Epiphanius of Salamis, Panarion

they come from a foreign land as if supposedly defiled; being baptized with water together with their clothes, whenever they touch another of the foreign nations. For they consider it a defilement to touch or come into contact with any other person of another dogma. And great is the madness of these people. 4. But how their foolishness is easily refuted, pay attention, O most admirable one, and you will know. For they immediately abhor a dead body, being themselves dead in their works. For not one testimony, but many, testify that the dead body is not to be abhorred, but that the Law spoke enigmatically. For no longer do two or three testimonies bear witness to us in this, but sixty-two myriads which were numbered in the desert * and as many more and beyond and still many more who followed the coffin of Joseph, which for forty 1.201 years was carried in the whole camp and was not abhorred nor defiling. But the Law spoke the truth, that "if anyone touches the dead, he remains profane until evening and shall wash with water and will be cleansed." And this was hinting at the death of our Lord Jesus Christ according to his passion in the flesh. For from the article "the" it is possible to signify the name of distinction. For where the article is placed, the confirmation is for a certain single, definite, and very clear thing on account of the article; but without the article it must be taken indefinitely for any random one; as for instance to say if we should say 'king,' we have signified a name, but we have not shown clearly the one defined; for we speak of a king of the Persians and of the Medes and of the Elamites. But if with the addition of the article we should say 'the king,' the meaning is unambiguous; for the king who is sought or who is spoken of or who is known or who reigns over someone is indicated through the article. And if we should say 'god' without the article, we have spoken of a random god of the nations or God who is. But if we should say 'the God,' it is clear that from the article "the" we signify the one who is, both true and known, just as 'man' and 'the man.' And if the law said "if you touch a dead body," the vote would be cast against all and the wording of the question would simply apply to every dead body; but when it says "if anyone touches the dead," it brings the reference to a certain one, I mean to the Lord, as has been shown by me above. Therefore, the law was saying this enigmatically because of those who were about to lay hands on the Christ and deliver him to the cross, that these had need of cleansing, until the day sets for them and another light dawns for them through the baptism of water, of "the washing of regeneration"; as Peter also bears witness to me here, saying to the Israelites in Jerusalem who say to him "What shall we do, 1.202 men, brothers?", because he had said to them that "this Jesus, whom you crucified"; and to those who were pierced in their heart he said "Repent, men, brothers, and let each one be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and your sins will be forgiven you and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Therefore the law does not speak about a dead body; and if it does speak about a dead body, yet the law speaks about a specific one. For about an unspecified one it is rendered otherwise; for it says that "if a dead body passes by, close your doors and your windows, that the house may not be defiled," as if it were speaking about the hearing of sin, that if you hear the voice of sin or a form of transgression, close your eye from desire and your mouth from evil speech and your ear from wicked sound, so that the whole house, that is, soul and body, may not be made dead. Wherefore the prophet also says "death has come up through the windows," and he is not in every case speaking about these windows; for otherwise, by closing the windows we would never have died. But our windows are the senses of the body,

ξένης ἔλθωσι ὡς μεμιασμένοι δῆθεν· ὕδατι σὺν ἱματίοις βαπτιζόμενοι, ἐπὰν ἅψωνται ἑτέρου τῶν ἀλλοεθνῶν. μιασμὸν γὰρ ἡγοῦνται τό τινος ἅψασθαι ἤτοι θιγεῖν ἄλλου τινὸς ἀνθρώπου ἀπὸ ἄλλου δόγματος. πολλὴ δὲ ἡ τούτων φρενοβλάβεια. 4. Πῶς δὲ εὐθυέλεγκτος ἡ αὐτῶν ἄνοια γίνεται, ἐπίστησον τὸν νοῦν, ὦ θαυμασιώτατε, καὶ εἴσῃ. νεκρὸν μὲν γὰρ εὐθέως βδελύττονται, αὐτοὶ νεκροὶ ὄντες τοῖς ἔργοις. μαρτυροῦσι γὰρ οὐ μία μαρτυρία, ἀλλὰ πολλαὶ τῷ μὴ εἶναι τὸν νεκρὸν ἐβδελυγμένον, ἀλλ' ὅτι αἰνιγματωδῶς ὁ νόμος ἔλεγεν. οὐκέτι γὰρ δύο ἢ τρεῖς μαρτυρίαι εἰς τοῦτο ἡμῖν ἐπιμαρτυροῦσιν, ἀλλὰ μυριάδες ἑξήκοντα δύο αἱ ἠριθμημέναι ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ * καὶ ἄλλαι τοσαῦται καὶ ἐπέκεινα καὶ ἔτι πολὺ πλείους αἱ τῇ σορῷ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἐπακολουθοῦσαι τῇ διὰ τεσσαράκοντα 1.201 ἐτῶν βασταζομένῃ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ παρεμβολῇ καὶ μὴ βδελυττομένῃ μήτε μολυνούσῃ. ἔλεγε δὲ τὰ ἀληθῆ ὁ νόμος, ὅτι «ἐάν τις ἅψηται τοῦ νεκροῦ, μένει βέβηλος ἕως ἑσπέρας καὶ λούσεται ὕδατι καὶ καθαρισθήσεται». ἦν δὲ τοῦτο αἰνιττόμενος εἰς τὴν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ νέκρωσιν κατὰ τὸ ἔνσαρκον αὐτοῦ πάθος. ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ «τοῦ» ἄρθρου τοὔνομα τῆς διακρίσεως ἔστιν σημᾶναι. ὅπου γὰρ τὸ ἄρθρον κεῖται, ἐπὶ ἑνί τινι ὡρισμένῳ καὶ διαφανεστάτῳ ἐστὶν ἡ βεβαίωσις διὰ τὸ ἄρθρον· ἄνευ δὲ τοῦ ἄρθρου ἐπὶ ἑνός του τυχόντος ἀορίστως ἐστὶ ληπτέον· ὡς οἷον εἰπεῖν ἐὰν εἴπωμεν βασιλεύς, ὄνομα μὲν ἐσημάναμεν, ἀλλ' οὐ τηλαυγῶς τὸν ὁριζόμενον ἐδείξαμεν· βασιλέα γὰρ λέγομεν καὶ Περσῶν καὶ Μήδων καὶ Ἐλαμιτῶν. ἐὰν δὲ μετὰ προσθήκης τοῦ ἄρθρου εἴπωμεν ὁ βασιλεύς, ἀναμφίβολόν ἐστι τὸ σημαινόμενον· ὁ γὰρ βασιλεὺς ὁ ζητούμενος ἢ ὁ λεγόμενος ἢ ὁ γινωσκόμενος ἢ ὁ τοῦ τινος βασιλεύων διὰ τοῦ ἄρθρου ὑποδείκνυται. καὶ ἐὰν εἴπωμεν θεὸς ἄνευ τοῦ ἄρθρου, τὸν τυχόντα εἴπαμεν θεὸν τῶν ἐθνῶν ἢ θεὸν τὸν ὄντα. ἐὰν δὲ εἴπωμεν ὁ θεός, δῆλον ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ «ὁ» ἄρθρου τὸν ὄντα σημαίνομεν, ἀληθῆ τε καὶ γινωσκόμενον, ὡς καὶ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος. καὶ εἰ μὲν ἔλεγεν ὁ νόμος «ἐὰν ἅψησθε νεκροῦ», κατὰ πάντων ἐξεφέρετο ἡ ψῆφος καὶ ἁπλῶς ἐπὶ παντὸς νεκροῦ ἦν ἐπικειμένη ἡ τοῦ ζητήματος λέξις· ὁπότε δὲ λέγει «ἐὰν ἅψηταί τις τοῦ νεκροῦ», ἐπὶ ἕνα τινὰ φέρει τὴν ἀγωγήν, φημὶ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον, ὡς ἄνω μοι προδεδήλωται. ἔλεγε δὲ τοῦτο αἰνιγματωδῶς ἄρα ὁ νόμος διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας χεῖρας ἐπιβάλλειν ἐπὶ τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ σταυρῷ παραδιδόναι, ὅτι χρείαν εἶχον οὗτοι καθαρισμοῦ, ἕως δύνῃ αὐτοῖς ἡ ἡμέρα καὶ ἀνατείλῃ αὐτοῖς ἄλλο φῶς διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος τοῦ ὕδατος, τοῦ «λουτροῦ τῆς παλιγγενεσίας»· ὡς καὶ ἐπιμαρτυρεῖ μοι ἐνταῦθα Πέτρος λέγων τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις τοῖς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις τοῖς λέγουσιν αὐτῷ «τί ποιήσωμεν, 1.202 ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί;», διὰ τὸ εἰρηκέναι αὐτὸν αὐτοῖς ὅτι «τοῦτον τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ὃν ὑμεῖς ἐσταυρώσατε»· καὶ κατανυγεῖσι τὴν καρδίαν εἶπε «μετανοήσατε, ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί, καὶ βαπτισθήτω ἕκαστος ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ ἀφεθήσονται ὑμῖν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι καὶ λήψεσθε τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος». οὐ περὶ νεκροῦ τοίνυν λέγει ὁ νόμος· εἰ δὲ καὶ περὶ νεκροῦ, ἀλλὰ περὶ ὁριζομένου λέγει ὁ νόμος. περὶ γὰρ οὐχ ὁριζομένου ἄλλως ἐκδίδοται· λέγει γὰρ ὅτι «ἐὰν παρέλθῃ νεκρός, κλείσατε τὰς θύρας καὶ τὰς θυρίδας ὑμῶν, ἵνα μὴ μολυνθῇ ὁ οἶκος», ὡσεὶ ἔλεγεν περὶ ἀκοῆς ἁμαρτίας ὅτι ἐὰν ἀκούσῃς φωνὴν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἢ εἶδος παραπτώματος, κλεῖσον τὸν ὀφθαλμόν σου ἀπὸ ἐπιθυμίας καὶ στόμα ἀπὸ κακολογίας καὶ οὖς ἀπὸ ἐνηχήσεως πονηρᾶς, ἵνα μὴ νεκρωθῇ ὅλος ὁ οἶκος τουτέστιν ψυχὴ καὶ σῶμα. διὸ καὶ ὁ προφήτης λέγει «ἀνέβη θάνατος διὰ τῶν θυρίδων», καὶ οὐ πάντως περὶ τῶν θυρίδων τούτων λέγει· ἢ γὰρ κλείσαντες τὰς θυρίδας οὐδέποτε ἀποθανεῖν εἴχομεν. θυρίδες δὲ ἡμῖν ὑπάρχουσι τὰ τοῦ σώματος αἰσθητήρια,