⁴ I could, of course, put my trust in such things. If any of you think you can trust in external ceremonies, I have even more reason to feel that way. ^5 (A)I was circumcised when I was a week old. I am an Israelite by birth, of the tribe of Benjamin, a pure-blooded Hebrew. As far as keeping the Jewish Law is concerned, I was a Pharisee, ^6 (B)and I was so zealous that I persecuted the church. As far as a person can be righteous by obeying the commands of the Law, I was without fault.