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righteousness of reward; for righteousness is a recompense most comprehensive of many rewards. Having shown this, therefore, from Abraham, he then brings forward David, casting his vote for what has been said. What then does David say, and whom does he call blessed? The one who boasts in works, or the one who has enjoyed grace, who has obtained forgiveness and a gift? And when I speak of blessedness, I mean the crown of all good things. For just as righteousness is more than reward, so blessedness is more than righteousness. Having therefore shown righteousness to be better, not only by Abraham having received it, but also from reasoning (For he has ground for boasting, he says, but not before God); and in another way he again shows it to be more venerable, by introducing David casting his vote for it; for this man also, he says, calls blessed the one thus justified, saying: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven. And he seems to bring forward a testimony that is not fitting; for he did not say: Blessed are they whose faith was counted for righteousness; but he does this willingly, not out of ignorance, that he might show the greater superiority. For if blessed is he who has received forgiveness by grace, much more is he who has been justified and has shown faith. But where there is blessedness, all shame is taken away, and the glory is great; for blessedness is an increase both of rewards and of glory. For this reason, what is the advantage of that one, he sets down unwritten, saying: For to the one who works, the reward is not reckoned according to grace; but what is the pre-eminence of the believer, this he establishes through written testimony, saying: As David said: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. For what do you say, he says, that you receive forgiveness not as a debt, but according to grace? But behold, this is the one who is called blessed; and he would not have called him blessed, unless he had seen him enjoying much glory. And he does not say: Is this forgiveness then for the circumcision; but what? Is this blessedness then (which was greater) for the circumcision, or for the uncircumcision? For the question now is, with which does this great and good thing stand, with circumcision, or with uncircumcision. And see the superiority; for he shows it not only not avoiding uncircumcision, but even abiding in it before circumcision. For since David, who utters the blessing, was himself circumcised and was speaking to circumcised people, see how Paul contended to apply what was said to the uncircumcised. For having joined blessedness to righteousness, and having shown them both to be one, he asks how Abraham was justified. For if blessedness is of the righteous, and Abraham was justified, let us see how he was justified, as an uncircumcised or as a circumcised man. Uncircumcised, he says. How then was it reckoned? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. Having quoted the Scripture above (For what does the Scripture say? he says. Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness), here he then adds the judgment of those who say it, and shows that righteousness came to be in uncircumcision. Then, from these things, he resolves another objection that arises; for if being uncircumcised, he says, he was justified, for what reason was circumcision added? He received a sign, he says, and a seal of the righteousness of the faith which came to him while he was uncircumcised. Do you see how he has shown the Jews to be in the position of hangers-on? or that these in uncircumcision have been attached to them? For if he was justified while uncircumcised and was crowned, and afterwards received circumcision, and afterwards the Jews came in, then is not Abraham first the father of the uncircumcised who belong to him through faith, and then of those in circumcision; for he is a twofold ancestor. Do you see faith shining forth? For until this came, the patriarch was not justified. Do you see uncircumcision being no hindrance? For he was uncircumcised, and was not prevented from being justified. Circumcision, therefore, is later than faith. 3. And why are you surprised that circumcision is after faith, when it is even after uncircumcision? And not only later than faith, but also exceedingly its

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μισθοῦ δικαιοσύνη· πολλῶν γάρ ἐστι μισθῶν περιεκτικωτάτη ἀντίδοσις ἡ δικαιοσύνη. ∆είξας τοίνυν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τοῦτο, καὶ τὸν ∆αυῒδ ἐπάγει λοιπὸν ψηφιζόμενον τοῖς εἰρημένοις. Τί οὖν φησιν ὁ ∆αυῒδ, καὶ τίνα μακαρίζει; τὸν ἐν ἔργοις κομῶντα, ἢ τὸν χάριτος ἀπολελαυκότα, τὸν ἀφέσεως καὶ δωρεᾶς τετυχηκότα; Μακαριότητα δὲ ὅταν εἴπω, τὴν κορυφὴν λέγω τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων. Ὥσπερ γὰρ μισθοῦ πλέον ἡ δικαιοσύνη, οὕτω δικαιοσύνης πλέον ὁ μακαρισμός. ∆είξας τοίνυν τὴν δικαιοσύνην βελτίω, οὐ τῷ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ αὐτὴν εἰληφέναι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ λογισμῶν (Ἔχει γὰρ καύχημα, φησὶν, ἀλλ' οὐ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν)· καὶ ἑτέρῳ τρόπῳ πάλιν αὐτὴν ἀποφαίνει σεμνοτέραν, τὸν ∆αυῒδ εἰσάγων αὐτῇ ψηφιζόμενον· καὶ γὰρ οὗτος, φησὶ, τὸν οὕτω δικαιωθέντα μακαρίζει λέγων· Μακάριοι ὧν ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι. Καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν οὐ προσήκουσαν παράγειν μαρτυρίαν· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπε· Μακάριοι ὧν ἡ πίστις εἰς δικαιοσύνην ἐλογίσθη· ποιεῖ δὲ αὐτὸ ἑκὼν, οὐκ ἀγνοῶν, ἵνα πλείονα δείξῃ τὴν ὑπερβολήν. Εἰ γὰρ μακάριος οὗτος ὁ λαβὼν ἄφεσιν ἀπὸ χάριτος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ δικαιωθεὶς, καὶ ὁ πίστιν ἐπιδειξάμενος. Ὅπου δὲ μακαρισμὸς, αἰσχύνη πᾶσα ἀνῄρηται, καὶ πολλὴ ἡ δόξα· ἐπίτασις γάρ ἐστι καὶ μισθῶν καὶ δόξης ὁ μακαρισμός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, ὃ μέν ἐστιν ἐκείνου πλεονέκτημα, ἄγραφον τίθησιν, εἰπών· Τῷ γὰρ ἐργαζομένῳ ὁ μισθὸς οὐ λογίζεται κατὰ χάριν· ὃ δέ ἐστι τοῦ πιστοῦ προτέρημα, τοῦτο δι' ἐγγράφου μαρτυρίας κατασκευάζει, λέγων· Καθὼς εἶπε ∆αυΐδ· Μακάριοι ὧν ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι, καὶ ὧν ἐπεκαλύφθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. Τί γὰρ λέγεις, φησὶν, ὅτι οὐ κατὰ ὀφείλημα, ἀλλὰ κατὰ χάριν λαμβάνεις τὴν ἄφεσιν; Ἀλλ' ἰδοὺ, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ μακαριζόμενος· οὐκ ἂν δὲ αὐτὸν ἐμακάρισεν, εἰ μὴ καὶ δόξης εἶδεν ἀπολαύοντα πολλῆς. Καὶ οὐ λέγει· Ἡ ἄφεσις οὖν αὕτη ἐπὶ τὴν περιτομήν· ἀλλὰ τί; Ὁ μακαρισμὸς οὖν οὗτος (ὅπερ πλέον ἦν) ἐπὶ τὴν περιτομὴν, ἢ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν; Ζητεῖται γὰρ λοιπὸν τὸ ἀγαθὸν τοῦτο καὶ μέγα μετὰ τίνος ἕστηκεν, ἆρα μετὰ τῆς περιτομῆς, ἢ μετὰ τῆς ἀκροβυστίας. Καὶ ὅρα τὴν ὑπερβολήν· δείκνυσι γὰρ αὐτὸ οὐ μόνον οὐ φεῦγον τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐμφιλοχωροῦν αὐτῇ πρὸ τῆς 60.457 περιτομῆς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ μακαρίζων καὶ αὐτὸς ἐμπερίτομος ἦν ὁ ∆αυῒδ, καὶ ἐμπεριτόμοις διελέγετο, ὅρα πῶς ἐφιλονείκησεν ὁ Παῦλος εἰς τὸν ἀκρόβυστον ἀγαγεῖν τὸ εἰρημένον. Συνάψας γὰρ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ τὸν μακαρισμὸν, καὶ δείξας ἀμφότερα ἓν, ζητεῖ πῶς ἐδικαιώθη ὁ Ἀβραάμ. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ μακαρισμὸς τοῦ δικαίου, ἐδικαιώθη δὲ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ, ἴδωμεν πῶς ἐδικαιώθη, ἀκρόβυστος ὢν ἢ ἐμπερίτομος. Ἀκρόβυστος, φησί. Πῶς οὖν ἐλογίσθη; ἐν περιτομῇ ὄντι, ἢ ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ; Οὐκ ἐν περιτομῇ, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ καὶ λέγομεν γὰρ, ὅτι ἐλογίσθη τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ἡ πίστις εἰς δικαιοσύνην. Ἀνωτέρω τὴν Γραφὴν εἰπὼν (Τί γὰρ ἡ Γραφὴ λέγει; φησίν. Ἐπίστευσεν Ἀβραὰμ τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην), ἐνταῦθα καὶ τὴν τῶν λεγόντων προσλαμβάνει κρίσιν λοιπὸν, καὶ δείκνυσιν ἐν τῇ ἀκροβυστίᾳ τὴν δικαιοσύνην γεγενημένην. Εἶτα ἀπὸ τούτων ἀντίθεσιν ἑτέραν ἀνακύπτουσαν λύει· εἰ γὰρ ἀκρόβυστος ὢν, φησὶν, ἐδικαιώθη, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐπεισῆλθεν ἡ περιτομή; Σημεῖον ἔλαβε, φησὶ, καὶ σφραγῖδα τῆς δικαιοσύνης τῆς διὰ τῆς πίστεως τῆς, ἡνίκα ἦν ἀκρόβυστος, γενομένης αὐτῷ. Εἶδες πῶς ἔδειξεν ὡς ἐν τάξει παρασίτων τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ὄντας; ἢ καὶ τούτους τοὺς ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ ἐκείνοις προσεῤῥιμμένους; Εἰ γὰρ ἐδικαιώθη μὲν ἀκρόβυστος ὢν καὶ ἐστεφανώθη, ὕστερον δὲ τὴν περιτομὴν ἔλαβεν, ὕστερον δὲ ἐπεισῆλθον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, οὐκοῦν τῶν ἀκροβύστων πρῶτόν ἐστι πατὴρ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ τῶν διὰ τῆς πίστεως αὐτῷ προσηκόντων, καὶ τότε τῶν ἐν περιτομῇ· διπλοῦς γάρ ἐστι πρόγονος. Εἶδες τὴν πίστιν λάμπουσαν; Ἕως γὰρ ἦλθεν αὕτη, οὐκ ἐδικαιώθη ὁ πατριάρχης. Εἶδες τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν οὐδὲν ἐμποδίζουσαν; Καὶ γὰρ ἀκρόβυστος ἦν, καὶ οὐκ ἐκωλύθη δικαιωθῆναι. Ὑστέρα ἄρα τῆς πίστεως ἡ περιτομή. γʹ. Καὶ τί θαυμάζεις εἰ τῆς πίστεως ἡ περιτομὴ, ὅπου γε καὶ τῆς ἀκροβυστίας; Οὐχ ὑστέρα δὲ μόνον τῆς πίστεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα αὐτῆς