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Chapter
XLIII.
“Altogether absurd, and out of
season,”3882 he continues,
“is the (account of the) begetting of children,” where,
although he has mentioned no names, it is evident that he is referring
to the history of Abraham and Sarah. Cavilling also at the
“conspiracies of the brothers,” he allies either to the
story of Cain plotting against Abel,3883 or, in
addition, to that of Esau against Jacob;3884
and (speaking) of “a father’s sorrow,” he probably
refers to that of Isaac on account of the absence of Jacob, and perhaps
also to that of Jacob because of Joseph having been sold into
Egypt. And when relating the “crafty procedure of
mothers,” I suppose he means the conduct of Rebecca, who
contrived that the blessing of Isaac should descend, not upon Esau, but
upon Jacob. Now if we assert that in all these cases God
interposed in a very marked degree,3885
3885 ἄγχιστα δὲ
τούτοις πᾶσι
συμπολιτεύομενον. | what absurdity
do we commit, seeing we are persuaded that He never withdraws His
providence3886 from those who
devote themselves to Him in an honourable and vigorous3887 life? He ridicules, moreover, the
acquisition of property made by Jacob while living with Laban, not
understanding to what these words refer: “And those which
had no spots were Laban’s, and those which were spotted were
Jacob’s;”3888 and he says that
“God presented his sons with asses, and sheep, and
camels,”3889 and did not see
that “all these things happened unto them for ensamples, and were
written for our sake, upon whom the ends of the world are
come.”3890 The varying
customs (prevailing among the different nations) becoming
famous,3891
3891 παρ᾽ οἷς τὰ
ποικίλα ἤθη
ἐπίσημα
γενόμενα, τῷ
λογῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ
πολιτεύεται,
δοθέντα
κτῆσις τῷ
τροπικῶς
καλουμένῳ
᾽Ιακώβ: ἐπίσημα is the term employed
to denote the “spotted” cattle of Laban, and is here used
by Origen in its figurative sense of “distinguished,” thus
playing on the double meaning of the word. | are regulated by
the word of God, being given as a possession to him who is figuratively
termed Jacob. For those who become converts to Christ from among
the heathen, are indicated by the history of Laban and
Jacob.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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