八書卷問答（創世記至路得記） 第 1 章 第 15/17 段

'This day I begin to exalt you before the sons of Israel.'

This too came to pass in the truth.

For just as Joshua the son of Nun was shown, by the miracle at the Jordan, to be a man beloved of God;

so also our Jesus, after the Jordan and John's baptism, began his teaching and his miracles.

But perhaps to some it seems unfitting that the words, 'This day I begin to exalt you,' should be applied to our Lord and Savior.

But let them hear him speaking to the Father:

'Father, glorify me with the glory which I had with you before the world was.'

'Wherefore God also highly exalted him, and graciously gave him the name which is above every name.'

But being exalted, he did not receive what he did not have, but rather showed what he already had;

for although it was unknown that he is the Son of the God of all, he was shown to be so, when the Father said at the Jordan:

'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'

The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord also prefigured John the Baptist;

for he too was a priest, and the son of a high priest.

Just as, then, when the priests carried the ark and entered the Jordan first, and after them all the people crossed over together with Joshua the prophet and commander, so also, when the great John began to baptize, and Jesus the Savior sanctified the nature of the waters, the pious people, through the all-holy baptism, enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Moreover, the twelve men and the equal number of stones also prefigured the divine company of the apostles, for they themselves are both builders and foundation;

'built,' as it says, 'upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.'

And again the same apostle said:

'As a wise master-builder I have laid a foundation.'

The word 'heap,' however, Symmachus rendered 'a bulging skin.'

For the rushing waters, being held back, were as it were made to swell and rise to a peak;

for the boundary set by the Creator held it back more firmly than any wall of adamant.

Now the crossing took place before the Passover;

for having crossed on the tenth day, they kept the feast of the Passover on the fourteenth.

since in the truth also, after the saving baptism, comes the partaking of the spotless Lamb.

How is one to understand the statement, 'He circumcised the sons of Israel a second time'? This saying above all prefigures the truth.

For upon those who had received the Mosaic circumcision, the heralds of the gospels bestowed the spiritual circumcision;

'Believe,' they said, 'and let each of you be baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall receive the promise of the Holy Spirit.'

This the divine apostle called a circumcision not made with hands.

'in the spirit, not in the letter.'

Those, then, of Jewish origin who had believed in the Savior, already possessing the Mosaic circumcision, received in addition the spiritual one.

The phrase 'a second time,' then, prefigures this truth;

for it is among the impossible things for the flesh to be circumcised twice.

But the surface meaning of the letter indicates the following:

that just as God had given this law to Abraham from the beginning, so a second time he commanded Joshua to circumcise those who were uncircumcised.

It is worthy of lament that the Jews are unable to perceive how those who were circumcised perished, falling into various punishments, while the uncircumcised were preserved alive;

and the fathers perished, while the children received the promise.

So too we, being children, await the kingdom of heaven;

but the Jews, though occupying the rank of the fathers, fell short of the eternal goods, and were cast out of kinship with the patriarchs.

They ought, then, to have learned from these things that the matter of circumcision was not always necessary.

For the Master God, having foretold to Abraham the length of the sojourning, commanded that he be circumcised;

but of those who had been delivered from the slavery of the Egyptians and were living in the wilderness, he did not demand the observance of this law, nor did he exact the penalty for its transgression,

since, living by themselves and free from mixing with foreign nations, they had no need of the sign of circumcision.

But when at last he led them into the promised land, he commanded them to be circumcised, so that mixing with others might not corrupt their piety.

For even if it happened that someone fell into some deception, it was easy to see the sign and to recognize the flock;

for sheep that are marked with a seal, even if they are lost, are easily found.

It was likely, then, that those who spent so long a time in the wilderness did not have many knives made of iron.

Moreover, the knives of stone also prefigure our circumcision;

for the Master Christ is the Rock;

'for they drank,' as it says, 'from the spiritual Rock that followed them;'

and the same one is also called a sword;

'for the word of God,' it says, 'is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword.'

And his saving teaching offers us spiritual circumcision.

The narrative, however, teaches that many even of those born in Egypt did not receive circumcision, since it is likely that those who had begotten them, out of fear because of the killing of the infants, were afraid to have circumcision performed on them.

But all, so to speak, except for a few, who were born in the wilderness remained uncircumcised.

The place was named Gilgal, and the name signifies freedom.

Then the God of all said:

'Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.'

The saying signifies the deliverance from Egyptian slavery and impiety, and the reception of the promised land.

And we too learn from this that whoever is counted worthy of most holy baptism, and receives the spiritual circumcision, puts off the reproach of sin.

Who is to be understood as the commander-in-chief of the LORD's host? Some say that it was God the Word who appeared;

but I think it was Michael the archangel.

For when they had transgressed, the God of all said:

'I will by no means go up with you, because the people are stiff-necked; but I will send my angel before your face, ahead of you.'

This one, I think, is the one who now appeared to Joshua, encouraging him and signifying beforehand the divine help.

{ How then did he make use of the divine words? For he said, 'Loose the sandal from your feet;'

'for the place on which you stand is holy.'

Since the God of all said to him, 'As I was with Moses, so I will be with you also,'

for this reason he too hears what that man heard, so that he might become more courageous, as having attained the same dignity.

Just as he commanded them to offer the firstfruits of the produce, so he also commanded them to offer the choicest portion of the spoils.

And besides this, he also trains them through these laws, so that they might keep the necessary laws.

And displaying to them his own power, he caused the first city to be taken without weapons or siege engines, and brought it down by the sound of trumpets alone;

so that, whenever they should be defeated while drawn up for battle, they might know that they themselves had furnished the occasions of defeat, by despising the divine laws.

Why in the world, though Rahab was a foreigner, did she come to dwell among the sons of Israel, as the history teaches? This too prefigures what pertains to us.

'And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those also I must bring, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.'

For this reason also, when giving the law, he said:

'There shall be one law for the sojourner and for the native-born.'

For this reason not even Moses the lawgiver forbade those of the Egyptians who wished to depart together with them.

And it was also necessary that, like a wild olive, it be grafted into the good olive tree, as the blessed Paul says.

What is meant by, 'In his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and in his youngest he shall set up its gates'? Since he had devoted the city to God, he fittingly razed it to the ground;

considering it improper that what had been assigned to God should become a common dwelling.

And he pronounced a curse upon those who would build it, so that whoever should attempt to transgress that boundary, in laying its foundations, would lose his firstborn son;

and whoever should set up its gates, would lose his youngest.

And the history of the Kingdoms also recalls this curse.

Why in the world, when Achar had stolen, was the whole people disciplined? The thief supposed that, just as he had escaped the notice of men, so he would also escape the notice of God.

He wished, then, both to expose that man, and to instill fear in all, so that those who keep the divine laws might expose those who transgress them, since they too would share in the punishment about to be inflicted.

And Aquila rendered 'the plain [garment]' as 'robe';

and 'the tongue [of gold]' he rendered as 'a golden ingot'.

And it is clear from this too, that the valley called by the prophets 'the Valley of Achor' is the very one in which Achar was stoned.

For indeed 'Emek-achor' is translated 'the ravine of Achor'.

For since they had taken the first city by the sound of trumpets alone, it was altogether fitting that they should now learn to strive and labor, and to await the divine help.

Accordingly, he immediately came to their aid as they fought, and consumed all who had fled with thunderbolts and hail.

As for the javelin with which Joshua roused those lying in ambush, Josephus interpreted it as a 'shield', and likewise also Symmachus.

Some accuse the prophet of cruelty, because he utterly destroyed everyone without exception and crucified the kings.

He who accuses the prophet accuses the one who commanded these things.

For he himself, through Moses the lawgiver, commanded that all who inhabited that land be utterly destroyed without exception;

since they had done things worthy of utter destruction, and had driven their lawlessness to the furthest extreme.

For this reason he also brought the flood in ancient times, and consumed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire;

and the prophet also commanded the leaders to place their feet upon the necks of the kings, so that, taking courage, they might array themselves for battle more eagerly.

This also our Lord Jesus commanded.

'Behold,' he said, 'I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy.'

May it be granted to us also to set our feet upon the necks of the opposing spirits.

And though it was necessary to inquire of the Master God, and only then to make covenants with them;

having believed their false words, they were persuaded, and confirmed the covenants with an oath.

But the God of all had commanded that all those [peoples] be given over to death.

Caught, then, between the divine commandment and the oaths, he made them servants of the sacred ministry.

But to minister to God is not a dishonor, but rather the greatest honor.

And it was also necessary that Noah's prophecy should reach its fulfillment.

For he said, 'Cursed be the boy Canaan; he shall be a servant to his brothers.'

And in the Gibeonites this prophecy received its fulfillment.

It is clear from this too, that some other, later writer composed this book, taking his materials from another book.

And this too prefigures the wonder-working of the Savior;

for just as the sun stood still while the prophet fought, so also, when our Savior was destroying death by death, the sun withheld its rays and filled the world with darkness at midday.

How is one to understand the statement, 'it was from the LORD to harden their hearts, so that they would meet Israel in battle, that they might be utterly destroyed, and that no mercy might be shown them, so that they might be annihilated, just as the LORD said to Moses'? Concerning the other nations God had legislated for Israel as follows:

namely, that if, while they were besieging a city, its inhabitants should send an embassy and seek to embrace friendship, they should accept the embassy, lift the siege, and conclude peace.

The passage therefore teaches us that God, who governs all things by weight and measure, permitted these nations to array themselves against the people, so that they might be granted no mercy at all, but be destroyed according to the divine decree.

For to those beyond the Jordan Moses apportioned the land;

but to those on this side of the Jordan, Joshua apportioned it.

And those who received their portions through Moses bear the type of the Jews;

while those who received theirs through Joshua bear the type of the believing Gentiles.

And since Israel is the firstborn, the firstborn tribes received their portions through Moses: Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh.

Yet these too crossed over, armed and ready, ahead of the others.

For those from among the Jews who believed brought salvation to the Gentiles.

Nevertheless, the Jebusites and Canaanites and other foreign nations were still left remaining, and dwelt together with Israel.

And the truth of this type too can be found fulfilled.

For not all received the saving word, but both Jews and Greeks persisted in contradicting it, though dwelling in the same cities and villages as we do.

One would not err in calling them Canaanites and Hittites and Jebusites.

Worthy of this same designation also are those who practice the abominable doctrines of the heresies.

For this very reason the divine apostle also said:

But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

Why on earth did Caleb ask for Hebron? Adorned with piety, he set that city before all others, the city in which the most excellent patriarchs had sojourned and been given over to burial.

His statement makes clear that after warring for a period of seven years, they divided the land.

I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and now the Lord has sustained me just as he said.

This is the forty-fifth year since the Lord spoke to Moses.

After God's sentence against the six hundred thousand, they spent thirty-eight years continuing to live in the wilderness.

Seven, then, is what remains to make up the eighty-five.

This the Master of all had also foretold beforehand through the most divine Moses:

If the Lord your God brings you into the land which he promised to your fathers, after seven years you shall read this law to all the people.

It is fitting to note that he calls Jerusalem by the name Jebus.

Simeon, in accordance with his father's prophecy, received a scattered inheritance;

for, it says, his inheritance was in the midst of the portion of the sons of Judah.

Then, having named the cities, he added:

This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, because the portion of the inheritance of the sons of Judah was too great for them;

and so the sons of Simeon received their inheritance in the midst of their portion.

Why is it that the most divine Joshua, after distributing the land to the others, did not assign an inheritance to himself, but received Timnath-serah from the people? In this too he imitates the Master's moderation.

For, he says, learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

And he embraced the most extreme poverty, to the point of not even having a house of his own.

For, it says, the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.

Since, then, the Joshua who bears the same name was a type of him, he did not assign an inheritance to himself, but accepted the one that was offered to him;

thereby teaching those entrusted with any position of authority to be concerned not for their own comfort, but for the benefit of those under them.

Why on earth did he assign the priests their cities within the tribe of Judah, and of Benjamin, and of Simeon? Even while making their journey in the wilderness, they had been joined together with the tribe of Judah.

For both the priests and the tribe of Judah were allotted the eastern section;

and here again they were allotted their inheritance together with the tribe of Judah, since an intermingling of these tribes had also come about.

For Aaron, the first high priest, took to wife the daughter of Amminadab;

and Jehoiada, the most renowned high priest, took the sister of Ahaziah.

The Master God permitted these tribes to intermingle, since the one who was to spring forth from Judah according to the flesh was to be styled not only king, but also high priest.

It was also necessary for them to dwell within the tribe of Benjamin;

since the divine temple was destined to be built within that tribe's territory.

They also received some cities from the tribe of Simeon;

since their portion also lay near the temple.

For just as he assigned the tithes of the fruits of the earth and of the flocks to the priests and the Levites,

so likewise he ordained that a kind of tithe of the cities also be given to them.

Indeed, the patriarch Jacob had promised to give these tithes to God.

For, he said, of all that you give me, I will surely give a tenth of it back to you.

The people, then, were paying off an ancestral debt, not offering a gift.

Moreover, in addition to this, he also retained possession of their portion of the land.

When, however, the war had ceased and the division had taken place, those who had received their portions beyond the river were dismissed; but before crossing the river, they built a very great altar.

But those of the nine tribes, not knowing the purpose of the building, and supposing the building to be the beginning of impiety, wished to march against them with the whole people, preferring piety to kinship;

but the all-wise Joshua and Eleazar sent Phinehas, as one who had displayed zeal against impiety in the wilderness;

so that he might both remind them of their forefathers and of the God-given blessings, and put a stop to the transgression that had been ventured.

But when they had gone and learned that the innovation had not been ventured for the sake of a rival cult, but perceived that the altar which had been made was to be called a memorial of communion in true piety,

so that their descendants might have it to point to as a proof against those who might try to exclude them from the divine festivals, they returned rejoicing and praising God for the piety of their brethren and for the common peace of all.

This too the Jews of today ought to know and to say: that their altar was not the true altar, but prefigured the true one.

But when the prophet was about to depart from this life, he called everyone together and gave them fitting exhortation, that they should make no marriage alliance with the natives of the land, since such intermingling provides occasions for impiety;

He also added threats to his exhortation:

For, he says, if you do this, know that the Lord will no longer continue to destroy these nations from before your face;

...to you, and become as thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

These things the history of the Judges has taught us more clearly.

We have also learned the reason why, in accordance with the divine promise, they did not receive dominion over the whole land.

For having embraced kinship with the impious nations, and having imitated their impiety, they were stripped bare of divine providence, and were compelled to serve them.

Wonderful and philosophical also is his statement concerning death:

For, he said, I am going the way of all the earth.

He also demonstrates to them the truthfulness of the divine prediction:

And you shall know in your heart and in your soul that not one word has failed of all the good words which the Lord our God spoke concerning us;

all that he spoke to us, he has given to us;

not one of them has failed to come to pass.

The truth, he says, of the divine promises you have learned from the benefits received.

Therefore, from this learn also the truthfulness of the threats.

And it shall come to pass that, just as all the good words which he spoke to you have come upon you,

so likewise the Lord will bring upon you all the evil words, until he destroys you from this good land which the Lord has given you, when you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded us.

And teaching that these words were not of human origin, he added:

For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel.

And he calls to mind Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor;

and he has mentioned Nahor on account of the maternal lineage.

For from him came Rebecca and Leah and Rachel.

Then he teaches that Terah served other gods, and that for this reason the sovereign God, having separated Abraham, transferred him to that land.

He has also added Jacob's entry into Egypt, and the exodus that took place through Moses;

and the wonder of the sea, and the sojourn in the wilderness, and the utter destruction of the Amorites;

and the schemes of Balak, and the blessings Balaam pronounced contrary to his own intention;

and the strange crossing of the river, and the destruction of the enemies who rose up against them, and their enjoyment of goods of every kind.

And he exhorts them to be freed from servitude to foreign gods, and to serve only the God who made and saved them.

And he has set before them also a choice;

for he says, 'Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.'

Having thus set this choice before the others, he himself displayed the piety of his own resolve;

'But I and my house will serve the Lord, for he is holy.'

Then, when the people had renounced the worship of the falsely-named gods and had promised to serve only the God who had saved them, the most divine Joshua took up the matter and said to them:

'You will not be able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God;'

'and being jealous over you, he will not forgive your transgressions and your sins, whenever you forsake the Lord and serve other gods;'

'and coming upon you he will afflict you and utterly consume you, in return for the good he did for you.'

He means: do not expect that, even while transgressing the law, you will enjoy the same good things.

For the sovereign God knows how not only to do good, but also to punish those who transgress.

And when they had accepted this proposal as well, and had promised to serve the Lord, he necessarily added:

'You are witnesses against yourselves, that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.'

The narrative also taught this: that after exhorting them to be freed from the worship of foreign gods, and legislating concerning piety, he did not leave these things unrecorded, but preserved a written memorial of them.

Why, after setting up the stone, did he say:

'This stone shall be a witness to you, for it has heard all the words which the Lord spoke to you this day.' The stone, indeed, is inanimate;

but for the reproof of living and rational beings, testimony is borne through inanimate things;

and he also made use of the ancient custom,

for Jacob and Laban, when they made their covenant, called the heap of stones a witness of the covenant.

The narrative also teaches how much benefit a pious and God-loving ruler brings;

for it says, 'Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the works of the Lord which he did for Israel.'

But after their death, they turned aside to impiety;

for this is also what the conclusion of the narrative taught.

But they paid the penalty for their impiety;

for being stripped of divine care, they were subjected to the yoke of servitude, and had as their master the king of the Moabites.

But the Lord who loves mankind, remembering the promise made to their fathers, limited their servitude to a period of eighteen years.

I think, however, that the beginning of this narrative is a recapitulation of the things accomplished by Joshua the son of Nun.

For it also mentions Adonibezek, and the war against him, and his defeat and destruction;

and it also mentions Hebron, how it was allotted to Caleb, and the destruction of the three giants, Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, whom it named as descendants of Anak.

It is likely that their destruction was foretold at that time, but that the prediction came to fulfilment later.

For at one time they were victorious, and at another they were defeated;

and at one time they ruled over the foreigners, and at another they were enslaved to them.

It is clear, then, that after Jerusalem had been burned down, the Jebusites rebuilt it again, taking advantage of the people's misfortune.

I think, moreover, that this book was composed at a later time, using as evidence the fact that the narrative calls this city Jerusalem;

for it was only later that it received this appellation, having previously been called Jebus.

What is meant by 'Give me a release of water, both a release of the upper lands and a release of the lower lands'? Those associated with Symmachus rendered it 'an irrigation of water';

and instead of 'the lower lands', they translated 'the level lands'.

She was prompted by Othniel her husband to ask for a field;

so then she asked for an irrigation of water;

and she received, just as she had asked, not only level land, but also hill country.

For the phrase 'according to her heart' signifies that which was to her heart's desire.

He has called the hill country 'the upper lands', and the level plains 'the lower lands'.

How is it that here he has named the lawgiver's father-in-law Jobab, when in those earlier narratives he was named Jethro and Raguel? I have already said that Jobab was the son of that man;

and it has called him 'father-in-law' because he was the brother of his wife.

For indeed, even now, many people call such kinsmen by the name of 'father-in-law'.

The children of Jobab, then, are the grandchildren of Jethro.

Which city does he call 'the city of palm trees'? Jericho.

I think it is given this name because of the fruit of the palm trees.

For indeed, in the book preceding this one, as soon as the people had crossed the Jordan, the author said:

'They ate unleavened bread from the produce of the land, and on that very day the manna ceased, after they had eaten of the grain of the land;'

'and the sons of Israel no longer had manna;'

for in that year they consumed the produce of the land of palm trees.

And indeed the second book of Chronicles, in recounting those whom the ten tribes had taken captive from the tribe of Judah, spoke as follows:

'and they placed them in Jericho, the city of palm trees, near their brothers.'

'Judah, and it inherited the hill country, for it was not able to dispossess the inhabitants of the valley, because Rechab had charged them.' As for Rechab, sacred Scripture makes mention of him in many places as a man of exceeding piety;

and that his piety extended even to his descendants;

he says that this man advised the tribe of Judah to leave the valley and dwell in the hill country.

He himself was also of the tribe of Judah, as the book of Chronicles teaches.

I think he advised them to flee the valley because of the impiety of the surrounding peoples;

and moreover also because of its proximity to the sea,

for those who dwell near the sea both receive those who sail in from afar, and themselves also become eager for seafaring;

and the intermingling with foreigners corrupted their manner of life under the Law.

Why in the world did they not take all the cities, but a multitude of foreign nations dwelt among them? First, because of sluggishness they did not gain mastery of the whole land;

and then also because of covetousness;

For it says, 'They put the Canaanite to tribute,' and 'in driving him out he did not drive him out.'

And this the author said concerning each tribe.

And besides this, having transgressed the divine law and having served the gods of foreigners, they were stripped bare of divine providence.

For this very reason the all-wise Lord did not utterly destroy the whole race of the Canaanite nations, but allowed many of them to dwell as neighbors to them;

so that, being warred upon and forced to serve, they might perceive the harm that had come from their error, and might be joined to the God who had saved them, and enjoy the assistance that comes from him.

And that I say these things not by employing merely human reasonings, but having been taught by the history itself, I shall show at once.

For it says, 'The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim, and to Bethel, and to the house of Israel, from Gilgal.'

Now Gilgal was the name given to the place of the foreskins.