八書卷問答（創世記至路得記） 第 1 章 第 6/17 段

for since he employs deceptions of every kind, attempting to hunt down the deceived unto destruction, he likens him to a serpent lurking beside a path and doing harm to those who pass by:

and I think he calls the body 'the horse,' and the soul 'the rider':

and 'to fall backward,' that is, to lie face-up, signifies death:

for such is the posture of the dead.

And by 'the heel' he hinted at deceit:

for since he deceives some, but inflicts most grievous punishments on others, through the horse he signified the body, by whose being bitten and corrupted death comes about — bringing forth the fruits of hope to those who endure:

And the fruit of such hope is salvation.

He also foretells to Gad the plots that would befall him from the raids of robbers:

'A raiding band shall raid him,'

and he foretells also his coming victory:

'but he himself,' he says, 'shall raid them at their heels.'

Likewise, of Asher [he foretold] the grain-bearing land, and of Naphtali the increase into a multitude:

'a spreading stem, yielding beauty in its produce'

Then, having shown the envy against Joseph and the plots of every kind [made against him], he hymns the divine care, through which he overcame those who had warred against him:

'for their bows were shattered with might,' he says, 'and the sinews of the arms of their hands were unstrung, by the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob'

'thence is he who prevailed, Israel, from the God of your father,'

'and my God helped you, and blessed you with the blessing of heaven above, and the blessing of the earth that contains all things,'

'for the blessing of the breasts and the womb, the blessing of your father and your mother, you have prevailed beyond the blessing of the everlasting mountains and the desire of the eternal hills; they shall be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of him who was leader among his brothers.'

And through all these things he hymned his own God, who both showed him to be superior to the brother who had warred against him, and revealed the son to be unconquered though plotted against by so many brothers:

'And you have obtained this care,' he says, 'having received as a reward the fruit of your service to those who begot you:'

'for the blessing of the breasts and the womb, the blessing of your father and your mother'

for he had become a diligent caretaker of his father in old age,

and he says that the things done for him [Joseph] belonged in common to both him [Jacob] and the mother,

for she too would have enjoyed the same care, had she not departed this life too soon:

Then he prays for him renown, that he might become distinguished among all:

'you have prevailed,' he says, 'beyond the blessing of the everlasting mountains and the desire of the eternal hills:'

'they shall be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of him who was leader of his brothers'

Now Aquila rendered 'the dunes' as 'hills':

Since, then, both hills and mountains are seen from afar, he prays, in the same way, that he [Joseph] become well-known and the most conspicuous of all.

And Benjamin he called 'a ravenous wolf,' on account of the calamity that befell this tribe:

'in the morning he shall devour, and in the evening he shall distribute food.'

for having been victorious in the first and second engagements, they were later utterly destroyed, except for a very few, easily counted, whom their conquerors, taking pity on them, declined to give wives to on account of the oath, but contrived marriage for them by another means.

But it should be known that some have applied this prophecy to the divinely inspired Paul:

for like a wolf he ravaged the church, entering house by house;

but afterward he distributed spiritual food to the whole world.

When Jacob had said these things, and had signified his own death, the writer said:

'and having drawn his feet up onto the bed, he breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.'

And through these words he hinted at the hope of the resurrection:

And this the God of all also said to Abraham:

'but you shall go to your fathers in peace, having lived to a good old age.'

From this the Lord also refuted the unbelief of the Sadducees, saying:

But have you not read that the dead are raised?

'I am the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

How is one to understand the phrase 'they became an exceeding multitude'? He did not use this word contemptuously, as some have supposed, but rather to indicate their great number.

For thus it says, 'they grew,' so that they were poured out over all that land.

This is also how Aquila and his followers translated it.

What follows also makes this clear:

For it says, 'the land multiplied them.'

And the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong.

What is the meaning of, 'because the midwives feared God, he made houses for them'? When Pharaoh commanded that the male children be destroyed, they, out of reverence, would not comply with the law of infanticide; wherefore God, rewarding them, granted them an abundance of good things.

How did Pharaoh's daughter know that the child was a Hebrew? His circumcision made this evident.

From this it is clear that the Egyptians were not circumcised at that time;

but later, in emulation of the Hebrews, they embraced the law of circumcision.

For this reason the God of all also said through Jeremiah:

'I will punish all who are circumcised only in their foreskin, Egypt and the sons of Edom,' and so on.

Some say that an angel appeared to Moses in the bush. The reading of the passage itself shows who it was that appeared:

For it says, 'the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the bush.'

And when the Lord saw that he drew near to look, the Lord called to him out of the bush,

'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'

And Moses turned away his face,

for he was afraid to look upon God.

'I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry,' and so on.

'Thus shall you say to the sons of Israel:'

'He who is has sent me to you.'

Indeed, the whole passage shows that the one who appeared was God.

But it has also called him 'angel,' so that we might know that the one who appeared is not God the Father;

for whose messenger could the Father be? Rather, it is the only-begotten Son, the messenger of great counsel, who said to the holy disciples:

'All that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.'

Just as it has employed the name 'angel,' not signifying some subordinate ministry, but revealing the person of the Only-begotten,

so again it proclaims both his nature and his authority, saying that he declared:

'I am He who is, and I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;'

'this is my name forever, and my memorial to all generations.'

These words indicate the divine essence, and show both its eternity and its everlastingness.

What does it signify that the bush burned but was not consumed? It proclaims the power and loving-kindness of God, in that the unquenchable fire did not consume it, though it was but brushwood.

But I think that other things are also intimated by this.

Namely, that Israel, though plotted against by the Egyptians, would not be destroyed, but would prevail over those who warred against them.

And that the Only-begotten, having become man and having dwelt in a virgin womb, would keep that virginity undefiled.

Some say that God appeared in a bramble bush and not in some other plant, because no one could carve a god out of a bramble bush.

so that the Jews would not dare to attempt this, had he appeared in some other plant.

For the hides of sandals are dead things.

But some say that it was so that, with bare feet, he might sanctify the ground.

I, however, accept neither of these explanations;

for, in the first place, he had not yet been ordained either high priest or prophet;

and secondly, since God had consecrated the place and for this reason called it holy, I think it superfluous to say that Moses sanctified the place with his feet.

I therefore hold that two things are signified by this:

first, this word made him more reverent, so that he might hear what was being commanded with fear;

and second, he was thereby beforehand instructed how the priests ought to minister in the tabernacle.

For they too performed their ministrations and sacrifices with bare feet.

Since God foreknew Pharaoh's obstinacy, why then did he not punish him from the very beginning? That he foreknew it, [Scripture] has already shown:

For it says, 'I know that Pharaoh king of Egypt will not let you go, except by a mighty hand.'

'And I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians.'

But nevertheless, being good and loving toward mankind, he does not bear to punish on the basis of foreknowledge alone;

but he waits for the outcome of events, and shows to all the justice of the punishment.

Moreover, it is far more just that his wickedness be exposed than that God be thought harsh.

For if he had punished before the proofs were given, he would have seemed both cruel and unjust;

but as it is, both God's longsuffering has been made manifest, and that man's impiety and savagery have been exposed.

for the exposure of his savagery, and the manifestation of his malice.

For indeed, to the curse of the serpent he also added this:

'I will put enmity between you and the woman,' and so on.

What does the leprosy of the hand signify? The race of Jacob, having been reared in piety, entered into Egypt;

but there they learned the impiety of the Egyptians.

But once freed from their slavery, they came to know the God of all.

Therefore, by the alteration of the hand, he signified both their leprosy and their cleansing.

In addition to this, the Master God was also arranging for another matter: since he was about to establish the law concerning lepers, and to call them unclean,

but nothing involuntary is unclean;

arranging other things by means of these, he made use of these laws;

which, when we come to those passages, we shall explain, God willing.

He made the lawgiver's hand leprous, teaching those trained in perfect things that nothing of this sort is unclean.

For the right hand that worked those wonders, having first become leprous, went on to serve in the divine signs and to change the elements.

By this he also taught the lawgiver not to think too highly of himself, but to know his own nature, being reminded by the hand that had become leprous.

Since the Lord of all made use of Moses as his minister, why then did he form him to be weak of voice and slow of tongue? Because this all the more displayed the divine power.

For just as he ordained fishermen and tax-collectors and cobblers as heralds of truth and teachers of piety, so too, through a weak voice and a slow tongue, he put to shame the wise men of the Egyptians.

How is the saying 'I will harden the heart of Pharaoh' to be understood? It was quite easy for God, after the first disobedience, to bring total destruction upon him; but making use of ineffable long-suffering, he brought upon him only moderate chastisements.

But these chastisements made his heart resistant.

For thinking that God was not able to employ greater punishments, he despised the moderate scourges.

And that these things are so, the narrative teaches.

For first, having heard those divine words, 'Send forth my people, that they may worship me in the wilderness,' he responded by saying:

'Who is the Lord? I will not listen to his voice.'

'I do not know the Lord, and I will not send Israel away.'

Then, when the rod had been changed into a serpent, the divine Scripture says:

'And Pharaoh's heart grew strong, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to them.'

And the Lord said to Moses:

'Pharaoh's heart is weighed down, so as not to send the people away.'

Both expressions signify the self-determined character of his resolve: both 'Pharaoh's heart grew strong' and 'Pharaoh's heart is weighed down.'

For a heart is weighed down when it is dragged down by wickedness.

'For my iniquities,' it says, 'have risen higher than my head; like a heavy burden they weigh upon me.'

And Zechariah saw Iniquity bearing a talent of lead at its opening.

But the heart that indulges in recklessness is said to 'grow strong,' as resisting the Lord God, and audaciously boasting that it conquers his power.

For the pious heart submits itself, according to the prophetic exhortation which says, 'Submit yourself to the Lord, and supplicate him.'

But the resistant heart, as it were made of stone, is hardened.

Whence the God of all, through the prophet Ezekiel, said concerning the Jews:

'And I will pluck out the heart of stone from them.'

For this very reason also the blessed Moses, singing the victory song concerning Pharaoh and the Egyptians, said:

'They sank into the deep like a stone.'

'They sank like lead in the mighty water.'

For since they weighed down their own heart, they sank like lead.

And since they also hardened their heart, they sank into the deep like a stone.

That the resistance of the heart and its hardness come about by ourselves, the divine apostle is witness, saying:

'Not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance.'

'But according to your hardness and impenitent heart you are storing up for yourself wrath on the day of wrath and revelation and righteous judgment of God, who will render to each according to his works.'

In addition to these things, this too must be considered: that if Pharaoh had been wicked by nature, he would not have changed his resolve.

But now we see him softened by chastisement, yet hardened by long-suffering.

For when being chastised, he would entreat the lawgiver, saying, 'Pray for me,'

and again, 'The Lord is righteous, but I and my people are wicked.'

But when the punishment ceased, he grew heavy in heart and was hardened, and spoke against the divine commands.

And when the dog-fly was brought upon them, he ordered them to sacrifice to God in Egypt.

But when the most divine Moses said that this could not be done because of the Egyptians:

'For we will sacrifice,' he says, 'the very things which are deified by them, and they will stone us to death'; so he permitted them to go into the wilderness and perform the sacrifices.

Thereupon, when the prophet had prayed and made the dog-fly vanish, Scripture says that he weighed down his heart also at this time, and was not willing to send the people away.

This also happened at the pestilence of the cattle:

'Pharaoh saw,' it says, 'that not one of all the cattle of the sons of Israel had died, and Pharaoh's heart was weighed down, and he did not send the people away.'

Having shown in all these instances the self-determined character of his resolve, and having taught how the affliction of boils was brought upon them, and that the disease fell upon the sorcerers, and the sorcerers were not able to stand before Moses because of the sores,

for they were ashamed, being covered with sores and unable to help even themselves, he added:

'And the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had directed them'; and shortly afterward he said to Pharaoh himself:

'For this reason you have been preserved, that I might display my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.'

And again, shortly afterward, Scripture also said this:

'For Pharaoh, seeing,' it says, 'that the rain and the hail and the thunders had ceased, continued still to sin.'

The phrase 'just as he had spoken' indicates the foreknowledge of God — that is, the God of all was ignorant of none of these things, but had foretold them from the beginning. I have gone through all these things wishing to show that Pharaoh was neither of a wicked nature, nor did the Lord God make his resolve hard and resistant;

for he who inclines now to this, now to that, demonstrates the self-determined character of his resolve. But that I may also resolve the matter in question by means of an image:

The sun, by the working of its heat, softens wax but dries out clay; the one it softens, the other it hardens.

Just as, then, the sun by one and the same operation produces opposite effects, so also by the long-suffering of the God of all, some reap benefit, and others harm;

and some are softened, while others are hardened.

This also the Lord has made clear in the holy Gospels:

'For judgment,' he says, 'I came into this world, that those who do not see might see, and those who see might become blind.'

But this does not indicate the purpose of the Lord himself.

For he did not come for this reason, that he might render those who see blind, but he made known what would come to pass;

for he himself wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

But since human nature possesses free will, those who believed enjoyed salvation, while those who disbelieved became the authors of Gehenna for themselves.

Thus Judas, though seeing — for he was an apostle — was later blinded;

while the divinely-inspired Paul, though blind before, later regained his sight.

Thus, through the appearing of the Savior, most of the Jews were blinded, while the Gentiles received their sight.

It was not, however, necessary that, because some were going to disbelieve, the incarnate dispensation of our Savior according to the flesh should not take place;

for this would have deprived the whole world of salvation.

Thus also the most divine Symeon said:

'Behold, this one is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against.'

One must also know this: that the God of all has made the present life a stadium for men, so that, contending in it, they might demonstrate their own purpose;

and in the age to come, executing righteous judgment, he will crown some as victorious competitors, and punish others as having become workers of wickedness.

But since not all believe in the life to come, the God of all, most wisely, both punishes some in this present life who have lived in wickedness, and also proclaims others who have taken the greatest care for piety.

For this reason the divine apostle called some 'vessels of wrath' and others 'vessels of mercy,' since through the former the Lord God is shown justly punishing, while through the latter he is seen deeming the athletes of virtue worthy of every kind of care and providence.

One might also see the physicians of the body employing incisions and cauteries, prying loose and drawing out the hidden humors that produce grievous disease, and making manifest the hidden afflictions.

Thus also the God of all lays bare the wickedness of men's thoughts through chastisements.

'and he afflicted you and made you hunger,' and so forth

Just as, again, physicians cut those who are incurably afflicted while many are present, not so much helping those patients—for they know their disease to be incurable—but teaching their students the method of treatment, so also God subjected Pharaoh, who had adopted a most savage and brutish disposition, to all manner of punishments, teaching all mankind in general that He Himself governs creation, that He justly comes to the aid of those who are wronged, and justly punishes those who do wrong.

For this He also said to Pharaoh himself: 'For this cause you have been preserved, that I might display in you My power, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.'

the memory of it endured; Rahab the harlot bears witness, saying to the spies, that 'the fear of you and the dread of you has fallen upon us;'

'for we have heard how the Lord your God dried up the Red Sea before you'

The Philistines also bear witness, having seen the ark from afar, and crying out:

'Woe to us, Philistines! This is the God who struck Egypt.'

and that they might quickly obey when commanded to depart

At once, therefore, she performed the circumcision for him

But some say that, since he had been sent for the freedom of his kinsmen, he had his wife as companion of the journey

But these ought to have understood that, wishing to persuade his father-in-law that he would neither despise his wife nor prefer another to her, he was compelled to take her along, yet not thereby serving the divine command with contempt

At once, then, taking the occasion afforded by the angel, he ordered his wife to return to her own people

And that this is true, the narrative teaches:

For after the exodus from Egypt, when they had crossed the sea and arrived at Mount Sinai, his father-in-law came to him together with his wife

The narrative says as follows:

'And Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, took Zipporah the wife of Moses, after her being sent away, and his two sons, and came to Moses in the wilderness.'

Accordingly, the angel, intending something else, displayed the naked sword

For since the great Moses was afraid of Pharaoh, and often revealed this fear—now saying, 'Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh king of Egypt?'; and now again, 'Choose out another able man whom you will send'—

and again, 'I am slow of speech and slow of tongue'

the angel threatens him with punishment, driving out fear by fear, the lesser by the greater:

almost as if saying, through the drawn sword, 'If you fear Pharaoh, fear Me the more, who am able to bring the blow upon you even invisibly.'

For the name which He had not revealed to the patriarchs, this He made known to him:

for He said to him, 'I AM THE ONE WHO IS.'

And this is called among the Hebrews the ineffable name:

for it is forbidden them to utter it with the tongue, but it is written with four letters:

wherefore they also call it the tetragrammaton

This was also inscribed on the golden plate, which was placed on the forehead of the high priest, bound fast to the band upon his head

The Samaritans call it Iabe, but the Jews call it Ia

Why on earth has he made known to us, concerning Aaron's wife, not only her father but also her brother? He is teaching the intermingling of the royal and the priestly tribe

for Nahshon was the son of Amminadab:

and Nahshon himself was the chieftain of the tribe of Judah:

from the kinship of these the Lord was begotten according to the flesh

Not in vain, then, did he teach the intermingling of the royal and priestly tribe, but showing that the Master Christ sprang forth from both, He who, according to His human nature, was styled both king and priest

How did Moses become a god to Aaron? Just as God gave commands to Moses, so again did Moses to Aaron:

wherefore Aaron was indeed also called the prophet of Moses

They say that the divinely-inspired Moses worked his wonders by sorcery

For this reason God permitted the sorcerers to accomplish some things, that the difference might be shown

For they indeed changed their rods into serpents:

but the rod of Moses swallowed up theirs:

and they too changed the water into blood, but they were not able to restore the water to its former nature

and they brought forth the frogs, yet they were not able to rid the houses of the Egyptians of them

and for the purpose of chastening the Egyptians, He allowed even the sorcerers to work:

but for the purpose of stopping the punishment, no longer

for since the king of the Egyptians, being punished by God, was not content with the God-sent plagues, but even commanded that the punishment be increased by means of the sorceries:

and through these very sorceries God punished him, as if almost saying:

'Since you delight in being punished even when I chasten through My own servants, I will punish you also through your own servants:'

But seeing him becoming still more hardened, He hindered their working:

and those who had brought forth the greater creature, the frog, were unable to bring forth the very smallest, the gnat, but called the plague 'the finger of God'

The boils, moreover, He also brought upon their own bodies, that both they themselves and their foolish king might learn that they are not only unable to hold back the God-sent plagues, but that they themselves also are punished together with everyone else

It is, then, sheer shamelessness to say that Moses worked his wonders by some trickery, when the magicians themselves cried out that the signs were of divine power

For if what was done by him were mere illusion, they too ought to have produced an illusion, and refuted their fellow craftsman:

but as it is, they plainly cry out, 'This is the finger of God.'

Why on earth does He bring upon them the plague of water first? First, because they took great pride in the river, and considered it a god, since it supplied them with the function of the clouds:

then also on account of the Hebrew infants who had been cast into it

For being turned into blood, it accuses them of the infanticide that had taken place

For this reason also the waters gushed forth frogs, given up in exchange for the children who had been drowned in them

for the infants somehow resemble the frogs in their manner of moving:

for since they are not yet able to use their feet alone, they aid the weakness of their feet with their hands

And the land stank because of the frogs:

since the sores of the Egyptians also stank and festered, on account of their utter wickedness

If all the water was changed into blood, how did the enchanters of the Egyptians do the same with their sorceries? The sea also lay near them, but only the drinking water had been changed into blood

They were able, then, to carry seawater into the palace, and change it into the color of blood, God evidently permitting them to work for the reasons we have stated:

It is necessary, however, to note this also: that He brought forth the frogs from the waters, the gnats from the dust, and the dog-fly from wherever He willed, that they might learn how easy it is for God to produce whatever He wishes, even without earth and without water

For this reason He also foretells the punishments, lest they should suppose these things happen of themselves by chance, but rather know them to be God-sent plagues

Why on earth, when about to bring the hail, did He command them to gather their cattle into their houses? Being a loving Master, He tempers His punishments with mercy

besides, He also knew that some were worthy of being spared:

for this also the divine Scripture teaches:

'He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh,' it says, 'gathered his cattle into the houses;'

'but he who did not pay heed in his mind to the word of the Lord left his cattle in the fields.'

And He brought upon them the hail and the thunderbolts, showing that He Himself is the master of all the elements

For since both the Egyptians and the Greeks thought that some were heavenly gods, others earthly, and others gods beneath the earth;

and that some ruled over the land, others over the sea;

and that some had authority over the mountains, others over the plains—wherefore also the Syrians said, 'The God of Israel is a God of mountains, and not a God of valleys'—;

he instructed them not only by means of the river and the land, but also by means of the air and the sea;

and he sent thunderbolts down upon them from heaven, teaching that he himself is the maker and master of all things.

For this also the blessed Moses said to him:

'that you may know that the earth is the Lord's, and you and your servants.'

For this also the Master God himself said:

'Israel is my firstborn son'—and very justly did he consign the firstborn of the Egyptians to death.

One should know, however, that the firstborn also has brothers;

for the firstborn, or the first-begotten, is first among many.

Let Israel, then, know that it was the first to be styled the people of God.

But the nations that believed have obtained not only salvation, but have also enjoyed the rights of the firstborn;

for it says, 'people shall prevail over people;'

'and the greater shall serve the lesser.'

Some accuse God of having commanded the Hebrews to ask the Egyptians for vessels of gold and silver and clothing, and to despoil the Egyptians;

for so Symmachus rendered the word 'to furnish themselves.'

For a long time in Egypt the people endured making bricks, building walls, and constructing cities.

The Master God, then, willed that they should receive a wage for their labors;

for this reason he also commanded them to do these things.

And let no one think it unjust that, since Pharaoh had wronged the people, the Egyptians should be made to pay the wage;