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continuous and offered daily. Not only did the priests themselves prophesy that the sabbath would be dissolved by not being idle, but circumcision itself also dissolved the sabbath. For often when a child was born on a sabbath, a violation of the sabbath and a circumcision occurred; thus the dissolution was prophesied for both. For it is shown that those who circumcise one born on a sabbath, if they wish to observe the eighth day precisely, finding it falling on a sabbath and circumcising, they performed a work and dissolved the sabbath; but if they postpone it so as not to dissolve the sabbath, they then circumcise on the ninth day and have dissolved the circumcision itself and the command's rule concerning its eight days. 33. But the first circumcision was not perfect, but was given for the sake of a sign, both as a reminder of things to come and on account of the hesitation of holy Abraham, who was rebuked as has been said before, and as a type of the great one that fulfills all things with equality in those who are deemed worthy. For if it were for the sake of sanctification and the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, then Sarah is deprived of the kingdom, and Rebecca and Leah and Rachel and Jochebed and Mary the sister of Moses and all the holy women, and they will not be able to inherit the kingdom of heaven, not being able to have the circumcision of Abraham, which God bestowed on him according to their argument. But if these women are not deprived of the kingdom of heaven, although not having partaken of circumcision, then the present circumcision in the flesh has no force. But why does Ebion boast about circumcision, when even the idolaters and priests of the Egyptians have circumcision? But also the Saracens, who are also Ishma1.380 elites, have circumcision, and Samaritans and Jews and Idumeans and Homerites. And most of these do this not because of a law, but by some irrational custom. And in short I would waste much time dwelling on his nonsense, because he vainly relies on the saying which the savior spoke: "it is enough for the disciple to be as his teacher," so that he too might pride himself on his own circumcision from the circumcision of Christ, which was well circumcised in him and abolished through him. Nevertheless, since the beastly man wishes to take this word for the sake of imitation of Christ, I will not hesitate to show that it was not said for this reason. For the Lord immediately explains, saying that he did not say this for this reason, but on account of the persecutions and the insolence of the Jews toward him, and he says, "if they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they hated me, they will also hate you." "Do you not call me lord and teacher? And you speak well, for so I am"; "if then they called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more his household?" and "a servant cannot be above his lord, nor a disciple above his teacher; but let the disciple be perfected in all things, as his teacher" that is, ready for persecution and slander and whatever is brought upon him. Whence also the holy Paul said, "be imitators of me as I also am of Christ." And not that he was imitating his master as he ought not; for he was not saying, I am God, or I am the son of God, or I am God the Word; for he says, "I am the least of the apostles" and "as to one born out of due time, he appeared also to me." 34. But if you, Ebion, take this saying for the imitation of Christ and from the circumcision about which you are foolishly proud you wish to be as the teacher, or rather as the lord, do not be like him in circumcision; for it will not benefit you. For the Lord has brought its time to an end, as we have clearly demonstrated through many testimonies. For he came 1.381 and fulfilled, giving the perfect circumcision of his mysteries 1.381 not in one member only, but sealing the whole body and circumcising it from sin, and not one part of the people

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ἐνδελεχὴς καὶ καθ' ἡμέραν προσφερομένη. οὐ μόνον δὲ αὐτοὶ προεφήτευον οἱ ἱερεῖς λυθήσεσθαι τὸ σάββατον διὰ τοῦ μὴ ἀργεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ περιτομὴ ἔλυε τὸ σάββατον. γεννωμένου γὰρ παιδὸς πολλάκις ἐν σαββάτῳ ἀναίρεσις σαββάτου καὶ περιτομῆς ἐγίνετο· οὕτω ταῖς ἀμφοτέραις ἡ λύσις προεθεσπίζετο. δείκνυται γὰρ ὅτι οἱ περιτέμνοντες αὐτὸ τὸ γεννηθὲν ἐν σαββάτῳ, ἐὰν θελήσωσιν ἀκριβολογήσασθαι τὴν ὀγδόην ἡμέραν, εὑρίσκοντες ἐμπίπτουσαν ἐν σαββάτῳ καὶ περιτέμνοντες ἔργον εἰργάσαντο καὶ τὸ σάββατον ἔλυσαν· ἐὰν δὲ ὑπερθῶνται διὰ τὸ μὴ λῦσαι τὸ σάββατον, ἐνάτῃ λοιπὸν περιτέμνουσι τὴν περιτομὴν καὶ ἔλυσαν αὐτὴν τὴν περιτομὴν καὶ τὸν περὶ αὐτῆς τῶν ὀκτὼ ἡμερῶν ὅρον τοῦ προστάγματος. 33. Ἀλλὰ οὔτε ἦν τελεία ἡ πρώτη περιτομή, ἀλλὰ σημείου χάριν ἐδόθη, εἴς τε ὑπόμνησιν τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ διὰ τὸν δισταγμὸν τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀβραὰμ ὡς προείρηται ἐπιτιμηθέντος καὶ τύπου ἕνεκα τῆς μεγάλης τῆς τὰ πάντα κατ' ἰσότητα πληρούσης ἐν τοῖς καταξιουμένοις. ἐκείνη μὲν γὰρ εἰ ἦν ἁγιαστείας ἕνεκα καὶ κληρονομίας οὐρανῶν βασιλείας χάριν, ἄρα ἐστέρηται Σάρρα τῆς βασιλείας καὶ Ῥεβέκκα καὶ Λεία καὶ Ῥαχὴλ καὶ Ἰωχαβὲτ καὶ Μαρία ἡ ἀδελφὴ Μωυσέως καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ἅγιαι γυναῖκες, καὶ οὐ δυνήσονται κληρονομεῖν βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν, μὴ δυνηθεῖσαι τὴν περιτομὴν τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἔχειν, ἣν θεὸς αὐτῷ δεδώρηται κατὰ τὸν τούτων λόγον. εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἐστέρηνται αὗται τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, καίτοι οὐ μετεσχηκυῖαι περιτομῆς, οὐδὲν ἄρα ἰσχύει ἡ νῦν ἔνσαρκος περιτομή. τί δὲ καυχᾶται Ἐβίων περὶ περιτομῆς, ὁπότε καὶ οἱ εἰδωλολάτραι καὶ ἱερεῖς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων περιτομὴν ἔχουσιν; ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ Σαρακηνοὶ οἱ καὶ Ἰσμα1.380 ηλῖται περιτομὴν ἔχουσι καὶ Σαμαρεῖται καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Ἰδουμαῖοι καὶ Ὁμηρῖται. τούτων δὲ οἱ πλείους οὐ διὰ νόμον τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ ἀλόγῳ τινὶ συνηθείᾳ. Καὶ ἁπλῶς πολὺν χρόνον ἀναλώσω κατατριβόμενος εἰς τὴν τούτου ληρῳδίαν, διὰ τὸ ἐπερείδεσθαι αὐτὸν μάτην τῷ ῥητῷ ᾧ εἴρηκεν ὁ σωτήρ «ἀρκετὸν τῷ μαθητῇ εἶναι ὡς ὁ διδάσκαλος», ἵνα καὶ αὐτὸς σεμνύνηται τὴν ἰδίαν περιτομὴν ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ περιτομῆς τῆς ἐν αὐτῷ καλῶς περιτμηθείσης καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ καταλυθείσης. ὅμως ἐπειδὴ βούλεται ὁ κτηνώδης διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν μίμησιν λαμβάνειν τοῦτον τὸν λόγον, οὐκ ὀκνήσω δεῖξαι ὅτι οὐ διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηται. εὐθὺς γὰρ φράζει ὁ κύριος λέγων ὅτι οὐ διὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοὺς διωγμοὺς καὶ τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων εἰς αὐτὸν παροινίαν, καί φησιν «εἰ ἐμὲ ἐδίωξαν, καὶ ὑμᾶς διώξουσιν· εἰ ἐμὲ ἐμίσησαν, καὶ ὑμᾶς μισήσουσιν». «οὐκ ἐμὲ λέγετε κύριον καὶ διδάσκαλον; καὶ καλῶς λέγετε, εἰμὶ γάρ»· «εἰ οὖν τὸν οἰκοδεσπότην Βεελζεβοὺλ ἐκάλεσαν, πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον τοὺς οἰκιακοὺς αὐτοῦ;» καί «οὐ δύναται δοῦλος εἶναι ὑπὲρ τὸν κύριον αὐτοῦ οὐδὲ μαθητὴς ὑπὲρ τὸν διδάσκαλον αὐτοῦ· ἤτω δὲ κατηρτισμένος κατὰ πάντα ὁ μαθητής, ὡς ὁ διδάσκαλος» τουτέστιν ἕτοιμος εἰς διωγμὸν καὶ κακολογίαν καὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ἐπιφερόμενον. ὅθεν καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος ἔλεγεν «μιμηταί μου γένεσθε καθὼς κἀγὼ Χριστοῦ». καὶ οὐχ ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ἐμιμεῖτο τὸν αὐτοῦ δεσπότην ὡς οὐκ ἔδει· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔλεγεν ὅτι θεός εἰμι ἢ υἱὸς θεοῦ εἰμι ἢ Λόγος ὁ θεός εἰμι· λέγει γὰρ ὅτι «ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἐλάχιστος τῶν ἀποστόλων» καὶ «ὡσπερεί τῳ ἐκτρώματι ὤφθη κἀμοί». 34. Εἰ δὲ σύ, Ἐβίων, λαμβάνεις τὸ ῥητὸν τοῦτο ἐπὶ μιμήσει Χριστοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς περιτομῆς περὶ ἧς ματαιοφρονεῖς θέλεις εἶναι ὡς ὁ διδάσκαλος, μᾶλλον δὲ ὡς ὁ κύριος, μὴ ἐν τῇ περιτομῇ αὐτῷ ὁμοιοῦ· οὐ γάρ σε ὠφελήσει. παρήνεγκε γὰρ ὁ κύριος τὸν ταύτης χρόνον, ὡς διὰ πολλῶν μαρτυριῶν σαφῶς ἀπεδείξαμεν. ἦλθεν γὰρ 1.381 καὶ ἐπλήρωσεν, δοὺς τὴν τελείαν περιτομὴν τῶν αὐτοῦ μυστηρίων 1.381 οὐκ ἐν ἑνὶ μέλει μόνῳ, ἀλλ' ὅλον σῶμα σφραγίσας καὶ περιτεμὼν ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας, καὶ οὐχ ἓν μέρος λαοῦ