THE NEED OF THE JEWS FOR SALVATION When a Gentile commits many evils and impure acts, it is not appropriate for a Jew to indict him; for the Gentile has committed sin without possessing a written Law, whereas the Jew would have has done so by disregarding the Law. In the case of the Jew, he has not only committed a sin, but he is also guilty of ‘violation’. Therefore his responsibility is greater and his penalty is more severe. This indicates that the Law does not justify a person who possesses it yet does not apply, observe, and live it (13). A Jew is not a Jew outwardly (28), nor is the circumcision of the flesh considered circumcision. Rather, a Jew is someone who has lived as a true spiritual man of God, and whose heartnot his flesh- has been circumcised by the Spirit This is what the Apostle clarifies in this Chapter. It is a discourse that is useful to us believers. Since a person who is outwardly a Jew is convicted due to his lack of spirituality and his deadly literal observances, then a Christian will be all the more guilty if he keeps the name and the formalities but without staying the course. That would make him more evil and more violent than a Jew for he has humiliated the holy Blood. This discourse is all the more relevant to the lives of ministers and shepherds. The Apostle directs a warning to them to avoid being carried away by temporal glory and honors. Such matters would distract them from leading an inner life inflamed by the Spirit and the Truth. 1. The Law and the Indictment of Others 1-.11. 2. The Law and it Practice in Life 12-. 16. 3. The Law and Edification 17- 29. 1. The Law and the Indictment of Others: St Paul the Apostle deals with the issue of the conceit of the Jew who claims he has been chosen out of all nations to be the recipient of the Law. Jews do not realize that the Law is a mirror that reveals sins and weaknesses. Sadly, instead of its being instrumental in helping the Jew in discovering his failings and consequently crying out to God, repenting, and praying for salvation; he becomes hardened and uses the Law to uncover the sins of others. In doing so, instead of allowing the Law to bring him to repentance, he has usurped the status of the Judge and ordained himself to judge others, claiming knowledge of God’s will and plan. He has used the Law to demand the first seats and to set himself up as the judge over others. The indictment of others is in itself a revelation of inner problems. This is what the Jews did when they caught the adulteress and sought to justify their indictment by having her stoned. As for the Judge, He covered up her sin by His love. However, He did not abandon her to her sinfulness. Rather, through tough love, He commanded her: “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more”. What a great difference between the manner by which a man indicts his brother while he shares the same failings and God’s judgment! He is longsuffering towards us so that we might repent and be clear of the guilt of judging others... St Paul associates, in this manner, between our indictment of others and God’s indictment as our Judge. He explains this association as follows: First: When we ordain ourselves judges of others while we share the same failings; we inflict judgment upon ourselves through our indictment of others. He states: 61 “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest does the same things… And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?” (2: 1-3). St John Chrysostom writes: [This reflects the logic of the Apostle who seems to proclaim: You judge the adulterer while you commit the same sin, do you not condemn yourself at the same time, even though no one has judged you?...If you punish someone who has committed a lesser sin than yours, then how would God not condemn you for your acts and indict you for your harshness, especially that you have brought condemnation on yourself by your own acts?!1 ]. Second: By judging your brother, you do not only indict yourself by that act, but you are usually wrong as well in your judgment. This is because you base your verdict on appearances and are unaware of the motives and inner depths of the others. As for God, He judges you fairly for He knows all your secrets…in other words, even if you believed yourself to be more righteous than your brother and so judge and indict him, your verdict would probably be unfair. Therefore the Apostle states that: “… we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things”, (2: 2). St Paul underlines the characteristics of God’s judgment, which differ completely from our manner of indicting others. These are: a. His judgment is “according to the truth” (2), for He is the Truth itself. b. God does not desire to punish. In His mercy, patience, and long- suffering, He wishes to “lead you to repentance”, (v4). c. It is a “righteous judgment” (5). d. He “will render to each one according to his deeds” (6). e. ‘There is no partiality with God”, (v11). f. It is not based on what a person knows, but according to deeds and manner of living, (13). g. God judges the inner depths, the conscience, the thoughts, and the secrets of men, (15, 16). h. It is based on the reality of the inner person and not on his outward appearance as a religious person or a teacher, (17- 29) Third: The Jews were at fault, especially their leaders-whether priests or Pharisees. First, instead of using the Law as a way of life and spiritual work, they had transformed the Law into a means to criticize and indict people in a spirit of arrogance and pride. Second, having comprehended God’s gentleness and long suffering, they abused their knowledge. In other words, by being harsh and judgmental towards others, they abused God’s love and goodness. As St Paul explains: “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (4)…However, God is long suffering towards us in spite of our rashness to condemn others. This does not mean that He relieves us of punishment but that He retains it for a specific time. “But after thy 1 In Rom. hom 5 62 hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds” (5,6). God is longsuffering towards us as He provides us the opportunity to repent. However, if we persist in our wickedness, the penalty becomes more severe. That is why the holy fathers tremble to see no penalty inflicted in this world. They consider that the light and quick punishment, pronounced for sins in this world by inflicting temporal penalties, are easier to tolerate than to face God’s wrath on the Day of Judgment1. We pray that those who love God’s tenderness also respect His justice; for God is ‘good’ (merciful) and ‘upright’ (truthful). (Ps 25: 8). You love Him as He is ‘good’ (merciful), therefore fear Him as He is the Truth… He is gentle, long suffering, and tender; and He is also the Righteous and the Truth. He has granted you the opportunity to correct yourself. However, you like to delay judgment more than to correct your ways. Have you been wicked yesterday? Then be good today! St Augustine2 We often speak to you about the goodness of God not in order to encourage you to disregard Him and do whatever pleases you; but to tell you that we should not be discouraged when we sin and that we should repent. Otherwise His goodness would be harmful to our salvation. God’s goodness leads you to repentance rather than to commit greater evil. If you become corrupt due to His goodness, then you are humiliating God before men. Longsuffering is beneficial to us; yet we would be subject to greater penalty if we do not capitalize on it. St John Chrysostom3 [For the wicked to repent, God may not be long suffering at times; and at other times He may not be severe. Whereas towards the righteous, He uses punishment at times, and shows mercy at other times: ] God’s long suffering invites the wicked to repent. Inflicting punishment is God’s way to train the righteous to endure Moreover, God’s mercy embraces the righteous in order to teach them. Besides, God sternly averts the wicked as they submit to punishment. St Augustine4 In other words, a person may experience God’s love and long suffering; and yet that person naturally tends to be hard on his brother, and indicts and reproaches others. In contrast, God desires everyone to be redeemed and He is longsuffering as He wishes all to repent and turn back to Him. 1 Cassian: Conf. 7:31 2 In Ioan.tr 33:7 3 In Eph.hom4; In matt. Hom 75 4 City of God 1:8 63 St Paul may have wanted to underline that even though God has been long suffering, this does not indicate that He is pleased with them. It is a sign of His goodness as He is waiting for them to repent Fourth: Even though God is the Judge, yet we are the ones who “are treasuring up for (ourselves) wrath”…for God wishes to be merciful and He provides us with every means to deserve His mercy. However, man- being unrepentant- reserves wrath for himself. St John Chrysostom says: [Note how precise these words are: “treasuring up for (ourselves) wrath” as they clarify that it is not the Judge who issues the judgment but it comes as the result of our own wrongdoing. St Paul does not say ‘God treasures up for you’ but he says ‘you are treasuring’…God tries to attract you by every possible means. However, if you persist in your obstinacy, then you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath when God will declare His righteous judgment. It should not cross your mind that His wrath is a violent reaction for it is a pronouncement of Justice. It is a ‘revelation’ when every person receives what he deserves1]. Fifth: Addressing the subject of God’s Judgment of mankind, St Paul first speaks about the righteous who are rewarded with eternal life. Then he speaks about those who are subjected to the wrath of God and says: “To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile. But glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile”, (2: 7-10). God wishes that everyone attains eternal life through perseverance in doing good deeds. As a result, they are rewarded with glory, honour, and eternal peace. That is why the Apostle mentions them first. As for the second category who become subject to righteous anger and wrath, and moan due to their hard and terrible condition; these have brought it upon themselves through their submission to sin. God does not wish anyone to fall under such a pronouncement. This is the difference between the manner God judges and how people judge: God considers first the righteous and righteous matters; whereas man tends to focus on faults, and first considers the evil in others to promptly condemn them. St Iraneous notes that St Paul has focused in this Epistle on man’s free will, (2: 4, 5, 7). That is why God grants blessings to those who do good- according to the Apostleand so they receive glory and honor. Those who practice good works although they could have chosen to do otherwise and consequently submit to the righteous judgment of God2. Sixth: The Apostle underlines that God does not discriminate: “For there is no partiality with God” (11). If God rewards the Jew first for his good or evil deeds, it is because He condemns, more harshly, those who have received knowledge or have been entrusted with leadership and ministry roles. St John Chrysostom comments: [It is only fair that someone who has received a greater share of knowledge should get a greater share of punishment if he disobeys the Law. Consequently, our punishment becomes more severe as it corresponds with our wisdom and authority. If you are rich, you are 1 In Rom. hom 5 2 Adv.Haer 4:37:1 64 required to give more than what is required of the poor. If you are wiser than others, you are required to be more obedient than others; and if you are entrusted with authority, you need to offer remarkable services1]. Showing favouritism or discrimination is a human characteristic. People deviate from judging truthfully as they favour a person based on his relatives or his wealth, or as they seek some benefit. St Paul explains: “having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.”(jude16) Judges were warned against partiality (Lev 19: 15, Deuteronomy 10: 17). In this context, St James warns us and says: ‘…do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality, (James 2: 1); and St Paul tells the Ephesians and the Colossians to avoid favourtism, (Eph 6: 9; Col 3: 25). The Lord Jesus Christ displayed His impartiality on the Cross: “For God so loved the world- (without favoritism), that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn 3: 16). St Paul also says: ‘He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things’, (Rom 8: 32). 2. The Law and its Practice in Life: The Law no longer fulfilled the divine role it was intended to play in the life of the Jews. Rather than being the means leading them to acknowledge their sins and realizing their need for God’s redeeming act, it led them to haughtiness and pride as they claimed to be the heirs and teachers of the truth. In this light, they indicted the Gentiles and therefore fell under the condemnation of God. Clearly, the Law is not an end in itself or a mere theoretical proposition. The Law, more appropriately, is intended to be embraced and observed practically in our day to day experience. In this manner, the Law would become the means to our coronation. That is why St Paul says the following: First: “For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law” (12). The Law is not an opportunity for boasting but for work. Since the Law grants knowledge of God and His will, those who have received the Law have the obligation to observe its commandments. Otherwise they have failed through the Law and become subject to condemnation. The Jews differ from the Gentiles who sin because they have no Law and therefore perish. Indeed, they are more wicked for they knowingly sin as they are under the Law. St John Chrysostom comments and says: [St Paul here indicates not only the equality between Jew and Gentile; but also clarifies how the Law has laid a burden on the Jew. This is because the Gentile is judged without the Law- and the words ‘without the Law’ indicate that the judgment is lighter-for the Law does not testify against him. In such a case, the Gentile receives punishment based upon the logic of nature and reason. As for the Jew, he is judged in the light of the Law. In other words, he is judged according to the logic of nature, reason, as well as the Law: what he has received has increased his responsibility. Note to what extent St Paul urges the Jew to understand his need to seek grace and pray for rescue. Whereas they are satisfied to have 1 In Rom. hom 5 65 the Law and do not need grace, he indicates to them that they need grace more than the Gentiles since through the Law their punishment will be greater1]. St Augustine says: [Those who have not heard the Word (the Gospel) are judged in a manner that is different from those who have heard and mocked It2]. He also says3 that those who have no Law perish and this sounds terrible. As for those under the Law, they are judged – meaning that they have no excuse, therefore they are condemned to destruction…and so their condemnation is more severe. St John Chrysostom explains that: [Not all penalties are alike for all sins. Rather, they are various and numerous: it depends on the times and the persons- their ranks, intelligence, and circumstances…for example, if a priest commits adultery, his penalty would be greatly doubled due to the honor he has received as a minister4]. The Apostle intends to underline that all have been convicted – both Jew and Gentile- and this leads him to proclaim that all are in need of salvation. Second: Anyone who receives the Law receives a harder penalty since the Law or knowledge testifies against him on the Day of Judgment. In this light, the Law does not justify a person who has merely heard or studied it. The Law justifies when it is wholly observed. It is impossible for any person to fully obey the Law: “for not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (13). Note how the Apostle is accurate as he says: ‘are just before God’, for many hear and recite the Law, and are consequently counted as righteous and religious by their fellowmen. But God does not judge a person based upon his outward appearance but upon the righteousness of his inner depths. We may deceive our fellowmen and even ourselves by claiming to hear the Word, but can we justify ourselves before God? The Law demands us to be fully obedient to it (Deut 4: 1; Lev 18: 5). This is impossible for there is no man who is without sin…consequently; there is a dire need for someone who justifies. Third: While St Paul indicates that the Law has burdened the Jew, he elevates the case of the Gentile who has not received the Law. In the case of the Jew, the Law would testify against him on the Day of Judgment since he has heard with his ears and has not applied his heart and deeds and this would have justified him before God. As for the Gentile who has struggled with his nature to obey the Law, St Paul says: “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another; in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel” (14-16). St John Chrysostom comments: [St Paul wishes to communicate the following: I do not reject the Law, but I justify the Gentiles due to it…revealing that they are better and more excellent than the Jews as they practice goodness even though they have not received the Law. Being the 1 Ibid 2 In Ioan tr 54:6 3 Ibid 89:3 4 In matt. Hom 75 66 recipients of the Law has led the Jews to be conceited and arrogance. In this respect, the Gentiles are worthy of admiration, for they fulfilled the Law through deeds and not through words which they heard…Therefore note how the Apostle blames the Jews for that, and consequently demolishes their conceit. He proclaims that Gentiles are more deserving of honor than the Jews as they have struggled to fulfill the Law – though they had no Law. We are all the more astonished at the Apostle’s wisdom as he reveals the prominence of the Gentile over the Jew without a direct statement to that effect1]. [In order to intensify their concern, St Paul is not satisfied to speak of ‘the sins of people’ but speaks about God who will ‘judge the secrets of men’. Therefore do not think that you are capable of avoiding the judgment of God…for men set up courts of justice to judge acts done in public (as for God, He judges the secret acts)…therefore let every man enter into the depths of his conscience and examine himself carefully so that ‘we should not be condemned with the world’, (1 Cor 11: 32). That Judgment will be awesome, and that Chair fearsome, and that Accountability severe; for ‘none of them can by any means redeem his brother’, (Ps 49: 8). How will we feel when we stand before the whole world and all our secrets are proclaimed on an enormous illuminated stage where those we know and those we do not know are seated.?!2]. The Son of Caesar’s Scribe believes that St Paul is speaking about the Gentiles who have advanced- through walking with God- over the Jews. These are the ‘early fathers’ who had lived before the time when the Law of Moses was delivered, such as Abraham, Job, and Joseph. Abraham believed in God and offered his son as a sacrificial offering. Job offered sacrifices on behalf of his children as he feared any of them could have spoken wrongfully or held within himself matters that would displease God, (Job 1: 5). Joseph practiced a pure life, and avoided evil in order not to sin before God, (Gen 39: 5). All these lived under the rule of nature and not under the Law; for they did not need the written Law; since they did not trust their intentions or will to guide them but acted according to their own natural dictates of goodness. Therefore they abandoned all temptations to corruption. In that light, they were different from us who are guided by our willful intentions and our books]. The Son of Caesar’s Scribe also comments on the Apostle’s words, mentioned above, and clarifies that their thoughts were ‘accusing’, (15). In other words, they indicted themselves through their own minds when they did something wrong, as their reason played the same role as that of the Law. Fr Sirianus considers these words to be a confirmation of man’s control over his thoughts; otherwise our thoughts and consciences would not have betrayed us. To support his comment, he goes on to say: If we struggled, as human beings, against all turmoil and sin, these become subject to our control and obey our will. Being in control enables us to fight against the desires of the flesh and to destroy them, and leads us to imprison all sins by our authority. In this manner, we dispel from our chest the terrifying guests; and we do so through the power granted to us through the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 In matt.hom 5 2 Ibid 67 Ultimately, we are enabled to enjoy spiritual victory, such as that enjoyed in the parable of the centurion , (Matt 8: 9) 1]. Fr Joseph considers these words as a revelation about [the willful intentions of man which will ultimately cause him to be rewarded or punished2]. Origen the Scholar comments on the expression “according to my gospel” (16) saying: [Until now we do not have a written text named as “Gospel’, but all that he has preached and all he has said are the Gospel, and all that he has preached and all he has said are considered as though they have been written, besides what he has actually written. Now if what Paul has written is a Gospel, then what Peter has written is Gospel too. To sum up, we consider that the word ‘Gospel’ covers all that has been said or written to commemorate the knowledge of the Lord’s descent to the world, and which prepares for His Second Coming. All these sayings and writings have been applied by such men who aim to present this knowledge for they are actual living facts. They are living words that exist in the souls of those who desire other men to accept the Word of God Who is standing at the door and asking to enter into the hearts3]. 3-The Law and Edification : In the previous chapter, St Paul has addressed the evils enacted by the Gentiles, and stressed their need to receive God’s free gift of grace. This would support them and lead them to attain salvation from God. In this chapter, St Paul addresses the Jews and reveals to them that they are in need of divine grace more than the Gentiles- if such an expression were appropriate- for they had used the Law- which had been granted to assist them to repent, as a weapon by which to indict others. Moreover, instead of applying the Law, they were satisfied with merely hearing it. This has revealed that there are some Gentiles, who struggled inwardly to live a pure life, to be better than them. These had applied what was contained in the Law through their own nature and logic. As a result, the Law appeared to be written in their hearts and consciences. In contrast, those who had received the Law continued to hear with their ears while their hearts and inner thoughts were excluded...In order to clarify the dreadfulness of their deeds, St Paul proclaims that the Jews had become nominal teachers communicating the Law while opposing it in their deeds, whereas they should have preached the Law through applying it in their daily lives. They had considered themselves leaders in spiritual thinking, a light to the world, educators of the rich, and children’s teachers. They had the appearance of knowing the teachings of the Law and of the truth, whereas their lives and behavior indicated the complete opposite of that. In this discourse, the following points are noteworthy: First: St John Chrysostom finds that St Paul has used a style that is appropriate to address people who claim to be qualified and knowledgeable and who have set themselves as teachers to the whole world. The apostle reveals that they deride and mock everyone; for he says: 1 Cassian. Conf. 7:5 2 Ibid 17:14 3 Comm. On John, book 1:6 68 [“Behold thou art called a Jew” and “makest thy boast of God” (17), but he does not say ‘Behold you are a Jew’. In other words, ‘you imagine you are loved and honored by God above all mankind. We believe that the Apostle is gently sarcastic about their lack of logic and their wild lust for glory. However, they have abused such favor by making it a cause of treating others arrogantly and despitefully, instead of using it as a means of salvation…for the apostle tells them: ‘(you) are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind’- and here too, the apostle does not say: ‘you are a guide’. Rather, he states: ‘You are confident that you yourself are a guide’ implying that ‘you boast’; and that is because the arrogance of the Jews was tremendous. Actually, St Paul is using the same expressions that were commonly and repeatedly used among them in their arrogant complacence. Listen to the words of the Gospel: “Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us?” (Jn 9: 34). This kind of haughty contempt reflected their attitude towards others1]. [St Paul uses the very same words the Jews used: “a guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, and a teacher of babes”. These were the words the Jews used as a label to those who were their students. By repeating these expressions, St Paul intends them to realize that what they claimed to be an advantage worthy of boasting about had become a cause for condemning them all the more2]. Second: Even though a spiritual teacher could be described as ‘a guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, and a teacher of babes’, yet he does not accomplish that on his own. Indeed, God Himself is the One Who works through His ministers by entering into their hearts. He provides light within, educating and training as to a child. The Lord Jesus Christ became incarnated to fulfill that spiritual role. He did so by constantly transforming and renewing the heart and not by just delivering commandments. The perfect Teacher of children became a child among children in order to grant wisdom to the rich. St Cyril of Jerusalem3 Third: The Apostle is not satisfied with reprimanding them by just repeating expressions which they used as they occupied the status of teachers to the heathen world and yet did not practice any of their teachings. He moves on to accuse the Jews of demeaning God Himself though they imagined that they were teaching others about Him. He tells them: “You therefore who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say “Do not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonour God through breaking the law?!” (21-23). The teachers of the Jews were concerned with theoretical preaching and left out the practical aspect, therefore the words lost their power. That is why St Paul urges his disciple Bishop Timothy and tells him: “…be thou an example of the believers, in 1 In matt. hom 6 2 Ibid 3 Cat. Lect. 12:1 69 word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine…Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee”( 1 Tim 4: 12, 13, 16). Anyone who plays a leading role needs to shine more brilliantly than any other star. St John Chrysostom Fourth: Demeaning God does not end in the divergence between their teachings and their behavior, but the Apostle charges them with a new accusation which he supports by quoting the prophets: “For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written” (Rom 2: 24; Is 52: 5;Ezk 36: 20,23; 2 Sam 12: 24). In this context, St John Chrysostom says: [The Jews are not only insolent towards God, but they encourage others to do so …they drive them to blaspheme1]. To help avoid committing this error, the Lord Jesus Christ has taught us to pray and say: “Hallowed is Your Name…” There are no half solutions: either the Name of God is hallowed through us or blasphemed because of us. Naturally, the Name of God is holy, whether we say so or not. However, it sometimes gets soiled among sinners…that is why we pray that God’s name is sanctified and not that it would become sanctified and as though that were not the case. We pray that His name would be sanctified in us as we seek to become holy and behave accordingly. St Cyril of Jerusalem2 Fifth: What is the aim of the Jew when he teaches a Gentile? It is to draw him away from the uncircumcised and to transfer him into the family of the circumcised; and from a person who has no Law to one controlled by the Law. That is an aim which the Jew achieves as a formality but which is lacking in spirit. This is what St Paul proclaims by revealing two types of circumcision, as well as two types of Law. The Jew cares about physical circumcision and not the spiritual one. He is concerned with circumcising the body and not the spirit, and with hearing and boasting about the Law without living and applying its teachings. This is how the Apostle distinguishes between circumcision according to the flesh and that according to the spirit. Also related to circumcision: he indicates the difference between just hearing the Law, and actually applying it. The Jew is concerned with the body and the outward appearance of his life. The same applies to his role as teacher to the Gentiles, as the Apostle says: “For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 1 In matt. hom6 2 Cat. lect. 23:13 70 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God”. (25-29). Note the following points in this apostolic passage: A- St John Chrysostom1 finds that St Paul is like a judge who wants to issue a verdict on persons who enjoy a certain rank, therefore it was appropriate to strip them of their ranks first, and then to indict them. That is what he does by stripping them of their advantages. He reveals their reality as being uncircumcised spiritually. Moreover, they were not enjoying the Law in its spiritual implications. Indeed, they lived in spiritual uncircumcision in spite of their being physically circumcised…in this manner, he strips them in order to announce their indictment. St Paul has not diminished the importance of circumcision, yet he has not favored uncircumcision over circumcision. He has clarified that those physically circumcised could be uncircumcised spiritually. Besides, someone physically uncircumcised could be spiritually circumcised inwardly. In this manner, circumcision becomes uncircumcision, and uncircumcision becomes circumcision! How does a person become uncircumcised after being circumcised? The Apostle hopes that this would not be the case. He should not live as though he were uncircumcised, otherwise he would become as though he had been covered again with the flesh which had been cut off. This would make him no longer a Jew. St Augustine2 This is consistent with his words: “Is any man called being circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised…” (1 Cor: 7: 18). St Paul was a Jew and he was called to serve when he had been circumcised, so he does not wish to become uncircumcised…that is, he does not wish to lead the life of an uncircumcised person. St Augustine3 When a Jew sins, his circumcision becomes uncircumcision. When a Gentile lives uprightly, his uncircumcision is counted as circumcision. Hence, matters that are considered pure are counted as unclean by those who do not use them appropriately. Origen the Scholar4 Jeremiah the Prophet has spoken earlier, very clearly, about the circumcision of the heart and ears a subject we hope to address, God willing, in our study of the Book of Jeremiah. B- Origen the Scholar, in his comments on the Gospel of Matthew, observes that this apostolic passage intends to clarify that the true Jew – not in the light of the flesh, but as a spiritual man of God- is someone who is associated with the Lord Jesus Christ. He says that the word ‘Jew’ refers to Judah the son of James, but that now it carries a spiritual implication that applies to a person who is related to Him who became incarnated as a descendent of the tribe of Jude…such a person is a Jew inwardly as his heart is circumcised by the Spirit. 1 In matt. hom 6 2 On lying 8 3 Of the work of the Monks 12 4 Comm. On Matt. book 11:12 71 In the same line of thought, Pope Gregory the Great says: [I now ask: What is Israel today? The Apostle answers: Those who act according to the Spirit and not according to the letter. Those walking according to the Law of the Lord Jesus Christ: these constitute the Israel of God1]. Concerning the characteristics of such a spiritual Jew or the new Israel, they are those: “whose praise is not of men, but of God” (29). St John Chrysostom accordingly says: [I do not warn you against the lust for glory, but I desire you to have true glory whose source is God…may we be pure inwardly and avoid being burdened with parading, appearances, and flattery. Let us remove the sheep’s clothing and be real sheep. Nothing is more trivial than human glory. When you see young children, suckling, do you desire to receive glory from them? This is the situation of all mankind in the context of glory- that is why it is called ‘vainglory’]2. 1 On the Trinity 5:28 2 In Titus hom 2
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