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to examine. For often it teaches one thing through another, and it is easy to learn this from this. For if the one who gives birth is unclean and the pregnant woman is unclean, I think, therefore, that the law commands her to rest as one who has toiled exceedingly and has endured bitter birth pangs. But if it had simply declared this, men would not have controlled their desire; but being taught that she is unclean, they avoid intercourse, so that they might not partake of the uncleanness. Therefore, the law extinguishes desire with the reason of uncleanness. Some have interpreted the difference in the number of days in this way, that women who give birth to females endure more labor; for which reason it allotted them double the time for rest. XV What does the law concerning leprosy intend? Through the sufferings of the body, it demonstrates the diseases of the soul; and through involuntary things, it accuses voluntary things. For if natural things seem in a way to be unclean, much more so are things of the will. And it speaks of a difference of leprosies, since there is also a difference of sins; and a beginning of leprosy, 168 since there is also a beginning of sin. But just as the priest discerns the leprosy, so too must he be the judge of the sins of the soul. What is varied in color is called leprous; so too vice, when it comes upon a soul, makes it leprous. XVI Why does it name as clean the one who has become entirely leprous? This law is also full of philanthropy. For just as it declared concerning a carcass, that if it fell into a vessel, it is unclean; but if into a spring or a cistern, it is no longer; so it separates from the others the one who has received a varied color, as having hope of cleansing; but the one who has become entirely white, it commands to be mingled with the others, so that he may not live separated from other men for his whole life. And this is a type of spiritual things. For the divine law commands not even to eat with the faithful who sin. But it does not forbid feasting with unbelievers who invite to a feast. For thus says the divine apostle: "If any of the unbelievers invites you, and you are willing to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no questions," and what follows. But concerning the faithful who sin, he spoke thus: "If anyone who is called a brother is a fornicator or greedy, or an idolater, or a drunkard, or a reviler, or a swindler, not even to eat with such a one." And again: "Keep away from any brother who is walking in a disorderly way." This one, therefore, is like the one partially leprous, but the unbeliever is like the one who has lost all his natural color. But with these we both converse and associate; with those, no longer. And the divine apostle is a witness of this: "For I wrote to you," 169 he says, "not to associate with fornicators;" and "not at all with the fornicators of this world, or the greedy, or swindlers, or idolaters, but if anyone called a brother" and what follows. However, it has called the one who has become entirely white clean, not as having a healthy body, but as no longer defiling those who draw near according to the law. XVII Why does it command the leper's head to be uncovered and his garments torn? So that he may be recognizable and those who draw near may not partake of the uncleanness. Thus the apostle said concerning those who sin: "Keep away from any brother who is walking in a disorderly way, and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us." and "if anyone who is called a brother is a fornicator or greedy, or an idolater, or a drunkard, or a reviler, or a swindler, not even to eat with such a one." XVIII How did leprosy occur in garments? God brought many such disciplines upon them; for instance, concerning leprous houses he spoke thus: "When you come into the land of the Canaanites, which I give you, and I put a leprous affliction in the houses of the land of your possession," and what follows. And through these things it teaches that the 170 plagues were sent by God, sometimes brought against garments, and sometimes against houses. And these things show the ineffable philanthropy of God. For when men sinned, he brought the plagues upon garments and houses, through these offering healing to those who possessed them.

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ἐξετάζειν. πολλάκις γὰρ ἕτερα δι' ἑτέρων διδάσκει, καὶ τοῦτο ῥᾴδιον ἐντεῦθεν καταμαθεῖν. εἰ γὰρ ἡ τεκοῦσα ἀκάθαρτος καὶ ἡ ἐγκύμων ἀκάθαρτος, οἶμαι τοίνυν τὸν νόμον διαναπαύεσ θαι κελεύειν αὐτὴν ὡς σφόδρα πεπονηκυῖαν, καὶ τῶν πικρῶν ὠδίνων ἀνασχομένην. ἀλλ' εἰ τοῦτο ἁπλῶς οὕτως διηγόρευσεν, οὐκ ἂν ἐκράτησαν τῆς ἐπιθυμίας οἱ ἄνδρες· ἀκάθαρτον δὲ αὐτὴν διδασκόμενοι, φεύγουσι τὴν κοινωνίαν, ἵνα μὴ τῆς ἀκαθαρσίας μετάσχωσιν. οὐκοῦν ὁ νόμος τῷ τῆς ἀκαθαρσίας λόγῳ τὴν ὄρεξιν σβέννυσι. τὴν δὲ διαφορὰν τῶν ἡμε ρῶν τινὲς οὕτως ἡρμήνευσαν, ὅτι πλείονα πόνον ὑπομένουσιν αἱ γυ ναῖκες γεννῶσαι τὰ θήλεα· διὸ διπλάσιον αὐταῖς εἰς ἀνάπαυλαν ἀπένειμε χρόνον. XV Τί βούλεται ὁ περὶ τῆς λέπρας νόμος; ∆ιὰ τῶν σωματικῶν παθημάτων τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπιδείκνυσι τὰ νοσήματα· καὶ διὰ τῶν ἀκουσίων τῶν ἑκουσίων κατηγορεῖ. εἰ γὰρ τὰ φυσικὰ δοκεῖ πως εἶναι ἀκάθαρτα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ γνωμικά. λέγει δὲ καὶ λέπρας διαφοράν· ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἁμαρτημάτων ἐστὶ διαφορά· καὶ ἀρχὴ λέπρας, 168 ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἀρχὴ ἁμαρτίας. ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τὴν λέπραν ὁ ἱερεὺς διακρίνει, οὕτως χρὴ καὶ τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς ἁμαρτημάτων αὐτὸν εἶναι κριτήν. λεπρὸν δὲ καλεῖται τὸ ποικίλον τοῦ χρώματος· οὕτω κακία προσγενομένη ψυ χῇ, λέπραν αὐτὴν ἀπεργάζεται. XVI ∆ιὰ τί τὸν ὅλον λεπρὸν γενόμενον καθαρὸν ὀνομάζει; Φιλανθρωπίας καὶ οὗτος ὁ νόμος μεστός. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ θνησιμαίου διηγόρευσεν, εἰ μὲν εἰς ἀγγεῖον ἐμπέσοι, ἀκάθαρτον εἶναι· εἰ δὲ εἰς πηγὴν ἢ λάκκον, οὐκέτι· οὕτω τὸν ποικίλον δεξάμενον χρῶμα τῶν ἄλλων ἀπο κρίνει, ὡς ἐλπίδα καθάρσεως ἔχοντα· τὸν δὲ ὁλόλευκον γενόμενον, ἀνα μίγνυσθαι κελεύει τοῖς ἄλλοις, ἵνα μὴ παρὰ πάντα τὸν βίον τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων κεχωρισμένος διάγῃ. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ τῶν πνευματικῶν ἐστι τύπος. τοῖς μὲν γὰρ πιστοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν οὐδὲ συνεσθίειν ὁ θεῖος κε λεύει νόμος. τοῖς δέ γε ἀπίστοις εἰς ἑστίασιν καλοῦσιν οὐ κωλύει συνεσ τιᾶσθαι. λέγει δὲ οὕτως ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος· " ἐάν τις κάλῃ ὑμᾶς τῶν ἀπίστων, καὶ θέλετε πορεύεσθαι, πᾶν τὸ παρατιθέμενον ὑμῖν ἐσθίετε, μηδὲν ἀνακρίνον τες ", καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. περὶ δὲ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων πιστῶν οὕτως ἔφη· " ἐάν τις ἀδελφὸς ὀνομαζόμενος ᾖ πόρνος ἢ πλεονέκτης ἢ εἰδωλολάτρης ἢ μέθυσος ἢ λοί δορος ἢ ἅρπαξ, τῷ τοιούτῳ μηδὲ συνεσθίειν ". καὶ πάλιν· " στέλλεσθε ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ παντὸς ἀδελφοῦ ἀτάκτως περιπατοῦντος ". οὗτος τοίνυν ἔοικε τῷ ἐκ μέρους λεπρῷ, ὁ δὲ ἄπιστος τῷ πᾶσαν τὴν φυσικὴν ἀπολέσαντι χροιάν. ἀλλὰ τούτοις καὶ προσδιαλεγόμεθα καὶ συναναστρεφόμεθα· ἐκείνοις δὲ οὐκέτι. καὶ τούτου μάρτυς ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος· " ἔγραψα γὰρ ὑμῖν, 169 φησί, μὴ συναναμίγνυσθαι πόρνοις "· καὶ " οὐ πάντως τοῖς πόρνοις τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ἢ τοῖς πλεονέκταις ἢ ἅρπαξιν ἢ εἰδωλολάτραις ἀλλ' ἐάν τις ἀδελφὸς ὀνο μαζόμενος " καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. καθαρὸν μέντοι κέκληκε τὸν ὅλον γεγενη μένον λευκόν, οὐχ ὡς ὑγιὲς ἔχοντα τὸ σῶμα ἀλλ' ὡς μηκέτι τοὺς πελά ζοντας κατὰ τὸν νόμον μολύνοντα. XVII ∆ιὰ τί τοῦ λεπροῦ ἀκάλυπτον εἶναι κελεύει τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια παραλελυμένα; Ἵνα γνώριμος ᾖ καὶ μὴ μεταλαγχάνωσι τῆς ἀκαθαρσίας οἱ πελάζοντες. οὕτως ὁ ἀπόστολος περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων ἔφη· " στέλλεσθε ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ παντὸς ἀδελφοῦ ἀτάκτως περιπα τοῦντος, καὶ μὴ κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν ἣν παρε λάβετε παρ' ἡμῶν ". καὶ " ἐάν τις ἀδελφὸς ὀνο μαζόμενος ᾖ πόρνος ἢ πλεονέκτης ἢ εἰδωλολά τρης ἢ μέθυσος ἢ λοίδορος ἢ ἅρπαξ τῷ τοιού τῳ μηδὲ συνεσθίειν ". XVIII Πῶς ἐν τοῖς ἱματίοις λέπρα ἐγίνετο; Πολλὰς ὁ Θεὸς αὐτοῖς παιδείας τοιαύτας ἐπήγαγεν· αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ περὶ λεπρῶν οἴκων οὕτως ἔφη· " ὡς ἂν εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν γῆν τῶν χαναναίων ἣν ἐγὼ δίδωμι ὑμῖν, καὶ δώσω ἁφὴν λέπρας ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις τῆς γῆς τῆς ἐγκτήτου ὑμῶν ", καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. διδάσκει δὲ διὰ τούτων, ὅτι θεή 170 λατοι ἦσαν πληγαί, πότε μὲν κατὰ ἱματίων, πότε δὲ κατὰ οἰκιῶν φερό μεναι. ταῦτα δὲ τὴν ἄφατον τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν δηλοῖ. τῶν γὰρ ἀνθρώπων ἁμαρτανόντων ἱματίοις καὶ οἰκίαις ἐπέφερε τὰς πληγάς, διὰ τούτων τοῖς ταῦτα κεκτημένοις τὴν θεραπείαν προσφέρων.