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to enter upon a defense of the accusations, and bringing into the middle what is talked about by all, to refute it. And before entering into a clear defense of these things, he already sows the seeds of it beforehand. For when he says, "Whose is the adoption and the glory and the lawgiving and the worship and the promises," he says nothing else than that God indeed wished them to be saved (and this He showed by what He did before, and by Christ being born from them, and by what He promised to the fathers); but they, from their own ingratitude, rejected the benefit. For this reason he also puts those things which are indicative of God's gift alone, not praises of them; for indeed the adoption was of His grace, and the glory and the promises and the law. Having considered all these things, and having reckoned how much zeal God with His Son made to save them, he cried out loudly, and said: "Who is blessed forever. Amen"; offering thanksgiving for all things himself to the Only-begotten of God. For what if others blaspheme, he says, but we who know his secret things, and the ineffable wisdom, and the great providence, know clearly that he is worthy not to be blasphemed, but to be glorified. But not content with his conscience, he then tries to set forth a reasoning, and to use a stronger argument against them; and he does not address himself to them until he has removed their suspicion. For lest he should seem to be speaking as to enemies, he goes on to say: "Brethren, the good pleasure of my heart, and my prayer to God, is for them unto salvation"; and here also with the other things which he has said, he was taking care not to seem to speak out of enmity the things which he was about to say against them; wherefore he does not refuse to call them kinsmen and brethren. For even if he said what he said for Christ's sake, yet he still attracts their attention, and prepares the way for his argument, and frees himself from all suspicion on account of the things that were about to be said against them, and then at last he enters into the argument sought by the many. For many were asking, as I said before, for what reason those who received the promise fell away, while those who had never heard of it were saved before them. Therefore, resolving this difficulty, 60.553 he brings on the solution before the objection. For lest anyone should say: "What then? Do you care more for the glory of God than God for His own? And, Does He need help from you, so that His word may not fail?" standing against these things he says: But I have said these things, "Not as though the word of God has failed," but that I might show my affection for Christ. For even with things turning out this way, we are not at a loss for arguments on God's behalf, he says, and to show that the promise stands. God said to Abraham: "To you and to your seed I will give the land"; and, "In your seed shall all the nations be blessed." Let us see then what the seed is, he says; for not all who are from him are his seeds; for which reason he also said: "For not all who are from Israel, these are Israel; nor because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children." 4. If, then, you learn what the seed of Abraham is, you will see the promise given to his seed, and you will know that the word did not fail. What then is the seed, tell me? It is not I who say it, he says, but the Old Testament itself interprets itself, speaking thus: "In Isaac shall your seed be called." What is, "In Isaac"? Interpret. That is, not the children of the flesh, these are children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as seed. And see Paul's understanding and greatness of mind; for in interpreting he did not say, "Not the children of the flesh, these are children of Abraham," but, "The children of God"; joining the old things with the present, and showing that not even Isaac was simply a child of Abraham. But what he says is this: As many as were born according to Isaac, these are children of God, and the seed of Abraham. For this reason he said, "In Isaac shall your seed be called," that you might learn that those who are born in this way, according to Isaac, these are most of all the seed of Abraham. How then

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ἀπολογίαν ἐμβῆναι τῶν ἐγκλημάτων, καὶ τὰ θρυλλούμενα παρὰ πάντων εἰς μέσον ἄγων, ἀνατρέψαι. Καὶ πρὶν εἰς τὴν σαφῆ τούτων ἀπολογίαν ἐμβῆναι, τὰ σπέρματα αὐτῆς ἤδη προκαταβάλλεται. Ὅταν γὰρ λέγῃ, Ὧν ἡ υἱοθεσία καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ ἡ νομοθεσία καὶ ἡ λατρεία καὶ αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι, οὐδὲν ἄλλο φησὶν, ἢ ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς μὲν αὐτοὺς ἐβούλετο σωθῆναι (καὶ τοῦτο ἐδήλωσε δι' ὧν ἔμπροσθεν ἐποίησε, καὶ δι' ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐξ ἐκείνων ἐγένετο, καὶ δι' ὧν τοῖς πατράσιν ἐπηγγείλατο)· αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐξ οἰκείας ἀγνωμοσύνης ἀπεκρούσαντο τὴν εὐεργεσίαν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐκεῖνα τίθησιν, ἅπερ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεᾶς ἐστιν ἐνδεικτικὰ μόνον, οὐκ ἐκείνων ἐγκώμια· καὶ γὰρ ἡ υἱοθεσία τῆς αὐτοῦ γέγονε χάριτος, καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι καὶ ὁ νόμος. Ἅπερ ἅπαντα ἐννοήσας, καὶ λογισάμενος πόσην ὁ Θεὸς μετὰ τοῦ Παιδὸς ἐποιήσατο τὴν σπουδὴν σῶσαι αὐτοὺς, ἀνεβόησε μέγα, καὶ εἶπεν· Ὅς ἐστιν εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν· τὴν ὑπὲρ πάντων εὐχαριστίαν ἀναφέρων αὐτὸς τῷ Μονογενεῖ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τί γὰρ, εἰ καὶ ἕτεροι βλασφημοῦσι, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς οἱ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα εἰδότες αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν σοφίαν τὴν ἄφατον, καὶ τὴν πρόνοιαν τὴν πολλὴν, ἴσμεν σαφῶς, ὅτι οὐ τοῦ βλασφημεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ τοῦ δοξάζεσθαι ἄξιος. Οὐκ ἀρκεσθεὶς δὲ αὐτοῦ τῷ συνειδότι, πειρᾶται καὶ λογισμὸν τιθέναι λοιπὸν, καὶ σφοδροτέρῳ κεχρῆσθαι κατ' αὐτῶν τῷ λόγῳ· καὶ οὐ πρότερον ἀποτείνεται πρὸς αὐτοὺς, ἕως τὴν ὑπόνοιαν τὴν αὐτῶν περιεῖλεν. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ δόξῃ ὡς ἐχθροῖς διαλέγεσθαι, καὶ προϊών φησιν· Ἀδελφοὶ, ἡ μὲν εὐδοκία τῆς ἐμῆς καρδίας, καὶ ἡ δέησις ἡ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἐστιν εἰς σωτηρίαν· καὶ ἐνταῦθα δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων, ὧν εἴρηκε, κατεσκεύαζε τὸ μὴ δόξαι δι' ἔχθραν λέγειν, ἅπερ ἔμελλε κατ' αὐτῶν ἐρεῖν· διόπερ οὐδὲ συγγενεῖς αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀδελφοὺς παραιτεῖται ὀνομάζειν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν ἔλεγεν, ἅπερ ἔλεγεν, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων ἐπισπᾶται διάνοιαν, καὶ προοδοποιεῖ τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ πάσης ἑαυτὸν ὑποψίας ἀπαλλάττει διὰ τὰ μέλλοντα κατ' αὐτῶν λεχθήσεσθαι, καὶ τότε λοιπὸν ἐμβαίνει εἰς τὸν παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν ζητούμενον λόγον. Καὶ γὰρ ἐζήτουν πολλοὶ, καθάπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, τίνος ἕνεκεν οἱ μὲν δεξάμενοι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ἐξέπεσον, οἱ δὲ μὴ ἀκούσαντες αὐτῆς πώποτε, πρὸ ἐκείνων ἐσώθησαν. Ταύτην τοίνυν λύων τὴν ἀπορίαν, 60.553 πρὸ τῆς ἀντιθέσεως τὴν λύσιν ἐπάγει. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγῃ τις· Τί οὖν; σὺ μᾶλλον φροντίζεις τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἢ ὁ Θεὸς τῆς ἑαυτοῦ; καὶ, Τῆς παρὰ σοῦ δεῖται βοηθείας, ὥστε μὴ ἐκπεσεῖν αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον; πρὸς ταῦτα ἱστάμενός φησι· Ταῦτα δὲ εἶπον, Οὐχ οἷον ὅτι ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκπέπτωκεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα δείξω τὸ περὶ τὸν Χριστὸν φίλτρον. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ οὕτω τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκβάντων, οὐκ ἀποροῦμεν τῶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγων, φησὶ, καὶ τοῦ δεῖξαι, ὅτι ἕστηκεν ἡ ἐπαγγελία. Εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Ἀβραάμ· Σοὶ καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου δώσω τὴν γῆν· καὶ, Ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Ἴδωμεν οὖν ποῖόν ἐστι τὸ σπέρμα, φησίν· οὐ γὰρ πάντες οἱ ἐξ αὐτοῦ σπέρματα αὐτοῦ εἰσι· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Οὐ γὰρ πάντες οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, οὗτοι Ἰσραήλ· οὐδ' ὅτι εἰσὶ σπέρμα Ἀβραὰμ, πάντες τέκνα. δʹ. Ἂν τοίνυν μάθῃς ποῖόν ἐστι τὸ σπέρμα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, ὄψει δοθεῖσαν τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ, καὶ γνώσῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἐξέπεσεν ὁ λόγος. Ποῖον οὖν ἐστιν, εἰπέ μοι, τὸ σπέρμα; Οὐκ ἐγὼ λέγω, φησὶν, ἀλλ' αὐτὴ ἡ Παλαιὰ ἑαυτὴν ἑρμηνεύει, οὕτω λέγουσα· Ἐν Ἰσαὰκ κληθήσεταί σοι σπέρμα. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐν Ἰσαὰκ, ἑρμήνευσον. Τουτέστιν, οὐ τὰ τέκνα τῆς σαρκὸς, ταῦτα τέκνα Θεοῦ· ἀλλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας λογίζεται εἰς σπέρμα. Καὶ ὅρα Παύλου σύνεσιν καὶ μεγαλόνοιαν· ἑρμηνεύων γὰρ οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Οὐ τὰ τέκνα τῆς σαρκὸς, ταῦτα τέκνα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, ἀλλὰ, Τὰ τέκνα τοῦ Θεοῦ· τῷ παρόντι τὰ παλαιὰ συνάπτων, καὶ δεικνὺς, ὅτι οὐδὲ Ἰσαὰκ ἁπλῶς τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τέκνον ἦν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει,τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ὅσοι κατὰ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ ἐγεννήθησαν, οὗτοι τέκνα τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσι, καὶ σπέρμα τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο εἶπεν, Ἐν Ἰσαὰκ κληθήσεταί σοισπέρμα, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οἱ τῷ τρόπῳ τούτῳ γεννώμενοι τῷ κατὰ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ, οὗτοι μάλιστά εἰσι τὸ σπέρμα τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. Πῶς οὖν