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serving a master as a father, but as ungrateful slaves even if they might set aside a small and very little part of their own life for God, and this out of fear of the reckonings and punishments for the transgression; “for a law is not laid down for a righteous man,” but for the unrighteous. Since Moses first, having waited upon God with fasting for forty days and again for another forty, surely afflicted himself by fasting also on the Sabbaths, though the law commanded not to afflict themselves on the Sabbath day. But if they should say that this was before the law, what will they say about Elijah the Tishbite, who completed a forty-day journey on one meal? For this man, having afflicted himself not only by fasting but also by traveling on the Sabbaths of the forty days, broke the Sabbath, and He who had given the law was not angered by this, but even as a prize for his virtue revealed Himself on Horeb. And what will they say about Daniel? Did he not continue without food for three weeks? And what of all Israel? Do they not circumcise the child on the Sabbath, if it happens to be the eighth day? And the great fast, which they have legislated for themselves, if it should fall on a Sabbath, do they not fast? And do not also the priests and the Levites in the works of the tabernacle profane the Sabbath and are blameless? But also a beast, if it should fall into a pit on the Sabbath, the one who pulls it out is blameless, but the one who overlooks it is condemned. And what of all Israel? Did they not for seven days, carrying the ark of God, go around the walls of Jericho, among which days was surely also the Sabbath? As I said, therefore, for the sake of leisure for God, so that they might render to Him at least the smallest portion, and that both the slave and the beast of burden might rest, the observance of the Sabbath was devised for those still infants and enslaved under the elements of the world, for the carnal and those unable to conceive anything beyond the body and the letter. “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His only-begotten Son, born of a woman as a man, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” For as many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become children of God, to those who believe in Him. So we are no longer slaves but sons, no longer under law but under grace; no longer serving the Lord partially out of fear, but obligated to dedicate to Him the whole time of our life and always causing the slave, I mean anger and desire, to cease from sin and allowing it to have leisure for God; always stretching all desire towards God, and arming our anger against the enemies of God; and the beast of burden, that is the body, similarly giving it rest from the slavery of sin, but urging it to be of service to the divine commandments. These things the spiritual law of the Lord commands us, and those who keep it have become superior to the Mosaic law; for when the perfect comes, that which is in part has been done away, and with the veil of the law, that is, the curtain, having been torn by the Savior's crucifixion and the Spirit having shone forth in tongues of fire, the letter is abolished, the bodily things have ceased, the law of slavery has been fulfilled, and a law of freedom has been given to us. And we celebrate the perfect rest of human nature, I mean, the day of resurrection, on which the Lord Jesus, the author of life and Savior, led us into the inheritance promised to those who worship God spiritually, into which He Himself entered as our forerunner, having risen from the dead and, with the heavenly gates opened for Him, has sat down bodily at the right hand of the Father, where also those who keep the spiritual law will enter. For us, therefore, who walk by the Spirit and not by the letter, is the entire putting off of carnal things and spiritual worship and union with God. For circumcision is the putting away of bodily pleasure and of superfluous and unnecessary things; for the foreskin is nothing other than skin, a superfluity of the organ of pleasure. And every pleasure not coming from God and in God

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δεσπότῃ ὡς πατρὶ δουλεύοντες, ἀλλ' ὡς δοῦλοι ἀγνώμονες κἂν μικρὸν καὶ ἐλάχιστον μέρος τῆς ἑαυτῶν ζωῆς τῷ θεῷ ἀποτέμωνται, καὶ τοῦτο φόβῳ τῶν ἐπὶ τῇ παραβάσει εὐθυνῶν καὶ ἐπιτιμήσεων· «δικαίῳ γὰρ νόμος οὐ κεῖται», ἀλλ' ἀδίκοις. Ἐπεὶ πρῶτος Μωσῆς τεσσαράκοντα ἡμερῶν καὶ αὖθις ἑτέρων τεσσαράκοντα νηστείᾳ προσεδρεύσας τῷ θεῷ, πάντως καὶ τοῖς σάββασι διὰ τῆς νηστείας ἐκάκου ἑαυτὸν τοῦ νόμου μὴ κακοῦν ἑαυτοὺς ἐν τῇ τοῦ σαββάτου ἡμέρᾳ προστάσσοντος. Εἰ δὲ φαῖεν, ὅτι πρὸ τοῦ νόμου τοῦτο, τί φήσουσι περὶ τοῦ Θεσβίτου Ἡλιοῦ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν ἀνύσαντος ἐν βρώσει μιᾷ; Οὗτος γὰρ οὐ μόνον διὰ τῆς νηστείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ἐν τοῖς σάββασι τῶν τεσσαράκοντα ἡμερῶν ἑαυτὸν κακώσας ἔλυσε τὸ σάββατον, καὶ οὐκ ὠργίσθη τούτῳ ὁ τὸν νόμον δεδωκώς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς ἀρετῆς ἔπαθλον ἐν Χωρὴβ ἑαυτὸν ἐνεφάνισε. Τί δὲ περὶ ∆ανιὴλ φήσουσιν; Οὐχὶ τρεῖς ἑβδομάδας διετέλεσεν ἄσιτος; Τί δὲ πᾶς Ἰσραήλ; Οὐ περιτέμνει τὸ παιδίον ἐν σαββάτῳ, εἰ τύχοι, ὀκταήμερον; Οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ τὴν μεγάλην νηστείαν, ἣν νενομοθέτηνται, εἰ ἐν σαββάτῳ καταντήσοι, νηστεύουσι; Οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ οἱ Λευῖται ἐν τοῖς τῆς σκηνῆς ἔργοις βεβηλοῦσι τὸ σάββατον καὶ ἀναίτιοί εἰσιν; Ἀλλὰ καὶ κτῆνος, ἂν εἰς βόθρον ἐμπέσοι ἐν σαββάτῳ, ὁ μὲν ἀνασπάσας ἀναίτιος, ὁ δὲ παριδὼν κατάκριτος. Τί δὲ πᾶς Ἰσραήλ; οὐχὶ ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ κιβωτὸν περιφέροντες τὰ Ἱεριχούντια τείχη περιῄεσαν, ἐν αἷς πάντως ἦν καὶ τὸ σάββατον; Ὡς οὖν ἔφην, σχολῆς ἕνεκα τῆς πρὸς θεόν, ἵνα κἂν σμικροτάτην ἀπόμοιραν αὐτῷ ἀπονέμωσι καὶ ἀναπαύσωνται ὅ τε δοῦλος καὶ τὸ ὑποζύγιον, ἡ τοῦ σαββάτου τήρησις ἐπινενόητο τοῖς νηπίοις ἔτι καὶ ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου δεδουλωμένοις, τοῖς σαρκικοῖς καὶ μηδὲν ὑπὲρ τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὸ γράμμα ἐννοῆσαι δυναμένοις. «Ὅτε δὲ ἦλθε τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ, γενόμενον ἐκ γυναικὸς ἄνθρωπον, γενόμενον ὑπὸ νόμον, ἵνα τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον ἐξαγοράσῃ, ἵνα τὴν υἱοθεσίαν ἀπολάβωμεν». Ὅσοι γὰρ ἐλάβομεν αὐτόν, ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν ἐξουσίαν τέκνα θεοῦ γενέσθαι, τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς αὐτόν. Ὥστε οὐκέτι ἐσμὲν δοῦλοι ἀλλ' υἱοί, οὐκέτι ὑπὸ νόμον ἀλλ' ὑπὸ χάριν· οὐκέτι μερικῶς τῷ κυρίῳ δουλεύοντες ἐκ φόβου, ἀλλὰ πάντα τὸν τῆς ζωῆς χρόνον αὐτῷ ἀνατιθέναι ὀφείλοντες καὶ ἀεὶ τὸν δοῦλον, τὸν θυμὸν λέγω καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας καταπαύοντες καὶ τῷ θεῷ σχολάζειν ἐπιτρέποντες· τὴν μὲν ἐπιθυμίαν ἅπασαν ἀεὶ πρὸς θεὸν ἀνατείνοντες, τὸν δὲ θυμὸν κατὰ τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ δυσμενῶν καθοπλίζοντες· καὶ τὸ ὑποζύγιον ἤτοι τὸ σῶμα ὁμοίως τῆς μὲν δουλείας τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀναπαύοντες, ταῖς δὲ θείαις ἐντολαῖς ἐξυπηρετεῖσθαι προτρέποντες. Ταῦτα ὁ πνευματικὸς ἡμῖν ἐντέλλεται τοῦ κυρίου νόμος, καὶ οἱ τοῦτον φυλάσσοντες ὑπέρτεροι τοῦ Μωσαϊκοῦ νόμου γεγόνασιν· ἐλθόντος γὰρ τοῦ τελείου τὸ ἐκ μέρους κατήργηται, καὶ τοῦ καλύμματος τοῦ νόμου ἤτοι τοῦ καταπετάσματος διὰ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος διαρραγέντος σταυρώσεως καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος πυρίναις γλώσσαις ἐκλάμψαντος τὸ γράμμα κατήργηται, τὰ σωματικὰ πέπαυται καὶ ὁ τῆς δουλείας νόμος πεπλήρωται καὶ νόμος ἐλευθερίας ἡμῖν δεδώρηται. Καὶ ἑορτάζομεν τὴν τελείαν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως κατάπαυσιν, φημὶ δὴ τὴν τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗ ἡμᾶς ὁ κύριος Ἰησοῦς, ὁ τῆς ζωῆς ἀρχηγὸς καὶ σωτήρ, εἰς τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην τοῖς πνευματικῶς τῷ θεῷ λατρεύουσι κληρουχίαν εἰσήγαγεν, εἰς ἣν αὐτὸς πρόδρομος ἡμῶν εἰσῆλθεν, ἀναστὰς ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ ἀνοιγέντων αὐτῷ τῶν οὐρανίων πυλῶν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ πατρὸς κεκάθικε σωματικῶς, ἔνθα καὶ οἱ τὸν πνευματικὸν τηροῦντες νόμον εἰσελεύσονται. Ἡμῖν τοίνυν τοῖς τῷ πνεύματι στοιχοῦσι καὶ οὐ τῷ γράμματι πᾶσα ἡ τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐστιν ἀπόθεσις καὶ ἡ πνευματικὴ λατρεία καὶ πρὸς θεὸν συνάφεια. Περιτομὴ μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τῆς σωματικῆς ἡδονῆς καὶ τῶν περιττῶν καὶ οὐκ ἀναγκαίων ἀπόθεσις· ἀκροβυστία γὰρ οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν εἰ μὴ δέρμα, ἡδονικοῦ μορίου περίττωμα. Πᾶσα δὲ ἡδονὴ μὴ ἐκ θεοῦ καὶ ἐν θεῷ γινομένη