The Pedagogy of Ascent

Through succession to all. For 'the children of the flesh are not these children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as seed' (Genesis 17:19). For he who does the works of it is his child. And also well is 'from river to river'; for the virtue which is the due promise to the seed is that which is in the middle of flowing things, not being parts of the flowing things, but their boundaries; for if any virtue should become external to it, these things immediately encounter it. And if this has been said to the virtuous one because of the lying in wait of trials, you will understand, it being in the middle of those distressing things and overcoming them.

But Sarah the wife of Abram did not bear him children. And she had an Egyptian handmaid, whose name was Hagar. And Sarah said to Abram: 'Behold, the Lord has closed my wombaid, so that I may make children from her.' And Abram obeyed the voice of Sarah. The apostle led these to the two covenants by the law of allegory; and since the literal has also come to pass, it is also worthy to be seen. The holy ones lived together thus, not to hunt pleasures but for the sake of children. For such a tradition is brought about concerning them, that they only had intercourse with women when they had a time of conception; neither while nursing nor while feeding the infant, nor while pregnant, did they have intercourse; for in none of these times did they consider union to be appropriate.

And Jacob also confirms the tradition; for having tested in much time that Rachel did not accept to bear children, he no longer approached her; and she, thinking that if he approached her, she would bear, was saying: 'Give me children, or if not, kill me.' For he did not know that Jacob was not a potter, but was seeking union as if the holy one had ceased for the said reason, so that he might not labor in vain. And he said to her: 'Am I instead God to you, who has deprived you of the fruit of the womb?' (Genesis 29:31). And Sarah, being wise and holy, knowing for much time that through intercourse she had not received according to the belly, abstained from the fellowship with him, and since she knew that he would have children following him, she gave her handmaid to him as a wife concubine. The temperance and also the abundance of Sarah and of Abram are shown.

The lack of passion comes not from one's own impulse, but through offspring produced by a woman. The explicit teaching is indeed useful, as we have explained.

The logic of ascent is smoothed out by using the pattern of the blessed Paul, who led the two women toward the two covenants; using this method in other matters, he led Sarah toward perfect virtue and philosophy, she being a married woman, free and noble, and living according to the laws; and virtue lives with the wise according to the laws, so that she may bring forth divine offspring from herself. For 'Wisdom' 'bears prudence to a man' (Prov 31:10), and it is said toward the pious and holy: 'Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine, your children like olive shoots around your table' (Ps 128:3). Thus the man who fears the Lord shall be blessed toward perfect virtue.

Sarah is led toward the spiritual, while Hagar the handmaid, the Egypt, is signified by Philo as the preliminary exercises and by Paul as the shadow. For it is impossible to grasp any of the spiritual or high notions without the shadow according to the letter or the introductory training; for one must first produce offspring from the lesser things. According to the shadow, they were immersing themselves, performing Pascha sensuously and circumcising themselves physically, being led by these things toward 'offering a sacrifice of praise to God' (Heb 13:15), which is the property of the free.

Since it is a matter of diligence for the wise to make room for the greater things, virtue proposes to use the introductory things first with a divine aim and to bring forth offspring from them. For since he who is now approaching virtue is not able to grasp perfection and thus bring forth from it, it is assumed that he first clothes himself in the preliminary trainings, so that he may also make room for it perfectly, if he is able.

And having taken Sarah, the wife of Abram, Hagar the Egyptian, his own handmaid, after ten years of living with Abram in the land of Canaan, she gave her to Abram her husband as a wife, and went in to Hagar, and conceived (Gen 16:3). As previously stated, Sarah offers the most precise example of temperance, having abundantly presented her own handmaid to Abram, observing that after...