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CHAPTER 2. Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas,

taking Titus along also; but I went up by revelation. I did not come to be taught, he says, but to inquire; which is solely of one who honors him. And I laid before them the Gospel which I preach among the Gentiles; but privately to those who were of reputation, lest I should be running, or had run, in vain. In the beginning, to receive the Gospel, he did not go up, nor did he lay it before the apostles. For having learned from Christ, he did not need their teaching. But as time went on, and he was preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles without circumcision, some were scandalized, since those around Peter did not abolish circumcision, while he alone was abolishing it. Therefore, the Holy Spirit, wishing to cut off this scandal of the others, commanded him to go up with witnesses, and to lay before the apostles the preaching without circumcision, so that with their agreement with him, this scandal of the people might be resolved. Yet not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. By the apostles, clearly; which was the greatest proof that they did not condemn the Apostle for not circumcising the Gentiles. But because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus. The word "because of" stands for "on account of". And the meaning is this. The apostles, he says, did not compel Titus, being uncircumcised, to be circumcised, even though the false brethren secretly brought in were watching this very thing, and were compelling circumcision; having addressed them as foreign to the truth, in the manner of spies. That they might bring us into bondage. That they might bring us again into the bondage, he says, of the law. Therefore he also says elsewhere: Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. To whom we did not yield in subjection, not even for an hour, that the truth of the Gospel might continue with you. Not even for a short while, he says, did we submit to them, that is, to those secretly brought in, lest we should be found saying one thing about the Gospel, and doing another. And what did he say about the Gospel? Therefore, if anyone is in Chri 95.785 st, he is a new creation. And, the old things have passed away, 95.785 behold, all things have become new. And, for freedom Christ has set us free. But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality to a man. For those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. The word "seemed" is instead of "were"; as he also said about himself: And I think I also have the Spirit of God. And the meaning is this: Those around Peter, he says, with what intention they condescended to circumcision, I do not know, nor do I contend about this; but they know, as they will give an account to God. But one thing I know, that when I came they said nothing more to me about the proclamation. He well said also what they were, but are not, in order that he might attribute their condescension to the beginning of the proclamation. Instead of, they opposed. But on the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for the circumcision, worked also through me for the Gentiles); and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, gave the right hand of fellowship to me and Barnabas, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. To "but on the contrary, when they saw," one must connect "they gave the right hand to me and Barnabas." And he says the things in between, showing again that he was not appointed by men to preach to the Gentiles, as his enemies were saying about him. Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. The agreements, he says, were of such a kind, that they should preach to the Jews, and we to the Gentiles. But the care for the poor was common to both. And these were the poor, those from the Jews who believed in Christ, who were also deprived of their own homes by the Jews; and these are they to whom he wrote, And you joyfully accepted the plundering of our property. But when Cephas came to Antioch, to his face

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ΚΕΦΑΛ. Βʹ. Ἔπειτα διὰ δεκατεσσάρων ἐτῶν πάλιν ἀνέβην εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα μετὰ Βαρνάβα,

συμπαραλαβὼν καὶ Τίτον· ἀνέβην δὲ κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν. Οὐκ ἦλθον διδαχθῆναι, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἱστορῆσαι· ὅπερ ἐστὶ μόνον τιμῶντος αὐτόν. Καὶ ἀνεθέμην αὐτοῖς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ὃ κηρύσσω ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι· κατ' ἰδίαν δὲ τοῖς δοκοῦσι μήπως εἰς κενὸν τρέχω ἢ ἔδραμον. Κατ' ἀρχὰς μὲν τοῦ δέξασθαι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον οὐκ ἀνῆλθεν, οὐδὲ ἀνέθετο αὐτὸ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐδεῖτο παρὰ Χριστοῦ μαθὼν τῆς ἐκείνων διδασκαλίας. Προϊόντος δὲ τοῦ χρόνου, καὶ κηρύττοντος αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἄνευ περιτομῆς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἐσκανδαλίζοντό τινες, τῶν μὲν περὶ Πέτρον μὴ ἀναιρούντων τὴν περιτομὴν, τούτου δὲ μόνου ἀναιροῦντος. ∆ιὸ τοῦτο τὸ σκάνδαλον τῶν ἄλλων τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐκκόψαι βουλόμενον, προσέταξεν αὐτῷ μετὰ μαρτύρων ἀνελθεῖν, καὶ ἀναθέσθαι τοῖς ἀποστόλοις τὸ ἄνευ περιτομῆς κηρύσσειν, ἵνα καὶ ἐκείνων συνθεμένων αὐτῷ, τοῦτο λυθῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ σκάνδαλον. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ Τίτος ὁ σὺν ἐμοὶ, Ἕλλην ὢν, ἠναγκάσθη περιτμηθῆναι. Ὑπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων δηλονότι· ὅπερ ἀπόδειξις ἦν μεγίστη τοῦ μὴ καταγινώσκειν αὐτοὺς τοῦ Ἀποστόλου, τὰ ἔθνη μὴ περιτέμνοντος. ∆ιὰ δὲ τοὺς παρεισάκτους ψευδαδέλφους, οἵτινες παρεισῆλθον κατασκοπῆσαι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἡμῶν, ἣν ἔχομεν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Τὸ διὰ, ἀντὶ τοῦ, κατὰ, κεῖται. Ὁ δὲ νοῦς οὗτος. Οἱ ἀπόστολοι, φησὶν, οὐκ ἠνάγκασαν ἀκρόβυστον ὄντα τὸν Τίτον περιτμηθῆναι, καίτοι τῶν παρεισάκτων ψευδαδέλφων αὐτὸ τοῦτο παρατηρούντων, καὶ ἀναγκαζόντων περιτέμνειν· τὸ ξένον περὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐν τάξει κατασκόπων προσαγορεύσας αὐτούς. Ἵνα ἡμᾶς καταδουλώσωσιν. Εἰς τὴν δουλείαν, φησὶ, πάλιν εἰσαγάγωσι τοῦ νόμου. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησι· Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἐξηγόρασεν ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νόμου. Οἷς οὐδὲ πρὸς ὥραν εἴξαμεν τῇ ὑποταγῇ, ἵνα ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου διαμείνῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Οὐδὲ πρὸς βραχὺ, φησὶν, ὑπετάγημεν αὐτοῖς, παρεισάκτοις δηλονότι, ἵνα μὴ ἄλλα εἰπόντες περὶ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, ἄλλα πράττοντες εὑρεθῶμεν. Τί δὲ εἶπε, περὶ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου; Ὥστε εἴ τις ἐν Χρι 95.785 στῷ, καινὴ κτίσις. Καὶ, τὰ ἀρχαῖα παρῆλθεν, 95.785 ἰδοὺ γέγονε τὰ πάντα καινά. Καὶ, τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ ἡμᾶς Χριστὸς ἠλευθέρωσεν. Ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν δοκούντων εἶναί τι, ὁποῖοί ποτε ἦσαν, οὐδέν μοι διαφέρει· πρόσωπον Θεὸς ἀνθρώπου οὐ λαμβάνει. Ἐμοὶ γὰρ οἱ δοκοῦντες, οὐδὲν προσανέθεντο. Τὸ μὲν, δοκούντων, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὄντων· ὡς καὶ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ εἶπε· ∆οκῶ δὲ κἀγὼ Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ ἔχειν. Ὁ δὲ νοῦς οὗτος· Οἱ περὶ Πέτρον, φησὶ, τί ποτε σκοποῦντες συγκατέβαινον τῇ περιτομῇ, οὐκ οἶδα, οὐδὲ φιλονεικῶ περὶ τούτου· οὗτοι δὲ ἴσασι, ὡς λόγον δώσοντες τῷ Θεῷ. Ἓν δὲ οἶδα, ὅτι ἐλθόντι οὐδὲν πλέον εἶπον περὶ τοῦ κηρύγματος. Εὖ εἶπε καὶ τὸ ὁποῖοι ἦσαν, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰσὶν, ἵνα τῇ ἀρχῇ τοῦ κηρύγματος δῷ κἀκείνων τὴν συγκατάβασιν. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἐναντιώθησαν. Ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἰδόντες, ὅτι πεπίστευμαι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τῆς ἀκροβυστίας, καθὼς Πέτρος τῆς περιτομῆς (ὁ γὰρ ἐνεργήσας Πέτρῳ εἰς περιτομὴν, ἐνήργησε κἀμοὶ εἰς τὰ ἔθνη)· καὶ γνόντες τὴν χάριν τὴν δοθεῖσάν μοι, Ἰάκωβος, καὶ Κηφᾶς, καὶ Ἰωάννης, οἱ δοκοῦντες στύλοι εἶναι, δεξιὰς ἔδωκαν ἐμοὶ καὶ Βαρνάβᾳ κοινωνίας, ἵνα ἡμεῖς μὲν εἰς τὰ ἔθνη, αὐτοὶ δὲ εἰς τὴν περιτομήν. Τῷ, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἰδόντες, συναπτέον τὸ, δεξιὰς ἔδωκαν ἐμοὶ καὶ Βαρνάβᾳ. Λέγει δὲ τὰ διὰ μέσου, πάλιν δεικνὺς, ὡς οὐ παρὰ ἀνθρώπων εἰς τὸ κηρύσσειν τοῖς ἔθνεσι κεχειροτόνηται, ὅπερ οἱ ἐχθροὶ ἔλεγον περὶ αὐτοῦ. Μόνον τῶν πτωχῶν ἵνα μνημονεύωμεν, ὃ καὶ ἐσπούδασα αὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι. Αἱ συνθῆκαι, φησὶ, τοιαῦται γεγόνασι, ὥστε καὶ ἐκείνους μὲν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, ἡμᾶς δὲ κηρύσσειν τοῖς ἔθνεσι. Κοινὴ δὲ γέγονεν ἀμφοτέροις ἡ τῶν πενήτων φροντίς. Οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ πένητες, οἱ ἐξ Ἰουδαίων πιστεύσαντες εἰς Χριστὸν, οἳ καὶ τῶν ἰδίων οἴκων ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀπεστερήθησαν· καὶ οὗτοί εἰσιν οἷς ἔγραφεν, Καὶ τὴν ἁρπαγὴν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἡμῶν μετὰ χαρᾶς προσεδέξασθε. Ὅτε δὲ ἦλθε Κηφᾶς εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν, κατὰ πρόσωπον