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in Christ Jesus. Do you see an insatiable soul? For having said that we have become sons of God through faith, he does not stop there, but seeks to find something more, that which can more clearly represent the closer union with Christ.

And having said that you have put on Him, he is not content with this expression, but interpreting it, he proceeds deeper into such a connection, and says that you are all one in Christ Jesus; that is, you all have one form, one type, that of Christ. What could be more awe-inspiring than these words? The Greek and the Jew and the one who was formerly a slave, not of an angel nor an archangel, but goes about having the form of the Lord of all, and in himself showing Christ. If then you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's 61.657 seed, and heirs according to the promise. Do you see how what he said before, he has now 61.658 shown concerning the seed, that to him and to his seed the blessings are given?

61.657 CHAPTER 4. I mean that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from

a slave, though he is lord of all; but he is under guardians and managers until the time appointed by the father. So also we, when we were children, were in bondage under the

elements of the world.

1. Here he says "child," not in age, but in understanding, showing that God from the beginning wished to bestow these things; but since we were still rather childish in our disposition, He allowed us to be under the elements of the world, that is, new moons and sabbaths; for these days come to us from the course of the moon and sun. If, therefore, even now they lead you under the law, they do nothing other than lead you back again to a former time, away from the age of maturity. Do you see what a great thing the observance of days is? It places the lord, the master, the ruler of all, in the rank of a servant. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. He sets forth here two reasons and achievements of the incarnation, both deliverance from evils and a supply of good things, which it was possible for no one but Him alone to accomplish. And what were these? To be delivered from the curse of the law, and to be brought into the adoption as sons. For, he says, "to redeem those who were under the law," and "that we might receive the adoption as sons." He said well, "receive," showing that it was owed. For from the beginning He promised, as he himself also showed through many things, the promises concerning these things having been made to Abraham. And how is it clear that we have become sons, he says? He stated one way, that we have put on Christ, who is the Son; he states a second, that we have received the Spirit of adoption. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. For we would not have been able to call him Father, unless we had first been made sons. If, therefore, grace has made us free instead of slaves, mature instead of children, heirs and sons instead of strangers, how is it not absurd and of the utmost ingratitude to forsake this, and to turn back? But then, indeed, not knowing God, you served those which by nature are not gods; but now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? Here

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ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Εἶδες ψυχὴν ἀκόρεστον; Εἰπὼν γὰρ, ὅτι Υἱοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγόναμεν διὰ τῆς πίστεως, οὐχ ἵσταται μέχρι τούτου, ἀλλ' ἐπιζητεῖ τι πλέον εὑρεῖν, τὸ δυνάμενον σαφέστερον παραστῆσαι τὴν ἐγγυτέραν πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν ἕνωσιν.

Καὶ εἰπὼν, ὅτι Αὐτὸν ἐνεδύσασθε, οὐδὲ ταύτῃ ἀρκεῖται τῇ λέξει, ἀλλ' ἑρμηνεύων αὐτὴν, ἐνδοτέρω πρόεισι τῆς τοιαύτης συναφείας, καί φησιν, ὅτι Πάντες εἷς ἐστε ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· τουτέστι, μίαν μορφὴν, ἕνα τύπον ἔχετε πάντες τὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τί τούτων γένοιτ' ἂν φρικωδέστερον τῶν ῥημάτων; Ὁ Ἕλλην καὶ ὁ Ἰουδαῖος καὶ ὁ δοῦλος πρώην, οὐκ ἀγγέλου οὐδὲ ἀρχαγγέλου, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ πάντων ∆εσπότου τὴν μορφὴν ἔχων περιέρχεται, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ δεικνὺς τὸν Χριστόν. Εἰ δὲ ὑμεῖς τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἄρα τοῦ 61.657 Ἀβραὰμ σπέρμα ἐστὲ, καὶ κατ' ἐπαγγελίαν κληρονόμοι. Εἶδες πῶς, ὅπερ ἔμπροσθεν ἔλεγεν, ἀπ 61.658 έδειξε νῦν τὸ περὶ τοῦ σπέρματος, ὅτι αὐτῷ, καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ αἱ εὐλογίαι εἰσὶ δεδομέναι;

61.657 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ∆ʹ. Λέγω δὲ, ἐφ' ὅσον χρόνον ὁ κληρονόμος νήπιός ἐστιν, οὐδὲν διαφέρει

δούλου, κύριος πάντων ὤν· ἀλλ' ὑπὸ ἐπιτρόπους καὶ οἰκονόμους ἐστὶν ἄχρι τῆς προθεσμίας τοῦ πατρός. Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὅταν ἦμεν νήπιοι, ὑπὸ τὰ

στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου ἦμεν δεδουλωμένοι.

αʹ. Νήπιον ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὴν ἡλικίαν φησὶν, ἀλλὰ τὴν γνώμην, δεικνὺς ὅτι ὁ μὲν Θεὸς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐβούλετο ταῦτα χαρίσασθαι· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἔτι νηπιωδέστερον διεκείμεθα, ἀφῆκεν ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου εἶναι, τουτέστι, νουμηνίας καὶ σάββατα· αὗται γὰρ ἡμῖν αἱ ἡμέραι ἀπὸ δρόμου σελήνης καὶ ἡλίου γίνονται. Εἰ τοίνυν καὶ νῦν ὑμᾶς ὑπὸ νόμον ἄγουσιν, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλ' ἢ καὶ ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ, τῆς τελείας ἡλικίας εἰς τοὐπίσω πάλιν ὑμᾶς ἀπάγουσιν. Ὁρᾷς ὅσον ἐστὶ παρατήρησις ἡμερῶν; τὸν κύριον, τὸν οἰκοδεσπότην, τὸν πάντων κρατοῦντα ἐν ὑπηρέτου καθίστησι τάξει. Ὅτε δὲ ἦλθε τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Υἱὸν αὑτοῦ γενόμενον ἐκ γυναικὸς, γενόμενον ὑπὸ νόμον, ἵνα τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον ἐξαγοράσῃ, ἵνα τὴν υἱοθεσίαν ἀπολάβωμεν. ∆ύο τίθησιν ἐνταῦθα αἰτίας καὶ κατορθώματα τῆς σαρκώσεως, καὶ κακῶν ἀπαλλαγὴν, καὶ ἀγαθῶν χορηγίαν, ἅπερ οὐδενὶ δυνατὸν ἦν, ἢ αὐτῷ κατορθῶσαι μόνῳ. Τίνα δὲ ταῦτα ἦν; Ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς ἀρᾶς τοῦ νόμου, καὶ εἰς υἱοθεσίαν ἀχθῆναι. Ἵνα γὰρ τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον ἐξαγοράσῃ, φησὶ, καὶ ἵνα τὴν υἱοθεσίαν ἀπολάβωμεν. Καλῶς εἶπεν, Ἀπολάβωμεν, δεικνὺς ὀφειλομένην. Ἄνωθεν γὰρ ἐπηγγείλατο, καθὼς διὰ πολλῶν καὶ αὐτὸς ἔδειξε πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ὑπὲρ τούτων ἐπαγγελίας γενομένας. Καὶ πόθεν δῆλον, ὅτι γεγόναμεν υἱοὶ, φησίν; Εἶπε τρόπον ἕνα, ὅτι τὸν Χριστὸν ἐνεδυσάμεθα τὸν ὄντα Υἱόν· λέγει καὶ δεύτερον, ὅτι τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς υἱοθεσίας ἐλάβομεν. Ὅτι δέ ἐστε υἱοὶ, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὑτοῦ εἰς τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, κράζον· Ἀββᾶ ὁ Πατήρ. Ὥστε οὐκέτι εἶ δοῦλος, ἀλλὰ υἱός· εἰ δὲ υἱὸς, καὶ κληρονόμος Θεοῦ διὰ Χριστοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἠδυνήθημεν καλέσαι Πατέρα, εἰ μὴ πρότερον υἱοὶ κατέστημεν. Εἰ τοίνυν ἀντὶ δούλων ἐλευθέρους, ἀντὶ νηπίων τελείους, ἀντὶ ἀλλοτρίων κληρονόμους ἐποίησε καὶ υἱοὺς ἡ χάρις, πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπον καὶ ἐσχάτης ἀγνωμοσύνης ἀφιέναι μὲν ταύτην, ὑποστρέψαι δὲ εἰς τοὐπίσω; Ἀλλὰ τότε μὲν οὐκ εἰδότες Θεὸν, ἐδουλεύσατε τοῖς μὴ φύσει οὖσι θεοῖς· νῦν δὲ γνόντες Θεὸν, μᾶλλον δὲ γνωσθέντες ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, πῶς ἐπιστρέφετε πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ ἀσθενῆ καὶ πτωχὰ στοιχεῖα, οἷς πάλιν ἄνωθεν δουλεύειν θέλετε; Ἐνταῦθα