English (Translation) 1But forasmuch as Moses said; Ye shall not eat seine nor eagle nor falcon nor crow nor any fish which hath no scale upon it, he received in his understanding three ordinances. 2Yea and further He saith unto them in Deuteronomy; And I will lay as a covenant upon this people My ordinances. So then it is not a commandment of God that they should not bite with their teeth, but Moses spake it in spirit. 3Accordingly he mentioned the swine with this intent. Thou shalt not cleave, saith he, to such men who are like unto swine; that is, when they are in luxury they forget the Lord, but when they are in want they recognize the Lord, just as the swine when it eateth knoweth not his lord, but when it is hungry it crieth out, and when it has received food again it is silent. 4Neither shalt thou eat eagle nor falcon nor kite nor crow. Thou shalt not, He saith, cleave unto, or be likened to, such men who now not how to provide food for themselves by toil and sweat, but in their lawlessness seize what belongeth to others, and as if they were walking in guilelessness watch and search about for some one to rob in their rapacity, just as these birds alone do not provide food for themselves, but sit idle and seek how they may eat the meat that belongeth to others, being pestilent in their evil-doings. 5And thou shalt not eat, saith He, lamprey nor polypus nor cuttle fish . Thou shalt not, He meaneth, become like unto such men, who are desperately wicked, and are already condemned to death, just as these fishes alone are accursed and swim in the depths, not swimming on the surface like the rest, but dwell on the ground beneath the deep sea. 6Moreover thou shalt not eat the hare. Why so? Thou shalt not be found a corrupter of boys, nor shalt thou become like such persons; for the hare gaineth one passage in the body every year; for according to the number of years it lives it has just so many orifices. 7Again, neither shalt thou eat the hyena; thou shalt not, saith He, become an adulterer or a fornicator, neither shalt thou resemble such persons. Why so? Because this animal changeth its nature year by year, and becometh at one time male and at another female. 8Moreover He hath hated the weasel also and with good reason. Thou shalt not, saith He, become such as those men of whom we hear as working iniquity with their mouth for uncleanness, neither shalt thou cleave unto impure women who work iniquity with their mouth. For this animal conceiveth with its mouth. 9Concerning meats then Moses received three decrees to this effect and uttered them in a spiritual sense; but they accepted them according to the lust of the flesh, as though they referred to eating. 10And David also receiveth knowledge of the same three decrees, and saith; Blessed is the man who hath not gone in the council of the ungodly--even as the fishes go in darkness into the depths; and hath not stood in the path of sinners--just as they who pretend to fear the Lord sin like swine; and hath not sat on the seat of the destroyers--as the birds that are seated for prey. Ye have now the complete lesson concerning eating. 11Again Moses saith; Ye shall eat everything that divideth the hoof and cheweth the cud. What meaneth he? He that receiveth the food knoweth Him that giveth him the food, and being refreshed appeareth to rejoice in him. Well said he, having regard to the commandment. What then meaneth he? Cleave unto those that fear the Lord, with those who meditate in their heart on the distinction of the word which they have received, with those who tell of the ordinances of the Lord and keep them, with those who know that meditation is a work of gladness and who chew the cud of the word of the Lord. But why that which divideth the hoof? Because the righteous man both walketh in this world, and at the same time looketh for the holy world to come. Ye see how wise a lawgiver Moses was. 12But whence should they perceive or understand these things? Howbeit we having justly perceived the commandments tell them as the Lord willed. To this end He circumcised our ears and hearts, that we might understand these things. (Brn 10) | Greek (Original) 1Ὅτι δὲ Μωϋσῆς εἶπεν· Οὐ φάγεσθε χοῖρον οὔτε ἀετὸν οὔτε ὀξύπτερον οὔτε κόρακα οὔτε πάντα ἰχθύν, ὃς οὐκ ἔχει λεπίδα ἐν αὐτῷ, τρία ἔλαβεν ἐν τῇ συνέσει δόγματα. 2Πέρας γέ τοι λέγει αὐτοῖς ἐν τῷ Δευτερονομίῳ· Καὶ διαθήσομαι πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον τὰ δικαιώματά μου. Ἄρα οὖν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐντολὴ θεοῦ τὸ μὴ τρώγειν, Μωϋσῆς δὲ ἐν πνεύματι ἐλάλησεν. 3Τὸ οὖν χοιρίον πρὸς τοῦτο εἶπεν· οὐ μὴ κολλη θήσῃ, φησίν, ἀνθρώποις τοιούτοις, οἵτινές εἰσιν ὅμοιοι χοίροις· τουτέστιν ὅταν σπαταλῶσιν, ἐπιλανθάνονται τοῦ κυρίου, ὅταν δὲ ὑστερῶνται, ἐπιγινώσκουσιν τὸν κύριον, ὡς καὶ ὁ χοῖρος, ὅταν τρώγει, τὸν κύριον οὐκ οἶδεν, ὅταν δὲ πεινᾷ, κραυγάζει, καὶ λαβὼν πάλιν σιωπᾷ. 4Οὐδὲ φάγῃ, φησίν, τὸν ἀετὸν οὐδὲ τὸν ὀξύπτερον οὐδὲ τὸν ἰκτῖνα οὐδὲ τὸν κόρακα· οὐ μή, φησίν, κολληθήσῃ οὐδὲ ὁμοιωθήσῃ ἀνθρώποις τοιούτοις, οἵτινες οὐκ οἴδασιν διὰ κόπου καὶ ἱδρῶτος ἑαυτοῖς πορίζειν τὴν τροφήν, ἀλλὰ ἁρπάζουσιν τὰ ἀλλότρια ἐν ἀνομίᾳ αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπιτηροῦσιν ὡς ἐν ἀκεραιοσύνῃ περιπατοῦντες καὶ περιβλέπονται, τίνα ἐκδύσωσιν διὰ τὴν πλεονεξίαν, ὡς καὶ τὰ ὄρνεα ταῦτα μόνα ἑαυτοῖς οὐ πορίζει τὴν τροφήν, ἀλλὰ ἀργὰ καθήμενα ἐκζητεῖ, πῶς ἀλλοτρίας σάρκας καταφάγῃ, ὄντα λοιμὰ τῇ πονηρίᾳ αὐτῶν. 5Καὶ οὐ φάγῃ , φησίν, σμύραιναν οὐδὲ πόλυπα οὐδὲ σηπίαν· οὐ μή, φησίν, ὁμοιωθήσῃ κολλώμενος ἀνθρώ ποις τοιούτοις, οἵτινες εἰς τέλος εἰσὶν ἀσεβεῖς καὶ κεκριμένοι ἤδη τῷ θανάτῳ, ὡς καὶ ταῦτα τὰ ἰχθύδια μόνα ἐπικατά ρατα ἐν τῷ βυθῷ νήχεται μὴ κολυμβῶντα ὡς τὰ λοιπά, ἀλλ ̓ ἐν τῇ γῇ κάτω τοῦ βυθοῦ κατοικεῖ. 6Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν δασύποδα οὐ φάγῃ · πρὸς τί; οὐ μὴ γένῃ, φησίν, παιδοφθόρος οὐδὲ ὁμοιωθήσῃ τοῖς τοιού τοις. Ὅτι ὁ λαγωὸς κατ ̓ ἐνιαυτὸν πλεονεκτεῖ τὴν ἀφό δευσιν-ὅσα γὰρ ἔτη ζῇ, τοσαύτας ἔχει τρύπας. 7Ἀλλὰ οὐδὲ τὴν ὕαιναν φάγῃ · οὐ μή, φησίν, γένῃ μοιχὸς οὐδὲ φθορεὺς οὐδὲ ὁμοιωθήσῃ τοῖς τοιούτοις. Πρὸς τί; ὅτι τὸ ζῷον τοῦτο παρ ̓ ἐνιαυτὸν ἀλλάσσει τὴν φύσιν καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἄρρεν, ποτὲ δὲ θῆλυ γίνεται. 8Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν γαλῆν ἐμίσησεν. Καλῶς· οὐ μὴ γένῃ, φησίν, τοιοῦτος, οὐδὲ ὁμοιωθήσῃ τοῖς τοιούτοις οἵους ἀκούομεν ἀνομίαν ποιοῦντας ἐν τῷ στόματι δι ̓ ἀκαθαρσίαν, οὐδὲ κολληθήσῃ ταῖς ἀκαθάρ τοις ταῖς τὴν ἀνομίαν ποιούσαις ἐν τῷ στόματι. Τὸ γὰρ ζῷον τοῦτο τῷ στόματι κύει. 9Περὶ μὲν τῶν βρωμάτων λαβὼν Μωϋσῆς τρία δόγματα οὕτως ἐν πνεύματι ἐλάλησεν· οἱ δὲ κατ ̓ ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς σαρκὸς ὡς περὶ βρώσεως προσεδέξαντο. 10Λαμβάνει δὲ τῶν αὐτῶν τριῶν δογμάτων γνῶσιν Δαυὶδ καὶ λέγει ὁμοίως· Μακάριος ἀνήρ, ὃς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν, καθὼς καὶ οἱ ἰχθύες πορεύονται ἐν σκότει εἰς τὰ βάθη- οὐδὲ ἐν ὁδῷ ἁμαρτωλῶν ἔστη, καθὼς οἱ δοκοῦντες φοβεῖσθαι τὸν κύριον ἁμαρτά νουσιν ὡς ὁ χοῖρος- οὐδὲ ἐπὶ καθέδραν λοιμῶν ἐκάθισεν, καθὼς τὰ πετεινὰ καθήμενα εἰς ἁρπαγήν. Ἔχετε τελείως καὶ περὶ τῆς βρώσεως. 11Ἀλλ ̓ εἶπεν Μωϋσῆς· Φάγεσθε πᾶν διχηλοῦν καὶ μαρυκώμενον. Τί λέγει; ὅτι τὴν τροφὴν λαμβάνων οἶδεν τὸν τρέφοντα αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπ ̓ αὐτῷ ἀναπαυόμενος εὐφραίνεσθαι δοκεῖ. Καλῶς εἶπεν βλέπων τὴν ἐντολήν. Τί οὖν λέγει; κολλᾶσθε μετὰ τῶν φοβουμένων τὸν κύριον, μετὰ τῶν μελετώντων ὃ ἔλαβον διάσταλμα ῥήματος ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ, μετὰ τῶν λαλούντων τὰ δικαιώματα κυρίου καὶ τηρούντων, μετὰ τῶν εἰδότων, ὅτι ἡ μελέτη ἐστὶν ἔργον εὐφροσύνης, καὶ ἀναμα ρυκωμένων τὸν λόγον κυρίου. Τί δὲ τὸ διχηλοῦν ; ὅτι ὁ δίκαιος καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ κόσμῳ περιπατεῖ καὶ τὸν ἅγιον αἰῶνα ἐκδέχεται. Βλέπετε, πῶς ἐνομοθέτησεν Μωϋσῆς καλῶς. 12Ἀλλὰ πόθεν ἐκείνοις ταῦτα νοῆσαι ἢ συνιέναι; ἡμεῖς δὲ δικαίως νοήσαντες τὰς ἐντολὰς λαλοῦμεν, ὡς ἠθέλησεν κύριος. Διὰ τοῦτο περιέτεμεν τὰς ἀκοὰς ἡμῶν καὶ τὰς καρδίας, ἵνα συνιῶμεν ταῦτα. (Brn 10) |