Philo Judaeus, De Posteritate Caini, ed. Paul Wendland, 142

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[142] 43 διὸ καὶ Μωυσῆς ἐν ἑτέροις φησί· „δάνειον δανειεῖς τῷ χρῄζοντι ὅσον δεῖται, καθ’ ὃ δεῖται“ (Deut. 15,8), διὰ μὲν τοῦ δευτέρου διδάσκων ὅτι οὐ πάντα πᾶσι χαριστέον, ἀλλὰ τὰ οἰκεῖα τῇ τῶν δεομένων χρείᾳ· τὸ γὰρ ἄγκυραν ἢ πλάτην ἢ πηδάλιον
γεωπόνῳ ἢ ἄροτρα καὶ σκαπάνην κυβερνήτῃ ἢ λύραν μὲν ἰατρῷ, μουσικῷ δὲ τὰ κατὰ τὴν χειρουργίαν δωρεῖσθαι ὄργανα καταγέλαστον, εἰ μὴ καὶ διψῶσι μὲν πολυτελῆ σιτία, πεινῶσι δὲ πολὺν ἄκρατον ἐπιφέρειν δεῖ πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν εὐπορίας τε ἅμα καὶ μισανθρωπίας, χλεύην τὰς ἑτέρων τύχας τιθεμένους. τὸ δὲ ποσὸν ἐν ταῖς χάρισιν αὐτῷ
παρείληπται διὰ συμμετρίαν, πρᾶγμα ὠφελιμώτατον· μὴ γὰρ ὅσα δύνασαι χαρίζου, φησὶν ὁ ὀρθὸς λόγος, ἀλλ’ ὅσα ἱκανὸς ὁ δεόμενός ἐστι δέξασθαι. ¹² ἢ οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅτι καὶ ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἀναλογοῦντας τῷ μεγέθει τῆς αὑτοῦ

De Posteritate Caini. Philo Judaeus. ed. Paul Wendland. Germany. 2014.

Funding provided by European Social Fund Saxony.

Current edition First1KGreek

De Posteritate Caini (Greek) (Philo Judaeus. Opera quae supersunt, Volume 2. Wendland, Paul, editor. Berlin: Reimer, 1897.)

Translations (1)

On the Posterity of Cain First1KGreek (The works of Philo Judaeus, the contemporary of Josephus, volume 1. Yonge, C. D., translator. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854.) — 142 focus

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." ¹ By the second phrase showing that it is not everything which is to be given, but only such things as are suitable to the requirements 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 instruments 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.

Notes on the current edition

De Posteritate Caini

1.
2 σπεῦσαι conicio
4 τῆς add. Tisch.
10 οἴκοι U (nou οἶκον), οἰκεῖ D
12 ὁ δ’ αὖ] οὐδὲ D
14 ὅσα U (non ὅσους) D ἐπιστήμης] τέχνης D πεπόρικεν D: πεπόρικε U
15 γε] τε D ὅσον D
16 δίδωσιν D ἑτέροις Mang.: ἑτέρω U
17 δανιεῖς Holwerda ὅσου coni. Holwerda καθὸ U
18 πᾶσι D: om. U
20 ἄροτρον conicio
24 ἑταίρων U
25 δύνασαι U (non δύναται) D
26 χαρίζου, φησὶν D: φησί, χαρίζου U ὀρθὸς] ἱερὸς DC ὅσα ὡς DC) ἱκανός ἐστιν ὁ δεχόμενος δέξασθαι

2.
6 —
16 DK fol. 129r ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ: εὐήθεις ὅσοι — προφέρων δίδωσιν post locum ad p. 213 allatum. 18.
19 DC fol. 258r Φίλωνος ἐκ τοῦ η΄ καὶ θ΄ τῆς νόμων ἀλληγορίας DR fol. ρ Φίλωνος: οὐ πάντα πᾶσι χαριστέον χαριστητέον D R), ἀλλὰ τὰ οἰκεῖα τῇ τῶν δεομένων δεχομένων D R) χρείᾳ. pergunt lin.
25 25 — 32,4 ibid. ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ὅσα δύνασαι — κρειττόνων ἀκοῆς. pergunt p. 3216

Philo Judaeus De Posteritate Caini 142

ed. Paul Wendland

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