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and for our sakes he suffers." And the great John: "Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." For this reason also he is free among the dead, as one who unjustly endured death. The divine law therefore teaches how those who have moderately transgressed should be healed. For it commands the one who has done wrong in some contracts, first to confess the sin, then to return to the wronged party what was taken, having added a fifth to the principal. But if it should happen that the wronged party departs this life before the repentance of the wrongdoer, to pay these things to the next of kin. And it calls the next of kin the one who is related by family. And the order of the family is this: first the son, then the daughter, then the father’s brother, then the grandfather’s, but if there is none of these, the nearest relative, but if no relative is found, he prescribed to offer the aforesaid things to God. For he said this: "But if the man has no next of kin to whom to repay the trespass offering that is against him, the trespass offering that is repaid shall be the Lord’s for the priest, besides the ram of the atonement, by which he shall make atonement for him with it." And he also commanded the priests to eat the first-fruits that were offered. For the Levites were the first-fruits of the people, and the priests were the first-fruits of the Levites. As first-fruits, therefore, they received the first-fruits. 196 X Why was barley flour brought by the woman suspected of adultery? The Master himself interpreted it. "For it is," he said, "a sacrifice of jealousy, a sacrifice of remembrance, a sacrifice bringing iniquity to remembrance." Whence he commanded that it should have neither oil nor frankincense; for she was deprived both of sweet savor and of the light of righteousness. However, the Lord God legislated for this to happen, knowing their bloodthirsty disposition. For so that they might not kill their wives out of suspicion, he commanded the suspected woman to be brought to him, as one who knows all things clearly, even the things done in secret. "For the priest," he says, "shall bring her, and shall set the woman before the Lord; and the priest shall take clean running water before the Lord in an earthen vessel, and of the earth that is on the floor of the tabernacle of testimony? And the priest having taken it shall cast it into the water; and the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and shall uncover the woman’s head, and shall give into her hands the sacrifice of remembrance, the sacrifice of jealousy; and in the priest’s hand shall be the water of testing that brings a curse." And he commanded all these things to be done to terrify the suspected woman, so that if she had sinned she might confess, and through repentance receive forgiveness. For this reason he commands that she be brought to God uncovered, 197 teaching that all things are naked and exposed before him, and that nothing of the things done by us escapes his notice. And that he commanded these things to be done to frighten her, the following shows. "And the priest shall charge her by an oath and shall say to the woman: If no one has lain with you, if you have not transgressed to be defiled under your husband, be you free from this water of testing that brings a curse. But if you have transgressed while under your husband, or if you have been defiled, or if someone has given his bed to you besides your husband. May the Lord make you a curse and an oath in the midst of your people, by the Lord making your thigh to rot, and your belly to swell." And he commanded the woman also to agree to the curse, and to say, "So be it, so be it," and he commanded the curse to be written, and to be blotted out with water, and the woman to drink the water; but first the sacrifice was to be offered, that is, the barley flour. Then he teaches that, being innocent, she will be kept healthy; but being guilty, and hiding it, she will learn by experience the strength of the curse both of her belly bursting and of her thigh rotting. For by the means of the sin, by these means is the punishment. And the oath is to be understood thus: whenever someone suffers dreadful and incurable things, some are accustomed to swear, saying: May I not suffer what so-and-so suffered. XI What is, "whoever shall make a special vow to consecrate oneself in purity to the Lord"? There are many kinds of vows. For some promised sacrifices, others money, 198 others

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καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται ". καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἰωάννης· " ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου ". διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν νεκροῖς ἐλεύθερος, ὡς ἀδίκως ὑπομείνας τὸν θάνατον. διδάσκει τοίνυν ὁ θεῖος νό μος πῶς θεραπευτέον τοὺς τὰ μέτρια πλημμελήσαντας. κελεύει γὰρ τὸν ἔν τισι συμβολαίοις ἠδικηκότα, πρῶτον ἐξαγορεῦσαι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, εἶτα τῷ ἠδικημένῳ τὸ ληφθὲν ἀποδοῦναι προστεθεικότα τῷ κεφαλαίῳ τὸ πέμπτον. εἰ δὲ συμβαίη τὸν ἠδικημένον πρὸ τῆς τοῦ ἠδικηκότος μεταμε λείας καταλῦσαι τὸν βίον, ἐκτῖσαι ταῦτα τῷ ἀγχιστεύοντι. ἀγχιστεύοντα δὲ καλεῖ τὸν τῷ γένει προσήκοντα. ἡ δὲ τάξις τοῦ γένους αὕτη· πρῶτος υἱός, εἶτα θυγάτηρ, εἶτα ὁ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀδελφός, ἔπειτα ὁ τοῦ πάππου, εἰ δὲ τούτων μηδεὶς εἴη, ὁ πλησιέστερος συγγενής, εἰ δὲ μὴ εὑρίσκοιτο συγ γενής, τῷ Θεῷ τὰ προρρηθέντα προσενεγκεῖν διηγόρευσε. τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν· " ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ᾖ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἀγχιστεύων, ὥστε ἀποδοῦναι αὐτῷ τὸ πλημμέλημα τὸ πρὸς αὐτόν, τὸ πλημμέλημα τὸ ἀποδιδόμενον τῷ Κυρίῳ τῷ ἱερεῖ ἔσται, πλὴν τοῦ κριοῦ τοῦ ἱλασ μοῦ, δι' οὗ ἐξιλάσεται περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ". προσέταξε δὲ καὶ τὰς προσφερομένας ἀπαρχὰς τοὺς ἱερέας ἐσθίειν. ἀπαρ χαὶ γὰρ ἦσαν τοῦ μὲν λαοῦ οἱ λευῗται, τῶν δὲ λευϊτῶν οἱ ἱερεῖς. ὡς ἀπαρ χαὶ τοίνυν τὰς ἀπαρχὰς ἐκομίζοντο. 196 X ∆ιὰ τί ἄλευρον κρίθινον ὑπὸ τῆς ὑποπτευομένης μοιχευθῆναι προσεκο μίζετο; Αὐτὸς ὁ δεσπότης ἡρμήνευσεν. " ἔστιν, γὰρ ἔφη, θυσία ζη λοτυπίας, θυσία μνημοσύνου, θυσία ἀναμιμνήσ κουσα ἁμαρτίαν ". ὅθεν οὐδὲ ἔλαιον αὐτήν, οὐδὲ λίβανον ἔχειν προσέταξεν· ἐστέρητο γὰρ καὶ τῆς εὐωδίας, καὶ τοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύνης φωτός. τοῦτο μέντοι γίνεσθαι νενομοθέτηκεν ὁ δεσπότης Θεός, τὴν μιαι φόνον αὐτῶν ἐπιστάμενος γνώμην. ἵνα γὰρ μὴ ἐξ ὑποψίας κατακτείνωσι τὰς ὁμοζύγας, ἐκέλευσε τὴν ὑποπτευομένην αὐτῷ προσενεχθῆναι, ἅτε δὴ πάντα σαφῶς ἐπισταμένῳ καὶ τὰ λάθρα γιγνόμενα. " προσάξει, γάρ φησιν, ὁ ἱερεύς, καὶ στήσει τὴν γυναῖκα ἔναν τι Κυρίου· καὶ λήψεται ὁ ἱερεὺς ὕδωρ καθαρὸν ζῶν ἔναντι Κυρίου ἐν ἀγγείῳ ὀστρακίνῳ, καὶ τῆς γῆς τῆς οὔσης ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐδάφους τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου; καὶ λαβὼν ὁ ἱερεὺς ἐμβαλεῖ εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ· καὶ στήσει ὁ ἱερεὺς τὴν γυναῖκα ἔναντι Κυρίου, καὶ ἀποκαλύψει τὴν κεφαλὴν τῆς γυναικός, καὶ δώσει ἐπὶ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῆς τὴν θυσίαν τοῦ μνημοσύνου, τὴν θυσίαν τῆς ζηλοτυπίας· ἐν δὲ τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ ἱερέως ἔσται τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ ἐλεγμοῦ τοῦ ἐπικαταρωμένου τού του ". ταῦτα δὲ πάντα γενέσθαι προσέταξε τὴν γυναῖκα τὴν ὑποπ τευομένην ἐκδειματῶν, ἵν' εἰ ἐξήμαρτεν ὁμολογήσει, καὶ διὰ μετανοίας λάβῃ τὴν ἄφεσιν. τούτου χάριν ἀκάλυπτον αὐτὴν τῷ Θεῷ προσενεχθῆναι 197 κελεύει, διδάσκων ὅτι γυμνὰ πάντα καὶ τετραχηλισμένα ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτὸν λέληθε τῶν παρ' ἡμῶν γιγνομένων. ὅτι δὲ ταῦτα δεδιτ τόμενος αὐτὴν γενέσθαι κεκέλευκε, τὰ ἑξῆς δηλοῖ. " καὶ ὁρκιεῖ αὐ τὴν ὁ ἱερεὺς καὶ ἐρεῖ τῇ γυναικί· εἰ μὴ κεκοί μηταί τις μετὰ σοῦ, εἰ μὴ παραβέβηκας μιαν θῆναι ὑπὸ τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν σεαυτῆς, ἀθῷος ἴσθι ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ ἐλεγμοῦ τοῦ ἐπικαταρω μένου τούτου. εἰ δὲ σὺ παραβέβηκας ὕπανδρος οὖσα, ἢ σὺ μεμίανσαι, ἢ ἔδωκέ τις τὴν κοίτην ἐν σοὶ πλὴν τοῦ ἀνδρός σου. δῴη σε Κύριος ἐν ἀρᾷ καὶ ἐνόρκιον ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ λαοῦ σου, ἐν τῷ δοῦναι Κύριον τὸν μηρόν σου διαπεπτωκότα, καὶ τὴν κοιλίαν σου πεπρησμένην ". ἐκέλευσε δὲ καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα συντίθεσθαι τῇ ἀρᾷ, καὶ λεγέιν· " γένοιτο, γέ νοιτο ", καὶ γραφῆναι δὲ τὴν ἀρὰν προσέταξε, καὶ ἐξαλειφθῆναι ὕδατι, καὶ πιεῖν τὴν γυναῖκα τὸ ὕδωρ· πρότερον δὲ τὴν θυσίαν προσε νεχθῆναι, τουτέστι τὸ κρίθινον ἄλευρον. εἶτα διδάσκει, ὡς ἀθῷος μὲν οὖσα ὑγιὴς φυλαχθήσεται· ἔνοχος δὲ οὖσα, καὶ κρύπτουσα, τῇ πείρᾳ μαθήσεται τῆς ἀρᾶς τὴν ἰσχὺν καὶ τῆς κοιλίας διαρρηγνυμένης, καὶ τοῦ μηροῦ διαπίπ τοντος. δι' ὧν γὰρ ἡ ἁμαρτία, διὰ τούτων ἡ τιμωρία. τὸ δὲ ἐνόρκιον οὕτω νοητέον· ὅτ' ἄν τις δεινὰ καὶ ἀνήκεστα πάθῃ, εἰώθασί τινες ὀμνύντες λέγειν· μὴ πάθοιμι ἃ ὁ δεῖνα πέπονθεν. XI Τί ἐστιν, " ὃς ἂν μεγάλως εὔξηται εὐχὴν ἀφαγνί σασθαι ἁγνείαν τῷ Κυρίῳ "; Πολλὰ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας εἴδη. οἱ μὲν γὰρ θυσίας ἐπηγγέλλοντο, οἱ δὲ χρή 198 ματα, οἱ