of the epistle it is possible to take from the [phrase] Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the one from the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but the one from the free woman through the promise. I know also that the Psalms are called Law, as is clear from that the word which is written in their Law might be fulfilled, ‘They hated me without a cause’. But also the prophecy of Isaiah is called Law by the Apostle, who says, In the Law it is written: ‘With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; and yet, for all that, they will not hear Me,’ says the Lord; for I found the equivalents to this phrase lying in the interpretation of Aquila. Law is also called the more mystical and divine interpretation of the law, as in For we know that the law is spiritual. And besides all these, the word sown in the soul according to common notions is called law and, as scripture names it, written on the heart, commanding what must be done, and forbidding what must not be done. And this is made clear in for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness. For the law written in the hearts, even in Gentiles doing by nature the things of the law, is no other than that which is by nature inscribed according to common notions in our governing faculty, and which daily becomes clearer with the completion of the word. This was the meaning of law also in sin is not imputed when there is no law; and in I did not know sin except through the law. For before the law according to Moses, sin was imputed both to Cain and to those who suffered in the flood, and also to the Sodomites and countless others; and many knew sin even before the law of Moses. And do not be surprised if two meanings of the one name of 'law' have been included in the same place; for we shall find this custom in other scriptures as well, for example, Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? ... Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! For 'harvest', being named twice, refers in the first instance to the physical, and in the second to the spiritual. And you will find the same thing in the case of the one born blind who was healed; to which, having happened physically, he adds the For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind. So then, also now, the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law of nature, but being witnessed to by the Law of Moses and the prophets. But we might say to those who still hesitate to accept the twofold meaning of 'law', that if indeed the same 'law' is taken both in but now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, and in being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets; if it is manifested apart from the law, it is not witnessed by the law; but if it is witnessed by the law, it is not manifested apart from the law. Therefore, to the righteousness of God manifested through Jesus Christ, the law of nature in no way bears witness, for it is less than it; but the Law of Moses—not the letter but the spirit—and the prophets in analogy with the spirit of the Law, and the spiritual word in them, do. Wherefore, the one reading the divine scripture must carefully observe that the scriptures do not always use the same words for the same things; and they do this, sometimes on account of homonymy, sometimes on account of figurative language, and sometimes on account of the context requiring that the word be used differently in certain places than it is found in others. And if we carefully guard this, we are freed from many errors and misinterpretations. Therefore, it is necessary to know that 'he has seen' is not always used for the same thing, but sometimes for physical seeing, and sometimes instead of understanding. For in general this must be known, that when it is intended to hide and not to set forth openly the thoughts of the

ἐπιστολῆς ἔστι λαβεῖν ἐκ τοῦ λέγετέ μοι, οἱ ὑπὸ νόμον θέλοντε εἶναι, τὸν νόμον οὐκ ἀκούετε; γέγραπται γὰρ ὅτι Ἀβραὰμ δύο υἱοὺ ἔχεν, ἕνα ἐκ τῆ παιδίκη καὶ ἕνα ἐκ τῆ ἐλευθέρα. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἐκ τῆ παιδίκη κατὰ άρκα γεγέννηται, ὁ δὲ ἐκ τῆ ἐλευθέρα διὰ τῆ ἐπαγγελία. οἶδα καὶ τοὺς ψαλμοὺς ὀνομαζομένους νόμον, ὡς δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ ἵνα πληρωθῇ ὁ λόγο ὁ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτῶν γεγραμμένο ὅτι ἐμίηάν με δωρεάν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ τοῦ Ἠσαίου προφητεία νόμος παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ λέγεται, φάσκοντι ἐν τῷ νόμῳ γέγραπται· ἐν ἑτερογλώοι καὶ ἐν χείλειν ἑτέροι λαλήω τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ, καὶ οὐδ' οὕτω εἰακούονταί μου, λέγει κύριο· εὗρον γὰρ τὰ ἰσοδυναμοῦντα τῇ λέξει ταύτῃ ἐν τῇ τοῦ Ἀκύλου ἑρμηνείᾳ κείμενα. λέγεται νόμος καὶ ἡ μυστικωτέρα καὶ θειοτέρα τοῦ νόμου ἐκδοχή, ὡς ἐν τῷ οἴδαμεν γὰρ ὅτι ὁ νόμο πνευματικό ἐτι. παρὰ δὲ πάντα ταῦτα λέγεται νόμος ὁ κατὰ τὰς κοινὰς ἐννοίας ἐνεσπαρμένος τῇ ψυχῇ καί, ὡς ὀνομάζει ἡ γραφή, ἐγγεγραμμένος τῇ καρδίᾳ λόγος, προσ τακτικὸς μὲν ὧν ποιητέον, ἀπαγορευτικὸς δὲ ὧν οὐ ποιητέον. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ δηλοῦται ἐν τῷ ὅταν γὰρ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα φύει τὰ τοῦ νόμου ποιοῦιν, οὗτοι νόμον μὴ ἔχοντε ἑαυτοῖ εἰὶ νόμο· οἵτινε ἐνδείκνυνται τὸ ἔργον τοῦ νόμου γραπτὸν ἐν ταῖ καρδίαι αὐτῶν, υμμαρτυρούη αὐτῶν τῆ υνειδήεω. ὁ γὰρ γραπτὸ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις νόμος καὶ ἐν ἐθνικοῖς φύει τὰ τοῦ νόμου ποιοῦιν οὐκ ἄλλος ἐστὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὰς κοινὰς ἐννοίας φύσει ἐγγεγραμμένου τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ ἡμῶν, καὶ τρανωτέρου μετὰ τῆς συμπληρώσεως τοῦ λόγου ὁσημέραι γινομένου. τοῦτο τὸ σημαινόμενον ἦν τοῦ νόμου καὶ ἐν τῷ ἁμαρτία οὐκ ἐλλο γεῖται μὴ ὄντο νόμου· καὶ ἐν τῷ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔγνων εἰ μὴ διὰ νόμου. πρὸ γὰρ τοῦ κατὰ Μωσέα νόμου ἐλλελόγηται ἁμαρτία καὶ τῷ Κάϊν καὶ τοῖς κατὰ τὸν κατακλυσμὸν παθοῦσιν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ Σοδομίταις καὶ ἄλλοις μυρίοις· πολλοί τε ἔγνωσαν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ πρὸ τοῦ Μωσέως νόμου. καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς εἰ δύο σημαινόμενα τοῦ ἑνὸς ὀνόματος τοῦ νόμου ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ παρείληπται τόπῳ· εὑρήσομεν γὰρ ταύτην τὴν συνήθειαν καὶ ἐν ἄλλαις γραφαῖς, οἷον οὐχ ὑμεῖ λέγετε ὅτι τετράμηνό ἐτι καὶ ὁ θεριμὸ ἔρχεται; ἐπάρατε τοὺ ὀφθαλμοὺ ὑμῶν καὶ θεάαθε τὰ χώρα ὅτι λευκαί εἰι πρὸ θεριμὸν ἤδη. δὶς γὰρ ὁ θερισμὸς ὀνομασθεὶς κατὰ μὲν τὸ πρότερον ἐπὶ τὸν σωματικὸν ἀναφέρεται, κατὰ δὲ τὸ δεύτερον ἐπὶ τὸν πνευματικόν. τὸ δὲ ὅμοιον εὑρήσεις καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀπὸ γενετῆς τυφλοῦ θεραπευθέντος· ᾧ ἐπιφέρει σωματικῶς γενομένῳ τὸ εἰ κρίμα ἐγὼ εἰ τὸν κόμον τοῦτον ἦλθον, ἵνα οἱ μὴ βλέποντε βλέπωι καὶ οἱ βλέποντε τυφλοὶ γένωνται. οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ νῦν χωρὶ μὲν νόμου τοῦ τῆς φύσεως δικαιούνη θεοῦ πεφανέρωται, μαρτυρουμένη δὲ ὑπὸ νόμου Μωσέως καὶ τῶν προφητῶν. εἴποιμεν δ' ἂν πρὸς τοὺς ἔτι ὀκνοῦντας παραδέξασθαι τὸ διττὸν σημαινόμενον τοῦ νόμου, ὅτι εἴπερ ὁ αὐτὸς νόμος παρείληπται ἔν τε τῷ νυνὶ δὲ χωρὶ νόμου δικαιούνη θεοῦ πεφανέρωται, καὶ ἐν τῷ μαρτυρουμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν· εἰ μὲν χωρὶς νόμου πεφανέρωται, οὐχ ὑπὸ νόμου μαρτυρεῖται· εἰ δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου μαρτυρεῖται, οὐ χωρὶς νόμου πεφανέρωται. τῇ τοίνυν δικαιοσύνῃ τοῦ θεοῦ φανερουμένῃ ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μαρτυρεῖ οὐδαμῶς μὲν ὁ τῆς φύσεως νόμος· μικρότερος γάρ ἐστιν αὐτῆς· ὁ δὲ Μωσέως νόμος, οὐ τὸ γράμμα ἀλλὰ τὸ πνεῦμα, καὶ οἱ ἀνάλογον τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ νόμου προφῆται, καὶ ὁ ἐν αὐτοῖς πνευματικὸς λόγος. διὸ χρὴ ἐπιμελῶς τὸν ἀναγινώσκοντα τὴν θείαν γραφὴν τηρεῖν ὅτι οὐ πάντως ταῖς αὐταῖς λέξεσιν ἐπὶ τῶν αὐτῶν πραγμάτων χρῶνται αἱ γραφαί· τοῦτο δὲ ποιοῦσιν, ὁτὲ μὲν παρὰ τὴν ὁμωνυμίαν, ὁτὲ δὲ παρὰ τὴν τροπολογίαν, καὶ ἔσθ' ὅτε παρὰ τὴν σύμφρασιν ἀπαιτοῦσαν ἄλλως τῇ λέξει χρήσασθαι ἐν τοῖσδέ τισιν ἢ ὡς κεῖται ἐν ἑτέροις. καὶ τοῦτο ἐὰν ἐπιμελῶς παραφυλατ τώμεθα, πολλῶν σφαλμάτων ἀπαλλαττόμεθα καὶ παρεκδοχῶν. χρὴ οὖν εἰδέναι ὅτι τὸ ἑώρακεν οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀεὶ κεῖται, ἀλλ' ὁτὲ μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ σωματικοῦ ὁρᾷν, ὁτὲ δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ νοεῖν. καθόλου γὰρ τοῦτο ἰστέον, ὅτι προκειμένου κρύψαι καὶ μὴ φανερῶς ἐκθέσθαι τὰ νοήματα τῆς