PREFACES

PSEUDO-ATHANASIUS. This book of the creation is by Moses, who spoke and wrote its contents on the Lord's bidding. It is called by this name (Genesis) because it covers the creation of all things, of both heaven and earth and of men and all the things we see, and even the making of Paradise. It explains how light was made on the first day, and on the second day, the firmament, which God called heaven; how on the third day the waters were gathered together, the dry land appeared, the gatherings of the waters were called seas and the dry land earth, and the earth brought forth grass and all manner of trees; how on the fourth day the sun and the moon and the whole troop of the stars appeared; how on the fifth day took place the creation of the birds and of fish and all the other things that are in the waters; how on the sixth day the quadrupeds, beasts, snakes, and cattle were made, and man was formed in God's image and likeness; and how on the seventh day God rested from all his works, and blessed the seventh day. Then, in this book is also related Adam's transgression and his banishment from Paradise, Abel's murder by his brother Cain, Enoch's transfer, the making of the ark, the flood in the time of Noah, the building of the tower, the separation of the tongues, the scattering of the nations, and Abraham's departure from Chaldea. The book also contains the destruction of Sodom, the law on circumcision and the oath of God's promise to Abraham, the birth of Isaac and Jacob and of the Patriarchs born of him, and the fact that Abraham lived one hundred and eighty years, and Ismael son of Hagar died at the age of 137. Besides, it also contains the story of how Joseph was sold by his brothers to merchants who brought him to Egypt, how he suffered false accusations from his mistress and was thrown into prison, and was eventually made the first man of all Egypt. After this there follows Jacob's descent to Egypt with his sons and household, 75 in number, and how, after having settled there and bestowed his blessing on his sons the Patriarchs, he died at the age of 147, and his body was transferred to Canaan and buried there; and how Joseph lived 76 years after the famine in Egypt, and died at the age of 110, after commanding concerning his bones that they too be transferred into the monument of his fathers. [Syn. on S.S., Migne PG 28 lib. 1 Gen.]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. Creation of the world and formation of man. Adam receives a command; the woman is formed of one of her ribs; the snake deceives her; she deceives the man herself, and, cursed with him, is driven from Paradise with him. The serpent is cursed; he will crawl on his stomach. Cain kills his brother because he is preferred, he receives the punishment; then he begets children. Eve gives birth to Seth. List of the descendants of Adam and Seth to Noah, and reproaches that men incur for their criminal marriages, at the same time as for their iniquities. The sons of God, these are the names of those who have their origin in Seth (6:2), because here is what is written: "I said: you are gods, you are all the sons of the Most High. (6:6) The daughters of men are the descendants of Cain. God announces to Noah the ruin of the human race by the flood, and orders him to build the ark, three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits high, and thirty cubits high. When he entered the ark, the deluge occurs for forty days and forty nights. Water remains on the earth for a hundred and fifty days, and the peaks of the mountains appear on the first day. the tenth month. After forty days, Noah sends the horn. water (he does not return, and seven days later he sends the dove back carrying an olive branch.) God orders Noah to leave the ark, when he comes out, he offers God a sacrifice and he is blessed He receives from God the promise that men will no longer perish by a deluge, then he blesses Seni and Japheth, but curses Chanaan because Chain, whose son he was, revealed the nakedness of his son. This curse was performed on the Gibeonites, and, to tell the truth, it had the appearance of a curse, but in reality it was a prophecy. List of Noah's descendants to Phaleg, to whom this name was given because the earth was divided by the time it was lived in. Then was built the tower in the place that was called Babylon, that is, confusion, because in this place there was confusion, tongues. Eber, father of Phaleg, did not consent, said, to build the tower with the others and for this there, his language was not changed; but he kept his idiom intact, and even imposed his name upon it. It was called Heber, its language was Hebrew, and so it is proved that the Hebrew idiom is the oldest language. This language was the one everyone used before the confusion.

Eber was the ancestor of Abraham. Genealogy of the descendants of Seth until Abraham. Tarthe, father of Abraham, takes with him his sons Abraham and Nachor and Lot, his grandson, and comes to the land of Charran, having resolved to dwell in the land of Chanaan. Taken dead, Abraham receives from God the order to leave the land of Charran and he goes to Shechem, in the land of Chanaan. God promises him to give this land to his race. Abraham raises an altar to God and sets his tent towards the sea. A famine having arisen, he goes to Egypt, ordering his wife to say that she is his sister. But Pharaoh removes it and, taken over by God, gives it back to Abraham. The leaders of the flocks of Abraham and Lot argue, and they cease to live with each other. Lotte stays in the land of Sodom and Abraham near the oak of Mamre, where God renews his promises to him, affirming that he will multiply his race and give it this country for inheritance. Now when five kings of the land of Sodom had rebelled against Chodorlahomor, whom they had previously obeyed, he took with him three other kings and made war against them; he put them to flight and took prisoners, among whom was Lot. However, Abraham having known it, he pursued the conqueror with three hundred and eighteen of the servants in his house, and took the son of his brother with the horses and the women. He is blessed by Melchizedek, who comes to meet him with bread and wine, and gives him tithes. This is why Paul said in the epistle to Hebrews that Levi who receives tithing himself paid tithing. He does not acquiesce at the request of the king of Sodom, who begged him to keep the horses for his part, "so that you can not say," he said: enriched Abraham. (14:23)

God having said to Abraham, "Your reward will be great (15:1)," he complains of having no children. God speaks to him a second time; he tells him that he who comes out of him will inherit his inheritance, and that his race will be like the stars of the firmament. It is in this place that it is said: "Abraham believed in the word of God and his faith was imputed to him for righteousness. He divides the flesh of the victims, and he learns that his race will be reduced to slavery, and that afterwards it will be delivered after it has been humiliated for four hundred years. Sarah, who was barren, gives Hagar to Abraham to have children of her. The latter having conceived, took pride in her mistress, and Abraham delivered her to Sara to punish her insolence. Hagar, ill-treated by Sara, fled from her home: an angel orders her to return to her mistress, promises him that her race will be numerous and, before the child is born, gives him a name, calling him Ishmael. Hagar gives birth to Ishmael, and Abraham, ninety-nine years old, changes his name: he ceases to be called Abram and his name is Abraham. God orders him to circumcise himself and with him all his house. Sara also changes her name and is called Sarra. The birth of Isaac is promised to Abraham. The Son of God appeared to him with two angels and said to him, "I will return to you in this time and at this time, and your wife Sara will have a son. (18:10)

Abraham prays for the people of Sodom. Two angels will find Lot. The inhabitants of Sodom pursue them and are blinded. The angels, taking Lot, come out of the house, and he himself takes refuge in Segor with his daughters, while his wife is changed into a statue of salt because she turned to look behind her. While Sodom was on fire, Lot withdrew to the mountain, and his two daughters conceived of him; the oldest gave birth to Moab and the youngest to Ammon: they had conceived after intoxicating their father, because they thought that all the race of men had perished.

However, Abraham went to live in the land of Gerare, and the king of that land, Abimelech, removed Sarra. The king having heard the threats of God justifies himself by saying that he thought that this woman was Abraham's sister and that she herself had said so. He sends it back with presents. She gives birth to Isaac. She drives out of her house the slave and her son Ishmael. Abimelech concludes with Abraham an alliance, they swear not to harm one another; Abimelech receives seven young sheep in testimony before the well of the oath, that all may see that this well belongs to Abraham. He offers his son a burnt offering, according to his command; the ram is slain instead of Isaac. These are the types that should have their reality in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, a victim immolated for us.

Sarra dies. Abraham bought a tomb of Hephron the Hittite and buried his wife. Then he sends his servant to bring a son of Mesopotamia for his son Isaac, advising him not to bring him to this country if the woman refuses to come with him. When the servant arrived in the city inhabited by Nachor, he asked God to let him know by a sign the girl he was coming for, and this sign was that she would give him water to drink for him and for him. his camels. Rebekah, daughter of Bathuel, who himself was the son of Nahor, introduced himself. Now, Nachor was Abraham's brother. The girl gave drink to the servant and the camels; she said of whom she was a daughter, and she led the man and she gave him hospitality. He said why he had come and asked the girl; but his parents left him to answer. She consented; the servant took her away and she was Isaac's wife.

Sarra being dead, Abraham took Cétura as his wife, and the children he had were brought up separately. He made them presents; but he left Isaac to inherit his property, and he died. In this place are given the names of the sons of Ishmael, who dwelt from Evilat to Sur.

Rebekah was barren and Isaac prayed to God so that she could conceive, and she conceived. When she conceived in her bosom, God said to her, "Two nations are in your bosom; one people will dominate the other (25:23), "wanting to announce what was to happen to Jews and Christians. She gave birth to the children, who grew up, and Esau sold Jacob his birthrights for a dish of lentils. A famine occurred; but when Isaac thought of going to Egypt he was prevented from doing so by God, who commanded him to abide in the place where he was, promising to be with him, to bless his race, and to multiply it. Abimelech, king of Gerare, knowing that Rebekah was Isaac's wife (for he had thought at first that she was his sister), threatened with death anyone who offended him. Isaac sowed a field and the grain made one hundred to one. When he had acquired great riches by the blessing of God, the Philistines envied him, and Abimelech compelled him to go away. He did not resist, but he went and dug wells; however, quarrels were made for these wells. Isaac did not try to fight back; he dug more wells until they stopped quarreling. God blessed him, and Isaac welcomed with kindness Abimelech who came to him; he fled for a meal, not remembering the insults he had received.

Esau became afraid of two Chananne women who were always in a quarrel with Rebecca. But Isaac had become old. He commanded his son Esau to go hunting and prepare food for him to bless him. Jacob advised by his mother, estranged Esau. Having cooked two kids, Rebekah used their skins to disguise Jacob, then she put the food prepared by her and sent it to her. Jacob approached his father and received his blessings. Esau returned; he learned what had happened; he lamented and groaned, also asking for blessings. His perseverance was not disappointed; He did not get everything he hoped for, but he did. Having received a lesser blessing, instead of the greater one, he was angry with his brother, and remained resentful while awaiting the death of his father, in order to secure his vengeance. Jacob's mother warned him and advised him to seek safety in the escape. She tells Isaac that life will become unbearable to him if Jacob also takes a woman from among the Chananeans and arranges for the father to send him to Mesopotamia in Laban, his brother, to take one of his daughters as his wife. When he left, Esau took as his wife a daughter of Ishmael, who himself was the son of Abraham and Hagar.

Jacob sees the mysterious ladder, he erects a monument and promises God to consecrate him the tithe of his goods if he returns safe and sound. He arrives in Mesopotamia, he sees Rachel and kisses him; The latter announces to Laban his father, who comes, recognizes Jacob and introduces him to his home. Jacob serves him; wanting to have one of his daughters for reward, he gives her the oldest. Laban offers Jacob indignant at this deception seven more years of service if he wants to get the youngest, what Jacob accepts and he marries the youngest. The first, Lia, had sick eyes; the youngest was beautiful, we called her Rachel. Both are types or figures: the oldest represents the synagogue of the Jews and the youngest the Church of Jesus Christ.

Lia conceived and she bore Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Judah. Rachel, who had no children, gave her slave Bala as Jacob's second wife, and she gave birth to Dan and Naphtali. Lia also gave him Zelpha, who was his slave, and she gave birth to Gad and Asher. Then Lia gave birth to Issachar and Zabulon. Rachel, in turn, became Joseph's mother. When Jacob had decided to return to his country, Laban granted him the reward that Jacob himself had determined, all the brown lambs and all the white goats. Both were in great numbers, for Jacob put sticks in the places where the ewes were to drink, and they gave birth to small ones, some white, others varied and spotted dark. Everything was God's work, as Jacob says. Laban's sons were envious of him, so, having secretly taken his wives and all he possessed, he went away. Laban pursued him, but before he could reach him, God made him understand the threats that were to be made if he mistreated Jacob. Having reached Jacob, Laban accused him and asked him why he had gone in secret. Jacob replied that it was because of his envy and because he feared that Laban would restrain his daughters. But he sought his gods whom Rachel had taken, he did not find them, and he addressed violent reproaches to Jacob. Finally, after they had eaten and drunk, they raised a heap of stones which they called the monument of testimony, and they went each one on his side.

Angels of God appear to Jacob. Jacob sends to Esau to announce his return. The envoys return and report that Esau advances with four hundred men. Seized with fear, Jacob prays to God to deliver him from the danger he runs and he brings gifts to Esau. He crosses the torrent, he is blessed by the angel, he changes his name. He sees Esau coming and shares his troop, he first puts the slaves with their children, then Lia with his children, then Rachel last with Joseph. For him, he walked forward. Esau welcomed him, received his presents, and asked to go with him, but Jacob refused the offer and went to Salem, the city of the Sichemites, where-Sichem, the son of King Emmor, inflamed with love for Dina's daughter Jacob and having done violence asked her to take her for a wife. Simeon and Levi replied that this marriage could take place if he and his people were circumcised. When they were circumcised, while they were still in the pains of circumcision, Sin} eon and Levi put them to death. Then Jacob feared that the neighboring Canaanites would melt on him, and he withdrew to Bethel by the command of God. Rebekah's nurse died. God blessed Jacob from Bethel to live in Gader's tower. Rachel had an unhappy birth, she died and was buried on the road to Ephrata, that is, to Bethlehem. The newborn child was Benjamin. Ruben had commerce with Bala, his father's concubine. Isaac died, his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. The descendants of Esau are indicated, and among them Job, who is called Jobab in this place.

Joseph's brothers envied him because of his dreams and because his father loved him more. Having seized him when he was alone, they wanted to kill him. Ruben advised them to throw him into a cistern, for he had resolved to save him from death. He was cast there, and sold to the Midianites according to the counsel of Judah. They showed their father his tunic dipped in blood, and he, thinking that he had fallen prey to a ferocious beast, wept bitterly. The children of Judah were Her, Onan and Sela. Dead hero, Onan, his brother, took with him Thamar wife of this one, but he did not want to raise a child to his brother. He died himself, and Judah did not want to give Thamar as wife to Sela, his third son. Thamar, dressed up, sat down along the road like a courtesan. Thinking that she really was a courtesan, because she had hidden her face, Judah had trade with her and gave her a collar, a ring and her staff as a deposit. When he heard later that Thamar was pregnant, Judah, who was his father-in-law, ordered her to be burned at a stake. This one sent one who said that she had conceived by the work of the man to whom that ring was, and Judah exclaimed: "Thamar acted with more justice than me. "(Gen. 38:26) When she was born, Zara passed her hand first and pulled her away, and then Pharès was born and Zara was born. Now, here is the allegorical explanation of this fact. The first righteous men who lived before the law passed their hand, that is to say they showed a life adorned with virtues and worthy of angels. Then it was the law regime. Then, again, the first life of the just righteous reappeared, carried by Christ to a greater degree of perfection.

Putiphar Pharaoh's butler bought Joseph and entrusted him with all the things that were in his house. Joseph did not consent to the desire of his mistress to make him sin. She slanders him, he is thrown into the prison. There, too, he is raised above the others: he explains the dreams of the baker and the butler. He came according to his word; one was put to death, the other restored to his first charge. Pharaoh sees in dreams the cows and the ears, which foresaw abundance and famine. Joseph is taken from prison to interpret the dream, because the cupbearer had reported it to the king. He gave the interpretation and also the advice that could bring a cure to the famine. He is established first after Pharaoh; he collects a great abundance of wheat during the seven years of abundance, and when the famine occurs, he sells wheat to those who want it. His brothers come to buy some. He does not see Benjamin with them, and fears that they have killed him. He accuses them of being spies, and says that there is no other way of justifying this accusation than to bring Benjamin, their youngest brother, to Egypt, and to show it to him. He takes Simeon as hostage and holds him prisoner; he sends back the others and gives them wheat and money. But when they saw the money, opening the bags, they were troubled by this unexpected fact. They asked Benjamin for their father, telling him everything that had happened. Jacob refused to let the child go. The famine continued to rage. Judah insisted on taking Benjamin, promising to bring him back safe and sound, and Jacob gave double the money, again recommending other gifts.

When they reached Joseph, they were welcomed by him with benevolence; he asked them about their father and made them a big feast. When they left, Joseph ordered to put a gold cup in the bag of Benjamin, without the knowledge of all. The cup being set, they went away, carrying away the whole thing. Joseph told the intendant of his house to pursue these men, and. the latter having met them reproached them for rewarding the benefits by bad actions. They were troubled and said that any of them who were found guilty of theft would be worthy of death, and that the others would remain slaves. Now the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Then Judah appeared before Joseph, spoke to him at length about their father, Joseph and Benjamin, offering to be a slave in his place, and he so excited Joseph's pity that everything was discovered. Having dismissed everyone so that he could shed tears freely, Joseph made himself known to his brothers and sent them to their father with considerable gifts and carts. Pharaoh had given his consent to all this.

When Jacob heard all that pertained to Joseph, he was filled with joy, and by the command of God he surrendered. in Egypt. Joseph saw his father again and told Pharaoh that Rameses was their dwelling place. However all the money of the country was exhausted. The inhabitants paid the corn with their flocks, and when they had no more, and the famine continued, they surrendered themselves with their lands. As Pharaoh's slaves, they sowed the land and bore him one-fifth of the harvest, keeping four other shares for them. On the point of death, Jacob made promise to Joseph, by oath, that he would not bury him in Egypt, but in the tomb of his fathers. Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, were put by him, not to the rank of his grandsons, but to the rank of his own sons. Jacob's sight had weakened. He had kissed Joseph's sons and was going to bless them. Joseph had placed Ephraim on the left of Jacob and Manasseh on the right. But Jacob placed his right hand on the youngest, who was on his left, and the left hand on the one on his right, and he blessed them. Joseph, thinking that he acted out of ignorance, and wishing to remedy it, Jacob did not suffer him, and said that he had acted knowingly; not out of ignorance. And he gave to Joseph the city of Shechem, which was not divided, which was taken by Simeon and Levi. He blessed all his children and prophesied concerning the coming of Christ. "The prince shall not go out of Judah," said he, "the leader of the people shall not go out of his race before the coming of the One who is expected. (49:10)

After Jacob's death, Joseph wept for him and, taking away his bones, he buried him in the cave of Abraham. His brethren then said to each other, "Perhaps he will remember the injury we have done to him and will do us the evil done to him (50:15)," and they implored him saying: "Here we are your slaves. (50:18) Joseph began to cry and answered: "Do not be afraid, for it is God who has done everything. You have formed criminal projects, but God has favored me with his property. I will feed you and your families. Joseph lived one hundred years, and saw the children of Ephraim until the third generation. He spoke. so to his brethren: "God will visit you and he will bring you into the land of promise which he promised with an oath to give to our fathers. You will then carry with you my bones. (50:24) And being dead, at the age of one hundred, he was buried in Egypt. [Synopsis on Genesis]