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which he himself undertook for us, and so that our fasts might become acceptable to God for our sins. And throughout the whole year the fast is thus observed in the same holy catholic church, I mean on Wednesday and Friday until the ninth hour, except only for the whole Pentecost of fifty days, during which there are neither kneelings nor is a fast prescribed, and instead of the gatherings at the ninth hour on Wednesday and Friday, as on the Lord's day, the gatherings are held in the mornings; furthermore in the fifty days of Pentecost, as I said before, there is neither fasting nor kneeling nor on the day of Epiphany, when the Lord was born in the flesh, is it permitted to fast, even if it should fall on a Wednesday or a Friday. But by a good choice her ascetics always, except on the Lord's day and Pentecost, fast and always keep vigils. This holy catholic church considers all Lord's days delightful and holds gatherings from morning, but does not fast; for it is inconsistent to fast on the Lord's day. The same church is likewise accustomed to observe the forty days before the seven days of the holy Pascha by continuing in fasts, but not the Lord's days at all, not even during the forty days themselves; and during the six days of Pascha all the people continue in xerophagy, I mean using only bread and salt and water toward evening. But also the zealous abstain for two, three, and four days, and some for the whole week until the cock-crow as the Lord's day dawns, and they continue in vigils for the six days. Again they hold gatherings for the same six days and for the whole forty days from the ninth hour until evening. But in some places, after the fifth day they keep vigil as it dawns into Friday, and on the Lord's day only. But in some 3.524 places a service of the dispensation takes place on the fifth day at the ninth hour and so it is dismissed, with them remaining in the same xerophagy. And in other places the service of the dispensation does not take place except only as the Lord's day dawns, when it is dismissed around the cock-crow on the resurrection day, and with a great festival on the day of Pascha, as has been prescribed. And the other mysteries concerning the bath and the inner mysteries, as the tradition of both the gospel and the apostles holds, are so celebrated. 23. And for the departed they make memorials by name, performing prayers and a service of the dispensation. And morning hymns in the same holy church are continuous, and morning prayers, along with evening psalms and prayers. And some of her monastics dwell in the cities, and some also are settled in monasteries and withdraw far away. And it pleased some also to have long hair, supposedly for the sake of their way of life, from their own mind, not with the gospel commanding it, nor the apostles accepting it; for the holy apostle Paul cut off this fashion. And there are other exceptional ways of life observed in the same catholic church, I mean abstaining from all meats, both four-footed animals and birds and fish, and of eggs and cheese, and other different ways of life, for "each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor." And some abstain from all these things, while others from four-footed animals only, but partake of birds and the things after them; and others abstain from birds, but partake of eggs and fish; others do not partake even of eggs, and others of fish only; and others abstain from fish, but partake of cheese, while others do not partake even of cheese. And indeed, still others abstain from bread, and others also from fruits and boiled foods. And many also sleep on the ground, while others do not even wear shoes. Others wear a hidden sackcloth, those who wear it rightly for virtue and repentance; for it is unseemly to go about in visible sackcloth, as some do, and it is unseemly as we have said also to go about in chains, as has seemed good to some. And the majority abstain from the bath. and some

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ὃ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν αὐτὸς ἀνεδέξατο, καὶ ὅπως ὑπὲρ τῶν ἡμῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αἱ νηστεῖαι ἡμῖν εὐλόγιστοι θεῷ γένωνται. καὶ δι' ὅλου μὲν τοῦ ἔτους οὕτως ἡ νηστεία φυλάττεται ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ἁγίᾳ καθολικῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, φημὶ δὲ τετράδι καὶ προσαββάτῳ ἕως ὥρας ἐνάτης, δίχα μόνης τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς ὅλης τῶν πεντήκοντα ἡμερῶν, ἐν αἷς οὔτε γονυκλισίαι γίνονται οὔτε νηστεία προστέτακται, ἀντὶ δὲ τῶν πρὸς τὴν ἐνάτην συνάξεων τετράδι καὶ προσαββάτῳ, ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κυριακῇ, κατὰ τὰς πρωϊνὰς αἱ συνάξεις ἐπιτελοῦνται· ἔτι δὲ ἐν ταῖς ˉν ἡμέραις ὡς προεῖπον τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς οὐκ ἔστιν οὔτε νηστεία οὔτε γονυκλισία οὔτε ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν Ἐπιφανείων, ὅτε ἐγεννήθη ἐν σαρκὶ ὁ κύριος, ἔξεστι νηστεῦσαι, κἄν τε περιτύχῃ τετρὰς ἢ προσάββατον. προαιρέσει δὲ ἀγαθῇ οἱ αὐτῆς ἀσκηταὶ διὰ παντός, χωρὶς κυριακῆς καὶ Πεντηκοστῆς, νηστεύουσι καὶ ἀγρυπνίας διὰ παντὸς ἐπιτελοῦσι. τὰς δὲ κυριακὰς ἁπάσας τρυφερὰς ἡγεῖται ἡ ἁγία αὕτη καθολικὴ ἐκκλησία καὶ συνάξεις ἀφ' ἕωθεν ἐπιτελεῖ, οὐ νηστεύει δέ· ἀνακόλουθον γάρ ἐστιν ἐν κυριακῇ νηστεύειν. τὴν δὲ τεσσαρακοστὴν τὴν πρὸ τῶν ἑπτὰ ἡμερῶν τοῦ ἁγίου Πάσχα ὡσαύτως φυλάττειν εἴωθεν ἡ αὐτὴ ἐκκλησία ἐν νηστείαις διατελοῦσα, τὰς δὲ κυριακὰς οὐδ' ὅλως, οὔτε ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ τεσσαρακοστῇ· τὰς δὲ ἓξ ἡμέρας τοῦ Πάσχα ἐν ξηροφαγίᾳ διατελοῦσι πάντες οἱ λαοί, φημὶ δὲ ἄρτῳ καὶ ἁλὶ καὶ ὕδατι μόνον χρώμενοι πρὸς ἑσπέραν. ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ σπουδαῖοι διπλᾶς καὶ τριπλᾶς καὶ τετραπλᾶς ὑπερτίθενται καὶ ὅλην τὴν ἑβδομάδα τινὲς ἄχρι ἀλεκτρυόνων κλαγγῆς τῆς κυριακῆς ἐπιφωσκούσης, ἀγρυπνίαις δὲ διατελοῦσι τὰς ἕξ. πάλιν δὲ συνάξεις ἐπιτελοῦσι τὰς αὐτὰς ἓξ καὶ ὅλην τὴν τεσσαρακοστὴν ἀπὸ ἐνάτης ἕως ἑσπέρας. ἔν τισι δὲ τόποις τὴν μετὰ τὴν πέμπτην ἀγρυπνοῦσιν ἐπιφώσκουσαν εἰς τὸ προσάββατον καὶ τὴν κυριακὴν μόνας. ἔν τισι δὲ 3.524 τόποις λατρεία οἰκονομίας ἐν τῇ πέμπτῃ γίνεται ὥρᾳ ἐνάτῃ καὶ οὕτως ἀπολύει, μενόντων ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ξηροφαγίᾳ. ἐν ἄλλοις δὲ τόποις οὐ γίνεται λατρεία τῆς οἰκονομίας ἢ μόνον ἐπιφωσκούσης τῆς κυριακῆς, ὅτε ἀπολύει περὶ τὴν τῶν ἀλεκτρυόνων κλαγγὴν ἐν τῇ ἀναστασίμῳ ἡμέρᾳ, καὶ πανηγύρει μεγάλῃ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ Πάσχα, ὡς προστέτακται. τὰ δ' ἄλλα μυστήρια περὶ λουτροῦ καὶ τῶν ἔνδοθεν μυστηρίων, ὡς ἔχει ἡ παράδοσις τοῦ τε εὐαγγελίου καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων, οὕτως ἐπιτελεῖται. 23. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν τελευτησάντων ἐξ ὀνόματος τὰς μνήμας ποιοῦνται, προσευχὰς τελοῦντες καὶ λατρείαν οἰκονομίας. ἑωθινοί τε ὕμνοι ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἁγίᾳ ἐκκλησίᾳ διηνεκεῖς γίνονται καὶ προσευχαὶ ἑωθιναί, λυχνικοί τε ἅμα ψαλμοὶ καὶ προσευχαί. τινὲς δὲ τῶν μοναζόντων αὐτῆς κατοικοῦσι τὰς πόλεις, τινὲς δὲ καὶ ἐν μοναστηρίοις καθέζονται καὶ ἀπὸ μήκοθεν ἀναχωροῦσιν. ἤρεσε δέ τισι καὶ κόμας ἔχειν τριχῶν ἕνεκεν δῆθεν πολιτείας ἀπ' ἰδίου νοός, οὐ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου προστάξαντος, οὐ τῶν ἀποστόλων δεξαμένων· ὁ γὰρ ἅγιος ἀπόστολος Παῦλος ἀπέκοψε τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα. εἰσὶ δὲ πολιτεῖαι ἄλλαι ἐξαίρετοι ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ καθολικῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ φυλαττόμεναι, φημὶ δὲ τοῦ ἀπέχεσθαι κρεῶν πάντων, τετραπόδων τε καὶ ὀρνέων καὶ ἰχθύων, ὠοῦ τε καὶ τυροῦ, καὶ ἕτεραι διάφοροι πολιτεῖαι, ὅτι «ἕκαστος κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον κάματον μισθὸν λήψεται». καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀπέχονται πάντων τούτων, οἱ δὲ τετραπόδων μόνων, λαμβάνουσι δὲ ὀρνέων καὶ τῶν μετέπειτα· ἕτεροι δὲ καὶ ὀρνέων ἀπέχονται, λαμβάνουσι δὲ ὠῶν καὶ ἰχθύων· ἕτεροι δὲ οὐδὲ ὠῶν λαμβάνουσιν, ἄλλοι δὲ ἰχθύων μόνων· ἕτεροι δὲ καὶ ἰχθύων ἀπέχονται, τυροῦ δὲ λαμβάνουσιν, ἕτεροι δὲ οὐδὲ τυροῦ λαμβάνουσιν. ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι ἄρτου ἀπέχονται, ἕτεροι δὲ καὶ ἀκροδρύων καὶ ἑψεμάτων. πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ χαμευνοῦσιν, ἄλλοι δὲ οὐδὲ ὑποδέννυνται. ἄλλοι δὲ σάκκον φοροῦσι κεκρυμμένον, οἱ καλῶς φοροῦντες δι' ἀρετὴν καὶ μετάνοιαν· ἀπρεπὲς γάρ ἐστιν ἐν προφανεῖ σάκκῳ προϊέναι, ὥς τινες οὕτω πράττουσιν, ἀπρεπὲς δὲ ὡς ἔφημεν καὶ τὸ κλοιοῖς προϊέναι, ὥς τισιν ἔδοξεν. οἱ πλείους δὲ βαλανείου ἀπέχονται. καὶ τινὲς