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whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." Having spoken of the righteousness of faith, increasing the reward to something greater; he now speaks of a blessing; and it is 95.469 as if he were saying; bringing David into the middle: To whom does he give the blessing? To the one who works, or to the one who believes? And he calls blessing the summit of all good things. "Does this blessing then come upon the circumcision, or upon the uncircumcision also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision." He wants to show that faith existed before circumcision, since the Jews were very proud of circumcision; and he constructs this from Abraham, showing that he first believed and was justified, and then after these things received circumcision, and this for the sake of those who came after, not for his own sake. "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised." For this reason he was circumcised after faith, he says, so that the race from him according to the flesh might not hate the faith of Abraham, and that through both he might become the father of faith, first of the gentiles, inasmuch as he had faith while in uncircumcision; and second of those in circumcision; and not simply of those in circumcision, but of those imitating his faith, of which circumcision became a sign. Wherefore he also added, to those who walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised; so that if the Jews should cast out faith, they unawares cast out circumcision. For if circumcision is a sign of faith, but they do away with that thing, that is, of which circumcision is a sign, what further need is there of the seal? For if it does not show the soldier, it is superfluous and useless. "For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." Having shown that faith precedes circumcision, he shows again how also the fulfillment of the promise is to Abraham. "For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect; for the law brings about wrath. For where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed; not only to that which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written." If from the works, he says, of the law we believe we receive the promise, faith is superfluous. And since it has become superfluous and idle, the 95.472 promise cannot remain. But how, listen. The Law makes men accursed and liable to punishments; but a man subject to a curse and judgment would never attain an inheritance. But if, setting aside the law, we consider the faith that justifies without works, we shall find grace owed to righteousness; and if grace and righteousness and sanctification are owed to the one who believes, as has been shown in the preceding, it is clear that he also partakes of the inheritance of the promise. Therefore, if the law makes men accursed, but faith justifies, the promise remains for those who are justified, not for those who are accursed. "That I have made you a father of many nations; in the presence of him whom he believed, even God." Of those through faith, clearly, so that the Jews might not say, "of the Ishmaelites and Hagarenes, and Idumeans," he added, "whom he believed, in the presence of God;" and "in the presence of," instead of "likewise." He says, therefore, just as God, in whom Abraham also believed, is ruler of all nations, so also Abraham is father of all nations. But if not of all, but of the aforementioned, the gift had no place, inasmuch as even without it being given, he was the father of all who came from him according to the law of nature, for each is a father of those from himself; it is shown, therefore, that he says he is the father of all nations. "Of the

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ὧν ἀφεθήσαν αἱ ἀνομίαι, καὶ ὧν ἐκαλύφθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι· μακάριος ἀνὴρ, οὗ οὐ μὴ λογίσηται Κύριος ἁμαρτίαν.» Εἰπὼν τῆς πίστεως δικαιοσύνην, τὸν μισθὸν ἐπὶ τὸ μεῖζον αὔξων· μακαρισμὸν δὲ νῦν λέγει· ὅμοιον δὲ 95.469 ὡσεὶ λέγοι· εἰς μέσον προάγων μὲν τὸν ∆αβίδ· Τίνι τὴν μακαριότητα δίδωσιν; τῷ ἐργαζομένῳ, ἢ τῷ πιστεύοντι; μακαριότητα δὲ λέγει τὴν κορυφὴν τῶν ἁπάντων ἀγαθῶν. «Ὁ μακαρισμὸς οὖν οὗτος ἐπὶ τὴν περιτομὴν, ἢ καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν; Λέγομεν γὰρ ὅτι ἐλογίσθη τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ἡ πίστις εἰς δικαιοσύνην. Πῶς οὖν ἐλογίσθη; Ἐν περιτομῇ ὄντι, ἢ ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ; Οὐκ ἐν περιτομῇ, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ.» ∆εῖξαι βούλεται τὴν πίστιν πρὸ περιτομῆς ὑπάρχουσαν, ἐπειδὴ τῇ περιτομῇ μέγα ἐφρόνουν Ἰουδαῖοι· κατασκευάζει δὲ αὐτὸ ἐκ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, δεικνὺς αὐτὸν πρῶτον πιστεύσαντα καὶ δικαιωθέντα, εἶτα μετὰ ταῦτα λαβόντα τὴν περιτομὴν, καὶ αὐτὴν διὰ χρείαν τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα, οὐ δι' ἑαυτόν. «Καὶ σημεῖον ἔλαβεν περιτομὴν, σφραγίδα τῆς δικαιοσύνης τῆς πίστεως τῆς ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν πατέρα πάντων τῶν πιστευόντων δι' ἀκροβυστίαν, εἰς τὸ λογισθῆναι αὐτοῖς δικαιοσύνην, καὶ πατέρα περιτομῆς τοῖς οὐκ ἐκ περιτομῆς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς στοιχοῦσιν τοῖς ἴχνεσιν τῆς ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ πίστεως τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἀβραάμ.» ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μετὰ τὴν πίστιν περιετμήθη, φησὶν, ἵνα καὶ τὸ γένος τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ κατὰ σάρκα μὴ μισῆται τὴν πίστιν τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ γένηται διὰ τῶν ἀμφοτέρων τῆς πίστεως πατὴρ, πρῶτον μὲν τῶν ἐθνῶν, καθὸ καὶ ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ ἔσχεν τὴν πίστιν· δεύτερον δὲ τῶν ἐν περιτομῇ· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς τῶν ἐν περιτομῇ, ἀλλὰ τῶν μιμουμένων τὴν πίστιν αὐτοῦ, ἧς καὶ σημεῖον γέγονεν ἡ περιτομή. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε, τοῖς στοιχοῦσι τοῖς ἴχνεσι τῆς ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ πίστεως τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἀβραάμ· ὥστε εἰ ἐκβάλλοιεν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τὴν πίστιν, λανθάνοντες ἐκβάλλοντες τὴν περιτομήν. Εἰ γὰρ σημεῖον τῆς πίστεως ἡ περιτομὴ, ἀναιροῦσι δὲ ἐκεῖνο τὸ πρᾶγμα, τουτέστιν ἧς καὶ σημεῖον ἡ περιτομὴ, τίς ἔτι τῆς σφραγίδος ἡ χρεία; Εἰ γὰρ οὐ δεικνύει τὸν στρατιώτην, περιττὴ καὶ ἀνόνητος. «Οὐ γὰρ διὰ νόμου ἡ ἐπαγγελία τῷ Ἀβραὰμ, ἢ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ, τὸ κληρονόμον εἶναι κόσμου, ἀλλὰ δικαιοσύνης πίστεως.» ∆είξας προτερεύουσαν τὴν πίστιν τῆς περιτομῆς, δείκνυσι πάλιν, ὡς καὶ ἡ πλήρωσις τῆς ἐπαγγελίας πρὸς Ἀβραάμ. «Εἰ γὰρ οἱ ἐκ νόμου κληρονόμοι, κεκένωται ἡ πίστις καὶ κατήργηται ἡ ἐπαγγελία· ὁ γὰρ νόμος ὀργὴν κατεργάζεται. Οὗ δὲ οὐκ ἔστι νόμος, οὐδὲ παράβασις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκ πίστεως, ἵνα κατὰ χάριν, εἰς τὸ εἶναι βεβαῖαν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν παντὶ τῷ σπέρματι· οὐ τῷ ἐκ τοῦ νόμου, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἐκ πίστεως Ἀβραὰμ, ὅς ἐστιν πατὴρ πάντων ἡμῶν, καθὼς γέγραπται.» Εἰ ἐκ τῶν ἔργων, φησὶν, τοῦ νόμου πιστεύομεν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν λαβεῖν, περιττὴ ἡ πίστις. Περιττῆς δὲ γενομένης αὐτῆς καὶ ἀργῆς, οὐ δύναται μένειν ἡ 95.472 ἐπαγγελία. Πῶς δέ, ἄκουε. Νόμος ἐπικαταράτους ποιεῖ καὶ τιμωρίας ἐνόχους· ἄνθρωπος δὲ ὑπεύθυνος κατάρᾳ καὶ δίκῃ οὐδέποτε κληρονομίας ἂν τύχοι. Εἰ δὲ τὸν νόμον παρέντες, σκοπήσομεν τὴν πίστιν τὴν ἄνευ ἔργων δικαιοῦσαν, τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ χάριν ὀφειλομένην εὑρήσομεν· εἰ δὲ ὀφείλεται χάρις καὶ δικαιοσύνη καὶ ἁγιασμὸς τῷ πιστεύοντι, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ὀπίσω δεδήλωται, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ τῆς κληρονομίας τῆς ἐπαγγελίας μεταλαβεῖ. Οὐκοῦν εἰ ὁ νόμος ἐπικαταράτους ποιεῖ, ἡ δὲ πίστις δικαιοῖ, τοῖς δικαιουμένοις, οὐ τοῖς καταράτοις, ἡ ἐπαγγελία μένει. «Ὅτι πατέρα πολλῶν ἐθνῶν ἔθηκά σε· κατέναντι οὗ ἐπίστευσεν Θεοῦ.» Τῶν διὰ πίστεως δηλονότι, ἵνα μὴ λέγοιεν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ὅτι Ἰσμαηλιτῶν καὶ Ἀγαρηνῶν, καὶ Ἰδουμαίων, ἐπήγαγεν, οὗ ἐπίστευσεν κατέναντι Θεοῦ· τὸ δὲ, κατέναντι, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὁμοίως. Λέγει οὖν, ὥσπερ ὁ Θεὸς, ᾧ καὶ ἐπίστευσεν Ἀβραὰμ, πάντων ἐστὶν ἄρχων τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὡσαύτως καὶ Ἀβραὰμ πατήρ ἐστι πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν. Εἰ δὲ μὴ πάντων, ἀλλὰ τῶν προειρημένων, οὐδὲ χώραν εἶχεν ἡ δωρεὰ, καθὸ μηδὲ διδομένης αὐτῆς, πάντων τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ ὑπῆρχεν πατὴρ κατὰ τὸν τῆς φύσεως νόμον, Ἕκαστος γὰρ τῶν ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ ὑπάρχει πατήρ· δείκνυται ἄρα, ὡς πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν πατέρα αὐτὸν εἶναί φησιν. «Τοῦ