§27Καὶ μεθʼ ἕτερα.
And after other things.
Τί βούλεται λόγος ἡμῖν λέγειν ὁ κελεύων ἡμᾶς ἑορτάζειν τὴν ἑορτὴν τῶν ἀζύμων τῷ μηνὶ τῶν νέων; Ἀπόθου τὸν παλαιὸν ἅνθρωπον σὺν ταῖς πράξεσιν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἵνα γε ποιήσῃς τὴν ἑορτὴν ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τῶν νέων, καὶ σὺ νέος γενοῦ, ἵνα γένηται ὁ μὴν τῆς ἑορτῆς τῶν νέων, καὶ σὸς μήν.
What does the word which commands us to celebrate the feast of unleavened bread in the month of new things want to say to us? “Put off the old man with his deeds.” And indeed, in order that you may keep the feast in the month of new things, you too must become new, so that the month of the feast of new things may become your month also.
Νέων γὰρ, καὶ οὐ παλαιῶν ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ μήν.
For this month belongs to the new, and not to the old.
Πῶς οὖν δεήσει νέον καὶ σὲ γενέσθαι;
How then will it be necessary for you also to become new?
Νοήσας τὰς ἑορτὰς, τὴν ἑορτὴν τῶν νέων ὁ ἀπόστολος Παῦλός φησιν,« Ἐκδυσάμενοι τὸν παλαιὸν ἅνθρωπον σὺν ταῖς πράξεσιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐνδυσάμενοι τὸν νέον τὸν ἀνακαινούμενον εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν κατʼ εἰκόνα τοῦ κτίσαντος. » Οὐκοῦν ἵνα ἀγάγῃς τὴν ἑορτὴν ἐν μηνὶ τῶν νέων, νέον σε γενέσθαι δεῖ, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀποθέσθαι παλαιότητα.
Having understood the feasts, the apostle Paul says concerning the feast of the new: “Having stripped off the old man with his deeds, and having put on the new man who is being renewed unto knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.” Therefore, in order that you may celebrate the feast in the month of new things, you must become new, and put off all oldness.
Εἶτα ποίαν ἑορτὴν πρώτην ἄγεις;
Then, what kind of feast do you celebrate first?
ὅτι τὴν ἑορτὴν τῶν ἀζύμων, μάνθανε ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου· « Τὸ γὰρ πάσχα ἡμῶν, φησὶν, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐτύθη Χριστός·
Learn from the Apostle that it is the feast of unleavened bread: “For our passover, Christ,” he says, “has been sacrificed for us.
ὥστε ἑορτάζωμεν μὴ ἐν ζύμῃ παλαιᾷ, μηδὲ ἐν ζύμῃ κακίας καὶ πονηρίας, ἀλλʼ ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καὶ ἀληθείας. » Ἅμα δὲ συνάγαγε τὰ νενομοθετημένα περὶ τῆς ἑορτῆς τῶν ἀζύμων, καὶ ὅψει μὲν τὸ ἄλογον τῶν τῷ ῥητῷ ὡς πνευματικῷ μὴ προσεχόντων, καταφρονούντων δὲ τῶν πνευματικῶν ὡς μὴ χρησίμων.
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” At the same time, gather together what has been legislated concerning the feast of unleavened bread, and you will see, on the one hand, the irrationality of those who do not attend to the literal text as spiritual, and who, on the other hand, despise spiritual things as useless.
§28« Οὐκ ὀφθήσῃ ἐνώπιόν μου κενός. » Ἴσθι ὅτι πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἢ κενός ἐστιν, ἢ πλήρης.
“You shall not appear before me empty.” Know that every human being is either empty or full.
Εἰ μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἔγει ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, οὐκ ἔχει γνῶσιν τοῦ κτίσαντος, οὐ παρεδέξατο ζωὴν Ἰησοῦν τὸν Χριστόν· εἰ οὐκ οἶδε τὸν Πατέρα τὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, εἰ οὐ βιοῖ κατὰ τὸν λόγον, κατὰ τὸν νόμον οὐράνιον· οὐ σωφρονεῖ, οὐ δικαιοπραγεῖ· ὁ τοιοῦτος κενός ἐστιν.
For if he does not have the Holy Spirit, does not have the knowledge of the Creator, has not received Jesus Christ as life; if he does not know the Father in heaven, if he does not live according to the Word, according to the heavenly law; if he is not self-controlled, does not practice righteousness—such a person is empty.
Εἰ δὲ κεχώρηκε τὸνεἰπόντα Θεόν· « Ἐνοικήσω ἐν αὐτοἴς, καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσω, καὶ ἕσομαι αὐτοἴς Θεὸς, »οὗτος οὐκ ἕστι κενὸς, ἀλλὰ πλήρης.
But if he has received the God who said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them, and I will be their God,” this person is not empty, but full.
§29« Τρεῖς καιροὺς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ὀφθήσεται πᾶν ἀρσενικόν σου ἐνώπιον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου. » Τί ἐστι τὸ. ῥητὸν εἴποιμι ἄν.
“Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God.” I might say what the literal meaning is.
Ὅ πράττομεν, ἢ θῆλύ ἐστιν, ἢ ἀρσενικόν.
What we do is either female or male.
Εἰ μὲν οὖν θηλυκόν ἐστιν ὅ ποιοῦμεν, ἢ σωματικόν ἐστιν, ἢ σαρκικόν.
If, therefore, what we do is female, it is either bodily or fleshly.
Σπείροντες γὰρ εἰς τὴν σάρκα, ποιοῦμεν θῆλυ τὸ γέννημα τῆς ψυχῆς, οὐκ ἄῤῥεν· ἀλλʼ ἐκνενευρισμένον, ἁπαλόν τε καὶ ὑλικόν.
For sowing to the flesh, we make the offspring of the soul female, not male—but rather weakened, soft, and material.
Εἰ μέντοι βλέποντες τὰ αἰώνια, καὶ πρὸς τοῖς κρείττοσιν ἔχοντες τὴν διάνοιαν, καρποφοροῦμεν τοὺς καρποὺς τοῦ πνεύματος, καὶ πάντα τὰ γεννήματα ἡμῶν ἄῤῥενά ἐστι.
If, however, looking to eternal things, and having our mind set on better things, we bear the fruits of the spirit, then all our offspring are male.
Τὰ τοίνυν φερόμενα ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὰ καὶ ὀφθησόμενα τῇ ὄψει τοῦ κτίσαντος, ἀρσενικά ἐστιν, οὐχὶ θήλεα.
Therefore, the things brought before God, which are also to appear in the sight of the Creator, are male, not female.
Οὐ γὰρ τὰ θηλυκὰ, καὶ τὰ σωματικὰ ἀξιοῖ βλέπειν ὁ Θεός.
For God does not deign to look upon female and bodily things.