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 ten, and eight, and three hundred men of his household." [1569] What, then, was the knowledge given to him in this? Learn the eighteen first, and then the three hundred. [1570] The ten and the eight are thus denoted -- Ten by I, and Eight by E. [1571] You have [the initials of the, name of] Jesus. And because [1572] the cross was to express the grace [of our redemption] by the letter T, 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 engrafted [1573] gift of His doctrine. No one has been admitted by me to a more excellent piece of knowledge [1574] than this, but I know that ye are worthy.

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Footnotes:

[1548] Psalm 18:44.

[1549] Isaiah 33:13.

[1550] Jeremiah 4:4.

[1551] Jeremiah 7:2.

[1552] Psalm 34:11-13. The first clause of this sentence is wanting in Cod. Sin.

[1553] Cod. Sin. has "Lord."

[1554] Isaiah 1:2.

[1555] In proof of the spiritual meaning of circumcision; but Hilgenfeld joins the words to the preceding sentence.

[1556] Isaiah 1:10.

[1557] Cod. Sin. reads, "it is the voice," corrected, however, as above.

[1558] Cod. Sin. has, "that we might hear the word, and not only believe," plainly a corrupt text.

[1559] Cod. Sin., at first hand, has "slew them," but is corrected as above.

[1560] The meaning is here very obscure, but the above rendering and punctuation seem preferable to any other.

[1561] Cod. Sin., with several other mss., leaves out "new."

[1562] Jeremiah 4:3. Cod. Sin. has "God" instead of "Lord."

[1563] Deuteronomy 10:16.

[1564] This contrast seems to be marked in the original. Cod. Sin. has, "Behold, receive again."

[1565] Jeremiah 9:25, 26.

[1566] Dressel and Hilgenfeld read, "their covenant," as does Cod. Sin.; we have followed Hefele.

[1567] Cod. Sin. has "children of love," omitting "richly," and inserting it before "looking forward."

[1568] Literally, "doctrines."

[1569] Not found in Scripture: but comp. Genesis 17:26, 27, Genesis 14:14.

[1570] Cod. Sin. inserts, "and then making a pause."

[1571] This sentence is altogether omitted by inadvertence in Cod. Sin.

[1572] Some mss. here read, "and further:" the above is the reading in Cod. Sin., and is also that of Hefele.

[1573] This 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.

[1574] Literally, "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.