Naiaboth and Cedar. This Abraham, after Aran his brother had been suffocated, adopted his son Lot, and haying taken Sarah to wife, journeyed with his father into Carran. From thence, after the death of his father, he came to Sichem, and from thence to Pentapolis. After that, pitching his tent between Bethel and Hay, after he had in Egypt pretended that his wife was his sister, he returned into the valley of Mamre, and there dwelt in agreement with his three brethren. Abraham taught the Egyptians arithmetic and astronomy, from which nation these arts subsequently passed into Greece. And coming after the slaughter of the four kings, he was honoured by Melchisedec, who received tithes from him ; and he obtained a sign of the offspring that should be given him, in cattle and lands. After this, when he was seventy-five years of age, and was Attacked out of envy by the people of Chaldea and Mesopotamia, because they themselves worshipped fire and images of the gods ; but he himself worshipped one God alone, the Creator of all things ; and asserted that the honour of worship, andthepaymentof thanks, were due to him alone. And that the creature is governed by the power and rule of bis Maker, and does not exist by his own excellence. At the command of the Lord, he left his nation and his country, and came into the land of Canaan, receiving the promise that he should increase and become a great nation ; having his name changed from Abram to Abraham, which, being interpreted, is " A father of many nations," and being also promised that in his seed should all the nations of the earth be blessed. Lastly, he receives this law from the divine will, that he should circumcise himself and his offspring, not that God himself had made anything superfluous in man which he subsequently commanded to be cut off, but in order that the posterity of the chosen man might be distinguished among other nations by this bodily mark. And when he was now an old man he begat Isaac. But he had previously, as I have already said, begotten Ismael, from whom are descended the Arabs and other nations who boast that they are sprung from the race of Abraham. Isaac also was circumcised, on the eighth day after his birth. Besides these things, when Abraham was now very old, God again commanded him to sacrifice to him his beforementioned son Isaac on Mount Moriah. Which command he