34 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [CHAPTER IV. ness, but the Word of God fashioned Him. Not so in the case of the bondman ; He came by virtue of the laws of nature, and after the man ner of marriage. Nevertheless, he that was not according to the flesh was more honorable than he that was born after the flesh. Therefore let it not disturb you that ye are not born after the flesh ; for from the very reason that ye are not so born, are ye most of all Abraham s kin dred. The being born after the flesh renders one not more honorable, but less so, for a birth not after the flesh is more marvellous and more spiritual. And this is plain from the case of those who were born of old time; Ishmael, for instance, who was born according to the flesh, was not only a bondman, but was cast out of his father s house; but Isaac, who was born according to the promise, being a true son and free, was lord of all. Ver. 24. "Which things contain an alle- gory." Contrary to usage, he calls a type an allegory ; his meaning is as follows ; this history not only declares that which appears on the face of it, but announces somewhat farther, whence it is called an allegory. And what hath it announced? no less than all the things now present. Ver. 24. " For these women" he says, "are two covenants; one from mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar." " These: " who? the mothers of those chil dren, Sarah and Hagar; and what are they? Two covenants, two laws. As the names of the women were given in the history, he abides by this designation of the two races, showing how much follows from the very names. How from the names? Ver. 25. " Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia : " The bond-woman was called Hagar? and " Hagar" is the word for Mount Sinai in the language of that country.2 So that it is neces sary that all who are born of the Old Covenant should be bondmen, for that mountain where the Old Covenant was delivered hath a name in common with the bondwoman. And it includes Jerusalem, for this is the meaning of, 1 [" The story of Hagar and Sarah has another (namely a figura tive, typical) meaning besides (not instead of) the literal or histor ical. Paul does not deny the fact but makes it the bearer of a general idea which was more fully expressed in two covenants. He uses allegorical here in a sense similar to the word " typical " in i Cor x : n." Schaff. G. A.] [See on this difficult passage Schaff s Excursus in Com. and Lightfoot s Excursus xiii. Cant. p. 368. G. A.]2 [So Meyer : " In Arabia the name Hagar (TO "Ayap) signifies Mt. Sinai." But Schaffsays : " It cannot be satisfactorily proven that the name Hagar was an Arabic designation for Mt. Sinai, as the testimonies of Chrysostom and the traveler Harant are isolated and unconfirmed. The shorter reading, For Sinai is a mountain in Arabia (TO yap S.iva. opos iariv iv rfi Apafiia) given by tne Sinaitic and other MSS. and preferred by Lach- mann, Tischendorf and Lightfoot (Excursus p. 361 of Com.) is quite intelligible and easily gives rise to the longer reading." LT. A. J Ver. 25. "And answereth to Jerusalem that now is." That is, it borders on, and is contiguous to it.3 Ver. 25. " For she is in bondage with her children." What follows from hence? Not only that she was in bondage and brought forth bondmen, but that this Covenant is so too, whereof the bondwoman was a type. For Jerusalem is adja cent to the mountain of the same name with the bondwoman, and in this mountain the Coven ant was delivered. Now where is the type of Sarah ? Ver. 26. " But Jerusalem that is above is free." Those therefore, who are born of her are not bondmen. Thus the type of the Jerusalem below was Hagar, as is plain from the mountain being so called ; but of that which is above is the Church. Nevertheless he is not content with these types, but adds the testimony of Isaiah to what he has spoken. Having said that Jerusalem which is above " is our Mother," and having given that name to the Church, he cites the suffrage of the Prophet in his favor, Ver. 27. " Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not, break forth and cry, thou that travailest not, for more are the children of the desolate than of her which hath the husband." (Isa. liv: i.) Who is this who before was "barren," and "desolate?" Clearly it is the Church of the Gentiles, 4 that was before deprived of the knowledge of God? Who, "she which hath the husband?" plainly the Synagogue. Yet the barren woman surpassed her in the number of her children, for the other embraces one nation, but the children of the Church have filled the country of the Greeks and of the Bar barians, the earth and sea, the whole habitable world. Observe how Sarah by acts, and the Prophet by words, have described the events about to befal us. Observe too, that he whom Isaiah called barren, Paul hath proved to have many children, which also happened typically in the case of Sarah. For she too, although bar ren, became the mother of a numerous progeny. This however does not suffice Paul, but he care fully follows out the mode whereby the barren woman became a mother, that in this particular likewise the type might harmonize with the truth. Wherefore he adds ["This interpretation of Chrysostom is hardly the right one.The subject of crvnrroixei is Hagar and not Mt. Sinai a viewwhich runs counter to the context. It means that Hagar belongsto the same category with the present Jerusalem, is like it in thatshe was |a bondwoman as Jerusalem with its children is also in bondage." Meyer. G. A.]4 [" Against this view of Chrysostom it may be urged that JJTIS OTI M^Trjp rifj.S>i> (which is our mother) is proved by (yap). Thepassage of the O. T. quoted in v. 27 and the ypuv includes all Christians." Meyer. (See his long and good note in lac.) G. A.]