s one of
the greatest crimes; and the like for lying with the father's wife, and
with aunts, and sisters, and sons' wives, as all instances of abominable
wickedness. He also forbade a man to lie with his wife when she was
defiled by her natural purgation: and not to come near brute beasts; nor
to approve of the lying with a male, which was to hunt after unlawful
pleasures on account of beauty. To those who were guilty of such
insolent behavior, he ordained death for their punishment.

2. As for the priests, he prescribed to them a double degree of purity
[25] for he restrained them in the instances above, and moreover forbade
them to marry harlots. He also forbade them to marry a slave, or a
captive, and such as got their living by cheating trades, and by
keeping inns; as also a woman parted from her husband, on any account
whatsoever. Nay, he did not think it proper for the high priest to
marry even the widow of one that was dead, though he allowed that to the
priests; but he permitted him only to marry a virgin, and to retain her.
Whence it is that the high priest is not to come near to one that is
dead, although the rest are not prohibited from coming near to their
brethren, or parents, or children, when they are dead; but they are to
be unblemished in all respects. He ordered that the priest who had
any blemish, should have his portion indeed among the priests, but he
forbade him to ascend the altar, or to enter into the holy house.
He also enjoined them, not only to observe purity in their sacred
ministrations, but in their daily conversation, that it might be
unblamable also. And on this account it is that those who wear the
sacerdotal garments are without spot, and eminent for their purity and
sobriety: nor are they permitted to drink wine so long as they wear
those garments. [26] Moreover, they offer sacrifices that are entire,
and have no defect whatsoever.

3. And truly Moses gave them all these precepts, being such as were
observed during his own lifetime; but though he lived now in the
wilderness, yet did he make provision how they might observe the same
laws when they should have taken the land of Canaan. He gave them rest
to the land from ploughing and planting every seventh year, as he had
prescribed to them to rest from working every seventh day; and ordered,
that then what grew of its own accord out of the earth should in common
belong to all that pleased to use it, making no distinction in that
respe