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of your father's house you shall bear the iniquities of the sanctuary, of your priesthood. Behold, I have given you the charge of the first-fruits from all the things hallowed to me by the children of Israel; to you I have given them as a portion and to your sons after you, an everlasting ordinance; and this shall be yours from the holy things, from the fruits and from the gifts and from all the sacrifices and from every trespass-offering and concerning sins, and whatever they render to me from all the holy things, it shall be for you and for your sons; in the holy place you shall eat them.” And a little later: “Every first-fruit of oil and wine and grain, whatever they give to the Lord, I have given to you, and all the first-born I have given to you, and every devoted thing shall be for you; every firstborn of man and of clean and unclean beast, and of the sacrifice and of the breast and of the right arm belongs to the priests and to the rest of the Levites who remain with them.” Hear these things, you also, the laity, the elect Church of God; for the people was formerly called the people of God and a holy nation, and you, therefore, are the holy sacred Church of God enrolled in heaven, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession, a bride adorned for the Lord God; a great Church, a faithful Church. what was formerly said, now give ear to. heave offerings and tithes and first-fruits to the high priest Christ and to those who minister to him, tithes of salvation, the beginning of the name of Jesus. Hear, holy catholic Church, who have fled the ten plagues and received the decalogue and have learned the law and have held fast the faith and have believed in the Lord Jesus and have known the number ten and have believed in the iota, which is the beginning of the name of Jesus, and are called by his name and are established upon the consummation of his glory; the sacrifices of that time are now prayers and supplications and thanksgivings, the first-fruits and tithes and heave offerings and gifts of that time are now offerings which through the holy bishops are offered to the Lord God through Jesus Christ who died for them. For these are your high priests; and your priests are the presbyters, and your Levites are the present deacons and the readers for you and the singers and the porters, your deaconesses and the widows and the virgins and your orphans. But the one superior to all of these is the high priest, the bishop. He is a minister of the word, a guardian of knowledge, a mediator between God and you in your worship of him.

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πατριᾶς σου λήψεσθε τὰς ἁμαρτίας τῶν ἁγίων, τῆς ἱερατείας ὑμῶν. Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ὑμῖν τὴν διατήρησιν τῶν ἀπαρχῶν ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἡγιασμένων μοι παρὰ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ· σοὶ δέδωκα αὐτὰ εἰς γέρας καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς σου μετὰ σέ, νόμιμον αἰώνιον· καὶ τοῦτο ἔσται ὑμῖν ἀπὸ τῶν ἡγιασμένων, ἐκ τῶν καρπωμάτων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν δώρων καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν θυσιῶν καὶ ἀπὸ πάσης πλημμελείας καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτιῶν, καὶ ὅσα ἀποδιδόασίν μοι ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων, σοὶ ἔσται καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς σου· ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ φάγεσθε αὐτά.» Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· «Πᾶσα ἀπαρχὴ ἐλαίου καὶ οἴνου καὶ σίτου, ὅσα ἂν δίδωσιν Κυρίῳ, σοὶ δέδωκα αὐτά, καὶ τὰ πρωτογεν νήματα πάντα σοι δέδωκα, καὶ σοὶ ἐρεῖ πᾶν ἀνάθεμα· πᾶν πρωτότοκον ἀνθρώπου καὶ κτήνους καθαροῦ καὶ ἀκαθάρτου καὶ θυσίας καὶ στηθυνίου καὶ βραχίονος δεξιοῦ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν προσανήκει καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς τοῖς παραμένουσιν αὐτοῖς λευίταις.» Ἀκούσατε ταῦτα καὶ ὑμεῖς, οἱ λαϊκοί, ἡ ἐκλεκτὴ Ἐκκλησία τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ γὰρ ὁ λαὸς πρότερον Θεοῦ λαὸς καὶ ἔθνος ἅγιον ὠνομάζετο, καὶ ὑμεῖς οὖν ἐστὲ ἁγία ἱερὰ Ἐκκλησία τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπογεγραμμένη ἐν οὐρανῷ, βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα, ἔθνος ἅγιον, λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν, νύμφη κεκαλλωπισμένη Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ· Ἐκκλησία μεγάλη, Ἐκκλησία πιστή· ἃ πρότερον ἐρρέθη, νῦν ἐνωτίζου· ἀφαι ρέματα καὶ δεκάται καὶ ἀπαρχαὶ τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ Χριστῷ καὶ τοῖς λειτουργοῦσιν αὐτῷ, δεκάται σωτηρίου, ἀρχὴ ὀνόματος Ἰησοῦ. Ἄκουε, ἱερὰ καθολικὴ Ἐκκλησία, ἡ τὴν δεκά πληγον πεφευγυῖα καὶ τὴν δεκάλογον εἰληφυῖα καὶ τὸν νόμον μεμαθηκυῖα καὶ τὴν πίστιν κεκρατηκυῖα καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν πεπιστευκυῖα καὶ τὴν δεκάδα ἐγνωκυῖα καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἰῶτα, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀρχὴ ὀνόματος Ἰησοῦ, πεπιστευκυῖα καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ὀνομαζομένη καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ τελειώσει τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ ἐστηριγμένη· αἱ τότε θυσίαι νῦν εὐχαὶ καὶ δεήσεις καὶ εὐχαριστίαι, αἱ τότε ἀπαρχαὶ καὶ δεκάται καὶ ἀφαιρέματα καὶ δῶρα νῦν προσφοραὶ αἱ διὰ τῶν ὁσίων ἐπισκόπων προσφερόμεναι Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀποθανόντος. Oὗτοι γὰρ ὑμῶν εἰσιν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς· οἱ δὲ ἱερεῖς ὑμῶν οἱ πρεσβύτεροι, καὶ οἱ λευῖται ὑμῶν οἱ νῦν διάκονοι καὶ οἱ ἀναγινώσκοντες ὑμῖν καὶ οἱ ᾠδοὶ καὶ οἱ πυλωροί, αἱ διάκονοι ὑμῶν καὶ αἱ χῆραι καὶ αἱ παρθένοι καὶ οἱ ὀρφανοὶ ὑμῶν. Ὁ δὲ τούτων πάντων ἀνώτερος ὁ ἀρχιερεύς ἐστιν, ὁ ἐπίσκοπος. Oὗτος λόγου διάκονος, γνώσεως φύλαξ, μεσίτης Θεοῦ καὶ ὑμῶν ἐν ταῖς πρὸς αὐτὸν λατρείαις·