X.  But perhaps some one of those who are too impetuous and festive may say, “What has all this to do with us?  Spur on your horse to the goal; talk to us about the Festival and the reasons for our being here to-day.”  Yes, this is what I am about to do, although I have begun at a somewhat previous point, being compelled to do so by the needs of my argument.  There will be no harm in the eyes of scholars and lovers of the beautiful if we say a few words about the word Pascha itself, for such an addition will not be useless in their ears.  This great and venerable Pascha is called Phaska by the Hebrews in their own language; and the word means Passing Over.  Historically, from their flight and migration from Egypt into the Land of Canaan; spiritually, from the progress and ascent from things below to things above and to the Land of Promise.  And we observe that a thing which we often find to have happened in Scripture, the change of certain nouns from an uncertain to a clearer sense, or from a coarser to a more refined, has taken place in this instance.  For some people, supposing this to be a name of the Sacred Passion, and in consequence Grecizing the word by changing Phi and Kappa into Pi and Chi, called the Day Pascha.11    Pascha represents the Hebrew PHSKH.  Throughout 2 Chron. the LXX. represents the word by Phasek, which like Pascha is a transliteration of the Hebrew word.  The form which the transliteration takes is due to the fact that the Greek language does not tolerate these two aspirates in juxtapostion.  S. Gregory is correct in remarking that Pascha has no real connection with πάσχω (to suffer), though it might appear to unlearned ears that it has.  And custom took it up and confirmed the word, with the help of the ears of most people, to whom it had a more pious sound.

Ιʹ. Ἀλλὰ τί τούτων ἡμῖν, τάχα ἂν εἴποι τις τῶν λίαν φιλεόρτων καὶ θερμοτέρων; Κέντει τὸν πῶλον περὶ τὴν νύσσαν: τὰ τῆς ἑορτῆς ἡμῖν φιλοσόφει, καὶ οἷς προκαθεζόμεθα σήμερον. Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ποιήσω, καὶ εἰ μικρὸν ἄνωθεν ἠρξάμην, οὕτω τοῦ λόγου καὶ τοῦ πόθου βιασαμένων. Οὐ χεῖρον δὲ ἴσως τοῖς φιλομαθέσι καὶ φιλοκάλοις περὶ τῆς προσηγορίας αὐτῆς τοῦ Πάσχα βραχέα διαλαβεῖν. Γένοιτο γὰρ ἂν οὐ φαῦλον τοῦτο ταῖς ἀκοαῖς ἐπεισόδιον. Τὸ Πάσχα τοῦτο, τὸ μέγα τε καὶ σεβάσμιον, Φάσκα τοῖς Ἑβραίοις προσαγορεύεται, κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνων φωνήν: δηλοῖ δὲ ἡ φωνὴ τὴν διάβασιν: ἱστορικῶς μὲν, διὰ τὴν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου πρὸς τὴν Χαναναίαν φυγὴν καὶ μετανάστασιν: πνευματικῶς δὲ, διὰ τὴν ἐκ τῶν κάτω πρὸς τὰ ἄνω, καὶ τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας πρόοδον καὶ ἀνάβασιν. Ὅπερ δὲ πολλαχοῦ τῆς Γραφῆς συμβὰν εὕρομεν, ἀπὸ τῶν ἀσαφεστέρων μεταποιηθέντα τινὰ τῶν ὀνομάτων ἐπὶ τὸ σαφέστερον, ἢ τῶν ἀγροικοτέρων ἐπὶ τὸ εὐσχημονέστερον, τοῦτο κἀνταῦθα τεθεωρήκαμεν. Τοῦ γὰρ σωτηρίου πάθους ὄνομα τοῦτο εἶναί τινες νομίσαντες, εἶτα ἐξελληνίζοντες τὴν φωνὴν, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ φῖ πρὸς τὸ πῖ, καὶ τοῦ κάππα πρὸς τὸ χῖ μεταποίησιν, Πάσχα τὴν ἡμέραν προσηγορεύκασιν. Παραλαβοῦσα δὲ ἡ συνήθεια τὴν φωνὴν, ἰσχυροτέραν ἐποίησε, προστρεχούσης τῆς τῶν πολλῶν ἀκοῆς, ὡς εὐσεβεστέρῳ τῷ ῥήματι.