Now if we do not acknowledge the soundness of these arguments, we shall find ourselves falling into absurd ideas, either that it is not the same God who was in the time of Enoch, and of all the other (saints) who neither had circumcision after the flesh nor kept either sabbaths or the other commands, for it was Moses who ordered these things to be done; or else that He has not desired that all mankind should always practise the same acts of righteousness. And to acknowledge this seems ridiculous and silly.
But we must acknowledge that it is because of the fault of sinful men that He who is ever the same has given these and such-like commandments, and must declare that He loves men, and knows all beforehand, and is in want of nothing, and is righteous and good. Since, if this is not so, answer me, Gentlemen, what you think about the matters under discussion.
And when no one answered I added: Therefore to you, Trypho, and to those who wish to become proselytes (to the true faith), I proclaim the Divine message which I heard from that (old) man (whom I mentioned before). You see that Nature does not idle nor keep sabbath. Abide as ye have been born. For if before Abraham there was no need of circumcision, and before Moses none of keeping the sabbath, and of festivals, and of offerings, neither in like manner is there any need now, after the Son of God, Jesus Christ, has been born according to the will of God without sin by the virgin who was of the seed of Abraham.
For Abraham himself when in uncircumcision was justified and received blessing, on account of the faith with which he believed God, as the (passage of) Scripture indicates. Now he received circumcision for a sign, but not for righteousness, as both the Scriptures and the facts compel us to acknowledge. So that the saying was rightly spoken about that people: That soul shall be destroyed out of its race, which shall not be circumcised on the eighth day.
And the fact that the female sex cannot receive carnal circumcision, shows that this circumcision has been given for a sign, and not as a work of righteousness. For God made even females able to keep all the acts of righteousness and virtue as well as men. But we see that one fashion of flesh for male and another for female has been made, yet we know that neither one of them is either righteous or unrighteous for this reason but only for reasons of piety and righteousness.