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the vessels of the tabernacle of testimony, and the charges of the sons of Israel and all the works of the tabernacle and you shall give the Levites to Aaron your brother and to his sons the priests; they are a gift given from the sons of Israel. And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons over the tabernacle of testimony, and they shall keep their priesthood and all things concerning the altar and within the veil; and the stranger who touches them shall be put to death.” We have learned from this, therefore, that the priests offered the sacrifices, while the Levites were assistants of the priests, and were appointed guardians of the tabernacle. And it teaches in the following sections what the people of Kohath had to carry, what of Gershon, and what of Merari. 193 V For what reason did God command the firstborn of the people to be numbered? Since he dedicated the entire tribe of Levi to the divine liturgies, and freed them from warfare, it was likely that some of the others would be displeased, as if these had been preferred; the Lord God persuades those who are displeased that he has commanded nothing unjust. For when, he says, for your sake the firstborn of the Egyptians were slain, your firstborn were saved. In place of these, therefore, I have set apart the Levitical tribe for my liturgies; and in place of the firstborn of your cattle, the firstborn of the Levites. And since the firstborn of the other tribes were found to be more numerous than the Levites, he commanded each one after the equal number to give five shekels to the priests; defining the shekel to have twenty obols, and calling such a number holy, as set apart for divine things, and not in common use among all. Elsewhere, however, he calls the twenty obols a didrachma; this didrachma was also required of the Lord as a firstborn. VI Why did he command that hyacinth-colored coverings be placed on some of the sacred vessels, but purple ones on others? Of the more precious things, the coverings were only of hyacinth. The color signifies heaven; for this reason he commanded that the things inside the veil be covered with these cloths, but the things outside with purple and such things as well. For heaven has no punishments; but the earth, because of transgressions of the laws, receives punishments. Purple is indicative of royalty. The kingdom of God is divine and without beginning and indestructible. For this reason the things outside the tabernacle were covered with both purple and hyacinth cloths. And providing for the people of Kohath, he first commanded the priests 194 to go inside the holy of holies and cover the ark and the other vessels with the aforementioned coverings; and then for the people of Kohath to move these things, so that they would not, by seeing the untouchable and unseen things, suffer destruction from the extraordinary sight. VII Whom does he call "unclean on account of a soul"? One who has touched a dead person, or approached the bones of a dead person. VIII And why did he command these, and the lepers, and those with a discharge, to stay outside the camp? Teaching great things from small ones. For if one who touches a dead person is unclean, how much more one who has made someone dead through murder. And if the leper is unclean, how much more one who practices the various forms of wickedness. Thus through the one with a discharge, adultery is accused. For if the involuntary thing is detestable, how much more, surely, that which is dared by intention. IX What is "a man or a woman, if anyone shall commit any of the sins of men"? He has called the lesser of sins human; since it is not possible for human nature, being changeable, to be freed from all sins. "For," he says, "no one is clean from filth, not even if his life is one day." For this reason, the divine David also cries out: "Enter not into judgment with your servant, for in your sight 195 no one living shall be justified." For only the Lord Christ, even as a man, has what is blameless. And foreseeing this, the prophet Isaiah cried out: "who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth." For this reason he also took up the sins of others, having none of his own. For he says: "he bears our sins,

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σκεύη τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου, καὶ τὰς φυλακὰς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔργα τῆς σκηνῆς καὶ δώσεις τοὺς λευΐτας Ἀαρὼν τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι· δόμα δεδομένον εἰσὶν οὗτοι ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ. καὶ Ἀαρὼν καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ καταστήσεις ἐπὶ τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυ ρίου, καὶ φυλάξουσι τὴν ἱερατείαν αὐτῶν καὶ πάντα τὰ κατὰ τὸν βωμὸν καὶ τὰ ἔσω τοῦ κα ταπετάσματος· καὶ ὁ ἀλλογενὴς ὁ ἁπτόμενος ἀποθανεῖται ". Μεμαθήκαμεν οὖν ἐντεῦθεν, ὡς οἱ μὲν ἱερεῖς τὰς θυσίας προσέφερον, οἱ δὲ λευΐται τῶν μὲν ἱερέων ὑπουργοί, τῆς δὲ σκηνῆς κατέστησαν φύλακες. διδάσκει δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς, τίνα μὲν ἔδει φέρειν τοῦ Καὰθ τὸν δῆμον, τίνα δὲ τὸν Γεδεών, τίνα δὲ τὸν Μεραρί. 193 V Τίνος ἕνεκεν προσέταξεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀριθμηθῆναι τοῦ λαοῦ τὰ πρωτότοκα; Ἐπειδὴ πᾶσαν τοῦ Λευῒ τὴν φυλὴν ταῖς θείαις ἀφιέρωσε λειτουργίαις, καὶ τοῦ πολεμεῖν ἠλευθέρωσεν, εἰκὸς δὲ ἦν δυσχεραίνειν τῶν ἄλλων τινάς, ὡς τούτων προτιμηθέντων· πείθει τοὺς δυσχεραίνοντας ὁ δεσπό της Θεός, ὡς οὐδὲν προσέταξεν ἄδικον. ἡνίκα γάρ, φησίν, ὑμῶν χάριν ἀνῃρέθη τὰ τῶν αἰγυπτίων πρωτότοκα, τὰ ὑμέτερα διεσώθη πρωτότοκα. ἀντὶ τούτων τοίνυν τὴν λευϊτικὴν φυλὴν ταῖς ἐμαῖς ἀπεκλήρωσα λειτουρ γίαις· καὶ ἀντὶ τῶν πρωτοτόκων τῶν ὑμετέρων κτηνῶν, τῶν λευϊτῶν τὰ πρωτότοκα. ἐπειδὴ δὲ πλείους ὤφθησαν τῶν λευϊτῶν τῶν ἄλλων φυλῶν οἱ πρωτότοκοι, προσέταξεν ἕκαστον τῶν μετὰ τὸν ἴσον ἀριθμὸν πέντε δοῦναι σίκλους τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν· εἴκοσι ὀβολοὺς ὁρίσας ἔχειν τὸν σίκλον, καὶ τὸν τοιοῦτον ἀριθμὸν ἅγιον ὀνομάσας, ὡς τοῖς θείοις ἀφωρισμένον, καὶ οὐ παρὰ πᾶσι πολιτευόμενον. ἀλλαχοῦ μέντοι δίδραχμον ὀνομάζει τοὺς εἴκοσι ὀβολούς· τοῦτο τὸ δίδραχμον καὶ ὁ Κύριος ὡς πρωτότοκος ἀπῃτήθη. VI Τί δήποτε τισὶ μὲν τῶν ἱερῶν σκευῶν ὑακίνθινα προσέταξεν ἐπιβληθῆναι καλύμματα, τισὶ δὲ πορφυρᾶ; Τῶν τιμιωτέρων ὑακίνθινα μόνα τὰ καλύμματα ἦν. αἰνίττεται δὲ ἡ χρόα τὸν οὐρανόν· τούτου χάριν τὰ μὲν ἐντὸς τοῦ σκεπάσματος, τούτοις τοῖς ἐπιβλήμασιν καλυφθῆναι προσέταξε, τὰ δὲ ἐκτὸς καὶ πορφυροῖς καὶ τοιού τοις. ὁ μὲν γὰρ οὐρανὸς τιμωρίας οὐκ ἔχει· ἡ δὲ γῆ διὰ τὰς τῶν νόμων παραβάσεις δέχεται καὶ κολάσεις. τῆς δὲ βασιλείας ἡ πορφύρα δηλωτική. θεία δὲ καὶ ἄναρχος καὶ ἀνώλεθρος ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλεία. τούτου χάριν τὰ ἔξω τῆς σκηνῆς καὶ πορφυροῖς καὶ ὑακινθίνοις ἐπιβλήμασιν ἐκαλύπτετο. προμηθούμενος δὲ τοῦ δήμου τοῦ Καάθ, προσέταξε πρότερον τοὺς ἱερέας 194 εἴσω τῶν ἀδύτων γενομένους, καλύπτειν τὴν κιβωτὸν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα σκεύη τοῖς προειρημένοις καλύμμασιν· εἶθ' οὕτω τοῦ Καὰθ τὸν δῆμον ταῦτα μετακομίζειν, ἵνα μὴ τὰ ἄψαυστα καὶ ἀθέατα θεασάμενοι, ἐκ τῆς παρα δόξου θέας ὑπομείνωσιν ὄλεθρον. VII Τίνα καλεῖ " ἀκάθαρτον ἐπὶ ψυχῇ "; Τὸν τοῦ τεθνηκότος ἁψάμενον, ἢ ὀστέοις νεκροῦ πελάσαντα. VIII Καὶ τί δήποτε καὶ τούτους καὶ τοὺς λεπροὺς καὶ τοὺς γονορρυεῖς, ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς διάγειν ἐκέλευσεν; Ἀπὸ τῶν σμικρῶν τὰ μεγάλα παιδεύων. εἰ γὰρ ὁ ἁπτόμενος νεκροῦ ἀκά θαρτος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ νεκρὸν εἰργασάμενος διὰ μιαιφονίας. καὶ εἰ ὁ λεπρὸς ἀκάθαρτος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ τὰ ποικίλα τῆς κακίας ἐργαζόμενος εἴδη. οὕτω διὰ τοῦ γονορρυοῦς ἡ μοιχεία κατηγορεῖται. εἰ γὰρ τὸ ἀκούσιον μυσαρόν, πολλῷ δήπουθεν τὸ κατὰ γνώμην τολμώμενον. IX Τί ἐστιν " ἀνὴρ ἢ γυνὴ εἴ τις ποιήσει ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων "; Τὰ σμικρότερα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀνθρώπινα κέκληκεν· ἐπειδὴ τρεπτὴν οὖσαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν πάντων ἀπηλλάχθαι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων οὐχ οἷόν τε. " οὐδείς, γάρ φησι, καθαρὸς ἀπὸ ῥύπου, οὐδ' ἂν μία ἡμέρα ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ ". τούτου χάριν καὶ ὁ θεῖος βοᾷ ∆αβίδ· " μὴ εἰσέλθῃς εἰς κρίσιν μετὰ τοῦ δούλου σου, ὅτι οὐ δικαιωθήσεται ἐνώπιόν σου 195 πᾶς ζῶν ". μόνος γὰρ ὁ δεσπότης Χριστός, καὶ ὡς ἄνθρωπος τὸ ἄμωμον ἔχει. καὶ τοῦτο προορῶν ὁ προφήτης Ἠσαΐας ἐβόα· " ὃς ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ ". τούτου χάριν καὶ τὰς ἄλλων ἁμαρτίας ἀνέλαβεν, οἰκείας οὐκ ἔχων. οὗτος γάρ φησι· " τὰς ἁμαρ τίας ἡμῶν φέρει,