{"slug":"pta0029.pta002","id":"greek:pta:pta0029.pta002","title":"De sabbatis et circumcisione","title_source":"De sabbatis et circumcisione","author":"Ps.-Athanasius of Alexandria","genre":"other","date":"0340–0500","tradition":"greek","coverage":"not-located","coverage_claim":{"status":"not-located","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},"publication":{"status":"machine-draft","reviewed_by":null,"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","generated":"2026-11-15T05:28:22Z","cost_usd":0.004721},"source":{"registry_id":"greek:pta:pta0029.pta002","work_id":"pta0029.pta002","edition":"pta","language":"","license":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://pta.bbaw.de/text/urn:cts:pta:pta0029.pta002.pta-grc2"},"stats":{"passages":8,"english_words":2212,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":8600,"commentary_units":46,"commentary_kinds":8,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":14,"work_notes":5,"external_links":0,"timeline":5},"summary":{"work":"pta0029.pta002","abstract":"De sabbatis et circumcisione is a Greek patristic treatise attributed to Athanasius of Alexandria but widely considered spurious. It argues that Jewish practices of Sabbath observance and circumcision are no longer binding for Christians, employing typological exegesis to reinterpret the Sabbath as a sign of the old creation superseded by the Lord's day and the new creation. The work reflects common anti-Jewish polemic in early Byzantine theology and was preserved in manuscript collections of Athanasian spuria. Its uncertain dating (4th–6th centuries) and lack of critical edition limit text-critical study, but it offers insight into the development of Christian supersessionist arguments.","historical_context":"The work survives in Greek manuscripts among the spuria of Athanasius of Alexandria, but modern scholarship doubts this attribution. It was likely composed between the mid-4th and 6th centuries, possibly in an Eastern monastic or theological milieu. The text engages with Jewish practices still observed by some Christians or debated in Christian circles, reflecting a broader patristic polemic against Judaism (cf. works by John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria). Its inclusion in later Byzantine canonical collections and florilegia indicates ongoing use in anti-Jewish argumentation. The manuscript tradition is poorly documented, with no critical apparatus for variant readings, limiting precise localization. The work's reliance on typological exegesis of Exodus and Pauline themes (2 Cor 5:17) suggests a context where scriptural interpretation was central to defining Christian identity against Jewish tradition.","significance":"De sabbatis et circumcisione exemplifies the Christian supersessionist reinterpretation of Jewish law, using typology to transform Sabbath from a temporal command into an eschatological sign. It influenced Byzantine anti-Jewish polemic and reflects the broader patristic project of redefining salvation history around Christ. The work also illustrates the fluidity of attribution in the Athanasian corpus and the challenges of dating pseudepigraphical texts.","timeline":[{"date":"c. 296–373","event":"Life of Athanasius of Alexandria; the work is spuriously attributed to him."},{"date":"4th–6th centuries","event":"Probable composition of De sabbatis et circumcisione in Greek."},{"date":"4th–6th centuries","event":"Manuscript transmission among Athanasian spuria."},{"date":"Byzantine period","event":"Inclusion in canonical collections and florilegia for anti-Jewish polemic."},{"date":"Modern era","event":"Scholarly recognition of pseudepigraphy; limited critical study."}],"relations":[{"work":"Athanasius of Alexandria, Festal Letters","relation":"Spurious attribution; Athanasius's genuine works also address Jewish practices but differ in style and content.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"John Chrysostom, Against the Jews","relation":"Similar anti-Jewish polemic and typological exegesis of Sabbath.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Cyril of Alexandria, De adoratione in spiritu et veritate","relation":"Contemporary Alexandrian exegesis of Old Testament law.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Epistle of Barnabas","relation":"Earlier Christian reinterpretation of Jewish law, including Sabbath and circumcision.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Didascalia Apostolorum","relation":"Syriac Christian text with similar arguments on Jewish practices.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["Authorship is disputed; the work is pseudepigraphically attributed to Athanasius.","Dating is uncertain, ranging from the 4th to 6th centuries; no firm external evidence.","The manuscript tradition is poorly documented; no critical edition exists for variant readings.","The text may be corrupt or elliptical in places (e.g., the phrase 'that concerning Jerusalem')."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000499,"generated":"2026-11-15T05:03:51Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Patristic Text Archive","url":"https://pta.bbaw.de/text/urn:cts:pta:pta0029.pta002.pta-grc2"}],"checks":{"work":"pta0029.pta002","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":8,"translated":8,"commentary_passages":8,"commentary_units":46,"english_words":2212,"source_letters":8599,"commentary_kinds":8},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The work argues against Jewish practices, particularly sabbath observance and circumcision, as no longer binding for Christians. It reflects a common patristic polemical stance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":["pta"]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Attributed to Athanasius of Alexandria in the manuscript tradition, but modern scholarship doubts this ascription. The work is preserved in Greek among spuria.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":["pta"]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The dating is uncertain; likely composed between the 4th and 6th centuries. No firm external evidence anchors it to Athanasius’s lifetime (c. 296–373).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":["pta"]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The work was included in some later Greek canonical collections and florilegia, influencing anti-Jewish polemic in Byzantine theology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":["pta"]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The edition does not provide a critical apparatus for variant readings across manuscripts, limiting its use for text-critical study.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":["pta"]}],"derived_work_notes":[{"kind":"coverage","severity":"info","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},{"kind":"limit","severity":"caution","text":"The English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve."},{"kind":"register","severity":"info","text":"Register: other in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 8 narrative."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: pta — CC BY 4.0"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":8},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"Περὶ σαββάτων καὶ περιτομῆς ἐκ τοῦ εξόδου\n\nΚαὶ φυλάξουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ τὰ σάββατα, ποιεῖν αὐτὰ εἰς τὰς γενεὰς αὐτῶν. Διαθήκη αἰώνιος ἐν ἐμοὶ καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ, σημεῖόν ἐστιν ἐν ἐμοὶ αἰώνιον. Ὅτι ἐν ἓξ ἡμέραις ἐποίησε κύριος τὸν τε οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἡμέρᾳ κατέπαυσε.\n\nΣημεῖόν ἐστι τοῦ εἰδέναι τὴν τῆς κτίσεως ἡμέραν καὶ τὸ ταύτης τέλος. Ἀκόλουθον ἦν ἕως τὰ τῆς κτίσεως ἐνεργεῖτο – ἡ ἐπὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ –, ἕως τότε φυλάττειν τὰ σάββατα.\n\nἘλθούσης δὲ τῆς ἑτέρας γενεᾶς καὶ τοῦ κτιζομένου λαοῦ κατὰ τὸ λεγόμενον· Γραφήτω αὕτη εἰς γενεὰν ἑτέραν. Καὶ λαὸς ὁ κτιζόμενος αἰνέσει τὸν κύριον· ἀνάγκη μηκέτι τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον τηρεῖν τὸ τῆς προτέρας κτίσεως τέλος, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς δευτέρας κτίσεως ζητεῖν.\n\nΤίς δέ ἐστιν, ἢ καθ’ ἣν ἀνέστη ὁ κύριος; Ἔκτοτε γὰρ ἀρχὴν ἔσχεν ἡ καινὴ κτίσις, περὶ ἧς εἶπεν ὁ Παῦλος· Ὥστε εἴ τις ἐν Χριστῷ καινὴ κτίσις.\n\nΤὴν μὲν οὖν προτέραν κτίσιν ποιῶν ὁ θεὸς κατέπαυσε. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸ σάββατον ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἐτήρουν οἱ τῆς γενεᾶς ἐκείνης. Ἡ δὲ δευτέρα κτίσις τέλος οὐκ ἔχει. Διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ κατέπαυσεν, ἀλλ’ ἕως ἄρτι ἐργάζεται. Ὅθεν οὐδὲ σαββατίζομεν ἡμέραν ὡς ἐπὶ τῇ πρώτῃ, ἀλλὰ τὰ μέλλοντα ἐλπίζομεν σάββατα σαββάτων, ἃ οὔτε τέλος λαμβάνει ἡ καινὴ κτίσις, ἀλλὰ φανεροῦται καὶ διόλου ἑορτάζει. Διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἐδόθη τὸ σάββατον τῷ προτέρῳ λαῷ, ἵνα γινώσκῃ καὶ τὸ τέλος καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς κτίσεως. Τῇ δὲ καινῇ κτίσει οὐκ ἐνετείλατο φυλάττειν σάββατον, ἵνα τὴν μὲν ἀρχὴν ἐν τῇ κυριακῇ γινώσκῃ, ἀτελεύτητον δὲ ἐπίστηται τὴν ταύτης χάριν.","english":"Concerning the Sabbaths and Circumcision, from the Exodus\n\nAnd the sons of Israel shall keep the sabbaths, to observe them throughout their generations. An eternal covenant between me and the sons of Israel, it is an eternal sign in me. Because in six days the Lord made both the heaven and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested.\n\nIt is a sign for knowing the day of creation and its end. It was fitting, as long as the works of creation were being carried out—that concerning Jerusalem—to keep the sabbaths until then.\n\nBut when the other generation came, and the people being built according to what is said: Let this be written for another generation. And the people being built will praise the Lord; it is necessary that this people no longer observe the end of the former creation, but seek the beginning of the second creation.\n\nWhat is it, if not the day on which the Lord arose? For from that time the new creation began, concerning which Paul said: So that if anyone is in Christ, a new creation.\n\nNow God, making the former creation, rested. For this reason also the sabbath was kept on the seventh day by those of that generation. But the second creation has no end. For this reason it did not rest, but is still working until now. Hence we do not sabbatize a day as in the first creation, but we hope for the future sabbaths of sabbaths, which the new creation does not receive an end, but is manifested and celebrates throughout. For this reason the sabbath was given to the former people, so that they might know both the end and the beginning of creation. But to the new creation he did not command to keep the sabbath, so that it might know the beginning on the Lord’s day, and understand the grace of this as unending.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Περὶ σαββάτων καὶ περιτομῆς ἐκ τοῦ εξόδου","severity":"info","text":"The title cites Exodus, likely referring to Exod 31:12–17 (Sabbath) and Exod 12:44–48 (circumcision), though the passage focuses on Sabbath alone.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"σημεῖον","severity":"info","text":"σημεῖον ('sign') is a key term: the Sabbath is an eternal sign of creation's end, but the new creation has no such sign, shifting from temporal marker to eschatological hope.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"κτίσις","severity":"info","text":"The contrast between 'first creation' (six-day work, seventh-day rest) and 'new creation' (Christ's resurrection, ongoing) reflects a typological reading of Genesis and Paul (2 Cor 5:17).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"ἀκόλουθον ἦν ... ἕως τότε","severity":"info","text":"The passage moves from a historical command (Sabbath for Israel) to a theological reinterpretation: the Sabbath is superseded by the Lord's day, marking a shift in salvation history.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"σαββάτων σαββάτων","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'sabbaths of sabbaths' echoes Jewish eschatological hope (cf. Lev 23:32) and is reworked in Christian terms as the eternal rest of the new creation, not a weekly observance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ἡ ἐπὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'that concerning Jerusalem' is obscure; it may refer to the temple cult or a lost source. The text may be corrupt or elliptical here.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ἡ ἐπὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ' is unclear; possibly a reference to the Jerusalem church or a lost citation.","The identity of 'the other generation' and 'the people being built' is ambiguous; likely a typological reading of post-exilic or Christian community."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"Διὰ τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀρχήν, τουτέστι τὴν κυριακὴν ἐδήλωσεν, ἵνα τὸ τέλος τῆς παρελθούσης γινώσκῃς. Ὁ γοῦν ἀπόστολος περὶ τῆς προτέρας γράφων φησίν· Ὅτε δὲ ἦλθε τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ· καὶ πάλιν· Ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων. Οὐκοῦν ἡ μὲν πρώτη πεπλήρωται καὶ τετελείωται, οὐκ ἄλλοτε· ἢ ὡς οἱ προφῆται ἔλεγον· Ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου.\n\nΤέλος δὲ ἐχουσῶν τῶν πρώτων ἡμερῶν, ἄλλαι γίνονται, ὡς ὁ Ἱερεμίας φησίν· Ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, λέγει κύριος. Τέλος δὲ ἐχούσης τῆς πρώτης, ἀκολούθως ἑτέρας ἀρχὴ γέγονε. Διὰ τοῦτο μετὰ τὸ σάββατον ἀνέστη ὁ κύριος.\n\nΟὐ γὰρ προηγουμένως εἵνεκεν τοῦ ἀργεῖν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐδίδου τὸ σάββατον ὁ θεὸς ὁ λέγων· Ὁδοὶ ἀεργῶν ἐστρωμέναι ἀκάνθαις, καὶ ὁ προστάττων ἐν τοῖς Ἀριθμοῖς· Καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν σαββάτων προσάξετε δύο ἀμνοὺς ἐνιαυσίους ἀμώμους, καὶ δύο δέκατα σεμιδάλεως ἀναπεποιημένης ἐν ἐλαίῳ εἰς θυσίαν καὶ σπονδήν, καὶ ὁλοκαύτωμα σαββάτων, ἐν τοῖς σαββάτοις ἐπὶ τῆς ὁλοκαυτώσεως τῆς διὰ παντός. Καὶ πάλιν πρὸ ὀλίγων λέγει ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω· Καὶ ἐπιθήσετε ἐπὶ τὸ θέμα λίβανον καθαρὸν καὶ ἅλας, καὶ ἔσονται εἰς ἄρτους εἰς ἀνάμνησιν προκείμενα τῷ κυρίῳ. Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν σαββάτων προτεθήσεται ἔναντι κυρίου διαπαντός, ἐνώπιον τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ διαθήκην αἰώνιον. Εἰ γὰρ ἔμελλεν αὐτῷ περὶ ἀργίας οὐκ ἂν προτιθέναι καὶ προσάγειν καὶ σφάζειν, ἐκέλευε τοὺς Λευίτας;","english":"For this reason also he revealed the beginning, that is, the Lord's day, so that you might know the end of the past week. Indeed, the apostle, writing about the former, says: \"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his son\"; and again: \"At the consummation of the ages.\" Therefore the first has been fulfilled and completed, not otherwise than as the prophets said: \"In the last days I will pour out from my spirit.\"\n\nSince the first days have an end, other days come into being, as Jeremiah says: \"Behold, days are coming, says the Lord.\" And since the first has an end, accordingly a beginning of another has occurred. For this reason the Lord rose after the Sabbath.\n\nFor God did not give the Sabbath primarily for the sake of men resting, he who says: \"The paths of the idle are strewn with thorns,\" and who commands in Numbers: \"And on the day of the Sabbaths you shall bring two one-year-old lambs without blemish, and two tenths of fine flour mixed with oil for a sacrifice and a libation, and a Sabbath burnt offering, on the Sabbaths, in addition to the perpetual burnt offering.\" And again, a little earlier he says in the preceding: \"And you shall place upon the offering pure frankincense and salt, and they shall be for loaves set before the Lord for remembrance. On the day of the Sabbaths it shall be set before the Lord perpetually, before the sons of Israel as an eternal covenant.\" For if he had intended it for idleness, would he not have commanded the Levites to set forth, bring, and slaughter?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"τὴν κυριακὴν","severity":"info","text":"The Greek phrase 'τὴν κυριακὴν' (the Lord's day) is here identified as 'the beginning' (τὴν ἀρχήν), contrasting with the Sabbath as the end of the week. This reflects early Christian typology where Sunday supersedes Saturday.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὅτε δὲ ἦλθε τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his son' is not a direct New Testament verse but a paraphrase of Galatians 4:4 or a similar Pauline passage, possibly mediated through liturgical tradition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'At the consummation of the ages' echoes New Testament eschatological language (e.g., Hebrews 9:26, 1 Corinthians 10:11), though not a verbatim quote. It reinforces the theme of temporal fulfillment.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'In the last days I will pour out from my spirit' is not found in the canonical prophets; it may derive from a lost apocryphon or a patristic paraphrase of Joel 2:28 or Zechariah 13:1.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, λέγει κύριος","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'Behold, days are coming, says the Lord' is attributed to Jeremiah but is not a direct quotation from the Septuagint; it may be a free rendering of Jeremiah 31:27 or a similar prophetic formula.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν σαββάτων προσάξετε δύο ἀμνοὺς ἐνιαυσίους ἀμώμους","severity":"info","text":"This passage closely paraphrases Numbers 28:3-4 LXX, detailing Sabbath offerings. The author uses it to argue that the Sabbath involved sacrificial labor, not idleness.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text is relatively clear, but the source of the prophetic citations (e.g., 'In the last days I will pour out from my spirit') is uncertain, possibly from non-canonical traditions."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"Εἰ γὰρ ἡ ἀργία ἁγιάζει, δηλονότι ἡ ἐργασία μολύνει, ἀλλ’ οἱ Λευῖται ἐργαζόμενοι οὐ μολύνονται, oὐκ ἄρα ἡ ἀργία καθαρίζει, ἢ διὰ τί μόνοι οἱ Λευῖται τοῦ ἁγιασμοῦ στερίσκονται προσάγοντες καὶ σφάζοντες καὶ προτιθέντες ἐν τῷ σαββάτῳ; Τοσούτῳ γὰρ ἀπέχονται τοῦ πλημμελεῖν, ὅσῳ καὶ ἱλάσκονται ὑπὲρ τῶν προσφερόντων.\n\nΟὐκοῦν οὐκ ἀργίαν σημαίνει τὸ σάββατον, ἀλλὰ γνῶσιν μὲν τοῦ ποιητοῦ, παῦλαν δὲ τοῦ σχήματος τῆς κτίσεως ταύτης, ὡς καὶ ἐν τῷ διαμαρτύρεται λέγων ὁ θεός· Καὶ τὰ σάββατά μου ἔδωκα αὐτοῖς τοῦ εἶναι εἰς σημεῖον ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον αὐτῶν τοῦ γνῶναι αὐτούς, δίοτι ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ ἁγιάζων αὐτούς. Γνώσεως ἄρα καὶ οὐκ ἀργίας ἕνεκεν ἐδόθη τὸ σάββατον· ὡς εἶναι μᾶλλον τὴν γνῶσιν ἀναγκαιοτέραν τῆς ἀργίας.\n\nΔιὰ τοῦτο ὁ κύριος ἔλεγε τοῖς αἰτιωμένοις τοὺς μαθητὰς ἐπὶ τῷ τίλλειν στάχυας· Εἰ ἐγνώκειτε τί ἐστιν· Ἔλεον θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν. Ἀργοῦντας γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ σαββάτῳ ᾐτιᾶτο, ὅτι τὸ ἴδιον τοῦ σαββάτου οὐκ ἔχετε, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν γνῶσις.","english":"If idleness sanctifies, then clearly work defiles, but the Levites, though working, are not defiled; therefore idleness does not purify. Or why are the Levites alone deprived of sanctification when they bring, slaughter, and set forth offerings on the Sabbath? For they are so far from transgressing that they even propitiate on behalf of those who offer.\n\nThus the Sabbath does not signify idleness, but rather knowledge of the Creator and cessation of the form of this creation, as God also testifies, saying: \"And I gave them my Sabbaths to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.\" Therefore the Sabbath was given for the sake of knowledge, not idleness, so that knowledge is more necessary than idleness.\n\nFor this reason the Lord said to those who accused the disciples of plucking ears of grain: \"If you knew what it is: I desire mercy, not sacrifice.\" For they accused them of being idle on the Sabbath, saying, \"You do not possess the essence of the Sabbath, which is knowledge of the truth.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"ἀργία","severity":"info","text":"The argument refutes the idea that Sabbath idleness (ἀργία) sanctifies, contrasting it with the Levites' active sacrificial work, which is not defiling.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"σάββατον","severity":"info","text":"The Sabbath is reinterpreted as a sign of knowledge (γνῶσις) of the Creator and cessation of the current creation's form, not mere idleness.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Καὶ τὰ σάββατά μου ἔδωκα αὐτοῖς","severity":"info","text":"A paraphrase of Exodus 31:13 (LXX) or a similar tradition, where God gives Sabbaths as a sign between him and Israel, adapted to support the author's gnostic interpretation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Εἰ ἐγνώκειτε τί ἐστιν· Ἔλεον θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν","severity":"info","text":"A dominical saying not found in canonical Gospels, possibly from an apocryphal tradition, linking Sabbath observance to mercy over sacrifice.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Λευῖται","severity":"info","text":"The Levites' sacrificial work on the Sabbath is used to argue that idleness is not inherently sanctifying, reflecting Jewish temple practice known to the author.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The passage moves from a refutation of idleness as sanctifying, to a positive definition of Sabbath as knowledge, then to a dominical saying reinforcing the priority of knowledge over ritual.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The source of the dominical saying about mercy and sacrifice is uncertain; it may be from an apocryphal gospel or a patristic tradition.","The phrase 'cessation of the form of this creation' (παῦλαν τοῦ σχήματος τῆς κτίσεως ταύτης) is ambiguous, possibly referring to eschatological rest or a typological interpretation."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ περὶ τὴν Ἱεριχὼ κελεύονται σαλπίζειν οἱ τὸν νόμον τοῦ σαββάτου λαβόντες ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας, ἐν αἷς ἑπτὰ καὶ τὸ σάββατον ἐμπίπτει. Εἰ τοίνυν ἕνεκα τοῦ ἀργεῖν ἐδόθη τὸ σάββατον, διὰ τί ἐργάζεσθαι προστάττονται σαλπίζοντες; Ἀλλ’ ἠπίστατο, ὅτι καὶ σαλπίζοντες ἐσαββάτιζον, οὐκ ἀργοῦντες, ἀλλὰ γινώσκοντες τὸν βοηθοῦντα αὐτοῖς κύριον. Ὥσπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ περιτεμνομένου ὀκταημέρου, ἀνάγκην γὰρ ἔχει καὶ τῷ σαββάτῳ περιτέμνειν, καὶ ὅμως σαββατίζει, ἐργαζόμενος μὲν γινώσκων δὲ τὸν θεόν,\n\nἈμέλει καὶ τὰς μὴ ἡμέρας τῶν σαββάτων, ὅμως διὰ τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ τὴν τῆς θεογνωσίας χάριν, σάββατα ὀνομάζειν εἴωθεν ὁ νόμος, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ κύριος τοῦ νόμου, ὡς ἐν τῷ Λευϊτικῷ· Καὶ ἐλάλησε κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν λέγων· Καὶ τῇ δεκάτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ ἑβδόμου τούτου ἡμέρα ἐξιλασμοῦ· κλητὴ ἁγία ἔσται ὑμῖν, καὶ ταπεινώσετε τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν καὶ προσάξετε ὁλοκαυτώματα τῷ κυρίῳ. Πᾶν ἔργον οὐ ποιήσετε ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ. Καὶ μετ’ ὀλίγα· Καὶ ἔσται πᾶσα ψυχή, ἥτις ποιήσει ἔργον ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ, ἀπολεῖται ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῆς. Πᾶν ἔργον οὐ ποιήσετε. Νόμιμον αἰώνιον εἰς τὰς γενεὰς ὑμῶν σάββατα σαββάτων ἔσται ὑμῖν. Καὶ ταπεινώσετε τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν ἀπὸ ἐνάτης τοῦ μηνός, ἀπὸ ἑσπέρας ἕως ἑσπέρας, καὶ σαββατιεῖτε τὰ σάββατα ὑμῶν. Οὐκοῦν οὐχ ἡ ἑβδόμη ἐστὶ τὸ σάββατον, ἀλλ’ ἡ ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν, ὅτε τις ἀπ’ αὐτῶν καταπαύει. Οὐδὲ ἡ ἀργία ἐστὶ τὸ σάββατον, ἀλλ’ ἡ ἐξομολόγησις καὶ τὸ ταπεινοῦν τὴν ψυχήν. Οὐ γὰρ ὡρισμένως τῷ σαββάτῳ εἴρηκεν, ἀλλ’ ἁπλῶς τῇ δεκάτῃ, ἣν συμβαίνει ἀπαντᾷν μὴ ἐν σαββάτῳ.","english":"For this reason, those who received the law of the sabbath are commanded to blow trumpets around Jericho for seven days, during which seven days the sabbath also falls. If, then, the sabbath was given for the sake of idleness, why are they commanded to work by blowing trumpets? But he knew that even while blowing trumpets they were sabbatizing, not being idle, but recognizing the Lord who helps them. Just as also in the case of the one being circumcised on the eighth day, for there is necessity to circumcise even on the sabbath, and yet he sabbatizes, working indeed but recognizing God.\n\nMoreover, even on days that are not sabbaths, the law, or rather the Lord of the law, is accustomed to call them sabbaths on account of the remission of sins and the grace of the knowledge of God, as in Leviticus: And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: And on the tenth of this seventh month, a day of atonement, a holy convocation shall be for you, and you shall humble your souls and bring whole burnt offerings to the Lord. You shall do no work on this day. And after a little: And every soul that does work on this very day, that soul shall be destroyed from its people. You shall do no work. An everlasting ordinance for your generations, a sabbath of sabbaths shall be for you. And you shall humble your souls from the ninth of the month, from evening to evening, and you shall sabbatize your sabbaths. Therefore, the sabbath is not the seventh day, but the remission of sins, when one ceases from them. Nor is idleness the sabbath, but confession and humbling the soul. For it did not speak specifically of the sabbath, but simply of the tenth, which happens to occur not on a sabbath.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Καὶ τῇ δεκάτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ ἑβδόμου τούτου ἡμέρα ἐξιλασμοῦ· κλητὴ ἁγία ἔσται ὑμῖν","severity":"info","text":"The author quotes Leviticus 23:27-32 (LXX) on the Day of Atonement, emphasizing rest and humility, not the seventh day, as the essence of sabbath.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Septuagint"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"σάββατα σαββάτων","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'sabbath of sabbaths' (Lev 23:32 LXX) is used to denote a high holy day, here reinterpreted as a day of remission and humility, not idleness.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"περὶ τὴν Ἱεριχὼ κελεύονται σαλπίζειν","severity":"info","text":"The reference to trumpeting around Jericho for seven days likely alludes to the conquest narrative in Joshua 6, where the city falls after a seven-day circuit with trumpets and the ark.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The passage moves from a specific example (trumpeting at Jericho) to a general principle (sabbath as remission, not idleness), then supports it with a scriptural citation from Leviticus.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The argument that sabbath means 'remission of sins' rather than a specific day reflects a spiritualizing exegesis common in Alexandrian tradition, possibly influenced by Philo or Origen.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of 'he' who 'knew' (ἠπίστατο) is ambiguous: it could refer to Moses, the lawgiver, or God; the English draft takes it as the lawgiver.","The source of the Leviticus quotation is not verbatim from the LXX but a paraphrase; the exact textual tradition used by Ps.-Athanasius is uncertain."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":5,"ref":"p5","source":"Καὶ ὅμως τὴν ἀπαντῶσαν ἡμέραν διὰ τὸν ἐξιλασμὸν σάββατον, οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ σάββατα σαββάτων ὀνομάζει. Εἰ δὲ ταύτην σάββατον ὀνομάζει, ἐν δὲ σαββάτῳ ἐργάζεσθαι κελεύει. Οὐκ ἄρα ἀργίας προηγουμένως ἐστὶ νόμος τὸ σάββατον, ἀλλὰ γνώσεως καὶ ἐξιλασμοῦ καὶ ἀργίας ἀπὸ κακίας πάσης.\n\nΟὐ διὰ τὴν ἀργίαν οὖν τὸ σάββατον δέδωκεν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ γινώσκειν αὐτοὺς τὴν κατάπαυσιν τῆς κτίσεως. Ἐνετείλατο γὰρ ὁ θεὸς λέγων, ἵνα γινώσκητε, ὅτι ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ κατέπαυσε κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων, ὧν ἤρξατο ποιῆσαι. Ἤθελε δὲ αὐτοὺς γινώσκοντας τὸ τέλος ταύτης ἀρχὴν ζητεῖν ἑτέρας. Τέλος μὲν οὖν τῆς προτέρας κτίσεως ἦν τὸ σάββατον, ἀρχὴ δὲ τῆς δευτέρας ἡ κυριακή, ἐν ᾗ τὴν παλαιὰν ἀνενεώσατο καὶ ἀνεκαίνισεν.\n\nὭσπερ οὖν ἐνετείλατο φυλάττειν πρότερον τοῦ σαββάτου τὴν ἡμέραν, μνήμην οὖσαν τοῦ τέλους τῶν προτέρων, οὕτως τὴν κυριακὴν τιμῶμεν, μνήμην οὖσαν ἀρχῆς δευτέρας ἀνακτίσεως. Οὐ γὰρ ἄλλην ἐπέκτισεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν παλαιὰν ἀνεκαίνισε, καὶ ἣν ἤρξατο ποιεῖν ἐτελείωσε. Διὰ τοῦτο ἐν μὲν τῇ ἕκτῃ τὰ γενόμενα συνετελὲσθη καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ κατέπαυσεν ἀπὸ πάντων, ἐν δὲ τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ ἐλθὼν ὁ λόγος φησίν· Ἦλθον τελειῶσαι τὸ ἔργον. Ὁ γὰρ ἀπὸ πάντων καταπαύων, σημαίνει τινὰ δεῖσθαι τέλους, ἅπερ ἐλθὼν ἐπετελείωσε. Φησὶ γὰρ ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ἰωάννην· Τὰ ἔργα ἃ δέδωκέ μοι ὁ πατὴρ, ἵνα τελειώσω αὐτά, αὐτὰ τὰ ἔργα, ἃ ποιῶ, μαρτυρεῖ περὶ ἐμοῦ. Ἀτελὲς μὲν γὰρ ἦν τὸ ἔργον, εἰ, ἁμαρτήσαντος τοῦ Ἀδάμ, ἀπέθνησκεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος· τέλειον δὲ γέγονε, ζωοποιηθέντος αὐτοῦ.","english":"And yet, the day that occurs for the sake of expiation he calls not simply sabbath, but sabbath of sabbaths. If he calls this sabbath, but commands to work on the sabbath, then the sabbath is not primarily a law of idleness, but of knowledge, expiation, and idleness from all wickedness.\n\nTherefore, he did not give the sabbath for the sake of idleness, but so that they might know the cessation of creation. For God commanded, saying, that you may know that on this day the Lord our God rested from the works which he began to make. And he wanted them, knowing the end of this, to seek the beginning of another. So the end of the former creation was the sabbath, and the beginning of the second was the Lord's day, on which he renewed and restored the old.\n\nJust as he commanded to keep the day of the sabbath first, which is a memorial of the end of the former things, so we honor the Lord's day, which is a memorial of the beginning of the second re-creation. For he did not create another, but renewed the old, and completed what he began to make. Therefore, on the sixth day the things that were made were completed, and on the seventh day he rested from all things; but in the Gospel, the Word, having come, says: I have come to complete the work. For he who rests from all things signifies that certain things need an end, which he came and completed. For he says in the Gospel according to John: The works which my father has given me, that I might complete them, these very works which I do bear witness concerning me. For the work was incomplete if, after Adam sinned, man died; but it became complete when he was made alive.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"σάββατα σαββάτων","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'sabbath of sabbaths' is a superlative genitive construction, emphasizing the highest or most solemn sabbath, here linked to expiation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἦλθον τελειῶσαι τὸ ἔργον","severity":"info","text":"An apparent allusion to Jesus' words in John 4:34 or 17:4, though not a direct quotation; the author adapts the Johannine theme of completing the Father's work.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Τὰ ἔργα ἃ δέδωκέ μοι ὁ πατὴρ, ἵνα τελειώσω αὐτά","severity":"info","text":"A loose citation of John 10:37 or similar Johannine passage, emphasizing the completion of creation through Christ's work.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"κατάπαυσιν τῆς κτίσεως","severity":"info","text":"The concept of 'cessation of creation' reflects a typological reading of Genesis 2:2-3, where God's rest on the seventh day prefigures the eschatological rest and the Lord's day.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The passage moves from a negative argument (sabbath not for idleness) to a positive typology: sabbath as end of old creation, Lord's day as beginning of new creation, supported by Johannine prooftexts.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This typological identification of sabbath with old creation and Sunday with new creation became influential in later Greek patristic and liturgical theology, e.g., in Gregory of Nyssa and John of Damascus.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The exact Johannine verse cited is unclear; the author may be paraphrasing or combining multiple passages.","The phrase 'sabbath of sabbaths' could also be read as a liturgical designation for a high feast day, but the context emphasizes expiation."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":6,"ref":"p6","source":"Διὰ τοῦτο, τὴν ἐν ἓξ ἡμέραις κτίσιν ἀνακαινίσας, ἡμέραν τίθησι τῇ ἀνακαινίσει, ἣν διὰ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ προαναφωνεῖ λέγον τὸ πνεῦμα· Αὕτη ἡμέρα, ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος. Ἀνθ’ ἡλίου γὰρ θεὸς ἀνατέλλει καταυγάζων τῇ ἑκάστου ψυχῇ. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ σωτηρίῳ πάθει οὐκ ἔφανεν ἥλιος σημαίνων τέλος μὲν τῆς προτέρας κτίσεως, ἀρχὴν δὲ ἑτέρας, τὴν ἐκ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἀνατέλλουσαν. Ἣν ἑωρακὼς ὁ προφήτης φησίν· Ἰδοὺ ἀνήρ, ἀνατολὴ ὄνομα αὐτῷ, καὶ πάλιν· Ὑμῖν δὲ τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτὸν ἀνατελεῖ ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης. Οὐ γὰρ πάντων ἡμέρα αὕτη, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀποθανόντων τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ζώντων δὲ τῷ κυρίῳ.\n\nΔιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ τῇ ὀγδόῃ ἡμέρᾳ περιτέμνεσθαι ἐκέλευσεν ὁ νόμος, καὶ ἀπαράβατος ἦν ἡ ἐντολή, σημαίνουσα τὴν μετὰ τὴν ἑβδόμην ἀναγέννησιν πάντων. Ἡ γὰρ περιτομὴ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐδήλου ἢ τὴν τῆς γενέσεως ἀπέκδυσιν. Τὸν γὰρ τῇ ἕκτῃ ἀποθανόντα ἀπεκδιδυσκόμεθα καὶ ἀνακαινούμεθα τῇ κυριακῇ, ὅτε ὁ παλαιός, ἀπεκδυθείς, ἀνεγεννήθη τῇ ἀναστάσει. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν ἐν· Ἐν ᾧ καὶ περιετμήθητε περιτομῇ ἀχειροποιήτῳ, ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει τοῦ σώματος τῆς σαρκός, ἐν τῇ περιτομῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Συνταφέντες αὐτῷ ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι εἰς τὸν ᾅδην, ἐν ᾧ καὶ συνηγέρθητε. Τῆς γὰρ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἀπεκδύσεως τύπος ἦν ἡ περιτομή, ἣν ἐν ἐκείνοις τοῖς μέλεσιν ἐνετείλατο γίνεσθα, δι’ ὧν καὶ γεννᾶται τὸ σῶμα, ἵν’ εἰδεῖεν οἱ περιτεμνόμενοι, ὅτι ἀπεκδύσεως παλαιότητός ἐστι σημεῖον. Πιστεύσας γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ ἔλαβε τὴν περιτομὴν σημεῖον οὖσαν τῆς διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἀναγεννήσεως.","english":"Therefore, having renewed the creation of six days, he appoints a day for the renewal, which he proclaims beforehand through the psalm, the Spirit saying: This is the day that the Lord made. For instead of the sun, God rises, illuminating each soul. For this reason also, during the saving passion itself, the sun did not shine, signifying both the end of the former creation and the beginning of another, the one rising from the Savior. Having seen this, the prophet says: Behold a man, Dawn is his name, and again: For you who fear him, a sun of righteousness will rise. For this day is not for all, but for those who have died to sin and live for the Lord.\n\nFor this reason also, the law commanded circumcision on the eighth day, and the commandment was inviolable, signifying the regeneration of all after the seventh. For circumcision indicated nothing other than the stripping off of generation. For we strip off the one who died on the sixth and are renewed on the Lord's day, when the old man, having been stripped off, was reborn in the resurrection. For Paul also says this: In which you were circumcised with a circumcision not made by hands, in the stripping off of the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ. Having been buried with him in baptism into Hades, in which you were also raised together. For circumcision was a type of the stripping off through baptism, which he commanded to be performed on those members through which the body is generated, so that those being circumcised might know that it is a sign of the stripping off of oldness. For Abraham, having believed, received circumcision as a sign of regeneration through baptism.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Αὕτη ἡμέρα, ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος","severity":"info","text":"A citation of Psalm 118:24 (LXX) or a similar verse; the phrase 'This is the day that the Lord made' is not verbatim in the canonical psalter but echoes the language of creation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἰδοὺ ἀνήρ, ἀνατολὴ ὄνομα αὐτῷ","severity":"info","text":"Likely a reference to Zechariah 6:12 (LXX) or a similar prophetic text; 'Behold a man, Dawn is his name' is not a direct quote from the standard LXX but reflects early Christian typology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὑμῖν δὲ τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτὸν ἀνατελεῖ ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης","severity":"info","text":"An adaptation of Malachi 4:2 (LXX) or a similar verse; 'a sun of righteousness will rise' is a common early Christian messianic interpretation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐν ᾧ καὶ περιετμήθητε περιτομῇ ἀχειροποιήτῳ","severity":"info","text":"A paraphrase of Colossians 2:11 (or a similar Pauline passage); Paul speaks of circumcision not made by hands, linking it to spiritual regeneration.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"τῇ ὀγδόῃ ἡμέρᾳ περιτέμνεσθαι","severity":"info","text":"The law of circumcision on the eighth day (Leviticus 12:3) is interpreted here as a type of resurrection and regeneration after the seventh day, a common patristic typology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Διὰ τοῦτο","severity":"info","text":"The repeated phrase 'For this reason' (διὰ τοῦτο) marks a logical progression: the renewal of creation leads to the typology of circumcision as a sign of spiritual rebirth.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The exact scriptural sources for the citations are uncertain; they may be paraphrases or conflations of LXX texts.","The phrase 'Ἐν ᾧ καὶ περιετμήθητε' is ambiguous in its Pauline reference; it may be a loose citation of Colossians 2:11 or another epistle."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":7,"ref":"p7","source":"Διὰ τοῦτο ἐλθόντος τοῦ σημαινομένου, πέπαυται τὸ σημεῖον. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ περιτομὴ σημεῖον ἦν, τὸ δέ γε λουτρὸν τῆς παλιγγενεσίας τὸ σημαινόμενον. Ὅλου γὰρ τοῦ παλαιοῦ ἀπεκδιδυσκομένου, περιττὴ ἡ διὰ τοῦ μέρους σημασία. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἡ κυριακὴ ἀρχὴ κτίσεώς ἐστι, καὶ παύει τὸ σάββατον, οὕτως ἡ αὐτὴ ἀναγεννήσασα τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἔπαυσε τὴν περιτομήν. Ἀμφότερα γὰρ ἐν τῇ ὀγδόῃ κατώρθωται, καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κτίσεως καὶ ἡ ἀναγέννησις τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. Διὰ τοῦτο ἡ ὀγδόη τὸ σάββατον ἔλυσε καὶ οὐ τὸ σάββατον τὴν ὀγδόην. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ σαββάτῳ περιετέμνετο ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἐν δὲ τῷ σαββάτῳ οὐκ ἤργει ἡ περιτομή. Ἡ γὰρ ὀγδόη, ἀρχὴ οὖσα τῆς ἀνακτίσεως, κατέπαυε τὴν πρώτην.\n\nἩγοῦμαι δὲ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὴν περιτομὴν δεδόσθαι· Τοῦ γὰρ Ἀδὰμ ἀκούσαντος· Γῆ εἶ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ, ἔθνησκε, καὶ διεφθείρετο τὸ σῶμα· Ὅθεν μέρος τι τοῦ σώματος καὶ τοῦτο τὸ αἴτιον τῆς τοῦ σώματος γενέσεως προσετάχθησαν ἐκτιννύειν, προδιδασκόμενοι τὴν τοῦ ὅλου ἀπέκδυσιν, ἵν’, ὥσπερ ἀποδιδόντες τὸ κατακριθέν, διασωθῆναι δυνηθῶσι. Καὶ ὥσπερ αἱ θυσίαι σκιαὶ ἦσαν τῶν μελλόντων, οὕτως καὶ ἡ ἐκ μέρους περιτομὴ τοῦ ὅλου ἦν σκιά.","english":"Therefore, when the signified has come, the sign ceases. For circumcision was a sign, but the bath of regeneration is the thing signified. For when the whole old man is put off, the signification through a part is superfluous. And just as the Lord’s day is the beginning of creation and brings the Sabbath to an end, so the same day, having regenerated the human being, brought circumcision to an end. For both are accomplished in the eighth day: the beginning of creation and the regeneration of the human being. For this reason the eighth day dissolved the Sabbath, and not the Sabbath the eighth day. For on the Sabbath the human being was circumcised, but on the Sabbath circumcision did not cease. For the eighth day, being the beginning of the re-creation, brought the first to an end.\n\nI consider that circumcision was given also for this reason: For when Adam heard, “You are earth, and to earth you will return,” he died, and the body was corrupted. Hence they were commanded to pay a part of the body, and this the cause of the body’s generation, being taught beforehand the putting off of the whole, so that, as if giving back what was condemned, they might be able to be saved. And just as the sacrifices were shadows of things to come, so also circumcision in part was a shadow of the whole.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"λουτρὸν τῆς παλιγγενεσίας","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'bath of regeneration' refers to baptism, a standard term in early Christian literature for the rite of spiritual rebirth.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Γῆ εἶ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ","severity":"info","text":"This is a paraphrase of Genesis 3:19, where God tells Adam he is dust and will return to dust, though the exact wording differs from the Septuagint.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"ὀγδόη","severity":"info","text":"The 'eighth day' (Sunday after the Sabbath) is a typological symbol of resurrection and new creation, rooted in early Christian interpretation of the week and circumcision on the eighth day.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The passage moves from a general principle (sign vs. signified) to two specific applications: the Sabbath replaced by the Lord's day, and circumcision replaced by baptism, then to an additional rationale for circumcision as a shadow.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The argument that circumcision was a shadow of the whole body's putting off echoes Pauline typology (e.g., Colossians 2:11-13) and is common in Alexandrian exegesis.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'τὸ αἴτιον τῆς τοῦ σώματος γενέσεως' is ambiguous: it could mean 'the cause of the body's generation' (i.e., the reproductive organ) or 'the cause of the body's origin' in a broader sense; the translation takes it as the former."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":8,"ref":"p8","source":"Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ τοῦ Ναυῆ φανερῶς ὁ λόγος σημαίνει· Τοῦ γὰρ Ἰησοῦ κατὰ πρόσταξιν τοῦ θεοῦ περιτέμνοντος τὸν λαὸν ἐν Γαλγάλοις πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, εἶπε κύριος τῷ Ἰησοῦ υἱῷ Ναυῆ· Ἐν τῇ σήμερον ἡμέρᾳ ἀφεῖλον τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν Αἰγύπτου ἀφ’ ὑμῶν. Καὶ ἐκάλεσε, φησίν, τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου Γάλγαλα. Εἰ γὰρ ἡ περιτομὴ ἀφαίρεσίς ἐστι τῆς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ γενέσεως, δηλονότι ἡ ἀκροβυστία Αἰγυπτιακῆς σχέσεως καὶ γενέσεως γνώρισμά ἐστι. Τοῦτο δὲ ἀφεῖλεν ὁ θεὸς, ἵνα μηκέτι ὡς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ γεννηθέντες ὦσιν, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, εἰς ἣν εἰσῆξεν αὐτοὺς ὁ κύριος, τέκνα λογίζωνται.\n\nΤούτων δὲ οὕτως ὄντων, φαίνεται καθόλου ἡ περιτομὴ δοθεῖσα, ἵν’ ἀφαιρεθῇ ὁ ὀνειδισμὸς τῆς γηΐνης γενέσεως ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀβραμιαίων καὶ μηκέτι ὑπεύθυνοι ὦμεν τῷ Γῆ εἶ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ. Ἀφῃρέθη γὰρ ὁ ὀνειδισμὸς τοῦ παραπτώματος.\n\nΤοῦτο δὲ ἐγίνετο τότε εἰς τύπον τοῦ διὰ Χριστοῦ βαπτίσματος. Τότε γὰρ ἐκ μέρους ἐγίνετο, ὡς ἐν σκιᾷ. Νῦν δέ, ὥσπερ εἶπεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ὅλην τὴν γηΐνην γένεσιν ἀπεκδιδυσκόμεθα. Διὰ τοῦ λουτροῦ ἀναγεννώμενοι, ἵνα μηκέτι κατὰ τὴν πρώτην γένεσιν ἀποθνήσκωμεν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν περιτομὴν τῆς ἀπεκδύσεως τοῦ σώματος, ἣν διὰ τοῦ λουτροῦ ἀπεκδιδυσκόμεθα, ζήσωμεν. Ὥσπερ δὲ εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ Ἰησοῦ· Ἀφεῖλον τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν Αἰγύπτου ἐν τῇ σήμερον ἡμέρᾳ ἀφ’ ὑμῶν, οὕτως πολλῷ πλέον λεχθείη ἂν ἑκάστῳ τῶν νῦν βαπτιζομένων· Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ ἀφεῖλον τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν τῆς γηΐνης γενέσεως καὶ τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν τῆς τοῦ θανάτου φθορᾶς ἀπὸ σοῦ, ἐν τῇ σήμερον ἡμέρᾳ.","english":"This is also what the word clearly signifies in the case of Jesus the son of Naue. For when Jesus, at the command of God, was circumcising the people in Galgala beyond the Jordan, the Lord said to Jesus the son of Naue: “Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.” And he called, it says, the name of that place Galgala. For if circumcision is a removal of birth in Egypt, evidently the foreskin is a mark of Egyptian condition and birth. This God removed, so that they might no longer be as those born in Egypt, but be accounted children of the promise into which the Lord led them.\n\nThese things being so, it appears that circumcision was given universally in order that the reproach of earthly birth might be removed from the Abrahamites, and that we might no longer be subject to “You are earth, and to earth you shall return.” For the reproach of the transgression was removed.\n\nThis was done then as a type of baptism through Christ. For then it was done in part, as in a shadow. But now, as the Apostle said, we put off the whole earthly birth. We are reborn through the bath, so that we no longer die according to the first birth, but live according to the circumcision of the putting off of the body, which we put off through the bath. And just as the Lord said to Jesus: “Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you,” so much more could it be said to each of those now being baptized: “On this day I have removed from you the reproach of earthly birth and the reproach of the corruption of death, on this day.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ","severity":"info","text":"The author refers to Joshua son of Nun (LXX: Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ) and the circumcision at Gilgal (Γάλγαλα). The quotation 'Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt' is not a direct biblical verse but a paraphrase of Joshua 5:9 LXX.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Γάλγαλα","severity":"info","text":"Γάλγαλα (Gilgal) is etymologized in the text as derived from ἀφεῖλον (removal), playing on the Hebrew root גלל (roll). The author connects the place name to the removal of reproach.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"ἀκροβυστία","severity":"info","text":"The term ἀκροβυστία (foreskin) is used here as a mark of Egyptian birth, reflecting a typological reading of circumcision as separation from Egyptian (i.e., pagan) identity. This aligns with early Christian anti-Jewish polemic.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Γῆ εἶ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'You are earth, and to earth you shall return' echoes a common Greco-Roman and biblical sentiment (cf. Gen 3:19 LXX; also found in early Christian catechetical contexts). It underscores the mortal condition removed by baptism.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Τοῦτο δὲ ἐγίνετο τότε εἰς τύπον","severity":"info","text":"The passage moves from a historical type (Joshua's circumcision) to its antitype (Christian baptism), using the typological formula 'τοῦτο... τότε... νῦν δέ'. This mirrors the argument in the previous passage about sign and signified.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"ὁ Ἀπόστολος","severity":"info","text":"The reference to 'the Apostle' likely alludes to Paul (e.g., Col 2:11; Rom 6:3-4) on putting off the old self through baptism. The author adapts Pauline language to the typology of circumcision.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ἐν τῇ σήμερον ἡμέρᾳ' is repeated but its exact biblical source is unclear; the author may be paraphrasing freely.","The identity of 'ὁ Ἀπόστολος' is not specified; it could refer to Paul or another apostolic figure."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}