‘My child, since your father has commanded your brother to bring him game, so that after eating he might bless him, listen to me; and indeed, go to the flock and take tender and good kids and bring them to me, and I will prepare them as your father likes, and you will bring them in to him, so that after eating he may bless you.’ But the father’s sight was dim from old age. So when the younger brought the kids, the mother cooked them and putting the food on a platter gave it to the child, and he brought it in. And she put goatskins around him, so that he would not be found out, since he was smooth, but his brother hairy, so that he might be able to escape notice and the father not perceive it; and so she sent him. And the father, thinking that it was truly the elder, after eating blessed him. Then after the blessing was completed, the elder comes bearing the game and, seeing what had happened, cried out and wept.” See how many good things are born from this; and do not go through the whole narrative; for see how many things are born from this. First, children hold their fathers in reverence and honor when they see how fought over the fathers’ blessing is, and they will choose to receive countless blows rather than to hear curses from their parents. For if a tale from someone so possesses their soul as to be thought worthy of belief, how would the truly real things not possess it and fill it with much fear? That one must despise the belly; for it is necessary to tell that part of the story, that he gained nothing from being the firstborn and elder; for through incontinence of the belly he betrayed the advantage of the birthright. Then when he has grasped this accurately, on another evening you will say to him again: “Tell me the story of those two brothers.” And if he begins to tell the one of Cain and Abel, lead him away and say: “I am not looking for this one, but that other one of the two, where the father gave a blessing.” And state the clues; for do not yet give the names. But when he has recounted the whole thing, weave in what follows and say: “Listen, then, to what happened after this. This one again sought to kill his brother, like that former one, and was waiting for the death of his father. The mother, having heard and become afraid, sent the child into exile.” Then the great philosophy, though surpassing the child’s understanding, is yet able with condescension to be planted even in the softness of a child’s mind, if we manage the narrative. So indeed we shall speak to him thus: “This brother departed and came to a certain place having no one with him, not a slave, not a nurse, not a tutor, not anyone else. Coming to a certain place he prayed and said: ‘Lord, give me bread and a garment and save me.’ Then, having said these things, from grief he fell asleep. And he saw in his sleep a ladder from earth to heaven and the angels of God ascending and descending and God himself standing above at its head and he said: ‘Bless me.’ And He blessed him and called him Israel.” And opportunely I have been reminded and another thought has now come to me from the name. What then is this? let us immediately furnish them with a zeal for virtue from the name.

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δύο ἀδελφοί, πρεσβύτερος πάλιν καὶ νεώτερος. Καὶ ὁ μὲν θηρατικὸς ἦν, ὁ πρεσβύτερος, ὁ δὲ οἰκουρός, ὁ νεώτερος.» Ἔχει δέ τινα τοῦτο καὶ πλείονα τοῦ προτέρου ἡδονήν, ὅσῳ καὶ πολλὴν τὴν περιπέτειαν καὶ μείζους ἦσαν τὴν ἡλικίαν. «Οὗτοι δὴ οἱ δύο ἀδελφοὶ ἦσαν καὶ δίδυμοι. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐτέχθησαν, τὸν μὲν μικρότερον ἡ μήτηρ ἐφίλει, τὸν μείζονα δὲ ὁ πατήρ. Κἀκεῖνος μὲν ἔξω τὰ πολλὰ διῆγεν ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς, οὗτος δέ, ὁ νεώτερος, ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας. Καί ποτε, φησίν, ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ γηράσας λέγει ἐκείνῳ ὃν ἐφίλει· «Ἐπειδή, τέκνον, ἐγήρασα, ἄπελθε καὶ ἑτοίμασόν μοι θήραν·» τουτέστιν συλλαβοῦ δορκάδα ἢ λαγωὸν καὶ φέρε καὶ ἕψησον, «ἵνα φαγὼν εὐλογήσω σε». Τῷ δὲ μικροτέρῳ τοιοῦτον οὐκ εἶπεν οὐδέν. Ἀκούσασα ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ πατρὸς ταῦτα λέγοντος, καλέσασα τὸν νεώτερόν φησιν πρὸς αὐτόν· «Τέκνον, ἐπειδὴ ὁ πατήρ σου τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου ἐπέταξεν, κομίσαι αὐτῷ θήραν, ἵνα φαγὼν εὐλογήσῃ αὐτόν, ἄκουσόν μου· καὶ δὴ βάδιζε ἐπὶ τὸ ποίμνιον καὶ λαβὼν ἐρίφους ἁπαλοὺς καὶ καλοὺς ἔνεγκέ μοι καὶ ἐγὼ ποιήσω ὡς φιλεῖ ὁ πατήρ σου καὶ εἰσοίσεις αὐτῷ, ἵνα φαγὼν εὐλογήσῃ σε.» Ὁ δὲ πατὴρ ἠμβλυώπει ἐκ τοῦ γήρως. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἤνεγκεν ὁ νεώτερος τοὺς ἐρίφους, ἥψησεν ἡ μήτηρ καὶ βαλοῦσα εἰς πίνακα τὰ ἐδέσματα ἔδωκεν τῷ παιδὶ καὶ εἰσήνεγκεν. Περιέβαλε δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ δέρματα αἰγῶν, ἵνα μὴ φωραθῇ, ἐπειδὴ οὗτος λεῖος ἦν, ὁ δὲ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ δασύς, ἵνα δυνηθῇ λαθεῖν καὶ μὴ αἴσθηται ὁ πατήρ· καὶ οὕτως αὐτὸν ἔπεμψεν. Ὁ δὲ πατὴρ νομίσας ὅτι ἀληθῶς ὁ πρεσβύτερός ἐστιν, φαγὼν εὐλόγησεν αὐτόν. Εἶτα μετὰ τὸ πληρωθῆναι τὴν εὐλογίαν ἔρχεται ὁ πρεσβύτερος φέρων τὴν θήραν καὶ ἰδὼν τὸ γενόμενον ἀναβοήσας ἔκλαυσεν.» Ὅρα πόσα ἀπὸ τούτου τίκτεται καλά· καὶ μὴ ἐπεξέλθῃς τῷ παντὶ διηγήματι· ὅρα γὰρ πόσα ἀπὸ τούτου τίκτεται. Πρῶτον ἐν αἰδοῖ καὶ τιμῇ τοὺς πατέρας ἔχουσιν οἱ παῖδες ὁρῶντες οὕτως περιμάχητον οὖσαν τὴν τῶν πατέρων εὐλογίαν καὶ αἱρήσονται μυρίας λαβεῖν πληγὰς ἢ κατάρας ἀκοῦσαι παρὰ τῶν γονέων. Εἰ γὰρ μῦθός τινος οὕτως αὐτῶν κατέχει τὴν ψυχὴν ὥστε νομίζεσθαι ἀξιόπιστος εἶναι, τὰ ὄντως ἀληθῆ πῶς οὐκ ἂν κατάσχῃ καὶ πολλοῦ φόβου ἐμπλήσῃ; Ὅτι χρὴ γαστρὸς καταφρονεῖν· δεῖ γὰρ κἀκεῖνο λέγειν τὸ διήγημα ὅτι οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ πρωτότοκον εἶναι καὶ πρεσβύτερον ἐκέρδανεν· διὰ γὰρ τὴν τῆς γαστρὸς ἀκρασίαν προέδωκε τὸ προτέρημα τῆς πρωτοτοκίας. Εἶτα ἐπειδὰν τοῦτο κατάσχῃ ἀκριβῶς, ἐν ἑτέρᾳ πάλιν ἑσπέρᾳ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτόν· «Εἰπέ μοι τὸ διήγημα τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐκείνων τῶν δύο.» Κἂν ἄρξηται λέγειν τὸ τοῦ Κάϊν καὶ Ἄβελ, ἄπαγε αὐτὸν καὶ εἰπέ· «Οὐ τοῦτο ζητῶ, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο τῶν ἄλλων δύο, ἔνθα εὐλόγησεν ὁ πατήρ.» Καὶ τὰ τεκμήρια λέγε· μηδέπω γὰρ τίθει τὰ ὀνόματα. Ἐπειδὰν δὲ διηγήσηται τὸ πᾶν, προσύφαινε τὰ ἑξῆς καὶ λέγε· «Ἄκουσον οὖν τί μετὰ ταῦτα ἐγένετο. Ἐζήτει πάλιν οὗτος ἀποκτεῖναι τὸν ἀδελφόν, ὡς ἐκεῖνος ὁ πρότερος, καὶ περιέμενε τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν τελευτήν. Ἀκούσασα ἡ μήτηρ καὶ φοβηθεῖσα ἐφυγάδευσε τὸ παιδίον.» Εἶτα ἡ πολλὴ φιλοσοφία τοῦ παιδίου τὴν διάνοιαν ὑπερβαίνουσα, δυναμένη μέντοι μετὰ συγκαταβάσεως καὶ εἰς τὸ τῆς παιδικῆς διανοίας ἁπαλὸν καταφυτευθῆναι, ἂν μεταχειρισώμεθα τὴν διήγησιν. Οὕτω δὴ οὖν ἐροῦμεν πρὸς αὐτόν· «Οὗτος ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἀπήρχετο καὶ ἦλθεν ἐπί τινα τόπον οὐδένα ἔχων μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ, οὐ δοῦλον, οὐ τροφέα, οὐ παιδαγωγόν, οὐκ ἄλλον οὐδένα. Ἐλθὼν ἐπί τινα τόπον ηὔξατο καὶ εἶπεν· «Κύριε, δός μοι ἄρτον καὶ ἱμάτιον καὶ διάσωσόν με.» Εἶτα καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἀπὸ τῆς λύπης ἐκοιμήθη. Καὶ εἶδεν ἐν ὕπνοις κλίμακα ἀπὸ γῆς ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀναβαίνοντας καὶ καταβαίνοντας καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Θεὸν ἄνω ἑστῶτα ἐπὶ κεφαλῆς καὶ εἶπεν· «Εὐλόγησόν με.» Καὶ εὐλόγησε καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὸν Ἰσραήλ.» Εὐκαίρως δὲ ἀνεμνήσθην καί με νῦν ὑπῆλθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀνόματος καὶ ἕτερόν τι νόημα. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; εὐθέως αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς προσηγορίας παρέχωμεν ἀρετῆς ζῆλον.