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being of the gentiles, for them to perform all the things of the law; for the divine Moses forbids it to them. Following Christ, therefore, let us inherit the blessings, let us walk according to the law and the prophets through the Gospel, let us flee the polytheists and the Christ-killers and prophet-killers and the ill-named and atheistic heretics. Let us obey Christ as king, as one having authority to change various ordinances, and having as lawgiver the wisdom to ordain differently, the natural things everywhere being kept unchangeable. Abstain therefore from all heretics, O bishops and laity, who disparage the Law and the Prophets. For being hostile to God Almighty, they disobey, and do not confess Christ to be the Son of God; for they also deny his birth according to the flesh, they are ashamed of the cross, they dishonor the passion and the death, they are ignorant of the resurrection, they cut off his generation before the ages. But some of them are impious in another way, imagining the Lord to be a mere man, considering him to be of soul and body; but others of them suppose Jesus himself to be God over all, esteeming him to be his own Father, supposing him to be Son and Paraclete; than whom what could be more accursed? And yet again others of them disparage certain foods, and say that marriage with childbearing is evil and a contrivance of the devil; and because of their wickedness, being impious, they do not wish to rise from the dead, wherefore they also slander the resurrection, saying, that we are a certain kind of solemn ones not wanting to eat and drink, imagining they will be raised from the dead as bodiless demons; who will be condemned for eternity in the eternal fire. Flee therefore from them, so that you may not perish along with their impieties. But if some, observing, keep Jewish customs, like those concerning gonorrhea, nocturnal emissions, and relations according to the law, let them tell us if in those hours or days in which they experience any of these things, they refrain from praying or partaking of the Eucharist or touching a book; and if they agree, it is clear that they are empty of the Holy Spirit, who always remains with the faithful. For concerning the holy ones Solomon says, that each may make ready, so that "When he sleeps, it may keep him; and when he awakes, it may talk with him." For if you think, O woman, being in your issue for seven days, that you are empty of the Holy Spirit, then if you should die suddenly empty of the Spirit and without confidence toward God

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ἐθνῶν ὄντας πάντα τὰ τοῦ νόμου ἐπιτελεῖν αὐτούς· ἀπαγο ρεύει γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὁ θεῖος Μωϋσῆς. Ἑπόμενοι οὖν Χριστῷ τὰς εὐλογίας κληρονομή σωμεν, νόμῳ καὶ προφήταις διὰ τοῦ Eὐαγγελίου στοιχήσωμεν, φύγωμεν τοὺς πολυθέους καὶ τοὺς χριστοκτόνους καὶ προ φητοφόντας καὶ τοὺς δυσωνύμους καὶ ἀθέους αἱρεσιώτας· Πειθαρχήσωμεν Χριστῷ ὡς βασιλεῖ, ὡς ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντι μετατιθέναι διατάξεις διαφόρους, καὶ ἔχοντι ὡς νομοθέτῃ σοφίαν τοῦ διατάσσεσθαι διαφόρως, τῶν φυσικῶν πανταχοῦ ἀμεταθέτων φυλασσομένων. Ἀπέχεσθε οὖν αἱρεσιωτῶν πάντων, ὦ ἐπίσκοποι καὶ λαϊκοί, τῶν φαυλιζόντων τὸν Νόμον καὶ τοὺς Προφήτας. Θεῷ γὰρ παντοκράτορι ἐχθραίνοντες ἀπειθοῦσι, καὶ Χριστὸν οὐχ ὁμολογοῦσιν Υἱὸν Θεοῦ· ἀρνοῦνται γὰρ καὶ τὴν κατὰ σάρκα αὐτοῦ γέννησιν, τὸν σταυρὸν ἐπαισχύνονται, τὸ πάθος καὶ τὸν θάνατον ἀδοξοῦσι, τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἀγνοοῦσι, τὴν πρὸ αἰώνων αὐτοῦ γέννησιν περικόπτουσιν. Τινὲς δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἑτέρως ἀσεβοῦσι, ψιλὸν ἄνθρωπον εἶναι φανταζόμενοι τὸν Κύριον, ἐκ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος αὐτὸν εἶναι νομίζοντες· ἕτεροι δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν Ἰησοῦν τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὸν ὑποπτεύουσιν, αὐτὸν ἑαυτοῦ πατέρα δοξάζοντες, αὐτὸν Υἱὸν καὶ παράκλητον ὑποπτεύοντες· ὧν τί ἂν εἴη ἐναγέστε ρον; Ἄλλοι δ' αὖ πάλιν ἐξ αὐτῶν βρώματά τινα φαυλί ζουσιν, καὶ γάμον κακὸν σὺν παιδοποιΐᾳ λέγουσιν εἶναι διαβόλου τε μηχάνημα· καὶ διὰ τὴν πονηρίαν αὐτῶν, ἀσεβεῖς ὄντες, οὐ θέλουσιν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῆναι, διὸ καὶ τὴν ἀνάστα σιν διαβάλλουσιν, φάσκοντες, ὅτι σεμνοί τινες ἐσμὲν ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν μὴ βουλόμενοι, δαιμόνια δὲ ἄσαρκα φανταζόμενοι ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστήσεσθαι· οἵτινες καταδικασθήσονται δι' αἰῶνος ἐν τῷ αἰωνίῳ πυρί. Φεύγετε οὖν ἀπ' αὐτῶν, ἵνα μὴ συναπόλησθε ταῖς αὐτῶν ἀσεβείαις. Eἰ δέ τινες παρατηρούμενοι φυλάσσουσιν ἔθιμα ἰουδαϊκά, γονορροίας, ὀνειρώξεις, πλησιασμοὺς τοὺς κατὰ νόμον, λεγέτωσαν ἡμῖν, εἰ ἐν αἷς ὥραις ἢ ἡμέραις ἕν τι τούτων ὑπομείνωσιν παρατηροῦνται προσεύξασθαι ἢ εὐχα ριστίας μεταλαβεῖν ἢ βιβλίου θίγειν, καὶ ἐὰν συνθῶνται, δῆλον ὡς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος κενοὶ τυγχάνουσιν τοῦ ἀεὶ παραμένοντος τοῖς πιστοῖς· περὶ γὰρ τῶν ὁσίων λέγει ὁ Σολομών, ἵν' ἕκαστος εὐτρεπίζῃ, ὅπως «Ὅταν καθεύδῃ, φυλάσσῃ αὐτὸν καί, ὡς ἂν ἐγείρηται, συλλαλῇ αὐτῷ.» Eἰ γὰρ νομίζεις, ὦ γύναι, ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἐν ἀφέδρῳ οὖσα τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος κενὴ τυγχάνειν, ἄρα τελευτήσασα ἐξαίφνης κενὴ Πνεύματος καὶ ἀπαρρησίαστος τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν