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dispensation concerning them, and their submissiveness and readiness for the call. What is, I judge? Instead of, With authority I say this is so. But to write to them, he says, to abstain from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood. For these, though they are corporeal, yet are necessary to be observed, since they wrought great evils. And lest anyone should object, Why do we not write the same things to the Jews also? he added, saying, Moses from generations of old has in every city those who preach him? that is, Moses discourses to them continually. For this is the meaning of, being read every Sabbath. See how great the condescension is. Where it did no harm, he set a teacher over them, and bestowed a grace that was no hindrance, permitting Jews to hear him in all things, and leading away those from the Gentiles; then through those things by which he seemed to honor him, and to set him over his own, by these he led the Gentiles away from him. Why then do they not learn from him? Through 60.242 their own disobedience. From this he shows, that even these ought to observe nothing more. But if we do not write, it is not as if they ought to observe anything more, but as having him who speaks. And he did not say, Not to scandalize them nor to subvert them, which Paul says to the Galatians, but, Not to trouble them; which shows no right action was involved, but only a troubling. Thus he loosed the whole thing. And he seems both to keep the law by taking these things from it, but he loosed it by taking these alone. And yet he had often discoursed to them concerning these things; but that he might seem also to honor the law, and saying these things not as from Moses, but as from the apostles, and that he might make the commandments many, he divided the one. This especially gave them rest. But the dispute also happened by way of dispensation, that after the dispute the decree might be more firm. Then it seemed good to the apostles, he says, to send men who were leaders among the brethren. Not just any men, but they send chosen leaders; To those throughout Antioch, he says, and Syria and Cilicia, where the disease was born. 3. See how they say nothing burdensome against those men, but look to one thing only, so as to overturn what had been done; for this made even the seditious there to consent. They did not say, that the deceivers, the corrupters, and such things; and yet where it was needed, Paul does it, as when he says: O full of all guile; but here, since the matter was set right, there was no longer a need. And see, they do not put, that some from us commanded you to keep the law; but, They have troubled you with words, subverting. Nothing is more precise than the wording; no one spoke thus. subverting, he says, the souls already established, as if dismantling a building that had been constructed by them. To whom, he says, we gave no such commandment. It seemed good to us, therefore, being assembled with one accord with our beloved. If they are beloved, they will not despise them; if they have given up their souls, they themselves are also worthy of credit. We have sent therefore, he says, Judas and Silas, themselves also reporting the same things by word of mouth. For it was necessary that not only the letter be present, lest they should say that they had snatched it, that they said one thing for another. The encomium concerning Paul stopped their mouths. For this reason neither Paul comes alone nor Barnabas, but others also from the Church, so that he might not be suspect, since he himself was a champion of the doctrine; nor do those from Jerusalem come alone. He shows how they are worthy of credit; not making themselves equal, he says; they are not so mad. For this reason also he added, Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; and for what reason did he say, It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, although it would have been sufficient to say, To the Holy Spirit? The To the Holy Spirit, that they might not think it to be human; the And to us, that they might be taught that they themselves also accept it, even being of the circumcision. To lay upon you, he says, no greater burden. They say these things, because the word was still for weak men, and for them that were afraid; for this reason this also is added. But it shows that the word is not one of condescension, nor

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περὶ αὐτοὺς οἰκονομίαν, καὶ τὸ τούτων καταπειθὲς καὶ ἕτοιμον εἰς τὴν κλῆσιν. Τί ἐστι, Κρίνω ἐγώ; Ἀντὶ τοῦ, μετ' ἐξουσίας λέγω τοῦτο εἶναι. Ἀλλ' ἐπιστεῖλαι αὐτοῖς τοῦ ἀπέχεσθαι, φησὶν, ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλισγημάτων τῶν εἰδώλων καὶ τῆς πορνείας καὶ τοῦ πνικτοῦ καὶ τοῦ αἵματος. Αὗται γὰρ εἰ καὶ σωματικαὶ, ἀλλ' ἀναγκαῖαι φυλάττεσθαι, ἐπειδὴ μεγάλα εἰργάζοντο κακά. Καὶ ἵνα μή τις ἀνθυπενέγκῃ, ∆ιὰ τί μὴ καὶ Ἰουδαίοις τὰ αὐτὰ ἐπιστέλλομεν; ἐπήγαγε λέγων· Μωϋσῆς ἐκ γενεῶν ἀρχαίων κατὰ πόλιν τοὺς κηρύσσοντας ἑαυτὸν ἔχει; τουτέστι, Μωϋσῆς αὐτοῖς διαλέγεται συνεχῶς. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Κατὰ πᾶν σάββατον ἀναγινωσκόμενος. Ὅρα πόση ἡ συγκατάβασις. Ἔνθα οὐδὲν ἔβλαπτεν, ἐπέστησεν αὐτοῖς διδάσκαλον, καὶ ἐχαρίσατο χάριν οὐδὲν ἐμποδίζουσαν, ἐπιτρέψας Ἰουδαίοις ἀκούειν αὐτοῦ κατὰ πάντα, καὶ ἀπάγων τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν· εἶτα δι' ὧν ἔδοξεν αὐτὸν τιμᾷν, καὶ ἐφιστάναι τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ, διὰ τούτων ἀπήγαγε τὰ ἔθνη ἐξ αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὰ τί οὖν μὴ παρ' αὐτοῦ μανθάνουσι; ∆ιὰ 60.242 τὴν οἰκείαν ἀπείθειαν. Ἐντεῦθεν δείκνυσιν, ὅτι καὶ τούτους οὐδὲν πλέον δεῖ φυλάττειν. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἐπιστέλλομεν, οὐχ ὡς ὀφειλόντων αὐτῶν πλέον τι φυλάττειν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐχόντων τὸν λέγοντα. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Μὴ σκανδαλίζειν αὐτοὺς μηδὲ καταστρέφειν, ὅπερ Παῦλος λέγει Γαλάταις, ἀλλὰ, Μὴ παρενοχλεῖν· ὅπερ οὐδὲν δείκνυσιν ὃν τὸ κατόρθωμα, ἀλλ' ἢ μόνον ἐνόχλησιν. Οὕτως ἐξέλυσε τὸ πᾶν. Καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν καὶ τὸν νόμον τηρεῖν τῷ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ταῦτα λαβεῖν, ἔλυσε δὲ αὐτὸν τῷ μόνα λαβεῖν. Καίτοι γε πολλάκις αὐτοῖς ὑπὲρ τούτων διελέχθη· ἀλλ' ἵνα δόξῃ καὶ τὸν νόμον τιμᾷν, καὶ ταῦτα οὐχ ὡς ἀπὸ Μωϋσέως λέγων, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων, καὶ ἵνα πολλὰς ποιήσῃ τὰς ἐντολὰς, τὴν μίαν διεῖλε. Τοῦτο μάλιστα αὐτοὺς ἀνέπαυσεν. Οἰκονομικῶς δὲ γέγονε καὶ ἡ ἀντιλογία, ἵνα μετὰ τὴν ἀντιλογίαν βεβαιότερον ἦ τὸ δόγμα. Τότε ἔδοξε τοῖς ἀποστόλοις, φησὶν, ἄνδρας ἡγουμένους ἐν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς πέμψαι. Οὐ τοὺς τυχόντας, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἡγουμένους πέμπουσιν ἐκλεξάμενοι· Τοῖς κατὰ Ἀντιόχειαν, φησὶ, καὶ Συρίαν καὶ Κιλικίαν, ἔνθα τὸ νόσημα ἐτέχθη. γʹ. Ὅρα μηδὲν φορτικὸν κατ' ἐκείνων λέγοντας, ἀλλ' εἰς ἓν ὁρῶντας μόνον, ὥστε ἀνατρέψαι τὸ γεγενημένον· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ τοὺς ἐκεῖ στασιάζοντας ὁμολογῆσαι ἐποίει. Οὐκ εἶπον, ὅτι οἱ ἀπατεῶνες, οἱ λυμεῶνες, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα· καίτοι ἔνθα ἐχρῆν, ποιεῖ αὐτὸ Παῦλος, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Ὢ πλήρης παντὸς δόλου· ἐνταῦθα δὲ κατορθωθέντος, οὐκ ἔτι χρεία ἦν. Καὶ ὅρα, οὐ τιθέασιν, ὅτι τινὲς ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐκέλευσαν ὑμᾶς τὸν νόμον τηρεῖν· ἀλλ', Ἐτάραξαν ὑμᾶς λόγοις ἀνασκευάζοντες. Οὐδὲν κυριώτερον τῆς λέξεως· οὐδεὶς οὕτως εἶπε. Τὰς ἤδη βεβαιωθείσας ψυχὰς, φησὶν, ἀνασκευάζοντες, καθάπερ ἐπὶ οἰκοδομῆς τὰ ὑπ' ἐκείνων γεγενημένα τιθέντες. Οἷς, φησὶν, οὐ διεστειλάμεθα. Ἔδοξεν οὖν ἡμῖν γενομένοις ὁμοθυμαδὸν σὺν τοῖς ἀγαπητοῖς. Εἰ ἀγαπητοὶ, οὐ καταφρονήσουσιν αὐτῶν· εἰ παρέδωκαν τὰς ψυχὰς, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀξιόπιστοί εἰσιν. Ἀπεστάλκαμεν οὖν, φησὶν, Ἰούδαν καὶ Σίλαν, καὶ αὐτοὺς διὰ λόγου ἀπαγγέλλοντας τὰ αὐτά. Ἔδει γὰρ μὴ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν παρεῖναι μόνον, ἵνα μὴ λέγωσιν, ὅτι συνήρπασαν, ὅτι ἄλλα ἀντ' ἄλλων εἶπαν. Τὸ ἐγκώμιον τὸ περὶ Παῦλον ἐνέφραξεν αὐτῶν τὰ στόματα. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο οὔτε Παῦλος ἔρχεται μόνον οὔτε Βαρνάβας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλοι ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἵνα μὴ ὕποπτος ᾖ, ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸς ἀντελαμβάνετο τοῦ δόγματος, οὔτε οἱ ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων μόνοι. ∆είκνυσι πῶς ἀξιόπιστοί εἰσιν· οὐκ ἐξισοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς, φησίν· οὐχ οὕτω μαίνονται. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ τὸ, Ἀνθρώποις παραδεδωκόσι τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, προσέθηκε· καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν εἶπεν, Ἔδοξε τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι καὶ ἡμῖν, καίτοι ἤρκει εἰπεῖν, Τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι; Τὸ μὲν, Τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσιν ἀνθρώπινον εἶναι· τὸ δὲ, Ἡμῖν, ἵνα διδαχθῶσιν, ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ καὶ ἀποδέχονται, καὶ ἐν περιτομῇ ὄντες. Μηδὲν πλέον, φησὶν, ἐπιτίθεσθαι βάρος ὑμῖν. Ταῦτα λέγουσιν, ἐπειδὴ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ἀσθενεῖς ἔτι ὁ λόγος ἦν, καὶ πεφοβημένους αὐτούς· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τοῦτο πρόσκειται. ∆είκνυσι δὲ οὐχὶ συγκαταβάσεως ὄντα τὸν λόγον, οὐδὲ