Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans

a pestilence and causing seditions among all the Jews throughout the world, and a leader of the heresy of the Nazarenes, who even attempted to profane the temple, whom we apprehended and wished to judge according to our law. But Lysias the tribune coming upon us with great force took him out of our hands, commanding his accusers to come to you; from whom you yourself, by making inquiry, may be able to learn about all these things of which we accuse him. The Jews also assented, saying that these things were so. ^A Paul, however, after the governor had beckoned to him to speak, answered: "Knowing you to have been a judge over this nation for many years, I answer for myself with a more cheerful mind, as you can know that there are not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem. And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any one or making a gathering of the people, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city; nor can they prove the things of which they accuse me. But I confess this to you, that according to the way which they call a heresy, so I worship the ancestral God, believing all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets, having hope in God, which these also themselves look for, that there is going to be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. ^B In this I myself study to have a conscience void of offense toward God and men always. Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation and offerings, in which they found me purified in the temple, not with a crowd, nor with a tumult. But certain Jews from Asia, who ought to be present before you and to accuse, if they had anything against me; or let these men themselves say if they found any injustice in me when I stood before the council, except for this one voice which I cried out standing among them: 'Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am judged by you today.'" ^C

"According to the way which they call a heresy, so I worship the ancestral God." By saying that he worships the ancestral God after his calling to be an apostle of Christ, he shows that He is the one God of the Old and New Testament, whom the law and the prophets announced; whom Paul preached, saying that he believed in all things written in the law and the prophets. Now he implicitly brings in Christ also here, but for the present he occupies himself with the discourse concerning the resurrection, which these people were battling from the beginning. For this being shown, that which concerns Christ—namely, that He rose—could also be easily introduced thereafter. ^D

XXIV, 22-27. "Now having heard these things, Felix delayed them, knowing more accurately the things concerning the Way, saying: 'When Lysias the tribune shall come down, I will fully know your cause.' And he ordered the centurion to keep Paul and to allow him some liberty, and that he should forbid none of his own people to minister to him or to come to him. And after certain days, Felix came with Drusilla his wife, who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. As he was discoursing...

with his wife, who was a Jewess, he sent for Paul and heard from him about the faith which is in Christ. And as he discoursed of righteousness and temperance and the judgment to come, Felix, being terrified, answered: Go thy way for this time, and when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee; hoping at the same time that money would be given him by Paul, that he might loose him: for which reason he sent for him more frequently and spoke with him. ^A “Having heard these things, Felix.” It should be observed that Felix knew the faith, being diligently instructed from the Old Testament in those things which concern Christ, and he did not release Paul, out of favor to the Jews, or perhaps for the sake of bribery, as the subsequent discourse shows. He also knew these things because he had a Jewish wife, from whom he heard them continually. This woman was joined to him contrary to the law, being a Jewess joined to a Greek. Or perhaps she was indeed a Jewess, but had married him when she was a Greek; for which reason she also told him of her own faith, persuading her husband also to change and leave idolatry.

CHAPTER XXXVI

Acts XXIV, 27; XXV, 1-12. “And after two years were completed, Felix received as his successor Porcius Festus. And willing to show the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul bound.” Festus, therefore, having taken over the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from the city of Caesarea. And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews informed him against Paul, and they besought him, asking a favor against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait to kill him on the way. ^C But Festus answered that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, and that he himself would depart shortly. “Let therefore those who are powerful among you,” he said, “go down with me, and if there is any crime in the man, let them accuse him.” And having stayed among them not more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day sat on the judgment seat, and commanded Paul to be brought. And when he was brought, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and heavy accusations against Paul, which they could not prove, ^D while Paul answered for himself, that neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar had he offended anything. But Festus, willing to gratify the Jews, answering Paul, said: “Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me?” But Paul said: “I stand at the judgment seat of Caesar, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as thou also knowest better. For if I have done wrong, or have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is nothing of those things whereof these accuse me, no man can deliver me to them. I appeal unto Caesar.” Then Festus with the council

having consulted with the council, he answered: "You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go." ^A

"I stand at Caesar’s tribunal," says Paul, wishing to escape the hands of the Jews, that is, I wish to depart to Rome to the emperor, and there be judged. "I appeal to you," he says. For the name Caesar, in the Roman tongue, signifies king or emperor, so that by a common name all the emperors of the Romans are called Caesars, just as if you were to say kings or emperors. Yet these were not their proper names. For at the birth of Christ, he who was then reigning was called Caesar Augustus; but he suffered under Tiberius Caesar. And the blessed Paul was put to death in Rome under Nero Caesar. CAPUT XXXVII. The arrival of Agrippa and Bernice, and the inquiries concerning the matters that concerned Paul: in which is also recounted Paul’s response to these things, concerning his lawful worship and his calling to the Gospel: that Agrippa said to Festus that Paul had in nothing done injury to the Jews. ^B

XXV, 13-27. "And when some days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice came down to Caesarea, to greet Festus. And when they had stayed there for several days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying: 'There is a certain man left behind by Felix as a prisoner, about whom, when I came to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, asking for a sentence against him. To whom I answered, that it is not the custom for Romans to give up any man to destruction before he who is accused has his accusers present, and has received an opportunity to make his defense regarding the charge. When, therefore, they had gathered here, without any delay, on the next day, I sat ^C on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought in. Concerning whom, when the accusers stood, they brought no charge of the things I had suspected, but they had certain questions against him about their own superstition, and about a certain Jesus who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. Being perplexed, therefore, concerning the inquiry into this matter, I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem, and there be judged concerning these things. But when Paul had appealed to be kept for the decision of the Augustus, I ordered him to be kept until I send him to Caesar.' Agrippa then said to Festus: 'I myself also wished to hear the man.' 'Tomorrow,' he said, 'you shall hear him.' On the next day, therefore, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great display, and had entered into the auditorium with the tribunes and the principal men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought out. And Festus says: 'King Agrippa, and all you men who are present with us, you see this man, regarding whom all the multitude of the Jews petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, crying out that he should not live any longer. I, for my part, found that he had committed ^D nothing worthy of death. But since he himself has appealed to the Augustus, I have decided to send him: of whom I have nothing certain to write to my lord. That

I have brought him before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place, I may have something to write. For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without also signaling the charges against him. ^A

« King Agrippa. » Either Agrippa had descended into the provinces with the title of king, and for this reason was also called king, or perhaps he himself was also king of the eastern parts, while Nero ruled the western, and was resident in Rome. ^B « For the examination of the Augustus. » He uses the term "Augustus" improperly for king or emperor, just as he does "Caesar," whom he also calls "lord" further down, saying: « Of whom I have nothing certain to write to my lord. »

XXVI, 1. 11. « But Agrippa said to Paul: It is permitted to you to speak for yourself. Then Paul, stretching out his hand, began to speak for himself: Concerning all things of which I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa, I think myself happy, being about to make my defense before you today, especially since you are a most expert judge of all the customs and questions which are among the Jews. Wherefore I beseech you to hear me patiently. My life, therefore, which I led from my youth, which was from the beginning in my nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know, who knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the most strict sect of our religion I lived as a Pharisee. And now for the hope of the promise which was made by God to our fathers, I stand subject to judgment, to which our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, ^C hope to come: for which hope I am accused, O King Agrippa, by the Jews. Why should it be thought a thing incredible by you that God should raise the dead? And I indeed thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth, which I also did at Jerusalem: and many of the saints I shut up in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were killed, I brought my vote against them. And punishing them often in all the synagogues, I compelled them to blaspheme; and being yet more mad against them, I persecuted them even unto foreign cities. »

« Why should it be thought a thing incredible by you that God should raise the dead? » He poses two arguments regarding the resurrection: one from the prophets—yet he does not bring forth a prophet, but the very common opinion of the Jews—and another, stronger one, which is from the facts themselves, since it has been proven by the fact that Christ has risen from the dead; and he confirms this one also with logical reasons. ^D The first reason: « Why should it be thought a thing incredible that God should raise the dead? » Likewise another: Was this not the kind of doctrine, and the very dogmas in which they had been educated? Who, then, would not have accepted the statement which he brought forward? Concerning this, he says, by decree as if concerning a heresy ac-

- ^A cusor; since among them nothing is held to be more ancient than this opinion, on account of this they boast, and on account of this they worship God, that they might attain it. And this I announce.

XXVI, 12-18. "In these things, while I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and permission of the chief priests, at midday, O king, I saw on the road a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining around me and those who were traveling with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language: 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' I said: 'Who are you, Lord?' He said: 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen, and of the things ^B in which I will appear to you, delivering you from the people and the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'"

"Above the brightness of the sun." Bringing into the middle that which is most luminous among sensible things, and since he could not equate the light of Jesus to that—which is far greater—so that he might speak in a way that human hearing could receive, he says that that light surpasses the splendor of the sun.

XXVI, 19. "Wherefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision." A vision is a pure sight which surpasses human nature, of a thing which no one can see, while he is in the flesh, unless his own eyes are divinely revealed.

XXVI, 20-23. "But to those who are in Damascus first, and in Jerusalem, and to all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, I was announcing that they should repent, and turn to God, performing works worthy of repentance. Because of these things, the Jews having seized me in the temple, attempted to kill me. Therefore, having obtained help from God, I stand until this very day, testifying both to small and great, saying nothing else than what the prophets said would come to pass, and Moses, whether the Christ would suffer, whether he is the first from the resurrection of the dead ^D to proclaim light to the people and to the Gentiles."

"Saying nothing else than what the prophets said." Lest he be considered the teacher of this matter, he brings forward the prophets and Moses saying "whether the Christ would suffer, whether he is the first from the resurrection of the dead," and the rest. The "whether" is taken for "that," that is, "that it is." Moses, he says, said that Christ would suffer, [and be] the first from the resurrection. For he was the first to rise, and no longer dies. For those who were raised through him, or through the disciples, and those through the prophets, died again, awaiting the universal resurrection.

^A XXVI, 24-32. "And as he was thus making his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, 'Paul, you are mad; your great learning is turning you to madness.' But Paul said, 'I am not mad, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.' And Agrippa said to Paul, 'In a short time you think to make me a Christian!' And Paul said, 'I would to God that whether in a short or a long time not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.' Then the king rose, and the governor, and Bernice and those who were sitting with them; and [having withdrawn] they talked to one another, saying, 'This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.' And Agrippa said to Festus, 'This man could have been set at liberty if he had not appealed to Caesar.'"

On "In a Little"

Since he was always directing his words to the king, Festus was somewhat moved, and seeing his boldness, from agitation and anger [he] said, "You are mad." But Paul explains the reason why he directed his speech toward the king. Then, showing that this doctrine is spread throughout the whole world, he adds, "For this was not done in a corner," speaking of the cross and resurrection of Christ. ^B "In a little," that is, in few words, in brief discourse, in little instruction, without great labor or continuous debate. For this reason, Paul also says to him in turn and quite fittingly, "I would to God, both in a little and in much," as if to say: "This is truly my endeavor, that all might become Christians, and this is my prayer before God." Indeed, I am prepared to preach the faith in Christ with many words and with few, and with much labor and trial, and that immediately. For I would by no means consider labor or trial to be present in teaching and preaching; rather, it is all the same to me whether I am worn out or not worn out, whether I spend much time or little, provided I see some turning to God. ^C He said these things at once demonstrating his own readiness and fervor, and at the same time provoking him, so that if he wished to hear more and enjoy fuller teaching, he would not only not hesitate, but would be so ready and prepared to show himself eager that he would even make that work his own desire, provided he attained the goal. Agrippa, for his part, had taken it to mean that a little effort was needed, or that success was near. But Paul, who was most prudent and shrewd in both divine and human matters, perhaps more than anyone else, used the expression offered, or added the meaning that was expedient for his own words, as if he had said: "By a small struggle of words, or if need be, even by a greater one, I would wish you to become a Christian." ^D I am entirely ready to do everything for your salvation, not yours only, but also that of those present.

ria, not of yours only, but also of those who are present. ^A “Except for these bonds.” ^B He said this not as one cursing the bonds for himself, nor as one ashamed of them; for this was to him, if anything else, worthy of glory and a source of boasting. Rather, he was looking toward their estimation of him and stooping to their weakness. May it befall all these, he says, to be as I am, except for these bonds.

CHAPTER XXXVIII

The voyage of Paul toward Rome, filled with very many and very great perils, in which is also narrated Paul's exhortation to those who were with him concerning the hope of salvation. The shipwreck of Paul, and how they escaped safely to the island of Melite, and what miracles Paul performed therein. ^C

XXVII, 1-20. “Now after it was decreed that we should sail for Italy, they delivered both Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Augustan cohort. And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, about to sail to the regions of Asia, we set sail, Aristarchus the Macedonian of Thessalonica remaining with us. And on the next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius, treating Paul humanely, permitted him to go to his friends and obtain care. And setting sail from there, we drifted under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were against us. And having sailed across the sea which is against Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra of Lycia; and there the centurion, having found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy, put us onto it. And as we were sailing slowly for many days and had with difficulty arrived off Cnidus, the wind not allowing us further, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off ^D Salmone. And with difficulty sailing past it, we came to a certain place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. And a significant amount of time having passed, and the voyage already being dangerous because the time of the fast had already passed, Paul warned them, saying: 'Men, I perceive that with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our own lives, the voyage is going to be.' But the centurion was persuaded more by the pilot and the shipowner than by the things being said by Paul. And the harbor being unsuitable for wintering, the majority formed a plan to set sail from there, if somehow they could reach Phoenix to winter there, a harbor of Crete facing toward the southwest and toward the northwest. And a south wind having started to blow, thinking they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and were sailing along Crete. But not long after, a typhoon-like wind, which is called the Euraquilo, struck against it. And the ship being caught, and not being able to face the wind, we gave way and were being carried along. And having run under a certain small island called Clauda, we were with difficulty able to secure the skiff. Having raised which, they made use of supports, undergirding the ship; and fearing lest they fall into the Syrtis, having lowered the gear, thus they were being carried. And as we were being violently storm-tossed, the next day they threw out cargo, and on the third day with our own hands

we threw out the ship's gear. And when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm lay upon us, all hope of our being saved was now being taken away.”

“*Since the time of the fast had also already passed.*” By the fast here, he speaks of that of the Jews. For after Pentecost he departed from there a long time afterward, so as to reach the parts of Crete at about the very season of winter. Behold, now too Paul prophesies, telling them that they would suffer shipwreck. Even if for them the shipwreck did not occur with loss of life according to his word, this would have happened so far as the nature of the matter goes, had not God saved them. For it was for his sake that He caused them also to be saved. The shipwreck, then, came from the season, since the storm was great; but the miracle is greater, that at such a time they were saved from the midst of dangers, both the Apostle himself and the others on his account. Thus, he was not proven false.

“*But the centurion was being persuaded by the pilot and the captain.*” The centurion does not give heed to the things said by Paul, believing those who were experienced in sailing more than a passenger inexperienced in nautical matters. And from this he teaches that the mistake belongs to choice (judgment) and not to luck. For that it is in accordance with nature to escape danger, experience itself teaches, so that no one should cast himself down when a matter brings clear danger, and for luck and fate to be asleep regarding what is foreseen—or even if they were awake, they would have no power to act against the will and choice of men, by which they guide and carry the matters concerning themselves however they wish; just as even those who were traveling with Paul did. For they were acting so much according to their choice that, having immediately chanced upon a favorable wind, they were continuing their voyage rejoicing. We must know, however, that the word ^A *antophthalmein* (which we metaphorically translate as "to press on against," but which properly signifies "to look from the opposite side") in the propriety of the term is not said of a ship, but it is fit only for a human being. Thus, one ought not to require Scripture to always use words in their proper sense. ^B

XXVII, 21-41 “*But when there was much abstinence, then Paul stood in their midst and said, 'It was proper, O men, having obeyed me, not to set sail from Crete, and to acquire this injury and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good courage. For there shall be no loss of life among you, except the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of God, of whom I am and whom I worship, saying: Do not fear, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you. Therefore be of good courage, men. For I believe God, that it shall be exactly as it has been spoken to me. But we must be cast upon a certain island.' And when the fourteenth night had arrived, as we were being driven about in the Adria, around the middle of the night, the sailors surmised ^D that some land was appearing to them. And having let down the lead, they found twenty fathoms. And having gone a short distance, and having cast the line again, they found fifteen fathoms.*”

^A And fearing lest they might fall into rough places, having cast four anchors from the stern, they prayed for day to come. And as the sailors were seeking to flee from the ship, and had lowered the skiff into the sea, under the pretext as though they were about to extend the anchors from the prow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers: "Unless these remain in the ship, you cannot be saved." Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff, and allowed it to fall away. And until the day was about to dawn, Paul exhorted everyone to partake of food, saying: "Today is the fourteenth day that, awaiting, you have continued fasting, taking nothing. For which reason I implore you to take food. For this pertains to your safety: for not a hair of the head of any of you will fall." And having said these things and having taken bread, he gave thanks to God before all; and having broken it, he began to eat. And with all having become of heartened spirit, they themselves also took food. And we were in the ship, two hundred and seventy-six souls in all. And having been satisfied with food, they were lightening the ship, casting the grain into the sea. And when day came, they did not recognize the land: but they were discerning a certain bay having a beach, into which they decided, if it were possible, to drive the ship. And having taken off the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time having loosened the lashings of the rudders, and having raised the foresail to the blowing wind, they held toward the beach. And having fallen into a place with two seas, they ran the ship aground. And the prow, having struck, remained immovable, but the stern was being broken by the force of the waves.

^B “And behold, God has granted to you.” From this is demonstrated the falsity of the discourse concerning fate or chance. For behold, if they had not been saved through Paul, all those who were in the ship had to have perished, but God granted this for the honor of the just man. And here, indeed, the ungodly are saved through the just man; but there are times when the opposite happens, and the ungodly perishes before his time because of his own wickedness, according to that which was said: “Do not be ungodly overmuch, and do not become hard, lest you die in a time not your own.” And regarding the, “Unless these remain in the ship, you cannot be saved,” Paul spoke ^C economically so that he might hold them back, and so that the prophecy might not fail. So when they saw that their own poor counsel had exposed them to danger, then they began to obey him. For if they had believed in fate, although being heathens, having despised the counsel of the holy man, they would have allowed the sailors to depart. “For which reason I implore you to partake of food.” Paul encourages them to partake of food, and he himself is the first to partake, persuading not by word only but by deed. “For this,” he says, “pertains to your safety,” that is, taking food, lest you be destroyed by famine. For they had no concern for food, ^D since the danger did not allow them to be occupied with ordinary matters. But whence did the number of those who were sailing together become manifest to him?

^A “And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose. And he commanded those who could swim to throw themselves overboard first and get to the land; and the rest, some on planks, and some on pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass that they all escaped safe to the land. And when they had escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. And the barbarians showed us no small kindness; for they kindled a fire, and received us all, because of the present rain, and because of the cold. And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said among themselves, 'No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet Justice does not allow to live.' He however, having shaken off the creature into the fire, suffered no harm. But they expected that he was about to swell, or fall down dead suddenly. But after they had waited a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. And in the parts about that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days. And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of fevers and a bloody flux. To whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him. So when this was done, others also who had diseases in the island came and were healed; who also honored us with many honors; and when we were sailing, they put on board such things as were necessary.”

^B “And the soldiers' counsel was,” etc. Again, it is shown from this that they were spared because of Paul; for although they wished to kill some, the centurion did not allow them to be killed, so that the prophecy of Paul might not fail, in order to save Paul. “A viper came out because of the heat.” The viper, having fastened its teeth upon the apostle’s hand, and not having found the softness ^C of sin, immediately leaped back and jumped into the fire, as if inflicting punishment upon itself because it had attacked a body that was in no way fitting for it. But we fear wild beasts, because we do not have the armor of the virtues. The barbarians, therefore, seeing this, and that he had escaped certain death, thought him to be a god, as it was their custom to consider anyone who did any glorious work a god; just as they also used to name the ancient gods, either because they did something beyond the strength of their own peers or their contemporaries, ^D such as was Hercules; or because they carried away those who beheld them into admiration by sorcery, such as was Simon in Samaria.

CHAPTER XXXIX

XXVIII, 11-17. "And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux. And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days. And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli: Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome. And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum, and The Three Taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage. And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him."

"Whose sign was Castor and Pollux." It is a perpetual custom, especially in Alexandrian ships, to have such paintings at the prow, on the right and on the left. Since, however, it is likely that, idolatry holding sway at that time, Castor and Pollux were painted on the ship, it follows also that we should understand it to have been a ship of the Gentiles—that is, of idolaters—of whom Isaiah says: *They shall fly in the ships of the Gentiles, and they shall plunder the sea together.*

"As far as Appii Forum and The Three Taverns." He indicates certain places before the entrance to Rome; the former indeed having the statue of Appius, as is likely, and hence called his *forum*, just as to this day the images of kings or emperors are called *fora* among the Romans. But the places of the *tabernae* imply the use of certain inns or taverns, which are called by such names in the Roman tongue. ^{B C}

CHAPTER XL

XXVIII, 17-24. "And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me. But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of. For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain. And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee. But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against." And when ^D

they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. ^A

Knowing that it was absurd for Paul to contend in judgment, especially before unbelievers, he prepared a defense for both parties, so that their ears might not be prejudiced. "For this cause," he says, "did I desire to see you," that no one might be allowed to accuse me. And he sets forth the circumstances, namely: Wishing to escape their hands, I was compelled to appeal unto Caesar, not that I might bring evil upon others, but that I myself might avoid evil. "For as concerning this sect," etc. Before Paul reached Rome, the Jews had been warned not to receive the preaching concerning Christ, and not they alone, but those scattered everywhere throughout the earth. But by what means can this be made manifest? We have found in the commentaries of the ancients how the priests and scribes and elders who inhabit Jerusalem drew up letters, which they sent to the Jews among all nations, wherever they might be scattered, slandering the doctrine of Christ as being alien to God; and they warned them by these epistles not to receive it. And it seems that the prophecy of Isaiah indicates this very thing when it says: "Woe to the land, the wings of ships, beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, which sendeth ambassadors over the sea, and papyrus letters upon the waters." ^B By this he signifies that even beyond the regions of the Ethiopians and the uttermost parts of the earth, the sound of the malice of those who inhabit Judea went forth through certain, as it were, flying ships; and their "apostles," bringing papyrus letters, and sailing upon the waters, and filling the sea itself, ran through every part of the earth, slandering the words concerning our Savior. It is the custom for the Jews even now to call those who distribute daily letters from their rulers, "apostles." ^C

"And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word: Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it." And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves. ^D And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came

^A unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

"The Holy Spirit spake by Esaias the prophet," etc. Paul strikes a lethal blow against those who say that the Holy Spirit is a minister of the Father. For him whom Esaias saw as the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, he calls the Holy Spirit in this place. For he is of the same substance as the Father and the Son, and possesses equal power. And he affirms that this statement was uttered by the prophet divinely concerning Jesus: for the people heard the words of Jesus and understood not, and though they saw the wonders worked by Him, they perceived not. For, by directing the statement to the future time, he manifests the reference of the things spoken in the prophecy to the future time. Consider, moreover, the exactness of the Spirit. He did not say, "And ye shall not see," but, "Ye shall see, and shall not perceive." Nor did He say, "Ye shall not hear," but, "Ye shall hear, and shall not understand." They were an obstacle unto themselves ^B first, by stopping their ears, closing their eyes, and making their heart heavy. For not only did they not hear, but they heard with difficulty. They did this, he says, "lest they should be converted and I should heal them," speaking of their wickedness and aversion as something studied and intense. And he says this while drawing and inciting them, showing that if they were to be converted, He would still heal them.

It is to be noted that up to this point Luke records the events concerning blessed Paul in the Acts of the Apostles, having written the book at that time and knowing nothing at all of what was to happen thereafter, nor did he include his martyrdom in this book. For Luke and Aristarchus left him there and departed. But Eusebius has recorded the subsequent times accurately: that at that time, when Paul had made his defense, he was sent again to the ministry of preaching, having been acquitted by Caesar, and preached the Gospel for another ten years. When Nero had reached the height of madness, ^C he proceeded to the slaughter of the apostles. For, having sent for Paul in the thirty-sixth year after the saving Passion, and the thirteenth of his own reign, he caused him to be martyred by having his head cut off with a sword.

The entire time is, therefore, from the nineteenth year of Tiberius Caesar—the second year after the saving Passion, from which he began to preach the Gospel—until the twenty-second year of the same Tiberius, four years. And in like manner four years of Gaius. Again, fourteen years of Claudius, whom Nero, who succeeded him, followed in the thirteenth year of his reign, and did away with the Apostle. The whole time of Paul's preaching is therefore twenty-one years, and another two years which he spent in the prison at Caesarea. ^D In addition to these, again, the first two years in Rome, and the final ten years, so that all the years from his calling until his completion are thirty and five. And from the saving Passion, thirty-six. For after the Lord's Ascension, after a few days, [he...]

the apostles appoint Stephen and those with him to the ministry. Then ^A we find Stephen immediately stoned, and Paul consenting to the murder. He soon afterwards rushes off to Damascus, as if intending to slay the saints who were dwelling there. Yet in the middle of the journey, his calling came from God, so that year had scarcely been completed. He began to preach immediately upon the arrival of the nineteenth year of Tiberius Caesar; and he is put to death in the thirteenth year of Nero, having his head cut off with a sword.

NARRATIVE CONCERNING THE HOLY APOSTLE PAUL

PROLOGUE OF EUTHALIUS THE DEACON

189 Euthalius the Deacon’s Prologue ^B Paul the Apostle was a Hebrew by race, of the tribe of Benjamin, and a Pharisee by profession; he was instructed in the Law of Moses under a faithful teacher, Gamaliel. In addition to this, he inhabited Tarsus, which is called the eye of Cilicia. He pursued and fought against the Church of God; therefore, he was present at the murder of the apostle and martyr Stephen, and was a participant in the slaughter at that time, having taken upon himself the custody of the garments of all who were stoning him, so ^C that he might use the hands of all for the killing. And he was seen as the first among those who were stirring up sedition, striving everywhere to destroy those who were the elite followers of piety. Many and great were the things perpetrated by him against the Church, and he left nothing undone up to the point of an incredible madness. For he believed that in this he was worshipping God and acting most righteously, just as he himself confesses in his epistles, and Luke narrates in his second book. For he did not only, like most of the Jews, long ago hate and turn away from the preaching of the truth, but he also harbored an anger greater than any nation of the heathens. For when he saw the preaching shining forth, and the flourishing word of truth becoming stronger than the Jewish doctrine 190, he was troubled by this, and thinking the greatest injury was being done because their doctrine was falling into contempt, with all promptness and zeal against

^A the pupils of the Church he proceeded, in order that he might reclaim them from the true teaching, or demand from them the punishments owed for their faith in Christ. When, therefore, Paul had at that time received letters from the priests and teachers addressed to the Jews living in Damascus, he rushed with great violence and fervor, like some furious mountain torrent, appearing as though he would engulf the disciples dwelling in Damascus and cast them into the abyss of perdition. But the Lord, seeing that he held an unjust madness under the guise of what he supposed was a just purpose, appeared to him in the middle of the road and deprived him of his sight ^B by the greatness of his light. And he was so transformed that he who formerly devised nothing but what was terrible against the Church, and expected utterly to destroy all the disciples, immediately and at once began to consider this man his own most beloved and faithful friend. For he who was a persecutor immediately becomes a petitioner of God, at once casting off the regiment of madness, he went over to represent the embassy, and confessed the piety toward Christ, and is sent to a certain disciple in Damascus, Ananias. When God, the investigator of truth, saw the man calmed and having become better than his former evils, he decreed that he should escape punishment in no other way than this. Having gone forth, therefore, he is baptized, and becomes a participant in the ineffable mysteries, and a worthy ally of the preaching. And having been entrusted with a new preaching by God, he had a newer starting-point for salvation. Having undergone such a change, then, and still further having changed concerning the Law, and having been transferred to the highest zeal for piety, the blessed Paul, so that he might confirm the disciples of the truth—if ever it happened that he was away—by means of letters, so that they might acquire instruction from him, not only through deeds, but also through words for the time to come; and being fortified on both sides, they might carry around in their soul an unshakable bulwark of piety. After some time, ^C Paul again runs to Jerusalem, intending to see Peter, where indeed they divide among themselves the whole world. And Paul, having taken the portion of the Gentiles, just as Peter was allotted to teach the Jewish people, traveled through many cities and many regions. And in a short time he filled almost all of Illyricum with the dogmas of the piety toward Christ. Having therefore suffered ten thousand terrible things and endured for the sake of the faith in Christ—along with many and various dangers, which he himself records—on account of the Gospel, and having overcome them all and wrestled them down by faith (for although Paul was willing, God held him back to live among men for his own appointed time, until he should preach the Gospel to all the Gentiles, and when this time was drawing to a close, ^D Paul returns again to Jerusalem, intending to visit the saints who were there and to assist the poor among them. In the meantime, a certain sedition seized the city, and the people were in great turmoil, with the Jews agitating the, commons. For they considered it a terrible and grave thing to have as an accuser the man who was formerly their leader and partner in their madness, and they were eager to kill him. But the chiliarch immediately...

but the tribune immediately rescued him, and with a military escort sent him to Caesarea to the governor. They therefore took him and led him to the leader of the Gentiles, who was called Festus. But Paul, perceiving the conspiracy being prepared against him by the Jews, immediately standing at the tribunal, appealed to Caesar. And he was indeed released for the time being from the judgment seat, and the malice which was being devised against him by the Jews lay dormant, and finally he was sent under guard to Rome to Caesar. ^B And having there undertaken the same struggles, and having labored for the same rewards, he finally departed from this life also for the sake of the doctrines of the truth, judging that his walk with Christ was better than this mortal and fragile life. For a little later the Caesar Nero, wishing to lead him out of this life, bestowed upon him the true and truly living life, and appointed as an heir of heaven him whom the earth had deprived. These, then, are the cities which the most illustrious apostle of Christ, Paul, traversed with his preaching, to set forth in summary what follows.

THE TRAVELS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL

Then to Syracuse. Then to Rhegium. And from there ^A to Puteoli. And from there he went up on foot to Rome, and when the brethren met him at the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns, he finally entered Rome, and after teaching for a sufficient time, he later suffered martyrdom in that very city of Rome, having fought the good fight there. The Romans, having enclosed his remains in beautiful silver caskets, celebrate an annual day of his memory, observing his martyrdom on the third day before the Kalends of July. But before this, the blessed one had already given many exhortations concerning life and virtue, and had instructed men in many things regarding what must be done. And furthermore, through the entire fabric of these fourteen epistles, he outlined the whole way of life for men. ^B I considered it necessary to note down briefly in this place the time of Paul's preaching, summarizing it from the chronological canons of Eusebius Pamphili. Upon taking the book in my hands and opening it, I find that the passion of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ occurred in the eighteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, and his resurrection immediately on the third day, and again the assumption of Christ into heaven. And after a few days, I saw the apostles choosing there for service the man who bore his own name, Stephen, and those with him. And afterwards I grasp the sedition of the Jews again, just as we have already said, and Stephen suffering in it, and Paul consenting to his murder. He, a short time later, having stood before the rulers of the Jews, took letters to the Jews who lived in Damascus ^C against the disciples. But in the middle of the journey, his calling by God occurred, a little before the end of that year. For once the nineteenth year of Tiberius Caesar had begun, history writes that Paul began his preaching: and that he traversed the entire inhabited world, spreading the religion of Christ, up to the thirteenth year of Claudius Caesar, when Felix was governor of Judea: under whom Paul, being accused by the Jews, made his defense. He indeed confined the apostle in the prison at Caesarea for two years. After him, having taken up the rule, Porcius Festus immediately attempted to judge the Apostle, wishing to secure great favor among the Jews by this act. Then therefore the blessed Paul, thinking that he could not otherwise avoid the plot except by appealing to Caesar, standing at the tribunal ^D appealed to Caesar, and he is sent to Rome, to Caesar Nero. Aristarchus was also with him, whom he also rightly calls a fellow-prisoner in a certain place in the epistles, and Luke, who handed down the Acts of the Apostles in writing. Paul was therefore kept under Roman guard there for two full years. For Luke writes these things and up to this point in the Acts of the Apostles, having written the book at that time, and as he did not at all know the things that would come next, he did not record his martyrdom. For they left him there, and Luke and Aristarchus returned. But Eusebius, making diligent inquiry into the subsequent times, wrote for us in the second book of his Church History of this

his martyrdom, and that Paul passed his time in freedom, and preached the word of God without hindrance. ^A For account has it that at that time, when Paul had answered for himself under Nero and had been acquitted by the emperor, he was sent forth again to the ministry of preaching, and disseminated the word of the Gospel for another ten years. But when Nero had reached the height of madness, he first slew his own mother Agrippina, and furthermore his father's sister, and Octavia his own wife, and countless others related to him by blood. Then he stirred up a universal persecution against the Christians, and thus it reached the slaughter of the apostles. For having summoned Paul, he placed him once again before the tribunal. Luke, meanwhile, had joined him again. And it came to pass there that Paul, in the thirty-sixth year after the saving Passion and the thirteenth of Nero, suffered martyrdom, his head being cut off with a sword. There are, therefore, from the nineteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, in which he began to preach the Gospel, until the twenty-second year, four years; and likewise the years of Gaius, four years. Again, the years of Claudius, a little less than fourteen. ^B Following him, Nero, in the thirteenth year of his reign, put the Apostle to death. The Apostle Paul himself writes of this his first defense to Timothy: "At my first defense no one took my part, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to bear the message fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth" (2 Tim. iv, 16, 17), meaning Nero by this name. Regarding the second, indeed, "in which he also finished his life by martyrdom," he says: "Fulfill your ministry. For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come." And because Luke was with him again, he writes after a few words in the epistle: "Luke the physician with me greets you." The entire time then of the Apostle's former preaching is twenty-one years, besides the other two years which he spent in prison at Caesarea. To these again be added the two first years after he had arrived at Rome, and the final ten: so that all the years from his calling until his death were thirty-five. ^{C D}

MARTYRDOM OF THE APOSTLE PAUL.

ARGUMENT OF THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

^A The Epistle to the Romans contains the preparation for Christ, especially as demonstrated by natural reasonings; and for this reason, it is placed before all others, as written to those who already possessed a foundation for divine worship. He sends this from Corinth, not having yet seen the Romans, but having heard of them and desiring to see them. And first, he says that he is pleased with their faith, which he sees being proclaimed everywhere. Next, he signifies that he had often proposed to come to them, ignited by desire for them, but had not yet been able. And then he composes a letter full of instruction regarding the calling of the nations. And that circumcision was until a time, and now has ceased. And that through Christ the fall of Adam has been undone, and the shadow of the law has passed away. He therefore consistently establishes the calling of the nations, showing that the law is innate in all men, and that all, by an untaught nature and from creation itself, are able to know God. Therefore, he rightly reproves the Greeks first, for although God manifested to them from the works of the world the knowledge of Himself and of His eternal power—which is His Word, in whom and through whom He created all things—they did not acknowledge from the creatures that God was their Creator, but made the works into gods and worshipped the creation rather than the Creator. He also reproves the Jews, as those who had not kept the law, but rather, through the transgression of the law, had dishonored God. And thus he locks up and convicts both of the greatest ones, Jews and Greeks, for lawlessness, to show that all who have been born, every one of them, are equally liable and are in need of a Redeemer. And the grace and redemption having been made equally available to the Jews and to the nations, the calling of the nations naturally took place. ^B And with the calling of the nations having occurred, of necessity circumcision and the shadow which was in the law have ceased. For Abram, he says, not in circumcision but before circumcision was justified, and his name was changed to Abraham, because he was to be the father of many nations, according to the faith which he had in uncircumcision. He took, after he had been justified, circumcision in the flesh, so as to be a sign to those born of him according to the flesh, that circumcision would some day cease, when the nations became children of Abraham, having begun to live according to the faith of Abraham, in which he was justified when he was in uncircumcision. For the sake of these things, his name was changed to Abraham. ^C It is necessary, when the things signified have arrived, that the sign should cease. If, therefore, the nations are forced to be circumcised, let them also cease the name of Abraham, and let him be called Abram. But if Abraham was renamed by God, then there is no need for the nations to be circumcised, nor even for the Jews themselves, who are such according to the flesh, so that the name may remain firm and he may be called the father of many nations. For there is no need, from this point on, for anyone to be circumcised, as the faith of Abraham is sufficient for them, nor indeed to observe the other shadow of the law. For not from these...

but through faith is someone justified, just as Abraham was. Having ^A established these things thus, he proves again that there could not otherwise be any redemption or grace for Israel and the nations, unless the ancient sin of Adam, which spread to all, were undone. He says that it could not be blotted out by another, except through Christ who is God, through whom the curse also came into being from the beginning: for it was not possible for another to undo the transgression. Then he writes that this cannot happen in any other way than if the Son of God should clothe himself in a body and become man, so that by offering this for all, he might liberate all from death. And just as through one man sin entered into the world, so also through one man might grace come. And finally, like a good steward, he comforts the Jews, saying: "You do not become transgressors of the law if you believe in Christ." But he admonishes those who have believed from among the nations not to be exalted against Israel, but to acknowledge that just as branches upon a root, so they themselves have been grafted upon them. After these things, having instructed them with hortatory words concerning conduct, he concludes the epistle.

198 ARGUMENT OF THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

1. Evangelical teaching concerning those who live outside the grace of Christ, and those who are in grace; and concerning hope and spiritual conversation. 2. Concerning the judgment that is brought against the nations, not observing those things which are by nature. 3. Concerning the judgment that is brought against Israel, not observing the things that are lawful. 4. Concerning the prerogative of the Israelites, who attained the promise. 5. Concerning the grace by which men alone are justified, not divided by race, but according to God's gift, being honored equally according to the type of Abraham. 6. Concerning the hope that is laid up. 7. How Jesus Christ, having become man for us, introduced salvation, in place of the earth-born Adam who had fallen from the beginning. 8. Concerning the good work that is owed and must accompany faith. 9. A repetition concerning the life which is in grace. 10. Concerning the condemnation which was under the law because of sin. 11. Concerning the passions in human nature, which make conformity to the law impossible. ^C 12. Concerning the change of natural affections through conformity to the Spirit. 13. A repetition concerning the glory which is laid up for the saints. 14. Concerning the love which is owed to Christ. 15. Concerning the fall of Israel who was cast away, and the calling of the true Israel, who was brought in with the nations. ^D

16. When, according to incredulity, there was a fall of the Jews through erroneous knowledge and a preaching that did not befit them. ^A 17. Concerning the purpose according to which they were cast out, so that they might return a second time through the imitation of the honored nations, that is, the believers who have come together in the faith. 18. An exhortation concerning virtue, which is toward God and men. 19. Concerning the imitation of Christ’s long-suffering. 20. Concerning his ministry, in the East and in the West.

SCHOLIUM

Before Paul arrived in Rome, the Jews had been warned not to receive the preaching concerning Christ. And not only they themselves, but also all who were dwelling in all places of the world. But whence is this manifest? We find in the writings of the ancients that the priests and scribes and elders who dwelt in Jerusalem, having drawn up letters, sent them to all the nations, to the Jews everywhere, defaming the doctrine of Christ ^B as being alien to God. And they commanded them by letters not to receive it. This very thing, indeed, the prophecy of Isaiah seems to signify, saying: "Woe to the land of the wings of ships, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, sending messengers by the sea, and papyrus letters over the water" (Isa. xviii, 1, 2). By these words he signifies that even beyond the land of the Ethiopians and the furthest ends of the earth, the sound of the malice of those who inhabited Judea went forth by way of certain winged ships; and their ^C apostles, carrying papyrus letters and navigating over the waters and crossing the sea, ran everywhere in the world, defaming the word which was about our Savior. For even to this time, it is the custom for the Jews to call those "apostles" who carry circular letters from their own rulers. But what follows in the prophecy is said concerning the disciples of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whom, because they were evangelists of good things to all men, he named "light angels," in contrast to those whom he had indicated as Jewish apostles.

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER ONE

Evangelical doctrine concerning those who live outside the grace of Christ, and concerning those who live in grace; and concerning hope and spiritual conduct.

I, 1. *Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ.* ^A Together with that which follows: "Paul, an apostle to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called saints: grace to you and peace," it is the same as if one were to say: "So-and-so to So-and-so, greeting." In the meantime, he renders the evangelical message conspicuous, and asserts that his Gospel is not something new in terms of time, but was announced beforehand through the prophets, though now it has been made manifest. Furthermore, he mentions David, to whom the promise was made, and says that he himself has been appointed a herald of this promise, so that he might not appear to have come to teach rashly after the doctrine of Peter, but rather to be fulfilling a divine command. ^B He prefaced his own name according to the ancient custom, as when it is said, "Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix, greeting," or he prefaced the name "Paul," not wishing to open his mouth without remembering the benefit of the Lord: as if he were to say, "Paul, who has his very calling from the benefaction and generosity of the Lord; Paul, who receives all things from Christ: calling, grace, conduct." Or, writing to those who were absent, he rightly prefaced his own name. Furthermore, his name was changed from Saul to Paul, so that in this regard he might not seem inferior to the apostles, or even to the coryphaeus, Peter himself, or to have anything less than they. "Servant." There are many modes of servitude: one is of creation, another of faith, a third of the apostolate, a fourth of one's conduct. And Paul possessed them all. Moreover, whereas he was accustomed to join "Apostle" to his own name, ^C he has now placed "Servant" in front, leading the Romans to piety and modesty. For they were so haughty that they used to declare whom they wished to be gods by their own decree. Hence, as it is said, when the one who acted as governor in the regions of Judea had reported to them concerning Christ—that they claimed a certain Jesus, born there, a worker of wonders, had risen from the dead and proclaimed him God—they say that he rejected this by decree, because he had dared this against their will. It was, however, of the divine dispensation, so that it might not seem that this had prevailed through human ambition. "Of Jesus Christ." The word "Jesus" signifies the human, but "Christ" signifies the anointing of the Spirit. Called apostle...

set apart for the Gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from the seed of David according to the flesh; who was declared Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.*

He modestly confesses that he did not come forward of his own will, but was called. And being called, it was not merely to faith, but also to the apostolate. "Set apart for the Gospel of God." One person, he says, is set apart for one thing, but I have been set apart for the Gospel, so that I might announce Christ, who is God. For they had known the Father from the Old Testament. But I, he says, say nothing gloomy in the manner of the prophets, but I announce God made human. "Which he promised beforehand." Let no one, he says, think that I am introducing new things; this Gospel was promised long ago. And the phrase, "in the Scriptures," indicates that the prophets not only spoke, but also wrote. He did not say "concerning son," but "concerning his Son," indicating the one who is by nature both one and truly Son and Only-begotten. "According to the flesh." For according to the Spirit, he was Son of God. "Who was declared." Who was demonstrated and manifested through the prophets, and through so many divine signs, and through the resurrection. For the convergence of these things sets him apart from all others who have been called sons by grace. Therefore, someone also interprets "declared" as "recognized," and as one who has come to the knowledge of men. For we are accustomed to recognize things by certain definitions, which we know firmly and without doubt. "In power." That is to say, not by grace, as many are, but by his own power, which he exercised in the divine signs. "According to the Spirit of holiness." And he says, [it is] also by the Spirit of holiness, which he grants to those who believe in him. "By the resurrection." And by the resurrection, he says, and by the destruction of death. A resurrection, moreover, by which our Lord Jesus Christ himself rose. ^B

1, 5-7. *Through whom we received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations, for the sake of his name. Among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. To all those who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints; grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.* ^C

We did not receive the apostolate, he says, because of our own good works, but the whole thing is of grace and a gift. "Grace and apostleship," meaning grace for apostleship. Although his apostleship is of the Holy Spirit, as it is set down in the Acts, he knew that all the works of the holy Trinity are common. "To the obedience of faith." For it is not necessary to pry into the generation and substance of God, but only to obey. "Among all the nations." If [he speaks] concerning his Son, [he is] declared by certain definitions... ^D

For though he himself did not travel everywhere, nevertheless the Gospel was announced to all, namely through the other apostles. "For his name." For faith was [placed] in his name. For the nations did not see him, but only his name being proclaimed, they believed. Truly the apostolic office of the disciples was full of grace, because they persuaded the nations to obey and believe in Christ — and these were men who were fishermen and unlearned. "Among whom are also you." That is, among the nations with whom you were called. For you did not come [to this] of your own accord. He suppresses their arrogance, ^B as if he were saying: Do not think, as a royal city, that you have anything more than the others; but you were called along with the rest of the nations. "To all who are in Rome, beloved of God." For there is no distinction with him between the rich and the poor. Then after he had said "To all," lest they say: "What then? Does he hold all in equal honor, the good and the bad, the faithful and the unfaithful?" he added "Called saints." For all saints are of equal honor to him, and there is no distinction among them. But he placed "Beloved of God" first, then "Called saints." From where, he says, were you called? From what labors? From what virtuous deeds? From where are you saints, other than from the sole love of God? For he, having loved us freely ^C and having shed his own blood for us, called us to sanctification and the hereditary possession of his kingdom. Therefore also everywhere, by saying "Called," he reminds us of the benefit of God. "Grace to you." For no one, he says, can be saved by works. "From God the Father." For grace and peace which are from God have stability. Furthermore, what is added, "the Father," demonstrates adoption.

I, 8-10. "First indeed I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is announced in the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit, in the Gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, praying if by any means now at length ^D I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come to you."

It was necessary to begin the preface from thanksgiving, and to give thanks not only for one's own virtues, but also for those things which belong to one's neighbors: for this is the standard of charity. "To my God." A sign of love. For he makes the God of all his own. "Through Jesus." For he is the cause for us of thanksgiving toward the Father, he who both received us and reconciled us to him by his own blood. "Because your faith." For it was likely that the faith of the Romans would be spread everywhere among all. "For God is my witness." Rightly he brings God as a witness, when he wished to persuade men to whom it would be difficult to be persuaded. "Whom I serve." This is, whom I worship. For there are many species of worship. For both he who prays, and he who uses fasting, and he who pays attention to divine words, and indeed also he who takes care of the...

ministry ^A to strangers, this person worships God. But the divine Apostle said that he worships God, because he preached the Gospel of His Son to the nations; and to worship in the Spirit, that is, in the gift given to him. Or, "It did not come to pass by my own diligence that I worship God, but by the grace of the Spirit." Or, "My worship is not carnal, but spiritual." From this he shows that he is necessarily concerned for them, as those who had received the word and were intending to receive it. "In the Gospel of His Son." Do you see that above, when he said, "into the Gospel of God," he meant Christ? "Without ceasing," and so on. It is a sign of sincere love both to make mention, and to do this without ceasing, and especially in prayers. "Making request if by any means." For he was eager to come, and he did not wish to do this contrary to the will of God. The phrase, "at length," is instead of, "at last." Which is [the sign] of one who is very eager. "I might have a prosperous journey." He says, may I have ease, and a journey to you that is for good.

I desire to see you, that I might impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end you may be established; that is, that I might be comforted together with you by the faith which is in each other, both yours and mine. ^B He says that he is not eager to see them simply and to no purpose, but in order to impart a gift. He speaks of doctrine and instruction. For this is to be established, as it is likely they were still wavering. The phrase, "some," is [a sign] of one who is modest, as if he said, "a small thing." The word "impart" signifies that I will not give anything of my own, but that which I also received. "To the end you may be established." For it is no small gift not to waver in the faith. "That I might be comforted together." Since he mentioned being established, so that he might not grieve them as if they were wavering, he adds, "That I might be comforted together," that is, that I may comfort you, and you may comfort me. For he says we need one another's consolation, through the faith that is within us. He shows great modesty. Yet it is also possible to understand this consolation in this way: "That you, indeed, might be comforted by me unto the faith, but I unto cheerfulness, seeing you believing." Or thus: To impart a gift to you is not mine alone, or [a matter] of my own choice ^C and ministry, but it is common to me and to you—[a matter] of my ministry, but of your support. And not even then simply, but through the faith which is in each other. How and in what manner? If you yourselves, he says, have faith to receive the gift, and I again have faith to give it to you. For if I have faith to give, and great labor and diligence, but you do not have faith to receive, nor a desire and care for receiving, the spiritual gift does not come to you, even if I should wish it. Therefore, both must concur, both that which comes from me, and that which comes from you. For then you will have faith to receive, and desire, when you prepare yourselves to be worthy of the gift through good works. And when you receive the gift, it is clear that we are comforted and rejoice in one another; for it is common to impart... ^D

^A gain. For the gathering of many believers produces the greatest consolation. Your side is credible for preaching and teaching, for you receive me; and my side, in turn, is credible for being entrusted with the oracles of God and for having judged that there is a more perfect teaching. I see you eagerly receiving the preaching, and you in turn see my care and diligence concerning it. This contributes to a greater assurance of faith for both sides, when he who is preaching sees the souls of men ^B drawn extraordinarily toward obedience. For he is strengthened all the more to preach. And when the disciples, in turn, see the preacher handing over the faith with firm hope, they receive it all the more, and thus through the faith in one another both are comforted.

I, 13-16. *But I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that often I purposed to come to you, and was hindered hitherto, that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.*

^C If therefore you desire to come, and you institute the journey for the sake of our usefulness, why do you not arrive? “I was hindered,” he says. But he does not further inquire into the cause of the hindrance; for it is not ours to demand of God the reasons for what He commands, but only to obey. “That I might have some fruit.” Someone might certainly say: For this reason you were hindered, because you had not intended to come according to God. “By no means,” he says. For I desired to have fruit in you also, calling fruit the bringing of them into the faith. Or, it may be understood by that hyperbaton: “That I might have some fruit”; then the sequence will be: “Often I purposed to come to you, that I might have some fruit among you also, but I was hindered hitherto.” But someone might say: If their faith was heralded in the whole world, what fruit did he himself desire to provide upon arriving? But we shall find something still greater. For even if they had believed, they still stood in need of many things. And this is made manifest both by the whole epistle, ^D and a little before when he said: “To confirm you,” and when he admonishes them not to pass judgment upon one another, and in countless other places. “That I might have,” he says, “some fruit,” plainly showing this: that Paul considered their fruit to be his own fruit. For he rejoiced so much in the virtues of his neighbor that he reckoned the fruit to return to himself; which one may gather from this: that for the sake of their usefulness he hastened to undertake the journey to them. Otherwise, their fruit was also truly Paul’s fruit. For since it was his work and industry that the nations should produce fruit, rightly was the fruit-bearing of Paul shown in their fruit-bearing. But so much for these things. Yet one might also understand the passage not according to hyperbaton, but according to the order in which [it stands...]

and we shall extract this meaning from it: "I have been hindered until now." Why, he says, so that by coming too quickly I might not find you still unfruitful. Therefore, I also delayed my presence until I might learn that some fruit of faith was also budding and being brought to fulfillment among you. ^A But there is also another way to perceive the meaning: "I have been hindered until now." Why? Because I was still gathering some fruit that was lacking to me. And it is possible to see this meaning confirmed at the end of the epistle, as if the Apostle were recollecting the things he had mentioned at the beginning. For he says, "For this reason, I was also hindered many times from coming to you; but now, having no longer any place in these regions, I will come to you." So the fruit that was hoped for up to the present time, to be gathered in other regions, hindered him from running to Rome, while he could not leave unfinished the work among them. ^B Then, the words "And among you," and what follows, are a solution to what seems like an objection. For if, he says, you are going to have no fruit among us? Yes, he says, even among you I strive for this, I seek this, "I am a debtor; I owe it to all." "As also among the other nations." By joining them to the other nations, he suppresses their pride. "Both to Greeks and to Barbarians." It is as if he said, just as to Greeks and Barbarians, so also to you I am a debtor. "I am a debtor." I am not giving anything of my own, he says; I am a debtor to preach the Gospel to all and to fulfill the commandment given to me. "For so, according to me." Just as, he says, to Greeks and Barbarians, to the wise and the foolish I am a debtor, so, as much as concerns my own zeal and eagerness, I am obligated to preach the Gospel to you also. For "I am a debtor" must be taken as common to both. "For I am not ashamed." And since many things seem base to the unbelievers in the Gospel, such as the cross, the death, the insolence of the Jews, for the time being he teaches them not to suspect anything base in it, and therefore not to be ashamed. ^C Then, as he proceeds, he extols the Gospel. And in another way: Because the Romans were very proud of many advantages, such as wealth, power, and wisdom, "You," he says, "are proud of these; but I, to preach God, am coming into your midst, and I am not ashamed." Why? "For it is the power of God unto salvation for those who receive it." And well did he use the phrase "unto salvation," for the power of God is also unto punishment. But unto salvation, not for everyone, but for the one who believes. For the Gospel threatens punishment to those who disobey. "To the Jew first." The expression "first" conveys only honor to the word, not an abundance of grace. For the Jew is required to believe first, inasmuch as he has already been instructed regarding Christ from the Law and the Prophets, more so than the Gentiles. And because, even if Christ came for the salvation of the race in common, He was nevertheless born and lived among the Jews, and taught, and performed divine signs among them, on account of which the Jews were debtors to believe in Christ first, more than the Gentiles. ^D

^{A B C D}

For the righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith to faith, as it is written: “The just shall live by faith.” ^A For lest, when you hear of salvation and righteousness, you should think that it happens only at that time, he adds, “is revealed,” which signifies the state in the future age, as if it were not yet fully manifested now. “In it is revealed.” In the Gospel, that is. For the righteousness of God, he says, is revealed in the Gospel; that is to say, all virtue is perfected through the Gospel. For righteousness is often used to signify all virtue. But how is it revealed, and to whom? To those who approach the Gospel by faith. For while the Gospel proclaims virtue to all, and exhorts everyone to embrace virtue, it reveals the beauty of virtue to those who approach it by faith, and makes them lovers of it. What then? Does faith cease once someone has attained virtue to a high degree? By no means; rather, it proceeds to something more perfect and sublime. For the first faith was a certain compunction and readiness of soul. But the faith that has been increased and perfected by the practice of virtues is an immutable confirmation and full assurance. And the former is like the sowing of a seed, the latter—the practice of virtues—is like the yielding of fruit, and the faith perfected through them is like the enjoyment and blessedness. ^B Thus, therefore, the righteousness of God is revealed in the Gospel from faith to faith. He calls virtue the righteousness of God, because virtue is a divine thing, and all good things are from God. “From faith to faith.” It begins from faith, and ends in the one who believes. Or, it is because it begins in faith and ought to attain to faith, implying that we should not be overly inquisitive about everything contained within it. Or in this way: one should believe the prophets, and through them be led to the faith of the Gospel. Otherwise: for whoever believes in Christ the Lord, and has received the grace of baptism, is led through these to believe in the good things to come, such as the resurrection from the dead, eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven. For one must believe that God appeared on earth in the flesh, which is the beginning, and again that the kingdom of heaven will fall to those who believe as an inheritance, which is the end of faith. Or in this way: ^C [AKAKIOS] To the Jew, from the faith of the law to the faith which is through Jesus Christ; to the Greek, from the faith of natural religion to the same faith of Jesus Christ. “As it is written.” For that the statement may not appear incredible—that faith bestows salvation and righteousness—he produces testimony and evident proof of what has been said, namely the prophetic saying uttered by Habakkuk. He says something of this sort: I have rightly said that the diligent man proceeds from faith to faith through virtue. For Habakkuk, he says, cries this out from above through the same Spirit, that the diligent man lives by faith, that is to say, he has all his life sustained by faith. Or more fittingly: Since true life for the just man is to sprout and revive in the possession of virtues, the just man, he says, that is, the diligent person, shall live by faith, that is, a life which is in accordance with virtues. Again, what he says, “The just shall live by faith,” can be applied to what was previously said: “The righteousness of God is revealed from faith.” ^D

^A But as for these things, let them be so. Yet if anyone were to take the “righteousness of God” not as that which is given to man by God, but—which is closer to the expression—as that which is in God, and which He Himself works, it seems to me to reveal a certain sense: that the righteousness of God which He shows toward us is demonstrated in His Gospel by the rule and law of His loving-kindness. And how, and in what way, is this accomplished? Because He saves us by faith alone, and makes us alive when we are already dead, without us having first shown works. This Paul demonstrates more clearly as he proceeds, where he says, “And justifying him who is of faith.” And again, “Therefore being justified by faith.” And again, “If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart, you shall be saved.” This, then, is the righteousness of God, excelling human kindness, that by faith alone He raises and makes alive us who were already dead in our sins. Thus, he well said before that the Gospel is a power for salvation to the believer. For he who has believed is empowered by the righteousness which is revealed in it. And through those who believe, it is revealed and made manifest. But to what, he asks, is the believer made alive? To the most perfect faith and an immutable strength of habit. For the quickening is from faith to faith. ^{B C} But it is possible to understand this in another way. The righteousness of God is revealed through the Gospel because, receiving from us only the beginning and seed of faith, He Himself increases, stabilizes, and perfects us unto this very thing. This is truly the righteousness of God: that, having taken only the occasion of our choice, He Himself completes the whole work. For since Paul had said above, “The Gospel is the power of God to the believer unto salvation,” lest anyone should say, “And how can he believe who hears of the cross, who hears of death, who hears of sufferings?” he adds, “The righteousness of God is revealed in it.” Do not, therefore, he says, use these things as an excuse. For if you only resolve [to believe], then you will be all the more able to admire the guardianship and providence of God toward you, that He, having taken the faith that comes from your own mind, Himself furnishes you with the faith of certainty and confirmation. Then, that you may not think he says something new and unheard of, he brings forward the prophet as a witness. This same thing, he says, the prophet Habakkuk also predicted long ago, that the life of the just is comprised and completed by faith—beginning from the faith that is by choice, but perfected and proceeding into the faith that is by divine cooperation and revelation. “Therefore the just always lives by faith.” And it is well said, “He shall live.” That is to say, the just man does not live by faith and then cease, but he shall live in it for all time, progressing and being strengthened. He said “He shall live,” and not some other thing, such as “he progresses” or “he is strengthened” or some other thing, signifying the intended disposition, that he will neither choose to live nor even be able to breathe without faith.

as “he progresses” or “he is strengthened” or some other thing, signifying the intended disposition, that he will neither choose to live nor even be able to breathe without faith.

CHAPTER II. Of the judgment brought against the nations not keeping those things which are by nature.

^A 1, 18, 19. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness. For that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God hath manifested it unto them.”

“Is revealed.” In the day of judgment. “Against all ungodliness and unrighteousness.” For righteousness is uniform, but ungodliness regarding dogmas is varied, and malice regarding conduct. “Hold the truth in unrighteousness.” Truth is the knowledge of God; unrighteousness is the deception of idols. They, then, hold the truth in unrighteousness who attribute the worship of God to idols. But “hold,” that is, they guard, or conceal, or darken it by the depravity of their mind. For it would be easy, if they were willing, to aid both themselves and others unto the knowledge of God from these things which are seen. But they rather obscured and held fast these very things, lest the knowledge of God should shine forth: revering these very things as gods; and doing injury, so far as in them lay, both to the knowledge of God which was in them, and to themselves, and certainly to those things which they thought to honor. It is manifest, moreover, that he censures the wise men of the Greeks, and those like them. “For that which is known of God.” For the knowledge of God, he says, is manifest in them and in all things. Since by visible creation the invisible God is known. Such, therefore, voluntarily go astray. ^B “That which is known,” that is, that which is capable of being known, such as that He is Creator, that He is Governor, and the like. “Is manifest in them.” By the beauty and magnitude of the creation. “For God hath manifested it unto them.” By setting forth the creation to all as a teacher of His own majesty. For, “The heavens,” he says, “declare the glory of God.” (Ps. XVIII, 1).

1, 20. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”

Because he said that God manifested His own knowledge to them, but they of their own accord abandoned Him, he now demonstrates this and says that by the things which God created, such as both by the invisible and by the visible, He showed forth His own magnitude: for the creation, even without a voice, proclaims the Creator through the sight. ^C But he calls the invisible things spirits and the whole heavenly host; but the works, those things which are visible, such as heaven, earth, sea. See, therefore, what he says. The invisible things of Him, he says, are made manifest through the visible. For he who looks upon the heaven will understand altogether that in it there are also certain ministering spirits. Whatever, therefore, lies hidden is declared by that which is manifest. For, lest you should think the angels coeternal with God, he includes them under creation. For if the invisible things, he says, such as angels and other incorporeal substances: what are these things incor- ^D

nos arbitreris angelos, sub creatione illos comprendit. Siquidem invisibilia, ait, puta angeli, cæteræque substantiæ incorporeæ: quænam sunt hæc incor-poreæ? Quænam sunt hæc incor- ^A poreal things, produced into existence from the creation of the world, are understood and seen. How? Even they themselves are understood and numbered among the things that have been made. There is, therefore, an hyperbaton in the arrangement of the text. Or, "understood by the works," that is, by their existence within the works themselves, and by the fact that they serve the will of God and fulfill what He commands. Or perhaps by "His invisible things" he means His very invisible substance. And how, he asks, is it possible for the divine, being invisible, to be beheld and understood? Yes, he says, it is possible even from His creatures to behold His divinity and power. "His eternal power and divinity." ^B [CYR.] It is understood from the common sense of "is seen." But how is His eternal power known through creation? Because, since those things that have been brought into existence possess a corruptible nature and were called into being in time, their Creator must necessarily be incorruptible and eternal. [PHOT.] Or in this way: From the creation of the world, the divinity of God and His eternal power are known. If one looks at the world and the things in it, the beauty and magnitude of the stars, the course of the moon and sun, the order and immutable sequence; that the moon does not do the day’s work, nor the sun the night’s: the ether keeps its proper place, and the air likewise. The earth stands still, having nothing to support its immense weight; water is infused into it and spread around it to add weight, yet it remains immovable, proclaiming the power that holds it. It bears countless fruits, differing in their properties and virtues. Being one, the earth, it nourishes infinite races of animals. But also the orderly changes of the seasons, the annual rains, and the apparent afflictions, earthquakes, lightning—if you contemplate any of these, it directs the attentive observer to the Creator. What is that which holds, what that which governs? It is therefore possible to know clearly from creation that there is a Creator, that He is a provider, that He is omnipotent, that He is good (for it belongs to the Good to create and govern), that He is eternal. For who would plot against the omnipotent? Thus, therefore, His divinity ^C and eternal power are seen in the works, and thus from the creation of the world the knowledge of God comes to men. In this way, that which is knowable of Him He manifested in all. For the knowable things of God are these and such as these. But His substance and nature are altogether incomprehensible to all. These things the Greeks also knew. But having known, they did not glorify Him as God. "So as to be inexcusable." For since there are so many things demonstrating the majesty of God, what will they answer who have voluntarily blinded themselves? Yet God did not ordain this for that purpose; God forbid, even if it turned out so. ^D I, 21, 22. "For when they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, or give thanks; but they became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools." [PHOT.] "For they knew" through creation. "When they knew God." That is, what God is, and what ought to be considered as God. Having known this, they...

proceeded well up to a point, but after that they turned away. ^A For when they had contemplated these sublime things concerning God, they did not subsequently approach God, nor did they receive or glorify Him as God. For when they ought to have glorified Him and given Him thanks, because He established for our sake the world which we see, they did the opposite and dishonored Him. "They became vain," he says, "and fell away from the whole aim." For what was easier: to fashion circles and zodiacal signs in the heavens into idols, or to recognize that there is a Creator, Guardian, and Pilot of this visible and supernatural beauty? "In their cogitations." Having said that they became vain, or blind, he also declares the cause: and this is that they surrendered everything to their cogitations and not to faith.

215. For desiring to grasp the One who has no form in a form, and the Incorporeal in bodily images, they were led astray, being unable to reach the end of their reasoning. For example, whence is it manifest that He made the heaven or the earth? Who is the Father of God? Or what is the cause of His hypostasis? Or what is the hypostasis itself? ^B For, he says, their cogitations having been made like [to those of beasts], they darkened their heart. And "foolish," he says, [they were] because they did not wish to receive everything by faith. "Professing to be wise." And the reason for surrendering everything to cogitations was their belief that they were wise and sufficient unto themselves for the comprehension of the universe. Therefore they also became fools. For what is more senseless than to worship stones and wood?

I, 23. *And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.*

They had therefore the knowledge of God, but this they transferred to the glory and worship of idols. By the glory of God, he signifies His being the Creator and Governor: this, therefore, they ascribed to idols in the likeness of men, and birds, and the rest. ^C And those who considered themselves wise are not ashamed to attribute to creeping things those things which are specific and eminent to God. "Corruptible man." This very fact, that man is corruptible, was sufficient to convict them of madness. Furthermore, to ascribe the glory of God to the likeness of a corruptible thing is of incredible dementia.

I, 24, 25. *Wherefore God also gave them up to the lusts of their own hearts, unto uncleanness, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into* ^D

^A a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

« Wherefore He gave them up. » Not that He himself delivered them—far from it—but He forsook them as ones who were unworthy of His providential care. Then, Satan, having taken them, delivered them into those things to which they were delivered. Thus, he calls God's permission a "delivering." ^A [PHOTIUS] That God delivered them means that the offense and debauchery against God, their own practice, and their willful blindness, these delivered them into the passions of dishonor. Furthermore, we are accustomed to speak in the contrary way, saying, "The money ruined him." Yet it is not the money that ruins, but his extravagant and wicked use of it. Likewise: "The multitude of sycophants corrupted him." Yet it is not they who corrupt, but [his] clinging and yielding to them, which is in my own power—whether to obey them or not. Or perhaps they delivered themselves up because they desired this; for he says, "In the lusts of their hearts." « Who changed. » ^B You see again, "Changed," signifying that they changed it with knowledge. « The truth of God into a lie. » That is, they transferred to a lie—that is, to idols—those things which could truly be said and thought concerning God. [THEODORET] He calls the name of God "the truth of God," and the hand-made idol "a lie." While they ought to have worshipped the true God, they offered divine honor to the creature. [SEVERIAN] Or, that God is truly God, but the idols which they worshipped are falsely called gods. « And worshipped and served. » And in worshipping and serving they persevered. « The creature rather than the Creator. » He always makes the statement more formidable through comparison. « Who is blessed for ever. » But, he says, God did not on this account suffer any injury to His own glory; for He remained equally blessed for ever, while the aforementioned and the yet-to-be-stated rewards of their own [actions] are the dishonors of the body and these retributions.

I, 24-27. *For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature. And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.*

« For this cause. » Why? Because they served the creature rather than the Creator. « Changed the natural use. » For, having a lawful union by nature, they changed it into that which is against nature. He speaks of a most shameful thing, though covertly. He shows that they were warring not only against the laws of God, but also against the laws of nature. And the word « burned » signifies great madness and frenzy; and he did not say, "Working their desire," but, « The unseem- ^D

- ^A liness, » signifying that they also disgraced nature itself. « Working. » You see that their passions were not matters of ignorance, but that they had an eagerness to practice them? For the word "kata-" [in "working/katergazomenoi"] indicates a certain intensity and stubbornness, as if someone were struggling with the intent to provoke God the more. « And receiving that recompense which was due of their error. » That which was fitting, which was owed to them for being such as they were, the debted recompense for their error. He calls "error" the worshiping of the creature, which they receive in themselves, a woman with a woman, and a man with a man, acting shamefully. For since they did not believe the discourses concerning Gehenna, Paul presents this to them as the recompense by which they were also made to blush. ^B

I, 28. *And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.*

You see that it was not an error of ignorance, but of knowledge. Indeed, he even insinuates something against some of these [men], even if the discourse is framed as if addressing others. « He gave them over to a reprobate mind. » For through the turning away from God, a reprobate mind is introduced by the demons. And it is the custom of Scripture to call this a "giving over."

I, 29, 31. *Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful.*

He mentions nothing mediocre, but says they are "filled with all unrighteousness." For when a turning away from God has occurred, all evils naturally enter in to replace it. Then, having stated "unrighteousness" as a general term, he subsequently goes through its more specific forms. [GENNADIUS.] And with this one term of unrighteousness, having collectively embraced all the sins they committed against one another, he enumerates them one by one in what follows. And by "wickedness," he means that which comes from deliberate effort against someone through toil. By "covetousness," the injury [done] from an over-desire for more. By "malice," the ^C eagerness to harm one's neighbor. By "envy," the spite felt at the good things of one's neighbor; by "murder," the movement [of the soul] leading as far as killing. By "debate," reprehensible contentiousness. By "deceit," the plots and schemes for the destruction of the brethren; by "malignity" [kaketheia], perverseness of character; by "whispering," backbiting of those present in an undertone; by "backbiting," the slander of absent persons by certain ones. "Haters of God," however, does not mean those who are hated by God (for it is not his intent to show that here), but those who hate God. By "despiteful," he means the bold and the abusive; by "proud," those who puff themselves up against those who do not have what they possess; by "boasters," those who brag that they possess things which they do not; by "inventors of evil things," those who, ^D upon the old evils, innovate other new ones. And "disobedient to parents,"

those who are ungrateful even toward their parents. By "insensate," he means the unmindful, than whom there is nothing more foolish. By "covenant-breakers," those who do not abide by the agreements which they might make with others; by "unloving," the stern and without affection; by "implacable," those who are unreconcilable and bear grudges; by "unmerciful," the unyielding and ^B hardhearted toward pity. "Boastful." For if he who acts correctly, by using boastfulness, empties out the things he has accomplished, what manner of punishment would he merit who boasts in his sins? "Inventors of evil things." This trait is proper to those who practice and study them, not to those who are ignorant. "Destitute of affection." This means those who are dissident from all, hating and shunning everyone.

"Who, although they knew the ordinance of God (that they who do such things are worthy of death), not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them." Again he shows them sinning with knowledge. He calls the commandments the "ordinance." For the Mosaic Law declares this clearly and severely, judging those who do such things to be worthy of death. For this is the ordinance and the commandment of God. He posits two crimes: to commit them oneself, and to cooperate with those who do, and to urge one's neighbor toward evil. [OF ISIDORE.] Some, not understanding what was said, but being perplexed and thinking the apostolic words had been corrupted, interpreted them in this way: "Not only those who do them, but also those who approve of those who practice them." For they said the ancient copy had it thus, so that committing them might be the greater, and approving of them the lesser. I, however, neither claiming that the apostolic books were corrupted in this, nor wishing to contend with those who have not understood, will leave the judgment to the readers. I say, therefore, that because praising those who sin is far more laborious and has greater weight for the reason of punishment than the act of sinning, it is rightly said: "Not only do they do them, but they also approve of those who practice them." For he who condemns his sin while in the act of sinning will be able in time to recover himself, having the greatest help for repentance, namely, the condemnation and hatred of the sin. But he who praises wickedness deprives himself of the help that comes from repentance. Since, therefore, this judgment belongs to a corrupt mind and a soul that is incurably sick, not without reason is he who praises sin judged much more wicked than he who commits the offense.

"Wherefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whoever thou art who judgest. For wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou who judgest dost the same things. For we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against them that do such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, who judgest them that do such things, and doest them, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

^A He knew that the principate of the world had been committed to the city, and henceforth he directs his discourse to the princes, though it can also apply to private individuals. He speaks, moreover, of the magnitude of the transgression; for they themselves, he says, were perpetrating wicked things and at the same time were running alongside those who were perpetrating them. For when anyone was caught by someone else and led to judgment, they sat there and condemned him, even though they themselves had perpetrated the same things and had run with him in the perpetrating. And yet they condemned him! So well did they know that they were sinning, that they were condemning themselves all the more. "In that thou judgest the other." For the one who does evil, while condemning those who do the same things, brings the judgment upon himself first. "And we know that the judgment of God is according to truth." For here, the judgment is not truly according to truth—many guilty ones escape, and innocent ones are condemned—but there, it is according to truth. And here also, the judgment of God neither acquits iniquity nor condemns the just, whenever it descends upon some for judgment here. "And thinkest thou this, O man?" For many think: "Even if I sin, I say, yet if I hinder others from sinning, I have a reward for this." But he shall hear: "Physician, heal thyself." For you have brought the condemnation upon yourself first.

II. 4-6. "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his deeds." ^B He is indeed longsuffering, yet if we do not turn, he will brandish his sword. "Not knowing that the goodness of God." For this reason he is longsuffering, not that you might use his longsuffering as an occasion for greater contempt, but that you might receive a space for repentance; but if you persevere, you will be caught in your depravity. "But after thy hardness." For when a person can be mollified neither by goodness nor fears wrath, what can be harder than that? "Treasurest up." He signifies what will certainly be kept, and that you are the cause for yourself, for you lay up and treasure up for yourself. "And revelation." Lest by hearing of the wrath of God you might think it a passion, he added: "And revelation of the righteous judgment." For where there is righteous judgment, there is no passion. For the righteous judgment is revealed most fully when he renders to every man according to his deeds. "And of the righteous judgment ^C of God." As relates to the interpretation, the "and" is redundant, etc.

II. 7-11. "To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life. But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew ^D

^A first, and of the Greek. But glory, honor, and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For there is no respect of persons with God.

[OECUMENIUS] "To them who by patient continuance." For faith alone is not sufficient, but works are also necessary. And by saying "patient continuance," he teaches them to behave strenuously against temptations. [PHOTIUS] This is a hyperbaton, and should be ordered thus: "To those who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for eternal life, he will render glory, and honor, and incorruption." "And incorruption." He opens the doors concerning the resurrection. From the common sense, "he will render" is to be supplied, which also he will render. For he will render, to some things good, to others there will be rendered indignation and wrath and such like things. Since ^B the form of the speech is double (for there is both a common sense and a zeugma), consider what he says: that he will render good things, he says, but the punishment he will not render, but it will be rendered. And not even this did he state literally, but left it to be understood. Thus he knows that to justify and save is proper to God. But to avenge and punish him, comes from the obduration of those who sin, and from their not wanting to repent and turn. "But unto them that are contentious." Again he shows that sins are of contentiousness and sloth. "And do not obey the truth." The conjunction "and" is added superfluously. "But obey unrighteousness." For who believes that unrighteousness is good, and truth evil? Therefore it is manifest that sin is from knowledge and not from ignorance. For the word "obey" signifies this most of all; for he who obeys, obeys voluntarily. "Upon every soul." There is no king, he says, there is no potentate who shall escape. "Of the Jew first." For by how much one has been deemed worthy of greater instruction, by so much the more shall he be punished for sinning. "Shall be," he says, or rather, it shall be: for there shall be indignation upon every soul of man that doeth evil. "Glory and honor and peace." Well does he add "and peace," for there no one will fight against him who has been honored or glorified out of envy. ^C "To the Jew first and to the Greek." In order that the Jews might not think that one in uncircumcision, even if he be a worshiper of God, has less, he links them together. He calls the Greek not the idolater, but the one who is in uncircumcision, yet who is a true worshiper of God and faithful. "For there is no respect of persons." For the inquiry is not of persons, but of works. From this point on, he introduces a conflict of the Gentiles and the Jews concerning many matters of small moment; and he speaks in defense of those who are indeed Gentiles, yet who, by the leading of nature, perform what is good. This he does wishing to cast aside the law and to introduce faith ^D instead.

CHAPTER III.

For as many as as have sinned without law shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law. For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

^A He wishes to show that when two have sinned, namely the Jew and the uncircumcised, the Jew is punished more severely, inasmuch as, having the law as his guide, he has sinned; whereas he introduces the uncircumcised as one sinning without law, who, he says, "will perish without law"—that is, not with the precision of the law, which signifies a moderated destruction. But he calls the Jew one who sins under the law, who, he says, "by the law which he has transgressed will be judged"—that is, will be condemned. This signifies a more severe destruction. He calls it "judgment" and not destruction, because he thinks of it as a judicial tribunal. If, therefore, the Jew is punished more severely according to the provision, why did he say "they will perish" concerning the Gentile, but "they will be judged" concerning the Jew? Since the former seems to be an undoubted evil, while the latter can be referred to doubt? But observe that he calls "judgment" here condemnation, that is, undoubted destruction; for there is punishment upon punishment, and both are indeed of undoubted destruction.

Otherwise. In this place he does not show an equal dignity of the Jew and the Greek, but rather that the Jew is also heavily burdened by the giving of the law. For the Greek is judged without law. And the expression "without law" here does not denote something harsher, but something milder—that is, he does not have the law accusing him. For "without law," that is, without the condemnation of that law, he is condemned only by the reasonings of nature; but the Jew, under the law, that is, with both nature and the law accusing him. For by how much more he enjoyed greater care, by that much more will he pay a greater penalty. "For not the hearers of the law"—for perhaps they might deceive men, but God does not hold those who hear the law to be just, but those who perform it.

^B "For when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things of the law, these, not having the law, are a law unto themselves; who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts between one another accusing or even excusing, in the day when God will judge the secrets of men, according to my Gospel, through Jesus Christ."

"Do the things of the law." Using the reasonings of nature for right action. Wonderful, then, are these, who, having no need of a pedagogue, are themselves the lawgivers of themselves, and the fulfillers of the legislation. "Written in their hearts." For they do not have need of the written law, he says, but their heart has the law understood as if written within. "Their conscience also bearing witness." For it suffices to have one's own conscience bearing witness in place of the law. "And thoughts between one another." For in that tribunal we do not need those from without, whether accusing ^C or bearing useful testimony for us, but the thoughts and conscience of each will either accuse or excuse. ^D [Phot.] But the phrase "between one another of their thoughts" is said by way of hyperbaton. For it follows consecutively from that which preceded: "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law will be justi-

- ^A fied." For the declaration is how these are justified, and those not. And he says that the court needs neither witnesses nor external demonstrations, but that within, from the thoughts themselves, testimony is brought forward and virtue is praised. Therefore, although men here acquit, one must not be secure, for nothing will be gained from that. Again, if they condemn, one need not be anxious; for they will harm nothing there, but the awareness and testimony of one's own thoughts is sufficient for both condemnation and acquittal. But why, having said "thoughts accusing," did he not say "justifying"? For thus those who are punished, through "accusing," and those who are saved, through "justifying," would have been made manifest. Now, however, the sequence of the discourse admonishes us to understand "accusing" and "exculpating" as if concerning one and the same matter. We say, however, that one should not take them both concerning one and the same matter, but "accusing" concerning some, namely those who are to be punished, and "exculpating" concerning others, namely those who are to be saved. But why did he not say "even justifying and condemning"? Because these neither justify nor punish, but the thoughts accuse or exculpate; but the Judge brings the verdict of punishment ^B or justification. Well, therefore, does he say: "thoughts accusing or even exculpating." One might ask again: What then? How do they exculpate if no one is accusing? For it has been said that "accusing" should be taken for those who are to be condemned, and "exculpating" for those who are to be saved; and it is well said, how do they exculpate if no one is accusing? They do accuse even here. For it is not possible, I say, for a man here to be without sin; but the accusation, when the sins are not grave or of great weight, is not vehement or legitimate, but the thoughts bring forward an exculpation, such as the slipperiness of nature and its infirmity, and God’s love and mercy towards men; and that accusation ceases, but the exculpation prevails. Therefore, these people, even if the accusation preceded, are worthy of being signified by this exculpation. But since among those who are perishing the sins are absurd and grievous, and the accusation is vehement and inescapable, and the exculpation is nowhere to be found, he places upon them again only "accusing." And those things are forgivable which we have committed in thought, but unforgivable are those which we have dragged out into acts. And again, forgivable are those which we have wiped away through repentance, but unforgivable are those to which we have not applied the remedy and healing through it. ^C It is also possible to understand the meaning of the statement as the order of the words has it: such as those who have received the law, have both the law and the conscience accusing them concerning those things in which they sin. But those who have not received the law, he says, yet do the things of the law from conscience, these bring forward the conscience as a witness of good work. For lest anyone should say, "Therefore, they do what is good by chance, if they do not do it by law," he says, "By no means, but with a conscience, ^D this one as a tutor and witness..."

and having this as a teacher," they are therefore worthy of greater acceptance, and brought to a greater judgment against those who sin with the law. ^B Next, since not all who are without the law do good, but there are some who also transgress, he shows that not even they will be unpunished. For even if they do not have the law, he says, that accuses them, nevertheless they will pay the penalty, with their thoughts accusing one another. And the phrase, "or even defending," is a proof introduced from the contrary. As if he were saying that just as when thoughts defend, acquittal follows without the law, so too when they accuse, judgment follows without the law. But when will these things happen? At the second coming, he says, "When God will judge the secret things of men." For men see the manifest things, but God is the examiner of the secret things. ^C "Through Jesus Christ." — "For the Father, he says, judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son."

II, 17-20. *Behold, you are called a Jew, and rest in the law, and boast in God, and know the will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed by the law; and are confident that you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light of those in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of the simple, having the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.*

Having said that nothing is lacking for a worshipper of God, even if he be uncircumcised, for him to be able to be saved, provided he expresses the law in his deeds, he subjoins those things in which the Jews were prideful, showing that there is no utility in these for one who does not live rightly, and first he sets forth the name itself. "Behold," he says, "you are called a Jew." Indeed, the name itself seemed to be something great, just as the name of Christians is now. "Called." For you are not so in truth, unless you fulfill the law. "And you rest in the law." For you do not labor, he says, like those who are outside the law, inquiring what is to be done, but you have the law, clearly teaching you all things. Or in this way: you are greatly exalted in the law, and you puff yourself up with it, because you have received the divine law above others. But by saying, "You rest," he signifies that it was not given by their labor or excellent deeds, but by divine grace. "And boast in God." As if you alone were beloved above other men. It seems, however, that he also mocks them for their foolishness. "And you know the will." Yet knowing it, but not doing it, brings about a greater punishment. But nevertheless, they were prideful even in this. Whence he does not say, "you do," but, "You know the will of God." "And approve the things that are excellent, being instructed by the law." For the instruction of the law is able to teach the exact examination of things that are profitable. But these men, not doing them, were prideful even in this, that they knew the examination of what is profitable. "And are confident." You are not, he says, a guide of the blind, but you so imagine concerning yourself. He calls those blind who are in darkness, and foolish, and

^A versant at the same time, and he calls the proselytes adhering to the Jews "infants" and "ignorant," for they did not yet possess knowledge of the law. For the Jews themselves, out of empty vanity, called the proselytes by these names; and therefore the Apostle himself, gently rebuking them, used these very names. "Having the form of knowledge and of the truth." Aptly he said, "the form of knowledge and of piety," signifying that they do not possess the true knowledge and piety itself, but a certain fashioned image, having the shape of truth but not being the truth itself. Well is it added, "which is in the law." For it was required that the true image be possessed in conscience and in actions; you, however, he says, are puffed up, as though the law has this image—but this is nothing to you, since you are not a doer of the law.

Another way: [ΦΩΤ.] He has the form of knowledge and of the truth that is in the law who knows it and lives according to it. For he has placed "the form of knowledge" in relation to understanding, and "the form of truth" in relation to acting. For that person shows the true knowledge that is in the law who fulfills it through works; he shows it to be reliable. But you, he says, are confident that you are an instructor, a leader, and a teacher—not simply, but as one having the form of the knowledge that is in the law and of the truth that is in the law; yet you live in such a way as if you had not even heard of the instruction of the law. Therefore, you who are confident that you have the form of knowledge and of truth, you who are a teacher of the foolish, you who are confident that you are a leader and a teacher, first teach yourself. And you will teach when you show the instruction to be truthful by your deeds.

^C "You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one should not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you commit sacrilege? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by the transgression of the law? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you, as it is written."

It was then consequent to say that those who have received such things from God and do not keep them will be liable to a greater punishment, to the extent that sin is greater when it proceeds from knowledge. Yet for the time being he does not sharply rebuke them, but by leading the argument through questioning, he shows this very thing. But some say it should rather be read demonstratively: "You who abhor idols, do you commit sacrilege?" The law indeed held all things that were in the idol temples to be detestable, because they were dedicated to demons. You, he says, claim to abhor the idols, but you rob the wealth that is placed in them. ^D Therefore, you do not even truly abhor the idols. [ΦΩΤ.] For if someone abhors idols as a strict observer of his own customs, laws, and sacred rites, and then plunders his own sacred things, of how great a punishment is this man not deserving? By those things by which he pretends to turn away from idols, appearing to honor and embrace his own worship and the sacred things surrounding it, but by which he at the same time stretches out a bold and thieving hand against them, he is rebuking the idols all the more and holding them as nothing; such a man is, in truth, comparable...

to him who tells others they must not steal, while he himself perpetrates the deeds of thieves. ^A For just as that man is shown by his works to be acting in opposition to his own words, so too is this one acting in opposition to his detestation of the idols, through which he commits sacrilege, honoring the demons—whose dwelling places the idols were—by his theft and outrage against sacred things. "You who boast in the law." You boast as one held in honor by God on account of the law; why then do you dishonor the law, and at the same time dishonor God, by your transgression? "For the name of God." Since it was a grave charge he had spoken—"you dishonor God"—he brings forward the prophet as a witness, as if to say: "The word is not mine, but Isaiah's." For those from the nations, seeing them living wickedly, were carried away into blasphemies, saying: "Was it necessary that God should love these people, or grant them anything? Did he not know that they were and would be evil?" "Among the nations." Not only, he says, do you dishonor God, but you also provide an occasion for others to do so. ^B

II, 25. For circumcision indeed profits, if you perform the law; but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

Since circumcision seemed a great thing, he finally comes to it and says: "But, you will say, circumcision is a great and useful thing." For it introduces one into the people of God. "Yes," he says, "I confess it, but only then when you perform the law. But if you are a transgressor." He wishes to show that there is an intellectual circumcision, of which the one perceived by the senses is a type—namely, the being purified by the cutting away of what is superfluous. Now, whatever displeases God is superfluous. ^C Thus, one may have this kind of circumcision even while being physically circumcised, and conversely, be physically circumcised but uncircumcised in the soul. For the foreskin and circumcision—that is to say, the true ones—designate good and evil actions. Since, therefore, circumcision is a sign of the excision of the passions, if someone has not had his passions excised, he is clearly uncircumcised, even if he bears the sign on his body. For otherwise, not only would such a person receive no help from it, but he would even be harmed all the more, falsifying the true circumcision, of which the circumcision of the flesh was a symbol, and insulting this very thing, making it useless and signifying nothing of those things for which it was given to be a sign. But if anyone has excised his passions, even if the ^D sign is not imprinted on his flesh, he is nonetheless circumcised with the true circumcision, if not even more so, in that he does not require the sensible one, which was assumed for the sake of memory and as a symbol. "Has become uncircumcision." [BY THE SAME] That is to say, an abominable thing, according to their way of thinking. For they accounted the uncircumcised man an abominable thing. If therefore, he says, you do not keep nor do the things of the law, your circumcision, which was pleasing to God, has become an abominable and rejected thing. But if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the law, his uncircumcision, which was an abominable thing, shall be reckoned to him by the Lawgiver and Creator as pleasing to God and dear to God.

^A Consider, therefore, with what wisdom and sharpness he says: "If then the uncircumcision keeps the requirements of the law," and he did not say, "If he keeps the law." For so that the Jew might not say, "And how is it possible for the uncircumcised to keep the law, being a transgressor of the law for the very reason that he is uncircumcised?" in order, then, not to give them a handle even for this, he does not speak thus, but says: "The requirements of the law." And indeed, in the case of those [the Jews] themselves, he speaks of the law, but in the case of the uncircumcised, [he speaks of] "the requirements of the law." He says, not the whole law, but only those things which justify, wisely hinting at the same time that not all things in the law were justifying. But the requirements were indeed such as justified, as many as were in agreement with grace, while others were given solely for the sake of their weakness. ^B Otherwise: He says that your circumcision has been transferred to an intellectual uncircumcision, because you make bad use of it. For he does not wish, for the time being, to openly disparage circumcision.

"If then the uncircumcision keeps the requirements of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be reckoned as circumcision? And will not the uncircumcision which is by nature, if it performs the law, judge you who through letter and circumcision are a transgressor of the law?"

"If then the uncircumcision"—that is, the Gentiles who have the uncircumcision. "Shall it be reckoned?" He did not say that it surpasses circumcision (for that would have been burdensome for the time being), but that it "will be reckoned as circumcision," clearly before God. "And will it judge?" That is, will it condemn, just as it has been said: "The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment and shall condemn this generation" (Luc. xi, 32). Or rather, he says, it will convict you—the one who does not have the sign, but has performed the things which are the marks of that sign—as one who has not performed them. And yet, one ought, since one had promised [God] through the reception of the sign, to exhibit works more excellent than that [the uncircumcised person]. "Which is by nature uncircumcision." By "uncircumcision by nature," he calls him who is uncircumcised in the flesh. This person, therefore, by fulfilling the things that are of the law, will condemn you who have circumcision and who, as far as the letter goes, have the law, but by your deeds are a transgressor of it. "Performing the law." Clearly, according to that part in which he keeps its requirements. Consider, then: first, by having said the "requirements of the law," and not the law itself, now he speaks of him as performing the law itself, hinting that these are properly the law, ^C while circumcision and such things are not properly the law. "You [who] through letter and circumcision." For through the written law and circumcision, having been brought forward, you became a transgressor of all things.

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; nor is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God.

is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God.

Hereafter ^A he defines who is truly a Jew and who is truly uncircumcised. And he seems not to cast aside the Jew, but the transgressor; yet he greatly depreciates them, signifying that they do everything for ostentation. ^B "For he is not one who is so outwardly in the flesh." having said this, he discarded all things corporeal. "But he is a Jew in secret." That is, the intellectual one. "And circumcision." For there is no need, he says, to circumcise the foreskin of the flesh, but the heart from evil deeds. And by saying, "In the spirit," he prepares the way for faith. For believers have the circumcision of sins through the Holy Spirit; he who is, he says, circumcised in heart from all impurity. For this is the true Jew, who fulfills and keeps the law. "Whose praise is not from men, but from God." For of the secret circumcision which is in the heart, man shall not be the praiser, but God who tests the hearts and reins.

CHAPTER V.

On the prerogative of the Israelites who obtained the promise.

III, 1, 2. What advantage then has the Jew? Or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way.

He ^C objects to himself. If therefore, he says, according to your word, it is of no benefit either to be a Jew or to be circumcised, but rather it is harmful, since transgressors are worthy of greater punishment, to what end did God choose us, or why did He command us to be circumcised? He could therefore have replied to the objection by saying that circumcision was a type of this circumcision which is by faith in the spirit: and likewise that the Jew [is a type] of the spiritual Jew who confesses God. For Judas is interpreted as confession. But leaving aside this solution for the time being, as it could not yet be accepted, he came to another: that Judaism is profitable. For from this they learned the way of salvation, and received the law as a guide for the things that were to be done. But if they did not keep it, let them blame themselves. For my discourse, he says, is for the present addressed to those who are not transgressors.

— Another way. Where he had humbled the Jewish pride, and shown them to be vainly glorying in their circumcision, and in the law, and in the name of Jew; lest anyone should suspect that he was doing this out of hatred and envy, he adds: "What advantage has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?" If some of the alien nations ^D, he says, adorned with piety and virtue, enjoy the divine election, why then did God separate Israel from the nations, and why did He give them circumcision? for he calls circumcision the "advantage of the Jew." Then he adds: "Much in every way." For He chose their progenitors. He delivered them from the violence and power of the Egyptians. He made them renowned through manifold miracles. He gave the law as an aid, and sent prophets to them. This is what he means by "Much in every way." Having, however, passed over all these things in silence, he sets forth only the giving of the law. First, indeed, because they were entrusted with the oracles of God, it is agreed in many ways that the advantage and the profit...

silentio præteritis solam posuit legislationem. Primum quidem, quod increduli ^A fuerunt, non obesse ad rem. Quid enim ^B? si quidam increduli fuerunt? num illorum incredulitas fidem Dei irritam faciet? Absit!

Because, he says, they were totally entrusted with the law; for this is what he means by "the oracles of God." ^C "For what if some were unbelieving?" Then, lest they say: "Yes, God did entrust us with the law, but what is the utility of the law having been entrusted to us, when many did not believe it?" And what, he says, is that to God if you were unbelieving? Was God obliged to save you against your will? Or because, he says, some were unbelieving, did they on that account render the faith of God—that is, His beneficence—ineffectual and vain? By no means. For even if they themselves were unwilling, God nevertheless did what was His own part.

—In another way. [PHOTIUS.] He resolves the emerging objection. "For what if some were unbelieving?" For one might doubt and say that, while the oracles of God were indeed entrusted, these oracles of God promise great gifts and benefits, but these had their strength and fulfillment in the faith and observance of those who had received them. Since, however, many were unbelieving and transgressors, the consequence is that the promises were prevented from reaching their end: that the oracles of God were entrusted to them in vain and without any utility, and that circumcision was proven to be of no effect, if indeed circumcision existed for the sake of the oracles, and the oracles for the sake of the gifts, and the gifts were to receive a termination through their end—but the transgressors spurned the faith, and therefore there is no utility in circumcision.

He dissolves this difficulty, therefore, saying: "For what if some were unbelieving? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God of no effect?" That is to say, the trustworthiness of His promises, the truth, the immutability? "Absit," he says, that through their unbelief, the trustworthiness and truth that is in His promises should be proven vain, or the legislation of circumcision should be shown to have been enacted for no utility; for otherwise no one would have any crime, but the transgressors would be righteous.

Or rather, in this way: Absit that their unbelief should have prevailed, so that by/through them the trustworthiness and all-encompassing truth that is in His promises should have appeared to have been rendered ineffectual and imperfect, and not to have achieved its outcome. For even if they were unbelieving, He Himself did nothing the less, but performed His own part and fulfilled the promises. The "faith of God" can also be taken to mean the faith that remained in those who were not transgressors. For this is the faith of God, as it was in God and was guarded for them by God. For indeed the unbelief is of the wickedness of the unbelievers, but the faith is established from God in those who are worthy. Absit, therefore, he says, that their unbelief should overcome the faith remaining in God and through God. Thus the promises will have their end and perfection, and thus there is utility also in circumcision.

III, 4. "But let God be true, but every man..."

a liar," as it is written: ^A *That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.*

He says that although the Jews were unbelieving, the gift of God did not receive any hindrance or diminution on that account; but all things happened so that God's truth, in the things He promised to those around Abraham, might be put to the test, and the falsehood of men exposed. [OECUMENIUS.] For they lied against God by their unbelief, worshiping gods and demons.

Otherwise. [PHOTIUS.] "Let God be true," he says, let Him be accounted, understood, and considered to be true for you, and that every man is a liar. If this is so, even if some were unbelieving, nonetheless God will bring to their end what He promised to Abraham. How then, he says, do they disbelieve and transgress the law? Indeed, he says; for by bringing forward His own promises, while they have transgressed, their way of thinking and ingratitude are the more exposed. Moreover, the excellence of the beneficence and the truth of divine justice are even more manifested and demonstrated, and a splendid victory accrues to Him from this, as also David testifies, saying: ^B *That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.* So if the fulfillment of the promise arises from the promise, and the Jews were entrusted with this, then in every way the excellence and circumcision of the Jew is much, even if some of them have become transgressors.

Then, "What then," he says, "if our injustice makes God's victory increase?" and so forth. "As it is written." He also brings forward David to say the same thing. For this reason, he says, God bestows benefits even on the unworthy, so that His goodness may be shown, and so that He may win when He enters into judgment with men.

III, 5, 6. *But if our injustice establishes the justice of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) God forbid!*

Objection. God, he says, bestowed good things upon us, but we lied to Him. And through our wickedness He appeared even more merciful, inasmuch as He bestows good things even upon the unworthy. For this reason, therefore, He also wins in judgment. We, therefore, who have been perfidious toward Him, provided the occasion for His victory: why then does He punish us, through whom He appeared to win?

Solution of the objection. If you are the cause of victory for Him and yet He punishes you, He acts unjustly. But if He is not unjust and yet He punishes, then you are not the cause of victory for Him, for in another way it was given to Him to win even if you had not appeared evil; for he who is not evil is not straightaway worthy to draw to himself the love of God. ^C He stirs up a great doubt by these things, and dissolves it most wisely and prudently. Some, he says, say: "If no one had sinned, God would never have appeared true, never just, never would have won." To whom let us say: "If you are the cause for Him of victory and of truth and of justice, how does He punish you when you sin? How does He avenge Himself? ^D Will you call Him unjust? And of what justice of His were you saying you were the cause?"

^A For this, I think, is what he means to explain by saying: “For how will God judge the world?” That is to say: How were you calling Him just and a judge? For by those things through which you were styling yourself the cause of His justice, you would be acknowledging Him to be a judge and just. For justice is the end of judgment; if, then, He brings wrath upon those who sin, how are they the cause of His justice? But, he says, will you call Him just? But you cannot say that. For through the very things in which you were questioning, you confessed Him to be just. Therefore, those who sin are not the cause either of victory, or of Truth, or of justice.

Then he advances the argument in another way. “If by my lie, as you say, God is glorified as truthful, I ought to have received not condemnation, but honor instead. And I ought to have lied and sinned even more, so that God might be glorified more, and I myself might enjoy more of the good things.” ^B But surely no one would dare to say this, for the absurdity is manifest. Therefore, even if some say of us that we hold the view that good things come to us through the performance of evils, they will have inescapable judgment, because they draw us into such great calumny. And observe the wisdom: wishing to increase the absurdity, he does not introduce those who were questioning these things as saying this, but certain others, and he calls it blasphemy. “As,” he says, “we are blasphemed.” If, therefore, those who say this against us will have the inescapable punishment, much more would we not dare, nor even admit into our minds, that good things come through the performance of evils. But if not this, then neither that one ought to sin more, so that God may be glorified more. But if not that either, it is clear that neither is it the case to say that “by my lie God is glorified as truthful.” Therefore, I am not the cause to God either of His truth, or of His justice, or of His victory.

“Is God unjust?” But if, he says, from our injustice the truth and justice of God are displayed all the more—because our injustice certainly did not hinder Him from doing what is just, that is, from bringing to perfection and the end the things promised to Abraham—and God would not have appeared just and truthful in any other way, unless we had become unjust; if this is so, then He punishes unjustly those who became the cause to Him of truth. But if He does not punish unjustly, then we are not the cause to Him of truth. ^C “I speak as a man.” For since he had used human arguments to show that God is not unjust, he adds: “I speak as a man,” he says, these arguments, since there are also other, more divine arguments. As if he had said: Let us speak according to human reasoning; is God unjust? God forbid! How then does He inflict wrath? Or is it manifest that we are not the cause to Him of truth and justice, but He is to Himself.

III, 6-8. “For how will God judge the world? For if the truth of God abounded through my lie to His glory, why am I still also judged as a sinner? And why not (as we are blasphemed, and as some say that we say) that we should do

^A evil, that good may come? Whose judgment is just. If God, he says, were unjust, He would in no way judge the world; for the very act of judging demonstrates that He is just, since the nature of judging requires that the just should judge the unjust. ^A “For if the truth of God,” etc. He says the same thing again. For if, he says, by this the truth and justice and victory of God have excelled, because I have acted unrighteously and have lied to Him, I am judged without reason; for I ought rather to have been deemed worthy of rewards, as having been the cause of His victory and truth. But now I am not the cause, and therefore I am judged. ^B “To His glory.” That He may be glorified by victory and justice and truth. “Why am I still also judged as a sinner?” Why, he says, are we judged as sinners, who have become the cause of victory for God? And may it not come to pass, as some think we say! Therefore they also mock, saying, “Let us do evil, that from this God, having gained victory, may repay us with good things, as those who have become the cause of victory for Him, from those things which we practiced evilly.” — *Otherwise.* And may that not come to pass, he says, that we are supposed to say, that from our injustice God confers benefits upon us, as upon those who have been the cause of victory for Him. But let not that be. What then? That good things should come, and that we should be benefited by God ^C as though we had been the authors of victory for Him. For now, he says, the opposite happens, for we are even judged. “Whose judgment is just.” The Greeks had heard Christians saying, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” And they indeed were saying this, that the world, full of sins, had drawn the Son of God unto salvation, and from this grace abounded unto us. But they, twisting what was said, claimed that Christians say one must sin, that grace may abound. Of whom, he says, clearly those who thus attack us with blasphemies, the judgment is just, in that they twist and misinterpret things well said. — What then? Through the law, he says, and circumcision do we obtain nothing beyond the things we have? For what do we obtain more? For previously, having rendered the causes, we showed Jews and Greeks, etc. This is spoken defectively. For to that which he had said, “What then do we obtain more?” it was consequential to add, “The righteousness which is from faith,” which, proceeding on in what follows, he says: ^D “The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ.” What then, he says, do we obtain more? The righteousness which is from faith. For previously, having rendered the causes, we showed. But how did he show it by previously rendered causes? By refuting the Greeks, for having corrupted natural knowledge, when he says, “For God manifested it to them,” and, “that having known God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor gave thanks.” And [refuting] the Jews, as transgressors of the law, when he says, “Who gloriest in the law.” And having shown that in whom nature grew weak, and in whom both nature and the law [grew weak], he consequentially introduces the grace from the Gospel, and says:

Tί ἔχομεν ἡμεῖς ἐν τῆς χάριτος περισσὸν καὶ ἐξαί- ^A ρετον; Τὴν πίστιν τὴν διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δικαιο- σύνης οὖσαν ἀπεργαστικήν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ε΄.

Τί οὖν; προεχόμεθα; Οὐ πάντως· προητιασά- μεθα γὰρ Ἰουδαίους τε καὶ Ἕλληνας πάντας ὑφ' ἁμαρτίαν εἶναι, καθώς γέγραπται, ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστι δίκαιος οὐδὲ εἶς· οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ συνιών, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὸν Θεόν. Πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅμα ἠχρειώθησαν· οὐκ ἔστι ποιῶν χρηστότητα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός. Τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος ὁ λάρυγξ ^B αὐτῶν· ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐδολιοῦσαν. ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν. Ὧν τὸ στόμα ἀρᾶς καὶ πικρίας γέμει· ὀξεῖς οἱ πόδες αὐτῶν ἐκχέαι αἷμα. Σύντριμμα καὶ ταλαιπωρία ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν. Καὶ ὁδὸν εἰρήνης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν, οὐκ ἔστι φόβος Θεοῦ ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν.

[c]Τί οὖν προεχόμεθα;[/c] Τὸ χωρίον τοῦτο διττῶς δύναται ἀναγνωσθῆναι, καὶ δύο τὰς ἐννοίας ἔχειν. Μίαν μὲν, ὡς ἀπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων προτεινόμε- νον, ἑτέραν δὲ, ὡς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ πιστῶν προβαλλόμενον. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀναγνῶμεν, « Τί οὖν προεχόμεθα; » ἅμα συνείροντες τῷ ἐρωτηματικῷ μο- ρίῳ τό· « Προεχόμεθα, » ὡς ἀπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων δη- λοῦται προτεινόμενον, καὶ ἔννοιαν ἔχοι ἂν ταύτην· Τί οὖν, φησί, προέχομεν, καὶ τί ἐκερδήσαμεν, προς- κριθέντες τῶν ἀκροβύστων; Πρὸς οὓς τὸ, Οὐ πάν- τως, ἀπόκρισις ἀποδίδοται· τουτέστιν, Οὐκ ἐκ παν- τὸς τρόπου κέρδος ἡμῖν τοῦτο. Μὴ φυλάξασι γὰρ τὰ ἐμπιστευθέντα, οὐδὲ μία διαφορὰ, οὐδὲ κέρδος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ τιμωρία μείζων. Οὕτως μὲν εἰ ἐν συνε- πείᾳ τό, Τί οὖν, μετὰ τοῦ προεχόμεθά τις ἀναγνῷ.

Εἰ δὲ κατὰ διαστολὴν ἄμφω ποιῶν ἐρωτηματικά, καὶ τὸ, τί οὖν, καὶ τὸ προεχόμεθα· καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀκροβύστων πιστῶν εἴη ἂν διαπορούμενον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ προεῖτε ὅτι πολὺ τὸ περισσὸν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου, ἐπάγει ὁ ἀκρόβυστος διαπορῶν καὶ λέγων· Τί οὖν; Προεκρίθησαν ἐκεῖνοι, προέλαβον, ἡμεῖς προελήφθη- σμεν, προεχόμεθα; ποῦ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνη; πρὸς ^D οὓς ὁ θεῖος Παῦλος φησι, Μὴ γένοιτο! Οὐ πάντως γάρ, φησί. Μὴ κατορθώσαντες μὲν, ὑπαίτιοί εἰσιν, ὥσπερ καὶ ὑμεῖς μὴ κατορθώσαντες, κατορθωσάν- των δὲ ἑκατέρων, ἴση ἡ σωτηρία, ὥστε οὐ προέχε- σθε. Ἄλλως. Μάχεσθαι δοκεῖ τὸ « Τί οὖν προ- εχόμεθα, » καὶ ἑξῆς, πρὸς τὸ εἰρημένον, ὅτι Πολὺ κατὰ πάντα τρόπον τὸ περισσὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ ἡ ὠφέλεια τῆς περιτομῆς. Λέγει γὰρ ἐκεῖ μὲν προ- κεκρίσθαι, καὶ πλέον τοὺς περιτετμένους τῶν ἀκροβύστων ἔχειν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδὲν προέχειν. Ἢ οὐκ ἔστι μαχόμενον; Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ πλέον ἔχειν φησίν, ἀπὸ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας καὶ ἀληθείας τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι τὰ Λόγια κατεπίστευσεν, ὅτι τὰς ὑποσχέ- σεις ἐπλήρωσε, μὴ κωλυθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀπιστησάν- των. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ αὐτὰ καθ’ ἑαυτὰ τὰ πρόσωπα

πρόσωπα ^A συγκρίνει τῶν ἀκροβύστων καὶ τῶν περιτετμημένων, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς μηδὲν ἑτέρους ἑτέρων προέχειν. Οἱ γὰρ κατορθοῦντες τὴν ἀρετὴν ὁποίας ἂν εἴη συντάξεως, ὁμοίως τῆς εὐεργεσίας ἀπολαύουσιν. Οἵ τε πάλιν παραβαίνοντες, κἄν τε τῶν ἀκροβύστων εἶεν, κἄν τε τῶν ἐμπεριτόμων, τὴν ὁμοίαν τιμωρίαν ἑαυτοῖς ἐπισπάσονται.

^B Ὥστε οὐ μάχεται τὸ, οὐδὲν προεχόμεθα, καὶ τὸ, πολὺ τὸ περισσὸν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου καὶ ἡ ὠφέλεια τῆς περιτομῆς. Κατ᾽ ἄλλον γὰρ τρόπον ἐκεῖ εἴρηται, καὶ κατ᾽ ἄλλον νῦν ἡ σύγκρισις παρείληπται. Ἄνω εἰπὼν τὸ περισσὸν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου, καὶ διδάξας ἔχειν τι περισσὸν τὸν Ἰουδαῖον διὰ τὸ ἐγχειρισθῆναι τὸν νόμον, νῦν δείκνυσι μηδὲν ἔχειν περισσὸν, ὡς μὴ φυλάξαντα αὐτόν. Μὴ ὅτι καὶ ἔλαττον, ὅσον τὸ ἐν γνώσει ἁμαρτάνειν χεῖρον. Τί οὖν; ἔχομεν, φησὶν, ἡμεῖς οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι πλέον τι; Οὐδὲν, φησί. Τί δή ποτε; Ὅτι πάντες ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίαν ἐσμέν, Ἰουδαῖοί τε καὶ Ἕλληνες. « Ἰουδαίους τε καὶ Ἕλληνας, πάντως ὑφ᾽ ἁμαρτίαν εἶναι. » Οὐδὲν οὖν, φησὶ, τῷ Ἰουδαίῳ πλέον ἐκ τοῦ νόμου· οὐκ ἐφύλαξε γάρ· οὐδὲ τῷ ἀκροβύστῳ· ἥμαρτε γάρ. Οὐδεὶς οὖν ἔχει πλέον τοῦ ἄλλου. Καὶ γὰρ πάντας ᾐτιασάμεθα, τουτέστιν ἠλέγξαμεν, ὄντας ὑφ’ ἁμαρτίαν. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ ἐπαχθὲς εἶναι, τὸν Δαβὶδ καὶ Ἡσαΐαν φέρει μάρτυρας. « Ἅμα. » Τῷ ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ δηλονότι· « Ἠχρειώθησαν, » ἅμα τῷ ἐκκλῖναι ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, ἀχρεῖοι καὶ ἀπερριμμένοι γεγένηνται. « Τάφος, » καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· ταῦτα τοῖς καταλαλοῦσι πρέπει. « Σύντριμμα καὶ ταλαιπωρία ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν. » Ὁδοὺς τὴν πολιτείαν φησὶ καὶ τὴν ζωήν· σύντριμμα δὲ καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν, τὰς ἁμαρτίας. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἐπιτρίβει καὶ ἐξίτηλον ποιεῖ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα, ὡς ἁμαρτία. « Ὁδὸν εἰρήνης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν. » Τὴν χρηστὴν λέγει πολιτείαν.

^B Οἴδαμεν δὲ ὅτι ὅσα ὁ νόμος λέγει, τοῖς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ λαλεῖ· ἵνα πᾶν στόμα φραγῇ, καὶ ὑπόδικος γένηται πᾶς ὁ κόσμος τῷ Θεῷ. Διότι ἐξ ἔργων νόμου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σὰρξ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ.

Ἵνα μὴ λέγωσιν Ἰουδαῖοι, Καὶ τί πρὸς ἡμᾶς ταῦτα; Οὐ πάντως γὰρ περὶ ἡμῶν εἴρηται. Ναί, φησί, πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Πάντες γὰρ τοῦτο ἴσμεν, ὅτι ὅσα ὁ νόμος λέγει (νόμον δὲ λέγει πᾶσαν τὴν Παλαιὰν), τοῖς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ λαλεῖ. Ποία γὰρ ἦν, φησὶν, ἀνάγκη τῷ Δαυΐδ ἑτέρων κατηγορεῖν καὶ οὐχὶ τῶν οἰκείων, καὶ ἄλλους ἐλέγχειν, τὸν εἰς διόρθωσιν Ἰουδαίων ἀποσταλέντα Ἡσαΐαν; « Τοῖς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ λαλεῖ. » Σὺν πολλῇ καὶ τοῦτο τέθεικεν ἀκριβείᾳ. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, Περὶ τῶν ἐν νόμῳ, ἀλλὰ, « Τοῖς ἐν νόμῳ. » Πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ περὶ Βαβυλωνίων λέγει, Περσῶν τε καὶ Μήδων καὶ Αἰγυπτίων, καὶ ἑτέρων πλείστων ἐθνῶν. Ἀλλ’ ὅμως Ἰουδαίους καὶ τὰς περὶ τούτων προρρήσεις προσέφερεν τοῖς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ, τουτέστι τοῖς ὑπὸ νόμον. « Ἵνα πᾶν στόμα φραγῇ. » Δείκνυσι μεγαλορρήμονας τοὺς Ἰουδαίους. Διὰ τοῦτο τοιγαροῦν ἠλέγχοντο ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν, ἵνα τῶν μεγαλορρημόνων ἀπο-

ἀπο- ^A φραγῇ τὰ στόματα. « Καὶ ὑπόδικος γένηται πᾶς ὁ κόσμος τῷ Θεῷ. » Τοιοῦτόν τι αἰνίττεται· Διὰ τοῦτο, φησίν, οἱ προφῆται διήλεγξαν, καὶ ἔδειξαν τοὺς Ἰου δαίους εἰκῆ μεγαλοῤῥημονοῦντας, μᾶλλον δὲ ὅλον τὸν κόσμον ὑπεύθυνον ἁμαρτίαις, ἵνα προδοποιήσωσι τῇ πίστει, καὶ γινώσκοντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὅτι οὔτε ἀπὸ νόμου καὶ περιτομῆς, οὔτε ἀπὸ ἀκροβυστίας ἔνι σωθῆναι, εὐχερῶς τῷ Χριστῷ προσέλθωσι, τῷ χάριτι σώζοντι τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Καὶ ὑπόδικος, ὑπό χρεος εἰς τὸ πιστεῦσαι Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ. Εἰ γὰρ τοῖς ὑπὸ νόμον εἴρηται ὑπ' αὐτῶν τῶν προφητῶν, ὅτι οὐκ ὀρθοποδοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ πόρρω τῆς ὀρθῆς βαδίζουσι που λιτείας, τὰ δὲ ἔθνη πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑπάρχει ἐν ἀπ ωλείᾳ καὶ πλάνῃ, δηλονότι πᾶς ὁ κόσμος ὑπόχρεος ἐστι πιστεῦσαι Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ τῷ μόνῳ δυναμένῳ σῶ- σασθαι καὶ Ἰουδαίους καὶ Ἕλληνας καὶ πάντα τὸν ^B κόσμον διὰ τῆς οἰκείας χάριτος ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων αὐτῶν καὶ τῆς μακρᾶς πλάνης καὶ ἀπωλείας αὐτῶν. Εἶτα πάλιν ὥσπερ ἀντιπίπτον λύει. Ἵνα γάρ μή τις εἴπη, Τί οὖν ; ὁ νόμος οὐδὲν ὠφέλησεν ; ἐπάγει τὸ, « Διότι ἐξ ἔργων νόμου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σάρξ. » ὡς εἰ ἔλεγεν, ὅτι « Ωφέλει ἂν ἴσως ὁ νό μος, εἰ ἐφύλαξαν οἱ παρειληφότες τὰ προστάγματα αὐτοῦ, ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ ἐφύλαξαν, ἐκ περιστάσεως καὶ ἔβλαψεν, οὐ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ φύσει, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῶν μὴ φυλα- ξάντων γνώμῃ. « Διότι ἐξ ἔργων. » Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ πάλιν ἀνακιοπαθήσωσιν Ἰουδαῖοι συγκαταριθμούμενοι παντὶ τῷ κόσμῳ εἰς τὸ ὑπόδικοι εἶναι, πάλιν τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς ἐξετάζει. « Πᾶσα σάρξ. » Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπλήρωσε τὰ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ. Διὰ γὰρ νόμου ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας. Νυνὶ δὲ χωρὶς νόμου δικαιοσύνη Θεοῦ πεφανέρωται, μαρ- τυρουμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν.

Καὶ τί λέγω ὅτι οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖσθε, Ἰουδαῖοι, ἐκ τοῦ νόμου, εἰς τὸ μὴ γενέσθαι ἅμα τῷ παντὶ κόσμῳ ὑπό- δικοι ; Μενούνγε ἐξετάζων τις, εὑρήσει καὶ βλα- βέντας ὑμᾶς ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου, οὐ παρὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ φύ- σιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἡμῶν κακίαν. Πῶς ; Ὅτι τὸ γνῶ- ναι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, διὰ τοῦ νόμο ἔχετε· τὸ δὲ ἐν γνώσει ἁμαρτάνειν, χαλεπώτερον τοῦ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ.

Ἄλλο. [ΓΕΝΝΑΔΙΟΥ.]

δέ.≫ ^A justification and an acquittal and a release from sins, from which the law could not release.

III, 24. "But the righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace."

^A in his blood, to show his righteousness, because of the passing over of former sins in the forbearance of God; for the showing of his righteousness at this present time, that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him who is of the faith of Jesus."

How then is one justified? Through the remission of sins which we attain in Christ Jesus, that is, through Jesus Christ: "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation." For it was by the good pleasure ^B of the Father that He became the propitiation for our sins. Of old, the cover of the ark was called the propitiatorium (mercy seat). Thus also the flesh of the Lord, which veiled his divinity, became the propitiatorium for our iniquities. And the word "set forth" signifies an ancient counsel concerning this matter. "In his blood." For while the Father set Him forth, the Son poured out His blood for us; therefore, the grace of the Holy Trinity is common, for the all-holy Spirit also cooperated.

"For the showing of his righteousness." Just as the showing, that is, the demonstration, of a rich man is to make others rich as well, so also Christ, wishing to show His righteousness, justified mankind. "Because of the passing over of former sins in the forbearance of God." The demonstration of His righteousness was made manifest in this especially, that He justified men who were "passed over," that is to say, dead in their sins. Then He intensifies the accusation against men, in that their sins were committed during the forbearance of God. For when, he says, we ought to have repented, given the forbearance shown, we sinned all the more. Yet He now saves those who had committed inexcusable offenses through faith. ^C And so we were passed over in our sins and paralyzed. [Phot.] Then, when we ought to have been held to account for the remission [of sins], we obtained forbearance and loving-kindness. But even having obtained forbearance, when we ought to have repented and propitiated for what had passed, we continued wallowing in the same things. What then ought the Judge, however loving, and humane, to have done at that point? Surely, to punish and take vengeance—both for the sins we committed from the beginning, and for the fact that, having obtained forbearance, we did not repent, and for the fact that we not only did not repent, but even intensified our wickedness.

But what does He do? He then gives Himself as a ransom for us, and not only does He snatch us from punishment, but He also justifies and saves us, and makes us heirs of His kingdom. Truly, this is grace that has no measure; truly, this is a gift that surpasses the power of every gift. This is a showing, in very truth, of an ineffable righteousness, and a righteousness not human, but divine and beyond man. Therefore, even when the Apostle said, "For the showing of righteousness," he did not stop there simply, but said, "His," meaning that such and so great a righteousness is His alone. For at the time when He ought to have punished, He deemed us worthy of the benefit.

"To show his righteousness." ^D [Oecumenius] For the fact that one who was dead in his sins is now saved, when the time exists for punishment and not for justification—this is a demonstration of His beneficence and His righteousness. For it was necessary that the promises made to Abraham be fulfilled, that, "And all the nations shall be blessed in thy seed."

^A This, therefore, is righteousness: to be faithful even toward those unworthy of being saved. "In the present time." Having said, "For the demonstration of His righteousness," he added, "In the present time." For the righteousness of God in the present time—that is, the time in which He wrought our redemption—was full of loving-kindness, full of a gift, full of grace. Wherefore He also said: "I came not to judge the world, but that the world might be saved." But the future righteousness will no longer be like this, but will be a requital to each for what they have done, as he once again says here: "For the wrath of God is revealed," and so forth. Or it must be understood in this way: the demonstration that has taken place in the present time is His forbearance, and the gift, and the grace of the future righteousness. But how and in what manner? For if, having been so long-suffering, having bestowed such a great grace, and having deemed them worthy of such a great gift, He did not convert them nor produce better dispositions in them, then with much righteousness He will bring upon them punishments in the future. "And justifying him who is of the faith of Jesus." Behold the demonstration of righteousness: that God is not only just, but also justifies him who is of the faith of Jesus, being made the proper people of God.

III, 27-31. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the works of the law. Is He the God of the Jews only? is He not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: seeing it is one God, who shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

^B These things, therefore, having been thus accomplished, and the Father saving His own people who are of the faith of Jesus, where then is the boasting of the Jews? He shows them to be boasting in vain. "It is excluded," he said—he did not say "It has vanished," but "It is excluded"—showing that it also had its place at one time, but now faith has excluded it. Furthermore, by "the law of works," speaking by periphrasis, he means works; and in the same way by "the law of faith," he means faith. He says, therefore: Not by the works which we have done has the boasting of the Jews been excluded, but by faith; as if he were to say: All that boasting, and what appear to be prerogatives, have been excluded by faith, without our need for works. "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith," and the rest. ^C Accordingly we say, he says, that a man is justified by faith, without the observance of the law. "Is He the God of the Jews only?" For if He justified only those who came from the law, or those who walked according to the law, and not every man who believes, God would have been the God of only one part; but now He is the God of both the Jews and the Gentiles, since He saves both who have believed. "Who shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith," and so forth. And both those who are from the law, and those who are outside the law, stand in need of faith in order to be

saved. ^A DO we then make void the law through faith? The Jews were troubled, as if the law were being cast aside through faith. Therefore, he says that faith not only does not make void the law, but also in a way establishes it; for the law, wishing to save, is not able, but faith does save. Thus, faith, fulfilling the scope of the law, establishes it. By saying, "We establish," he indicated that it was tottering. Otherwise: The work of the law was to make man righteous, but it did not have the strength. For all, he says, have sinned, but faith, having arrived, accomplished this; for as soon as one believed, one was also justified. Therefore, it established the will of the law. From of old the law and the prophets prophesied concerning faith. [THEODORET.] Receiving faith, therefore, we confirm the law.

^B IV, 1. What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? The Jews were boastful regarding Abraham, and they were always putting forward that Abraham was circumcised. The scope, therefore, for him is to show that Abraham himself, too, was justified not out of works, but out of faith, and he says: "What then shall we say that Abraham our father according to the flesh has found?" And what justice has he attained? That which is through works, or that which is through faith? And he shows that it is that which is through faith. Whence he also calls it a 'finding' (or discovery), since he did not acquire it from works, but from faith, which is provided by the grace of God. [GENNADIUS.] The statement is by hyperbaton [transposition], being placed roughly as follows: "What then shall we say that Abraham, the father of our race according to the flesh, has found?" Let us ascend, he says, to the head of our race according to the flesh, whom God, having chosen from all nations, both blessed, and promised to transmit the things of the blessing through him to those who would come from him. For it is clear that however things were with him, so also will they be with us. ^C [PHOTIUS.] The phrase "According to the flesh" is placed in hyperbaton. But the interpretation of the discourse according to nature, and not according to the structural scheme, is: "What then shall we say that Abraham, our father according to the flesh, has found?" And the discourse is directed towards the Jews. As if he meant: Since, he says, the sum total of your pride and vain-glory is in our father Abraham according to the flesh, let us consider what we might say he has found. And he says, as he proceeds, that he even found righteousness. For this is what "And it was counted to him for righteousness" means, that is, that he was justified. For to find righteousness is to be justified. He found, therefore, and obtained righteousness. But how did he obtain it? From works, or from faith? And he shows that it is from faith, bringing forward Scripture as a witness. For he says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." What then, he says, did Abraham not have works? Did these not justify him? God forbid! For he did have works, so that in being judged ^D among the men who lived in community with him, he was justified and preferred to them. But to be justified before God out of his works so as to present himself worthy and equal in value to the benefit and gift offered from there, was altogether lacking. Therefore, he has no boast at all, that is, no advantage or achievement before

^A God, so as to be worthy of the benefit and ^B gift. For what could one point to as worthy through works, after such a suspension of nature, having been seen as a father of a child? And for a fruit of the womb to spring forth, and for his seed to be multiplied as the sand of the sea, and for the nations to be blessed in his seed, and for Christ the common Savior to proceed from there? Do you see that he has nothing at all, not even a trace of works, for such great gifts from God? Whence then was he deemed worthy of these? From faith alone. “For the Scripture says,” he says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” He believed, and he was justified by God, to attain such great and such important things. O faith, which makes every action under the law second! While doing that, Abraham had some small boast, but only toward those who were under the law along with him. But by putting forward faith, he suddenly became the father of all, and was justified to enjoy those myriad goods. And as a corollary, a solution is taken from what has been said. How does this one say that Abraham was justified from faith, while the divine James says from works, saying, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son?” and so forth. “According to the flesh.” It is well said to the Jews, “According to the flesh.” For according to faith and the promise, we believers are children of Abraham, just as the Scripture says: “Not the children of the flesh are the children of God, but the children of the promise are considered as seed.” [ΘΕΟΔΩΡ.] What, he says, did we hear of his righteousness having been brought about through works before Abraham believed God? For he says “according to the flesh,” meaning that which is in works, since we perform works through the flesh.

[IV, 2-8.] “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has a boast, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Now to the one who works, the wage is not reckoned according to grace, but according to debt. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. Just as David also speaks of the blessing of the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not reckon sin.”

“For if Abraham.” He shows two things: that Abraham was justified by faith, and that the righteousness through faith is greater. And he says: If Abraham was justified by works and righteous acts, he has a boast indeed, but not before God, but in himself as one who has achieved it. But he who is saved by faith, since he cannot boast in himself—for he has done no work—he boasts in God. But greater is that which is towards God.

^A For accomplishments are often obscured by other transgressions, but the boasting that is towards God remains immutable. "For what does the Scripture say?" He brings forward Genesis, which bears witness that Abraham was justified by faith. "But to him who works," [and what follows]. He shows the righteousness which is according to grace, which faith provides, to be greater in this way: for to the one who accomplishes something, he says, the reward is owed as a debt. "But what is this?" Can even the one who is virtuous in the highest degree accomplish something and have God as his debtor? But the one who is justified by faith is justified according to grace. And where God bestows as a gift, he always bestows great things. For what does he bestow? He provides adoption as sons, makes us brothers of Christ, heirs of God, and co-heirs of Christ. What accomplishments of ours could ever have provided us these things? — ^B And thus: To him who does not rely upon works, but approaches by faith, his faith is credited as righteousness, and he is justified through it. "Faith is credited." But do not think that faith is something that comes to anyone easily. For it requires fortitude and a soul that has been aroused. "As righteousness." Do you see that to him who works, a wage is credited according to his works, but to the believer, righteousness? And this righteousness holds within it countless wages. "Just as David [also]." And David reckons sanctification to the righteousness which is by faith without works. "Blessed [are they]." This pronouncement of blessedness is the pinnacle of all good things. The testimony seems, in a way, somewhat strange. For it does not have, "Blessed is he to whom faith is credited as righteousness without works," yet it is extremely appropriate. For if he is blessed, to whom sins have been forgiven according to grace, then he is "thrice-blessed," clearly, whom God has justified according to grace. Therefore, the use of the Psalm is very fitting and appropriate. For all justification that comes from God is either from the fact that iniquities and sins are forgiven, or from the fact that they are covered over—as if they were conquered and swallowed up by some good accomplishments—or from the fact that God does not count the act as a sin. And by these three benevolent ways, God credits righteousness to the man, as one who is compassionate, as one who is acting by dispensation, and as one who is acting with generosity. For the forgiveness is of compassion, the covering over is of economy, and the not crediting as sin is of generosity. Who, then, are deemed worthy of these? The faithful, and this through faith. Therefore, the prophet ^C David also calls them blessed. But for those who are in the Law and seek to be justified by works, not one of these three justifications follows. But for those who are by faith, righteousness is credited through these three ways. Therefore, the divine Paul has fittingly adapted the Davidic testimony to his own teaching.

This blessedness, then, is it for the circumcision or also for the uncircumcision? For we say that faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it credited? While he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. Then he says: This blessedness which was spoken of by David ^D

^A came upon the circumcision, or even upon the uncircumcision? And he shows rather that it came upon the uncircumcision and had place there, from the fact that Abraham, while in uncircumcision, was saved and justified. "How then was it credited?" Then he establishes that it has more place in uncircumcision, and says: "To Abraham righteousness was credited through faith." Let us see, therefore, whether such righteousness was credited to Abraham while he was circumcised, or while he was uncircumcised. And it is clear, he says, that it was while he was uncircumcised. Do you see then that it has more place in uncircumcision? "But in uncircumcision." If, therefore, he was justified while in uncircumcision, then the blessedness spoken of by David surely has more place in uncircumcision than in circumcision. Circumcision was given for these three reasons: that it might be a sign of faith, and indicative of the Abrahamic race, and a symbol and riddle of a pure and temperate life. Hence, it was not given as a producer of righteousness, but as a seal and sign of the righteousness which is through faith.

IV, 11, 12. "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had in uncircumcision: that he might be the father of all them that believe through uncircumcision, that righteousness might be credited also unto them; and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith, which was in the uncircumcision of our father Abraham."

^C He resolves an objection that seemed to present itself: So great a thing is circumcision, one might say, that without it it is not possible to be justified; for even Abraham himself, who, as you say, was justified in uncircumcision, had need of circumcision. And he says: He was circumcised for no other reason than to bring forward circumcision as a sign and demonstration of the righteousness which had occurred in uncircumcision. But if he received it for the sake of signs or a seal, it contributed nothing to righteousness, but was only intended to signify that he had been so justified; that is, that while he was in uncircumcision, he was deemed worthy of righteousness. Why, he says, was it first credited to him for righteousness, and thus afterwards he was circumcised? First, indeed, so that circumcision might be considered as a sign of virtue, and not as virtue itself or a right work of virtue. For the sign of circumcision, he says, is a seal, as if a sign and representation, of the righteousness that existed in uncircumcision through faith. ^D Secondly, that he might be acknowledged and proclaimed as the common father both of those in uncircumcision and of those who are circumcised: of the uncircumcised, as one who believed and was justified while in uncircumcision; of the circumcised, as one who himself was also circumcised after having believed. Justly, therefore, has he been reckoned the father of all those who, clearly, have received the faith, whether they be uncircumcised or circumcised. But if they do not have faith, they have no kinship with him, whosoever they may be, nor, indeed, will they be heirs of the promise which was made to him; for to the kin (for to his seed) are the promises and blessings,

^A (namely, to his seed) were the promises and blessings given. "A seal of the righteousness of faith," which had come through faith; "that he might be the father."

But why was it received at all, if it contributed nothing to righteousness? First of all, as he said above, so that it might be a sign; then, that he might become the common father of both those who are in circumcision, and those who are in uncircumcision. "Of all them that believe." Not simply the father of any that believe, but of those who believe in Christ. "Through uncircumcision." Of those who are in uncircumcision and yet believe. To the end "that righteousness might be reckoned unto them also." Through faith, manifestly, without works. "And the father of circumcision." He says: not simply the father of the circumcised (for this the expression "of circumcision" signifies), but the father of those circumcised ones who are not only circumcised, but also plant within ^B themselves faith in Christ according to his footsteps. For those [latter] believe in Christ according to the footsteps and the imitation of Abraham, who approach Christ without wavering and without contention and doubt. "To them who are not of the circumcision only." For just as those in uncircumcision would not on that account alone have Abraham as their father, due to the fact that he believed in uncircumcision, if they did not also imitate his faith; so neither will those in circumcision have him [as father] for the sole reason that Abraham was circumcised, unless they also imitate his faith. It is manifest, therefore, that the Jews also will fall away from the kinship with Abraham unless they believe. "But also to those who follow." To those who obey, to those who persevere. "In the steps of the faith." By imitation, by likeness. "Steps" is the term for the marks and signs of the feet of those who have passed before. Since, therefore, these are later, he speaks ^C appropriately and fittingly of those who remain and follow in the steps, that is to say, those walking according to those footsteps and that path of his which existed without circumcision. "Which was in uncircumcision." He reminds them again that he believed in uncircumcision, and was afterwards circumcised.

For not through the law was the promise to Abraham, or to his seed, that he should be heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect. For the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

It is a wonderful thing he says. Thus he says: circumcision without faith is not able to justify, nor does it make Abraham a forefather to you, O Jew; so that not even the law, in which you take pride, contributed anything to the promises made to Abraham, but faith alone. For while he was yet in uncircumcision, ^D and before the law, the promises were given to him because he believed. If, then, the law itself contributed nothing to the promises, far less, therefore, will circumcision suffice for righteousness. "That he should be heir of the world." He says that the righteous shall be heirs of the world, because when the ungodly have been removed from the midst, and delivered to punishment on the day of judgment, the righteous will thereafter possess the whole world, renewed by the

^A heavenly and earthly goods. "Of faith," he says, "For if they which are of the law," and so on. For anyone who clings to the law as if it were what saves, dishonors the salvation that comes through faith. "Heirs," that is, of the kingdom of heaven.

^B Another interpretation: Having said before that for this reason Abraham, being in uncircumcision, believed and was justified—so that he might be reckoned the father of those who believe in uncircumcision, and for this reason he was later circumcised, so that he might also be thought the father of those in circumcision who believe—and having brought forward and demonstrated that he is even more reckoned the father of those who believe in uncircumcision, insofar as even before circumcision and before the law itself (which also includes circumcision) he himself believed and his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness; having said these things and set them forth, he now demonstrates the same thing in another way and says: "Let it be supposed that it is not as we said, but that only those of the law are heirs of the promises made to Abraham." Therefore, the faith of Abraham itself has been in vain. For he believed before the law and apart from the law. ^C Faith is therefore made void, that is, it is nothing, and its entire power has been vanished; but the promises also have been made void, as if they were useless and incomplete. For if faith, on account of which there was a promise, is made void, then the promises, which clearly were made on account of faith, have also slipped away and become vain. What then will they have by hereditary right who approach through the law, if, when faith is rendered vain, the promise flows away together with the faith? Do you see how, by that very thing through which they say they are made heirs through the law, by this it is shown that they are not heirs in any way?

Thus, therefore, in a twofold manner he proved that the blessedness is more suited to uncircumcision through faith than to circumcision: first by proceeding directly, from those things which were done in the case of Abraham; ^D and second, by joining with them and presupposing what was said by his adversaries, and showing what absurdity follows from their supposition. He also sets forth a third proof, taken from the law itself, and says: "The law on which you rely, when not observed, works wrath." Having said this, he left that which is consequent as manifest. If therefore the law works wrath when not observed, and you have transgressed, you are not only unworthy of the promises, but you will also be punished—for this the law always threatens to transgressors. How then will you be saved? How will the promises be fulfilled for you? Since therefore both these things and others have been said, and it has been demonstrated that it is not possible to be justified at all from the law, it remains to take refuge in the grace which is provided through faith. For through this the promises are accomplished, and Abraham becomes the father of all. Therefore, the beatification of David, while being common to all who are saved through faith, is not less, but rather even more, suited to the faithful who have come in uncircumcision, insofar as it was also first seen to be true in the case of Abraham when he was in uncircumcision. "The promise is made void." As if they were useless, the promises have been made void,

^A that is, they have become ineffectual. In what way? For if the faith on account of which the promises exist is rendered void, it follows that the promises themselves are also rendered void; and if these become void, then Abraham is not the father of anyone.

For this reason, it is of faith, so that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be firm to all the seed: not only to that which is of the law, but also to that which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written: "I have made thee a father of many nations," ^B before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. And thus, he says, the promises are not made firm through the law, because in a certain way they are even hindered. How? Because the law works wrath, having been transgressed, of course. For no one has had the power to fulfill it. Where there is wrath, then, how is there an inheritance? How shall the one who is under wrath inherit, how shall the promises come? But faith, he says, brings in the grace of God. And grace being present, the promises come and are fulfilled. "To the end that the promise may be firm." For where there is the grace of God, the promises are no longer doubtful, but firm. For God, he says, is the one who justifies by grace; who is he that condemns? ^C "To all the seed." This is a hyperbaton, and it is joined with the word Abraham: "To all the seed of Abraham." "Not to that which is of the law only." By "of the law" he means those who came to the faith from among the Jews. "A father of many nations." Those who became believers without the law. Behold, moreover, how he henceforth joins the two peoples together, and makes Abraham the father of all. "Before him whom he believed, even God." That is to say, just as God is not partial, but is the God of all, so also Abraham is the father of all. ^D [Phot.] "Before." Over against, in the sight of, unto the face of God. For it is said "unto the face of God," as if it were from the person of God: "I have made thee a father of many nations." For since he said, "As it is written," without adding where it is written, or in what way, he added (although by hyperbaton) the phrase "before God," adducing the trustworthiness and firmness of that which is said to be faithful. "As it is written," he says, "before God," that is, in the sight of God, and from the person of God. Trustworthy, he says, is the Scripture, unchangeable, firm; it is God who has spoken in it: "I have made thee a father of many nations." The order, therefore, of the context of the discourse is: "As it is written before God, whom he believed, that I have made thee a father of many nations," and the rest. For just as, he says, God is the maker of all, and the God and guardian of all, so also he has designated Abraham as the father of all, not of the Jews only, but also of all those who believe. — Otherwise. Instead of, in the sight of and before the face of him whom he believed, God. "Who quickeneth the dead." He lays the foundation of the argument regarding the resurrection, although it is fitting also for the proposed subject. Abraham, he says, believed God that he also gives life to the dead, and for this reason, the giving of seed to him when he was aged. For he who gives life to the dead, and creates the things that are not, will be able by so much more to

bestow generative seed upon a body deadened by old age. ^A «And calls those things which are not.» It is well said, «And calls those things which are not as though they were.» For by his word he brings those things which are not into being, and at the same time calls them forth, so that with him it is possible and easy both to bring things that are not to be as though they were, and conversely, if he should wish, to call things that are as though they were not. ^B

IV, 18-23. Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken: So shall thy seed be. And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body already dead, being about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; but he did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that what He had promised He was also able to perform. Therefore it was accounted to him for righteousness.

[OF THE SAME.] «Who, contrary to hope.» That is, he believed the promises, which contained things very difficult to believe, if you regard human reasoning. Contrary to human hope, he says, strengthened only by hope in God. «In hope,» he says, «in God,» beyond the hope of his own nature, in the hope of the power of Him who had promised. ^C «Of many nations.» Those, namely, who were so according to faith and promise. And who is his son given through faith and promise? Isaac, certainly. For Ishmael was his son according to the flesh. «And not being weak in faith.» Many were the things that were weak and apt to make his faith powerless, but his noble soul did not weaken even toward one of these. First, because he could look to no such example, but to him first was the promise of childbearing given beyond hope. Second, that his body was deadened by old age. Third, that Sarah’s womb was also deadened, and was unable in any way to bear offspring. «Being about a hundred years old.» Well said, «Being about a hundred years old;» for he was not a hundred years old, but ninety-nine. «But at the promise of God.» For there was no proof of works, but bare words. «He did not waver through unbelief.» He did not say, he was not unbelieving, but, «He did not waver through unbelief,» that is, he did not vacillate nor doubt. «But was strengthened in faith.» By saying, was strengthened, he shows that faith is perfected by much labor and strength of soul. «Giving glory to God.» How was he strengthened? Giving glory, he says, to God, that is, not curiously investigating how this could come to pass, how it is possible, how it might happen, but immediately believing and ^D praising God as the author of the benefit, as if He had already given what He had promised. «And being fully persuaded.» He did not say, believing, but more emphatically, «fully persuaded.» «Therefore it was also accounted to him for righteousness.» Do you see that it was by faith he was justified?

IV, 23-25. "But it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him, but for our sakes also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up for our trespasses and was raised for our justification." ^A Then, lest the hearers say, "And what is that to us? For he was justified," he adds that these things were not written for the sake of the patriarch alone, but also for our sakes, that having Abraham as an example, we might become believers in like manner, and that faith might likewise be imputed to us for righteousness. "In Him who raised Jesus." He has aptly launched into the discourse concerning the Lord and says: He did not die for His own sins, since there was no need for Him to be raised again, as was the case with no one else before Him, but He died for our sins, that He might deliver us from them. "And was raised for our justification." That is, he says, that He might justify us and deliver us from sins. For He did not take upon Himself our sins to that end—that He might pay the penalty of death for us, so as to hold us guilty and debtors of death—but that He might justify us, having made alive those who were dead in sin, and might leave them perfectly guiltless, just as He did for Abraham and the womb of Sarah, which were dead by old age and barrenness, whom He restored to life for the procreation of children. ^B

CHAPTER VI

Concerning the laid-up hope.

V, 1, 2. "Being therefore justified by faith, let us have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have had our access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." ^C How could anyone have peace with God? By following His commandments, for one who sins is said to fight against God. And thus, he shows the Jews who were seditiously disaffected toward the faith and would not receive our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were also acting seditiously toward the Father who raised Him from the dead. For he says, in order that we might be justified, for this reason He was reckoned among the dead and rose from the dead; but you, by not receiving Him, are also waging war against the Father who raised Him. But we who have been justified, he says, let us have peace with the Father, let us completely dissolve the war against Him. And how is it dissolved? Through perfect and indubitable faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; for He is the one who also brings us to the Father. "Through our Lord." For if through Him we were redeemed from past sins, through Him again and through faith in Him we shall remain without sinning. For it is much easier to preserve good things than to acquire them by one's own efforts or cooperation. "Through whom also we have had our access." For through Him we were brought to the Father. "If, therefore, being far off, we have been made near by His death, much more, having been made near, shall we be at peace with Him by His grace." "By faith." Having placed the

things which are of Christ, he places also those which are ours; since to the ineffable gifts of Christ we have contributed nothing beyond faith. ^A "Into this grace." This means to be vouchsafed the knowledge of God, to be brought unto Him, to be delivered from sins, and whatever else baptism bestows upon us. But the word, "we stand," denotes firmness. — [PHOTIUS] "Into this grace." He spoke demonstratively, declaring the magnitude and the multitude of the things contained in the grace. For the very access itself is great and admirable, and before this is the remission of sins, and after these the promised kingdom of heaven. By what action, by what achievement was this grace given? By faith alone; for we only believed, and through baptism grace bestowed everything upon us. Or thus: Just as in this grace in which we stand we glory for the hope of the glory of God, thus again we glory also in tribulations, knowing that through them and through patience and probation we return to the same unashamed hope. "For the hope of the glory of God." Either that God is glorified, or that God glorifies us; and He glorifies us with an ineffable and transcendent glory, bestowing what He promised, counting us worthy of adoption and the kingdom of heaven. And He Himself is also glorified, though not according to His worth, yet as far as is possible for angels and men, by displaying such munificence toward the human race, and by perfecting and bringing into act those things that are indicative of His divinity and philanthropy alone. ^{B C}

V, 3-5. *Not only so, but we glory in tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience probation, and probation hope; and hope putteth not to shame, because the love of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who hath been given unto us.*

Not only, he says, do we glory in the goods given and to come, but also in those that seem to be contrary, such as tribulations. Why indeed? Because they train us for patience. And what is the gain from patience? It renders us, he says, approved. And what is the use of our being approved? It procures for us the hope of future goods. And one who hopes for these could in no wise be put to shame. For he who hopes in man might perhaps be frustrated in his hope; but he who hopes in God, no longer. Verily, however, he says, not only in those goods in which we stand, but also in those expected, we glory as if they were present; for this is of exact faith. And he well said "of glory." For when the things that are promised come to pass, they act so that He who promised them is glorified. ^D

[PHOTIUS] "But we glory in tribulations." Whence do we glory in tribulations? Because we love God vehemently. For every lover rejoices and glories when he suffers for the one whom he loves. But whence

^A has that divine love been poured out, and has it entirely encompassed our heart? From the Holy Spirit who has been given to us; so that it is entirely of grace from above. But we are also debtors to love Him above all else, and if it should be necessary to suffer anything, not to depart from the love for Him. Why? Because He first loved us; and this, too, when we were enemies and foes. Do you see the excess? Do you see how great the debt is? Add also what is even greater: He was not only loved, but He was also dishonored for our sake, and buffeted, and crucified, and was reckoned among the dead, and through all these things, He manifested the love He had for us. O love that has astounded angels, exalted men to the heavens, and rendered the tyranny of the demons ^B of no effect! Who would not love such a lover? Or rather, who will perform any deed worthy of such great love, or at least pay back a little of the debt? For even if one were to die a thousand times, he would have brought nothing great. For one suffers for a benefactor, for a friend, but not for enemies and foes as He suffered, and as each one of us suffers. Therefore, when we suffer, we ought to rejoice and glory, because we have been deemed worthy to suffer even a little something for such a lover. "Knowing that affliction produces patience." How do we glory in tribulations? Well, he says. For tribulations train us toward patience. But what is the gain from patience? A great one, he says. For it renders us more proved, just as the smelting furnace does to gold. What then comes from being proved? Great benefit; for our hope becomes more firm and secure from this. And from this, what? Everything is accomplished, he says. What is that? We attain the things for which we hope. For hope that is firm and brought through proof and patience and affliction never puts to ^C shame. And see how, having said above that we glory in hope, he again ends here on hope. For it is necessary both to begin from hope, and similarly to end in hope. But the hope of beginners is not yet clear as to how it stands, since afflictions and temptations have not yet come. But the one that has traveled through these, and has been tested, and has appeared indubitable and unshaken, this one also has perfection, and causes one to obtain the things hoped for. Abraham hoped after old age and the barrenness of the womb that he would be a father according to the promise. This was great, but not like it was after the trial. God tested him and truly smelted him as in a ^D terrible and fearful furnace, having kindled a fire in his inmost parts, when He ordered him to slaughter his son; he showed also through these things that his hope was unshaken and steadfast. For he ran to slaughter his son, and did not hesitate, reasoning, "How then shall I be a father?" This is truly a most mighty hope, for which reason he also attains the things for which he hoped. "And the trial, hope." Are those who are struck by an evil conscience not even hoping for things contrary to evil—that is, for good? For each one thinks what he wishes. "Because the love of God." And whence is it clear, he says, that God will give us things there? Whence? From the things He has given here. And what did He give? The Spirit, he says, who from the sole love of God with which He loved us, has visited...

us; for we did not draw the grace of the Spirit upon ourselves by our own good works. ^A “It has been poured out.” Beautifully does he say that the love of God, which is the gift of the Spirit, has been poured out, that is to say, has been given abundantly. “In our hearts.” For the indwelling of the adorable and most holy Spirit is intellectual, and is grasped only by mind and heart.

V, 6, 7. *For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.*

^B Having mentioned the gift of the most holy Spirit, he proceeds to God, and sets forth three things which show the preeminence of the love of God ^C toward us, and at the same time establish His providence and philanthropy for the future. These three things are taken from the subject alone—that is, from those things concerning which the demonstration of love was made. For there are again other things taken from Him who loved, by which the preeminence of the love is also set forth and established: for example, that He inhabited a virginal womb, and assumed flesh from it, and that the Lawgiver obeyed the precepts of the Law. Then, that He endured insults, injuries, and blows; ^D and, what is the head of all, that He suffered death by the cross. But the Apostle himself, having summarized the things that could be taken from Him who loved, and having for the meantime mentioned only death, distinguished them from those things taken from those who were loved. Now, such a treatment is useful to the Apostle in this, that it shows how He will provide for us more and more in the future, and will protect us, and will deliver us from all wrath: both from that which is present, where He sees it is expedient, and from that which is to come, which is truly the final wrath. The three things which he sets forth are these: We were "without strength," he says—but without strength not by nature, but by our own will and deed. We were therefore without strength, and had need of much help. But we were also "ungodly," for we pushed away Him who was about to bring help, bestowing our worship on others, and insulting Him, as if He were an enemy and foe. Therefore, all our affairs were in a state of helplessness. For if, being without strength and powerless to rise from our sickness, we had need of much help, yet we drove away the helper by the injuries we heaped upon Him, were not our affairs reduced to the last extremity of helplessness? Furthermore, we were "sinners," he says, and life was rather drawing us down toward a fall, and would not permit us to recover. With things in this state, and while every despair was present, then that good Lover of mankind, the Son of God, both loved us and laid down His soul for us. But if then, when we were liable to countless evils and had fallen into every shame and filth, He still loved us, and raised us up and strengthened us from our weakness, having given His own redeeming blood for us, how much more, having claimed us for His own and justified us, will He also stand by us and help us and...

^A protect us: since it is no longer necessary that He should die, nor that we should fall again into our former infirmity and disgrace; nor, indeed, that we should cast Him off, offering our adoration to others. Therefore, we should not hold the hope of the promised things in doubt, but keep it firm, and rejoice as if the good things were already present, and glorify Him who has promised and who will certainly provide them, our Lord and our God. For He will not only save us from wrath, but He will also deem us worthy of heavenly glory.

«While we were yet weak, » etc. Having confirmed the hope of future things through the gift of the Holy Spirit, he now confirms it also by the passion of Christ. For if, he says, no one would choose to die for a virtuous man, consider the goodness of the Lord for me: for He gave His Son for the ungodly. «According to the time. »—[OECUM.] That is, at a timely, suitable, and preordained season and time.

^B V, 8-11. «But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having been justified now by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved in His life. And not only that, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.»

He demonstrates, that is, he confirms and proves. «Much more then justified.» For if then, he says, He did not despise us when we were sinners, and there was a need for Him to save us even through the death of His own Son, how much more will He not despise us now, but will save us, since we are not sinners, having been justified by the blood of Christ, and it is no longer necessary ^C for His Son to be put to death? «From the wrath.» From the coming punishment. «In His life.» For it is no longer necessary, he says, as before, to give up the Son to death; rather, salvation will exist through His living. There is nothing difficult, then, he says, in our salvation now. «And not only that, but we also boast in God.» In order that we might not blush and be distressed that we became so ungodly that there was a need for the death of the Son in order for us to be saved, he adds: We have not only been saved, he says, but we also ought to boast. Therefore, we boast also that Christ died for us totally ^D while we were ungodly. For this reveals the exceeding love of the Father, that He even gave His Son for the ungodly. But it is fitting for those who are loved by God not to be covered with shame or to be distressed, but to rejoice and boast in God. «Through whom we have now received the reconciliation.» That is, the familiarity, and the fact that God, who was angry with us before this death, has been reconciled to us.

Chapter VII. How Jesus Christ, having become man for the earth-born Adam who had fallen from the beginning, introduced us to salvation.

V, 12, 13. "Therefore, just as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin, and thus death passed through to all men, in whom all have sinned. For until the law, sin was in the world."

^A Since in the preceding sections he has proven in many ways that we have been justified both by the presence of the Spirit and by the death of the Son, he now confirms the same thing from that which is agreeable and consequent to reason. For it was reasonable, he says, that those who had been made sinners and mortals through one man—since we had emulated his disobedience—should be made saved, justified, and immortal through one man, namely, the Lord. — [PHOT.] ^B We shall be saved, he says, by God in every way, if only we ourselves are willing; and the proofs have been stated a little before. But he says we shall be saved for this reason as well. For what reason? Because this is both possible and reasonable and consequent. Whence is this clear? From the opposite, he says. For indeed, through one man sin entered into the world, and death itself. If, therefore, these grievous things have come to us through one man, it is possible and consequent that through one man, our Lord Jesus Christ, both the grievous things that were introduced should be removed, and the better things should be gifted to us. But he, having set forth the things of Adam, left aside what Christ did, giving this to be understood from the opposite, and having at the same time stated them beforehand, it is possible here also to understand those things; for which reason he merely placed the comparison first as a means of drawing out that meaning. For it absolutely requires saying, "Just as this," and the consequent, such as, "so also this." But as we said, having indicated the consequent through the comparison, he did not explicitly set it forth, but encouraged us ourselves to understand it. "In whom all have sinned." In whom Adam, or through whom Adam, or because in him the others also [sinned]. — [PHOT.] "In whom." In this one, he says, we die together with Adam, in whom we also sin together; and he provided the beginning, but we, having taken the occasion from there, did not prevent the evil, but even cooperated, and prepared it to reach a great extent. ^C [OECUM.] For so that no one might charge God with injustice, that because Adam stumbled we die, he adds "In whom all have sinned," as if he were saying: He indeed provided the beginning and the cause, because we all sinned according to his likeness. "For until the law, sin was in the world." He wishes to show that we do not die so much because of our own sins as because of Adam, who gave place to death through his disobedience, and he says: Sin was indeed among men even before the law, yet it was not reckoned to them because there was no law forbidding sin; since sin was not being reckoned, therefore, men were dying. Why ever? Is it not clear that it was because of the condemnation of Adam? — And otherwise. [PHOT.] Having said, "In whom all have sinned," so that he might not ^D

μή ^A τις εἴπῃ· Καὶ πῶς ἦν ἁμαρτεῖν νόμου μὴ ὄντος; Αὐτὸς γὰρ σὺ ἀνωτέρω ἔφης, ὅτι οὗ οὐκ ἔστι νόμος, οὐδὲ παράβασις. Παραβάσεως δὲ μὴ οὔσης, οὐδὲ ἁμαρτία δηλονότι. Πῶς οὖν διῆλθεν ὁ θάνατος εἰς πάντας, ἐφ᾽ ᾧ πάντες ἥμαρτον; Ἵνα οὖν μὴ ᾖ τις λέγων τοῦτο, προλαβὼν λύει τὴν ἀπορίαν, καὶ φησίν, ὅτι ἦν καὶ πρὸ τοῦ νόμου. Ἐπράττετο γάρ, καὶ τὸ πραττόμενον, οὐκ ἔστι μὴ γενέσθαι. Ἦν οὖν ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως πᾶσιν ἐλογίζετο, οὐδ᾽ εἰς ὅσον χωρεῖ τιμωρίας τῶν ἁμαρτανομένων ἕκαστον ἐγνωρίζετο. Τοῦ δὲ νόμου τάξαντος καὶ ὁρίσαντος τὰς τιμωρίας, καὶ διὰ τῆς ποινηλασίας ἐκδηλότερον αὐτὰς καταστήσαντος, καὶ τὰ μεγέθη τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐμφανίσαντος, μᾶλλον καὶ πᾶσιν ἐγένοντο γνώριμοι, καὶ συνετῷ καὶ ἀσυνέτῳ, καὶ νέῳ καὶ πρεσβύτῃ, καὶ γυναικὶ καὶ ἀνδρί. ^B Διὰ τοῦτο οὖν πρὸ τοῦ νόμου οὐχ ὁμοίως ἐλογίζετο ἡ ἁμαρτία, ὅτι τε οὐχ ὥριστο ἡ τιμωρία, καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲ τὸ μέγεθος αὐτῶν ἀκριβῶς ἐγινώσκετο, καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲ κατὰ πόδας ἠκολούθει τοῖς πλημμελοῦσιν ἡ τιμωρία. Ἐπεὶ ὅτι ἦν ἡ ἁμαρτία, καὶ ὅτι, εἰ καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς ἀνοχῆς καὶ μακροθυμίας, ὅμως ἐπιμενόντων αὐτῶν καὶ ἀνιάτως ἐχόντων, αἱ τῶν δικῶν εἰς πράξεις ἐγίνοντο, μαρτυρεῖ σαφῶς τά τε Σοδομιτῶν πάθη, καὶ πρὸ τούτου τὸ κοινὸν ναυάγιον ὁ κατακλυσμός, καὶ τοιαῦθ᾽ ἕτερα. Ἦν οὖν ἡ ἁμαρτία πρὸ τοῦ νόμου, καὶ ἐλογίζετο, ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως ὡς μετὰ τὸν νόμον. Ὥστε ἄμφω καλῶς ἔχειν, καὶ τὸ «Διῆλθεν εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους ὁ θάνατος, ἐφ᾽ ᾧ πάντες ἥμαρτον,» καὶ τὸ, «Οὗ γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι νόμος, οὐδὲ παράβασις.» Λέλυται γὰρ τὸ δοκοῦν ἀντιπίπτειν, διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν τὸν θεσπέσιον Παύλον, «Ἄχρι γὰρ νόμου ἁμαρτία ἦν ἐν κόσμῳ,» καὶ ἑξῆς. ^C Εἶτα· «Ἀλλ' ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ θάνατος,» τουτέστιν εἰς ἔννομον ἐξουσίαν ἐλογίσθη αὐτοῦ ἡ τυραννίς, τῷ τε χρόνῳ σεμνυνομένη, καὶ τοῖς ἡμῶν ἁμαρτήμασι κρατυνομένη, «ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ,» φησί, τοῦ κατὰ παράβασιν ἐντολῆς νενομοθετημένης ἁμαρτήσαντος. Ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ οὖν ὁ θάνατος ἐβασίλευσε, τουτέστι, κατ' ἐξουσίαν πολλὴν ἐκράτησε, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς μὴ ἐπὶ τῷ ὁμοιώματι τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτήσαντας. Μέχρι τίνος; «Μέχρι τοῦ Μωσέως.» Οἱ γὰρ μεταξὺ Ἀδὰμ καὶ Μωσέως, ἥμαρτον μὲν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐχὶ ἐπὶ τῷ ὁμοιώματι τῆς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ παραβάσεως. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ὠρισμένην καὶ νομοθετηθεῖσαν ἐντολὴν Θεοῦ παρέβη καὶ ἥμαρτεν. Οἱ δὲ ἡμάρτανον, τὸν αὐτοδίδακτον τῆς φύσεως λόγον ἐνυβρίζοντες, οὐ μὴν καὶ τοῦτον εἰσαχθέντα ῥητῶς παραβαίνοντες. Καὶ οἱ μὲν μέχρι Μωσέως, ἡμάρτανον οὕτως. Ἀπὸ δὲ Μωσέως μέχρι τῆς παρουσίας Χριστοῦ, κατὰ ὁμοιότητα τῆς τοῦ Ἀδάμ παραβάσεως ἡμάρτανον. Νόμους γὰρ ῥητούς, καὶ νόμους ἐκ Θεοῦ διὰ Μωσέως δοθέντας, παραβαίνοντες ἡμάρτανον. ^D «Ἐβασίλευσε δὲ ὁ θάνατος, εἰπὼν, ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ μέχρι Μωσέως καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς μὴ τῷ ὁμοιώματι τῆς παραβάσεως Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτήσαντας,» οὐκ ἐξάγει τοὺς ἐξ ἐκείνου μέχρι Χριστοῦ ἁμαρτόντας, ἐφ᾽ ᾧ

ᾧ ^A ταῖς παραβάσεσι τῇ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτίᾳ; Οὐκ ἐξάγει τοίνυν τούτους τῆς τοῦ θανάτου βασιλείας καὶ ἐπικρατείας, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ εἶπεν, «καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς μὴ κατὰ ὁμοιότητα τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτήσαντας,» τῇ προσρήσει τοῦ «καὶ» ἐκείνους μάλιστα παρεδήλωσεν. Οἷον, οὐ μόνον ἐπὶ τῶν κατὰ ὁμοιότητα τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἁμαρτησάντων ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ θάνατος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ ἐπὶ τῷ ὁμοιώματι αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτησάντων. Ἢ οὕτως ῥητέον, ἢ ἐν ὑπερβατῷ νοήσαντας τό, «ἐπὶ τῷ ὁμοιώματι,» καὶ συμφράσαντας τὸ ῥητὸν τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον· «ἀλλ᾽ ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ θάνατος ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ ἐπὶ τῷ ὁμοιώματι τῆς παραβάσεως Ἀδὰμ μέχρι Μωσέως, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς μὴ ἁμαρτήσαντας.» Οὕτως οὖν συντάξαντας, δεῖ τὸν νοῦν ἀναπτύξαι. [ΟΙΚΟΥΜ.] Ὅρα δὲ τὴν ἀσφάλειαν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου· ἵνα μὴ δόξωμεν λοιπὸν ἀδικεῖσθαι, δι᾽ ἄλλον ἀποθνήσκοντες, εἶπεν· «ἁμαρτία ἦν ἐν κόσμῳ, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐλογίζετο.» Τοιγαροῦν οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸν Ἀδάμ, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀποθνήσκομεν.

«Ἁμαρτία δὲ οὐκ ἐλλογεῖται, μὴ ὄντος νόμου. Ἀλλ᾽ ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ θάνατος ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ μέχρι Μωσέως, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς μὴ ἁμαρτήσαντας ἐπὶ τῷ ὁμοιώματι τῆς παραβάσεως Ἀδὰμ, ὅς ἐστι τύπος τοῦ μέλλοντος.» [ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ.] Ἐγὼ νομίζω ἁμαρτίαν λέγειν αὐτὸν ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἐκ τῆς παραβάσεως τοῦ Μωσέως νόμου καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖσε ἐπιταγμάτων συνισταμένην. ^B Οἷον, τοῦ δεῖν περιτέμνεσθαι, τοῦ σαββατίζειν, καὶ τάδε μὲν ἐσθίειν, τῶνδε δὲ ἀπέχεσθαι. Ἐπεὶ ἡ καθόλου ἁμαρτία ἦν καὶ αὐτὴ τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσει γινοσκομένη, καὶ ἦν καὶ ἐλογίζετο, οἷον ἀνδροφονία, κλοπή, παιδοφθορία καὶ τὰ ὅμοια. Καὶ μάρτυρες τούτων Κάϊν, Λάμεχ, οἱ ἐπὶ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ, οἱ Σοδομῖται. Ἐπὶ γὰρ τούτων τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ ὁ φυσικὸς ἔκειτο νόμος. Ὁ γὰρ Δημιουργὸς παράγων εἰς γένεσιν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, τῶν τε πρακτέων, τῶν τε οὐ πρακτέων, φυσικήν τινα γνῶσιν ἐνέθεικε. Φασὶ δέ τινες τῶν Πατέρων, ὧν ἐστι καὶ Γρηγόριος, ἐν τῷ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ποιήματι, καὶ τὴν ἐντολὴν τὴν τῷ Ἀδὰμ δοθεῖσαν, μὴ φαγεῖν ἐκ τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν ξύλου, νόμον εἶναι, ἁμαρτιῶν τούτων δὴ τῶν καθόλου ἀπείργοντα. Τὸ γὰρ ξύλον τῶν ποιητικὴν τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ, ἁμαρτίαν εἶναι ἐδέξαντο. ^C «Ἀλλ᾽ ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ θάνατος ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ.» Εἱρμὸν λαβὼν τὴν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ παράβασιν, Μωσέα φησί, πᾶσαν τὴν παλαιάν, ὡς ἐκεῖ, «εἰ Μωσέως οὐκ ἀκούουσι.» Τὸν οὖν ἄχρι τῆς ἐπιδημίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ χρόνον, Μωσέα λέγει. Φησὶν οὖν, ὅτι ἄχρι τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης ἐπεκράτει ὁ θάνατος· νῦν γὰρ ἐν τῇ νέᾳ, χάριτι Χριστοῦ λέλυται τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. Μὴ ἁμαρτήσαντας δέ φησι, τοὺς πρὸ τοῦ νόμου. [ΟΙΚΟΥΜ.] Οὐκ ἐπειδὴ οἱ πρὸ τοῦ νόμου οὐχ ἡμάρτανον (μᾶλλον γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι τῶν ^D

^A post-law, but because of the reason he himself stated: that while sin was present and being committed by men, it was not reckoned to them, because there was no law forbidding sin. Therefore, with regard to sin not being reckoned before the law—for “sin,” he says, “is not reckoned when there is no law”—those men were “sinless” at that time, even though they were sinning. ^B “Which is a type of the one who is to come.” As, he says, Adam was a type of the one about to come, that is, of Christ. How? Just as by the death of Adam all were dying, so by the death of Christ we shall all live and be resurrected. The type, then, corresponds by way of contrast. [JOHN] Just as that one, to those who descended from him, even though they had not eaten from the tree, became the cause of death which was introduced through the eating, so also Christ, to those who descend from him, even though they have not performed just works, has become the provider of righteousness. - [PHOTIUS] There are three things in these points set forth metaphorically in relation to one another: a certain similarity, a contrariety, and an excess in the similarity. Contrariety: sin and the absence of sin, enmity toward God and reconciliation toward God, condemnation and justification; loss and fall and death, salvation and life and resurrection. So much for the contrariety in these things. And the similarity is: just as through one, worse things befell all, so through one, better things came to all. But the excess is that, in the case of the worse, the many cooperated with the one in order to partake of the evils. In the case of the better, however, no one cooperated; but the gift was of the one, Christ alone; so that ^C the similarity is not in the same way or equally, but by way of excess and abundance. Again, through Adam, because worse things were introduced, not only were these abolished (which is like and analogous to things that are contrary), but also the better things were bestowed by Christ, which demonstrates the excess and abundance. Therefore he says, “But not as the trespass.” And see what he says. If, he says, the trespass of Adam is so powerful—though it is weak and much inferior to the gift of God—that it put to death even those who did not sin, how much more will the gift of God prevail to make alive, by the resurrection, even those who have not performed good works? ^D “But not as the trespass, so also is the gift. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift in grace, which was of the one man Jesus Christ, abound unto the many.” He wishes to show that the grace of Christ accomplished greater things than the trespass of Adam had accomplished. And how is this? For we see the things that accomplished them are equivalent, even if the things accomplished are contrary. Just as the obedience of Christ transmitted life and resurrection to all men, in the same way the disobedience of Adam transmitted death to all men. How then does he say, “Not as the trespass, so also is the gift”?

^A That even with the matter being as you have said, the Grace of God worked a greater thing. And I do not say it is greater in this sense (as one might suppose), that life is greater and more excellent than death, but that in the very work and the energy, the obedience of Christ worked a greater thing than the transgression of Adam. How? Because death, having taken its beginning from Adam, needed the cooperation of the sin of all of us in order to prevail against all—for it would not have prevailed at all, if men had remained pure from every defilement. Yet the grace of Christ, even without our cooperation, reached to all. And this is clearly shown by the fact that the grace of the resurrection is active, not only in the faithful (who might be thought to have contributed their faith), but also in the unbelievers, such as the Jews and Greeks. Greater, therefore, is that which did not require our assistance, compared to that which needed our cooperation in order to have efficacy. ^B “For if by the trespass of the one.” [PHOTIUS] Having said that Adam was a type of Christ—a type, clearly, by way of contrast, for just as that one was the cause of death to men, so is Christ the cause of resurrection to men—having said, as we remarked, that Adam was a type of Christ, because he intended to establish this, he establishes not only the likeness and the type, but also the excellence and abundance that is within that type and likeness. (For this is indicated by his saying, “But not as the trespass,” and again, “And not as by one who sinned.”) Since, therefore, his line of reasoning has become in a way complex, interweaving a certain dissimilarity within the similarity, now he repeats the same point, but shows the similarity clearly, without mixing it—as far as the words go—with any conflict of dissimilarity. Then, when he has manifested this clearly and purely, he adds that just as through one death reigned, much more shall they reign in life through one, Christ; as if coming to a conclusion, and bringing the discourse to that which is even more manifest and concise, he says: “So then as through one trespass into all men unto condemnation,” and so forth. Then, since in his first, composite argument, and in his second, purified and repetitive one, and in that which was brought forward by way of conclusion, he made mention of trespass and grace, of condemnation and gift, of justification and the like, but the correspondence of these had not yet been pointed out, he now opens and manifests this very thing, and says that those things which were from disobedience blossomed forth, while those which were from obedience flourished. ^C Let this, therefore, be the composition of the argument that confirms the type and the likeness, when he says: “For if by the trespass of the one death,” and so forth. The divine Apostle is not repeating himself in these things, as one might suppose, but is clearly and most precisely connecting and arranging the power of the head-points. Therefore, the section from “But not as the trespass,” and so forth, down to “from many trespasses unto justification,” is an argument, as we have said, demonstrative of the type and likeness, but one which is in a way complex and composed through dissimilarity; it needed, therefore, manifestation and clarification, and this the following argument does. ^D

repeating and refining what was said before and bringing it into the clear. ^A Yet this too needed an axiom to be accepted, and not merely to be proposed as a hypothesis. He does not overlook this either, but as if drawing a conclusion and trusting in the truth of the argument, he declares it with confirmation: "Therefore, just as through one trespass," and so on. Then, since he had nowhere said in such arguments whence justification and condemnation had their beginning, he does not overlook this either, but adds, saying: "For just as through the disobedience," and so on. "Much more the grace of God and the gift in the grace of the one man Jesus Christ." Not only, he says, the grace of the Father, but also that of the Son. ^B This is confirmatory of the power. For he speaks of the grace of the Father and of the Son. But where the Father and the Son are, it is clearly manifest that the Holy Spirit also is able to save all.

V. 16-19. *And not as through one who sinned, so also is the gift. For the judgment indeed from one [offense/trespass] led to condemnation, but the gift from many trespasses to justification. For if by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; much more shall they who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life, through the one Jesus Christ. Therefore, as through one trespass [it led] to all men to condemnation, so also through one act of righteousness [it led] to all men to the justification of life. For just as through the disobedience of the one man, the many were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of the one, the many shall be constituted just.*

And not as the sin of Adam, he says, so also is the gift of God, but the gift is greater. How? For the judgment, that is, the condemnation, came from one Adam to all men. But the gift and the grace of God prevailed so much that it expunged even the sin of Adam itself, and not only that, but also the remaining sins of men, which they committed after that sin. And not only this, but it also brought all to justification, that is, to righteousness. ^C But there is a great difference between the forgetting of sins and righteousness. The construction is: "And not so," he says, "is the gift as the transgression and sin through the one who sinned," but the gift, he says, is much greater. "For if by the trespass of the one death reigned." He reinforces the same thing again and says: If by the trespass of Adam death reigned through that one man, much more shall we who have received the grace and the gift and the righteousness not be subjected to death, but we shall live. "Much more they who receive the abundance of grace." By abundance he means the overflow. And this is confirmatory of that, that they will reign in life, since grace was not given sparingly nor measured, but with abundance.

^D In another way also. Not only was the grace of God given so that we might live, and the sin destroyed, and the punishment destroyed along with it, but so that we might also become children of God, and

co-heirs with Christ, and heirs of the Father, and fellow-members of the body of the Son, and obtain other countless good things. For this reason he says, "Those who receive the abundance of grace." ^A "Therefore, just as through one trespass." He contends again with the same line of argument. For since it seemed paradoxical that the whole human race should be saved by the life, gift, and achievement of one man, Jesus Christ, he confirms it in many ways. "For just as through the disobedience." He says the same argument again. "The many were constituted sinners." That is, liable to death and punishment, because the sin of the progenitor passed in sequence and order to all those of the race, since all committed the same sin by a certain imitation and teaching. "So also through the obedience of one." For he became obedient to the Father even to death, and death on a cross. ^B

V, 20, 21. "Now the law entered in so that the trespass might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

"Now the law entered in." He describes what happened, and does not say that the law was the cause of sin, as if to say: "Now the law entered in, and the trespass abounded." For this was seen in their own works and actions. At the same time, it is also said in a reproachful manner to the Jews; for the discourse is directed towards them, and they were the ones who were excessively proud of the law. ^C Reproaching them, therefore, he obscurely indicates that they boasted in vain of the law: for as far as your works are concerned, he says, the law entered in so that the trespass might abound. He says this now because he had remembered the calamities that had come from Adam, and had said that the Savior alone was the liberation from these. Lest they say, "What then? Did the law contribute nothing to their liberation?" he puts this forward, that it not only contributed nothing, but as far as you are concerned, it even made that sin abound. Moreover, what he says, "Entered in," signifies its temporary duration. "So that the trespass might abound." He overturns the glory of the law (for his struggle was against the Jews), and says: The law not only helped us nothing, but it even increased sins through transgression. The conjunction *hina*, that is, "so that," is not placed causally, but manifests how it happened; for the law was not given so that sin might abound, far from it! But that it might save and instruct; yet, because it was not observed, it increased sin: not by its own nature, but because of the sloth and transgression of those who did not observe it. ^D

Item, in another way. This is similar to what is contained in the Epistle to the Galatians: "The law was added because of transgressions." For he also uses the conjunction *hina*, that is, "so that," here according to idiom; for it signifies the consequence. For to all who were after Adam, or rather even to Adam himself when the law was given, the trespass abounded. For in proportion as the commandments are more numerous, so much does the trans-

themselves, and their transgressions. For the law, having given many commandments, abounded through transgression. ^A “Where, however, sin abounded.” Do not be afraid, he says, that sin abounded. For God has made use of the transgression of men for something necessary and advantageous, devising a remedy for those who were destitute of all counsel. For from this, grace through Christ has become greater and much more desirable; and when it had been thus brought about, faith increased all the more. Therefore, it was not the punishment that abounded from the superabundance of sin, but rather salvation became more lovable. For he not only delivered us from sins, but also bestowed countless good things. “Sin reigned in death.” For sin took on the rank of a king, while death took on the rank of a soldier and minister. In death, through death. “So also shall grace reign.” For grace, and the grace of God and righteousness, effects more than sin and death. Nevertheless, he himself said precisely this, “shall reign.” ^B — [Phot.] “Through righteousness, unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Through the righteousness of Christ, clearly; constituted through righteousness, through Jesus Christ completed and performed.

What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin? God forbid! We who died to sin, how shall we still live in it? What then, he says, because of the sequence of the things said, shall we come to such steps? And he says, what kind? “Shall we continue in sin?” Since he said above, “Where sin abounded, grace did superabound,” ^C so that what was said might not appear to the foolish to be an encouragement to sin, he removes them. “God forbid!” which we are accustomed to say in the case of things acknowledged to be absurd. “We who died to sin,” and so forth. Or that we were deadened in its part, he says; how then is it possible to both be deadened by the same and to live? Or that we have become dead, he says, to sin, having believed in Christ and been baptized. It is not right, therefore, he says, for those who have endured the saving deadening, to live the evil life of sin. But we have been deadened to sin. How? By not obeying it, he says.

CHAPTER VIII.

“Or are you ignorant that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into His death?” We were therefore buried together with Him through baptism into death. That just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we might walk in newness of life. For if we have become conjoined in the likeness of His death, we shall also be so of the resurrection.

“Were baptized into His death.” To die in a manner similar to His death, or that it might appear perfect and most advantageous: this, however, in...

baptism. For when we are baptized, we lay aside our sins, which the death of Christ began to accomplish. For He died for our sins, wishing to deliver us from them. The death of Christ, therefore, enacted the laying aside and mortification of sins, and, as far as it depended upon itself, it accomplished the whole. There is wanting only our own faith and disposition and purpose. These are demonstrated through baptism, upon the completion of which the death of Christ appears, in so far as it was profitable for salvation. Rightly, therefore, does he say: “We were baptized into His death,” as if to say, into dying a death similar to His, burying our sins in baptism, and that the gain of His saving death might be shown more manifest through all things, and that we ourselves might bring in our purpose and disposition and faith through baptism. He uses a more reproving tone, interpreting how we have died to sin and says: “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ were baptized into this, that we also might die?” For baptism imitates death; for this is what it means, “We were baptized into His death.” For although baptism is not a bodily death, it is nevertheless a death to sins. “By baptism into death.” Since when we are baptized, we confess that we have died to the world and have renounced sin and the devil. “Christ was raised by the glory of the Father.” He makes the resurrection persuasive through the glory ^B of Him who raised Him. Well, therefore, does He say the Father raised Him. For He was still speaking to those who were like infants.

[THEODORE]

Item, and otherwise. The life of the faithful ought to be new, dragging along no contagion of ancient sin. “For if we have been planted together.” He attempts to show the likeness between us and Christ, and says: “If we have been planted together,” that is, become partakers, “of His death.” He calls them “planted together” for this reason: just as the Lord’s body, being buried in the earth, brought forth salvation to the world, so also our own, he says, buried in baptism, brought forth righteousness to us ourselves. The expression is metaphorical, taken from trees according to the likeness, which are planted together and side by side. Therefore, he says, we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, that is, we have died together with Him. He has made ^D proper use of the trope. For just as a plant, being put into the earth for some time, undergoes, as it were, a certain deadness and immobility,

^A then suddenly lives again and flourishes, so also the Lord’s body, having been placed for a short time in the tomb, suddenly blossomed from it and sprouted salvation for the inhabited world. And we, too, when we are baptized and buried, and in a certain way like plants in the earth, are in this state also deadened in the water, and we rise up suddenly flourishing and blooming with our own salvation. Well did he say: “United in the likeness of His death, but not in the death itself,” for we have a likeness of death in baptism, not a bodily death. For the three immersions and emersions of the baptism signify death and resurrection. ^B [CYRIL.] The death of Christ is a likeness of death, because He did not remain in death, but came back to life on the third day. And again: The passion in Christ was a likeness of death, and most reasonably so. For He came back to life and did not remain dead. “We shall be [united] in the likeness of His resurrection.” Of what resurrection? That which will happen to us when we rise again. — [OECUMENIUS] Observe the goodness of God: we have died to the death of the Lord as in an image, but we shall truly partake of the resurrection. —

“Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer serve sin. For he who has died has been justified from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.” ^C Then he says how the resurrection will be glorious for us, and he says: “Knowing this, that our old man (that is, the condemned life) was crucified with Him, through baptism, to the end,” he says, “that the body of sin should be done away with,” that is, that the evil actions, which he also calls the body of sin, should undergo death. [PHOTIUS] The old man, that is, he who has grown old in sins. This one, then, when we are baptized, is crucified with Christ and dies, and we rise from baptism new and fresh, having put off the whole man who had grown old, and the body of sin is done away with, in which he was strengthened, and by which our old man was formed, that is, our life which had grown old in transgressions. He calls such a thing a man, declaring the inseparable and long-standing relationship of humans to it. For so had ^D humans become stuck to it before the Lord’s advent and dispensation, that they did not even wish to be humans, and to be entirely without a life of pleasure and lascivious actions. Because, therefore, humans had become intertwined and mingled with it, and held it inseparably, he rebukingly called such a life a “man,” that is, [a life] which we loved and embraced like our own selves, or rather even more than our own selves. — And in another way. [THEODORE] He did not call the nature the old man, but the evil intention. This he said was put to death in baptism, “that the body of sin might be done away with.” To this end, he says, that it might be done away with and put to death, so as to no longer fall into sin. He calls it a death in regard to sinning, so that it might be dead. —

^A For a dead man does not sin. — [PHOT.] The body of sin, periphrastically, is sin itself; that is to say, it is wholly and entirely idle and henceforth becomes useless. But how is it done away with? By our not using it. Then he shows also the manner of its use, sharply and reproachfully, so that we may no longer be slaves to sin. For the use of sin makes us slaves of sin. — [CYRIL] The body of sin has been done away with, that is to say, the innate ferocity of the impulses within it, which is constantly inciting the mind toward base things and injecting, as it were with mud, more than earthly pleasures. And this is what he says: “For what was impossible for the law, in that it was weak through the flesh, the Father, having sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemned sin in the flesh.” ^B You see how the body of sin has been done away with; for the sting of sin has been condemned in the flesh. And it was put to death first in Christ; but the grace passed from Him and through Him to us as well. “For he who has died,” and so forth. You see that, as far as sinning is concerned, we must be dead. For he who has died, he says, has been justified; that is, he has been released and set free from sin. Some have understood this regarding baptism, in which we have been buried with Christ; for there is not a second baptism, just as Christ also died no more a second time, He into whom we have been buried and with whom we have been raised. — [PHOT.] “But if we have died with Christ.” If we walk in newness of life, clearly we shall also be resurrected, just as Christ was raised from the dead. For this follows from what was said; he had brought them to the aforementioned manner of life that must precede the resurrection, but he left them to understand what necessarily followed. Then, in the subsequent verses, he clearly proclaims the resurrection and says, “If we have died with Christ,” just as we have indeed died through baptism, “we believe that we shall also live with Him,” that is, through that blessed and deathless life which will be after the resurrection. We ought, he says, to believe that we shall also live with Him. The word “we believe,” therefore, is one of exhortation and counsel.

^C VI, 9-11. Knowing that Christ having been raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And whence, he says, is it evident that we shall live with Christ? For this very thing is also uncertain, as to whether Christ Himself who has been raised might die again? Far be it! he says. For this must be held as indubitable, that Christ will die no more. For He died for this reason, that He might put an end to death. For how could He die, through whom we others also shall live even so? All death at once being put away in Christ, ^D since the whole of our first-fruits has been raised up with Him. “For the death that He died to sin” [...] — [OECUM.]

^A And so much, he says, that He will no more die, because that which He once died, He did not die as one liable to death like other men, but for the sin of the world, that He might take this away and kill it. “He lives to God.” That is, as God, unceasingly and indissolubly. For as it is understood “by sin,” that is, because of sin, so it is understood “to God,” that is, because He is God. And you shall understand it thus: Just as we say concerning a man known to us: He is dead in the flesh, but lives in the soul, providing the account by the dative case, so understand for me: He lives to God, that is, by His being God; not that He did not also live by His being soul, but he has set down the stronger point, that He is God. “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves.” Then, lest they should say, "And what is it to us, if Christ having died once dies no more?" he says, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves.” How? That you shall have died indeed once because of sin, but shall live to God. For in Him we live and move and are, as he also says elsewhere. Or thus: As Christ, he says, has died and lives, so you also should reckon yourselves to be essentially dead as far as sinning goes, but living unto the things according to God, through Jesus Christ, that is, with Christ as your ally. “In Christ Jesus; through Jesus Christ.” For through His death is our life.

^B VI, 12-14. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Since therefore you must be dead as far as sin is concerned, sin, he says, must not hold sway over you. And he rightly says “in the mortal body,” for through the body sin is for the most part carried out. “Let it not reign,” so that you obey it; for this is what it means to be ruled by a king. [THEODORE] Kingdom differs from tyranny in this: that tyranny happens against the will of the subjects, while kingdom happens with the will of those who are governed. He exhorts, therefore, no longer to make pacts with the dominion of sin. For the Lord, having assumed flesh, dissolved its kingdom; and as He gives the law to those who still have a mortal and passible body, He establishes things appropriate to our weakness. And He does not say, "Let it not practice tyranny," but, "Let it not reign." For to practice tyranny is proper to that [power], but to be ruled ^C is of our own mind. For the stirring and agitation of the passions happens to us according to nature, but the performance of things forbidden depends upon the mind.

[PHOT.] For whereas, he says, we have died, and our body has become dead to sin, let us not make

life in sin to revive within it. And let us not prepare ourselves thus, so that sin may reign again in that which has become mortal through baptism. And what is it for sin to reign in us? It is to perform the desires of the body. He consoles them, however, in saying, "in your mortal body," showing that the struggle against sin is temporary, for the body is temporary. "In its desires." That is to say, [the desires] of the body. "Neither present your members." That is, do not complete [its works]. For the body is led according to how anyone leads it. For one can make the hand an instrument of alms, and likewise of plunder; and the tongue [an instrument] for praising and for reviling, and so with all the members. "As weapons of unrighteousness." ^B He rightly called sin unrighteousness. For by it, one commits unrighteousness either against oneself or against one's neighbor. "But present yourselves to God." Here, from the words is taken the distinction in meaning. For as it is said, "Let no one present himself to sin, but to God," so present yourselves, he says, to God, as is fitting, because He has brought to life those of you who were dead to former sins, that is, those held under the dominion of death; and as it is fitting for those deemed worthy of so great a benefit, and set free from the dead and soul-corrupting passions, and shown to be living, to present themselves. "And your members as weapons." For he who presents his members as weapons of righteousness, presents himself to God. "For sin shall not have dominion over you." ^C For let not the war of sin be a pretext for you; sin is weak now, it cannot have dominion unless we willingly submit ourselves to it, but it attacks, yet it does not rule. But why then did it rule until now? Because those over whom it held dominion were under the law, which indeed denounced the act of sin, but did not grant strength to master it and overcome it. But we are under grace, which, along with counseling and commanding what is necessary, also provides strength and cooperates in the performance of them. And not only this, but it also blots out the sins previously committed by us. Which sin shall not have dominion? That which preceded baptism, clearly, which the grace of Christ forgives. Now this, the law could not do. You are not, therefore, he says, under the law which could not free, but rather brought punishment.

VI, 15-17. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? God forbid! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to whom you obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But thanks be to God that you were slaves of sin, but you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

^D Lest the hearer become slothful, thinking he will not be mastered by sin because he is under grace which guards him, he reassures him. If, he says, we do not incline ourselves to sin, we are not captured. How? Because we are no longer under the law, which indeed forbade sin, but could not deliver from it; but [we are] under the grace of Christ, which having remitted prior offenses,

^A and guards for the future, if we do not become slothful — [ΦΩΤ.] "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves [as slaves to obey, you are slaves to that same thing]?" ^B By obedience you present yourselves as slaves — that is, you make, you demonstrate, you prepare yourselves — and to this you will also henceforth be reckoned as slaves, since your own voluntary obedience has provided the servitude: whether the sin that leads to death, or the obedience that truly leads to justice, guiding the hand. Or the words, "To whom you obey," rather than, "in whom and in what manner," as if to say, that in this and according to this manner you are slaves, either of sin or of justice, according to which and in whom you obey the one or the other. For so that no one might say, "How is it possible to become a slave of these?" he sets forth the manner: "To whom you present [yourselves]."

I do not say, he says, the Gehenna, nor the prisons there. Is not shame itself sufficient to restrain you from enslaving yourselves to sin, having been set free by Christ? "You are slaves." You are, he says, slaves of that thing which you obey. "Whether of sin unto death." Whether the sin that leads to death, he says, or the obedience of God that leads to justice. By common usage, "[You are] slaves." "But thanks be to God." Having frightened them with the slavery of sin and the death resulting from it, he reminds them of the benefits of God, both comforting them and showing the ease of the path toward salvation. "But you obeyed from the heart." No one, he says, having forced or compelled you. This, indeed, is also their encomium. "To which you were delivered." Then, since he had said their readiness was voluntary, he subsequently mentions also the help of God. For you indeed, he says, obeyed willingly, but God delivered you into this form of doctrine. Which one? The desire to live rightly and to be sound regarding the doctrines. And he calls "form of doctrine," as it were, a boundary and a rule.

Having been set free from sin, you became enslaved to justice; I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness for lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to justice for sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to justice. What fruit therefore did you have then in those things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having been enslaved to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Not only, he says, did God set you free from sin, but He also enslaved you to justice. ^D [[ΦΩΤ.]] "I speak in human terms." I speak in human terms, he says, saying, "You became enslaved," for this is not in actual truth a slavery, to live according to justice; but this is true liberty and blessedness. Why, then, do you call it slavery, if it is not slavery? Because...

^A considering the weakness and distress proceeding from your flesh, I called it slavery, in accordance with human usage. For we are accustomed to apply the name of tyranny and slavery to those things which we do while distressed and against our will. Thus, then, Paul also says: “I am speaking in human terms,” regarding the words, “you were enslaved to justice.”

Then he strengthens this by the contrary. For just as, he says, by performimg the works of uncleanness, you were slaves to uncleanness, so by performing the works of justice, you might not improperly be called slaves to justice. But he added this also as an inducement. For if you were not ashamed to be slaves to uncleanness, how would you not even pride yourselves on having been accounted worthy to become slaves to justice? Then he confirms this in another way, and by proceeding shows the dignity of such slavery, concluding that this slavery makes men slaves of God—and what could be more free or more blessed than that? For he says, “But now having been freed from sin, and having been enslaved to God,” and so forth.

^B Or: “I am speaking in human terms,” if it be taken as a hyperbaton, to be connected with what follows, as: “So now present your members [as slaves] to justice for sanctification.” If it is taken thus, it would mean that I said something moderate and lowly when I spoke these things. For in speaking absolutely, I could have said: “Present your members as slaves to justice,” not just as you did to sin, but with much greater zeal. But now, he says, because of your weakness, I spoke so humbly and moderately. Or, I am speaking of something moderate and small, not exceeding the weakness of nature; I adjust the exhortation, he says, to nature, for I know the passions that are stirred within the mortal body.

“Of your flesh.” He did not say, “of the will” or “of the desire,” which would have indicated their iniquity, but he says, “of the flesh,” which took place against their will. He says this to ensure the utterance is not received harshly.

“For just as you presented.” It behooved you to render a much greater slavery ^C to Christ and to justice than you rendered to uncleanness and to lawlessness for lawlessness (and the phrase, “for lawlessness,” means to sin even more; that is, you were inflamed to sin more and more), yet because of the weakness of the flesh, I ask only for an equal one.

“For when you were slaves of sin.” When, he says, you lived in sin, you obeyed sin so much that you did nothing good at all; for this is what is signified by: “You were free in regard to justice,” that is, in nothing were you subject to it. Therefore, now that you have passed over to justice, you become free in regard to sin. For the purpose of the preceding chapter requires this to be understood.

“What fruit, therefore, did you have then?” What profit, he says, was there for you from your ancient wickedness? None, clearly, so that you are even ashamed of it now; for sin is so evil a thing that when someone has been freed from it,

a shame for it, is he rightfully covered with disgrace. "For the end of those things is death." He confirms the malice of sin not only from the shame, but also from its effects. The end of those things, he says, has death, and that, the spiritual one. "You have your fruit unto sanctification." Of those, he says, the fruit is death and confusion, but of these, the fruit is sanctification and eternal life. But although these things are so, he says, nevertheless serve God in just such a way as you once served impurity and iniquity: "And the end, eternal life." From the things already given, he establishes those which are expected; that is, from sanctification he infers eternal life. "For the wages of sin is death." The wages, as if to say the fruit, or the gift. Wages is said, the royal gift. See, moreover, by what words he carries on his discourse; he both makes them more firm regarding the future, and brings it about that they give thanks for being liberated from those things. ^B — [PHOT.] We purchase wages through sin, which, once practiced by us, it gives back and produces. "But the gift of God." He did not say: the reward of good works, but "gift," ^C showing that they were not liberated from sins by labors, but by grace.

CHAPTER IX. A repetition concerning the life which is in charity.

ven to Him who has risen from the dead, that we might bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the affections of sins that were through the law, were active in our members ^A to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we have been released from the law, having died to that by which we were held.

In this conclusion he does not introduce the law as dead, lest the saying be received harshly (for he is speaking to Jews), but he introduces those who have believed as having died to the law through the death of Christ, and therefore as having been set free. If, therefore, the law being dead, he who abandons it and believes in the Lord is no transgressor, much more so if a man himself dies (just as he says that we too have died), he is released from the law and is not a transgressor. "Through the body of Christ." He who died for us: for we have died together with Him in baptism, and we are not our own; for He bought us with a price. "That you might belong to another." As if the law were dead; therefore we will not be found to be transgressors. ^B "That we may bear fruit unto God." He then exhorts them to a better hope. For at that time, he says, we were bearing fruit for death, doing everything for its sake; but now for God.

[THEODORE.] "For when we were in the flesh." That is, in the way of life according to the law. For he called the sanctions given to the flesh "flesh," such as those concerning food, and drink, and leprosy, and such like. "In the flesh," that is, in the carnal life. He did not say, "In the law," lest the discourse be offensive; for they were still observing the law. "The things which are by the law"—"For the concupiscence, he says, I would not have known if the law had not said: You shall not covet." These things, therefore, are known through the law. Again, he did not say, "The members work," ^C lest he should accuse the flesh, but, "were active in the members to bring forth fruit unto death," pointing out the activity of Satan coming from without, to contribute to death. For through sins, we were bearing fruit to death. "But now we have been released from the law." Again, avoiding what was odious, he did not say, "The law has been released," but, "We have been released from the law," that is, we have been absolved and redeemed. Why? Because we have died to sin. For this held us captive: and we have risen, not through the law, but through Christ. It is therefore evident that we have been released from the law as having died, but we have been subjected to Christ, who has delivered us from the death of the law.

CAPITAL X

VII. 6, 7. That we might serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid! But I did not know sin except through the law. For I would not have known concupiscence if the law had not said: You shall not covet.

Then, lest they should think that because they are released from the law, from henceforth they may safely do whatever they wish, he introduces another, more exact servitude, namely, that of the spirit. He says "In newness" well, for the same things are not commanded in the New Testament that were of old in the.

agere possint quæ velint, aliam inducit servitutem exactiorem, puta spiritus. Pulchre autem dicit « Per novitatem; » neque enim eadem sunt statuta in Novo Testamento quæ olim erant ^A in the letter or in the law: but the precepts are new and fuller of wisdom; as if he said, "That we may serve with the new precepts which are given by the Spirit." Indeed, for the ancients the commandment was not to kill, but for us not to be angry; for them not to commit adultery, but for us not even to look with curiosity. « And not in the oldness of the letter? » For the law no longer commands, but the Spirit. By saying, « Oldness, » he showed the frailty and worthlessness of the law. For everything, he says, « that is becoming old and aging is near to vanishing. » - « What then shall we say? » Since he had said, « That we may serve in newness of the Spirit, » as if the Spirit saves while the law does not save, he says: What then, one might ask, is the law sinful, or a procurer of sin? I do not say this, he says, but that it was a procurer to me for the knowledge of sin; therefore, I am also punished more severely, because from then on I am convicted of sinning knowingly. Nevertheless, ^B little by little he shows the law to be also an instrument of sin, not indeed by its own nature, but because of their own malice. He did not say, What then? Is the law dead, or has it been abolished? (For this is what he was intending); but [he says] what did not even seem so to him. « What then? Is the law sin? » Therefore he adds, « God forbid! » at once soothing them, and not taking away what was his own.

287 For not because the law is not sin does it follow immediately that it is not dead or abolished, which he himself was demonstrating and intending. « Is the law sin? » Has the law, he says, changed its nature and become a promoter of sin? Not so, he says. You see how everywhere, as he encounters sin, he frees the law from every accusation? Therefore he also added, saying: « Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. » ^C But if you please, let us bring into the middle the discourse of those also who pervert these explanations: for thus what is said by us will become clearer. For some here assert that he does not speak about the law of Moses in these things that are said, but some about the natural law, and others about the commandment that was given in Paradise. And yet the scope everywhere for Paul is to raise up this law. But regarding those [others], no argument holds, and very reasonably so. For the Jews, fearing and trembling at this [law], contended against grace. Likewise, the commandment that was given in Paradise is never called a law by this Apostle, nor by anyone else. But that this may become clearer even through the things that have been said, let us proceed through the words, taking the argument a little further back. For when he had discoursed to them about a virtuous ^D way of life, he added, saying: « Or do you not know, brethren, that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? So you also have been put to death to the law. » Therefore, if these things were said about the natural law, we will be found not to have a natural law. But if this is true, we are more foolish than the irrational animals: but these things are not so. As for that [law] which was given in Paradise, it is not even necessary to contend, lest we take upon ourselves superfluous labor by struggling against what is [already] acknowledged. How then, « I did not know sin »

^A nor did I know it except through the law »? By this he does not mean ignorance in an absolute sense, but a more exact knowledge. For if this is spoken of the natural law, how could the following statement have any logic: « For I lived once without the law »? For neither Adam nor any other human being seems ever to have lived without the natural law. For at the same time that God fashioned him, He also implanted that very law within him, establishing it as a secure, indwelling protector for the whole of his nature. Moreover, nowhere does he seem to have called the natural law a "commandment." But this [the Mosaic law], he calls both a commandment, and upright, and holy, and a spiritual law. « But I did not know sin. » He did not say: "But I did not commit sin, except through the law," but, « I did not know it. » Thus the law is the cause not of doing sin, but of discerning it, since it acts as a tutor, not permitting us, through ignorance, to fall into the nature of irrational creatures. ^B

VII, 8-11. « But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law, sin was dead. For I lived once without the law: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died; and the commandment, which was unto life, was found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. »

It is not the law, he says, that is the cause of sin, but sin that deceived me by means of the commandment, which is the law. Observe how he gradually shows that the law is the occasion for sin; but he does not say this openly, lest he prove offensive. By "sin," it seems he means the devil. ^C Just as Scripture calls our Savior "Life" and "Righteousness" because He is the cause of life and righteousness, so too it refers to the opposing power—based on its particular effects—sometimes as "sin," and other times as "falsehood" and "death." Thus, when he says in the following, « Sin revived, » he signifies the devil. Therefore, the devil took his opportunity through the commandment, because he structured the precepts of the law like material for his own craft, and drove man toward that which was contrary to the commands. It is clear that by his own person, the Apostle designates the common man, or the whole of human nature. ^D « All manner of concupiscence. » And well he says *all*, since there was concupiscence even before the law. For why did the flood occur, and why did Sodom perish? But now, he says, even the things I did not perceive, I learned from the law, and having learned them, I practiced them. « Sin was dead. » That is, inactive. For if it was active even before the law, it was not to such an extent. Most sins seemed to be sleeping, he says, and dead; for I did not know the greater number of them, and acting in ignorance, I did not sin to such a degree. Thus, sin was dead, and I was in life, as one not being harassed or stimulated, nor being mortified by it. How then did it revive? Through the law. What

^Amodo, I ask? Because when the law was given, it was rather provoked to onslaught and hurried on as if to attack, calculating that the one who kept the commandment was about to be crowned, and for that reason it was the more envious. And I, again, having known sin through the commandment, as one acting in knowledge of the things which it was necessary to flee, sinned all the more because of this, and rather strengthened it against myself. I provided it with power through the improper deed performed knowingly, and as it were strengthened and rekindled it, even though it was weak and dead. But it having come to life, it killed me. ^B Before it came to life, I was living more. This was before the law and the commandment. So even if the law is not sin, yet upon the law being given, sin came to life in two ways: both by it being the more excited and stirred up to assault, and by us strengthening it through the improper deed done in knowledge, and providing it with boldness in its schemes against us. But it came to life, and I died. "I was living once without the law." When was I living without the law? Before the commandment was given to the first-formed, the life that was led in Paradise. Or, clearly, I was living before Moses, he says; I was not dead by the multitude of sins. For then I had only the natural law as an accuser; but now, also the written one. Do you see how the law harmed me by way of incident? "But when the commandment came." He calls the law a commandment. And by saying "It came to life," he showed that sin indeed existed before, but it was quiet; and the law, as if offering a benefit, revealed it so that we might flee from it, but the presence of the law was harmful to those who did not flee. ^C Therefore, that which was given to me for life (for such it was by nature) has become for me a cause of death because of our own indolence, not because of its own nature. "For sin, having taken opportunity." Once again he establishes the same things in various ways, and rightly so. For the law possessed great glory. He shows, therefore, that it helped nothing, but rather harmed by way of incident. He does this so that he may be easily accepted, preaching the dismissal of the law so that we may hasten to the faith of Christ. For having said above that sin, "having taken opportunity," wrought in me all concupiscence, he adds that not only did it work all concupiscence, but it also killed me, having become for me the cause of death. Then, as is his habit to weave causes together with causes, and to show the ^D consequence of things in his words, he runs back and posits how it wrought all concupiscence and says, "Having taken opportunity, it deceived me." Then he left the previously stated matter to be understood here, namely that through this it worked the concupiscence, and having left that behind, he attaches the end, saying, "And it killed," so that in sequence, if one were to take it back, what he said could be understood thus: "Having taken opportunity, sin wrought in me all concupiscence." And it wrought the concupiscence by having deceived. And having wrought the concupiscence, it killed me. The deception, therefore, is the cause of the concupiscence, and the concupiscence is the cause of death. And sin wrought the deception through the commandment, in order that the exceeding sinfulness of its wickedness might appear.

VII, 12, 13. Is the law then holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good? Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid! But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. The law is holy, for it kept those who observed it away from uncleanness. It is just, because it rewarded those who acted rightly with gifts, but imposed punishments upon those who transgressed. It is good, because it did not rejoice in punishments nor punish by giving way to anger, but rather for their ^B salvation, benefit, and correction; and also because it bestowed great benefits upon those who performed small good deeds, and bore with those who sinned, not punishing them according to the desert of their offenses. Having passed over these points for now, he concludes from them that the law—or command—is holy, just, and good. He does this primarily because it taught me to recognize sin and commanded me to flee from it; and secondly, because it did this out of care and concern for me, for it did these things for my life and salvation. It is holy, therefore, because it taught and commanded me to flee from uncleanness; it is just, because once it had taught, it demands satisfaction from those who did not keep it; and it is good, again, because it provided for my life in commanding these things.

Again, in another way: The law indeed is holy. For it was not the nature of the law to bring harm upon me, but rather our own malice and sloth, because we did not observe what was commanded.

[THEODORE]

But sin...

[PHOTIUS]

^A For as we said, there was nothing worse to find, it demonstrated it in itself, showing at once its harsh and grave tyranny and its incredible nature. But because it seemed to have been stated somewhat obscurely through the frequent repetition of the name, and again because with the name changed, the indication of its magnitude and harshness was being weakened, he alludes to the name, and does not depart from it entirely; but while it seemed that it was being weakened, he adds strength by the addition of that which is "exceedingly." And thus, shifting his discourse to what is clearer and at once equally intense and indicative of the harshness, he says: "That it might become, through the exceeding great, a sinner, the sin." "That it might appear," he says, "in order to show how base, how wicked, how impudent and strong sin is, in that through the good—that is, through the law itself—it wrought death." He indicates the greatest strength of sin, wishing to show the goodness of Christ and how great His gift is, that He delivered us from this strong and inescapable ^B evil. "That it might become"—in order to show, he says, all its poison and all its malice. For the phrase "exceedingly" is for the sake of intensification. Not a little, then, did the law profit by uncovering all its bitterness that had come to be. And this is what "might become" signifies: that it might be revealed as having come to be, so that, by this at least, we might flee from it.

"For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin. For I do not understand what I am working. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate. If, however, I do what I do not want, I agree with the law that it is good. But now it is no longer I who work it, but the sin dwelling in me."

^C Since he said the law is the cause of sin—though not from its own nature—lest they think he is speaking against the law, he not only frees it from accusation but even praises it. He accuses those who have not kept it. "The law," he says, "is a teacher of virtue, an enemy of sins." "It is spiritual." [[OECUMENIUS.]] A gift, he says, of the Holy Spirit, and as it were a dictation. Or it is spiritual because it wills the things that are of the Spirit, and seeks the things that are beneficial to the soul. But I, because I pursue the concupiscences of the flesh, am carnal. He did not say, "You who use the law and transgress it," lest he make the discourse harsh and burdensome, but "I," he says, portraying the things of those [others] in himself; and so he does in the following, diluting and softening the harshness and vehemence by transforming the discourse into himself. "I am carnal." Not the man himself in so far as he is man according to what we ourselves understood ^D this way: but lying, he says, under the concupiscence of the flesh, and fulfilling the things that are pleasing to the body. "Sold under sin." For with death, he says, also the swarm of passions slipped in—such as anger, sorrow, evil concupiscence. To these, he says, I had been handed over. For this is what "sold" signifies. I had been handed over to the passions.

^A that took their beginning in the transgression which happened through Adam. "For ^B what I do, I do not know."

Next he says how we have been sold under sin. "I do not know," he says, "how I am deceived and snatched away into sin; I am carried off by stealth," he says, "so that I barely even know what I am experiencing." For after a man has been sold and has become subject to sin, he does not know what he is doing, because the habit of filth has taken complete mastery over him and does not even allow him to know that what he is doing is evil. Therefore, what I would hate if I were unenslaved and free, and what I would never choose, this I choose and do now that I am already sold. If, however, I were free and unenslaved and restored to my nature, I would by no means choose what I now do, although I bear witness to the Law that it is good. For it decrees that I should flee those things which I, too, when in my natural liberty, judged to be things to be fled and worthy of hatred. But now, having been sold, he says, and having fallen under sin, I am ^C as though being ruled and mastered by it, serving it, and thus I perform the evil which I would never have done had I been in freedom. Therefore, in a certain way, it is not I myself who perform it, but the one who has been captured and mastered by sin. Yet he speaks more emphatically: "But the sin that dwells in me." For just as he who dwells in a house performs all the things that concern the house—even if he might use the house as an assistant in some things—so, he says, sin, having taken me as one surrendered and sold to it, has dwelt in me and made me entirely its own, driving away every good from my flesh—such as the knowledge of what I do, repentance for those things in which I sin, and anything else of this kind. Then: "For to will is present with me." Not entirely, he says, have I departed from my own self, so as not even to know the good at all, nor to have a desire for it; but there are times when I am stirred toward it. For this reason he said, "It is present with me," that is, it lies beside me, like something dead; yet I am stirred, though it lies there beside me. But being mastered by sin, I do not carry my intention through to the end. And so, either as exactly stated, or in this manner, must these things be understood.

Alio quoque modo. "I do not know," namely, as one sold; for what I desire as one free, this I do not do now as one sold, but what I hate as one free, this I do as one sold. As long as I am free, I assent that the law is good, for then I desire the same things as it, and not what I now do. Or in this way: for what I desired and loved a little while ago, this I do not do now as one sold; but that which I used to hate, this I do. Since, therefore, I do that which I hated, even though I do it, yet on account of hating it, I bear witness that the law speaks correctly and that it is good. Where, then, is it manifest that I am sold under sin? From the fact that I do not know what I do. For as long as I was free and unmastered by it, I knew what I ought to do, being taught both by the natural and by the written law; but when I voluntarily submitted to it, I accepted its dominion and was sold, and because of this, neither

I do not know what I am doing. ^A "For what I would, etc." ^A He does not say this because sin compels me even against my will; but he wishes to show its deceptive power, and how it snatches away the sense by its sweetness, for frequently I am snatched into that which I condemn and hate. "If then I do what I would not, I consent to the law that it is good." He speaks no small praise of the law. For the very fact of not wanting to sin, he says, I have from the teaching of the law. How then is the teacher—or rather, the one who taught what is good—the cause? The cause is the one who is so spineless as to do these things for the sake of the temporary sweetness of sin, things of which he himself is the accuser both before he does them and after he has performed them. "But the sin that dwells in me." And how does sin perform that? It sets the sweetness of the thing before me, he says, and thus it deceives me, so that I do not persevere in those things which I have judged and resolved upon.

CHAPTER XI

Concerning the passions in human nature, which make conformity to the law impossible.

I know that there does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh, any good. For to will is present with me, but to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I would, I do not do; but the evil that I would not, that I do. Now if I do what I would not, it is no more I that do it, but the sin that dwells in me.

He wishes to show the freedom of the will, and that man is master of his own inclination toward both good and evil. He says, therefore: "There does not dwell in me the good," not given to me by lot, nor do I have it as something remaining with me by some necessity, so that I might perform good works, as if some force were dragging me away from evil. For that is what "dwelling" means: a perpetual staying, and as it were, a sitting down. "In my flesh," he says, meaning that which has been inhabited by the transgression. Thus has the blessed Methodius in his discourse *On the Resurrection*. ^C "For to will is present with me." To will, he says, is mine, but I do not perform it because of the seizure of sin; for it seizes me so that I do not do the things praised by me, but those which are blamed. "For the good that I would, I do not do." He shows so great an deception and persuasion of sin that, he says, I am earnest to do good, and I am earnest not to do evil, and yet concupiscence comes and leads me captive, persuading me to ignore the things I have determined and pursued and to do those things which are its own. "But the evil that I would not." For almost against my will I am snatched toward evil, as if the whole business were of the demons who suggest sin. For they, having seized a small opportunity from our own sluggishness, overturn everything. "But the sin that dwells in me." Concerning the good, he did not speak of a dwelling, but concerning sin he did. For we have come, through the fact that we continually sin, into a certain habit of sin. For vehement custom becomes equal to nature.

"I find then a law, that to me who would do good, evil is present." I am delighted

^A with the law of God according to the inner man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members.

What is said in the order of the text is obscure. It is as follows: I praise the law, he says, according to the conscience, and I find the law itself to be providing an exhortation to me who have chosen to do good. What then follows from this? I do evil, he says, because evil is present to me. That is to say, it lies upon me carelessly, so that not even when I wish to do good is the law sufficient to help me; for apart from exhorting, it avails nothing. Therefore, the law is to be left behind (for this is what is constructed by him), and one must come to Christ, who not only exhorts, but also removes the sin previously committed through baptism, and after this, he saves and helps.

Otherwise: From the things I have said, he says, and from those I have considered, this is concluded for me, and this I discover. What? That the law exists only to provide to me—who wish to do good—the good. For I find that evil, in like manner, is present to me, and I was made no better by the law; unless I even received more harm, because the fact that evil was present to me, and was as it were a neighbor to me, provided an opportunity for evil. The law, therefore, he says, stood to me only for good, and conferred nothing else. How is this manifest? Because evil similarly lies present to me.

Or even thus: "I find then the law good," so that "Good" is added in hyperbaton, and is taken in ^B a common sense. I find, he says, the law good to me who wish to do good. Why then do you not do it? Because evil is present to me. The good of the law, then, consists in the legislation alone: for it has not the power to deliver from evil and to save, and therefore it is to be abandoned, and Christ is to be approached.

Or preferably thus: "I find then the law," that is, I have understood and perceived the power and nature of the law. I have accurately discovered of it that it was able to do nothing for me. How is this manifest? Because to me wishing to do good, it brings no aid, but evil is still present in like manner, and is ineffective for me to do what I desire. In this, therefore, I have diligently discovered concerning the law how much it can achieve, and what its nature is, in that I find in me—who wish to do good—that evil is present, and has not been driven away from me by it. And the things that will be said hereafter by Paul might be the confirmation of the two aforementioned explanations, with either meaning having its place, and preserving the consequence of the letter without any impediment.

It is, however, also possible to understand it more closely to the words in this way: "I find, therefore, that to me who wish to do good according to the law, evil is present." For those who wish to do good according to the Gospel do not find evil to be present to them. For through baptism it was cast out and expelled. Therefore, it is necessary to approach Christ through baptism, having left the law behind. You may not unworthily interpret it in this way also.

I discover the law as if it were an auxiliary, or rather ^C

^A to me who wishes to do what is good. And what is the need for conformity or alliance? Great, he says. “For evil lies close to me,” and it resists, and makes war, and so on. He therefore expands and clarifies this very thing, how the law is in conformity and how evil attacks. “For I delight in the law of God.” Thus, according to this, it is in conformity with me, and in a certain way gives assistance, even though it possesses a weak power to help. For when the other law, that is, that of sin, resists, it does not stand by and assist—even though I want it to and delight in it—but it withdraws and leaves me, and because I am unable to suffice for myself, I become a captive. It would be clearer if it were connected in this way to the things stated: “I discover, therefore, to me who wishes to do good—that is, the law (because evil lies close to me)—to me who wishes to do good, as if it were offering exhortation and counsel. But I see another law,” etc. There are four laws here about which he discourses: one is the law of God, about which he says: “For I delight in the law of God.” The second is that which resists. The third is that about which he says: “The law of my mind.” The fourth is that about which he says: “The law of sin which is in my members.” Of these, the first is the evangelical teaching, entering from outside through preaching and ordering the soul. The second is that which resists, and this also is one of those that enter from outside according to the operation of the Evil One through thoughts, and taking the soul captive. The third is that which he calls the law of the mind. This is what was sown in our nature by the Creator, urging us toward things pleasing to God. ^B The fourth is the law of sin. This is the lover of sin, which, through habituation to evil, has hardened sins within us. See, therefore, how we are surrounded by laws that are diametrically opposed. For two of them flow into us from outside: the one calling us to the performance of good—namely the evangelical one—and the other exhorting us to evil, namely the resisting law of the Evil One. The other two are inside and hold the soul: the law of the mind, which was sown in us by the Creator and leads us toward better things; and the fourth, which is the law of sin, hardened in us because of the habit of evil. Therefore, observe with what precision he said: “But I see another law resisting the law of my mind,”—to this one, I say, which is innate toward good things— “and taking me captive in the law of sin which is in my members.” As if he were saying: Breathing from outside, it moves and irritates all the dust and mire deposited in me, which the habit toward sin defiled and branded me with. ^C Also in another way. There are three laws: the written one, which he calls the law of God; the second is the innate one, which he calls the law of the mind; the third is that which, through sin, gained strength in our members, which he also calls the resisting one, and says that it has in the members the power to resist. He calls this a law, as it is powerful and has those who obey it. Then he says this law, which entered into our members from sin, the resisting one, took me captive. But how? Since he spoke of resistance, lest you think that it leads me captive justly and by the law of war, he adds and says: “The law... ^D

of sin.” Not justly, he says. Far be it! For what is just in taking another’s slave and handiwork and placing it under one's own power? How then? By the “law of sin.” That is, it takes me captive according to the peculiarity of sin, according to its own habit—out of impudence, out of much cruelty, out of guile, out of ambush, not in open warfare, but by deceiving and snatching away. Then, lest anyone say: “Is it then entirely its concern that I have been made captive, if it also takes me captive, and takes me captive according to its own habit, lying in wait and attacking secretly?” he adds: “In my members.” ^B Just as if he were to say: Because to have established it in these is my own doing, that also will be imputed to me which follows from it. Thus the holy Methodius in the treatise *On the Resurrection*. For the evangelical law of God moves and excites the seeds that are implanted and sown in us by the Creator for the working of good. For each of the things that enter from without, by moving and exciting our own laws that are within us and conformable to them, urges us either to act piously or impiously. “According to the inner man”: he calls the mind or the soul the inner man. He says, therefore, that the mind does not wish to perform what the law says, but, he says, at the very time of sin, I am snatched away by sin. This he calls ^C “another law,” because it commands something peculiar and outside of the law.

This law, therefore, or sin, cheats me by means of the desire deposited in our members and in ourselves, and takes me captive. For sin, having turned the useful desire existing within us toward what is not useful, uses it against us as a fortification. [OECUMENIUS.] “And leading me captive.” He spoke well: “Leading me captive.” For when a battle is stirred up between sin and the commandments of the law—that is, the reasoning that contradicts sin—sin departs having won, taking the wretched man captive. “To the law of sin.” By “law of sin” he calls sin periphrastically. “Which is in my members.” Which, he says, is fighting against me through my members. But this is not a condemnation of the body. For if a tyrant were to occupy a king’s house, the house is not therefore the cause.

VII, 24, 25. “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh the law of sin.” Who will deliver me from my bodily actions that bring about spiritual death? Or: Who will deliver me from being snatched away by the desires that are in the body, which are death to us? Who, indeed, is there other than Christ? For he tacitly signifies this. “I thank God, who delivered me through our Lord Jesus Christ.” For neither does the law ^D deliver, nor my own will, although it may strive to the utmost. “I thank God.” For He Himself, he says, delivered me through the death of His Son. “With the mind, indeed, I serve the law of God.”

to the law of God. ^A “Inasmuch,” he says, “it has reached my will,” which he spoke of above: “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man.” — “But with the flesh [I serve] the law of sin.” For sin, through the flesh and its desires, works its own ends.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

The law is such, he says, but Christ not only freed us from the sins that had occurred, but also made us impregnable for the future. For this is what is signified by: “There is therefore now no condemnation,” that is, not even one judgment because of sin for those who are in Christ Jesus and do not walk after the flesh. What then? Is there no judgment now nor any sin? Does he render them secure in this regard? “No,” he says, but he speaks to those who do not of their own will live a carnal life. ^B For if they were only to choose to live spiritually, they would not sin. Under the law, however, not even if one wished to live rightly could he, with no one helping or strengthening him. “To them which are in Christ Jesus.” That is, to those who are in the faith of Christ, who have chosen a spiritual life. “For the law of the Spirit of life.” Just as by the law of sin he means sin, so also by the law of the Spirit he means the Spirit, which, he says, is the provider and giver of life. Therefore, this Spirit through Jesus Christ (for He Himself is the cause to us of the gift of the Spirit, He who loosed sin and, in that He is man, drew the Spirit and imparted it to us); this Spirit, therefore, has made me free from both sin and the death that followed from it, guiding me toward better things. The law of the Spirit that makes alive, that is, of the life-giving Spirit, [is freed] from the law of sin that kills, that is, of the sin that causes death.

CAPUT XII. On the change of natural affections through conformity to the Spirit.

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

^C Do you see that he does not condemn the law? For he did not say, "The evil of the law, in which it did wrong," but, “What was impossible, and in that it was weak,” as if he had said, It wished to save, but was not able. “In that,” he says, “it was weak.” Since it was weak through the flesh, that is, through its mindset; for he does not slander the flesh. ^D “God sending his own Son.” Having said above that the Spirit had set us free, he now speaks of the Son. For we have been saved by the common good pleasure of the holy Trinity. “In the likeness of sinful flesh.” The phrase “In the likeness,” look, does not refer toward the word “flesh,” but toward “sinful flesh.” For He did not unite another to Himself [different] from our own nature—far be it!—but not a sinful one, rather, one without sin,

^A St. Cyril, in the fifteenth book of *Against Julian*, says: “The body of Christ was not a body of sin, but the likeness of the flesh of sin.” The Lord is shown to have accepted natural affections for the confirmation of a true and not phantastic incarnation, or the assumption of humanity; but those affections which arise from malice, which stain our pure life, He rejected as unworthy of the immaculate divinity. For this reason, it is said that He was made in the likeness of the flesh of sin. Thus, He took our flesh with its natural affections, but He did not commit sin. “And for sin He condemned sin.” Not in just any way, he says, nor without scrutiny, but as He is powerful, He condemned sin, having first exposed it as having fallen and sinned most greatly. This is what is meant by “and for sin,” showing that sin had sinned shamelessly. ^B Another way. This passage can be interpreted in two ways: either by placing a punctuation mark here, so that it might be: “God sent His Son in the likeness of” sinful “flesh.” And, “For sin,” that is, on account of sin, in order to remove it and set us free from it. How, then, did He remove it? By condemning it. For not simply and by authority [did He do so], but by bringing it under judgment and showing it to be convicted. How, then, has it been captured and defeated? In His flesh. For when it sought to approach [Him] and could not, it was captured and defeated. Either, therefore, this must be understood by placing a punctuation mark here, or by joining it to what follows, so that it might be: “And for sin He condemned sin,” that is, inasmuch as it had sinned excessively, even as he previously said by hyperbole, “sinning sin.” How has this come about, and how was it condemned? Through His flesh, he says, “In the flesh.” That is to say, through His flesh. For this is the marvelous thing, that through the flesh which was formerly subject to sin, He condemned it. How? By keeping it, clearly, without sin. For by conquering it in this way, He also punished it. The punishment of sin is its destruction. And thus to deliver it to God for the destruction of sin. “That the justification of the law might be fulfilled.” ^C And lest anyone say, “And what is this to us?” he says, Christ did these things so that the goal of the law (for this is what “justification” is) might be fulfilled in us. And what is the goal of the law? That we should not be made liable to the curse. “But might be fulfilled in us.” In whom? In those, he says, who do not wish to live carnally, but spiritually. For lest you say, “Christ won the victory, and it is no longer necessary to live carefully,” he added, “Who do not walk according to the flesh.” As if he had said: Through Christ, the goal of the law has indeed been brought into effect in us; however, something is required of us as well. ^D For while He gave the victory and the crown, it is our task to be able to possess what was given, through good conduct and faith. This is what is meant by, “According to the Spirit.”

^A For those who are according to the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace. Because the mind of the flesh is enmity toward God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be. And those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

“Those,” he says, “who have surrendered themselves to carnal desires,” these same things are a matter of zeal for them. Repeat: “They mind.” “For the mind of the flesh is death.” He calls the earthy impulse of the mind and the inclination toward absurd actions the “mind of the flesh”; this is not a calumny against the flesh, for he did not say “nature,” but “mind [or affect],” which can also be corrected. The mind of the Spirit, however, is the mind that is moved within us by the Spirit. “Life and peace.” Life, indeed, in relation to what was said, that “The mind of the flesh is death,” and peace in relation to what follows: “Because the mind of the flesh is enmity toward God.”

And here it is called the mind of the flesh, not the flesh itself, but its impulse toward intemperance. Thus also the holy Methodius in his booklet *On the Resurrection*. ^B “For it is not subject to the law of God.” He stated the cause of the enmity: that it does not obey the law of God. He says well that the carnal mind is not subject to the law of God: as long as it exists, it is manifest that it is not subject. But when it has passed away and been destroyed by the man, then it exists no longer at all. Therefore, not even in this way is it subject. For how could that which does not exist either resist or be subject to anyone? Therefore, it cannot be subject to the law of God at all. Who then is subject? The man in whom the carnal mind is. ^C But not even he, as long as the carnal mind is still present; but when it has been cast out through repentance and departure from him, then he does good works and is subject to the law of God. “Nor indeed can it.” Do not be troubled when you hear, “Nor indeed can it.” For he does not say this: that he who has the carnal mind can never please God; but that while he persists in it, he can in no way be subject to God—otherwise, how were many who repented saved? For he did not say that the man burdened by it cannot be subject to God, but [that] the mind itself [cannot], which is evil actions, which it is even possible to abandon.

“But those who are in the flesh.” And who are they who are said to be in the flesh? Those, clearly, who have the mind of the flesh; for he said the same thing in parallel.

^D “But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. But if Christ is in you, the body indeed is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

“By the grace of God given,” he says, “you are not in the flesh,” that is to say, in carnal and sinful actions, but in...

a spiritual state of mind. ^A “If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.” The word “if” here is not that of one doubting, but of one convinced; it is in place of “since,” as in: “seeing that the Spirit of God dwells in you,” just as it is elsewhere said: “If it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to those who trouble you.” For there, too, the “if” is used in place of “since.” — Otherwise: see how he says, “If the Spirit of God dwells in you.” And again: “If Christ is in you.” For where one of the holy Trinity dwells, there the whole Trinity is present. Then he says, “Since Christ is in you,” clearly [meaning] “the body is dead because of sin.” For this is what “because of sin” means. For Christ would not have dwelt [in you] if the body had not been deadened against sin. The body, therefore, is dead against sin. ^B “But if any man have not the Spirit of Christ.” So as not to cause them grief, he did not say, “If you do not have,” but “If any man,” as if speaking of others. And he called the gifts of the New Testament the “Spirit of Christ.” For the Spirit is common to the Father and the Son, as is that saying: “The Spirit of the Father who raised Jesus from the dead,” and again: “The Spirit of his Son.” [SEVERUS.] ^C “But if Christ be in you.” He moved what was sorrowful to another, and to one [only], by saying, “If any man have not the Spirit of God.” Yet that which was desirable he attributed to them, and in the plural number: “If Christ be in you, the body is dead.” The body, he says, shall be dead in respect to the activity of sin. By this he shows that he is not accusing the flesh, but sin. For he commanded the body to be deadened for sin, that is, that it should not work sin. ^D And by “Spirit” here, he designated the soul, as having become spiritual. He commands it to follow after righteousness, of which the fruit, desireable above all, is life. “But the Spirit is life.” Do not fear, he says, when you hear “dead.” For you also have the Spirit as life, for the working of righteousness. And just as he said, “The body is dead,” it was consistent to say, “but the Spirit is living,” but he said, “is life,” showing that the Spirit is not only living, but life-giving. [CYRIL.] “He that raised Christ from the dead.” Our Lord Jesus Christ was raised by the Father, life being worked in his flesh through the Holy Spirit, which is his own. Therefore it could be said that he was raised by the Father, but also that he himself was the one who rose through the Holy Spirit; for all divine things are worked by the Father through the Son in the Spirit. Christ, therefore, will also raise our bodies from the dead. “He shall also quicken your mortal bodies.” He has come to the discourse on the resurrection. Since, therefore, all indeed rise in it, but some unto life and others unto punishment, he did not say, “He shall raise,” but “He shall quicken,” that is, he shall raise them unto life and glory. “By his Spirit that dwells in you.” He stated the cause of the quickening. For he did not say, “He who has dwelt,” but “that which dwells,” signifying a continuous indwelling.

^A “So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.”

For after such grace, we are in debt to live according to the will of God, and no longer according to the flesh. Then, so that it might not be thought that he is abolishing the necessary services of the body, such as food and clothing, he adds, “to live according to the flesh.” That is, in sins, and in giving way to carnal desires.

Otherwise: We are debtors to live according to the will of God, and not to live according to the flesh—that is, in a carnal and earthly manner. Yet he does not abolish living in the flesh, or feeding and cherishing it. “You will die.” That is, the immortal death in Gehenna. “But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body.” But if, through the Holy Spirit, you abolish the deeds of the body—that is, the wicked ones—you will live that blessed life. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God.” He did not say, “As many as have received the Spirit of God,” but, “As many as are led by the Spirit,” that is, they will have Him as both the steersman and guide of their whole life. For all who are baptized receive the Spirit, but not all give Him the leadership over them. ^B “These are the sons of God.” Lo, he also proclaims the adoption.

“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption, by which we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.”

Since he mentioned adoption (and the Jews were also honored with this name, as when it is said, “My son, my firstborn Israel” [Exod. iv, 22], and that, “I said, ‘You are gods and all of you sons of the Most High’” [Ps. lxxxi, 6]), he wishes to show the great difference between the adoptions. “For we did not receive,” he says, “a spirit of slavery again into fear.” He says that it is not as the Jews received the spiritual law, like slaves unto fear. For this is what “a spirit of slavery” signifies. For they, through the fear that hovered over them as if in their hands, were compelled as slaves to do what was required. But we, he says, as sons, because of the hope laid up in heaven, do what is fitting. Therefore, for those who lived in the order of slaves in fear, the adoption was only in name and honor, but for us, it is in truth. For just as all things among them were a type of our things, so I consider it to be with the adoption. He calls the spiritual law the “spirit of slavery.” For the Jews did not receive the Spirit in a universal sense. ^C “But you have received a spirit of adoption.” “You have received,” he says, “a spirit of adoption.” From where is it clear? We call God Father, he says, “by which we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” For in this very Spirit of adoption, we are deemed worthy to apply this voice to God and to call Him Father. And from where is it evident? Since we well and acceptably to God ^D apply this to Him...

for we are His children, adopted to Him in baptism: "And if children," He says, "then heirs." But the Jews, even if they were called children of God, yet there is a great difference between each calling and adoption. For they were named figuratively, just as other things also occurred to them as a type of grace. We, however, are not figuratively, but perfectly so. And although they were called children, it was not given to them to call God Father. But to us even this has been bestowed, and there is much other difference.

^B "Of adoption." Although it was consistent to say, "Of liberty," yet he says the greater thing: "In whom we cry." We say, "Our Father who art in heaven." He set down also the Hebrew term, so that he might show the genuine [nature] through all things: "The Spirit Himself beareth witness." Since the Jews also called God Father, he wishes to show that to them indeed this was not permitted, but to us it was. And it is clear from the witness of the Spirit, and He says: "The Spirit Himself," that is, the Paraclete Himself, "beareth witness with our spirit," that is, with the gift given to us from Him. For such a voice is not of the gift alone, but also of Him who bestowed it; where, therefore, the Spirit testifies, what uncertainty is there? "And heirs." Consequently, he increases the dignity. For they can be children and not receive an inheritance. "And joint-heirs of Christ." You see, therefore, that our adoption is different from the adoption of the Jews? For we are also heirs, but they are not. For concerning them he says: "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto others." And again, "Many," he says, "shall come and sit down with Abraham; but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out," namely, the Jews. ^C Regarding that which is said: "Spirit of bondage." Since the Jews also claimed adoption for themselves—"I have begotten and brought up children"—he shows how great is the difference between our adoption and theirs; and he says that they received a spirit of bondage, namely the law, as given by the Spirit, but one that was more fitting for servants. For the punishments were close at hand and corporal—stonings and threats: "The sword shall devour you." And because of this, there was much fear before their eyes, and the rewards were earthly: "If you listen to me, you shall eat the good things of the land." But our rewards are heavenly goods, and the communication of the mystical table given as to children. "And joint-heirs of Christ." Again he increases the dignity, and strives to establish us close to the ^D Master.

CHAPTER XIII. Repetition concerning the glory hidden for the saints.

^A "If indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him. For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the coming glory which shall be revealed in us." For the eager expectation of the creation waits for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope; that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.

That we might not become more slothful by thinking that everything is of grace, he demands also what comes from us. For if we shall share in the sorrowful, he says, we shall share also in the joyful. "The sufferings of the present time are not worthy of the coming glory." By the words "of the present time," he indicates the temporary nature of the sufferings. ^B Then he shows that the whole is almost entirely of grace, because God surpasses us in his rewards, and we are not able to suffer or to contribute anything worthy of the retribution there. "Which shall be revealed in us." Rightly "revealed," or uncovered. For it exists even now, but it is hidden. "For the eager expectation of the creation." That is, the intensified and vehement expectancy. The meaning of what he says is this: The creation itself too, he says, eagerly waits for our coming glory. Why? Because, he says, having been fashioned as incorruptible, it became corruptible on account of the sins of men, just as we, from having been incorruptible, became corruptible. The creation wishes, therefore, he says, for men to receive back incorruptibility (this will happen at the resurrection), so that it too may receive back its own incorruptibility. For when the man, on whose account it became corruptible, receives back incorruptibility, it too will receive its own incorruptibility along with him. The whole ^C is a personification, designed to show the greatness of the good things and to show that we ought to strive more to attain such glory and incorruptibility than the creation does. For do not think that the inanimate and insensate creation expects or feels such things.

"The revelation." The end, when it will be time for those who are sons of God and those who are sons of the devil to be shown. "For the creation was subjected to vanity." That is, to corruption. For it was condemned to this on account of our sins. "Not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope." It is the work of the power of Christ, he says, to subject it even against its will in hope. For it too, he says, hopes for deliverance; therefore it was subjected in the hope of deliverance. Then he interprets himself as to how it is in hope, for the creation itself also will be delivered. "That the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children ^D of God." "Into the liberty," that is, for the sake of the liberty of the glory, which is to say, for our sake the creation also will be incorruptible, just as for our sake it became corruptible. [OECUMENIUS] Or, the phrase "into the liberty" signifies, that is, into the same—

^A into which we also shall come, such as, from corruptible it will become incorruptible. VIII, 22-25. "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." And not only so, but we ourselves also, having the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we were saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, we wait for it with patience.

It groaneth, he says, the creation, wishing henceforth to throw off corruption. And if the creation does this, how much more ought we to ask for this, and not be gaping at things here, we who have even been honored with the Word, and are expecting adoption. ^B "Groaneth together." Since those who have the firstfruits of the Spirit and we ourselves also groan, for this reason it groaneth together. [CHRYSOSTOM] These things he said, not condemning the present state, but longing for the things to come. I have tasted, he says, of the grace, and cannot bear the delay; I have the firstfruits of the Spirit, and I am hastening toward the whole. I ascended into the third heaven, I saw that ineffable glory, I saw the brilliant palaces, I learned of what things I am deprived while dwelling here, and for this reason I groan. "But we ourselves also, having the firstfruits of the Spirit." Not only, he says, does the creation groan, but even we who have received a certain small beginning and taste of the Spirit, hasten to pass over to the things that are there. But if the firstfruits of the Spirit are such as to perform wondrous works from the shadow alone, what will that which is perfect do? "The redemption of our body." Lest someone should say: You said we are sons of God, and what other adoption do we expect? He says, "The redemption of the body," that is, incorruption; for then the adoption will be firm, and then its effects will appear. ^C For now, neither is the glory manifest, but it is a hope arising from a fall, through a life under condemnation. "Waiting for the adoption." [PHOTIUS] Which one? Well, what then? Did we not receive this through baptism? And did not you yourself a little while ago say that "You received the Spirit of adoption"? Yes, he says. What then are we waiting for? That which will be manifested, he says, through the redemption of the body. Another adoption than the one previously mentioned? God forbid! But that very same one, to be manifested more perfectly and to be known through experience itself. For after the redemption of the body, then will be the enjoyment of good things, then the resurrection and incorruption of the body itself, then the hereditary possession of the kingdom of heaven, then all ^D the marks and effects of the adoption. And even now, indeed, we received the adoption on the hope of these things. But he said more emphatically, "We were saved," showing that from a great storm and turbulence which proceeds from sin, by our adoption having been made, we were saved. How then have we already hoped for these things, when these things have not yet come to pass, nor appeared in our sight, nor come under our experience? Well, he says, and reasonably. For if those things which are hoped for had come into our sight, or into our experience, they would by no means be hoped for. For that which

^A For what anyone possesses, how is it possible to hope for it? Therefore, it is natural to hope for that which concerns the future and is not yet present. So we, too, must hope for those things which we do not see. But if we hope for what we do not see, as is right, we must be long-suffering and wait for the things that are being hoped for, and not demand that they arrive all at once, especially since the Spirit, through the gifts and benefits bestowed here, confirms the things hereafter, and assists and heals the weakness of our reasoning. For how many benefits does He provide in these our own prayers—to pass over other things for now—by teaching us how we ought to pray, by searching our hearts, and, in a word, by working together for good in all things?

^B By the same author, in another way, regarding: "Waiting for adoption." Why do you wait? Because by such expectation and hope we have been saved. How then? Is it necessary to wait and still to hope? If one must hope, one must by all means be patient, and through patience wait for the things hoped for. Furthermore, we also have spiritual gifts that assist our weaknesses and do not let us waver in our hopes. That the spiritual gift assists our weaknesses is immediately manifest also from the spiritual gift given to us for the help of our prayers. For, having named the Spirit three times here, he has indicated the spiritual gift; and He who searches the hearts is the all-holy Spirit Himself, who proceeds from the Father. — Otherwise: "Waiting for adoption." Then, so that he might not appear to slander the present things, and provide a handle to the heretics, he says that the present things are not evil, but that the things awaited are better, which is adoption. For then the results of adoption become manifest. "For by hope we were saved." As if he were saying: having received everything from God, we brought Him only faith, a great part of which is the hope of the things to come. Therefore, do not seek for all good things to be present here, but reserve some for the future through hope. And if you wish for all to be present, you no longer hope. For hope that is seen is not hope. "But if we hope for what we do not see." If, he says, we hope for things not seen, we shall hold the expectation of these things with patience; and that patience is a very great part of virtue is manifest to all. So hope is generative of both faith and patience. ^C

^D Likewise also the Spirit helps our infirmities; for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings inexpressible. And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to God. And do not think, he says, that you labor excessively for the sake of patience; for the Spirit will not let you grow weary, but will be an aid to you for this; for we are weak, and we are not able to accomplish even patience without the Spirit's

^A aid. [OECUMENIUS] Likewise, the Spirit will also take care of you, that is, the spiritual gift. "For we do not know how we ought to pray." And why do I say, he asks, that for the achievement of patience we stand in need of help from the Holy Spirit? And he says that we experience this even in things which seem easy, such as prayer. For there are times when we ask for things that are not expedient, "We do not know." And he included himself, so that he might not seem burdensome. "But the Spirit himself." In olden times, many received various gifts: of prophecy, of interpretation, of tongues, which they all called spirits, as being given by the Spirit. Some, moreover, received the gift of prayer. For since the multitude did not know what was expedient, and therefore not seldom asked for things that were not expedient, some received the gift of prayer, and they prayed for the whole people, which gift was also itself called spirit. This, therefore, he says, that the grace of prayer itself also intercedes for us with God with unspeakable groanings. He said this, wishing to confirm that we do not know how we ought to pray. For if this were not so, he says, what need would there be for some to receive the gift of praying for the people? This the deacon now performs as he makes supplication. He did not say *intercedes* merely, but *intercedes for*, signifying an intense and most earnest supplication. "He who searches the hearts." The Paraclete himself, who searches the hearts of spiritual men, that is to say, of those who have received the grace and the spirit of prayer. "What the mind of the Spirit is." Of ^B spiritual men, of those who have received the aforementioned spirit and gift of prayer. He knows the mind, that is, the intercession. "Because he intercedes according to God." They do not teach God as if he were ignorant, he says, but the Paraclete knows, "Because he intercedes according to God." Not according to some harmful desire, but according to God, that is, according to the will of God. "For the saints." That is, for those who are sanctified through prayer, or who make petitions for works that are pure and pleasing to God: or for men who desire holiness.

VII, 28. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Because whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he predestined, these he also called; and whom he called, these he also justified; and whom he justified, these he also glorified."

In this way, he says, on account of the ignorance we suffer in praying, we are helped by the Spirit, so that he turns even evils for us into goods. "All things work together." All things, he says, even evils; for God turns even these into goods. For they are turned to the glory of those who suffer them. But it is a greater thing ^C to be turned into goods than not to have occurred at all. "To those who are called according to his purpose." Since it seemed incredible that evils should be turned into goods, having set forth the calling of God ^D

^A he confirmed what was said. For he says that this does not happen to just anyone, but only to those who have been called by God. Then, so that it might not be thought that God called some only partially, he says, "To those who [are called] according to purpose," that is, to those who were deemed worthy of the calling according to their judgment, or rather their choice, showing that while we were all called, those individuals obeyed; therefore, those who have become the called according to their own purpose are also assisted. "For whom he foreknew." "For whom," that is, he foreknew those who are the called according to their own purpose. It is to be understood in common, "who are called according to purpose." "Conformed." He says that what the Son of God is by nature in the taking up of humanity (it being clear that he is holy and sinless), this they too have become by grace. For "conformed" means of a similar form. He calls the dispensation the image of the Son, and the body which was taken from it. For according to the dispensation, human beings are conformed and are his brothers. But according to his divinity, he is the only Begotten. ^B

[CYRIL] "Of the image." As to what the image of God might be thought to be, he himself clarifies it by saying: "Just as we have borne the image of the earthly [man], let us also bear the image of the heavenly [man]," that is, the life which is led in sanctification, a manner of life toward everyone that is free from reproach. For just as we say the image of the earthly, that is, Adam, is the life which is lived in disobedience and sins, so also [we say] the image of the heavenly, that is, Christ, is holiness, justice, and obedience. "That he might be the firstborn." By all this, he wishes to signify our kinship with Christ. I mean the kinship which exists in the dispensation of his flesh. "Whom he also predestined," and the rest. ^C Everywhere, you must supply "who are the called according to purpose," so that "whom he foreknew" stands in place of "those who are the called according to purpose." "Whom he predestined, these also he called," those according to purpose. "And whom he called, these also he justified," those according to purpose. "And whom he justified, these also he glorified," again with the "called according to purpose" [understood]. This is so that no absurdity may occur, as if God made some [good] and others not. But the "according to purpose" which is implicitly understood makes it the achievement of those who believed according to their own purpose, and it frees God from respect of persons. "These he also justified." Through the regeneration of the laver. "These he also glorified." Through the gifts of adoption. ^D

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how will he not also with him give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God who justifies; who is he that condemns? Christ who has died"

^A — or rather, who has also been raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

"What shall we then say to these things?" As if he were saying: Since these things are so, let no one henceforth make complaints because of the afflictions or dangers that occur here. For what can be said in the face of such goodness of God? ^B "What then shall we say to these things?" What things? That He foreordained, that He called, that He justified, that He glorified: what shall we say in response to such an abundance of benefits? We have neither an abundance of words of thanksgiving, he says, nor are we sufficient to offer a recompense of works; so ineffable is His grace toward us. Then, having taken this as a premise, he says: "If God is for us, who is against us?" No one; for although some may attempt to harm, they will not harm, but will rather benefit. Whence is it manifest that God is for us? Both from the things already said, and—which is the greatest thing and strikes every mind with stupor—because He did not spare his own Son for us. If, therefore, God is for us, it is manifest that He will turn everything to what is useful, and will prepare for even what seem to be sad things to result in joy, just as He did in the case of the apostles themselves and the martyrs, for whom He made tribulations, persecutions, and deaths to be the occasion for crowns and prizes, and the means leading to the kingdom of heaven. Thus, therefore, if we only do not grow faint, no one can prevail against us. By placing, "He who did not spare his own Son," and so on, he at once shows the ineffable providence of God toward us, as we said, and at the same time exhorts us by this example to sustain and bear manfully if we suffer anything difficult from some. Not only that, but he also restores and comforts. For if the Son suffered such things for you, what ought you to suffer for Him? And if He, having suffered so much, received nothing subtracted from the Father's glory or divinity, neither do you, when you suffer these things, think little of yourself; for you will certainly be deemed worthy of the promised things, even after the sufferings and death itself. But in the words that follow, "How will he not also with him give us all things?" he wishes to demonstrate the ungrudging and inevitable nature of the gift. "With him," he says, "he will grant us all things." You will say, perhaps, he says, that he might forget us? Then he would also forget the Son; for with Him he lavishes all things upon us. Therefore, we shall certainly and without any hesitation attain what has been promised to us. ^C But having spoken of the temptations that come through afflictions and torments, in saying, "Who is against us?" he now posits another kind of temptation, namely, insults, accusations, vituperations, and calumnies, which the unbelievers poured out against the faithful. And he makes this manifest by the fact that he says, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" And he demonstrates here, just as in the case of the things mentioned before, that when God justifies, those who accuse or condemn are prating in vain. "If God is for us, who is against us?" For lest they say that kings are against us, and mobs and rulers (for all were plotting against the faithful), he says that God prevails over the plots against us, having made them an opportunity for crowns. Therefore, there is no one against us. "He who did not spare his own Son." How, then

^A should God abandon us, who not only made us conformed to His Son, but also justified and glorified us? And not only this, but He also gave His Son for all of us, he says, even for publicans, and sinners, and fornicators? If, he says, the Father gave the Son to death, what is there to doubt concerning the rest? For He who gave what is great, will surely give what is less. "Who shall lay anything to the charge?" Many impious men were accusing the believers. He says, therefore, who is capable of accusing or blaming those who have been chosen by God? And see, he did not say "Servants of God" or "Believers," but "Chosen," elevating the dignity. "God is he that justifieth." He did not say, "He that remits sins," but what is greater, "He that justifieth." "Who is he that condemneth?" For when God, by His own decree, justifies anyone, who is he that condemns? And what does the one who condemns benefit? For he who condemns does so as if for sins. "Christ who died." He brings this forward by way of a question, as if these things were irrefutable. "Who died." Who, he says, is he that condemns, when the Spirit assists our infirmities, and the Father justifies, and the Son has died for us? For those whom the Trinity has justified, who is he that condemns? ^B — [OECUMENIUS] You may also understand it in this way, to match the literal text. "If the Spirit," he says, "assists, if the Father has justified, who is the one able to condemn?" It is left, he says, for the Son. The Son, therefore, he says, has the power to condemn, even though He loves us so much as to have chosen death for us, and is at the right hand of the Father. And having returned to His own glory, He did not cease His love toward us, but also intercedes with the Father for us. For this is what "intercedes" means. And understand the intercession in this way: by the very fact that He has become man, He intercedes with the Father for us. "Who is also at the right hand of God." For so that you might not think the intercession to be a diminution, having placed first the equality of honor, that He is at the right hand of God, he thus said "intercedes," wishing to show the fervent love. For not as one himself weak to save does He need the help of the Father—perish the thought. "Who also intercedes for us." — [CYRIL] It is said regarding His humanity, because He was a high priest: "You are a priest forever." — [PHOTIUS] He reveals and hints here at the meaning of that Sunday voice, which is offered to the Father in the form of a prayer: "Father, keep them in your truth," and, "That you may keep them from the evil one," and similar things. If, therefore, the Son cares for us so much that He even intercedes (for the prayer spoken then has such great power that it is always effective and fulfills the things contained in the intercession); if, therefore, He cares for us so much, who is he that condemns those who have believed in Him? The Father has justified and glorified, the Spirit assists, Christ also died

dead for us and has risen and intercedes; who, therefore, shall accuse or condemn, the holy Trinity thus protecting us?

CAPUT XIV. On the love that is owed to Christ.

VIII, 35-37. Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? As it is written: For thy sake we are being put to death all the day long; we were reckoned as sheep for the slaughter. But in all these things we super-conquer through him who loved us. ^A

“Who shall separate us?” No one, he says, those whom God has deemed worthy of such love and providence. That which he says now, “Who shall separate us?” is a repetition of that saying: “What shall we say then?” Just as this also: “It is God who justifies, who is he that condemns?” is a repetition of that: “If God is for us, who is against us?” For he has used such a rhetorical structure frequently, on account of the sequence and breadth of the argument. For no one, as far as I know, neither of our own people nor of those outside, has used this form as the great Paul has done. So that the discourse might not fall into excessive obscurity for him, he has employed repetitions. Yet these particles can also be taken from a primary principle, so that they are not as it were repetitions of things already said. “Tribulation, or distress,” etc. He did not say riches, glory, and whatever things seem good among men, but rather those things which are born to apply force to human nature. ^B The name of tribulation is manifested in many things: such as prisons, chains, exiles, and whatever things are of this sort. “As it is written.” Wishing to exhort them to shame, he brought in the testimony. For if in the Old Testament they despised life, to whom the rewards were earthly and things possessed on earth: then how much more we, who have the kingdom of heaven as the recompense for our labors? “For thy sake.” He confirms the discourse with the testimony. “All the day long.” For it happens that by their own will they frequently die in the day. Or “all the day long,” that is, through the whole day, or through the whole life. For the whole life of men is one single day. “We were reckoned as sheep.” We are exposed, he says, to injury by all. ^C It is manifest that the apostles were as sheep that are slaughtered, contradicting nothing. “But in all these things we super-conquer.” He lifts up the hearer so that he might not collapse upon hearing of tribulations, persecutions, and all he has said, and he says: “We overcome all things by the grace of Christ.” And he did not say, We conquer, but, “We super-conquer;” that is, by those very snares by which we are beset, we are crowned: being harassed by war, we not only do not succumb, but we are even crowned. For those who lay snares become promoters of crowns to us, if only we bear them with a grateful spirit. ^D

VIII, 38, 39. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the

of the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Since he previously spoke of present things, he now enumerates the future, and says: "Neither death to come, nor life to come, nor Angels, nor Powers, shall be able to separate me from the love of God, which is rendered unto me through Christ." All things, he says, are small to me, when compared to that love. Then, because he spoke of every creature, visible and intelligible, which are things present and to come, he adds: ^A "Nor any other creature." That is to say, even if some other thing could exist besides that which is, not even it, it seems to me, would be anything in comparison to the love of God. But because he mentioned Angels and Powers, do not think that he implies that the Angels or Powers desire to separate anyone from Christ; far from it! Rather, wishing to signify his ardent love for God, he descended to these words. "Nor height, nor depth." ^B [THEODORE] By depth, as I think, he names Gehenna, and by height, the kingdom; and in addition to these, eternal life and eternal death. — Otherwise. [OECUMENIUS] To say it in summary, neither things highly glorious nor things highly inglorious, nor good things, nor grievous things, nor noble things, nor evil things. "Which is in Christ Jesus." Having previously placed the love of God, so that he might not seem to lie by speaking of his own private love (for it is no wonder if one who is loved loves in return), he added, "Which is in Christ Jesus." For the Jews also loved God, but not in Christ Jesus, whence they also perished.

CHAPTER XV.

"I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continuous pain in my heart. For I myself could wish to be anathema from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belong the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the legislations and the worship and the promises; whose are the fathers, and from whom is Christ according to the flesh, who is over all God blessed for ever. Amen."

It is a great thing he is about to say, therefore he paves the way to make it credible, producing three witnesses: Christ, the Holy Spirit, and his own conscience. See, then: "The truth," he says, "I speak in Christ. And I do not lie, and my conscience is a witness to me in this together with the Holy Spirit. ^C For I could wish myself to be anathema from Christ." Look at the intensity; he did not say, "I would wish" (velim), but "I could wish" (optarim). [PHOTIUS] He whom nothing is able to separate from the love of God, neither death threatened, nor life offered, nor those things from the age to come, nor those of the present, nor whatever one might conceive—for indeed it was for this reason that he mentioned Angels and Powers, and depth and height—he therefore, whom nothing can separate, how does he himself willfully ^D

^A separate himself, and that too for the sake of his kinsmen according to the flesh? And not only does he willfully separate himself, but he even desires and seeks and prays to be separated from the love of Christ. "For I could wish," he says, "that I myself were accursed from Christ." What then is this? How shall those things that are impossible come to pass? First of all, we say that these are not contrary. For it is not contrary both to love Christ in such a way that one can be separated from His love neither by punishment nor by any promise, and to love one's neighbor in such a way that one deems their salvation equal to or even greater than one's own salvation. These things are not, therefore, contrary, but rather even in harmony with each other. For he who loves his brother also loves the Master, and vice versa. "By this," He says, "all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." And Paul himself says, "Love is the fulfilling of the law." And the Lord again concerning love toward God and toward one's neighbor says, "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets," as they are the ^B head of all other things, both the love toward God and the love toward the neighbor.

Certainly someone will say: But in this place he seems to prefer the love of neighbors to the love of God, and chooses to deny the latter in order to gain the former. But Christ says, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me." But this is not to love them more than Christ. For what was it to love them? It was surely to make them familiar with Christ. How then is it possible to love them more than Christ, when he was eager to draw them to the love and obedience of Christ? For his word is rather that of one who shows the exceeding love which he had toward Christ, since he was simultaneously impelling others toward Him. But, he says, if he were not separating himself from Christ, saying, "I myself could wish," and so on. What then shall we say? That he was by no means separating himself; for he did not say, "I pray for this to come to pass," but he was showing the ardor of the desire which he had toward Christ, and the zeal with which he was expending himself in order to bring everyone to Him, and especially the Jews; for these were both his kinsmen, and they happened to be the most resistant. Wishing ^C therefore to demonstrate these things, he says: If it were possible that through my perdition Christ might be glorified and the Jews might be saved, I would not even refuse this. For, he says, if it were possible, if it were allowed, if this choice were given to me: Do you wish to be separated from Christ, so that the whole nation of the Jews might be united, and Christ might be glorified, and the promises of the Father might be fulfilled? Or to remain in this union, so that the nation of the Jews might act seditiously and be divided, and Christ might be blasphemed—if these things were proposed, I would prefer, he says, the glory of Christ and the salvation of the many to my own. Do you see the exceeding love for Christ? Since he demonstrated the love of Christ from all things that are, he now demonstrates it also from those things that are not, ^D which are supposed by the intellect according to the hypothesis.

^A My own salvation, he says, I would, in the hypothesis, neglect entirely for the sake of His glory and the conversion of the Jews to Him. For even if Paul were separated for the glory of Christ and the union of the Jews in Him, he would easily be united and joined again, just like a little colt slightly separated from its mother; and thus he himself would be saved again, and Christ would be more glorified, and the nation of the Jews would be saved, and the covenants and promises would reach their end. Or rather, in this way, even while being separated for these things, he was not being separated, but was more united. Or does it not seem to you, when he circumcised Timothy, when he was purified, when he fulfilled the things of the Law while preaching grace, that he seemed in a certain way to be separated from grace and to act against himself? But he was neither separated, nor did he act against himself. For it was for the sake of grace, and in order to bring all to Christ, that he did these and all other things. This is the love worthy of Christ; this is of a soul entirely and utterly inflamed with desire for Christ.

Otherwise, he does not even say "to become anathema"—that is, to be separated from Him from now on (for that is most to be shunned)—but "to be anathema," which is to say, to be still separated and not yet to have come to Christ. This, he says, I would have prayed for: that I myself had not yet come to Christ, but was still separated from Him, if this would contribute to your entry and faith in Him. For do not think, he says, that I call you to Christ because I have come to Him; nay, I would have wished you to have run to Him even before me. Then, he subsequently sets forth the causes. ^B "I myself." I do not prefer others to you in coming to Christ, nor even myself. For I would have chosen not yet to have come to Him, if through this you might approach. "To be anathema." He seems indeed to wish to be alienated from Christ for the sake of his brethren and kinsmen. For this is the power of "anathema." Yet, to one who considers it accurately, it will appear that he said these things for the love of Christ. In what way? Since he saw Christ being blasphemed by the Jews—as they were saying, "We who have received the Law and the promises, and who were the progenitors of Christ Himself, and to whom the adoption belonged, have been cast out, and in our place have entered men who have just come from the altars and the stench of the sacrifices of idols"—because he knew that they were saying these things, in order that there might not be any occasion for blasphemy against God, he desired that the Jews also be converted, to such an extent that he was willing even to become anathema for this, which is a demonstration of the love of Christ. For since no creature was able to separate him, how could the love of kinsmen and brothers have separated him? "I myself." The teacher, he says, of all; who expect ten thousand crowns; who prefer His love to all things. ^C "From Christ." It was for the sake of the love of Christ that he said this; for he desired Him to be glorified by all. But not wishing to make the gift manifest (for it is a gift, to love Christ in such a way), he pretends to love his kinsmen more. "For my brethren." Wishing to show his immense love and zeal toward the Jews,

^A immediately after saying, "Nothing can separate me from the love of God," he adds, "But for my brethren," (meaning that ^B if this would result in their salvation, I would have wished to be separated). This is what "anathema" means. "Whose is the adoption," and so forth. He wishes to show that God has omitted nothing for the benefit of the Jews. But they, by their own ingratitude and wickedness, have fallen away from everything. Therefore, he enumerates the gifts of God: adoption, glory, the giving of the law, and the rest. "Who is God over all." Here the Apostle very clearly calls Christ God. Be ashamed, most miserable Arius, hearing from Paul that Christ is glorified as true God. "Blessed for the ages." He offered thanksgiving on behalf of all. As if to say: Even if the Jews are blasphemous toward Him, yet I, who know the mysteries and understand His providence, know that He is worthy to be glorified, inasmuch as Christ is God over all for the ages. ^C

IX, 6-9. *But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are of Israel are Israel, nor are all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "In Isaac shall your seed be called," that is, not the children of the flesh are these children of God, but the children of the promise are reckoned as seed. For this is the word of promise: At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.*

Behold, he says, I even desire to become anathema for the Jews to believe, and so that God might not appear to have been false in the things which He promised. Yet if we examine it accurately, the word has not failed, ^D nor has the promise of God been made void. For I said these things, not as though the word of God had failed—that is, not because the word of God had failed, but that I might demonstrate my love toward them. And subsequently he shows how the word of God and the promise of God to Abraham did not fail. What is it? That his seed, according to the promise, was to be equal in number to the stars. Now his seed according to the promise is that of the faithful, who have not fallen away from divine Providence. "Not as though." Not only, he says, has the word of God not failed, but neither is it "as though" it failed; that is, it did not even come near to failing, or appearing to have failed. "For not all who are of Israel," etc. And how, he asks, has the word of God not failed? How? "Because not all who are of Israel are Israelites," that is, the seed of Abraham. Then he clarifies this. For it is not the case that because some are carnal children of Abraham, they are straightaway also children according to the promise, and those to whom the promise was made; but who are the children of Abraham, hear, he says, the Scripture. Observe, however, that he did not say, "Of Jacob," but "Of Israel," setting the word "Israel" as a sign of virtue and showing the gift from above. If not all who are of the seed of Abraham are also children of Abraham, it is certainly manifest that there is another way that makes them children of Abraham besides the birth which comes from him.

^A Who, then, is this one? The one of the promise; that is to say, those are children who have also been deemed worthy of the promise, and who have been multiplied as the stars of heaven—such as the faithful, that is to say, not the children [of the flesh], "That is, not the children of the flesh," and so forth. Then he interprets the Scripture that was read: what is the meaning of, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called"? Because, he says, those who are from the promise are children. And he did not say, "of Abraham," but, "of God," showing that even Isaac was not simply Abraham’s, because he was not born by the power of seed, but by the power of Him who promised, in order to show that those who possess adoption, they are sons of Abraham according to the promise. ^B "These are the children of God." Since, according to this argument, even the Idumeans, because they were descendants of Abraham as far as the flesh is concerned, ought to be children of God, but they are not. For they are indeed the seed of Abraham according to the flesh, but we are children of Abraham, as those who share in the same faith as he, and children of God through the laver of divine baptism. "But the children of the promise." Whoever, he says, are born according to Isaac, these are both the seed of Abraham and sons of God. For Isaac was born not according to the law of nature, but according to the power of the promise. Therefore, those who are born in this way are sons of Abraham. And in this way we are born through the laver. For we are also born by the words of the promise—by words, because in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, the immersions in the laver take place; and by promise, because the prophets long before announced the baptism, as when it is said, "Wash yourselves, and be clean." ^C And not only this, but also Rebecca, having [conception] from one, Isaac our father. "For when they were not yet born, nor having done any good or evil, in order that the purpose of God according to election might remain, not from works, but from Him who calls, it was said to her that the greater shall serve the lesser." As it is written: "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." And what is wonderful, he says, that of the Jews those indeed who have believed are accounted as the seed of Abraham, but those who are unbelieving are no longer so? For you will find this also in the case of the ancients. For indeed Isaac is accounted alone as the seed, although there were also those from Keturah. ^D And not only this, he says, but also Rebecca, having seed from one, from Isaac, and having given birth to two, did not have the two as pleasing to God, nor as being accounted as the seed of Abraham. And yet, not yet born, they had done neither good nor evil. Thus, he says, also with the Jews: those who are faithful are both the seed of Abraham and are saved, while the unbelieving are no longer so. "Having conception from one." From whom she did not have, he says, the two [who were] pleasing, "For when they were not yet born." Namely, Esau and Jacob. "In order that the purpose of God according to election might remain." That is, the election according to foreknowledge. Having said, "The purpose..."

of God," he declared His counsel. By saying, "According to election," he showed that they also differed from one another. For no one chooses one person over another unless there is some difference between them. By saying, "Not from works," he showed the magnitude of the calling and of His grace, because He chooses and calls even when they have done nothing. But if He chooses when they have done nothing, how does He choose? For election usually occurs among those who differ in some respect; but if they have done nothing, in what do they differ? Indeed, strictly speaking, to human eyes, since they have done nothing, they do not differ at all; but by the divine foreknowledge of the future, they differ greatly. For the one was pleasing to God, while the other was not. Thus, the election was not from works, but came from the calling and from grace. And it was done justly, but its justice was hidden from men. Just as even now the justice involved in the slaughter of those who had made the calf still remains hidden ^B. For though all had made the calf, not all were slain. But even if the justice in their slaughter escaped men, it was known precisely and unerringly to the Judge of all—as is also true of countless other matters, and as is the case with things that happen every day. For many things that have causes unknown to us, and which to the senseless seem to happen without reason, are judged by the eye of justice—which is the inspector of all things and the judge of all—to have been done justly, and indeed they are brought to pass. Yet the divine Paul says ^C that even if there were no hidden reason in these things that happen, it would still not be fitting for some to be resentful and to accuse divine Providence, asking why this one leads his life in this way, and that one in that way. For the potter has the power to mold as he wishes. This, he says, is stated in superabundance, since he also uses the aforementioned manner of defense, where he says that the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up," and so on. For here, he seems to say that it would have seemed irrational to the many that Pharaoh should be raised up and reign, being so wicked and cruel and inhuman; but the Scripture, by teaching the cause, has transformed what appeared irrational into something rational.

^D And yet, he says, even this very rational explanation, and the solution to the difficulty, can again give birth to hesitation in the contentious and ungrateful. For they will say: "It was for this reason that He raised Pharaoh to be king, so that His name might be glorified when He had punished him with an unheard-of and wondrous punishment. Why then does He still find fault with him? Or rather, why did He even punish him? For when he sinned, he sinned for His glory. For if he had not sinned, he would not have been punished; if he had not been punished, He would not have been glorified." Now this is what He was aiming at: "That I may show, He says, My power in you," and so forth. And if He so willed it, who can resist His will? You see how the solution to the riddle and the rendering of the cause not only did not resolve the problem for the ungrateful, but became an occasion for further doubts. Wherefore it is better not to seek the

^A causes of these things; otherwise, those who inquire will find that the solutions themselves become the cause of greater difficulties. For it is the duty of grateful creatures and servants not to demand accounts from the Creator and Lord, but to give thanks to Him for all things that occur, although they do not understand the reasons for which they happen; indeed, we ought to give even more thanks for these things. For it is manifest that the causes of those things which we do not comprehend are greater and more admirable, and exceed our apprehension. And so, we ought to offer even greater acts of thanksgiving.

But He, proceeding, sets forth the solution ^B to the second difficulty: “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” For while Jacob had not yet done anything, He called him a beloved one. “For Jacob,” he says, “I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” — “It was said to her,” that is, to Rebecca, “The elder shall serve the younger.” For men perhaps [know a person] after birth, but God knows even before birth what things are in a person.

IX, 14-18. “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For He says to Moses: I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be declared in all the earth. Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.”

“Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.” For Esau was hated as a wicked man, but Jacob was loved as a good man. “What then?” That is, what shall we say ^C about the Jews who were in the desert? Did not all make the calf? How then is it said, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy”? For if there is no injustice with God, and yet, when all had made the calf, He said, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,” then surely with hidden eyes God enters into the hearts of men, and not as men do. Therefore, God also does not deal unjustly with the Jews who now are; but even now as many as are worthy are saved, for they believe; but as many as are unworthy perish, for they do not believe. “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.” As if He said: I know who are worthy of salvation, and how many are unworthy. If, therefore, Moses was ignorant of who were worthy ^D and who unworthy, we could much less know the causes of what happens; for who shall search out the judgments of God? That is to say, no one. “So then it is not of him that willeth,” and the rest. It is necessary indeed to will and to run, and for each one to fulfill his own power. Yet, because without the counsel of God neither the one who wills nor the one who runs achieves anything further, without the help of God, it remains that God also wills and has mercy on him who wishes to be saved. All these things the divine Paul said against those who resist and say, Why has Judaism been rejected by God, and Christianity and faith been introduced in its place? Wishing, therefore, to teach us not to demand accounts from God for what He does, but to consider all things good, even if we are ignorant of many...

causes—this is what He sets forth by many examples and signs—He demonstrates the difficulty in discerning divine judgments. ^B Item, and in another way: "It is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but it is necessary that the mercy should come from above, and the assistance which is administered from thence." Or this can also be understood in such a way—that which is said: "So then it is not of him who wills," etc.—not that it is a settled position of Paul’s, but rather as one put forth by those who are in doubt. For if He has mercy on whom He will, etc., if this is so, he says, we will in vain and we run in vain. And the saying is indeed for the confirmation of the difficulty, but not for its resolution by any other means.

^B 329 Then, again, there follows a repetition of the difficulty: "Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens." Afterward, as if it were not sufficient to have demonstrated the magnitude of the difficulty and the absurdity of the matter, its transformation is posited into that which is more absurd and holds greater perplexity. For, "Why does He still find fault?" he says, "Why does He now exact punishment? For who can resist His will?" Having thus increased and exacerbated the difficulty, he adds the solution by way of reproof, very sharply and appositely, speaking thus: "Who are you, O man, who answer back to God?" as if to say: What are you doing now by answering back to God? Do you resist and war against His will and His deed, or not? ^C For if you do not, why do you contradict? Why do you answer back to God? But if you do resist and contradict and answer back, how do you say that "who has resisted His will?" Therefore, if you are indeed resisting, you will say in vain and against yourself, "Why does He still find fault?" But if you are not resisting, you will no longer say at all, "Why does He still find fault," nor, "Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens," nor will you be led at all into such thoughts as to quarrel in words with the Creator over what He does and how He governs the world, nor to contradict Him and resist Him. Thus, therefore, having widely overturned the hesitation, he introduces another solution from the nature and property of those things which are fashioned ^D among us: partly containing an admonitory counsel or doctrine, and partly an increpatory contradiction. And the admonitory counsel or doctrine is of this sort: Why do you contradict? Why do you answer back to the Maker and Creator? Imitate other created things—you who are rational, the irrational; you who are animate, the inanimate—since you ought to praise the Maker more than those things praise their own potters. Those do not contradict nor resist the Artificer, although they are servile by nature; yet they are transformed according to His will, trusting everything to the Artificer. But you, neither enslaved by the necessity of nature, but honored with reason and the liberty of will, do not yield to the will of Him who fashioned you, nor do you love His governance, but you contend and resist with words, and demand accounts of those things which are done and provided for. 330 "Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, Why have you made me thus?"

^A Such is the contradiction by way of reproof. You answer, he says, as if you acted under compulsion, as if He overcame your will and you were in this respect deprived of your free choice. And yet we do not see this in the things which are not free that you yourself make. They do not argue with their makers: "Why did you make me thus, and not otherwise?" or, "Why this?" or, "Why did you make me at all?" But you both argue and demand accounts from the Creator. Therefore, you have not been deprived of free choice. Therefore, you do not sin under compulsion. Justly, therefore, you are both punished and fall under reproach, being free and yet not doing what is required. And this for these points. ^B But the part, "Or has the potter no power?" and what follows, is a different argument brought forward for the purpose of restraint. Granted, he says, according to your own argument, even though it has already been refuted, that you are not free, and that God fashioned you thus: still it is not just to contradict God and to accuse Him. For even if you wish to attribute no other prerogative to Him who is above all mind and speech, yet at least that which is common to all who fashion a thing in any way, it is utterly absurd and impious to take away from Him. What, then, is that? That no thing formed accuses or blames its molder, but every artisan has free will to work and fashion as he wishes, and is free from blame, especially in the eyes of what he has fashioned. So you, even if you were fashioned as you say, ought not to be indignant or contradict, according to the common law and standard of things fashioned. "For the Scripture says to Pharaoh," and so forth. [OECUMENIUS.] The solution to this he gives below, saying that Pharaoh suffered what he suffered because of his own malice, since God indeed wished to save him; therefore He was long-suffering, giving him room for repentance. "My power." The power of God is long-suffering, and the greatest power. For who would not be struck with wonder that God was so long-suffering? He says, therefore, that for this reason He allowed you to reign, that I might appear long-suffering. ^C "Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills," and so forth. He has mercy on the one worthy to be treated with mercy, but the stubborn and disobedient He permits to be stubborn. For the present time is not one of judgment, but of conduct and free choice. For "He hardens" means that He allows him to be hard, yielding to his free choice. "But whom He wills He hardens." [GREGORY OF NYSSA.] The hardening by God of the Egyptian tyrant is not to be understood as if God were placing resistance to His will in his soul, but rather that the choice, through its inclination toward evil, did not receive the word that softens the stubbornness. [BASIL.] God hardened Pharaoh by long-suffering and the delay of punishment, increasing his malice, so that, his wickedness having increased to the final extreme, the justice of the divine judgment might appear in him. ^D You will say to me, then: "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?" Indeed, O man,

^A who are you that answers back to God? "Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, 'Why have you made me thus?' Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?" As if by consequence, perhaps you will say: "What then is left to us? Why does He still find fault and punish? For who resists His counsel and will?" Then he stops the mouths of all who wish to learn what God does, and to know the reasons for them, or rather, the reasons for reality itself. For he says, for what you learn, give thanks; but for what you do not know, do not be resentful, do not investigate, do not be overly curious, knowing and being convinced that He proceeds justly and by right reason, even if you are ignorant of the reasons. And since the truth is such, "O man, who are you that answers back to God," that is, who resists and debates? And well does he say, "Who are you?" Are you a partner with Him in authority? Or are you some kind of judge? "Will the thing formed say...?" He does not say these things to abolish the freedom of the will—far from it!—but to show that in all ways one must obey God, even if we are ignorant of the reasons for what happens, just as in asking or not asking God for the reasons for things that occur, it is fitting to be obedient, just as the clay is to the potter. "Or does not the potter have power...?" He has power, he says, the God who raises the dead, to raise some to glory and others to disgrace, according to the proportion of what has been lived by each man. Thus, the holy Methodius in the discourse *On the Resurrection*: "one vessel for honor, and another for dishonor." Not that God makes some men good and others the opposite—far from it! Rather, all the works of God are good and, in what concerns Him—that is to say, according to His own counsel and will—He wished all to be successful, virtuous, and faithful. But as to the power ^B which God has to do what He wills, this is what is said by Him. Everything He does is done beautifully and fittingly, even if we are ignorant of the reasons, and he says: As the potter does what he wills, and the clay neither contradicts nor investigates, so do not you, he says, be curious, nor be resentful when you are ignorant of what God wills you to be ignorant. Indeed, ignorance is entirely useful to you; otherwise, you would have been taught in things you did not understand. ^C

IX, 22-24. "But if God, willing to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and so that He might make known the riches of His glory to the vessels of mercy which He had prepared beforehand for glory, whom He also called, us, not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles." He wished to show longsuffering, but because one abused the longsuffering of God toward a wicked life, subsequently he also showed wrath. "Look at the judgments of God." Otherwise. [Phot.] The phrase "But if God, willing to show His wrath," is either an exposition of the argument preceding it, expanding and explaining it at greater length, or it introduces another matter peculiar to what has been said, which to the same ser-[vitor]

^A of the argument it contributes. It was necessary, he says, for the punitive power of God to be known, it was necessary for his long-suffering, it was necessary for his loving-kindness and mercy, and his ineffable and great glory. But whence are these shown? From the things which seem to the many to be absurd. From Pharaoh, from the calling of "not my people" "my people," from the saving of the remnant, and from similar things. So that from the things for which the ungrateful pass judgment on God as unjust, the grateful gain great rewards. Therefore, the nature of things does not contain the perplexity, but the blasphemy of the ungrateful does.

Another way: The phrase, "What if God, willing," and what follows, is connected to what precedes it. If God, he says, is willing to show, and that he might make it known, and there they shall be called sons of the living God, and the remnant of Israel shall be saved, ^B if he does these things, who are you who answer back to God? "To show his wrath." [OECUM.] God was not then seized by the passion of wrath, far from it! But because he did the things which we do when we are angry, he called the act "wrath," from that which is known to us. "He bore in much long-suffering the vessels of wrath." That is to say, he was exceedingly long-suffering, leading Pharaoh to repentance. But as he did not come to a sound mind, he punished him. "Vessels of wrath." God, on the one hand, was long-suffering towards him, but Pharaoh became a vessel of wrath—that is to say, a man stoking the wrath of God, or drawing the wrath of God upon himself. And not only this, but also "fitted for destruction," that is, prepared and perfected so as to have to be destroyed; manifesting that he himself is the cause of God's wrath and of his own destruction. For God is not the cause of evils, but each one makes himself a vessel of wrath, just as also a vessel of loving-kindness, that is, of mercy. So also Pharaoh, not because of God, but because of his own wickedness, suffered what he suffered. "Fitted for destruction." Why, he says, do you accuse God of irrationality? It must be read with a pause. And since it so happens, why, he says, do you accuse him of irrationality? "He bore towards destruction." By "destruction" he means "perdition" in this place. God bore towards perdition, not just anyone, but those who had prepared themselves into vessels of wrath. Nevertheless, even in the case of these, although they had prepared themselves as such, having been long-suffering for a long time beforehand, he thus used the punishment that is according to justice. ^C Or you may understand it better in this way: "He bore in much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction." He bore, he says, he endured, and with much long-suffering. How, then, in much long-suffering? Because when they were already ready and fitted for destruction, and nearly filled with the just wrath because of the excess of their wickedness, he still bore with them and endured them, awaiting their conversion. That he himself does not destroy these vessels is manifest to everyone; for they fitted themselves for destruction. But he destroys them after they have fitted themselves, after they have run to the end of wickedness, after they have derived nothing from his long-suffering. And it is shown by ^D

the just punishment of God upon them, and his power ^A—that is, the punitive power—and the demonstration of wrath, which such persons are worthy to receive. « And that he might make known. » This statement is construed in two ways: from what is common, and by ellipsis. From what is common, it is necessary to take the verb « he bore. » He bore the vessels of wrath, and he bore the vessels of mercy. By ellipsis, because he did not say for what he bore the vessels of mercy, as he said there concerning the vessels of wrath, that it was unto destruction. Therefore, one must understand here, "unto salvation." For to those who despise and disregard the power of God, it was necessary and useful that he should make known to them through punishment his power and all-mighty and all-seeing nature. « Upon the vessels of mercy. » Just as, he says, upon the vessels of wrath, that is, upon Pharaoh, he bore wrath, having made use of much long-suffering beforehand, so too upon the vessels of mercy, that is, upon us who are worthy to be pitied, he bore philanthropy. For this must be understood along with it. « Which he prepared. » He prepared them because he knew them to be worthy of mercy through faith. And this tends to his own glory. « Prepared. » ^B [Phot.] As one who is prescient and knows that they will be diligent. He therefore prepared the vessels worthy of mercy unto glory, that is, so that they might be glorified. For the riches of his glory were made known among us, because those who were attached to idols and were slaves to the passions and to sin, he not only freed from these, but he also glorified through adoption. « Not only from among the Jews. » You see that God does not save in a one-sided manner, but from both Jews and Gentiles he saves through faith those who are worthy of salvation.

IX, 27. « As he also says in Hosea: I will call those who were not my people, my people; and her who was not beloved, beloved. And it shall be in the place where it was said to them, You are not my people, there they shall be called sons of the living God. But Isaiah cries out over Israel: If the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant shall be saved. »

That he did not, he says, simply, nor, as one might say, in a one-sided manner save the faithful from among the Gentiles, but because they were worthy of salvation, he brings forward the prophet ^C who had proclaimed this so long before. For behold, God calls both a people and a beloved Church and sons those who are from the Gentiles. Why ever? Certainly because of their own good will and faith. « Her who was not beloved. » The Church from the Gentiles, which was not loved before. For it did not know God. « You are not my people. » For God formerly denied the nations because of their superstition. « But Isaiah cries out over Israel. » He says that he shows no hesitation, but cries out openly. To all these inscrutable judgments of his: « Who are you, O man, who answer back to God? » This is to be understood from what is common, or it must be taken by way of omission. For instance, « If God, wishing to show ^D... » Then such things...

did He, and all things beneficially and wisely; how then do you dare to demand an account of such all-wise and incomprehensible works? « A remnant shall be saved. » Not all, he says, but a part of them. For this is what « remnant » signifies. « Behold, God, through His ineffable philanthropy, makes for Himself a common people both from Jews and from Gentiles. »

IX, 28-29. « For He finishes the work and cuts it short in righteousness; because the Lord will make a finished work [a shortened word] upon the earth. And as Isaias has predicted: Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we should have been made like Sodom, and we should have been made like Gomorrah. »

[Oecumenius] The phrase « finishes the work » ^B signifies that all words of faith and knowledge of God have reached their end, and there will not be another after this one now being preached, just as those of the Jews were, which passed over into the present. But now, for the completion of all faith and every word, the word of faith is given. [Photius] The Mosaic law was given while God was pre-delineating and pre-writing the word of grace; but He gives the evangelical [word], finishing and cutting short—that is, perfecting all things and leading them to an excellent end, such that it cannot admit of any other correction or perfection. Why then did he mention, « For He finishes the word and cuts it short »? ^C It is as if he were rendering a cause for the things previously said, that he attached this. And we say that he attached it very fittingly and naturally for many reasons. First, because he said, « I will call those who were not my people, my people, » and so forth, in order that no one might say: And what of that? Just as some who were a people became not a people, so if some who were not a people should become a people, nothing prevents these from becoming not a people again. Not so, he says: « For He finishes the word and cuts it short. » For those things were passing away and being replaced, because all were destined to be ^D changed for the better; but now, this is no longer the case. Because the present calling and the spiritual legislation and the promise are perfected. For this reason he mentioned, « For He finishes the word. » Secondly, because he said, « If the number of the sons of Israel should be as the sand of the sea, » and so forth, in order that they might not say: Having heard many promises, we either attained nothing at all, or only after a long and great time. For many had fallen away because of their ingratitude and stubbornness. In order, then, that the Jews might not speak this way, he says: It is not so now, but if only you will, salvation is perfected and contracted into our hands. And these things have been said to show that he attached this very fittingly. It also has a special teaching (for such is the peculiarity of the inspired one), and he connects and interweaves the things said next with those said previously, and through them he instills a special thought and teaching again. For, being most fruitful in his thoughts, with the briefest of utterances he [brings forth many and various things].

meanings. And now, therefore, he says: Do not think, O Jews, that the evangelical legislation will cease, just as the Mosaic did. That was a type, and looked toward another perfection. Rightly, therefore, it ceased. But the Lord’s legislation is finished; the Mosaic looked toward this, and was a type of it. For in it is our true and perfect justification and salvation, and after it there is no other. Therefore, with good reason the former has ceased, and will still cease perfectly, but this one shall be forever. And he says these things clearly, urging them toward faith in Christ and a way of life in accordance with the Gospel.

^B “For he will finish the word and cut it short.” He gave, he says, a word that is completed and cut short, that is, brief. And the word of faith which is thus cut short and completed is the one that will justify those who believe.

Otherwise: He speaks of faith. “For if,” he says, “you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” And “he will act,” that is, he will give. Do you see the brevity and the completion—that is, the perfection? “Unless the Lord of Sabaoth”—that is, of hosts, of armies—“had left us a remnant.” By these words he terrifies and rebukes them, as if he were saying: If some of you were not certainly going to believe in Christ, you would differ in no way from Sodom and Gomorrah, even though you glory in your kinship with Abraham.

Or rather, one must interpret the prophetic utterance regarding that text: “He will finish the word and cut it short,” as if he had said: Unless the Lord had done this and given us the perfect law of the Gospel through his Son for our justification and salvation, we all would have become like Sodom, and so on. For the seed signifies the gospel law, as the Lord also says: “A sower went out to sow.” And as for the word “left,” he means that he did not merely sow it, but also ^C preserved it, so that it might not be snatched away by the birds, or destroyed by some other wild and unclean spirits or thoughts; rather, he both sowed it and preserved it so that it might be left to us and might proceed to cultivation and produce fruit.

One could also understand the apostles in the place of the seed, who were chosen from among all the Jews after the manner of seed, and were left for the world, and cultivated all the nations for the Church of Christ. Indeed, the parable of the leaven in the Gospel ^D is understood by many of our fathers to apply to them as well. As far, therefore, he says, as the disbelief of the Jews had reached, we would have become like Gomorrah and Sodom, but the seed left to us by the Lord of Sabaoth—namely, the apostles—having brought the nations to fruit and having shown a productive field, demonstrates that the promises made to Abraham have germinated and been fulfilled in them. “Left us a remnant.” Both through his own grace and because of the good will of those left behind

You may also understand this regarding Christ, as the saintly Cyril says: that is, the root, the leaven. In this way you will understand the seed as being of Christ, that is, one having a body without sin (for the offspring was not sown, inasmuch as all men have sinned), and clearly a seed of sinlessness, a sinless man and true God. ^A

Chapter XVI

IX, 30-33. *What shall we say then? That the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.* Why? Because it was not of faith, but as if it were by the works of the law. *For they stumbled at the stumbling-stone; as it is written: Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling-stone and a rock of offense; and everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.*

Behold the entire solution, and for whose sake the faithful were saved, while those who remained in Judaism were not. You ask for the reasons why those who are not of the circumcision are accounted as the seed of Abraham, he says: why he who was “not a people” has become a people, and why those who are of the circumcision are cast out. I have said ^B many things, that you ought not to argue about these matters at all, because even among you Jews many things have occurred, the reasons for which you are ignorant of. Your progenitor Jacob, what had he done that he was preferred over Esau? Among those who had fashioned the calf, only some were condemned to death, although all had been caught in impiety; again, Pharaoh, and countless other examples. But now I add this for you also, that for this reason those who are from the Gentiles were accounted into the seed of Abraham, but you not so; and that they were justified, but you not so, because they attained righteousness and salvation which is of faith, while you, puffed up as if you were justified by the works of the law, and despising the righteousness which is of faith, ^C deservedly appeared alien to the seed of Abraham, who was justified through faith; and from being a people, you have become "not a people," and you have fallen from the salvation of the faithful. "Who did not pursue righteousness." For it is strange that the Gentiles, not pursuing it, have attained it, while the Jews, who were pursuing it, did not attain it. "But the righteousness which is of faith." For this is truly righteousness, whereas that from the law is false. "But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness." That is, he has not attained the righteousness which is from the law. Do you ask why? Because they did not keep the things in the law, because he says they did not want to be justified by faith. What then is the cause of their not attaining righteousness? That they sought to be justified by works; but who among men is justified by works? And since the Jews did not wish to ^D be justified by faith, but by the works of the law, they failed. "For they stumbled." They stumbled, that is, they disbelieved. But how does anyone stumble? If he pays attention to external things, just as these, by paying attention to the law, tumbled by stumbling. "At the stumbling-stone," the stumbling-stone of the rock—

^A and the stone of offense, he calls the Lord, having applied the name from those who have stumbled against him and have been offended.

[THEODORE.] For they are accustomed to stumble, those who have their mind on other things and are unwilling to look at the truth. This is what the Jews have suffered. For, hanging intently upon the superfluous things of the law, they were unwilling to see the stone foretold by the prophets.

"And everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." Do you see that God is not partial, but everyone who believes in him will be saved? For to the unbelievers he becomes the opposite of what he is by nature; but to the believers, he becomes—according to their nature—a support, a foundation, and a security.

X, 1-4. *Brethren, the good will of my heart and the prayer which is made to God for Israel is for salvation. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, ignoring the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.*

^B Since he had rebuked the Jews, and was about to do so even more, by the fact that he says "Brethren" and such things, he softens them and secretly prepares them for exhortation, so that, having become angry, they might not become altogether disobedient. Eudokia (good will) is called a vehement desire. "Of my heart." Being about to scold the Jews, he puts forth a benevolence of speech beforehand, so that the words of rebuke might not seem to proceed from hatred, but from care and zeal. He says, moreover, that "I very much desire and pray that they themselves might be saved." "Is for Israel." I do not pray for them in any casual way, but for salvation, so that, having believed in Christ, they might be saved, he says. "For I bear them witness." He seems to be finding favor with them. I bear them witness, he says, that it is not because of a man that they are estranged from Christ, but because of a zeal for God—though this they do out of ignorance. ^C For, thinking the law to be good, they do not believe in Christ who is able to save. "But not according to knowledge." They have a zeal, he says, but not so that they might know the truly good, which is Christ himself. For if they had possessed such a zeal, they would have known. "For, ignoring." This word is one of pardon or indulgence. "The righteousness of God." He calls the faith in Christ the righteousness of God because it has need of the grace of God, which they had abandoned. "And their own righteousness." He calls their own righteousness that which was from the law, either because it no longer had power, or because it required tasks and labors. Seeking to establish. Contending to stabilize their own righteousness. "The righteousness of God." Clearly, they did not even fulfill that which was in the law; for since they sought to establish it, they did not in fact establish it. They were not subject. That is, they did not place their neck under the yoke. ^D "For Christ is the end of the law." In his ninth book *Against Julian*, it is written thus: that Christ is the end, and as it were the abrogation and the completion of the law. But how is Christ the end of the law? Because he justified. And what he himself wished to do, he could not

these coming Christ performed and completed in those who believed in him. But since he ^A altogether called that which is from the law "righteousness," so that they might not think that the law is able to justify, he says that Christ is the end and fullness of the law. For the law has its perfection in the faith which is in Christ. He, therefore, who has believed, he says, in Christ, fulfills the law. "Unto righteousness to every one that believeth." Unto the justifying of him who truly completes the law, that is, the believer.

For Moses writes of the righteousness which is from the law: that the man who does these things shall live in them. But the righteousness which is from faith speaks thus: "Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? That is, to bring Christ down from the dead. Or who shall descend into the abyss? That is, to bring Christ up from the dead." But what does it say? "The word is near thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart." That is, the word of faith which we preach. ^B

"For Moses writes of the righteousness which is from the law." This is the limit of the righteousness which is by the law, that the man who does these things shall live in them. Therefore, he who has not fulfilled those things which are held in the law cannot be saved; because that which was by the law has been rendered useless. "But the righteousness which is from faith speaks thus." Having spoken of the righteousness from the law, he speaks also of that from faith, and shows that it is not so laborious. Wherefore some attained to this, but none to that. "Say not in thy heart." Lest faith should be thought easy to attain and despicable, for this reason he shows that even it requires labor, and has a struggle against latent thoughts. For "say not," he says, even in thy heart; that is, do not even ^C ponder it, but cast every thought out.

In another way: Since you have heard that the works of the law cannot justify a man, learn how we are justified in Christ, laborlessly and easily. For he seeks faith from the heart and confession from the mouth. But it is necessary to explain the saying more broadly: "Who shall ascend into heaven, and who shall descend into the abyss?" Now it is possible that the Apostle received this understanding from Moses in accordance with his great wisdom. For Moses, as far as the letter is concerned, says thus: "The commandment of God is set before thine eyes, O Jew; and it is not necessary for thee either to ascend into heaven, that thou mayest find it, or to descend into the abyss, that thou mayest receive it, or to pass over to the ends of the sea. But it is near thee, in thy mouth and in thy mind." For God has shown thee all things ^D through the law. Moses, therefore, according to the letter, seems to say these things. But the Apostle referred these things to Christ. That is, Do not doubt, nor say in thy mind, How did Christ descend from the heavens and take on flesh, or how did he, having died, rise from the abyss? That is, from the lowest places, but cast every thought

away. “Near thee is the word.” Salvation is summarized in brief, nor is it in need of external labors; for it is situated in the heart and in the tongue: it has need, however, of a solid and prudent soul. ^A

X, 9-13. “For if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” For with the heart belief is made unto justice, but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says: “Whosoever believeth in him shall not be confounded.” For there is no distinction of Jew and Greek. For the same is Lord of all, rich unto all that call upon him. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

He shows how salvation is situated in the heart, that is, in the thought, and in the tongue. “That God raised him up.” He describes the manner by which anyone might be led to faith. For conceive, he says, the power of him who raised him, and thou wilt not hesitate regarding the faith. “For with the heart it is believed.” ^B Since, when anyone believes in Christ with the heart, he is justified by Him; but when he confesses with the mouth, he is saved. “For the Scripture says.” He brought forward the testimony so that he might show that there is no difference in faith between the Jew and the Gentile. For whosoever, he says, believes, citing Isaiah as a witness. “For there is no distinction.” He preaches a grace common to all: and that which he did above with many arguments, wishing to pull down the haughtiness of the Jews, he now does briefly, because there is no difference, he says (for this is what “of Jew and Greek” means). “For the same is Lord of all.” Above he said concerning the Father: ^C “Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also the God of the Gentiles?” But now he says the same concerning the Son: thus he knows of no difference in the holy Trinity. “Rich unto all.” He shows that Christ vehemently desires our salvation, since he considers it his own riches that many should believe and be saved. And this he does, instructing them not to despair of themselves. For one who considers it his own riches to save others will never hesitate or procrastinate in saving. “For whosoever shall call upon.” If it is *whosoever*, the Jews have no advantage over the Gentiles; and the witness is Joel, who says these things.

X, 14-18. “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? Or how shall they believe him of whom they have not heard? Or how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they be sent? ^D As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, of them that preach good things! But all have not obeyed the Gospel. For Isaias saith: Lord, who hath believed our report? Faith then is by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say: Have they not heard? Yea, verily, their sound hath gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the whole world.”

^A He said, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” How, therefore, will it be possible for them to attain the words of the prophet, if men are unwilling to believe? Let them therefore blame themselves; for they exclude salvation from themselves.

Otherwise: [ΦΩΤ.] He rouses up minds that were here quite confounded, and advances in a marvelous way. He considers it, he says, the wealth of Christ—that you should believe and be saved—so that everything depends on Christ. Do you wish, then, to be saved? Call upon Christ. But do you wish to call upon Him? You must believe first. But do you wish to believe? You must first hear the preaching. But are you looking for the preacher? Behold, I am crying out. But do you not know if I have been sent to preach? This is prophecy from above, proclaiming that they would not only preach and announce salvation and peace, but that they would also accomplish great and transcendent things. For “How beautiful,” he says, “are the feet of those who run to the preaching, who announce the Gospel!” So that you have no excuse for your salvation. “But how shall they believe?” For this follows in sequence. Since they were unwilling to hear His words, they deservedly did not believe. “Without a preacher.”

^B Therefore, behold, he says, I preach; and it is fitting for you to bear these words and rebukes. “Unless they be sent.” He shows that he did not come to preach to them on his own authority, but was sent by Christ, thereby making himself worthy of belief. “As it is written.” Not only, he says, have I been sent, but it was long ago foretold that the mission must take place. He is therefore worthy of belief on two counts: from the mission itself, and from the mission having been foretold. “How beautiful are the feet!” Their feet were praised because of the manner of the apostles’ preaching, in that they announced peace—that is, the reconciliation of God toward men—and the good things that are in it. If, therefore, it was not possible to believe otherwise than by hearing and by having it preached to them, and if it has been preached and they have heard, it is manifest that God has left nothing undone, and those who have not believed should blame themselves.

“But all have not obeyed.” Because this objection was made against him: “If you were sent by God, why did not all obey the Gospel?” He says that even this was stated long ago. The phrase, “Lord, who hath believed?” is used in place of “rarely,” or “but few.” For because we have free will, God forces no one. For Isaiah says: “Lord, who hath believed our report?” If this causes you to stumble, he says—the fact that not all have obeyed—let this very thing persuade you to believe, since it was foretold that not all would believe.

^C “So then faith is by hearing.” Since the Jews were always demanding signs, taking the occasion from the prophetic utterance, he admonishes them that one ought not to demand signs. For faith, as is seen, comes by hearing, not by signs. “And hearing by the word of God.” Since he had spoken of hearing, he adds, “By the word of God.” Do not think, he says, that this is something vile

or human, but divine. If, therefore, you seek miracles as being from God, believe also the words as being spoken from God.

“But I say, have they not heard? Yes, indeed, to all the earth.” Since he said, “Faith is by hearing,” someone might say, “Did the Jews not hear?” And he says, “Their sound has gone forth into all the earth,” as the prophet also testifies; and were the Jews, among whom it was most proclaimed, unable to hear? ^B

Another interpretation: As if someone said, “What is it to the Jews if those sent to evangelize them departed, and these did not believe at all?” He says that the whole world heard, yet these did not hear, among whom the apostles spent so much time. And does not the prophet testify to this? And how could it be otherwise?

X, 19-21. “But I say, did not Israel know?” First, Moses says: “I will provoke you to jealousy by a non-people: by a foolish nation I will move you to anger.” Isaiah also dares and says: “I was found by those who did not seek me; I became manifest to those who did not inquire of me.” But against Israel he says: “All the day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and gainsaying people.”

But someone will say: Many indeed preached, but it is likely the Israelites did not know the power of the preaching. And how could it be that the nations to whom nothing had been foretold knew, but Israel did not know, although they had heard beforehand? For behold, the Lawgiver himself says: “I will provoke you to jealousy by a non-people.” ^C When you saw those from the nations coming to the faith, and still coming, while you yourselves were being cast off, you ought to have known the cause. But you willfully ignored such manifest prophecies. “First Moses says.” For the second is what Isaiah said: “I will provoke to jealousy.” That is, I will irritate. And the power of this thing is very great; for he who is not persuaded by an exhortation is often persuaded by such irritation. “By a foolish nation.” For what is more vile or foolish than idolaters? “Isaiah also dares.” He preferred, he says, even to be in danger rather than to conceal the truth and the dispensation. “To those who did not seek me.” And who were they that neither sought nor inquired? Those from the nations, clearly. See how many opportunities they had to know! For seeing the nations becoming approved through faith, they ought to have repented, but they were willfully blinded. “To those who did not inquire of me.” He removes the pride of the nations, because the whole matter was of grace. However, there is something also of the nations. For that they did not thereafter desert what was already found and manifest was due to their own virtue. ^D “But against Israel he says.” How great is the accusation against the Jews! For so that they might not say, “Why was he not manifest to us, but to the nations?” he shows what was done concerning them. For he was even beseeching them, but the Lord was not heard. “All the day,” he says—that is, the time of the incarnation. Or rather, the entire time from which they had departed from Egypt. “To a disobedient people.” God was calling and, as it were, trying to embrace them, but what did they do? They disobeyed and gainsaid.

time from which they had departed from Egypt. “To a disobedient people.” God was calling and, as it were, trying to embrace them, but what did they do? They disobeyed and gainsaid.

CHAPTER XVII.

11, 1–4. “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew” (Rom. XI, 1–2). Since they did not obey but gainsaid, were they therefore so cast away that they could not be converted, and were the promises made to Abraham thereby rendered void? By no means. For he says, it is still his people, whom he foreknew—that is, before the Gentiles. Indeed, the proof and confirmation of this statement is close at hand: “I myself,” says Paul, “who am the herald and teacher of the Gentiles, am an Israelite.” Therefore you are not cast away by God, but you drive yourselves away. “Hath God cast away his people?” By interrogation and negation he advances the argument: “God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.” For if he had cast them away, he would by no means have chosen apostles and preachers from the Jews. And indeed, I, Paul, am a Jew. “Wot ye not what the Scripture saith of Elias?” (Rom. XI, 2). This is so that the Jews may not say: ^B “If you are the only one, is the whole people of Israel and are all the promises made to Abraham coming to an end in you?” He says in response to this, that there are many who have been saved, but you are ignorant of it. For even Elias thought he was left alone, but he heard that there were others as well. So now, he says, many among the Jews are believers, but you, being ignorant of this, suppose me to be the only one. “And I am left alone” (v. 3). But if Elias was ignorant that he was not alone, much less can you know. “But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal” (v. 4). That is, the word of God. For this is what “the answer” means. And the word “Reserved” shows that it was by the grace of God that the greater part was saved.

11, 5–6. “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” Just as then, he says, out of the whole people seven thousand were pleasing to God, so now also a few are pleasing, and they are counted as the seed of Abraham, and the promise of God has not failed. “And at this present time.” They were saved by grace in the time of Elias, too. For the conjunction *kai* (and) signifies this. And again, “As in the time of Elias,” he says, “so now also there is a remnant of those who are pleasing.”

n hoc tempore. » Ita tempore Eliæ gratia servati sunt. Nam hoc significat conjunctio καὶ, id est, et. Ac rursum: Sicut in Elia, inquit, ita et nunc reliquiæ sunt eorum qui placent, ^A electorum secundum gratiam.

Chapter XVII

^A a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling-block, and a retribution unto them. Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see; and bow down their back always.”

“This has not attained.” This is not the language of one inquiring, but of one complaining. For the Jew, he says, fights against himself, seeking a righteousness which he does not wish to accept. For the Jew, he says, earnestly seeks that which he does not wish to attain. For understand the word “This has not attained” as referring to the will, not to a lack of power: he did not attain it through knowledge, not being thwarted by impossibility. For who was justified by works? “But the election has attained.” For example, the believers from both the Jews and the Gentiles. By saying “election,” he shows both their tested character and the grace of God. And the word “attained” manifests the magnitude of the good things which he did not hope for. “But the rest were hardened.” ^B Who? Those who remained in Judaism. Now, after the refutation, he dares to accuse them of blindness. “God gave them.” But by the word “gave,” do not understand an action, but a permission; that is, He allowed and conceded. “A spirit of compunction.” By “compunction” he means the state and attention of the soul toward that which is worse; for to be “pricked” (κατανυγῆναι) is to be in a certain way fixed and fastened, whether in good or in evil. Now, however, he called their immutability toward evil “compunction.” “Eyes that they should not see.” Having said “They were hardened,” he brings forward the testimony of Isaiah, so that he might not seem to be harsh. He says that the cause of this hardness was their own contentiousness. For having eyes to see the miracles of Christ, and ears to hear the doctrine, they used none of these for the needed purpose; but they closed the former and stopped up the latter, as if striving for this very thing: not to be saved. “And David says.” He then brings forward David, who declares the retribution for this unbelief, which retribution has now received its end and been brought into effect. “Their table.” Their goods and their luxuries were turned into the opposite; this is what “table and snare” signifies. ^C [OECUM.] “And for a trap and a stumbling-block.” They become, he says, easily captured by those who do them wrong. “And for a retribution.” He said “retribution,” showing that in suffering these things, they are paying the penalties for their sins. “Let their eyes be darkened.” He puts what they were spontaneously to do as if it were a curse. For, he says, since they did not want to see the Sun of Righteousness, let them not see. “And their back.” This signifies that they would become subject to the Romans. And the words “always,” as if they would never be liberated, signifies their continuing in unbelief.

“I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid, but by their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to provoke them to jealousy. Now if their trespass is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness?” ^D

Having rebuked them severely, he now attempts some

^A consolation to find for them. For he says their sins are indeed very great; but have they stumbled so much that, having fallen, they may not rise again even if they wish? God forbid, he says. For those who have stumbled are acceptable to God, provided only that they wish it. See, however, that even within this consolation he renders them liable for the greatest sins.

Other reading. Since among those who stumble, some only trip on their leg while others indeed fall, he wills—at once to bring the Jews ^B to great sorrow of soul, that they who were previously contumelious might also be led to the end of exhortation—he says that their impaction happened not so that they would fall altogether, but so that they would only trip on their leg; and this not rashly, but by a certain dispensation was this done, that through their stumbling, salvation might come to the Gentiles: but also their own restoration, by those who are of the Gentiles emulating and imitating. Their stumbling, therefore, contributes in a way to their own restoration, if by their fall there is salvation for the Gentiles; and in salvation, emulation; and in emulation, the restoration of those who had fallen. For such is the ineffable and incomprehensible providence and dispensation of God, that out of things which seem most complicated, He unfolds them, and out of adverse things He provides those that are more useful. For the Jews had stumbled in such a way that they fell and lay prostrate, and they became useful neither to themselves nor to others. But God used their fall both for the salvation of the Gentiles and for their own restoration from that fall. Therefore, they did not stumble—with God ordaining these things—so that they might fall, but they stumbled so that they might be corrected.

Indeed, even more, as the Apostle says, that the riches of the world might follow, and the riches of the Gentiles, and thence the reconciliation of the world was completed, and the perfect resurrection of all—not only of those who had stumbled, but also of those who had fallen even unto death and mortification. And see: at the beginning he called the disbelief of the Jews an impaction, then a fall. But after he showed them the greatness of the goods, if only they wish to obey, he also raised them up, calling them the riches of the Gentiles and the reconciliation of the world, and his own flesh. Then he also shows how great is the absurdity of [their] disbelief, indicating ^C that by it they were made dead. But he does this also in a wondrous and very wise way. For since to call them dead simply was very harsh and intolerable to hear, and contributed more to insult than to exhortation, he does not state it so dryly, but mixes it and brings it forward in terms of praise, saying: “What will be their acceptance but life from the dead?” By “life” he posits that which delights, and by “from the dead” he indicates that their disbelief was a mortification. Then, having said that their fall became the salvation of the Gentiles, he consequently argues more strongly that their salvation will also be. And ^D leading the argument—where, according to his custom, before the completion of the period he had used circuits, saying: “For I speak to you Gentiles”—he again resumes the argument, and says: “For if the

^A rejection of them,” and so forth. And note that, for the most part, in his repetitions, he does not repeat so nakedly as if he were merely attempting to repeat for the sake of it; but he does so with an augmentation, or with a more perfect clarification, or more emphatically, and simply, without some ordering and shaping, you would rarely find him using a repetition, which nevertheless he uses almost continuously. “But by their transgression.” The whole of this passage has been stated so that he might both console them and persuade them not to despair, and so that he might bring down the arrogance of the Gentiles, and persuade them not to forget these things. For this reason, he says, the Gentiles were saved, because these men did not endure to be saved. For just as it was worthy, it was necessary for these to be saved first, then the Gentiles. Since, therefore, these, he says, were not willing, you have become the firstborn. Whence he himself also says: “To the Jew first and to the Greek.” And the Lord: “Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” And again, the word: “To you it was necessary that the word be spoken first.” You see, therefore, that the unbelief of the Jews gave place to the Gentiles to become the firstborn in the faith? “To provoke them to jealousy.” So that, since they were not willing to believe of themselves, they might at least believe out of jealousy. “But if their transgression.” He speaks to them for comfort and encouragement. For if, he says, their transgression and their defeat became the occasion of good things for so many, how much more if all are saved? For this is what “fullness” signifies. For how many, he says, might they become an occasion of salvation, all being saved together? At the same time, he also instructs them not to despair. “Riches of the Gentiles,” that is, it has become; “how much better is their fullness?” As if to say: the being restored together with those who are being saved. If, therefore, even while these were lacking, there was riches of the world, he says, and riches of the Gentiles, how much more will the being restored together with them be the riches of the world and the riches of the Gentiles? ^B “For I speak to you Gentiles, insofar as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I will glorify my ministry, if by any means I may provoke to jealousy my flesh, and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will be their reception, but life from the dead? And if the firstfruits are holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.” He speaks on behalf of the Jews, partly that he may not seem to have said those things out of hatred, and that he may restrain the arrogance of the Gentiles. I praise and glorify you, he says, O Gentiles, for two reasons. First, because I have been entrusted with your ministry, that is, the preaching, and it is necessary for me to praise and glorify you as my own disciples. Then, so that I may save some even of the Jews, whom he also calls his own flesh, being stimulated by the praises concerning you. He explains the Gentiles according to this, as having become the cause of salvation for the Jews. For they who are from loss are, he says, an occasion of salvation for you.

How Jewish contentiousness! He did not say, "I may persuade," but "I may provoke to jealousy," as though they would not be persuaded otherwise than by some impulse. "My flesh." Above, he called them kinsmen and brothers; now, "flesh," making them more intimate. "Some of them." Not even in this way all, but some; so well did he know their pervicacity. Moreover, what he says: "For if their rejection," etc., is a repetition of what he said: "But if their trespass," as we also said before. This is the cause of Paul's zeal, which concerns their being saved. As if someone were to say: "Why do you hasten, Paul, on behalf of the Jews? Why do you say, 'If somehow I may provoke my flesh to jealousy, and save some of them'?" What is this great struggle for? "Yes," he says, "it is fitting for me to hasten and struggle. 'For if their rejection,' and so on"; that is to say: If, even when these were failing, God was nevertheless reconciled to the world, and the middle wall of the old enmity was taken away, what good and marvelous thing might not come to pass if these, too, are saved and added? "The reconciliation of the world." ^C Since he rebuked them again, he praises them again, saying the same things as were said before. For if, he says, their stumbling became an opportunity for the salvation of the world, what could anyone say it will be if they are accepted by God? What else, he says, save life from the dead? But just as the resurrection will not be because of their acceptance, so the salvation of the Gentiles did not happen because of them. Rather, he bestows these words upon them to encourage them.

Otherwise. If God, being angry with them, he says, granted such things to others, and made his enemies friends, what will He not bestow when He accepts them? For there will then be "life from the dead," that is, infinite goods. For this is what he signifies by "life." He also hints at something deeper: that just as the resurrection from the dead will not be because of the Jews, so the salvation of others would not have been because of them, if they had not possessed faith. For all the things he seems to say on their behalf, he says while bestowing grace ^D that is "cold" (as they say), just as doctors often do for the sick. [PHOT.] For if, even when the greatest part of those being saved suffered loss, nevertheless their salvation becomes the reconciliation of the world, and the enmity of men which was against God is dissolved, what ought one to consider when that part itself, which is the Jews, is accepted and added to those being saved? [OECUM.] What then is their acceptance and addition, if not great riches, if not more and full joy, as in a perfect common life and a revival from the dead? "If not life from the dead." If this, he says, is so, what will their acceptance be, if not for us to say that God, who accepts them, makes alive those who were dead in their sins? "But if the first fruits are holy." [PHOT.] This is to reinforce that the Jews will by all means be saved. And he supports this in two ways. First from the sequence, and second by solving the objection brought against this, in many ways. He calls those around Abraham the "first fruits" and "root," and those from...

his race who believed the "lump" and "branches." "And the lump." If, therefore, it is necessary that with the first fruits and the root, the lump and the branches be holy, yet the Jews are not holy, then they have fallen away from the kinship of Abraham. — [OECUM.] Or perhaps he calls them holy, inviting them to the faith, as if he said: "You are suitable and becoming; only the desire is lacking in you."

^B XI, 17-21. "But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches." But if you boast, it is not you that support the root, but the root that supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in?" Well; by unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, take heed lest at any time He should not spare you either.

"But if some of the branches." He has placed a word signifying a small number, comforting them, since he has indicated previously that few were saved, as when he says, "The remnant will be saved." "Broken off by unbelief. You, however, being a wild olive." The more abject he shows those to have been who were from the nations, by so much the more sharply does he prick them. While he says, "You were grafted in," it shows that those who were from the nations were grafted into a root differing from themselves ^C and far more excellent: therefore these are words that sting and rub. "And partaker of the root." This pertains to the misery of the Jews, that those who were in nothing more excellent than themselves have been made partakers of a more excellent root, while they have been rejected. "Do not boast against the branches." He shows the great rejection of the Jews. For he did not say, "boast," but "boast against"—which happens in the case of those who are lying on the ground. Then also he secretly pricks them, showing that what is worthy of glory has happened to the nations by faith: although it is not fitting, he says, to glory. "You do not support the root, but the root you." And what is this to the broken-off branches? Nothing. For if I were boasting against the root, this would have a place; but if I adore the root as holy, what [have I] ^D to do with the branches that have fallen away, if I am supported by the root? But he wishes to find for them a shadow of consolation, that they might not be swallowed up by excessive grief, but might recover their senses, as there being a salvation left for them. You will say then: "Branches were broken off." The speech is constructed as if the nations were saying: "And why shall I not boast when such great blessings have come to me? They were broken off, and I was grafted in and became an heir of the glory of the fathers; and the promises which were given to them, I, a foreigner and in no way a kinsman, enjoy." From that which he says, "Well," he praises the nations and assents to them as if they are speaking true things. "By unbelief they were broken off." See the wisdom of the Apostle. While making a speech for the Jews, he seems to...

^A be destroying them, but he is rather striking them and crushing them. "But you stand by faith." He refers the cause of their rejection and of our assumption to faith in Christ. "For if God spared not the natural branches." He wishes to increase their calamity by commiserating with them, by way of rebuking the Gentiles. "Lest perhaps he might not spare even you." He removes the harshness and hardness of his speech with hesitation.

XI, 22-24. "See therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them indeed who have fallen, severity; but towards you, goodness, if you continue in goodness. Otherwise you also shall be cut off. And they also, if they continue not in unbelief, shall be grafted in. For God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the good olive tree, which is natural to you, and, contrary to nature, were grafted into the good olive tree: how much more shall they that are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?"

^B He refers the whole matter to God and His grace; for He does not say, "See how much labor and good works you have had," but, "If you continue in goodness," that is, if you perform deeds worthy of God's kindness; for he says that you do not have need of faith alone. "But the severity of God." That is, His not sparing them, because He found them unworthy of the virtue of their fathers. "Otherwise you also shall be cut off." For neither the good things for you, nor the bad things for them, are unchangeable. "And they also, if they continue not." For God did not cut them off, but they cut themselves off. "For God is able." He adds probability to the discourse from the divine power: God, he says, is able. "For if you were cut out of the natural wild olive tree." He gives the reason that these, if they only will, can be grafted in. For if faith, he says, accomplished things which were contrary to nature, how much more those which are according to nature? "Shall be grafted into their own olive tree?" Lest anyone should believe that the Jew has something more ^C when hearing of the Gentiles being grafted in "contrary to nature," he sets down also the "grafted in" for the Jews, that he might show equality of dignity, and that there is nothing extra for them from being of the good olive tree, since they too, once, have need of being grafted in. But when you hear Paul saying "according to nature," consider what is likely and consequent. For instance, it was likely that the child of the holy father Abraham should be holy. Just as, on the other hand, "contrary to nature," in place of saying "unlikely and incongruous," is for the child of a wicked Greek to be holy.

XI, 25-27. "For I would not have you ignorant, brethren, of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles should come in. And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written: There shall come out of Sion, he that shall deliver and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. And this is to them my covenant, when I shall take away their sins."

"I would not have you ignorant of this mystery." That which is, he says, unknown to you. "Wise in your own conceits." For by that ignorance, they were confirming their own counsel. "That blindness." But lest, he says, they should have great ^D

for you who have deceived yourselves, imagining that you are wiser than others, learn briefly a truly fearful mystery, which reveals God's ineffable providence toward all Israelites. Except for the elect (for this is what it means, "In part"), when those others were blinded and rejected salvation, God transferred it to you. Yet, when you have all been adopted, grace will embrace all of them again. For the very oracle of Isaiah bears witness to this. "In part." Not in whole, he says. For indeed, there were countless Jews who had believed, and who were yet to believe. "The fullness of the Gentiles." By "fullness of the Gentiles" he means all those from among the Gentiles who were to believe. When, therefore, all have entered into the faith, then Israel also, having believed, shall be saved. By "Israel," he means those who remained in Judaism. "For you shall place them," he says, "back to back, and you shall prepare their face among those who remain," that is, the remnants. "And so all Israel shall be saved," that is, the majority shall turn away from their sins and return to Him. "He shall come from Sion." He introduces Isaiah again, crying out that He who is able to save will come from Sion, and He will cleanse the sins of the Israelites. And when will these things be? "When I shall take away their sins." This is the testament, as if a sign, when I shall deem them worthy of the remission that comes through baptism. So, because they have not yet attained this (for they are hardened), this is to happen in the future. "And this is for them." Lest anyone think the Scripture ^B applies to those among the Jews who had already believed, he sets forth a sign by which it is shown that the prophecy is for the future. What is this? "When I shall take away their sins." If, then, He has not yet taken them away, the Scripture is surely still to be fulfilled. Whence he adds (For the gifts of God are without repentance): "When I take away." Then, he says, the promise of God will come to pass.

"According indeed to the Gospel, they are enemies for your sake; but according to the election, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient to your mercy, that they also may obtain mercy."

"As far as the Gospel is concerned," he says, "the Jews are enemies for your sake." How? For when the faith was preached to you, they became more contentious and departed from the faith. "Enemies for your sake"—the Jews have become enemies because of those from among the Gentiles who have believed, as he said above: "Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of the Gentiles, I glorify my ministry." Why, he says? "If by any means I may provoke to jealousy my own flesh." For if, through the faith of the Gentiles, the Jews are provoked to jealousy and imitate them and become believers, how then, because of them, do they become enemies of the faith and the Gospel? But first we say that ^{C D}

^A he did not say that the Jews are provoked to jealousy and imitated ^B them through the faith of the Gentiles, but through their being glorified and praised. For the glory and the praise given to the Gentiles will stir them up and will call them to jealousy and imitation, such that the things mentioned are not contrary to one another. Furthermore, he did not even say it as a declarative statement, that the Jews *would* be provoked to jealousy, but he was wavering and doubtful. For he says, "If by any means I may provoke to jealousy my own flesh." That is to say, perhaps, possibly. So even if he had said that he was provoking the Jews to jealousy through their own faith—and not through glory and praise—even then, it would not be a contradiction. For by saying, "They are enemies for your sakes," he speaks of the disbelief of the Jews and the cause because of which they hate the faith the more intensely. But through that phrase, "If by any means I may provoke to jealousy my own flesh," he shows his own zeal and the readiness of mind he had for saving those of the Jews. And besides the things already said, the stated words would not be in conflict even if he had spoken both things declaratively. For nothing would prevent some of those who had believed from being spurred on by the faith of the Gentiles to be jealous and to believe, while on the other hand, many who had not believed, through indignation and hatred toward those from the Gentiles, became harder and more disobedient to the evangelical preaching—as it is possible to see in the facts themselves. For those who imitate the Gentiles approach the faith and are saved; but those who are indignant at them become more vehement enemies of the faith. "As touching the election." They are beloved on account of the election of their fathers by God. "For the fathers' sake." ^C [OECUM.] Then, since they have remained in unbelief and on this account are not beloved, he speaks confidently, saying, "For the fathers' sake," as if to say: Even if they themselves are not beloved on account of their unbelief, yet on account of the fathers they are still loved; whence they also await salvation. "And the calling of God." The one made, he says, concerning the nation of the Jews. "For as you in times past have not obeyed God." He shows here that the Gentiles were called first, and then, since they did not obey, the Jews received mercy. And then the same thing happened again after this. For since the Jews did not wish to believe, the Gentiles were called again, and once called, they believed the second time, but this does not end in the casting out of the Jews, but in their also receiving mercy again. "You in times past have not believed." [PHOT.] He urges the Jews ^D to faith in Christ through these things, and at the same time he holds out good hope for them and removes all shame. Do not be ashamed, he says, even if you were unbelieving, to approach, nor despair because you approach later, as if you would arrive at the mercy late. For the Gentiles also, when they were called, were at first unbelieving, but now they have believed, neither being ashamed of their former unbelief, nor being hindered from salvation by their delay. And neither, therefore, O Jew,

^A should you be ashamed, nor should you despair. But approach the faith with a ready mind, and you will certainly obtain mercy. ^B Therefore, the things that have been said hold the place either of an exhortation and an admonition, or even of a prophecy, confirming what is to come by the presentation and testimony of that which has already transpired. But as to what he says: "You have obtained mercy through their disbelief," and "They have become disobedient to your mercy," he does not mean that the disbelief of the Jews became the cause for the Gentiles to obtain mercy, nor that the mercy granted to the Gentiles became the cause of the Jews' disbelief; but he says these things to show and teach that God never ceased to do His own work and to pour forth His mercy. For even if the Gentiles were formerly disobedient, and now the Jews are disobedient, He nevertheless does not cease to do good and to show mercy. And this is clear from the fact that the Jews were shown mercy while the Gentiles were disobedient, and now the Gentiles are shown mercy while the Jews are disobedient. And what is even clearer is that He will still show mercy to the Jews, even if they have been disobedient. At the same time, this is also a proof directed toward the Jews—that even if you yourselves, he says, have fallen away from the faith, do not think that the faith has lost any of its power. For just as formerly, when the Gentiles had fallen away, that which pertains to the worship of God suffered no loss, so also now, when you have severed yourselves from the faith, that which pertains to the faith will suffer no loss. He formulated the things said against the Gentiles in a less burdensome way, wishing to make the reproof toward the Jews more severe. It is possible, however, to interpret these things as having been said toward the Gentiles as well, so that they might not grow arrogant because they have believed. For by mercy you also have believed, and those who have disobeyed, he says, shall obtain mercy and shall believe. ^C For God has shut up all in disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past tracing out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Or who has first given to Him, and it shall be given back to him? For from Him, and through Him, and unto Him are all things. To Him be the glory unto the ages. Amen.

"He has shut up all in disobedience." That is, He has convicted all as disobedient. And in another way. ^D The phrase, "God has shut up all in disobedience," can signify two things: either that He made them disobedient, which has no place; or that He demonstrated them to be disobedient, which is indeed true. For through His great providence and beneficence, which He has always displayed toward men, He has rather exposed and brought to light their disbelief and ingratitude. It is evident, furthermore, that many did not believe in Him, whether they were from the Jews or from the Gentiles. Therefore he also says "all," including those from both peoples who have disbelieved. But how did God shut up all in disobedience? By doing good, and providing, and having mercy. What then? Will those who have become disobedient not suffer punishment? And what is this

[GREEK COLUMN] ^A …rant, will they not give punishment? And what is this to the benefactor? For he, in order that he might have mercy upon all, provided for all and benefited them. But if they were unbelieving, this is nothing to the benefactor. Nevertheless, even in this way, he will have mercy upon those who turn, and will not turn them away. Or in this way: The nations were once unbelieving, now the Jews are unbelieving, although it was fitting that those [the nations], seeing the Jews being benefited by such great wonders and signs, should not have been unbelieving, and that the Jews now, seeing greater things being wrought by wonders, should have come to the faith before the nations. But neither the nations then, nor the Jews now, chose what was better for themselves. So it is manifest that both the Jews then, and the nations now, were led by the hand to the faith and obtained salvation by the mercy and philanthropy of God. Or rather in this way. Since he said, "That they themselves also may obtain mercy," denoting the Jews, he says, "That he might have mercy upon all." That he might, he says, save some through the perversity of others. For before, when the Gentiles were unbelieving, he saved, as it is said, the Hebrews. Again, when the Jews became unbelieving under Christ, the Gentiles were saved. With the Gentiles saved, the Jews, being provoked to jealousy, are saved themselves also, and thus all obtain mercy: these through those, and those through these. ^B "O the depth!" That it is a depth, he knows, but what is the measure or quantity of it, he is ignorant. He calls goodness "riches." "Of the riches and wisdom and knowledge." Having considered the wise dispensation of God from the beginning, how he disposes opposites through opposites, and having nothing to say against it, he only marveled. "How unsearchable!" For not only can they not be known, but they cannot even be sought out. "His ways." He means his providences or dispensations. "For who hath known the mind of the Lord?" He is, he says, the only one who knows his own affairs, and no other. And being wise, he was not instructed by the counsel of another, but is himself sufficient unto himself. But he is also the source of all good things. "Or who hath first given to him?" He bestows benefits, he says, to no one out of an obligation of repayment, but he always is the first to bestow gifts. "Because out of him." He himself found the good things, he says. "And through him." He himself, he says, also created the things that are. "And into him are all things." He himself, he says, holds together created things as their sustainer. "To him be the glory for the ages." Since he had said great and unknown things, he only marveled ^C as was his custom, and ended in a doxology, that is, glorification.

CHAPTER XXVII

XII, 1, 2. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, your rational service. And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and pleasing and perfect will of God. They, he says, are the mercies of God through which he saves [those...].

who make intercession], that you may pass over to a manner of life worthy of them. ^A [Phot.] “To present your bodies.” He exhorts to two things: to the care of life, and to the zeal of faith. For through the words, “To present your bodies,” and what follows, he encourages [us] to be governed in the best way; while through the words, “your rational worship,” he demands that they pursue the uprightness of faith. He puts forth the matters of conduct first, since the discourse on piety is accustomed to follow a pure life. See also how he said both aptly and incisively: “For present, he says, your bodies [as] a sacrifice living, holy, acceptable to God.” ^B Then, not satisfied with these, he adds another. Which? “According to your rational worship,” he says; that is, according to the laws of that [worship], in agreement with it and according to it, disagreeing with it in nothing. For this it is to present to God as a living and holy and acceptable sacrifice in our body: to conduct [oneself] in nothing outside of what has been ordained for us according to the worship. For it is necessary for both—for faith to be in agreement with life, and life with faith. For just as he who has professed the right faith, but is crooked in his ways, convicts the confession of faith through what he does; so also he who displays good deeds, but professes an impious faith, is impious through [those things] by which he acts impiously, and debases and triumphs over his actions, [having] no spiritual fruit in them. It is necessary, therefore, to conduct oneself according to our rational worship. “Living.” Since he said, “a sacrifice,” ^C lest anyone think that we are commanded to slaughter ourselves, he added, “living.” But how will the body be a sacrifice? Let the eyes see things that are right. Let the tongue and the hand—the one be occupied in the hymnody of God, the other in the commandments—and for those who do these things, the body becomes a living sacrifice. “Holy.” Distinguishing this sacrifice from the Jewish one, he says, “Holy, acceptable, and rational.” For the Jewish [sacrifice], being corporeal, was not very holy or acceptable, inasmuch as it sacrificed irrational [animals]. “Rational worship.” The spiritual, he says, service, the manner of life according to Christ; as if he had said: Present your bodies as a sacrifice through rational worship, that is, of the immaterial [kind]. Or that “Offer a living sacrifice, and the rational worship,” taking “offer” from what is common. ^D “And be not fashioned to this world.” And how would one offer oneself a living sacrifice? How? “Be not fashioned,” that is, “Do not mold yourselves according to the fashion of this world; for it has nothing sound or permanent. Therefore he also calls it a 'fashion,' signifying that which does not remain. And in saying this, he indicates its transience. Or that “Do not change along with the times.” — Otherwise. [Phot.] Having said, “Be not fashioned to this world,” that is, “Do not change along with and let yourselves be translated along with the teachings of those who bring teachings from this world which flows and does not stand fast.” Having said this, [he does so] so that none of the Jews might say: “Is it thus the case that we must not at all be changed and transformed from the teaching handed down to us by the Law?” Through...

^A this he adds, “But be transformed,” that is, ^B that you ought to be changed according to the will of God. Great, however, is the difference between the teaching that is from the world and the wisdom that is according to the will of God. For the one destroys even the legal form itself, leading into another form of wickedness and corruption; the other, however, does not only not destroy the form of the Law (for it existed in shape and type and shadow of the Law), but it even improves it, completing and filling out the form and beauty that were remaining to it from the Law. Therefore, he rightly says, “Do not be conformed, but be transformed.” For the former is destruction, but the latter is salvation and perfection.

“But be transformed.” Calling this the form of the world, he calls [the other] the form of virtue, showing its natural beauty. “By the renewal.” Since it is not possible for one who is human not to sin, he says, renew yourself always through repentance. For nothing so makes the soul and body grow old as does sin. “That you may prove.” Or he says this: be renewed so that you might learn what is useful, and what is the will of God. “And acceptable.” He directs his speech to the Jews, who clung to the Law, saying that the Law, indeed, was the will of God, but it was not acceptable, nor perfect, but was permitted only on account of your weakness, he says. But the New Testament is perfect and acceptable.

XII. 3. *For I say, through the grace given to me, to every one who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think so as to be sober-minded, as God has dealt to each a measure of faith.*

Having said above, “Through the mercies,” now he says, “Through the grace,” in no way considering himself worthy of belief for the sake of persuasion, out of humility. For this reason, sometimes he puts forward the mercies, and sometimes the grace. But by saying, “Through the grace,” he brings to mind the benefits of God. “To every one who is among you.” What he says, “To every one who is among you,” can be understood in various ways. Either I say to everyone who is among you—that is, I speak to all, I admonish all, and I have this authority from grace. Or, I say: Do not be puffed up in your mind through any gift or grace above anyone who is among you. (For the Greek words admit both meanings.) For this meaning is also indicated by what follows, in which he says, “As God has dealt to each,” etc. Most wisely and prudently, being about to admonish them not to be puffed up in their mind, he placed first, “Through the grace of God.” For since it happens to some that they admonish and command out of pride, by anticipating such thoughts he took care [to say]: It is not, he says, from my own impulse that I admonish you. Through the grace of God I do this. He himself commands. I fulfill his command. It is necessary, therefore, to obey and not to argue. “Not to think [of himself] more highly.” He urges [them] regarding humility, [saying] not to think beyond the measures. For this is a matter of folly or insanity, “But to think so as to be sober-minded.” For we have received understanding, not so that we might use it for insanity, and darken our

^A intellect. For he here calls it "sober-mindedness," not that which is distinguished against licentiousness. “As God has distributed.” How has he distributed? According to desire for honor? Far from it. But how? According to the measure of faith. But he does not speak of the faith that follows upon worship—for all the faithful and pious and perfect are clearly in that faith, namely those who have been accounted worthy of gifts—but he speaks here of the faith that accords with the gifts, just as it is also said in the Gospels: “Lord, increase our faith.” And again: “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed.” For it is clear that this meaning of faith is different from that which is understood in the case of piety. There were some among them who had been accounted worthy of gifts, and some of these were thinking highly of themselves, and were acting insanely against others, while others were jealous. And he says: Why are you acting insanely? Or why are you jealous? If God has distributed, he has distributed perfectly well and for our benefit. Therefore, let each one be content with what he has. And let him not be puffed up (for it is a gift of God, and not your own achievement), nor let him be jealous. For God has distributed, and he knows what is fitting and suitable for each. “Measure of faith.” Each one, he says, let him remain ^B in this, and let him neither be jealous nor puffed up. But [he speaks] of faith, he says, that is, of the gift.

For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function; so the many are one body in Christ. But each is a member of others. Having gifts, however, according to the grace given to us, [they are] diverse: whether prophecy according to the proportion of faith, or ministry in the ministry, or he who teaches in teaching, or he who exhorts in exhortation. For you, he says, why do you think highly of yourself? And why are you jealous? Are we not all one body, and members of one another? And he did not say, "He who seems to have a lowly gift is a member of him who has the greater," but that even he who has the greater [is a member] of him who has the lowly, wishing through this examination both to keep the former in their place, and to console the latter. But all the members do not have the same function; to this very point the parable looks. Just as, he says, the members have been entrusted with a different function, so different gifts have been given by the Spirit.

Having Christ as head, we are members of one another. “Having gifts.” ^C This whole passage is formed in two ways, up to the point where it says, “Or he who exhorts in exhortation.” What are these? By that which is called “common to all,” and by the elliptical. For the word “having” is taken as common to all at each clause, for example, whether one has prophecy, or one has ministry. And this is called "common to all," and a *zeugma*, because it joins the plural to the singular, and the participle

^A with the verb. Thus, therefore, by the common sense, the expression "Having" according to the *zeugma* finally completes the sentence in that way and fills the places. Now it is figured again in a defective manner. For something is lacking for the perfection of the sentence itself; for example: "Let each remain in the gift which he received": or, "Let him be content"; or, "Let him proceed in that order," or something else of this kind; as if to say: "Whether one has prophecy or ministry, let each one remain—both he who has prophecy, and he who has ministry, and he who has teaching, and he who has exhortation—in short, let each one [remain] in the gift which he received." ^B And the use of such things is frequent in the divine Paul. And do not marvel if, being unlearned in these, he made use of them. For the grace which bestows greater things often grants the knowledge of humble things as well. Not that these are anything great. For what is it but toil and names of men, who are curious and anxious about expressions and syllables and the composition of them? He did not, therefore, make use of these as if they were something great, but to confound those who are highly puffed up by such things, and to win them over by recalling them to modesty of mind, so that they might obey his admonition. For Paul undertook all things diligently, provided that he might bring salvation to men. Therefore, he did not hesitate to bring forward also citations of poetic verses, and Greek histories, and countless things of this kind, if only he might hope to snatch some salvation for men through these. Oh, the greatness of such a soul and zeal! ^C But he also uses well such a kind of speech, and again, he does not depart from the apostolic and simple and noble and unlabored character. For if he had not used them at all, those who dare everything would have accused him of incapacity and ignorance, just as even now some, not understanding such things, suspect that he possessed an ignorance of such matters—matters which they themselves do not understand. But again, if he had used them perpetually, the apostolic character would be held among the abject. Prudently, therefore, and most wisely, he judged between both. For he used them in order to make it manifest that it is easy for one who wishes to use similar things, and that he was not ignorant of them. Yet he remained in the apostolic character, holding in honor the noble and unlabored and pure speech, and its proper nature. Why, therefore, did the others not intermix such things in their own discourses? This one [instance] is sufficient alone to show that it was easy for them also to do this had they wished; although in their epistles, too, such things—albeit more rarely—are to be found. But if, when it is said: "Having gifts," ^D one is by no means to rest until the passage, "Bless those who persecute you," another sense will emerge, and the composition of the sentence will indeed be of one figure, but the period [will be] too drawn out in spirit. "According to the grace": If God has given, why are you puffed up? For the gifts themselves are not your upright work: "It is the gift of God," he says. — "Diverse": Well the "Diverse," so that he might show that it is not that the one is great and the other small—for all are great—but various and appropriate. "According to the proportion of faith": Now he shows that for the gifts which appear greater, those who receive them are [the ones] responsible for receiving; for indeed it is grace, yet so much...

flows in as the vessel has made itself apt by faith. "Sive prophetiam" — whether we have prophecy according to the proportion of faith, he says, or if someone has received a ministry. Ministry is a general thing; for all gifts are given for ministry. But [the Apostle] also discourses on special ones. "Sive ministerium quis acceperit" — if someone has received ministry, let him remain in the ministry, he says. "Sive qui docet" — if one has received the gift of teaching; from the common sense, repeat "Let him remain." "Sive qui exhortatur" — if one has received the gift of exhortation, let him remain in the exhortation. ^B

"Qui impartit, in simplicitate: qui praeest, in sedulitate: qui miseretur, in hilaritate. Dilectio non sit simulata: sitis odio prosequentes malum: adhaerentes bono. Fraterna charitate ad mutuo vos diligendum propensi: honore alius alium praecedentes: studio non segnes: spiritu ferventes: Domino servientes: spe gaudentes: in afflictione patientes: orationi instantes."

[ΦΩΤ.] He shows subsequently that those who use the gifts poorly make them useless. "In simplicity." Since gifts demonstrate their efficacy either in giving, or in presiding, or in showing mercy, he says that one ought not to exhibit these just anyhow, but to give with simplicity and joy—not as something that causes damage, but as that which brings profit rather; and to preside not negligently, but as if one had concern for it as one's own; and to show mercy joyfully and with a ready mind, as if he himself were gaining some fruit from it. ^C But how shall these things be? If we have mutual love among ourselves—but love not feigned or in hypocrisy, but unfeigned and sincere and perfect, and truly love. "In sedulity." For it does not suffice just to preside. "In hilarity." Not as one receiving a loss should he be moved to show mercy, but as if he himself were gaining profit rather. For from this will hilarity come. "Let love not be feigned," he says, not a pretext of love, but sincere love. When this exists, the aforementioned things are attained. "Sitis odio prosequentes malum." Not only abstaining from evil, but also hating it exceedingly. For this is what the preposition implies. For he did not say "hating" (styountes). ^D Then he says: Do not only hate evil, but also cleave to what is good. The word "cleaving" indicates the disposition toward it. "Cleaving to that which is good." For it is possible for there to be love even for shameful things. For this reason he said, Hate the evil. How is it possible to cleave to the good? By brotherly charity, he says, that is, through brotherly charity. "For by this shall they know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." The disciple, by keeping the teachings, is cleaved and united to the Preceptor, who is properly the good and the good itself—our Lord Jesus Christ. But from where does brotherly charity spring? From where is it possible to possess this? From anticipating one another, he says, in honor. For truly, friendship takes its beginning [from hating evil]

^A from this: that one anticipates another in honoring their neighbor. "By brotherly charity," etc. For if you have brotherly charity, you will surely love one another, for you are brothers.

Then he says how brotherly charity is accomplished. If each person, he says, considers his neighbor worthy of honor. "Not slothful in zeal." For this also produces love, when we do not merely honor, but excel in our zeal. "Fervent in spirit." How, then, will this happen? If we live in good works, we shall have the Holy Spirit, fervent and penetrating within ourselves. "Serving the Lord." For through the things mentioned, it will come about for us to serve the Lord. Thus we shall truly appear serving the Lord through good works. This is true service. "Rejoicing in hope." But how would it be possible to be fervent in spirit? If you rejoice in hope, he says. For nothing makes one so prompt for everything as good hope. And if, he says, you endure afflictions, and if you have unceasing prayer. "Patient in tribulation." For ^B endurance produces proof. "Constantly in prayer." For if this helps, everything will be easy.

XII. 13-19. "Distributing to the necessities of the saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."

"To the necessities of the saints." That is, in those things where they might be bound by necessity. He introduces almsgiving toward the saints; therefore he also kept it among the preeminent things. In the previous parts, he had spoken about universal almsgiving. "Distributing," he says. ^C For the matter itself is a kind of communion: for you contribute resources, but they contribute to you boldness toward God and countless other good things. "Given to hospitality." Do not wait, he says, until he comes to you, for he is ashamed; rather, you pursue him. "Bless them which persecute you." Having taught how one ought to behave toward brothers, he teaches how toward enemies as well. Observe, however, that he did not say, Do not take revenge, nor curse; but, which is greater, bless and pray on his behalf. "Rejoice with them that do rejoice." Not only, he says, in words do you bless, but also in deeds: indeed, rejoicing with those who rejoice, and weeping with those who weep. But it is a greater thing ^D to rejoice with those who rejoice, inasmuch as the happy success of others often becomes an occasion of envy for the wicked. "Be of the same mind one toward another." For instance, do you consider yourself great? Consider the same also

regarding your brother, even if he be poor, since there is no distinction of wealth or poverty before God. But how could this come to be for you? If you do not think high ^A things of yourself, but sympathize and associate with the humble, and descend to their lowliness. By these things, their inflation and vainglory are repressed. For it was likely that they, because of their city, were captured and held by this affliction. "Be not wise in your own conceits." That is, do not suppose yourselves to be wise and lacking no intelligence. For the Scripture says: "Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight." "Recompense to no man evil for evil." For if he who does evil is blameworthy and miserable, why do you not flee from the imitation of evil, but rather, by taking vengeance, render yourself liable and a companion in impiety? "Provide things honest in the sight of all men." He says this: see that you appear good, so as to give no occasion to anyone to blame you. Or, since he said above, "recompensing evil for evil," he added also, "Provide things honest," ^B as if saying, "It is not sufficient only not to return evil, but one must also provide for him who does us ill." For indeed, even above, he was not content with not cursing those who persecute, but he even commanded to bless. "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you." For there is a time when it is not possible, where the discourse is about piety. Therefore he said, "If it be possible." And, "as much as lieth in you," that is, do your part, and do not provide an occasion for enmity, neither to Greek nor to Jew. For this is "with all men," that is, both believers and unbelievers. "Avenge not yourselves." Since this is the consequence, that he who has been wronged seeks to obtain vengeance, he promises this very thing to you, he says: Do not avenge yourself, and God will avenge you. For, he says, "give place and room for the wrath of God to come." For if you do not avenge yourself, when the wrath of God comes, it will have no place to exert vengeance, because you have first avenged yourself. For if you do not defend yourself, the wrath will come. — [John.] Since, however, the one wronged most desires to see himself enjoying ^C vengeance, he grants this to him with great abundance. For if he himself does not take vengeance, God will be the avenger. Allow Him, therefore, to execute it. This is what "Give place unto wrath" means. — "For it is written." Consoling the wronged one even more, he brought forth the testimony. "Vengeance is mine," that is, vengeance belongs to me.

XII. 20, 21. "Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." ^D Not only, he says, live in peace and do not take vengeance, but also do good, by feeding and giving drink. Then, because what was commanded was burdensome, he adds, comforting him who was wronged, saying: By doing this, you will heap fire upon his head. And at the same time

^B he warns him more loftily. For if you nourish him with such an intent, so that you might heap them upon him, you have not conquered evil, but have been conquered by it. I, however, want you, he says, to conquer evil. Therefore, do not do good with a malevolent intent. For what was said—that by feeding and giving him drink you will heap up coals of fire—was said for your consolation, not so that you should act in this way. For although, when you perform a good deed for your enemy, God, vindicating you, is angered against him, and turns the fire of temptations and afflictions, which he himself contrived against his neighbor, upon his own head, nevertheless, you must not wish to do him good with this end in view—that you might see him in such evils; for then you have been conquered by evil. And he, indeed, suffers no less what it was fitting for him to suffer, but you have lost your reward, having been conquered by evil. Moreover, if God sees you with such a mind, He does not vindicate you. For He vindicates the good and meek man who has been wronged, but not the man who has taken revenge upon himself by his own spirit and will, and who has acted wickedly through the performance of a good deed, simply to see the ruin of the one who had grieved him. Do good, therefore, that you may conquer evil, and that you may become a son, as the Lord says, of the Father who is in heaven.

XIII. 1, 2. Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God; and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, he who resists the authority resists the ordinance of God; and those who ^C resist will incur judgment for themselves.

For he did not say that there is no ruler, but that there is no power except from God. ^A “And those that are,” he said with regard to the same. Having said, “There is no power except from God,” he says the same again: “And those that are, he says, powers, have been ordained by God,” as if to say, they have been brought into existence. God, he says, has ordained and administered them. Otherwise: Therefore, all powers have been ordained by God—that is, brought into existence—however you may look at it: whether the father’s toward the son, or the husband’s toward the wife, or all the others, and even those in animals, such as in bees, in cranes, in fish. “So that the one who resists…” Lest the servants of Christ think that by being subjected to rulers they are being cheapened, he shows that it is necessary to obey and not to resist, nor to be disobedient to rulers. For he who does this, he says, speaks against God who made the authorities. ^B “He has resisted the ordinance of God.” [Phot.] You will gain from this, he says, by being subjected, not only because you fulfill a commandment, but also because you honor God, honoring the power ordained and entrusted by Him. Blessed is he who in this way and for these reasons honors the power and is subjected, just as he who is not subject for these reasons is wretched—for he carries off a double judgment: first from God, because he despises the authority ordained and fixed by Him; second, from the despised rulers. See also the benefit from rulers: they restrain the wicked, they encourage the virtuous, by which they honor them and praise them into virtue. Therefore, it is necessary to receive them, and for this reason, too, because they are ministers of God, serving His will. And ^C third, because leaving aside their own matters, they care for common ones, applying themselves to the benefit of their neighbors; and, having set aside their own rest, they take up the toil on behalf of them. Who would not revere these, even if no fear were present, from the very conscience of judgment, and have them in the place of fathers and guardians? Blessed are such rulers. “They shall receive judgment.” Condemnation, he says, they draw down upon themselves from God.

XIII, 3-5 For rulers are not a fear to good works, but to evil. But do you want not to fear the power? Do the good, and you will have praise from it; for it is God's minister to you for good. But if you do the evil, fear. For not in vain does it carry the sword; for it is God's minister, an avenger for wrath to the one doing the evil. Therefore, it is necessary to be subject, not only because of the wrath, but also because of the conscience.

Why do you grieve, he says, at being subjected to the power? Why ^D do you fear it and tremble? For does it rebuke those who live well? Is it formidable to one who cares for virtue? “To good works.” That is, to those who do good things. “But to the evil.” That is, to those who do bad things. “Do you want, however, not to fear the power?” But if you want, he says, not only for the ruler to be gentle to you, but even to be one who praises you, do the good. “For it is God's minister to you.” To this [index: entries preserved]

^A he adds that he will also cooperate with you toward this, for fear becomes an occasion for you to live well. For this reason he said he is God’s minister for the good, because he moves according to the will of God, praising the good and punishing the wicked, just as God likewise does. Therefore, from this he pushes and urges you toward the good. This is what he says: “He is for you for the good.” [Photius] And to you, he says, he is a minister for the good, being clearly a minister of God. But how is he a minister to you? By restraining the wicked ^B and removing from you the harm that would result from them, and granting you freedom to do that which is good. He ministers to you for the good even when he strikes fear into you because of your wicked deeds, turning you back from them and urging you toward virtue. Furthermore, by honoring and accepting you, he urges you toward this same thing. “But if you do the wicked thing, fear.” The ruler is not the cause of fear, but the wrongdoing itself. “For he does not bear the sword in vain.” Do you see how he has both struck fear into the subordinate ^C and armed the ruler? For he is God’s minister. For the one who punishes those who live wickedly ministers to God unto wrath. Just as he ministers to God by praising the good, so by punishing the wicked he imitates God, who is angry with the evil and punishes them. For if he is a minister of God, if you are to have praise from him, it is necessary to be subject to him, not only because of the wrath which results from him against those who offend, but it is fitting ^D much more, both as a minister of God and as one who praises and encourages you toward virtue, to deem him worthy of honor. For even if no one were afraid of him, conscience nonetheless urges us to obey and be subject. Therefore it is necessary to be subject. It is necessary, therefore, he says, to be subject to the rulers, not only because of the wrath of God which comes upon those who are not subject to the authority, “But also because of conscience.” That is, so that you may not seem to be without conscience and ungrateful, by not being subject to the benefactor and to God’s minister. For the rulers greatly benefit us. For through them our life is maintained, as if they did not exist, everything would perish, with the more powerful devouring the less powerful, after the manner of fish. “But also because of conscience.” Because of the wrath, even the wicked are subject, even against their will; but because of conscience, the virtuous ought to be subject willingly and with alacrity.

XIII. 8. For this reason you also pay tribute. For they are God's ministers, attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute, to whom tribute is due; custom, to whom custom; fear, to whom fear; honor, to whom honor. Owe no one anything, except to love one another.

And to that extent, he says, the powers provide a benefit, that for this reason you even pay tribute; as if offering a wage for their governance and providence. “For they are God’s ministers.” That is, they are subject to God and in this way ministering to God, so that He may care for us as God.

^A “To this same end.” That is, that they might have care for us. “Attending continually.” Neglecting their own affairs, he says, they are occupied with cares on our behalf. “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due.” He shows that the matter is a debt. For this reason he said “debts,” and “Render,” as if it were a debt to those entrusted with various principalities—to him to whom the tribute is due, that is, the so-called poll-tax, pay the tribute. And to whom the tax is due, that is, the contribution for the land, the tax. And not only money, but also fear—that is, respect, reverence, and profound honor. He adds, therefore, “Honor to whom honor is due.” For fear is twofold. The one is that which those who have done wrong feel, which proceeds from an evil conscience, which the Apostle forbade above; the other, however, is that which those who love have toward those they love, that is, surpassing honor. As it is said, “There is no lack to those who fear Him.” For he denotes reverence here. “Except that you love one another.” He has come to the mother of all good things, love, showing it to be a debt and an obligation. ^B XIII. 9. “For he who loves another has fulfilled the law.” Since it is written: “You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summarized in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ^C Then he shows what the gain of love is. That, he says, he who fulfills this, fulfills the whole law. And he says how. [Phot.] How he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law is evident from this. For one who loves would not ruin the marriage of the one loved, by plotting against this very crown of life and harming the one he loves; nor would he arm murderous hands against him; nor would he attempt to steal; nor in any other way, being set upon the desire of any of his things, would he take them away by violent stealth. For nothing of these things belongs to one who loves. Nor would he bear false testimony against his neighbor, nor would he swear a perjured oath. And how will he who loves his neighbor not love and honor father and mother exceptionally? And how will he who is of this sort not truly love and glorify the Divine with all his heart and with all his might? And he who has fortified himself with these things, what other virtue will he not increase and complete along with those already mentioned? So that he who loves his neighbor may be said to have fulfilled the whole law. Then, because men are accustomed to apply the name of love even to affections unworthy of this calling, he himself provides a description of that love which he said sums up the law and gathers together the multitude of virtues. ^D For love, he says, which I mentioned, so unites those who are neighbors to one another that each does not consider the one who is joined to him to be another, but thinks him to be his own self. From which it is evident that nothing of each...

^A is performed as an evil toward one's neighbor. Then, concluding, he repeats: “Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.” This is: truly and justly have I said that he who loves has fulfilled the law. But when he says that he who loves fulfills the whole law, he shows how. For he says, all the commandments are fulfilled through love. But he did not say “are fulfilled” simply; rather, “are recapitulated.” That is: briefly and in a short word the whole thing comes to pass, and the whole work of the commandments is fulfilled in a short manner: “Your neighbor as yourself.” The expression “as yourself” signifies intense love.

XIII. 10. 11.

You see how love possesses both virtues, I mean the abstaining from evils and the doing of good? Behold the abstinence from evils: “Love, he says, works no evil to his neighbor.” Behold the performance of good: “The fulfillment, he says, of the law is love.” For he does good to his neighbor. And all the eagerness of the law desires this: the abstinence from evils and the beginning of good things. “Love works no evil to the neighbor. The beginning of good things and the end is to love one’s neighbor as oneself.” ^B “And this, knowing...” — [SEUIR] Fulfill, he says, the work of love, knowing the time is pressing and demands virtue. “Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed”; that is, now that we have learned the more beneficial of deeds, it has indeed become easier to be saved than when we were still being instructed in the principles of the faith. For not as soon as we believed in Christ did we obtain an exact grasp of what must be done. “Knowing,” he says, what is this? “The time,” he says. — [PHOT] “And this knowing.” To those things above is this attached, and to those points it is referred, indicating an intensity rather and an exhortation of the things aforementioned. To which ones above? “Let every soul be subject to the higher powers.” And, “Render to all their due.” And, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another.” These things, therefore, he says, do, both because of the aforementioned things and most especially for this. Because of what? Knowing the time, that the time of our life has been shortened; and it behooves us, who sleep as though we were doing nothing, to awake as quickly as possible, as if from sleep. For it is manifest ^C that now we are much closer to the end of our life than when we believed. He calls the end of life “salvation,” because then to those who are worthy, salvation and enjoyment are more fully revealed; for this reason he also calls it “day,” as it provides pleasure and illuminates, and makes manifest those things which previously were unknown in regard to experience and enjoyment, but were looked upon by hope alone. With good reason, however, he calls the present life “night,” in comparison to the coming day. For many things which in this time are hidden as if in the night, will there be made manifest as in a bright day; and many things which are unknown here as if in darkness, will there be known as in the light, with every veil taken away and every face

^A wiped clean, and the darkness which clouded the thoughts purged away. The night, he says, is shortened, that is to say, our life, and the end is drawing near; that is, the day of death and retribution is now approaching. Therefore, for this reason as well, it is necessary to perform every commandment with alacrity, to love one another, to pay all their dues, to be subject to the authorities. For the labor is now small; the contests, if there be any need to struggle, are not stretched out at length. For the stadium of our life has become very short. Let no one delay; let us all be eager. "It is the hour for us now." The end, he says, is near, and we must hasten to the work of good deeds. "To awake from sleep." To rise from sloth. "For now is our salvation nearer." For as the present life is gradually slipping away, the time of our resurrection and salvation becomes nearer than when we first came to the faith. "Salvation." If we are prepared as we ought to be, the day of judgment will be for us a saving one; if not, it will be destructive. But he designates that day from the more favorable aspects. "Than when we believed." It is likely that these people were fervent at the beginning, as those who were new to the faith, but subsequently grew languid. This, therefore, he now implicitly suggests, as if he were to say: "The nearer our salvation now is—that is, the day of saving judgment—the more diligent it behooves us to be, and not to become sluggish."

^B XIII, 12-14. "The night is far spent, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof."

"The night is far spent." He calls the present life night. For the things that are in it differ in no way from dreams. But he calls the future time the day, because the hidden things are to be made manifest in it. "Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness." He calls evil deeds the works of darkness, but virtue the armor of light. For as armor, it protects a man; but as light, it illuminates. "As in the day, honestly." As though the day were already present, as though it were at hand, ^C as though being present to a degree never seen before, let us live honestly. But what "honestly" means, he himself interprets by adding: "Not in rioting," and so forth. And he says "honestly," sharply rebuking them, because even if there were no punishment laid up for those who sin, and no enjoyment for those who live uprightly, one ought to flee what is base and unbecoming and shameful, and cling to virtue. But since what has been mentioned follows upon both lives, what must we do? "Let us walk." Having said above that the day of judgment is in the future, he now brings it before the eyes, terrifying the hearer. And by saying "Let us walk," he makes the speech free from envy, including himself as well. "Not in ^D rioting and drunkenness." He does not forbid drinking, but being drunk. And a riot is the singing that follows after drunkenness and insolence, which is also called roistering. "And in wantonness."

^A He does not take away intercourse, but fornication. "Not in contention and emulation." By contention he speaks of anger; by emulation, of envy. "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ." For he who has put Him on possesses virtue in its entirety. How is he to be put on? If He be everything to us, appearing in us both inwardly and outwardly. And to never depart from Him, he calls a garment. "And the care of the flesh." Having said that one ought not to have care for the flesh, he adds, "unto fulfillings of desires," so that you might not think that we must not care for the flesh even in necessary things, such as in food and clothing. We must therefore care for it for existence, not for wantonness.

XIV, 1–4. "Him that is weak in the faith receive, not unto doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things; another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand." ^B There were some who had believed from among the Jews, who, still clinging to the Law, abhorred many foods, such as swine's flesh: and so that they might not become manifest, they ate only herbs, so that it might appear to be an observance of temperance and not because they abhorred them. But there were also other believers from among the Jews who, having believed firmly, did not observe the foods. Addressing his discourse therefore to these sincere believers, he censures those who abhorred the foods, calling them weak in the faith. Observe, however, with me the prudence, the efficacy, and the providence of Paul; he kindly corrects the one who was discerning between foods: on one hand, so that if he were to direct his rebuke solely at him, he might recoil; on the other hand, so that he might not seem to be doing well if he remained uncorrected. Therefore he says: "Receive him, because he is weak." Do not judge him: why? Not because he is not acting poorly: but because he has another Master who judges him. By this, also, while consoling him (as we have said) regarding not condemning a neighbor, he gives him to understand again that even if this one does not judge him, nevertheless he who observes the foods is subject to judgment. Saying in effect: Although even this one does not judge you, you have a Master, however, who judges you; therefore you must abstain from such pettiness and squalor. He forbids, moreover, that one should judge another regarding foods: lest, contending and bickering about these things at the beginning of the faith, they might come into danger from this, and even fall out regarding what is joyful—and, concerning that which was the highest matter, namely faith in Christ, suffer loss. What then? If we now see one observing Jewish customs regarding foods, shall we not condemn him? Most certainly. How then does he say, "Judge not, that ye be not judged"? 54* This is not to be taken regarding the faith or those things which contribute to the faith. Far be it! Nor regarding those things that ^D

are absurdly committed; but concerning the works of this life, concerning those things which are under suspicion, concerning those things which, as the Master Himself said, are like a mote. ^A For concerning these and suchlike matters, one ought not even to open one's mouth, and especially those to whom He adds another point to the aforementioned chapter, saying that not only in the aforementioned case ought one not to judge and despise his neighbor, but also not in that which follows.

And it is this: Some used to eat on separate or discriminated days, while others ate on every day. He says, therefore, that not even in these matters should they judge and condemn one another; neither the one who eats, for the neighbor fasts and does well, doing so for God’s sake. Nor, again, should the one who fasts condemn the one who does not fast on separate days (that is, the one who eats on every day); for it is not a matter of a legal precept such that transgression brings judgment, but [it is a matter] of pure will. "Not to disputes of doubts." ^B He strikes them once when He says, "weak in the faith"; a second time, saying, "Receive," for He shows that they have need of much care; and a third time when He says, "Not to disputes of doubts." For He signifies that they were slipping to such an extent that even those who communicated with them in friendship were judging and separating themselves.

"One indeed believes he may eat all things." The one who, he says, sincerely believes and has no Judaic observance eats all things without abomination. He commends him from his faith. "But another," he says, who is "weak" in the faith, "eats herbs." In this, he also reproves him, because he ate herbs not from a praiseworthy abstinence, even if he made a pretense of this, but from an infirmity of faith. ^C "Let him who eats not despise him who does not eat." He did not say: "Let him correct," but, "Let him not despise," showing that he acts ridiculously. For one ought to admonish fraternally, and not despise as if someone were abominable. "Let him not despise." For just as those who through faith ate everything without distinction despised those who were observing [the law regarding] foods, so those others judged these as gluttons and slaves to their bellies.

See, however: having said concerning those who eat, "For God has received him," concerning those who were observing [the law], He said nothing of the sort. "For God," He says, "drew him to Himself, and freed him from all Judaic observance." ^D [SEVERUS] But the servant of Christ, whom Christ has received, is a stranger to the Law. Who, then, art thou that judgest from the Law him who is a stranger to the Law? "Who art thou that judgest?" To the sincere believer is this word addressed. From this it is manifest that they were not only despising, but also judging those who ate herbs. "To another's servant." He belongs to God, he says, and to God pertains his falling or his rising. Therefore, it is not because he does not do things worthy of condemnation that you should not judge him, but because he is another's servant. "But he shall be established." Again He strikes the weak and those who observe foods. For by saying, "He shall be established," He shows that they are wavering, and so much so that they have need of God who confirms them.

XIV, 5, 6. *One person judges one day as better than another, while another judges all days alike. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. He also who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while he who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.* ^A It is probable that some who fasted or abstained continually at that time condemned those who did not abstain continuously; to these he forbids them to condemn or vehemently accuse others. For they had recently come to the faith, and he feared that excessive accusation might completely separate them from the faith, as they might be provoked to anger by the accusations. *"Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind."* Do not take the phrase, "Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind," to apply to all matters, ^B but only to fasting, and even this he says by way of condescension, because the Romans had only recently adhered to the faith. For if you take the aforementioned word to apply to the faith itself, you err entirely. But let each one be fully convinced according to his own mind: either that it is good to fast always, or that it is not good to fast always. *"He who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord."* This saying is not to be taken as referring to a dogma of the faith. Nevertheless, he himself said beforehand: For both this man and that man are using one aim, namely, honor toward God. For he who keeps the day thinks he is fulfilling the law of God; and he who makes no distinction regarding this has every day in equal honor as one created by God. ^C Another interpretation: The statement, *"He who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord, and he who does not observe the day, in honor of the Lord he does not observe it,"* is manifest to us from what has been said, that he means this: he who judges and considers it good to eat on every day, does so in the Lord—that is, he considers this in the Lord, and does it for the Lord's sake. And he who does not judge this, nor considers it good to eat on every day, judges and considers it good for the Lord's sake. For these things are, for him, the reason for the statement, *"Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind."* How do you say this, Paul? Well, he says, I spoke well, since both he who fasts over a day and he who eats every day do this for the sake of pleasing the Lord, and there is no need to judge one another at all on this account. Then he intensifies the reason and says: ^D For he who eats gives thanks to God while eating, because He has given humans the means and sustaining power of life. And he who fasts gives thanks that He has given humans endurance and patience and methods by which one might be able to overcome the passions of the flesh. But one who eats or fasts in any other way is subject to judgment, as were certain heresies. These things, therefore, are to be understood specifically regarding those who fast and those who eat, and not applied to any other matters. For this canon does not extend to all things, but, as we have said, it is specific and comprehends only this and other things of this kind. For it does not even fit the argument stated a little before, for instance in the case of one judged for food; for even he who does not eat, does not fail to eat for the glory of Christ, but as one weak and unestablished in the faith. But one must not judge him on account of the

occasion of the time, because it was the beginning of the preaching. But as for him who eats daily, or him who fasts on certain days, neither this nor the other ought to be perused with accusation: for both do what they do for the glory of God. And all the following things, whatever are turned toward that understanding concerning those fasting on certain days and those eating daily, are to be taken only in such a way, as is that: "But you, why do you judge your brother?" and that: "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."

^B Then, having taken an opportunity from this, and having reminded us that we have a Lord and Judge sitting at the tribunal, he turns his discourse to a general admonition. Why, he says, do I speak of this or that? It is necessary that you should be so disposed toward one another, that in nothing, as far as lies in us, should we bring upon one another an offense or a scandal. He said "to the brother," wishing to soften him even by the name. "Why," says he, "do you scandalize? He is your brother, he is your member, so that you have one Father, one Creator." If therefore scandals and offenses are taken away from you, much more will judging and condemning be taken away. Not only will judging and condemning on account of this or that be taken away, but simply and in total it will be taken away, that you do not judge and condemn one another at all. And then truly both he who is not judged will be thrice-blessed, and he who does not judge will be like him, when we shall have lived in virtue and holiness, and shall have taken away ^C every occasion for judging or condemning from many. O the voice of Paul! O the foundation of the architect! This, he says, you judge: that you do not place an offense or scandal for the brother; lay down this first foundation. If this foundation is established in you, the rest will be easy to build upon. "And he that does not regard the day." Or he says it thus: He who is concerned to fast or abstain daily, for the Lord he is so disposed; and he who is concerned not to fast daily, according to the Lord he is minded. But whatever is done for the Lord, it is good, he says. "For he gives thanks to God." If therefore, he says, it becomes a profitable work, that thanks be given to God through all things, why do you differ so vehemently about the fast? For the difference is small. He speaks thus condescendingly. Nevertheless, how can he who does not eat give thanks to Christ? For as if clinging to the Law, he does not eat. But he who eats, gives thanks to God.

XV, 7-9. "For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living."

We have, he says, a Lord to whom we live if we live, to whom also we die if we die. If therefore our life and death belong to the Lord, He Himself will dispose what concerns us, and there is no need to judge the

^A neighbor or to despise him. "For whether we live." For He alone has power over life and death. "For to this end Christ died." He brought forward the reasoning that we are Christ's both when we live and when we die. In addition to these things, He also shows this: that, he says, if He showed such great providence toward us as even to be crucified, He would by no means despise us. For if He cares for us even when we are dead, much more so when we are alive. He says this to those who condemn, so that they might realize that the weak in faith are cared for by God, because of His such great providence toward all; and he also admonishes the one who is small of faith, reminding him of God's benefits. "And He died and rose again." He deposited, he says, the proofs of our lordship, "that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living." That is to say, of souls and bodies; for the former are immortal, but the latter are mortal. Thus also the holy Methodius in his book *On the Resurrection*. ^B

XIV, 10-13. "But why do you judge your brother? Or even why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: 'As I live, says the Lord, that to Me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess to God.' So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather judge this, not to put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in our brother's way."

Again, his address is to him who is small of faith. "Or even why do you despise your brother?" This address is directed to him who is firm in faith. But by the name of brother he resolves their contention. For it is written: "As I live," etc. While it seems that by the deduction of the prophecy he is also restraining the faithful man from despising the one who judaizes, nevertheless he spoke the whole passage, shaking the soul of him who still judaizes, here admonishing him by the memory of the judgment, and there by the benefits of Christ Himself. For if, he says, we shall all stand before Christ, and He Himself, and not the law, will demand an accounting from us, why do you cling to the law and not seize hold of Christ once and for all? "To Me every knee shall bow." He attests that the dominion of all is subject to Him. "And every tongue shall confess." Namely, one's own sins, out of one's own conscience, as to the Judge. — Another way. [OECUM.] It has been said concerning God the Father that He judges no one, but has given judgment to the Son. It is manifest, then, that it was said of the Judge by Paul, "shall confess to God," and "shall give an account to God." Therefore Christ is God, even if the impious do not wish it. "Therefore let us not judge one another anymore." Again he adheres to the first discourse, so that he may not appear to have made mention of the judgment through fear, but through a certain logical consequence of the discourse. "Not to put a stumbling block." This is fitting both for the sincere believer and for him who still judaizes. For even the perfect man was offended by the observance of foods

^A by the neighbor, and he who was refusing foods by the vehement rebuke of him who believed sincerely. Thus, with one piece of counsel, he corrects both, that they should abstain from these things which become an occasion of scandal to the neighbor.

XIV, 14–18. "I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing common of itself, except to him who accounts anything to be common; to him it is common. But if your brother is grieved because of food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food that man for whom Christ died. Therefore, do not let your good be blasphemed. For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men."

The discourse concerning the observation of foods continues for him. Since, therefore, he said, "I know and am persuaded that there is nothing common," so that he who still judaizes might not say, "What if you are persuaded, whereas the law teaches the opposite?", he adds, "In the Lord Jesus," showing that from Him he has learned these things and is fully assured, and that he does not speak of his own self. "That there is nothing common."

[ΦΩΤ.] From here he returns again to the matters concerning foods, and he exhorts those who are strong in the faith to support those who are weak, and he shows from what he says that it is good to try to correct him who judges among foods, but it is better, if he cannot be corrected in this, to overlook the defect ^B and to lead him by the hand in every way toward gaining and saving him.

[ΘΕΟΔΩΡ.] "There is nothing," he says, "common of itself." For so that they might not say, "Who are you to enact laws contrary to Moses?", he brings into the midst the Lord of Moses, teaching that He Himself brought the legal observances to an end, and allowed nothing to be reckoned an impure dish.

[ΣΕΥΗΡ.] For "By him" means by His evangelical legislation. "There is nothing common by him," that is, impure by nature. "By him," that is, by God. Because of the grace now given by Him, he says, nothing is common by nature, but it becomes common from the choice of the one who approaches it. Whence it also becomes common ^C to that person alone, and not to all. For he says, "To him it is common."

"But if your brother is grieved because of food." For the faithful were reproaching those who were still judaizing and therefore observing the foods. He does not want them, therefore, to be harshly stricken in matters that are not very great, fearing lest, perchance, having become fainthearted, they might fall away completely from the faith. If, therefore, there is nothing common in foods, he says, nevertheless abstain from the vehement reproach of your brother, acting in a discretionary way for the stated reason. See also the wisdom of the holy1 man: fully assuring the perfect man that there is nothing common, and likewise showing the man of little faith to be weak because of the observance, "No longer," he says, "are you walking according to love." For he wants love to exist, knowing that all things are accomplished ^D through it part by part. "Do not destroy that man with your food"

^A. You must not, because you eat all things being a believer, reproach him vehemently and cast him out completely from the faith. For indeed, Christ also died for him. Whence you ought in a dispensation-like manner to condescend to him. - [PHOT.] Here he also advises the faithful to abstain from foods for the sake of condescension to the weak in faith, as he also says later: "Therefore let not your good be blasphemed." For by accusing and always contending against him because of the keeping of foods, you not only make him more contentious, but you also give an opportunity to those on the outside to blaspheme our faith because of such fights. For the "good," he says, is faith. You teach well indeed, but the fight becomes a cause of blasphemy. "Therefore let not your good be blasphemed." For it is a good indeed, because through being established in the faith one does not judge in the matter of foods. But when you are disputing and contending vehemently against those who do judge, you cause your good to be blasphemed. ^B For those being rebuked are compelled to say to you, that you do not do this out of faith, but for the sake of healing the belly. If, therefore, there were no other cause to abstain from such contention, surely this very fact—that your good should not be blasphemed—ought to have been enough to persuade you to dissolve the contention into concord and love. For this is not to contemn the things of faith, but to honor them, by preventing the insults by which it would be affected. It is also likely that some of those estranged from the faith, hearing the contentions, mock and ridicule the dogmas of the Christians and heap insults upon them; for all these reasons it would be better, instead of untimely contention, to be harmonious concerning opportune things that conform to charity, and to cut off every pretext for slander and blasphemy. For these are the things that introduce one into the kingdom of heaven: peace in faith, ^C joy in the Holy Spirit, and righteousness. "For the kingdom of God is not food and drink." He wishes to restrain them from accusations. For, he says, we cannot enter the kingdom of God by means of food or drink. Otherwise. [PHOT.] By saying, "For the kingdom of God is not food and drink," he shows that their contention regarding foods was most vehement and beyond measure. And he implies that if the kingdom of God were food and drink, you would not have contended more vehemently; at the same time, he also urges shame, saying: If you do so for these things, what ought you to do for righteousness, and peace, and spiritual joy? "But righteousness." What, then, are the things that introduce one into the kingdom? Righteousness, that is, a virtuous life, peace toward one's brother, and joy derived from concord. And since there is peace and joy in base things, he adds, "in the Holy Spirit," as if he said: I speak of that peace and joy which are brought about in the Holy Spirit, that is, introduced through the Holy Spirit. "For he who in these things serves Christ." Doing these things thus, as a debtor and as one obliged to it, with fear and trembling, as a faithful servant of God. ^D For he who is puffed up

^A and arrogant in these matters, is neither serving God nor pleasing to Him. "And approved by men." Not only this, but men will admire you, seeing that you have peace and joy for the sake of justice; furthermore, you will eat flesh without discrimination.

XIV, 19-21. "Therefore let us pursue the things that make for peace, and for the edification of one another." Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good not to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything by which your brother stumbles, or is offended, or is weakened.

Since these things are agreed upon, he says, and it has been shown ^B that this peace is good, let us practice these things by which the edification of all will come about. "Not for the sake of food." Not only, he says, do you not edify, but while you are always accusing him who has faith, you dissolve it, making them more contentious and utterly drawing them away from the faith. "The work of God." God, he says, built up through His passion, but you for the sake of food destroy His building. He calls the salvation of men the work of God. "All things are pure." By a great correction directed at those who had a sound judgment, he confirms the weak regarding the observation of food, and from henceforth he changes his speech toward them. All things are indeed pure, he says, but it is evil for the man who eats with an evil conscience. "By which he stumbles." ^C For if you are forced to eat, he says, you are not helped at all; for you have eaten with discernment. For eating does not make you pure, but rather clean intention with which you eat. "It is good not to eat flesh." Here he not only counsels the faithful one not to goad the weak one severely, but also that he should lower himself and yield to him, and not eat flesh, nor drink wine, nor do whatever else is required for the salvation of the brother. For he has a very great occasion for condescension toward the infirmity. "Nor anything by which your brother stumbles." See how he speaks to the believer about the one of little faith, in what matter he stumbles, which is a trait of the blind. And he is offended, which is a trait of those easily scandalized. He is weakened, which is a trait of those of little faith. ^D

XIV, 22-23. "You have faith; have it to yourself. Blessed is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts if he eats, is condemned, because he does not eat from faith. And whatever is not from faith is sin."

He says "faith" here, referring to the matters in question—such as food—just as he said [elsewhere] about dogmas, [that it is] in the manifest [acknowledgment] that it is beneficial to all. "For everyone," he says, "who confesses Me before men," and so on. Here, furthermore, he insinuates that he who is puffed up and brings himself forward, saying, "Why do you boast of your virtue?" It is God who is the work. "Blessed is he, he says,"

who does not judge himself in what he approves." That is to say, in whatever matter he may approve of as being one way or another, such as eating this or not eating that. And how shall this be? From a pure conscience. For since he said, "Have faith before yourself," he says that even if everyone reproaches you for doing something ^B by way of dispensation, or for the sake of the salvation of your brother, if your own conscience does not condemn you, you are blessed. From these things he strikes at the weak one. For if the crown and happiness of the faithful is from the conscience, then clearly the condemnation is also. Do not then eat with "di-distinction"—that is to say, in a state of doubt—out of necessity. "He who does not judge himself." [ΦΩΤ.] He resolves the objection. What then, he says, if for the sake of the weak person I do not eat? Am I not compared to him? Do I not become like him? To this he says, almost, "God forbid!" For your faith remains pure and unadulterated before God. Then, why do I say that you receive no harm from this, and that your faith remains before God? You also procure for yourself a state of blessedness if, for the sake of the utility and salvation of your brother, you do not eat. "Blessed," he says, "is he who does not judge himself in what he approves," that is to say, he who has his conscience testifying to him. Not only in this, in which he abstains from foods for the sake of the salvation of his brother, but also generally in every matter which, after careful examination, he discerns to be good, and then acts upon it, having a conscience that testifies to him. ^C Such a one is blessed; so far is he from receiving any harm on account of this. "But he who doubts." This is again directed at the one who is healthy in faith. For why do you force him to eat, who is not yet firmly established? Do you not know that he who doubts, if he eats, is condemned? Because he does not eat from faith, but from necessity or out of shame; for he did not believe it to be pure, and yet he ate it. Why then do you become a cause of condemnation to him, forcing him to eat while he is being offended? Then at last, by a definite statement, he says that everything that one does not from faith, is sin. ^D XVI, 25-27. "Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, kept secret for eternal times, but now made manifest, and by prophetic Scriptures, according to the commandment of the eternal God, for the obedience of faith to all nations, to the only wise God through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen."

The hyperbaton is: "Now to Him who is able to strengthen you, glory forever. Amen." — "To strengthen you." He prays next for the weak. For they had need of prayer rather than counsel. By saying "strengthen," he signifies that they were wavering. Then he introduces the mode of strengthening. "According to my Gospel." He says that they should live in such a way as the Gospel dictates. — And otherwise. [OEKUM.] After the admonition, he is accustomed

^A always to pray, which he also does here, praying for the more imperfect: not only instructing by word, but also bringing help from God. The sequence of the coordination is such: "Now to Him who is able to strengthen you through Jesus Christ, [be] glory unto the ages. Amen." The article *ᾧ* (to whom), indeed, he puts superfluously, assumed because there was need of repetition. To Him who is able to strengthen you, the imperfect and the vacillating. How? "According to my Gospel." This is, that you should adhere to those things which I teach. Furthermore, "My Gospel" and "the preaching of Christ" are one and the same. For our dogmas are not ours, but His laws. "According to the revelation of the mystery." A sign of the greatest honor, that we have been made participants in the mystery: the matter being once defined, but now appearing through the prophetic Scriptures.

^B Why therefore do you fear, you weak person, lest by eating swine's flesh you might depart from the Law? Behold, for all the Scriptures preach this mystery, which introduces the indifference of foods, and [which is] according to the commandment of the eternal God. Therefore, it is not fitting to resist God, but to believe and to obey: for faith needs not curiosity, but obedience. Moreover, all the nations believe in this way; for it was made known to all. How then do you yourself still serve the Law? "To the only wise God," he said, for the sake of distinction from [the] angels and from us, or from the falsely named gods, not [from] the Son or the Holy Spirit. Far be it! For the Son is the wisdom of the Father. To Him, therefore, be glory, who made the mystery manifest, not to the law to which you still adhere, observing foods. That which he adds, moreover, "through Jesus Christ," can, as was said above, be joined to the preceding: "To Him who is able to strengthen you through Jesus Christ." For He Himself manifested the mystery to the nations, who sent out the disciples to teach all nations. The article *ᾧ*, that is, "to whom," is superfluous. "And the preaching of Jesus Christ." What then is the preaching of Jesus? "That they may know Thee," he says, "and Him whom Thou didst send, Jesus Christ." — "He who has seen Me, has seen the Father." — "I and the Father are one." And ^C as Peter says, that He is the Son of the living God. And that the Son has all judgment. And, "Go, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," and the like. "And the preaching of Jesus Christ." Who then is this Jesus Christ? He who from the beginning was indeed with the Father, but now has been manifested. And in what manner has He been manifested? By the mystery, he says, being revealed; for in eternal times it was silent; it was known only to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit: but now, the mystery having been revealed, Christ has been manifested to all the nations, [the fact] that He is the Son of God and God of the same substance. But how was He manifested? Through the prophets, through their Scriptures. And from whence did they speak and write? By the commanding and inspiring of the most holy Spirit: for this eternal God

he calls, that is, one who is not subject to time. What then is the work of the prophetic Scriptures, which they spoke through the Spirit? To make Christ known to all nations. How? By their obeying the faith, through those who announced it to them: of which task, the course of Paul and the Gospel accomplished the greatest part.

You have, therefore, here also the Trinity joined together. Through the words "to the wise God," you have the Father; through the words "Jesus Christ," it is evident you have the Son; and through the words "by the commandment of the eternal God," you have the holy Spirit who inspired the prophets. And observe the keen-sightedness of Paul’s sublime and truly heaven-bound mind. Since it is entirely clear to anyone that the Spirit is wise, but the fact that He is eternal is subject to the objections of many, he shifted these terms; and that which ^B some might have opposed, had not Paul cried it out, he places upon the Spirit, calling Him the eternal God. But that which was easy to grasp—so that, even if it were not testified of Him specifically, they might nevertheless conceive it of the Spirit—this he places upon the Father, calling Him wise, fearing nothing from this. For he did not fear that anyone would deprive the Spirit of His wisdom, or the Father of His eternity, and the same applies to the Son. The words "at times eternal" and "having been manifested" proclaim the eternity of the Son, taking care in advance regarding that over which some were going to stumble. Just as, therefore, when the Son and the Spirit are said to be eternal, the sequence of thought permits us to understand the Father also as eternal, so too, when the Father is said to be wise, the Son and the Spirit may deservedly be understood to possess an ineffable and divine wisdom; and neither can the eternity be taken away from the Father, nor can the Son or the Spirit be deprived of wisdom.

And the fact that the divine Paul, speaking here of the Father, joins the word "only" to the word "wise," was truly the work of the Spirit and of the mind which was granted to Paul by the Spirit. For he placed the word "only" in that passage in which it is ^C beyond doubt for everyone, even for those who are most contentious, that the Son and the Spirit are not deprived of it. Why did he do this? So that even in whatever other divine concepts and names you hear the word "only" attached, you might not understand the expression as a distinction of the Son and of the Spirit, but rather as a distinction from all other things, and as a union and connection of the monarchical Trinity. For he who clearly suggests that we should think this here, commands us to hold the same assumption regarding similar passages. Have you heard the Father called wise? Also concurrently understand the Son and the Spirit to be wise. Have I called the Son or the Spirit eternal? Understand the Father for me in the same way. Have I called the Father King, powerful, of great authority? So also must the Son and the Spirit be glorified. I said "only" well, so that I might reserve ^D the preeminent quality for the singular Trinity, not so that, by dividing it, I might strip it of its dignity. When I add "only," I separate all other things, but through the word "only" I rather unite the Trinity, not dividing that which is in its natural form indivisible, but binding together the unity in the minds of the hearers. "And the preaching of Jesus Christ." Christ Himself preached these things, he says; therefore, the laws are not of men

of the Gospel, but of Christ himself. He shows the credibility of them ^A both from the preaching and from the name. For it is called Gospel. But what is the preaching of Christ? Christ himself. "According to the revelation of the mystery." That which was given, he says, according to the revelation of the mystery. Which one? That which was kept silent indeed in the preceding eternal times, which is to many, but now has been manifested. Note that it is a gift of great honor, not only from Christ who preached it, and from its being called Gospel, but also from its having been manifested to us now as a free gift, even though it was pre-eternal. For the Son was from the beginning, but has now been known, having been unknown before. "And through the prophetic Scriptures." And how, he says, was it manifested? "Through the prophetic Scriptures," as the Father ordered it to be. In this way he urges the unbeliever to faith. For why do you fear to believe in him sincerely? The prophets spoke, God commanded it. "To the obedience of faith." For faith has need of obedience, so that no one may curiously investigate why it was manifested now, and why it was silenced long ago. "To all the nations." Do not fear, he says, not you alone believe, but also the whole inhabited world. "To the only wise God." By way of distinction from the falsely named gods, not of Christ, or of the Spirit — may it never be! "Through Jesus Christ." Having been made known among the nations through Jesus Christ, as he who also preached. Finally, by way of interpolation: "To the only wise God be glory." — Or thus: [OECUM.] "To him who is able to strengthen you, to the only wise God." And how to strengthen? "Through Jesus Christ, to whom is glory, he says, unto the ages. Amen." — "To whom be the glory." That, "to whom," is redundant. [PHOT.] That, "to whom be the glory," is to be understood of all three, as, "To him who is able to strengthen you, to the only wise God," and as, "According to the commandment of the eternal God," and as, "Through Jesus Christ." For the Trinity being revealed through these, he brought the glory to the Trinity.

CHAPTER XIX. On the imitation of Christ's patience.

^A And not to please ourselves, but "to our neighbor for the sake of ^B condescension." Is he mighty and faithful? Let the weak learn by experience of you through condescension. For it is necessary for each of us to please our neighbor; but since it happens that one can please even in evil, he added, "For good to edification." For by doing this, you will edify him and correct him. "For even Christ did not please himself." If, he says, Christ had wished to look to his own interest, he would not have suffered. For it was allowed to him not to be insulted, but he did not please himself, nor did he take thought for his own, but for our benefit. ^C — Otherwise. [OF JOHN.] It was allowed to him not to be insulted, not to suffer that which he suffered, had he looked to his own interest. But having looked to ours, he disregarded his own, and was insulted, and received an evil reputation among many. "But as it is written." There is nothing, he says, that has happened as a novelty, but they who in the Old Law cast reproaches and insulted you, O God the Father, these also came against your Son. "For whatever was written," and so forth, these things, he says, were written for our instruction, that we might imitate and endure. "That through patience." That, he says, comforted by the Scriptures, and strengthened by the patience written therein, we might remain in the hope of God. For patience is the producer of hope; and hope, in turn, of patience. ^D "Now the God of patience and of encouragement grant you to think the same thing among one another according to Jesus Christ, that with one accord you may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. Now I say that Christ Jesus has become a minister of the circumcision, for the sake of the truth of God to confirm the promises made to the fathers." He shows that along with the Scriptures and the instruction and encouragement from them, there is also need of prayers to draw the help of God. "Grant you to think the same thing." He prays for mutual love for them, but since it is possible for love to exist even in evil, distinguishing this from that, he adds: "According to Jesus Christ, that with one accord." But what is the benefit of having love and of thinking the same thing with one another? The cause, he says, becomes this, that all with one accord and with one soul might glorify God. ^A "Therefore receive one another." Since these things are so, he says, "Receive one another," that is, be reconciled to one another among yourselves. And again he brings forward Christ as an example. But by doing this, you will glorify God through mutual love. "To the glory of God." It is a hyperbaton: "Receive one another to the glory of God." — "Now I say that Christ Jesus," and so forth. He reproves those who were still clinging to Judaism, and says: Christ coming cooperated with the Father, so that the promises given by Him to those around Abraham might reach their end. He cooperated by fulfilling the entire Law, and being circumcised. For this is what he calls "having become a minister—"

^A of circumcision—so that by this, too, He might confirm and fulfill the Law. "I say, for Christ Jesus," and so forth. — [PHOT.] For instance: How did Christ take you to Himself? In this way, he says: "The Jews, having been circumcised and having appeared in the flesh from their seed, by which He also cooperated with the Father to show His words to be true and to fulfill the promises."

For lest anyone say, "And what need was there for the Jews to be taken, who had long since been made familiar to the Father and were awaiting promises, which it was impossible not to see come to pass, since He who promised is entirely truthful?" he says these things: that even if the Jews had been taken, and even if they had received promises, if the Son, having been incarnate and circumcised, had not taken them to Himself, they would neither have been deemed worthy of the promises, having made themselves transgressors of the commandments, nor would the Father's oracle regarding the truth—immutable and ^B unknowing of repentance—have resulted in their benefit, since by their transgression they had placed an impediment so that it could not come to pass. Therefore, having taken them to Himself and been circumcised, He both cooperated with the Father's truth and helped the promises to be brought to an end and confirmed. But the Jews, in this way and for these reasons; but the nations, he says, why did He take them? For the sake of ineffable mercy, and so that the Father might be glorified the more. For if the fulfilling of the promises, and that the Father not be thought by some to have lied, contributes to His glory, how will it not contribute to the Father's immense glory to have promised nothing and given no pledges, but thus suddenly to have bestowed supernatural and unhoped-for good things? — OTHERWISE [BY THE SAME.] Christ alone fulfilled the Law, having set right all the commandments. But He was also a Jew ^C according to the flesh. For this is also signified by the circumcision. And those who were adopted by Him were multiplied like the stars of the heaven, and like the sand which is at the lip of the sea. So that He also cooperated with the Father toward the truth being established, and toward the promises to Abraham being fully fulfilled, having accomplished every commandment, and having been reckoned as the offspring of Abraham, and having filled the entire inhabited world through the believers. "Having become a minister of circumcision." One can also understand it this way: Christ became a minister of the Jews, that is to say, so that the Jews might come within the promises, so that the Father who promised these things might also be truthful. "To confirm the promises of the fathers." For the sake of the Father who promised being truthful, he says. But the Law was not able to confirm them. How, then, he says, is it not absurd to disregard Christ, the one who confirmed our promises which the fathers received, and to cling to the Law which was not able to preserve the promises for us? ^D

XV, 9-12. "But that the nations might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: 'For this reason I will confess to You among the nations, and I will sing to Your name.'" And again he says, "Rejoice, O nations, with His people—"

^A And again, "Praise the Lord, all you nations, and praise Him, all you peoples." And again Isaiah says: "There shall be a root of Jesse, and He who shall arise to rule over the nations; in Him the nations shall hope."

The Jews, indeed, had at least received promises, although they had received no utility from them, unless Christ had confirmed them. "But you," he says, "O nations, ought to praise God for His benevolence alone, since you possessed no promises, but obtained mercy, with grace accomplishing the whole matter." Insofar, therefore, as you have obtained mercy through the grace of Christ, you are all the more debtors to God, so as to bear with those who, from among the Jews, are of little faith. For this is the glory of God: your concord and peace. For he is discoursing with those of the nations who were faithful, who were most insistent regarding the observance of foods. ^B [JOHN: on the whole passage, from the part: "Now I say that Christ Jesus..."] The promise had been made to Abraham, saying: "To you I will give the land," and, "In your seed shall all the nations be blessed." But after these things, all who were of the seed of Abraham became subject to punishment; for the law, when transgressed, worked wrath for them, and furthermore deprived them of that promise made to the Fathers.

Therefore, the Son coming forward cooperates with the Father so as to render those promises true. For by fulfilling the whole law, in which there was also circumcision, and by this path and through the cross, He liberated those who were under the transgression, and did not permit the promise to perish. When, therefore, he says "a minister of the circumcision," he says this: that when He had come and fulfilled the entire law, and had been circumcised and became the seed of Abraham, He dissolved the legal curse, appeased the wrath of God, and finally rendered those who were to receive the promise fit. ^C Lest, therefore, those who are accused should say: "How then was Christ circumcised, and why did He keep the whole law, if He on the contrary overturns it?" he says: For He did not do this in order that the law should remain, but in order that He might dissolve it, and liberate them from its curse. Then, lest those who were from the nations should turn this into arrogance, he says: "That the nations might glorify God for His mercy." But what he says is such: The Jews, indeed, had at least received promises; but you had not even that, but were saved by benevolence alone, although not even they would have had anything more eminent from the promise, had Christ not come. But the glory of God is that they are joined, that they bless Him unanimously, that they bear with the weaker. "For this reason I will confess to You among the nations." He brings forward the testimony, showing that the Jews ought to be joined to the nations. ^D *Another way.* But that, "I will confess to You among the nations, O Lord," is said in the person of Christ: that is, I will proclaim You, O Father, among the nations. "And He who shall arise to rule over the nations." The "and" is superfluous, so that it may be: "There shall be the root of Jesse—"

Gentibus. » The conjunction *and*, that is to say *and*, is superfluously inserted so that the sense may be: «There shall be a root of Jesse.» What is that? «Which shall rise,» he says, «to rule over the Gentiles,» that is, Christ. ^A

XV, 13, 14. «Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.»

Again he comes to prayer, and says: God will deliver you from the fighting among yourselves, and from all the distress which arises from it. «The God of hope.» God, he says, is the God of our hope. ^B

Therefore I pray well for you. For I hope that the prayer will be effective, if you yourselves only wish it. In believing, however, that you may be filled with joy and peace, which is according to your reasonings (which I pray for you), you may also be abounding in hope, that is, being made rich and being abundantly affected. These things, moreover, take place through the grace and power of the most holy Spirit. — In another way: He prays for them that they may be filled with all joy; those who were from the Jews (for these were dejected, being confounded), and with peace, those who were from the Gentiles. For these seemed to have hostile feelings toward those who still adhered to the Law; but rather, let both be filled. «In believing.» For this is to be brought by us, namely, faith. From this indeed shall come to us the cause of all good things: hope toward God. Which he prays for with exceeding intensity. For he says, «That ye may abound,» which will not happen in any other way, unless by the power of the Spirit. He, therefore, who has the Spirit, has all things. «And I myself am persuaded.» I have no need, he says, to learn from others, but I have been made certain. ^C «Ye are full of goodness.» He calls goodness the perfect virtue. But «full,» indeed, is an intensive term. «Filled with all knowledge.» For what is it if someone loves his brethren, but is not able to use love to the purpose? For this reason he says: «With all knowledge.» «Able also to admonish one another.» Not only do you not need admonition, he says, but you even teach others.

CAPUT XX. Concerning his ministry of Paul in the regions of the East and West.

XV, 15, 16. «Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the Gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.»

«More boldly in some sort.» That is, in a certain manner, and if someone does not see the whole sentiment, but examines the very words in part more curiously without understanding. If, therefore, he considers it in part, it will surely appear to him that I have shown myself harsher and rougher to you through these letters; but I, as one reminding you, have written.

^A And again, I had a necessity to write, because grace was given to me by God for preaching and teaching the Gentiles. For I am a minister of Christ, as it were a servant and attendant. And what do you perform? I minister, he says, his Gospel; that is, I offer this sacrifice to him, namely, his Gospel. And how is it possible to immolate and sacrifice the Gospel? By offering to him, he says, the Gentiles who believe through it, and that they may become acceptable and sanctified in the Holy Spirit. So he who leads them to the faith, performs the duty of the Gospel of God. Or the term "performing the sacrifice" should be understood more simply, as, working in a holy and diligent manner, and not as if by chance and negligently. ^B Therefore, either in this way, or rather in this way it should be taken: I have written to you somewhat more boldly in part, and as one reminding you as I wrote. For the necessity pressing upon me demands that I write both more vehemently and more accurately. But I have dared even to abate from that accuracy, and not to write as a teacher, but with much forbearance, and as one reminding you, although I ought to have written both more accurately and more vehemently. For to this end I have been set forward by grace, and for this I have been ordained to minister and serve; so that if anyone were to say: Perhaps in what I wrote I have touched upon you, and have seemed to some of you to have behaved more harshly toward you. But I am so far from doing this, that I even fear lest, having written with such forbearance and reticence, I should have to account for it, as having dared to perform a work less than the duty of a teacher requires. For I ought to have written greater and more things, as one who has been entrusted to teach; but now, as if doing something too boldly, by so much forbearance and so humbling myself, I have written. ^C In another way. The Romans were established in dignity, and they were puffed up in a wonderful way; therefore he conciliated them, saying that he had been bold: for this word breaks them greatly. Nor is this enough, but he added: "In part," that is, gently and briefly, and not as if teaching, but as reminding. "Brethren." For it was necessary to soothe those who had been more sharply rebuked. "As reminding." Gently, he says, how? As if by calling to memory admonishing, that is, reminding them a little. Such significance of the terms prevents them from appearing to be admonished in their entirety. Whence he does not say Teaching, but "Reminding," or calling to memory. ^D "Because of the grace which has been given to me by God." It is not my labor, he says, but it is the grace of God. And he shows that he would not have dared even to admonish, had not the Gentiles been entrusted to him; he uses much modesty. "Ministering the Gospel of God." Therefore it was just that I should be heard by you also. "Acceptable." Since, therefore, this duty and sacred ministry has been entrusted to me, it is my endeavor to bring the counsel of God into effect; and that is, that your offering may become acceptable. — And in another way. It is not that I might be glorified that I wrote even to you, but that you too, along with the other Gentiles, might be saved, and thus the offering of the Gentiles might become in its entirety acceptable. "In the Holy Spirit." But how shall you be acceptable and sanctified? If, he says, you have the Spirit. But how this...

will he approach? By an unblamable life. Those, therefore, who do not live rightly repel the Holy Spirit from themselves.

XV, 17-19. "I have therefore my boasting in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not wrought through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed, through the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit of God: so that from Jerusalem and the surrounding regions even unto Illyricum, I have fulfilled the Gospel of Christ." ^A

I boast, then, not in myself, nor in my own zeal, but in Christ, in those things which pertain and return to the Father. Faith, therefore, in Christ pertains to the Father. At first, indeed, he used modesty, saying: "I have written more boldly," but now he raises himself up, yet in Christ Jesus. — Another way. ^B What then? Has the offering of the Gentiles been entrusted to you? Yes, he says. And I can boast in those things which I have wrought among them. But my boasting is not in me—that is, not in my strength or my power—but in Christ Jesus. For if I say anything or boast, I will dare to say nothing else than those things which Christ has wrought through me so that the Gentiles might obey and believe. What, therefore, did He work? He gave the word for preaching; He supplied signs and wonders for doing good and for persuading. Finally, He so increased and extended and established the faith preached through me that from Jerusalem, from which it first brought forth its shoot, and the surrounding regions even unto Illyricum, the preaching has struck roots and taken hold and filled such great lands of men. And so I have well written to you also and suggested to you regarding those things which were done among them, daring also to admonish you together with the Spirit regarding those things which are proposed and promised to you according to power and liberty. "For I will not dare to speak anything." After he said, "I have boasting," he adds that these things spoken are not of verbal arrogance; for, he says, I do not dare to speak anything of those things which have not been entrusted to me by Christ for the sacred administration of the Gentiles, and [I do not say] that the Gentiles might obey me, but rather the operations of signs and the demonstrations of wonders have been given to me. For now he lifts himself up, because in what preceded he had vehemently depressed himself, saying: "I have written more boldly to you," lest the speech of a base man should become rejected. ^C "Of those things which Christ has not wrought through me." He shows that nothing was his own, but everything was Christ's. "In the power of the Spirit of God." He speaks of the dignity of the Holy Spirit, saying: I have done these things—whether wonders or signs—by His power. "So that from Jerusalem and surrounding regions." Furthermore, the proof of these things that were said is the multitude of disciples. For this reason he said, "surrounding," so that you would not consider the straight road, but all the regions situated in the circuit. He did not say, "I have preached," but what was greater: "I have fulfilled." Illyricum, moreover, is the final part of that which is now called Bulgaria. ^D

^A Since he was so ambitious to preach the Gospel where Christ had not been named, so that he might not build upon another man's foundation, but as it is written: "They to whom it was not told concerning him shall see, and they that have not heard shall understand." For this reason also I was hindered many times from coming to you. But now, having no longer a place in these regions, and having had a longing to come to you for many years; whenever I go to Spain, I will come to you. For I hope that by passing through I will see you, and be sent on my way there by you, if first I be filled in part with you.

It was an ambition, he says, or rather a glory for me, to preach the Gospel where Christ had not yet been named. Why is this? So that, he says, I might not build upon another man's foundation. "Where Christ was not named." Not as though he despised the fellowship of the other apostles, but because he judged it contentious and unjust to steal away the glory due to the works of others. "Lest I should build upon another man's foundation." He calls the teaching of other preachers an alien foundation. "Alien," however, not because of any difference in the preaching, but according to the manner of reward and labor. ^B "But as it is written." He shows that by doing this, he was also fulfilling a prophecy. "Wherefore also I was hindered many times." He now provides the reason for what he had said at the beginning: "Many times I purposed to come unto you." For, he says, the instruction of the Gentiles hindered me. "Many times," that is, often. "Having no longer place." Do you see that he did not write this out of an appetite for their glory? Nor, as one might say, was he flattering them as if they were his masters. For he says almost exactly this: "Since I have finished the work and have nothing left to do, I wish to come to you."

"But I have a longing." Lest he seem to disparage them by writing, "Since I have nothing to do, I am coming to you," he adds, "Having a longing for many years," and I am eager to fulfill this desire. "Wherever I go to Spain." Lest it again be thought that he said "I have a longing for many years" as a form of flattery, he corrects the statement, saying that he wishes to come for this reason above all, so that he might travel to Spain. "For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be brought on my way by you." Then, lest they say, "You are making us a mere byproduct of your journey," he adds, "and to be brought on my way by you," so that he might again show his love. ^C But since this was not sufficient, he adds, "I be filled," which was the language of a father rather than a teacher. "I be filled in part." That is, in part. For no time, he says, can perfectly fill me with your love, nor induce in me a surfeit of your company, but it is enough for me if I be filled even in part.

"But now I am going to Jerusalem, ministering to the saints. For it has pleased Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. It has pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if they have shared in their spiritual things, the Gentiles owe ^D it also to serve them in fleshly things."

^A Since I have finished this, therefore, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will set out by way of you for Spain. I know, however, that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ.

Since he had said, "Having no longer a place in these regions, I am coming to you," but was still intending to delay, lest they think they were being mocked, he states the reason for the delay that still held him: "Ministering to the saints." If Paul is a minister, grasp the magnitude of the matter. "For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased." He wishes not only to state the reason for the delay that still held him, but also to exhort them in like manner to others to send to those in Jerusalem. For this is what he wishes to signify to him, along with those who are sending. "They were pleased," that is, they took counsel. Those in Macedonia and likewise those in Achaia willed to perform an alms-deed. ^B "Some communion." He calls the alms-deed a communion, as though they themselves were sending money, while the saints were contributing in return their confidence toward God. "For the poor among the saints." The necessity of the distribution was twofold, both on account of poverty and on account of virtue. "And they are their debtors." Why, then, did they resolve to do this? They know, he says, that they are obligated to this.

Therefore, they do not send out of alms, but out of debt. "For if they have shared in their spiritual things." Subsequently, he says how they are their debtors: for their sake, he says, Christ especially came. For his discourse is concerning the believers from the circumcision, and theirs were the goods and the promises. Just as, therefore, the Gentiles shared in their spiritual things, so it is necessary that they also serve them in fleshly things. He no longer says "to share," but "to serve," placing them in the order of ministers who pay tribute to the saints as to kings. "And having sealed to them." As if it were about to be deposited in an asylum and a safe place (for he says he was about to deposit it in the heavens), and ^C sealed it. "This fruit." He calls the alms-deed fruit, showing that he who gives gains all the more. "For Spain." He mentions Spain again, showing the affection he has toward the Spaniards. "In the fullness," and so forth. That is, I know that when I come to you, I shall find you abounding in goods. For the phrase, "In the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel," signifies that they themselves possess all goods within them. So it is. [OECUMENIUS.] I know that when I come, I shall come to fulfill you with the blessing that is from the Gospel, because I shall urge you toward virtue and faith.

"I beseech you, brethren, by the Lord of us, Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in prayers for me to God, that I may be delivered from those who do not believe in Judea, and that my ministry ^D which is for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that in..."

^A joy I may come to you through the will of God, and be refreshed together with you. Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen."

As if he were not sufficiently qualified to persuade, he says, "I beseech you through Christ, and through the Holy Spirit." Observe that he has mentioned the Son and the Spirit, but no longer also the Father. This is said so that, whenever he mentions only the Father and the Son, you might not be troubled as to why he did not also mention the Spirit; for he speaks of the Holy Trinity in various ways. "That you strive together with me." He uses the greatest humility, in that he says he has need of their prayer. "That I may be delivered." He did not say, "That I may engage in conflict and overcome them," but "That I may be delivered," fulfilling the divine law which says: "Watch that you do not enter into temptation." "From those who do not believe." He signifies certain wicked men, and wolves rather than human beings, who were about to lay traps for him. "May be acceptable." And that, he says, my sacrifice may be acceptable before God, and that they themselves also with readiness and thanksgiving may receive what is brought by me. "That I may come in joy." For if I be delivered, he says, from those who do not believe, and my ministry be acceptable, I shall come in joy and not in sadness. "Through the will of God." What he said from the beginning, he says now also: "If somehow at last I might find a prosperous journey through the will of God to come to you." "And be refreshed together with you." Do you see how free he is from arrogance? For he did not say, "That I may teach you," or "Instruct you," but "Be refreshed," that is: You in me through the doctrine, and I in you through the increase of faith. This is what he said at the beginning also; it means to be mutually encouraged by the faith that is in each other. "Now the God of peace be with you all." It is his custom everywhere to set a prayer after the exhortation. ^B

XVI, 1-5. "I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a deaconess of the Church in Cenchreae, that you may receive her in the Lord, in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you may assist her in whatever business she has need of you. For she has been a succorer of many, and of myself also. Greet Priscilla and Aquila my fellow-workers in Christ, who for my life have laid down their own necks: to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the Churches of the Gentiles, and the church at their home."

Observe by how many titles he honors her. Since she was the one bearing the epistle, he commends her to them. He honors her by being the first to remember her, and by calling her "sister." And what is equal to being Paul's sister? "Receive her in the Lord." Either because of the Lord, or according to the Lord. "And in a manner worthy of the saints." In the way, he says, that it is proper to receive the saints. He has given a double occasion for caring for her: both that they should receive her for the Lord's sake, and that she herself is a saint. ^{C D}

^A “And assist her.” Do you see how far he goes to avoid being troublesome? He did not say, “Deliver her from the evils hanging over her,” but, “Assist her,” which is to say, “As far as lies within you, be kind and extend a hand.” “She has been a helper of many.” Great is the praise, and sufficient to urge them on. “And of me myself.” He has placed the greatest recommendation last, for truly blessed is the woman who was able to refresh the holy soul of Paul. “Of me myself,” that is, of the Apostle, the herald, the teacher of the inhabited world. “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow-workers.” They helped, he says, in teaching, in temptations, in dangers. This is of great praise. Some, however, have understood these fellow-workers to be such because they were themselves also tentmakers. “But also all the Churches of the Gentiles.” Either because of the teaching, or because of the contribution of ^B wealth to them. “And the Church in their house.” So approved were they, that they also made their house a church. Or it is said because all their household were faithful, so that the house itself was a church.

Greet Epaenetus my beloved, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ. Greet Mary, who toiled much for us. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow captives, who are notable among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Greet Amplias my beloved in the Lord. Greet Urbanus our helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved. Greet Apelles the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the house of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion my kinsman. Greet those who are of the house of Narcissus, who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who toil in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who toiled much in the Lord. Greet Rufus the elect in the Lord, and his mother and mine. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brothers who are with them. ^C Greet Philologus and Julia, and Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. The Churches of Christ greet you.

It is a great thing to be a beloved of Paul, who was accustomed to love by judgment and not for favor. He calls him “firstfruits,” either because he was the first to believe, or because he displayed greater piety than all the rest. And so that you might not think that this firstfruits was in worldly matters, he adds, “unto Christ.” “Toiled much.” He shows that besides teaching, she also labored for them in other ways. “For us.” Not only, he says, did she toil for herself, so that she might be saved, but also for us, fulfilling the office of an apostle and an evangelist. How then did he say, “I do not permit a woman to teach”? By restraining her from the public and common presidency, and from the teacher’s platform, not from the teaching of the word. “And my fellow captives.” The recommendation is ^D greater

for they suffered more bitter things than other captives, namely by enduring persecution and being affected by contumely and injury. “Insignes.” It is a great thing indeed to be apostles, but to be ^B distinguished among them is the greatest. “Who also were before me.” Behold the holy soul; he is not ashamed to say that “these believed in Christ before me.” “Our co-worker in Christ.” Great is the praise, Urban our co-worker. This is greater, that he worked with him in the teaching. “Apelles the approved,” as one irreprehensible. “Those from the household of Aristobulus.” Perhaps they were not like the first ones, and for that reason he did not mention them by name. “Who are in the Lord.” The praise is equal for all, because they were in the Lord, that is, they were faithful. “Who work in the Lord.” Concerning Mary he said above: “Who labored much.” Of these, however, he now says that they still labor; therefore the praise is greater. “Persis the beloved.” She was greater than Tryphaena and Tryphosa, both because she was beloved and because she labored much. “And his mother and mine.” A double good: that the son was without blame, and that the mother cultivated virtue. This is indeed what he signifies by adding: “And mine.” “And the brothers who are with them.” It was also a great thing for these to be brothers of Paul. “Philologus and Julia.” Philologus, whom they say was the first bishop of Sinope under Andrew. “And all the saints who are with them.” But if they are saints, their praise is not small. “Greet one another.” He now places them all together, so that no sadness might arise for those not mentioned by name. “With a holy kiss.” For it happens even with a kiss that is not holy. “They greet you.” No longer this one or that one, but he united them in common, saying “You.” ^C

XVI, 17-20. “Now I beseech you, brethren, note those who cause dissensions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and turn away from them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. For your obedience has become known to all. I am glad therefore on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple toward what is evil. And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”

A new type of counsel. For he puts on the persona of a suppliant, and calls them brothers with much honor. “Note those who cause dissensions.” Search, he says, and learn thoroughly. He shows, however, their deceit and that they do not openly show themselves to be wicked. And it is for the greatest subversion of the Church that they are divided from one another. “And offenses.” For after dissension, a path is opened for offenses. But he interprets what offenses are: Sects, he says, introduced contrary to our doctrine. “But their own belly.” For all sects and offenses come from this, that men follow their passions and their belly. Therefore he says that ^D

^A such people do not serve Christ, but their own belly. And it seems he is hinting at the Jews. For all accuse the Jews as being devoted to the belly. “By smooth speech.” By word only, he says, they comply, but their mind is crafty toward you. And he calls this a common method of deception, that they first flatter them. “The hearts of the innocent.” He did not say, “yours,” but “of the innocent.” And that they are deceiving not you, but the innocent, is manifest from this, that your obedience and persuasion reached everyone. He sets up many witnesses for them, so that they might not be shameless regarding their evil teaching. “I rejoice therefore over you.” To those not deceived, he says, “wise indeed to be unto the good.” He hints that there were some from among them who were deceived. For I wish, he says, for you to be prudent in what is good, but inexperienced in evil. — [SEVERIAN.] That is, to be wise so as not to be wronged by others, but sincere so as not to plot against others. “But the God of peace.” Since there were dissensions, he invokes the giver of peace, that he might stop the offenses. “Will crush.” Which is much greater than just to subdue. “Satan.” Not only, he says, will he crush those who introduce offenses, but their leader, Satan himself. “Shortly,” he says. Constructing comfort from the time. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” He reminded them of the grace of God, which is always saving. And if, he says, he saved them when they were enemies, he will do so much more now. Do you see that we have need of grace along with works in order to be saved? For after testifying that there was obedience in them, only then did he pray for grace. ^B

XVI, 21-24. “Timothy my fellow-worker greets you, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen. I Tertius, who wrote the epistle, greet you in the Lord. Gaius, my host and host of the whole Church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus the brother. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

Do you see the commendation of Timothy? He was helping him in the Gospel. “And Sosipater, my kinsmen.” Kinsmen, he says, [meaning] those like him in piety. “Tertius, who wrote.” He placed it in the stead of great praise, that he was the amanuensis of Paul. “Gaius my host.” That is, the one who receives me into his home. And the praise is great, that he was able to provide hospitality to the whole Church, together with Paul, who would not have stayed with him rashly had Gaius not been entirely worthy. “Treasurer of the city.” He set down his rank, so that you might know that neither wealth nor dignity becomes an impediment to anyone for living rightly or believing. ^C “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He mentions grace, reminding them of Christ’s benefits. “Be with all of you. Amen.” Thus he began with a prayer: “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” and in such a fitting way he ^D

ends the discourse consistently with prayer. "The grace," he says, "of our Lord Jesus Christ." For he loves always to lay this as a foundation, and in like manner to lay it as a term. ^A

The end, with divine favor, of the Epistle to the Romans. It was written from Corinth by Phoebe, the deaconess of the Church of Cenchreae.

ARGUMENT OF THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS

^B He writes this from Ephesus in Asia, having already seen and taught them; and by this Epistle he reminds them. The occasion of the Epistle is this: the Corinthians, gathering together in contention, were divided in their opinions, and consequently there were schisms among them. And while there were schisms, they winked at him who had taken his stepmother as his wife. Others wished to abandon their own wives under the pretext of continence. Some, moreover, were eating in the temples of idols, holding the things offered to idols to be indifferent. Others, admiring those who spoke in tongues, despised the rest. Finally, they were also in error regarding the mystery of the resurrection, saying that this flesh is not raised. ^C All these things being stirred up at Corinth, the people nearby write to the Apostle; and now he writes back to each point. And first, indeed, he bears witness to their prudence and knowledge; but he does not accept those who were stirring up dissensions, rather he advises that virtue should not be considered to consist in word, but in work and power. Then, having rebuked him who had taken his stepmother, and having exhorted them not to have lawsuits and judgments among themselves, he consequently answers the things they had written; regarding marriage, teaching indeed that the union is indivisible, and that they should abstain only for a time, that they might devote themselves to prayer. But since they loved continence, he writes about virginity. "Not by necessity," he says, "but let this be done by counsel." Afterwards, concerning things offered to idols, that they should not abuse their knowledge, but conduct themselves in mutual love. He therefore prohibits the holding of banquets in the temples of idols, lest the little ones be offended. Then he writes concerning spiritual gifts, that they should not be at variance over the gifts: neither preferring the one who has this gift to him who has that. For he says all things are of the same Spirit. And finally, concerning the resurrection, he teaches that the flesh is raised, dying indeed in corruption, but rising immortal according to the grace of Christ. And he establishes the resurrection from the fact that Christ has risen. ^D

Finally, he writes exhortatory discourses on behavior, and gives instructions regarding the collection of alms for the saints, and thus concludes the Epistle.

COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS

^BTHEODORET.

The demon, bearing ill that the city of Corinth, with so great a multitude of people and once given over to idolatry, should have believed in God, suborned some of the rich men and philosophers who were among them, who had appointed themselves to preside over the people in spiritual matters; so that thereafter many of the common folk attached themselves to the rich as being powerful, while they approached the philosophers as though they could teach something more excellent than the teaching of the Apostle, so that from this, dissensions and strifes were stirred up among them. They wrote, therefore, to Paul through Fortunatus, Stephanus, and Achaicus, concerning marriage and virginity, by whom he also wrote back to them, both concerning these things and concerning others, having sent Timothy along with them at the same time. Since, therefore, the rich and the philosophers, out of arrogance, had divided the people, he corrects the passion of arrogance at the very beginning.

CAPITULA OF THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS

1. That one ought not to dissent among one another on account of glory arising from human wisdom. 2. Against the unchaste and unchastity, and those who participate with them. 3. That there ought not to be lawsuits, and these before unbelievers. 4. Concerning marriage, widowhood, and celibacy. 5. Concerning the difference of foods, and abstinence from the worship of demons. 6. Concerning the order of men and women in prayers and prophecies. 7. Concerning a communion worthy of God, not for surfeiting. 8. Concerning the variety of gifts and their dispensation. 9. Concerning the universal resurrection of bodies.