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being overcome by passions, then groaning and lamenting, has at least some small excuse; but the one who embraces evil things, and despises the divine commandments, is deprived of all defense. XXX Why did he command the one who gathered sticks on the sabbath to be stoned? As this one was the first to transgress the law, so that he might not become a model of lawlessness; for his punishment instilled fear in all. XXXI For what reason did God command them to put a hyacinth-colored thread on the fringes of their garments? The hyacinth-colored thread imitates the color of heaven. It therefore reminded them of the lawgiver, who fills all things, but is thought to dwell in heaven. "for the heaven," it says, "of heaven is the Lord's." and, "He who dwells in the heavens will laugh at them." This the law also teaches; "for," it says, "you shall see the fringes and remember all the commandments of the Lord to do them, and you shall not turn aside after your thoughts and your eyes, after which you go whoring." 212 XXXII That Korah rebelled against the lawgiver has some reason; for he was from the Levitical tribe; but Dathan and Abiram, and Eliab, tracing their descent from Reuben, what occasion for rebellion do they have? Reuben was the firstborn; and they thought the priesthood was fitting for the firstborn; and they did not consider that their ancestor had fallen from the birthright on account of his transgression. XXXIII What is, "Do not regard their sacrifice"? A contest concerning the priesthood was taking place; and both these and those were about to offer incense, and they used the Lord God as judge. The prophet therefore, being disheartened on account of the leaders of the rebellion, beseeched the judge not to accept what was unlawfully offered by the rebels, and he calls him as a witness to his own fairness; "Do not regard," for he says, "their sacrifice; I have not taken the desired thing of any of them, nor have I harmed any of them." And the judge confirmed the testimony by deed. "Separate yourselves," for he says, "from the midst of this congregation, and I will consume them at once." And again the all-praised Moses demonstrated his own gentleness. For, rolling before the judge, he cried out; "O God of the spirits, and of all flesh, if 213 one man has sinned, is the wrath of the Lord upon the whole congregation"? And the philanthropic Lord, having received the supplication of his servant, commands the others to be separated from the rebels; and having commanded the earth to gape, he made their tents with the men in them go under. And those who had journeyed through the midst of the sea, were swallowed up in the earth. For it is easy for the creator both to create a dry path in the sea, and again to use the earth for punishment instead of the sea. For upon the Egyptians he brought destruction by water, but Dathan and Abiram and the others, he covered with the waves of the earth. These therefore he sent alive to Hades, and he consumed the congregation of Korah with fire. XXXIV Why did God command the firepans of the rebels to become a covering for the altar? For a refutation of those who act insolently against the priesthood, and a confirmation of those appointed to perform sacred rites. For he added this; "a memorial to the sons of Israel, so that no stranger may approach, who is not of the seed of Aaron, to offer incense before the Lord." For this reason he also commanded the rod that budded to be placed in the ark; and again he legislated, that the priests should perform the sacred rites, and the Levites should minister, approaching neither the altar nor the sacred vessels. Then he also teaches what the priests must receive. For the firstfruits of wine and grain, and of oil and bread offered to him, he commanded them to eat. And indeed also the votive offerings, and the firstborn he again declared them to receive; having specified the ransoms for the unclean animals. 214 "For its redemption," he says, "from a month old; the valuation is five shekels, according to the holy shekel, which is twenty obols." And of the clean firstborn animals, he commanded the blood to be poured out beside the

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ἡττώμενος τῶν παθῶν, εἶτα στένων καὶ ὀδυρόμενος, ἔχει τινὰ γοῦν σμικρὰν συγγνώμην· ὁ δὲ τὰ πονηρὰ ἀσπαζόμενος, καὶ τῶν θείων καταφρονῶν ἐντολῶν, πάσης ἀπολογίας ἐστέρηται. XXX ∆ιὰ τί τὸν ἐν τῷ σαββάτῳ συλλέξαντα ξύλα καταλευσθῆναι προσέταξεν; Ὡς πρῶτον τοῦτον παραβεβηκότα τὸν νόμον, ἵνα μὴ γένηται παρανομίας ἀρχέτυπον· ἡ γὰρ τούτου τιμωρία δέος ἐνέθηκεν ἅπασιν. XXXI Τί δήποτε προσέταξεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς κρασπέδοις τῶν ἱματίων κλῶσ μα ὑακίνθινον ἐπιθεῖναι; Τὸ ὑακίνθινον κλῶσμα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ μιμεῖται τὴν χρόαν. ἀνεμίμνησκε τοίνυν αὐτοὺς τοῦ νομοθέτου, ὃς πληροῖ μὲν τὰ πάντα, οἰκεῖν δὲ δοκεῖ τὸν οὐρανόν. " ὁ οὐρανός, γάρ φησι, τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ Κυ ρίῳ ". καί, " ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐκγελάσεται αὐτούς ". τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ νόμος διδάσκει· " ὄψεσθε, γάρ φησι, τὰ κράσπεδα καὶ ἀναμνησθήσεσθε πᾶσας τὰς ἐν τολὰς Κυρίου ποιῆσαι αὐτάς, καὶ οὐ διαστρα φήσεσθε ὀπίσω τῶν διανοιῶν ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν ὀφ θαλμῶν ἐν οἷς ὑμεῖς ἐκπορνεύετε ὀπίσω αὐτῶν ". 212 XXXII Τὸ μέντοι Κορὲ στασιάσαι κατὰ τοῦ νομοθέτου ἔχει τινὰ λόγον· ἐκ γὰρ τῆς λευϊτικῆς ὑπῆρχε φυλῆς· ∆αθὰν δὲ καὶ Ἀβειρών, καὶ Ἐλιάβ, ἐκ τοῦ Ῥουβὴν τὸ γένος κατάγοντες, ποίαν ἔχουσι τῆς στάσεως ἀφορμήν; Πρωτότοκος ἦν ὁ Ῥουβήν· καὶ ᾠήθησαν πρωτοτόκοις τὴν ἱερωσύνην ἁρμόττειν· καὶ οὐκ ἐσκόπησαν, ὡς ὁ πρόγονος αὐτῶν τῶν πρωτοτοκίων διὰ τὴν παρανομίαν ἐξέπεσεν. XXXIII Τί ἐστι, " μὴ πρόσχῃς εἰς τὴν θυσίαν αὐτῶν "; Ἀγὼν περὶ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἐγίνετο· καὶ ἔμελλον καὶ οὗτοι κἀκεῖνοι προσ φέρειν θυμίαμα, κριτῇ δέ, ἐχρῶντο τῷ δεσπότῃ Θεῷ. ἀθυμήσας τοίνυν ὁ προφήτης διὰ τοὺς τῆς στάσεως ἀρχηγούς, ἱκέτευε τὸν κριτήν, μὴ δέξα σθαι τὸ παρανόμως ὑπὸ τῶν στασιαστῶν προσφερόμενον, καὶ εἰς μαρτυ ρίαν αὐτὸν τῆς οἰκείας ἐπιεικείας καλεῖ· " μὴ πρόσχῃς, γάρ φησιν, εἰς θυσίαν αὐτῶν· οὐκ ἐπιθύμημα οὐδενὸς αὐτῶν εἴληφα, οὐδὲ ἐκάκωσα οὐδένα αὐτῶν ". ἔργῳ δὲ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἐβεβαίωσεν ὁ κριτής. " ἀποσχίσθητε, γάρ φησιν, ἐκ μέσου τῆς συναγωγῆς ταύτης καὶ ἐξαναλώσω αὐτοὺς εἰς ἅπαξ ". δεδήλωκε δὲ πάλιν ὁ πανεύφημος Μωϋσῆς τὴν οἰκείαν πραότητα. προκυλινδούμενος γὰρ τοῦ κριτοῦ ἐβόα· " ὁ Θεὸς τῶν πνευμάτων, καὶ πάσης σαρκός, εἰ ἄν 213 θρωπος εἷς ἥμαρτεν, ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν συναγωγὴν ἡ ὀργὴ Κυρίου "; δεξάμενος δὲ ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Κύριος τὴν τοῦ θεράποντος ἱκετείαν, τῶν μὲν στασιαστῶν ἀποκριθῆναι κελεύει τοὺς ἄλ λους· χῆναι δὲ νεύσας τῇ γῇ, αὐτάνδρους τὰς σκηνὰς ὑποβρυχίους ἀπέ φηνε· καὶ οἱ διὰ μέσης θαλάσσης ὁδεύσαντες, ἐν τῇ γῇ κατεπόθησαν. ῥᾴ διον γὰρ τῷ ποιητῇ καὶ ξηρὰν ὁδὸν ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ δημιουργεῖν, καὶ τῇ γῇ πάλιν εἰς τιμωρίαν ἀντὶ θαλάσσης κεχρῆσθαι. τοῖς μὲν γὰρ αἰγυπτίοις τὸν δι' ὕδατος ἐπήγαγεν ὄλεθρον, τὸν δὲ ∆αθὰν καὶ Ἀβειρὼν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους, τοῖς τῆς γῆς συνεκάλυψε κύμασι. τούτους μὲν οὖν ζῶντας τῷ ᾅδῃ παρέπεμψε, τοῦ δὲ Κορὲ τὴν συναγωγὴν πυρὶ κατηνάλωσεν. XXXIV ∆ιὰ τί προσέταξεν ὁ Θεὸς τὰ τῶν στασιαστῶν πυρεῖα τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ γενέσθαι περίθεμα; Εἰς ἔλεγχον τῶν κατὰ τῆς ἱερωσύνης θρασυνομένων, καὶ βεβαίωσιν τῶν ἱερουργεῖν προστεταγμένων. τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγε· " μνημόσυνον τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ, ὅπως ἂν μὴ προσέλθῃ μηδεὶς ἀλλογενής, ὃς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος Ἀα ρών, ἐπιθεῖναι θυμίαμα ἔναντι Κυρίου ". τούτου χάριν καὶ τὴν βλαστήσασαν ῥάβδον ἐντεθῆναι προσέταξεν τῇ κιβωτῷ· καὶ πάλιν ἐνομοθέτησε, τοὺς μὲν ἱερέας ἱερουργεῖν, τοὺς δὲ λευΐτας ὑπουρ γεῖν, μήτε τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ, μήτε τοῖς ἱεροῖς πελάζοντας σκεύεσιν. εἶτα διδάσκει καὶ τίνα χρὴ τοὺς ἱερέας λαμβάνειν. τὰς γὰρ αὐτῷ προσφερο μένας ἀπαρχὰς οἴνου καὶ σίτου, καὶ ἐλαίου καὶ ἄρτων, αὐτοὺς ἐσθίειν ἐκέλευσε. καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὰ ἀναθήματα, καὶ τὰ πρωτότοκα αὐτοὺς πάλιν λαμβάνειν διηγόρευσε· τῶν μὲν ἀκαθάρτων κτηνῶν ὁρίσας τὰ λύτρα. 214 " ἡ λύτρωσις γὰρ αὐτοῦ, φησίν, ἀπὸ μηνιαίου· ἡ συντίμησις πέντε σίκλων, κατὰ τὸν σίκλον τὸν ἅγιον, εἴκοσι ὀβολοί εἰσι ". τῶν δὲ καθαρῶν πρωτοτόκων ζῴων, τὸ μὲν αἷμα ἐκχεθῆναι προσέταξε παρὰ τὴν