P. That's right.

K. The law punishes the murderer with death, and restrains unbridled insolence by the retribution of an equal, and punishes intolerable rage with intolerable punishment and extraordinary calamities, having carefully tested beforehand the intention of the actor; and if the crime is committed voluntarily, then it takes away mercy. Nor does he allow love for one another to be put to shame, if it is weakened by inopportuneness and its application to that in which it is least needed, as it were, to effeminacy: for he said thus: "If any man with the intention of killing his neighbor deceitfully, let him take him to death from My altar" (Exodus 21:14). But if the injury of the victim of violence from the beater comes only to exhaustion, then he moderates the punishment and commands that this harm be paid with money, for he also said this: "When they quarrel, and one man strikes another with a stone or a fist, and he does not die, but lies down in bed, then if he gets up and goes out of the house with a stick, he who strikes will not be guilty [of death]; only let him pay for the cessation of his work, and give him to be cured" (Exodus 21:18-19). This is commanded by the law; The Saviour, proposing the law of the most perfect Virtue, says: "Whosoever smites thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other" (Matt. 5:39, cf. Luke 6:29). As for slaves, the law decrees the following: "If a man smites his servant or his maidservant with a stick, and they die under his hand, he shall be punished; but if they survive a day or two, they shall not punish him, for it is his silver" (Exodus 21:20-21). Thus he punishes excessive anger with death: for God has not suffered to take the very life of those who are in our power and under our yoke, only because we, by virtue of our dominance, have become their masters. But he urges to combine mercy with anger, determining the supreme punishment for the murderer: "If they survive a day or two," he says, "they should not punish him, for this is his silver": for he almost says: what happened to the victim, after he had somehow recovered from the injury, is no longer the work of the anger of the one who struck him; for no one would want to lose his own slave, whom he bought with silver and acquired with money for him. But if someone were an unwitting murderer, then the law determines that he should be punished by eternal exile, dissolving punishment and involuntary crime by moderate philanthropy, very prudently not placing him on a par with voluntary crimes. And he commanded that three cities be set apart, which he called refuges (Deut. 4:41 ff.); it is there that he exiles those who flee from involuntary crimes. And again he determines the time of absolution even for these who are in such an unfortunate situation, namely, the death of the high and chief priest. He writes in this way in the book of Numbers: "But if he pushes him accidentally, without enmity, or throws anything at him without intention, or any stone from which he can die, without seeing him, drops on him so that he dies, but he was not his enemy, and did not wish him harm, then the society shall judge between the murderer and the avenger of blood according to these decrees; and the society must save the murderer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and must return his society to the city of his refuge, whither he fled, that he may dwell there until the death of the high priest, who is anointed with holy oil" (Num. 35:22-25). And then, after a few words: "And after the death of the high priest, the murderer was to return to the land of his domain" (35:28).

P. Thus, the end of their exile is the death of the priest we have just mentioned.

K. This is the outer covering for images; and within the shadows is the mystery of Christ.

P. In what way?

K. Perhaps it is not unreasonable, Palladius, to think that they are like murderers of their own souls, and that they did not stoop to such a miserable state of their own voluntarily, but as if they were forced to transgression and offense to God, "for the thinking of the heart of man is evil from his youth" (Gen. 8:21) and by virtue of the law that reigns in the flesh (Rom. 7:21). 23-25) of indomitable lust. Wherefore the wretched soul of man was punished by expulsion from the world and from the body, and having settled as it were in some city of refuge, in the innermost regions of death, it remained there for a long time, and was scarcely released when Christ, the High Priest, died, who, having suffered death for all, descended into hell, opened the doors to those who were in hell, and freed them from their bonds, saying, "To the prisoners, 'Come out,' and to those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves'" (Isaiah 49:9).

P. How clear is this speech!

K. Urging the ancients to gain glory for themselves not in any one kind of virtue, but to adorn themselves with all kinds of it and to act as best as possible, "that the man of God may be perfect, prepared for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:17), the law and marriage unions agree with the requirements of honesty and clearly decree how they should be performed in order to be blameless before God and man. For this reason he spews out fornication and uncleanness completely, and removes sodomy and adultery as far as possible, saying in the book of Leviticus: "And thou shalt not lie with thy neighbor's wife, that thou mayest pour out semen, and be defiled with her. Do not lie with a man as with a woman: it is an abomination" (Lev. 18:20 and 22). That such shameful deeds, he says, have their own condemnation in themselves, and that there is much stinking in them, this can be easily seen, and many words are not needed to rebuke people who have come to such an abomination for having such a shameful and absurd fame from themselves, and accusation from their very nature. Therefore, having omitted this, he examines what is done lawfully and not contrary to reason, saying in Deuteronomy: "If a man takes a wife and becomes her husband, and she does not find favor in his eyes, because he finds something abominable in her, and writes her a bill of divorce, and gives it to her, and sends her out of his house, and she goes out of his house, If she goes and marries another husband, and the last husband hates her, and writes her a bill of divorce, and gives her into her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if her last husband, who took her to be his wife, dies, then her first husband, who sent her away, cannot take her to wife again, after she has been defiled; for this is an abomination to the Lord, and thou shalt not profane the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance" (Deuteronomy 24:1-4): for it is not safe to make one who has separated from her husband through a blessed fault, and has suffered disgrace from another, a lawful concubine, and even more, it is completely insane; for "Thou shalt hold," it is said, "the adulterer foolish and ungodly" (Proverbs 18:23). And just as it forbids to delight in what is manifestly shameful and indisputably condemned, so, on the other hand, it does not permit the honest to be slandered as dishonorable: for it is equally sinful to vouchsafe tender love that which it would be better to avoid, and to deprive oneself of one's favor that which is shameful to withdraw: for "woe," it is said, "to those who call evil good, and good evil, they esteem darkness light, and light darkness; bitter things are considered sweet, and sweet things are bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20). Thus, he does not allow the absolution to be received again, but, on the other hand, he does not allow harm by word to be done to the one who has not yet been exposed. And he said this: "If a man takes a wife, and goes in to her, and hates her, and brings evil deeds against her, and makes evil reports about her, and says, 'I took this woman, and went in to her, and found no virginity with her,' then the father of the maiden and her mother shall take and bring [the signs] of the virginity of the maiden to the elders of the city, to the gate; And the father of the maiden shall say unto the elders, I have given my daughter to this man to wife, and he hath hated her, and behold, he hath brought evil deeds against her, saying, I have not found thy daughter's virginity. but these are the signs of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread their garments before the elders of the city. Then the elders of that city shall take the man and punish him, and shall put a fine of a hundred [shekels] of silver upon him, and shall give him to the father of the maiden, because he has spread evil reports about the maiden of Israel; but she shall remain his wife, and he shall not divorce her all his life" (Deuteronomy 22:13-19). Do you understand, then, that he commanded those who were not entirely unpunished to release from the judgment seat those who had unjustly despised those who had not yet been exposed: because, I think, one should respect the good above all things, and not pursue, in satiation, what one likes, when deciding to slander the honest as dishonest; but on the contrary, to try with all his might to be diligent in all that is beautiful and to love cohabitation with the most excellent in good reputation. For he who does not allow neglect in his actions perfectly achieves the goal of his actions. And that we ought to be such, the law also showed this, declaring: "If thou shalt build a new house, thou shalt make a railing near thy roof, lest thou bring blood upon thy house when any man shall fall from it" (Deuteronomy 22:8): for just as a house is ugly when it is devoid of a cornice and a roof railing brought to it, so also, I think, every good deed of ours is quite wrong; if it is not carried to its proper end; And this is not the only thing, but danger threatens the negligent. This, I think, means the fall of someone from home: for woe, it is said, to those who do "the work of the Lord with negligence" (Jeremiah 48:10). And so, in what innumerable ways does the law lead us to what is useful! And yet it does not offer food befitting men and more firm, but nourishes the ancients with milk, as if they were infants, leading them little by little to the mystery of Christ: for the law is spiritual, and from the point of view of shadow and images, as it were, it is not edible and useful for spiritual food, but will be so if it is applied to the contemplation of the Gospel and to the mystery of Christ, this you will clearly understand from what is written about this by the all-wise Moses. He said in the book of Leviticus: "When you come to the land [which the Lord God will give you] and plant any fruit tree, you shall count its fruit as uncircumcised: three years you shall count it as uncircumcised, you shall not eat it; and in the fourth year all its fruits shall be consecrated for the feasts of the Lord; but in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, and gather up for yourselves all its produce. I am the Lord your God" (Lev. 19:23-25): for the writings of Moses seem to us to be like the most fruitful gardens, containing in themselves various plants of commandments and being adorned, as it were, with trees, laws for each occasion. But on each tree, it is said, cleanse its impurity, that is, cut off the uselessness of history, and remove as it were the wood of the letter and reach the very heart of the plant, that is, carefully examine the inner fruit of what is commanded, and use it for food. But "its fruit," it is said, "shall be considered uncircumcised for three years, and they shall not be eaten." A year is set here instead of a long period, because there were three first periods in which the law was still impure, weighed down by the thickness of history and, as it were, covered with hay. And there were three times, I say: the time of Moses, Joshua, and the Judges; The fourth time after them was the fourth, in which the radiant face of the holy prophets appeared. Then the fruit of the law became "holy and praiseworthy": for with the holy prophets began the abolition of what is contained in the law, and even the naming of what is contained as it were in a canopy, but the open preaching of the truth and the praise of the mystery of Christ's coming. After them appeared the Forerunner, crying out and saying: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2). Thus, in the fourth time, the beginning was laid for the purification of that which is contained in the law, and was already as it were holy fruit. However, it became fit for eating only in the fifth time – the time of the coming of Christ, attested by the law and the prophets. Therefore it is said, His fruit shall be an increase unto you; for, in addition to the preaching of the Gospel, instruction in the law, which is brought to spiritual contemplation, is very useful for inquisitive people; so the Saviour said: "The scribe who has been taught the Kingdom of Heaven is like a master who brings out of his treasury the new and the old" (Matt. 13:52), calling the Gospel new, and the old that which is contained in the law and does not aggruously give us knowledge in Christ. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

BOOK 9. About the holy tabernacle, that it was an image of the Church of Christ

Thus, the praises of love for the brethren are very obvious, and through both the law is fulfilled. And everyone who has attained such glory will be bright and worthy of wonder, and will be among those who are most faithful to God, when Christ calls out and says: "Well done, good and faithful servant! in a few things you have been faithful, I will set you over many; enter into the joy of thy lord" (Matt. 25:21): for he will truly ascend, and very easily, to the heavenly Jerusalem and will live in the heavenly abodes, enjoying blessings that surpass the mind and the word. The prophet Isaiah says the same thing: "Thy eyes shall see Jerusalem, a dwelling place of peace, a tabernacle that cannot be shaken; its pillars shall never be torn out, and not a cord thereof shall be broken" (Isaiah 33:20): "the image of this world passes away," according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 7:31). The hope for the future is very, absolutely unshakable. But "to all who are ruined," as the disciple of the Savior also affirmed, "it behooves us" (2 Pet. 3:11) to be holy and blameless before Him, honoring Him with spiritual sacrifices, as the Savior and Redeemer, and leading a holy and excellent life in accordance with the laws of the Gospel? Without a doubt, this life, so honest and worthy of wonder, was written by the ancient law, commanding the sacrifice of flocks, the making of blood offerings, the dedication of tithes and firstfruits to God, and also sacrifices of thanksgiving. But he only decreed that all this should not be done outside the holy tabernacle. But the chosen generation of the Levites dedicated to God, presenting to us in this an image of ourselves: for we also are called in the Divine Scriptures: "You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people taken as an inheritance" (1 Pet. 2:9). Let us also enter into the truest tabernacle, "which the Lord hath raised, and not man" (Heb. 8:2), that is, into the Church, not propitiating the Creator of all things with bulls and goats, but adorning ourselves with upright and blameless faith, and mentally burning spiritual offerings of fruit into the stench of fragrance: "For such sacrifices are pleasing to God" (Heb. 13:16), and: "And they that worship Him shall worship in spirit and truth," according to the word of the Saviour (John 4:24).

Palladium. You said it right. That we ought to gain glory for ourselves by sacrifices more excellent than those of the law, I also affirm, for I agree with thee. Only tell me, was it not in the prototype of the Church of the Gentiles that an ancient tabernacle was erected in the wilderness, revealing as it were the hitherto obscure beauty of the true tabernacle?