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the way has been refuted. Where then is boasting? It is excluded, he says. By what law? of works? No, but by the law of faith. Paul's struggle is great to show that faith has prevailed so much, as the law never even imagined. For since he said that God justifies man by faith, he takes up the law again. And he does not say, Where then are the achievements of the Jews? where is their righteousness? but, Where is boasting? everywhere showing that they only boast as having something more than others, and displaying no work. And having said, Where then is boasting? he did not say, It has vanished and perished, but It is excluded, which is more a matter of being out of season; for it no longer has its time. For just as when the judgment comes, those wishing to repent no longer have time; so also, when the sentence has now been pronounced, and all were about to perish, and when the one came who by grace looses these terrible things, they no longer had time to put forward the correction that comes from the law. For if it were necessary to rely on these things, it would have been necessary before the coming; but when the one who saves through faith came, the time for struggles was now taken away; for as though all were convicted, so He saves by grace. Therefore he came now, so that they might not say: If he had come at the beginning, that it was possible to be saved through the law, and by one's own labors and achievements. Therefore, to muzzle this shamelessness of theirs, he waited a long time, so that after they were clearly convicted by all means of not being sufficient for themselves, he might then save them through his grace. Wherefore also when he said above, For a demonstration of his righteousness, he added, At the present time. But if some should contradict, they do the same thing as if someone who had sinned greatly and was not able to defend himself in court, but was condemned and about to be punished, then being released by a royal gift, should be shameless after the release, boasting and saying he had not sinned at all. For before the gift came, he should have proved it; but once it has come, he would no longer have an opportunity to boast. This is indeed what has happened in the case of the Jews. For since they were betrayed from within, for this reason he came, by his very coming abolishing their boasting. For he who says he is a teacher of the infants, and boasts in the law, and calls himself an instructor of the foolish, having need like them 60.446 of one who taught and saved, would have no pretext for boasting. For if even before this, circumcision became uncircumcision, much more so now, for it has been cast out from both seasons. And having said that It is excluded, he also shows how. How then was it excluded? he says. By what law? of works? No, but by the law of faith. 4. See, he has even called faith a law, making free with the names, so as to console the seeming innovation. And what is the law of faith? To be saved by grace. Here he shows the power of God, that not only did He save, but He also justified and brought to boasting, and did not need works, but sought faith alone. And he says these things, both preparing the believing Jew to be moderate, and restraining the unbelieving one, so as to draw him to himself. For the one who is saved, if he thinks highly of himself by clinging to the law, will hear that he himself stopped his own mouth, he himself accused himself, he himself despaired of his salvation, and excluded boasting; and the one who has not believed, in turn, being humbled by these same things, will be able to be brought to the faith. Have you seen how great is the abundance of faith? how it has detached from the former things, not even permitting to boast in them? We conclude therefore that a man is justified by faith without the works of the law. When he showed that they were superior to the Jews from faith, then at last with much boldness he also discusses it, and what seems to cause a disturbance here, he heals again. For these two things were troubling the Jews: one, whether it is possible for those not saved with works to be saved without works; and the other, whether it is just for the uncircumcised to enjoy the same things as those who were brought up with the law for so long a time; which disturbed them much more than the former. Therefore, having established that point, to this one

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ἐξηλέγχθη τρόπος. Ποῦ οὖν ἡ καύχησις; Ἐξεκλείσθη, φησί. ∆ιὰ ποίου νόμου; τῶν ἔργων; Οὐχὶ, ἀλλὰ διὰ νόμου πίστεως. Πολὺς ὁ ἀγὼν τῷ Παύλῳ δεῖξαι, ὅτι τοσοῦτον ἡ πίστις ἴσχυσεν, ὅσον οὐδὲ ἐφαντάσθη ποτὲ ὁ νόμος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι δικαιοῖ ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως, ἐπιλαμβάνεται τοῦ νόμου πάλιν. Καὶ οὐ λέγει, Ποῦ οὖν τὰ κατορθώματα τῶν Ἰουδαίων; ποῦ ἡ δικαιοπραγία; ἀλλὰ, Ποῦ ἡ καύχησις; πανταχοῦ δεικνὺς μεγαληγοροῦντας μόνον ὡς πλέον τι τῶν ἄλλων ἔχοντας, καὶ μηδὲν ἐπιδεικνυμένους ἔργον. Καὶ εἰπὼν, Ποῦ οὖν ἡ καύχησις; οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἠφανίσθη καὶ ἀπώλετο, ἀλλ' Ἐξεκλείσθη, ὅπερ ἀκαιρίας μᾶλλόν ἐστιν· οὐκέτι γὰρ ἔχει καιρόν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῆς κρίσεως ἐπιστάσης, οὐκέτι καιρὸν ἔχουσιν οἱ μετανοῆσαι βουλόμενοι· οὕτω καὶ τῆς ἀποφάσεως ἐξενεχθείσης λοιπὸν, καὶ πάντων μελλόντων ἀπόλλυσθαι, καὶ παραγενομένου τοῦ ταῦτα χάριτι λύοντος τὰ δεινὰ, οὐκέτι καιρὸν εἶχον ἐκεῖνοι προβαλέσθαι τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου διόρθωσιν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐχρῆν ἰσχυρίζεσθαι τούτοις, πρὸ τῆς παρουσίας ἐχρῆν· ἐλθόντος δὲ τοῦ διὰ τῆς πίστεως σώζοντος, ἀνῄρητο λοιπὸν ὁ τῶν ἀγώνων καιρός· ὡς γὰρ ἐληλεγμένων ἁπάντων, οὕτω τῇ χάριτι σώζει. ∆ιὸ καὶ νῦν ἦλθεν, ἵνα μὴ λέγωσιν· Ἐν ἀρχῇ παραγενομένου, ὅτι δυνατὸν ἦν διὰ νόμου σωθῆναι, καὶ πόνοις οἰκείοις καὶ κατορθώμασι. Ταύτην οὖν ἐπιστομίζων αὐτῶν τὴν ἀναισχυντίαν, ἔμεινε χρόνον πολὺν, ὥστε μετὰ τὸ διὰ πάντων ἐλεγχθῆναι σαφῶς οὐκ ἀρκοῦντας ἑαυτοῖς, τότε σῶσαι διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ χάριτος. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἀνωτέρω λέγων, Εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης, ἐπήγαγεν, Ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ. Εἰ δὲ ἀντιλέγοιέν τινες, ταυτὸν ποιοῦσιν, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις μεγάλα ἡμαρτηκὼς καὶ μὴ δυνηθεὶς ἀπολογήσασθαι ἐν δικαστηρίῳ, ἀλλὰ κατακριθεὶς καὶ κολάζεσθαι μέλλων, εἶτα ἀπὸ δωρεᾶς βασιλικῆς ἀφεθεὶς, ἀναισχυντοίη μετὰ τὴν ἄφεσιν καυχώμενος, καὶ λέγων μηδὲν ἡμαρτηκέναι. Πρὶν ἢ γὰρ ἐλθεῖν τὴν δωρεὰν, ἀποδεῖξαι ἔδει· ἐλθούσης δὲ, οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι καιρὸν καυχᾶσθαι λοιπόν. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων γέγονεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἴκοθεν ἦσαν προδεδομένοι, διὰ τοῦτο παραγέγονεν, αὐτῷ τῷ παραγενέσθαι τὴν καύχησιν ἀναιρῶν. Ὁ γὰρ λέγων διδάσκαλος εἶναι νηπίων, καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ καυχώμενος, καὶ παιδευτὴν ἀφρόνων ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζων, ὁμοίως ἐκείνοις 60.446 δεηθεὶς τοῦ διδάξαντος καὶ σώσαντος, οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι τοῦ καυχᾶσθαι πρόφασιν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πρὸ τούτου ἡ περιτομὴ ἀκροβυστία ἐγένετο, πολλῷ μᾶλλον νῦν καὶ γὰρ ἐξ ἑκατέρων ἐκβέβληται τῶν καιρῶν. Εἰπὼν δὲ, ὅτι Ἐξεκλείσθη, δείκνυσι καὶ πῶς. Πῶς οὖν ἐξεκλείσθη, φησί; ∆ιὰ ποίου νόμου; τῶν ἔργων; Οὐχὶ, ἀλλὰ διὰ νόμου πίστεως. δʹ. Ἰδοὺ καὶ τὴν πίστιν νόμον ἐκάλεσεν, ἐμφιλοχωρῶν τοῖς ὀνόμασιν, ὥστε παραμυθεῖσθαι τὴν δοκοῦσαν εἶναι καινοτομίαν. Τίς δὲ ὁ τῆς πίστεως νόμος; ∆ιὰ χάριτος σώζεσθαι. Ἐνταῦθα τὸ δυνατὸν δείκνυσι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἔσωσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐδικαίωσε καὶ εἰς καύχησιν ἤγαγε, καὶ οὐδὲ ἔργων δεηθεὶς, ἀλλὰ πίστιν ζητήσας μόνον. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγει, καὶ τὸν πιστεύσαντα Ἰουδαῖον μετριάζειν παρασκευάζων, καὶ τὸν μὴ πιστεύσαντα καταστέλλων, ὥστε αὐτὸν ἐφελκύσασθαι. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ σωθεὶς, ἂν μέγα φρονῇ τῷ νόμῳ προσέχων, ἀκούσεται ὅτι αὐτὸς αὐτοῦ τὸ στόμα ἐνέφραξεν, αὐτὸς αὐτοῦ κατηγόρησεν, αὐτὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἀπηγόρευσε, καὶ τὸ καύχημα ἐξέκλεισεν· ὁ δὲ μὴ πιστεύσας πάλιν, διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν τούτων ταπεινωθεὶς, προσαχθῆναι τῇ πίστει δυνήσεται. Εἶδες πόση τῆς πίστεως ἡ περιουσία; πῶς ἀπέστησε τῶν προτέρων, μηδὲ καυχᾶσθαι ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ἀφεῖσα; Λογιζόμεθα οὖν πίστει δικαιοῦσθαι ἄνθρωπον χωρὶς ἔργων νόμου. Ὅτε ἔδειξεν ἀνωτέρους ὄντας ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως τῶν Ἰουδαίων, τότε λοιπὸν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς παῤῥησίας καὶ περὶ αὐτῆς διαλέγεται, καὶ τὸ δοκοῦν ἐνταῦθα θορυβεῖν, πάλιν ἰᾶται. Καὶ γὰρ δύο ταῦτα τὰ ταράττοντα ἦν Ἰουδαίους, ἓν μὲν, εἰ τοὺς μετ' ἔργων μὴ σωθέντας δυνατὸν χωρὶς ἔργων σωθῆναι· ἕτερον δὲ, εἰ τοὺς ἀκροβύστους δίκαιον τῶν αὐτῶν ἀπολαῦσαι τοῖς ἐν τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ συντραφεῖσι τῷ νόμῳ· ὃ πολλῷ τοῦ προτέρου μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς ἐξετάραττε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκεῖνο κατασκευάσας, ἐπὶ τοῦτο