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of the prophets, and simply of each of the written things, and sows, he transgresses the commandment which says first "Break up your fallow ground for yourselves," second "and do not sow among thorns." But one of the hearers will say: I do not teach, I am not subject to this commandment. You too, become a farmer of yourself, and do not sow among thorns, but make for me fallow ground of the field which the God of all has entrusted to you; consider the field, see where the thorns are, where "the cares of life and the deceitfulness of wealth and the love of pleasure"; and having considered the thorns in your soul, seek the spiritual plow, about which Jesus says, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God"; having sought it and found it, having gathered from the scriptures the clean working oxen, plow and break up the ground, and so that it may no longer be old, make it new "by putting off the old man with his practices and putting on the new man who is being renewed in knowledge." You will make for yourself fallow ground, and if you make the fallow ground, receive seeds from those who teach, receive seeds from the law, receive from the prophets, from the evangelical writings, from the apostolic words, and having received these seeds, sow your soul through memory and study. These things will seem to spring up on their own; but in truth they do not spring up after the memory of them, but God will make them grow; "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth." And if anyone has been able to understand the scriptures, he has made fallow ground and having made fallow ground he has sown not among thorns. These seeds are managed by God not to become a stalk of grain suddenly, but as in the Gospel according to Mark "first the blade, then the ear," then it becomes ready "for 'the harvest'"; when it becomes ready for the harvest, those who are sent out for the harvest will come; when it becomes ready for the harvest, they will come to whom the word says: "Lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest already." He says to us, therefore: "Break up your fallow ground for yourselves, and do not sow among thorns," but if before you cleanse your soul, while still having thorns, you approach teaching, either being able, or being thought so, or professing to, and you ask for lessons and spiritual seeds, you transgress the commandment that says: "do not sow among thorns"; and next to this it is said: "Be circumcised to your God, and circumcise the foreskin of your heart." "Be circumcised to your God"; it is necessarily added, "be circumcised to your God," but you will understand it from the sensible example. They are circumcised, I speak according to the sensible, not only those of the circumcision according to the law of Moses, but also many others. The priests of the Egyptians are circumcised to idols, but that circumcision is a circumcision to idols and is not a circumcision performed "to God"; but that of the Jews, perhaps, but certainly then, was done "to God." If therefore the word says: "Be circumcised to your God," having understood the saying, proceed also to the allegorical interpretation, so that you may find how of those who are circumcised allegorically—so that some of them might say perhaps: "We are the circumcision"—some are circumcised to God, but others are circumcised, but not to God. There are also other words besides the word of truth, besides the word of the church; their morals and heart are circumcised, so to speak, those who philosophize are disciplined, those from the heresies are disciplined, and it becomes for them a circumcision, but a circumcision indeed, yet not to God; for a circumcision is performed among them by a false word; but when you are in fellowship according to the ecclesiastical rule, according to the purpose of sound doctrine, you have not only been circumcised, but you have been circumcised "to God." "Be circumcised," therefore, "to your God, and circumcise the foreskin of your heart." Who does not pass over these things as clear? Therefore there is a foreskin of the heart and this must be circumcised. He who has accurately understood the word, seeking such things, will examine in this passage: the foreskin is congenital, the circumcision

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προφητῶν, καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς ἑκάστου τῶν γεγραμμένων, καὶ σπείρῃ, παραβαίνει τὴν λέγουσαν ἐντολὴν πρῶτον «νεώσατε ἑαυτοῖς νεώματα», δεύτερον «καὶ μὴ σπείρετε ἐπ' ἀκάνθαις». Ἀλλὰ ἐρεῖ τις τῶν ἀκουόντων· ἐγὼ οὐ διδάσκω, οὐχ ὑπόκειμαι ταύτῃ τῇ ἐντολῇ. Καὶ σὺ γεωργὸς γενοῦ σεαυ τοῦ, καὶ μὴ σπείρῃς ἐπ' ἀκάνθαις, ἀλλὰ νέωμα ποίησόν μοι τὸ χωρίον, ὃ πεπίστευκέν σοι ὁ θεὸς τῶν ὅλων· κατανόη σον τὸ χωρίον, ἴδε ποῦ εἰσιν ἄκανθαι, ποῦ «μέριμναι βιωτικαὶ καὶ πλούτου <ἀπάτη καὶ> φιληδονία»· καὶ κατα νοήσας τὰς ἀκάνθας τὰς ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ σου ζήτησον τὸ λογι κὸν ἄροτρον, περὶ οὗ ὁ Ἰησοῦς φησιν τὸ «οὐδεὶς βαλὼν τὴν χεῖρα ἐπ' ἄροτρον καὶ στραφεὶς εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω εὔθετός ἐστιν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ»· ζητήσας αὐτὸ καὶ εὑρών, ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν συναγαγὼν τοὺς βοῦς τοὺς ἐργάτας τοὺς καθα ρούς, ἀροτρίασον καὶ νέωσον τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἵνα μηκέτι ᾖ παλαιά, ποίησον αὐτὴν νέαν «ἐκδυσάμενος τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον σὺν ταῖς πράξεσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐνδυσάμενος τὸν νέον τὸν ἀνακαινούμενον εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν». Ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ νέωμα, καὶ ἐὰν ποιήσῃς τὸ νέωμα, λάβε σπέρματα ἀπὸ τῶν διδα σκόντων, λάβε σπέρματα ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου, λάβε ἀπὸ τῶν προφητῶν, ἀπὸ τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν γραφῶν, <ἀπὸ τῶν> ἀποστολικῶν λόγων, καὶ λαβὼν ταῦτα τὰ σπέρματα σπεῖ ρον τὴν ψυχὴν διὰ τῆς μνήμης καὶ τῆς μελέτης. Αὐτό ματα ταῦτα δόξει ἀνατέλλειν· τὸ <δ'> ἀληθὲς οὐκ αὐτὰ ἀνατελεῖ μετὰ τὴν μνήμην αὐτῶν, ἀλλ' ὁ θεὸς αὐτὰ αὐξήσει· «Ἐγὼ ἐφύτευσα, Ἀπολλῶς ἐπότισεν, ἀλλ' ὁ θεὸς ηὔξησεν.» Καὶ εἴ τίς γε δεδύνηται κατανοῆσαι τὰς γραφάς, οὗτος πεποίηκεν νέωμα καὶ ποιήσας νέωμα ἔσπειρεν οὐκ ἐν ἀκάνθαις. Ταῦτα τὰ σπέρματα οἰκονομεῖται ὑπὸ θεοῦ οὐκ αἰφνίδιον γενέσθαι στάχυς, <ἀλλ'> ὡς ἐν τῷ κατὰ Μάρ κον εὐαγγελίῳ «πρῶτον χόρτος, εἶτα στάχυς», εἶτα ἕτοιμον γίνεται «πρὸς «θερισμόν»»· ὅταν γένηται ἕτοι μον πρὸς θερισμόν, ἐλεύσονται οἱ ἐπὶ τὸν θερισμὸν ἐξαποστελ λόμενοι· ὅταν γένηται ἕτοιμον πρὸς θερισμόν, ἐλεύσονται πρὸς οὓς ὁ λόγος φησίν· «Ἐπάρατε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν καὶ θεάσασθε τὰς χώρας, ὅτι λευκαί εἰσιν πρὸς θερισ μὸν ἤδη.» Φησὶν οὖν ἡμῖν· «Νεώσατε ἑαυτοῖς νεώματα, καὶ μὴ σπείρετε ἐπ' ἀκάνθαις», ἐὰν δὲ πρὶν καθάρῃς σου τὴν ψυχὴν ἔτι ἔχων ἀκάνθας προσίῃς τῷ διδάσκειν ἢ δυνα μένῳ ἢ νομιζομένῳ ἢ ἐπαγγελλομένῳ καὶ αἰτῇς μαθήματα καὶ σπέρματα πνευματικά, παραβαίνεις τὴν λέγουσαν ἐντο 5.14 λήν· «μὴ σπείρετε ἐπ' ἀκάνθαις»· καὶ ἑξῆς τούτῳ λέγεται· «Περιτμήθητε τῷ θεῷ <ὑμῶν>, καὶ περιτέμεσθε τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν.» «Περιτμήθητε τῷ θεῷ ὑμῶν»· ἀναγκαίως πρόσκειται τὸ «περιτμήθητε τῷ θεῷ ὑμῶν», νοήσεις δὲ αὐτὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ παραδείγματος τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ. Περιτέμνονται, κατὰ τὸ αἰσθητὸν λέγω, οὐ μόνον οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς κατὰ τὸν Μωσέως νόμον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλοι πολλοί. Τῶν Αἰγυπτίων εἰδώλοις οἱ ἱερεῖς περι τέμνονται, ἀλλ' ἐκείνη ἡ περιτομὴ εἰδώλοις περιτομή ἐστιν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν «τῷ θεῷ» γινομένη περιτομή· ἡ δὲ Ἰουδαίων τάχα, πάντως δὲ τότε, «τῷ θεῷ» ἐγίνετο. Ἐὰν οὖν λέγῃ ὁ λόγος· «Περιτμήθητε τῷ θεῷ ὑμῶν», νοήσας τὸ ῥητὸν μετάβηθι καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν τροπολογίαν, ἵνα εὕρῃς πῶς τῶν περιτεμνομένων τροπολογικῶς-ὥστ' ἂν εἰπεῖν τάχα τινὰς αὐτῶν· «Ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν ἡ περιτομή»-οἱ μὲν περι τέμνονται τῷ θεῷ, οἱ δὲ περιτέμνοναι μέν, οὐ τῷ θεῷ δέ. Εἰσὶν δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι λόγοι παρὰ τὸν λόγον τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας, παρὰ τὸν λόγον τὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας· περιτέμνονται τὰ ἤθη καὶ τὴν καρδίαν ὥς τε εἰπεῖν σωφρονίζουσιν οἱ φιλοσο φοῦντες, σωφρονίζουσιν οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν αἱρέσεων καὶ γίνεται αὐτοῖς περιτομή, ἀλλὰ περιτομὴ μέν, οὐ τῷ θεῷ δέ· περι τομὴ γὰρ λόγῳ ψευδεῖ παρ' ἐκείνοις γίνεται· ὅταν δὲ κατὰ τὸν ἐκκλησιαστικὸν κανόνα, κατὰ τὴν πρόθεσιν τῆς ὑγιοῦς διδασκαλίας κοινωνικὸς ᾖς, οὐ περιτέτμησαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ περιτέτμησαι «τῷ θεῷ». «Περιτμήθητε» οὖν «τῷ θεῷ ὑμῶν, καὶ περιτέμεσθε τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν.» Τίς ταῦτα οὐ παρέρ χεται ὡς σαφῆ; Οὐκοῦν ἔστιν τις ἀκροβυστία τῆς καρδίας καὶ ταύτην δεῖ περιτέμνεσθαι. Ὁ ἀκριβώσας τὸν λόγον τοιαῦ τα ζητῶν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ἐξετάσει· ἡ ἀκροβυστία συγγεννᾶται, ἡ περιτομὴ