Sigalion in the Shield of Croesiades or Apologetic Dialogue for the Mystery of Detected Syncretism

Intervenes, as a sequestrator of the Syncretists—that is, the sect of pseudo-apostles—a coagulant of Moses and Christ, of Law and Gospel, (c) a meditation on the Jewish Synagogue and the Christian Church, almost delirious with a mad zeal for peace, having fashioned a symphony with Judaism through the fear of the third—namely, paganism—and by this method: Let there be one symbol for all, in which the Jewish and Christian religion agrees, namely, that Faith in the Messiah joined with legal observance, the root of which is circumcision, is necessary for the epiteuxin attainment of salvation. Let this be the Foundation, upon which the Jewish synagogue rests; intending perhaps to admit later that Jesus of Nazareth is that Messiah, provided that something is conceded to him, and Moses, sixty years old, is not entirely thrown off the bridge. The Christian religion does not abhor this, following Christ the master, who confirmed the necessity of circumcision by his own example. Its assertion is: (d) For everyone about to enter into the kingdom of heaven, a super-Pharisaical justice is necessary, (e) for a good tree to be transplanted into the heavenly paradise, an effort of generous fruits is necessary: (f) For everyone about to enter into life, the performance of the commandments is necessary. Whatever Paul, the head of the schismatics, chatters against this here, he is not to be heard; he is the fire of disturbances by whose breath the whole world is inflamed. Let the schismatic Zealots of the Jews have their things there, too rigid in trivialities

(d) Matt. 5:20. But it does not follow: "Unless your justice abounds more than that of the Pharisees, you are not to enter into the kingdom of heaven; therefore, if it abounds, it will be necessary for that entry." Just as if you were to say: "No one comes to the son unless the father draws him; therefore, if he draws, he will come immediately; unless you are more honest than the Prodigal, you will not be given a calf; therefore, if you are more honest, you will be given it."

(e) Matt. 7:19. But it does not follow: "The effort of generous fruits is necessary for a good tree to be transplanted into the heavenly paradise; therefore, this effort is necessary for the epiteuxin attainment of an actual station in the beds of paradise." For the supreme gardener could have transplanted him into paradise at the moment he converted Paul, at which point he would not yet have produced the fruits of legal observance.

(f) Matt. 19:16. But it does not follow: "If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments; therefore, legal observance is necessary for the entrance of life." Just as if you were to conclude: "If you wish to travel to Basel from Strasbourg, you will go on foot; therefore, travel on foot is necessary for the destination of Basel." As if you can migrate to Basel either by foot or by horse; so one goes to heaven either by the legal way or the evangelical; but that former one is most exact and is koinobatikos walking the common path and more than that, and as man's state is now, it is impossible.