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appointed for men † the year, unless the equinox has passed. 12. And it was possible to say many things about this, how the fathers did well, or rather through them God accomplished for the church the entire exactness of the truth of this all-venerable and all-holy feast, to celebrate it after the equinox, when the calculation of the fourteenth day according to the moon falls. not that we should celebrate on the fourteenth itself; for one day is sought among them, but among us not one, but six, a most complete week. Wherefore the law itself also says, elaborating, "you shall take for yourselves a lamb of a year, unblemished, perfect, from the tenth of the month, and it shall be kept by you until the fourteenth, and you shall sacrifice it towards evening on the fourteenth day of the month," that is, of the moon. And the church observes to keep the feast of Pascha, that is, the week appointed even from the apostles themselves in the Didascalia, from the second day of the week, which is the purchase of the lamb. and if the fourteenth of the moon is on the second day of the week, the sacrifice of the lamb is brought into the midst, or on the third day of the week, or on the fourth day of the week, or on the fifth day of the week, or on the day before the sabbath, or on the sabbath, the six days having the administration for such a matter. For neither can we celebrate when the sixteenth moon is dawning nor can we begin the week of dry fasting, also called the holy Pascha, from the ninth moon, but from the tenth until the dawning of the fifteenth, being in the middle of the two courses, of night and of day. and their number being taken up together, of the fourteen days of the moon, even if it passes over to the dawn of the fifteenth, because of the necessary exactness, of both the solar course after the equinox and the lunar course because of the fourteenth and the full week because of the Lord's day, * and the number from the tenth day of the moon, which is the taking of the lamb and an acrostic of the name of Jesus, 3.246 since in His name His antitype, the lamb, was taken, being thus determined from the tenth; no longer when the sixteenth is dawning, nor from the ninth moon can we have the beginning or the end. For the years, falling behind without compensation, due to the differing courses of the sun and moon in relation to each other produce this inequality, not a stumbling block ordained by God, but of this exactness appointed by God according to His all-wise administration, which he graciously gave to his own age having set the boundaries of luminaries and seasons and months and years and solstices through a providential care for men from His own love for mankind. 13. For since the year according to the solar course is completed in three hundred sixty-five days and three hours, it happens that because the moon makes the year in ˉτ fifty-four days, the lunar course falls short by eleven days and ˉγ hours. and in the first year there are the so-called eleven epacts and three hours, in the second year, twenty-two days, six hours, in the third year, thirty-three days and ˉθ hours, and the one month called intercalary is cut off. For the thirty days are intercalated, and three days, ˉθ hours are left over, which, being added to the eleven from the fourth year and three hours, become ˉιˉδ days, ˉιˉβ hours. another eleven and three hours being added become ˉκˉε epacts and ˉιˉε hours. and in the sixth year, another ˉιˉα of the year and ˉγ hours being added, there become ˉλ days and ˉιˉη hours, which make one intercalary month, and two months were intercalated in periods of three years. in the first three years one month and in the other three years another month.

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τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τεταγμένου † ὁ ἐνιαυτός, ἐὰν μὴ παρέλθῃ ἰσημερία. 12. Καὶ ἦν μὲν περὶ τούτου πολλὰ λέγειν, ὡς καλῶς ποιήσαντες οἱ πατέρες, μᾶλλον δὲ δι' αὐτῶν ὁ θεὸς κατώρθωσε τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τὸ πᾶν ἀκρίβασμα τῆς ἀληθείας τῆς πανσεβασμίου ταύτης ἑορτῆς καὶ παναγίας, μετὰ ἰσημερίαν μὲν ποιεῖσθαι, ὅτε ὑποπίπτει ἡ τῆς τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτης κατὰ τὴν σελήνην ἡμέρας ψῆφος. οὐχ ἵνα ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ ἐπιτελέσωμεν· μία γὰρ ἡμέρα παρ' ἐκείνοις ζητεῖται, παρ' ἡμῖν δὲ οὐ μία, ἀλλὰ ἕξ, ἑβδομὰς πληρεστάτη. διὸ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ νόμος λέγει ἐπιπλατύνων τό «λήψεσθε ἑαυτοῖς πρόβατον ἐνιαύσιον, ἄμωμον, τέλειον, ἀπὸ δεκάτου τοῦ μηνός, καὶ ἔσται ὑμῖν διατετηρημένον ἄχρι τῆς τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτης, καὶ θύσεσθε αὐτὸ πρὸς ἑσπέραν τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ μηνός», τουτέστι τῆς σελήνης. παρατηρεῖται δὲ ἡ ἐκκλησία ἄγειν τὴν ἑορτὴν τοῦ Πάσχα, τουτέστι τὴν ἑβδομάδα τὴν ὡρισμένην καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐν τῇ ∆ιατάξει, ἀπὸ δευτέρας σαββάτων, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀγορασμὸς τοῦ προβάτου. καὶ ἐὰν μὲν ᾖ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτη τῆς σελήνης τῇ δευτέρᾳ τῶν σαββάτων, εἰς μέσον ἄγεται τὸ θῦμα τοῦ προβάτου, ἐάν τε τρίτῃ σαββάτων, ἐάν τε τετάρτῃ σαββάτων, ἐάν τε πέμπτῃ σαββάτων, ἐάν τε προσαββάτῳ, ἐάν τε σαββάτῳ, τῶν ἓξ ἡμερῶν πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην ὑπόθεσιν ἐχουσῶν τὴν διοίκησιν. οὔτε γὰρ ἐπιφωσκούσης ἓξ καὶ δεκάτης σελήνης δυνάμεθα τελεῖν οὔτε ἀπὸ ἐνάτης σελήνης δυνάμεθα ἄρξασθαι τῆς ἑβδομάδος τῆς ξηροφαγίας καὶ Πάσχα καλουμένης ἁγίας, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ δεκάτης ἕως ἐπιφωσκούσης πεντεκαιδεκάτης, μεσαζούσης τῶν δύο δρόμων, νυκτός τε καὶ ἡμέρας. καὶ συναναλαμβανομένου τοῦ αὐτῶν ἀριθμοῦ, τῶν δεκατεσσάρων ἡμερῶν τῆς σελήνης, κἄν τε παράπτηται εἰς ἐπίφαυσιν τῆς πεντεκαιδεκάτης, διὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἀκρίβειαν, τοῦ τε ἡλιακοῦ δρόμου μετὰ τὴν ἰσημερίαν καὶ τοῦ σεληνιακοῦ δρόμου διὰ τὴν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην καὶ τῆς ἑβδομάδος πλήρης διὰ τὴν κυριακήν, * καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ δεκάτης ἡμέρας σελήνης ἀριθμόν, ἥτις ἐστὶ σύλληψις τοῦ προβάτου καὶ ἀκροστιχὶς τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, 3.246 ἐπειδὴ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀντίτυπον αὐτοῦ πρόβατον ἐλαμβάνετο, ἀπὸ δεκάτης οὕτως ὁριζόμενον· οὐκέτι δὲ ἐπιφωσκούσης ἓξ καὶ δεκάτης οὔτε ἀπὸ ἐνάτης σελήνης δυνάμεθα τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχειν ἢ τὸ τέλος. οἱ γὰρ ἐνιαυτοὶ ἀνθυπερβάτως ὑστεροῦντες διὰ τοὺς διηλλαγμένους πρὸς ἀλλήλους δρόμους ἡλίου τε καὶ σελήνης ταύτην τὴν ἀνισότητα ἐκτελοῦσιν, οὐ σκάνδαλον παρὰ θεοῦ ὡρισμένον, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀκριβείας ταύτης ἐκ θεοῦ τεταγμένης κατὰ τὴν πάνσοφον αὐτοῦ διοίκησιν, ἣν ἐχαρίσατο τῷ ἰδίῳ αἰῶνι τοὺς ὁρισμοὺς τάξας φωστήρων τε καὶ καιρῶν καὶ μηνῶν καὶ ἐνιαυτῶν καὶ τροπῶν διὰ προνοητικῆς ἀνθρώπων ἐκ τῆς αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἐπιμελείας. 13. Τοῦ γὰρ ἐνιαυτοῦ κατὰ τὸν ἡλιακὸν δρόμον πληρουμένου ἐν τριακοσίαις ἑξήκοντα πέντε ἡμέραις καὶ ὥραις τρισὶ συμβαίνει διὰ τὸ τὴν σελήνην ποιεῖν τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν ἡμέραις ˉτ πεντήκοντα τέσσαρσι λείπεσθαι τῷ μὲν κατὰ τὴν σελήνην δρόμῳ ἕνδεκα ἡμέρας καὶ ὥρας ˉγ. καὶ τῷ μὲν πρώτῳ ἐνιαυτῷ γίνονται αἱ καλούμεναι ἐπακταὶ ἕνδεκα καὶ ὧραι τρεῖς, δευτέρῳ ἔτει ἡμέραι εἴκοσι δύο ὧραι ἕξ, τρίτῳ ἐνιαυτῷ ἡμέραι τριακοντατρεῖς καὶ ὧραι ˉθ, καὶ τέμνεται ὁ εἷς μὴν ἐμβόλιμος καλούμενος. ἐμβολιμεύονται γὰρ αἱ τριάκοντα ἡμέραι, ὑπολείπονται δὲ ἡμέραι τρεῖς ὧραι ˉθ, αἵτινες προστιθέμεναι ταῖς ἕνδεκα ταῖς ἀπὸ τετάρτου ἔτους καὶ ὥραις τρισὶ γίνονται ἡμέραι ˉιˉδ ὧραι ˉιˉβ. ἄλλων ἕνδεκα προστιθεμένων καὶ ὡρῶν τριῶν γίνονται ˉκˉε ἐπακταὶ καὶ ὧραι ˉιˉε. καὶ τῷ ἕκτῳ ἐνιαυτῷ προστιθεμένων ἄλλων ˉιˉα τοῦ ἔτους καὶ ὡρῶν ˉγ γίνονται ἡμέραι ˉλˉ καὶ ὧραι ˉιˉη, αἳ ποιοῦσιν ἐμβόλιμον μῆνα ἕνα, καὶ ἐνεβολιμεύθησαν καὶ κατὰ τρία ἔτη μῆνες δύο. τοῖς πρώτοις τρισὶν ἔτεσι μὴν εἷς καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις τρισὶν ἔτεσι μὴν ἕτερος.