Now, wherefore did Moses say, "Thou shalt
not eat the swine, nor the eagle, nor the hawk,
nor the raven, nor any fish which is not possessed
of scales? "7 He embraced three doctiines in
his mind [in doing so]. Moreover, the Lord
saith to them in Deuteronomy, " And I will es-
tablish my ordinances among this people." ^ Is
there then not a command of God that they
should not eat [these things] ? There is, but
Moses spoke with a spiritual reference.^ For
this reason he named the swine, as much as to
say, "Thou shalt not join thyself to men who
resemble swine." For when they live in pleas-
ure, they forget their Lord ; but when they come
to want, they acknowledge the Lord. And [in
like manner] the swine, when it has eaten, does
not recognize its master ; but when hungry it
cries out, and on receiving food is quiet again.
" Neither shalt thou eat," says he " the eagle,
nor the hawk, nor the kite, nor the raven."
"Thou shalt not join thyself," he means, "to
such men as know not how to procure food for
themselves by labour and sweat, but seize on
that of others in their iniquity, and although
wearing an aspect of simplicity, are on the watch
to plunder others." '° So these birds, while they
sit idle, inquire how they may devour the flesh