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to abolish the promise. For if the inheritance is from the law, it is no longer from promise; but God granted it to Abraham by a promise. Behold, therefore, God also made a covenant with Abraham, speaking of the nations, that in his seed the blessings would come; how then can the law overturn these things? But since the entire example was not strong enough to draw one to the subject, he also said this beforehand: I speak in human terms. You should take nothing from the example against the majesty of God. But consider the example from the beginning: He promised Abraham that through his seed the nations would be blessed; and his seed according to the flesh is Christ. The law came four hundred and thirty years later. If, therefore, the law grants the blessings, and life and righteousness, that promise is void. Then, while no one annuls a human covenant, is the covenant of God annulled after four hundred and thirty years? For if what that promise promised, it does not give, but another in its place, that promise has been cast out. And how could these things be reasonable? For what reason then, he says, did He give the law? For the sake of transgressions. For not even this is superfluous.

Do you see how he perceives everything? how he uses a myriad of eyes? For since he exalted faith, and showed it to be older, lest anyone should think the law superfluous, he also corrects this part, showing that it was not given without reason, but very usefully; For the sake of transgressions, that is, so that it might not be permitted for the Jews to live without fear, and to slide into the extremity of wickedness, but that the law might be placed on them as a bridle, instructing, regulating, preventing them from transgressing, if not all, yet at least from one of the commandments. So the benefit of the law is not small. But until when? Until the seed should come, to whom it was promised; speaking of Christ. If, therefore, it was given until the coming of Christ, why do you drag it further and beyond its time? Ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. He either calls the priests angels, or he says that the angels themselves ministered in the giving of the law. And here he calls Christ the mediator, showing that He existed before, and He Himself gave the law. Now a mediator is not of one; but God is one.

5. What would the heretics say here? For if the phrase "only true" does not permit the Son to be true God, then neither is He God, because of the saying, But God is one. But if, when the Father is called the one God, the Son is also God, it is clear that when the Father is called true, the Son is also true. The mediator, he says, is a mediator of two parties. Of whom then was Christ the mediator? Is it not clear, that it was of God and men? Do you see how he shows that He Himself also gave the law? If, therefore, He Himself gave it, He would also be Lord to annul it again. Is the law then against the promises of God? for if the blessings are given in the seed of Abraham, but the law brings a curse, then it is against the promises of God. How then does he resolve the opposition? First, he forbids it, saying: By no means; then he also constructs his argument, saying thus: For if a law had been given that could give life, righteousness would indeed have been by the law. What he says is this: If, he says, we had our hope of life in it, and it was that which had the authority for our salvation, perhaps you would be right in saying these things; but if it saves by faith, even if it makes men accursed, you are in no way harmed when that faith comes and resolves all things. For if the promise were through that law, you would rightly have feared that you might fall away from righteousness, by falling away from the law; but if it was given for this purpose, that it might shut up all, that is, that it might convict, and show their own offenses, not only does it not hinder you from obtaining the promise, but it also cooperates towards obtaining it. At any rate, indicating this he said: But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the

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εἰς τὸ καταργῆσαι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκ νόμου ἡ κληρονομία, οὐκέτι ἐξ ἐπαγγελίας· τῷ δὲ Ἀβραὰμ δι' ἐπαγγελίας κεχάρισται ὁ Θεός. Ἰδοὺ τοίνυν καὶ ὁ Θεὸς διέθετο τῷ Ἀβραὰμ, διαλεγόμενος εἰς τὰ ἔθνη, ἐν τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ ἥξειν τὰς εὐλογίας· πῶς οὖν ὁ νόμος ἀνατρέψαι δύναται ταύτας; Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ παράδειγμα ἅπαν οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ἑλκύσαι πρὸς τὸ ὑποκείμενον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο προεῖπε· Κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω. Μηδὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ παραδείγματος εἰς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ μεγαλοπρέπειαν λάβῃς. Σκόπει δὲ ἄνωθεν τὸ ὑπόδειγμα· Ἐπηγγείλατο τῷ Ἀβραὰμ διὰ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ εὐλογεῖσθαι τὰ ἔθνη· σπέρμα δὲ αὐτοῦ κατὰ σάρκα ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστός. Ἦλθε μετὰ τετρακόσια καὶ τριάκοντα ἔτη ὁ νόμος. Εἰ τοίνυν ὁ νόμος χαρίζεται τὰς εὐλογίας, καὶ τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην, ἡ ἐπαγγελία ἐκείνη ἄκυρός ἐστιν. Εἶτα ἀνθρώπου μὲν οὐδεὶς ἀκυροῖ διαθήκην, τοῦ δὲ Θεοῦ μετὰ τετρακόσια καὶ τριάκοντα ἔτη ἀκυροῦται ἡ διαθήκη; Εἰ γὰρ ἃ ἐπηγγείλατο ἐκείνη, οὐκ ἐκείνη δίδωσιν, ἀλλ' ἕτερος ἀντ' ἐκείνης, ἐκβέβληται ἐκείνη. Καὶ πῶς ἂν ἔχοι ταῦτα λόγον; Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τὸν νόμον ἔδωκε, φησί; Τῶν παραβάσεων χάριν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὗτός ἐστι περιττός.

Ὁρᾷς πῶς πάντα συνορᾷ; πῶς μυρίοις κέχρηται ὀφθαλμοῖς; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὴν πίστιν ἐπῆρε, καὶ πρεσβυτέραν ἔδειξεν, ἵνα μή τις νομίσῃ περιττὸν τὸν νόμον, καὶ τοῦτο διορθοῦται τὸ μέρος, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ εἰκῆ, ἀλλὰ πάνυ χρησίμως ἐδόθη· Τῶν παραβάσεων χάριν, τουτέστιν, ἵνα μὴ ἐξῇ Ἰουδαίοις ἀδεῶς ζῇν, καὶ εἰς ἔσχατον ἐξολισθαίνειν κακίας, ἀλλ' ἀντὶ χαλινοῦ ὁ νόμος αὐτοῖς ἐπικείμενος ᾖ, παιδεύων, ῥυθμίζων, κωλύων παραβαίνειν, εἰ καὶ μὴ πάσας, ἀλλ' ὅμως κἂν ἐκ μιᾶς τῶν ἐντολῶν. Ὥστε οὐ μικρὸν τὸ κέρδος τοῦ νόμου. Ἀλλ' ἄχρι τίνος; Ἄχρις οὗ ἔλθῃ τὸ σπέρμα, ᾧ ἐπήγγελται· περὶ Χριστοῦ λέγων. Εἰ τοίνυν μέχρι τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας δέδοται, τί περαιτέρω καὶ παρὰ καιρὸν αὐτὸν ἕλκεις; ∆ιαταγεὶς δι' ἀγγέλων ἐν χειρὶ μεσίτου. Ἢ τοὺς ἱερέας ἀγγέλους καλεῖ, ἢ καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς ἀγγέλους ὑπηρετήσασθαί φησι τῇ νομοθεσίᾳ. Μεσίτην δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὸν Χριστόν φησι, δεικνὺς ὅτι προῆν, καὶ τὸν νόμον αὐτὸς ἔδωκεν. Ὁ δὲ μεσίτης ἑνὸς οὐκ ἔστιν· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς εἷς ἐστι.

εʹ. Τί ἂν ἐνταῦθα εἴποιεν αἱρετικοί; Εἰ γὰρ τὸ μόνος ἀληθινὸς, οὐκ ἀφίησι τὸν Υἱὸν εἶναι Θεὸν ἀληθινὸν, οὐκ ἄρα οὐδὲ Θεὸν, διὰ τὸ λέγεσθαι, Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς εἷς ἐστιν. Εἰ δὲ ἑνὸς λεγομένου Θεοῦ τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἐστὶ Θεὸς καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ ἀληθινοῦ λεγομένου τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἀληθινὸς καὶ ὁ Υἱός. Ὁ δὲ μεσίτης, φησὶ, δύο τινῶν γίνεται μεσίτης. Τίνος οὖν μεσίτης ἦν ὁ Χριστός; Ἦ δῆλον, ὅτι Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων. Ὁρᾷς πῶς δείκνυσιν, ὅτι καὶ τὸν νόμον αὐτὸς ἔδωκεν; Εἰ τοίνυν αὐτὸς ἔδωκε, κύριος ἂν εἴη καὶ λῦσαι πάλιν. Ὁ οὖν νόμος κατὰ τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ; εἰ γὰρ ἐν τῷ σπέρματι τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ αἱ εὐλογίαι δέδονται, ὁ δὲ νόμος κατάραν εἰσάγει, ἄρα κατὰ τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πῶς οὖν λύει τὴν ἀντίθεσιν; Πρῶτον μὲν ἀπαγορεύει, εἰπών· Μὴ γένοιτο· ἔπειτα καὶ κατασκευάζει, οὕτω λέγων· Εἰ γὰρ ἐδόθη νόμος ὁ δυνάμενος ζωοποιῆσαι, ὄντως ἂν ἐκ νόμου ἦν ἡ δικαιοσύνη. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστιν· Εἰ μὲν ἐν αὐτῷ, φησὶ, τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς ζωῆς εἴχομεν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ τὸ κῦρος ἔχων τῆς ἡμετέρας σωτηρίας, ἴσως ταῦτα καλῶς ἔλεγες· εἰ δὲ ἀπὸ πίστεως σώζει, κἂν ἐπικαταράτους ποιῇ, οὐδὲν ἐβλάβης ἐρχομένης ἐκείνης καὶ πάντα λυούσης. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ δι' ἐκείνου ἡ ἐπαγγελία, εἰκότως ἐδεδοίκεις μὴ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐκπέσῃς, ἐκπίπτων τοῦ νόμου· εἰ δὲ διὰ τοῦτο ἐδόθη, ἵνα συγκλείσῃ πάντας, τουτέστιν, ἵνα ἐλέγξῃ, καὶ δείξῃ τὰ οἰκεῖα αὐτῶν πλημμελήματα, οὐ μόνον οὐ κωλύει σε τοῦ τυχεῖν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ συμπράττει πρὸς τὸ τυχεῖν. Τοῦτο γοῦν δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Ἀλλὰ συνέκλεισεν ἡ Γραφὴ τὰ πάντα ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίαν, ἵνα ἡ