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he gave the authority of the gospel, being twelve in number for a testimony of the tribes (for there are twelve tribes of Israel), for the purpose of preaching. 8.4 But why are there three boys who sprinkle? For a testimony of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because these are great before God. 8.5 And that the wool is upon the wood, because the kingdom of Jesus is upon a tree, and because those who hope in him will live forever. 8.6a But why the wool and the hyssop together? Because in his kingdom there will be evil and filthy days, in which we shall be saved; For he also who suffers in the flesh is healed through the filth of the hyssop. 8.7 And for this reason these things that happened are clear to us, but to them they are obscure, because they did not hear the voice of the Lord.

9.1a For he speaks again concerning the ears, how he has circumcised our hearing and our hearts. The Lord says in the prophet: "At the hearing of the ear they obeyed me." And again he says: "Those from afar will hear with hearing, and what I have done they will know; and be circumcised," says the Lord, "in your hearing." 9.2 And again he says: "Hear, O Israel, for thus says the Lord your God: Who is he that desires to live forever? Let him hear with hearing the voice of my servant." 9.3a And again he says: "Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken" (these things for a testimony). And again he says: "Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of this people." And again he says: "Hear, children, the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Therefore he has circumcised our ears, so that we, having heard the word, might believe. 9.4a But the circumcision in which they have trusted has been abolished. For he has said that circumcision should not be of the flesh; but they transgressed, because an evil angel was deceiving them. 9.5a But he says to them: "Thus says the Lord your God" (here I find a commandment): "Do not sow among thorns, be circumcised to your Lord." And what does he say? "And circumcise the wickedness from your heart." But he says again: "Behold," says the Lord, "all the nations are uncircumcised in the foreskin, but this people is uncircumcised in heart." 9.6 But you will say: "And yet the people are circumcised for a seal." But so also is every Syrian and Arab and all the priests of the idols; are they then also of their covenant? —but the Egyptians also are in circumcision. 9.7 Learn therefore, children of love, richly concerning all things, that Abraham, who first gave circumcision, looking forward in the spirit to Jesus, circumcised, having received the ordinances of three letters. 9.8a For he says: "And Abraham circumcised of his household eighteen and three hundred men." What then was the knowledge given to him? Learn: that he mentions "eighteen" first, and having made a space, says "three hundred." The "eighteen," I (ten) H (eight); you have J-ESUS. And because the cross was to have grace in the T, he says also "three hundred." So he indicates Jesus in the two letters, and the cross in the one. 9.9 He who placed the innate gift of his teaching in us knows. No one has learned from me a more genuine word; but I know that you are worthy.

10.1 And when Moses said: "You shall not eat the swine nor the eagle nor the hawk nor the raven nor any fish that does not have a scale on it," he received three ordinances in his understanding. 10.2a Furthermore he says to them in Deuteronomy: "And I will make a covenant of my ordinances with this people." Therefore it is not a commandment of God not to eat, but Moses spoke in the spirit. 10.3a So he spoke of the "swine" for this reason: you shall not cleave, he says, to such men, who are like swine; that is, when they are living in luxury, they forget the Lord, but when they are in want, they acknowledge the Lord, just as the swine, when it eats, does not know its master, but when it is hungry, it cries out, and having received food, is quiet again. 10.4a "Nor shall you eat," he says, "the eagle nor the hawk nor the kite nor the raven"; you shall not, he says, cleave to nor be like such men, who do not know how to

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ἔδωκεν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τὴν ἐξου σίαν, οὖσιν δεκαδύο εἰς μαρτύριον τῶν φυλῶν (ὅτι δεκαδύο φυλαὶ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ), εἰς τὸ κηρύσσειν. 8.4 ∆ιατί δὲ τρεῖς παῖδες οἱ ῥαντίζοντες; εἰς μαρτύριον Ἀβραάμ, Ἰσαάκ, Ἰακώβ, ὅτι οὗτοι μεγάλοι τῷ θεῷ. 8.5 Ὅτι δὲ τὸ ἔριον ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον, ὅτι ἡ βασιλεία Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ ξύλου, καὶ ὅτι οἱ ἐλπίζοντες ἐπ' αὐτὸν ζήσονται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. 8.6a ∆ιατί δὲ ἅμα τὸ ἔριον καὶ τὸ ὕσσωπον; ὅτι ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ ἡμέραι ἔσονται πονηραὶ καὶ ῥυπαραί, ἐν αἷς ἡμεῖς σωθησόμεθα· Ὅτι καὶ ὁ ἀλγῶν σάρκα διὰ τοῦ ῥύπου τοῦ ὑσσώπου ἰᾶται. 8.7 Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὕτως γενόμενα ἡμῖν μέν ἐστιν φανερά, ἐκείνοις δὲ σκοτεινά, ὅτι οὐκ ἤκουσαν φωνῆς κυρίου.

9.1a Λέγει γὰρ πάλιν περὶ τῶν ὠτίων, πῶς περιέ τεμεν ἡμῶν τὰς ἀκοὰς καὶ τὰς καρδίας. Λέγει κύριος ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ· «Εἰς ἀκοὴν ὠτίου ὑπήκουσάν μου. » Καὶ πάλιν λέγει· «Ἀκοῇ ἀκούσονται οἱ πόρρωθεν, καὶ ἃ ἐποίησα γνώσονται· καὶ περιτμήθητε, λέγει κύριος, τὰς ἀκοὰς ὑμῶν. » 9.2 Καὶ πάλιν λέγει· «Ἄκουε Ἰσραήλ, ὅτι τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός σου· Τίς ἐστιν ὁ θέλων ζῆσαι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα; ἀκοῇ ἀκουσάτω τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ παιδός μου. » 9.3a Καὶ πάλιν λέγει· «Ἄκουε οὐρανέ, καὶ ἐνωτίζου γῆ, ὅτι κύριος ἐλάλησεν» (ταῦτα εἰς μαρτύριον). Καὶ πάλιν λέγει· «Ἀκούσατε λόγον κυρίου, ἄρχοντες τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου. » Καὶ πάλιν λέγει· «Ἀκούσατε, τέκνα, τῆς φωνῆς βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ.ω Οὐκοῦν περιέτεμεν ἡμῶν τὰς ἀκοάς, ἵνα ἀκούσαντες λόγον πιστεύσωμεν ἡμεῖς. 9.4a Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ περιτομὴ ἐφ' ᾗ πεποίθασιν κατήργηται. Περιτομὴν γὰρ εἴρηκεν οὐ σαρκὸς γενηθῆναι· ἀλλὰ παρέ βησαν, ὅτι ἄγγελος πονηρὸς ἐσόφιζεν αὐτούς. 9.5a Λέγει δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς· «Τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν» (ὧδε εὑρίσκω ἐντολήν)· «Οὐ μὴ σπείρητε ἐπ' ἀκάνθαις, περιτμήθητε τῷ κυρίῳ ὑμῶν. » Καί τί λέγει; «Καὶ περιτμήθητε τὴν πονηρίαν ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν. » Λέγει δὲ πάλιν· «Ἰδού, λέγει κύριος, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἀπερίτμητα ἀκροβυστίαν, ὁ δὲ λαὸς οὗτος ἀπερίτμητος καρδίᾳ. » 9.6 Ἀλλ' ἐρεῖς· «Καὶ μὴν περιτέτμηται ὁ λαὸς εἰς σφρα γῖδα. » Ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶς Σύρος καὶ Ἄραψ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἱερεῖς τῶν εἰδώλων· ἄρα οὖν κἀκεῖνοι ἐκ τῆς διαθήκης αὐτῶν εἰσίν; -ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ἐν περιτομῇ εἰσίν. 9.7 Μάθετε οὖν, τέκνα ἀγάπης, περὶ πάντων πλουσίως, ὅτι Ἀβραάμ, πρῶτος περιτομὴν δούς, ἐν πνεύματι προβλέψας εἰς τὸν Ἰησοῦν περιέτεμεν, λαβὼν τριῶν γραμμάτων δόγματα. 9.8a Λέγει γάρ· «Καὶ περιέτεμεν Ἀβραὰμ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ ἄνδρας δεκαοκτὼ καὶ τριακοσίους. » Τίς οὖν ἡ δοθεῖσα αὐτῷ γνῶσις; μάθετε· ὅτι τοὺς «δεκαοκτὼ» πρώ τους, καὶ διάστημα ποιήσας λέγει «τριακοσίους». Τὸ «δεκαοκτὼ», Ι (δέκα) Η (ὀκτώ)· ἔχεις ˉ ˉ̓ˉΙˉˉΗ(σοῦν). Ὅτι δὲ ὁ σταυρὸς ἐν τῷ Τ ἤμελλεν ἔχειν τὴν χάριν, λέγει καὶ τοὺς «τριακοσίους». ∆ηλοῖ οὖν τὸν μὲν Ἰησοῦν ἐν τοῖς δυσὶν γράμμασιν, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ τὸν σταυρόν. 9.9 Οἶδεν ὁ τὴν ἔμφυτον δωρεὰν τῆς διδαχῆς αὐτοῦ θέμενος ἐν ἡμῖν. Οὐδεὶς γνησιώτερον ἔμαθεν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ λόγον· ἀλλὰ οἶδα ὅτι ἄξιοί ἐστε ὑμεῖς.

10.1 Ὅτι δὲ Μωϋσῆς εἶπεν· «Οὐ φάγεσθε χοῖρον οὔτε ἀετὸν οὔτε ὀξύπτερον οὔτε κόρακα οὔτε πάντα ἰχθύν, ὃς οὐκ ἔχει λεπίδα ἐν αὐτῷ», τρία ἔλαβεν ἐν τῇ συνέσει δόγματα. 10.2a Πέρας γέ τοι λέγει αὐτοῖς ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ· «Καὶ διαθήσομαι πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον τὰ δικαιώματά μου. » Ἄρα οὖν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐντολὴ θεοῦ τὸ μὴ τρώγειν, Μωϋσῆς δὲ ἐν πνεύματι ἐλάλησεν. 10.3a Τὸ οὖν «χοιρίον» πρὸς τοῦτο εἶπεν· οὐ μὴ κολλη θήσῃ, φησίν, ἀνθρώποις τοιούτοις, οἵτινές εἰσιν ὅμοιοι χοίροις· τουτέστιν ὅταν σπαταλῶσιν, ἐπιλανθάνονται τοῦ κυρίου, ὅταν δὲ ὑστερῶνται, ἐπιγινώσκουσιν τὸν κύριον, ὡς καὶ ὁ χοῖρος, ὅταν τρώγει, τὸν κύριον οὐκ οἶδεν, ὅταν δὲ πεινᾷ, κραυγάζει, καὶ λαβὼν πάλιν σιωπᾷ. 10.4a «Οὐδὲ φάγῃ», φησίν, «τὸν ἀετὸν οὐδὲ τὸν ὀξύπτερον οὐδὲ τὸν ἰκτῖνα οὐδὲ τὸν κόρακα»· οὐ μή, φησίν, κολληθήσῃ οὐδὲ ὁμοιωθήσῃ ἀνθρώποις τοιούτοις, οἵτινες οὐκ οἴδασιν διὰ