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of the Spirit to come into one who is unclean and has offended, they are first blessed, the curse having been removed; then, being justified through faith, they draw to themselves the grace of the Spirit. So that the cross loosed the curse, faith brought in righteousness, and righteousness drew forth the grace of the Spirit. I speak after the manner of men, brethren; yet no one annuls or adds to a man's 95.797 ratified covenant. Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, 'And to your seed,' which is Christ. Now this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise. But God has granted it to Abraham by a promise. The argument is from human examples, he says; for this is the meaning of, I speak after the manner of men. And the meaning is this: He promised to Abraham to bless the nations through his seed; and his seed according to the flesh is Christ. The law came four hundred and thirty years later. If, therefore, the law bestows the blessings and life and righteousness, that promise is void. Then, no one annuls a man's covenant; but is God's covenant annulled after four hundred and thirty years? For if what that [covenant] promised, it does not give, but another in its place, that is, the law, the covenant has been cast out; and how could this make sense? Instead of, 'or adds to it.' What then is the law? It was added because of transgressions. Lest anyone think the law superfluous, this part is also corrected, showing that it was not given in vain, but very usefully, so that it would not be permitted for the Jews to live without fear and to slip into the uttermost wickedness, but that the law would be set over them as a bridle, instructing, regulating, preventing them from transgressing, if not all, yet at least some of the commandments. So the benefit of the law is not small. But until when? Until the seed should come to whom He had made the promise. Until the seed should come which was promised through the ordinance of angels. By seed, he means Christ. And he says: It was given until the coming of Christ; why do you drag it further and beyond its time? By the hand of a Mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one; but God is one. Here he means Christ, who also long ago had given the law. And if He Himself gave the law, He would also be Lord to loose it again. Is the law then against the promises of God? By no means. For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. For if the blessings are given to the seed of Abraham, but the law introduces a curse, then the law is against the promises of God. See, then, how he resolves it. First by the prohibition, saying, 'By no means'; which [would be] most exceedingly absurd, he then establishes with a firm argument. And it is this: If, he says, we had the hope of life in the law itself, perhaps they would be right in saying these things. But if our salvation and life are from faith, even if it makes those 95.800 accursed, we are in no way harmed when that [faith] comes and looses all things. But the Scripture has concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up for the faith which was to be revealed. Since the Jews were proud-minded, and this was what made them wretched, for this reason the law was given, convicting them of their sin, and making them under a curse, so that knowing they were in the uttermost straits, they would long for the faith through Christ, which also looses sin. Therefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. But the schoolmaster is not opposed to the teacher, but prepares the way for him. But if one becomes possessed of learning from the teacher, he is then ashamed to remain any longer with the schoolmaster. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. But not through the law

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τοῦ Πνεύματος εἰς ἀκάθαρτον καὶ προσκεκρουκότα ἐλθεῖν, εὐλογοῦνται πρῶτον, τῆς κατάρας ἀφαιρεθείσης· εἶτα διὰ τῆς πίστεως δικαιωθέντες ἐπισπῶνται τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν χάριν. Ὥστε ὁ μὲν σταυρὸς τὴν κατάραν ἔλυσεν, ἡ δὲ πίστις τὴν δικαιοσύνην εἰσήγαγεν, ἡ δὲ δικαιοσύνη τὴν χάριν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐπεσπάσατο. Κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω, ἀδελφοί· ὅμως ἀνθρώπου 95.797 κεκυρωμένην διαθήκην οὐδεὶς ἀθετεῖ, ἢ ἐπιδιατάσσεται. Τῷ δὲ Ἀβραὰμ ἐῤῥέθησαν αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι, καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ. Οὐ λέγει, Καὶ τοῖς σπέρμασιν, ὡς ἐπὶ πολλῶν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐφ' ἑνὸς, Καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου, ὅς ἐστι Χριστός. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγω, διαθήκην προκεκυρωμένην ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ μετὰ τετρακόσια καὶ τριάκοντα ἔτη γεγονὼς νόμος οὐκ ἀκυροῖ εἰς τὸ καταργῆσαι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκ νόμου ἡ κληρονομία, οὐκέτι ἐξ ἐπαγγελίας. Τῷ δὲ Ἀβραὰμ δι' ἐπαγγελίας κεχάρισται ὁ Θεός. Ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνων μὲν παραδειγμάτων ὁ λόγος, φησί· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω. Ὁ δὲ νοῦς οὗτος· Ἐπηγγείλατο τῷ Ἀβραὰμ διὰσπέρματος αὐτοῦ εὐλογῆσαι τὰ ἔθνη· σπέρμα δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐστι κατὰ σάρκα ὁ Χριστός. Ἦλθε μετὰ τετρακόσια καὶ τριάκοντα ἔτη νόμος. Εἰ τοίνυν ὁ νόμος χαρίζεται τὰς εὐλογίας καὶ τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην, ἡ ἐπαγγελία ἐκείνη ἄκυρός ἐστιν. Εἶτα ἀνθρώπου μὲν οὐδεὶς ἀθετεῖ διαθήκην· τοῦ δὲ Θεοῦ μετὰ τετρακόσια καὶ τριάκοντα ἔτη ἀκυροῦται ἡ διαθήκη. Εἰ γὰρ ἃ ἐπηγγείλατο ἐκείνη, οὐκ ἐκείνη δίδωσιν, ἀλλ' ἕτερος ἀντ' ἐκείνης, τουτέστιν ὁ νόμος, ἐκβέβληται ἡ διαθήκη· καὶ πῶς ἂν ἔχοι τοῦτο λόγον; Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἢ προστίθησιν. Τί οὖν ὁ νόμος; τῶν παραβάσεων χάριν προσετέθη. Ἵνα μή τις νομίσῃ περιττὸν τὸν νόμον, καὶ τοῦτο διορθοῦται τὸ μέρος, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ εἰκῆ, ἀλλὰ πάνυ χρησίμως ἐδόθη, ἵνα μὴ ἐξῇ Ἰουδαίους ἀδεῶς ζῇν, καὶ εἰς ἔσχατον ἐξολισθαίνειν κακίας, ἀλλὰ ἀντὶ χαλινοῦ ὁ νόμος αὐτοῖς ἐπικείμενος ᾖ, παιδεύων, ῥυθμίζων, κωλύων παραβαίνειν, εἰ καὶ μὴ πάσας, ἀλλ' ὅμως κἂν ἐνίας τῶν ἐντολῶν. Ὥστε οὐ μικρὸν τὸ κέρδος τοῦ νόμου. Ἀλλ' ἄχρι τίνος; Ἄχρις οὗ ἔλθῃ τὸ σπέρμα ᾧ ἐπηγγείλατο. Ἄχρις οὗ ἔλθῃ τὸ σπέρμα ὃ ἐπήγγελται διὰ διαταγῆς δι' ἀγγέλων. Σπέρμα μὲν τὸν Χριστόν φησι. Λέγει δέ· Μέχρι τῆς Χριστοῦ παρουσίας δέδοται· τί περαιτέρω καὶ καρὰ καιρὸν αὐτὸν ἕλκεις; Ἐν χειρὶ Μεσίτου. Ὁ δὲ Μεσίτης ἑνὸς οὐκ ἔστιν· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς εἷς ἐστιν. Τὸν Χριστὸν ἐνταῦθά φησι, τὸν καὶ πάλαι δεδωκότα τὸν νόμον. Εἰ δὲ τὸν νόμον αὐτὸς ἔδωκε, κύριος ἂν εἴη καὶ λῦσαι πάλιν. Ὁ οὖν νόμος κατὰ τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ; μὴ γένοιτο. Εἰ γὰρ ἐδόθη νόμος ὁ δυνάμενος ζωοποιῆσαι, ὄντως ἐκ νόμου ἦν ἡ δικαιοσύνη. Εἰ γὰρ τῷ σπέρματι τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ αἱ εὐλογίαι δέδονται, ὁ δὲ νόμος κατάραν εἰσάγει, ἄρα κατὰ τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ νόμος. Πῶς οὖν λύει αὐτὸν, σκόπει. Πρῶτον μὲν τῇ ἀπαγορεύσει τὸ, Μὴ γένοιτο, λέγων· ὅπερ [ἦν] σφόδρα ἀτοπώτατον, τίθεται ἔπειτα λογισμῷ βεβαίῳ. Ἔστι δὲ οὗτος· Εἰ μὲν ἐν αὐτῷ, φησὶ, τῷ νόμῳ τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς ζωῆς εἴχομεν, ἴσως καλῶς ταῦτα ἔλεγον. Εἰ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως ἡ σωτηρία ἡμῖν καὶ ἡ ζωὴ, κἂν ἐπικαταράτους ἐκείνους 95.800 ποιήσῃ, οὐδὲν ἐβλάβημεν ἐρχομένης ἐκείνης, καὶ πάντα λυούσης. Ἀλλὰ συνέκλεισεν ἡ Γραφὴ ἅπαντα ὑφ' ἁμαρτίαν, ἵνα ἡ ἐπαγγελία ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δοθῇ τοῖς πιστεύουσι. Πρὸ τοῦ δὲ ἐλθεῖν τὴν πίστιν, ὑπὸ νόμον ἐφρουρούμεθα συγκλειόμενοι εἰς τὴν μέλλουσαν πίστιν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι. Ἐπειδὴ μεγάλα ἐφρόνουν Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ τοῦτο ἦν αὐτοὺς τὸ ταλαιπώρους ἐργασάμενον, τούτου χάριν ὁ νόμος ἐδόθη, ἐλέγχων αὐτῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ ὑπὸ κατάραν ποιῶν, ἵνα εἰδότες ὡς ἐν ἐσχάτοις εἰσὶ, τὴν πίστιν ποθήσωσι τὴν διὰ Χριστοῦ, τὴν καὶ λύουσαν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Ὥστε ὁ νόμος παιδαγωγὸς ἡμῶν γέγονεν εἰς Χριστὸν, ἵνα ἐκ πίστεως δικαιωθῶμεν. Ἐλθούσης δὲ τῆς πίστεως, οὐκέτι ὑπὸ παιδαγωγόν ἐσμεν. Ὁ δὲ παιδαγωγὸς οὐκ ἐναντίος τῷ διδασκάλῳ, ἀλλὰ προοδοποιῶν αὐτῷ. Εἰ δέ τις ἐν ἕξει γένηται μαθημάτων παρὰ τοῦ διδασκάλου, αἰσχύνεται λοιπὸν ἐμμένειν ἔτι τῷ παιδαγωγῷ. Πάντες γὰρ υἱοὶ Θεοῦ ἐστε διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Ἀλλ' οὐ διὰ τοῦ νόμου