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he commanded to be offered. " For blood, he says, shall be reckoned to that man; he has shed blood, that soul shall be utterly destroyed from its people ". And that the law has this purpose which I mentioned, the following will teach: " For the priest, he says, shall offer up the fat for a sweet-smelling savor to the Lord. And they shall no longer offer their 178 sacrifices to the vain things, after which they go a whoring. It shall be an everlasting statute for you throughout your generations ". This law prevails among the Jews to the present day. For the priest sacrifices the animals that are eaten. And he also forbade eating blood, and taught the reason: For the soul, he says, of all flesh is its blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for its blood shall make atonement for its soul. Therefore I have said to the sons of Israel: No soul among you shall eat blood, nor shall the proselyte who sojourns among you eat it ". Just as, he says, you have an immortal soul, so the irrational animal has its blood instead of a soul. For this reason, indeed, he commands the soul of the irrational animal, that is, the blood, to be offered instead of your immortal and rational soul. But if you eat this, you are eating a soul; for this fulfills the role of a rational soul. Therefore he also named the eating of it murder. For this reason he also forbids eating animals that have died of themselves, as the blood has not been separated from the body. XXIV Some find fault with the laws concerning marriage, saying that God forbade things that have nowhere and in no way ever happened. For who, he says, has endured to have intercourse with his own mother? Or who has ever had intercourse with an animal? God would not have forbidden what was dared by no one; and that these things are so, the preamble of this law testifies. For he spoke thus: 179 'According to the practices of Egypt in which you sojourned, you shall not do, and according to the practices of the land of Canaan into which I am bringing you, you shall not do, and you shall not walk in their statutes '. Having said these things, he teaches what was dared by them, and forbids such a practice. And that many such things are dared, the Persians also testify to the present day, who have intercourse not only with sisters, but also with mothers and daughters by law of marriage; and many dare the other transgressions as well. XXV What is: 'You shall not give of your seed to serve an archon and you shall not profane my holy name; I am the Lord'? The Hebrew has 'Moloch', and the other interpreters have also set this down. And this was an idol. Wherefore God also says through the prophet: 'Did you bring me slain beasts and sacrifices in the wilderness for forty years, O sons of Israel? And you took up the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the types which you made to worship them '. He forbids, therefore, offering the children as temple-slaves to the idols; but as some say, not to give the children to foreign rulers, so that they might be their household servants or bodyguards, lest they should partake of their impiety. XXVI What is: 'that the land may not be grieved with you when you defile it, in the way it was grieved 180 with the nations that were before you?' May it not loathe you, he says, as it loathed the Canaanites; that is, just as I delivered them over to utter destruction because of their many transgressions, and have given the land to you, so I will punish you for doing the same things. XXVII How is this to be understood: 'You shall not let your cattle breed with another kind, and you shall not sow your vineyard with different seed'? And, 'you shall not put on a counterfeit garment woven of two kinds'? I have often said that through the sensible he teaches the intelligible. He forbids, therefore, the breeding of different kinds, such as a horse and a donkey; so that the unlawful mixing may not pass from irrational to rational beings. For this reason also he calls the garment woven of wool and linen counterfeit, teaching not to practice contrary deeds at all. For that he does not call the garment counterfeit, but signifies the deed through this, the coverings of the tabernacle made from different threads testify. Thus are the things concerning the vineyard also to be understood, and the apostle also forbids fellowship with unbelievers, saying: 'do not become

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ρεῖσθαι ἐκέλευσεν. " αἷμα, γάρ φησι, λογισθήσεται τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐκείνῳ· αἷμα ἐξέχεεν, ἐξολοθρευθή σεται ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῆς ". καὶ ὅτι τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν σκοπὸν ὃν ἔφην ὁ νόμος διδάξει τὰ ἑξῆς· " ἀνοίσει, γάρ φησιν, ὁ ἱερεὺς τὸ στέαρ εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας τῷ Κυρίῳ. καὶ οὐ θύσουσιν ἔτι τὰς θυσίας αὐ 178 τῶν τοῖς ματαίοις, ὧν αὐτοὶ ἐκπορνεύουσιν ὀπίσω αὐ τῶν. νόμιμον αἰώνιον ἔσται ὑμῖν εἰς τὰς γε νεὰς ὑμῶν ". οὗτος ὁ νόμος μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος παρὰ ἰουδαίοις κρατεῖ. ὁ γὰρ ἱερεὺς θύει τὰ ἐσθιόμενα ζῷα. ἀπηγόρευσε δὲ καὶ τὸ ἐσθίειν αἷμα, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐδίδαξεν· ἡ γὰρ ψυχή, φησί, πά σης σαρκὸς αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐστιν, καὶ ἐγὼ δέδω κα ὑμῖν αὐτὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ἐξιλάσκε σθαι περὶ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν· τὸ γὰρ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἀντὶ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ ἐξιλάσεται. διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηκα τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ· πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἐξ ὑμῶν οὐ φάγεται αἷμα, καὶ ὁ προσήλυτος ὁ προσκείμε νος ὑμῖν οὐ φάγεται ". ὥσπερ φησί, σὺ ψυχὴν ἀθάνατον ἔχεις, οὕτω τὸ ἄλογον ζῷον ἀντὶ ψυχῆς ἔχει τὸ αἷμα. οὗ δὴ χάριν κελεύει τὴν τοῦ ἀλόγου ψυχήν, τουτέστι τὸ αἷμα, ἀντὶ τῆς σῆς προσενεχθῆναι ψυχῆς τῆς ἀθανάτου καὶ λογικῆς. ἐὰν δὲ τοῦτο φάγῃς, ψυχὴν ἐσθίεις· λογικῆς γὰρ ψυχῆς τοῦτο τάξιν πληροῖ. διὸ καὶ φόνον τὴν βρῶσιν ὠνό μασε. τούτου ἕνεκα καὶ τὰ τεθνηκότα τῶν ζῴων ἐσθίειν ἀπαγορεύει, ὡς τοῦ αἵματος μὴ χωρισθέντος τοῦ σώματος. XXIV Τινὲς μέμφονται ταῖς περὶ τῶν γάμων νομοθεσίαις, λέγοντες ἀπαγο ρεῦσαι τὸν Θεὸν τὰ μηδαμῆ μηδαμῶς γεγενημένα. τίς γάρ, φησίν, ἠνέσχε το τῇ ἑαυτοῦ μιγῆναι μητρί; ἢ τίς πώποτε συνεγένετο κτήνει; Οὐκ ἂν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ παρ' οὐδενὸς τολμηθὲν ἀπηγόρευσε· καὶ ὅτι ταῦθ' οὕ τως ἔχει, μαρτυρεῖ τὸ τοῦδε τοῦ νόμου προοίμιον. ἔφη γὰρ οὕτως· 179 " κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα τῆς Αἰγύπτου ἐν ᾗ πα ρῳκήσατε ἐν αὐτῇ, οὐ ποιήσετε, καὶ κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα τῆς γῆς Χαναὰν εἰς ἣν ἐγὼ εἰσά γω ὑμᾶς ἐκεῖ, οὐ ποιήσετε, καὶ τοῖς νομίμοις αὐτῶν οὐ πορεύσεσθε ". οὕτω ταῦτα εἰπών, διδάσκει τὰ ὑπ' ἐκείνων τολμηθέντα, καὶ τὴν τοιαύτην ἀπαγορεύει πρᾶξιν. ὅτι δὲ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα τολμᾶται, μαρτυροῦσι καὶ πέρσαι μέχρι τοῦ παρόν τος, οὐ μόνον ἀδελφαῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ μητράσι καὶ θυγατράσι νόμῳ γάμου μιγνύμενοι· καὶ τὰς ἄλλας δὲ παρανομίας τολμῶσι πολλοί. XXV Τί ἐστιν· " ἀπὸ τοῦ σπέρματός σου οὐ δώσεις λα τρεύειν ἄρχοντι καὶ οὐ βεβηλώσεις τὸ ὄνομά μου τὸ ἅγιον· ἐγὼ Κύριος "; Τὸ ἑβραϊκὸν τὸ " μόλοχ " ἔχει, καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ δὲ ἑρμηνευταὶ τοῦτο τεθεί κασιν. εἴδωλον δὲ τοῦτο ἦν. διὸ καὶ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου φησὶν ὁ Θεός· " μὴ σφάγια καὶ θυσίας προσηνέγκατέ μοι ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἔτη τεσσαράκοντα, υἱοὶ Ἰσραήλ; καὶ ἀνελάβετε τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μόλοχ καὶ τὸ ἄσ τρον τοῦ θεοῦ ὑμῶν Ῥεφάν, τοὺς τύπους οὓς ἐποιήσατε προσκυνεῖν αὐτοῖς ". ἀπαγορεύει τοίνυν τὸ τοὺς παῖδας ἱεροδούλους τοῖς εἰδώλοις προσφέρειν· ὡς δὲ τινές φασι, τὸ τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις ἄρχουσι μὴ διδόναι τοὺς παῖδας, ὥστε εἶναι αὐτῶν οἰκέτας ἢ δορυφόρους, ἵνα μὴ τῆς ἐκείνων μεταλάχωσιν ἀσεβείας. XXVI Τί ἐστιν· " ἵνα μὴ προσοχθίσῃ ὑμῖν ἡ γῆ ἐν τῷ μιαίνειν ὑμᾶς αὐτήν, ὃν τρόπον προ 180 σώχθισε τοῖς ἔθνεσι τοῖς πρὸ ὑμῶν; " Μὴ βδελύξηται ὑμᾶς, φησίν, ὡς ἐβδελύξατο τοὺς χαναναίους· ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὥσπερ ἐκείνους διὰ τὰς πολλὰς αὐτῶν παρανομίας πανωλεθρίᾳ παρα δούς, ὑμῖν τὴν γῆν παραδέδωκα, οὕτως ὑμᾶς τὰ ὅμοια δράσαντας τι μωρήσομαι. XXVII Πῶς νοητέον· " τὰ κτήνη σου οὐ κατοχεύσεις ἑτέ ρῳ ζυγῷ, καὶ τὸν ἀμπέλωνά σου οὐ κατασπε ρεῖς διάφορον "; καί, " ἱμάτιον ἐκ δύο ὑφασμένον κίβδηλον οὐκ ἐπιβαλεῖς σεαυτῷ "; Πολλάκις ἔφην, ὅτι διὰ τῶν αἰσθητῶν διδάσκει τὰ νοητά. ἀπαγορεύει τοίνυν τῶν ἑτερογενῶν τὴν ὀχείαν, οἷον ἵππου καὶ ὄνου· ἵνα μὴ διαβῇ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλόγων εἰς τοὺς λογικοὺς ἡ παράνομος μίξις. τούτου χάριν καὶ τὸ ἐξ ἐρίου καὶ λίνου ὑφασμένον ἱμάτιον κίβδηλον ὀνομάζει, διδάσκων πράξεις ἐναντίας μηδαμῶς ἐπιτηδεύειν. ὅτι γὰρ οὐ τὸ ἱμάτιον κίβδηλον λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὴν πράξιν διὰ τούτου δηλοῖ, μαρτυρεῖ τῆς σκηνῆς τὰ καλύμ ματα ἐκ διαφόρων κατασκευασθέντα νημάτων. οὕτω νοητέον καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος, καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος δὲ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἀπίστους κοινω νίαν ἀπαγορεύει λέγων· " μὴ γίνεσθε