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instead of that, He received such a one, and through it He loosed that. And just as when someone is condemned to die, another, who is innocent, choosing to die for him, snatches him from the punishment; so also Christ did. For since He was not subject to the curse of the transgression, Christ took upon Himself this one instead of that, in order to loose theirs. For He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth.

4. Just as then by dying He delivered from death those who were about to die, so also by receiving a curse, He freed them from the curse. That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles. How upon the Gentiles? In your seed, he says, shall all the nations be blessed, that is, in Christ. But if this were said about the Jews, how could it be reasonable for those who were liable to the curse because of the transgression to become the cause of blessing to others? For no one who is cursed imparts to another a blessing of which he himself has been deprived. Whence it is clear that the whole was spoken concerning Christ; for He was the seed of Abraham, and through Him the nations are blessed, and thus comes the promise of the Spirit. Which He Himself also, making it clear, said: That they might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. For since it was not possible for the grace of the Spirit to come to one who was ungrateful and had offended, they are first blessed, the curse having been removed; then, being justified by faith, they draw to themselves the grace of the Spirit. So that the cross loosed the curse; and faith brought in righteousness; and righteousness drew to itself the grace of the Spirit. Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; though it be but a man's covenant, yet when it has been confirmed, no one annuls it, or adds to it. What is, I speak after the manner of men? From human examples. For since he has established his argument both from the Scriptures, and from the miracles happening among them, and from what Christ suffered, and from the patriarch, he now proceeds to common custom. For it is his custom always to do this, so as to both sweeten the discourse, and make it more acceptable and easier to learn for the more dull.

So also when discoursing with the Corinthians, he says: Who tends a flock, and does not eat of its milk? Who plants a vineyard, and does not eat of its fruit? and again to the Hebrews: For a covenant is valid only over the dead, since it is never in force while the one who made it is alive. And one might find him in many places dwelling on these reasonings. For God also in the Old Testament continually does this, saying thus: Can a woman forget her child? and again, Shall the thing formed say to the potter, What are you doing? And in Hosea He imitates a man despised by his wife. And in the types also one might see much of human examples, as when the prophet takes the loincloth, and went down to the potter's house. What then does the example mean for him? That faith was more ancient, but the law newer and temporary, and given for this reason, that it might prepare the way for 61.654 faith. Therefore he says: Brethren, I speak after the manner of men. Having called them foolish above, here he calls them brethren, at once rebuking and comforting. Though it be but a man's confirmed covenant. If a man, he says, makes a covenant, does anyone who comes later dare to annul it, or to add anything? for this is what "or adds to it" means. Therefore much more so in the case of God. And with whom did God make a covenant? To Abraham, he says, were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He does not say, And to his seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to your seed, which is Christ. Now this I say, that a covenant previously confirmed by God in Christ, the law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not annul,

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ἀντ' ἐκείνης, τοιαύτην ἐδέξατο, καὶ δι' αὐτῆς ἐκείνην ἔλυσε. Καὶ καθάπερ τινὸς καταδικασθέντος ἀποθανεῖν, ἕτερος ἀνεύθυνος ἑλόμενος θανεῖν ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου, ἐξαρπάζει τῆς τιμωρίας αὐτόν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐποίησεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐχ ὑπέκειτο κατάρᾳ τῇ τῆς παραβάσεως, ἀνεδέξατο ὁ Χριστὸς ἀντ' ἐκείνης ταύτην, ἵνα λύσῃ τὴν ἐκείνων· Ἁμαρτίαν γὰρ οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ δόλος εὑρέθη ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ.

δʹ. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἀποθανὼν τοὺς ἀποθνήσκειν μέλλοντας ἐξείλετο θανάτου, οὕτω καὶ κατάραν δεξάμενος, τῆς κατάρας ἀπήλλαξεν. Ἵνα εἰς τὰ ἔθνη ἡ εὐλογία τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ γένηται. Πῶς εἰς τὰ ἔθνη; Ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου, φησὶν, εὐλογηθήσονται πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, τουτέστιν, ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ. Εἰ δὲ περὶ Ἰουδαίων τοῦτο ἐλέγετο, πῶς ἂν ἔχοι λόγον τοὺς ὑπευθύνους ὄντας τῇ κατάρᾳ διὰ τὴν παράβασιν, τούτους ἑτέροις εὐλογίας αἰτίους γενέσθαι; οὐδεὶς γὰρ τῶν κατηραμένων ἑτέρῳ μεταδίδωσιν εὐλογίας, ἧς αὐτὸς ἀπεστέρηται. Ὅθεν δῆλον ὅτι περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸ πᾶν εἴρηται· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἦν σπέρμα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔθνη εὐλόγηνται, καὶ οὕτω πρόσεισιν ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐπαγγελία. Ὅπερ καὶ αὐτὸς δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Ἵνα τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Πνεύματος λάβωσι διὰ τῆς πίστεως. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἦν τὴν χάριν τοῦ Πνεύματος εἰς ἀχάριστον καὶ προσκεκρουκότα ἐλθεῖν, εὐλογοῦνται πρῶτον τῆς κατάρας ἀφαιρεθείσης· εἶτα διὰ τῆς πίστεως δικαιωθέντες, ἐπισπῶνται τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν χάριν. Ὥστε ὁ μὲν σταυρὸς τὴν κατάραν ἔλυσεν· ἡ δὲ πίστις τὴν δικαιοσύνην εἰσήγαγεν· ἡ δὲ δικαιοσύνη τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν χάριν ἐπεσπάσατο. Ἀδελφοὶ, κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω, ὅμως ἀνθρώπου προκεκυρωμένην διαθήκην οὐδεὶς ἀθετεῖ, ἢ ἐπιδιατάσσεται. Τί ἐστι, Κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω; Ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνων παραδειγμάτων. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ ἀπὸ Γραφῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς γινομένων θαυμάτων, καὶ ἀφ' ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς ἔπαθε, τὸν λόγον συνέστησε, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πατριάρχου, καὶ εἰς τὴν κοινὴν λοιπὸν ἐκβαίνει συνήθειαν. Ἔθος γὰρ αὐτῷ ἀεὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ὥστε καὶ καταγλυκαίνειν τὸν λόγον, καὶ εὐπαράδεκτόν τε καὶ εὐμαθέστερον τοῖς παχυτέροις ποιεῖν.

Οὕτω καὶ Κορινθίοις διαλεγόμενος, φησίν· Τίς ποιμαίνει ποίμνην, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ γάλακτος αὐτῆς οὐκ ἐσθίει; τίς φυτεύει ἀμπελῶνα, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ καρποῦ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐσθίει; καὶ Ἑβραίοις πάλιν· ∆ιαθήκη γὰρ ἐπὶ νεκροῖς βεβαία· ἐπεὶ μήποτε ἰσχύει, ὅτε ζῇ ὁ διαθέμενος. Καὶ πολλαχοῦ δὲ ἄν τις εὕροι τούτοις αὐτὸν ἐμφιλοχωροῦντα τοῖς λογισμοῖς. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ συνεχῶς αὐτὸ ποιεῖ, οὕτω λέγων· Μὴ ἐπιλήσηται γυνὴ τοῦ παιδίου αὐτῆς; καὶ πάλιν, Μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ κεραμεῖ, Τί ποιεῖς; Καὶ ἐν τῷ Ὠσηὲ ἄνδρα μιμεῖται καταφρονούμενον ὑπὸ τῆς γυναικός. Καὶ ἐν τοῖς τύποις δὲ πολὺ τὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων παραδειγμάτων ἴδοι τις ἂν, ὡς ὅταν τὸ περίζωμα ὁ προφήτης λαμβάνῃ, καὶ εἰς τὸν οἰκίσκον τοῦ κεραμέως κατῄει. Τί οὖν αὐτῷ τὸ ὑπόδειγμα βούλεται; Ὅτι ἡ μὲν πίστις ἀρχαιοτέρα ἦν, ὁ δὲ νόμος νεώτερός τε καὶ πρόσκαιρος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δεδομένος, ἵνα προοδοποιήσῃ τῇ 61.654 πίστει. ∆ιό φησιν· Ἀδελφοὶ, κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω. Ἀνωτέρω ἀνοήτους εἰπὼν ἐνταῦθα ἀδελφοὺς καλεῖ, ἐπιστύφων τε ὁμοῦ, καὶ παραμυθούμενος. Ὅμως ἀνθρώπου κεκυρωμένην διαθήκην. Ἐὰν ἄνθρωπος, φησὶ, διάθηται, μὴ τολμᾷ τις ἀνατρέψαι μετὰ ταῦτα ἐλθὼν, ἢ προσθεῖναί τι; τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν, Ἢ ἐπιδιατάσσεται. Οὐκοῦν πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ πρὸς τίνα διέθετο ὁ Θεός; Τῷ Ἀβραὰμ, φησὶν, ἐῤῥήθησαν αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι, καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ. Οὐ λέγει Καὶ τοῖς σπέρμασιν αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἐπὶ πολλῶν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐφ' ἑνὸς, Καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου, ὅ ἐστι Χριστός. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγω, διαθήκην προκεκυρωμένην ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς Χριστὸν, ὁ μετὰ τετρακόσια καὶ τριάκοντα ἔτη γεγονὼς νόμος οὐκ ἀκυροῖ,