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performing the liturgies, they did not, however, perform these in one place, but 239 at each station. For they were continually moving. since indeed they had spent forty years in the desert. Therefore, he forbids doing similar things in the land of promise, so that they might not take a pretext to sacrifice to falsely named gods. And he commands to perform the divine liturgies in that place alone which the Lord God shall choose. In that place he exhorts to both sacrifice and feast; " for, he says, there will be the place, which the Lord your God will choose, for his name to be called upon there, there you shall bring all that I command you today, your whole burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes and the first fruits of your hands, " and so forth. The other interpreters translated "the gifts" as "the voluntary offerings," that is, whatever you might willingly wish to offer. Then, having forbidden offering sacrifices in every place, if they should desire to partake of meat, he permitted them to partake in the cities in which they dwell, with the priest sacrificing, but the blood being poured out upon the earth. And he commanded the unclean along with the clean to enjoy such meats without distinction, teaching that such sacrifices are common, and not divine. For indeed it was not permitted for the unclean to partake of the sacrifices, whence he reasonably added: " you shall eat it as a gazelle or a deer ". And these were clean, but were not offered for sacrifice. X Having legislated to offer the tithes to the priests, how did he say, " you shall not be able to eat in your cities the tithes 240 of your grain, and of your wine and of your oil "? He commanded that two tithes of one's possessions be set aside; and that one be offered to the Levites, and the other be sold, and its price be spent on their feasting and for the care of the widows and the orphans, and of the proselytes. And he commanded them to feast near the divine temple. And these things the all-wise Lord has legislated, freeing them from the error of falsely named gods. For since the teacher of impiety, by enslaving the human race through gluttony and love of pleasure, mixed many amusements into the feasts of the demons, the resourceful Lord, delivering Israel from that error, both legislated concerning the feasts, and permitted the sacrifices, and endured musical instruments, and commanded them to feast with such entertainments, cutting off the impiety of idols. XI Why indeed does he continually forbid the eating of blood? The lawgiver himself has said that its blood is its life. Nevertheless, I think the law also deals with something else. For it heals their bloodthirsty mind, for if to eat the blood of irrational animals is to eat life, it is much more unholy to separate the rational soul from the body. XII By what power does the prophet who teaches contrary things work wonders? The demons act by God's permission. Thus also the magicians of Pharaoh performed the miracle of the rod and of the river and of the frogs; the all-wise God having yielded on account of the folly of the one commanding. For he commanded them to intensify the divinely-sent plagues, but they did not have the power to remove the punishments, nor indeed were they able 241 to bring forth the gnat. For they performed only what God permitted; this he has also shown here. For having said, " if a prophet arises among you dreaming a dream, and gives a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you; and he should say, let us go and worship other gods whom you have not known; you shall not listen to that prophet or to the one dreaming that dream, because the Lord your God is testing you, whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your mind. " Therefore, with God permitting, the false prophet works wonders. But we are taught not to pay attention to signs, whenever he who does these things teaches things contrary to piety. And he commanded that the false prophet be killed, and the people be delivered from the wicked teaching. " You shall destroy,

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λειτουργίας ἐπιτελοῦντες, οὐκ ἐν ἑνὶ μέντοι τόπῳ ταύτας ἐπετέλουν, ἀλλ' 239 ἐν ἑκάστῳ σταθμῷ. συνεχῶς γὰρ μετέβαινον. ἅτε δὴ τεσσαρακοντούτην χρόνον ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καταναλώσαντες. ἀπαγορεύει τοίνυν ἐν τῇ γῇ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὰ παραπλήσια δρᾶν, ἵνα μὴ πρόφασιν λάβωσι τοῖς ψευδω νύμοις θύειν θεοῖς. παρεγγυᾷ δὲ ἐν ἐκείνῳ μόνῳ τῷ τόπῳ τὰς θείας ἐπι τελεῖν λειτουργίας, ὃν ἂν ἐκλέξηται Κύριος ὁ Θεός. ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ τόπῳ καὶ θύειν καὶ εὐωχεῖσθαι παρακελεύεται· " ἔσται, γάρ φησιν, ὁ τό πος, ὃν ἂν ἐκλέξηται Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν, ἐπι κληθῆναι ἐκεῖ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, ἐκεῖ οἴσετε πάντα ὅσα ἐγὼ ἐντέλλομαι ὑμῖν σήμερον, τὰ ὁλοκαυ τώματα ὑμῶν, καὶ τὰ θυσιάσματα ὑμῶν, τὰ ἐπι δέκατα ὑμῶν καὶ τὰς ἀπαρχὰς τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν ", καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. τὰ δὲ δόματα οἱ λοιποὶ " τὰ ἑκούσια " ἡρμήνευσαν, του τέστιν, ὅσα ἂν ἑκόντες προσενεγκεῖν ἐθελήσητε. εἶτα ἀπαγορεύσας τὸ ἐν παν τὶ τόπῳ τὰς θυσίας προσφέρειν, εἰ κρεῶν μεταλαβεῖν ἐπιθυμήσαιεν, μετα λαβεῖν συνεχώρησεν, ἐν αἷς κατοικοῦσι πόλεσι, τοῦ μὲν ἱερέως θύοντος, τοῦ δὲ αἵματος εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐκχεομένου. ἐκέλευσε δὲ καὶ τὸν ἀκάθαρτον σὺν τῷ καθαρῷ τῶν τοιούτων ἀδιαφόρως ἀπολαῦσαι κρεῶν, διδάσκων ὡς τὰ τοιαῦτα θύματα κοινά ἐστι, καὶ οὐ θεῖα. τῶν γὰρ δὴ θυσιῶν οὐκ ἐξὸν ἦν τοῖς ἀκαθάρτοις μεταλαμβάνειν, ὅθεν εἰκότως ἐπήγαγεν· " φάγετε αὐτὸ ὡς δορκάδα ἢ ἔλαφον ". ταῦτα δὲ καθαρὰ μὲν ἦν, εἰς δὲ θυσίαν οὐ προσεφέρετο. X Τὰς δεκάτας τοῖς ἱερεῦσι προσφέρειν νομοθετήσας, πῶς ἔφη, " οὐ δυ νήσῃ φαγεῖν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσί σου τὰ ἐπιδέκατα 240 τοῦ σίτου σου, καὶ τοῦ οἴνου σου καὶ τοῦ ἐλαίου σου "; ∆ύο δεκάτας ἀφιεροῦσθαι τῶν ὄντων προσέταξε· καὶ τὴν μὲν τοῖς λευΐταις προσφέρεσθαι, τὴν δὲ ἄλλην διαπιπράσκεσθαι, καὶ τὴν ταύτης τιμὴν εἰς τὴν αὐτῶν εὐωχίαν καὶ τὴν τῶν χηρῶν καὶ τῶν ὀρφανῶν, καὶ τῶν προ σηλύτων ἀναλίσκεσθαι θεραπείαν. εὐωχεῖσθαι δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐκέλευσε παρὰ τὸν θεῖον νεών. ταῦτα δὲ ὁ πάνσοφος νενομοθέτηκε Κύριος, τῆς τῶν ψευ δωνύμων αὐτοὺς θεῶν πλάνης ἐλευθερῶν. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ τῆς ἀσεβείας διδάσκαλος διὰ γαστριμαργίας καὶ φιληδονίας ἐξανδραποδίζων τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ γένος, ταῖς τῶν δαιμόνων ἑορταῖς πολλὰς ἀνέμιξε παιγ νίας, ἐκείνης τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἀπαλλάττων τῆς πλάνης ὁ εὐμήχανος Κύριος καὶ τὰ περὶ τῶν ἑορτῶν ἐνομοθέτησε, καὶ τὰς θυσίας συνεχώρησε, καὶ τῶν μουσικῶν ὀργάνων ἠνέσχετο, καὶ εὐωχεῖσθαι προσέταξε ταῖς τοιαύ ταις ψυχαγωγίαις τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων ἐκκόπτων ἀσέβειαν. XI Τί δήποτε συνεχῶς ἀπαγορεύει τὴν τοῦ αἵματος βρῶσιν; Ἔφη μὲν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ νομοθέτης, ὅτι τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἐστι. πλὴν οἶμαι τὸν νόμον καὶ ἕτερον πραγματεύεσθαι. τὴν μιαιφόνον γὰρ αὐτῶν ἰατρεύει γνώμην, εἰ γὰρ τὸ τῶν ἀλόγων αἷμα φαγεῖν, ψυχήν ἐστι φαγεῖν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἀνόσιον τὸ τὴν λογικὴν ψυχὴν χωρίσαι τοῦ σώματος. XII Ἐκ ποίας δυνάμεως ὁ τἀναντία διδάσκων προφήτης θαυματουργεῖ; Τοῦ Θεοῦ συγχωροῦντος ἐνεργοῦσιν οἱ δαίμονες. οὕτω καὶ τοῦ Φαραὼ οἱ φαρμακοὶ καὶ τὸ τῆς ῥάβδου καὶ τὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ τὸ τῶν βατρά χων εἰργάσαντο· ἐνδεδωκότος τοῦ πανσόφου Θεοῦ διὰ τὴν τοῦ προσ τάττοντος ἄνοιαν. ἐπιτείνειν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐκέλευσε τὰς θεηλάτους πληγάς, λύειν μέντοι τὰς τιμωρίας οὐκ ἴσχυον, οὔτε μὴν τὸν σκνῖπα ἐξαγαγεῖν 241 ἠδυνήθησαν. ἃ γὰρ συνεχώρησεν ὁ Θεὸς εἰργάσαντο μόνα· τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα δεδήλωκεν. εἰρηκὼς γάρ, " ἐὰν ἀναστῇ ἐν σοὶ προ φήτης ἐνυπνιαζόμενος ἐνύπνιον, καὶ δώσει ση μεῖον ἢ τέρας, καὶ ἔλθῃ τὸ σημεῖον ἢ τὸ τέρας, ὃ ἐλάλησε πρὸς σέ· καὶ εἴπῃ, πορευθῶμεν καὶ λατρεύσωμεν θεοῖς ἑτέροις οἷς οὐκ οἴδατε· οὐκ εἰσακούσεσθε τοῦ προφήτου ἐκείνου ἢ τοῦ ἐνυπ νιαζομένου τὸ ἐνύπνιον ἐκεῖνο, ὅτι πειράζει Κύ ριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν, εἰ ἀγαπᾶτε Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ὑμῶν ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐκ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν ". τοιγάρτοι τοῦ Θεοῦ συγχωροῦντος ὁ ψευδοπρο φήτης τερατουργεῖ. διδασκόμεθα δὲ μὴ προσέχειν σημείοις, ὅτ' ἂν ὁ ταῦτα δρῶν ἐναντία τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ διδάσκει. ἐκέλευσε δὲ καὶ τὸν ψευδοπροφήτην ἀποκτανθῆναι, καὶ τὸν λαὸν τῆς πονηρᾶς διδασκαλίας ἀπαλλαγῆναι. " ἀφανιεῖτε,