XXXV. Moses proceeds to say, that Tubals sister was Noe- man, the interpretation of which name is " fatness." For it follows that those who pursue a luxurious condition of the body, and the other objects which I have mentioned, do get fat \vh«r-. they obtain any of the things that they desire: but such latness * Here again there is an hiatus in the text.
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as this I lay down as not strength but weakness; for it teaches a man to depart from the honour due to God, which is the first and most excellent power of the soul: and the law is a witness to this which in the great hymn speaks thus — " He was fat, he was rich, he was exceeding broad, and he forsook God who had made him, and he forgot God his Saviour."* For in truth those men whose lives have been exceedingly fortunate and are so at the time, do not remember the eternal God, but they think time their god; on which account Moses bears witness, exhorting us to war against the contrary opinions, for he says, " The time has departed from them, and the Lord is among us."t So that those men by whom the life of the soul is honoured, have divine reason dwelling among them, and walking with them; but those who pursue a life of pleasure have only a brief and fictitious want of opportunities: these men, therefore, having swollen extravagantly, and become enormously distended by their profuse fatness and luxury, have burst asunder. But the others, being made fat by that wisdom which nourishes the souls that love virtue, have a firm and unshaken power, a speci- men of which is the fat which is sacrificed as a whole burnt- offering from every victim: for Moses says, " All the fat shall belong to the Lord by the everlasting law;"J so that the fat of the mind is offered up to God and is appropriated to him. owing to which it is made immortal; but the fat which clings to the body and belongs to external things is referred to time, which is contrary to God, through which it very rapidly waste3 away.
XXXVI. Therefore, concerning the wives of Lamech and his children, I think that enough has been said. Let us now consider what we may look upon as the resurrection of Abel, who was treacherously slain.
Moses tells us, " And Adam knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and brought forth a son, and he called his name Seth; for, said he, " God has raised me up another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew."§ The interpretation of the name Seth, is " irrigation." As, therefore, the seeds and plants which are put into the ground grow and blossom through being irri- gated, and are thus made fertile for the production of fruits * Deuteronomy xxxii. 15. + Numbers xiv. 9.
ON THE POSTERITY OF CAIN. 3 1 5 but if they are deprived of moisture they wither away, so like- wise the soul, as it appears when it is watered with the wholesome stream of wisdom, shoots forth, and brings fruit to perfection. Now, irrigation may be looked upon in a two -fold light: with regard to that which irrigates, and with regard to that which is irrigated. And might one not say that each of the outward senses is irrigated by the mind as by a fountain, which widens and extends all their faculties, as if they were so many channels for water? No one, therefore, in his senses would say, that the eyes see, but that the mind sees by means of the eyes; or that the ears hear, but that the mind hears by the instrumentality of the ears; or that the nostrils smell, but that the predominant part of man smells through the medium of the nostrils.
XXXVII. On which account it is said in Genesis, " And a fountain went up from the earth, and watered all the face of the earth."* For since nature has allotted the most excellent portion of the whole body, namely the face, to the outward senses, therefore the fountain whixm goes up from the superior part, being diffused over various parts, and sending up its streams like so many water-courses as high as the face, by their means conducts the faculties to each of the organs of the out- ward senses. In this way in truth, it is that the word of God irrigates the virtues; for that is the beginning and the fountain of all good actions. And the lawgiver shows this, when he says, " And a river went out of Eden to water the Paradise; and from thence it is divided into four heads."t For there are four generic virtues: prudence, courage, temperance, and justice. And of these, eveiy single one is a princess and a ruler; and he who has acquired them is, from the moment of the acquisition, a ruler and a king, even if he has no abundance of any kind of treasure; for the meaning of the expression, " it is divided into four heads," is J nor distance; but virtue exhibits the pre-eminence and the power. And these spring from the word of God as from one root, which he compares to a river, on account of the unceasing and everlasting flow of salutary words and doctrines, by which it increases and nourishes the souls that love God.
XXXVIII. And of what kind they are, he proceeds to £ Here again is an hiatus, which Mangey does not attempt to supply.
f 16 PHILO JDDjECS.
show in a few words, deriving his explanation from the natural things of art; for he introduces Agar as filling a leathern bag with water, and giving her child drink.* Now Agar is the handmaid of Sarah, the new dispensation of perfect virtue; and she is correctly represented so. Since, therefore, having come to the depth of knowledge, which Moses here calls a well, she draws up (filling the soul as if it were a vessel) the doctrines and speculations which she is in pursuit of, wishing to feed her child on the things on which she herself is fed. And Moses, by her child, means, a soul which has lately learnt tj desire instruction, aud which has, in a manner, just been born to learn. In reference to which, the boy, when he has grown up to man's estate, becomes a sophist, whom Moses calls an archer; f for whatever argument he applies his mind to, at that, as at a target, he shoots all his reasons, as an archer shoots his arrows.
XXXIX. But Rebekkah is found to give her pupil drink no longer by improvement, but by perfection. How so the law will tell us: " For the damsel," says Moses, " was very beauti- ful to the sight, and was a maiden; no man had known her. And when she had gone down to the fountain, she filled her pitcher, and came up again; and the servant ran forward to meet her, and said, Give me now to drink a little water from thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, my lord. And she made haste, and took down the pitcher on her arm, and gave to him to drink until he ceased drinking, And said, and I will also give to thy camels to drink, until they have all drunk; and she made haste, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and running to the well, she drew water for the camels. "J Here who can help wondering at the minute accuracy of the lawgiver as to every particular? He calls Rebekkah a maiden, and a very beautiful maiden, because the nature of virtue is unmixed and free from guile, and unpolluted, and the only thing in all creation which is both beautiful and good; from which arose the Stoic doctrine, that the only thing that wa8 beautiful was the good.
XL. Now of the four virtues, some are always virgins, and some from having been women become changed into virgins, as Sarah did; " For it had ceased to be with her after the man- * Genesis xxi. 19. f Genesis xxi. 20. J Genesis xxiv. 16.
ON THE POSTERITY Of CAIN. 3 1 7 ner of women," * when she began to conceive her hnppy offspring Isaac. Bat that which is always a virgin, is that of which Moses says, " And no man whatever knows her.'' For in truth, it is not permitted to any mortal to pollute incor- ruptible nature, nor even clearly to comprehend what it is. If indeed he were able by any means to become acquainted with it, he would not cease to hate and regret it; on which account Moses, in strict accordance with the principles of natural philo- sophy, represents Leah as hated, f For those whom the charms of pleasures, which are with Rachel, that is to say, with the outward sense, cannot be endured by Leah, who is situated out of the reach of the passions; on which account they repudiate and detest her. But as far as she herself is concerned, her alienation from the creature produces her a close connection with God, from whom she receives the seeds of wisdom, and conceives, and travails, and brings forth virtuous ideas, worthy of the father who begot them. If therefore, you, 0 my soul, imitating Leah, reject mortal things, you will of necessity turn to the incorruptible God, who will shed over you #11 the fountains of his good.
XLI. " But Rebekkah," says Moses, " went down to the fountain to fill her pitcher, and came up again." For front what source is it natural for the mind that thirsts after wisdom to be filled, except from the wisdom of God, that fountain which never fails, and to which the soul that descends comes up again like a virtuous disciple? For those who descend out of a vain pride, the reason of virtue receives, and taking them up by means of fame raises them to a height. On which account it is that Moses seems to me to use the expression, " Go, descend, and come up," J as if every one who measures his own loveliness comes forth more gloriously in the eyes of the judges of truth. And he speaks of these matters with great caution. For Agar bears a leathern bag to the well, but Rebekkah carries a pitcher. For the one who devotes himself to instruction and; to the energetical branches of learning has need of some incorporeal things as it were of the outward senses, of vessels, and eyes, and ears, for a proper contemplation of the objects of her speculation. For from seeing many things and hearing many things, there is derived, in the case of those who are fond of learning the advantage which proceeds * Genesis xviii. 11. + Genesis xxix. 31. t Exodus xxxii. 7.
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from knowledge. But the one who is filled with unalloyed wisdom has need only of a leathern habitation, which is no better than none at all. For the soul which loves unsubstantial things has learnt to put off the whole leathern bag of reasons, that is to say the body, and brings only a pitcher which is the symbol of a vessel, which contains the principal portion in great size and abundance, like water; as to which, those who are clever in such matters may make it a subject of philoso- phical speculation, whether it is a membrane or a heart. Therefore, the man who is fond of learning, seeing men im- bibing the sciences like water, from wisdom that divine fountain, runs up, and meeting them becomes a suppliant to them to know how he may allay his thirst for learning. And the soul which has received the best possible education, namely, the lesson not to envy, and to be liberal, immediately proffers to him the stream of wisdom, and invites him to drink abundantly, adding also this that she calls him who is only a servant her lord. This is the meaning of that most dogmatic assertion, that the wise man alone is free, and a king, even if he have ten thousand masters over his body.
XLII. Most correctly, therefore, after the servant has said, " Give me a little water to drink," does she make answer, not in the manner corresponding to his request: "I will give you to drink," but " Drink." For the one expression would have been suited to one who was displaying the riches of God, which are poured forth for all who are worthy of them and who are able to think of them; but the other expression is appro- priate to one who professes that she will teach. But nothing which is connected with mere professions is akin to virtue. But he describes in a most skilful manner the language used by her who teaches and benefits her pupils. For " she made haste," he says, " and took down the pitcher on her arm." Her alacrity to serve the man was displayed by her making haste, and such alacrity is seated in the mind, beyond which envy is cast away. But by the expression, " taking down the pitcher on her arm," we see intimated the prompt and eager attention of the teacher to the pupil; for those teachers are foolish who attempt to regulate their explanations not by a reference to the capacity of their pupils, but to their own superior ability, not being r.ware that there is a vast difference between making a display and giving a lesson.
ON THE POSTERITY OF CAIN. 3 1 J, For he who is making a display, relying on the good fortune of his present way of proceeding, brings into sight, without any trouble, the works at which he has for a long while been labour- ing at home, like the works of painters or sculptors, seeking for praise from the multitude. But he who is endeavouring to teach others, like a good physician, has a regard not to the greatness of his own skill, but to the capacity of his patient who is to be healed; not thinking how much he can do by his art, for it is unspeakable how much this may be; but what the patient requires, aiming at moderation, and bringing forward what may improve him.
XLIII. On which account Moses says in another passage, " Thou shalt lend a loan to him who asks you for one, as much as he requires, having regard to what he requires.'* By the second phrase showing that it is not everything which is to be given, but only such things as are suitable to the re- quirements of those who are asking for them. For to give an anchor, or an oar, or a rudder to a husbandman, or ploughs or a spade to a captain of a ship, or a lyre to a physician, or instru- ments suited to manual labour to a musician, would be ridiculous, unless indeed one ought to offer a thirsty man costly viands, or a hungry man unmixed wine in abundance, so as to show at once one's own riches and one's want of humanity, by turning the souls of one's companions into ridicule.
The quantity to be given in an act of beneficence is defined according to due proportion, which is a most useful thing. For, says Moses, do not give all that right reason is able to give, but as much as he who is asking the loan is worthy to receive. Do you not see that even God does not utter his oracles, having a regard to their being in proportion to the magnitude of his own oracular power, but always having respect to the capacity of those who are to be benefited by them? Since who could receive the whole power of the words of God, which are too mighty for any one to listen to? On which account those persons appear to speak with great truth, who say to Moses, '• Do thou speak to us, and let not God speak to us, lest we die." f For they know that they have not in themselves any organ which can be worthy of God who is giving laws to his church; nor, indeed, could even the whole world, both land and sea, contain his riches if he were * Deuteronomy xv. 8. f Exodus xx. 19.
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inclined to display them, unless we think that the descent of the rains and of the other things that happen in the world are ap- pointed to take place according to the pre-arranged periods of the seasons, and not all at once, because of the scarcity and rarity of the things themselves, and not from any regard to the advantage of those who are benefited by them; who would be injured rather than be benefited by a continual en- joyment of such gifts.
On this account it is, that God always judiciously limits and brings out with wise moderation his first benefits, stopping them before those who partake of them become wanton through satiety; and then he bestows others in their stead; and again a third class of advantages instead of the second set. and so on, continually substituting new blessings for those of older date, at one time giving such as are different from those which went before, and at another time such as are almost identical with them; for the creature is never wholly destitute of the blessings bestowed by God, since if he were he would be utterly destroyed; but he is unable to endure an un- limited and measureless abundance of them. On which account, as he is desirous that we should derive advantage from the benefits which he bestows upon us, he weighs out what he gives so as to proportion it to the strength of those who receive it.
XLIV. Rebekkah, therefore, must be praised, who, in obedience to the injunctions of her father, having taken down the vessel of wisdom on her arm from a higher place, proffered her pitcher to the disciple; by the pitcher being understood that teaching which he is competent to receive. And beyond all other things, I especially admire her exceeding liberality; for though she had only been asked for a small draught, she gave a large one, until she had filled the whole soul of the learner with wholesome speculations. For Moses says, " She gave him to drink till he ceased from drinking," a most marvel- lous example to teach us humanity. For if any one should not happen to be in want of many things, but should come forward, and out of shame ask only for a very little, let us not give him only what he mentions, but also those things of which he makes no mention, but of which he is nevertheless in reality in need. But it is not sufficient for the complete enjoy- ment of his teacher's lessons, that the disciple should merely ON THE POSTERITY OF CAIN. 321 comprehend what the master has taught him, unless he has also got memory. On which account, making a display of her bounteous disposition, when he has satisfied himself with the water, she offers to give his camels water also, which we have already said are here put symbolically for memory. For the animal while eating its food ruminates, and when, having stooped down it has received a heavy burden, with exceedingly great vigour of muscle it rises up lightly; and in the same manner also, the soul of the man who is devoted to learning, when the burden of its speculations is placed upon it, becomes more lowly, and when it has risen up it rejoices; and from the mastication, and as it were the softening, of the first food that is placed down before it, arises its memory of those specu- lations.
But she, beholding the nature of the servant to be well calculated for the reception of virtue, emptied her whole pitcher into the cistern, that is to say, she emptied the whole knowledge of the teacher into the soul of the learner. For the sophists, from a desire of gain and also from envy, re- pressing the natural characters of their pupils, keep silence about many things which ought to be mentioned, laying up for themselves a source of gain for future times. But virtue is an ungrudging and most liberal feeling, so that it does uot hesitate to assist another with hand and foot, as the proverb goes, and with all its power. Therefore, pouring all that she knew into the mind of the pupil as into a cistern, she went again to the well to draw water, that is to say, she went to the ever-flowing wisdom of God, that what had been already imparted might be firmly fixed in by memory, and that he might also be irrigated with the knowledge of other and newer things. For the wealth of the wisdom of God is illimitable, and as a tree which is continually putting forth new shoots after the old ones, so that it never ceases growing young again, and being in the flower of its strength. So that they are marvellously simple people who have ever had an idea of coming to the end of any branch of knowledge whatever. For that which has seemed to be near and within reach is nevertheless a long way distant from the end; since no created being is perfect in any department of learning, but falls as far short of it as a thoroughly infant child just beginning to learn Y 3QQ PHILO JUDjEUS.
does, in comparison of a man who both by age and skill is qualified to be a master.
XLV. And we must inquire the cause why the handmaid gave the servant drink from the fountain, but gave the camels water from the well. May it not perhaps be that the stream here signifies the sacred scripture itself, which irrigates the sciences, and that the well is rather akin to memory? For the depths which he has already mentioned, he produces by means of memory as it were out of a well; and such persons as these one ought to admit because of the goodness of their natural disposition. But there are some men among those who practise virtue to whom the all-beneficent God has shown the way that leads to virtue, such that at first it is accounted rough, and steep, and difficult, but subsequently level and easy, having changed the bitterness of the wayfarer's labour to sweet- ness. And how he has wrought this change we will now tell. When he led us forth out of Egypt, that is to say, out of the passions which excite the body, we, travelling in the desert, that is to say, in the path of pleasure, encamped in the place called Marah, a place which had no drinkable water, but where all the water was bitter.* For still the pleasures which are brought into action by means of the eyes, and ears, and belly, and the parts adjacent to the belly, were tempting to us, and charmed us exceedingly, sounding close to us. When, there- fore, we desired to be entirely separated from them, they dragged us back, exerting themselves in opposition to us, and entwining themselves round us, and soothing us with all kinds of juggling tricks and assiduous blandishments; so that we, yielding to their unremitting caresses, became alienated from and disinclined to labour, as something very bitter and intole- rable, and designed to run back again to Egypt, that is to say, to the condition of an intemperate aud lascivious life, if the Saviour had not speedily taken pity on us, and thrown a sweetening branch like a medicine upon our soul, causing it to love labour instead of hating it. For he knew, inasmuch as he was our Creator, that we could not possibly survive any existing thing unless there were in us an intense love of doing so. Therefore, men never succeed in attaining any object that they desire if they pursue it without any connection with or consideration of fitness. But when friendship is added, * Exodus xv. 23.
ON THE POSTERITY OF CAIN. 323 and also a familiarity with the loved object, their endeavours then succeed rightly.
XL VI. This is the food of a soul which is inclined to the practice of virtue, to consider labour a very sweet thing instead of a bitter one, which, however, it is not allowed to all persons to participate in; but to those only by whom the golden calf, the animal made by the Egyptians, the body, is sprinkled over with water after having been burnt with fire, and broken to pieces. For it is said in the sacred scriptures, that " Moses having taken the calf burnt it with fire, and broke it up into small pieces, and threw the pieces into the water, and caused the children of Israel to drink thereof."* For the love of virtue being inflamed and excited by the brilliant appearance of virtue, burns to ashes the pleasures of the body, and then cuts them to pieces and pounds them to nothing, using the divine word which can at all times divide everything. And in this manner he teaches us that among the bodily advantages are health, and beauty, and the accuracy of the outward senses, and the perfection of bodily vigour with strength and mighty energy; but still that all these things are common to accursed and wicked persons, while if they were really good no wicked person would be allowed to partake of them. But these men, even if they are utterly wicked, still, inasmuch as they are men, and so far partake of the same human nature as virtuous men, do also partake of these advantages of the body.
And, in fact, at present those wild beasts which are the most untameable, enjoy these good things, if indeed they are in reality good things, in a greater degree than rational beings; for what wrestler could be compared in might with the strength of a bull or of an elephant? And what runner could put him- self on a level with the speed of a hound or of a hare? And the most sharp-sighted of men is absolutely blind if his sight is compared with that of antelopes or eagles. Again, in hearing and in smell, often other animals are very far beyond man; as, for instance, the ass, which appears to be the stupidest of all animals, would show that our sense of hearing is very obtuse if he were brought into comparison with us. The dog, too, would make the nostrils in man appear a perfectly useless part from the exceeding superiority of the quickness of his own sense of * Exodus xxxii. 20.
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smell; for, in him, that sense is pushed to such a degree that it almost equals the rapidity of the eye-sight.