Commentary on the book of Leviticus

“Commentary on the book of Leviticus” (38 questions) is part of the essay “Questions on the Eight Books”, which is blj. Theodoret of Cyrus dedicated it to his “beloved son Hypatius,” the chorebishop. The work was written after 453 and is compiled in the form of questions and answers. Basically, only difficult passages of Scripture are explained. In particular, questions about Old Testament sacrifices, the law on leprosy, blasphemy against God, the meaning of the words “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”, etc. are considered. Blzh. Theodoret writes that the Old Testament law was an image of the spiritual, therefore “the sensual and external in the law is applicable to the Jews, and the spiritual to those who love the gospel life” (Question 1). All Old Testament decrees were given to prepare the Jews to accept the Savior and had educational significance. For example, the leper lived outside the camp, just as someone who unrepentantly falls is cast out of the Church (Question 19). The two goats offered for the sins of the people “were to be taken as an image not of two persons, but of two natures” in Christ (Question 22). Contents Question 1. Why did God command to make sacrifices? Question 2. What does it mean when it is said: even if the soul forgets in oblivion, and sins by not desiring the holy things of the Lord (Lev. 5:15)? Question 3. Why did God decide that the priestly sacrifice should be given up as a burnt offering (Lev. 6:23)? Question 4. Why were sin sacrifices offered at the place of burnt offerings (Lev. 7:2)? Question 5. What does it mean when it is said: “Whoever touches its flesh will be sanctified” (Lev. 6:27)? Question 6. Why does God not command the eating of sacrifices after the third day, but punishes the one who transgresses this law and says about that sacrifice that it is not counted as a sacrifice (Lev. 7:18)? Question 7. Why does God forbid anyone who touches one who sheds semen, or a leper, or a dead body, or anything that is called unclean, to eat sacrificial meat (Lev. 7:21)? Question 8. Why did Moses anoint the priest’s right ear, right hand and also his right foot with blood and oil (Lev. 8:23–24)? Question 9. How should we understand “strange fire” (Lev. 10:1)? Question 10. Why does the law prohibit the priests from eating wine (Lev. 10:9)? Question 11: What does “the cloven hoof and the regurgitating chewing” mean (Lev. 11:3)? Question 12. Why is it that if something unclean falls into an earthen vessel, the law commands that it be broken, and if something unclean falls into a copper vessel, or into a wooden vessel, or into sackcloth, or into a robe, to wash it with water (Lev. 11:32-33)? Question 13. Why does a dead body, if it falls on a seed that has not been moistened with water, not defile it, but if it falls on one moistened with water, makes it unclean (Lev. 11:37, 38)? Question 14. Why does the law say that she who gives birth to a male is unclean for forty days, and she who gives birth to a female is unclean twice forty days (Lev. 12:1-5)? Question 15. What does the law of leprosy mean (Lev. 13, Lev. 14)? Question 16. Why is he called clean (Lev. 13:13) who has become a leper? Question 17. Why does he command that the head of a leper be uncovered and his garments torn (Lev. 13:45)? Question 18. How should we understand the appearance of leprosy on clothing (Lev. 13:47)? Question 19. What do the two birds offer for one who is being cleansed from leprosy mean (Lev. 14:4)? Question 20. Why does the law call the one who sheds the seed unclean (Lev. 15ff.)? Question 21: Why does the law call a woman unclean who naturally sheds excess blood (Lev. 15:19)? Question 22. When did the bishop enter the Holy of Holies? Question 23. Why does the law prohibit the slaughter of animals for food away from the tabernacle (Lev. 17:3–6)? Question 24. Others condemn the law on marriage, saying that God forbids something that has never happened anywhere. For, they reason, who would agree to incest with his mother? Or who ever mixes with livestock (Lev. 18:7, 23)? Question 25. What does it mean to say: “Do not let your seed serve the prince, and do not desecrate the name of the saint; I am the Lord” (Lev. 18:21)? Question 26. What does it mean when it is said: “Let not the earth be angry with you, so as to defile you, in the same way that it was angry with the tongues that were before you” (Lev. 18:28)? Question 27. How should we understand what has been said: “Do not mix your cattle with any other kind of cattle, and do not plant your grapes of any kind; and thou shalt not place a garment of two woven on you” (Lev. 19:19)? Question 28. What does it mean when it is said: “You shall not cut your hair around the hair of your heads; you shall shave your hair below. And you shall not make any cuttings on your body for your souls; and let not you bring the wounded plagues upon you” (Lev. 19:27–28)? Question 29. What is a glutton (Lev. 19:31)? Question 30: Why does God give the priests a special law on marriage (Lev. 21:13–15)? Question 31. Why did God command the firstlings of livestock to be offered on the eighth day (Lev. 22:27)? Question 32. What does it mean when it is said: Do not tear down the new yarn until you bring gifts to your God (Lev. 23:14)? Question 33. How should we understand what is said: “Whoever curses his God will accept sin; call the name of the Lord death, that he may die” (Lev. 24:15–16)? Question 34. Why did God decree that “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” and the like (Lev. 24:20)? Question 35. Why does God forbid sowing the earth in the seventh year (Lev. 25:4)? Question 36. What does it mean when it is said: “Ten women shall bake their bread in one oven” (Lev. 26:26)? Question 37. What does it mean when it is said: “Then the earth will rejoice and delight in its Sabbaths all the days of its desolation” (Lev. 26:34–35)? Question 38. What does it mean when it is said: “Whoever promises a vow, for the value of his vow is to the Lord” (Lev. 27:2)? Question 1. Why did God command to make sacrifices? We have spoken about this many times in what was written before, partly against the pagans, partly against heresies, and partly against the Magi, and, moreover, in interpretations of the prophets and in notes on the Apostolic Epistles; However, I’ll talk about this briefly here too. That God does not need anything, I think, will not be contradicted much by the meaningless. And that such sacrifices were also displeasing to Him, He revealed this through many prophets. But since the Israelites, having lived for a long time in Egypt, learned to make sacrifices to idols, God allowed sacrifices in order to save them from superstition. For the Israelites rejoiced in sacrifices, as evidenced by what happened at the merging of the calf. God made this clear through the prophet Ezekiel. For he says: “I saw you mixed in your blood; and I said to you, “Thy life is in your blood, multiply” (Ezek. 16:6-7), - i.e., since I saw that you were rejoicing in the blood of victims, I allowed you to satisfy such a desire. On top of this, God prepared through this and another protective medicine for the Israelites, because He commanded them to sacrifice what the Egyptians idolized, namely: from four-legged animals - a calf, a goat and a sheep, and from birds - a turtle dove and chicks of pigeons. It is not unknown to us that the Egyptians idolized many other things. But of the animals they idolize, the meek ones are designated by God for sacrifices, while the others are called unclean, so that the Israelites, just as they do not idolize some, disdaining them as unclean, do not recognize others as gods, sacrificing them, but worship the only One to whom they must be sacrificed. And since some of the Israelites were wealthy, while others lived in poverty, God commanded the first to bring a calf, or a lamb, or a goat, and the last - two turtle doves or two chicks of pigeons, while the poorest - a small amount of flour mixed with oil. For, legitimizing what is in proportion to one’s strength, he called some things offered not out of legal necessity, but out of God-loving zeal, gifts, and others, “sacrifices of salvation” (Lev. 3:1,6), and the name itself means deliverance from an illness or from some other adversity. Sacrifices were made for sin, for crime, and for ignorance. The word “sin” means an arbitrary violation of any law, the word “crime” means lawlessness committed due to some circumstances. For it happened that someone against his will approached either a leper, or a dead person, or one who sheds semen. The meaning of the word “ignorance” is self-evident. For not everyone knew all the laws. As for spiritual sins, nature itself shows them. But in discussing what was required of the Jews alone, they needed mentors. And of these sacrifices, some were burned entirely, while from others certain small parts were burned: the membrane covering the stomach, the kidneys and the fat lying on them, and the membrane of the liver. And what this meant, we have already said. The sacrifice for sin was offered without oil and incense, because those sitting in the darkness of sin have no food for light and no joy, like those who are obliged to groan; according to the prophet, oil anoints the face (Ps. 103:15), and there is no fragrance, like those who have not abandoned the stench of wickedness. since, according to the words of the divine apostle, the law has “the shadow of things to come,” and not the very image of things (Heb. 10:1), and those who lived under the law were to serve “the image and wall of heaven” (Heb. 8:5), then, I think, it will not be strange to say that those who offer themselves to God are likened to various kinds of dumb animals sacrificed. Those who love a non-covetous life and free from worries completely devote themselves to the God of all and offer themselves as burnt offerings and fruitfulness, leaving nothing behind real life, but transferring everything into ageless life. And those who are lower than them give part to the altar, part to the priests, and the rest to the needs of the body. And some bring the meekness of sheep, others, like submissive calves, lovingly bear the good yoke of the Lord. And others, like goats, give the excess from their needs, like some kind of milk, to those in need according to the Apostolic Law, which says: “This excess is for your deprivation” (2 Cor. 8:14). Some offer the chastity of doves as a gift and also avoid a second marriage, while others, imitating pigeon chicks, adorn their hearts with simplicity and innocence, because God has legalized the sacrifice not of fully grown pigeons (then this animal can be very ardent), but of pigeon chicks, still innocent and not having known copulation. The birds and the patriarch “did not divide” (Gen. 15:10), and the legislator does not command to divide into parts, because those inspired by the mind, loving God with all their hearts, do not divide him into earthly and heavenly, but send the whole to grief. Understanding the sacrifices in this way, we find that the law about them is consistent with the weakness of the Jews, and such a law is not superfluous for the perfection of the Gospel. And this is how the divine Paul teaches us to understand this. For, having proposed the law about oxen, which prohibits stopping the mouths of threshing oxen (Deut. 25:4), he added: “Does God provide food for the will?” He says all sorts of things for our sake; For it was written for our sake, as the one who shouts about hope, and the thresher with hope communes in peace” (1 Cor. 9:9-10). Therefore, the sensual and external things in the law apply to the Jews, and the spiritual things to those who love the gospel life. It should also be known that the burnt offerings were made of male animals, because perfection is characteristic of men, and the animals offered for sin were female, because passions take over when the sovereign within us is exhausted. But it should also be noted that it was not lambs, but goats, who were offered for sin. The Lord Christ also makes this clear in the Gospel, likening the righteous to lambs, and sinners to goats. However, birds were also offered as burnt offerings, because a perfect and wise life is possible for the poor. But just as the skin and droppings of four-legged animals were not offered to God, so the throat and feathers of birds were cast out outside the camp; and this was not thrown down indiscriminately anywhere, but in some clean place, where the ashes from the altar were poured out. Theodotion called the larynx in birds a goiter, while Aquila called it a food receiver, because it receives food into itself and passes it on to other parts of the body, which is why the Seventy was called the larynx, since it initially receives food. It should also be noted that Moses calls the offered wheat flour, bread baked on the hearth and in ashes, and also baked in a frying pan a sacrifice, with this name comforting those living in poverty, so that they would not be upset, as if they did not have animals for sacrifice. It is also remarkable that the legislator calls the one who brings the animal a man. For he says: “If a man brings gifts from you to the Lord, you must bring them to Him from livestock and from beef and from sheep” (Lev. 1:2); and he calls the one who brings wheat flour a soul, for he says: “If a soul brings a gift of sacrifice to the Lord, flour of wheat shall be his gift” (Lev. 2:1). Thus, the verbal brings the wordless, and the soul brings the inanimate. Moses forbids the offering of leavened bread for the reason I said, because he should not have anything from the life of the Egyptians. He also prohibits the offering of honey to the altar; and this, others say, is because the bee lands in unclean places and collects supplies from everywhere to prepare honey. According to others, through this we learn to make sacrifices from what we have acquired through our own labors, according to Solomon’s parable, which says: “Honor the Lord with your righteous labors and give Him the firstfruits of your fruits of righteousness” (Prov. 3:9); and the fruit of the bee, they say, is not our work. But this reason is unfair, because the preparation of honey also requires human diligence; some care about agriculture, others about raising sheep, others about trade, and others about harvesting honey. Therefore, I think that under the name of kvass is meant the old age of wickedness, and under the name of honey, voluptuousness is prohibited. However, God commanded that the firstfruits of this be brought as a gift to the priests, because they bring prayers for our sins, which is why he said about them through the prophet: “The sins of my people consume me” (Hos. 4:8). He commands the victims to be sprinkled with salt, thereby signifying the prudence of the soul. Cain’s sacrifice was deprived of this, which is why the God of all things told him: “Even though you brought food, you did not share the right” (Gen. 4:7). And the divine apostle legitimizes, saying: “Let your word always be mixed with salt” (Col. 4:6). And the Lord said to the apostles: “You are the salt of the earth; If the salt overwhelms, with what will it be salted?” (Matthew 5:13). God also commands that every offering be without damage or blemish, although the sacrifices are different and offered in different ways. And this teaches us to be blameless in every kind of life: whoever loves virginity must live according to its laws; whoever has chosen the marriage yoke must not corrupt this union by immoderate mutual communication; whoever chose the ascetic life must observe the rule of perfection; in short, whether someone lives in wealth, in poverty, in slavery, in domination, everyone must be blameless and blameless in his own rank. Of the sacrifices, excluding the burnt offering, some were brought to the altar, and some were given to the priests, which is why the divine apostle said about the priests that they “share with the altar” (1 Cor. 9:13). The rest of the meat was separated for the needs of those who brought it. The burnt offerings also included the offered parts of animals, such as kidneys, fat and membrane of the liver, and from some sacrifices also the loins or, according to other translators, the edge, because we, imperfect, have a need for prayer books perfected by virtue and through them we offer our prayers. The offerer lays hands on the sacrifice, as if those were his deeds (because hands mean deeds) about which he brings the sacrifice. God commands that we abstain from blood and fat, and commands that both be offered on the altar, because blood is the cause of life, and fat signifies virtue; but it is most fair to dedicate both as a gift to God. A bishop who has violated any law is commanded by God to sacrifice an immaculate calf and place what we have counted above on the altar, and burn the meat, skin and bloodworms outside the camp (Lev. 4:11–12). This means that sin is alien to the sacred fences. And when the whole people dared to commit any such iniquity, then God legalized to offer the same sacrifice (Lev. 4:1 ff.), teaching this how great the advantage of the priesthood is, because He placed it on an equal footing with the whole people. The prince who violated any law was ordered to bring not a calf, but a one-year-old goat (Lev. 11 ff.) - that is how far away from the high priestly dignity the one to whom the carnal leadership is entrusted is entrusted. The one who has sinned, if he is not a priest or a prince, is decreed to sacrifice a goat, because, as we said above, a male sacrifice is appropriate for a prince, and a female one for a subordinate. Anyone who has either touched something unclean and forbidden, or heard someone make an oath, or promised to do something or bring it as a gift to God and confirmed the promise with an oath, but did not justify his words with deeds, is commanded by the law to quickly confess the sin, and then offer a lamb or a goat and thereby appease God (Lev. 5:1ff.). If he is poor, then he commands him to bring two turtle doves or two chicks of pigeons (Lev. 5:7). And if he does not have enough for this, he orders him to bring a little wheat flour without oil and frankincense (Lev. 5:11), because oil means joy, and frankincense means fragrance, but sin is deprived of both. He very decently connected these sins with each other: touching an unclean thing and concealing the sin of both the one who swore and the one who lied. For the pure, by touching the unclean, becomes defiled, and the one who does not swear becomes an accomplice in sin with the one who lied, if he did not expose him to lies. But the goodness of the Lord is worthy of surprise in that he who promised to bring some gift and did not fulfill it in reality, is not punished as ungrateful and an oathbreaker, but is treated with an unimportant penalty. Question 2. What does it mean when it is said: even if the soul forgets in oblivion, and sins by not desiring the holy things of the Lord (Lev. 5:15)? It often happened that someone, due to lack of time, did not bring something dedicated to God on time, such as firstfruits, or firstfruits, or vows. So, God subjects the one who falls into this crime to a penalty that exceeds the required offering. For he commands first to pay the entire Divine debt, adding to it a fifth of the present price, and then to offer a ram as a sacrifice for the crime at the price of fifty shekels and thus receive remission of sin. Having legitimized this and the like for those who sinned involuntarily, for those who sinned voluntarily, took a deposit and hid or committed some unrighteousness and increased the sin with a false oath, he also commands first to give to the offended what was illegally taken away, and to add only a fifth to the price, and then to bring the ram and appease God. Blessed Zacchaeus did the same, for he gave back fourfold to anyone he had offended, and then gave half of his property to the poor. Question 3. Why did God decide that the priestly sacrifice should be given up as a burnt offering (Lev. 6:23)? By teaching this, the priest should be perfect and not just a part, but devote himself entirely to the God of all. Question 4. Why were sin sacrifices offered at the place of burnt offerings (Lev. 7:2)? For the consolation of those who bring it, so that they know that, having been healed by repentance, they are no longer alien to the saints. That is why these sacrifices are called “holy of holies” (Lev. 6:25). Question 5. What does it mean when it is said: “Whoever touches its flesh will be sanctified” (Lev. 6:27)? The Lawgiver teaches the Israelites to be reverent, commands them to approach the Divine with fear, and orders them to stand at a distance from the sacred. And whoever dares to approach and take on a drop of sacrificial blood is commanded to remain in the church, as if he no longer has power over himself, however, not to perform sacred services in the church, but to perform some other service. Therefore, he commands that the clothes that have received this blood be washed, and the vessels, if they are copper, should be thoroughly wiped, and if they are clay, they should be broken. Question 6. Why does God not command the eating of sacrifices after the third day, but punishes the one who transgresses this law and says about that sacrifice that it is not counted as a sacrifice (Lev. 7:18)? He wants those who sacrifice not only to participate in the feast themselves, but also to give meat to those in need. Therefore, he commands that these meats be eaten on the first and second days, and the excess be burned, so that, forced by this necessity, the poor should be made participants in the feast. Question 7. Why does God forbid anyone who touches one who sheds semen, or a leper, or a dead body, or anything that is called unclean, to eat sacrificial meat (Lev. 7:21)? This little one heals great diseases. For if the natural, according to the law, defiles, then how much more does the moral, in the proper sense called illegal, defile. And that this is what the law means, the following testifies to this. For, having commanded that every fat be offered on the altar, he provided the fat of the dead body and animal meat for human needs (Lev. 7:24). Of course, whoever touched this was unclean. So, it is clear from this that God legitimized something else, having some other goal in mind. Question 8. Why did Moses anoint the priest’s right ear, right hand and also his right foot with blood and oil (Lev. 8:23–24)? This is an image of the blessings given to us. Blood is the image of the saving Blood, and oil is the image of the all-holy anointing; the right ear is a sign of praiseworthy obedience, and the hand and foot are symbols of good deeds. That is why the right hand and the right foot were anointed, because there are deeds of sham and obedience that are harmful. Question 9. How should we understand “strange fire” (Lev. 10:1)? History lets us know that when the first sacrifice was made, what was sacrificed was consumed by Divine fire (Lev. 9:24). The Lord God decided to keep this fire unquenchable and to add wood to it day and night, so that man-made fire would not be mixed with the Divine fire. So, since Nadab and Abihu, the children of Aaron, broke this law and brought in fire made with hands, Divine fire consumed them. And through this we learn not to quench the Spirit, but to kindle the grace we have received and not to introduce what is alien to Divine Scripture, but to be content with the teaching of the Spirit, and to hate heresies, of which some have added fables to the Divine words, while others have preferred their wicked reasoning to the reason of Scripture. Question 10. Why does the law prohibit the priests from eating wine (Lev. 10:9)? He did not forbid this forever, but for the duration of the priesthood. For the service was performed in turns, some on such days, and others on others. Yes, and the apostle commands “the priest to be sober and a deacon not to pay much attention to wine” (1 Tim. 3:2, 8). Writing to Timothy, he commanded him to take a little wine often for the sake of ailments (1 Tim. 5:23). For the priest must be perfect, because he has been entrusted with intercession for the people. The lawgiver Moses, as soon as he saw that the goat, brought for the sake of sin, contrary to the Divine law, “was burned then, being angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, saying: Why was there not food in the holy place, for the sake of sin, which is the holy of holies? Has not the Lord given you this to eat, so that you may take away the sin of the host and pray for them before the Lord?” (Lev. 10:16–17). And by this we understand again that by eating what the people bring and not living lawfully, not diligently offering prayers for people, we are subjected to God’s judgment. Making this clear, the Lord God said through the prophet: “The sins of my people consume me” (Hos. 4:8). Question 11: What does “the cloven hoof and the regurgitating chewing” mean (Lev. 11:3)? “The cloven hoof” means, as I think, the distinction between good deeds and those opposite to them, and beyond this, life not only in the present age, but also in the future, and providing one age with only what is necessary, and the other with everything, that is, both the soul and the body, and those related to the body. And “regurgitating chewing” means teaching in Divine words. For just as a sheep and similar animals constantly chew their food, so the zealous and God-loving one cries out to the God of all: “If I have loved Your law, O Lord; “All day long is my instruction” (Ps. 119:97). Just as some of the animals split their hooves and chew their food, while others, such as the donkey, hinny, horse and other animals, have neither one nor the other property, and some also clove their hooves, but do not chew food, such as pigs, and others regurgitate their hooves, but do not split their hooves, such as the camel and the hare, so among people you can find perfect ones who love to learn Divine words and diligently progress in virtue, and imperfect ones who pronounce Divine words with their tongues, but are unable to split their hooves and become like a camel; some have not yet tasted piety and have not begun to study Divine words, but are concerned about praiseworthy deeds, and some do not have faith at all and are deprived of every good deed. Of those living in the waters, Moses calls those who have scales and feathers clean, because they swim on the waters, and those without scales and feathers lie below in the mud. Therefore, among rational beings, those who are pure are those who are not directed towards earthly things, but have the wings of faith and are protected by the veil of virtue. And what scales are to fish, so are the armor of virtue to people; and what feathers are to fish, faith is to people. Blessed Paul also clothes us with the same thing, calling us the wings of grace and the weapons of the Spirit. Of the birds, Moses calls the birds of prey unclean, those that feed on dead bodies and love darkness, thereby teaching us to abstain from covetousness, to avert the foul-smelling food of sin and to hate darkness. And that it is not without reason that this is understood in this way is evidenced by the history of the Acts. For, as it is said, blessed Peter saw the shroud lowered by four edges, “in it were all the four-legged creatures of the earth and the birds of the air.” And he heard a voice saying: “Arise, Peter, kill and eat.” When Peter said: “Never mind, Lord, because no one has eaten anything that is foul or unclean,” the Lord God said: “If God has cleansed it, do not defile it” (Acts 10:11, 15). And that this was said for the sake of Cornelius, still a pagan and desiring salvation for himself, this is explained by what follows. But the Lord also said to the apostles: “Many will come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15); and he called the Jews “a generation of vipers” (Matthew 23:33). And the apostle says: “Beware from dogs” (Phil. 3:2); and he said to the elders of Ephesus: “We know that after I am gone, heavy oxen will enter into you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29). And the prophets call some “misogynistic horses” (Jer. 5:8), and others - serpents and a tribe of soaring asps (Is. 30:6). And the Lord also says: “The kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, and gathered from every kind of fish” (Matthew 13:47), and: “Where the corpse is, there the eagles will be gathered” (Matthew 24:28). Therefore, our interpretation is in accordance with the reason of Divine Scripture. And this is the kind of benefit we gain from this, but the Jews were also provided with a benefit of a different kind. By dividing the animals, amphibians, and birds, and those living in the waters into two parts, and calling some unclean and others clean, Moses convinces not to recognize any of them as God. For who among the sane will call God either something unclean, which one turns away with hatred, or something that is sacrificed to the true God and to those who offer it themselves? Question 12. Why, if something unclean falls into an earthen vessel, does the law command that it be broken, and if something unclean falls into a copper vessel, or a wooden vessel, or sackcloth, or a robe, to wash it out with water (Lev. 11:32-33)? And from this it is clear that nothing is unclean by nature; God called one unclean and the other clean for some special reason. And if it were unclean by nature, then both copper and wooden vessels would have to be broken. since for another reason he called the vessels unclean, he orders the more valuable to be washed and the less valuable to be broken, in one case confirming the law on unclean things, and in the other making it clear the intention of the law. That is why he commands that caves and fires should be destroyed (Lev. 11:35), if any unclean animal falls into them, and the water in vessels, when a dead body falls into them, he calls unclean, but he does not call the water in springs and lakes such (Lev. 11:36), because he limits everything like this to minor damage. And from this we also know what evil sin is, because it produces true defilement. Question 13. Why does a dead body, if it falls on a seed that has not been moistened with water, not defile it, but if it falls on one moistened with water, makes it unclean (Lev. 11:37, 38)? Because moisture encourages the seed to absorb pus. Moses especially calls the animals that crawl on their bellies unclean, because the serpent is the leader of evil and the accomplice of the devil’s malice. Question 14. Why does the law say that she who gives birth to a male is unclean for forty days, and she who gives birth to a female is unclean twice forty days (Lev. 12:1-5)? One must delve into the intent of the law. For often instead of one he teaches another. This is not difficult to see in the present case. For if the one who gave birth is unclean, then the woman who bears the belly is unclean. Therefore, I think that the law commands the one who gave birth to calm down, as she has worked hard and suffered severe torment. But if he simply gave such a command, then the husbands would not restrain their lust; Knowing that the mother who gave birth is unclean, they run away from each other so that the uncleanness does not become known to them. So, the law extinguishes desire with the word “uncleanness”. And others explained the difference in days by the fact that wives who give birth to female children do more work. That’s why the law prescribed them twice the rest time. Question 15. What does the law of leprosy mean (Lev. 13, Lev. 14)? Bodily suffering indicates mental illness and, speaking of involuntary illnesses, blames for voluntary ones. For if natural diseases seem unclean, much more are moral diseases unclean. He also talks about the differences in leprosy, because there is a difference in sins. There is a beginning of leprosy because there is also a beginning of sin. But just as a priest distinguishes leprosy, so he also needs to be a judge of spiritual sins. He calls the variegation of color on the skin leprosy; Thus, vice, entering the soul, makes it a leper. Question 16. Why is he called clean (Lev. 13:13) who has become a leper? And this law is full of philanthropy. Just as he prescribed for a dead body, if it falls into a vessel, the vessel should be recognized as unclean, and if it falls into a spring or lake, it should not be recognized as unclean, so he separates the one who has a mottled skin color from others as having the hope of purification; and whoever has become completely white is commanded to be in communication with others, so that he does not spend his whole life separated from other people. And this is an image of the spiritual. For the Divine Law commands not even to eat with the faithful who sin, and when the infidels are invited to a feast, it does not prohibit eating with them. The divine apostle says this: “If anyone calls from the unbelievers, and wants to go, eat everything that is offered to you, without hesitation” (1 Cor. 10:27), etc. About the faithful who sin, he said this: “If someone, we call him a brother, is a fornicator, or a covetous, or an idolater, or a drunkard, or a troublemaker, or a predator, with such is lower than food” (1 Cor. 5:11), and also: separate yourself from every brother who walks disorderly (2 Thess. 3:6). Therefore, such a one is partly like a leper, and an infidel is like one who has lost all his natural color. But we talk and contact the latter, but not the former. And the divine apostle is a witness to this, for he says: “Your writings will not be mixed with a fornicator; and not everyone is a fornicator of this world, or a covetous person, or a predator, or an idolater” (1 Cor. 5:9-10); “but if there is a certain one, we call him a brother,” and so on. (1 Cor. 5:11). The law called the one who became white pure, not as having a sound body, but as, according to the law, not desecrating those who are already approaching. Question 17. Why does he command that the head of a leper be uncovered and his garments torn (Lev. 13:45)? So that he can be recognized and so that the approaching impurities do not become part of him. So the apostle said about those who sin: “separate yourself from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to tradition, which he received from us” (2 Thessalonians 3:6), and: “if anyone, we call him a brother, is a fornicator, or a covetous person, or an idolater, or a drunkard, or a troublemaker, or a predator, with such one he is below food” (1 Cor. 5:11). Question 18. How should we understand the appearance of leprosy on clothing (Lev. 13:47)? God gave many such admonitions to the Jews. Following this, he says the following about leprous houses: “When you enter into the land of Canaan, I will give it to you, and I will give the plague of leprosy in the houses of the land that is adjacent to you, and so on” (Lev. 14:34). And this teaches that these plagues were sent from God, imposed either on clothes or on houses. This shows God’s indescribable love for mankind. For when people sinned, he inflicted punishment on clothes and houses, thereby healing those who owned them. He compared the house of lepers to the house of Israel, from which those who repeatedly sinned, like some leper stones, were taken away by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, and sometimes the Macedonians. But since the Israelites had constant leprosy, the Lawgiver ordered the house to be razed to the ground. Therefore those who enter their congregation are as unclean as those who enter a leper's house. Question 19. What do the two birds offer for one who is being cleansed from leprosy mean (Lev. 14:4)? They represent an image of saving suffering. For just as one of the birds was slaughtered, and the other, dipped in the blood of the slain, was released (Lev. 14:5-7), so for leprous humanity the Lord Christ was crucified and the flesh accepted death, and the Divinity appropriated the suffering of humanity. And just as the blood of a slain bird, mixed with clean water, sprinkled on the leper with “cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet 1” made him healthy and clean, so one who believes in the Savior Christ and purified by the water of All-Holy Baptism casts off sinful impurities. The cedar tree serves as a sign of the impassive Divinity, because this tree is not rotting, and the scarlet cut is humanity, consisting of soul and body, and the hyssop is the fervor and fragrance of the All-Holy Spirit, because through this those who are baptized are delivered from mental leprosy. The cup of oil (Lev. 14:15) signifies the spiritual world. The anointing of the right ear, right hand and right foot with oil (Lev. 14:17) depicts the dedication of the ear to right words, and the hands and feet to right deeds. The placing of oil on the head (Lev. 14:18) depicts the sanctification of rational power. The leper lived outside the camp, just as someone who falls unrepentantly is cast out of the Church. Question 20. Why does the law call the one who sheds the seed unclean (Lev. 15ff.)? I have already said that through the natural he instructs in the moral and teaches one how difficult another is. For if the flow that occurs due to natural causes is unclean, then much more is concupiscence unlawful. It also teaches you to avoid getting close to such people. For he called the one who approaches the one who pours out the seed unclean (Lev. 15:5, 10). And that everything that happens for natural reasons is not, in truth, unclean, this is shown by the law itself. For if the one who pours out the seed touches an earthen vessel, the law commands that it be broken, and if it touches a copper or wooden vessel, it is washed with water; but they would also have to be broken, like clay vessels, if the person suffering from this illness were truly unclean. Thus, he calls unclean the one to whom this happens in a dream and who sleeps with his wife according to the law of marriage (Lev. 15:18), although God Himself decreed the law on marriage, and, moreover, this was the first law. For it is said: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). Why does he call someone who has slept according to the law unclean? It is obvious that this teaches moderation in marital communication and teaches that one enters into a marital union for the purpose of procreation, and not for voluptuousness, therefore he calls those who have fallen asleep unclean and commands them to use purification, so that the work of purification prevents frequent communication. But the divine apostle, writing to the perfect, says: “Marriage is honorable and the bed is undefiled; But God judges the fornicator and the adulterer” (Heb. 13:4). Question 21: Why does the law call a woman unclean who naturally sheds excess blood (Lev. 15:19)? What we said about those who shed seed, we will say the same about such a woman. Moreover, the woman is called unclean so that no one has fellowship with her. For some say that from such intercourse disease and leprosy arise. That is why the law calls anyone who touches such a woman unclean. The legislator showed the reasons for such laws, briefly saying: “And the children of Israel shall be reverent from their uncleanness; and let not the uncleanness die for its own sake, and ever defile my tabernacle even in them” (Lev. 15:31). But if He said that he also defiles the involuntary, then it is clear that the voluntary is even more vile. And all these laws were very decent for the Israelites, as extremely lustful and greedy people. What was violated was unimportant, but when it was observed, it made us more capable of perfection. Question 22. When did the bishop enter the Holy of Holies? On the day of purification, which, according to God's command, was the tenth day of the seventh month. For it is said: “the Lord spoke to Moses: say to Aaron your brother, let him not enter into the Holy Place at all hours, inside the veil, before the face of the atonement that is above the ark of witness, and let him not die; for I will appear in a cloud above the purification” (Lev. 16:2). From this it is clear that in the purification the Lord God manifested His presence and, revealing His grace, was visible there not in darkness, not in smoke, not in fire, as on Sinai, but in a luminous cloud. He also taught the ritual of sacrifices that the bishop had to make, daring to enter the sanctuary. For he commanded that a bullock for sin should be sacrificed and one ram for a burnt offering and this should be offered for himself, and for the whole people two goats of sin should be taken for the sake of and one ram for a burnt offering (Lev. 16:3-5). Kozlov decided to distinguish by lot and sacrifice one, and release the other into the desert. Others, understanding this unreasonably, thought that the absolution mentioned here was some kind of demon. For Moses said: “One is unto the Lord, and the other is for remission” (Lev. 16:8). But they assumed this out of great simplicity of mind. For is it possible that He who said, “Let there be no gods for you except Me; “Thou shalt not bow down or serve any God other than Me” (Ex. 20:3–5), commanded some demon to separate a sacrifice identical to that offered to Himself. The thought should have been drawn to the fact that God ordered that the goat being released be sacrificed to Him. For he says: “Let him take the goat alive before the Lord, as if he had prayed over him and sent him away for remission into the wilderness” (Lev. 16:10). And this makes it clear that the goat itself is called scapegoating, as being released into the wilderness. This is also evident from what follows: “and the goat will take away all their iniquities into an impassable land” (ibid.). Symmachus translated the word scapegoat (τον άποπομπαίον) “to a goat going away to be released as a scapegoat,” and Aquila – “to a goat being sent into the wilderness.” Therefore, the goat was not sent to any god or demon, but both goats were offered to the true God, and one was slain as a sacrifice, and the other took on the sins of the people and was released into the desert. Just as during the cleansing of a leper, one bird was slain as a sacrifice, and the other, having been dipped in the blood of the first, was set free, so of the two goats that were offered for the sins of the people, one was slaughtered and the other was released. And these were also prototypes of the Lord Christ, and these two animals should be taken as an image not of two persons, but of two natures. Since a goat is mortal and it was impossible with one goat to represent both the mortal and the immortal in the Lord Christ, then, of necessity, the law decreed that two should be brought, so that the one slain as a sacrifice would represent the satisfying flesh, and the one released would represent the dispassion of the Divine. So blessed David, predicting the suffering, resurrection and ascension into heaven of the Lord Christ, said: “O God, never did You go forth before Your people, never did You pass by in the desert, the earth shook, for the heavens were in ruins” (Ps. 67:8-9). We know that when the Lord Christ was crucified, then the earth shook, and the stones crumbled, and the sky, with the darkening of the sun, announced the excessiveness of wickedness. And the desert is an image of death, which is why David said: “You always pass by in the desert.” And let no one consider it indecent that goats typified the suffering of the Savior, when the great John called Him a lamb. Let us take into account that He offered Himself not only for the righteous, but also for sinners. The Lord Himself likened the gathering of sinners to goats. For he said: “He will set the sheep on the right hand, and the goats on the left” (Matthew 25:33). According to the law, a goat was offered for sin, and the Lord Himself called the copper serpent His image. For he says: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so it is fitting for the Son of Man to be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but may have eternal life” (John 3:14–15). Therefore, if it were indecent to serve as an image to goats, then it would be even more indecent to serve as an image to a serpent. So, that the goat carried sin into the desert, this first taught the salvation of the universe, and it consoled the Jews, like infants, because it reminded them of the lawlessness that they repeatedly dared to commit in the desert, and of the inexpressible love of the Lord, according to which, having avoided legal punishments, they entered the Promised Land. Thus, the law, having commanded this to be done, teaches how a bishop should enter the Holy of Holies. For he says: “Let Aaron bring the calf of his own sin, and let him pray for himself and for his house; and let him kill the calf that is his own sin. And let him take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar that is before the Lord, and let him fill his hand with pure incense, and let him bring it inside the curtains; and let him put incense before the Lord, and let the smoke of the incense cover the place of atonement at the meeting, and not die” (Lev. 16:11–13). From this it is clear that the altar of incense was outside the veil, for if it had been inside, then it would have been commanded to take coals into the censer and put incense into it inside the veil. Blessed Luke also taught us this, telling us about Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. For at that time he too entered the Holy of Holies and was honored with the sight of angels. God commanded that the blood of the bull and the goat be sprinkled with the finger seven times (Lev. 16:14, 19). since life revolves in seven days and every day, so to speak, we sin in something big or small, then a sprinkling of blood equal to the days was offered for the sins committed in them. Moses says that this cleanses not only them, but also the tabernacle. For he says: “And he will cleanse the Holy Place from the uncleanness of the children of Israel and from their iniquities, for all their sins; and so he will make the tabernacles of the meeting with those created in them in the midst of their uncleanness” (Lev. 16:16). He commanded that no one should be in the tabernacle when the bishop was performing this sacred service (Lev. 16:17). He also appoints the time at which this should be done. For he says: “On the tenth day of the month subdue your souls, and let not any work be done, whether native or foreigner, dwell in you; On that day he will pray for you to cleanse you from your sins before the Lord, and you will be clean; May this be the Sabbath of Sabbaths, and let this be your rest, and subdue your souls, lawfully forever” (Lev. 16:29–31). Moses called this day the Sabbath of Sabbaths, as the Holy of Holies is called, because this holiday is much more honorable than the Sabbath. And he called fasting the conquest of the soul. Then he adds: “Let it be done in one summer, as the Lord commanded Moses” (Lev. 16:34). And this typifies the economy according to the flesh of our Savior. For just as the bishop, alone in the summer, entering the Holy of Holies, performed this sacred service, so, according to the word of the divine apostle, the Lord Christ, having once endured saving suffering, ascended to heaven, “having found eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12). Question 23: Why does the law prohibit the slaughter of animals for food away from the tabernacle (Lev. 17:3–6)? God knew the wickedness of some, knew that others made sacrifices to demons. Therefore, he decreed that anyone who wanted to slaughter a bull, or a sheep, or a goat, should bring what was being slaughtered to the door of the tabernacle and shed the blood there, and eat the meat at home. And whoever does not do this, he ordered that he be brought to trial as guilty of murder. For he says: “The blood that is shed will be counted against that person; his life will be required of his people” (Lev. 17:4). And what follows will show that the law has this purpose that I have said. It is said: “Let the priest offer the fat as a fragrant aroma to the Lord; and let them not devour their sacrifices to vain things, while they themselves commit fornication after them; the eternal law will be yours throughout your generations” (Lev. 17:6–7). This law is still in force among the Jews, because the animals used for food are slaughtered by the priest. God forbade them to eat blood and revealed the reason for this. It is said: “Before the life of all flesh is his blood, and I breathed before you at the altar to plead for your souls; blood will beg him instead of his soul. For this reason I spoke to the sons of Israel: let no soul from you take blood, and let no stranger who lies within you take blood” (Lev. 17:11-12). Just as you yourself have an immortal soul, so a dumb animal has blood instead of a soul. Therefore, God commands that the soul of the dumb, that is, blood, be offered instead of your immortal and rational soul. But if you eat blood, you consume the soul, because blood replaces the rational soul. That is why he called this eating murder. Therefore, he also prohibits eating dead animals, since in them the blood has not been separated from the body. Question 24. Others condemn the law on marriage, saying that God forbids something that has never happened anywhere. For, they reason, who would agree to incest with his mother? Or who ever mixes with livestock (Lev. 18:7, 23)? God would not prohibit something that no one dared to do. And that this is really so is evidenced by the very beginning of this law. For this is what God said: “Because of the beginnings of Egypt, which you dwell in, you will not create, and because of the beginnings of the land of Canaan, which I led you there, you will not create, and you will not walk in their laws” (Lev. 18:3). Having said this, he explains what they dared to do there, and prohibits such deeds. And that people dared to do many things like this is evidenced by the Persians, who to this day enter into marriage not only with sisters, but also with mothers and daughters. Many also dare to commit other iniquities. Question 25. What does it mean to say: “Do not let your seed serve the prince, 2 and do not desecrate the name of the saint; I am the Lord” (Lev. 18:21)? In Hebrew it reads “Moloch”, and other translators have left this word without translation. Moloch was an idol. Why does God say through the prophet: “The children of Israel brought the food of the slaughter and the required food to Me in the desert for forty years? And you took the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your god Remphan, the images that you had made for yourself, to worship them” (Amos 5:25–26). So, the law prohibits sending children to serve in idol churches. But others say that it is forbidden to give children as servants or squires to foreign princes, so that they do not borrow their wickedness. Question 26. What does it mean when it is said: “Let not the earth be angry with you, so as to defile you, in the same way that it was angry with the tongues that were before you” (Lev. 18:28)? God says, “Let not the land abhor you, as it abhorred the Canaanites,” when he should have said, “Just as for many iniquities, having delivered the Canaanites to final destruction, I handed over their land to you, so I will punish you too if you do the same.” Question 27. How should we understand what has been said: “Do not mix your cattle with any other kind of cattle, and do not plant your grapes of any kind; and thou shalt not place a garment of two woven on you” (Lev. 19:19)? I have repeatedly said that the law teaches the spiritual through the sensory. Therefore, he prohibits the creation of animals of various kinds, such as horses and donkeys, so that the lawless confusion does not pass from the dumb to the verbal. Therefore, he calls clothing woven from wave and linen vile, teaching him not to in any way conceive deeds that are contrary to each other. And what is not called unclean by clothing, is meant by deeds, as evidenced by the coverings on the tabernacle, prepared from various threads. The same should be understood about grapes. And the apostle forbids communication with unbelievers, saying: “Do not be subject to another yoke of unbelievers” (2 Cor. 6:14). Question 28. What does it mean that it is said: “You shall not cut your hair around (σισόην) from the hair of your heads; you shall shave your hair below 3. And you shall not make any cuttings on your body for your souls; and let not you bring the wounded plagues upon you” (Lev. 19:27–28)? Some translated the word tö σισόην “curls made from hair with the intention,” but I think the law prohibits otherwise. It was the custom of the Hellenes not to cut the hair on the heads of children, but to let them grow and eventually dedicate them to demons. They also had the custom of shaving their beards when they were mourning someone, and making cuts on their cheeks in honor of the dead, and some parts were pricked with something sharp and covered with black paint to please the demons. This is what the Divine Law prohibits. Question 29. What is a glutton (Lev. 19:31)? Some, being possessed by demons, deceived many foolish people with the idea that they foretold the future; The Greeks called them ventriloquists, because the demons seemed to speak into their insides. Question 30: Why does God give the priests a special law on marriage (Lev. 21:13–15)? The priest had to be a model of chastity and, in order for the race to remain unalloyed, not give any reason for insult to those plotting desecration. Therefore, the divine apostle commands the priest of God to have a good testimony from outsiders, lest he fall into reproach and into the snare of hostility (1 Tim. 3:7). Therefore, the law commands that an Israeli woman who has fallen into fornication should be killed, and the daughter of a priest who dares to do such a thing should be burned (Lev. 21:9). Because of the murmuring of the Jews, God also forbids priestly service to those who have some kind of bodily defect (Lev. 21:17), but under the guise of involuntary defects he forbids voluntary ones, for by blindness of the eye he means deprivation of knowledge, by cutting off the ear - disobedience, and by cutting off the nose - loss of reason, by cutting off hands - lack of activity. This is how the rest should be understood. Therefore, God commands that animals with intact members be sacrificed, admonishing those who offer them, so that they may have the active powers of the soul healthy. On top of everything else, it prohibits bringing an animal whose “yatra is cut or broken” (Lev. 22:24), because one who cares about serving God must be capable of bearing fruit in good deeds. Question 31. Why did God command the firstlings of livestock to be offered on the eighth day (Lev. 22:27)? I knew the wickedness and gluttony of some; He knew that if they saw what was born full and good-looking, they would keep it and bring another. Therefore, he commanded that it be brought soon after birth. Question 32. What does it mean when it is said: Do not tear down the new yarn until you bring gifts to your God (Lev. 23:14)? In Palestine the earth is hotter and bears fruit early; therefore, he commands no one to boil, roast or eat new ears of corn before they bring a sheaf of them to God; He commands that this be brought on the day of Easter; then count seven weeks from it and celebrate the feast of Pentecost. For he said this: “Count yourselves from the morning the Sabbaths, from the day in which you bring the sheaves of the excommunication, seven whole weeks” (Lev. 23:15). The feast of Pentecost was reminiscent of the entry into the Promised Land. For from that time on they began to sow and reap, while in the desert they ate the manna that came from heaven. Thus, having taught how the Feast of Passover and the Feast of Pentecost should be celebrated, the law teaches what should be done in the seventh month, and in the new moon it commands to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets (Lev. 23:24), and this was reminiscent of the trumpets on Mount Sinai, when the God of all gave the law. For it is said: “The sound of the trumpet is loud” (Ex. 19:16). On the tenth day of the seventh month God commands us to fast, because He calls this day the day of purification. For he says: “Humble your souls, from the ninth day of the month from the evening, even until the tenth day of the month until the evening, keep your Sabbaths” (Lev. 23:32). “And every soul that does not submit on that day, that soul will be cut off from its people” (Lev. 23:29). But the Jews, clearly opposing the law, do not complain on this day, but laugh, joke, rejoice, and indulge in indecent words and deeds. On the fifteenth day, God legitimizes the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:34), not until the seventh day, as on other holidays, but commands that the eighth be added to the seven. For he says: “And this day shall be called holy unto you, and ye shall offer burnt offerings to the Lord; the original is, you will not do every work” (Lev. 23:36). The word initial means the end of the holidays. This feast of tabernacles was reminiscent of being in the wilderness. For the Lawgiver also said this: “For the children of Israel are all in the booths; I will never bring them out of the land of Egypt” (Lev. 23:43). Therefore, he ordered that houses be decorated with tree branches, and among other branches he also included “agnovs” (Lev. 23:40), as signifying chastity and quenching voluptuousness. For they say that this plant, both eaten and spread, extinguishes the flame of voluptuousness. But God decreed that these vine branches should not be used for medical purposes, but by the name itself, inspiring them to remember chastity. Question 33. How should we understand what is said: “Whoever curses his God will accept sin; call the name of the Lord death, that he may die” (Lev. 24:15–16)? Someone was taken who had blasphemed the God of all; the law on blasphemy had not yet been written. Therefore, Moses ordered the captured one to be thrown into prison, and the next day he asked the Lord God what the wicked should endure. God commanded that he be stoned and those who heard the blasphemy be the first to throw stones at him. He also decreed a law on blasphemy. And as he also called the falsely named god God, although he said that he who speaks evil of such a god sins, he did not recognize him as worthy of execution. It is not the pious man who sins when he blasphemes a false god, but the one who believes in him and yet blasphemes because he blasphemes what he himself honors. Therefore, he called such blasphemy a sin, not according to the dignity of the blasphemed, but according to the concept of the blasphemous, because he blasphemes not as a false God, but as the true God. And whoever blasphemes the true God, he commanded to be stoned. It is very opportune to add the law on murder to the laws on blasphemy, because the blasphemer, not having the strength to kill, wants to strike the Creator with his tongue. Question 34. Why did God decree that “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” and the like (Lev. 24:20)? He legitimized it not so that they would tolerate this, but so that they would not do this, because the fear of enduring something like this forbade them to do it. Question 35. Why does God forbid sowing the earth in the seventh year (Lev. 25:4)? This law punishes the gluttony of the Israelites. since, wanting more, they continually sown the land and the land, without rest, bore worse fruits, he commanded in the seventh year to leave the land unsown, and even what was born by itself, he forbade it to be collected or reaped, teaching this love of mankind, because he commands widows, orphans and strangers to share the fruits of the earth with the Israelites. Moreover, this leads to something else, because in the same year there was forgiveness of debts and the liberation of Jews in slavery. Therefore, God legalized not to work on the anniversary. This word means freedom and release. They call the fiftieth year a jubilee. For it is said: “Thou shalt number seven weeks of years and proclaim them with a trumpet throughout all your land on the tenth day of the month, on the day of atonement” (Lev. 25:8-9), on the day on which I forgive you and forgive you your sins, on this day you will proclaim the summer of atonement. Then he commands that in this year whoever sold the field and houses in the fields should take them back, and also debts should be destroyed and freedom would be given to Jewish slaves. since it was natural that others began to bother the debtors because of the approaching year of remission, he forbade them to do this too. But so that, like those who did not cultivate the land during the years of liberation, they would not doubt the necessary food, he reassured them with generous promises. It was precisely he who promised that in the sixth summer he would give them a double, even triple profit, not only sufficient to feed them in the sixth and seventh summer, but abundant in the eighth year. For he says: “You will sow in the fall of the summer, and you will reap some of the old fruit even until the ninth summer; Until its fruits are ripe, the old tree will take away the old ones” (Lev. 25:22). Then God gives strength to the law by reminding him of His sovereignty and says: “For the land is mine, as strangers and foreigners are before me” (Lev. 25:23), i.e. I gave it to you as a gift, therefore I legitimize it as Master. Question 36. What does it mean when it is said: “Ten women shall bake their bread in one oven” (Lev. 26:26)? As those tied to earthly things, God both gives and threatens laws; and he promises the fertility of the earth to those who live according to the law, and threatens those who break the law with the sterility of the earth, the invasion of enemies and extreme poverty. This is also expressed here, saying: “Such poverty will befall you that ten wives will cook bread in one oven for lack of what is necessary.” For he added: “And you will eat and not be satisfied” (ibid.). Question 37. What does it mean when it is said: “Then the earth will rejoice and delight in its Sabbaths all the days of its desolation” (Lev. 26:34–35)? The following serves as an explanation for this. For he said: “And you will be your enemies in the land” (Lev. 26:34), because for seventy years you lived in Babylon as slaves. From the reign of Saul to the captivity, four hundred and ninety years are considered; the seventh part of this is seventy. Therefore, what has been said means that the land will remain unsown and uncultivated, because you will live in a foreign land because, along with other laws, you violated the commandment about the Sabbath. For he added: “The earth will rejoice, even though it was not festive when it lived” (Lev. 26:35). But he added another threat: “And to those who are left behind from you I will put fear into their hearts in the lands of their enemy, and the sound of a flying leaf will marry them, and they will flee like those fleeing from an army, and so on” (Lev. 26:36). And this prediction came true. For during the siege of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, when many were killed in battle, many were exterminated by famine, and those taken captive were resettled in Babylon; having escaped enemy hands, fearing a new invasion of the Chaldeans, they fled to Egypt. And this clearly reveals to us the prophecy of the most divine Jeremiah. However, after the threats, God promised good things, foreshadowing the return from captivity, not for their merits, but for the piety of their ancestors. For he said: “And I will remember the covenant of Jacob, and the covenant of Isaac, and the covenant of Abraham” (Lev. 26:42). “And I will remember their first covenant, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of labor, before all the nations, that I should be their God; I am the Lord” (Lev. 26:45). And this also showed the reasons for love for mankind, for he says: “For the sake of the promises given to their fathers, I endure their iniquities, because all the nations learned from extraordinary miracles that I have special care for them and they are called My people.” God mentioned the first Jacob, because he alone was the progenitor of them all. Isaac was the ancestor of both the Edomites, Abraham - both the Israelites 4 and those descended from Keturah. Therefore, starting from below, he ascended in order to Abraham, with whom he initially established a covenant. Question 38. What does it mean when it is said: “Whoever promises a vow, for the value of his vow is to the Lord” (Lev. 27:2)? A vow is a promise, which is popularly called τάγμα (code). This law, as can be found, is preserved to this day among some barbarian peoples, because many of the nomadic peoples, I mean the descendants of Ishmael, weigh newborn babies for silver and bring it as a gift to God. This is why God decreed a law. And how God, knowing that some of those who promised to give a price to God break their promise by lowering the price, commanded that the price for the male sex be fifty drachmas, and for the female sex thirty, excluding the young and the elderly, because he determined the average age, namely: from twenty to sixty years old. And for those who are younger and older, he set a different price. The poor ones were left to the priests to evaluate, so that they could set a price to the best of their ability. He also forbids those who sacrifice dumb animals to replace them with others and, to prevent them from doing this, imposes the necessary penalty on them. For he says: “If he changes, he will change, let the same change be holy” (Lev. 27:10). The price of unclean animals is ordered to be set by the priest. He commanded the same to be done regarding the house and the field. He even determined the size of the didrachm, because he commanded its weight to be twenty pennies (Lev. 27:25). Some of the translators called the didrachm statir. But Moses decided not to redeem the one dedicated to God. The Slavic translation reads: “To Moloch.” More precisely: “don’t spoil the appearance of your brada.” In the Russian translation it is erroneous (following the Latin translation in PG): “Ishmaelites” (Ed.). You might be interested in: