9

a great day I do not endure; fasting, and idleness, and your feasts, my soul hates.” And again, “Wash yourselves, and be clean, take away 46.221 the evils from your souls.” David, “I will not eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats.” And again, “I will not accept calves from your house, nor kids from your flocks.” And again, “Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.” Amos, “I have hated, I have rejected your feasts, (and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies; for even if you bring me your whole burnt offerings and your sacrifices,) I will not accept them, and your peace-offering of manifestation I will not look upon. Take away from me the sound of your songs, and the melody of your instruments I will not hear.” Malachi, “I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord almighty, and a sacrifice I will not accept from your hands, because from the rising of the sun, and to its setting my name has been glorified among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure sacrifice; because my name is great among the nations, says the Lord almighty.”

13. Concerning Keeping the Sabbath.

The Sabbath was given to them, to make their avaricious desire

cease. For the people being poor, having come out of Egypt, and having nothing, except what they had borrowed from the Egyptians, each one was eager through unceasing labor to acquire wealth for himself. Therefore he says, “Six days you shall labor; but on the seventh day you shall not do any work in it.” And he adds the reason, that you may rest, and your wife, and your son, and your daughter, and your servant, your ox, and your beast of burden. For on what account did Jesus the son of Nave, circling Jericho with trumpets for seven days, not rest on the Sabbath? And how is a child circumcised on the eighth day? And why does a woman give birth on the Sabbath day? And how do the priests also make every sacrifice on the Sabbath? And how do the sun, and moon, and stars complete their appointed course also on the Sabbath?

14. Concerning being sealed.

David, “The light of your countenance has been sealed upon us, O Lord.” And again,

“Work a sign with me for good; and let those who hate me see it, and be ashamed, because you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.” And again, “You have given to those 46.224 who fear you a sign, to flee from the face of the bow.” Ezekiel, “Son of man, go through the midst of Jerusalem, and give the sign upon the foreheads of the men, who are groaning, and are in pain over the iniquities, that are done in their midst.” And again, “Six men were coming from the gate that looks toward the north, and each one's axe was in his hand; hearing, go into the city, and strike, and let not your eyes spare, and do not have pity; elder, and youth, and virgin, and infants, and women kill for utter destruction; but upon all, on whom my sign is, do not draw near.” But concerning their sacrificing it has been said, not that God needed sacrifices, or burnt offerings, but because the Levitical tribe did not have an inheritance in the land of promise, because God himself is their inheritance, he gave this to them as a pretext for being fed; for he did not wish them, while serving as priests, to be fed from labor and business, that is, from retail trading.

15. Concerning the Gospel.

9

ἡμέραν μεγάλην οὐκ ἀνέχομαι· νηστείαν, καὶ ἀργίαν, καὶ τὰς ἑορτὰς ὑμῶν, μισεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου.» Καὶ πάλιν, «Λούσασθε, καὶ καθαροὶ γίνεσθε, ἀφέλετε 46.221 τὰς πονηρίας ἀπὸ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν.» ∆αβὶδ, «Οὐ φάγομαι κρέα ταύρων, ἢ αἷμα τράγων πίομαι.» Καὶ πάλιν, «Οὐ δέξομαι ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου σου μόσχους, οὐδὲ ἐκ τῶν ποιμνίων σου χιμάρους.» Καὶ πάλιν, «Θῦ σον τῷ Θεῷ θυσίαν αἰνέσεως.» Ἀμὼς, «Μεμί σηκα, ἀπῶσμαι τὰς ἑορτὰς ὑμῶν, (καὶ οὐ μὴ ὀσφρανθῶ ἐν ταῖς πανηγύρεσιν ὑμῶν· διότι καὶ ἐὰν ἐνέγκητέ μοι ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ θυσίας ὑμῶν,) οὐ προσδέξομαι αὐτὰ, καὶ σωτηρίου ἐπιφανείας ὑμῶν οὐκ ἐπιβλέψομαι. Μετάστησον ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ἦχον ᾠδῶν σου, καὶ ψαλμὸν ὀργάνων οὐκ ἀκούσομαι.» Μαλαχίας, «Οὐκ ἔστι μου θέλημα ἐν ὑμῖν, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ, καὶ θυσίαν οὐ προσδέξομαι ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν, διότι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου, καὶ ἕως δυσμῶν τὸ ὄνομά μου δεδόξασται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ θυμίαμα προσφέρεται τῷ ὀνόματί μου, καὶ θυσία καθαρά· διότι μέγα τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ.»

ΙΓʹ. Περὶ τοῦ Σαββατίζειν.

Τὸ Σάββατον ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς, τοῦ καταπαῦσαι τὴν φιλοχρήματον αὐτῶν

ἐπιθυμίαν. Τοῦ λαοῦ γὰρ πενο μένου, ἐξελθόντος ἐκ τῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ μηδὲν ἔχοντος, πλὴν ὧν ἐχρήσαντο παρὰ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, σπουδὴν ἐποιεῖτο ἕκαστος διὰ τοῦ ἀνενδότου πόνου πλοῦτον ἑαυτῷ περιποιῆσαι. ∆ιὸ λέγει, «Ἓξ ἡμέρας ἐργᾷ· τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ οὐ ποιήσεις πᾶν ἔργον ἐν αὐτῇ.» Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπιφέρει, ἵνα ἀναπαύσῃ σὺ, καὶ ἡ γυνή σου, καὶ ὁ υἱός σου, καὶ ἡ θυγάτηρ σου, καὶ ὁ παῖς σου, ὁ βοῦς σου, καὶ τὸ ὑποζύγιόν σου. Ἐπεί τοι τίνος ἕνεκεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ κυκλῶν τὴν Ἱεριχὼ μετὰ σαλπίγγων ἐπὶ ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας, οὐκ ἐσχόλασε τῷ Σαββάτῳ; Πῶς δὲ τῇ ὀγδόῃ ἡμέρᾳ πε ριτέμνεται παιδίον; ∆ιὰ τί δὲ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ Σαββάτου τίκτει γυνή; Πῶς δὲ καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς πᾶσαν θυσίαν ἐν Σαββάτῳ ποιοῦσι; Πῶς δὲ ἥλιος, καὶ σελήνη, καὶ ἄστρα τὸν ὡρισμένον δρόμον ἐκτελεῖ καὶ τῷ Σαββάτῳ;

Ι∆ʹ. Περὶ τοῦ κατασφραγίζεσθαι.

∆αβὶδ, «Ἐσημειώθη ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσ ώπου σου, Κύριε.» Καὶ πάλιν,

«Ποίησον μετ' ἐμοῦ σημεῖον εἰς ἀγαθόν· καὶ ἰδέτωσαν οἱ μισοῦντές με, καὶ αἰσχυνθήτωσαν, ὅτι σὺ, Κύριε, ἐβοήθησάς μοι καὶ παρεκάλεσάς με.» Καὶ πάλιν, «Ἔδωκας τοῖς 46.224 φοβουμένοις σε σημείωσιν, τοῦ φυγεῖν ἀπὸ προσώπου τόξου.» Ἰεζεκιὴλ, «Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, δίελθε μέ σον τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ δὸς τὸ σημεῖον ἐπὶ τὰ μέτωπα τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τῶν στεναζόντων, καὶ κατ ωδυνωμένων ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀδικίαις, ταῖς γινομέναις ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν.» Καὶ πάλιν, «Ἓξ ἄνδρες ἤρχοντο ἀπὸ τῆς πύλης τῆς βλεπούσης πρὸς βοῤῥᾶν, καὶ ἑκάστου ἡ πέλυξ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ· ἀκούοντες πορεύεσθε εἰς τὴν πόλιν, καὶ κόπτετε, καὶ μὴ φείσασθε τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὑμῶν, καὶ μὴ ἐλεήσητε· πρεσβύτερον, καὶ νεανίσκον, καὶ παρθένον, καὶ νήπια, καὶ γυ ναῖκας ἀποκτείνατε εἰς ἐξάλειψιν· ἐπὶ δὲ πάντας, ἐφ' οὕς ἐστι τὸ σημεῖόν μου, μὴ ἐγγίσητε.» Περὶ δὲ τοῦ θύειν αὐτοὺς εἴρηται, οὐχ ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐδεῖτο θυ σιῶν, ἢ ὁλοκαυτωμάτων, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἡ Λευϊτικὴ φυλὴ οὐκ εἶχε κλῆρον ἐν τῇ γῇ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ὅτι αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς κλῆρος αὐτῆς, ταύτην ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς εἰς τὸ τρέφεσθαι πρόφασιν· οὐκ ἐβούλετο γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἱερα τεύοντας, ἀπὸ πόνου καὶ πραγματείας, ἤγουν καπη λείας, τρέφεσθαι.

ΙΕʹ. Περὶ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου.