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42

he exhorts through the scripture, saying thus: "You shall surely remember the Lord your God, who has done in you great and wonderful things." For when they are understood, they appear glorious and great, first the composition of the body and the management of nourishment and the distribution to each limb, and much more so the ordering of the senses, the activity of the mind and its invisible movement, and the quickness for doing each thing and the invention of arts, which contains an incomprehensible manner. Therefore he exhorts us to be mindful, how the aforesaid things are preserved, being held together by divine power along with their structure. For he has appointed every time and place for the constant remembrance of the sovereign God, who preserves beginnings, middles, and ends. For in the case of food and drink, he commands us to partake immediately after offering first-fruits. And indeed also from our garments he has given us a sign of remembrance; and likewise also upon cities and dwellings, because they give shelter, and upon the gates and doors he has commanded us to place the sayings, so that there may be a remembrance of God; and he expressly commands the sign to be fastened upon the hands, clearly showing that every action must be performed with righteousness, being mindful of our own constitution, and above all, the fear of God. And he also commands us when going to bed and rising up and walking by the way to meditate on the works of God, not only with word but also with perception, contemplating their own movement and consciousness, when they go to sleep, and their awakening, how divine and incomprehensible is the transition between these states. And the excellence of the reasoning concerning distinction and remembrance has also been shown to you, as we explained the cloven hoof and rumination. For it was not legislated randomly nor according to a whim of the soul, but for the sake of truth and as a mark of right reason. For having set in order each thing concerning foods and drinks and matters of touch, he commands us neither to do nor to hear anything randomly, nor, by employing the power of reason, to turn to injustice. And in the case of the beasts, it is possible to find the same thing. For the nature of the weasel and of mice and of creatures like them, all that are forbidden, is destructive. For mice spoil and damage everything, not only for their own food, but to the point that whatever they set about to damage becomes completely useless to man. The species of the weasel is also peculiar; for apart from the aforesaid, it has a destructive constitution. For it conceives through its ears and gives birth through its mouth. And for this reason, therefore, such a type of person is unclean. For whatever they receive through hearing, they embody in speech and have embroiled others in evils, and have wrought no ordinary uncleanness, being themselves completely defiled by the pollution of impiety. And your king does well to destroy such people, as we understand." And I said: "I think you mean the informers; for he constantly subjects them to tortures and painful deaths." "Yes, them; for vigilance for the destruction of men is unholy. But our law commands to harm no one either in word or in deed. And so concerning these matters, having explained them briefly, I have further shown you that everything has been regulated for righteousness and nothing has been set down in the scripture randomly or mythically, but so that throughout our whole life and in our actions we may practice righteousness towards all men, being mindful of the sovereign God. Therefore concerning foods and the unclean, creeping things and beasts, the whole account tends towards righteousness and righteous dealings with men." So then it seemed to me that he had explained each matter well; for he also said concerning the offerings of calves and rams and goats that it is necessary to take these from herds and flocks and prepare them tame and nothing wild, so that those who offer

42

παρακελεύεται διὰ τῆς γραφῆς λέγων οὕτως· «Μνείᾳ μνησθήσῃ κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ, τοῦ ποιήσαντος ἐν σοὶ τὰ μεγάλα καὶ θαυ8.9.25 μαστά». κατανοούμενα γὰρ ἔνδοξα καὶ μεγάλα φαίνεται, πρῶτον μὲν ἡ σύμπηξις ἡ τοῦ σώματος καὶ ἡ τῆς τροφῆς διοίκησις καὶ ἡ περὶ ἕκαστον μέλος διαστολή, πολλῷ δὲ μᾶλλον ἡ τῶν αἰσθήσεων διακόσμησις, διανοίας ἐνέργημα καὶ κίνησις ἀόρατος ἥ τε ὀξύτης τοῦ πρὸς ἕκαστόν τι πράσσειν καὶ τεχνῶν 8.9.26 εὕρεσις ἀπέραστον περιέχει τρόπον. διὸ παρακελεύεται μνείαν ἔχειν, ὡς συντηρεῖται τὰ προειρημένα συνεχόμενα θείᾳ δυνάμει σὺν κατασκευῇ. πάντα γὰρ χρόνον καὶ τόπον ὥρικε πρὸς τὸ διὰ παντὸς μνημονεύειν τοῦ κρατοῦντος 8.9.27 θεοῦ, συντηροῦντος καὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ μεσότητας καὶ τελευτάς. καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν βρωτῶν καὶ ποτῶν ἀπαρξαμένους εὐθέως τότε συγχρῆσθαι κελεύει. καὶ μὴν καὶ ἐκ τῶν περιβολαίων παράσημον ἡμῖν μνείας δέδωκεν· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πόλεων καὶ οἰκήσεων διὰ τὸ σκεπάζεσθαι καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πυλῶν καὶ θυρῶν προστέταχεν ἡμῖν τιθέναι τὰ λόγια, πρὸς τὸ μνείαν εἶναι θεοῦ· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν χειρῶν δὲ διαρρήδην τὸ σημεῖον κελεύει περιῆφθαι, σαφῶς ἀποδεικνὺς ὅτι πᾶσαν ἐνέργειαν μετὰ δικαιοσύνης ἐπιτελεῖν δεῖ, μνήμην ἔχοντας τῆς 8.9.28 ἑαυτῶν κατασκευῆς, ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ τὸν περὶ θεοῦ φόβον. κελεύει δὲ καὶ κοιταζομένους καὶ διανισταμένους καὶ πορευομένους μελετᾶν τὰς τοῦ θεοῦ κατασκευάς, οὐ λόγῳ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διαλήψει θεωροῦντας τὴν κίνησιν καὶ τὴν ὑπόληψιν ἑαυτῶν, ὅταν εἰς ὕπνον ἔρχωνται, καὶ τὴν ἔγερσιν, ὡς θεία τίς ἐστι καὶ ἀκατάληπτος ἡ τούτων μετάθεσις. 8.9.29 ∆έδεικται δέ σοι καὶ τὸ περισσὸν τῆς λογίας τῆς κατὰ τὴν διαστολὴν καὶ μνείαν, ὡς ἐξεθέμεθα τὴν διχηλίαν καὶ τὸν μηρυκισμόν. οὐ γὰρ εἰκῆ καὶ κατὰ τὸ ἐμπεσὸν εἰς ψυχὴν νενομοθέτηται, πρὸς δ' ἀλήθειαν καὶ σημείωσιν 8.9.30 ὀρθοῦ λόγου. διατάξας γὰρ ἐπὶ βρωτῶν καὶ ποτῶν καὶ τῶν κατὰ τὰς ἁφὰς ἕκαστα κελεύει μηθὲν εἰκῆ μήτε πράσσειν μήτε ἀκούειν μήτε τῇ τοῦ λόγου 8.9.31 δυναστείᾳ συγχρωμένους ἐπὶ τὴν ἀδικίαν τρέπεσθαι. καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κνωδάλων δὲ ταὐτὸν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν. κακοποιητικὸς γὰρ ὁ τρόπος ἐστὶ καὶ γαλῆς καὶ μυῶν καὶ τῶν τούτοις ὁμοίων, ὅσα διηγόρευται. πάντα γὰρ λυμαίνονται καὶ κακοποιοῦσι μύες, οὐ μόνον πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτῶν τροφήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὸ παντελῶς 8.9.32 ἄχρηστον γίνεσθαι ἀνθρώπῳ ὅ τι ἂν δή ποτ' οὖν ἐπιβάλληται κακοποιεῖν. τό τε τῆς γαλῆς γένος ἰδιάζον ἐστί· χωρὶς γὰρ τοῦ προειρημένου ἔχει λυμαντικὸν κατάστημα. διὰ γὰρ τῶν ὤτων συλλαμβάνει, τεκνοποιεῖ δὲ τῷ στόματι. καὶ διὰ τοῦτ' οὖν ὁ τοιοῦτος τρόπος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀκάθαρτός ἐστιν. ὅσα γὰρ δι' ἀκοῆς λαβόντες, ταῦτα τῷ λόγῳ σωματοποιήσαντες κακοῖς ἑτέρους ἐνεκύλισαν ἀκαθαρσίαν τε οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἐπετέλεσαν, μιανθέντες αὐτοὶ παντάπασι τῷ 8.9.33 τῆς ἀσεβείας μολυσμῷ. καλῶς δὲ ποιῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑμῶν τοὺς τοιούτους ἀναιρεῖ, καθὼς μεταλαμβάνομεν.» Ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπα· «Τοὺς ἐμφανιστὰς οἴομαί σε λέγειν· καὶ γὰρ αἰκίαις καὶ θανάτοις ἐπαλγέσιν αὐτοὺς περιβάλλει συνεχῶς.» «Τούτους γάρ· ἐπαγρύπνησις γὰρ εἰς ἀνθρώπων ἀπώλειαν ἀνόσιος. ὁ δὲ νόμος 8.9.34 ἡμῶν κελεύει μήτε λόγῳ μήτε ἔργῳ κακοποιεῖν μηδένα. καὶ περὶ τούτων οὖν, ὅσον ἐπὶ βραχὺ διεξελθεῖν, προσυποδείξαντά σοι διότι πάντα κεκανόνισται πρὸς δικαιοσύνην καὶ οὐδὲν εἰκῆ κατατέτακται διὰ τῆς γραφῆς οὐδὲ μυθωδῶς, ἀλλ' ἵνα δι' ὅλου τοῦ ζῆν καὶ ἐν ταῖς πράξεσιν ἀσκῶμεν δικαιοσύνην πρὸς πάν8.9.35 τας ἀνθρώπους, μεμνημένοι τοῦ δυναστεύοντος θεοῦ. περὶ βρωτῶν οὖν καὶ τῶν ἀκαθάρτων, ἑρπετῶν καὶ κνωδάλων, ὁ πᾶς λόγος ἀνατείνει πρὸς δικαιοσύ8.9.36 νην καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων συναναστροφὴν δικαίαν.» Ἐμοὶ μὲν οὖν καλῶς ἐνόμιζε περὶ ἑκάστων ἀπολελογῆσθαι· καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν προσφερομένων ἔλεγε μόσχων τε καὶ κριῶν καὶ χιμάρων ὅτι δεῖ ταῦτ' ἐκ βουκολίων καὶ ποιμνίων λαμβάνοντας ἥμερα κατασκευάζειν καὶ μηθὲν ἄγριον, ὅπως οἱ προσφέροντες