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this is affliction; and God causes it for the conversion of those being afflicted, medically healing the diseases of the soul, as if through cauterizations and incisions, - 3.26 The appellation "wickedness" denotes the worst disposition, whence God said concerning the Ninevites: "The cry of their wickedness has come up to me." This same thing is also presented from an apostolic saying about impious men which goes as follows: "And just as they did not see fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness," and so forth. 3.27 In either case, therefore, he who obeys the law of God does not reckon wickedness in his heart against his neighbor, "not rendering evil for evil," not being opposed to the one who has disposed him wickedly, but neither, according to the meaning of the word "wickedness," does he reckon anything against his neighbor, wishing to defraud in turn and to do injustice in turn. 3.28 For the one who wishes to remember the wickedness of his neighbor in his own heart, it immediately follows that he, with a perjured mind, "loves a false oath." 3.29 Having forbidden all these things in order, the Giver of the divine law revealed the reason for forbidding them, saying: "All these things I have hated." For how could he not hate a falsely sworn oath, who commands: "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain"? 3.30 Just as he rejects and turns away from perjury and the other sins, hating that each one does not speak truth with his neighbor, and the one who troubles and does not render a peaceful judgment, and the wrathful and resentful one who reckons the wickedness of his neighbor in his heart. And in Malachi he says in agreement with what is written here: "And all the things that I hated, you did." Likewise in Proverbs concerning the one who sins greatly, it is said enigmatically among other things: "He is crushed because of the impurity of his soul, since he rejoices in all that God hates." He who takes pleasure in those things which the good Father hates is crushed by his own sin, which is the impurity of soul and mind of the one who acts. 3.31 Zach. VIII, 18-19: And the word of the Lord Almighty came to me, saying: Thus says the Lord Almighty: The fast of the fourth and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah for joy and for gladness and for good feasts, and you shall rejoice, and love truth and peace. 3.32 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me, says the prophet, commanding to fast on the fourth and fifth and seventh and tenth, of the month, clearly; for it is not possible for the tenth to be of the week, as we also noted before. And it is likely that the Lord Almighty commands these things concerning the seventh month according to the Hebrews, in which the day called of atonement and humility is performed, which the Jews celebrate publicly, calling it a fast, those coming to the public fast purifying themselves beforehand on the fourth and fifth and seventh. 3.33 In how many ways and how a fast is observed according to divine law was clarified in the preceding; in addition to those things, it must now also be said that one must abstain just as from pleasure-loving luxury, so also from the allegorically harmful and poisonous foods; for a good state will succeed those who have confessed, who are called the house of Judah, joy, gladness and good feasts, they celebrating in thinking and doing what is proper, according to what is said in the Psalms: "The voice of exultation and confession of the sound of those celebrating"; and again: "Appoint a festival with dense boughs up to the horns of the altar." With these things agrees what is recited in another ode as follows: "The thought of man shall confess to you, and the remnant of thought shall celebrate to you." 3.34 And good feasts are accomplished when the spiritual Jerusalem lives peacefully, being a vision of peace, the feasts not occurring joyfully when enemies prevail. For when matters are thus, the

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τοῦτ' ἔστιν κάκωσις· ποιεῖ δ' αὐτὴν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ ἐπιστροφῇ τῶν κακουμένων, τὰς νόσους τῆς ψυχῆς θεραπεύων ἰατρικῶς, οἷον εἰ διὰ καυτήρων καὶ τομῶν, - 3.26 δηλοῖ ἡ κακία προσηγορία τὴν χειρίστην διάθεσιν, ἐξ οὗπερ ὁ Θεὸς περὶ Νινευιτῶν εἶπεν· «Ἀνέβη ἡ κραυγὴ τῆς κακίας αὐτῶν πρός με.» Τοῦτο αὐτὸ παρίσταται καὶ ἐκ λέξεως ἀποστολικῆς περὶ ἀσεβῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐχούσης ὧδε· «Καθὼς οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν τὸν Θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει, παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα, πεπληρωμένους πάσης ἀδικίας, κακίας», καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. 3.27 Ἑκατέρως τοίνυν ὁ ὑπακούων τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ κακίαν οὐ λογίζεται ἐν καρδίᾳ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κατὰ τοῦ πλησίον, «οὐκ ἀποδιδοὺς κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ», οὐκ ἀντιδιατιθεὶς τὸν κακωτικῶς αὐτὸν διαθέντα, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ κατὰ τὸ εἶδος τῆς κακίας σημαινόμενον λογίζεταί τι κατὰ τοῦ πέλας, ἀντιπλεονεκτεῖν καὶ ἀνταδικεῖν ἐθέλων. 3.28 Τῷ μνησικακεῖν τὴν κακίαν τοῦ πλησίον ἐν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ καρδίᾳ βουλομένῳ εὐθὺς ἕπεται ἐπιόρκῳ γνώμῃ «ἀγαπᾶν ὅρκον ψευδῆ». 3.29 Πάντα ἑξῆς ἀπαγορεύσας ὁ τοῦ θείου νόμου δοτήρ, τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ ἀπειπεῖν αὐτὰ ἐφανέρωσεν, φήσας· «Ταῦτα πάντα ἐμίσησα.» Πῶς γὰρ οὐ μισεῖ τὸν ψευδῶς τελούμενον ὅρκον ὁ ἐντελλόμενος· «Οὐ λήμψει τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου Θεοῦ σου ἐπὶ ματαίῳ»; 3.30 Ὥσπερ δὲ ἐπιορκίαν καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἁμαρτίας παραιτεῖται καὶ ἀποστρέφεται, μισῶν τὸ μὴ λαλεῖν ἕκαστον ἀλήθειαν τῷ πλησίον, καὶ τὸν ταράττοντα καὶ εἰρηνικὸν κρίμα μὴ ποιοῦντα καὶ τὸν ὀργίλον καὶ βαρύμηνιν λογιζόμενον κακίαν τοῦ πλησίον ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ καρδίᾳ. Καὶ ἐν τῷ Μαλαχίᾳ συμφώνως λέγει τῷ ἐνταυθὶ γεγραμμένῳ· «Καὶ πάντα ἃ ἐμίσουν ἐποιεῖτε.» Ὡσαύτως ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις περὶ τοῦ πολλὰ ἁμαρτάνοντος μετ' αἰνιγμοῦ εἴρηται πρὸς ἑτέροις· «Συντρίβεται δι' ἀκαθαρσίαν ψυχῆς, ἐπεὶ χαίρει πᾶσιν οἷς μισεῖ ὁ Θεός.» Ὁ ἡδόμενος ἐφ' οἷς μισεῖ ὁ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ Πατὴρ συντρίβεται διὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτίας, οὔσης ἀκαθαρσίας ψυχῆς καὶ διανοίας τοῦ δρῶντος. 3.31 Zach. VIII, 18-19: Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου παντοκράτορος πρός με λέγων· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ· Νηστεία ἡ τετρὰς καὶ νηστεία ἡ πέμπτη καὶ νηστεία ἡ ἑβδόμη καὶ νηστεία ἡ δεκάτη ἔσονται τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰούδα εἰς χαρὰν καὶ εἰς εὐφροσύνην καὶ εἰς ἑορτὰς ἀγαθὰς καὶ εὐφρανθήσεσθε, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην ἀγαπήσατε. 3.32 Ὁ λόγος Κυρίου παντοκράτορος πρὸς ἐμὲ γενάμενος, φησὶν ὁ προφήτης, προσέταξεν νηστεῦσαι τὴν τετράδα καὶ πέμπτην καὶ ἑβδόμην καὶ δεκάτην, τοῦ μηνὸς δηλονότι· οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε σαββάτου δεκάτην εἶναι, ὡς καὶ πρότερον ἐπεσημειωσάμεθα. Καὶ εἰκός γε περὶ τοῦ καθ' Ἑβραίους ἑβδόμου μηνὸς ταῦτα προστάττειν Κύριον τὸν παντοκράτορα, ἐν ᾧ ἡ καλουμένη ἐξιλασμοῦ καὶ ταπεινώσεως ἡμέρα ἐπιτελεῖται, ἣν ἄγουσιν Ἰουδαῖοι δημοτελῶς νηστείαν προσαγορεύοντες αὐτήν, προαγνιζομένων ἐν τῇ τετράδι καὶ πέμπτῃ καὶ ἑβδόμῃ τῶν ἐπὶ τὴν δημοτελῆ νηστείαν ἐρχομένων. 3.33 Ποσαχῶς δὲ καὶ πῶς νηστεία νόμῳ θείῳ ἄγεται, ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐσαφηνίσθη· πρὸς ἐκείνοις καὶ νῦν ῥητέον ὅτι ἀφεκτέον ὥσπερ τῆς φιληδόνου τρυφῆς, οὕτω καὶ τῶν κατ' ἀλληγορίαν βλαβερῶν καὶ δηλητηρίων τροφῶν· διαδέξεται γὰρ εὐπάθεια τοὺς ἐξομολογησαμένους, καλουμένους οἶκος τοῦ Ἰούδα, χαρά, εὐφροσύνη καὶ ἀγαθαὶ ἑορταί, ἑορτάζοντας αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ φρονεῖν καὶ πράττειν τὰ δέοντα, κατὰ τὰ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς εἰρημένα· «Φωνὴ ἀγαλλιάσεως καὶ ἐξομολογήσεως ἤχου ἑορταζόντων»· καὶ πάλιν· «Συστήσασθε ἑορτὴν ἐν τοῖς πυκάζουσιν ἕως τῶν κεράτων τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου.» Τούτοις συνᾴδει τὸ ἐν ἑτέρᾳ ᾠδῇ ἀπαγγελλόμενον οὕτως· «Ἐνθύμιον ἀνθρώπου ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι καὶ ἐγκατάλειμμα ἐνθυμίου ἑορτάσει σοι.» 3.34 Ἀγαθαὶ δὲ ἑορταὶ ἐπιτελοῦνται ὅταν εἰρηνικῶς διάγῃ ἡ Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἡ πνευματική, οὖσα εἰρήνης ὅρασις, οὐχ ἱλαρῶς τῶν ἑορτῶν γινομένων ὅταν πολέμιοι κρατῶσιν. Ὅταν γὰρ οὕτως ἔχῃ τὰ πράγματα, ὁ