1. Hebrew Bible, Genesis, 19.18-19.22, 19.24-19.26, 23.6, 49.30, 50.13 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 19.18. וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹט אֲלֵהֶם אַל־נָא אֲדֹנָי׃ 19.19. הִנֵּה־נָא מָצָא עַבְדְּךָ חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ וַתַּגְדֵּל חַסְדְּךָ אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ עִמָּדִי לְהַחֲיוֹת אֶת־נַפְשִׁי וְאָנֹכִי לֹא אוּכַל לְהִמָּלֵט הָהָרָה פֶּן־תִּדְבָּקַנִי הָרָעָה וָמַתִּי׃ 19.21. וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו הִנֵּה נָשָׂאתִי פָנֶיךָ גַּם לַדָּבָר הַזֶּה לְבִלְתִּי הָפְכִּי אֶת־הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ׃ 19.22. מַהֵר הִמָּלֵט שָׁמָּה כִּי לֹא אוּכַל לַעֲשׂוֹת דָּבָר עַד־בֹּאֲךָ שָׁמָּה עַל־כֵּן קָרָא שֵׁם־הָעִיר צוֹעַר׃ 19.24. וַיהוָה הִמְטִיר עַל־סְדֹם וְעַל־עֲמֹרָה גָּפְרִית וָאֵשׁ מֵאֵת יְהוָה מִן־הַשָּׁמָיִם׃ 19.25. וַיַּהֲפֹךְ אֶת־הֶעָרִים הָאֵל וְאֵת כָּל־הַכִּכָּר וְאֵת כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵי הֶעָרִים וְצֶמַח הָאֲדָמָה׃ 19.26. וַתַּבֵּט אִשְׁתּוֹ מֵאַחֲרָיו וַתְּהִי נְצִיב מֶלַח׃ 23.6. שְׁמָעֵנוּ אֲדֹנִי נְשִׂיא אֱלֹהִים אַתָּה בְּתוֹכֵנוּ בְּמִבְחַר קְבָרֵינוּ קְבֹר אֶת־מֵתֶךָ אִישׁ מִמֶּנּוּ אֶת־קִבְרוֹ לֹא־יִכְלֶה מִמְּךָ מִקְּבֹר מֵתֶךָ׃ 50.13. וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֹתוֹ בָנָיו אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ בִּמְעָרַת שְׂדֵה הַמַּכְפֵּלָה אֲשֶׁר קָנָה אַבְרָהָם אֶת־הַשָּׂדֶה לַאֲחֻזַּת־קֶבֶר מֵאֵת עֶפְרֹן הַחִתִּי עַל־פְּנֵי מַמְרֵא׃ | 19.18. And Lot said unto them: ‘Oh, not so, my lord;" 19.19. behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shown unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest the evil overtake me, and I die." 19.20. Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one; oh, let me escape thither—is it not a little one?—and my soul shall live.’" 19.21. And he said unto him: ‘See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which thou hast spoken." 19.22. Hasten thou, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither.’—Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.—" 19.24. Then the LORD caused to rain upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;" 19.25. and He overthrow those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground." 19.26. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt." 23.6. ’Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us; in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.’" 49.30. in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying-place." 50.13. For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field, for a possession of a burying-place, of Ephron the Hittite, in front of Mamre." |
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2. Hebrew Bible, Proverbs, 3.3 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 3.3. אַל־תרוב [תָּרִיב] עִם־אָדָם חִנָּם אִם־לֹא גְמָלְךָ רָעָה׃ 3.3. חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת אַל־יַעַזְבֻךָ קָשְׁרֵם עַל־גַּרְגְּרוֹתֶיךָ כָּתְבֵם עַל־לוּחַ לִבֶּךָ׃ | 3.3. Let not kindness and truth forsake thee; Bind them about thy neck, write them upon the table of thy heart;" |
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3. Hebrew Bible, Psalms, 18.8 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 18.8. וַתִּגְעַשׁ וַתִּרְעַשׁ הָאָרֶץ וּמוֹסְדֵי הָרִים יִרְגָּזוּ וַיִּתְגָּעֲשׁוּ כִּי־חָרָה לוֹ׃ | 18.8. Then the earth did shake and quake, the foundations also of the mountains did tremble; they were shaken, because He was wroth." |
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4. Hebrew Bible, Isaiah, 22.16 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 22.16. מַה־לְּךָ פֹה וּמִי לְךָ פֹה כִּי־חָצַבְתָּ לְּךָ פֹּה קָבֶר חֹצְבִי מָרוֹם קִבְרוֹ חֹקְקִי בַסֶּלַע מִשְׁכָּן לוֹ׃ | 22.16. What hast thou here, and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out here a sepulchre, Thou that hewest thee out a sepulchre on high, And gravest a habitation for thyself in the rock?" |
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5. Herodotus, Histories, 1.30 (5th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 1.30. So for that reason, and to see the world, Solon went to visit Amasis in Egypt and then to Croesus in Sardis . When he got there, Croesus entertained him in the palace, and on the third or fourth day Croesus told his attendants to show Solon around his treasures, and they pointed out all those things that were great and blest. ,After Solon had seen everything and had thought about it, Croesus found the opportunity to say, “My Athenian guest, we have heard a lot about you because of your wisdom and of your wanderings, how as one who loves learning you have traveled much of the world for the sake of seeing it, so now I desire to ask you who is the most fortunate man you have seen.” ,Croesus asked this question believing that he was the most fortunate of men, but Solon, offering no flattery but keeping to the truth, said, “O King, it is Tellus the Athenian.” ,Croesus was amazed at what he had said and replied sharply, “In what way do you judge Tellus to be the most fortunate?” Solon said, “Tellus was from a prosperous city, and his children were good and noble. He saw children born to them all, and all of these survived. His life was prosperous by our standards, and his death was most glorious: ,when the Athenians were fighting their neighbors in Eleusis, he came to help, routed the enemy, and died very finely. The Athenians buried him at public expense on the spot where he fell and gave him much honor.” |
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6. Anon., Testament of Benjamin, 6.5 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. CE)
| 6.5. The good mind hath not two tongues, of blessing and of cursing, of contumely and of honor, of sorrow and of joy, of quietness and of confusion, of hypocrisy and of truth, [of poverty and of wealth]; but it hath one disposition, uncorrupt and pure, concerning all men. |
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7. Anon., Testament of Issachar, 3.4, 4.4-4.6 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. CE)
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8. Septuagint, 1 Maccabees, 2.52 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 2.52. Was not Abraham found faithful when tested, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness? |
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9. Septuagint, Ecclesiasticus (Siracides), 1.28, 2.6, 2.8, 2.10, 2.13, 15.14, 15.17, 15.20 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 1.28. Do not disobey the fear of the Lord;do not approach him with a divided mind. 2.6. Trust in him, and he will help you;make your ways straight, and hope in him. 2.8. You who fear the Lord, trust in him,and your reward will not fail; 15.14. It was he who created man in the beginning,and he left him in the power of his own inclination. 15.17. Before a man are life and death,and whichever he chooses will be given to him. |
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10. Septuagint, Judith, 3.8, 5.5-5.21, 7.30, 8.31 (2nd cent. BCE - 0th cent. CE)
| 3.8. And he demolished all their shrines and cut down their sacred groves; for it had been given to him to destroy all the gods of the land, so that all nations should worship Nebuchadnezzar only, and all their tongues and tribes should call upon him as god. 5.5. Then Achior, the leader of all the Ammonites, said to him, "Let my lord now hear a word from the mouth of your servant, and I will tell you the truth about this people that dwells in the nearby mountain district. No falsehood shall come from your servant's mouth. 5.6. This people is descended from the Chaldeans. 5.7. At one time they lived in Mesopotamia, because they would not follow the gods of their fathers who were in Chaldea. 5.8. For they had left the ways of their ancestors, and they worshiped the God of heaven, the God they had come to know; hence they drove them out from the presence of their gods; and they fled to Mesopotamia, and lived there for a long time. 5.9. Then their God commanded them to leave the place where they were living and go to the land of Canaan. There they settled, and prospered, with much gold and silver and very many cattle. 5.10. When a famine spread over Canaan they went down to Egypt and lived there as long as they had food; and there they became a great multitude -- so great that they could not be counted. 5.11. So the king of Egypt became hostile to them; he took advantage of them and set them to making bricks, and humbled them and made slaves of them. 5.12. Then they cried out to their God, and he afflicted the whole land of Egypt with incurable plagues; and so the Egyptians drove them out of their sight. 5.13. Then God dried up the Red Sea before them 5.14. and he led them by the way of Sinai and Kadesh-barnea, and drove out all the people of the wilderness. 5.15. So they lived in the land of the Amorites, and by their might destroyed all the inhabitants of Heshbon; and crossing over the Jordan they took possession of all the hill country. 5.16. And they drove out before them the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Jebusites and the Shechemites and all the Gergesites, and lived there a long time. 5.17. As long as they did not sin against their God they prospered, for the God who hates iniquity is with them. 5.18. But when they departed from the way which he had appointed for them, they were utterly defeated in many battles and were led away captive to a foreign country; the temple of their God was razed to the ground, and their cities were captured by their enemies. 5.19. But now they have returned to their God, and have come back from the places to which they were scattered, and have occupied Jerusalem, where their sanctuary is, and have settled in the hill country, because it was uninhabited. 5.20. Now therefore, my master and lord, if there is any unwitting error in this people and they sin against their God and we find out their offense, then we will go up and defeat them. 5.21. But if there is no transgression in their nation, then let my lord pass them by; for their Lord will defend them, and their God will protect them, and we shall be put to shame before the whole world. 7.30. And Uzziah said to them, "Have courage, my brothers! Let us hold out for five more days; by that time the Lord our God will restore to us his mercy, for he will not forsake us utterly. 8.31. So pray for us, since you are a devout woman, and the Lord will send us rain to fill our cisterns and we will no longer be faint. |
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11. Septuagint, Wisdom of Solomon, 1.1, 3.1, 10.1-10.6, 10.8-10.11, 10.14-10.21, 12.2, 16.24 (2nd cent. BCE - 1st cent. BCE)
| 1.1. Love righteousness, you rulers of the earth,think of the Lord with uprightness,and seek him with sincerity of heart; 3.1. But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,and no torment will ever touch them. 10.1. Wisdom protected the first-formed father of the world, when he alone had been created;she delivered him from his transgression 10.2. and gave him strength to rule all things. 10.3. But when an unrighteous man departed from her in his anger,he perished because in rage he slew his brother. 10.4. When the earth was flooded because of him,wisdom again saved it,steering the righteous man by a paltry piece of wood. 10.5. Wisdom also, when the nations in wicked agreement had been confounded,recognized the righteous man and preserved him blameless before God,and kept him strong in the face of his compassion for his child. 10.6. Wisdom rescued a righteous man when the ungodly were perishing;he escaped the fire that descended on the Five Cities. 10.8. For because they passed wisdom by,they not only were hindered from recognizing the good,but also left for mankind a reminder of their folly,so that their failures could never go unnoticed. 10.9. Wisdom rescued from troubles those who served her. 10.10. When a righteous man fled from his brothers wrath,she guided him on straight paths;she showed him the kingdom of God,and gave him knowledge of angels;she prospered him in his labors,and increased the fruit of his toil. 10.11. When his oppressors were covetous,she stood by him and made him rich. 10.14. and when he was in prison she did not leave him,until she brought him the scepter of a kingdom and authority over his masters. Those who accused him she showed to be false,and she gave him everlasting honor. 10.15. A holy people and blameless race wisdom delivered from a nation of oppressors. 10.16. She entered the soul of a servant of the Lord,and withstood dread kings with wonders and signs. 10.17. She gave holy men the reward of their labors;she guided them along a marvelous way,and became a shelter to them by day,and a starry flame through the night. 10.18. She brought them over the Red Sea,and led them through deep waters; 10.19. but she drowned their enemies,and cast them up from the depth of the sea. 10.20. Therefore the righteous plundered the ungodly;they sang hymns, O Lord, to thy holy name,and praised with one accord thy defending hand 10.21. because wisdom opened the mouth of the dumb,and made the tongues of babes speak clearly. 12.2. Therefore thou dost correct little by little those who trespass,and dost remind and warn them of the things wherein they sin,that they may be freed from wickedness and put their trust in thee, O Lord. 16.24. For creation, serving thee who hast made it,exerts itself to punish the unrighteous,and in kindness relaxes on behalf of those who trust in thee. |
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12. Septuagint, 4 Maccabees, 16.12-16.14, 16.18-16.23, 16.25, 18.10-18.19 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 16.12. Yet the sacred and God-fearing mother did not wail with such a lament for any of them, nor did she dissuade any of them from dying, nor did she grieve as they were dying 16.13. but, as though having a mind like adamant and giving rebirth for immortality to the whole number of her sons, she implored them and urged them on to death for the sake of religion. 16.14. O mother, soldier of God in the cause of religion, elder and woman! By steadfastness you have conquered even a tyrant, and in word and deed you have proved more powerful than a man. 16.18. Remember that it is through God that you have had a share in the world and have enjoyed life 16.19. and therefore you ought to endure any suffering for the sake of God. 16.20. For his sake also our father Abraham was zealous to sacrifice his son Isaac, the ancestor of our nation; and when Isaac saw his father's hand wielding a sword and descending upon him, he did not cower. 16.21. And Daniel the righteous was thrown to the lions, and Haiah, Azariah, and Mishael were hurled into the fiery furnace and endured it for the sake of God. 16.22. You too must have the same faith in God and not be grieved. 16.23. It is unreasonable for people who have religious knowledge not to withstand pain. 16.25. They knew also that those who die for the sake of God live in God, as do Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the patriarchs. 18.10. While he was still with you, he taught you the law and the prophets. 18.11. He read to you about Abel slain by Cain, and Isaac who was offered as a burnt offering, and of Joseph in prison. 18.12. He told you of the zeal of Phineas, and he taught you about Haiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fire. 18.13. He praised Daniel in the den of the lions and blessed him. 18.14. He reminded you of the scripture of Isaiah, which says, `Even though you go through the fire, the flame shall not consume you.' 18.15. He sang to you songs of the psalmist David, who said, `Many are the afflictions of the righteous.' 18.16. He recounted to you Solomon's proverb, `There is a tree of life for those who do his will.' 18.17. He confirmed the saying of Ezekiel, `Shall these dry bones live?' 18.18. For he did not forget to teach you the song that Moses taught, which says 18.19. `I kill and I make alive: this is your life and the length of your days.' |
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13. Septuagint, 3 Maccabees, 2.1-2.8, 6.1-6.8 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 2.1. Then the high priest Simon, facing the sanctuary, bending his knees and extending his hands with calm dignity, prayed as follows: 2.1. And because you love the house of Israel, you promised that if we should have reverses, and tribulation should overtake us, you would listen to our petition when we come to this place and pray. 2.2. Lord, Lord, king of the heavens, and sovereign of all creation, holy among the holy ones, the only ruler, almighty, give attention to us who are suffering grievously from an impious and profane man, puffed up in his audacity and power. 2.2. Speedily let your mercies overtake us, and put praises in the mouth of those who are downcast and broken in spirit, and give us peace. 2.3. For you, the creator of all things and the governor of all, are a just Ruler, and you judge those who have done anything in insolence and arrogance. 2.3. In order that he might not appear to be an enemy to all, he inscribed below: "But if any of them prefer to join those who have been initiated into the mysteries, they shall have equal citizenship with the Alexandrians. 2.4. You destroyed those who in the past committed injustice, among whom were even giants who trusted in their strength and boldness, whom you destroyed by bringing upon them a boundless flood. 2.5. You consumed with fire and sulphur the men of Sodom who acted arrogantly, who were notorious for their vices; and you made them an example to those who should come afterward. 2.6. You made known your mighty power by inflicting many and varied punishments on the audacious Pharaoh who had enslaved your holy people Israel. 2.7. And when he pursued them with chariots and a mass of troops, you overwhelmed him in the depths of the sea, but carried through safely those who had put their confidence in you, the Ruler over the whole creation. 2.8. And when they had seen works of your hands, they praised you, the Almighty. 6.1. Then a certain Eleazar, famous among the priests of the country, who had attained a ripe old age and throughout his life had been adorned with every virtue, directed the elders around him to cease calling upon the holy God and prayed as follows: 6.1. Even if our lives have become entangled in impieties in our exile, rescue us from the hand of the enemy, and destroy us, Lord, by whatever fate you choose. 6.2. King of great power, Almighty God Most High, governing all creation with mercy 6.2. Even the king began to shudder bodily, and he forgot his sullen insolence. 6.3. look upon the descendants of Abraham, O Father, upon the children of the sainted Jacob, a people of your consecrated portion who are perishing as foreigners in a foreign land. 6.3. Then the king, when he had returned to the city, summoned the official in charge of the revenues and ordered him to provide to the Jews both wines and everything else needed for a festival of seven days, deciding that they should celebrate their rescue with all joyfulness in that same place in which they had expected to meet their destruction. 6.4. Pharaoh with his abundance of chariots, the former ruler of this Egypt, exalted with lawless insolence and boastful tongue, you destroyed together with his arrogant army by drowning them in the sea, manifesting the light of your mercy upon the nation of Israel. 6.4. Then they feasted, provided with everything by the king, until the fourteenth day, on which also they made the petition for their dismissal. 6.5. Sennacherib exulting in his countless forces, oppressive king of the Assyrians, who had already gained control of the whole world by the spear and was lifted up against your holy city, speaking grievous words with boasting and insolence, you, O Lord, broke in pieces, showing your power to many nations. 6.6. The three companions in Babylon who had voluntarily surrendered their lives to the flames so as not to serve vain things, you rescued unharmed, even to a hair, moistening the fiery furnace with dew and turning the flame against all their enemies. 6.7. Daniel, who through envious slanders was cast down into the ground to lions as food for wild beasts, you brought up to the light unharmed. 6.8. And Jonah, wasting away in the belly of a huge, sea-born monster, you, Father, watched over and restored unharmed to all his family. |
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14. Philo of Alexandria, On Drunkenness, 222 (1st cent. BCE - 1st cent. CE)
| 222. But even then, nevertheless, the insatiable desire which exists within them continues to rage as though it were still under the influence of hunger. "For their wine is of the vine of Sodom," as Moses says, "and their tenderils are from Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of gall, and their branches are bitter branches. The rage of dragons is their wine, and the incurable fury of Serpents." The interpretation of the name Sodom is "barrenness and blindness." But Moses here compares those who are the slaves of greediness for wine and general gluttony, and of other most disgraceful pleasures to a vine, and to the different products of the vine; |
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15. Philo of Alexandria, On Dreams, 2.192 (1st cent. BCE - 1st cent. CE)
| 2.192. You see here what great effects are produced by the drunkenness of folly: bitterness, an evil disposition, exceeding gall, excessive anger, implacability, a biting and treacherous disposition. The lawgiver most emphatically asserts the branch of the vine of folly to be in Sodom; and the name Sodom, being interpreted, means "blindness," or "barrenness;" since folly is a thing which is blind, and also barren of all good things; though, nevertheless, some people have been so greatly influenced by it as to measure, and weigh, and count everything with reference to themselves alone. |
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16. Philo of Alexandria, On The Life of Moses, 2.56 (1st cent. BCE - 1st cent. CE)
| 2.56. Therefore on this occasion, as the holy scriptures tell us, thunderbolts fell from heaven, and burnt up those wicked men and their cities; and even to this day there are seen in Syria monuments of the unprecedented destruction that fell upon them, in the ruins, and ashes, and sulphur, and smoke, and dusky flame which still is sent up from the ground as of a fire smouldering beneath; |
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17. Philo of Alexandria, Questions On Genesis, 4.23, 4.51 (1st cent. BCE - 1st cent. CE)
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18. Strabo, Geography, 16.2.44 (1st cent. BCE - 1st cent. BCE)
| 16.2.44. Many other proofs are produced to show that this country is full of fire. Near Moasada are to be seen rugged rocks, bearing the marks of fire; fissures in many places; a soil like ashes; pitch falling in drops from the rocks; rivers boiling up, and emitting a fetid odour to a great distance; dwellings in every direction overthrown; whence we are inclined to believe the common tradition of the natives, that thirteen cities once existed there, the capital of which was Sodom, but that a circuit of about 60 stadia around it escaped uninjured; shocks of earthquakes, however, eruptions of flames and hot springs, containing asphaltus and sulphur, caused the lake to burst its bounds, and the rocks took fire; some of the cities were swallowed up, others were abandoned by such of the inhabitants as were able to make their escape.But Eratosthenes asserts, on the contrary, that the country was once a lake, and that the greater part of it was uncovered by the water discharging itself through a breach, as was the case in Thessaly. |
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19. Anon., The Life of Adam And Eve, 28.4, 37.5, 39.2, 40.7, 43.2 (1st cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
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20. Clement of Rome, 1 Clement, 11.1-11.2, 23.1, 23.3 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 11.1. Διὰ φιλοξενίαν καὶ εὐσέβειαν Λὼτ ἐσώθη ἐκ Σοδόμων, τῆς περιχώρου πάσης κριθείσης διὰ πυρὸς καὶ θείου, πρόδηλον ποιήσας ὁ δεσπότης, ὅτι τοὺς ἐλπίζοντας ἐπ̓ αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐγκαταλείπει, τοὺς δὲ ἑτεροκλινεῖς ὑπάρχοντας εἰς κόλασιν καὶ αἰκισμὸν τίθησιν. 11.2. συνεξελθούσης γὰρ αὐτῷ τῆς γυναικὸς ἑτερογνώμονος ὑπαρχούσης καὶ οὐκ ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ, εἰς τοῦτο σημεῖον ἐτέθη, ὥστε γενέσθαι αὐτὴν στήλην ἁλὸς ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης, εἰς τὸ γνωστὸν εἶναι πᾶσιν, ὅτι οἱ δίψυχοι καὶ οἱ διστάζοντες περὶ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμεως εἰς κρίμα καὶ εἰς σημείωσιν πάσαις ταῖς γενεαῖς γίνονται. 23.1. Ὁ οἰκτίρμων κατὰ πάντα καὶ εὐεργετικὸς πατὴρ ἔχει σπλάγχνα ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν, ἠπίως τε καὶ προσηνῶς τὰς χάριτας αὐτοῦ ἀποδιδοῖ τοῖς προσερχομένοις αὐτῷ ἁπλῇ διανοιᾳ. 23.3. πόρρω γενέσθω ἀφ̓ ἡμῶν ἡ γραφὴ αὕτη, ὅπου λέγει: Ταλαίπωροί εἰσιν οἱ δίψυχοι, οἱ διστάζοντες τῇ ψυχῇ, οἱ λέγοντες: Ταῦτα ἠκούσαμεν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν, καὶ ἰδού, γεγηράκαμεν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἡμῖν τούτων συνβέβηκεν. | |
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21. Clement of Rome, 2 Clement, 11 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
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22. Josephus Flavius, Jewish Antiquities, 1.203, 8.46 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 1.203. God then cast a thunderbolt upon the city, and set it on fire, with its inhabitants; and laid waste the country with the like burning, as I formerly said when I wrote the Jewish War. But Lot’s wife continually turning back to view the city as she went from it, and being too nicely inquisitive what would become of it, although God had forbidden her so to do, was changed into a pillar of salt; for I have seen it, and it remains at this day. 8.46. and this method of cure is of great force unto this day; for I have seen a certain man of my own country, whose name was Eleazar, releasing people that were demoniacal in the presence of Vespasian, and his sons, and his captains, and the whole multitude of his soldiers. The manner of the cure was this: |
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23. Josephus Flavius, Jewish War, 1.184, 4.483-4.485 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 1.184. But envy prevented any effect of Aristobulus’s alacrity, and the hopes of Caesar; for he was taken off by poison given him by those of Pompey’s party; and, for a long while, he had not so much as a burial vouchsafed him in his own country; but his dead body lay [above ground], preserved in honey, until it was sent to the Jews by Antony, in order to be buried in the royal sepulchres. 4.483. The country of Sodom borders upon it. It was of old a most happy land, both for the fruits it bore and the riches of its cities, although it be now all burnt up. 4.484. It is related how, for the impiety of its inhabitants, it was burnt by lightning; in consequence of which there are still the remainders of that Divine fire, and the traces [or shadows] of the five cities are still to be seen, as well as the ashes growing in their fruits; which fruits have a color as if they were fit to be eaten, but if you pluck them with your hands, they dissolve into smoke and ashes. 4.485. And thus what is related of this land of Sodom hath these marks of credibility which our very sight affords us. |
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24. New Testament, 1 John, 1.1-1.3 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 1.1. That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life 1.2. (and the life was revealed, and we have seen, and testify, and declare to you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was revealed to us); 1.3. that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. Yes, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ. |
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25. New Testament, 1 Corinthians, 15.22 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 15.22. For as inAdam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. |
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26. New Testament, Acts, 11.12, 13.4, 21.4 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
| 11.12. The Spirit told me to go with them, without discriminating. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house. 13.4. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed to Cyprus. 21.4. Having found disciples, we stayed there seven days. These said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem. |
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27. New Testament, Galatians, 1.18 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 1.18. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem tovisit Peter, and stayed with him fifteen days. |
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28. New Testament, Hebrews, 11 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
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29. New Testament, John, 1.1-1.3 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 1.1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 1.2. The same was in the beginning with God. 1.3. All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made. |
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30. New Testament, Luke, 3.38 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 3.38. the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. |
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31. Tacitus, Histories, 5.7 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
| 5.7. Not far from this lake is a plain which, according to report, was once fertile and the site of great cities, but which was later devastated by lightning; and it is said that traces of this disaster still exist there, and that the very ground looks burnt and has lost its fertility. In fact, all the plants there, whether wild or cultivated, turn black, become sterile, and seem to wither into dust, either in leaf or in flower or after they have reached their usual mature form. Now for my part, although I should grant that famous cities were once destroyed by fire from heaven, I still think that it is the exhalations from the lake that infect the ground and poison the atmosphere about this district, and that this is the reason that crops and fruits decay, since both soil and climate are deleterious. The river Belus also empties into the Jewish Sea; around its mouth a kind of sand is gathered, which when mixed with soda is fused into glass. The beach is of moderate size, but it furnishes an inexhaustible supply. |
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32. Babylonian Talmud, Berachot, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 54a. מתני׳ big strongהרואה /strong /big מקום שנעשו בו נסים לישראל אומר ברוך שעשה נסים לאבותינו במקום הזה מקום שנעקרה ממנו עכו"ם אומר ברוך שעקר עכו"ם מארצנו,על הזיקין ועל הזועות ועל הרעמים ועל הרוחות ועל הברקים אומר ברוך שכחו וגבורתו מלא עולם על ההרים ועל הגבעות ועל הימים ועל הנהרות ועל המדברות אומר ברוך עושה בראשית רבי יהודה אומר הרואה את הים הגדול אומר ברוך שעשה את הים הגדול בזמן שרואהו לפרקים,על הגשמים ועל בשורות טובות אומר ברוך הטוב והמטיב על בשורות רעות אומר ברוך דיין האמת בנה בית חדש וקנה כלים חדשים אומר ברוך שהחיינו וקיימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה מברך על הרעה מעין על הטובה ועל הטובה מעין על הרעה,והצועק לשעבר הרי זו תפלת שוא היתה אשתו מעוברת ואומר יהי רצון שתלד אשתי זכר הרי זו תפלת שוא היה בא בדרך ושמע קול צוחה בעיר ואומר יהי רצון שלא תהא בתוך ביתי הרי זו תפלת שוא,הנכנס לכרך מתפלל שתים אחת בכניסתו ואחת ביציאתו בן עזאי אומר ארבע שתים בכניסתו ושתים ביציאתו נותן הודאה על שעבר וצועק על העתיד,חייב אדם לברך על הרעה כשם שמברך על הטובה שנאמר (דברים ו, ה) ואהבת את ה' אלהיך בכל לבבך וגו' בכל לבבך בשני יצריך ביצר טוב וביצר הרע ובכל נפשך אפילו הוא נוטל את נפשך ובכל מאדך בכל ממונך ד"א בכל מאדך בכל מדה ומדה שהוא מודד לך הוי מודה לו,לא יקל אדם את ראשו כנגד שער המזרח שהוא מכוון כנגד בית קדשי הקדשים ולא יכנס להר הבית במקלו ובמנעלו ובפונדתו ובאבק שעל רגליו ולא יעשנו קפנדריא ורקיקה מקל וחומר,כל חותמי ברכות שבמקדש היו אומרים עד העולם משקלקלו הצדוקים ואמרו אין עולם אלא אחד התקינו שיהו אומרים מן העולם ועד העולם,והתקינו שיהא אדם שואל את שלום חברו בשם שנאמר (רות ב, ד) והנה בעז בא מבית לחם ויאמר לקוצרים ה' עמכם ויאמרו לו יברכך ה' ואומר (שופטים ו, יב) ה' עמך גבור החיל ואומר (משלי כג, כב) אל תבוז כי זקנה אמך ואומר (תהלים קיט, קכו) עת לעשות לה' הפרו תורתך רבי נתן אומר הפרו תורתך משום עת לעשות לה':, big strongגמ׳ /strong /big מנא הני מילי אמר רבי יוחנן דאמר קרא (שמות יח, י) ויאמר יתרו ברוך ה' אשר הציל וגו',אניסא דרבים מברכינן אניסא דיחיד לא מברכינן והא ההוא גברא דהוה קא אזיל בעבר ימינא נפל עליה אריא אתעביד ליה ניסא ואיתצל מיניה אתא לקמיה דרבא וא"ל כל אימת דמטית להתם בריך ברוך שעשה לי נס במקום הזה,מר בריה דרבינא הוה קאזיל בפקתא דערבות וצחא למיא איתעביד ליה ניסא איברי ליה עינא דמיא ואישתי,ותו זמנא חדא הוה קאזיל ברסתקא דמחוזא ונפל עליה גמלא פריצא איתפרקא ליה אשיתא על לגוה כי מטא לערבות בריך ברוך שעשה לי נס בערבות ובגמל כי מטא לרסתקא דמחוזא בריך ברוך שעשה לי נס בגמל ובערבות אמרי אניסא דרבים כולי עלמא מיחייבי לברוכי אניסא דיחיד איהו חייב לברוכי,תנו רבנן הרואה מעברות הים ומעברות הירדן מעברות נחלי ארנון אבני אלגביש במורד בית חורון ואבן שבקש לזרוק עוג מלך הבשן על ישראל ואבן שישב עליה משה בשעה שעשה יהושע מלחמה בעמלק ואשתו של לוט וחומת יריחו שנבלעה במקומה על כולן צריך שיתן הודאה ושבח לפני המקום,בשלמא מעברות הים דכתיב (שמות יד, טז) ויבאו בני ישראל בתוך הים ביבשה מעברות הירדן דכתיב (יהושע ג, יז) ויעמדו הכהנים נושאי הארון ברית ה' בחרבה בתוך הירדן הכן וכל ישראל עוברים בחרבה עד אשר תמו כל הגוי לעבור את הירדן,אלא מעברות נחלי ארנון מנלן דכתיב (במדבר כא, יד) על כן יאמר בספר מלחמות ה' את והב בסופה וגו' תנא את והב בסופה שני מצורעים היו דהוו מהלכין בסוף מחנה ישראל כי הוו קא חלפי ישראל אתו אמוראי | 54a. This mishna, which includes all of this chapter’s imishnayot /i, contains a series of blessings and ihalakhotthat are not recited at specific times, but rather in response to various experiences and events. br br strongMISHNA: strong span class="gemarra-regular"One who sees a place where miracles occurred /span span class="gemarra-regular" on Israel’s behalf recites: Blessed…Who performed miracles /span span class="gemarra-regular"for our forefathers in this place. /spanOne who sees span class="gemarra-regular" a /span span class="gemarra-regular"place from which idolatry was eradicated recites: Blessed…Who eradicated /span span class="gemarra-regular"idolatry from our land. /span /strong /strong,One who sees conspicuous natural occurrences recites a blessing. bFor izikinand izeva’ot /i,which the Gemara will discuss below, bfor thunder,gale force bwinds, and lightning,manifestations of the power of the Creator, one brecites: Blessed…Whose strength and power fill the world. Forextraordinary (Rambam) bmountains, hills, seas, rivers, and deserts, one recites: Blessed…Author of creation.Consistent with his opinion that a separate blessing should be instituted for each individual species, bRabbi Yehuda says: One who sees the great sea recitesa special blessing: bBlessed…Who made the great sea.As with all blessings of this type, one only recites it bwhen he seesthe sea bintermittently,not on a regular basis., bFor rain andother bgood tidings, one recitesthe special blessing: bBlessed…Who is good and Who does good.Even bfor bad tidings, one recitesa special blessing: bBlessed…the true Judge.Similarly, when bone built a new house or purchased new vessels, he recites: Blessed…Who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this time.The mishna articulates a general principle: bOne recites a blessing for the badthat befalls him bjust ashe does bfor the good.In other words, one recites the appropriate blessing for the trouble that he is experiencing at present despite the fact that it may conceal some positive element in the future. bSimilarly,one must recite a blessing for bthe goodthat befalls him bjust as for the bad. /b,The mishna states: bAnd one who cries out over the pastin an attempt to change that which has already occurred, bit is a vain prayer.For example, bone whose wife was pregt and he says: May it beGod’s bwill that my wife will give birth to a male child, it is a vain prayer.Or bone who was walking on the pathhome band he heard the sound of a scream in the city, and he says: May it beGod’s bwill thatthis scream bwill not be from my house, it is a vain prayer.In both cases, the event already occurred.,The Sages also said: bOne who enters a large city,the Gemara explains below that this is in a case where entering the city is dangerous, brecites two prayers: One upon his entrance,that he may enter in peace, band one upon his exit,that he may leave in peace. bBen Azzai says:He recites bfourprayers, btwo upon his entrance and two upon his exit.In addition to praying that he may enter and depart in peace, he bgives thanks for the past and cries outin prayer bfor the future. /b,The mishna articulates a general principle: bOne is obligated to recite a blessing for the badthat befalls him bjust as he recites a blessing for the goodthat befalls him, bas it is stated: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). The mishna explains this verse as follows: “ bWith all your heart”means bwith your two inclinations, with your good inclination and your evil inclination,both of which must be subjugated to the love of God. b“With all your soul”means beven if God takes your soul. “And with all your might”means bwith all your money,as money is referred to in the Bible as might. bAlternatively,it may be explained that “ bwith all your might”means bwith every measure that He metes out to you;whether it is good or troublesome, bthank Him. /b,The mishna teaches several Temple-related ihalakhot /i. bOne may not act irreverentlyor conduct himself flippantly bopposite the eastern gateof the Temple Mount, bwhich is aligned opposite the Holy of Holies.In deference to the Temple, one bmay not enter the Temple Mount with his staff, his shoes, his money belt [ ipunda /i], oreven bthe dust on his feet. One may not makethe Temple ba shortcutto pass through it, band through an ia fortioriinference,all the more so bone may not spiton the Temple Mount.,The mishna relates: bAt the conclusion of all blessingsrecited bin the Temple, thosereciting the blessing bwould say:Blessed are You Lord, God of Israel, buntil everlasting [ ihaolam /i] /b, the world. But bwhen the Sadducees strayed and declaredthat bthere is but one worldand there is no World-to-Come, the Sages binstituted thatat the conclusion of the blessing bone recites: From everlasting [ ihaolam /i] to everlasting [ ihaolam /i] /b.,The Sages also binstituted that one should greet another in the nameof God, i.e., one should mention God’s name in his greeting, bas it is stated: “And presently Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the harvesters, The Lord is with you, and they said to him, May the Lord bless you”(Ruth 2:4). bAnd it says:“And the angel of God appeared to him band said to him, God is with you, mighty man of valor”(Judges 6:12). bAnd it says: “And despise not your mother when she is old”(Proverbs 23:22), i.e., one must not neglect customs which he inherits. bAndlest you say that mentioning God’s name is prohibited, bit says: “It is time to work for the Lord; they have made void Your Torah”(Psalms 119:126), i.e., it is occasionally necessary to negate biblical precepts in order to perform God’s will, and greeting another is certainly God’s will. bRabbi Natan saysanother interpretation of the verse: b“Make void Your Torah” because “it is the time to work for the Lord,”i.e., occasionally it is necessary to negate biblical precepts in order to bolster the Torah., strongGEMARA: /strong With regard to the obligation to recite a blessing for a miracle, the Gemara asks: bFrom where are these mattersderived? bRabbi Yoḥa said: The verse states: “And Jethro said: Blessed be the Lord, Who deliveredyou out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; Who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians” (Exodus 18:10); a blessing is recited for a miracle.,The Gemara asks: bFor a miraclethat occurs for the bmultitudes we recite a blessing,but bfor a miraclethat befalls ban individualperson bwe do not recite a blessing? Wasn’tthere an incident where ba certain man was walking along the right sideof the Euphrates River when ba lion attacked him, a miracle was performed for him, and he was rescued? He came before Rava, who said to him: Every time that you arrive there,to the site of the miracle, brecite the blessing, “Blessed…Who performed a miracle for me in this place.” /b, bAndonce when bMar, son of Ravina, was walking in a valley of willows andwas bthirsty for water, a miracle was performed for himand ba spring of water was created for him, and he drank. /b, bFurthermore, oncewhen Mar, son of Ravina, bwas walking in the marketplace [ iristeka /i] of Meḥoza and a wild camel [ igamla peritza /i] attacked him. The wall cracked open, he went inside it,and he was rescued. Ever since, bwhen he came to the willows he recited: Blessed…Who performed a miracle for me in the willows and with the camel.And, bwhen he came to the marketplace of Meḥoza he recited: Blessed…Who performed a miracle for me with the camel and in the willows,indicating that one recites a blessing even for a miracle that occurs to an individual. The Sages bsay: On a miracleperformed on behalf bof the multitudes, everyone is obligated to recite a blessing; on a miracleperformed on behalf bof an individual,only the individual bis obligated to recite a blessing. /b, bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraitaa list of places where one is required to recite a blessing due to miracles that were performed there: bOne who sees the crossings of theRed bSea,where Israel crossed; band the crossings of the Jordan; and the crossings of the streams of Arnon; the hailstones of Elgavish on the descent of Beit Ḥoron; the rock that Og, King of Bashan, sought to hurl upon Israel; and the rock upon which Moses sat when Joshua waged war against Amalek; and Lot’s wife; and the wall of Jericho that was swallowed up in its place. On all of thesemiracles bone must give thanks andoffer bpraise before God. /b,The Gemara elaborates: bGranted,the miracles at bthe crossings of the seaare recorded explicitly in the Torah, bas it is stated: “And the Israelites went into the sea on dry groundand the water was a wall for them on their right and on their left” (Exodus 14:22). So too, the miracle at bthe crossings of the Jordan, as it is stated: “The priests who bore the ark of God’s covet stood on dry land within the Jordan, while all Israel crossed on dry land until the entire nation finished crossing the Jordan”(Joshua 3:17)., bHowever, from where do wederive the miracle that occurred at bthe crossing of the streams of Arnon? As it is stated: “Wherefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord: iVahevin iSufa/b, and the valleys of Arnon. And the slope of the valleys that incline toward the seat of Ar, and lean upon the border of Moab” (Numbers 21:14–15). It was btaught: i“Vahev in Sufa”;there were two lepers,one named Et and the second named Hev, bwho were walking at the rear of the camp of Israel. As Israel passed, the Emorites came /b |
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33. Anon., Semahot, 8.1, 12.9
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34. Egeria (Eucheria), Itinerarium, 12.7
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