For when reason helps and perception is not present, 405 everything done or said is not a sin, but when perception is present. «and flesh, if there should be a sore in his skin». This is the third law concerning leprosy, «if a sore is healed and a white scar is found in its place». For just as in the body there are many causes of diseases, so also in the soul; and when the wounds have ceased, a «white» and leprous «scar» is found, «or reddish», so that such a state is «lower» than the rest of the soul. «A burning by fire». Is there not perhaps a burn in everyone who has 406 received the «fiery dart of the evil one»? For this one lusts for flesh and blood, of a woman or a child. Such also are those who are mad for glory and money; for a soul full of passion is inflamed by such things. And even if, being freed from these things, it is healed and does not so smooth out the place of the passion as it was before the passion, but is in this respect «lower», it seems unclean to the law. «On the head or in the beard». See if «leprosy» can be understood of the «head», when instead of having «Christ as head», someone inscribes for himself some other word as a leprous and unclean head. But also if someone, having already «become a man» and seeming to have «put away childish things», sins, not as a «child», but with the sin of a man, perhaps he has «leprosy on the beard». And a woman, that is, a soul not productive of rational seeds, but receptive, might have at some time on her face 407 and on her «beard» that which the law, uniquely apart from the previous things, has called a «scab». 409 The «two living birds» seems to bear some analogy to the two goats, of which the one is «for the scapegoat». For there also the one is sacrificed and the one is sent away «for his sending away». But both are clean, just as the birds now; for he who became the scapegoat on account of his own evil was not created, they say, unclean by nature. Therefore, on account of the leprosy from sin, the one being cleansed owes something to the scapegoat, even if he has escaped the uncleanness from the leprosy; but on account of the purification, the other of the birds is offered for him. However, the two seem to be of a different kind from those offered at the altar, «turtledoves or pigeons». For he who has just been cleansed has not yet become worthy of the altar, but so that he may become worthy, these things are taken for him, «on the day that he is cleansed», with no postponement being made after the day of the cleansing. And it is necessary 410 to be cleansed also with «cedar wood», which is a symbol of the saving wood, on which the Savior «triumphed, having stripped from us the principalities and the powers». The «scarlet» is a symbol of the precious blood because of the color. Such also was that which was «tied» in the birth of Phares and the «sign» shown by Rahab the harlot to the spies. And «the hyssop» is for cleansing. But the priest himself does not slaughter the bird; for he is not yet worthy of a priest «on the day of his being cleansed»; hence the blood is not offered at the altar; but this is received into «an earthen vessel of living water» 411 having been poured in beforehand, so that the cleansing may happen «with water and blood», which things «came out from the side» of the Savior according to John, who also says in his epistle that the cleansing things are «spirit and water and blood»; and here too «blood and water and» «the spirit» of the slaughtered bird, through which he is purified in addition to the cleanness from the leprosy. For above it said: «on whatever day he is cleansed», but now: «and he shall be clean». For even having been cleansed of the leprosy, he nevertheless needs the present cleansing on account of the defilement of the past time, and rather also three others. For one cleansing is that: «on whatever day he is cleansed» and three 412 in between are indicated by: «and he shall be clean», said for the third time; and a fifth and final one by means of: «and he shall be cleansed». For there are, as it were, advancements of cleansings before coming to perfect cleanness. So then, after the sending away of the bird, first «the one who has been cleansed washes his garments», then «he shaves all his hair» and on top of these things «he bathes in water», after which is added: «and he shall be clean», as if outside

βοηθοῦντος γὰρ τότε λόγου μηδὲ παρούσης αἰσθή 405 σεως πᾶν τὸ πραχθὲν ἢ λεχθὲν οὐχ ἁμάρτημα, ἀλλ' ὅτε πάρεστιν αἴσθησις. «καὶ σάρξ, ἐὰν γένηται ἐν τῷ δέρματι αὐτοῦ ἕλκος». Τρίτος νόμος οὗτος περὶ λέπρας, «ἐὰν ἕλκος ὑγιασθῇ καὶ ἐν τῷ τόπῳ οὐλὴ λευκὴ εὑρεθῇ». ὡς γὰρ ἐν σώματι πολλὰ νοσημάτων αἴτια, οὕτω καὶ ἐν ψυχῇ· καὶ παυσαμένων τῶν τραυμάτων «οὐλὴ λευκὴ» καὶ λεπρώδης εὑρίσκεται «ἢ πυρρίζουσα» ὡς «ταπεινοτέραν» εἶναι τῆς λοιπῆς ψυχῆς τὴν τοιαύτην κατάστασιν. «Κατάκαυμα πυρός». Μήποτε κατάκαυμά ἐστιν ἐν παντὶ τῷ 406 δεξαμένῳ «βέλος τοῦ πονηροῦ πεπυρωμένον»; Ἐρᾷ γὰρ οὗτος σαρκός τε καὶ αἵματος, γυναικὸς ἢ παιδός. Τοιοῦτοι καὶ οἱ πρὸς δόξαν μαι νόμενοι καὶ ἀργύριον· ψυχὴ γὰρ ἐμπαθὴς ἐπὶ τοιούτοις ἐκκάεται. Κἂν ἀπαλλαγεῖσα τούτων ὑγιασθῇ καὶ μὴ οὕτως ὁμαλίσῃ τὸν τόπον τοῦ πάθους ὡς πρὸ τοῦ πάθους ἐτύγχανεν, ἀλλ' ᾖ κατὰ τοῦτο «ταπεινοτέρα», μιαρὰ τῷ νόμῳ δοκεῖ. «Ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ ἢ ἐν τῷ πώγωνι». Ὅρα εἰ δύναται «λέπρα» μὲν λαμβάνεσθαι «κεφαλῆς», ὅτε ἀντὶ τοῦ ἔχειν «κεφαλὴν Χριστόν», ἄλλον τινά τις λόγον ἐπιγράφηται κεφαλὴν λεπρὸν καὶ ἀκάθαρτον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐὰν ἤδη τις «γενόμενος ἀνὴρ» καὶ δοκῶν «κατηργηκέναι τὰ τοῦ νηπίου» ἁμαρτάνῃ, μὴ ὡς «νήπιος», ἀλλ' ἁμαρτίαν ἀνδρός, τάχα ἔχει «λέπραν ἐπὶ τοῦ πώγωνος». Καὶ γυνὴ δέ, ψυχὴ ἡ μὴ προετικὴ μὲν λογικῶν σπερμάτων, δεκτικὴ δέ, ἔχοι ἄν ποτε ἐπὶ τοῦ προσώπου 407 καὶ «τοῦ» ἐν αὐτῇ «πώγωνος» ὅπερ ἰδίως παρὰ τὰ πρότερα καὶ «θραῦσμα» ὠνόμασεν ὁ νόμος. 409 Τὰ δὲ «δύο ζῶντα ὀρνίθια» δοκεῖ τινα φέρειν ἀναλογίαν πρὸς τοὺς δύο τράγους ὧν ὁ εἷς «τοῦ ἀποπομπαίου». Κἀκεῖ γὰρ ὁ εἷς θύεται καὶ ὁ εἷς πέμπεται «εἰς τὴν ἀποπομπὴν» αὐτοῦ. Καθαροὶ δὲ ἄμφω, καθὰ καὶ τὰ νῦν ὀρνίθια· οὐκ ἀκάθαρτος γὰρ τῇ φύσει, φασί, δεδημιούργηται οὐδὲ ὁ διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ κακίαν γενόμενος ἀποπομπαῖος. ∆ιὰ μὲν οὖν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας λέπραν ὀφείλει τι τῷ ἀποπομπαίῳ καθαριζόμενος, εἰ καὶ ἔφυγε τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς λέπρας ἀκαθαρσίαν· διὰ δὲ τὴν καθαρότητα προσφέρεται περὶ αὐτοῦ τῶν ὀρνιθίων τὸ ἕτερον. Πλὴν τὰ δύο ἔοικεν ἕτερα εἶναι τῷ γένει παρὰ τὰ προσφερόμενα εἰς τὸ θυσιαστήριον, «τρυγόνας ἢ περιστεράς». Ὁ νεωστὶ γὰρ καθαρισθεὶς οὔπω τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου γέγονεν ἄξιος, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἄξιος γένηται, λαμβάνεται ταῦτα περὶ αὐτοῦ, «ᾗ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ καθαρισθῇ», μηδεμίας ὑπερθήσεως μετὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ καθαρισμοῦ γινομένης. ∆εῖ δὲ καὶ «ξύλῳ» 410 καθαρισθῆναι «κεδρίνῳ», ὅπερ σύμβολον τοῦ σωτηριώδους ξύλου, ἐν ᾧ «ἐθριάμβευσεν ἀπεκδύσας» ἡμᾶς ὁ Σωτὴρ «τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας». Τοῦ δὲ τιμίου αἵματος διὰ τὸ χρῶμα τὸ «κόκκινον» σύμβολον. Τοιοῦτον καὶ τὸ «δεθὲν» ἐν τῇ γενέσει τοῦ Φαρὲς καὶ τὸ δειχθὲν ἀπὸ Ῥαὰβ τῆς πόρνης τοῖς κατασκόποις «σημεῖον». Σμηκτικὸς δὲ «ὁ ὕσσωπος». Οὐκ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ ἱερεὺς σφάζει τὸ ὀρνίθιον· οὔπω γὰρ ἄξιος ἱερέως «ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ καθαρίζεσθαι»· ὅθεν οὐδὲ τὸ αἷμα τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ προσφέρεται· δέχεται δὲ τοῦτο «ἀγγεῖον ὀστράκινον ὕδατος ζῶντος» 411 προεμβληθέντος, ἵνα γένηται ὁ καθαρισμὸς «ὕδατι καὶ αἵματι», ἅπερ «ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ τῆς πλευρᾶς» τοῦ Σωτῆρος κατὰ τὸν Ἰωάννην, ὃς καί φησιν ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ τὰ καθαρίζοντα εἶναι «πνεῦμα καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ αἷμα»· καὶ ἐνταῦθα δὲ «αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ» τοῦ σφαγέντος ὀρνιθίου «τὸ πνεῦμα», δι' ὧν καθαίρεται πρὸς τῇ ἀπὸ τῆς λέπρας καθαρότητι. Ἄνω γὰρ εἶπεν· «ᾗ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ καθαρισθῇ», νυνὶ δέ· «καὶ καθαρὸς ἔσται». Καὶ καθαρθεὶς γὰρ τῆς λέπρας ὅμως ὑπὲρ τοῦ μολυσμοῦ τοῦ φθάσαντος χρόνου δεῖται τοῦ παρόντος καθαρισμοῦ, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἄλλων τριῶν. Εἷς γὰρ καθαρισμὸς τό· «ᾗ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ καθαρισθῇ» καὶ τρεῖς 412 μεταξὺ τῷ· «καὶ καθαρὸς ἔσται» τρίτον λεγομένῳ δηλούμενοι· καὶ πέμπ- τος καὶ τελευταῖος διὰ τοῦ· «καὶ καθαρισθήσεται». Εἰσὶ γὰρ οἷον καὶ καθαρισμῶν προκοπαὶ πρὶν εἰς τὴν τελείαν ἐλθεῖν καθαρότητα. Μετὰ γοῦν τὴν ἀποστολὴν τοῦ ὀρνιθίου πρῶτον «τὰ ἱμάτια πλύνεται ὁ καθαρισθείς», εἶτα «πᾶσαν τρίχα ξυρᾶται» καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις «λούεται ὕδατι», μεθ' ὃ ἐπιφέρεται τό· «καὶ καθαρὸς ἔσται», ὡς ἐκτὸς