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he who supplies the Spirit to you, and works miracles among you, is it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? What he said above, he now takes up again, shaming them with the gift of the spiritual gifts they had received. Just as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. Since those who were compelling them to Judaize said that the law was older than faith, Paul shows, on the contrary, that faith is older than circumcision. And since they thought highly of their forefather Abraham, he again shames them by this. For if Abraham, in whom they take great pride, is seen to be the first to have received faith, and through it was called the friend of God, how much more will they run to it, if indeed they boast of their kinship with him? Know therefore that those who are of faith, these are sons of Abraham. He shows that the Gentiles, through faith, rather boast of Abraham as their father than those of the circumcision. For faith made Abraham the friend of God, not circumcision, if indeed circumcision became a seal and sign of faith; and the sign is less than that of which it is a sign, so that those of faith would more rightly be called sons of Abraham than those of the circumcision, and by as much as gold is to its seal. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith. So that he might not seem to be constructing this argumentatively, he also brings forward the Scripture testifying about this. Preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham. See how the Scripture called the kinship of the Gentiles with Abraham, the Gospel. That in you shall all the nations be blessed. So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham. Through the same faith. For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, that Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. Having shown how faith justifies the Gentiles, and having given testimony of this from the divine Scripture, he shows 95.796 that those who abide in the law also become cursed. But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for, the just shall live by faith. But the law is not of faith, but, he who does them shall live in them. He accepted as conceded that no one is justified in the law. For since he had said before that he who does not fulfill the whole law is cursed, and it was impossible for a man to fulfill it, for this reason he declared boldly. Christ has redeemed you from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written: Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. The people were liable to the curse that condemns the one who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the law. But Christ exchanged this for another curse, the one that says: Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. Since therefore both the one who hangs is cursed, and the one who transgresses the law is cursed, and the one who was to loose that curse ought not to have become liable to it, but ought to have received a curse in its place, I mean of the one that condemns him who does not abide by all the things written, for this reason, he became free from the one; for no deceit was found in his mouth; but he took this one, which makes the one hanging on a tree liable to itself, and through it he loosed that one; and just as when someone is condemned to die, another who is not liable chooses to die for him and snatches him from the punishment, so also did Christ; therefore, just as the one who died without liability delivered those who were about to die from death by his own death, so also Christ, having received a curse, delivered from the curse. That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus. How upon the Gentiles? In your seed, he says, shall the nations be blessed, that is, of the Lord. For as he says somewhere: He did not say, And to your seeds, as of many, but, To your seed, as of one, that is, Christ. For it was not possible for the Gentiles to be blessed through the Jews. For how could those who are of the law, being cursed, be agents of blessing for others? That we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. For since it was not the grace

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ἐπιχορηγῶν ὑμῖν τὸ Πνεῦμα, καὶ ἐνεργῶν δυνάμεις ἐν ὑμῖν, ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, ἢ ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστεως; Ὃ εἶπεν ἀνωτέρω, καὶ νυνὶ ἐπιλαμβάνει, ἐκδυσωπῶν αὐτοὺς τῇ δωρεᾷ ὧν εἰλήφεσαν χαρισμάτων. Καθὼς Ἀβραὰμ ἐπίστευσε τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην. Ἐπειδὴ οἱ Ἰουδαΐζειν ἀναγκάζοντες, πρεσβύτερον ἔλεγον τὸν νόμον τῆς πίστεως, ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου δείκνυσιν ὁ Παῦλος πρεσβυτέραν τὴν πίστιν ἐκ τῆς περιτομῆς. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ μέγα ἐφρόνουν τῷ προπάτορι Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ ἐκ τούτου πάλιν αὐτοὺς ἐκδυσωπεῖ. Εἰ γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ ἐφ' ᾧ φρονοῦσι μέγα, φαίνεται πρῶτος τὴν πίστιν δεξάμενος, καὶ δι' αὐτῆς φίλος προσηγορευόμενος Θεοῦ, πόσῳ μᾶλλον οὗτοι προσδραμοῦνται αὐτῇ, εἴ γε τὴν ἐκείνου αὐχοῦσι συγγένειαν; Γινώσκετε ἄρα ὅτι οἱ ἐκ πίστεως, οὗτοί εἰσιν υἱοὶ Ἀβραάμ. ∆είκνυσιν τὰ ἔθνη μᾶλλον διὰ τῆς πίστεως αὐχοῦντα πατέρα τὸν Ἀβραὰμ, ἢ τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς. Τὸν γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ φίλον ἐποίησε Θεοῦ ἡ πίστις, οὐχ ἡ περιτομὴ, εἴ γε σφραγὶς καὶ σημεῖον τῆς πίστεως γέγονεν ἡ περιτομή· τὸ δὲ σημεῖον ἐκείνου οὗ ἐστι σημεῖον, ἔλασσόν ἐστιν, ὥστε οἱ ἐκ πίστεως, μᾶλλον κληθεῖεν εἰκότως τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ υἱοὶ, ἢ οἱ ἐκ τῆς περιτομῆς, καὶ τοσούτῳ ὅσῳ χρυσὸς τῆς σφραγίδος αὐτοῦ. Προϊδοῦσα ἡ Γραφὴ, ὅτι ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοῖ τὰ ἔθνη ὁ Θεός. Ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ ἐνθυμηματικῶς τοῦτο κατασκευάζειν, καὶ τὴν Γραφὴν περὶ τούτου μαρτυροῦσαν φέρει. Προευηγγελίσατο τῷ Ἀβραάμ. Ὅρα πῶς τὴν περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν συγγένειαν γινομένην πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ, Εὐαγγέλιον ἐκάλεσεν ἡ Γραφή. Ὅτι ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν σοὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Ὥστε οἱ ἐκ πίστεως εὐλογοῦνται σὺν τῷ πιστῷ Ἀβραάμ. ∆ιὰ τῆς ὁμοίας πίστεως. Ὅσοι γὰρ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου εἰσὶν, ὑπὸ κατάραν εἰσίν. Γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὃς οὐκ ἐμμένει πᾶσι τοῖς γεγραμμένοις ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τοῦ νόμου τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτά. ∆είξας ὡς ἡ πίστις τὰ ἔθνη δικαιοῖ, καὶ τούτου μαρτυρίαν ἐκ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς δεδωκὼς, δείκνυ 95.796 σιν ὡς καὶ κατάρατοι γίνονται οἱ ἐμμένοντες τῷ νόμῳ. Ὅτι δὲ ἐν νόμῳ οὐδεὶς δικαιοῦται παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, δῆλον ὅτι ὁ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται. Ὁ δὲ νόμος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ πίστεως, ἀλλὰ ὁ ποιήσας αὐτὰ, ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ὡς ὁμολογούμενον ἐδέξατο τὸ μὴ δικαιοῦσθαι ἐν νόμῳ τινά. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ προεῖπεν, ἐπικατάρατον ὄντα τὸν μὴ πληροῦντα πάντα τὸν νόμον, ἀδύνατον δὲ ἦν ἄνθρωπον πληρῶσαι αὐτὸν, τούτου χάριν θαῤῥῶν ἀπεφήνατο. Χριστὸς ὑμᾶς ἐξηγόρασεν ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νόμου, γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα· ὅτι γέγραπται· Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὁ κρεμάμενος ἐπὶ ξύλου. Ὁ μὲν λαὸς κατάρᾳ ὑπεύθυνος ἦν τῇ καταδικαζούσῃ τὸν μὴ ἐμμένοντα πᾶσι τοῖς γεγραμμένοις ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τοῦ νόμου. Ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς ἑτέραν κατάραν ταύτης ἀντηλλάξατο τὴν λέγουσαν· Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὁ κρεμάμενος ἐπὶ ξύλου. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ ὁ κρεμάμενος ἐπικατάρατος, καὶ ὁ τὸν νόμον παραβαίνων ἐπικατάρατος, τὸν μέλλοντα δὲ ἐκείνην λύειν τὴν κατάραν, ὑπεύθυνον οὐκ ἔδει γενέσθαι αὐτῇ, ἔδει δὲ δέξασθαι κατάραν ἀντ' ἐκείνης, τῆς καταδικαζούσης λέγω, τὸν μὴ ἐμμένοντα πᾶσι τοῖς γεγραμμένοις, τούτου χάριν, τῆς μὲν ἐλεύθερος γέγονεν· Οὐχ εὑρέθη γὰρ δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ· ταύτην δὲ ἔλαβεν, τὴν ὑπεύθυνον ἑαυτῇ ποιοῦσαν τὸν κρεμάμενον ἐπὶ ξύλου, καὶ δι' αὐτῆς ἐκείνην ἔλυσεν· καὶ καθάπερ τινὸς καταδικασθέντος ἀποθανεῖν, ἕτερος ἀνεύθυνος ἑλόμενος ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου ἀποθανεῖν ἐξαρπάζει τῆς τιμωρίας αὐτὸν, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐποίησεν· ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ ἀποθανὼν ἀνεύθυνος τοὺς ἀποθανεῖν μέλλοντας ἐξείλετο θανάτου τῷ ἑαυτοῦ θανάτῳ, οὕτω καὶ κατάραν δεξάμενος ὁ Χριστὸς, τῆς κατάρας ἀπήλλαξεν. Ἵνα εἰς τὰ ἔθνη ἡ εὐλογία τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ γένηται ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Πῶς εἰς τὰ ἔθνη; Ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου, φησὶν, εὐλογηθήσονται τὰ ἔθνη, τουτέστι Κυρίου. Ὡς γὰρ αὐτός πού φησιν· Οὐκ εἶπε, Καὶ τοῖς σπέρμασί σου, ὡς ἐπὶ πολλῶν, ἀλλὰ, Τῷ σπερματί σου, ὡς ἐφ' ἑνὸς, τουτέστι Χριστῷ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ δυνατὸν ἦν διὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων εὐλογεῖσθαι τὰ ἔθνη. Πῶς γὰρ οἱ ἐκ τοῦ νόμου ὄντες ἐπικατάρατοι, ἑτέροις εὐλογίας γίνονται πρόξενοι; Ἵνα τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Πνεύματος λάβωμεν διὰ τῆς πίστεως. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἦν τὴν χάριν