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that they had abrogated it, he considered to be exceedingly shameless, and to introduce an open conflict with what had been agreed upon; on the other hand, while confessing the concession of circumcision, he saw that it was necessary 61.638 to fall into another contradiction. For if they approved of your preaching, he says, and they themselves again permitted circumcision, they were contradicting themselves. What then is the solution to this? One could say that they did these things for the sake of Jewish condescension; but by saying this, he would have shaken the whole foundation of the economy.

For this reason he does not say it, but leaves it in a state of difficulty and suspense, saying: But from those who seemed to be something, it makes no difference to me; as if he were saying, I do not accuse, nor do I slander those holy men; they themselves know what they were doing; for they are to give an account to God; but what I am eager to show is that they did not nullify my teachings, nor correct them, nor add to them as if they were deficient, but they even praised and consented to them; and of these things I have as witnesses both Titus and Barnabas. Therefore he adds, saying: Seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel of the uncircumcision, as Peter with that of the circumcision; by circumcision and uncircumcision not meaning the things themselves, but the nations known by these names. For he added: For He who worked for Peter for the apostleship of the circumcision, worked also for me for the Gentiles. As therefore he calls the Gentiles the uncircumcision, so also the Jews the circumcision. And he shows that he is henceforth of equal honor with them, and he compares himself not with the others, but with the chief, showing that each enjoyed the same dignity. For since he had constructed the proof concerning their harmony, he henceforth speaks confidently with boldness, and no longer stops with the apostles only, but traces the argument up to Christ, and the grace given to him by Him; and he calls the apostles as witnesses of these things, and says: that When James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace of the Lord that was given to me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship. And he did not say, having heard, but, Having perceived, that is, having understood through the facts themselves, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship. Do you see how little by little he showed that this was pleasing both to Christ and to the apostles? For grace would neither have been given, nor would it have been effective, unless such a preaching had been pleasing to Him. And where he had to compare himself, he mentions Peter only; but where he had to call upon testimony, he mentions the three together, and with praise, saying, Cephas, and James, and John, who seemed to be pillars. And again, not denying that they were, he says those who seemed, but also taking into account the opinion of others, and saying, that The great and excellent ones, and those whom all everywhere carry about, these are witnesses of the things that are said, that these things are also pleasing to Christ, and they learned these things through the facts, and were assured by the experience itself. Therefore they also gave the right hands to me, and not only to me, but also to Barnabas, That we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision. O what an excess of understanding, and an irrefutable proof of agreement! for he shows that their things are his, and his things are theirs. For these things seemed good to both, 61.639 that they should preach thus to the Jews, and he to the Gentiles; therefore he also added, That we to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision. Do you see how here he calls circumcision not the thing itself, but the Jews? For when he speaks of the thing itself and makes a distinction, he sets down uncircumcision itself, as when he says, For circumcision indeed profits, if you keep the law; but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision; and again, Neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision; but when he so calls the Jews, and wishes to denote not the thing, but the people, he sets against it not uncircumcision, but the Gentiles. For the Jews are distinguished from the Gentiles, and circumcision from uncircumcision; as when he says also above, For he who worked for Peter

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μὲν ὅτι ἀνεῖλον, λίαν ἀναίσχυντον εἶναι ἐνόμιζε, καὶ πρὸς τὰ ὡμολογημένα φανερὰν μάχην εἰσάγειν· πάλιν ὁμολογοῦντα τὴν τῆς περιτομῆς συγχώρησιν, εἰς ἑτέραν ἀντίθεσιν ἐμπεσεῖν ἀνάγκην 61.638 οὖσαν ἑώρα. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπῄνεσαν τὸ κήρυγμα τὸ σὸν, φησὶ, καὶ αὐτοὶ πάλιν ἐπέτρεπον περιτομὴν, ἑαυτοῖς ἐμάχοντο. Τίς οὖν ἡ τούτου λύσις; Ἦν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι συγκαταβάσεως Ἰουδαϊκῆς ἕνεκεν ταῦτα ἐποίουν· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο εἰπὼν, ὅλον τῆς οἰκονομίας τὸν θεμέλιον διεσάλευσεν ἄν.

∆ιὰ τοῦτο μὲν οὐ λέγει, ἀφίησι δὲ αὐτὸ ἐν ἀπορίᾳ καὶ μετέωρον εἰπών· Ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν δοκούντων εἶναί τι, οὐδέν μοι διαφέρει· ὡς ἂν εἰ ἔλεγεν, Οὐ κατηγορῶ, οὐδὲ διαβάλλω τοὺς ἁγίους ἐκείνους· ἴσασιν αὐτοὶ τί ἔπραττον· καὶ γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ μέλλουσιν ἀποδιδόναι λόγον· τὸ δὲ σπουδαζόμενον ἐμοὶ δεῖξαι, ὅτι τὰ ἐμὰ οὐ καθεῖλον, οὐδὲ διώρθωσαν, οὐδὲ προσέθηκαν ὡς ἐνδεῶς ἔχουσιν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπῄνεσαν καὶ συνῄνεσαν· καὶ τούτων μάρτυρας ἔχω καὶ Τίτον καὶ Βαρνάβαν. ∆ιόπερ ἐπάγει λέγων· Ἰδόντες ὅτι πεπίστευμαι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τῆς ἀκροβυστίας, καθὼς Πέτρος τῆς περιτομῆς· περιτομὴν καὶ ἀκροβυστίαν οὐ τὰ πράγματα λέγων αὐτὰ, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἀπὸ τούτων γνωριζόμενα ἔθνη. Ἐπήγαγε γοῦν· Ὁ γὰρ ἐνεργήσας Πέτρῳ εἰς ἀποστολὴν τῆς περιτομῆς, ἐνήργησε καὶ ἐμοὶ εἰς τὰ ἔθνη. Ὥσπερ οὖν τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τὰ ἔθνη καλεῖ, οὕτω καὶ περιτομὴν Ἰουδαίους. Καὶ δείκνυσιν αὐτοῖς ὁμότιμον ὄντα λοιπὸν, καὶ οὐ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἑαυτὸν, ἀλλὰ τῷ κορυφαίῳ συγκρίνει, δεικνὺς ὅτι τῆς αὐτῆς ἕκαστος ἀπέλαυσεν ἀξίας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὴν περὶ τῆς ὁμονοίας αὐτῶν κατεσκεύασεν ἀπόδειξιν, θαῤῥῶν λοιπὸν μετὰ παῤῥησίας διαλέγεται, καὶ οὐκέτι ἵσταται μέχρι τῶν ἀποστόλων μόνων, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸν Χριστὸν ἀνάγει τὸν λόγον, καὶ τὴν ὑπ' ἐκείνου δοθεῖσαν χάριν αὐτῷ· καὶ μάρτυρας τούτων τοὺς ἀποστόλους καλεῖ, καί φησιν· ὅτι Γνόντες τὴν χάριν τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν δοθεῖσάν μοι, Ἰάκωβος καὶ Κηφᾶς καὶ Ἰωάννης, οἱ δοκοῦντες στῦλοι εἶναι, δεξιὰς ἔδωκαν ἐμοὶ καὶ Βαρνάβᾳ κοινωνίας. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι ἀκούσαντες, ἀλλὰ, Γνόντες, τουτέστι, καταμαθόντες δι' αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων, δεξιὰς ἔδωκαν ἐμοὶ καὶ Βαρνάβᾳ κοινωνίας. Εἶδες πῶς κατὰ μικρὸν ἔδειξε καὶ τῷ Χριστῷ τοῦτο δοκοῦν, καὶ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν ἐδόθη, οὐδὲ ἐνήργησεν ἡ χάρις, εἰ μὴ δοκοῦν αὐτῷ τὸ τοιοῦτον κήρυγμα ἦν. Καὶ ὅπου μὲν συγκρῖναι ἑαυτὸν ἔδει, Πέτρου μέμνηται μόνου· ὅπου δὲ μαρτυρίαν καλέσαι, τῶν τριῶν ὁμοῦ, καὶ μετ' ἐγκωμίου, Κηφᾶς, λέγων, καὶ Ἰάκωβος, καὶ Ἰωάννης οἱ δοκοῦντες στῦλοι εἶναι. Καὶ πάλιν οὐ τὸ εἶναι ἀναιρῶν, τοὺς δοκοῦντάς φησιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τῶν ἄλλων παραλαμβάνων γνώμην, καὶ λέγων, ὅτι Οἱ μεγάλοι καὶ ἐξαίρετοι, καὶ οὓς πάντες πανταχοῦ περιφέρουσιν, οὗτοι μάρτυρές εἰσι τῶν λεγομένων, ὅτι καὶ τῷ Χριστῷ ταῦτα δοκεῖ, καὶ διὰ μὲν τῶν πραγμάτων ταῦτα ἔμαθον, καὶ δι' αὐτῆς τῆς πείρας ἐπιστώθησαν. ∆ιὸ καὶ δεξιὰς ἔδωκαν ἐμοὶ, καὶ οὐκ ἐμοὶ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ Βαρνάβᾳ, Ἵνα ἡμεῖς μὲν εἰς τὰ ἔθνη, αὐτοὶ δὲ εἰς τὴν περιτομήν. Ὢ συνέσεως ὑπερβολὴ, καὶ συμφωνίας ἀπόδειξις ἀναντίῤῥητος! δείκνυσι γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἐκείνων αὑτοῦ, καὶ τὰ αὑτοῦ ἐκείνων. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἑκατέροις ἐδόκει, 61.639 καὶ ἐκείνους Ἰουδαίοις κηρύττειν οὕτω, καὶ τοῦτον τοῖς ἔθνεσι· διὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγεν, Ἵνα ἡμεῖς εἰς τὰ ἔθνη, αὐτοὶ δὲ εἰς τὴν περιτομήν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς περιτομὴν ἐνταῦθα οὐχὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα καλεῖ, ἀλλὰ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους; Ὅταν μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸ τὸ πρᾶγμα λέγῃ καὶ ἀντιδιαστέλλῃ, αὐτὴν τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τίθησιν, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ, Περιτομὴ μὲν ὠφελεῖ, ἐὰν νόμον πράσσῃς· ἐὰν δὲ παραβάτης νόμου ᾖς, ἡ περιτομή σου ἀκροβυστία γέγονε· καὶ πάλιν, Οὔτε περιτομή τι ἰσχύει, οὔτε ἀκροβυστία· ὅταν δὲ Ἰουδαίους οὕτω καλῇ, καὶ μὴ τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἀλλὰ τὸν λαὸν δηλῶσαι βούληται, οὐ τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἔθνη ἀντιτίθησιν. Ἀντιδιαστέλλονται μὲν γὰρ ἔθνεσιν Ἰουδαῖοι, περιτομῇ δὲ ἀκροβυστία· ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ καὶ ἀνωτέρω, Ὁ γὰρ ἐνεργήσας Πέτρῳ