על צאצאי קין כ׳On the Posterity of Cain and his Exile 20
א׳
1[69] This is why Gaidad is said to have a son Maiel (Gen. 4:18), whose name translated is “away from the life of God.” For since the flock is without reason, and God is the Fountain of reason, it follows that he that lives an irrational life has been cut off from the life of God. Now Moses defines living in accordance with God as consisting in loving Him, for he says “thy life is to love Him that IS” (Deut. 30:19 f.).
ב׳
2[70] As an example of the opposite life he gives the goat on which the lot fell, for he says, “he shall set him alive before the Lord, to make atonement over him, so as to send him forth for dismissal afar” (Lev. 16:10).
ג׳
3[71] A well considered direction. No one of sound sense would applaud old men for abstaining from indulgences, for old age, that long and incurable illness, renders the vehemence of their cravings far less intense. He would deem praiseworthy young men in their prime, because when appetite was a-flame within them owing to the keenness that belongs to their time of life, they nevertheless fully availed themselves of engines for quenching these fires in the shape of the lessons supplied by a sound education, and so checked the raging flame and assuaged the boiling heat of the passions. On these principles fainter praise is accorded to those who have no disease, such as commonly arises from an evil mode of life, because nature bestowed on them an easy lot, and without any effort of will they simply enjoyed good fortune, whereas those who have developed such a disease and against whom it is doing battle, are more loudly praised, if they set themselves stoutly to combat it and show both the will and the power to master it.
ד׳
4[72] For the strength put forth in overcoming by a severe effort the seductive baits of pleasure receives the praise which is accorded to moral victories, won by will-power. If, then, not one of the qualities that have won the happy lot (live in us), but there be alive in us noxious diseases and sicknesses, banes to be rid of, let us be in earnest to overthrow and cast them down; for this is “to make atonement over them,” to acknowledge, that though we have them still living in our soul we refuse to give in, but facing them all we persist in repelling them with vigour, until we shall have fully ensured their complete removal.