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in the seventh [month], and behold for seventy years have you fasted a fast for me? And when you eat or drink, is it not you who eat and you who drink? Are not these the words which the Lord spoke by the hand of the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, and its cities round about it, and the hill country and the plain were inhabited? 2.108 When the sanctification had come in ············· for enough years the word of the Lord ṭ····························· foretelling the ······································ I said, he says, to ······························· saying; If you fast ································ 2.109 in the seventh [month], not you ····························· you drink, not you ····························· for seventy years not a fast ································· which the Lord spoke ·································· but these are η······································· 2.110 as having prophesied································ of them, ẹ··································· for so also ·································· has become. From ·································· for in the very way that ································ 2.111 casting, supplyiṇg······························· and what I do········································ by hand approachin·g······································· the Savior said: ···························· in him a spring of wạter ································ 2.112 in a place, he says ···································· him accor·ding············································ of me liviṇg ······································ is in the deed ···································· by the holy ···································· 2.113 you will be drunk, tha································ ...in the of ···································· ...haviṇg been filled ································· of desires str····································· 2.114 ·································ˉerˉ choking ································· which was spoken by him ··························· the sower went out to sow ························ from fasting and ································ in the seventh [month], that is of the 2.115 ································..., it must be considered. ································ I fạst twice a week ·································... restin·g····································· the Jews fastin·g·······································... not concerning the 2.116 ································ especially when in the ······································· tenth of the Sabbath ·································... and the so-called ···································... souls themselve·s····································· tenth of the e2.117 ································· it is possible fift·h····································· to lament ································· the present discourse ································· being of food ········································ of the best food 2.118 ···································the food which ············································... of the ·········································· a man feedin·g······································· somewhere says to ············································... gav·e······························· 2.119 And these are they who were handed over by God to passions of dishonor and a debased mind, because they worshiped the creation rather than the creator, having exchanged the truth of God, and not having approved to have God in their knowledge, so as not to do the things that are fitting. 2.120 Therefore, just as it is salutary to abstain from the flesh of the dragon—for the flesh of the dragon happens to be godless doctrines and false opinions—so it is beneficial and desirable to reject and flee "the harvested grape from the vine of Sodom" and the wine harvested from it, being "the fury of dragons and the incurable fury of asps." 2.121 It is fitting to pursue the fast so accomplished and to lament in a kindred way, wailing and mourning. But a fast is to be rejected and is very harmful, which is performed by those who turn away from the use of the bread of life and the flesh of Jesus, which are the bread of life, the bread of truth come down from heaven, from which it is in no way fitting to abstain, it being the food of life. 2.122 Concerning this twofold fast, it has been sown in the divinely-inspired scripture; for concerning the praiseworthy one, it is commanded in Joel the prophet: "Sanctify a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly"; and elsewhere it is announced: "Fasting with prayer and almsgiving

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ἑβδόμαις, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη μὴ νηστείαν νενηστεύκατέ μοι καὶ ἐὰν φάγητε ἢ πίητε οὐχ ὑμεῖς ἐσθίετε καὶ ὑμεῖς πίνετε· οὐχ οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι εἰσὶν οὓς ἐλάλησεν Κύριος ἐν χερσὶν τῶν προφητῶν τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ὅτε ἦν Ἰερουσαλὴμ κατοικουμένη καὶ εὐθηνοῦσα καὶ αἱ πόλεις αὐτῆς κυκλόθεν καὶ ἡ ὀρεινὴ καὶ ἡ πεδινὴ κατῳκεῖτο; 2.108 Εἰσεληλυθότος τοῦ ἁγιάσματος ············· ἱκανὰ ἔτη λόγος Κυρίου τ̣····························· προθεσπίζων τὰ ······································ εἶπον, φησίν, πρὸς ······························· λέγων· Ἐὰν νηστεύσητε ································ 2.109 ἑβδόμαις, οὐχ ὑμεῖς ····························· πίνητε, οὐχ ὑμ̣εῖς ····························· ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη μὴ νηστείαν ································· οὓς ἐλάλησεν Κύριος ·································· οὗτοι δ' εἰσὶν η······································· 2.110 ας προφητευσα································ τῶν αὐτούς, ε̣··································· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ·································· γέγονεν. Παρὰ ·································· ὅνπερ γὰρ τρόπον ································ 2.111 βάλλων, χορη̣······························· καὶ ἃ πραττω········································ χειρὶ προσαπ······································· ὁ Σωτὴρ εἶπεν· ···························· ἐν αὐτῷ πηγὴν ὕδ̣ατος ································ 2.112 τόπῳ φησίν ···································· αὐτὸν καθ············································ μου ζῶντος̣ ······································ ἐστιν τῇ πράξει ···································· ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου ···································· 2.113 μεθύσου, θα································ ται ἐν τῇ τοῦ ···································· θων πεπληρ̣································· ἐπιθυμιῶν κρε····································· 2.114 ··································ˉηˉρ συμπνιγούσας ································· τὴν ῥηθεῖσαν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ··························· ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι ························ ἐκ τοῦ νηστεύειν καὶ ································ ἑβδόμαις, ἤτοι τοῦ 2.115 ································ται, θεωρητέον. ································ νηστ̣εύω δὶς τοῦ σαββάτου ·································ιτης καταπαυ····································· Ἰουδαῖοι νηστευ········································α μὴ περὶ τῶν 2.116 ································ μάλιστα ὅτ' ἐν τοῖς ······································· δεκάτη τοῦ σαββάτου ·································υν καὶ ἡ καλουμένη ···································ας ψυχὰς ἑαυ····································· δεκάτη τοῦ ε2.117 ································· δυνατὸν πεμ······································ κόπτεσθαι ································· προκείμενος λόγος ································· τροφῆς ὄντος ········································ ἀρίστης τροφῆς 2.118 ···································βρῶσιν τὴν ············································μενος τῶν ·········································· ἄνηρ τρεφε······································· που λέγει πρὸς ············································ντος, ἐδω······························· 2.119 Τυγχάνουσι δὲ οὗτοι οἱ παραδοθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ πάθεσιν ἀτιμίας καὶ ἀδοκίμῳ νῷ διὰ τὸ σεσεβάσθαι τὴν κτίσιν παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα, μεταλλάξαντες τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει μὴ δοκιμάσαντες ἔχειν, ὥστε μὴ ποιεῖν τὰ καθήκοντα. 2.120 Ὥσπερ οὖν σωτηριῶδες τὸ ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν σαρκῶν τοῦ 2.120 δράκοντος-δόγματα δὲ ἄθεα καὶ ψευδοδοξίαι τυγχάνουσιν αἱ σάρκες τοῦ δράκοντος-οὕτως ἐπωφελὲς καὶ αἱρετὸν τὸ παραιτεῖσθαι καὶ φεύγειν «τὴν τρυγωμένην σταφυλὴν ἐξ ἀμπέλου Σοδόμων» καὶ τὸν ἐξ αὐτῆς τρυγώμενον οἶνον ὄντα «θυμὸν δρακόντων καὶ θυμὸν ἀσπίδων ἀνίατον». 2.121 Τὴν οὕτω τελουμένην νηστείαν μεταδιώκειν προσήκει καὶ κόπτεσθαι συγγενῶς αὐτῇ θρηνοῦντα καὶ κοπτόμενον. Παραιτητέα δὲ καὶ βλαβερὰ πάνυ ἐστὶν νηστεία ἣν ἐπιτελοῦσιν οἱ ἀποστρεφόμενοι τὴν χρῆσιν τοῦ ἄρτου τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τῶν σαρκῶν Ἰησοῦ αἵ εἰσιν ἄρτος ζωῆς, ἄρτος ἀληθείας ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς, ἧς ἀπέχεσθαι, τυγχανούσης βρώσεως ζωῆς, οὐδαμῶς προσήκει. 2.122 Περὶ τῆς διττῆς ταύτης νηστείας ἐπεσπάρη ἐν τῇ θεοπνεύστῳ γραφῇ· περὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς ἐπαινετῆς ἐν Ἰωὴλ τῷ προφήτῃ προστάττεται· «Ἁγιάσατε νηστείαν, κηρύξατε θεραπείαν»· καὶ ἑτέρωθι ἀπαγγέλλεται· «Νηστεία μετὰ προσευχῆς καὶ ἐλεημοσύνης