John Chrysostom, On Romans

he introduced the argument concerning it. For he did not begin immediately with it, since the estimation of it was great; but when he had shown that they had offended in a greater matter, and were guilty of blasphemy against God, then at last, having brought the hearer to condemn them, and having stripped them of their pre-eminence, he introduces the argument concerning circumcision, being confident that no one would vote for it any longer, and says: For circumcision indeed is of value, if you practice the law. And yet it was possible to cast it out in another way, and to say, "For what is circumcision? Is it an achievement of the one who has it? Is it a demonstration of good choice?" For it happens at an early age, and all those in the wilderness remained uncircumcised for a long time; and from many other quarters one might see that it is not especially necessary. But nevertheless he does not cast it out from this point, but from where it was most necessary, from Abraham. For this is the height of victory, to show from that very source whence it was venerable to them, that it is 60.435 contemptible. And yet he could have said that the prophets also call the Jews uncircumcised; but this is not yet a fault of circumcision, but of those who practice it badly. But the point in question is to show that even in the best life it has no strength; this, then, he now establishes. And here indeed he does not bring forward the patriarch, but having first thrown it down from another direction, he keeps him for later, when he introduces the argument concerning faith, saying thus: How then was faith reckoned to Abraham? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? For as long as it contends against the Gentile and the uncircumcised, he does not wish to say any of these things, so as not to be too burdensome; but when it fights against faith, then he strips for a greater contest against it. For the time being, however, the battle is against uncircumcision; for this reason he also advances the argument in a restrained manner, and says: For circumcision indeed is of value, if you practice the law; but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. For here he speaks of two uncircumcisions and two circumcisions, just as also of two laws. For there is the natural law, and there is the written law; but also between these is the law through works. And see how he shows these three, and brings them into the middle. For when the Gentiles who do not have the law, he says. What law, tell me? The written one. By nature do the things of the law. Of which? That through works. These not having the law. Which? The written one. Are a law to themselves. How? By using the natural one. Who show the work of the law. Of which? That through deeds. For that one lies outside, the one through letters, but this one is inside, the one through nature, and the other is in deeds; and the letters dictate the one, nature the other, and deeds the other. There is a need for this third one, for whose sake are the other two, both the one from nature and the one from letters; and if this one is not present, there is no benefit from those, but even the greatest harm. And this he shows in the case of the natural law, saying: For in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; and in the case of the written law: You who preach not to steal, do you steal? Thus also there are two uncircumcisions, one the natural, and a second from deeds; and one circumcision in the flesh, and a second from choice. For example, I say: Someone was circumcised on the eighth day; this is a carnal circumcision. Someone has done all the things of the law; this is a circumcision of the mind, which Paul especially seeks, or rather, the law too. γʹ. See, then, how having conceded it in word, he took it down in reality. For he did not say, Circumcision is superfluous, circumcision is useless, it is of no avail; but what? For circumcision indeed is of value, if you practice the law. He accepted it for the time being, saying: I confess, and I do not deny, that circumcision is good; but when? When it also has the observance of the law. But if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. He did not say: It is no longer of value; so that he might not seem to insult it; but having stripped the Jew of it, he then strikes him at last. Which was no longer an insult to circumcision, but to the one who lost it through his laziness. Just as, then, those who are in positions of honor, and then are caught in the greatest crimes, the judges, having stripped them of the

τὸν περὶ αὐτῆς εἰσήγαγε λόγον. Οὐ γὰρ εὐθέως ἀπ' αὐτῆς ἤρξατο, ἐπειδὴ πολλὴ ἦν αὐτῆς ἡ ὑπόληψις· ἀλλ' ἡνίκα ἔδειξεν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ μείζονος προσκεκρουκότας, καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸν Θεὸν βλασφημίας αἰτίους, τότε λοιπὸν λαβὼν τὸν ἀκροατὴν κατεγνωκότα αὐτῶν, καὶ γυμνώσας τῆς προεδρίας, εἰσάγει τὸν περὶ τῆς περιτομῆς λόγον, θαῤῥῶν, ὅτι οὐδεὶς αὐτῇ ψηφιεῖται λοιπὸν, καί φησι· Περιτομὴ μὲν γὰρ ὠφελεῖ, ἐὰν νόμον πράσσῃς. Καίτοι γε ἐνῆν ἄλλως αὐτὴν ἐκβαλεῖν, καὶ εἰπεῖν, Τί γάρ ἐστιν ἡ περιτομή; μὴ γὰρ κατόρθωμά ἐστι τοῦ ἔχοντος; μὴ γὰρ προαιρέσεως ἀγαθῆς ἐπίδειξις; Καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἀώρῳ γίνεται ἡλικίᾳ, καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ δὲ πάντες ἔμειναν ἀπερίτμητοι χρόνον πολύν· καὶ ἑτέρωθεν δὲ πολλαχόθεν ἴδοι τις ἂν αὐτὴν οὐ σφόδρα ἀναγκαίαν οὖσαν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν αὐτὴν ἐκβάλλει, ἀλλ' ὅθεν μάλιστα ἐχρῆν, ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. Ἡ γὰρ ὑπερβολὴ τῆς νίκης αὕτη, δεῖξαι ἐντεῦθεν αὐτὴν οὖσαν εὐκατα 60.435 φρόνητον, ὅθεν αὐτοῖς αἰδέσιμος ἦν. Καίτοι γε ἠδύνατο λέγειν, ὅτι καὶ οἱ προφῆται ἀπεριτμήτους καλοῦσιν Ἰουδαίους· ἀλλ' οὔπω τοῦτο τῆς περιτομῆς ἐστιν ἐλάττωμα, ἀλλὰ τῶν κακῶς αὐτὴν μετιόντων. Τὸ δὲ ζητούμενον, δεῖξαι ὅτι καὶ ἐν ἀρίστῳ βίῳ οὐδεμίαν ἰσχὺν ἔχει· τοῦτο δὴ κατασκευάζει λοιπόν. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὐ παράγει τὸν πατριάρχην, ἀλλὰ πρότερον ἑτέρωθεν αὐτὴν προκαταβαλὼν, ὕστερον ἐκεῖνον τηρεῖ, ὅταν τὸν περὶ τῆς πίστεως εἰσαγάγῃ λόγον, οὕτω λέγων· Πῶς οὖν ἐλογίσθη ἡ πίστις τῷ Ἀβραάμ; ἐν περιτομῇ ὄντι, ἢ ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ; Ἕως μὲν γὰρ ἂν πρὸς τὸν ἐθνικὸν αὕτη καὶ τὸν ἀκρόβυστον ἀγωνίζηται, οὐδὲν βούλεται τούτων εἰπεῖν, ἵνα μὴ σφόδρα φορτικὸς ᾖ· ὅταν δὲ πρὸς τὴν πίστιν ἀπομάχηται, τότε μειζόνως πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀποδύεται. Τέως μέντοι πρὸς τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν ἡ μάχη· διὸ καὶ ὑφειμένως προάγει τὸν λόγον, καί φησι· Περιτομὴ μὲν γὰρ ὠφελεῖ, ἐὰν πράσσῃς τὸν νόμον· ἐὰν δὲ παραβάτης νόμου ᾖς, ἡ περιτομή σου ἀκροβυστία γέγονε. ∆ύο γὰρ ἐνταῦθα ἀκροβυστίας καὶ δύο περιτομάς φησιν, ὥσπερ καὶ δύο νόμους. Ἔστι γὰρ νόμος ὁ φυσικὸς, καὶ ἔστιν ὁ γραπτός· ἀλλὰ καὶ μέσος τούτων ὁ διὰ τῶν ἔργων. Καὶ σκόπει πῶς τοὺς τρεῖς τούτους δείκνυσι, καὶ εἰς μέσον ἄγει. Ὅταν γὰρ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα, φησί. Ποῖον δὴ νόμον, εἰπέ μοι; Τὸν γραπτόν. Φύσει τὰ τοῦ νόμου ποιῇ. Ποίου; Τοῦ διὰ τῶν ἔργων. Οὗτοι νόμον μὴ ἔχοντες. Ποῖον; Τὸν γραπτόν. Ἑαυτοῖς εἰσι νόμος. Πῶς; Τῷ φυσικῷ κεχρημένοι. Οἵτινες ἐνδείκνυνται τὸ ἔργον τοῦ νόμου. Ποίου; Τοῦ διὰ τῶν πράξεων. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ ἔξω κεῖται ὁ διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων, οὗτος δὲ ἔνδον ὁ διὰ τῆς φύσεως, ὁ δὲ ἐν ταῖς πράξεσι· καὶ τὸν μὲν τὰ γράμματα ὑπαγορεύει, τὸν δὲ ἡ φύσις, τὸν δὲ αἱ πράξεις. Τούτου δὴ τοῦ τρίτου χρεία, δι' ὃν καὶ ἐκεῖνοι οἱ δύο, ὅ τε ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως, ὅ τε ἀπὸ τῶν γραμμάτων· κἂν οὗτος μὴ παρῇ, οὐδὲν ὄφελος ἐκείνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ βλάβος μέγιστον. Καὶ τοῦτο δείκνυσιν ἐπὶ τοῦ φυσικοῦ μὲν λέγων· Ἐν ᾧ γὰρ κρίνεις τὸν ἕτερον, σεαυτὸν κατακρίνεις· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ γραπτοῦ· Ὁ κηρύσσων μὴ κλέπτειν, κλέπτεις; Οὕτω καὶ ἀκροβυστίαι δύο, μία μὲν ἡ φυσικὴ, δευτέρα δὲ ἡ ἀπὸ πράξεως· καὶ περιτομὴ μία μὲν ἡ ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ, δευτέρα δὲ ἡ ἀπὸ προαιρέσεως. Οἷόν τι λέγω· Περιετμήθη τις ὀκταήμερος· αὕτη σαρκικὴ περιτομή. Ἔπραξέ τις τὰ νόμιμα ἅπαντα· αὕτη διανοίας περιτομὴ, ἣν μάλιστα ὁ Παῦλος ζητεῖ, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὁ νόμος. γʹ. Ὅρα τοίνυν πῶς συγχωρήσας αὐτὴν τῷ λόγῳ, καθεῖλε τῷ πράγματι. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, Περιττὸν ἡ περιτομὴ, ἀνόνητον ἡ περιτομὴ, ἄχρηστον· ἀλλὰ τί; Περιτομὴ μὲν γὰρ ὠφελεῖ, ἐὰν νόμον πράσσῃς. Κατεδέξατο αὐτὴν τέως λέγων· Ὁμολογῶ, καὶ οὐκ ἀντιλέγω, ὅτι καλὴ ἡ περιτομή· ἀλλὰ πότε; Ὅταν καὶ τὴν τοῦ νόμου φυλακὴν ἔχῃ. Ἐὰν δὲ παραβάτης νόμου ᾖς, ἡ περιτομή σου ἀκροβυστία γέγονεν. Οὐκ εἶπεν· Οὐκέτι ὠφελεῖ· ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ αὐτὴν ὑβρίζειν· ἀλλὰ γυμνώσας αὐτῆς τὸν Ἰουδαῖον, τότε αὐτὸν βάλλει λοιπόν. Ὅπερ οὐκέτι τῆς περιτομῆς ἦν ὕβρις, ἀλλὰ τοῦ διὰ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας αὐτὴν ἀπολέσαντος. Ὥσπερ οὖν τοὺς ἐν ἀξιώμασιν ὄντας, εἶτα ἁλισκομένους ἐπὶ μεγίστοις ἐγκλήμασιν, οἱ δικάζοντες ἀφελόμενοι τῆς τῶν