Chapter IX.—The spiritual meaning of circumcision.

He speaks moreover concerning our ears, how He hath circumcised both them and our heart. The Lord saith in the prophet, “In the hearing of the ear they obeyed me.”105    Ps. xviii. 44. And again He saith, “By hearing, those shall hear who are afar off; they shall know what I have done.”106    Isa. xxxiii. 13. And, “Be ye circumcised in your hearts, saith the Lord.”107    Jer. iv. 4. And again He says, “Hear, O Israel, for these things saith the Lord thy God.”108    Jer. vii. 2. And once more the Spirit of the Lord proclaims, “Who is he that wishes to live for ever? By hearing let him hear the voice of my servant.”109    Ps. xxxiv. 11–13. The first clause of this sentence is wanting in Cod. Sin. And again He saith, “Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for God110    Cod. Sin. has “Lord.” hath spoken.”111    Isa. i. 2. These are in proof.112    In proof of the spiritual meaning of circumcision; but Hilgenfeld joins the words to the preceding sentence. And again He saith, “Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of this people.”113    Isa. i. 10. And again He saith, “Hear, ye children, the voice of one crying in the wilderness.”114    Cod. Sin. reads, “it is the voice,” corrected, however, as above. Therefore He hath circumcised our ears, that we might hear His word and believe, for the circumcision in which they trusted is abolished.115    Cod. Sin. has, “that we might hear the word, and not only believe,” plainly a corrupt text. For He declared that circumcision was not of the flesh, but they transgressed because an evil angel deluded them.116    Cod. Sin., at first hand, has “slew them,” but is corrected as above. He saith to them, “These things saith the Lord your God”—(here117    The meaning is here very obscure, but the above rendering and punctuation seem preferable to any other. I find a new118    Cod. Sin., with several other mss., leaves out “new.” commandment)—“Sow not among thorns, but circumcise yourselves to the Lord.”119    Jer. iv. 3. Cod. Sin. has “God” instead of “Lord.” And why speaks He thus: “Circumcise the stubbornness of your heart, and harden not your neck?”120    Deut. x. 16. And again: “Behold, saith the Lord, all the nations are uncircumcised121    This contrast seems to be marked in the original. Cod. Sin. has, “Behold, receive again.” in the flesh, but this people are uncircumcised in heart.”122    Jer. ix. 25, 26. But thou wilt say, “Yea, verily the people are circumcised for a seal.” But so also is every Syrian and Arab, and all the priests of idols: are these then also within the bond of His covenant?123    Dressel and Hilgenfeld read, “their covenant,” as does Cod. Sin.; we have followed Hefele. Yea, the Egyptians also practise circumcision. Learn then, my children, concerning all things richly,124    Cod. Sin. has “children of love,” omitting “richly,” and inserting it before “looking forward.” that Abraham, the first who enjoined circumcision, looking forward in spirit to Jesus, practised that rite, having received the mysteries125    Literally, “doctrines.” of the three letters. For [the Scripture] saith, “And Abraham circumcised ten, and eight, and three hundred men of his household.”126    Not found in Scripture: but comp. Gen. xvii. 26, 27, Gen. xiv. 14. What, then, was the knowledge given to him in this? Learn the eighteen first, and then the three hundred.127    Cod. Sin. inserts, “and then making a pause.” The ten and the eight are thus denoted—Ten by Ι, and Eight by Η.128    This sentence is altogether omitted by inadvertence in Cod. Sin. You have [the initials of the, name of] Jesus. And because129    Some mss. here read, “and further:” the above is the reading in Cod. Sin., and is also that of Hefele. the cross was to express the grace [of our redemption] by the letter Τ, he says also, “Three Hundred.” He signifies, therefore, Jesus by two letters, and the cross by one. He knows this, who has put within us the engrafted130    This is rendered in the Latin, “the more profound gift,” referring, as it does, to the Gnosis of the initiated. The same word is used in chap. i. gift of His doctrine. No one has been admitted by me to a more excellent piece of knowledge131    Literally, “has learned a more germane (or genuine) word from me,” being an idle vaunt on account of the ingenuity in interpreting Scripture he has just displayed. than this, but I know that ye are worthy.

IX 1. Λέγει γὰρ πάλιν περὶ τῶν ὠτίων, πῶς περιέτεμεν ἡμῶν τὴν καρδίαν. λέγει κύριος ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ· Εἰς ἀκοὴν ὠτίου ἡπήκουσάν μου. καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Ἀκοῇ ἀκούσονται οἱ πόρρωθεν, ἃ ἐποίησα γνώσονται. καί· Περιτμήθητε, λέγει κύριος, τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν. 2. καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Ἄκουε Ἰσραήλ, ὅτι τάδε λέγε κύριος ὁ θεός σου. καὶ πάλιν τὸ πνεῦμα κυρίου προφητεύει· Τίς ἐστιν ὁ θέλων ζῆσαι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα; ἀκοῇ ἀκουσάτω τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ παιδός μου. 3. καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Ἀκουε οὐρανέ, καὶ ἐνωτίζου γῆ, ὅτι κύριος ἐλάλησεν ταῦτα εἰς μαρτύριον. καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Ἀκούσατε λόγον κυρίου, ἄρχοντες τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου. καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Ἀκούσατε, τέκνα, φωνῆς βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. οὐκοῦν περιέτεμεν ἡμῶν τὰς ἀκοάς, ἵνα ἀκούσαντες λόγον πιστεύσωμεν ἡμεῖς. 4. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ περιτομή, ἐφ’ ᾗ πεποίθασιν, κατήργηται. περιτομὴν γὰρ εἰρηκεν οὐ σαρκὸς γενηθῆναι· ἀλλὰ παρέβησαν, ὅτι ἄγγελος πονηρὸς ἐσόφιζεν αὐτούς. 5. λέγει πρὸς αὐτούς· Τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν (ὧδε εὑρίκω ἐντολήν)· Μὴ σπείρητε ἐπ’ ἀκάνθαις, περιτμήθητε τῷ κυρίῳ ὑμῶν. καὶ τί λέγει; Περιτμήθητε καρδίαν ὑμῶν, καὶ τον τράχηλον ὑμῶν οὐ σκληρυνεῖτε. λάβε πάλιν· Ἰδού, λέγει κύριος,´πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἀπερίτμητα ἀκροβυστίαν, ὁ δὲ λαὸς οὗτος ἀπερίτμητος καρδίας. 6. ἀλλ’ ἐρεῖς· Καὶ μὴν περιτέτμηται ὁ λαὸς εἰς σφραγῖδα. ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶς Σύρος καὶ Ἄραψ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἱερεῖς τῶν εἰδώλων. ἄρα οὖν κἀκεῖνοι ἐκ τῆς διαθήκης αὐτῶν εἰσίν; ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ἐν περιτομῇ εἰσίν. 7. μάθετε οὖν, τέκνα ἀγάπης, περὶ πάντων πλουσίως, ὅτι Ἀβραάμ, πρῶτος περιτομὴν δούς, ἐν πνεύματι προβλέψας εἰς τὸν Ἰησοῦν περιέτεμεν, λαβὼν τριῶν γραμμάτων δόγματα. 8. λέγει γάρ· Καὶ περιέτεμεν Ἀβραὰμ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ ἄνδρας δεκαοκτὼ καὶ τριακοσίους. τίς οὖν ἡ δοθεῖσα αὐτῷ γνῶσις; μάθετε, ὅτι τοὺς δεκαοκτὼ πρώτους, καὶ διάστημα ποιήσας λέγει τριακοσίους. τὸ δεκαοκτὼ ι’ δέκα, η’ ὀκτώ· ἔχεις Ἰησοῦν. ὅτι δὲ ὁ σταυρὸς ἐν τῷ ταῦ ἤμελλεν ἔχειν τὴν χάριν, λέγει καὶ τοὺς τριακοσίους. δηλοῖ οὖν τὸν μὲν Ἰησοῦν ἐν τοῖς δυσὶν γράμμασιν, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ τὸν σταυρόν. 9. οἶδεν ὁ τὴν ἔμφυτον δωρεὰν τῆς διδαχῆς αὐτοῦ θέμενος ἐν ἡμῖν. οὐδεὶς γνησιώτερον ἔμαθεν ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ λόγον· ἀλλὰ οἶδα, ὅτι ἄξιοί ἐστε ὑμεῖς.