Πάλιν καὶ πολλάκις ἀνακυκλεῖς ἡμῖν τὸ ἄγραφον.
ὅτι μὲν οὖν οὐ ξένον τοῦτο, οὐδὲ παρείσακτον, ἀλλὰ καὶ
τοῖς πάλαι καὶ τοῖς νῦν γνωριζόμενον καὶ παραγυμνούμενον,
δέδεικται μὲν ἤδη πολλοῖς τῶν περὶ τούτου διειληφότων,
ὅσοι μὴ ῥᾳθύμως μηδὲ παρέργως ταῖς θείαις γραφαῖς ἐντυχόντες, 
ἀλλὰ διασχόντες τὸ γράμμα καὶ εἴσω παρακύψαντες,
τὸ ἀπόθετον κάλλος ἰδεῖν ἠξιώθησαν, καὶ τῷ
φωτισμῷ τῆς γνώσεως κατηυγάσθησαν. δηλώσομεν δὲ
καἰ ἡμεῖς ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς, ὅσον ἐνδέχεται, τοῦ μὴ δοκεῖν εἶναι
περιττοί τινες, μηδὲ φιλοτιμότεροι τοῦ δέοντος, ἐποικοδομοῦντες 
ἐπὶ θεμέλιον ἀλλότριον. εἰ δὲ τὸ μὴ λίαν σαφῶς
γεγράφθαι θεὸν μηδὲ πολλάκις ὀνομαστί, ὥσπερ τὸν
πατέρα πρότερον καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ὕστερον, αἴτιόν σοι γίνεται
βλασφημίας, καὶ τῆς περιττῆς ταύτης γλωσσαλγίας καὶ
ἀσεβείας, ἡμεῖς σοι λύσομεν ταύτην τὴν βλάβην, μικρὰ 
περὶ πραγμάτων καὶ ὀνομάτων καὶ μάλιστα παρὰ τῆ τῆς
γραφῆς συνηθείᾳ φιλοσοφήσαντες. 21. 1 ανακυκλοις b ‘Reg. b’ || 5 εντυχοντες] ἐντυγχάνοντες b ‘Colb.
3’ || 8 δηλώσωμεν aef || 10 εποικοδομουντες] οἰκοδομοῦντες acg 1. τὸ ἄγραφον] Cp. § 1. 2. οὐ ξένον τοῦτο] τοῦτο seems
by comparison with § 1 to mean the
Holy Spirit Himself, not the doctrine
of His Godhead. So also περὶ τού.
του below. 3. τοῖς πάλαι] the O.T. writers;
τοῖς νῦν, the Christian Church. ib. παραγυμνούμενον] ‘revealed,’
‘disclosed.’ 4. διειληφότων] ‘have discussed.’
Cp. iv 16, v 5. 5. ἐντυχόντες] to ‘meet with,’
‘come across’; so to ‘read.’ The
word does not necessarily imply a
casual, hasty perusal; cp. § 26. 6. διασχόντες] Cp. ii 3, 31,
‘have penetrated beyond the letter.’ 7. ἀπόθετον] ‘put away,’ so
‘hidden’ like a treasure, = ἀπόκρυφον.
See Thompson’s note on Plat.
Phaedr. 252 B. 9. ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς] lit. ‘at a rush,’
i.e. ‘hastily.’ ib. τοῦ μὴ δοκεῖν] explains why
Gr. will not attempt to go into the
question at greater length. 11. ἐπὶ θέμ’. ἀλλ’] Rom. xv 20.
Because Basil and others had gone
over the ground before. 12. ὀνομαστί] The word appears
to belong to both σαφῶς and πολλά.
κὶς, and to qualify the word
not τὸ ἄγ. πνεῦμα understood; ‘the
fact that He is not very clearly,
often, described in Scripture by
title of “God”.’ But the expression
is somewhat redundant. 13. πρότερρον] under the earlier
dispensation; ὕστ., under the later. 15. λύσομεν…βλάβην] ‘will remove
this disadvantage’; said
a kind of irony, as if the opponent
would recognise that it was a βλάβη. τῶν πραγμάτων τὰ μὲν οὐκ ἔστι, λέγεται δέ· τὰ
δὲ ὄντα οὐ λέγεται· τὰ δὲ οὔτε ἔστιν, οὔτε λέγεται· τὰ δὲ
ἄμφω, καὶ ἔστι, καὶ λέγεται. τούτων ἀπαιτεῖς με τὰς
ἀποδείξεις ; παρασχεῖν ἕτοιμος. ὑπνοῖ τῆ γραφῇ θεός, καὶ
 γρηγορεῖ, καὶ ὀργίζεται, καὶ βαδίζει, καὶ θρόνον ἔχει τὰ
χερουβίμ· καίτοι πότε γέγονεν ἐμπαθής ; πότε δὲ σῶμα
θεὸν ἀκήκοας ; τοῦτο οὐκ ὂν ἀνεπλάσθη. ὠνομάσαμεν
γάρ, ὡς ἡμῖν ἐφικτόν, ἐκ τῶν ἡμετέρων τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ. τὸ
μὲν ἠρεμεῖν αὐτὸν ἀφ’ ἡμῶν, καὶ οἷον ἀμελεῖν, δι’ ἃς αὐτὸς
 οἶδεν αἰτίας, ὑπνοῦν. τὸ γὰρ ἡμέτερον ὑπνοῦν τοιοῦτον,
ἀνενέργητόν τε καὶ ἄπρακτον. τὸ δὲ ἀθρόως εὖ ποιεῖν ἐκ
μεταβολῆς, γρηγορεῖν. ὕπνου γὰρ λύσις ἐγρήγορσις,
ὥσπερ ἀποστροφῆς ἐπίσκεψις. τὸ δὲ κολάζειν ὀργίζεσθαι
πεποιήκαμεν· οὕτω γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐξ ὀργῆς ἡ κόλασις. τὸ δὲ
 νῦν μὲν τῇδε, νῦν δὲ τῇδε ἐνεργεῖν, βαδίζειν. ἡ γὰρ ἀπ’
ἄλλου πρὸς ἄλλο μετάβασις, βαδισμός. τὸ δὲ ἐναναπαύεσθαι
ταῖς ἁγίαις δυνάμεσι, καὶ οἷον ἐμφιλοχωρεῖν,
καθέζεσθαι καὶ θρονίζεσθαι. καὶ τοῦτο ἡμέτερον. οὐδενὶ
γὰρ οὕτως ὡς τοῖς ἁγίοις τὸ θεῖον ἐναναπαύεται. τὸ δὲ
 22. 9 αὐτὸς αἰτίας οἶδεν c: οἶδεν αὐτὸς αἰτίας e ΙΙ 10 om ὕπνουν secundo
loco b || 16 εναναπαυεσθαι] εναπαυεσθαι (sic) c: ἀναπαύεσθαι df ΙΙ 19 εναναπαυεται]
ἐπαναπαύεται be2 ‘Or. 1’ 
 22. There are four heads under
which we may arrange the phenomena
of Scripture language, (I)
There are things said which are not
literally true. Of this kind are all
the anthropomorphic expressions concerning
God. 
 1. λέγεται δέ] sc. in Scripture. 
 4. ὑπνοῖ] Ps. xliii 24 (xliv 23). 
 5. γρηγορεῖ] Jer. xxxi 28. 
 id. ὀργίζεται] e.g. Ps. lxxviii
(lxxix) 5. 
 ib. βαδίζει] The word does not
seem to be used of God in LXX.
The ref. is doubtless to passages
like Gen. iii 8. 
 ib. θρόνον ἔχει] Ps. lxxix 2 (lxxx 1);
Ezek. i 26. 
 6. ἐμπαθής] in ref. to ὑπνοῖ,
γρηγορεῖ, ὀργίζεται; σῶμα, to βαδίζει,
θρόνον. 
 9. ἠρεμεῖν … ἀφ’ ἠμ’.] ‘letting
alone’ (lit. ‘keeping quiet from us’). 
 11. ἀθρόως] ‘suddenly; cp. ii 2. 
 15. τῇδε. … τῇδε] ‘in this direction
and in that.’ 
 17. ταῖς ἃγ. δυνάμεσι] sc. τοῖς
χερουβίμ. ‘Resting in those holy
Powers and, as it were, being fond
of the place, is “sitting” and “being
enthroned”.’ 
 18. οὐδενὶ γάρ] The γάρ explains,
not the καὶ τοῦτο ἠμ’., but the choice
of the expression ‘resting’ etc. God
is in everything; but there is nothing
in which He ‘rests’ as He does in
the saints (and angelic beings). 
 19. τὸ δέ ὀξυκ.] more instances of
metaphorical language. God ‘flies,’
Ps. xvii li (xviii 10); we speak of
His ‘face,’ e.g. Ps. iv 7 (6); His
‘hand,’ e.g. Ps. cxliv (cxlv) 16. 

 
ὀξυκίνητον, πτῆσιν· τὴν δὲ ἐπισκοπήν, πρόσωπον· τὸ
διδόναι δὲ καὶ προσίεσθαι, χεῖρα· καὶ ἄλλη τις ὅλως τῶν
τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμεων ἢ ἐνεργειῶν ἄλλο τι τῶν σωματικῶν
ἡμῖν ἀνεζωγράφησεν. Πάλιν σὺ πόθεν τὸ ἀγέννητον λαβὼν ἔχεις, ἢ τὸ 
ἄναρχον, τὰς σὰς ἀκροπόλεις, ἢ καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸ ἀθάνατον ;
δεῖξον ταῦτα ὀνομαστί, ἢ διαγράψομεν, καὶ τέθνηκας
ἐκ τῶν σῶν ὑποθέσεων, καθαιρεθέντων σοι τῶν ὀνομάτων,
καὶ τοῦ τείχους τῆς καταφυγῆς ἐφ’ ᾧ ἐπεποίθεις.
 23. 6 om η e2 || 7 ὀνομαστὶ] + καὶ η ἀθετήσομεν ἐπειδὴ οὐ γέγραπται
bed, nisi quod om καὶ cd || 9 ἐφ’ ω] ἐφ’ ο ac2 
 2. προσίεσθαι] ‘to welcome’;
ii 119. 
 ib. ὅλως] ‘in short.’ 
 4. ἀνεζωγράφησεν] ‘has depicted,’
i.e. ‘has suggested the form of.’
should almost have expected the
inversion of the sentence, — that
bodily things depict the powers and
operations of God; but either way
is intelligible. 
 23. (2) There are th ings not said
which are nevertheless true, — among
them facts of which you make a
deal. (3) Things neither said nor
true. (4) Things both true and said. 
 5. πάλιν] Instances of true
things not found in Scripture. 
 6. τὰς σὰς ἀκροπ.] ‘those fortresses
of yours’; cp. below τοῦ
τῆς καταφυγῆς. 
 7. ἢ διαγράψομεν] Cp. iii 8. The
words ἢ ἀθετήσομεν, ἐπειδὴ οὐ γέγραπται
seem to be an ancient gloss
to explain ἢ διαγράψομεν. They
offer no real alternative to it ; and
the variation of the mss. which contain
them between ἢ and καὶ ἢ indicates
the uncertainty of their footing.
If they are to be retained, the only
sense that can be got out of them
would be this: — Shew us the words
ἀγέννητον, ἄναρχον in the Bible, and
we will either reject the Holy
Ghost’s Divinity for not being found
there, or (if we can prove that it is
there) we will erase both it and your
two words together. But this would
be very cumbrous. Omitting the
words, the sense is plain. Gr. retaliates
; — Shew us ἀγένν., ἄναρχ. in
the Bible, or we will discard them,
and you will die by your own rules.
The perf. τέθνηκας gives vividness
to the argument. Probably the
gloss was introduced because Gr. ’s
word διαγράψομεν seemed itself to
imply that the words ἀγέννητον etc.
were to be found written in Scripture.
How can that be erased which
was never written? The scribe
wished to substitute for διαγρ. the
more general word ἀθετήσομεν, ‘because
the expressions in question
are not written.’ It may be
that the correction might be
due to Gr. himself; but (1) its place
in the MSS. is against it; it ought to
have followed διαγρ.; (2) by διαγρ.
Gr. intended no reference to being
found in Scripture ; he meant, if
conscious of the metaphor at all, an
erasure from the theological writings
in which the expressions occurred. 
 8. τῶν ὀνομάτων] sc. ἀγέννητον,
ἄναρχον. 

 
ἢ δῆλον ὅτι ἐκ τῶν ταῦτα συναγόντων, κἂν μὴ ταῦτα
λέγηται ; τίνων τούτων ; Ἐγώ εἰ μί’ πρῶτος, καὶ ἐγὼ μετὰ
ταῦτα. καί, Πρὸ ἐμοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλος θεός, καὶ μετ’ ἐμὲ
οὐκ ἔσται. ὅλον γὰρ τὸ ἔστιν ἐμόν· οὔτε ἠργμένον, οὔτε
 παυσόμενον. ταῦτα λαβών, τὸ μὲν μὴ εἶναί τι πρὸ αὐτοῦ,
μηδὲ πρεσβυτέραν αἰτίαν ἔχειν, ἄναρχον προσηγόρευσας,
καὶ ἀγέννητον· τὸ δὲ μὴ στήσεσθαι τοῦ εἶναι, ἀθάνατον
καὶ ἀνώλεθρον. αἱ μὲν δὴ πρῶται συζυγίαι τοιαῦται,
καὶ οὕτως ἔχουσαι. τίνα δὲ οὔτε ἔστιν, οὔτε λέγεται;
 πονηρὸν τὸ θεῖον, ἡ σφαῖρα τετράγωνος, τὸ παρελθὸν
ἐνέστηκεν, οὐ σύνθετον ὁ ἄνθρωπος. τίνα γὰρ εἰς τοσοῦτόν
ποτε ἐμπληξίας ἀφικόμενον ἔγνως, ὥστε τι τοιοῦτον
ἢ ἐννοῆσαι τολμῆσαι, ἢ ἀποφήνασθαι ; λείπεται δεῖξαι
τίνα καὶ ἔστι καὶ λέγεται· θεός, ἄνθρωπος, ἄγγελος, κρίσις·
 ματαιότης οἱ τοιοῦτοι συλλογισμοί, καὶ τῆς πίστεως ἀνατροπή,
καὶ τοῦ μυστηρίου κένωσις. 3 μετ’ ἐμὲ] μετ’ ἐμοῦ a || ΙΙ σύνθετον] σύνθετος b || 12 ἐμπληξίας ποτε df ||
15 ματαιότης] ἀνταπόδοσις ‘Reg. Cypr.’ 1. ἢ δῆλον] The ellipsis is, (Have
you any other interpretation) or is it
evident? ib. ἐκ τῶν τ. σύναγ’.] Supply
ἐστίν, or λαμβάνεται : ‘that they are
deduced from passages which imply
them.’ 2. ἐγώ εἰμι πρῶτος] Is. xliv 6. 3. πρὸ ἐμοῦ] Is. xliii 10. 4. ὅλον γὰρ τὸ ἐστιν ἐμόν] God
is represented as still speaking ; ‘all
that is included in the word Is is
Mine, without beginning and without
end.’ 5. ταῦτα λαβών] You have taken
these facts, and have (rightly) deduced
from them the appellations
which you give to God, of ἀγέννητον,
ἀθάνατον, and the rest. 8. αἱ…πρῶται σῦς.] viz. things
that are said and are not, and things
that are and are not said. 10. τὸ παρελθὸν ἔνεστ’.] ‘past is
present.’ 12 ἐμπληξίας] ‘so daft.’ 13. ἀποφήνασθαι] ‘to declare his
opinion that it is so.’ The ἢ
mean ‘or at any rate.’ 14. θεός, ἄνθρ., κτλ.] Gr. first
names four substantives, and then
certain propositions ; ‘such syllo-
gisms are vanity, and a
of faith, and an emptying of the
mystery? See 1 Cor. i 17 foll. 24. This being so, we must not
make too much of the reticence
Scripture. When you hear of twice
five, you are justified in saying ten ;
so whatever is clearly implied in
Scripture may rightly be affirmed,
even if it is not explicitly stated
there. I will give you the reason for
the reticence of Scripture. τοσαύτης οὖν οὔσης διαφορᾶς ἐν τοῖς ὀνόμασι καὶ
τοῖς πράγμασι, πῶς οὕτω σὺ λίαν δουλεύεις τῷ γράμματι,
καὶ γίνῃ μετὰ τῆς Ἰουδαικῆς σοφίας, καὶ συλλαβαῖς
ἀκολουθεῖς, ἀφεὶς τὰ πράγματα ; εἰ δὲ σοῦ τὰ δὶς πέντε
λέγοντος, ἢ τὰ δὶς ἑπτά, τὰ δέκα συνῆγον, ἢ τέσσαρες καὶ 
δέκα ἐκ τῶν λεγομένων· ἢ ἐκ τοῦ ζῶον λογικόν, θνητόν,
τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἆρα ἄν σοι ληρεῖν ἐνομίσθην ; καὶ πῶς, τὰ
σὰ λέγων; οὐ γὰρ τοῦ λέγοντος μᾶλλον οἱ λόγοι, ἢ τοῦ
λέγειν συναναγκάζοντος. ὥσπερ οὖν ἐνταῦθα οὐκ ἂν τὰ
λεγόμενα μᾶλλον ἐσκόπουν, ἢ τὰ νοούμενα· οὕτως οὐδὲ εἴ 
τι ἄλλο τῶν μὴ λεγομένων, ἢ μὴ σαφῶς, ἐκ τῆς γραφῆς
νοούμενον ηὕρισκον, ἔφυγον ἂν τὴν ἐκφώνησιν, φοβούμενος
σὲ τὸν συκοφάντην τῶν ὀνομάτων. οὕτω μὲν οὖν στησόμεθα
πρὸς τοὺς ἐξ ἡμισείας εὐγνώμονας. σοὶ γὰρ οὐδὲ
τοῦτο ἔξεστι λέγειν. ὁ γὰρ τὰς τοῦ υἱοῦ προσηγορίας 
οὕτως ἐναργεῖς οὔσας καὶ τοσαύτας ἀρνούμενος, οὐδ’ ἂν
ταύτας ᾐδέσθης δῆλον ὅτι, καὶ εἰ πολλῷ σαφεστέρας καὶ
πλείους ἐγίνωσκες. ἤδη δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δηλώσω τῆς
 24. 3 συλλαβαις] ταῖς συλλ. c || 4 ακολουθης f || 5 τεσσαπες] τὰ τεσσαπεσ
cdf || 10 εἰ] + μὴ ‘Or. I’ || 12 νοουμένων bede. 
 1. ἐν τοῖς ὂν. καἰ τοῖς πρ.] ‘diversity
in names and things.’ 
 3. τῆς ᾿Ιουδ. σοφίας] because the
Jews were ‘slaves to the letter.’
ib. συλλαβαῖς] Basil, on the
other hand, de Sp. S. 1, points out
the extreme importance of noticing
‘syllables. 
 8. τὰ σὰ λέγων] ‘for saying what
you said? For words belong as much
to him who forces them to be said
(i.e. in this case to you who gave
me the data for my conclusion) as to
him who said them ’ (i.e. to me who
that you meant ‘ten,’
‘man’). 
 9. ἐνταῦθα] in the case just supposed. 
 10. οὐδὲ εἴ τι ἄλλο κτλ.] lif I
found anything else intended in
Scripture (lit. found out of Scripture
anything else intended), though not
stated, or not stated clearly, I should
not have shrunk from expressing it
for fear ’ etc. 
 13. συκοφ. τῶν ὂν.] The word
denotes one who is on the watch
for words to denounce them. 
 ib. στησόμεθα πρός] ‘will take
our stand against.’ The οὕτω
to the argument from the beginning
of § 21 to this point. 
 14. σοὶ γάρ] i.e. the Eunomian ;
oὐδὲ τοῦτο means the foregoing
ment, which he says would for them
be without force. This seems to
have more point than to suppose it
to mean ἐξ ἤμ’. εύγν. εἶναι. 
 17. ταύτας] the προσηγορίαι of
the Spirit. 

 
πάσης ἐπικρύψεψς, καίπερ σοφοῖς οὖσιν ὑμῖν, βραχύ τι
τὸν λόγον ἀναγαγών. Δύο γεγόνασι μεταθέσεις βίων ἐπιφανεῖς ἐκ τοῦ
παντὸς αἰῶνος, αἳ καὶ δύο διαθῆκαι καλοῦνται, καὶ σεισμοὶ
 γῆς, διὰ τὸ τοῦ πράγματος περιβόητον· ἡ μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν
εἰδώλων ἐπὶ τὸν νόμον, ἡ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου πρὸς τὸ
εὐαγγέλιον. καὶ τρίτον σεισμὸν εὐαγγελιζόμεθα, τὴν ἐντεῦθεν
ἐπὶ τὰ ἐκεῖσε μετάστασιν, τὰ μηκέτι κινούμενα,
μηδὲ σαλευόμενα. ταὐτὸν δὲ αἱ δύο διαθῆκαι πεπόνθασι.
 τί τοῦτο ; οὐκ ἀθρόως μετεκινήθησαν, οὐδὲ ὁμοῦ τῇ πρώτῃ
κινήσει τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως. τίνος ἕνεκεν ; εἰδέναι γὰρ ἀναγκαῖον
ἵνα μὴ βιασθῶμεν, ἀλλὰ πεισθῶμεν. τὸ μὲν γὰρ
ἀκούσιον οὐδὲ μόνιμον· ὥσπερ ἃ βίᾳ κατέχεται τῶν
ῥευμάτων ἢ τῶν φυτῶν· τὸ δὲ ἑκούσιον μονιμώτερόν τε
 καὶ ἀσφαλέστερον. καὶ τὸ μὲν τοῦ βιασαμένου, τὸ δὲ
ἡμέτερον· καὶ τὸ μὲν ἐπιεικείας θεοῦ, τὸ δὲ τυραννικῆς
 25. 9 μηδε] μήτε ag ‘duo Reg.’ || 11 ἕνεκεν] ἕνεκα df 
 1. ἐπικρύψεως] the reticence of
the Bible on the subject of the
Spirit’s Godhead. 
 ib. σοφοῖς] of course ironical,
‘although you are so wise as to need
no instruction.’ 
 2. ἀναγαγών] ‘going some distance
back’; not back over the preargument,
but to principles
somewhat remote from the conclusion. 
 25. Two great changes have occurred
in the history of religion,
when inert passed under the first and
second Covenants respectively. In
neither case was the change violently
made. Like a skilled teacher or
physician, God made the new order
agreeable by permitting for a while
something from the old, until mem
were ready to give it up of themselves. 
 3. μεταθέσεις βίων] He calls
two dispensations by this title, because
he is about to dwell on the
practical difficulties attending such
transitions. 
 4. σεισμοὶ γῆς] The ref. is to
Heb. xii 26. 
 5. διὰ τὸ...περιβόητον] ‘because
of the celebrity of the thing,’
cause the change was so great and
on such a scale as to compel
wide attention. 
 7. ἐντεῦθεν ... ἐκεῖσε] from the
present order to that which is beyond. 
 9. μήδε’ σαλευόμενα] Heb. xii 28. 
 10. ἀθρόως] Cp. § 22. 
 12. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἅκ. οὐδὲ μόνιμον]
‘for what is not voluntary is not
lasting either.’ 
 15. τὸ μὲν τοῦ βίας.] In the one
instance, the change would be
the work of him who forced it on ;
in the other, it is our own. The one
kind of change is in keeping with
the the considerateness of God ; the
other would be a mark of tyrannical
power. 

 
ἐξουσίς. οὔκουν ᾤετο δεῖν ἄκοντας εὖ ποιεῖν, ἀλλ’ ἑκόντας
εὐεργετεῖν. διὰ τοῦτο παιδαγωγικῶς τε καὶ ἰατρικῶς τὸ
μὲν ὑφαιρεῖ τῶν πατρίων, τὸ δὲ συγχωρεῖ, μικρόν τι τῶν
πρὸς ἡδονὴν ἐνδιδούς· ὥσπερ οἱ ἰατροὶ τοῖς ἀρρωστοῦσιν,
ἵνα ἡ φαρμακεία παραδεχθῇ διὰ τῆς τέχνης φαρματτομένη 
τοῖς χρηστοτέροις. οὐ γὰρ ῥᾴστη τῶν ἐν ἔθει καὶ
μακρῷ χρόνῳ τετιμημένων ἡ μετάθεσις. λέγω δὲ τί ; ἡ
πρώτη τὰ εἴδωλα περικόψασα τὰς θυσίας συνεχώρησεν·
ἡ δευτέρα τὰς θυσίας περιελοῦσα τὴν περιτομὴν οὐκ
ἐκώλυσεν· εἶτα ὡς ἅπαξ ἐδέξαντο τὴν ὑφαίρεσιν, καὶ τὸ 
συγχωρηθὲν συνεχώρησαν· οἱ μὲν τὰς θυσίας, οἱ δὲ τὴν
περιτομήν· καὶ γεγόνασιν, ἀντὶ μὲν ἐθνῶν, Ἰουδαῖοι· ἀντὶ
δὲ τούτων, Χριστιανοί, ταῖς κατὰ μέρος μεταθέσεσι κλαπέντες
ἐπὶ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον. πειθέτω σὲ τοῦτο Παῦλος, ἐκ
τοῦ περιτέμνειν καὶ ἁγνίζεσθαι προελθὼν ἐπὶ τὸ λέγειν· 
Ἐγὼ δέ, ἀδελφοί, εἰ περιτομὴν κηρύσσω, τί ἔτι διώκομαι ;
ἐκεῖνο τῆς οἰκονομίας, τοῦτο τῆς τελειότητος. 7 μακρω] τῶν μακρῶ b : τὼ μακρῶ def 2. τὸ μὲν ὑφαῖρει] ‘like α school-
master or physician, He withdraws
some parts of the hereditary system,
and leaves others as α concession,
giving in upon some small points
which tend to keep men happy.’ 5. φαρματτ. τοῖς χρηστ.] ‘being
seasoned with something nicer’ than
itself. The rhythm of the sentence
is in favour of joining διὰ τῆς τέχνης
to παραδεχθῇ rather than to φαρμ. 6. ῥᾴστη] used as an equivalent
to the simple ῥᾳδία. 7. μακρῷ χρόνω Cp. ii 14. 8. τὰς θυσίας σνεχ.] This, which
is the usual patristic view of the legal
sacrifices, is well expressed by Cyr.
Al. c. Iul. iv p. 126 (Aubert) ; and
by Greg, the Great in his letter to
Mellitus (Bede Hist. Eccl. i 30). 10. ἐδέξαντο τὴν ὑφ.] ‘as soon as
they were reconciled to the with-
drawal, they conceded the concession
that had been made to them.’ It is
not clear at what point Gr. means
that the Jews ‘conceded’ the sacrifaces.
It ought, ace. to the parallelism,
to mean when ‘they became
Jews instead of heathens,’ as
gave up circumcision when they
‘became Christians instead of Jews.’
This, however, would only be
of special representatives of the race,
like Samuel and other prophets and
psalmists, who taught that obedi-
ence was better than sacrifice. If
Gr. is not thinking of these, we
must suppose that the time when
they gave up the sacrifices was
practically the same as when they
gave up circumcision, i.e. not when
they first became ‘Jews,’ but when
they became Christians. 13. κλαπέντες] For the use of
κλέπτειν cp. i 2. 14. ἐκ τοῦ περιτ. καἰ ἅγν’.] Acts
xvi 3, xxi 26. 16. ἐγὼ δέ, ἀδελφοί] Gal. v. 11.
Probably Gr. does not mean that this
was an advance in St Paul’s
views. He can hardly have failed
to know that the Ep. to the Gal.
was written before the incident in
Acts xxi 26. He only means
we see St Paul sometimes acting on
the principle of οἰκονομία, i.e. departure
from what is absolutely best,
out of consideration for the circumstances
of others, and sometimes on
the principle of τελειότης.