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of the old covenant; and we will show them even from the Gospels themselves, that Christ and the apostles both partook of foods and did not forbid those who ate them. For first, the Lord, having been born of the ever-virgin Mary and circumcised on the eighth day according to the law of Moses and brought up by Joseph and the holy virgin Mary, and in the temple of God all that the law commanded was also done for him, until his thirtieth year was fulfilled; for it was not possible for him not to go up each year to the feast to eat the Passover, which was the lamb and what accompanies it. And the Lord himself testifies, saying: I have not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. And when the time was fulfilled, he came to baptism and having fasted forty days and forty nights, he afterward was hungry, so that he might fully convince everyone that he truly put on the human person and did not come to the earth in appearance or in fantasy. He abstains from all things for the fast, so that he may teach fasting; but he abstains not as from things unclean, as we have said before; for after a little while he is found partaking. For through hunger he showed that the body which he put on had need of food; for having often been invited by tax collectors and sinners and by Simon the Pharisee, he ate the things set before him and healed their sick. And so that he might persuade all that he did not observe any of the things enjoined in the law, he himself testifies, and the truth would not have lied; for thus he says, reproaching the hardness of the people: John came neither eating nor drinking, and you say, 'He has a demon'; then concerning himself: The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' Who will still dare to fight against God and to resist the truth? And in another place the Lord himself: It is not what enters that defiles a person, but what comes out of the heart, these things defile a person. And when sending the disciples out to preach, he commanded them: Eat what is set before you and heal their sick. And he did not tell them to be concerned about whether a pot or plate was clean, but simply 'eat what is set before you.' But how did he satisfy the crowds following him? I mean the five thousand and the four thousand. How? With the loaves, he also gave them the fish. For he commanded the crowds to recline and, having blessed the loaves and the fish, he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowds. I wanted to ask the heretic: "If you had been there, would you have received the blessing of Christ, or because of the fish would you have turned away from the blessing?" Certainly you would also have abominated Christ himself, because he set living things before the people for food and enjoyment. But nevertheless those who always oppose Christ dare to say that there was no leftover from the fish. First of all, who are you to answer back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' Do you not tremble at the mystery? Are you not astounded at the miracle, that from five loaves and two fish so great a multitude was satisfied, and likewise also from the seven loaves and from the two fish the same thing happened? Yet, so that every shameless mouth may be stopped, Mark the evangelist said that there were leftovers from the fish also. Will you not now cease contending with the Lord? Or will you persist in your shamelessness? And where did you learn to avoid an egg as if it were poison? And who have you ever known who was condemned or perished for eating an egg? Or where in the scriptures has God forbidden eating an egg? But you fear an egg more than all fornication and adultery, and while you gladly live alone with other men's wives, not considering the harm, you guard against an egg as an abomination. Perhaps also from your great indifference you do not even perceive the Lord himself saying: Everyone who looks in order to lust, an encounter*. But how will you escape the judgment of God, always cohabiting with other men's wives? Flee from a woman as from the face of a serpent, as it says

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τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης· δείξομεν δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν εὐαγγελίων, ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι καὶ μετελάμβανον τῶν βρωμάτων καὶ τοὺς ἐσθίοντας οὐκ ἐκώλυον. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ τεχθεὶς ὁ κύριος ὑπὸ τῆς ἀειπαρ θένου Μαρίας καὶ περιτμηθεὶς τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ κατὰ τὸν νόμον Μωσέως καὶ ἀνατραφεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου Μαρίας, καὶ ἐν τῷ ναῷ τοῦ θεοῦ ὅσα τε ὁ νόμος διηγόρευσε καὶ τούτῳ ἐγένετο, ἕως οὗ ἐπληρώθη τὸ τριακοστὸν ἔτος· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν δυνατὸν μὴ ἀναβαίνειν αὐτὸν καθ' ἕκαστον ἔτος εἰς τὴν ἑορτὴν τοῦ φαγεῖν τὸ πάσχα, ὅπερ ἦν ὁ ἀμνὸς καὶ τὰ ἀκόλουθα. Καὶ μαρτυρεῖ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος λέγων· Οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦ σαι τὸν νόμον, ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι. Πληρωθέντος δὲ τοῦ Χρόνου ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τὸ βάπτισμα καὶ νηστεύσας τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας καὶ τεσσαρά κοντα νύκτας ὕστερον ἐπείνασεν, ἵνα πληροφορήσῃ ἕκαστον ὅτι ἀκριβῶς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐφόρεσε καὶ οὐ δοκήσει οὐδὲ φαντασίᾳ ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ἀπέχεται μὲν πάντων διὰ τὴν νηστείαν, ἵνα διδάξῃ νηστεύειν· ἀπέχεται δὲ οὐχ ὡς ἀπὸ ἀκαθάρτων, καθὼς προείπομεν· μετὰ μικρὸν γὰρ εὑρίσκεται μεταλαμβάνων. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τῆς πείνης ἔδειξεν ὅτι τὸ σῶμα ὃ ἐφόρεσε τροφῆς χρείαν εἶχε· πολλάκις γὰρ κληθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν τελωνῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν καὶ ὑπὸ Σίμωνος τοῦ φαρισαίου ἤσθιε τὰ παρατιθέμενα αὐτῷ καὶ ἐθερά πευε τοὺς ἀρρώστους αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἵνα πείσῃ πάντας ὅτι οὐδὲν παρεφυλάττετο τῶν ἐπιτετραμμένων ἐν τῷ νόμῳ, αὐτὸς μαρτυρεῖ καὶ οὐκ ἂν διεψεύσατο ἡ ἀλήθεια· λέγει γὰρ οὕτως ὀνειδίζων τὸ σκληρὸν τοῦ λαοῦ· Ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰωάννης μήτε ἐσθίων μήτε πίνων, καὶ λέγετε· δαιμόνιον ἔχει· εἶτα περὶ ἑαυτοῦ· Ἦλθεν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων, καὶ λέγετε· ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος φάγος καὶ οἰνοπότης, φίλος τελωνῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν. Τίς τολμήσει ἔτι θεομαχῆσαι καὶ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ἀντιστῆναι; Καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος· Οὐ τὰ εἰσπορευόμενα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐκ τῆς καρδίας ἐκπο ρευόμενα, ταῦτα μιαίνει τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Καὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς δὲ ἀποστέλλων ἐπὶ τὸ κήρυγμα παρήγγειλεν αὐτοῖς· Ἐσθίετε τὰ παρατιθέμενα ὑμῖν καὶ θεραπεύετε τοὺς ἀρρώστους αὐτῶν. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς πολυπραγμονεῖν εἰ χύτρα καὶ πινάκιον καθαρόν, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς τὰ παρατιθέμενα ἐσθίετε. Τὰ δὲ πλήθη τὰ παρακολου θοῦντα αὐτῷ πῶς ἐκόρεσε; Τοὺς πεντακισχιλίους λέγω καὶ τοὺς τετρακισχιλίους. Πῶς; σὺν τοῖς ἄρτοις καὶ τοὺς ἰχθύας αὐτοῖς ἐπέδωκεν. Ἐκέλευσε γὰρ τοὺς ὄχλους ἀναπεσεῖν καὶ εὐλογήσας τοὺς ἄρτους καὶ τοὺς ἰχθύας ἔδωκε τοῖς μαθηταῖς, οἱ δὲ μαθηταὶ τοῖς ὄχλοις. Ἤθελον ἐρωτῆσαι τὸν αἱρετικόν· «Εἰ παρῆς, ἐλάμβανες τὴν εὐλογίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἢ διὰ τοὺς ἰχθύας τὴν εὐλογίαν ἀπεστρέφου «; Πάντως δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Χριστὸν ἂν ἐβδελύσσου, ὅτι τὰ ἔμψυχα τῷ λαῷ παρέθηκεν εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ ἀπόλαυσιν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως τολμῶσι λέγειν οἱ ἀεὶ τῷ Χριστῷ ἀντι πίπτοντες, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῶν ἰχθύων οὐκ ἐπερίττευσεν. Πρῶτον μέν, σὺ τίς εἶ ὁ ἀποκρινόμενος τῷ θεῷ; μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι· σὺ τί με ἐποίησας οὕτως; Οὐ φρίττεις τὸ μυστήριον; Οὐκ ἐκπλήττῃ ἐπὶ τῷ παραδόξῳ, ὅτι ἀπὸ πέντε ἄρτων καὶ δύο ἰχθύων τοσαῦτα πλήθη ἐκορέσθη, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἑπτὰ ἄρτων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν δύο ἰχθύων τὸ αὐτὸ γέγονε; Πλὴν ἵνα φραγῇ πᾶν στόμα ἀναίσχυντον, Μάρκος ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς εἶπε πεπερισσευκέναι καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἰχθύων. Ἆρα οὐκ ἂν ἄρτι παύσῃ συζητῶν τῷ κυρίῳ; Ἢ ἐπιμενεῖς ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναισχυντίᾳ; Τὸ δὲ ὠὸν ποῦ ἔμαθες ἀποφεύγειν ὡς δηλητήριον; Τίνα δὲ ἔγνως ποτὲ ὅτι φαγὼν ὠὸν κατεκρίθη ἢ ἀπώλετο; Ἢ ποῦ θεὸς ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς ἐκώλυσεν ὠὸν ἐσθίειν; Σὺ δὲ ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν πορνείαν καὶ μοιχείαν τὸ ὠὸν φοβῇ καὶ ταῖς μὲν ἀλλοτρίαις γυναιξὶ καταμόνας ἡδέως συζῇς μὴ λογιζόμενος τὴν βλάβην, ὠὸν δὲ ὡς βδέλυγμα φυλάττῃ. Τάχα δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς ἀδιαφορίας οὐδὲ αἰσθάνῃ αὐτοῦ τοῦ κυρίου λέγοντος· Πᾶς ὁ ἐμβλέψας πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι, συντυχία*. Σὺ δὲ πῶς ἐκφεύξῃ τὸ κρίμα τοῦ θεοῦ ἀεὶ συνοικῶν ἀλλοτρίαις; Φύγε ἀπὸ γυναικὸς ὡς ἀπὸ προσώπου ὄφεως, ὥς φησιν ἡ