By Water & Blood

Homily 8.6: Leprosy covering all the skin

The second kind of leprosy is “if,” it says, “it breaks out on the skin so as to cover all the skin of the body from the head to the feet, wherever the priest looks.” When, then, it has covered all the skin of the body, the priest declares him clean from the contagion. But on whatever day living colour appears in him, he is again judged unclean, because living colour has appeared in him which he did not have before. About this some before me have also said that by “living colour” is indicated the reason of life which is in a human being; while it is not yet established in the soul, if any sin occurs there, it is not reckoned, because the one who transgresses seems not yet capable of reason. But when reason has found place and time in him, if he then does anything against reason, he is seen to be rightly culpable. But we, considering more carefully what is written, think that these things are rather to be taken of those whose sense is occupied or overwhelmed by frenzy, or madness, or in any other way, and who act against reason. These, then, are called clean from leprosy, that is, free from sin, who have no awareness of their actions or movements. But if perhaps living colour of the body appears in him, that is, if the health of his sense has been restored in him, and after this he does anything against reason, right, and justice, sin is said to be reckoned to him from the moment when living colour, that is, the sense of living reason, appeared in him.