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you have received, let him be accursed. See apostolic wisdom; For lest anyone should say that for the sake of vainglory he composes his own doctrines, he anathematized even himself; and since they took refuge in positions of authority, James and John, for this reason he also made mention of angels. For do not say James and John to me. For even if it be one of the first angels, he says, corrupting the proclamation, let him be accursed. For am I now persuading men, or God? If I were deceiving you, he says, by saying these things, am I also able to deceive God, who knows the secrets of the mind, and whom it is all my effort to please in all things? If I were still pleasing men, I would not be a servant of Christ. For I make known to you, brethren, the Gospel which was preached by me, that it is not according to man. If I wanted to please men, he says, I would still be with the Jews, and I would be destroying the Church. But if I scorned a whole nation and kinsmen and glory, and exchanged them for persecutions, and wars, and daily deaths, it is evident that I say these things I now say not out of a desire for the glory of men. He said this, because he is also about to narrate his former life. Therefore, lest they should think that he does this in making his defense to them, and they be puffed up, for this reason he says: For am I now persuading men. 95.781 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it; but through the revelation of Jesus Christ. See how he insists up and down that he has become a disciple of God, because those forcing the Galatians to be circumcised say: that those who became disciples of Christ, Peter and James and John, permit circumcision, but this man is a disciple of disciples, and one must not pay attention to him rather than to them? For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, that I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it, and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased God. The whole construction is a proof of his not having received the mystery from man. For so great a change, happening so suddenly, could not possibly have come about through man. For teaching from men advances little by little. But it also has another certain hidden construction. For he gently teaches them not to do the things of the law; for if he who showed so much zeal, he says, in the law, having left the things of the law, came to the salvation which is from faith, it is evident that he has left behind the law as unable to make perfect. Much more, therefore, ought those who have run to faith not to pursue what is unable to make perfect. He who set me apart from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles. If he was called from his mother's womb, clearly for the apostleship, how did he become a persecutor? But he himself solved this difficulty in another place, saying: That in me first Christ might show forth all his longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Again it is constructive, that he did not receive the teaching about Christ from men. For how was he who had been deemed worthy of teaching from above going to confer with men? Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter, and remained with him for fifteen days; but I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. Now the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I do not lie. Then I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was unknown by 95.784 face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; but they had only heard, that He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy; and they glorified God in me.

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παρελάβετε, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω. Ὅρα σύνεσιν ἀποστολικήν· Ἵνα γὰρ μή τις λέγῃ, ὅτι κενοδοξίας ἕνεκεν τὰ ἴδια συγκροτεῖ δόγματα, καὶ αὐτὸν ἀνεθεμάτισεν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰς ἀξιώματα κατέφυγον, Ἰάκωβον καὶ Ἰωάννην, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀγγέλων ἐμνήσθη. Μὴ γάρ μοι Ἰάκωβον εἴπῃς καὶ Ἰωάννην. Κἂν γὰρ τῶν πρώτων ἀγγέλων ᾖ τις, φησὶν, διαφθείρων τὸ κήρυγμα, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω. Ἄρτι γὰρ ἀνθρώπους πείθω, ἢ τὸν Θεόν; Εἰ καὶ ὑμᾶς ἠπάτων, φησὶ, ταῦτα λέγων, μὴ καὶ τὸν Θεὸν παραλογίσασθαι δύναμαι, τὸν τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα τῆς διανοίας εἰδότα, καὶ ᾧ πᾶσά μοι σπουδὴ καὶ διὰ πάντων ἀρέσκειν; Εἰ ἔτι ἀνθρώποις ἤρεσκον, Χριστοῦ δοῦλος ἂν ἤμην. Γνωρίζω γὰρ ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοὶ, τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, τὸ εὐαγγελισθὲν ὑπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι κατὰ ἄνθρωπον. Εἰ ἤθελον ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσαι, φησὶν, ἔτι μετὰ Ἰουδαίων ἤμην, καὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἐπόρθουν. Εἰ δὲ ἔθνους ὁλοκλήρου καὶ συγγενῶν καὶ δόξης κατεφρόνησα, καὶ ἀντηλλαξάμην διωγμοὺς, καὶ πολέμους, καὶ θανάτους καθημερινοὺς, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ ταῦτα ἃ λέγω νῦν, οὐ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐφιέμενος δόξης λέγω. Τοῦτο δὲ εἴρηκεν, ἐπειδὴ μέλλει καὶ τὸν πρότερον αὐτοῦ διηγεῖσθαι βίον. Ἵνα οὖν μὴ νομίσωσιν, ὅτι αὐτοῖς ἀπολογούμενος τοῦτο ποιεῖ, καὶ ἐπαρθῶσιν, διὰ τοῦτο φησιν· Ἄρτι γὰρ ἀνθρώπους πείθω. 95.781 Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγὼ παρ' ἀνθρώπου παρέλαβον αὐτὸ, οὐδὲ ἐδιδάχθην· ἀλλὰ δι' ἀποκαλύψεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ὅρα πῶς ἄνω καὶ κάτω διισχυρίζεται, ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ γέγονε μαθητὴς, διὰ τὸ τοὺς ἀναγκάζοντας περιτέμνεσθαι Γαλάτας, λέγειν· ὡς ἐκεῖνοι οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ γεγονότες μαθηταὶ, Πέτρος καὶ Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννης, ἐῶσι τὴν περιτομὴν, οὗτος δὲ μαθητῶν ἐστι μαθητὴς, καὶ οὐ δεῖ ἐκείνοις μᾶλλον ἢ τούτῳ προσέχειν; Ἠκούσατε γὰρ τὴν ἐμὴν ἀναστροφήν ποτε ἐν τῷ Ἰουδαϊσμῷ, ὅτι καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἐδίωκον τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐπόρθουν αὐτὴν, καὶ προέκοπτον ἐν τῷ Ἰουδαϊσμῷ ὑπὲρ πολλοὺς συνηλικιώτας ἐν τῷ γένει μου, περισσοτέρως ζηλωτὴς ὑπάρχων τῶν πατρικῶν μου παραδόσεων. Ὅτε δὲ εὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεός. Ἔστι μὲν τὸ κατασκευαζόμενον ὅλον ἀπόδειξις τοῦ μὴ παρ' ἀνθρώπου, παραλαβεῖν αὐτὸν τὸ μυστήριον. Ἡ γὰρ τοσαύτη ἀθρόως γενομένη μεταβολὴ οὐκ ἂν δι' ἀνθρώπου ᾖ δυνατὸν γίνεσθαι. Ἡ γὰρ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων διδασκαλία κατ' ὀλίγον ἐστὶ προκόπτουσα. Ἔχει δὲ καὶ ἄλλην τινὰ λανθάνουσαν κατασκευήν. Ἠρέμα γὰρ αὐτοὺς διδάσκει μὴ πράσσειν τὰ νομικά· εἰ γὰρ ὁ τοσαύτην, φησὶ, σπουδὴν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ἐνδειξάμενος, τὰ τοῦ νόμου ἀφεὶς, ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκ πίστεως ἦλθε σωτηρίαν, εὔδηλον ὡς τελειῶσαι τὸν νόμον μὴ δυνηθέντα καταλέλοιπε. Πολλῷ οὖν μᾶλλον οἱ τῇ πίστει προσδεδραμηκότες, οὐκ ὀφείλουσι διώκειν τὸν μὴ δυνάμενον τελειοῦν. Ὁ ἀφορίσας με ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου, καὶ καλέσας διὰ χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἀποκαλύψαι τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐμοὶ, ἵνα εὐαγγελίζωμαι αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. Εἰ ἐκ κοιλίας ἐκλήθη μητρὸς, εἰς τὴν ἀποστολὴν δηλονότι, πῶς διώκτης ἐγένετο; Τοῦτο δὲ τὸ ἄπορον αὐτὸς ἐν ἑτέρῳ ἔλυσεν τόπῳ, εἰπών· Ἵνα ἐν ἐμοὶ πρῶτον ἐνδείξηται Χριστὸς τὴν ἅπασαν μακροθυμίαν αὐτοῦ, εἰς ὑποτύπωσιν τῶν μελλόντων πιστεύειν ἐπ' αὐτῷ εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Εὐθέως οὐ προανεθέμην σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι, οὐδὲ ἀνῆλθον εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ πρὸς τοὺς πρὸ ἐμοῦ ἀποστόλους, ἀλλὰ ἀπῆλθον εἰς Ἀραβίαν, καὶ πάλιν ἐπέστρεψα εἰς ∆αμασκόν. Πάλιν κατασκευαστικὸν, τὸ μὴ παρ' ἀνθρώπων αὐτὸν τὴν περὶ Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίαν δέξασθαι. Πῶς γὰρ καὶ ἔμελλεν ἀνθρώποις ἀναθέσθαι, ὁ τῆς ἄνωθεν διδασκαλίας ἠξιωμένος; Ἔπειτα μετὰ τρία ἔτη ἀνῆλθον εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, ἱστορῆσαι Πέτρον, καὶ ἐπέμεινα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡμέρας δέκα καὶ πέντε· ἕτερον δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων οὐκ εἶδον, εἰ μὴ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ Κυρίου. Ἃ δὲ γράφω ὑμῖν, ἰδοὺ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι οὐ ψεύδομαι. Ἔπειτα ἦλθον εἰς τὰ κλίματα τῆς Συρίας καὶ τῆς Κιλικίας. Ἤμην δὲ ἀγνοούμενος τῷ 95.784 προσώπῳ ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις τῆς Ἰουδαίας ταῖς ἐν Χριστῷ· μόνον δὲ ἀκούσαντες ἦσαν, ὅτι Ὁ διώκων ἡμᾶς ποτε, νῦν εὐαγγελίζεται τὴν πίστιν ἥν ποτε ἐπόρθει· καὶ ἐδόξαζον ἐν ἐμοὶ τὸν Θεόν.