3. And in order to explain the significance of fasting that is not supported by holiness, I will show you the fast that was commanded by Jezebel. "Fast," she commanded the wicked elders of Israel and the inhabitants of Israel, "fast with fasting, and put Naboth at the beginning of the people: and put two men the sons of the transgressors against him, and let them bear witness to him, saying, "Thou shalt not bless God and the King: and they shall bring him out, and stone him, and let him die" (1 Kings 21:9-10). Here, beloved, first of all, the craftiness of Jezebel is revealed, namely: it is decreed in the law: "Death shall be punished according to the testimony of not one, but at least two witnesses" (Deut. 17:6; 19:15); and again: "The hands of the witnesses shall first cast a stone at the condemned, and then the hands of the people" (Deut. 13:9; 17:7). Wherefore Jezebel also commanded that two witnesses should be used against Naboth, and that he should be stoned, which should be thrown at him by the hands of the witnesses, and afterwards by the hands of other men. The law also says: "Whosoever dares to blaspheme the name of the Lord, let him die" (Lev. 21:15-16). Wherefore Jezebel also commanded that Naboth be accused of blasphemy against God, and at the same time against the King. In this way, having ordered Naboth to be made a blasphemer, and an insulter to the king's majesty, Jezebel wanted to show thereby, at least to those who did not know the matter, that she had condemned him to death out of zeal for the glory of God and for the observance of the law. It was with this intention that she commanded fasting. By establishing fasting, she seemed to say: "It is necessary to propitiate God, who is angry with the impudent wickedness of Naboth." In fact, the blood of Naboth was shed by Jezebel because, cherishing his vineyard as the inheritance of his ancestors, he did not want to cede it to Ahab, because Ahab, forgetting the commandment of God, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's being" (Exodus 20:17), was too ardent in wanting to appropriate this vineyard for himself (1 Kings 21:1-6); and therefore the blood of Naboth was shed by Jezebel to please Ahab's covetousness. And the glory, the names of God, and the law, were only words in the language of Jezebel, with which she tried to cover the darkness of her intentions, the iniquity of her action in relation to Naboth. And could she, a servant of Baal, be jealous of the glory of the Lord Almighty? Did she not bear witness to this zeal by breaking down the altars of God and slaying His prophets? O cunning lawyer! You would do much better if, instead of subordinating the law to your passions and making it an instrument for bringing the most lawless desires to fulfillment, you subordinated your passions to the law, made yourself its instrument, and taught your friends not to break it, but to fulfill it. If you had obeyed the law, you would not have bowed your knees to Baal; because the very first commandment of the law says: "Let there be no gods unto thee" (Exodus 20:3), i.e. thou shalt not serve strangers, pagan gods. By submitting to the authority of the law, by respecting its decrees, thou wouldst have refrained from writing the sentence of death against Naboth; because the law forbids the shedding of innocent blood. "Let no blood be shed," he says, "blood is innocent in thy land, which the Lord thy God shall give thee" (Deuteronomy 19:10). If your ears had been opened to the terrible threats of the law, you would have been numb at the thought of shedding Naboth's innocent blood. Then you would hear the menacing, punitive word of the law: "Whoever sheds blood, his own blood will be shed" (Gen. 9:6) You, Ahab, should also remember this word of the law. Then you would not have believed Jezebel's treacherous promise to give you Naboth's vineyard, and you would not have paid for your blind, reckless trust with later repentance (1 Kings 21:7, 16). And you, the wicked elders of Israel, ought to have brought to mind the same lawful threat, when you received the lawless, though law-based, injunction of Jezebel. And why did you put into fulfillment, and did not reject such a commandment, by which a testimony of unrighteousness was required of you, and in which you were commanded to fasting iniquity? When and where have you heard that fasts were instituted for the shedding of righteous blood? But none of you would listen to the saving threats of the law, and therefore its punishment came upon you all, the blood of Nubufeyev fell on you all, and you all paid for it with your blood. Thus the prophecy of the glorious Elijah was fulfilled over Ahab: "Because thou hast slain Naboth, and hast taken his vine for his inheritance: for this reason in the place where the swine licked and sucked his blood, there they shall lick thy blood, and the harlots shall be washed in thy blood" (1 Kings 21:19; 22:38). And Jezebel also received the punishment foretold to her by the mouth of the same champion of the glory of God. Thrown out of the window of her house, she was eaten by the dogs in the same place where she shed, in accordance with the lawless fast established by her, the righteous blood of Naboth, who had never blasphemed, but whom she accused of blasphemy (1 Kings 21:23; 2 Kings 9:30-37). At the same time, the seventy sons of Ahab fell victim to this unlawful act of hers. Finally, the whole house of Ahab, all the nobles close to him, and all the priests became the prey of the sword also for the blood of Naboth (1 Kings 21:22; 2 Kings 10:1-11). Jehu, authorized by God, avenger of the innocent blood of Naboth, approaching to avenge it, said: "Yesterday, saith the Lord, I saw the blood of Naboth and his sons: let vengeance be taken for it" (2 Kings 9:26). And he, having slain Jezebel, destroyed the house of Ahab, smote, destroyed, devoured with the mouth of his sword in the very temple of Baal, all those Israelites who bowed their knees before Baal (2 Kings 9:10). And thus the fast which the Israelites kept by order of Jezebel, which may be called the fast of unrighteousness and the shedding of blood, did not save them from condemnation to perdition and from destruction itself.

4. Not such was the fast which the Ninevites instituted when they learned from the prophet Jonah that the hand of the Lord had already been stretched out to destroy the city. In the book of the prophet Jonah we read: Jonah preached: Three more days, and Nineveh will be changed. And the men of Nineveh believed in God, and commanded fasting, and put on sackcloth from their greatness, even to their little ones. Then it follows that as soon as this came to the knowledge of the king of Nineveh, he rose up from his throne, and cast off his garments, and put on sackcloth, and sat on ashes, and not limiting himself to his own humiliation and repentance before God, but in his own name, and in the name of his nobles, gave this command to the lives of Nineveh: men and beasts, the oxen and the sheep shall not eat anything, nor let them graze, but drink below the water. And let men and beasts put on sackcloth, and let them cry diligently to God. Whosoever shall repent, and beseech God, and turn from the wrath of his wrath, and perish not. And what happened? The Ninevites were not deceived in their hope. God saw their works, as He turned from His evil ways: and God repented of the evil that He had spoken, and did not do it (Jon. ch. 3). But observe, beloved, it is not said, God looked upon the Ninevites, and turned his gracious eye upon their rest, that they abstained from bread and water, that they clothed themselves in sackcloth, and sat on the ashes; but it is said, God saw their works, that He had turned from His wicked ways. And the king of Nineveh, in his commandment, saying, Let men and cattle put on sackcloth, and let them cry diligently to God, added, And let him return from his wicked way, and from iniquity into his hand. This means that the fast of the Ninevites was pleasing to God, because they kept it with holiness, because it was a fast of true, heartfelt repentance, and thus differed from the fast of the Israelites, which was stained with blood, unlawfully shed.

5. In all fasts, beloved, abstinence from bread and water will be of no avail, unless it is accompanied by abstinence from sins: for God thus saith unto the Jews through the mouth of Isaiah: If ye fast in judgment and cooking, and strike with the pasterns of the humble, do ye fast unto me, as this day, when I am heard with the cry of thy voice? I have not chosen this fast, and the day to humble a man's soul. And if thou shalt lay down thy neck like a sickle, and lay sackcloth and ashes, thou shalt call it fasting. Not such a fast have I chosen, saith the Lord: but loose every bond of unrighteousness, destroy the duties of the coercive scriptures, let the brokenhearted go to freedom, and tear apart every unrighteous writing. Crush thy bread to the hungry, and bring the bloodless poor into thy house (Isaiah 58:4-7). Whoever fasts only bodily, without observing the inner fast at the same time, without abstaining from sins, fasts like the hypocrites, who, fasting only outwardly, loved to take on a gloomy appearance and make their faces gloomy, so that all might see that they were fasting (Matt. 6:16).

6. By such fasting, the fast of hypocrites, the leaders of heresies, the evil inventors of evil, fast; because, while observing the fasts, they do not forsake their sins. Yes, however, this is how it should be, because they do not have a God to reward them. Thus, who will reward the followers of the heretic Marcion, when they, following their head, do not recognize our all-good Creator? Who will the sect of Valentinians have as its rewarder, when the founder of their sect asserts that his soul is owed by his being to many creators, that the all-perfect God has never spoken with anyone's lips, and that no one has ever exalted himself to Him with his thoughts? Likewise, whom will the slave sect of the Manichaeans have as their rewarder, who, like vipers and basilisks, love to live in darkness and serve the Chaldean astrology and magic, these ravings of the land of Babylon? After this, can their fasts be pleasing to God?

7. But rather, beloved, I will show you the fast that was pleasing to God, the fast of Mordecai and Esther. The fasting of Mordecai and Esther was the shield of salvation for all the people of Judah. By their fasting the haughty pride of the oppressor Haman was erased, the iniquitous designs of Haman were turned on his own head, — he was measured by the same measure with which he wanted to measure; his cunning did not save him; In spite of his dexterity and skill in evil, he was caught in it; he fell, was broken, lost all his glory and lost all honors, while in his boundless pride he considered himself unshakable and all-powerful; he was struck with the same blows that he wanted to strike, the same wounds were inflicted on him as he was preparing to inflict. He wanted to destroy all the Jews; but the fasting of Mordecai and Esther caused his own sword to enter into his heart, and the bow which he had drawn with wicked intent was broken in his hands. Here the words of the Psalmist involuntarily come to mind: "Let the sword of the wicked enter into their hearts, and let their bows be broken" (Psalm 36:15). All these things were fulfilled in Haman, when he prepared the gallows for Mordecai and his children. On this gallows he himself hung with his children, — he fell into a pit which he himself had dug, — his own feet were stuck in a trap which he himself had secretly set — his own neck fell into the noose prepared by him, — he was punished with an instrument of his own invention, and his destruction is eternal destruction (see Book of Esther).

8. Why, beloved, did Haman ask King Artaxerxes for mercy, permission to destroy all the Jews who were in his kingdom? In order to give a proper answer to this question, it is necessary, in my opinion, to take into account the following circumstances: 1) It is known that Saul, by the command of God, took up arms against the Amalekites, defeated, destroyed, destroyed them, and taking their King Agag captive, gave him to Samuel, and Samuel offered him as a sacrifice to God (1 Samuel 15:2) Haman was an Amalekite; his father, Amadadhui (Est. 3:1), was of the family of Agag; and Mordecai, on the contrary, was related to the family of Saul: both of them came from the same tribe of Benjamin, from the common ancestor Kish (Est. 2:5; 1 Sam. 9:1-2). (3) When Haman was the first person of the King, and was respected and glorified throughout the kingdom, all who served in the king's palace, by order of the King himself, bowed down to him and respected him. Only Mordecai, who was also in the service of the king's court, did not bow down to him. When Haman learned of this, he became angry and made up his mind to destroy all the Jews who were at that time in Persia, under the authority of his Lord, Artaxerxes (Est. 3:1-6; 2:19). Why all of them, and not Mordecai alone? This can only be explained by the fact that Haman had a tribal or popular hatred for the Jews, and had long sought an opportunity to avenge their kindred people and his King's kinsman, who had been destroyed by Saul, and at last he found this case in the disrespect which Mordecai had shown him. Thus it is evident from the consideration of all these circumstances that Haman was compelled to seek the destruction of the Jews and the destruction of Mordecai by the desire of the former to wash away the shame of his ancestors the Amalekites, who had been defeated and destroyed by Saul, and by the death of the latter, as a relative of Saul, to avenge the death of Agag, the desire to eradicate the name of the children of Israel, at least in Persia, just as the memory of Amalek was destroyed in the land under the sun. But apparently he, the mad head, did not know that, long before the very extermination of the Amalekites. their destruction was ordained by God. In ancient times, in holy times, Moses, by the command of God, said to Joshua, "Choose for yourselves mighty men, and go out against Amalek." And Joshua took up arms, and Amalek was vanquished, and destroyed by the sword of the cross, which Moses pictured, praying in battle with outstretched arms: only those of the Amalekites who were not in the war lived; but not one of their soldiers escaped. After this victory of Israel over Amalek, the Lord said to Moses, "Write these things in the books as a memento, and give it into the ears of Jesus, for I will destroy the memory of Amalek from under heaven" (Exodus ch. 17). In spite of this determination, however, God, in His long-suffering, spared the Amalekites, expecting that they, having learned what is written about them in the holy books, would turn to Him and deserve His mercy by true repentance. For the Ninevites repented, and the Lord turned away from them the fury of his wrath, although his hand was already lifted up against their defeat. The Gibeonites asked Joshua for peace in the name of the Lord God of Israel, and peace was granted to them: they were not destroyed along with the other nations that inhabited the land of Canaan (Joshua ch. 9). She believed in the Lord Rahab, and mercy was shown to her (Joshua 2:6). In the same way, the repentance of the Amalekites would have been accepted by God, if they had believed Him. For four hundred years he spared them. And when that time had passed, seeing that they had not turned to him, he said through Samuel the prophet to Saul, who was then king over Israel, "Now will I take vengeance on Israel, which Amalek did to Israel, when you slay them in the way, and go up to them out of Egypt: and now go and smite Amalek." And Saul went, and as I have said before, he smote, and destroyed, and destroyed the Amalekites. In spite of the most devastating destruction that Saul inflicted on the Amalekites, some of them, and among them even the relatives of Agag, remained as ears of grain after a harvest made by an unskilled hand, and were spared by Saul. It was from these Amalekites of the family of Agagov who survived at that time that Haman came. But Saul, for the mercy shown to him, paid dearly: for this very reason the kingdom was taken away from him (1 Sam. ch. 15).

9. Some, in accusation of Mordecai, say: "Why did he not bow down to Haman, while Haman stood above all in the whole kingdom, and enjoyed, according to the will of his king, special glory and special honors? What harm could have come to him from showing due respect to Haman? Even if he had given Haman due honor, Haman would not have plotted evil against him or against his people." "Thus saith he who does not know well the whole matter. Mordecai, being a righteous man, and having a thorough knowledge of the law, behaved in this way and not otherwise towards Haman, because he had in mind his ancestor Saul, who had lost his kingdom, and was subjected to the wrath of God, because he spared Agag, the father of Haman. Therefore Mordecai would have experienced the wrath of God in the likeness of Saul, if he had paid respect to Haman. But in order to properly explain the cause of God's wrath against both Amalek and Saul for their mercy on Amalek, and at the same time the reason for Mordecai's disrespect for Haman, it is necessary, beloved, to turn to History. And Noah, grieved by Ham, pronounced a curse on his son Canaan: "Cursed," said Noah, "cursed be Canaan's child: he shall be a servant to his brethren" (Gen. 9:25). That is why Abraham and Isaac did not take wives for themselves or their children from the tribe of Canaan, fearing to mix the seed of Shem blessed by Noah (Gen. 9:26) with the seed of Canaan cursed from him. But Esau, in spite of this, took wives from the daughters of Canaan for himself (Gen. 36:2), and for this he was deprived of the birthright, given into slavery to his younger brother Jacob. By thy sword, said Isaac, blessing Esau, by thy sword shalt thou live, and thou shalt work for thy brother: and it shall come to pass (the time) when thou shalt cast him down, and put him off with a yoke from thy neck (Gen. 27:40), that is, when thou shalt turn to God. In the person of Esau, by this sentence, the fate of Amalek was also decided; because Amalek was the grandson of Esau: he was born of the concubine of Eliphaz, the son of Esau (Gen. 36:10, 12). Wherefore, when Israel was coming out of Egypt, Amalek, before all the other nations, met her with an armed hand, having a firm intention to make war with her, and to destroy her at last: having destroyed the children of Jacob, Amalek wanted at the same time to destroy the curses of Noah, and the blessings of Isaac, and consequently to escape the yoke which they had to lay upon him, by the blessing of Isaac; children of Jacob. For the same reason, and in the aftermath, Amalek, especially before all the children of Esau, took up arms against Israel. But Amalek's audacious designs to destroy Israel were clearly contrary to both God's plans and promises concerning God's chosen people. This, then, is the reason why God determined to destroy Amalek, and by the hand of the sons of Rachel, and why Saul, who spared the Amalekites, was deprived of his kingdom because of it. From this also we can see why Mordecai should not have bowed down to Haman: Haman, by the power of Isaac's blessing, was his servant; and as an impious descendant of an impious tribe, always hostile to Israel, clearly going against the intentions of Divine Providence, was also an enemy of the God of Israel; and therefore, indeed, by showing respect to Haman, Mordecai would have incurred the wrath of God. After this, by the way, I will note that the decree of God's will concerning the destruction of Amalek by the hand of the sons of Rachel was fulfilled. Joshua, the descendant of Joseph, was the first to fight with Amalek, and conquered him; And Saul, the descendant of the children of Benjamin, smote him; and the remnant of it was destroyed by his post by Mordecai, also a descendant of Benjamin. And now, at last, we have again come to our main subject. Observe, then, beloved, that the fasting of Mordecai and Esther brought Haman down from the height of his glory and power, destroyed and destroyed the remnant of the Amalekites, gave the glory and honour of Haman to Mordecai, and finally placed a royal crown on the head of Esther, giving her the place of Astini, the former wife of Artaxerxes.

10. Let us also pay attention to the Fast of Daniel, which lasted exactly three weeks (Dan. 10:2-3). And the prophet Daniel fasted, and during his fast he prayed for his people, that God might not prolong the slavery of the Jews in the land of Babylon beyond seventy years. For God sometimes diminishes, and sometimes increases, the predestined times. Thus, the time allotted to Noah's antediluvian contemporaries for their destruction was shortened (Gen. 5:32; 6:3; 7:6); on the contrary, the time predestined for the Israelites' sojourn in the land of Egypt was extended, increased (Gen. 15:13; Exodus 12:41). For this reason Daniel feared that the time of the Babylonian captivity would not be extended beyond the time foretold by the Prophet Jeremiah, because of the sins of the Jews. The same conclusion is drawn from the fact that Daniel fasted for such a long time in the seventieth year after the destruction of Jerusalem, and that history is silent as to whether he ever fasted in this way before that time. Thus, it must be assumed that Daniel, fasting for three weeks, asked God precisely that the Jews would not be left in captivity in Babylon for a time, more than seventy years. But here is what is remarkable: after three weeks, spent by Daniel in fasting and prayer, a heavenly messenger appeared to him, who, strengthening and encouraging him, said to him, "Do not be afraid, O Daniel, for from the first day, in which you gave your heart to understand, and labored before the Lord your God, your words were heard, and I came to your words." And the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood against me for twenty days and one day: and behold, Michael, one of the elders, the first to come to help me (Dan. 10:12-13). This messenger, who appeared to Daniel, was the Archangel Gabriel: because it was the work of Gabriel to accept and present our prayers to God. Thus Gabriel came to Zacharias to announce to him the birth of John. And to Zechariah, as to Daniel, he said, Fear not, Zacharias; for thy prayer has been heard" (Luke 1:13, 19). And he lifted up the prayers of Mary to God, and announced to her that she would give birth to Christ, saying, "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God." And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bear a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus (Luke 1:26, 30-31). And how did Mary find grace with God, if not by fasting and prayer? "And Michael the Archangel was the prince and leader of the people of Israel (Dan. 10:21). He is the angel of whom God said to Moses, "Behold, my angel shall go before you, and shall destroy the inhabitants of the land of Canaan" (Exodus 22:23; 32:34; 33:2). And he stopped Balaam's ass, when Balaam was on his way to Balak, king of Moab, to pronounce a curse upon Israel, Num. 22. He, in the form of a man with a drawn sword in his hand, appeared to Joshua near Jericho (Joshua 5:13-14). And he before Joshua destroyed the wall of Jericho, and slew thirty-one kings (Joshua 6:12). He destroyed a thousand thousand Ephiopites before King Asa (2 Chron. ch. 14). And He, through the prayers of King Hezekiah and the Prophet Isaiah, slew and slew about a hundred and eighty thousand soldiers in the camp of the King of Assyria (2 Kings 19:35; 2 Chron. 32:20-21). And so these are the helpers that Daniel found for himself by his fasting! Fasting and prayer, with which Daniel asked God for the return of the Jews from the captivity of Babylon, raised his desires to the desires of the celestials, the Archangels Gabriel and Michael; for both Michael and Gabriel also desired the return of the Jews to their own land: Michael, their prince and leader, in order to rest from the feats that had been fought for them, from the shedding of human blood; and Gabriel, that the fruits of their prayer in the holy land, in the temple of God, which was to be raised, might multiply, and the sacrifices might become more frequent, that they might be daily. But the prince of Persia, also one of the heavenly leaders, did not want to separate the holy seed of Israel from the idolatrous kingdom entrusted to him, because, while keeping the Israelites in his kingdom, he at the same time kept the holy men among them, who rejoiced and comforted him with their holiness. Behold, beloved, what power the holy fast of Daniel had! And he sent him heavenly helpers, and contrary to the desire of the heavenly prince of Persia, he brought the Jews out of the captivity of Babylon, after the fulfillment of seventy years, which had been ordained by the prophet Jeremiah for slavery in the land of Babylon. But the leader of our Christian army is greater than Gabriel, more excellent than Michael, and more powerful than the prince of Persia, because our leader is our Life, Jesus Christ, who for our sake came down from heaven, took upon himself our nature, was tempted, bearing our human flesh, and therefore can help those who are tempted. He fasted for us, defeated our enemy, and commanded us to pray and fast without ceasing, so that we, with the assistance of holy fasting, accompanied by prayer, might attain the rest of the saints.

Homily on Pascha

The Holy One (God), commanding Me that the Israelites should keep the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, said: "Pray to all the assembly of the children of Israel, let them take for themselves a sheep perfectly, without blemish, and one year of lambs and goats, and let them make a great feast, the Passover of the Lord." And the lamb shall be taken up on the tenth day of the month, and it shall be kept by it until the fourth day of this month, and all the multitude of the assembly of the children of Israel shall kill it at night. And they shall come out of the roof, and anoint the rootstock on both, and on the houses in the houses, in which they shall eat it, lest the angel that hath passed through the land of Egypt destroy them. And let all the people eat the lamb with care. And let them eat it: your loins are girded up, and your boots are on your feet, and your rods are in your hands. And let them not eat harshly, or boiled in water, but baked with fire; and let not the flesh be carried out of the house, and the bones not broken from it (Exodus 12:3-12, 46). And so did the children of Israel, and ate the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, which is called the month of flowers (mebecus), the first month of the year. Take note, beloved, of the rites which the Holy One (God) ordained for the fulfillment of the Passover by the Jews, giving them instruction concerning all the Passover utensils. And he said unto them, that they should eat the lamb in one house, and that they should take nothing out of the house. In addition to this, pay attention also to the fact that Moses has ordained the Israelites in the very place where the Passover is to be kept. When ye shall enter, saith he, into the land which the LORD shall give you, ye shall make the passover at the time thereof. And ye shall not be able to eat the Passover, nor in one of your cities, but only in the place which the Lord your God shall choose (Deut. 16:5-6; Num. 9:2). And thus ye shall eat the Passover, and eat it before the Lord your God, you and your household, and rejoice with joy in the feast of your passover. In another place He gives this command to the Passover: A stranger or a hireling shall not eat of it. And every servant or purchased thou shalt circumcise him, and then let him eat of it (Exodus 12:43-44).

Great and wondrous are these mysteries, beloved! For if the Israelites, being in their own land, did not dare to keep the passover anywhere except Jerusalem: how is it that now, being scattered among all nations and tongues, among the uncircumcised and the unclean, do they eat their bread with defilement among the Gentiles, as it was foretold of them in Ezekiel the prophet, in the place where God, representing these things in form and shadow, commands? that they should eat their bread with defilement, for which reason the prophet besought Him in this manner: "O Lord of lords, behold, my soul is not defiled in uncleanness, and every flesh is abominable and filthy entered into my mouth. and the Lord answered him, "The sign which I have shown you sheweth shew, that thus shall the children of Israel eat their unclean bread in tongues, which I will scatter" (Ez. 4:13-14); How, I say, if the Israelites, as said above, being in their own land, could not eat the Passover except before the Lord in Jerusalem, now they dare to celebrate the mystery of the Passover among all nations? On the other hand, that they have already been deprived of the right to celebrate the Passover, God testified to this through the Prophet: "For many days shall the children of Israel sit, who are not kings, nor princes, nor sacrifices, nor altars, nor priests who put on the garments for the incense offering" (Hosea 3:4). I will scatter Jerusalem, He saith in another place, and I will not endure your new moons, and sabbaths, and great day" (Isaiah 1:14); and, "Come no more to my court" (Isaiah 1:12); and again, "From their land, and the house of Judah from among them" (Jeremiah 12:7-14). And again, with almost the same words, foretelling about them to Mine, much earlier, He had thus spoken through him: "I will provoke them to anger not in tongue, but in foolish tongue I will provoke them to anger" (Deuteronomy 32:21). Come, therefore, now, and I ask thee, O scribe, wise and wise teacher of the people, who, however, does not understand the words of the Law: Show me, when was it fulfilled that God delighted his people not in the tongue, but in the tongue foolishly provoked them to anger? Surely thou shalt not deny that through the Gentiles this word of the Scripture was fulfilled, which Moses hath portrayed unto thee in the letter of the law. Wherefore, if thou keepest the Passover in another place, in the land of thy sojourn, thou dost do it as a proud transgressor of the law.

For the book is dissolved, written and given to you. But if you do not believe this, then listen to the prophet Jeremiah, who says, "Forsake my house, forsake my inheritance, give my beloved soul into the hands of its enemies" (Jeremiah 12:7). A flock of birds of many colors has become My inheritance for Me (Jeremiah 12:9ff.). What is the meaning of a flock of birds of many colors, I ask you, wise and shrewd teacher? A multicolored flock of birds means a church of pagans. See why he calls it a flock of birds of many colors. This is because it has been gathered together from many languages and peoples, and has made the distant peoples near. If you do not believe that the Gentiles have become the inheritance of the Lord, then listen again to what Jeremiah says, when he calls the Gentiles from the presence of God, and despises Israel, saying, Stand on the paths, and see and inquire in the paths of the Lord everlasting, and see what is the way of goodness, and walk in it. And he said, "Let us not go." And then he said, "I have set watches over you: you hear the voice of the trumpet, and he says, We will not listen." And because the children of Israel did not listen, the Lord rejected them, and thus foretold about them: "Therefore hear the nations, and know and know, O church, what will happen in them" (Jeremiah 6:16-18). David also says, "Remember thy host, whom thou hast acquired from the beginning" (Psalm 73:2); and Isaiah saith, "Ye shall hear from afar off, which hath made (saith the Lord), and bring away my fortress that draweth nigh" (Isaiah 33:13). And in another place the Holy Spirit thus prophesied through the prophet about the future Church, which was to be made up of the Gentiles: "The mountain of the Lord shall be manifested in the last days, and the house of God shall be on the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and all tongues shall come to it. And many tongues will go out, saying, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will declare his way to us, and let us walk in it" (Isaiah 2:2-3). Wherefore did Isaiah say, They shall hear from afar, which they have done (saith the Lord), and they shall lead away my fortress that draweth nigh; who has apostatized in the Sion of the wicked, shall the wicked tremble (Isaiah 33:13-14)? In what sense does the pious prophet foretell that the Lord will do and show the power of His might, that the wicked will hasten to Zion, and that fear and trembling will seize the Gentiles? By this word He calls the Gentiles into competition with His people, and to the distant nations He declares the power of His might, that He punished and struck with terrible wrath of vengeance, and judged and condemned His people, and having rejected them, He gathered the Gentiles together to Zion, which He called the holy city (Isaiah 52:1; 64:10), and caused those Gentiles who had become prophets (preachers) of the truth to a terrible shudder, like feverish fits, whereas, on the contrary, he said to the prophets of Jerusalem, that from them shall sprout the leaven of paganism into all the earth.

Hearken therefore, beloved, to what I shall say to thee in this Pascha, by which mystery and image were given to the ancient people, and the truth itself is proclaimed and told now among the nations. Though the doubting and wavering minds of foolish and uneducated people are perplexed at the great day of the very first and true Passover (for they say, how are we to truly celebrate and celebrate this Passover?), yet, in fact, our life-giving Saviour is the true Lamb, one-year-old, blameless, and having no lack or imperfection in his outward appearance, as the prophet also foretold of Him by inspiration, that He did not commit iniquity, that deceit was found in His mouth; but the Lord wanted to humiliate Him and deliver Him over to the sufferings of the Cross (Isaiah 53:9-10). He is called the One-Year Lamb because in His innocence, integrity, and forbearance He was like a child, as He Himself foretold to His disciples: "Unless ye be converted, and ye shall be as children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3); and as Isaiah says to the righteous, "A hundred years shall die a young man, but a sinner shall be cursed when he is a hundred years old" (Isaiah 65:20). Though our Saviour partook of the Passover with His disciples on the fourteenth night, on which He was seized, and taught the disciples the mystery of the true Pascha; For after Judas had departed from them, he took bread, and blessed it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take, eat: this is my body. And then, having blessed the wine, he also said to them, "This is my blood, of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins: do this in your congregations in remembrance of me" (Matt. 26:26, 28; 1 Cor. 11:24-25): but our Lord did this before it was taken. For he departed from the place where he had made the passover, and gave his body for food and blood for drink, and went with his disciples to the place where he had already been seized. Wherefore, while they were eating his body and drinking his blood, he was already numbered among the dead. And the Lord gave His body for food with His own hands, and before He was crucified, He gave His blood for drink. On the same fourteenth night, when they took him, both his work and judgment continued until the sixth hour; at the sixth hour they found him guilty, and crucified him. And when they judged him, he said nothing, neither did he give an answer to his judges. For though he was able to speak and answer; but it would be a certain incongruity if He who is already numbered among the dead began to speak and give answers. And from the sixth hour unto the ninth hour there was darkness, and at the ninth hour he gave his spirit into his Father's hand, and he was in the dead on the following fifteenth night, all the day of the sabbath day, and the three hours of the Friday. On the same night that preceded the day that followed the Sabbath, and at the same hour in which he gave his body and blood to his disciples, he rose from the dead.

Show us, then, O thou who art experienced and versed in the sacred books, show us where are the three days and three nights in which Jesus Christ was among the dead? For behold, we see that he was among the dead only three hours of Friday, the night of the sabbath, afterwards the whole day of the sabbath, and on the night of the day of the week he rose again. Count me three whole days and three nights, and we will see what it is; for in fact, between death and resurrection there was only one whole day and one whole night. "But meanwhile there is no doubt about what our Saviour said: "As Jonah was in the belly of a whale three days and three nights: so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth" (Matt. 12:40). And indeed, if we count the time from the hour at which He gave His body for food, and His blood for drink, then three days and three nights will come out in the following way: the night was at the hour at which Judas departed from the general assembly of the Apostles, and the eleven disciples ate of the body and drank of the blood of our Saviour. And so there was one night, which was on Friday. And all the time until the sixth hour, in which they condemned him, is one day and one night. Further, the three hours in which there was darkness, that is, from the sixth hour to the nineteenth hour, and the three hours after the darkness had passed, make another night and another day: in this way two days and two nights have already passed. Finally, the whole night of the Sabbath and the whole day of the Sabbath add to the number of the three days and three nights in which our Lord was in the dead. For on the night of the day of the week He had already risen from the dead. Besides this, the Passover of Judah was celebrated on the fourteenth day, day and night: and our great day of passion is Friday, and the fourteenth day is night and day. And after the Passover, Israel ate unleavened bread for seven days, even until the twenty-first day of the month: and we keep the feast of the Passover of our Saviour for so many days. They eat unleavened bread and wild (field) grass: but our Savior has rejected the cup of bitterness mingled with gall; for he took and destroyed all the bitterness of tongues, because when he had tasted, he would not drink. Moreover, from year to year the Jews remember their sins in their souls: but we make remembrance of the sufferings and crucifixion of our Saviour. At the time of the Passover they were freed from the bondage of Pharaoh: but on the day of the crucifixion of our Lord we are freed from the captivity and bondage of Satan. And they slain a lamb of the flock of sheep, and by his blood they were delivered from the destroying angel: but we, by the blood of the Lamb, the chosen Son, are taken away from the works of sin which we have committed. To them was My Saviour: but to us Jesus is both Saviour and Leader. For them Moses divided the sea, and led them through it: but our Saviour divided the pit, broke down the gates thereof, when He Himself opened them by His entry into them, and cleansed the way for all His faithful. Manna was given to them for food: but our Lord gave us His flesh for food. For them He brought forth water out of the stone: but for us the Saviour poured forth life-giving water out of His womb (John 7:38). Unto them he hath promised the land of Canaan for his possession: but unto us hath promised to give the land of life. For them Moses hung a serpent, on which he who once looked received life and was freed from the remorse of serpents: but for us our Lord Himself ascended to the cross, and through Him we were delivered from the remorse of Satan. And he set up a tabernacle of witness, and taught the Jews prayers, and gave them sacrifices for the atonement of their sins: and Jesus raised up the tabernacle of David, and strengthened it: for he himself said to the Jews, Destroy this church, and I will raise it up in three days" (John 2:19). In this very Tabernacle He promised us life, and through it our sins are cleansed. And there is called the tent of the Tabernacle, which was made and served only for a short time: but for us the Tabernacle is the temple of the Holy Spirit for ever. And so, beloved, take heed, and meditate on the Passover lamb, as the Holy One (God) commanded them (Exodus 12:46), that they should eat it in one house, and not in many, that is, in the house of the one Church of God. And in addition to this, it is also said: "A stranger or a hireling shall not eat from it (Passover) (Exodus 12:45, 48). Are these strangers and hirelings, if not our evil inclinations and desires, which deprive us of the right to partake of the Passover? For our Saviour said to the hireling, that he is not the master of the flock, and when he sees the wolf coming, he leaves and abandons the flock, and runs away (John 10:12). In addition, the Holy One (God) commanded not to eat from the lamb anything harsh (raw), or boiled in water, but only baked with fire (Exodus 12:9). This is also clear and obvious; For the sacrifice that is offered in the church of God is burned in the fire, not boiled in water, and is not offered on the altar raw. At the same time, it is also determined how the Jews were to eat the lamb: "Your loins shall be girded, and your boots on your feet, and your rods in your hands" (Exodus 12:11). Very great mysteries are contained in this; for whosoever eateth of Christ, the true Lamb, girdeth up his loins with faith, and shod his feet with the power of the Gospel, and hath in his hand the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17). Further, the Jews were also commanded: "And do not break the bones of him" (Exodus 12:46). This was fulfilled on the cross, when the Savior's legs were not broken (John 19:36). To this is added the following: "Every servant or purchased, thou shalt circumcise him, and then let him eat of it (Passover) (Exodus 12:43). A bought servant is a sinner, who, offering repentance, is redeemed by the blood of Christ, and circumcising his heart from evil works, approaches the font of baptism, which is the accomplishment and fulfillment of true circumcision; and then he becomes a partaker of the Divine Mysteries, and partakes of the Body and Blood of Christ. Finally, it is added: "Let them eat with pain" (Exodus 12:11). And that's the case in the Church of God. For they eat the Lamb in haste, with fear and trembling, standing on their feet reverently, because they hasten to taste life in the gifts of the Spirit whom they receive. Israel was baptized into the sea on the night of the Passover, the day of salvation; and our Saviour also washed the disciples' feet on the night of Pascha, showing by this the sacrament of humility and baptism and suffering on the cross, according to the words of the Apostle: "If we were baptized into Christ Jesus, we were baptized into His death... that as Christ rose from the dead through the glory of the Father, so shall we also begin to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4). For our Saviour, having taken water, and poured it into the basin for washing, girded Himself with a ribbon; And when he had begun to wash the feet of the disciples, he came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, Lord! Do you wash my nose? … Thou shalt not wash thyself for ever. And the Lord answered him, "If I do not wash thee, have no part with me." And if so, O Lord, Simon saith unto him, thou shalt not wash my nose only, but also my hand and head. Jesus said to him, "He who is changed does not require but to wash his nose" (John 13:3-10). And when he had washed the feet of the disciples, he sat down at the table, at which he gave them his body and blood.