§18Ἀνδρὶ ἢ γυναικὶ ᾧ ἐὰν γένηται αὐτῷ ἀρἡ λέπρας. Παρατηρητέον ἐφʼ ὧν μὲν λέγεται ἀνθρώπων· « Ἐάν τινι γένηται ἐν δέρματι χρωτὸς αὐτοῦ· » ἥ « Ἀνδρὶ ἢ γυναικὶ, ᾧ ἐὰν γένηται ἐν αὐτοῖς ἁρὴ λέπρας· » ἐφʼ ὧν δέ « Σὰρξ, ἐὰν γένηται ἐν τῷ δέρματι αὐτοῦ ἕλκος· » ἢ· « Σὰρξ ἐὰν γένηται ἐν τῷ δέρματι αὐτοῦ κατάκαυμα πυρός. Ταῦτα δὲ θραῦμά ἐστιν.
"For a man or a woman, if there should be a plague of leprosy on him." One must observe concerning those men of whom it is said, "If a scar should appear on the skin of his flesh," or, "For a man or a woman, if there should be a plague of leprosy in them"; and concerning those of whom it is said, "Flesh, if a boil should appear on its skin," or, "Flesh, if a burn of fire should appear on its skin." And these are a fracture.
§19Τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἔσται παραλελυμένα. Διὰ τούτων αἰνίττεται μὴ δεῖν συγκρύπτειν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ σκεπάζειν αὐτὰ τὸν τὴν ψυχὴν λελεπρωμένον.
"His garments shall be torn." Through these things, he intimates that one must not conceal sins, and that the one whose soul is leprous must not cover them.
Ὤσπερ τοῦ παραλελυμένου τὰ ἱμάτια οὗ ἐσκέπασται ἡ ἀσχημοσύνη· οὕτως βούλεται πᾶσιν ἐκκεῖσθαι μὴ γενόμενον τάφον κεκονιαμένον, Τὸ δέ γε περιβεβλῆσθαι τὸ στόμα, ἐστὶ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν πα ῥῥησίαν ἀνοῖξαι τὸ στόμα·
Just as the garments of the unbound one, whose shame is not covered; so he wishes sins to be exposed to all, not becoming a whitewashed tomb.
τὸ δὲ τῆς παρεμβολῆς ἐξοίχεσθαι, τὸ μηκέτι τοῖς τῶν ἀγίων αὑτὸν συναυλίζεσθαι χοροῖς.
And the covering of the mouth is the not having confidence to open the mouth; and going out of the camp is no longer associating with the choirs of the saints.
§20Καὶ σφάξουσι τὸ ὀρνίλιον τὸ ἓν εἰς ἀγγεῖον ὀστράκινον. Θύεται τὸ ὀρνίθιον εἰς ἀγγεῖον ὀστράκινον, προεμβληθέντος εἰς αὐτὸ ὕδατος ζῶντος, ἵνα γένηται ὁ καθαρισμὸς ὕδατι καὶ αἵματι, ἅπερ ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ τῆς πλευρᾶς τοῦ Σωτῆρος.
"And they shall slaughter the one little bird into an earthen vessel." The little bird is slaughtered into an earthen vessel, living water having been put into it beforehand, so that the purification may be by water and blood, which came out of the Savior's side.
Ξύλον δὲ κέδρινόν φησι τὸ τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν ξύλον.
And he says the cedar wood is the wood of our salvation.
Τὸ δὲ κεκλωσμένον κόκκινον τύπος ἦν τοῦ τιμίου αἵματος, διʼ οὗ καθαίρεται ὁ κόσμος ὅλος.
And the spun scarlet was a type of the precious blood, through which the whole world is purified.
Οἶμα: δὲ τὸν ὕσσωπον, τὴν διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος θερμότητα· τὸ δὲ σπαρτίον τὸ κόκκινον τὴν πρὸς σάρκα σύμβασιν τοῦ Λόγου δηλοῦν.
And I think the hyssop indicates the warmth through the Spirit, and the scarlet cord indicates the association of the Word with the flesh.
§21Τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν πώγωνα ξυρηθήσεται. Ξυρᾶται τὴν κεφαλὴν, κατὰ τὰ κεφαλαιωδέστερα καὶ ἀρχικώτερα τῶν δογμάτων· κατὰ δὲ τὸν πώγωνα, ὅπερ σύμβολόν ἐστι τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, ἀποτιθέμενος τὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἁμαρτήματα· κατὰ δὲ τὰς ὀφρῦς. πᾶσαν οἴησιν, καὶ ἵνʼ οὕτως ὀνομάσω, ὀφρύωσιν ἀποτιθέμενος.
"He shall shave his head and his beard." He is shaved as to his head, according to the more capital and dominant of the doctrines; and as to his beard, which is a symbol of the adult man, putting away the sins of the adult man; and as to his eyebrows, putting away all conceit, and, so to speak, superciliousness.
Σύμβολον δέ φησι ταῦτα προσφύντα καὶ ἐξανθήσαντα τῇ ψυχῇ, νεκρότητος τρίχες ὀνομαζόμενα. §22Λήψεται δύο ἀμνοὺς ἀμώμους ἐνιαυσιαίους. Εἰς τρία ὁ λόγος διαιρεῖ τὰ ἀναφερόμενα· ἒν μὲν τὴν λύσιν τῶν προημαρτημένων· ἓν δὲ, τὸ ὅλον ἀναφέρεσθαι τῷ Θεῷ· ἕτερον δὲ, τὸ ἀναφερόμενον ἐπʼ αὐτὸν τὸν καθαριζόμενον τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ γινομένων.
And he says these are a symbol of things that have clung and blossomed upon the soul, being called "hairs of deadness." "He shall take two yearling lambs without blemish." The discourse divides the things offered into three: one, the dissolution of past sins; one, the being offered entirely to God; and another, that which is offered for the one being purified himself, of the things done by him.
Τάχα δὲ καὶ τὰ τρία τῆς σεμιδάλεως δέκατα παραλαμβάνεται, ἵνʼ ἓν μὲν τῶν δεκάτων τῷ σφαζομένῳ ἀμνῷ συναχθῇ, καὶ τὸ δεύτερον τῷ λοιπῷ, καὶ τὸ τρίτον τῷ προβάτῳ.
And perhaps also the three tenths of fine flour are taken so that one of the tenths may be combined with the slaughtered lamb, and the second with the remaining, and the third with the sheep.
Ἤδη τοίνυν ἐπὶ τῷ πέμπτῳ καθαρισμῷ ἔχει οὐχὶ ἄλευρον, ἀλλὰ σεμίδαλιν, ὅπερ σύμβολόν ἐστιν ὕλης ἄρτου καθαροῦ, καὶ ταύτην ἐλαίῳ πεφυραμένην· ὅπερ ὡς τρέφον φῶς, φωτὸς χρείαν καὶ οὐ πυρὸς ἐπιτελοῦν παραλαμβάνεται.
Thus, already at this fifth purification, he has not common flour, but fine flour, which is a symbol of the matter of pure bread, and this kneaded with oil; which, as nourishing light, is taken as fulfilling the need of light and not of fire.
Ἔχει δὲ καθʼ ἑαυτὸ χωρὶς τοῦ εἰς φύρασιν τῆς σεμιδάλεως παραλαμβανομένου ἐλαίου, ἔλαιον ὂ διὰ τοῦ ἱερέως ἀναφέρεται μέτρου κοτύλης τυγχάνον.
And it has by itself, apart from the oil taken for the kneading of the fine flour, oil which is offered through the priest, being of the measure of a kotyle.
Καὶ πάνυ δοκεῖ μοι ἱερέως δέεσθαι τό· « Στήσει ὁ ἱερεὺς ὁ καθαρίζων τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν καθαριζόμενον, καὶ ταῦτα ἔναντι Κυρίου. » §23Καὶ ἥξει τίνος αὐτοῦ ἡ οἰκία, καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ τῷ ἱερεῖ. Καὶ οὐδέποτέ φαμεν κατηγορήσοντα τῆς οἰκίας τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δεῖν ἰέναι τινὰ πρὸς τὸν ἱερέα, τὸν νομοθέτην εἰπεῖν· ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ δὴ μᾶλλον ἐξ ἰατροῦ τῷ συμβεβηκότι φάρμακον ἐξαιτήσοντα.
And it seems to me entirely to stand in need of a priest, namely: "The priest who purifies shall set the man who is being purified, and these things, before the Lord." "And he whose house it is shall come and tell the priest." And we never say that the lawgiver says that someone must go to the priest to accuse his own house; but rather as one who would entreat a remedy from a physician for what has happened.
Λελεπρῶσθαι δὴ οὖν φαμεν τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων συναγωγήν.
Therefore, we say that the synagogue of the Jews has been struck with leprosy.
Τὸ δὲ τοῦ ἀναγγέλλοντός ἐστι πρόσωπον, ὁ τῶν ἀγίων προφητῶν χορός· οἵ καὶ ἐξαγγέλλονται τῷ μεγάλῳ ἀρχιερεῖ, τουτέστι πρὸ τῆς ἀγανακτήσεως, τῆς ἀπονοίας τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὰ πάθη, οὐ μίσει, οὐδὲ ἀπεχ θείᾳ, ἀλλʼ αἰδοἴ τῇ περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην συνομολογοῦντες μὲν τὰ ἐκείνων πλημμελήματα, ἐλεεῖσθαι δʼ οὖν ὅμως παρακαλοῦντες.
And the persona of the one who reports is the choir of the holy prophets; who indeed report to the great High Priest—that is, before the indignation—the sufferings of the insolence of the Jews, not out of hatred, nor out of enmity, but out of reverence concerning the benefactor, confessing indeed their transgressions, but nevertheless entreating that they be pitied.