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So then He loved him when he was an enemy and uncomely, so as even to die for him. Then He loved him in this way and being such a one, but do you now, when he has become beautiful and admirable, spit upon him, tell me, being a member of Christ, and having become the Lord's 60.650 body? Do you not consider what you are saying? Are you not aware of what you dare? He has Christ as his Head, and Table and Garment and Life and Light and Bridegroom, and He is all things to him, and you dare to say, "I spit upon this man"? And not only him, but countless others with him? Stop, man, and cease from your madness; recognize your brother, learn that these are words of folly and distraction, and say the opposite, "Even if he spits on me ten thousand times, I will not stand aloof." Thus you will both gain your brother, and live to the glory of God, and will partake of the good things to come; of which may it be granted to all of us to attain by grace and love for mankind, and so forth.

HOMILY 28. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God,

to confirm the promises made unto the fathers. 1. Again he discourses concerning the care of Christ, still keeping to the same main point, and showing how many things He did for our sake, and how He pleased not Himself. And with this he also establishes that those from the Gentiles are greater debtors to God. And if they are greater, they would be right to bear with the weak from among the Jews. For since he rebuked them severely, lest this should lift these up, he again puts down their arrogance, showing that to them the good things were given by promise of the fathers, but to those from the Gentiles, by mercy and love for mankind alone; wherefore he also said, "And that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy." But that what is said may become clearer, listen again to the words themselves, that you may learn what is meant by "For the truth of God, Christ became a minister of the circumcision, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers." What then is the meaning of what was said? A promise had been made to Abraham, saying, "To you I will give the land and to your seed," and, "In your seed shall all the nations be blessed." But after this all the seed of Abraham became liable to punishment. For the Law, being transgressed, wrought wrath for them, and consequently deprived them of that promise of the fathers. Therefore, the Son, having come, cooperated with the Father, so that those promises might prove true, and come to fulfillment. For by fulfilling the whole Law, in which circumcision is included, and by this and through the cross having freed them from the curse for the transgression, He did not let the promise fail. So when he says, "a minister of the circumcision," he says this, that having come, and fulfilled all the law, and been circumcised, and become the seed of Abraham, he loosed the curse, he stopped the wrath of God, he then made fit those who were about to receive the promise, having been once for all freed from having offended. So that these who are accused might not say, "How then was Christ circumcised, and kept all the law?" he turns this to the opposite. For it was not that the law might remain that he did this, he says, but that he might abolish it, and free you from the curse that lay upon you, and release you entirely from its dominion. 60.650 For since you transgressed the law, for this reason He fulfilled it, not that you might fulfill it, but that He might confirm for you the promises made to the fathers, which the law caused to fail, showing you to have offended and to be unworthy of the inheritance; so that you too were saved by grace; for indeed you had been cast off. Do not therefore be contentious, nor strive, unseasonably clinging to the law, which would have cast you out from the promise, if Christ had not suffered so many things for you. And He suffered these things, not because you were worthy of salvation, but

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μὲν οὖν αὐτὸν ἐφίλησεν ἐχθρὸν ὄντα καὶ δυσειδῆ, ὡς καὶ ἀποθανεῖν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ. Εἶτα αὐτὸς μὲν οὕτως ἐφίλησε καὶ τοιοῦτον ὄντα, σὺ δὲ νῦν, ὅτε ὡραῖος ἐγένετο καὶ θαυμαστὸς, διαπτύεις, εἰπέ μοι, μέλος ὄντα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ σῶμα γενόμενον ∆εσπο 60.650 τικόν; οὐκ ἐννοεῖς, τί φθέγγῃ; οὐκ αἰσθάνῃ οἷα τολμᾷς; Κεφαλὴν ἔχει τὸν Χριστὸν, καὶ τράπεζαν καὶ ἱμάτιον καὶ ζωὴν καὶ φῶς καὶ νυμφίον, καὶ πάντα ἐστὶν ἐκεῖνος αὐτῷ, καὶ τολμᾷς εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ∆ιαπτύω τοῦτον; καὶ οὐ τοῦτον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μυρίους ἑτέρους μετ' αὐτοῦ; Ἐπίσχες, ἄνθρωπε, καὶ ἀνάπαυσαι τῆς μανίας· ἐπίγνωθι τὸν ἀδελφὸν, μάθε ὅτι ἀνοίας ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα καὶ παραπληξίας, καὶ λέγε τἀναντία, ὅτι Κἂν μυριάκις με διαπτύῃ, ἐγὼ οὐκ ἀποστήσομαι· οὕτω καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν κερδανεῖς, καὶ εἰς δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ βιώσῃ, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων μεθέξεις ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΚΗʹ. Λέγω δὲ Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν διάκονον γεγενῆσθαι περιτομῆς ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας

Θεοῦ, εἰς τὸ βεβαιῶ σαι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας τῶν πατέρων. αʹ. Πάλιν περὶ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ κηδεμονίας διαλέγεται, ἔτι τοῦ αὐτοῦ κεφαλαίου ἐχόμενος, καὶ δεικνὺς ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, καὶ πῶς οὐχ ἑαυτῷ ἤρεσε. Καὶ μετὰ τούτου κἀκεῖνο κατασκευάζει, ὅτι μειζόνων εἰσὶν οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ὀφειλέται τῷ Θεῷ. Εἰ δὲ μειζόνων εἰσὶ, δίκαιοι ἂν εἶεν φέρειν τοὺς ἐξ Ἰουδαίων ἀσθενεῖς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ σφόδρα ἐκείνων καθήψατο, ἵνα μὴ τούτους ἐπάρῃ τοῦτο, καταστέλλει πάλιν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀπόνοιαν, ἐκείνοις μὲν ἐξ ἐπαγγελίας πατέρων δεικνὺς διδόμενα τὰ ἀγαθὰ, τοῖς δὲ ἐξ ἐθνῶν, ἐξ ἐλέου καὶ φιλανθρωπίας μόνης· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγε, Τὰ δὲ ἔθνη ὑπὲρ ἐλέου δοξάσαι τὸν Θεόν. Ἵνα δὲ σαφέστερον γένηται τὸ λεγόμενον, αὐτῶν πάλιν ἄκουσον τῶν ῥημάτων, ἵνα μάθῃς τί ἐστι τὸ Ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας Θεοῦ γεγενῆσθαι τὸν Χριστὸν διάκονον περιτομῆς, εἰς τὸ βεβαιῶσαι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας τῶν πατέρων. Τί ποτ' οὖν ἐστι τὸ εἰρημένον; Ἐπαγγελία πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἦν γεγενημένη λέγουσα· Σοὶ δώσω τὴν γῆν καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου, καὶ, Ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου ἐνευλογηθήσονται πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Ἀλλ' ἐγένοντο κολάσεως ὑπεύθυνοι μετὰ ταῦτα οἱ τοῦ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ἅπαντες. Ὁ γὰρ νόμος ὀργὴν αὐτοῖς κατειργάζετο παραβαινόμενος, καὶ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἀπεστέρει λοιπὸν ἐκείνης τῆς τῶν πατέρων. Παραγενόμενος τοίνυν ὁ Υἱὸς συνέπραξε τῷ Πατρὶ, εἰς τὸ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ἐκείνας ἀληθεῦσαι, καὶ εἰς τέλος ἐξελθεῖν. Πάντα γὰρ τὸν νόμον πληρώσας ἐν ᾧ καὶ περιτομὴν, καὶ ταύτῃ καὶ διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ τῆς κατάρας ἀπαλλάξας τῆς ἐπὶ τῇ παραβάσει, οὐκ ἀφῆκε διαπεσεῖν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν. Ὅταν οὖν λέγῃ, ∆ιάκονον περιτομῆς, τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι ἐλθὼν, καὶ πάντα τὸν νόμον πληρώσας, καὶ περιτμηθεὶς, καὶ γενόμενος σπέρμα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, ἔλυσε τὴν κατάραν, ἔπαυσε τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ὀργὴν, ἐπιτηδείους λοιπὸν ἐποίησε τοὺς μέλλοντας δέχεσθαι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν, ἅπαξ ἀπαλλαγέντας τοῦ προσκεκρουκέναι. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ λέγωσιν οὗτοι οἱ ἐγκαλούμενοι, Πῶς οὖν ὁ Χριστὸς περιετέμνετο, καὶ πάντα τὸν νόμον ἐφύλαττεν; εἰς τοὐναντίον αὐτὸ περιτρέπει. Οὐ γὰρ ἵνα μείνῃ ὁ νόμος, τοῦτο ἐποίησε, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἵνα αὐτὸν λύσῃ, καὶ σὲ ἀπαλλάξῃ τῆς ἐπικειμένης κατάρας, καὶ ἐλευθερώσῃ καθόλου τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς ἐκείνου. 60.650 Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ σὺ παρέβης τὸν νόμον, διὰ τοῦτο ἐκεῖνος ἐπλήρωσεν, οὐχ ἵνα σὺ πληρώσῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα σοι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας βεβαιώσῃ τὰς πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας, ἃς ὁ νόμος διαπεσεῖν ἐποίει, δεικνύς σε προσκεκρουκότα καὶ τῆς κληρονομίας ὄντα ἀνάξιον· ὥστε καὶ σὺ κατὰ χάριν ἐσώθης· καὶ γὰρ ἀποβεβλημένος ἦς. Μὴ τοίνυν στασίαζε, μηδὲ φιλονείκει ἀντεχόμενος ἀκαίρως τοῦ νόμου, ὃς καὶ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἐξέβαλεν ἂν, εἰ μὴ τοσαῦτα ἔπαθεν ὑπὲρ σοῦ ὁ Χριστός. Ἔπαθε δὲ ταῦτα, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ σὺ ἄξιος ἦς σωτηρίας, ἀλλ'