we passed them by as unworthy, although a door was opened and no one was shutting out the preaching. Or rather, we also passed by for this reason, as being able to easily set things right there by visiting later, since there was no one hindering it. 2 Cor 2:14 That is, to him who makes public our insults and our circumstances for Christ's sake. But he acknowledges a greater grace for those things for which he is counted worthy to be led in triumph for Christ's sake. And he says these things also because of the Corinthians; for he feared lest they might shrink back because of the afflictions they were enduring and fall away from salvation. 2 Cor 2:15-16 The idolaters, being in spiritual death on account of the ignorance and hardness of heart existing in them, also fall into a second death by not accepting the proclamation of the gospel; but those who through the training of the law came to the beginnings of the knowledge of God, have somehow come to be in life, yet if they believe in Christ, they receive the fragrance of the knowledge of the Father from life to life. A little later he interprets this passage differently. Such achievements are a sweet aroma of Christ, not of ordinary people but of those who genuinely serve God. And while he does not say these things about himself as if they were burdensome, from what he adds, saying *for we are not like the many*, he showed himself. 2 Cor 2:17 He speaks of the word being peddled, that is, either being mixed with circumcision and the observance of the Sabbath, or because some consider piety to be a means of gain. But I say that I speak from sincerity, and this very thing he says he has from God, and not from his own power. But he also states another meaning, that for this reason it is from sincerity, because we speak from God, not treating the matters lightly but proclaiming a revelation of God. He says this, because there were also false apostles who considered the word concerning piety a means of gain. Then he adds *from sincerity*, instead of "we do not treat the matters lightly," he says, "but we proclaim the revelation from God, not peddling the word of God." And the word of God is peddled when it is mixed with circumcision and the Sabbath and in the thinking that piety is a means of gain. 284 2 Cor 3:1 From this point he wishes to show how much the law falls short of grace, so that some from the circumcision, being swayed by the dignity of Moses and the prophets, might not transfer those from the Gentiles to the observance of the law. 2 Cor 3:2-3 That is, this faith and life of yours becomes a letter to all and a token of our preaching. but written with the spirit, he says, by the working of the Holy Spirit. And by saying *on tablets of stone* and *on hearts of flesh* he shows the superiority of grace to the law, by as much as a heart is better than a lifeless tablet. And he also shows how much the grace of the spirit is better than the law, and the preaching of the apostles superior to the ministry of the prophets. 2 Cor 3:5 *From ourselves* instead of from one another. 2 Cor 3:6 By *letter* he means the law, and by *spirit* grace; for the law, while commanding, does not help, but burdens and puts to death through punishment those who were not able to fulfill it, while the spirit, making one clean from sin and providing gifts, clearly leads to life. 2 Cor 3:7-9 And yet the glory was not on the tablets but on the face of Moses, as he himself says next: *because of the glory of his face, which was being brought to an end*. But not wishing to speak against the prophet Moses, he calls the law "Moses," and directs his argument to it, showing that the grace given to Moses was less than the apostolic grace. *But if the ministry of death*. He calls Moses the ministry of death, calling the law death, since when it was disobeyed it caused death. But the law is not discredited by this; for the apostles are also called an aroma of death unto death. And he calls the apostles the ministry of the spirit, and Moses the ministry of death. But sparing Moses, he mentions the tablets; Moses brought tablets down from the mountain, the apostles, sent to the world, brought the spirit. 284, schol. 2 And yet the glory was not on the tablets but on the face of Moses. And wishing here also to speak to Moses, through the

αὐτοὺς ὡς ἀναξίους παρέδραμεν καίτοιγε θύρας ἀνεῳγμένης καὶ οὐδενὸς ἀποκλείοντος τῷ κηρύγματι. ἤτοι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο παρέδραμεν ὡς ῥάδιον δυνάμενος διορθώσασθαι τὰ ἐκεῖ ὕστερον ἐπιδημῶν ὡς οὐδενὸς ὄντος τοῦ παρεμποδίζοντος. 2 Kor 2,14 Τοῦτ' ἔστι τῷ δημοσιεύοντι ἡμῶν τὰς ὕβρεις καὶ τὰς περιστάσεις τὰς διὰ Χριστόν. μείζονα δὲ χάριν ὁμολογεῖ ἐφ' οἷς θριαμβεύεσθαι καταξιοῦται διὰ Χριστόν. ταῦτα δὲ λέγει καὶ διὰ τοὺς Korινθίους· ἐδεδίει γὰρ μήποτε ὀκλάσωσιν δι' ἃς ὑπέμενον θλίψεις καὶ ἐκπέσωσι τῆς σωτηρίας. 2 Kor 2,15-16 Οἱ εἰδωλολάτραι ἐν θανάτῳ ὄντες τῷ νοητῷ διὰ τὴν οὖσαν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀγνωσίαν καὶ πώρωσιν, καὶ δευτέρῳ περιπίπτουσι θανάτῳ μὴ παραδεχόμενοι τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν κήρυγμα· οἱ δὲ διὰ τῆς νομικῆς παιδεύσεως πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς ἐλθόντες τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ, γεγόνασι μέν πως ἐν ζωῇ, ὅμως ἐὰν πιστεύσωσι τῷ Χριστῷ, παραδέχονται τὴν ὀσμὴν τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκ ζωῆς εἰς ζωήν. Μετ' ὀλίγα ἄλλως ἑρμηνεύει τὴν περικοπὴν ταύτην. Τὰ τοιαῦτα κατορθοῦντο Χριστοῦ εἶναι εὐωδία, οὐ τῶν τυχόντων ἀλλὰ τῶν γησίως δουλευόντων τῷ θεῷ. καὶ ὡς φορτικὰ μὲν οὐ λέγει ταῦτα περὶ ἑαυτοῦ, ἐξ ὧν δὲ ἐπάγων λέγει οὐ γάρ ἐσμεν ὡς οἱ πολλοί, ἐπέδειξεν ἑαυτόν. 2 Kor 2,17 Καπηλεύεσθαι λέγει τὸν λόγον ἤτοι παραμιγνύμενον περιτομῇ καὶ τηρήσει σαββάτων ἢ διὰ τὸ πορισμὸν νομίζειν τινὰς τὴν εὐσέβειαν. λέγω δὲ ὅτι ἐξ εἰλικρινείας φθέγγομαι, καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐκ θεοῦ ἔχειν φησί, καὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ οἰκείας δυνάμεως. λέγει δὲ καὶ ἄλλην διάνοιαν, ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο ἐξ εἰλικρινείας, ἐπειδὴ ἐκ θεοῦ λαλοῦμεν, οὐ παίζοντες τὰ πράγματα ἀλλὰ θεοῦ ἀποκάλυψιν κηρύττοντες. Τοῦτο λέγει, ἐπειδὴ ἦσαν καὶ ψευδαπόστολοι πορισμὸν ἡγούμενοι τὸν περὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας λόγον. εἶτα ἐπάγει ἐξ εἰλικρινείας, ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐ παίζομεν φησί τὰ πράγματα, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐκ θεοῦ ἀποκάλυψιν κηρύττομεν οὐ καπηλεύοντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ. καπηλεύεται δὲ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ παραμιγνύμενος περιτομῇ καὶ σαββάτῳ καὶ ἐν τῷ νομίζειν πορισμὸν εἶναι τὴν εὐσέβειαν. 284 2 Kor 3,1 Ἐντεῦθεν θέλει δεῖξαι ὅσον ὁ νόμος τῆς χάριτος ἀπολιμπάνεται, ἵνα μή τινες τῶν ἐκ περιτομῆς τῷ ἀξιώματι Μωϋσέως καὶ τῶν προφητῶν δυσωποῦντες τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰς τὴν τοῦ νόμου μετενέγκωσι τήρησιν. 2 Kor 3,2-3 Τοῦτ' ἔστιν αὕτη ὑμῶν ἡ πίστις καὶ ὁ βίος ἐπιστολὴ πᾶσι γίνεται καὶ γνώρισμα τοῦ ἡμετέρου κηρύγματος. ἐγγεγραμμένη δὲ πνεύματι, λέγει, τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου. διὰ δὲ τοῦ εἰπεῖν πλαξὶ λιθίναις καὶ καρδίαις σαρκίναις τὴν ὑπεροχὴν τῆς χάριτος πρὸς τὸν νόμον δείκνυσιν, ὅσῳ καρδία τῆς ἀψύχου πλακὸς κρείττω. δείκνυσι δὲ καὶ ὅσον ἡ χάρις τοῦ πνεύματος ἀμείνω τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῆς διακονίας τῶν προφητῶν τὸ κήρυγμα τῶν ἀποστόλων ἀνώτερον. 2 Kor 3,5 Ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀπ' ἀλλήλων. 2 Kor 3,6 Γράμμα λέγει τὸν νόμον, πνεῦμα δὲ τὴν χάριν· ὁ γὰρ νόμος προστάσσων μέν, οὐ βοηθῶν δέ, βαρεῖ καὶ θανατοῖ διὰ τῆς κολάσεως τοὺς μὴ δυνηθέντας αὐτὸν πληρῶσαι, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα καθαρὸν ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας ποιοῦν καὶ παρέχον τὰ χαρίσματα δηλονότι πρὸς ζωὴν ὁδηγεῖ. 2 Kor 3,7-9 Καὶ μὴν οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶν ἐγένετο ἡ δόξα ἀλλ' ἐν προσώπῳ Μωϋσέως ὡς ἑξῆς αὐτός φησιν· διὰ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ τὴν καταργουμένην. ἀλλ' οὐ βουλόμενος πρὸς τὸν προφήτην Μωϋσέα εἰπεῖν, τὸν νόμον καλεῖ Μωϋσέα, καὶ πρὸς τοῦτον ποιεῖται τὸν λόγον δεικνὺς ἐλάττονα τὴν δοθεῖσαν τῷ Μωϋσεῖ χάριν τῆς ἀποστολικῆς χάριτος. Εἰ δὲ ἡ διακονία τοῦ θανάτου. Μωϋσέα λέγει διακονίαν θα285 νάτου, θάνατον καλῶν τὸν νόμον, ἐπειδὴ θάνατον προεξένησε παρακουσθείς. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπὸ τούτου διαβέβληται ὁ νόμος· λέγονται γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι ὀσμὴ θανάτου εἰς θάνατον. ∆ιακονίαν δὲ πνεύματος λέγει τοὺς ἀποστόλους, καὶ διακονίαν θανάτου τὸν Μωϋσέα. ἀλλὰ φειδόμενος Μωϋσέως πλακῶν μέμνηται· Μωϋσῆς πλάκας κατήγαγεν ἐξ ὄρους, ἀπόστολοι πνεῦμα τῷ κόσμῳ ἀποσταλέντες ἐκόμισαν. 284,ξολ2 Καὶ μὴν οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶν ἐγένετο ἡ δόξα ἀλλ' ἐν προσώπῳ Μωϋσέως. καὶ βουλόμενος ὧδε καὶ πρὸς τὸν Μωϋσέα εἰπεῖν, διὰ τοῦ