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of the testimony. And Moses spoke to the whole congregation: This is the word which the Lord commanded. And when he had brought them forward—for it is necessary to be brief—he washed them with water, he put on the tunic, girded him with the sash, put on the robe, placed the ephod on him, girded him, and fastened it, he placed the breastpiece, and on the breastpiece the Urim and the Thummim, and the turban on his head, and on the turban the golden plate; then taking some of the oil, he sprinkled some of it on the altar, and sanctified it, and the vessels, and the laver, and the base, and sanctified them, and he poured some of it on Aaron's head; and he did likewise to his sons, and brought forward the bull. And when he had sacrificed it, after Aaron and his sons had laid their hands on it, taking some of the blood, he put it on the horns of the altar, and purified the altar, and he poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it, to make atonement upon it. Then when he had burned some parts of it, some inside, some outside, he brought forward a ram again, and offered it as a whole48.912 burnt offering; and he brought forward again another ram, the one of consecration, and again, after Aaron and his sons laid their hands on it, he slaughtered it; and taking some of its blood, he put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear, and on the tip of his right hand, and on the tip of his right foot, and he did so to his sons. Then taking some of the sacrifice, he placed it on the hands of Aaron and his sons, and thus he offered it. And taking blood again, and from the oil, he sprinkled it on Aaron, and on his garments, and on his sons, and on the garments of his sons. And he sanctified them, and commanded them to boil the meat in the court of the tabernacle, and to eat it there; and from the door of the tabernacle of testimony you shall not go out, he says, for seven days, until the day is fulfilled, the day of your consecration; for seven days he will consecrate your hands, so as to make atonement for you. When, therefore, it says that by these things Aaron was consecrated, by these things he was purified, by these things he was sanctified, by these things he made atonement to God, but none of these things happens now, neither sacrifice, nor whole burnt offering, nor sprinkling of blood, nor anointing with oil, nor is the tabernacle of testimony present, nor does he sit inside for the appointed number of days; it is clear that the priest among them now is both unconsecrated and impure and accursed and profane, and provokes God. For if it was not possible for him to be consecrated otherwise than by these things, it is altogether necessary, when these things are not done, that a priesthood not be established for them. Do you see that they rightly said that they have been cast far away, somewhere far and distant, not only from the truth, but even from the outward show of the matter? 6. Not only from this, but also from another source it is possible to learn how venerable the dignity of the priesthood was. For when certain defiled and utterly destructive men rose up against Aaron, attempting to cast him out from his office, and disputing with him over the honor; the most meek Moses, wishing to persuade them through the events themselves, that he had not brought him to this office as a brother and a kinsman and a relative, but obeying the vote of God he had entrusted that priesthood to him, he commanded each tribe to bring a rod, and Aaron also. And when they had brought them, he took them all, placed them inside, and after placing them he commanded them to await henceforth the judgment of God, which would come about through those rods. Then suddenly, while the others remained in the same form, Aaron's rod alone budded, and brought forth leaves and fruit, so that they might learn that the Master of nature was again ordaining him, using the leaves instead of letters. For he who said from the beginning, "Let the earth bring forth grass," and who stirred up its power for bearing fruit, this one also then made that piece of wood, though it was dry and fruitless, and without earth and root, to bud; and that rod was henceforth a refutation and a witness both of their wickedness and of God's judgment, not uttering a sound,

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τοῦ μαρτυρίου. Καὶ εἶπε Μωϋσῆς πάσῃ τῇ συναγωγῇ· Τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ ἐνετείλατο Κύριος. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ προσήγαγεν αὐτοὺς δεῖ γὰρ συντεμεῖν, ἔλουσεν αὐτοὺς ὕδατι, ἐνέδυσε τὸν χιτῶνα, ἔζωσε τὴν ζώνην, ἐνέδυσε τὸν ἐπενδύτην, ἐπέθηκε τὴν ἐπωμίδα, ἔζωσεν αὐτὸν, καὶ συνέσφιγξεν, ἐπέθηκε τὸ λογεῖον, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ λογεῖον τὴν δήλωσιν καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ τὴν μίτραν ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς μίτρας τὸ πέταλον τὸ χρυσοῦν· εἶτα λαβὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐλαίου, ἐπέῤῥανεν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ ἡγίασεν αὐτὸ, καὶ τὰ σκεύη, καὶ τὸν λουτῆρα, καὶ τὴν βάσιν, καὶ ἡγίασεν αὐτὰ, καὶ ἐπέχεεν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἀαρών· καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ ὁμοίως ἐποίησε, καὶ προσήγαγε τὸν μόσχον. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἔθυσεν, ἐπιθέντος Ἀαρὼν τὰς χεῖρας, καὶ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ, ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος λαβὼν, ἔθηκεν ἐπὶ τὰ κέρατα τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, καὶ ἐκαθάρισε τὸ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ τὸ αἷμα ἐξέχεεν ἐπὶ τὴν βάσιν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, καὶ ἡγίασεν αὐτὸ τοῦ ἐξιλάσασθαι ἐπ' αὐτοῦ. Εἶτα ἐπειδή τινα ἐξ αὐτοῦ κατέκαυσε, τὰ μὲν ἔνδον, τὰ δὲ ἔξω, ἤγαγε πάλιν κριὸν, καὶ αὐτὸν ὡλο48.912 καύτωσε· καὶ προσήγαγε πάλιν κριὸν ἕτερον τὸν τῆς τελειώσεως, καὶ πάλιν ἐπιθέντος Ἀαρὼν καὶ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ τὰς χεῖρας, ἔσφαξε· καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ λαβὼν, ἐπέθηκεν ἐπὶ τὸν λοβὸν τοῦ ὠτίου Ἀαρὼν τοῦ δεξιοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ τῆς δεξιᾶς, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τοῦ ποδὸς τοῦ δεξιοῦ, καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ οὕτως ἐποίησεν. Εἶτά τινα τῆς θυσίας λαβὼν, ἐπέθηκεν ἐπὶ ταῖς χερσὶν Ἀαρὼν καὶ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὕτω προσήνεγκε. Καὶ λαβὼν αἷμα πάλιν, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐλαίου, ἔῤῥανεν ἐπὶ Ἀαρὼν, καὶ τὰς στολὰς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰς στολὰς τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἡγίασεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐκέλευσεν ἑψῆσαι κρέας ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ τῆς σκηνῆς, καὶ ἐκεῖ φαγεῖν αὐτό· καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς θύρας τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου οὐκ ἐξελεύσεσθε, φησὶν, ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἕως ἡ ἡμέρα πληρωθῇ, ἡμέρα τελειώσεως ὑμῶν· ἑπτὰ γὰρ ἡμέρας τελειώσει τὰς χεῖρας ὑμῶν, ὥστε ἐξιλάσασθαι περὶ ὑμῶν. Ὅταν οὖν λέγῃ ὅτι διὰ τούτων ὁ Ἀαρὼν ἐτελειώθη, διὰ τούτων ἐκαθαρίσθη, διὰ τούτων ἡγιάσθη, διὰ τούτων ἐξιλάσατο τὸν Θεὸν, μηδὲν δὲ τούτων γίνηται νῦν, μήτε θυσία, μήτε ὁλοκαύτωσις, μήτε αἵματος ῥαντισμὸς, μήτε ἐλαίου χρῖσις, μήτε σκηνὴ παρῇ τοῦ μαρτυρίου, μήτε τὸν ὡρισμένον τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀριθμὸν ἔνδον καθέζηται· εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ ἀτελὴς καὶ ἀκάθαρτος καὶ ἐναγὴς καὶ βέβηλός ἐστιν ὁ παρ' αὐτοῖς ἱερεὺς νῦν, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν παροξύνει. Εἰ γὰρ ἄλλως οὐκ ἐνῆν αὐτὸν τελειωθῆναι, ἀλλ' ἢ διὰ τούτων, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα, τούτων μὴ γινομένων, ἱερωσύνην αὐτοῖς μὴ συνεστάναι. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι δικαίως ἔλεγον ὅτι οὐχὶ τῆς ἀληθείας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς ὑποκρίσεως τοῦ πράγματος ἐξηκοντίσθησαν μακράν που καὶ πόῤῥω γενόμενοι; ςʹ. Οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρωθεν ἔστι μαθεῖν πῶς σεμνὸν τὸ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἦν ἀξίωμα. Ὅτε γοῦν τῷ Ἀαρὼν ἐπανέστησαν μιαροί τινες ἄνθρωποι καὶ πανώλεθροι, τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτὸν ἐκβάλλειν ἐπιχειροῦντες, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς τιμῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀμφισβητοῦντες· ὁ πραότατος Μωϋσῆς, βουλόμενος αὐτοὺς πεῖσαι διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν, ὅτι οὐχ ὡς ἀδελφὸν καὶ προσήκοντα καὶ οἰκεῖον ἐπὶ ταύτην ἤγαγε τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἀλλὰ τῇ ψήφῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ πειθόμενος ἐνεχείρισεν αὐτῷ τὴν ἱερωσύνην ἐκείνην, ἐκέλευσεν ἀνὰ ἑκάστην φυλὴν ῥάβδον κομίσαι, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῷ Ἀαρών. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐκόμισαν, λαβὼν αὐτὰς ἁπάσας, ἔνδον ἀπέθετο, καὶ ἀποθέμενος τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ λοιπὸν κρίσιν ἀναμένειν ἐκέλευσε τὴν διὰ τῶν ῥάβδων γινομένην ἐκείνων. Εἶτα ἀθρόον τῶν ἄλλων μενουσῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ σχήματος, ἡ τοῦ Ἀαρὼν ἐβλάστησε μόνη, καὶ φύλλα ἤνεγκε καὶ καρποὺς, ἵνα μάθωσιν ὅτι ὁ τῆς φύσεως ∆εσπότης πάλιν αὐτὸν ἐχειροτόνει, ἀντὶ γραμμάτων τοῖς φύλλοις χρώμενος. Ὁ γὰρ εἰπὼν ἐξ ἀρχῆς· Βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου, καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῆς πρὸς καρπογονίαν διεγείρας, οὗτος καὶ τὸ ξύλον τότε ἐκεῖνο, ξηρὸν ὂν καὶ ἄκαρπον, καὶ γῆς χωρὶς καὶ ῥίζης, βλαστῆσαι ἐποίησε· καὶ ἦν λοιπὸν ἔλεγχος καὶ μάρτυς καὶ τῆς ἐκείνων κακίας καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίσεως ἡ ῥάβδος ἐκείνη, φωνὴν μὲν οὐκ ἀφιεῖσα,