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those who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse. Or even excuse them on that day when God will judge the secrets of men according to my Gospel through Jesus Christ.” Having mentioned the judgment of God above, here he clearly reveals that Christ is the one who judges on the last day. For the Father has given all judgment to him; and he does this, opening for them the way to the doctrines of the New Testament. “But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness.” Having compared the Jew to the Greeks, and having thoroughly wrestled him down, he slightly lessens the weight. As if someone were objecting and saying. Where then are the venerable things of the Jews? He shows, therefore, only a name. them. Rather, therefore, even in these very things in which they were greatly proud, they are worthy of punishment. But see how he strikes indirectly everywhere; even if you boast in the law, yet you do not do the things of the law; and saying again, ‘you are confident in yourself’; as: not being what he says, but putting it forward and, as it were, snatching the words, he only snatches the honor. “A corrector of the foolish, a teacher of infants, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth.” For they greatly disparaged the proselytes, for this very reason of seeming to be teachers. “You then who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?” He makes the punishment of the Jew heavier, showing him to be a transgressor in these things, in which he deems himself fit to be a teacher of others. 95.457 “You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?” For they advanced to such a madness of love for money, as to touch the money of idols. “You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? For, as it is written, ‘The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’” Having shown him lawless in other forms, here he also brings on the lawlessness more generally, bringing the name of the law itself into the midst. And he clearly proves the Jews to be a transgressor of it, as also being the cause of the name of God being blasphemed. “For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law.” Having shown that the law is of no use to them, but rather that it is also a cause of punishment for them, as if an objection arose, what then? Is circumcision nothing? See how he prevents this too, again declaring it to be superfluous, and in no way different from the uncircumcised, if the commandments of the law are not fulfilled. For it was impossible for the precepts of the law to be perfected. And just as in the preceding parts he compared the uncircumcised with the Jew; so also here he shows, with respect to circumcision, that the one who has circumcision is greatly lacking in this regard. “For no one is a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.” Since all the things according to the law were physical—circumcision and sacrifice, and sprinklings of the body—see how he openly abolishes these things, no longer secretly, saying that the circumcision is within, and the Jew is within, just as the law is also within. Why then do you boast, he says, and are proud for performing the things of the flesh? For praise from God is not for these things.

CHAP. III.

5

τὰ μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα, φύσει τὰ τοῦ νόμου ποιοῦσιν, οὗτοι νόμον μὴ ἔχοντες ἑαυτοῖς εἰσιν νόμος· οἵτινες ἐνδείκνυνται τὸ ἔργον τοῦ νόμου γραπτὸν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν, συμμαρτυρούσης αὐτῶν τῆς συνειδήσεως, καὶ μεταξὺ ἀλλήλων τῶν λογισμῶν κατηγορούντων. Ἢ καὶ ἀπολογουμένων ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐν ᾗ κρινεῖ ὁ Θεὸς τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατὰ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιόν μου διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.» Ἄνω μνησθεὶς τῆς κρίσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐνταῦθα σαφῶς ἐκκαλύπτει, ὡς Χριστός ἐστιν ὁ κρίνων ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ. Αὐτῷ γὰρ πᾶσαν τὴν κρίσιν δέδωκεν ὁ Πατήρ· τοῦτο δὲ ποιεῖ, τῶν τῆς Καινῆς ∆ιαθήκης δογμάτων ἀνοίγων αὐτοῖς τὴν ὁδόν. «Εἰ δὲ σὺ Ἰουδαῖος ἐπονομάζῃ, καὶ ἐπαναπαύῃ νόμῳ, καὶ καυχᾶσαι ἐν Θεῷ, καὶ γινώσκεις τὸ θέλημα, καὶ δοκιμάζεις τὰ διαφέροντα, κατηχούμενος ἐκ τοῦ νόμου· πέποιθάς τε σεαυτὸν ὁδηγὸν εἶναι τυφλῶν, φῶς τῶν ἐν σκότει.» Συγκρίνας τὸν Ἰουδαίων τοῖς Ἕλλησιν, καὶ σφόδρα καταπαλαίσας, μικρὸν ὑφαιρεῖ τοῦ βάρους. Ὥσπερ τινὸς ἀντιπίπτοντος καὶ λέγοντος αὐτοῦ. Ποῦ οὖν τὰ σεμνὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων; ∆είκνυσιν οὖν ὄνομα μόνον. τὰς αὐτούς. Μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς τούτοις ἐν οἷς ἐφρόνουν μέγα, τιμωρίας ἀξίους. Ὅρα δὲ πῶς πλαγίως πλήσσει πανταχοῦ· εἰ καὶ καυχᾶσαι ἐν νόμῳ, ἀλλ' οὐ πράττεις τὰ τοῦ νόμου· καὶ τὸ, πέποιθας σεαυτὸν, πάλιν λέγων· ὡς· μὴ ὄντα μὲν τοῦτο ὅπερ ἐκεῖνος λέγει, προβαλλόμενον δὲ καὶ ὥσπερ ἁρπάζων τὰ ῥήματα μόνον ἁρπάζει τὴν τιμήν. «Παιδευτὴν ἀφρόνων, διδάσκαλον νηπίων, ἔχοντα μόρφωσιν τῆς γνώσεως, καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐν τῷ νόμῳ.» Μέγα γὰρ κατέτρεχον τῶν προσηλύτων, δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ δοκεῖν εἶναι διδάσκαλοι. «Ὁ οὖν διδάσκων τὸν ἕτερον, σεαυτὸν οὐ διδάσκεις; ὁ κηρύσσων μὴ κλέπτειν, κλέπτεις; ὁ λέγων μὴ μοιχεύειν, μοιχεύεις;» Βαρυτέραν ἀπεργάζεται τοῦ Ἰουδαίου τὴν τιμωρίαν, ἐν τούτοις αὐτὸν παραβάτην ἀποφαίνων, ἐν οἷς ἑτέρων εἶναι διδάσκαλος ἀξιοῖ. 95.457 «Ὁ βδελυσσόμενος τὰ εἴδωλα, ἱεροσυλεῖς;» Εἰς τοσαύτην γὰρ μανίαν χρημάτων ἔρωτος προέβησαν, ὡς εἰδωλικῶν ἅπτεσθαι χρημάτων. «Ὃς ἐν νόμῳ καυχάσαι, διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως τοῦ νόμου τὸν Θεὸν ἀτιμάζεις; Τὸ γὰρ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ δι' ὑμᾶς βλασφημεῖται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, καθὼς γέγραπται.» Ἐν ἑτέροις εἴδεσι δείξας παράνομον, ἐνταῦθα καὶ καθολικώτερον ἐπάγει τὴν παρανομίαν, αὐτοῦ τοῦ νόμου εἰς μέσον φέρων τὸ ὄνομα. Καὶ σαφῶς αὐτοῦ παραβάτην τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀποδείκνυσιν, ὡς καὶ αἴτιον γινόμενον τοῦ βλασφημεῖσθαι τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ. «Περιτομὴ μὲν γὰρ ὠφελεῖ ἐὰν νόμον πράσσῃς, ἐὰν δὲ παραβάτης νομοῦ ᾖς, ἡ περιτομή σου ἀκροβυστία γέγονεν. Ἐὰν οὖν ἀκροβυστία τὰ δικαιώματα τοῦ νόμου φυλάσσει, οὐχ ἡ ἀκροβυστία αὐτοῦ εἰς περιτομὴν λογισθήσεται; Καὶ κρινεῖ ἡ ἐκ φύσεως ἀκροβυστία, τὸν νόμον τελοῦσα, σὲ τὸν διὰ γράμματος καὶ περιτομῆς παραβάτην νόμου.» ∆είξας ὡς οὐδὲν χρήσιμος αὐτοῖς ὁ νόμος, μᾶλλον δὲ ὡς καὶ κολάσεως αὐτοῖς αἴτιος, ὥσπερ ἀντιπιπτούσης ἀντιθέσεως, τί οὖν; οὐδὲν ἡ περιτομή; Ὅρα πῶς καὶ ταύτην κωλύει, πάλιν αὐτὴν ἀποφαίνων περιττὴν, καὶ τῶν ἀκροβύστων διαφέρουσαν οὐδὲν, μὴ πληρουμένων τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ νόμου. Τὰ γὰρ τοῦ νόμου προστάγματα ἀδύνατον τελειοῦσθαι ἦν. Ὥσπερ δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω τὸν ἀκρόβυστον μετὰ τοῦ Ἰουδαίου συνέκρινεν· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα μετὰ περιτομῆς δεικνὺς, κατὰ τοῦτο πολὺ λιπόμενον τὸν ἔχοντα τὴν περιτομήν. «Οὐ γὰρ ὁ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ, Ἰουδαῖός ἐστιν· οὐδὲ ἡ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ ἐν σαρκὶ περιτομή· ἀλλ' ὁ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ Ἰουδαῖος, καὶ περιτομὴ καρδίας ἐν πνεύματι, οὐ γράμματι· οὗ ὁ ἔπαινος οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Ἐπειδὴ πάντα σωματικὰ ἦν τὰ κατὰ νόμον, περιτομὴ καὶ θυσία, καὶ σώματος ῥαντισμοὶ, ὅρα πῶς ταῦτα προφανῶς ἀναιρεῖ, οὐκέτι λεληθότως, λέγων ὅτι ἔνδον ἐστὶν ἡ περιτομὴ, καὶ ἔνδον ἐστὶν ὁ Ἰουδαῖος, ὥσπερ καὶ ἔνδον ἐστὶν ὁ νόμος. Τί οὖν καυχᾶσαι, φησὶ, καὶ τὰ σαρκὸς ἐπιτελῶν μεγαλοφρονεῖς; Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἔπαινος κεῖται ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Γʹ.