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enmity in his flesh ". After the prophet had spoken these things concerning the blessing, and had recounted how he also anointed the tabernacle, and what the tribal leaders brought; he taught how he received with his ears a divine voice coming from the mercy seat; which was upon the ark, and was covered by the wings of the cherubim. He did not write these things out of ambition, but to teach that from there the Lord God would show His own glory to the high priests entering once a year, in a way that human nature was able to see. XII Why, when He commanded the Levites to be consecrated, did He order their entire body to be stripped of hair? Hair is a symbol of death; for it is dead and does not receive the sensation of pain. He commands, therefore, those who minister to God to have true life, and to have nothing dead, nor foul-smelling. The divine Paul teaches us this also; "For I have been crucified with Christ," he says, "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." For, he says, I have dedicated myself to the divine energies. XIII Why does He command the Levites to minister from the twenty-fifth year until the fiftieth? 1 Because the first age does not have a perfect discernment of good and evil. The last, however, has a weaker body. He therefore excludes both youth and old age; the one because of the immaturity of the soul, the other because of the weakness of the body. XIV For what reason were those who were unclean because of a dead body unable to celebrate the Passover? The reason is connected with the excuse. For being in mourning, and having given some of their relatives over to burial, they were unclean according to the prescription of the law. Fearing, therefore, that in fulfilling the commandment of the Passover, they might transgress the one laid down concerning the unclean and fall into a contradiction of the law, they told the lawgiver the reason; but not even he dared to answer until he had asked the Lord. For Joshua the son of Nun fell into this error, by receiving the Gibeonites before asking. The Lord God therefore commanded that those who fall into this defilement, or who dwell far away, and for this reason are unable to celebrate the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, should celebrate the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month; and He commanded also that the proselytes should share in the same things. "For there shall be," he says, "one law for you, both for the proselyte, and for him that is native in the land." And through these he foretells the calling of the gentiles. XV How should this be understood: "You shall sound an alarm with the trumpets when you set out; and when you gather the assembly, you shall blow the trumpets, but not sound an alarm"? 2 The all-wise Paul says, "if the trumpet gives an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?" There were, therefore, differences in sound, and one signified rest, another the journey; and one trumpet sounding called the rulers, but the two called the people and the rulers. However, the blowing of the trumpet was assigned only to the priests, since the trumpet signified the call of God. For he added this: "And if you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord and you will be saved from your enemies. Also in the days of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the Lord your God." For since God, when giving the law on Mount Sinai, deafened their ears with a very great sound of trumpets, he reminds them of that epiphany through the sound of the trumpets; whence the blessed David, singing a psalm, said: "Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the appointed time, on our solemn feast day." Through these things we too are taught, when gathering the entire assembly of the people, to blow the trumpet and not to sound an alarm. For we speak obscurely about the divine mysteries because of the uninitiated; but when these are separated, we clearly teach the initiated. XVI Why did the divine Moses, having named his father-in-law Jethro in Exodus, now call him

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ἔχθραν ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ αὐτοῦ ". ταῦτα περὶ τῆς εὐλογίας διαλεχθεὶς ὁ προφήτης, καὶ διηγησάμενος ὅπως καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν ἔχρισε, καὶ τίνα οἱ φύλαρχοι προσεκόμισαν· ἐδίδαξεν ὅπως θείαν φωνὴν τοῖς ὠσὶν εἰσεδέξατο ἐκ τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου φερομένην· ὃ ἐπέκειτο μὲν τῇ κιβωτῷ, ταῖς δὲ τῶν χερουβὶμ συνεκαλύπτετο πτέρυξι. ταῦτα δὲ οὐ φιλοτιμού μενος γέγραφεν, ἀλλὰ διδάσκων ὡς ἐκεῖθεν τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσιν ἅπαξ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ εἰσιοῦσι τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπιδείξει δόξαν ὁ δεσπότης Θεός, ὅπως ἦν ἰδεῖν οἷά τε τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις. XII Τί δήποτε τοὺς λευΐτας ἁγιασθῆναι κελεύσας, ἅπαν τὸ σῶμα τῶν τρι χῶν γυμνωθῆναι προσέταξεν; Αἱ τρίχες, τῆς νεκρώσεως σύμβολον· νεκραὶ γὰρ αὗται καὶ ὀδύνης αἴσθη σιν οὐ δεχόμεναι. τὴν ἀληθῆ τοίνυν ζωὴν ἔχειν κελεύει τοὺς τῷ Θεῷ λει τουργοῦντας, καὶ μηδὲν νεκρὸν ἔχειν, μηδὲ δυσῶδες. τοῦτο καὶ ὁ θεσ πέσιος ἡμᾶς διδάσκει Παῦλος· " Χριστῷ, γάρ φησι, συνεσ ταύρωμαι· ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χρισ τός ". ταῖς γὰρ θείαις, φησί, ἐνεργείαις ἐμαυτὸν ἀφιέρωσα. XIII ∆ιὰ τί μετὰ πέμπτον καὶ εἰκοστὸν ἔτος μέχρι τοῦ πεντηκοστοῦ λειτουργεῖν τοὺς λευΐτας κελεύει; 1 Ἐπειδὴ ἡ μὲν πρώτη ἡλικία τελείαν οὐκ ἔχει τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ κακῶν τὴν 1 διάκρισιν. ἡ τελευταία δὲ ἀσθενέστερον ἔχει τὸ σῶμα. ἀποκρίνει τοίνυν καὶ τὴν νεότητα, καὶ τὸ γήρας· τὴν μὲν διὰ τὸ ἀτελὲς τῆς ψυχῆς, τὸ δὲ διὰ τὸ τοῦ σώματος ἀσθενές. XIV Τίνος χάριν οὐκ ἠδύναντο ἐπιτελέσαι τὸ Πάσχα οἱ ἀκάθαρτοι ἐπὶ ψυχῇ; Συνῆπται ἡ αἰτία τῇ παραιτήσει. ὡς γὰρ ἀπὸ κήδους ὄντες, καί τινας τῶν οἰκείων ταφῇ παραδεδωκότες, ἀκάθαρτοι κατὰ τὴν τοῦ νόμου δια γόρευσιν ἦσαν. δεδιότες τοίνυν, μὴ τοῦ Πάσχα πληροῦντες τὴν ἐντολήν, παραβῶσι τὴν περὶ τῶν ἀκαθάρτων κειμένην καὶ ἀντινομίᾳ περιπέσωσι, τὴν αἰτίαν τὸν νομοθέτην ἐδίδαξαν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οὗτος ἐτόλμησεν ἀποκρί νασθαι ἕως τὸν δεσπότην ἠρώτησε. ταύτῃ γὰρ τῇ πλημμελείᾳ Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ περιπέπτωκε, πρὸ τῆς ἐρωτήσεως τοὺς γαβαωνίτας δεξά μενος. προσέταξε τοίνυν ὁ δεσπότης Θεὸς τοὺς τῷ μιασμῷ τούτῳ περι πίπτοντας, ἢ πόρρωθεν οἰκοῦντας, καὶ τούτου χάριν τῇ τεσσαρεσκαι δεκάτῃ τοῦ πρώτου μηνὸς ἐπιτελέσαι τὸ Πάσχα μὴ δυναμένους, τῇ τεσ σαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ δευτέρου μηνὸς ἐπιτελέσαι τὸ Πάσχα· ἐκέλευσε δὲ καὶ τοὺς προσηλύτους τῶν ἴσων μεταλαχεῖν. " νόμος, γάρ φησιν, εἷς ἔσται ὑμῖν, καὶ τῷ προσηλύτῳ, καὶ τῷ αὐ τόχθονι τῆς γῆς ". διὰ δὲ τούτων τῶν ἐθνῶν προμηνύει τὴν κλῆσιν. XV Πῶς νοητέον τό. " σημασίᾳ σαλπιεῖτε ἐν τῇ ἐξάρσει ὑμῶν· καὶ ὅταν συναγάγητε τὴν συναγωγήν, σαλπιεῖτε καὶ οὐ σημασίᾳ "; 2 Ὁ πάνσοφος λέγει Παῦλος. " ἐὰν μὴ εὔσημον σάλπιγξ φωνὴν δῷ, τίς παρασκευάσεται εἰς πόλεμον "; διαφοραὶ τοίνυν ἦσαν ἠχῆς, καὶ ἡ μὲν τὴν ἀνάπαυλαν, ἡ δὲ τὴν ὁδοι πορίαν ἐδήλουν· καὶ μία μὲν ἠχοῦσα σάλπιγξ ἐκάλει τοὺς ἄρχοντας, αἱ δὲ δύο τὸν λαὸν καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας. τὸ μέντοι σαλπίζειν μόνοις ἀπενεμήθη τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν κλῆσιν ἡ σάλπιγξ ἐμήνυε. τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγε· " ἐὰν ἐξέλθητε εἰς πόλεμον ἐν τῇ γῇ ὑμῶν πρὸς τοὺς ὑπεναντίους τοὺς ἀνθεστηκότας ὑμῖν, καὶ σημανεῖτε ταῖς σάλπιγξιν, καὶ ἀναμνησ θήσεσθε ἔναντι Κυρίου καὶ διασωθήσεσθε ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὑμῶν. καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῆς εὐ φροσύνης ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐν ταῖς νεομηνίαις ὑμῶν, σαλπιεῖτε ταῖς σάλ πιγξιν ἐπὶ τοῖς ὁλοκαυτώμασι, καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις τῶν σωτηρίων ὑμῶν, καὶ ἔσται ὑμῖν ἀνάμνησις ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν, ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν ". ἐπειδὴ γὰρ νομοθετῶν ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῷ Σινᾷ ὄρει μεγίστῃ σαλπίγγων ἠχῇ τὰς ἀκοὰς αὐτῶν κατεκτύπησε, τῆς ἐπιφανείας αὐτοὺς ἐκείνης ἀναμιμνήσκει διὰ τῆς τῶν σαλπίγγων ἠχῆς· ὅθεν ὁ μα κάριος ∆αβὶδ μελῳδῶν ἔφη· " σαλπίσατε ἐν νεομηνίᾳ σάλπιγγι, ἐν εὐσήμῳ ἡμέρᾳ ἑορτῆς ὑμῶν ". διὰ δὲ τούτων καὶ ἡμεῖς διδασκόμεθα πᾶσαν ἀθροίζοντες τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν συ ναγωγὴν σαλπίζειν καὶ οὐ σημασίᾳ. ἀσήμως γὰρ διὰ τοὺς ἀμυήτους περὶ τῶν θείων διαλεγόμεθα μυστηρίων· τούτων δὲ χωριζομένων, σαφῶς τοὺς μεμυημένους διδάσκομεν. XVI ∆ιὰ τί τὸν κηδεστὴν ὁ θεῖος Μωϋσῆς Ἰοθὼρ ὀνομάσας ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ, νῦναὐτὸν ἐκάλεσε