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his place of Jerusalem being preferred. For when men came to Moses, they said, We are unclean on account of a soul; how 48.869 shall we not fall short of the gifts of the Lord? Stand here, he says, and let us bring the matter to God. Then when he brought it up, he brought down a law saying that If anyone is unclean on account of a soul, or on a long journey, and is not able to celebrate the Passover in the first month, he shall celebrate it in the second. Then in the case of the Jews, the observance of the time is set aside, so that the Passover may be celebrated in Jerusalem; but you do not prefer the harmony of the Church over the time, but so that you may seem to observe days, you behave insolently toward our common mother, and you tear apart the holy synod? and how would you be worthy of pardon, choosing to sin so greatly for the sake of nothing? And what must be said about the Jews? For that it is not possible for us, even if we very much wish and are zealous, to observe in every way that day on which He was crucified, is clear from this. For even if the Jews did not transgress, nor were ungrateful, nor insensible, nor indolent and scornful, nor had they fallen from their ancestral way of life, but were observing it precisely now, not even so would it have been possible for us, following them, to lay hold of that very day on which He was crucified, and celebrated the Passover. And how, I say. When He was crucified, then it was the first day of unleavened bread, and the day of Preparation; but it is not possible for both of these to always coincide. Behold, for instance, in the present year the first day of unleavened bread falls on a Sunday, and it is necessary to fast the entire week, and after the passion has passed, and the cross and the resurrection have occurred, we remain fasting. And this has often happened, that after the cross, after the resurrection, the fast is completed before the week is even finished; so there is no observance of time. Let us not, therefore, be contentious, nor say this, "I have fasted for so long, and now shall I change?" For this very reason, then, change; since you have been separated from the Church for so long a time, return now to your mother. No one says, "Since I have remained in enmity for so long a time, I am ashamed to be reconciled now." For shame is not in changing for the better, but in remaining in unseasonable contentiousness. This also destroyed the Jews, who, always seeking their old custom, were drawn away to impiety. And what do I say about fasting and the observance of days, Paul continually kept the law, and endured much sweat, and endured many journeys on the one hand, and many other hardships on the other, and surpassed all his peers in the precision of that way of life; but nevertheless, after he had driven to the extreme of that way of life, when he perceived that he was doing all things to his ruin and harm, he immediately changed. And he did not say to himself, "What is this? Do I suffer so great a loss of zeal? Shall I lose so much labor?" but for this very reason, then, he changed more quickly, so that he might not remain again in the same loss, and he despised the righteousness which is in the law, that he might receive that which is from faith; and he cries out, saying, "What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ." If you bring your gift, he says, to the 48.870 altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, go, first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift; What do you say? If your brother has something against you, he does not permit you to offer the sacrifice until you are reconciled to him; but when the whole Church, and so many fathers have something against you, do you dare and endure to approach the divine mysteries without having resolved this unseasonable enmity? and how could you celebrate Passover being so disposed? These things I say not only to them, but also to you who are sound, so that whomever you see being of such a kind, you might, selecting them with much precision and gentleness, gather them together, and bring them back to their mother. And if they resist, and if they are restive, and if they do anything else, let us not grow weary, until we persuade them; for nothing

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τὸν τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων αὐτοῦ τόπον προτιμώμενον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ προσελθόντες ἄνθρωποι τῷ Μωϋσῇ ἔλεγον, Ἀκάθαρτοί ἐσμεν ἐπὶ ψυχῇ· πῶς 48.869 ἵνα μὴ ὑστερήσωμεν ἀπὸ τῶν δώρων τοῦ Κυρίου; Στῆτε αὐτοῦ, φησὶ, καὶ ἀνοίσωμεν ἐπὶ τὸν Θεόν. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ ἀνήνεγκε, κατήνεγκε νόμον λέγοντα, ὅτι Ἄν τις ἀκάθαρτος ἐπὶ ψυχῇ ᾖ, ἢ ἐν ὁδῷ μακρᾷ, καὶ μὴ δύνηται ποιῆσαι ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ μηνὶ τὸ πάσχα, ποιήσει ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ. Εἶτα ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἡ τοῦ χρόνου λύεται παρατήρησις, ἵνα εἰς τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα τὸ πάσχα γένηται· σὺ δὲ οὐ προτιμᾷς τοῦ χρόνου τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὴν συμφωνίαν, ἀλλ' ἵνα δόξῃς ἡμέρας παρατηρεῖν, εἰς τὴν κοινὴν ἁπάντων ἡμῶν ἐμπαροινεῖς μητέρα, καὶ τὴν ἁγίαν διατέμνεις σύνοδον; καὶ πῶς ἂν ἄξιος εἴης συγγνώμης, ὑπὲρ τοῦ μηδενὸς τοσαῦτα ἁμαρτάνειν αἱρούμενος; Καὶ τί χρὴ λέγειν περὶ Ἰουδαίων; Ὅτι γὰρ οὐδὲ σφόδρα βουλομένοις ἡμῖν καὶ σπουδάζουσι δυνατὸν πάντως τηρῆσαι τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην, καθ' ἣν ἐσταυρώθη, δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ παρέβαινον Ἰουδαῖοι, μηδὲ ἀγνώμονες ἦσαν, μηδὲ ἀναίσθητοι, μηδὲ ῥᾴθυμοι καὶ καταφρονηταὶ, μηδὲ ἐκπεπτώκεσαν τῆς πατρῴας πολιτείας, ἀλλ' ἀκριβῶς αὐτὴν ἐτήρουν νῦν, οὐδὲ οὕτω δυνατὸν ἦν ἡμῖν ἀκολουθοῦσιν αὐτοῖς ἐπιλαβέσθαι τῆς ἡμέρας αὐτῆς, καθ' ἣν ἐσταυρώθη, καὶ τὸ πάσχα ἐπετέλεσε. Καὶ πῶς, ἐγὼ λέγω. Ἡνίκα ἐσταυροῦτο, τότε ἡ πρώτη τῶν ἀζύμων ἦν, καὶ παρασκευή· ἀμφότερα δὲ ταῦτα οὐ δυνατὸν ἀεὶ συμπεσεῖν. Ἰδοὺ γοῦν κατὰ τὸν παρόντα ἐνιαυτὸν ἡ πρώτη τῶν ἀζύμων εἰς κυριακὴν ἡμέραν ἐμπίπτει, καὶ ἀνάγκη πᾶσαν νηστεῦσαι τὴν ἑβδομάδα, καὶ τοῦ πάθους παρελθόντος, καὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ γενομένου καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, ἡμεῖς μένομεν νηστεύοντες. Καὶ πολλάκις τοῦτο συνέβη, μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν, μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, μηδέπω τῆς ἑβδομάδος ἀπαρτισθείσης, τὴν νηστείαν ἐπιτελεῖσθαι· οὕτως οὐδεμία καιροῦ παρατήρησίς ἐστι. Μὴ τοίνυν φιλονεικῶμεν, μηδὲ ἐκεῖνο λέγωμεν, Τοσοῦτον ἐνήστευσα χρόνον, καὶ νῦν μεταθήσομαι; ∆ι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο μετάθου· ἐπειδὴ τοσοῦτον ἀπεσχίσθης χρόνον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἐπάνελθε λοιπὸν πρὸς τὴν μητέρα. Οὐδεὶς λέγει, Ἐπειδὴ τοσοῦτον χρόνον ἐν ἔχθρᾳ διέμεινα, αἰσχύνομαι καταλλαγῆναι νῦν. Αἰσχύνη γάρ ἐστιν, οὐ τὸ μεταβάλλεσθαι πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον, ἀλλὰ τὸ μένειν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀκαίρου φιλονεικίας. Τοῦτο καὶ Ἰουδαίους ἀπώλεσεν, οἳ τὴν παλαιὰν ἐπιζητοῦντες ἀεὶ συνήθειαν, πρὸς ἀσέβειαν ἀπεσύροντο. Καὶ τί λέγω περὶ νηστείας καὶ ἡμερῶν παρατηρήσεως, ὁ Παῦλος τὸν νόμον διετέλει φυλάττων, καὶ πολὺν ὑπέμεινεν ἱδρῶτα, καὶ πολλὰς μὲν ὁδοιπορίας, πολλὰς δὲ ἠνέσχετο ταλαιπωρίας ἑτέρας, καὶ πάντων ἐκράτει τῶν ὁμηλίκων κατὰ τὴν τῆς πολιτείας ἐκείνης ἀκρίβειαν· ἀλλ' ὅμως μετὰ τὸ πρὸς τὸ ἄκρον ἐλάσαι τῆς πολιτείας ἐκείνης, ἐπειδὴ συνεῖδεν ὅτι ἐπ' ὀλέθρῳ καὶ βλάβῃ πάντα ἔπραττεν, εὐθέως μετέθετο. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε πρὸς ἑαυτὸν, Τί τοῦτο; τοσαύτην ζημιοῦμαι σπουδήν; τοσοῦτον ἀπολῶ πόνον; ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο ταχύτερον μετετέθη, ἵνα μὴ μένῃ πάλιν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ζημίας, καὶ τῆς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ δικαιοσύνης κατεφρόνησεν, ἵνα τὴν ἐκ πίστεως λάβῃ· καὶ βοᾷ λέγων, Ἅτινα ἦν μοι κέρδη, ταῦτα ἥγημαι διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν ζημίαν. Ἐὰν προσφέρῃς τὸ δῶρόν σου, φησὶν, ἐπὶ τὸ 48.870 θυσιαστήριον, κἀκεῖ μνησθῇς, ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἔχει τι κατὰ σοῦ, ὕπαγε, πρῶτον διαλλάγηθι τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου, καὶ τότε ἐλθὼν πρόσφερε τὸ δῶρόν σου· Τί λέγεις; ἂν μὲν ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἔχῃ τι κατὰ σοῦ, οὐ συγχωρεῖ σοι προσενεγκεῖν τὴν θυσίαν, ἕως ἂν αὐτῷ καταλλαγῇς· Ἐκκλησίας δὲ ὁλοκλήρου, καὶ τοσούτων πατέρων ἐχόντων κατὰ σοῦ, τολμᾷς καὶ ὑπομένεις, μὴ καταλύσας τὴν ἔχθραν τὴν ἄκαιρον ταύτην, τοῖς θείοις προσελθεῖν μυστηρίοις; καὶ πῶς ἂν δύναιο πάσχα ἐπιτελεῖν οὕτω διακείμενος; Ταῦτα οὐχὶ πρὸς ἐκείνους λέγω μόνους, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς τοὺς ὑγιαίνοντας, ἵνα ὅσους ἂν ἴδητε τοιούτους ὄντας, μετὰ ἀκριβείας πολλῆς καὶ προσηνείας ἐκλέγοντες συναγάγητε, καὶ πρὸς τὴν μητέρα ἐπαναγάγητε. Κἂν ἀντιτείνωσι, κἂν σκιρτῶσι, κἂν ὁτιοῦν ἕτερον πράττωσι, μὴ ἀποκάμωμεν, ἕως ἂν αὐτοὺς πείσωμεν· οὐδὲν γὰρ