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treacherous, if the pretext of pleasure had not introduced sin. 14.4.2 There was no need for a plow and ploughing oxen and a furrow being cut, nor indeed of seeds and irrigating water and a cycle of seasons and of winter solidifying and of summer loosening and of all this cyclical toil, if we had not been condemned to this cycle of labors on account of the forefather's ready enjoyment; but we were meant to live in a certain other state of life than the one we see, which again we hope to attain when we put off this impassioned life through the resurrection. 14.4.3 For this is the benefit of God's condescension towards us, that we may be restored to our ancient worth; having partaken of which in His love for mankind, we did not gratefully preserve the grace. Let us rejoice, therefore, in the coming fast; fasting is an image of the life to come, an imitation of the incorruptible way of life. There, there are no drinking-bouts nor indulgences. 14.5.1 Leave aside the first man, methodically and in order you have enumerated those after him. What made the righteous Noah act shamefully, stripped bare in insensibility of the members which it is the law to cover, and prepared the rash Ham to laugh at his father's drunkenness, so that two evils came from one offense? For one drunkenness stripped both the father of his decent covering and the son of his freedom. 14.5.2 But when I look again at the sons of Eli the priest and occupy my mind with that story, I find a chain of disasters linked together from one source, that of the belly and gluttony. For they, making their father's priesthood an occasion for sensuality and enjoyment, were profaning the sacrifices and for their belly, before God, were taking the first-fruits of the victims. And fornication followed, a sin sister to luxury, and to all these things the judgment from God, inflicting a severe and abrupt penalty. 14.5.3 For a hostile nation marched against Jerusalem on their account. And to shorten a multitude of sad narratives in my account, the licentious young men fell in the battle-line and the fatherland shared the danger with the sinners and the ark of God was led captive by the enemy and the old priest died upon the news of the evils and such a swarm of evils was brought upon the city through the pleasure of the throat. 14.6.1 Let us all, therefore, fast; and the members of the priests' households even more, as having the teaching of self-control dwelling with them, and the philosophical precepts from their own hearth. For it is absurd that the sons of bankers be experts in money and the relatives of bronze-smiths be occupied with the fire and the anvil, but those close to priests, whether relatives or otherwise members of the household, should be rebellious to the aim which the leader and master of the hearth has been appointed to live. The elder son of Isaac was also very greatly harmed on account of his stomach. For since he was a hunter by trade and once, having returned to his house after a long run, with insatiable hunger gaped at the food before him, he sold his birthright to his brother for the lentils; 14.7.2 and from then on he was also robbed of the paternal blessing, and thus being gradually alienated from virtue and God he lost the patriarchal glory and, being separated from Israel in kinship, he himself became a barbarian and a foreigner and begot such a people from himself. 14.7.3 This sickness also led the people of the Old Testament into transgression of the divine and sacred laws. For since, while Moses was occupied with the promise of the giving of the law, the people, having spent their time apart, turned to luxury and dances, the devil dragged them down to impiety as they slipped bit by bit and trampled upon the good order of life. 14.7.4 And from there, then, the demonic practice of calf-making, and Aaron partaking of the pollution, and the corruption of the law, and the shattering of the tablets, and Moses' second journey up the mountain, and all these things, which history indignantly laments, had their beginning from immoderate eating and the

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ἐπίβουλος, εἰ μὴ πρόφασις ἡδονῆς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν εἰσήγαγεν. 14.4.2 Οὐκ ἦν ἀρότρου χρεία καὶ βοῶν ἀροτήρων καὶ τεμνομένης αὔλακος, οὐδὲ μὴν σπερμάτων καὶ ὕδατος ἄρδοντος καὶ περιόδου καιρῶν καὶ χειμῶνος πυκνοῦντος καὶ θέρους λύοντος καὶ πάσης ταύτης τῆς ἐγκυκλίου ταλαιπωρίας, εἰ μὴ διὰ πρόχειρον προπάτορος ἀπόλαυσιν ταύτην κατε ψηφίσθημεν τὴν τῶν πόνων περίοδον· ἀλλ' ἐμέλλομεν ἑτέραν τινὰ παρὰ τὴν ὁρωμένην διάγειν τοῦ βίου κατάστασιν, ἧς πάλιν ἐλπίζομεν ἐπιτυχεῖν ὅταν τὴν ἐμπαθῆ ζωὴν διὰ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἀποσκευασώμεθα. 14.4.3 Αὕτη γὰρ ἡ εὐεργεσία τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς ἡμᾶς συγκαταβάσεως, ἵνα πρὸς τὴν παλαιὰν ἀποκαταστῶμεν ἀξίαν· ἧς φιλανθρώπως μεταλαβόντες εὐαισθή τως τὴν χάριν οὐκ ἐφυλάξαμεν. Φαιδρυνθῶμεν τοίνυν ἐπὶ τῇ μελλούσῃ νηστείᾳ· νηστεία τῆς μελλούσης ζωῆς εἰκών, τῆς ἀφθάρτου διαγωγῆς μίμημα. Ἐκεῖ οὐκ εἰσὶ πότοι οὐδὲ ἀπολαύσεις. 14.5.1 Ἔασον τὸν πρῶτον ἄνθρωπον, ὁδῷ καὶ ἑξῆς τοὺς μετ' ἐκεῖνον ἀπαρίθμησαι. Τί τὸν δίκαιον Νῶε ἀσχημονεῖν ἐποίησεν ἐν ἀναισθησίᾳ γυμνωθέντα τῶν μελῶν ἃ σκέπεσθαι νόμος, καὶ τὸν προπετῆ Χᾶμ ἐπιγελάσαι τῇ μέθῃ τοῦ πατρὸς παρεσκεύασεν, ἵνα γένηται δύο κακὰ δι' ἑνὸς πλημμελήματος; Μία γὰρ μέθη καὶ τὸν πατέρα τῆς εὐπρεποῦς σκέπης καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἐγύμνωσεν. 14.5.2 Ὅταν δὲ πάλιν πρὸς τοὺς παῖδας ἀπίδω Ἠλὶ τοῦ ἱερέως καὶ πρὸς ἐκείνην τὴν ἱστορίαν ἀσχολήσω τὸν νοῦν, ὁρμαθὸν εὑρίσκω συμφορῶν ἀλλήλαις συνδεδεμένων ἀπὸ μίας ἀρχῆς, τῆς διὰ γαστέρα καὶ κόρον. Κἀκεῖνοι γὰρ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς ἱερωσύνην ἀφορμὴν θέμενοι ἡδυπαθείας καὶ ἀπολαύσεως τὰς θυσίας ἐβεβήλουν καὶ τῇ γαστρὶ πρὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ἱερείων ἀπήρχοντο. Ἠκολούθει δὲ καὶ ἡ πορνεία, ἀδελφὴ τῆς τρυφῆς ἁμαρτία, καὶ τούτοις πᾶσιν ἡ παρὰ Θεοῦ κρίσις αὐστηρὰν καὶ ἀπότομον τὴν δίκην ἐπάγουσα. 14.5.3 Ἔθνος γὰρ πολέμιον δι' ἐκείνους κατὰ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων ἐστράτευσεν. Καὶ ἵνα πλῆθος σκυθρωπῶν διηγημάτων ὁ λόγος συντέμῃ, οἱ μὲν ἀκόλαστοι νεανίσκοι ἐπὶ τῆς παρατάξεως ἔπεσον καὶ ἡ πατρὶς τοῖς ἁμαρτοῦσι συνεκινδύνευσε καὶ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ κιβωτὸς αἰχμάλωτος παρὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἀπήχθη καὶ ὁ γέρων ἱερεὺς ταῖς ἀγγελίαις τῶν κακῶν ἐπαπέθανε καὶ τοσοῦτος ἐσμὸς κακῶν διὰ φάρυγγος ἡδονὴν ἐπηνέχθη τῇ πόλει. 14.6.1 Πάντες μὲν οὖν νηστεύσωμεν· οἱ δὲ τῶν ἱερέων οἰκεῖοι καὶ μᾶλλον ὡς σύνοικον ἔχοντες τὸ διδασκάλιον τῆς ἐγκρατείας καὶ ἀφ' ἑστίας τὰ φιλόσοφα παραγγέλματα. Ἄτοπον γὰρ τοὺς μὲν παῖδας τῶν τραπεζιτῶν ἀργυρογνώμονας εἶναι καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους τῶν χαλκέων περὶ τὸ πῦρ στρέ φεσθαι καὶ τὸν ἄκμονα, τοὺς δὲ τῶν ἱερέων ἐγγὺς εἴτε συγγενεῖς εἴτε ἄλλως οἰκείους ἀφηνιάζειν τοῦ σκόπου, ὃν ζῆν ἔλαχεν ὁ τῆς ἑστίας ἡγεμὼν καὶ δεσπότης. Ἐβλάβη διὰ γαστέρα μέγιστα καὶ ὁ παῖς τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ ὁ πρεσβύτερος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ θηρευτὴς ὑπάρχων τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα καί ποτε μετὰ δρόμον πολὺν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ὑποστρέψας ἀσχέτῳ πείνῃ τῷ προφανέντι βρώματι περιέχανεν, ἀπέδοτο μὲν τῷ ἀδελφῷ τοῦ φακοῦ τὰ πρωτοτόκια· 14.7.2 ἐκεῖθεν δὲ λοιπὸν καὶ τὴν πατρικὴν εὐλογίαν ἐκλάπη καὶ οὕτως κατὰ μικρὸν ἀλλοτριωθεὶς ἀρετῆς καὶ Θεοῦ τὴν πατριαρχικὴν δόξαν ἀπώλεσε καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ κατὰ τὴν οἰκείωσιν χωρισθεὶς αὐτός τε βάρβαρος ἐγένετο καὶ ἀλλόφυλος καὶ τοιοῦτον τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ λαὸν ἀπεγέννησεν. 14.7.3 Αὕτη ἡ νόσος καὶ τὸν τῆς παλαιᾶς ∆ιαθηκῆς λαὸν εἰς παράβασιν τῶν θείων καὶ ἱερῶν νόμων ἐξήγαγεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ Μωϋσέως τῇ ἐπαγ γελίᾳ τῆς δόσεως τοῦ νόμου σχολάζοντος ἐκδιαιτηθέντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι πρὸς τρυφὴν καὶ χορείας ἐτράπησαν, κατὰ μέρος αὐτοὺς ὀλισθαίνοντας καὶ πατοῦντας τὴν εὐνομίαν τοῦ βίου πρὸς ἀσέβειαν ὁ διάβολος ἐφειλκύσατο. 14.7.4 Κἀκεῖθεν λοιπὸν μοσχοποιΐας ἐπιτήδευσις δαιμονῶσα καὶ Ἀαρὼν κοινωνῶν τοῦ μιάσματος καὶ τοῦ νόμου διαφθορὰ καὶ τῶν πλακῶν συντριμμὸς καὶ Μωϋσέως δεύτερος δρόμος ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος καὶ πάντα ταῦτα, ὅσα ἡ ἱστορία σχετλιάζουσα ὀλοφύρεται, ἀπὸ βρώσεως ἀμέτρου τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔσχε καὶ τὴν