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and the seed of Jacob, the just, sought bread in Egypt. But if we flee from the lowly understanding, the absurdity in the contradictions will also be resolved. The Jews, then, were observing these fasts, starving their own inner man, because the threat that says, "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, and I will bring a famine upon this land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord," had come upon them. The Lord, therefore, says that He hates these fasts of those who were wasting away their own mind in an atrophy of the saving and life-giving teachings, while over-fattening and making fleshy the outer man. For just as on the beam of a balance, when one side is weighed down, the opposite is somehow raised up, so too one might see this happening in a human being; for when the flesh abounds, it happens that the mind somehow becomes weaker; but when the mind, in turn, is in good condition, the flesh is often made thin. And this is what the Apostle says, that "as much as the outer man is decaying, so much is the inner man being renewed." And, "When I am weak, then I am strong." For certain sooty vapors, sent up from abundant and rich food, like a thick cloud interrupt the illuminations that come into the mind from the Holy Spirit. Therefore Moses also, when ascending through the mind to the vision of God, remained without food and drink for forty days, arranging for his ruling faculty to remain untroubled. And Elijah similarly, when he was about to seek God, for an equal amount of time abstained from food, so that no overshadowing might come upon his mind from food. The Lord, however, did the opposite: having risen from the dead and ascending to the heavens, He partook of food, confirming the nature of the resurrected body; but when condescending to men, He fasted, showing that ascetic practice is necessary for one who is about to strip for the contests of temptations. For the disciplining of the body, as it were, trains it for victory. One must not, however, treat the flesh in such a way as to paralyze its natural tone through want, nor to force the mind into complete inaction, or even inattentiveness, by excessive exhaustion. 1.33 But since we were commanded, when the bridegroom is present, not to fast the fast from the word (as not being fed by the bread that came down from heaven and turning away from the food of the Lord's flesh, which is the cause of life), the Lord says He hates such a fast. One of the things hated by the Lord is also idleness, being a certain inaction in regard to duties. And idleness seems to be a consequence of every feast, because of the addition to the holy convocations: "You shall do no servile work"; and because on feasts, by taking leisure from their daily lives they committed every absurdity, they were said rightly to observe a hateful idleness. And how is idleness not hateful, making man worse than an ant and a bee, who, having been formed from the beginning, was placed in paradise to work it and keep it? So that what is primary and most proper to man is diligence in works, and idleness is, as it were, contrary to his nature, which the Lord said He hates. But how does He want us to be idle? Not laboring for the food that perishes, not lifting up the eyes to vain things, not receiving a vain report in the ears, shaking the hands from gifts, not having feet swift to shed blood, and, in a word, not engaging in all the pursuits that concern the body. 1.34 I will no longer forgive your sins. The voice of one who is weary of the continual relapses into evil of him who receives benefits. I will no longer forgive. Many times I called you to repentance; you seemed to obey, then you relapsed. Having despaired of your unrepentant heart, I will no longer release you from the condemnation you deserve. For not he who says "I have sinned" and then persists in the sin, confesses; but he who, according to the Psalm, has found his sin and hated it.

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καὶ τὸ σπέρμα Ἰακὼβ, τοῦ δικαίου, ἄρτους ἐζήτει εἰς Αἴγυπτον. Ἐὰν δὲ φύγωμεν τὴν ταπεινὴν ἔννοιαν, καὶ ἡ ἐν τοῖς ἐναντιώμασιν ἀτοπία συνδιαλυθήσεται. Ταύτας οὖν ἐνή στευον τὰς νηστείας οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, λιμοκτονοῦντες ἑαυτῶν τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον, διὰ τὸ φθάσαι ἐπ' αὐτοὺς τὴν λέγουσαν ἀπει λὴν, ὅτι Ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ ἐπάξω ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ταύτην λιμὸν, οὐ λιμὸν ἄρτου, οὐδὲ δίψαν ὕδατος, ἀλλὰ λιμὸν τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λόγον Κυρίου. Ταύτας οὖν τὰς νη στείας μισεῖν λέγει ὁ Κύριος, τῶν ἐκτηκόντων μὲν ἑαυτῶν τὸν νοῦν ἐν ἀτροφίᾳ τῶν σωτηρίων καὶ ζωοποιῶν διδαγμάτων, ὑπερπιαινόντων δὲ καὶ κατασαρκούντων τὸν ἔξω ἄνθρωπον. Καὶ γὰρ ὥσπερ ἐν ζυγοῦ ῥοπῇ, ὅταν βαρῆται τὸ ἕτερον, ἀν υψοῦταί πως τὸ ἀντικείμενον, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ ἀνθρώπου συμ βαῖνον ἴδοι τις ἄν· σαρκὸς μὲν γὰρ πληθυνομένης, συμ βαίνει τὸν νοῦν πως ἀσθενέστερον γίνεσθαι· τοῦ νοῦ δὲ πάλιν εὐεκτοῦντος, τὴν σάρκα πολλάκις καταλεπτύνεσθαι. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ὅ φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ὅτι ὅσον ὁ ἔξω ἄνθρωπος διαφθείρεται, τοσοῦτον ὁ ἔσω ἀνακαινοῦται. Καὶ τὸ Ὅταν ἀσθενῶ, τότε δυνατός εἰμι. Τῆς γὰρ δαψιλοῦς καὶ παχείας τροφῆς αἰθαλώδεις τινὲς ἀνα θυμιάσεις ἀναπεμπόμεναι, νεφέλης δίκην πυκνῆς τὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐγγινομένας ἐλλάμψεις εἰς τὸν νοῦν διακόπ τουσι. ∆ιὸ καὶ Μωϋσῆς πρὸς θεωρίαν Θεοῦ ἀναβαίνων διὰ τοῦ νοῦ, ἄσιτος καὶ ἄποτος ἡμερῶν τεσσαράκοντα διετέλεσεν, ἀθόλωτον διαμένειν αὐτῷ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν διοικούμενος. Ἠλίας τε ὁμοίως, ὅτε ἔμελλεν ἐκζητεῖν τὸν Θεὸν, ἐν ἴσῳ χρόνῳ τῶν τροφῶν ὑπερεῖδεν, ὥστε μηδεμίαν τῷ νῷ γενέσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν τροφῶν ἐπισκότησιν. Ὁ μέντοι Κύριος ἐναντίως, ἀναστὰς μὲν ἀπὸ νεκρῶν, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἐπανιὼν, τροφῆς ἥψατο, τὴν φύσιν τοῦ σώματος τοῦ ἀνισταμένου πιστούμενος· συγκαταβαίνων δὲ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἐνήστευσε, δεικνὺς ὅτι τῷ μέλλοντι πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας τῶν πειρασμῶν ἀποδύεσθαι ἀναγκαία ἡ ἄσκησις. Οἱονεὶ γὰρ παιδοτριβεῖ πρὸς τὴν νίκην ὁ τοῦ σώματος ὑπωπιασμός. Οὐχ οὕτω μέντοι χρηστέον τῇ σαρκὶ, ὥστε παραλῦσαι αὐτῆς τὸν φυσικὸν τόνον διὰ τὴν ἔνδειαν, οὐδὲ εἰς παντελῆ ἀπραξίαν, ἤπου καὶ ἀπαρακολου θησίαν, τὸν νοῦν ὑπὸ τῆς ἄγαν ἐκλύσεως ἐκβιάσασθαι. 1.33 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐκελεύσθημεν, παρόντος τοῦ νυμφίου, μὴ νηστεύειν τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου νηστείαν (ὡς μὴ τρεφομένων τῷ ἄρτῳ τῷ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταβάντι καὶ ἀποστρεφομένων τὴν βρῶσιν τῆς σαρκὸς τοῦ Κυρίου, ζωῆς οὖσαν αἰτίαν) τὴν τοιαύτην νηστείαν μισεῖν ὁ Κύριος λέγει. Ἓν τῶν μισου μένων ἐστὶν ὑπὸ Κυρίου καὶ ἡ ἀργία, ἀπραξία τις οὖσα τῶν καθηκόντων. Καὶ ἔοικέ γε πάσης ἑορτῆς ἐπακολούθημα ἡ ἀργία, διὰ τὸ ταῖς κληταῖς προσκεῖσθαι τὸ Πᾶν ἔργον λατρευτὸν οὐ ποιήσετε· καὶ διὰ τὸ ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς σχολὴν ἀπὸ τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον ἄγοντας πᾶσαν ἀτοπίαν ἐπιτελεῖν, δικαίως μισητὴν ἀργίαν ἄγειν ἐλέγοντο. Πῶς δὲ οὐ μισητὸν ἡ ἀργία, μύρμηκος καὶ μελίσσης χεί ρονα ποιοῦσα τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὅς γε καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς πλασθεὶς, ἐτέθη εἰς τὸν παράδεισον ἐργάζεσθαι καὶ φυλάσσειν αὐτόν; Ὥστε τὸ πρῶτον καὶ οἰκειότατον τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, ἡ περὶ τὰ ἔργα σπουδὴ, καὶ οἱονεὶ παρὰ φύσιν αὐτῷ ἡ ἀργία, ἣν μισεῖν εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος. Ἀλλὰ πῶς ἡμᾶς ἀργεῖν βούλεται; Μὴ ἐργα ζομένους τὴν βρῶσιν τὴν ἀπολλυμένην, μὴ ὀφθαλμοὺς αἴρειν ἐπὶ τὰ μάταια, μὴ ἀκοὴν ματαίαν τοῖς ὠσὶ παραδέχεσθαι, τὰς χεῖρας ἀποσείεσθαι ἀπὸ δώρων, μὴ ὀξεῖς ἔχειν τοὺς πόδας ἐκχέαι αἷμα, καὶ πάσας ἑνὶ λόγῳ τὰς σπουδὰς, τὰς περὶ τὸ σῶμα μὴ ἐνεργεῖν. 1.34 Οὐκέτι ἀνήσω τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν. Ἀπειρηκότος φωνὴ πρὸς τὰς συνεχεῖς ἐπὶ κακίαν ὑποστρο φὰς τοῦ εὐεργετουμένου. Οὐκέτι ἀνήσω. Πολλάκις προσεκα λεσάμην εἰς μετάνοιαν· ἐδόξατε ὑπακούειν, εἶτα ἐπαλινδρομή σατε. Ἀπογνοὺς ὑμῶν τῆς ἀμετανοήτου καρδίας, οὐκέτι ἀνή σω ὑμᾶς τῆς ὀφειλομένης ὑμῖν καταδίκης. Οὐ γὰρ ὁ εἰπὼν «ἥμαρτον» εἶτα ἐπιμένων τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, οὗτος ἐξομολογεῖ ται· ἀλλὰ ὁ, κατὰ τὸν Ψαλμὸν, εὑρὼν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν αὑτοῦ καὶ μισήσας.