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of testimony, whence I will be made known to you from there. But such a thing is forbidden for anyone to do for his own enjoyment; that is, to ascribe his accomplishments to himself, but to trace the cause of good things back to God. Such an incense was Paul, who says: We are the aroma of Christ. And again: Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession, and manifests the fragrance of His knowledge in us. 1.30 But the physical incense, falling into the passages of the nostrils and stirring the sense of smell, is reasonably considered an abomination to the incorporeal One. But the Word wishes new moons fitting for eternal years to be understood by the intelligent, not the restoration of the moon through thirty days, overtaking the sun and again departing. But since 'The fool changes like the moon,' the Word wishes the one who loves his brother and is compassionate to consider a festival the return to the light, which the fool abandoned, and the restoration (through repentance) to the original state; celebrating, as it were, a new moon, the beginning of life in the light; since the light failed because of the turn for the worse, but one has returned to it again through conversion. Next would be to speak about the hated sabbaths: not to carry a burden and not to go out from one's place, and not to light a fire in any of their dwellings. These things, showing immediately the impossibility of their observance and strict keeping, make the one who hears them in a physical sense liable to the curse. For it is impossible not to move from one's place; and everything that is lifted, even if it be very light, is called a burden, such as a garment, or bread, or any of the necessities. But also it commands not to light a fire, that is, not to be inflamed by the passions of the flesh; and not to carry a burden, that is, not to be weighed down by the weight of sin, and not to depart from remaining in God, remaining firm and immovable in the faith. Thus, when they observe the sabbaths not in idleness from evil, but in abstinence from duties, He reasonably turns away and does not tolerate them, as being false. For such are the sabbaths lamented by the Prophet: Woe to those who draw near and who cleave to false sabbaths. But true sabbaths are the rest that is laid up for the people of God; which, because they are true, God tolerates. And one arrives at those sabbaths of rest, the one to whom the world has been crucified, having clearly departed from worldly things and arrived at his own place of spiritual rest, in which he who has arrived will no longer be moved from his own place, since tranquility and imperturbability exist in that state. And he will not burn fire in the eternal dwelling, because he does not bring in matter that ignites a fire: wood, hay, stubble. And he will not carry a burden who does not have the heavy load of iniquity laid upon him, but will truly rest on delightful sabbaths. 1.31 But instead of 'the great day,' the others have rendered 'Convocation.' However, Theodotion has: 'A named convocation I do not tolerate'; and Symmachus: 'A convocation by invocation I will not tolerate.' Whence we reckon that not one exceptional great day was mentioned, but every foretold convocation. For concerning the unleavened bread he says: The first shall be a named convocation, for it shall be holy to you. And: The seventh day shall be a holy convocation to you. And: On the seventh day of the new things, when you offer a sacrifice of the weeks, it shall be a holy named convocation to you. And again: On the tenth day of this seventh month, it shall be a holy named convocation to you. It seems, therefore, that through one utterance He rejects many days which use the same name, and almost all the notable feasts in the Law. Therefore, rejecting these, which one does He accept? The one about which it is said: The great day of the Lord, which this perceptible sun will not make, but the rising of the Sun of righteousness will illuminate, which will be one and perpetual, having no succeeding night, but extending together with all of eternity. Truly then and properly is that day great. But the carnal Jew seeks the great day among these,

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μαρτυρίου, ὅθεν γνωσ θήσομαί σοι ἐκεῖθεν. Τὸ δὲ τοιοῦτον ἀπηγόρευται ἑαυ τῷ τινα ποιεῖν εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν· τουτέστιν, ἑαυτῷ ἐπι γράφειν τὰ κατορθώματα, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν τῶν καλῶν τὴν αἰτίαν ἀνάγειν. Τοιοῦτον ἦν θυμίαμα Παῦλος, ὁ λέγων· Χριστοῦ εὐωδία ἐσμέν. Καὶ πάλιν· Χάρις τῷ Θεῷ, τῷ πάν τοτε θριαμβεύοντι ἡμᾶς, καὶ τὴν ὀσμὴν τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ φανεροῦντι ἐν ἡμῖν. 1.30 Τὸ δὲ σωματικὸν θυμίαμα καὶ τοῖς κατὰ τοὺς μυ κτῆρας πόροις ἐμπίπτον καὶ τὴν αἴσθησιν συγκινοῦν, βδέ λυγμα τῷ ἀσωμάτῳ εἰκότως νενόμισται. Νουμηνίας δὲ πρε πούσας αἰωνίοις ἔτεσι παρὰ τῶν συνετῶν νοεῖσθαι ὁ λόγος βούλεται, οὐ τὴν διὰ τῶν τριάκοντα ἡμερῶν τῆς σελήνης ἀποκατάστασιν, ἐπικαταλαμβανούσης τὸν ἥλιον καὶ πάλιν ἀφισταμένης. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ Ὁ ἄφρων ὡς σελήνη ἀλλοιοῦται, τὴν πρὸς τὸ φῶς ἐπάνοδον, ὅπερ ἐξέλιπεν ὁ ἄφρων καὶ τὴν (διὰ μετανοίας) εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἀποκατάστασιν ἑορτὴν ἡγεῖ σθαι τὸν φιλάδελφον καὶ συμπαθῆ, ὁ λόγος βούλεται· οἱονεὶ νουμηνίαν ἄγων τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ ἐν φωτὶ βίου· ἐπειδὴ ἐξέλιπε μὲν τὸ φῶς διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸ χεῖρον τροπὴν, ἐπαλινδρόμησε δὲ πάλιν πρὸς αὐτὸ διὰ τῆς ἐπιστροφῆς. Ἑξῆς ἂν εἴη περὶ τῶν μισουμένων σαββάτων εἰπεῖν, τὸ μὴ αἴρειν βάσταγμα καὶ μὴ ἐξέρχεσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ καίειν πῦρ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ κατοικίᾳ αὐτῶν. Ταῦτα τὸ ἀδύνατον εἰς τήρησιν καὶ ἀκριβῆ φυλακὴν αὐτόθεν ἐμφαίνοντα, ὑπόδικον ποιεῖ τῇ κατάρᾳ τὸν σωματικῶς ἀκούοντα. Μὴ κινεῖσθαι γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου ἀμήχανον· καὶ πᾶν τὸ ἐπαιρόμενον, κἂν ἐλα φρότατον ᾖ, βάσταγμα λέγεται, οἷον ἱμάτιον, ἢ ἄρτος, ἤ τι τῶν ἀναγκαίων. Ἀλλὰ καὶ πῦρ καίειν οὐ κελεύει, του τέστιν ὑπὸ τῶν παθῶν τῆς σαρκὸς μὴ ἀναφλέγεσθαι· μὴ ἐπαί ρειν δὲ βάσταγμα, τουτέστι μὴ τῷ βάρει τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατα φορτίζεσθαι, καὶ τῆς ἐν Θεῷ διαμονῆς μὴ μεθίστασθαι, ἑδραῖον μένοντα καὶ ἀμετακίνητον ἐν τῇ πίστει. Οὕτω δὲ τελειοῦντας τὰ σάββατα, οὐκ ἐν τῇ τῶν κακῶν ἀργίᾳ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ ἀποχῇ τῶν καθηκόντων, εἰκότως ἀποστρέφεται καὶ οὐκ ἀνέχεται αὐτῶν, ὡς ψευδῶν. Τοιαῦτα γάρ εἰσι τὰ παρὰ τῷ Προφήτῃ ταλανιζόμενα σάββατα· Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐγγίζοντες καὶ οἱ ἐφαπτόμενοι ψευδῶν σαββάτων. Σάββατα δὲ ἀληθῆ, ἡ ἀποκειμένη ἀνάπαυσις τῷ λαῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἅπερ διὰ τὸ ἀληθινὰ εἶναι ἀνέχεται ὁ Θεός. Καὶ φθάνει γε ἐπ' ἐκεῖνα τὰ σάββατα τῆς ἀναπαύσεως, παρ' ᾧ ὁ κόσ μος ἐσταύρωται, ἀποστὰς δηλονότι τῶν κοσμικῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἴδιον τόπον τῆς πνευματικῆς ἀναπαύσεως καταντήσας, ἐν οἷς ὁ γενόμενος οὐκέτι κινηθήσεται ἀπὸ τοῦ ἰδίου τό που, ἡσυχίας καὶ ἀταραξίας περὶ τὴν κατάστασιν ἐκείνην ὑπαρχούσης. Καὶ πῦρ οὐ καύσει ἐν τῇ αἰωνίᾳ κατοικήσει, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐπικομίζεσθαι ὕλην πῦρ ἀνάπτουσαν, ξύλα, χόρ τον, καλάμην. Καὶ βάσταγμα οὐκ ἀρεῖ ὁ μὴ ἔχων τὸ βαρὺ φορτίον τῆς ἀνομίας αὐτῷ ἐπικείμενον, ἀλλ' ὄντως σάββατα τρυφερὰ ἀναπαύσεται. 1.31 Ἀντὶ δὲ τῆς μεγάλης ἡμέρας, οἱ λοιποὶ ἐκδεδώκασι Κλητήν. Ὁ μέντοι Θεοδοτίων· Κλητὴν ἐπίκλητον οὐκ ἀνέχομαι· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· Κλητὴν ἐπίκλησιν οὐκ ἀνέξομαι. Ὅθεν λογιζόμεθα μὴ μίαν ἐξαίρετον μεγάλην εἰρῆσθαι· ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν τὴν προαγορευθεῖσαν κλητήν. Περὶ γὰρ τῶν ἀζύμων φησίν· Ἡ πρώτη ἐπίκλητος, ὅτι ἁγία ἔσται ὑμῖν. Καί· Ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ ἑβδόμη κλητὴ ἁγία ἔσται ὑμῖν. Καί· Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ τῶν νέων, ὅταν προσφέρητε θυσίαν τῶν ἑβδομάδων, ἐπίκλητος ἁγία ἔσται ὑμῖν. Καὶ πάλιν· Τῇ δε κάτῃ τοῦ ἑβδόμου μηνὸς τούτου, ἐπίκλητος ἁγία ἔσται ὑμῖν. Ἔοικεν οὖν διὰ μιᾶς φωνῆς πολλὰς παραιτεῖσθαι ἡμέ ρας, τὰς τῷ αὐτῷ ὀνόματι κεχρημένας, καὶ σχεδὸν πάσας τὰς ἐπισήμους ἑορτὰς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ. Ταύτας οὖν παραιτού μενος, ποίαν δέχεται; Περὶ ἧς εἴρηται· Τὴν ἡμέραν Κυ ρίου τὴν μεγάλην, ἣν οὐχὶ ὁ αἰσθητὸς οὗτος ἥλιος ποιήσει, ἀλλ' ἀνατολὴ τοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύνης Ἡλίου καταφωτίσει, ἥτις μία ἔσται καὶ διηνεκὴς, διάδοχον νύκτα μὴ ἔχουσα, ἀλλὰ τῷ αἰῶνι παντὶ συμπαρεκτεινομένη. Ἀληθῶς μὲν οὖν καὶ κυ ρίως μεγάλη ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη. Ὁ δὲ σωματικὸς Ἰουδαῖος ἐν ταύταις ζητεῖ τὴν μεγάλην,