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for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. For they were pleased, and they are their debtors. And again, For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they ought also to minister to them in carnal things. See, therefore, here also how he puts down the pride of the Jews, constructing one argument through another. And he uses the word with authority, saying, We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles. And what is, Jews by nature? Not proselytes, but from our earliest years brought up in the Law, we have forsaken the way of life we were raised in and fled to faith in Christ. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, we also have believed in Christ. See here also how securely he speaks about everything. For we left it, he says, not as evil, but as weak. If, therefore, the Law does not provide righteousness, then circumcision is superfluous. But for now, it is so; but as he proceeds, he shows that it is not only superfluous, but also dangerous; which must especially be observed, how at the beginning he says, A man is not justified by the works of the law, but as he goes on, he speaks more forcefully. But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? For if faith in him, he says, is not able to justify, but it is necessary to hold to the Law again, if having abandoned the Law for Christ, and not being justified by this abandonment, but being condemned, we shall find him to have become the cause of condemnation, for whose sake we abandoned the Law and went over to him. Do you see to what a necessity of absurdity he has reduced the argument, and how strongly he has contended? For if one ought not to abandon the Law, he says, but we have abandoned it for Christ's sake; how shall we be judged?

Why then do you say and advise these things to Peter, who knows these things more accurately than all? did not God show him that one must not judge a man uncircumcised in the matter of circumcision? when arguing with the Jews about these things, did he not nobly resist them, based on this vision? Did he not send clear decrees about these things from Jerusalem again? Therefore, he does not say these things to correct Peter; but although the discourse had to be directed toward him, he was rebuking the disciples. And these things are not for the Galatians, but also for those who suffer from the same things as they do. For if many are not circumcised now, but they fast, and keep the Sabbath with them, they are doing the same things, thrusting themselves out of grace. For if Christ is of no benefit to those who only use circumcision; 61.644 when fasting and the Sabbath are also added, and instead of one, two commandments are kept, see the danger, made even more severe by the passage of time. For they did these things at the beginning, when the city was still standing, and the temple, and all the other things; but these, seeing the punishment which the Jews suffered, and the destruction of the city, and observing more things, what defense could they have, keeping the Law at a time when the Jews themselves, though being Jews and wanting to very much, are not able to keep these things? You have put on Christ, and become a member of the Master, and have been enrolled in the city above, and do you still creep around the Law? and how is it possible for you to obtain the kingdom? Hear Paul saying that the Gospel is overthrown by the observance of the Law. And, if you wish, learn the way, and shudder, and flee the pit. For why do you keep the Sabbath, and fast with them? Clearly, as one who fears the Law and fears to abandon those letters; but you would not have been afraid to abandon the Law, unless you had condemned faith as being weak and not strong enough to save by itself. For if you are afraid not to keep the Sabbath, it is very clear that you fear the Law as still being in authority. And if there is need of the Law again, not of a part, nor of one commandment, but it is clear that there is need of the whole Law; and if

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εἰς τοὺς πτωχοὺς τῶν ἁγίων τῶν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ. Εὐδόκησαν γὰρ, καὶ ὀφειλέται αὐτῶν εἰσι. Καὶ πάλιν, Εἰ γὰρ τοῖς πνευματικοῖς αὐτῶν ἐκοινώνησαν τὰ ἔθνη, ὀφείλουσι καὶ ἐν τοῖς σαρκικοῖς λειτουργῆσαι αὐτοῖς. Ὅρα τοίνυν καὶ ἐνταῦθα πῶς τὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καταστέλλει φρονήματα, ἄλλο δι' ἄλλου κατασκευάζων. Καὶ μετ' ἐξουσίας κέχρηται τῷ λόγῳ, Ἡμεῖς φύσει Ἰουδαῖοι, λέγων, καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἁμαρτωλοί. Τί δέ ἐστι, Φύσει Ἰουδαῖοι; Οὐ προσήλυτοι, ἀλλ' ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας ἐντραφέντες τῷ νόμῳ, τὴν σύντροφον ἀφέντες πολιτείαν, κατεφύγομεν εἰς πίστιν τὴν εἰς Χριστόν. Εἰδότες ὅτι οὐ δικαιωθήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, εἰ μὴ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς Χριστὸν ἐπιστεύσαμεν. Ὅρα καὶ ἐνταῦθα πῶς μετὰ ἀσφαλείας πάντα φθέγγεται. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς πονηρὸν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀσθενῆ, φησὶν, αὐτὸν εἰάσαμεν. Εἰ τοίνυν οὐ παρέχει δικαιοσύνην ὁ νόμος, ἄρα περιττὸν τὸ τῆς περιτομῆς. Ἀλλὰ νῦν μὲν οὕτω· προϊὼν δὲ δείκνυσιν, ὅτι οὐ μόνον περιττὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπικίνδυνον· ὅπερ καὶ μάλιστα παρατηρητέον, πῶς παρὰ μὲν τὴν ἀρχήν φησιν, Οὐ δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, προβαίνων δὲ καὶ φορτικώτερον φθέγγεται. Εἰ δὲ ζητοῦντες δικαιωθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ, εὑρέθημεν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἁμαρτωλοὶ, ἄρα Χριστὸς ἁμαρτίας διάκονος. Εἰ γὰρ οὐκ ἰσχύει, φησὶν, ἡ εἰς αὐτὸν πίστις δικαιῶσαι, ἀλλ' ἀνάγκη τοῦ νόμου πάλιν ἔχεσθαι, εἰ τὸν νόμον ἀφέντες διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν, καὶ οὐ δικαιούμενοι ἐκ τῆς ἀφέσεως, ἀλλὰ κατακρινόμενοι, τῆς κατακρίσεως εὑρήσομεν αὐτὸν αἴτιον γενόμενον, δι' ὃν τὸν νόμον ἀφέντες, αὐτῷ ηὐτομολήσαμεν. Εἶδες εἰς ὅσην ἀνάγκην περιέστησεν ἀτοπίας τὸν λόγον, καὶ πῶς ἰσχυρῶς ἠγωνίσατο; Εἰ γὰρ οὐ δεῖ τὸν νόμον ἀφεῖναι, φησὶν, ἀφήκαμεν δὲ διὰ τὸν Χριστόν· πῶς μέλλομεν κρίνεσθαι;

Τί οὖν Πέτρῳ ταῦτα λέγεις καὶ παραινεῖς, τῷ πάντων ἀκριβέστερον ταῦτα εἰδότι; οὐκ αὐτῷ ἔδειξεν ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι οὐ δεῖ κρίνειν ἄνθρωπον ἀκρόβυστον ἐν περιτομῇ; οὐχὶ Ἰουδαίοις διαλεγόμενος περὶ τούτων, γενναίως ἀπὸ τῆς ὄψεως ταύτης ἀντέστη; οὐχὶ δόγματα τετρανωμένα περὶ τούτων ἐξ Ἱεροσολύμων πάλιν ἔπεμπεν; Οὐ τοίνυν Πέτρον διορθούμενος ταῦτα λέγει· ἀλλ' ἔδει μὲν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ὁ λόγος ἀποτείνεσθαι, τοὺς δὲ μαθητὰς ἤλεγχεν. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐ πρὸς Γαλάτας, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς τὰ αὐτὰ νοσοῦντας ἐκείνοις. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ περιτέμνονται πολλοὶ νῦν, νηστεύουσι δὲ, καὶ τὸ σάββατον τηροῦσι μετ' ἐκείνων, ταὐτὰ πράττουσιν, ἐξωθοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς τῆς χάριτος. Εἰ γὰρ τοὺς περιτομῇ μόνον κεχρημένους ὁ Χριστὸς οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖ· 61.644 ὅταν καὶ νηστεία καὶ σάββατον προσγένηται, καὶ ἀντὶ μιᾶς δύο τηρῶνται ἐντολαὶ, ὅρα τὸν κίνδυνον καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ χρόνου γενόμενον χαλεπώτερον. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ἐν ἀρχῇ ταῦτα ἐποίουν, ἔτι τῆς πόλεως οὔσης, καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων· οὗτοι δὲ καὶ τὴν τιμωρίαν ὁρῶντες, ἣν ἔδοσαν Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ τὸν τῆς πόλεως ἀφανισμὸν, καὶ πλείονα παρατηροῦντες, ποίαν ἔχοιεν ἂν ἀπολογίαν, τότε τὸν νόμον φυλάττοντες, ὅτε αὐτοὶ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ὄντες, καὶ σφόδρα βουλόμενοι, οὐ δύνανται ταῦτα διατηρεῖν; Τὸν Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσω, καὶ μέλος ἐγένου τοῦ ∆εσπότου, καὶ εἰς τὴν ἄνω πόλιν ἐνεγράφης, καὶ ἔτι περὶ τὸν νόμον ἕρπεις; καὶ πῶς ἔνι σε τῆς βασιλείας ἐπιτυχεῖν; Ἄκουσον τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος, ὅτι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ἀνατρέπεται διὰ τῆς παρατηρήσεως τοῦ νόμου. Καὶ, εἰ βούλει, καὶ τὸν τρόπον μάθε, καὶ φρῖξον, καὶ φεῦγε τὸ βάραθρον. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ τηρεῖς τὸ σάββατον, καὶ νηστεύεις μετ' ἐκείνων; Ὡς δεδοικὼς δηλονότι τὸν νόμον καὶ τὸ ἀφεῖναι τὰ γράμματα ἐκεῖνα· οὐκ ἂν δὲ ἐφοβήθης ἀφεῖναι τὸν νόμον, εἰ μὴ τῆς πίστεως κατέγνως ὡς ἀσθενοῦς καὶ οὐκ ἰσχυούσης καθ' ἑαυτὴν σῶσαι. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ μὴ τηρῆσαι τὸ σάββατον φοβῇ, εὔδηλον ὅτι δέδοικας τὸν νόμον ὡς ἔτι κύριον ὄντα. Εἰ δὲ χρεία νόμου πάλιν, οὐ μέρους, οὐδὲ μιᾶς ἐντολῆς, ἀλλὰ παντὸς δῆλον ὅτι χρεία τοῦ νόμου· εἰ δὲ