101

TO THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. CHAPTER ONE. Paul an apostle, not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus

Christ, and God the Father. Those from the Jews who believed, being at once held by the prejudice of Judaism, and at the same time intoxicated with vainglory, and wishing to bestow upon themselves the dignities 95.777 of teachers, having come to the nation of the Galatians, were teaching that it is necessary to be circumcised, and to observe Sabbaths, and New Moons, and not to tolerate Paul who was abolishing these things. For those around Peter and James, and John, he says, do not forbid these things, the first of the apostles. For this one appeared yesterday and today, but they were first, those around Peter; and this one is a disciple of the apostles, but they are of Christ; and this one is alone, but they are many, and pillars of the Church. Since then he saw before him a whole nation, and a fire kindled from the Church of the Galatians, he writes the epistle in defense against all these things, and from the very beginning he addresses that which they, undermining his reputation, were saying, that the others were of Christ, but this one has become a disciple of the apostles. Of him who raised him from the dead. Why did he not begin from things befitting God, but from the passion itself? Because since, as though they were about to be punished if they should apostatize from the law, they were in strife against him, for this reason he makes mention of a matter through which he casts out all need for the law. I mean the cause of salvation for all, which came from the cross and the resurrection. And all the brothers who are with me. Again he addresses that which they were saying, that Paul is one, but the apostles are many; wherefore he introduced a multitude with him, and not as in other epistles, either Paul alone, or Paul and Timothy, or also Silvanus. To the Churches of Galatia. He shows the necessity of the epistle, that not one Church in danger stirred up so much diligence in him, but a multitude of Churches. Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. He puts this everywhere, but especially now writing to the Galatians, since they were in danger of falling from grace, by coming again to be circumcised. Who gave himself for our sins. By countless evils, he says, we were ensnared, and we were liable to the ultimate punishment; and the law not only did not reconcile, but also condemned, making the sin manifest, but not being strong enough to set free, nor to stay the wrath of God. But the Son of God made the impossible possible, having loosed sins, and having established enemies in the rank of friends. That he might deliver us from the evil age. He did not say the time, but he called the present life evil. 95.780 from the present evil according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory for ever and ever; Amen. He means the evil deeds, the perverted will. I marvel that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you in the grace of Christ. This, he says, has raised great astonishment in me, that those who were so taught the mystery of grace, as to be able to become teachers of others also, these are so easily persuaded by those who deceive. To another Gospel, which is not another. For as Peter says, that there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved. Except there are some who trouble you, and want to pervert the Gospel of Christ. It is well said, "troubling," not "teaching," nor "persuading"; that he might show the matter to be one of deception only. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: if anyone preaches a gospel to you contrary to what

101

ΕΙΣ ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗΝ ΠΡΟΣ ΓΑΛΑΤΑΣ. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΠΡΩΤΟΝ. Παῦλος ἀπόστολος, οὐκ ἀπ' ἀνθρώπων, οὐδὲ δι' ἀνθρώπου, ἀλλὰ διὰ Ἰησοῦ

Χριστοῦ, καὶ Θεοῦ Πατρός. Οἱ ἐξ Ἰουδαίων πιστεύσαντες, ὁμοῦ μὲν τῇ προλήψει τοῦ Ἰουδαϊσμοῦ κατεχόμενοι, ὁμοῦ δὲ κενοδοξίᾳ μεθύοντες, καὶ βουλόμενοι διδασκάλων ἀξιώ 95.777 ματα ἑαυτοῖς περιθεῖναι, ἐλθόντες εἰς τὸ Γαλατῶν ἔθνος, ἐδίδασκον ὅτι δεῖ περιτέμνεσθαι, καὶ Σάββατα, καὶ Νεομηνίας τηρεῖν, καὶ μὴ ἀνέχεσθαι Παύλου ταῦτα ἀναιροῦντος. Οἱ γὰρ περὶ Πέτρον καὶ Ἰάκωβον, καὶ Ἰωάννην, φησὶν, ταῦτα οὐ κωλύουσιν, οἱ πρῶτοι τῶν ἀποστόλων. Οὗτος μὲν γὰρ χθὲς καὶ σήμερον ἐφάνη, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ πρῶτοι, οἱ περὶ Πέτρον· καὶ οὗτος μὲν μαθητὴς τῶν ἀποστόλων, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ· καὶ οὗτος μόνος, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ πολλοὶ, καὶ στύλοι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἔμπροσθεν εἶδεν ἔθνος ὁλόκληρον, καὶ πυρὰν ἐκ τῆς Γαλατῶν ἀναφθεῖσαν Ἐκκλησίας, γράφει τὴν ἐπιστολὴν πρὸς ἅπαντα ταῦτα ἀπολογούμενος, καὶ ἐκ προοιμίων εὐθέως πρὸς ἐκεῖνο ἀνατείνεται, ὃ διορύττοντες αὐτοῦ τὴν ὑπόληψιν ἔλεγον, ὅτι οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὗτος δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων γέγονεν μαθητής. Τοῦ ἐγείραντος αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν. ∆ιὰ τί οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν θεοπρεπῶν ἤρξατο, ἀλλ' ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ πάθους; Ὅτι ἐπειδὴ ὡς μέλλοντες τιμωρεῖσθαι, εἰ ἀποσταῖεν τοῦ νόμου, ἐστασίαζον πρὸς αὐτὸν, διὰ τοῦτο πράγματος μέμνηται δι' οὗ πᾶσαν ἐκβάλλει τοῦ νόμου τὴν χρείαν. Λέγω δὴ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ σταυροῦ καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως αἰτίαν γενομένην ἅπασι σωτηρίας. Καὶ οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ πάντες ἀδελφοί. Πρὸς ἐκεῖνο πάλιν ἀποτείνεται, τὸ λέγειν ἐκείνους, ὅτι ὁ μὲν Παῦλος εἷς, οἱ δὲ ἀπόστολοι, πολλοί· διὸ πλῆθος ἐπεισήγαγε σὺν αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐχ ὥσπερ ἐν ἑτέραις, ἢ Παῦλος μόνον, ἢ Παῦλος καὶ Τιμόθεος, ἢ καὶ Σιλουανός. Ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις τῆς Γαλατίας. ∆είκνυσι τὸ ἀναγκαῖον τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, ὅτι οὐ μία κινδυνεύουσα Ἐκκλησία ἤγειρεν αὐτοῦ τὴν τοσαύτην σπουδὴν, ἀλλὰ πλῆθος Ἐκκλησιῶν. Χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς κα Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Πανταχοῦ μὲν τοῦτο τίθησι, μάλιστα δὲ Γαλάταις ἐπιστέλλων νῦν, ἐπειδὴ τῆς χάριτος ἐκινδύνευον ἐκπεσεῖν, τὸ πάλιν ἐλθεῖν περιτέμνεσθαι. Τοῦ δόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν. Μυρίοις, φησὶν, περιεπάρημεν κακοῖς, καὶ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἦμεν ὑπεύθυνοι κολάσεως· καὶ ὁ μὲν νόμος οὐ μόνον οὐ κατήλλαξεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατεδίκασεν, τὸ μὲν ἁμάρτημα φανερὸν καθιστὰς, ἐλευθερῶσαι δὲ οὐκ ἰσχύων, οὐδὲ παῦσαι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ὀργήν. Ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὸ ἀδύνατον δυνατὸν ἐποίησε, τὰς ἁμαρτίας λύσας, καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐν τάξει φίλων καταστήσας. Ὅπως ἐξέληται ἡμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος πονηροῦ. Οὐ τὸν χρόνον εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν παροῦσαν ζωὴν πονηρὰν ἐκάλεσε. 95.780 Τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος πονηροῦ κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· Ἀμήν. Γὰς πράξεις λέγει τὰς πονηρὰς, τὴν προαίρεσιν τὴν διεστραμμένην. Θαυμάζω ὅτι οὕτω ταχέως μετατίθεσθε ἀπὸ τοῦ καλέσαντος ὑμᾶς ἐν χάριτι Χριστοῦ. Τοῦτό μοι, φησὶ, τὴν πολλὴν ἔκπληξιν ἤγειρεν, ὅτι οἱ οὕτως τὸ τῆς χάριτος διδαχθέντες μυστήριον, ὡς δύνασθαι καὶ ἑτέρων διδάσκαλοι γίνεσθαι, οὗτοι εὐχερῶς οὕτως τοῖς ἀπατῶσι πείθονται. Εἰς ἕτερον Εὐαγγέλιον, ὃ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλο. Ὡς γὰρ ὁ Πέτρος φησὶν, ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστιν ἕτερον ὄνομα ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν τὸ δεδομένον ἐν ἀνθρώποις, ἐν ᾧ δεῖ σωθῆναι ἡμᾶς. Εἰ μή τινές εἰσιν οἱ ταράσσοντες ὑμᾶς, καὶ θέλοντες μεταστρέψαι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Εὖ τὸ, ταράσσοντες, οὐ διδάσκοντες, οὐδὲ πείθοντες· ἵνα δείξῃ ἀπάτης μόνης τὸ πρᾶγμα ὄν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐὰν ἡμεῖς ἢ ἄγγελος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ εὐαγγελίζηται παρ' ὃ εὐηγγελισάμεθα ὑμῖν, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω. Ὡς προειρήκαμεν, καὶ ἄρτι πάλιν λέγω· εἴ τις ὑμᾶς εὐαγγελίζεται παρ' ὃ