Chapter IX.—The spiritual meaning of circumcision.

Chapter IX.—The spiritual meaning of circumcision.

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.”¹⁵⁴⁸Ps. xviii. 44. And again He saith, “By hearing, those shall hear who are afar off; they shall know what I have done.”¹⁵⁴⁹Isa. xxxiii. 13. And, “Be ye circumcised in your hearts, saith the Lord.”¹⁵⁵⁰Jer. iv. 4. And again He says, “Hear, O Israel, for these things saith the Lord thy God.”¹⁵⁵¹Jer. vii. 2. 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.”¹⁵⁵²Ps. xxxiv. 11–13. The first clause of this sentence is wanting in Cod. Sin. And again He saith, “Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for God¹⁵⁵³Cod. Sin. has “Lord.” hath spoken.”¹⁵⁵⁴Isa. i. 2. These are in proof.¹⁵⁵⁵In proof of the spiritual meaning of circumcision; but Hilgenfeld joins the words to the preceding sentence. And again He saith, “Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of this people.”¹⁵⁵⁶Isa. i. 10. And again He saith, “Hear, ye children, the voice of one crying in the wilderness.”¹⁵⁵⁷Cod. Sin. reads, “it is the voice,” corrected, however, as above. Therefore He hath circumcised our ears, that we might hear His word and believe, for the circumcision in which they trusted is abolished.¹⁵⁵⁸Cod. Sin. has, “that we might hear the word, and not only believe,” plainly a corrupt text. For He declared that circumcision was not of the flesh, but they transgressed because an evil angel deluded them.¹⁵⁵⁹Cod. Sin., at first hand, has “slew them,” but is corrected as above. He saith to them, “These things saith the Lord your God”—(here¹⁵⁶⁰The meaning is here very obscure, but the above rendering and punctuation seem preferable to any other. I find a new¹⁵⁶¹Cod. Sin., with several other mss., leaves out “new.” commandment)—“Sow not among thorns, but circumcise yourselves to the Lord.”¹⁵⁶²Jer. iv. 3. Cod. Sin. has “God” instead of “Lord.” And why speaks He thus: “Circumcise the stubbornness of your heart, and harden not your neck?”¹⁵⁶³Deut. x. 16. And again: “Behold, saith the Lord, all the nations are uncircumcised¹⁵⁶⁴This contrast seems to be marked in the original. Cod. Sin. has, “Behold, receive again.” in the flesh, but this people are uncircumcised in heart.”¹⁵⁶⁵Jer. ix. 25, 26. 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?¹⁵⁶⁶Dressel and Hilgenfeld read, “their covenant,” as does Cod. Sin.; we have followed Hefele. Yea, the Egyptians also practise circumcision. Learn then, my children, concerning all things richly,¹⁵⁶⁷Cod. Sin. has “children of love,” omitting “richly,” and inserting it before “looking forward.” that Abraham, the first who enjoined circumcision, looking forward in spirit to Jesus, practised that rite, having received the mysteries¹⁵⁶⁸Literally, “doctrines.” of the three letters. For [the Scripture] saith, “And Abraham circumcised ten, and eight, and three hundred men of his household.”¹⁵⁶⁹Not found in Scripture: but comp. Gen. xvii. 26, 27, Gen. xiv. 14. What, then, was the knowledge given to him in this? Learn the eighteen first, and then the three hundred.¹⁵⁷⁰Cod. Sin. inserts, “and then making a pause.” The ten and the eight are thus denoted—Ten by Ι, and Eight by Η.¹⁵⁷¹This sentence is altogether omitted by inadvertence in Cod. Sin. You have [the initials of the, name of] Jesus. And because¹⁵⁷²Some mss. here read, “and further:” the above is the reading in Cod. Sin., and is also that of Hefele. the cross was to express the grace [of our redemption] by the letter Τ, he says also, “Three Hundred.” He signifies, therefore, Jesus by two letters, and the cross by one. He knows this, who has put within us the engrafted¹⁵⁷³This 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. gift of His doctrine. No one has been admitted by me to a more excellent piece of knowledge¹⁵⁷⁴Literally, “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. than this, but I know that ye are worthy.