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All things are gone, all things are extinguished, all things are torn from their foundations <and> as the sun set, it changed to mourning.
48 Since, therefore, these things were done for the sake of great mysteries when the Savior was suffering, for this reason we too, at each Pascha, trying to renew the meaning of the mystery, also bring together the appointed times with all our strength, and we also take into account the fourteenth day, not only because of the other considerations mentioned and unmentioned, but also because the sun set at midday, so that the darkness might appear to be the work not of Hellenic art but of justice, as has often been said, not with the moon passing under, but rising in its course diametrically opposite to the sun, and so, as one might say, coming about as it moved, so that the fourteenth day might be an eternal sign for all of the miracle that occurred, - we take into account both the Preparation and the Sabbath and the Lord's Day for the aforementioned reasons, and carrying out the whole contemplation of the mystery by the concurrence of the appointed times, we reject both the folly of the Jews and the madness of the heretics who do not gladly accept this way, and we set forth a complete image of the recapitulation of the universe in the sacred rite of Pascha. For since Christ suffered during all these appointed times, it is necessary for us too to celebrate Pascha in the same way with all our strength, and, if any of these should be lacking, the imitation dangerously limps.
49 Since, then, you have heard enough about these things, it would now be necessary to state the reason why the extension of Pascha is happening now, which I promised when I began this discourse. We have said, brother, that for the passion it is necessary to include both the vernal equinox and the fourteenth day according to the moon, not before the equinox, and the Preparation and the Sabbath and the Lord's Day. If, therefore, it should ever happen that the fourteenth day according to the moon falls before the equinox, we invalidate that one, and seek another which must occur after the equinox, and it happens in this case that an intercalary month falls in between for the occurrence of the fourteenth day after the equinox.
50 But now, brother, for this present Pascha before us, the fourteenth day falls about two days before the equinox and becomes invalid; for which reason we seek to complete the lunar month and to take the following fourteenth day, so that on this day we might accomplish the passion in imitation of the Savior; we therefore need an intercalary month.
51 But just as we saw that, if the fourteenth day of the moon should fall before the equinox, we do not properly need this one but the one after the equinox, so again, if the fourteenth day of the moon coincides with the Lord's Day, we do not celebrate this Lord's Day as the day of resurrection, but we need the following Lord's Day, because the fourteenth day is of the passion-for on this day Christ suffered, it having coincided with the Preparation and, just as we do not recognize the Preparation as the day of resurrection, neither do we the fourteenth day which is yoked to it-, but the Lord's Day which must be appointed for the resurrection is ordained to be pure of a day of suffering. If, therefore, the number of the passion, the fourteenth, coincides with it, we let this one pass and pursue the following one as pure from the passion. For since the imitation of the Savior in his passion and resurrection is set before us, we always keep the Lord's Day, which we are about to appoint for the resurrection, free of the passion as the Lord did, taking the passion upon the days before it. Since you have seen this, attend now to what I say. 52 Two days before the equinox, as I said, the fourteenth day of the moon now falls; we have the necessity to let this one pass, and to await the fourteenth day after this as being after the equinox; but this fitting one again
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Πάντα οἴχεται, πάντα ἀπέσβη, πάντα ἐκ βάθρων ἦρται <καὶ> δύναντος τοῦ ἡλίου εἰς πένθος μετέβαλεν.
48 Ἐπειδὴ οὖν ταῦτα μεγάλων μυστηρίων χάριν ἐπράττετο ἐπὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος πάσχοντος, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς καθ' ἕ καστον πάσχα τοῦ μυστηρίου τὴν σημασίαν ἀνανεοῦσθαι πειρώμενοι καὶ τὰς προθεσμίας συνάγομεν ὅση δύναμις, καὶ παραλαμβάνομεν καὶ τὴν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὰς λοιπὰς θεωρίας τὰς εἰρημένας καὶ τὰς μὴ ῥηθείσας, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὸ δῦναι τὸν ἥλιον μεσημβρίας, ἵνα φαίνηται οὐ τέχνης ἑλληνικῆς ἀλλὰ δίκης ἔργον τὸ σκότος, ὡς πολλάκις ἐρρήθη, οὐχ ὑποδραμούσης σελήνης ἀλλὰ κατὰ διάμετρον τῷ ἡλιακῷ ἀντανατελλούσης δρόμῳ καὶ οὕτως, ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι, κινουμένης γινόμενον, ἵνα ᾖ σημεῖον τοῦ συμβεβηκότος θαύματος ἡ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτη τοῖς πᾶσιν αἰώνιον, - παραλαμβάνομεν καὶ παρασκευὴν καὶ σάββατον καὶ κυριακὴν διὰ τὰς προρρηθείσας αἰτίας, καὶ ὁλόκληρον τοῦ μυστηρίου τὴν θεωρίαν τῇ τῶν προθεσμιῶν συνδρομῇ ἐκτελοῦντες καὶ τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἄνοιαν καὶ τὴν τῶν μὴ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἀσμενιζόντων αἱρετικῶν μανίαν ἀποπεμπόμεθα, καὶ χαρα κτῆρα ὁλοτελῆ τῆς τοῦ παντὸς ἀνακεφαλαιώσεως ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ πάσχα ἱερᾷ τελετῇ προβαλλόμεθα. Ἐν ὅλαις γὰρ ταῖς προθεσμίαις ταύταις τοῦ Χριστοῦ παθόντος, ἀνάγκη καὶ ἡμᾶς ὡσαύτως ποιεῖν τὸ πάσχα ὅση δύναμις, καί, εἴ τι ἂν τούτων λείποι, σκάζει κινδυνωδῶς ἡ μίμησις.
49 Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἀρκούντως περὶ τούτων ἀκήκοας, ἀναγκαῖον ἂν εἴη λοιπὸν καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν εἰπεῖν, δι' ἣν νῦν ἡ τοῦ πάσχα παράτασις γίνεται, ὅπερ ἀρξάμενος τοῦ λόγου ἐπήγγελμαι. Εἰρήκαμεν, ἄδελφε, ὅτι δεῖ ἐπὶ τῷ πάθει καὶ τὴν ἐαρινὴν ἰσημερίαν καὶ τὴν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην κατὰ σελήνην, οὐ πρὸ ἰσημερίας, καὶ τὴν παρασκευὴν καὶ τὸ σάββατον καὶ τὴν κυριακὴν συλλαμβάνειν. Ἐὰν οὖν ποτε συμβαίῃ τὴν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην κατὰ σελήνην πρὸ ἰσημερίας ἐμπίπτειν, ἐκείνην μὲν ἀκυροῦμεν, ἄλλην δὲ ζητοῦμεν τὴν ὀφείλουσαν μετ' ἰσημερίαν γενέσθαι, καὶ συμβαίνει ἐν τούτῳ μῆνα ἐμβόλιμον παρεμπίπτειν εἰς γένεσιν τῆς μετ' ἰσημερίαν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτης.
50 Νῦν δέ, ἄδελφε, εἰς τοῦτο τὸ προκείμενον ἡμῖν πάσχα ἡ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτη ὡς πρὸ δύο ἡμερῶν τῆς ἰσημερίας ἐμπίπτει καὶ ἄκυρος γίνεται· διὸ ζητοῦμεν τελέσαι τὸν μῆνα τῆς σελήνης καὶ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην παραλαβεῖν, ἵνα ἐν ταύτῃ τὸ πάθος κατὰ μίμησιν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἀπεργασώμεθα· μηνὸς οὖν ἐμβολίμου χρῄζομεν.
51 Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐθεασάμεθα ὅτι, ἡ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτη κατὰ σελήνην πρὸ ἰσημερίας ἐὰν ἐμπέσῃ, οὐ ταύτης ἀλλὰ τῆς μετ' ἰσημερίαν ἁρμοζόντως δεόμεθα, οὕτω πάλιν, κατὰ σελήνην τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ τῆς κυριακῆς συνελθούσης, οὐκ ἄγομεν ταύτην τὴν κυριακὴν ἀναστάσιμον, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἑξῆς κυριακῆς χρῄζομεν, ὅτι ἡ μὲν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτη πάθους ἐστίν-ἐν γὰρ ταύτῃ πέπονθεν ὁ Χριστὸς τῇ παρασκευῇ συνελθούσῃ καί, ὥσπερ τὴν παρασκευὴν ἀναστάσιμον οὐ γνωρίζομεν, οὐδὲ τὴν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην συζυγοῦσαν αὐτῇ-, ἡ δὲ ὀφείλουσα ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναστάσει ὁρίζεσθαι κυριακὴ καθαρὰ παθητικῆς ἡμέρας ὑπάρχειν τέτακται. Ἐὰν οὖν συμπέσῃ αὐτῇ ὁ παθητικὸς τῆς τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτης ἀριθμός, ταύτην ἀφέντες τὴν ἑξῆς ὡς καθαρὰν πάθους μεταδιώκομεν. Προκειμένου γὰρ ἡμῖν τοῦ κατὰ τὸν σωτῆρα ἐπὶ τῷ πάθει καὶ τῇ ἀναστάσει μιμήματος, ἀεί ποτε τὴν κυριακήν, ἣν μέλλομεν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναστάσει ὁρίζειν, ἐλευθέραν πάθους ὡς ὁ δεσπότης διαφυλάττομεν, ἐπὶ τὰς πρὸ ταύτης τὸ πάθος λαμβάνοντες. Ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο τεθέασαι, πρόσχες λοιπὸν ὃ λέγω. 52 Πρὸ δύο ἡμερῶν νῦν ἐμπίπτει, ὡς ἔφην, ἡ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτη κατὰ σελήνην τῆς ἰσημερίας· ἀνάγκην ἔχομεν ταύτην μὲν παρεῖναι, τὴν δὲ μετὰ ταύτην τεσσαρεσκαιδε- κάτην ὡς μετ' ἰσημερίαν ἐκδέχεσθαι· ἀλλ' αὐτὴ πάλιν ἡ ἁρμόζουσα