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they, if they had love for them, would not have dared to do these things. And from this saying he also wishes to correct their life.

You were running well; who hindered you? This is not of one asking, but of one who is perplexed and lamenting. How was so great a race hindered? Who was so powerful? You who were superior to all and in the rank of teachers, did not even remain in the rank of disciples. What has happened? Who has been so powerful? These things are more of one recalling and mourning, just as he also said before: Who has bewitched you? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. He who calls did not call you for these things, to be so shaken; He did not legislate these things, for you to Judaize. Then, lest anyone say: Why do you so magnify the matter and use terrible language? We have kept only one commandment of the law, and you make such a fuss? hear how he frightens them not from present things, but from future things, saying thus: A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Thus also, he says, this small 61.667 slip, if not corrected, has the power to lead you to complete Judaism, just as the leaven does the lump. I have confidence in you in Christ, that you will think nothing else. He did not say, 'You do not think,' but 'You will not think;' that is, 'You will be corrected.' How do you know this? He did not say, 'I know,' but, 'I believe.' 'I believe in God,' he says, 'and confidently I call upon His alliance for your correction.' And he did not simply say, 'I have confidence in you,' but, 'In the Lord.' For everywhere he weaves his accusations with praises; as if he were to say: I know my disciples, I know how easily you are corrected; I am confident, on the one hand, because of the Lord who does not allow even the least thing to be lost, and on the other hand, because of you who are able to quickly reclaim yourselves. At the same time, he also exhorts them to contribute their own diligence, as it is not possible to receive the things from God, unless the things from us are also contributed. But he who is troubling you will bear the judgment, whoever he may be. He anoints them from both sides, both from the things by which he encouraged them, and from the things which he cursed for them, or prophesied. But consider for me how he nowhere gives the name of those plotting against them, so that they might not become more shameless. And what he says is this: It is not because you will think nothing else, that for this reason those who are the cause of the deceit are freed from punishment, but they will pay the penalty; for it is not fitting that the earnestness of some should become a consolation for the malevolence of others. And this happens, so that they might not attack others again. And he did not simply say, 'those who are troubling,' but he also elevated the statement by saying: 'Whoever he may be.' But I, brothers, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? For since they slandered him as Judaizing in many places, and playing the hypocrite in his preaching, see how clearly he has stripped away the charge, calling them as witnesses. 'For you also know,' he says, 'that the pretext for my persecutions is this, that I command to abstain from the law; but if I preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted?' For those of the Jews have nothing else to accuse me of, other than this alone. For if I allowed them to believe along with their ancestral customs, neither those who believed nor those who disbelieved would have plotted against me, since none of their own ways would be disturbed.

3. What then? Did he not preach circumcision? Did he not circumcise Timothy? He did circumcise him. How then does he say, 'I do not preach'? And here learn his precision. For he did not say, 'I do not perform circumcision,' but, 'I do not preach,' that is, I do not command belief in this way. For do not take it as a confirmation of dogmas; for I did circumcise, but I did not preach circumcision. Then the offense of the cross has been abolished. That is, the obstacle, the hindrance has been removed, if this is what you say. For the cross was not so much an offense to the Jews, as was the not being required to obey their ancestral laws. For indeed Stephen

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ἐκεῖνοι, εἰ ἀγάπην εἶχον πρὸς αὐτοὺς, οὐκ ἂν ἐτόλμησαν ταῦτα ποιεῖν. Βούλεται δὲ καὶ τὸν βίον αὐτοῖς διορθοῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥήματος τούτου.

Ἐτρέχετε καλῶς, τίς ὑμᾶς ἐνέκοψεν; Οὐκ ἐρωτῶντός ἐστι τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ἀποροῦντος καὶ ὀλοφυρομένου. Πῶς ὁ τοσοῦτος ἐνεκόπη δρόμος; τίς ὁ τοσοῦτον ἰσχύσας; Οἱ πάντων ἀνώτεροι καὶ ἐν τάξει διδασκάλων ὄντες, οὐδὲ ἐν τάξει μαθητῶν ἐμείνατε. Τί γέγονε; τίς τοσοῦτον ἴσχυσε; Ταῦτα ἀνακαλοῦντός ἐστι καὶ θρηνοῦντος μᾶλλον, ὥσπερ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν ἔλεγε· Τίς ὑμᾶς ἐβάσκανεν; Ἡ πεισμονὴ οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ καλοῦντος ὑμᾶς. Οὐκ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐκάλεσεν ὑμᾶς ὁ καλῶν, ὥστε οὕτω σαλεύεσθαι· οὐ ταῦτα ἐνομοθέτησεν, ὥστε Ἰουδαΐζειν. Εἶτα ἵνα μή τις λέγῃ· Τί οὕτω τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐπαίρεις καὶ δεινοῖς τῷ λόγῳ; μίαν ἐντολὴν τοῦ νόμου ἐφυλάξαμεν μόνον, καὶ τοσαῦτα θορυβεῖς; ἄκουσον πῶς φοβεῖ οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν παρόντων, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν μελλόντων, λέγων οὕτω· Μικρὰ ζύμη ὅλον τὸ φύραμα ζυμοῖ. Οὕτω καὶ ὑμᾶς ἰσχύει, φησὶ, τὸ μικρὸν τοῦτο 61.667 σφάλμα, μὴ διορθωθὲν, καὶ εἰς τέλειον Ἰουδαϊσμὸν ἀγαγεῖν, ὥσπερ ἡ ζύμη τὸ φύραμα. Ἐγὼ πέποιθα εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐν Χριστῷ, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἄλλο φρονήσετε. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Οὐ φρονεῖτε, ἀλλ' ὅτι Οὐ φρονήσετε· τουτέστιν, ὅτι ∆ιορθώσεσθε. Πόθεν οἶδας τοῦτο; Οὐκ εἶπεν, Οἶδα, ἀλλὰ, Πιστεύω. Πιστεύω τῷ Θεῷ, φησὶ, καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου καλῶ συμμαχίαν πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν διόρθωσιν θαῤῥῶν. Καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπε, Πέποιθα εἰς ὑμᾶς, ἀλλ', Ἐν Κυρίῳ. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ μετ' ἐγκωμίων πλέκει τὰς κατηγορίας· ὡς ἂν εἰ ἔλεγεν· οἶδα τοὺς ἐμοὺς μαθητὰς, οἶδα ὑμῶν τὸ εὐδιόρθωτον· θαῤῥῶ τοῦτο μὲν διὰ τὸν Κύριον τὸν οὐκ ἐῶντα ἀπολέσθαι οὐδὲ τὸ τυχὸν, τοῦτο δὲ δι' ὑμᾶς τοὺς δυναμένους ταχέως ἑαυτοὺς ἀνακτήσασθαι. Ἅμα δὲ καὶ προτρέπει καὶ τὴν παρ' ἑαυτῶν σπουδὴν εἰσενεγκεῖν, ὡς οὐκ ἐνὸν τῶν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τυχεῖν, ἂν μὴ καὶ τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν εἰσφέρηται. Ὁ δὲ ταράσσων ὑμᾶς, βαστάσει τὸ κρῖμα, ὅστις ἂν ᾖ. Ἑκατέρωθεν αὐτοὺς ἀλείφει, καὶ ἐξ ὧν παρεθάῤῥυνε, καὶ ἐξ ὧν ἐκείνοις ἐπηράσατο, ἢ προεφήτευσε. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει πῶς οὐδαμοῦ ὄνομα τίθησι τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων, ἵνα μὴ ἀναισχυντότεροι γένωνται. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ὑμεῖς οὐδὲν ἄλλο φρονήσετε, διὰ τοῦτο οἱ τῆς ἀπάτης αἴτιοι ἀπηλλαγμένοι τῆς κολάσεώς εἰσιν, ἀλλὰ δώσουσι δίκην· οὐδὲ γὰρ προσῆκον τὴν ἑτέρων σπουδὴν τῆς ἄλλων κακοηθείας γενέσθαι παραμυθίαν. Γίνεται δὲ τοῦτο, ἵνα μὴ καὶ ἑτέροις πάλιν ἐπίθωνται. Καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, οἱ ταράσσοντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπῆρε τὸν λόγον εἰπών· Ὅστις ἂν ᾖ. Ἐγὼ δὲ, ἀδελφοὶ, εἰ περιτομὴν ἔτι κηρύττω, τί ἔτι διώκομαι; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ διέβαλλον αὐτὸν ὡς πολλαχοῦ Ἰουδαΐζοντα, καὶ ὑποκρινόμενον τὸ κήρυγμα, ὅρα πῶς καθαρῶς ἀπεδύσατο, μάρτυρας αὐτοὺς καλῶν. Οἴδατε γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ὑμεῖς, ὅτι τῶν διωγμῶν μου πρόφασις τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὅτι κελεύω ἀπέχεσθαι τοῦ νόμου· εἰ δὲ περιτομὴν κηρύσσω, τί ἔτι διώκομαι; Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἕτερον ἐγκαλεῖν ἔχουσί μοι οἱ ἐξ Ἰουδαίων, ἢ τοῦτο μόνον. Καὶ γὰρ εἰ συνεχώρουν αὐτοῖς μετὰ τῶν πατρῴων ἐθῶν πιστεύειν, οὐκ ἂν οὔτε οἱ πιστεύσαντες, οὔτε οἱ ἀπιστήσαντες ἐπεβούλευσαν, τῷ μηδὲν τῶν οἰκείων παρασαλεύεσθαι.

γʹ. Τί οὖν; Οὐκ ἐκήρυξε περιτομήν; Οὐ περιέτεμε τὸν Τιμόθεον; Περιέτεμε μέν. Πῶς οὖν φησιν, Οὐ κηρύσσω; Καὶ ἐνταῦθα αὐτοῦ μάθε τὴν ἀκρίβειαν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι περιτομὴν οὐκ ἐργάζομαι, ἀλλὰ, Οὐ κηρύσσω, τουτέστιν, οὐχ οὕτω κελεύω πιστεύειν. Μὴ γὰρ εἰς δογμάτων λάβῃς βεβαίωσιν· περιέτεμον μὲν γὰρ, οὐκ ἐκήρυξα δὲ περιτομήν. Ἄρα κατήργηται τὸ σκάνδαλον τοῦ σταυροῦ. Τουτέστι, Τὸ ἐμπόδιον, τὸ κώλυμα ἀνῄρηται, εἰ τοῦτό ἐστιν ὅ φατε. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτως ὁ σταυρὸς ἦν σκάνδαλον τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, ὡς τὸ μὴ δεῖν πείθεσθαι τοῖς πατρῴοις νόμοις. Καὶ γὰρ τὸν Στέφανον