He speaks moreover concerning our ears, how He hath circumcised both them and our heart. The Lord saith in the prophet, “In the hearing of the ear they obeyed me.” 1548
And again He saith, “By hearing, those shall hear who are afar off; they shall know what I have done.” 1549
And, “Be ye circumcised in your hearts, saith the Lord.” 1550
And again He says, “Hear, O Israel, for these things saith the Lord thy God.” 1551
And once more the Spirit of the Lord proclaims, “Who is he that wishes to live for ever? By hearing let him hear the voice of my servant.” 1552
And again He saith, “Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for God 1553
hath spoken.” 1554
These are in proof. 1555
And again He saith, “Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of this people.” 1556
And again He saith, “Hear, ye children, the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” 1557
Therefore He hath circumcised our ears, that we might hear His word and believe, for the circumcision in which they trusted is abolished. 1558
For He declared that circumcision was not of the flesh, but they transgressed because an evil angel deluded them. 1559
He saith to them, “These things saith the Lord your God”—(here 1560
I find a new 1561
commandment)—“Sow not among thorns, but circumcise yourselves to the Lord.” 1562
And why speaks He thus: “Circumcise the stubbornness of your heart, and harden not your neck?” 1563
And again: “Behold, saith the Lord, all the nations are uncircumcised 1564
in the flesh, but this people are uncircumcised in heart.” 1565
But thou wilt say, “Yea, verily the people are circumcised for a seal.” But so also is every Syrian and Arab, and all the priests of idols: are these then also within the bond of His covenant? 1566
Yea, the Egyptians also practise circumcision. Learn then, my children, concerning all things richly, 1567
that Abraham, the first who enjoined circumcision, looking forward in spirit to Jesus, practised that rite, having received the mysteries 1568
of the three letters. For [the Scripture] saith, “And Abraham circumcised
Ps. xxxiv. 11-13. The first clause of this sentence is wanting in Cod. Sin.
142:1553 142:1554 142:1555In proof of the spiritual meaning of circumcision; but Hilgenfeld joins the words to the preceding sentence.
142:1556 142:1557Cod. Sin. reads, “it is the voice,” corrected, however, as above.
142:1558Cod. Sin. has, “that we might hear the word, and not only believe,” plainly a corrupt text.
142:1559Cod. Sin., at first hand, has “slew them,” but is corrected as above.
142:1560The meaning is here very obscure, but the above rendering and punctuation seem preferable to any other.
142:1561Cod. Sin., with several other mss., leaves out “new.”
142:1562Jer. iv. 3. Cod. Sin. has “God” instead of “Lord.”
142:1563 142:1564This contrast seems to be marked in the original. Cod. Sin. has, “Behold, receive again.”
142:1565 142:1566Dressel and Hilgenfeld read, “their covenant,” as does Cod. Sin.; we have followed Hefele.
142:1567Cod. Sin. has “children of love,” omitting “richly,” and inserting it before “looking forward.”
142:1568 143:1569Not found in Scripture: but comp. Gen. 17:26, 27, Gen. xiv. 14.
143:1570Cod. Sin. inserts, “and then making a pause.”
143:1571This sentence is altogether omitted by inadvertence in Cod. Sin.
143:1572Some mss. here read, “and further:” the above is the reading in Cod. Sin., and is also that of Hefele.
143:1573This is rendered in the Latin, “the more profound gift,” referring, as it does, to the Gnosis of the initiated. The same word is used in chap. i.
143:1574Literally, “has learned a more germane (or genuine) word from me,” being an idle vaunt on account of the ingenuity in interpreting Scripture he has just displayed.
