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unequally yoked with unbelievers." XXVIII What is: "You shall not make a sisoe from the hair of your head, nor mar the appearance of your 181 beard, and you shall not make cuttings for a soul in your body, nor shall you make tattooed marks upon you"? Some have interpreted sisoe as hairs that are intentionally made curly. But I think the law forbids something else; the Greeks are accustomed not to cut the crowns of their children's heads, but to let the locks grow, and after a time to dedicate these to demons. They are also accustomed to shave their beards when they mourned, and to cut their cheeks in honor of the dead. And they would prick certain parts of the body with needles and apply black ink, for the worship of demons. The divine law, therefore, forbids these things. XXIX What is "a ventriloquist"? Some, being possessed by certain demons, deceived many of the foolish, as if they were foretelling things; whom the Greeks called belly-prophets, as the demon seemed to speak from within. XXX For what reason does he legislate specifically for priests concerning marriage? Because the priest must be a model of self-control, and so that the lineage may remain pure, providing no occasion of reproach to those wishing to revile. For this reason also the divine apostle declares that the one who serves God must have a good testimony even from outsiders; "that he may not fall into reproach," he says, "and the snare of the devil." For this reason he commands that the Israelite woman who commits fornication be put to death, 182 but that the priest's daughter who dares similar things be burned. And because of the Jews' contentiousness, he does not permit even those having any physical blemish to serve, forbidding the intentional through the involuntary afflictions. For blindness of the eyes signifies the deprivation of knowledge; the cutting off of an ear, disobedience; the removal of a nose, the removal of discernment; the cutting off of a hand, the idleness of action. Thus the other things are also to be understood. For this reason he commands that the sacrificial animals also be offered without blemish, instructing those who offer, through what is offered, to have healthy activities of the soul. And among other things, he forbids the one castrated and the one with crushed testicles. For he who attends to the divine service must be fruitful, full of good things. XXXI Why did he decree that the firstborn of the livestock be offered after the eighth day? He knew the gluttony of some, and that perhaps seeing it was well-fed and handsome, they would keep it and offer another; for this reason he commanded that it be offered immediately after birth. XXXII What is, "You shall not eat roasted new grain, until you have brought the gifts to your God"? The land of Palestine, being warmer, bears early fruits. He commands, therefore, that no one first roast and parch new ears of grain and eat, until from these they have offered a sheaf to God. And he commands this to be offered on the day of the Passover; then from this day to count seven weeks and celebrate the feast of Pentecost. For thus he said: "And 183 you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, seven full weeks." And the feast of Pentecost is a remembrance of the entry into the promised land. For then they both sowed and reaped; for in the wilderness they ate the manna brought from heaven. Having thus taught how one must celebrate both the Passover and Pentecost, he also teaches what one must do in the seventh month. And on the new moon, he commands the celebration of the feast of trumpets. These were a reminder of the trumpets that sounded on Mount Sinai, when the God of all had given the law; "for the sound," it says, "of the trumpet sounded loudly." And on the tenth of the month he commands to fast. For he calls this day, the day of atonement. "You shall afflict," it says, "your souls, from the ninth of the month at evening. And every soul that is not afflicted on it, that soul shall be cut off from its people." But on this very day the Jews do not look gloomy, but laugh and play and dance and

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ἑτεροζυγοῦντες ἀπίστοις ". XXVIII Τί ἐστιν· " οὐ ποιήσετε σισόην ἐκ τῆς κόμης τῆς κεφαλῆς ὑμῶν, οὐδὲ φθερεῖτε τὴν ὄψιν τοῦ πώ 181 γωνος ὑμῶν καὶ ἐντομίδας ἐπὶ ψυχῇ οὐ ποιή σετε τῷ σώματι ὑμῶν, καὶ γράμματα στικτὰ οὐ ποιήσετε ἐν ὑμῖν "; Τινὲς τὸ σισόην τὰς ἐξ ἐπιτηδεύσεως οὖλας γινομένας τρίχας ἡρμήνευσαν. ἐγὼ δὲ ἄλλο οἶμαι τὸν νόμον ἀπαγορεύειν· εἰώθασιν ἕλληνες μὴ ἀποκεί ρειν τῶν παίδων τὰς κορυφάς, ἀλλὰ μαλλοὺς ἐᾶν, καὶ τούτους μετὰ χρό νον ἀνατιθέναι τοῖς δαίμοσιν. εἰώθασι δὲ καὶ τὰ γένεια ξυρᾶσθαι ἡνίκα ἐπένθουν, καὶ τέμνεσθαι τὰς παρειὰς εἰς τὴν τῶν τετελευτηκότων τιμήν. καί τινα δὲ τοῦ σώματος μόρια βελόναις ἐκέντουν καὶ μέλαν ἐπέβαλλον, εἰς θεραπείαν δαιμόνων. ταῦτα οὖν ὁ θεῖος νόμος ἀπαγορεύει. XXIX Τί ἐστιν " ἐγγαστρίμυθος "; Τινὲς ὑπὸ δαιμόνων τινῶν ἐνεργούμενοι, ἐξηπάτουν πολλοὺς τῶν ἀνοή των, ὡς δῆθεν προαγορεύοντες· οὓς ἐντερομάντεις οἱ ἕλληνες προση γόρευον, ὡς ἔνδοθεν δοκοῦντος τοῦ δαίμονος φθέγγεσθαι. XXX Τίνος χάριν τοῖς ἱερεῦσι διαφερόντως περὶ τῶν γάμων νομοθετεῖ; Ὅτι δεῖ τύπον εἶναι σωφροσύνης τὸν ἱερέα, καὶ ἵνα τὸ γένος ἀκραιφνὲς διαμείνῃ, μηδεμίαν ὕβρεως ἀφορμὴν τοῖς λοιδορεῖσθαι βουλομένοις παρέ χον. διὸ καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος ἀγαθὴν ἔχειν μαρτυρίαν καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἔξωθεν τὸν τῷ Θεῷ λειτουργοῦντα διαγορεύει· " ἵνα μὴ εἰς ὀνει δισμόν, φησίν, ἐμπέσῃ, καὶ παγίδα τοῦ δια βόλου ". τούτου χάριν τὴν μὲν ἰσραηλῖτιν πορνεύουσαν ἀναιρεῖσθαι 182 κελεύει· τὴν δὲ τοῦ ἱερέως θυγατέρα παραπλήσια τολμῶσαν ἐμπίπρα σθαι. διὰ δὲ τὸ ἰουδαίων μεμψίμοιρον, οὐδὲ τοὺς ἔχοντάς τινα μῶμον σωμα τικὸν λειτουργεῖν συγχωρεῖ, διὰ τῶν ἀκουσίων παθημάτων ἀπαγορεύων τὰ γνωμικά. τυφλότης μὲν γὰρ ὀφθαλμῶν τὴν τῆς γνώσεως αἰνίττεται στέρησιν· ἐκτομὴ δὲ ὠτός, τὴν παρακοήν· ῥινὸς δὲ ἀφαίρεσις, τοῦ δια κριτικοῦ τὴν ἀφαίρεσιν· ἀποκοπὴ δὲ χειρός, τὴν ἀργίαν τοῦ πρακτικοῦ. οὕτω καὶ τὰ ἄλλα νοητέον. τούτου χάριν ἀρτιμελῆ κελεύει καὶ τὰ ἱερεῖα προσφέρειν, τοὺς προσφέροντας διὰ τῶν προσφερομένων παιδεύων ὑγιεῖς ἔχειν τὰς τῆς ψυχῆς ἐνεργείας. ἀπαγορεύει δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τὸν ἐκτομίαν καὶ τὸν θλαδίαν. γόνιμον μὲν γὰρ εἶναι δεῖ τῶν ἀγαθῶν πλήρη, τὸν τῆς θείας θεραπείας φροντίζοντα. XXXI ∆ιὰ τί τὰ πρωτότοκα τῶν θρεμμάτων μετὰ τὴν ὀγδόην ἡμέραν προσφέ ρεσθαι διηγόρευσεν; Ἤδει τὴν ἐνίων γαστριμαργίαν, καὶ ὅτι τυχὸν εὐτραφὲς αὐτὸ καὶ εὐειδὲς θεασάμενοι, τοῦτο μὲν καθέξουσιν, ἕτερον δὲ προσοίσουσι· τούτου χάριν εὐθυγενῆ προσενεχθῆναι προσέταξεν. XXXII Τί ἐστι, " πεφρυγμένα νέα χίδρα οὐ φάγεσθε, ἕως ἂν προσενέγκητε ὑμεῖς τὰ δῶρα τῷ Θεῷ ὑμῶν "; Τῆς Παλαιστίνης ἡ γῆ θερμοτέρα οὖσα πρωΐμους φέρει καρπούς. κελεύει τοίνυν μὴ πρότερόν τινι νέους ἀστάχυς ἀφεῦσαι καὶ φρύξαι καὶ φαγεῖν, ἕως ἂν ἐκ τούτων τῷ Θεῷ προσενέγκωσι δράγμα. κελεύει δὲ τοῦτο προσ ενεχθῆναι τῇ τοῦ Πάσχα ἡμέρᾳ· εἶτα ἐκ ταύτης ἑπτὰ ἑβδομάδας ἀριθμῆσαι καὶ τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς ἐπιτελέσαι τὴν ἑορτήν. οὕτω γὰρ ἔφη· " καὶ 183 ἀριθμήσετε ὑμῖν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπαύριον τῶν σαβ βάτων, ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἧς ἂν προσενέγκητε τὸ δράγμα τοῦ ἀφορίσματος, ἑπτὰ ἑβδομάδας ὁλοκλήρους ". ἡ δὲ τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς ἑορτή, μνήμη τῆς εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας εἰσόδου. τότε γὰρ καὶ ἔσπειρον καὶ ἐθέριζον· ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἐρήμῳ τὸ μάννα ἤσθιον οὐρανόθεν φερόμενον. οὕτω διδάξας ὅπως χρὴ καὶ τοῦ Πάσχα καὶ τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς ἐπιτελέσαι τὴν ἑορτήν, διδάσ κει καὶ τίνα χρὴ πρᾶξαι τῷ ἑβδόμῳ μηνί. καὶ τῇ μὲν νουμηνίᾳ, τῶν σαλ πίγγων τὴν ἑορτὴν ἐπιτελέσαι κελεύει. ἀνεμίμνησκον δὲ αὗται τῶν ἐν τῷ Σινᾷ ὄρει γεγενημένων σαλπίγγων, ἥνικα τὸν νόμον ὁ τῶν ὅλων ἐδεδώκει Θεός· " φωνή, γάρ φησι, τῆς σάλπιγγος ἤχει μέγα ". τῇ δεκάτῃ δὲ τοῦ μηνὸς νηστεῦσαι κελεύει. ταύτην γὰρ τὴν ἡμέραν, ἱλασμοῦ ἡμέραν καλεῖ. " ταπεινώσετε, γάρ φησι, τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν, ἀπὸ ἐννάτης τοῦ μηνὸς ἑσπέρας. καὶ πᾶσα ψυχή, ἥτις μὴ ταπεινωθήσεται ἐν αὐτῇ, ἐξολοθρευθήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῆς ". ἀλλ' ἰουδαῖοι κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἡμέραν οὔτε σκυ θρωπάζουσιν, ἀλλὰ γελῶσι καὶ παίζουσι καὶ χορεύουσι καὶ