False opinions as the foreskin the word cuts away
So that it may be said according to a simpler example able to lead you to see 'the foreskin of the heart,' I will set beside this that in the first age false opinions certainly arise in the soul. For it is not possible for a human being from the beginning to take true doctrines. The divine word foresaw history and writing according to the letter, so as to nourish the one born according to flesh to Abraham first with words according to flesh, and so that there might first be the one from the slave woman, in order that after this the one from the free woman and through the promise might be born. Why this was taken up can be understood: the foreskin of the heart comes before circumcision. So we need to take the word that cleanses the doctrines and removes everything that has come to be in us according to false opinion. This, then, is putting away the foreskin of our heart. For if the heart is, for us, what has the ruling principle—where the thoughts are, from which the reasonings go out—the one who removes evil reasonings removes 'the foreskin of the heart'; the one who puts away false opinion is circumcised as to the foreskin of his heart and becomes a man of Judah and one dwelling in Jerusalem, being circumcised.
But if someone does not put away the foreskin of his heart, let us see what the word threatens him: 'Lest my wrath go out,' it says, 'like fire and be kindled, and there will be none to quench it.' (Deuteronomy 10:16; Jer 4:4; Rom 2:29) So the wrath of the Lord goes out like fire upon those not circumcised to God, upon those who have not put away the foreskin of their heart, 'and there will be none to quench it from before the wickedness of their practices.' (Jeremiah 15:14; Lam 2:3; Ezek 22:31) That fire has as its matter the wickedness of our practices. Where there is no wickedness of practices, the fire has nowhere to spread.
That the matter of that fire is the wickedness of practices, hear the prophet saying: 'And there will be none to quench it from before the wickedness of your practices.' (Jeremiah 4:5; 6:1; Isa 58:1) 'Announce in Judah, and let it be heard in Jerusalem; say, announce, signal with a trumpet upon the earth, and cry aloud.' (Genesis 49:10; Micah 5:2; Rev 5:5) These things announced, he says, say in Judah to those from the tribe of Judah of Christ—'for it is clear that our Savior has risen from Judah.'
Greek
Ἵνα δὲ κατὰ τὸ ἁπλούστερον παράδειγμα λεχθῇ δυνάμενον προσαγαγεῖν ὑμᾶς τῷ ἰδεῖν «τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς καρδίας«, παραθήσομαι ὅτι κατὰ τὴν πρώτην ἡλικίαν ψευδοδοξίαι πάντως γίνονται ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ· οὐ γὰρ οἶόν τέ ἐστιν ἀρχῆθεν ἀληθῆ δόγματα καὶ λαβεῖν τὸν ἄνθρωπον. προενοήσατο δὲ ὁ θεῖος λόγος ἱστορίας καὶ γραφῆς τῆς κατὰ τὸ ῥητόν, ἵνα θρέψῃ τὸν κατὰ σάρκα γεγεννημένον τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ἐν τοῖς κατὰ σάρκα πρῶτον λόγοις καὶ γένηται πρῶτος x003E; ἐκ τῆς x003C;, εἰς τὸ δυνηθῆναι μετὰ τοῦτον γεννηθῆναι τὸν x003E; ἐλευθέρας καὶ τὸν διὰ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τοῦτο διὰ τί παρελήφθη , δύναται νοεῖσθαι ἡ ἀκροβυστία τῆς καρδίας προγινομένη τῆς περιτομῆς. χρεία οὖν ἡμῖν τὸν λόγον παραλαβεῖν τὸν καθαίροντα τὰ δόγματα καὶ περιαιροῦντα πάντα τὰ γενόμενα κατὰ ψευδοδοξίαν ἐν ἡμῖν. τοῦτο οὖν έστιν τὸ ἀποθέσθαι τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν· εἰ γὰρ καρδία ἐστὶν ἔχουσα καθ' ἡμᾶς τὸ ἡγεμονικόν, ἔνθα ἐστὶν τὰ νοήματα, ὅθεν οἱ >διαλογισμοὶ ἐξέρχονται οἱ x003C;, ὁ περιαιρούμενος τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τοὺς πονηροὺς «τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς καρδίας« περιαιρεῖται, ὁ ἀποτιθέμενος τὴν ψευδοδοξίαν περιτέτμηται «τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς καρδίας« αὐτοῦ καὶ γίνεται ἀνὴρ Ἰούδα καὶ κατοικῶν Ἱερουσαλήμ<, περιτεμνόμενος.
ἐὰν δέ τις μὴ ἀποθῆται «τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς καρδίας« αὐτοῦ, ἴδωμεν τί ἀπειλεῖ αὐτῷ ὁ λόγος· «μή πως ἐξέλθῃ« φησὶν «ὡς πῦρ ὁ θυμός μου καὶ ἐκκαυθήσεται, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ σβέσων. ἐξέρχεται οὖν ὡς πῦρ ὁ θυμὸς τοῦ κυρίου ἐπὶ τοὺς μὴ περιτμηθέντας τῷ θεῷ, ἐπὶ τοὺς μὴ ἀποθεμένους «τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς καρδίας« αὐτῶν, «καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ σβέσων ἀπὸ προσώπου πονηρίας ἐπιτηδευμάτων« αὐτῶν. τὸ πῦρ ἐκεῖνο ὕλην ἔχει τὴν πονηρίαν τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων ἡμῶν. ὅπου οὐκ ἔνι πονηρία ἐπιτηδευμάτων, οὐκ ἔχει τὸ πῦρ ὅπου νεμηθῇ.
ὅτι δὲ ἡ ὕλη ἐκείνου τοῦ πυρὸς ἧ πονηρία ἐστὶν τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων, ἄκουε τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· «καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ σβέσων ἀπὸ προσώπου πονηρίας ἐπιτηδευμάτων ὑμῶν. «Ἀναγγείλατε ἐν τῷ Ἰούδᾳ, καὶ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ όκουσθήτω· εἴπατε, ἀναγγείλατε,] σημάνατε σάλπιγγι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ κράξατε μέγα. ταῦτα, φησίν, τὰ ἀπαγγελλόμενα εἴπατε ἐν τῷ < τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς φυλῆς τοῦ Ἰούδα τοῦ Χριστοῦ· «πρόδηλον γὰρ ὅτι ἐξ Ἰούδα ἀνατέταλκεν ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν.