His mouth is full of bitterness and deceit. Then what follows is this: Their feet are swift to shed blood; and you will seek this in Isaiah, or in the other editions of Proverbs, in the phrase "swift to shed blood," which was added with asterisks in the edition of the seventy. But as for "destruction and misery are in their ways," up to now I do not know where I have read it; but I think that "the way of peace they have not known" is written in one of the prophets, but in the Psalms there is "there is no fear of God before their eyes." But though sins are many, not everyone is guilty of all of them, but some of this sin and some of that, and thus all people are guilty of all sins. 14 iii 19, 20 For we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are in the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God; because by the works of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. What do the works of the law of Moses have to do with all flesh? And how does the knowledge of sin come through the law of Moses, when many even before Moses had come to know their own sins? For Cain indeed says, "My guilt is greater than to be forgiven"; and the patriarchs who went down to Egypt to Joseph, upon hearing Joseph's words to them, say "We are in sin concerning our brother," and so on; but also if Job is shown to have lived before Moses, he says, "If I have also sinned voluntarily and have hidden my sin," and so on. So it seems to me that the Apostle is not now speaking of the law of Moses but about the natural law, which is also written on the hearts of men. But who would be those "in the law"? Or is it every person who has attained to reason? For those still living without law are not in the law, such as Paul himself once was. Except the saints whom he foreknew and predestined and called and justified and glorified are a law, and not in the law; therefore their mouth will not be stopped, nor will they be held accountable to God, for they are not flesh. And if they are justified, it is not by works of the law, for a law will not be justified by works of the law, being righteous in itself. Thus, through the law comes knowledge of sin, as through medicine comes knowledge of disease, and especially of one that is hidden even from the one who is sick. [And in another way] as far as the law is concerned, which absolutely wills it, it was necessary for the adulterer to be punished and the murderer to be chastised, but that "the Lord has taken away his lawlessness" was no longer the will of the law but the grace of the one who gave the law. For this reason, after saying precisely "by works of the law," he did not add "Every man" but "All flesh." For it is possible to be justified by disposition, when the will inclines by intention toward that of the law, but by works it is no longer possible; and the works of the flesh are whatever the soul may choose. 15 21, 22 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although it is witnessed by the Law and the Prophets; the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all and upon all who believe. What he says is something like this: It is not that, just as knowledge of sin comes through the law, so also the manifestation of God's righteousness comes through the law, for the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law. For the righteousness of God is greater than natural principles, which are not sufficient for understanding righteousness—not simply righteousness, but that of God himself, whose justifying judgments are unsearchable. Therefore the righteousness of God has now been manifested apart from the law, of which Christ is the teacher, in no way taking up the law of nature for the presentation of the righteousness of God. And this was witnessed to, just as by the prophetic words spoken enigmatically from the Holy Spirit, so also by the law of the prophet Moses. And do not be surprised if two meanings of the one name "law" are taken up in the same passage; for we will find this custom also in other scriptures. For example, "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then the harvest comes'?" "Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, that they are white for harvest already." For there the "harvest" is named twice; in the first instance it refers to the physical one, but in the second
τόμα αὐτοῦ γέμει καὶ πικρία καὶ δόλου. εἶθ' ἑξῆς τοῦτο ἐστιν· ὀξεῖς οἱ πόδες αὐτῶν ἐκχέαι αἷμα· τοῦτο δὲ ζητήσεις ἐν τῷ Ἠσαίᾳ, ἢ ἐν ταῖς ἄλλαις τῶν Παροιμιῶν ἐκδόσεσιν, ἐν τῷ ταχεινοὶ ἐκχέαι αἷμα, ὃ μετὰ ἀστερίσκων προσετέθη ἐν τῇ ἐκδόσει τῶν ἑβδομήκοντα. τὸ δὲ σύντριμμα καὶ ταλαιπωρία ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο οὐκ οἶδα ποῦ ἀνεγνωκώς· οἶμαι δὲ ἐν τινὶ τῶν προφητῶν γεγράφθαι τὸ ὁδὸν εἰρήνης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν, ἐν δὲ ψαλμοῖς οὐκ ἔστιν φόβος θεοῦ ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν. πλήθους δὲ ὄντων ἁμαρτημάτων, οὐ πάντως ἕκαστος ἔνοχός ἐστι τοῖς ἅπασιν, ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν τῷδε τῷ ἁμαρτήματι οἱ δὲ τῷδε, καὶ οὕτω τοὺς πάντας τοῖς πᾶσιν. 14 ιιι 19, 20 οἴδαμεν γὰρ 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· διὰ γὰρ νόμου ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας. τί κοινὸν πρὸς πᾶσαν σάρκα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Μωσέως νόμου; πῶς δὲ καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐπίγνωσις διὰ τοῦ νόμου Μωυσέως γίνεται, πολλῶν καὶ πρὸ Μωσέως ἐπεγνωκότων τὰ ἴδια ἁμαρτήματα; Κάιν μὲν γάρ φησι μείζων ἡ αἰτία μου τοῦ ἀφεθῆναί με· οἱ δὲ εἰς Αἴγυπτον καταβάντες πρὸς τὸν Ἰωσὴφ πατριάρχαι λέγουσιν ἐπὶ τοῖς τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ πρὸς αὐτοὺς λόγοις τὸ ἐν ἁμαρτίαι ἐμὲν περὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴπερ ὁ Ἰὼβ δείκνυται πρὸ Μωσέως γεγονέναι, φησὶν εἰ δὲ καὶ ἁμαρτὼν ἑκουίω ἔκρυψα τὴν ἁμαρτίαν μου καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ὥστε δοκεῖ μοι μὴ τὸν Μωσέως νόμον νῦν λέγεσθαι τῷ ἀποστόλῳ ἀλλὰ περὶ τοῦ φυσικοῦ, ὃς καὶ γέγραπται ἐν ταῖ καρδίαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων. τίνες δ' ἂν εἶεν οἱ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ; ἢ πᾶς ὁ συμπληρώσας τὸν λόγον ἄνθρωπος; οὐκ εἰσὶ γὰρ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ οἱ ἔτι ζῶντε χωρὶ νόμου, ὁποῖος ἦν καὶ Παῦλός ποτε. πλὴν οἱ ἅγιοι οὓς προέγνω καὶ προώριεν καὶ ἐκάλεεν καὶ ἐδικαίωεν καὶ ἐδόξαεν νόμο εἰὶ καὶ οὐκ ἐν νόμῳ· διόπερ οὐ φραγήσεται αὐτῶν τὸ στόμα, οὐδὲ ὑπόδικοι γενήσονται τῷ θεῷ, οὐ γὰρ εἰσὶ σάρξ· καὶ εἰ δικαιοῦνται δέ, οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, νόμος γὰρ οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου δικαιωθήσεται, αὐτόθεν δίκαιος ὤν. οὕτω δὲ διὰ νόμου ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας, ὡς διὰ ἰατρικῆς ἐπίγνωσις νόσου, καὶ μάλιστα τῆς λανθανούσης καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν νοσοῦντα. [καὶ ἄλλως δὲ] ὅσον ἐπὶ τῷ νόμῳ τιμωρηθῆναι τὸν μοιχεύοντα ἐχρῆν καὶ τὸν φονεύοντα κολάζεσθαι βουλομένῳ πάντως, τὸ δὲ κύριο ἀφεῖλεν τὸ ἀνόμημά ου οὐκέτι βούλημα ἦν τοῦ νόμου ἀλλὰ χάρις τοῦ δεδωκότος τὸν νόμον. διὰ τοῦτο ἀκριβῶς εἰπὼν τὸ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου οὐκ ἐπήγαγε Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἀλλὰ Πᾶσα σάρξ. διαθέσει μὲν γὰρ δικαιοῦσθαι δυνατόν, ὅταν τῇ προθέσει πρὸς τὸ τοῦ νόμου ῥέπῃ βούλημα, ἔργοις δὲ οὐκέτι δυνατόν· τὰ δὲ ἔργα σαρκὸς ἅπερ ἂν ἕληται ψυχή. 15 21, 22 νυνὶ δὲ χωρὶς νόμου δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ πεφανέρωται μαρτυρουμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν· δικαιοσύνη δὲ θεοῦ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς πάντας καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας. ὃ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· οὐχ ὥσπερ διὰ νόμου ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας, οὕτως καὶ φανέρωσις δικαιοσύνης θεοῦ διὰ νόμου γίνεται, χωρὶς γὰρ νόμου δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ πεφανέρωται· μείζων γάρ ἐστιν ἡ δικαιοσύνη τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν φυσικῶν ἀφορμῶν, αἵτινες οὐκ εἰσὶν αὐτάρκεις πρὸς τὸ κατανοῆσαι δικαιοσύνην, οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀλλὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, οὗ τὰ δικαιούμενα κρίματα ἀνεξερευνητά ἐτι. διὸ νυνὶ χωρὶς νόμου πεφανέρωται ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνη, ἧς διδάσκαλός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός, ἐν μηδενὶ παραλαμβάνων εἰς παράστασιν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνης τὸν τῆς φύσεως νόμον. ἐμαρτυρεῖτο δὲ αὕτη, ὥσπερ ὑπὸ τῶν προφητικῶν λόγων ἐξ ἁγίου πνεύματος αἰνιγματωδῶς εἰρημένων, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου Μωυσέως νόμου. καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς εἰ δύο σημαινόμενα τοῦ ἑνὸς ὀνόματος τοῦ νόμου ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ παρείληπται τόπῳ· εὑρήσομεν γὰρ ταύτην τὴν συνήθειαν καὶ ἐν ἄλλαις γραφαῖς· οἷον οὐχ ὑμεῖ λέγετε ἔτι τετράμηνό ἐτιν καὶ ὁ θεριμὸ ἔρχεται; ἐπάρατε τοὺ ὀφθαλμοὺ ὑμῶν καὶ θεάαθε τὰ χώρα ὅτι λευκαί εἰι πρὸ θεριμὸν ἤδη. δὶς γὰρ ἐκεῖ ὁ θερισμὸς ὀνομασθείς, κατὰ μὲν τὸ πρότερον ἐπὶ τὸν σωματικὸν ἀναφέρεται, κατὰ δὲ τὸ