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of the honor of their dignities, then they punish; so also Paul did. For having said, But if you are a transgressor of the law, he added, Your circumcision has become uncircumcision; and having shown him to be uncircumcised, he then condemns him fearlessly. When therefore uncircumcision 60.436 keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be turned into circumcision? See what he does. He does not say that uncircumcision overcomes circumcision—for this was very offensive to those hearing it then—but that uncircumcision has become circumcision. And he then asks what circumcision is, and what uncircumcision is; and he says that circumcision is a good deed, and uncircumcision a wicked deed; and having first transferred to circumcision the uncircumcised man who has good deeds, and having pushed out into uncircumcision the circumcised man with a corrupt life, thus he gives the victory to the uncircumcised man. And he does not say, "to the uncircumcised man," but he proceeds to the matter itself, saying thus: Will not your uncircumcision be turned into circumcision? And he did not say, "will be counted," but, "will be turned," which was more emphatic; just as above he did not say, "Your circumcision is counted as uncircumcision," but, "has become." And uncircumcision by nature will judge. Do you see that he knows two kinds of uncircumcision, the one by nature, the other by choice? Here, however, he speaks of the one by nature, but he does not stop there, but adds: fulfilling the law, will judge you, who by the letter and circumcision are a transgressor of the law? See his most subtle understanding. He did not say that uncircumcision by nature will judge circumcision, but where the victory was, he brings in uncircumcision; but where the defeat was, he no longer shows circumcision as defeated, but the Jew who has it, sparing to strike the hearer with his words. And he did not say, "you who have the law and circumcision," but even more gently, "you who by the letter and circumcision are a transgressor of the law." That is, such uncircumcision also defends circumcision, for it has been wronged; and it helps the law, for it has been abused; and it sets up a conspicuous trophy. For the victory is brilliant then, when the Jew is judged not by a Jew, but by an uncircumcised man; just as when he says, "The men of Nineveh will rise up and will condemn this generation." Therefore he does not dishonor the law; for he greatly reveres it; but him who acts insolently toward the law. Then when he had established these things clearly, he then confidently defines what a Jew is, and shows that he is not casting out the Jew or circumcision, but the one who is not a Jew and is uncircumcised. And he seems to be defending it, but he demolishes the estimation of it, having the votes from what actually happens. For he shows not only that there is nothing between a Jew and an uncircumcised man, but also that the uncircumcised man is superior, if he takes heed to himself, and that this man is precisely the Jew; wherefore he says: For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward, in the flesh. Here he strikes them, as doing all things for show. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter. 4. Having said this, he cast out all bodily things. For circumcision is outward, and the Sabbaths and the sacrifices and the purifications; all of which he alluded to with one phrase, saying, "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly." But since the discussion of circumcision was extensive, since even the Sabbath yielded to it, it is reasonable that most of his argument is directed toward it. And by saying, "in spirit," he then prepares the way for the polity of the Church, and introduces faith; for this too in heart and spirit has its praise from God. And why did he not show that the Greek 60.437 who does right is not less than a Jew who does right, but that a Greek who does right is better than a Jew who transgresses? In order that he might make the victory unquestionable. For when this is acknowledged, the circumcision of the flesh is necessarily cast out, and it is shown that everywhere a good life is needed. For when the Greek is saved without these things, but the Jew is punished with them, Judaism stands idle. And by "Greek" again, not the idolater, but the God-fearing and virtuous man and of the

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ἀξιωμάτων τιμῆς, τότε κολάζουσιν· οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος ἐποίησεν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Ἐὰν δὲ παραβάτης νόμου ᾖς, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἡ περιτομή σου ἀκροβυστία γέγονε· καὶ δείξας ἀπερίτμητον, καταδικάζει λοιπὸν ἀδεῶς. Ὅταν οὖν ἡ ἀκροβυστία τὰ δικαιώματα 60.436 τοῦ νόμου φυλάττῃ, οὐχὶ ἡ ἀκροβυστία αὐτοῦ εἰς περιτομὴν περιτραπήσεται; Ὅρα τί ποιεῖ· Οὐ λέγει, ὅτι ἡ ἀκροβυστία τὴν περιτομὴν νικᾷ· τοῦτο γὰρ σφόδρα ἦν ἐπαχθὲς τοῖς τότε ἀκούουσιν· ἀλλ' ὅτι ἡ ἀκροβυστία περιτομὴ γέγονε. Καὶ ζητεῖ λοιπὸν τί ἐστι περιτομὴ, καὶ τί ἀκροβυστία· καὶ λέγει, ὅτι περιτομὴ πρᾶξίς ἐστιν ἀγαθὴ, καὶ ἡ ἀκροβυστία πρᾶξις πονηρά· καὶ πρότερον μεταστήσας εἰς τὴν περιτομὴν τὸν ἀκρόβυστον τὸν πράξεις ἔχοντα χρηστὰς, καὶ τὸν ἐμπερίτομον τὸν ἐν διεφθαρμένῳ βίῳ εἰς τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν ἐξωθήσας, οὕτω τὴν νίκην δίδωσι τῷ ἀκροβύστῳ. Καὶ οὐ λέγει, Τῷ ἀκροβύστῳ, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα μέτεισιν οὕτω λέγων· Οὐχὶ ἡ ἀκροβυστία σου εἰς περιτομὴν μετατραπήσεται; Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Λογισθήσεται, ἀλλὰ, Τραπήσεται, ὅπερ ἐμφαντικώτερον ἦν· ὥσπερ καὶ ἀνωτέρω οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἡ περιτομή σου ἀκροβυστία λογίζεται, ἀλλὰ, Γέγονε. Καὶ κρινεῖ ἡ ἐκ φύσεως ἀκροβυστία. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι δύο οἶδεν ἀκροβυστίας, τὴν μὲν ἐκ φύσεως, τὴν δὲ ἐκ προαιρέσεως; Ἐνταῦθα μέντοι τὴν ἐκ φύσεως λέγει, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἵσταται μέχρι τούτου, ἀλλ' ἐπάγει· Τὸν νόμον τελοῦσά σε τὸν διὰ γράμματος καὶ περιτομῆς παραβάτην νόμου; Ὅρα τὴν λεπτοτάτην αὐτοῦ σύνεσιν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι ἡ ἐκ φύσεως ἀκροβυστία τὴν περιτομὴν κρινεῖ, ἀλλὰ, ἔνθα μὲν ἡ νίκη ἦν, τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν εἰσάγει· ἔνθα δὲ ἡ ἧττα ἦν, οὐκέτι τὴν περιτομὴν δείκνυσιν ἡττωμένην, ἀλλὰ τὸν αὐτὴν ἔχοντα Ἰουδαῖον, φειδόμενος διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων πλῆξαι τὸν ἀκροατήν. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Σὲ τὸν νόμον ἔχοντα καὶ περιτομὴν, ἀλλ' ἔτι ἡμερώτερον, Σὲ τὸν διὰ γράμματος καὶ περιτομῆς παραβάτην νόμου· τουτέστι, καὶ ἀμύνει τῇ περιτομῇ ἡ τοιαύτη ἀκροβυστία, ἠδίκηται γάρ· καὶ βοηθεῖ τῷ νόμῳ, ἐπηρέασται γάρ· καὶ περιφανὲς ἵστησι τρόπαιον. Ἡ γὰρ νίκη τότε ἐστὶ λαμπρὰ, ὅταν μὴ παρὰ Ἰουδαίου ὁ Ἰουδαῖος, ἀλλὰ παρὰ ἀκροβύστου κρίνηται· ὥσπερ ὅταν λέγῃ· Ἄνδρες Νινευῗται ἐγερθήσονται, καὶ κατακρινοῦσι τὴν γενεὰν ταύτην. Οὐκοῦν οὐ τὸν νόμον ἀτιμάζει· σφόδρα γὰρ αὐτὸν αἰδεῖται· ἀλλὰ τὸν εἰς τὸν νόμον ὑβρίζοντα. Εἶτα ὅτε κατεσκεύασε ταῦτα σαφῶς, θαῤῥῶν λοιπὸν ὁρίζεται τί ποτέ ἐστιν ὁ Ἰουδαῖος, καὶ δείκνυσιν, ὅτι οὐχὶ τὸν Ἰουδαῖον οὐδὲ τὴν περιτομὴν, ἀλλὰ τὸν οὐχὶ Ἰουδαῖον καὶ τὸν ἀπερίτμητον ἐκβάλλει. Καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν ἀμύνειν αὐτῇ, καταλύει δὲ αὐτῆς τὴν ὑπόληψιν, ἀπὸ τοῦ συμβαίνοντος ἔχων τὰς ψήφους. ∆είκνυσι γὰρ οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν μέσον Ἰουδαίου καὶ ἀκροβύστου, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνώτερον ὄντα τὸν ἀκρόβυστον, ἐὰν ἑαυτῷ προσέχῃ, καὶ τοῦτον ὄντα ἀκριβῶς τὸν Ἰουδαῖον· διό φησι· Οὐ γὰρ ὁ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ Ἰουδαῖός ἐστιν, οὐδὲ ἡ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ, ἐν σαρκὶ, περιτομή. Ἐνταῦθα αὐτοὺς πλήττει, ὡς πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν ἅπαντα πράττοντας. Ἀλλ' ὁ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ Ἰουδαῖος, καὶ περιτομὴ καρδίας ἐν πνεύματι, οὐ γράμματι. δʹ. Τοῦτο δὲ εἰπὼν, ἐξέβαλε τὰ σωματικὰ ἅπαντα. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ περιτομὴ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ, καὶ τὰ σάββατα καὶ αἱ θυσίαι καὶ οἱ καθαρισμοί· ἅπερ ἅπαντα δι' ἑνὸς ᾐνίξατο ῥήματος εἰπὼν, Οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ Ἰουδαῖός ἐστιν. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τῆς περιτομῆς πολὺς ἦν ὁ λόγος, ὅπου γε καὶ τὸ Σάββατον αὐτῇ παρεχώρει, εἰκότως τὰ πλείονα πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀποτείνεται. Εἰπὼν δὲ, Ἐν πνεύματι, προοδοποιεῖ λοιπὸν τῇ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας πολιτείᾳ, καὶ τὴν πίστιν εἰσάγει· καὶ γὰρ αὕτη ἐν καρδίᾳ καὶ πνεύματι τὸν ἔπαινον ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔχει. Καὶ διὰ τί μὴ ἔδειξεν, ὅτι ὁ κατορθῶν 60.437 Ἕλλην Ἰουδαίου κατορθοῦντος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐλάττων, ἀλλ' ὅτι κατορθῶν Ἕλλην Ἰουδαίου παραβαίνοντος κρείττων ἐστίν; Ἵν' ἀναμφίβολον ποιήσῃ τὴν νίκην. Τούτου γὰρ ὁμολογηθέντος, ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἡ περιτομὴ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐκβάλλεται, καὶ δείκνυται, ὅτι πανταχοῦ βίου χρεία. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ μὲν Ἕλλην χωρὶς τούτων σώζηται, ὁ δὲ Ἰουδαῖος μετὰ τούτων κολάζηται, ἕστηκεν ἀργῶν ὁ Ἰουδαϊσμός. Ἕλληνα δὲ πάλιν οὐ τὸν εἰδωλολάτρην, ἀλλὰ τὸν θεοσεβῆ καὶ ἐνάρετον καὶ τῶν