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The fourteenth of the seventh month runs together with the twenty-sixth [since] it also falls on a Sunday. Since, therefore, the fourteenth falls on Sunday itself, we move the feast of the resurrection to the following Sunday, which is found to be free of the paschal number, and thus by adding a week to the twenty-sixth of the seventh month, we celebrate the resurrection on the second of the eighth month. And this is the reason for the extension.

53 But if anyone should wish to argue that the fourteenth falls on Sunday itself, on the twenty-sixth of this seventh month, let him restrain himself and examine the objection, if he wishes, taking the wise men of the Greeks as witnesses to this, that the fourteenth occupies the whole Sunday, both this and the night after it, until near the following Monday.

54 And let no one say that Pascha has never occurred with such a great extension. And of this we have many witnesses who remember. Then, the "never" truly never suits science, but the principle of science is always sought, and often it happens quickly, often more quickly and again more slowly, and no man of science pays attention to the irregularity of the times but to the harmony of the principles. How many times, do you think, in former times was it said, "It has never happened," and the art prevails. And what is the difference? For those who make the accusation admit that Pascha has often happened on the twenty-ninth of the seventh month. The remaining issue, therefore, is about three or four days, which they hesitate to concede to science. Where then is the difficulty arising from the unexpectedness of the extension?

55 But they are amazed that Pascha occurs so irregularly, at least with respect to time. But this is no cause for amazement for men of science. Have you seen, brother, poetic compositions or tragic verses, how some are short, and some shorter, and some are extended further. The ignorant certainly marvel at these as being arranged so simply; but the craftsman who knows the harmony of meters knows the regularity of the art, even if the appearance of the 56 verses seems irregular. For instance, brother, now the resurrection day is on the second of the eighth month, but in the coming year it is on the seventeenth of the seventh month, and again in the next year on the ninth of the seventh month, and again in the third year the resurrection day will be recognized on the twenty-ninth of the <same> month, and no one is harmed by these things, no one is grieved by these things, but each one seeks the harmony of the art and rejoices in the principle of science.

57 For the whole point under consideration is that the fourteenth of the moon should not occur before the vernal equinox, and that the Sunday designated for the resurrection should be free of the fourteenth, which is why these questions arise for those who do not reckon the calculation accurately. For the fourteenth must occur in the week before the designated resurrection day, but if it falls within the span of the week, the ease of finding it is opened up, but if it falls on the Sunday, on this day careful attention is needed; for those who do not investigate sometimes make the error that it is the fifteenth of the moon and not the fourteenth, which indeed has also happened in the present case.

58 Therefore, we ought to stand firm and recognize that even now the extension occurs harmoniously. We ought to recognize these things, and before the coming week, let him have a clear mind and know that this ought to be fasted as the first of the seven weeks. And with this we have fulfilled the word of our promise, only if the force of what has been said remains in memory. May God grant that all the mysteries be kept in your hearts and you in Christ, with whom glory is offered up to God the Father with the Holy Spirit now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτη μηνὸς ἑβδόμου εἰκάδι ἕκτῃ συντρέχει [ἐπειδὴ] καὶ κυριακῇ συμπίπτει. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἡ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτη αὐτῇ τῇ κυριακῇ συμπίπτει, τὴν τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἑορτὴν εἰς τὴν ἑξῆς κυριακὴν μετατίθεμεν τοῦ παθητικοῦ ἀριθμοῦ ἐλευθέραν εὑρημένην, καὶ οὕτω τῇ εἰκάδι ἕκτῃ τοῦ ἑβδόμου μηνὸς ἑβδομάδα ἐπισυνάπτοντες εἰς δευτέραν ὀγδόου μηνὸς τὴν ἀναστάσιμον ἄγομεν. Καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν αἰτία τῆς παρατάσεως.

53 Εἰ δέ τις ἀντιλέγειν ἐθέλοι περὶ τοῦ εἰκάδι ἕκτῃ τοῦτι ἑβδόμου μηνὸς νῦν αὐτῇ τῇ κυριακῇ τὴν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην συμβαίνειν, στελλέσθω ἐπισκεψόμενος τὴν ἀντίρρησιν, εἰ βούλεται, καὶ τοὺς σοφοὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων πρὸς τοῦτο παραλαβὼν μάρτυρας ὅτι ὅλην τὴν κυριακὴν καὶ ταύτην καὶ τὴν μετ' αὐτὴν νύκτα ἕως ἐγγὺς εἰς τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν δευτέραν ἡ τεσσαρεσκαδεκάτη καταλαμβάνει.

54 Καὶ μηδεὶς λεγέτω ὅτι οὐδέποτε ἐπὶ τοσαύτῃ παρατάσει τὸ πάσχα γεγένηται. Καὶ τούτου πολλοὺς ἔχομεν μνήμονας μάρτυρας. Ἔπειτα τὰ οὐδέποτε ἀληθῶς οὐδέποτε ἐπιστήμῃ ἁρμόζει, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ ὁ λόγος ζητεῖται τῆς ἐπιστήμης καὶ πολλάκις ταχὺ γίνεται πολλάκις ταχύτερον καὶ πάλιν βραδύτερον, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐπιστήμων τῇ ἀνωμαλίᾳ προσέχει τῶν χρόνων ἀλλὰ τῇ ἁρμονίᾳ τῶν λόγων. Ποσάκις, νομίζεις, ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν χρόνοις ἐρρήθη τὸ "Οὐδέποτε γέγονε", καὶ ἡ τέχνη κρατεῖ. Τί δὲ καὶ τὸ παραλλάττον ἐστίν; Οἱ μὲν γὰρ αἰτιώμενοι ὁμολογοῦσιν εἰκάδι ἐννάτῃ ἑβδόμου μηνὸς γεγενῆσθαι πάσχα πολλάκις. Λοιπὸν οὖν ἐστι περὶ τριῶν ἡμερῶν ἢ τεσσάρων, ἃς ὀκνοῦσι παραχωρῆσαι τῇ ἐπιστήμῃ. Ποῦ οὖν λοιπὸν ἡ ἐκ παραδόξου τῆς παρατάσεως ἀπορία;

55 Ἀλλὰ θαυμάζουσιν ὅτι ἀνωμάλως οὕτως ὅσον ἐπί γε τῷ χρόνῳ γίνεται τὸ πάσχα. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο θαῦμα οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιστημόνων. Εἶδες, ἄδελφε, ποιητικοὺς κόσμους ἢ τραγικοὺς στίχους πῶς οἳ μέν εἰσι κόνδοι, οἳ δὲ κονδότεροι, οἳ δὲ ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐκτεταμένοι. Τούτους οἱ ἀμαθεῖς πάντως θαυμάζουσιν ὡς ἁπλῶς οὕτω διακειμένους· ὁ μεντοὶ τεχνίτης ὁ μέτρων ἁρμονίαν εἰδὼς οἶδε τὸ ὁμαλὸν τῆς τέχνης, κἂν ἡ ὄψις τῶν 56 στίχων ἀνώμαλος φαίνηται. Αὐτίκα γοῦν, ἄδελφε, νῦν μὲν γίνεται δευτέρᾳ ὀγδόου ἡ ἀναστάσιμος, εἰς δὲ τὸ ἐπιὸν ἑπτακαιδεκάτῃ ἑβδόμου μηνὸς γίνεται, καὶ πάλιν εἰς τὸ ἑξῆς ἐννάτῃ ἑβδόμου μηνός, καὶ αὖθις εἰς τὸ τρίτον ἔτος εἰκάδι ἐννάτῃ τοῦ <αὐτοῦ> μηνὸς ἡ ἀναστάσιμος γνωρισθήσεται, καὶ οὐδεὶς πρὸς ταῦτα βλάπτεται, οὐδεὶς πρὸς ταῦτα λυπεῖται, ἀλλ' ἕκαστος τὴν ἁρμονίαν ζητεῖ τῆς τέχνης καὶ τῷ τῆς ἐπιστήμης λόγῳ εὐφραίνεται.

57 Ὅλον γάρ ἐστι τὸ σκοπούμενον, ἵνα μὴ ἡ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτη κατὰ σελήνην πρὸ ἰσημερίας ἐαρινῆς γένηται, καὶ ἡ πρὸς τὴν ἀναστάσιμον ὁριζομένη κυριακὴ ἐλευθέρα τῆς τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτης ὑπάρχῃ, δι' ἣν καὶ τὰ ζητήματα τοῖς οὐκ ἀκριβοῦσι τὴν ψῆφον ἐπιφύεται. ∆εῖ μὲν γὰρ τὴν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην ἐν τῇ ἑβδομάδι πρὸ τῆς ὁριζομένης ἀναστασίμου συμβῆναι, ἀλλ' ἐὰν μὲν εἰς τὸ πλάτος τῆς ἑβδομάδος συμπέσῃ, εὐπέτεια τῆς εὑρέσεως ὑπανοίγεται, ἐὰν δὲ τῇ κυριακῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐμπίπτῃ, ἐν ταύτῃ ἀκριβοῦς ἐπιστασίας χρεία· οἱ γὰρ μὴ ζητοῦντες ἐνίοτε οὐ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην ἀλλὰ πεντεκαιδεκάτην κατὰ σελήνην ὑπάρχειν τὸ σφάλμα ἐργάζονται, ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος συμβέβηκεν.

58 Πάνυ οὖν ὀφείλομεν ἑστάναι καὶ γνωρίζειν ὅτι καὶ νῦν ἡ παράτασις ἐναρμονίως γίνεται. Ταῦτα γνωρίζειν ὀφείλομεν, καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἐρχομένης ἑβδομάδος καθαρὰν ἐχέτω τὴν γνώμην καὶ γινωσκέτω ταύτην πρώτην εἶναι τῶν ἑπτὰ ἑβδομάδων ὀφείλουσαν νηστευθῆναι. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐπὶ τούτῳ τὸν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας λόγον πεπληρώκαμεν, μόνον ἐὰν παρα-μείνῃ τῇ μνήμῃ τῶν λεγομένων ἡ δύναμις. ∆ῴη δὲ ὁ θεὸς καὶ τὰ μυστήρια πάντα φυλαχθῆναι ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν καὶ ὑμᾶς ἐν Χριστῷ, μεθ' οὗ ἀναφέρεται δόξα τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοῦς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.