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is not irksome, but for you it is safe. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, who worship God in spirit, and glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

1. Discouragements and anxieties, when they strain the soul beyond measure, deprive it of its proper strength. For this reason Paul also raises up the Philippians, who were in great discouragement. And they were in discouragement because they did not know Paul's circumstances; they were in discouragement because they thought he had already died, because of the preaching, because of Epaphroditus. Fully informing them concerning all these things, he adds: Finally, my brethren, rejoice. You no longer have, he says, a cause for discouragement; you have Epaphroditus, for whom you grieved; you have Timothy, I am coming myself, the Gospel is advancing. What do you lack then? Rejoice. So he calls the Galatians children, but these he calls brethren. For when he wishes either to correct something, or to show affection, he calls them children; but when he speaks with greater honor, he calls them brethren. Finally, my brethren, he says, rejoice in the Lord. Well did he say, In the Lord, not according to the world; for this is not to rejoice. These afflictions, he says, which are according to Christ, have joy. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not irksome, but for you it is safe. Beware of the dogs. Do you see how he does not introduce the exhortation at the beginning, but when he had praised them much, when he had admired them, then he does this, and praises them again. For this saying seems to be rather burdensome; whence he veils it on all sides. But whom does he call dogs? There were certain ones here, to whom he alludes in all his epistles, 62.256 abominable and despicable Jews, greedy for base gain and lovers of power, who, wishing to draw away many of the faithful, preached both Christianity and Judaism, corrupting the Gospel. Since, then, they were hard to discern, for this reason he says: Beware of the dogs. No longer are the Jews children. Once the Gentiles were called this, but now they are. Why? Because just as the Gentiles were aliens from both God and Christ, so also have these now become, and from this he represents their shamelessness and their impudence, and the great distance from being children. For that the Gentiles were once called dogs, hear what the Canaanite woman says: Yes, Lord; for even the little dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their masters' table. But that they may not even have this, since there are also house dogs, he adds, by which he also makes them aliens, saying, Beware of the evil workers. And he said wonderfully, Beware of the evil workers; for they work, he says, but for evil, and their work is much worse than idleness, pulling down things that are well established. Beware, he says, of the concision. The matter of circumcision was venerable among the Jews, where even the law gave way to it, and the sabbath was of less account than it. For in order that circumcision might take place, the sabbath was broken; but in order that the sabbath might be kept, circumcision was never broken. And observe for me God's economy; this thing, more venerable than the sabbath, is found at certain times to have been omitted. When, therefore, it is set aside, much more the Sabbath. For this reason Paul cuts down its name, and says: Beware of the concision. And he did not say, circumcision is evil, circumcision is superfluous, that he might not offend the men, but 62.257 he manages it more wisely, drawing them away from the practice, while indulging them in the word, or rather, even more earnestly in the matter. But not so in the case of the Galatians. For since the disease was great there, he then bareheaded and with great authority brings on the incision; but here, since they had done no such thing, he grants them the pleasure of the name; and he casts them out, and these,

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οὐκ ὀκνηρὸν, ὑμῖν δὲ ἀσφαλές. Βλέπετε τοὺς κύνας, βλέπετε τοὺς κακοὺς ἐργάτας, βλέπετε τὴν κατατομήν. Ἡμεῖς γάρ ἐσμεν ἡ περιτομὴ, οἱ πνεύματι Θεῷ λατρεύοντες, καὶ καυχώμενοι ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐν σαρκὶ

πεποιθότες. αʹ. Αἱ ἀθυμίαι καὶ αἱ φροντίδες, ὅταν πέρα τοῦ μέτρου τὴν ψυχὴν κατατείνωσι, τῆς οἰκείας αὐτὴν ἀποστεροῦσιν ἰσχύος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος τοὺς Φιλιππησίους ἐν πολλῇ ὄντας ἀθυμίᾳ ἀνίστησιν. Ἦσαν δὲ ἐν ἀθυμίᾳ διὰ τὸ μὴ γινώσκειν πῶς τὰ κατὰ Παῦλον· ἦσαν ἐν ἀθυμίᾳ διὰ τὸ νομίζειν αὐτὸν ἤδη τετελευτηκέναι, διὰ τὸ κήρυγμα, διὰ Ἐπαφρόδιτον. Ὑπὲρ δὴ τούτων ἁπάντων πληροφορῶν αὐτοὺς ἐπάγει· Τὸ λοιπὸν, ἀδελφοί μου, χαίρετε. Οὐκ ἔχετε, φησὶ, λοιπὸν ἀθυμίας ὑπόθεσιν· ἔχετε Ἐπαφρόδιτον, δι' ὃν ἠλγεῖτε· ἔχετε Τιμόθεον, ἔρχομαι κἀγὼ, τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ἐπιδίδωσι. Τί ὑμῖν λείπει λοιπόν; Χαίρετε. Γαλάτας μὲν οὖν τέκνα καλεῖ, τούτους δὲ ἀδελφούς. Ὅταν μὲν γὰρ ἢ διορθοῦσθαί τι βούληται, ἢ φιλοστοργίαν ἐνδείξασθαι, τέκνα καλεῖ· ὅταν δὲ μετὰ πλείονος τιμῆς διαλέγηται, ἀδελφούς. Τὸ λοιπὸν, ἀδελφοί μου, φησὶ, χαίρετε ἐν Κυρίῳ. Καλῶς εἶπεν, Ἐν Κυρίῳ, οὐ κατὰ τὸν κόσμον· οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ χαρῆναι τοῦτο. Αἱ θλίψεις αὗται, φησὶν, αἱ κατὰ Χριστὸν, ἔχουσι χαράν. Τὰ αὐτὰ γράφειν ὑμῖν, ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐκ ὀκνηρὸν, ὑμῖν δὲ ἀσφαλές. Βλέπετε τοὺς κύνας. Ὁρᾷς πῶς οὐκ ἐν ἀρχῇ τὴν παραίνεσιν εἰσάγει, ἀλλ' ὅτε αὐτοὺς πολλὰ ἐπῄνεσεν, ὅτε ἐθαύμασε, τότε τοῦτο ποιεῖ, καὶ πάλιν ἐπαινεῖ. ∆οκεῖ γὰρ οὗτος φορτικώτερος εἶναι ὁ λόγος· ὅθεν αὐτὸν πάντοθεν συσκιάζει. Τίνας δέ φησι κύνας; Ἐνταῦθα ἦσάν τινες, οὓς ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς 62.256 αἰνίττεται, Ἰουδαῖοι μιαροὶ καὶ κατάπτυστοι, αἰσχροκερδεῖς καὶ φίλαρχοι, οἳ βουλόμενοι τῶν πιστῶν πολλοὺς παρασπάσαι, ἐκήρυττον καὶ τὸν Χριστιανισμὸν, καὶ τὸν Ἰουδαϊσμὸν, παραφθείροντες τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἦσαν δυσδιάγνωστοι, διὰ τοῦτό φησι· Βλέπετε τοὺς κύνας. Οὐκέτι τέκνα Ἰουδαῖοι. Ποτὲ οἱ ἐθνικοὶ τοῦτο ἐκαλοῦντο, νῦν δὲ ἐκεῖνοι. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι ὥσπερ οἱ ἐθνικοὶ καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀλλότριοι ἦσαν, οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι γεγόνασι νῦν, καὶ τὸ ἀναιδὲς αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ ἰταμὸν ἐντεῦθεν παρίστησι, καὶ τὴν πολλὴν πρὸς τέκνα διάστασιν. Ὅτι γὰρ οἱ ἐθνικοί ποτε κύνες ἐκαλοῦντο, ἄκουσον τῆς Χαναναίας, τί φησι· Ναὶ, Κύριε· καὶ γὰρ τὰ κυνάρια ἐσθίει ἀπὸ τῶν ψιχίων τῶν πιπτόντων ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης τῶν κυρίων αὑτῶν. Ἵνα δὲ μηδὲ τοῦτο ἔχωσιν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ κύνες εἰσὶν ἐπιτραπέζιοι, ἐπάγει, ὅθεν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀλλοτριοῖ, λέγων, Βλέπετε τοὺς κακοὺς ἐργάτας. Καὶ θαυμαστῶς εἶπε, Βλέπετε τοὺς κακοὺς ἐργάτας· ἐργάζονται μὲν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ κακῷ, καὶ ἀργίας πολλῷ χεῖρον ἔργον, ἀνασπῶντες τὰ καλῶς κείμενα. Βλέπετε, φησὶ, τὴν κατατομήν. Σεμνὸν ἦν παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις τὸ τῆς περιτομῆς, ὅπου γε καὶ ὁ νόμος αὐτῇ ὑπεξίστατο, καὶ τὸ σάββατον ἦν εὐτελέστερον αὐτῆς. Ἵνα μὲν γὰρ περιτομὴ γένηται, ἐλύετο σάββατον· ἵνα δὲ σάββατον φυλαχθῇ, οὐδέποτε ἐλύετο ἡ περιτομή. Καὶ θέα μοι τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ οἰκονομίαν· αὕτη ἡ τοῦ σαββάτου αἰδεσιμωτέρα, εὑρίσκεται ἔν τισι χρόνοις [μὴ] παραλειφθεῖσα. Ὅταν οὖν αὐτὴ λύηται, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸ σάββατον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς ὁ Παῦλος κατατέμνει, καί φησι· Βλέπετε τὴν κατατομήν. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι κακὸν ἡ περιτομὴ, περιττὸν ἡ περιτομὴ, ἵνα μὴ πλήξῃ τοὺς ἄνδρας, ἀλλὰ 62.257 σοφώτερον αὐτὸ οἰκονομεῖ, τοῦ μὲν πράγματος ἀπάγων, τῷ δὲ ῥήματι χαριζόμενος, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τῷ πράγματι σπουδαιότερον. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπὶ Γαλατῶν οὕτως. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλὴ νόσος ἦν ἐκεῖ, γυμνῇ τῇ κεφαλῇ λοιπὸν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς αὐθεντίας ἐπάγει τὴν τομήν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, ἐπειδὴ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον εἰργάσαντο, αὐτοῖς χαρίζεται τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς προσηγορίας ἡδονήν· κἀκείνους ἐκβάλλει, καὶ τούτους,