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of a chain, accusing of adultery, accusing those who take her, and saying: The husband is still living, and what is taking place is adultery. For a woman is bound by the law as long as her husband lives. And everyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. And when, he says, will it be lawful for her to enter into a second marriage? When? When she is freed from the chain, when the husband dies. Indeed, making this clear, he did not add, that 'If her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes,' but, 'If he should fall asleep,' as it were, comforting her in widowhood, and persuading her to remain with the former, and not to bring in a second bridegroom. Your husband has not died, but is sleeping. Who does not wait for one who is sleeping? For this reason he says, 'But if he should fall asleep, she is free to be married to whom she wishes;' he did not say, 'Let her be married,' lest he seem to compel and force her; neither did he forbid her if she wished to enter into a second marriage, nor did he exhort her if she did not wish to, but he read the law, saying, 'She is free to be married to whom she wishes.' And by saying she has become free after the death of her husband, he showed that before this she was a slave, while he was living; and being a slave and subject to the law, even if she receives a certificate of divorce ten thousand times, she is convicted by the law of adultery. For slaves are allowed to change masters while they are living; but a wife is not allowed to change husbands, while her husband is living; since the act is adultery. For do not read to me the laws established by outsiders, those that command to give a certificate of divorce, and to depart. For God is not going to judge you according to these laws on that day, but according to those which He Himself established. And even the laws of outsiders have not established this simply or as a primary matter, but they also punish the act; so that it is shown from this very fact that they are displeased with this sin. At any rate, the woman who is the cause of the divorce they cast out naked and stripped of her property, and whoever is the cause of the dissolution, they punish this one with the loss of substance; therefore, having done this, they would not praise what is done. b. What then of Moses? He also did this for the same reason. But you, hear Christ saying, that 'Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.' Hear him again saying, 'He who divorces his wife for any reason other than fornication, causes her to commit adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.' For this reason the only-begotten Son of God came, for this reason He took the form of a slave, for this reason He poured out His precious blood, He abolished death, He blotted out sin, He gave the grace of the Spirit more abundantly, that He might lead you to a higher philosophy. Besides, Moses did not legislate this as a primary matter, but being compelled to condescend to the weakness of those for whom he legislated. For since they were ready for murders, and filled their houses with the blood of kin, and spared neither their own nor strangers; lest they should slaughter their wives indoors, whom they might dislike, he commanded them to cast them out, removing a greater evil, the readiness for slaughter. For that they were some blood-stained people, hear the prophets themselves saying: Building Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquities; and again, They mingle blood with blood; 51.220 and again, Your hands are full of blood. And that they raged not only against strangers, but also against their own, the Prophet, making this clear, said: And they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. Those who did not spare their own children, would not have spared their wives. Therefore, that this might not happen, he permitted this. For this reason also Christ, to the Jews asking and saying, How did Moses permit to give a certificate of divorce? showing that he did not write these things in opposition to him, says something like this: Moses, with a view to the

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ἁλύσεως, κατηγοροῦντα μοιχείαν, κατηγοροῦντα τῶν λαμβανόντων, καὶ λέγοντα· Περίεστιν ὁ ἀνὴρ ἔτι, καὶ μοιχεία τὸ γινόμενόν ἐστι Γυνὴ γὰρ δέδεται νόμῳ, ἐφ' ὅσον χρόνον ζῇ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς. Καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀπολελυμένην γαμῶν μοιχᾶται. Καὶ πότε, φησὶν, ἐξέσται αὐτῇ δευτέροις ὁμιλῆσαι γάμοις; Πότε; Ὅταν τῆς ἁλύσεως ἀπαλλαγῇ, ὅταν ὁ ἀνὴρ τελευτήσῃ. Τοῦτο γοῦν δηλῶν, οὐ προσέθηκεν, ὅτι Ἐὰν τελευτήσῃ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς, ἐλευθέρα ἐστὸν ᾧ θέλει γαμηθῆναι, ἀλλ', Ἐὰν κοιμηθῇ, μονονουχὶ παραμυθούμενος τὴν ἐν χηρείᾳ, καὶ πείθων μένειν ἐπὶ τῷ προτέρῳ, καὶ μὴ δεύτερον εἰσαγαγεῖν νυμφίον. Οὐκ ἐτελεύτησέ σου ὁ ἀνὴρ, ἀλλὰ καθεύδει. Τίς καθεύδοντα οὐκ ἀναμένει; ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν Ἐὰν δὲ κοιμηθῇ, ἐλευθέρα ἐστὶν ᾧ θέλει γαμηθῆναι· οὐκ εἶπε, Γαμείσθω, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ βιάζεσθαι καὶ ἀναγκάζειν· οὔτε ἐκώλυσε βουλομένην ὁμιλεῖν δευτέρῳ γάμῳ, οὔτε μὴ θέλουσαν προετρέψατο, ἀλλὰ τὸν νόμον ἀνέγνω εἰπὼν, Ἐλευθέρα ἐστὶν ᾧ θέλει γαμηθῆναι. Ἐλευθέραν δὲ αὐτὴν μετὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τελευτὴν γεγενῆσθαι λέγων, ἔδειξεν ὅτι πρὸ τούτου δούλη ἦν, ζῶντος ἐκείνου· δούλη δὲ οὖσα καὶ ὑποκειμένη τῷ νόμῳ, κἂν μυριάκις βιβλίον ἀποστασίου λάβῃ, τῷ τῆς μοιχείας ἁλίσκεται νόμῳ. Οἰκέταις μὲν γὰρ ἔξεστι δεσπότας ἀμείβειν ζῶντας· γυναικὶ δὲ οὐκ ἔξεστιν ἄνδρας ἀμείβειν, ζῶντος τοῦ ἀνδρός· ἐπεὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα μοιχεία ἐστί. Μὴ γάρ μοι τοὺς παρὰ τοῖς ἔξωθεν κειμένους νόμους ἀναγνῷς, τοὺς κελεύοντας διδόναι βιβλίον ἀποστασίου, καὶ ἀφίστασθαι. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ κατὰ τούτους σοι μέλλει κρίνειν τοὺς νόμους ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, ἀλλὰ καθ' οὓς αὐτὸς ἔθηκε. Καὶ οἱ τῶν ἔξωθεν δὲ νόμοι οὐχ ἁπλῶς, οὐδὲ προηγουμένως τοῦτο τεθείκασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ κολάζουσι τὸ πρᾶγμα· ὥστε καὶ αὐτόθεν δείκνυται, ὅτι ἀηδῶς πρὸς ταύτην ἔχουσι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Τὴν γοῦν αἰτίαν τοῦ ἀποστασίου γινομένην γυμνὴν καὶ ἔρημον χρημάτων ἐκβάλλουσι, καὶ ὅθεν ἂν γένηται τῆς διαλύσεως ἡ πρόφασις, καὶ τῇ ζημίᾳ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦτον κολάζουσιν· οὐκ ἂν οὖν τοῦτο ποιήσαντες ἐπῄνουν τὸ γινόμενον. βʹ. Τί οὖν καὶ Μωϋσῆς; Τοῦτο ἔπραττε κἀκεῖνος διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αἰτίαν. Σὺ δὲ ἄκουε τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος, ὅτι Ἐὰν μὴ περισσεύσῃ ἡ δικαιοσύνη ὑμῶν πλέον τῶν γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἄκουε αὐτοῦ πάλιν λέγοντος, Ὁ ἀπολύων τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ παρεκτὸς λόγου πορνείας, ποιεῖ αὐτὴν μοιχευθῆναι, καὶ ὁ ἀπολελυμένην γαμῶν μοιχᾶται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἦλθεν ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, διὰ τοῦτο δούλου μορφὴν ἔλαβε, διὰ τοῦτο τὸ αἷμα ἐξέχεε τὸ τίμιον, τὸν θάνατον κατέλυσε, τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἔσβεσε, δαψιλεστέραν τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἔδωκε χάριν, ἵνα πρὸς μείζονά σε ἀγάγῃ φιλοσοφίαν. Ἄλλως δὲ, οὐδὲ ὁ Μωϋσῆς προηγουμένως τοῦτο ἐνομοθέτησεν, ἀλλ' ἀναγκαζόμενος συγκαταβῆναι τῇ τῶν νομοθετουμένων ἀσθενείᾳ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πρὸς φόνους ἦσαν ἕτοιμοι, καὶ συγγενικῶν αἱμάτων τὰς οἰκίας ἐπλήρουν, καὶ οὔτε τῶν οἰκείων, οὔτε τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐφείδοντο· ἵνα μὴ κατασφάττωσι τὰς γυναῖκας ἔνδον, ἃς ἂν ἀηδῶς ἔχωσιν, ἐκέλευσεν ἐκβαλεῖν, μεῖζον ἀναιρῶν κακὸν τὴν περὶ τὰς σφαγὰς εὐκολίαν. Ὅτι γὰρ μιαιφόνοι τινὲς ἦσαν, ἄκουε αὐτῶν τῶν προφητῶν λεγόντων· Οἰκοδομοῦντες Σιὼν ἐν αἵματι, καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐν ἀδικίαις· καὶ πάλιν, Αἵματα ἐφ' αἵμασι μίσγουσι· 51.220 καὶ πάλιν, Αἱ χεῖρες ὑμῶν αἵματος πλήρεις. Ὅτι δὲ οὐ κατὰ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τῶν οἰκείων ἐμαίνοντο, καὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν ὁ Προφήτης ἔλεγε· Καὶ ἔθυσαν τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας αὐτῶν τοῖς δαιμονίοις. Οἱ δὲ παίδων αὐτῶν μὴ φεισάμενοι, οὐκ ἂν ἐφείσαντο γυναικῶν. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ τοῦτο γένηται, τοῦτο ἐπέτρεψε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἐρωτῶσι καὶ λέγουσι, Πῶς Μωϋσῆς ἐπέτρεψε δοῦναι βιβλίον ἀποστασίου; δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ ἀντινομοθετῶν αὐτῷ ταῦτα ἔγραφεν, οὕτω πώς φησι· Μωϋσῆς πρὸς τὴν