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pride, since indeed he appointed them as attendants of the gentiles. For having spoken about the gentiles, he added, "among whom you also are." «To the called saints.» See how he continuously uses the name; a called Apostle. Among whom you also are called. To all who are in Rome, called. This he does not do out of verbosity, but wishing to remind them of the benefit. And the phrase, "beloved of God," distinguishes from believers those who are not such. And in another way he calls all who have believed, in that they were sanctified through the washing of regeneration. «Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. He shows how powerful the love of Christ has been, that those who were enemies and dishonored have suddenly become holy and righteous. For when he calls them Spirit, he has shown them to be sons; and when he said sons, he revealed the treasure of all good things. «First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all. A fitting introduction for a God-loving soul, to be well-pleasing to God for the things in which others are pious. «That your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.» For since Rome had just then received the kingdom, it is likely that the believers in it were spoken of in every city. «For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit.» Since his discourse was about an uncertain matter, and this was his love for them, men who did not even know him; for this reason he calls God as a witness to this matter. «in the Gospel of his Son, that without ceasing.» Having said above that the Gospel is of the Father, here he says it is of his Son, showing the unity of Father and Son. «I make mention of you always in my prayers, making request, if by some means now at last I might have a prosperous journey in the will of God to come to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, to the end that you may be established.» He shows how great he is in obeying God, where, though being very eager and praying to see the City, contrary to what seemed good to God, he did not come to them. «That is, to be comforted together with you by 95.448 the mutual faith both of you and me. Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that I have often purposed to come to you, but was hindered until now, that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles and Jews.» So that he might not seem arrogant to some, saying that he is to impart a gift to us, for this reason he says he himself needs comfort from them. «I am debtor both to the wise and to the unwise; so, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.» He shows that even if ambition casts him toward the ruling City, yet it was fitting for him in every way to initiate them. For as he was appointed a herald of all nations, it is clear that he is a debtor to preach to the Romans also. «For I am not ashamed of the Gospel.» And yet elsewhere he says: "But God forbid that I should boast, except in the cross of Christ." For what reason then does he not say here, "I boast," but "I am not ashamed"? because the Romans were greatly engrossed in the affairs of this life, having just undertaken the rule of the world, while he preached Jesus the crucified; for this reason he says, "I am not ashamed," teaching them, for the time being, not to be ashamed. For he knew that if they accomplished this, they would quickly proceed and come to boasting. «For it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.» Since there is also a power of God for punishment, according to what was said concerning the punishment of the Egyptians, for this reason he added, "to salvation for everyone who believes," and so that it might not be thought to be given simply and indiscriminately to all, he added, "for everyone who believes." «to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.» Here, "first" is not a name of dignity but an indication of order; just as, of course, also [through] those who receive the grace of baptism, where the first does not have an advantage over the second, or the third, or receive more than the last. «For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written.» He who has become, he says,

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τύφον, εἴ γε παρακολούθους αὐτοὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἔταξεν. Περὶ γὰρ τῶν ἐθνῶν διαλαβὼν τὸ, ἐν οἷς καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐπήγαγεν. «Κλητοῖς ἁγίοις.» Ὅρα πῶς συνεχῶς τὸ ὄνομα τίθησιν· Κλητὸς Ἀπόστολος. Ἐν οἷς ἐστε καὶ ὑμεῖς κλητοί. Πᾶσιν τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν Ῥώμῃ κλητοῖς. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐ περιττολογῶν ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ βουλόμενος αὐτοὺς τῆς εὐεργεσίας ἀναμνῆσαι. Τὸ δὲ, ἀγαπητοῖς Θεοῦ, διαιροῦντός ἐστιν ἀπὸ τῶν πιστευσάντων τοὺς μὴ τοιούτους. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ τοὺς πιστεύσαντας καλεῖ πάντας, καθ' ὃ ἡγιάσθησαν διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας. «Χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Πόσον ἴσχυσεν ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀγάπη δείκνυσιν, ὅτι οἱ ἐχθροὶ καὶ ἠτιμημένοι, ἅγιοι καὶ δίκαιοι γεγόνασιν ἐξαίφνης. Ὅταν γὰρ Πνεῦμα καλέσῃ, υἱοὺς ἀπέδειξεν· ὅταν δὲ υἱοὺς εἶπεν, ἁπάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὸν θησαυρὸν ἀπεκάλυψεν. «Πρῶτον μὲν εὐχαριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ μου διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, περὶ πάντων ὑμῶν. Ἁρμόζον τὸ προοίμιον τῇ φιλοθέῳ ψυχῇ, ἐφ' οἷς εὐσεβοῦσιν ἕτεροι εὐαρεστεῖν τῷ Θεῷ. «Ὅτι ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν καταγγέλλεται ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ.» Ὃς γὰρ ἄρτι δεξαμένης τὴν βασιλείαν τότε τῆς Ῥώμης, εἰκὸς τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ πιστοὺς ἐν πάσῃ περιφέρεσθαι πόλει. «Μάρτυς γάρ μου ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, ᾧ λατρεύω ἐν τῷ πνεύματί μου.» Ἐπειδὴ περὶ ἀδήλου πράγματος ἦν αὐτῷ ὁ λόγος, τοῦτο δὲ ἦν ἡ ἀγάπη ἡ εἰς αὐτοὺς ἀνθρώπους μηδὲ εἰδότας αὐτόν· τούτου χάριν τὸν Θεὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ πράγματος τούτου μάρτυρα καλεῖ. «Ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἀδιαλείπτως.» Ἄνω τοῦ Πατρὸς εἰπὼν τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἐνταῦθα τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ εἶναι λέγει, δεικνὺς τὴν ἑνότητα Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ. «Μνείαν ὑμῶν ποιοῦμαι πάντοτε ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν μου, δεόμενος, εἴ πως ἤδη ποτὲ εὐοδωθήσομαι ἐν τῷ θελήματι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Ἐπιποθῶ γὰρ ἰδεῖν ὑμᾶς, ἵνα τι μεταδῷ χάρισμα ὑμῖν πνευματικὸν, εἰς τὸ στηριχθῆναι ὑμᾶς.» ∆είκνυσιν ὅσος ἐστὶν εἰς τὸ πείθεσθαι Θεῷ, ὅπου γε σφόδρα σπουδάζων καὶ εὐχόμενος τὴν Πόλιν ἰδεῖν, παρὰ τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ δοκοῦν, οὐ παρεγίνετο πρὸς αὐτούς. «Τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν, συμπαρακληθῆναι ἐν ὑμῖν διὰ 95.448 τῆς ἐν ἀλλήλοις πίστεως ἡμῶν τε καὶ ἐμοῦ. Οὐ θέλω δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοὶ, ὅτι πολλάκις προεθέμην τοῦ ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἐκωλύθην ἄχρι τοῦ δεῦρο, ἵνα τινὰ καρπὸν σχῶ καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν, καθὼς καὶ ἐν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσί τε καὶ Ἰουδαίοις.» Ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ τισὶν μεγαλοφρονεῖν, εἶναι λέγων εἰς τὸ μεταδοῦναι ἡμῖν χάρισμα, τούτου χάριν καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς παρ' ἐκείνων παρακλήσεως δεῖσθαι λέγει. «Σοφοῖς τε καὶ ἀνοήτοις ὀφειλέτης εἰμί· οὕτως, τὸ κατ' ἐμὲ πρόθυμον, καὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς ἐν Ῥώμῃ εὐαγγελίσασθαι.» ∆είκνυσιν ὡς εἰ καὶ ἡ διὰ φιλοδοξίαν προσρίπτει ἑαυτὸν τῇ βασιλευούσῃ Πόλει, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου προσῆκον αὐτῷ μυσταγωγεῖν αὐτούς. Ἧ γὰρ πάντων ἐθνῶν κήρυξ ἐτέθη, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ κηρύττειν Ῥωμαίοις ὀφειλέτης ἐστίν. «Οὐ γὰρ ἐπαισχύνομαι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον.» Καίτοι ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· Ἐμοὶ δὲ μὴ γένοιτο καυχᾶσθαι εἰ μὴ ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκα ἐνταῦθα οὐ λέγει καυχῶμαι, ἀλλ' οὐκ αἰσχύνομαι; ἐπειδὴ σφόδρα ἐπτοημένοι ἦσαν εἰς τὰ τοῦ βίου πράγματα Ῥωμαῖοι, ἄρτι τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀναδεξάμενοι, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐκήρυττεν Ἰησοῦν τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον· διὰ τοῦτο φησὶν, οὐκ αἰσχύνομαι, ἐκείνους διδάσκων, τέως μὴ ἐπαισχύνεσθαι. Ἤδει γὰρ ὅτι ἂν τοῦτο κατορθώσωσιν, ταχέως προϊόντες καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ καυχᾶσθαι ἥξουσιν. «∆ύναμις γὰρ Θεοῦ ἐστιν εἰς σωτηρίαν παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι.» Ἐπειδή ἐστιν δύναμις Θεοῦ καὶ εἰς κόλασιν κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον περὶ τῆς κολάσεως τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, τούτου χάριν προσέθηκεν τὸ, Εἰς σωτηρίαν παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι, καὶ ἵνα μὴ ἁπλῶς καὶ ἀδιακρίτως τοῖς πᾶσιν δίδοσθαι νομισθῇ ἐπήγαγε, παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι. «Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον καὶ Ἕλληνι.» Ἐνταῦθα τὸ, πρῶτον, οὐκ ἀξιώματος ὄνομα ἀλλὰ τάξεως σημασία· ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ [διὰ] τῶν δεχομένων τοῦ βαπτίσματος χάριν, οὗ οὐχ ὁ πρῶτος πλεονεκτεῖ τοῦ δευτέρου, ἢ τοῦ τρίτου ἢ τοῦ ὑστάτου πλέον λαμβάνει. «∆ικαιοσύνη γὰρ Θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν, καθὼς γέγραπται.» Ὁ γενόμενος, φησὶν,