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is acquired, and what has come from birth, this the circumcision removes; if then the word commands that "the foreskin of the heart" be removed, there must be something innate to the heart, which it calls the foreskin, which must be removed, so that someone may be circumcised in "the foreskin of the heart." If anyone understands "we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest," if anyone understands "the body of our humiliation" in which we were born, if anyone understands "no one is pure from filth, not even if his life were one day; but his months are numbered," he will see in what way we were born with uncleanness and the foreskin of our heart. 5.15 But that it might be said with a simpler example able to bring you to see "the foreskin of the heart," I will set forth that in the first age false opinions certainly arise in the soul; for it is not possible for man to receive true <and> pure doctrines from the beginning; but the divine word provided a history and a writing according to the letter, that it might first nourish the one born according to the flesh to Abraham with words according to the flesh and that "the one from the maidservant" might be first, so that after him the one "of the free woman" and "through the promise" might be able to be born. If it is understood why this was included, the foreskin of the heart which comes before the circumcision can be understood. We have need, therefore, to receive the word that cleanses doctrines and removes all things that have come to be in us through false opinion. This, then, is to put away the foreskin of our heart; for if the heart is, for us, that which has the ruling faculty, where thoughts are, from which "evil reasonings proceed," the one who removes evil reasonings removes "the foreskin of the heart," the one who puts away false opinion is circumcised in "the foreskin of his heart" and becomes a "man of Judah" and an "inhabitant of Jerusalem," being purely circumcised. But if someone does not put away "the foreskin of his heart," let us see what the word threatens him with: "Lest my wrath," it says, "go forth like fire and be kindled, and there be no one to quench it." The wrath of the Lord, therefore, goes forth like fire upon those who have not been circumcised to God, upon those who have not put away "the foreskin of their heart," "and there will be no one to quench it on account of the wickedness of their practices." That fire has as its matter the wickedness of our practices; where there is no wickedness of practices, the fire has no place to feed; but that the matter of that fire is the wickedness of practices, hear the prophet saying: "and there will be no one to quench it on account of the wickedness of your practices." "Proclaim in Judah, and let it be heard in Jerusalem; say, [proclaim,] sound the trumpet upon the earth, and cry out loudly." These things, it says, that are being proclaimed, say "in Judah," to those from the tribe of Judah of Christ, "for it is evident that our savior has sprung from Judah5.16." "Sound the trumpet upon the earth"; the lofty word, which rouses the hearer, which prepares him "for" the "war" against the passions, "for" the "war" against the opposing powers, which prepares him for the heavenly "feasts"—for a trumpet is taken to mean both of these. In Numbers such a word is a trumpet; as the word commands me and any other—and it has been given to the one who is willing and has sought the meaning of the scriptures—it commands to make "trumpets of hammered silver." Thus says the word: "Sound the trumpet upon the earth, and cry out loudly; say: be gathered and let us enter into the walled cities." The word of God does not wish us to enter an unwalled city, but a walled one. "The church of the living God" is walled by "the truth" of the word; for this is the wall, <as> it is found in the seventeenth Psalm, that God is also a "wall." "Taking up flee to Zion," as many of you as are outside Zion, "taking up flee to Zion; hasten, do not stand still," you who are making progress hasten toward

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ἐπίκτητός ἐστιν, καὶ ὅπερ ἐκ γενέσεως ἐλή λυθεν, τοῦτο περιαιρεῖ ἡ περιτομή· εἰ τοίνυν περιαιρεῖ σθαι κελεύει ὁ λόγος «τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς καρδίας», ὀφείλει τι εἶναι συγγεγεννημένον τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὃ λέγει ἀκρο βυστίαν, ὅπερ περιαιρεθῆναι δεῖ, ἵνα τις περιτετμῆται «τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς καρδίας». Ἐάν τις νοήσῃ τὸ «ἤμεθα τέκνα φύσει ὀργῆς ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποί», ἐάν τις νοήσῃ «τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως» ἐν ᾧ γεγεννήμεθα, ἐάν τις νοήσῃ τὸ «οὐδεὶς καθαρὸς ἀπὸ ῥύπου, οὐδὲ εἰ μία ἡμέρα εἴη ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ· ἀριθμητοὶ δὲ μῆνες αὐτοῦ», ὄψεται τίνα τρόπον γεγεννήμεθα μετὰ ἀκαθαρσίας καὶ ἀκροβυστίας τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν. 5.15 Ἵνα δὲ κατὰ τὸ ἁπλούστερον παράδειγμα λεχθῇ δυνά μενον προσαγαγεῖν ὑμᾶς τῷ ἰδεῖν «τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς καρδίας», παραθήσομαι ὅτι κατὰ τὴν πρώτην ἡλικίαν ψευδο δοξίαι πάντως γίνονται ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ· οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τέ ἐστιν ἀρχῆθεν ἀληθῆ δόγματα <καὶ> καθαρὰ λαβεῖν τὸν ἄνθρωπον· προενοήσατο δὲ ὁ θεῖος λόγος ἱστορίας καὶ γραφῆς τῆς κατὰ τὸ ῥητόν, ἵνα θρέψῃ τὸν κατὰ σάρκα γεγεννημένον τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ἐν τοῖς κατὰ σάρκα πρῶτον λόγοις καὶ γένηται πρῶτος «ὁ ἐκ τῆς παιδίσκης», εἰς τὸ δυνηθῆναι μετὰ τοῦτον γεννη θῆναι τὸν «τῆς ἐλευθέρας» καὶ τὸν «διὰ τῆς ἐπαγγε λίας». Εἰ νενόηται τοῦτο διὰ τί παρελήφθη, δύναται νοεῖ σθαι ἡ ἀκροβυστία τῆς καρδίας προγινομένη τῆς περιτο μῆς. Χρεία οὖν ἡμῖν τὸν λόγον παραλαβεῖν τὸν καθαίροντα τὰ δόγματα καὶ περιαιροῦντα πάντα τὰ γενόμενα κατὰ ψευδοδοξίαν ἐν ἡμῖν. Τοῦτο οὖν ἐστιν τὸ ἀποθέσθαι τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν· εἰ γὰρ καρδία ἐστὶν ἔχουσα καθ' ἡμᾶς τὸ ἡγεμονικόν, ἔνθα ἐστὶν τὰ νοήματα, ὅθεν οἱ «διαλογισμοὶ ἐξέρχονται οἱ πονηροί», ὁ περιαιρού μενος τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τοὺς πονηροὺς «τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς καρδίας» περιαιρεῖται, ὁ ἀποτιθέμενος τὴν ψευδοδοξίαν περιτέτμηται «τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς καρδίας» αὐτοῦ καὶ γίνεται «ἀνὴρ Ἰούδα» καὶ «κατοικῶν Ἱερουσαλήμ», καθαρῶς περιτεμνόμενος. Ἐὰν δέ τις μὴ ἀποθῆται «τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς καρδίας» αὐτοῦ, ἴδωμεν τί ἀπειλεῖ αὐτῷ ὁ λόγος· «Μή πως ἐξέλθῃ» φησὶν «ὡς πῦρ ὁ θυμός μου καὶ ἐκκαυθήσεται, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ σβέσων.» Ἐξέρχεται οὖν ὡς πῦρ ὁ θυμὸς τοῦ κυρίου ἐπὶ τοὺς μὴ περιτμηθέντας τῷ θεῷ, ἐπὶ τοὺς μὴ ἀποθεμένους «τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς καρδίας» αὐτῶν, «καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ σβέσων ἀπὸ προσώπου πονηρίας ἐπιτηδευμάτων» αὐτῶν. Τὸ πῦρ ἐκεῖνο ὕλην ἔχει τὴν πονηρίαν τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων ἡμῶν· ὅπου οὐκ ἔνι πονηρία ἐπιτηδευμά των, οὐκ ἔχει τὸ πῦρ ὅπου νεμηθῇ· ὅτι δὲ ἡ ὕλη ἐκείνου τοῦ πυρὸς ἡ πονηρία ἐστὶν τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων, ἄκουε τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· «καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ σβέσων ἀπὸ προσώπου πονηρίας ἐπιτηδευμάτων ὑμῶν». «Ἀναγγείλατε ἐν τῷ Ἰούδᾳ, καὶ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀκουσθήτω· εἴπατε, [ἀναγγείλατε,] σημάνατε σάλπιγγι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ κεκράξατε μέγα.» Ταῦτα, φησίν, τὰ ἀπαγγελ λόμενα εἴπατε «ἐν τῷ Ἰούδᾳ», τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς φυλῆς τοῦ Ἰούδα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, «πρόδηλον γὰρ ὅτι ἐξ Ἰούδα ἀνατέταλ5.16 κεν ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν». «Σημάνατε σάλπιγγι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς»· ὁ λόγος ὁ ὑψηλός, ὁ διεγείρων τὸν ἀκροατήν, ὁ παρα σκευάζων αὐτὸν «εἰς» τὸν «πόλεμον» τὸν κατὰ τῶν παθῶν, «εἰς» τὸν «πόλεμον» τὸν κατὰ τῶν ἐνεργειῶν τῶν ἀντικειμένων, ὁ παρασκευάζων αὐτὸν εἰς τὰς «ἑορτὰς» τὰς οὐρανίους-εἰς ἀμφότερα γὰρ ταῦτα λέγεται- παραλαμβάνεται σάλπιγξ. Ἐν τοῖς Ἀριθμοῖς ὁ τοιοῦτος λόγος σάλπιγξ ἐστίν· οἷον ἐμοὶ κελεύει ὁ λόγος καὶ εἴ τινι ἄλλῳ-δέδοται δὲ τῷ βουλομένῳ καὶ ζητήσαντι τὸν νοῦν τῶν γραφῶν-κελεύει ποιῆσαι «σάλπιγγας ἀργυρᾶς ἐλατάς». Οὕτω φησὶν ὁ λόγος· «Σημάνατε σάλπιγ γι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ κεκράξατε μέγα· εἴπατε· συνάχθητε καὶ εἰσέλθωμεν εἰς τὰς πόλεις τὰς τειχήρεις.» Εἰς ἀτείχιστον πόλιν οὐ βούλεται ἡμᾶς εἰσελθεῖν ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλ' εἰς τετειχισμένην. «Ἡ ἐκκλησία τοῦ ζῶντος θεοῦ» τετει χισμένη ὑπὸ «τῆς ἀληθείας» τοῦ λόγου· οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν τὸ τεῖχος, <ὡς> ἐν τῷ ἑπτακαιδεκάτῳ κεῖται Ψαλμῷ, ὅτι καὶ «τεῖχός» ἐστιν ὁ θεός. «Ἀναλαβόντες φεύγετε εἰς Σιών», ὅσοι ἐστὲ ἔξω τῆς Σιών, «ἀναλαβόντες φεύγετε εἰς Σιών· σπεύσατε, μὴ στῆτε», οἱ ἐν τῇ προκοπῇ σπεύσατε ἐπὶ