similar to that and have made themselves worthy of nothing gloomy but of that in which one ought to rejoice. Therefore the gospel is theirs, along with the judgment of God which has been used as a servant. 10 ii 21-25 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? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God through your breaking of the law? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you, as it is written. For circumcision indeed is of value if you practice the law; but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. It is necessary to investigate in how many ways "the law" is spoken of, especially by the Apostle, so that he may not seem to contradict himself; for at one time, "if you are circumcised, Christ will be of no advantage to you"; and at another, that circumcision is of value if one practices the law. Therefore, law in one sense is the bare letter of Moses, in which sense it is said, "if you are justified by the law, you have fallen away from grace"; and "the law has become our tutor to bring us to Christ." There is also the spiritual law, properly so called, according to which it is said, "so the law is holy, and the commandment is holy." There is also the natural law, according to which it is said, "For when Gentiles who do not have the law do by nature the things of the law," and what follows. The history of Moses is also called law, as when in Galatians he says, "Tell me, you who read the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written, Abraham had two sons," and what follows. And he also calls the prophetic writings law, as "in the law it is written, 'With other tongues and with other lips I will speak to this people,'" in Isaiah. And perhaps he also calls the teaching of Christ concerning things to be done "law," as when he says he is not without law to God but under the law of Christ. Therefore, when he says, "you who would be justified by the law, you have fallen away from grace," he turns us away from the letter of Moses. Therefore, the circumcision which he now mentions, he calls something other than "mutilation"; and the law, the spiritual one. But "law" can now also be understood as that according to the natural concepts; for according to the improvement of the soul, he who is spiritually circumcised is benefited by the removal of base things, and by doing the law he performs the things that are to be done. But one can also explain the passage literally, without allegorical interpretation, and he says that he says this when speaking to those from the Jews; for "to the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews," circumcising Timothy and shaving his head and purifying himself according to the law, so as to say to them, "for circumcision is of value if you practice the law," but when speaking to those from the Gentiles he forbids this, not contradicting himself; but since it is not said in the account concerning this to Abraham that those from the Gentiles should be circumcised, but only those of his seed, and those born in his house and bought with money; and likewise also in Leviticus it is said only concerning the sons of Israel; it is not necessary that proselytes should also be included in these things, since neither does it grant to others to be included in the things specifically legislated concerning the Levites, or concerning the priests, or concerning the council of elders. For when he wants proselytes to do something, he mentions them specifically, as when he speaks about sacrifice. Certainly, when the so-called sanctuary was established, proselytes also made offerings; as also concerning the ten lepers who were cleansed the Lord said, "Go and show yourselves to the priests"; of whom one was a Samaritan. Testifying to this, the Savior says, "Were not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give glory to God except this foreigner?" But if someone should object from Exodus concerning the proselytes wishing to eat the Passover, that they must be circumcised, we will say that God commanded the Passover to be sacrificed in one place, and since this no longer stands, circumcision is superfluous for those from the Gentiles. 11 iii 1-3 What then is the advantage of the Jew, or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. For what if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! to be entrusted with the oracles

παραπλησίων ἐκείνῳ καὶ ἀξίους ἑαυτοὺς πεποιηκότων οὐδενὸς σκυθρωποῦ ἀλλ' ἐφ' ᾧ χαίρειν χρή. διὸ αὐτῶν ἐστι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον σὺν τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ κρίσει διακόνῳ κεχρημένῃ. 10 ii 21-25 ὁ οὖν διδάσκων ἕτερον σεαυτὸν οὐ διδάσκεις; ὁ κηρύσσων μὴ κλέπτειν κλέπτεις; ὁ λέγων μὴ μοιχεύειν μοιχεύεις; ὁ βδελυσσόμενος τὰ εἴδωλα ἱεροσυλεῖς; ὃς ἐν νόμῳ καυχᾶσαι, διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως τοῦ νόμου τὸν θεὸν ἀτιμάζεις; τὸ γὰρ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ δι' ὑμῶν βλασφημεῖται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι καθὼς γέγραπται· περιτομὴ μὲν γὰρ ὠφελεῖ, ἐὰν νόμον πράσσῃς· ἐὰν δὲ παραβάτης νόμου ᾖς, ἡ περιτομή σου ἀκροβυστία γέγονεν. ζητῆσαι χρὴ ποσαχῶς ὁ νόμος λέγεται, καὶ μάλιστα παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ ἐναντιοῦσθαι ἑαυτῷ· ποτὲ μὲν εἰ περιτέμνεθε, Χριτὸ ὑμᾶ οὐδὲν ὠφελήει· ποτὲ δὲ περιτομὴν ὠφελεῖν ἐὰν νόμον τις πράσσῃ. ἔστιν οὖν νόμος καθ' ἕνα τρόπον ψιλὸν τὸ Μωσέως γράμμα, καθ' ὃ σημαινόμενον εἴρηται τὸ εἰ ἐν νόμῳ δικαιοῦθε τῆ χάριτο ἐξεπέατε· καὶ τὸ ὁ νόμο παιδαγωγὸ ἡμῶν γέγονεν εἰ Χριτόν. ἔστι καὶ ὁ κατὰ πνεῦμα νόμος κυρίως ὀνομαζόμενος, καθ' ὃ εἴρηται ὥτε ὁ μὲν νόμο ἅγιο καὶ ἡ ἐντολὴ ἁγία. ἔστι καὶ ὁ φυσικός, καθ' ὃ εἴρηται ὅταν γὰρ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα φύει τὰ τοῦ νόμου ποιῇ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. λέγεται νόμος καὶ ἡ Μωσέως ἱστορία, ὡς ὅταν ἐν τῇ πρὸς Γαλάτας φάσκῃ λέγετέ μοι οἱ τὸν νόμον ἀναγινώκοντε τὸν νόμον οὐκ ἀκούετε, γέγραπται γάρ, Ἀβραὰμ δύο υἱοὺ ἔχεν καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. καλεῖ δὲ καὶ τὰ προφητικὰ νόμον, ὡς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ γέγραπται, ἐν ἑτερογλώοι καὶ ἐν χείλειν ἑτέροι λαλήω τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ ἐν Ἠσαίᾳ. μήποτε δὲ καὶ τὴν Χριστοῦ περὶ τῶν πρακτέων διδασκαλίαν νόμον καλεῖ, ὡς ὅταν φάσκῃ ἑαυτὸν μὴ ἄνομον εἶναι θεοῦ ἀλλ' ἔννομον Χριτοῦ. ὅταν οὖν φάσκῃ οἵτινε ἐν νόμῳ δικαιοῦθε τῆ χάριτο ἐξεπέατε, ἀνατρέπει ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ Μωσέως γράμματος. περιτομὴν οὖν, ἣν αὐτός φησι νῦν, ἑτέραν λέγει παρὰ τὴν κατατομήν· καὶ νόμον, τὸν πνευματικόν. δύναται δὲ νῦν νόμος νοεῖσθαι καὶ ὁ κατὰ τὰς φυσικὰς ἐννοίας· κατὰ γὰρ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς βελτίωσιν ὁ πνευματικῶς περιτεμνόμενος ὠφελεῖται κατὰ τὴν τῶν φαύλων περιαίρεσιν, διὰ δὲ τοῦ πράττειν τὸν νόμον τὰ πρακτέα ἐργαζόμενος. δύναται δέ τις καὶ κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν ἐκτὸς ἀναγωγῆς ἐξηγήσασθαι τὸ ῥητόν, καί φησιν ὅτι πρὸς τοὺς ἀπὸ Ἰουδαίων διαλεγόμενος τοῦτό φησιν· ἐγένετο γὰρ τοῖ Ἰουδαίοι ὡ Ἰουδαῖο ἵνα Ἰουδαίου κερδήῃ, περιτεμὼν τὸν Τιμόθεον καὶ κειράμενο καὶ καθαιρόμενος κατὰ νόμον, ὥστε καὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς λέγειν περιτομὴ μὲν γὰρ ὠφελεῖ ἐὰν νόμον πράσσῃς, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν διαλεγόμενος ταύτην κωλύει, μὴ ἐναντιούμενος ἑαυτῷ· ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἴρηται ἐν τῷ περὶ ταύτης λόγῳ τῷ Ἀβραὰμ τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν περιτέμνεσθαι, εἰ μὴ τοὺς ἀπὸ πέρματο αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοὺς οἰκογενεῖ καὶ ἀργυρωνήτου· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ Λευιτικῷ περὶ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ εἴρηται μόνον· οὐκ ἀνάγκη δὲ καὶ τοὺς προσηλύτους τούτοις προσυπακούεσθαι, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ τὰ περὶ τῶν Λευιτῶν ἰδικῶς νενομοθετημένα, ἢ τὰ περὶ τῶν ἱερέων, ἢ τὰ περὶ τῆς γερουσίας προσυπακούειν αὐτοῖς δίδωσι καὶ ἑτέρους. ὅταν γὰρ καὶ τοὺς προσηλύτους βούλεταί τι διαπράττεσθαι, ἰδικῶς καὶ αὐτῶν μέμνηται, ὡς ὅταν περὶ θυσίας φησίν. ἀμέλει καὶ συνεστηκότος τοῦ καλουμένου ἁγιάσματος προσέφερον καὶ προσήλυτοι· ὡς καὶ περὶ τῶν δέκα λεπρῶν τῶν καθαρθέντων ὁ κύριος ἔφη πορευθέντε δείξατε ἑαυτοὺ τοῖ ἱερεῦιν· ἀφ' ὧν αμαρείτη εἷς ἦν. ᾧ μαρτυρῶν ὁ σωτήρ φησιν οὐχὶ οἱ δέκα ἐκαθαρίθηαν; οἱ δὲ ἐννέα ποῦ; οὐχ εὑρέθηαν ὑποτρέψαντε δόξαν δοῦναι τῷ θεῷ εἰ μὴ ὁ ἀλλογενὴ οὗτο. εἰ δέ τις τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐξόδου ἀνθυποίσει περὶ τῶν ἐσθίειν τὸ πάσχα βουλομένων προσηλύτων, ὡς δεῖ αὐτοὺς περιτέμνεσθαι, φήσομεν ὡς ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ θύεθαι τὸ πάχα προσέταξεν ὁ θεός, τούτου δὲ μὴ ἱσταμένου νῦν περιττὴ ἡ περιτομὴ τοῖς ἐξ ἐθνῶν. 11 iii 1-3 τί οὖν τὸ περισσὸν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου, ἢ τίς ἡ ὠφέλεια τῆς περιτομῆς; πολὺ κατὰ πάντα τρόπον· πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ὅτι ἐπιστεύθησαν τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ. τί γὰρ εἰ ἠπίστησάν τινες; μὴ ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν τὴν πίστιν τοῦ θεοῦ καταργήσει; μὴ γένοιτο. τὸ πιστευθῆναι τὰ λόγια