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but caring for things worthy of praise; but others destitute of faith and utterly stripped of good practice. And of aquatic creatures, he says those are clean which have scales and fins; for these swim on the surface of the waters. For those that are not such wallow below in the mud. Clean, therefore, even among rational beings, are those not attached to earthly things, but having the wings of faith, 165 and fortified by the shelter of virtue. For what the scale is to fish, this the panoply of virtue is to men; and what the fins are to them, this faith is to men. And the blessed Paul clothes us with these things, speaking of the wings of grace and the weapons of the spirit, and of the birds, he says, the predatory and carrion-eating ones are unclean, and those that rejoice in darkness; teaching us to abstain from avarice, and to turn away from the foul food of sin, and to hate the darkness. And that we have understood these things to be so not inappropriately, the history of the Acts testifies; "‘For,’ it says, ‘the blessed Peter saw a sheet being let down by four corners, in which were all the four-footed animals of the earth, and the birds of the sky; and he heard a voice saying, ‘Rise, Peter, kill and eat.’" Then when he had said, "By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything common or unclean," the Lord God said, "What God has cleansed, you must not call common." And that these things were said for the sake of Cornelius, who was a Gentile and desired salvation, the following shows. And the Lord also said to the apostles: "Many will come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." And to the Jews: "Brood of vipers." And the apostle: "Beware of the dogs." And to the Ephesian elders: "I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you." And the prophets call some "horses mad for females," others "serpents and offspring of flying asps." And again the Lord: 166 "The kingdom of heaven is like a net cast into the sea, and gathering of every kind." And "where the corpse is, there the eagles will be gathered together." The interpretation, therefore, agrees with the meaning of the divine scripture. We, therefore, receive this benefit from these things. But for the Jews, it has brought another kind of benefit through these very things. For by dividing into two the land animals, and the birds and the aquatic creatures; and calling some unclean, and others clean, he persuades them to consider none of these a God. For how could anyone in his right mind call that which he abominates and turns away from a God, or that which is offered to the true God and eaten by him? XII Why is it that if any of the unclean things falls into an earthen vessel, he commands this to be broken, but if into a bronze or wooden one or a sack or a garment, to be washed with water? And from this it is clear that nothing is by nature unclean, but for a certain reason, he called some things unclean, and others clean; for if they were unclean by nature, the bronze and wooden things would also have to be broken. But since for another reason he named them unclean, he commands the things of greater value to be washed, but the cheap ones to be broken; by this, strengthening the law concerning the unclean; by that, revealing the purpose of the law. For this reason also he commands that an oven and a stove be destroyed, if any of these animals should fall into them, and he calls the water in vessels unclean if a dead body falls into them. But spring water no longer, nor that of a cistern; for he limits such things with small penalties. And again we learn how great an evil sin is; for true defilement is attributed to it. 167 XIII Why is it that if a dead body falls on seed without water, it does not defile it, but if with water, it declares it unclean? Because the moisture prepares the seed to partake of the ichor. And he says that those things which drag themselves on their belly are especially unclean; for the serpent is the author of evil and a minister of the devil's plot. XIV Why does he say that she who gives birth to a male is unclean for forty days, but she who gives birth to a female for twice as many? It is necessary for the purpose of the law

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δὲ ἀξιεπαίνων φροντί ζοντας· ἄλλους δὲ καὶ πίστεως ἐρήμους καὶ πράξεως ἀγαθῆς παντελῶς γεγυμνωμένους. τῶν δὲ ἐνύδρων καθαρὰ εἶναι λέγει τὰ λεπίδας ἔχοντα καὶ πτερύγια· ταῦτα γὰρ ἄνω τοῖς ὕδασιν ἐπινήχεται. τὰ γὰρ οὐ τοιαῦ τα κάτω περὶ τὴν ἰλὺν καλινδεῖται. καθαροὶ τοίνυν κἀν τοῖς λογικοῖς, οἱ μὴ τοῖς γηΐνοις προστετηκότες, ἀλλὰ τὰ πτερὰ τῆς πίστεως ἔχοντες, 165 καὶ τῇ τῆς ἀρετῆς πεφραγμένοι σκέπῃ. ὅπερ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ λεπὶς τοῖς ἰχθύσι, τοῦτο τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡ τῆς ἀρετῆς πανοπλία· καὶ ὅπερ ἐκείνοις τὰ πτε ρύγια, τοῦτο τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡ πίστις. ταῦτα δὲ ἡμῖν ὁ μακάριος περιτί θησι Παῦλος, τὰ πτερὰ λέγων τῆς χάριτος καὶ τὰ ὅπλα τοῦ πνεύματος, τῶν δὲ πτηνῶν ἀκάθαρτα εἶναι, φησί, τὰ ἁρπακτικὰ καὶ νεκροβόρα, καὶ τὰ τῷ σκότει χαίροντα· διδάσκων ἡμᾶς καὶ πλεονεξίας ἀπέχεσθαι, καὶ τὴν δυσώδη τῆς ἁμαρτίας τροφὴν ἀποστρέφεσθαι, καὶ τὸ σκότος μισεῖν. ὅτι δὲ οὐκ ἀπὸ τρόπου ταῦθ' οὕτως ἔχειν νενοήκαμεν, μαρτυρεῖ τῶν πράξεων ἡ ἱστορία· " εἶδε, γάρ φησιν, ὁ μακάριος Πέτρος σιν δόνα τέσσαρσιν ἀρχαῖς καθιεμένην, ἐν ᾗ ἦν πάντα τὰ τετράποδα τῆς γῆς, καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· καὶ ἤκουσε φωνῆς λεγούσης· ἀναστάς, Πέτρε, θῦ σον καὶ φάγε ". εἶτα εἰρηκότος ἐκείνου, " μηδαμῶς, Κύ ριε, ὅτι οὐδέποτε ἔφαγον πᾶν κοινὸν ἢ ἀκά θαρτον ", ἔφη ὁ δεσπότης Θεός· " ἃ ὁ Θεὸς ἐκαθάρισε, σὺ μὴ κοίνου ". ὅτι δὲ τοῦ Κορνηλίου χάριν ταῦτα ἐρρήθη, ἐθνι κοῦ γε ὄντος καὶ σωτηρίας ἐφιεμένου, δηλοῖ τὰ ἑξῆς. καὶ ὁ Κύριος δὲ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ἔφη· " πολλοὶ ἐλεύσονται πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν ἐνδύμασι προβάτων, ἔσωθεν δέ εἰσι λύκοι ἅρ παγες ". καὶ τοῖς ἰουδαίοις· " γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν ". καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος· " βλέπετε τοὺς κύνας ". καὶ τοῖς ἐφεσίων πρεσβυτέροις· " οἶδα ὅτι μετὰ τὴν ἄφιξίν μου εἰσε λεύσονται λύκοι βαρεῖς εἰς ὑμᾶς ". καὶ οἱ προφῆται, τοὺς μὲν " ἵππους θηλυμανεῖς " ὀνομάζουσι, τοὺς " ὄφεις καὶ ἔκγονα ἀσπίδων πετομένων ". καὶ πάλιν ὁ Κύριος· 166 " ὡμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν σαγήνῃ βλη θείσῃ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ ἐκ παντὸς γένους συναγαγούσῃ ". καὶ " ὅπου τὸ πτῶμα, ἐκεῖ συναχ θήσονται οἱ ἀετοί ". συνᾴδει τοίνυν ἡ ἑρμηνεία τῇ τῆς θείας γραφῆς διανοίᾳ. ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν ταύτην λαμβάνομεν ἐκ τούτων τὴν ὄνησιν. ἰουδαίοις δὲ διὰ τούτων αὐτῶν ἕτερον ὠφελείας προσενήνοχεν εἶδος. διχῆ γὰρ διελὼν καὶ τὰ χερσαῖα ζῷα, καὶ τὰ πτηνὰ καὶ τὰ ἔνυδρα· καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀκάθαρτα, τὰ δὲ καθαρὰ προσειπών, πείθει μηδὲν τούτων ἡγεῖσθαι Θεόν. πῶς γὰρ ἄν τις σωφρονῶν ἢ τὸ ἀκάθαρτον ὀνομάσοι Θεόν, ὃ μυσατ τόμενος ἀποστρέφεται ἢ τὸ τῷ ἀληθινῷ Θεῷ προσφερόμενον καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐσθιόμενον; XII Τί δήποτε ἐὰν μὲν εἰς ὀστράκινον σκεῦος ἐμπέσοι τι τῶν ἀκαθάρτων, συν τρίβεσθαι τοῦτο κελεύει, ἂν δὲ εἰς χαλκοῦν ἢ ξύλινον ἢ σάκκον ἢ ἱμάτιον ὕδατι πλύνεσθαι; Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν δῆλον ὡς οὐδὲν φύσει ἀκάθαρτον, ἀλλὰ διά τινα αἰτίαν, τὰ μὲν εἶπεν ἀκάθαρτα, τὰ δὲ καθαρά· εἰ δὲ φύσει ἀκάθαρτα ἦν, ἔδει καὶ τὰ χαλκᾶ συντρίβεσθαι καὶ τὰ ξύλινα. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ δι' ἑτέραν αἰτίαν ἀκάθαρτα αὐτὰ προσηγόρευσε, τὰ μὲν πλείονος ἄξια ὄντα τιμῆς πλύνεσθαι κελεύει, τὰ δὲ εὔωνα συντρίβεσθαι· ταύτῃ μὲν τὸν περὶ τοῦ ἀκαθάρτου νόμον κρατύνων· ἐκείνῃ δὲ παραδηλῶν τὸν τοῦ νόμου σκοπόν. διά τοι τοῦτο καὶ κλιβάνος καὶ χυτρόποδας καθαιρεῖσθαι κελεύει, εἴ τι τούτων αὐτοῖς ἐμπέσοι τῶν ζῴων καὶ τὸ ἐν τοῖς ἀγγείοις ὕδωρ ὀνομάζει ἀκάθαρτον ἐμπέσοντος αὐτοῖς θνησιμαίου. τὸ δὲ πηγαῖον ὕδωρ οὐκέτι, οὐδὲ τὸ λάκκιον· μικραῖς γὰρ ζημίαις τὰ τοιαῦτα περιορίζει. μανθάνομεν δὲ πάλιν ἡμεῖς, ἡλίκον ἡ ἁμαρτία κακόν· τὸν γὰρ ἀληθῆ μολυσμὸν ἐκείνῃ προσ τρίβεται. 167 XIII ∆ιὰ τί ἂν μὲν δίχα ὕδατος σπέρματι ἐμπέσοι τὸ θνησιμαῖον οὐ μιαίνει, ἂν δὲ μετὰ ὕδατος ἀκάθαρτον ἀποφαίνει; Ἐπειδὴ ἡ ὑγρότης τοῦ ἰχῶρος μεταλαβεῖν παρασκευάζει τὸ σπέρμα. δια φερόντως δὲ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς κοιλίας ἰλυσπώμενα ἀκάθαρτα εἶναί φησιν· ἀρχέ κακος γὰρ ὁ ὄφις καὶ τῆς διαβολικῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ὑπουργός. XIV ∆ιὰ τί τὴν τεκοῦσαν ἄρρεν τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας ἀκάθαρτον εἶναί φησι, τὴν δὲ θῆλυ δὶς τοσαύτας; ∆εῖ τοῦ νόμου τὸν σκοπὸν