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for the apostolate of the circumcision, was at work in me also for the Gentiles; and here again, that We to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision, he does not mean the thing itself, but so calls the people of the Jews, distinguishing them from the Gentiles. Only that we should remember the poor, which very thing I was also zealous to do.

4. What is this that he says? In the preaching, he says, we divide the world, and I took those from the Gentiles, and they the Jews, according to what seemed good to God; but for the care of the poor among the Jews, I contributed my part to them. If there were war and fighting, they would not have accepted this. And who are these poor? Many of the Jews who believed in Palestine were deprived of all their possessions, and were driven out from everywhere. And this he makes clear in the Epistle to the Hebrews, saying; For you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property; and he makes it clear writing to the Thessalonians, and proclaiming their courage; For you, he says, became imitators of the churches of God that are in Judea, because you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Jews. And through all this he shows that those who believed from among the Greeks were not so warred against by the remaining Greeks, as those who believed from among the Jews were persecuted by their own kinsmen; for this nation is harsher than all. For these reasons they make great effort, so that they might enjoy all care, both in his letters to the Romans and to the Corinthians. And not only does he collect money, but he also transports it himself, and says: But now I am going to Jerusalem, ministering to the saints. For they were in want of necessary food. Therefore, making this clear here also, he said that, In this it seemed good to me to help them, and I accepted it, and I did not fail. And having shown through these things his unanimity and harmony with them, he is then compelled to mention the discussion with Peter that took place in Antioch, and says: But when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he drew 61.640 back and separated himself, fearing those of the circumcision. Many of those who simply read this saying of the Epistle, think that Paul is accusing Peter of hypocrisy; but this is not so, it is not, far from it; for we shall find much wisdom of both Peter and Paul hidden here for the benefit of the hearers.

But first it is necessary to speak of Peter’s boldness, and how he always leaped before all the disciples. For he also received his name from this, because of the unbending and unswerving nature of his faith; and when they were all asked a common question, leaping forth before the others, he says: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God; at which time also he was entrusted with the keys of the heavens. And on the mountain he alone appears speaking, and when He was speaking about the cross, while the others were silent, he himself says, God forbid it for you. And these words, though they were not of a considered judgment, were nevertheless of a fervent love. And everywhere we see him being more fervent than the others, and leaping forth in dangers. And when He appeared on the shore, while the others were dragging the boat, he himself could not bear to arrive with the boat; and after the resurrection, when the Jews were murdering and raging, and seeking to tear them to pieces, he was the first to come forward and dare to raise his voice and say that the one who was crucified was taken up, and is in the heavens. It is not the same thing to open a closed door and to give a beginning to a matter, and to speak boldly after this. He, therefore

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εἰς ἀποστολὴν τῆς περιτομῆς, ἐνήργησε κἀμοὶ εἰς τὰ ἔθνη· καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν, ὅτι Ἡμεῖς εἰς τὰ ἔθνη, αὐτοὶ δὲ εἰς τὴν περιτομὴν, οὐ τὸ πρᾶγμα αὐτό φησιν, ἀλλὰ τὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων λαὸν οὕτω καλεῖ, ἀντιδιαστέλλων αὐτὸν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. Μόνον τῶν πτωχῶν ἵνα μνημονεύωμεν, ὃ καὶ ἐσπούδασα αὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι.

δʹ. Τί ποτε τοῦτό ἐστιν ὅ φησιν; Ἐν μὲν τῷ κηρύγματι, φησὶ, δειλόμεθα τὴν οἰκουμένην, κἀγὼ μὲν τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἔλαβον κατὰ τὸ τῷ Θεῷ δοκοῦν· εἰς δὲ τὴν τῶν πτωχῶν ἐπιμέλειαν τῶν παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις, ἐγὼ τὰ παρ' ἐμαυτοῦ συνεισήνεγκα ἐκείνοις. Εἰ δὲ πόλεμος ἦν καὶ μάχη, οὐκ ἂν τοῦτο κατεδέξαντο ἐκεῖνοι. Τίνες δέ εἰσιν οὗτοι οἱ πτωχοί; Πολλοὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων πιστεύσαντες ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ τὰ ὄντα ἀφῃρέθησαν ἅπαντα, καὶ πανταχόθεν ἠλαύνοντο. Καὶ τοῦτο δηλοῖ μὲν ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους Ἐπιστολῇ, λέγων· Καὶ γὰρ τὴν ἁρπαγὴν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ὑμῶν μετὰ χαρᾶς προσεδέξασθε· δηλοῖ δὲ Θεσσαλονικεῦσι γράφων, καὶ ἀνακηρύττων τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἐκείνων· Ὑμεῖς γὰρ, φησὶ, μιμηταὶ ἐγένεσθε τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν οὐσῶν ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ, ὅτι καὶ ὑμεῖς τὰ αὐτὰ ἐπάθετε ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων συμφυλετῶν, καθάπερ κἀκεῖνοι ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Καὶ διὰ πάντων δείκνυσιν, ὅτι οὐχ οὕτως οἱ ἐξ Ἑλλήνων πιστεύσαντες, ὑπὸ τῶν μενόντων Ἑλλήνων ἐπολεμοῦντο, ὡς οἱ ἀπὸ Ἰουδαίων πιστεύσαντες, ὑπὸ τῶν ὁμοφύλων ἠλαύνοντο· τραχύτερον γὰρ τοῦτο πάντων τὸ ἔθνος. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα πολλὴν ποιοῦνται σπουδὴν, ὥστε πάσης αὐτοὺς ἀπολαύειν ἐπιμελείας, καὶ Ῥωμαίοις ἐπιστέλλων καὶ Κορινθίοις. Καὶ οὐ μόνον συνάγει χρήματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς αὐτὰ διακομίζει, καὶ λέγει· Νυνὶ δὲ πορεύομαι εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ διακονῶν τοῖς ἁγίοις. Καὶ γὰρ ἀναγκαίας ἠπόρουν τροφῆς. Τοῦτο οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα δηλῶν ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ἐν τούτῳ μοι βοηθεῖν αὐτοῖς ἔδοξε, καὶ κατεδεξάμην, καὶ οὐκ ἐνέλιπον. Καὶ διὰ τούτων δείξας τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁμόνοιαν καὶ συμφωνίαν, ἀναγκάζεται λοιπὸν καὶ τῆς πρὸς Πέτρον αὐτῷ γινομένης ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ διαλέξεως μνησθῆναι, καί φησιν· Ὅτε δὲ ἦλθε Πέτρος εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν, κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτῷ ἀντέστην, ὅτι κατεγνωσμένος ἦν. Πρὸ τοῦ γὰρ ἐλθεῖν τινας ἀπὸ Ἰακώβου, μετὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν συνήσθιεν· ὅτε δὲ ἦλθον, ὑπ 61.640 έστελλε καὶ ἀφώριζεν ἑαυτὸν, φοβούμενος τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς. Πολλοὶ τῶν ἁπλῶς ἀναγινωσκόντων τουτὶ τὸ ῥητὸν τῆς Ἐπιστολῆς, νομίζουσι τοῦ Πέτρου τὸν Παῦλον κατηγορεῖν ὑπόκρισιν· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα, οὐκ ἔστιν, ἄπαγε· πολλὴν γὰρ εὑρήσομεν καὶ τοῦ Πέτρου καὶ τοῦ Παύλου τὴν σύνεσιν ἐγκεκρυμμένην ἐνταῦθα πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀκουόντων ὠφέλειαν.

Πρότερον δὲ ἀναγκαῖον περὶ τῆς τοῦ Πέτρου παῤῥησίας εἰπεῖν, καὶ πῶς ἀεὶ πάντων αὐτὸς κατεπήδα τῶν μαθητῶν. Καὶ γὰρ τὴν προσηγορίαν ἐντεῦθεν ἔλαβε διὰ τὸ ἀκλινὲς καὶ ἀπερίτρεπτον τῆς πίστεως· καὶ ὅτε κοινῇ πάντες ἠρωτῶντο, τῶν ἄλλων προπηδήσας, φησί· Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος· ὅτε καὶ τὰς κλεῖς τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐνεπιστεύθη. Καὶ ἐν τῷ ὄρει μόνος φαίνεται φθεγγόμενος, καὶ ὅτε περὶ σταυροῦ διελέγετο, τῶν ἄλλων σιγώντων, αὐτός φησιν, Ἵλεώς σοι. Ταῦτα δὲ τὰ ῥήματα εἰ καὶ μὴ διεσκεμμένης γνώμης ἦν, ἀλλ' ὅμως ζεούσης ἀγάπης. Καὶ πανταχοῦ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων ὁρῶμεν αὐτὸν θερμότερον ὄντα, καὶ προαλλόμενον ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις. Καὶ ὅτε ὤφθη ἐν τῷ αἰγιαλῷ, τῶν ἄλλων τὸ πλοῖον ἑλκόντων, αὐτὸς οὐκ ἠνέσχετο τῷ πλοίῳ παραγενέσθαι· καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν δὲ φονώντων Ἰουδαίων καὶ μαινομένων, καὶ ζητούντων αὐτοὺς διασπάσαι, πρῶτος παρελθὼν ἐτόλμησε ῥῆξαι φωνὴν καὶ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ὁ σταυρωθεὶς ἀνελήφθη, καὶ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἐστιν. Οὐκ ἔστι δὲ ἴσον κεκλεισμένην ἀνοῖξαι θύραν καὶ ἀρχὴν δοῦναι πράγματι, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα παῤῥησιάσασθαι. Ὁ τοίνυν