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Having shown, therefore, first how many benefits they received, how many good things they experienced, then he brings forward the accusation, in order to show it to be greater, and to captivate the hearers. This the prophets also always do; first they show the benefits, and then they heighten the accusations, just as Isaiah says, I have begotten and brought up children, but they have rejected me; and again, My people, what have I done to you, or how have I grieved you, or how have I 62.339 troubled you? and David, as when he says, I heard you in the secret place of the tempest; and again, Open your mouth, and I will fill it. And everywhere you will find it so. Most certainly, therefore, even if they said something, one ought not to obey; but now even without the benefits one must flee those things. And not after Christ, he says. For indeed, even if it were a fifty-fifty matter, so as to be able to serve both this one and that one, not even so ought one to do it; but now it does not permit you to be after Christ. From there they bring them. But having first shaken the Greek observances, he then refutes the Jewish ones also. For both Greeks and Jews observed many things, but the ones from philosophy, the others from the law. First, therefore, he approaches these, where the accusation is greater. How, Not after Christ? Because in him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him, who is the head of all principality and power. 2. See how in the accusation of these he undermines that, putting the solution first, and then the antithesis. For such a solution is unsuspected, and the hearer is more receptive, as if the speaker is not zealous about this. For there he is contentious not to be defeated, but here he is not. That in him dwells. That is, that God dwells in him. But lest you think he is shut up, as in a body, he says, All the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him. Others say that he is speaking of the Church, filled by his Godhead, as he says elsewhere, of him that fills all in all; but bodily here, as a body is in the head. How then did he not add, which is the Church? But some say that he is speaking of the Father, that the fulness of the Godhead dwells in him; but this is wrong. First, because to dwell is not properly said of God; second, because the fulness is not that which is received; For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; and again the Apostle, Until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. The whole is called fulness. Then what does Bodily mean to signify? As in a head. And why does he again say the same thing, And you are complete in him? What then is it? That you have nothing less than him; just as it dwelt in him, so also in you. For Paul is always eager to bring us near to Christ, as when he says, He has raised us up together, and made us sit together; and, If we endure, we shall also reign with him; and, How shall he not with him also freely give us all things? and he calls us joint-heirs. Then concerning the dignity: And he is the head of all principality and power. He who is above all, the cause, is he not of the same substance? Then he introduced the matter of the benefit in a wonderful way, and much more wonderfully than in the Epistle to the Romans. For there he says, Circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; but here, In Christ. In whom also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. See how close he gets to the matter. In the stripping off, he says. He did not say, a putting off. Of the body of sins. He means the old life. He continually turns these things in various ways, just as he said 62.340 above: Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and reconciled us who were alienated, that we should be holy and without blame. No longer, he says, is the circumcision with a knife, but in Christ himself; for no hand brings on this circumcision, as there, but the Spirit; it circumcises not a part, but the whole man. This is a body, and that is a body; but the one is circumcised in the flesh, the other spiritually;

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∆είξας οὖν πρῶτον ὅσα εὐεργετήθησαν, ὅσα εὖ ἔπαθον, τότε ἐπάγει τὴν κατηγορίαν, ἵνα μείζονα δείξῃ, καὶ ἕλῃ τοὺς ἀκούοντας. Τοῦτο καὶ οἱ προφῆται ποιοῦσιν ἀεί· πρότερον τὰς εὐεργεσίας δεικνύουσι, καὶ τότε τὰς κατηγορίας αὔξουσι, καθάπερ ὁ Ἡσαΐας φησίν· Υἱοὺς ἐγέννησα καὶ ὕψωσα, αὐτοὶ δέ με ἠθέτησαν· καὶ πάλιν, Λαός μου, τί ἐποίησά σοι, ἢ τί ἐλύπησά σε, ἢ τί παρ 62.339 ηνώχλησά σοι; καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Ἐπήκουσά σου ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ καταιγίδος· καὶ πάλιν, Ἄνοιξον τὸ στόμα σου, καὶ πληρώσω αὐτό. Καὶ πανταχοῦ οὕτως εὑρήσεις. Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν οὐδὲ εἴ τι ἔλεγον, πείθεσθαι ἔδει· νῦν δὲ καὶ χωρὶς τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν φεύγειν ἐκεῖνα δεῖ. Καὶ οὐ κατὰ Χριστὸν, φησί. Μάλιστα μὲν γὰρ, εἰ καὶ οὕτως ἦν ἐξ ἡμισείας, ὥστε δύνασθαι καὶ τούτῳ κἀκείνῳ δουλεύειν, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἔδει· νῦν δὲ οὐκ ἀφίησιν ὑμᾶς εἶναι κατὰ Χριστόν. Ἐκεῖθεν αὐτὰ φέρουσι. Πρότερον δὲ διασαλεύσας τὰς Ἑλληνικὰς παρατηρήσεις, τότε καὶ τὰς Ἰουδαϊκὰς ἀναιρεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ Ἕλληνες καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι παρετήρουν πολλὰ, ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν ἀπὸ φιλοσοφίας, οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ νόμου. Πρότερον τοίνυν πρόσεισι τούτοις, ἔνθα μείζων ἡ κατηγορία. Πῶς, Οὐ κατὰ Χριστόν; Ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικεῖ πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος σωματικῶς, καὶ ἐστὲ ἐν αὐτῷ πεπληρωμένοι, ὅς ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας. βʹ. Ὅρα πῶς ἐν τῇ τούτων κατηγορίᾳ ἐκεῖνο διορύττει, πρότερον τιθεὶς τὴν λύσιν, καὶ τότε τὴν ἀντίθεσιν. Ἀνύποπτος γὰρ ἡ τοιαύτη λύσις, καὶ μᾶλλον δέχεται ὁ ἀκροατὴς, ὡς οὐ τοῦτο σπουδάζοντος τοῦ λέγοντος. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ καὶ φιλονεικεῖ μὴ ἡττηθῆναι, ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὔ. Ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικεῖ. Τουτέστιν, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐν αὐτῷ οἰκεῖ. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς αὐτὸν συγκεκλεῖσθαι, ὡς ἐν σώματι, φησί· Πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος σωματικῶς, καὶ ἐστὲ ἐν αὐτῷ πεπληρωμένοι. Ἄλλοι φασὶν ὅτι τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν λέγει πεπληρωμένην ὑπὸ τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ, καθὼς ἀλλαχοῦ φησι· Τοῦ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι πληρουμένου· τὸ δὲ, σωματικῶς, ἐνταῦθα, ὡς ἐν κεφαλῇ σῶμα. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἐπήγαγεν, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ Ἐκκλησία; Ἔνιοι δὲ περὶ τοῦ Πατρός φασι λέγειν, ὅτι τῆς θεότητος τὸ πλήρωμα ἐν αὐτῷ οἰκεῖ· ἀλλὰ κακῶς. Πρῶτον μὲν, ὅτι τὸ οἰκεῖν οὐ κυρίως λέγεται ἐπὶ Θεοῦ· δεύτερον, ὅτι τὸ πλήρωμα οὐ τὸ δεχόμενόν ἐστι· Τοῦ γὰρ Κυρίου ἡ γῆ, καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς· καὶ πάλιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, Ἄχρις οὗ τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ. Τὸ ὅλον λέγεται πλήρωμα. Ἔπειτα τὸ, Σωματικῶς, τί βούλεται δηλοῦν; Ὡς ἐν κεφαλῇ. Τί δὲ πάλιν τὸ αὐτὸ λέγει, Καὶ ἐστὲ ἐν αὐτῷ πεπληρωμένοι; Τί οὖν ἐστιν; Ὅτι οὐδὲν ἔλαττον ἔχετε αὐτοῦ· ὥσπερ ἐν ἐκείνῳ ᾤκησεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν. Βιάζεται γὰρ ἀεὶ Παῦλος ἐγγὺς ἡμᾶς ἀγαγεῖν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Συνήγειρε καὶ συνεκάθισεν ἡμᾶς· καὶ, Εἰ ὑπομένομεν, καὶ συμβασιλεύσομεν· καὶ, Πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα ἡμῖν χαρίσεται; καὶ συγκληρονόμους καλεῖ. Εἶτα περὶ τοῦ ἀξιώματος· Καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας. Ὁ πάντων ἀνώτερος, ἡ αἰτία, οὐχὶ ὁμοούσιος; Εἶτα τὸ τῆς εὐεργεσίας θαυμαστῶς πως ἐπήγαγε, καὶ πολλῷ τῆς πρὸς Ῥωμαίους θαυμαστότερον. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γάρ φησι, Περιτομὴ καρδίας ἐν πνεύματι, οὐ γράμματι· ἐνταῦθα δὲ Ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ. Ἐν ᾧ καὶ περιετμήθητε περιτομῇ ἀχειροποιήτῳ, ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει τοῦ σώματος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τῆς σαρκὸς, ἐν τῇ περιτομῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ὅρα πῶς ἐγγὺς γίνεται τοῦ πράγματος. Ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει, φησίν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ἐκδύσει. Τοῦ σώματος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν. Τὸν παλαιόν φησι βίον. Συνεχῶς ταῦτα στρέφει καὶ διαφόρως, ὥσπερ καὶ ἄνω 62.340 ἔλεγεν· Ὃς ἐῤῥύσατο ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ σκότους, καὶ ἀποκατήλλαξεν ἀπηλλοτριωμένους εἰς τὸ εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἁγίους καὶ ἀμώμους. Οὐκέτι, φησὶν, ἐν μαχαίρᾳ ἡ περιτομὴ, ἀλλ' ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ Χριστῷ· οὐ γὰρ χεὶρ ἐπάγει, καθὼς ἐκεῖ, τὴν περιτομὴν ταύτην, ἀλλὰ τὸ πνεῦμα, οὐ μέρος, ἀλλ' ὅλον ἄνθρωπον περιτέμνει. Σῶμα καὶ τοῦτο, σῶμα κἀκεῖνο· ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν σαρκὶ, τὸ δὲ πνευματικῶς περιτέμνεται·