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it is. “Do you wish to show me that you are perfect,” he says, “and complete?” Do not show me, but let your conscience suffice. And here he speaks of faith not concerning doctrines, but concerning the matter at hand. “Blessed is he who does not judge himself in what he approves.” Since he said, “Let him have it to himself,” lest one think the tribunal is small, he says this: This is better for you than the whole world; even if all accuse you, but you do not judge yourself, nor does your conscience condemn you, you are blessed. But he has not set this down speaking simply about all things; for there are many who do not condemn themselves, yet are greatly sinning; these are the most wretched of all; but it is concerning the matter at hand. “But he who has doubts is condemned if he eats.” Again, exhorting them to spare the weaker, he says this. For what is the benefit if he eats while doubting, and condemns himself? “For I approve of that one,” he says, “who both eats and not with doubt.” Do you see how he leads him, then, not only to eating, but also to eating with a clean conscience? “Because it is not from faith.” “He is condemned,” he says, “not because it is unclean, but because it is not from faith.” For he did not believe that it is clean, but partook of it as if it were unclean. And through this he shows them how great is the harm they work, compelling and not persuading them to touch things that until then seemed to them to be unclean, so that at least for this reason they might refrain from rebuking. “For whatever is not from faith is sin.”

CHAPTER 15. “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak,

and not to please ourselves. Let every one of you please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another 95.557 according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.” For when he has no confidence, he says, nor believes that it is clean, how has he not sinned? But all these things were said by him concerning the matter at hand. It was possible for him not to be reproached; it was possible not to suffer what he suffered, if indeed he had wished to look to his own interests; but he was insulted, and received a bad reputation among many, being thought to be weak. But having considered our interest, he disregarded his own. He shows not only the Son being reproached, but also the Father; and what he says is this: Nothing new has happened, nor strange. For those who in the Old Covenant practiced reproaching him, these also raged against the son. “For I say that Christ has become a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers.” Again he discourses concerning the care of Christ, still holding to the main point; and the meaning is this: There had been a promise made to Abraham, which says, “To you I will give the land, and to your seed.” But after this, all of the seed of Abraham became liable to punishment. For the law, being transgressed, worked wrath for them, and consequently deprived them of that promise given concerning them to the fathers. The Son therefore, having come, cooperated with the Father, so that those promises might prove true and come to fulfillment. For having fulfilled the whole law and through the cross delivered from the curse for the transgression, he did not allow the promise to fail. Therefore, when he says “minister of the circumcision,” he says this: that having come and fulfilled the whole law, and been circumcised, and become the seed of Abraham, he loosed the curse, and consequently made fit those who were to receive the

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ἐστι· Θέλεις μοι δεῖξαι ὅτι τέλειος εἶ, καὶ ἀπηρτισμένος, φησίν; Μὴ ἐμοὶ δείκνυε, ἀλλὰ ἀρκείτω σου τὸ συνειδός. Πίστιν δὲ ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὴν περὶ δογμάτων, ἀλλὰ τὴν περὶ τῆς προκειμένης ὑποθέσεως λέγει. «Μακάριος ὁ μὴ κρίνων ἑαυτὸν ἐν ᾧ δοκιμάζει.» Ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν, καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἐχέτω, ἵνα μὴ νομίζῃ μικρὸν τὸ δικαστήριον, τοῦτο λέγει τῆς οἰκουμένης σοι τοῦτο βέλτιον· κἂν πάντες σου κατηγορήσωσιν, σὺ δὲ σαυτὸν μὴ κρίνῃς, μηδὲ τὸ συνειδὸς ἐπιλάβηται, μακάριος εἶ. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ περὶ πάντων λέγων, τοῦτο τέθεικεν· εἰσὶ γὰρ πολλοὶ μὴ κατακρίνοντες ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ σφόδρα πλημμελοῦντες· οὗτοι πάντων εἰσὶν ἀθλιώτεροι· ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῆς προκειμένης ὑποθέσεως. «Ὁ δὲ διακρινόμενος ἐὰν φάγῃ, κατακέκριται.» Πάλιν παρακαλῶν φείσασθαι τῶν ἀσθενεστέρων, τοῦτό φησιν· Τί γὰρ ὄφελος ἐὰν φάγῃ διακρινόμενος, καὶ κατακρίνῃ ἑαυτόν; Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐκεῖνον ἀποδέχομαι, τὸν, φησὶν, καὶ ἐσθίοντα, καὶ μὴ μετ' ἀμφιβολίας. Ὁρᾷς ὅπως αὐτὸν ἐνάγει, οὖν εἰς τὸ φαγεῖν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὸ καθαρῷ συνειδότι φαγεῖν. «Ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως.» Κατακρίνεται, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ἀκάθαρτον, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπίστευσεν ὅτι καθαρόν ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀκαθάρτου ἥψατο. ∆είκνυσι δὲ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὴν βλαβὴν ὅσην ἐργάζονται, ἀναγκάζοντες καὶ μὴ πείθοντες ἅπτεσθαι τῶν τέως δοκούντων αὐτοῖς ἀκαθάρτων εἶναι, ἵνα κἂν διὰ τούτου ἀπόσχωνται τοῦ ἐπιπλήττειν. «Πᾶν δὲ ὃ οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως ἁμαρτία ἐστί.»

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΕʹ. «Ὀφείλομεν δὲ ἡμεῖς οἱ δυνατοὶ τὰ ἀσθενήματα τῶν ἀδυνάτων βαστάζειν,

καὶ μὴ ἑαυτοῖς ἀρέσκειν. Ἕκαστος ὑμῶν τῷ πλησίον ἀρεσκέτω εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν πρὸς οἰκοδομήν. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐχ ἑαυτῷ ἤρεσεν, ἀλλὰ καθὼς γέγραπται· Οἱ ὀνειδισμοὶ τῶν ὀνειδιζόντων σε ἐπέπεσαν ἐπ' ἐμέ. Ὅσα γὰρ προεγράφη, εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν διδασκαλίαν προεγράφη, ἵνα διὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς καὶ τῆς παρακλήσεως τῶν Γραφῶν τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχωμεν. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς τῆς ὑπομονῆς καὶ παρακλήσεως δώῃ ὑμῖν τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν ἐν ἀλλήλοις 95.557 κατὰ Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν· ἵνα ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐν ἑνὶ στόματι δοξάζητε τὸν Θεὸν καὶ τὸν Πατέρα τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. ∆ιὸ προσλαμβάνεσθε ἀλλήλους, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς προσελάβετο ἡμᾶς εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ.» Ὅταν γὰρ μὴ θαῤῥῇ, φησὶν, μηδὲ πιστεύῃ ὅτι καθαρὸν, πῶς οὐ ἥμαρτεν; Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἐπὶ τῆς προκειμένης ὑποθέσεως αὐτῷ εἴρηται. Ἐξῆν αὐτῷ μὴ ὀνειδισθῆναι· ἐξῆν μὴ παθεῖν ἅπερ ἔπαθεν, εἴ γε ἤθελεν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκοπεῖν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑβρίσθη, καὶ πονηρὰν παρὰ πολλοῖς ἔλαβε δόξαν, ἀσθενὴς εἶναι νομισθείς. Ἀλλὰ τὸ ἡμέτερον σκοπήσας, τὰ ἑαυτοῦ παρεῖδεν. ∆είκνυσιν οὐ μόνον τὸν Υἱὸν ὀνειδισθέντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Πατέρα· ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Οὐδὲν συνέβη καινὸν, οὐδὲ ξένον. Οἱ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς παλαιᾶς μελετήσαντες αὐτὸν ὀνειδίζειν, οὗτοι καὶ κατὰ τοῦ παιδὸς ἐμάνησαν. «Λέγω γὰρ Χριστὸν διάκονον γεγενῆσθαι περιτομῆς ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας Θεοῦ, εἰς τὸ βεβαιῶσαι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας τῶν πατέρων.» Πάλιν περὶ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ κηδεμονίας διαλέγεται, ἔτι τοῦ κεφαλαίου ἐχόμενος· ὁ δὲ νοῦς οὗτος· Ἐπαγγελία πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἦν γεγενημένη ἡ λέγουσα· Σοὶ δώσω τὴν γῆν, καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου. Ἀλλ' ἐγένοντο κολάσεως ὑπεύθυνοι μετὰ ταῦτα οἱ τοῦ σπέρματος τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἅπαντες. Ὁ γὰρ νόμος ὀργὴν αὐτοῖς κατειργάζετο παραβαινόμενος, καὶ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἐστέρει λοιπὸν ἐκείνης τῆς διδομένης περὶ αὐτῶν πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας. Παραγενόμενος τοίνυν ὁ Υἱὸς συνέπραξε τῷ Πατρὶ, εἰς τὸ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ἐκείνας ἀληθεῦσαι καὶ εἰς τέλος ἐξελθεῖν. Πάντα γὰρ τὸν νόμον πληρώσας καὶ διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ τῆς κατάρας ἀπαλλάξας τῆς ἐπὶ τῇ παραβάσει, οὐκ ἀφήκει διαπεσεῖν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν. Ὅταν οὖν λέγῃ διάκονον περιτομῆς, τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι ἐλθὼν καὶ πάντα τὸν νόμον πληρώσας, καὶ περιτμηθεὶς, καὶ γενόμενος σπέρμα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, ἔλυσε τὴν κατάραν, καὶ ἐπιτηδείους λοιπὸν ἐποίησεν τοὺς μέλλοντας δέχεσθαι τὴν