על הגירת אברהם י״דOn the Migration of Abraham 14
א׳
1[76] That is why Moses, the man of all wisdom, though he excuses himself from investigating well-worded and specious arguments, from the time that God began to flash into him the light of truth by means of the undying words of the very self of Knowledge and Wisdom (Ex. 4:10), yet is led none the less to look into them, not for the sake of gaining acquaintance with a greater number of subjects—for the lover of contemplation finds researches touching God and His most holy powers all-sufficing—but with a view to getting the better of the sophists in Egypt, for whom specious sounding fables are of more value than the clear evidence of realities.
ב׳
2[77] Yes, whensoever the mind is moving amid matters concerned with the Ruler of all, it needs no extraneous help in its study, inasmuch as for objects of intellectual apprehension unaided mind is an eye of keenest sight: but when it is occupied besides with matters affected by sense-perception or passion or the body, of which the land of Egypt is a symbol, it will need alike the art of speaking and ability in exercising it.
ג׳
3[78] For the sake of this he was enjoined to call to his aid Aaron, the logos in utterance. “Lo,” saith He, “is not Aaron thy brother?” For the logical nature being the one mother of them both, its offspring are of course brothers. “I know that he will speak” (He continues). For it is the property of understanding to apprehend, and of utterance to speak. “He,” saith He, “will speak for thee.” For the mind, unable to report the thoughts stored up in it, employs speech which stands hard by as an interpreter, for the making known of its experiences.
ד׳
4[79] Then He adds, “Lo, it is he that shall come out to meet thee”: for it is indeed a fact that speech meeting the mind’s conceptions, and wedding the parts of speech to them, mints them like uncoined gold, and gives the stamp of expression to what was unstamped and unexpressed before. And saith He, “On seeing thee he will rejoice in it” (Ex. 4:14): for speech does exult and is glad, when the conception is not indistinct, because it finds that the wording which issues from its rich store of terms apt and expressive and full of vividness is fluent and unhalting when the thought is luminous.