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that God justifies the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith, and having established this sufficiently in what went before, and through Abraham he shows it even more than he promised, and he makes the battle of faith against works, and establishes the whole contest concerning the just man; and not simply. Therefore he greatly honors him by calling him a forefather, and placing on them the necessity of obeying him in all things. For do not tell me of the Jew, he says, nor bring so-and-so into the midst; for I go up to the head of all, and to where circumcision had its beginning. For if Abraham was justified by works, he says, he has a boast, but not before God. What was said is unclear; it is therefore necessary to make it clearer. For there are two boastings, the one from works, the other from faith. Therefore, by saying, If he was justified by works, he has a boast, but not before God, he showed that from faith also one might have a boast, and a much greater one. For the great power of Paul is shown especially in this, that he turned the proposition to its opposite, and what salvation through works possessed, that is, boasting and being confident, this he showed belonged much more to faith. For the one who boasts in works has his own labors to put forward; but the one who prides himself on believing God displays a much greater occasion for boasting, since he has glorified and magnified the Lord. For what the nature of things seen did not suggest, these things he accepted by faith in him, and demonstrated genuine love for him, and proclaimed his power brilliantly. And this is of a most noble soul and a philosophic mind and a lofty intellect. For not to steal nor to murder is even for ordinary people; but to believe that God is able to do impossible things requires a soul of some genius, and one greatly disposed toward him; for this is a sign of genuine love. For he who fulfills the commandments also honors God, but much more does he who philosophizes through faith; for the former obeyed him, but the latter held the fitting opinion concerning him, and more than by a display of works, he glorified and marveled at him. That boast, then, belongs to the one who succeeds, but this one glorifies God, and it is entirely His; for he boasts in conceiving great things concerning him, which things pass over to His glory. For this reason he says he has the boast before God; but not for this reason only, but also for another. For again the faithful one boasts, not only that he genuinely loved God, but also that he enjoyed great honor and love from him. For just as he loved him, having conceived great things concerning him; for this is a proof of love; so also God loved him, though liable for countless things, not only delivering him from punishment, but also making him righteous, He has, therefore, to boast as one who has been deemed worthy of great love. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. But to the one who works, the reward is not counted according to grace, but according to debt. Is this then greater, he says? Not at all; for it is also counted to the one who 60.456 believes; and it would not have been counted, if he himself had not contributed something. 2. So that this one also has God as a debtor, and not a debtor of ordinary things, but of great and lofty matters. For showing his greatness of mind and his spiritual understanding, he did not simply say, To the one who believes, but, To the one who believes in him who justifies the ungodly. His faith is counted for righteousness. For consider how great a thing it is to be persuaded and fully convinced, that God is able, suddenly, not only to free from punishment this one who has lived in ungodliness, but also to make him righteous, and to deem him worthy of those immortal honors. Do not, therefore, think that this one is at a disadvantage, because for that one it is not counted according to grace. For this very thing especially makes the faithful one brilliant, to have enjoyed so great a grace, to have displayed such faith. And see that the return is also greater. For to that one a reward is given, but to this one, righteousness; and much greater

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ὅτι δικαιοῖ περιτομὴν ἐκ πίστεως ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἀκροβυστίαν διὰ τῆς πίστεως, καὶ κατασκευάσας αὐτὸ ἱκανῶς ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν, καὶ διὰ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ μειζόνως αὐτὸ δείκνυσιν ἢ ἐπηγγείλατο, καὶ ποιεῖ τὴν μάχην τῇ πίστει πρὸς τὰ ἔργα, καὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα ὅλον περὶ τὸν δίκαιον ἵστησι· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς. ∆ιὸ καὶ σφόδρα σεμνύνει προπάτορα καλῶν, καὶ ἀνάγκην αὐτοῖς ἐπιτιθεὶς τοῦ πείθεσθαι ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτῷ. Μὴ γάρ μοι τὸν Ἰουδαῖον εἴπῃς, φησὶ, μηδὲ τὸν δεῖνα καὶ τὸν δεῖνα ἀγάγῃς εἰς μέσον· ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐπὶ τὴν κορυφὴν ἁπάντων, καὶ ὅθεν ἡ περιτομὴ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔλαβεν, ἄνειμι. Εἰ γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ ἐξ ἔργων ἐδικαιώθη, φησὶν, ἔχει καύχημα, ἀλλ' οὐ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Ἀσαφὲς τὸ εἰρημένον· οὐκοῦν ἀναγκαῖον αὐτὸ ποιῆσαι σαφέστερον. ∆ύο γάρ ἐστι καυχήματα, τὸ μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων, τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως. Εἰπὼν τοίνυν, Εἰ ἐξ ἔργων ἐδικαιώθη, ἔχει καύχημα, ἀλλ' οὐ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, ἔδειξεν, ὅτι καὶ ἀπὸ πίστεως δύναιτ' ἂν ἔχειν καύχημα, καὶ πολλῷ μεῖζον. Ἡ γὰρ πολλὴ τοῦ Παύλου δύναμις ἐν τούτῳ μάλιστα δείκνυται, ὅτι εἰς τοὐναντίον περιέτρεψε τὸ προκείμενον, καὶ ὅπερ εἶχεν ἡ διὰ τῶν ἔργων σωτηρία, τὸ καυχᾶσθαι καὶ παῤῥησιάζεσθαι, τοῦτο ἔδειξε πολλῷ πλέον τῆς πίστεως ὄν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις καυχώμενος, τοὺς οἰκείους ἔχει προβάλλεσθαι πόνους· ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ πιστεῦσαι τῷ Θεῷ καλλωπιζόμενος, πολλῷ μείζονα καυχήσεως ἀφορμὴν ἐπιδείκνυται, ἅτε δοξάσας καὶ μεγαλύνας τὸν Κύριον. Ἃ γὰρ οὐχ ὑπηγόρευσεν ἡ φύσις τῶν ὁρωμένων, ταῦτα ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως καταδεξάμενος τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν, καὶ τὴν γνησίαν ἀγάπην τὴν περὶ αὐτὸν ἐπεδείξατο, καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ λαμπρῶς ἀνεκήρυξε. Τοῦτο δὲ γενναιοτάτης ψυχῆς καὶ φιλοσόφου γνώμης καὶ ὑψηλῆς διανοίας. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ μὴ κλέψαι μηδὲ φονεῦσαι, καὶ τῶν τυχόντων ἐστί· τὸ δὲ πιστεῦσαι, ὅτι τὰ ἀδύνατα δύναται Θεὸς, μεγαλοφυοῦς τινος δεῖται ψυχῆς, καὶ σφόδρα περὶ αὐτὸν διακειμένης· καὶ γὰρ ἀγάπης γνησίας τοῦτο σημεῖόν ἐστι. Τιμᾷ μὲν γὰρ τὸν Θεὸν καὶ ὁ τὰς ἐντολὰς πληρῶν, πολλῷ δὲ μειζόνως οὗτος ὁ διὰ τῆς πίστεως φιλοσοφῶν· ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ ὑπήκουσεν αὐτῷ, οὗτος δὲ τὴν προσήκουσαν ἔλαβε περὶ αὐτοῦ δόξαν, καὶ τῆς διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπιδείξεως μειζόνως ἐδόξασε καὶ ἐθαύμασεν. Ἐκεῖνο μὲν οὖν τὸ καύχημα τοῦ κατορθοῦντός ἐστι, τοῦτο δὲ τὸν Θεὸν δοξάζει, καὶ ὅλον ἐστὶν αὐτοῦ· καυχᾶται γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ περὶ αὐτοῦ μεγάλα φαντάζεσθαι, ἅπερ εἰς τὴν ἐκείνου διαβαίνει δόξαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι, πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἔχειν αὐτὸν τὸ καύχημα· οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ἕτερον. Καυχᾶται γὰρ πάλιν ὁ πιστὸς, οὐχ ὅτι τὸν Θεὸν ἐφίλησε μόνον γνησίως, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ πολλῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ τιμῆς ἀπήλαυσε καὶ ἀγάπης. Ὥσπερ γὰρ αὐτὸς αὐτὸν ἠγάπησε μεγάλα περὶ αὐτοῦ φαντασθείς· τοῦτο γὰρ ἀγάπης δεῖγμα· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἐφίλησε μυρίοις ὑπεύθυνον ὄντα, οὐχὶ κολάσεως ἀπαλλάξας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δίκαιον ἐργασάμενος, Ἔχει τοίνυν καυχᾶσθαι ὡς μεγάλης καταξιωθεὶς ἀγάπης. Τί γὰρ ἡ Γραφὴ λέγει; Ἐπίστευσεν Ἀβραὰμ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην. Τῷ δὲ ἐργαζομένῳ ὁ μισθὸς οὐ λογίζεται κατὰ χάριν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ ὀφείλημα. Οὐκοῦν τοῦτο μεῖζον, φησίν; Οὐδαμῶς· καὶ γὰρ τῷ πι 60.456 στεύοντι λογίζεται· οὐκ ἂν δὲ ἐλογίσθη, εἰ μὴ καὶ αὐτός τι εἰσήνεγκεν. βʹ. Ὥστε καὶ οὗτος ὀφειλέτην ἔχει τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ οὐ τῶν τυχόντων ὀφειλέτην, ἀλλὰ μεγάλων καὶ ὑψηλῶν πραγμάτων. ∆εικνὺς γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὴν μεγαλόνοιαν καὶ τὴν πνευματικὴν διάνοιαν, οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπε, Τῷ πιστεύοντι, ἀλλὰ, Τῷ πιστεύοντι ἐπὶ τὸν δικαιοῦντα τὸν ἀσεβῆ. Λογίζεται ἡ πίστις αὐτοῦ εἰς δικαιοσύνην. Ἐννόησον γὰρ ἡλίκον ἐστὶ πεισθῆναι καὶ πληροφορηθῆναι, ὅτι δύναται ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ βεβιωκότα τοῦτον ἐξαίφνης οὐχὶ κολάσεως ἐλευθερῶσαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δίκαιον ποιῆσαι, καὶ τῶν ἀθανάτων ἐκείνων ἀξιῶσαι τιμῶν. Μὴ τοίνυν νομίσῃς τοῦτον ἐλαττοῦσθαι, ἐπειδὴ ἐκείνῳ οὐ κατὰ χάριν λογίζεται. Αὐτὸ γὰρ τοῦτο μάλιστα ποιεῖ τὸν πιστὸν εἶναι λαμπρὸν, τὸ τοσαύτης ἀπολαῦσαι χάριτος, τὸ τοιαύτην πίστιν ἐπιδείξασθαι. Καὶ ὅρα καὶ τὴν ἀντίδοσιν μείζονα. Ἐκείνῳ μὲν γὰρ μισθὸς δίδοται, τούτῳ δὲ δικαιοσύνη· πολὺ δὲ μείζων