42. But I shall also offer,
to the best of my ability, some expositions of the other words referred
to; that is to say, I shall show that Jesus neither said nor did aught
that was contrary to Moses. And first, as to the word, “An
eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,”1913
—that is
the expression of
justice. And as to His injunction, that a man, when struck on the
one cheek, should offer the other also, that is
the expression
of goodness. Well, then, are
justice and
goodness opposed to
each other?
Far from it! There has only been an advance
from simple
justice to positive
goodness. And again, we have the
saying, “The workman is worthy of his
hire.”
1914
But if a
person
seeks to practise any
fraud therein, it is surely most
just
1915
| 1915 The
Codex Casinensis gives, “exige ab eo illa quæ fraudem
interceperat;” the other codex gives, “et exigi ab eo illa
quæ fraude interceperat.” The correct reading probably
would be, “exigi ab eo illa quæ per fraudem
interceperat.” |
that what he has
got possession of by
fraud should be required of him, most especially
when the
hire is large. Now this I say, that when the Egyptians
afflicted the
children of
Israel by the taskmasters who were set over
them in the process of making bricks,
Moses required and exacted the
whole at once, with penalties, within one moment of time. But is
this, then, to be called
iniquity?
Far from it! Surely it
is the
abstinence1916
| 1916 We
adopt the conjecture of Valesius, viz., abstinentia. The
Codex Bobiensis gives absentia. |
of
goodness, indeed, when one makes but a
moderate use of what is really necessary, and gives up all that goes
beyond that. Let us look, again, at the fact that in the Old
Testament we find the words, “I make the
rich man and the
poor
man,”
1917
whereas
Jesus
calls the
poor blessed.
1918
Well, in that saying
Jesus did not
refer to those who are
poor simply in
worldly substance, but to those
who are
poor in spirit, that is to say, who are not inflamed
1919
| 1919
Reading inflammantur. It may perhaps be inflantur =
puffed up. |
with
pride, but
have the
gentle and lowly dispositions of
humility, not thinking of
themselves more than they ought to think.
1920
This
question, however, is one which
our
adversary has not propounded correctly. For here I perceive
that
Jesus also looks on willingly at the
gifts of the
rich men, when
they are put into the treasury.
1921
All too little, at the same time, is
it
1922
| 1922
Reading et parum hoc est, with Codex Bobiensis, instead of the
et pauperum hoc est of Codex Casinensis. We may also
render it as ="but it is far from being the case that gifts are
cast,” etc. |
if
gifts are
cast into
1923
| 1923 The
Codex Bobiensis reads inferuntur; the other codex gives
offeruntur, offered. |
the treasury by
the
rich alone; and so there are the two mites of the
poor widow which
are also received with
gladness; and in that offering verily something
is exhibited that goes beyond what
Moses prescribed on the subject of
the receipt of moneys. For he received
gifts from those who had;
but
Jesus receives them even from those who have not. But this
man says, further, that it is written, that “except a man shall
forsake all that he hath, he cannot be my
disciple.”
1924
Well, I
observe again, that the
centurion, a man exceedingly
wealthy and well
dowered with
worldly influence,
possessed a
faith surpassing that of
all
Israel;
1925
so that, even if
there was any one who had forsaken all, that man was
surpassed in
faith
by this
centurion. But some one may now reason with us
thus: It is not a good thing, consequently, to give up
riches. Well, I reply that it is a good thing for those who are
capable of it; but, at the same time, to employ
1926
| 1926 The
text gives sed abuti, and the Codex Bobiensis has sed et
abuti. But the reading ought probably to be sed et
uti, or sed etiam uti. Routh, however, notices that
abutor is found with the sense of utor. |
riches for the
work of
righteousness and
mercy, is a thing as acceptable as though one were to give up the whole
at once. Again, as to the assertion that the
Sabbath has been
abolished, we deny that He has
abolished it plainly;
1927
for He was Himself also
Lord of the
Sabbath.
1928
And
this,
the law’s relation to the Sabbath, was like the
servant who has charge of the bridegroom’s
chamber, and who
prepares the same with all carefulness, and does not
suffer it to be
disturbed or touched by any
stranger, but keeps it intact against the
time of the bridegroom’s arrival; so that when he is come, the
same may be used as it pleases himself, or as it is granted to those to
use it whom he has bidden enter along with him. And the
Lord
Jesus Christ Himself gave His
testimony to what we
affirm, when He said
with His heavenly voice, “Can ye make the
children of the
bride-
chamber fast so long as the bridegroom is with
them?”
1929
| 1929
Mark ii. 19. [I have slightly accommodated the
translation to this text.] |
And again,
He did not actually
reject circumcision; but we should rather say that
He received in Himself and in our stead the cause of
circumcision,
1930
| 1930 In
semetipsum causam circumcisionis excepit. |
relieving us by
what He Himself
endured, and not permitting us to have to
suffer any
pain to no purpose.
1931
| 1931 [From
Job (ii. 10) to St. Paul (Heb. iv. 15 and vi. to
8) Scripture abounds in this
teaching. Comp. Lam.
iii. 33.] |
For what, indeed, can it
profit a
man to circumcise himself, if nevertheless he cherishes the worst of
thoughts against his neighbour? He desired, accordingly, rather
to open up to us the ways of the fullest
life by a brief path,
1932
| 1932 The
Codex Bobiensis gives, “viæ compendiosum nobis tramitem
demonstrare.” We adopt the reading, “viæ spatia
compendioso nobis tramite demonstrare.” |
lest perchance,
after we had traversed lengthened courses of our own, we should find
our day prematurely closing upon us in
night, and lest, while outwardly
indeed we might appear splendid to men’s view, we should inwardly
be comparable only to ravening
wolves,
1933
or be likened to whited
sepulchres.
1934
For
far
above any person of that type of character is to be placed the man who,
although clad only in squalid and threadbare attire, keeps no
evil
hidden in his
heart against his neighbour. For it is only the
circumcision of the
heart that brings
salvation; and that merely
carnal
circumcision can be of no
advantage to men, unless they happen also to
be fortified with the
spiritual circumcision. Listen also to what
Scripture has to say on this subject: “
Blessed are the pure
in
heart, for they shall see
God.”
1935
What need, therefore, is there for
me to labour
and suffer, seeing that I have been made acquainted
with the compendious way of
life,
1936
and know that it shall be mine if only I
can be pure in
heart? And that is quite in accordance with the
truth which we have
learned now, to wit, that if one
prevails in the
keeping of the two
commandments, he fulfils the whole
law and the
prophets.
1937
Moreover
Paul, the
chief of the
apostles, after all these sayings, gives us yet
clearer
instruction on the subject, when he says, “Or
seek ye
a
proof of that
Christ
who speaketh in me?”
1938
What have I then to do with
circumcision, seeing that I may be justified in uncircumcision?
For it is written: “Is any man circumcised? let him not
become
uncircumcised. Or is any in uncircumcision? let him not be
circumcised. For neither of these is anything, but only the
keeping of the
commandments of
God.”
1939
Consequently, as
circumcision is
incompetent to
save any, it is not greatly to be required, especially
when we see that if a man has been called in uncircumcision, and wishes
then to be circumcised, he is made forthwith a
transgressor1940
| 1940 Reading
“prævaricator” instead of
“prædicator.” The sense would seem strictly to
require, a debtor to the law. |
of the
law.
For if I am circumcised, I also fulfil the
commandments of the
law with
the view of being in a position to be
saved; but if I am
uncircumcised,
and remain in uncircumcision, much more in keeping the
commandments
shall I have
life. For I have received the
circumcision of the
heart, in the spirit, and not that of the letter in the mere
ink,
1941
in which former
there is
praise, not of men, but of
God.
1942
Wherefore let no charge of this
kind be brought against me. For just as the man of
wealth, who
possesses great
treasures of
gold and
silver, so that he gets
everything which is necessary for the uses of his
house made of these
precious metals, has no need to display any
vessel of earthenware in
anything belonging to his
family and yet it does follow from this
circumstance that the productions of the
potter, or the art of making
vessels of pottery,
1943
| 1943 The
Codex Bobiensis gives, “figuli opus aufers aut
fictilium.” The Codex Casinensis has, “figuli opus et
ars aut fictilium.” We adopt “figuli opus aut ars
fictilium.” |
are to be held in abhorrence by him; so
also I, who have been made
rich by the
grace of
God, and who have
obtained the
circumcision of the
heart, cannot by any means
1944
| 1944
Adopting “nequaquam” for “nec quemquam.” |
stand in need of
that most profitless
fleshly circumcision, and yet, for all
that, it does not follow that I should call it
evil.
Far be it
from me to do so! If, however, any one desires to receive still
more exact
instruction on these matters, he will find them discussed
with the greatest fulness in the
apostle’s first
epistle.
1945
| 1945 By
this he means the Epistle to the Romans, to which the first place among
the epistles of Paul was assigned from the most ancient times. In
Epiphanius, under heresy 42, it is alleged as an offence against
Marcion, that he put the Epistle to the Romans in the fourth place
among Paul’s epistles. See a note in Migne. [Again,
this expression is a note of genuine antiquity.] |
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