60

the manner, the following things testify. For having commanded all fat to be offered to the altar, for the use of men he set apart the fat of animals that died of themselves and were torn by beasts. And such things he called unclean; therefore, anyone who touched such a thing was unclean, so it is clear from this, that he legislates different things through different means. VIII Why did he anoint with blood and oil the right ear of the priest, and the right hand and the foot likewise? These things are a type of our good things; the blood of the saving blood, the oil of the all-holy anointing. The right ear is a symbol of praiseworthy obedience; the hand and the foot, of good deeds. For this reason the right ear and the right [hand/foot] were anointed. For there are also sinister deeds and harmful obedience. IX How is "strange fire" to be understood? The history taught us that when the first sacrifice was performed, the victims were consumed by divine fire. The Lord God commanded that this be kept unquenched, and that wood be supplied to the fire by night and by day; so that man-made fire might not be mixed with the divine fire. Since, therefore, Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, transgressed this law, 163 and brought in man-made fire, the divine fire consumed them. And we are taught through these things not to quench the spirit, but to rekindle the grace we have received; and to introduce nothing foreign to the divine scripture, but to be content with the teaching of the spirit, and to detest the heresies, of which some have added myths to the divine oracles; while others preferred their own impious reasonings to the meaning of the scripture. X Why does it forbid the priests from partaking of wine? It did not forbid this entirely, but at the time of the liturgy; for they ministered in succession, some on these days, others on others. And the apostle also commands the priest to be "sober," and the deacons "not given to much wine." And writing to Timothy, he commanded him to use a little wine because of his frequent infirmities. For it is fitting for the priest to be perfect, as one entrusted with the intercession for the people. For example, Moses the lawgiver, seeing that the goat offered for sin was wholly burnt contrary to the divine law, was angry with both Eleazar and Ithamar, saying: "Why did you not eat the things for sin in a holy place, because it is most holy? The Lord gave you this to eat, that you might take away the sin of the congregation, and make atonement for them before the Lord"? And we are taught again from this, that by eating the things offered by the people, and not living according to the law, nor diligently offering prayers for them, we are liable to punishment from God. Alluding to this, the Lord God said through the prophet: "They shall eat the sins of my people." 164 XI What does it mean to have a cloven hoof and to chew the cud? The cloven hoof, I think, signifies the distinction between good actions and their opposites; and in addition to this, not to live only for the present life, but also for the future; and to this one to allot the necessary things, but to that one everything, that is, both the soul and the body and the things concerning the body. And chewing the cud signifies the study of the divine oracles. For just as the sheep, and those like it, continually regurgitate their food, so the studious and God-loving man cries out to the God of all: "How I have loved your law, O Lord, it is my meditation all the day." And just as among animals some have a cloven hoof and regurgitate their food, while others do neither of these, such as the donkey and the mule and the horse and the wild beasts; but some have a cloven hoof but do not regurgitate their food, like the swine; and others chew the cud but do not have a cloven hoof, like the camel and the hare; so it is also possible to find among men, those who are perfect, both embracing the study of the divine oracles, and diligently pursuing virtue; and those who are imperfect, offering the divine oracles with their tongue, but not enduring to have a cloven hoof, and resembling the camel; and some who have not yet tasted of piety, not accepting the divine oracles, of works

60

τὸν τρόπον, τὰ ἑξῆς μαρ τυρεῖ. κελεύσας γὰρ πᾶν στέαρ τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ προσφέρεσθαι, τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων χρείᾳ τὸ τῶν θνησιμαίων καὶ θηριαλώτων ἀφώρισε στέαρ. ἀκάθαρτα δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα ὠνόμασεν· ἀκάθαρτος οὖν ἄρα ἦν καὶ ὁ τοιούτου γε ἁπτόμενος, δῆλον τοίνυν κἀντεῦθεν, ὡς ἄλλα δι' ἄλλων νομοθετεῖ. VIII ∆ιὰ τί αἵματι καὶ ἐλαίῳ καὶ τὴν ἀκοὴν τοῦ ἱερέως τὴν δεξιὰν ἔχρισε, καὶ τὴν χεῖρα τὴν δεξιὰν καὶ τὸν πόδα ὡσαύτως; Τύπος ταῦτα τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀγαθῶν· τὸ μὲν αἷμα τοῦ σωτηρίου αἵματος, τὸ δὲ ἔλαιον τοῦ παναγίου χρίσματος. ἡ δὲ δεξιὰ ἀκοὴ σύμβολον τῆς ἐπαινουμένης ὑπακοῆς· ἡ δὲ χεὶρ καὶ ὁ ποῦς, τῶν ἀγαθῶν πράξεων. διὰ γάρ τοι τοῦτο ἡ δεξιὰ καὶ ὁ δεξιὸς ἐχρίσθη. εἰσὶ γὰρ καὶ εὐώνυμοι πράξεις καὶ ὑπακοὴ βλαβερά. IX Πῶς νοητέον τὸ " πῦρ τὸ ἀλλότριον "; Ἐδίδαξεν ἡμᾶς ἡ ἱστορία, ὡς τῆς πρώτης ἐπιτελουμένης θυσίας, τῷ θείῳ πυρὶ κατηναλώθη τὰ ἱερεῖα. τοῦτο ἄσβεστον διαφυλαχθῆναι προσέτα ξεν ὁ δεσπότης Θεός, καὶ νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν ξύλα τῷ πυρὶ χορηγεῖσ θαι· ἵνα μὴ χειροποίητον πῦρ ἀναμιγῇ τῷ θείῳ πυρί. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τοῦτον παρέβησαν τὸν νόμον Ναδὰβ καὶ Ἀβιούδ, τοῦ Ἀαρὼν οἱ παῖδες, 163 καὶ πῦρ εἰσήνεγκαν χειροποίητον, τὸ θεῖον αὐτοὺς κατηνάλωσε πῦρ. ἡμεῖς δὲ παιδευόμεθα διὰ τούτων, μὴ σβεννύναι τὸ πνεῦμα, ἀλλ' ἀναζω πυρεῖν ἣν ἐλάβομεν χάριν· καὶ μηδὲν ἀλλότριον ἐπεισάγειν τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ, ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖσθαι τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ τοῦ πνεύματος, καὶ μυσάττεσθαι τὰς αἱρέ σεις, ὧν οἱ μὲν μύθους τοῖς θείοις λογίοις προσέθεσαν· οἱ δὲ τοὺς δυσσε βεῖς αὐτῶν λογισμοὺς τῆς γραφικῆς προετίμησαν διανοίας. X ∆ιὰ τί τοὺς ἱερέας οἴνου κωλύει μεταλαμβάνειν; Οὐ παντάπασιν ἀπηγόρευσε τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν τῆς λειτουργίας και ρόν· κατὰ γὰρ διαδοχὰς ἐλειτούργουν, οἱ μὲν ἐν ταύταις ταῖς ἡμέραις, οἱ δὲ ἐν ἄλλαις. " νηφάλαιον " δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος τὸν ἱερέα εἶναι κε λεύει, καὶ τοὺς διακόνους " μὴ οἴνῳ πολλῷ προσέχοντας ". καὶ τῷ Τιμοθέῳ γράφων, οἴνῳ ὀλίγῳ κεχρῆσθαι προσέταξε διὰ τὰς συχ νὰς ἀσθενείας. τέλειον γὰρ εἶναι τὸν ἱερέα προσήκει, ὡς τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ πρεσβείαν πεπιστευμένον. αὐτίκα γοῦν Μωϋσῆς ὁ νομοθέτης, θεα σάμενος τὸν περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας προσενεχθέντα χίμαρον ὁλοκαυτωθέντα παρὰ τὸν θεῖον νόμον, ὠργίσθη τῷ τε Ἐλεαζὰρ καὶ τῷ Ἰθαμὰρ λέγων· " διὰ τί οὐκ ἐφάγετε τὰ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ, ὅτι ἅγια ἁγίων ἐστίν; τοῦτο ἔδω κεν ὑμῖν Κύριος φαγεῖν, ἵν' ἀφέλητε τὴν ἁμαρ τίαν τῆς συναγωγῆς, καὶ ἐξιλάσησθε περὶ αὐ τῶν ἔναντι Κυρίου "; διδασκόμεθα δὲ πάλιν ἐντεῦθεν, ὡς τὰ παρὰ τοῦ λαοῦ προσφερόμενα ἐσθίοντες, καὶ μὴ ἐννόμως ζῶντες, μηδὲ σπουδαίως τὰς ὑπὲρ τούτων προσφέροντες προσευχάς, δίκας ὑπέχομεν τῷ Θεῷ. τοῦτο αἰνιττόμενος ὁ δεσπότης Θεός, διὰ τοῦ προφήτου ἔφη· " ἁμαρτίας λαοῦ μου φάγονται ". 164 XI Τί σημαίνει τὸ διχηλοῦν καὶ μηρυκώμενον; Τὸ μὲν διχηλοῦν οἶμαι δηλοῦν τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν πράξεων καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐναντίων διάκρισιν· πρὸς δὲ τούτῳ, τὸ μὴ μόνον τῷ παρόντι βίῳ ζῇν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ μέλλοντι· καὶ τούτῳ μὲν ἀπονέμειν τὰ ἀναγκαῖα, ἐκείνῳ δὲ πάντα, τουτέστι καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὰ περὶ τὸ σῶμα. τὸ δὲ μηρυκώμενον τὴν τῶν θείων λογίων σημαίνει μελέτην. ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ πρόβατον, καὶ τὰ τούτῳ προσόμοια διηνεκῶς ἀναπεμπάζεται τὴν τροφήν, οὕτως ὁ ἐμμελὴς καὶ φιλόθεος πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὅλων βοᾷ Θεόν· " ὡς ἠγάπησα τὸν νόμον σου, Κύριε, ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν μελέτη μού ἐστιν ". καθάπερ δὲ τῶν ζῴων τὰ μὲν διχηλεῖ καὶ τὴν τροφὴν ἀναπεμπάζεται, τὰ δὲ οὐδέτερον αὐτῶν ποιεῖ, ὡς ὄνος καὶ ἡμίονος καὶ ἵππος καὶ τὰ θηρία· ἀλλὰ δὲ διχηλεῖ μὲν οὐκ ἀναπεμπάζεται δὲ τὴν τροφὴν ὥσπερ ὗς· ἕτερα δὲ μηρυκᾶται μὲν οὐ διχηλεῖ δέ, ὡς κάμηλος καὶ λαγωός· οὕτως ἔστι καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώ ποις εὑρεῖν, τοὺς μὲν τελείους, καὶ τῶν θείων λογίων τὴν μελέτην ἀσπα ζομένους, καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐπιμελῶς μετιόντας· τοὺς δὲ ἀτελεῖς, τὰ μὲν θεῖα λόγια διὰ τῆς γλώττης προσφέροντας, διχηλεῖν δὲ οὐκ ἀνεχομένους, καὶ τῇ καμήλῳ προσεοικότας· τινὰς δὲ τῶν τῆς εὐσεβείας οὐδέπω γεγευ μένους, τὰ μὲν θεῖα λόγια μὴ προσιεμένους, ἔργων