of piety. The gain from sacrificing is twofold: both that honor is offered to God, and that what one sacrifices, one would not worship, nor would one think it to be a God. And you shall not die. The word seems to threaten death to priests who drink wine and strong drink whenever they enter into the tent. For the bishops who pray on behalf of the people must turn away from drunkenness, not only that from wine, but also that of affairs, and of human reasonings. He forbids this not as something improper, but because He knew the intemperance of the Israelites, that whenever they touched it, they would go to excess. So that when they enter into the holy places, they may have the sober exactness of the soul, and a subtle remembrance of God. Why did you not eat the sin offering in a holy place? It shows that if the priests do not eat, the sacrifice is incomplete, and the sin remains; for it was necessary both for some of the blood to be brought in, and for them to eat. If today they have offered their sin offerings. Since it happened, he says, that Nadab and Abihu, having offended God, died, when 12.401 it was time for them to eat the sin offering of the people for the remission of what it had sinned, how shall we, who have been convicted in sins today, procure remission through eating? For it is necessary for the priest first to make atonement for himself. These are the animals that you shall eat. Beasts of prey, then, are by no means clean; for all are unclean according to the law that says: "Whatever goes on its paws among all beasts of prey, will be unclean to you." And generally, beasts of prey would be all the most savage of men, about whom the Prophet says: "When evildoers drew near to me to eat my flesh;" and what follows. Every animal that has a divided hoof. One who has a divided hoof is he who lives piously in this age and who hastens toward the age to come on account of it; and in addition to having a divided hoof and cloven hooves, he removes what is superfluous and dead from his hands, that is, his actions, and his feet, that is, his walk. In addition to these things, one who chews the cud not only lays up spiritual food, but also calls it to mind and continually meditates on it. This is the law concerning the animals and the birds and every living creature. He says much about clean and unclean; first, he teaches that the soul is to be holy. For if that which is natural, such as has come into being by God's command, is unclean, how much more so that which is from a wicked choice, and has not come into being by God's command? If one might consider that of which God is the maker to be unclean, how much more so that which is contrary to the will of God, and does what He has forbidden? If a man has a scar on the skin of his flesh. These things are referred to certain blemishes of the soul. And just as in the case of the body's wounds after the healing, there is sometimes a trace of the suffering left behind in the places in what is called a scar; in the same way the soul that has received a wound of sin, even if it receives healing, sometimes has a sort of scar left behind. But one must also understand the manner of purification or non-purification from it. For a man or a woman, if he has an infection of leprosy. It must be observed in what cases it is said of men: "If anyone has on the skin of his flesh;" or: "For a man or a woman, if there is in them an infection of leprosy;" and in what cases: "Flesh, if there is in its skin a boil;" or: "Flesh, if there is in its skin a burn from fire." But these are a breaking. His clothes shall be torn. Through these things he signifies that the one whose soul is leprous must not conceal his sins and cover them. Just as the shame of the one whose clothes are torn is not covered; so he wishes it to be exposed to all, not becoming a whitewashed tomb. 12.404 But to have the mouth covered, is not to have the boldness to open the mouth; and to go out of the camp, is no longer to dwell with the choirs of the saints. And they shall slay the one bird in an earthen vessel. The bird is sacrificed in an earthen vessel, after living water has been put into it, so that the cleansing may happen with water and blood, which came forth from the side

τῆς εὐσεβείας. ∆ιπλοῦν δέ ἐστι τὸ κέρδος τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ θύειν· καὶ ὅτι Θεῷ προσάγεται τιμὴ, καὶ ὅτι ἃ θύει τις οὐκ ἂν προσκυνήσειεν, οὐδὲ ἂν οἰηθείη Θεὸν εἶναι. Καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνητε. Θάνατον ὁ λόγος ἔοικεν ἀπειλεῖν ἱερεῦσιν, οἶνον καὶ σίκερα πίνουσιν, ἡνίκα ἂν εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν εἰσπορεύωνται. ∆εῖ γὰρ τοὺς ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ εὐχομένους ἐπισκόπους ἀποστρέφεσθαι ἀπὸ μέθης, οὐ μόνον τῆς ἀπὸ οἴνου, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων, καὶ διαλογισμῶν ἀνθρωπίνων. Οὐχ ὡς ἄτοπον δὲ ἀπαγορεύει τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ὅτι ᾔδει τὸ ἀκρατὲς τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν, ὅτι ὁπόταν ἅψοιντο, εἰς ἀμετρίαν ἐχώρουν. Ἵν' ὅτε εἰς τὰ ἅγια εἰσπορεύονται, νηφάλιον τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀκριβὲς ἔχωσι, καὶ λεπτὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ μνημόσυνον. ∆ιὰ τί οὐκ ἐφάγετε τὸ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ; ∆είκνυσι δὲ ὅτι μὴ τῶν ἱερέων ἐσθιόντων, ἀτέλεστος ἡ θυσία, καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία μένει· ἐχρῆν γὰρ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ αἵματος εἰσενεχθῆναι, καὶ αὐτοὺς φαγεῖν. Εἰ σήμερον προσαγηόχασι τὰ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. Ἐπεὶ συνέβη, φησὶ, τοῖς περὶ Ναδὰβ καὶ Ἀβιοὺδ προσκρούσασι τῷ Θεῷ ἀποθανεῖν, ὅτε 12.401 καιρὸς ἦν φαγεῖν αὐτοὺς τὸ περὶ ἁμαρτίας τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ ἀφεθῆναι ἃ ἥμαρτε, πῶς οἱ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἡμεῖς σήμερον ἐλεγχθέντες διὰ τοῦ φαγεῖν τὴν ἄφεσιν προξενήσομεν; Χρὴ γὰρ τὸν ἱερέα πρότερον περὶ αὑτοῦ ἐξιλάσασθαι. Ταῦτα τὰ κτήνη ἃ φάγεσθε. Θηρία μὲν οὖν οὐδαμῶς ἐστι καθαρά· πάντα γὰρ ἀκάθαρτα κατὰ τὸν εἰπόντα νόμον· «Πᾶν ὃ ἐὰν πορεύηται ἐπὶ χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς θηρίοις, ἀκάθαρτα ἔσται ὑμῖν.» Εἴη δ' ἂν γενικῶς θηρία πάντες οἱ ὠμότατοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων, περὶ ὧν φησιν ὁ Προφήτης· «Ἐν τῷ ἐγγίζειν ἐπ' ἐμὲ κακοῦντας τοῦ φαγεῖν τὰς σάρκας μου·» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Πᾶν κτῆνος δικηλοῦν ὁπλήν. ∆ικηλῆ τὸν εὐσεβῶς ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ πολιτευόμενον καὶ διὰ τὸν μέλλοντα αἰῶνα ἐπ' ἐκεῖνον σπεύδοντα· πρὸς δὲ τὸ διχηλεῖν καὶ ὀνυχιστῆρας ὀνυχίζειν περιαιρούμενον τὰ περιττὰ καὶ νεκρὰ, ἀπὸ τῶν χειρῶν, τοῦτ' ἔστι πράξεων· καὶ ποδῶν, τουτέστι τῆς πορείας. Πρὸς τούτοις καὶ ἀνὰ μηρυκισμὸν οὐκ ἀποτιθέμενον μόνον τὴν πνευματικὴν τροφὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀναμιμνησκόμενον καὶ συνεχῶς αὐτὴν μελετῶντα. Οὗτος ὁ νόμος περὶ τῶν κτηνῶν καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν καὶ πάσης ψυχῆς. Πολὺν ποιεῖται λόγον περὶ καθαροῦ καὶ ἀκαθάρτου· πρῶτον ἁγίαν εἶναι τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκπαιδεύει. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ φυσικὸν τοιοῦτον οἷον ἐκ προστάγματος Θεοῦ γέγονεν, ἀκάθαρτον, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὸ ἀπὸ μοχθηρᾶς προαιρέσεως, καὶ οὐκ ἐκ προστάγματος Θεοῦ γεγονός; Εἰ τὸ οὗ Θεὸς ποιητὴς ἀκάθαρτον εἶναι νομίζοι τις, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὸ ἐναντίως ἔχον πρὸς τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ βούλημα, καὶ ποιοῦν ὅπερ ἀπηγόρευσεν; Ἀνθρώπῳ ἐάν τινι γένηται ἐν δέρματι χρωτὸς αὐτοῦ οὐλή. Ἀνάγεται ταῦτα ἐπί τινας μώμους τῆς ψυχῆς. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν τοῦ σώματος τραυμάτων μετὰ τὴν θεραπείαν ἔσθ' ὅτε ἴχνος τοῦ πεπονθέναι τοὺς τόπους καταλείπεται ἐν τῇ καλουμένῃ οὐλῇ· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἡ λαβοῦσα τραῦμα ἁμαρτίας ψυχὴ, κἂν τύχῃ θεραπείας, οἱονεὶ οὐλὴν ἐνίοτε ἔχει καταλειπομένην. ∆εῖ δὲ καὶ τὸν τρόπον τοῦ ἀπ' αὐτῆς καθαρισμοῦ ἢ οὐ καθαρισμοῦ ἐξεπίστασθαι. Ἀνδρὶ ἢ γυναικὶ ᾧ ἐὰν γένηται αὐτῷ ἁφὴ λέπρας. Παρατηρητέον ἐφ' ὧν μὲν λέγεται ἀνθρώπων· «Ἐάν τινι γένηται ἐν δέρματι χρωτὸς αὐτοῦ·» ἤ· «Ἀνδρὶ ἢ γυναικὶ, ᾧ ἐὰν γένηται ἐν αὐτοῖς ἁφὴ λέπρας·» ἐφ' ὧν δέ· «Σὰρξ, ἐὰν γένηται ἐν τῷ δέρματι αὐτοῦ ἕλκος·» ἤ· «Σὰρξ ἐὰν γένηται ἐν τῷ δέρματι αὐτοῦ κατάκαυμα πυρός.» Ταῦτα δὲ θραῦμά ἐστιν. Τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἔσται παραλελυμένα. ∆ιὰ τούτων αἰνίττεται μὴ δεῖν συγκρύπτειν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ σκεπάζειν αὐτὰ τὸν τὴν ψυχὴν λελεπρωμένον. Ὥσπερ τοῦ παραλελυμένου τὰ ἱμάτια οὗ [οὐκ] ἐσκέπασται ἡ ἀσχημοσύνη· οὕτως βούλεται πᾶσιν ἐκκεῖσθαι μὴ γενόμενον τάφον κεκονιαμένον. Τὸ 12.404 δέ γε περιβεβλῆσθαι τὸ στόμα, ἐστὶ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν παῤῥησίαν ἀνοῖξαι τὸ στόμα· τὸ δὲ τῆς παρεμβολῆς ἐξοίχεσθαι, τὸ μηκέτι τοῖς τῶν ἁγίων αὑτὸν συναυλίζεσθαι χοροῖς. Καὶ σφάξουσι τὸ ὀρνίθιον τὸ ἓν εἰς ἀγγεῖον ὀστράκινον. Θύεται τὸ ὀρνίθιον εἰς ἀγγεῖον ὀστράκινον, προεμβληθέντος εἰς αὐτὸ ὕδατος ζῶντος, ἵνα γένηται ὁ καθαρισμὸς ὕδατι καὶ αἵματι, ἅπερ ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ τῆς πλευρᾶς