of the Savior. He says cedar wood is the wood of our salvation. The spun scarlet was a type of the precious blood, through which the whole world is cleansed. I think the hyssop, the warmth through the spirit; and the scarlet cord signifies the agreement of the Logos with the flesh. His head and his beard shall be shaven. He shaves his head, according to the more principle and primary of the dogmas; and according to the beard, which is a symbol of the man, putting away the sins of the man; and according to the eyebrows, putting away all conceit and, so to name it, arrogance. He says these things, having attached to and sprung up from the soul, are a symbol, called hairs of deadness. He shall take two male lambs without blemish, a year old. The discourse divides what is offered into three: one, the absolution of previous sins; one, the offering of the whole to God; another, what is offered on behalf of the one being cleansed for the things done by him. And perhaps also the three tenths of fine flour are taken, so that one of the tenths may be joined to the slain lamb, and the second to the other, and the third to the sheep. Now, therefore, in the fifth purification he has not meal, but fine flour, which is a symbol of the material for pure bread, and this mixed with oil; which, as nourishing light, is taken to serve the need of light and not of fire. And it has by itself, apart from the oil taken for the mixing of the fine flour, oil which is offered through the priest, being of the measure of a cotyle. And it seems to me very much to require a priest: “The priest who cleanses shall present the man who is to be cleansed, and these things, before the Lord.” And he whose house it is shall come and tell the priest. And we never say that anyone ought to go to the priest, to the lawgiver, to accuse his own house; but rather as one about to ask a physician for a remedy for what has happened. We say, then, that the synagogue of the Jews has been made leprous. The person of the one announcing is the choir of the holy prophets; who also announce to the great high priest, that is, before the indignation, the passions of the Jews' senselessness, not with hatred, nor with enmity, but with reverence for the benefactor, confessing their sins, yet beseeching that they might be pitied.

τοῦ Σωτῆρος. Ξύλον δὲ κέδρινόν φησι τὸ τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν ξύλον. Τὸ δὲ κεκλω- σμένον κόκκινον τύπος ἦν τοῦ τιμίου αἵματος, δι' οὗ καθαίρεται ὁ κόσμος ὅλος. Οἶμαι δὲ τὸν ὕσσωπον, τὴν διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος θερμότητα· τὸ δὲ σπαρτίον τὸ κόκκινον τὴν πρὸς σάρκα σύμβασιν τοῦ Λόγου δηλοῦν. Τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν πώγωνα ξυρηθήσεται. Ξυρᾶται τὴν κεφαλὴν, κατὰ τὰ κεφαλαιωδέστερα καὶ ἀρχικώτερα τῶν δογμάτων· κατὰ δὲ τὸν πώγωνα, ὅπερ σύμβολόν ἐστι τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, ἀποτιθέμενος τὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἁμαρτήματα· κατὰ δὲ τὰς ὀφρῦς, πᾶσαν οἴησιν, καὶ ἵν' οὕτως ὀνομάσω, ὀφρύωσιν ἀποτιθέμενος. Σύμβολον δέ φησι ταῦτα προσφύντα καὶ ἐξανθήσαντα τῇ ψυχῇ, νεκρότητος τρίχες ὀνομαζόμενα. Λήψεται δύο ἀμνοὺς ἀμώμους ἐνιαυσιαίους. Εἰς τρία ὁ λόγος διαιρεῖ τὰ ἀναφερόμενα· ἓν μὲν τὴν λύσιν τῶν προημαρτημένων· ἓν δὲ, τὸ ὅλον ἀναφέρεσθαι τῷ Θεῷ· ἕτερον δὲ, τὸ ἀναφερόμενον ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸν καθαριζόμενον τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γινομένων. Τάχα δὲ καὶ τὰ τρία τῆς σεμιδάλεως δέκατα παραλαμβάνεται, ἵν' ἓν μὲν τῶν δεκάτων τῷ σφαζομένῳ ἀμνῷ συναχθῇ, καὶ τὸ δεύτερον τῷ λοιπῷ, καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῷ προβάτῳ. Ἤδη τοίνυν ἐπὶ τῷ πέμπτῳ καθαρισμῷ ἔχει οὐχὶ ἄλευρον, ἀλλὰ σεμίδαλιν, ὅπερ σύμβολόν ἐστιν ὕλης ἄρτου καθαροῦ, καὶ ταύτην ἐλαίῳ πεφυραμένην· ὅπερ ὡς τρέφον φῶς, φωτὸς χρείαν καὶ οὐ πυρὸς ἐπιτελοῦν παραλαμβάνεται. Ἔχει δὲ καθ' ἑαυτὸ χωρὶς τοῦ εἰς φύρασιν τῆς σεμιδάλεως παραλαμβανομένου ἐλαίου, ἔλαιον ὃ διὰ τοῦ ἱερέως ἀναφέρεται μέτρου κοτύλης τυγχάνον. Καὶ πάνυ δοκεῖ μοι ἱερέως δέεσθαι τό· «Στήσει ὁ ἱερεὺς ὁ καθαρίζων τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν καθαριζόμενον, καὶ ταῦτα ἔναντι Κυρίου.» Καὶ ἥξει τίνος αὐτοῦ ἡ οἰκία, καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ τῷ ἱερεῖ. Καὶ οὐδέποτέ φαμεν κατηγορήσοντα τῆς οἰκίας τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δεῖν ἰέναι τινὰ πρὸς τὸν ἱερέα, τὸν νομοθέτην εἰπεῖν· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ δὴ μᾶλλον ἐξ ἰατροῦ τῷ συμβεβηκότι φάρμακον ἐξαιτήσοντα. Λελεπρῶσθαι δὴ οὖν φαμεν τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων συναγωγήν. Τὸ δὲ τοῦ ἀναγγέλλοντός ἐστι πρόσωπον, ὁ τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν χορός· οἳ καὶ ἐξαγγέλλονται τῷ μεγάλῳ ἀρχιερεῖ, τουτέστι πρὸ τῆς ἀγανακτήσεως, τῆς ἀπονοίας τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὰ πάθη, οὐ μίσει, οὐδὲ ἀπεχθείᾳ, ἀλλ' αἰδοῖ τῇ περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην συνομολογοῦντες μὲν τὰ ἐκείνων πλημμελήματα, ἐλεεῖσθαι δ' οὖν ὅμως παρακαλοῦντες.