to be justified or through faith, just as "from a man" is better understood insofar as it is "from a man," <or> "through a woman" insofar as it is "through a woman." But concerning the Savior, it is not said "through a woman" because this applies to every man, since before being "through a woman" he came "from a man," but in the case of the Savior, not having come "from a man," his having come "through a woman" does not apply; wherefore in that case, since what is born of the flesh is flesh, his flesh, not having come from a man, came from a woman and not through a woman. 20 iii 31 Do we then nullify the law through faith? By no means! Rather, we uphold the law. We ask why he did not say "From faith" but "through faith." What is justified "from faith" is the circumcision, and we do not doubt, he says, that the law is not nullified "from faith," since the circumcision is justified from faith; but with the uncircumcision being justified "through faith," the law is nullified. But now we have received the law of Moses, not nullified through faith; for faith also upholds the law as being from God; but it is manifest that we speak concerning the right faith. But if someone should object from the second epistle to the Corinthians with "But if the ministry of death, engraved in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not gaze at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, which was being brought to an end," we will say that "Is the law then nullified?" is not the same as "Do we then nullify the law?" For Paul himself does not effect the nullification of the law. For even if it is nullified, it is by the surpassing glory of Christ; for he says, "he is Lord of the Sabbath"; and what has been glorified has not been glorified in this respect, in comparison with the surpassing glory. Therefore he named what belongs to Christ "abiding"; but what does not abide is "being brought to an end," since the law is a tutor until the fullness of time should come. 21 iv 2, 3 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." In what Abraham believed God, the Scripture has not related very clearly; but the apostle seems to take it that he believed in general. For truly, if in general, then certainly also in particular; but if he believed God in the things that were said, it does not follow that he believed in general; for there are measures of believing God; wherefore Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness," but nothing of the sort is written when "Israel saw the great hand which the Lord had wrought against the Egyptians; and the people feared the Lord; and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses," but the phrase "it was counted to him as righteousness" is not added as in the case of Abraham. But I think that those from the gentiles who have not paid attention to the precision of the scripture will set forth the saying from Genesis not as Paul put it at the beginning; for one so precise would not have set forth "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness," but "Abraham believed God." Thus it is likely also to have been written in what follows in the epistle to the Romans that "faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness." But now we have Abraham. 22 iv 4, 5 Now to the one who works, the wages are not counted as a gift, but as a debt. But to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. Nothing of what God gives to created nature does he give as though owing it, but he bestows all things as a gift; and all who are shown kindness are shown kindness not because a benefit is owed to them, but because God wills by his own grace to show kindness to whomever he shows kindness. Now therefore one must think that this was said more simply and generally and otherwise more commonly understood of any who work and receive their wages from them, not as a gift but as a debt. But one must consider that it can be said, for example, of those who, like Cain, work the land and do evil works; for to these I think punishments are rendered as things owed and as wages for sins committed. Wherefore the apostle also said that the wages of sin are death; but no longer wages and as if
δικαιωθῆναι ἢ διὰ πίστεως, ὡς βέλτιον νοεῖται τὸ ἐξ ἀνδρὸ καθὸ ἐξ ἀνδρός, <ἢ> τὸ διὰ γυναικὸ καθὸ διὰ γυναικός. περὶ δὲ τοῦ σωτῆρος οὐκ εἴρηται διὰ γυναικὸ ὅτι ἐπὶ παντὸς μὲν ἀνθρώπου χώραν ἔχει τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ πρὸ τοῦ διὰ γυναικὸς γέγονεν ἐξ ἀνδρός, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ σωτῆρος μὴ γενομένου ἐξ ἀνδρὸς οὐκ ἔχει τὸ γεγονέναι αὐτὸν διὰ γυναικό· διόπερ ἐκεῖ, ἐπεὶ τὸ γεγενημένον ἐκ τῆ αρκὸ άρξ ἐτιν, ἡ σὰρξ αὐτοῦ, μὴ γενομένη ἐξ ἀνδρός, γέγονεν ἐκ γυναικὸ καὶ οὐ διὰ γυναικός. 20 iii 31 νόμον οὖν καταργοῦμεν διὰ τῆς πίστεως; μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ νόμον ἱστάνομεν. ζητοῦμεν διατί μὴ εἶπεν Ἐκ πίστεως ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς πίστεως. τὸ ἐκ πίστεως δικαιούμενον ἡ περιτομή ἐστιν, καὶ οὐκ ἀμφιβάλλομέν φησιν εἰ μὴ καταργεῖται ἐκ πίστεως νόμος, δικαιουμένης ἐκ τῆς πίστεως τῆς περιτομῆς· τῆς δὲ ἀκροβυστίας διὰ τῆς πίστεως δικαιουμένης καταργεῖται ὁ νόμος. ἀλλὰ νῦν νόμον ἐλάβομεν τὸν Μωσέως διὰ τῆς πίστεως οὐ καταργούμενον· ἡ γὰρ πίστις ἵστησι καὶ τὸν νόμον ὡς ἐκ θεοῦ ὄντα· πρόδηλον δὲ ὡς περὶ τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως φαμέν. εἰ δέ τις ἀντιθήσει ἐκ τῆς δευτέρας πρὸς Κορινθίους ἐπιστολῆς τὸ εἰ δὲ ἡ διακονία τοῦ θανάτου ἐν γράμμαιν ἐντετυπωμένη λίθοι ἐγενήθη ἐν δόξῃ ὥτε μὴ δύναθαι ἀτενίαι τοὺ υἱοὺ Ἰραὴλ εἰ τὸ πρόωπον Μωυέω διὰ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ προώπου αὐτοῦ τὴν καταργουμένην, ἐροῦμεν ὅτι οὐ ταὐτόν ἐστι τὸ Νόμος οὖν καταργεῖται; τῷ νόμον οὖν καταργοῦμεν; οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐνεργεῖ ὁ Παῦλος τὸ καταργεῖν τὸν νόμον. εἰ γὰρ καὶ καταργεῖται, ὑπὸ τῆς ὑπερβαλλούη δόξη τοῦ Χριστοῦ· κύριο γάρ ἐτι τοῦ αββάτου φησίν· καὶ οὐ δεδόξαται τὸ δεδοξαμένον ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει ὡς πρὸς σύγκρισιν τῆς ὑπερβαλλούη δόξη. μένον γοῦν ὠνόμασε τὸ Χριστοῦ· τὸ δὲ μὴ μένον καταργούμενον, ἐπεὶ ὁ νόμο παιδαγωγὸ ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου. 21 iv 2, 3 εἰ γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ ἐξ ἔργων ἐδικαιώθη, ἔχει καύχημα· ἀλλ' οὐ πρὸς τὸν θεόν· τί γὰρ ἡ γραφὴ λέγει; ἐπίστευσε δὲ Ἀβραὰμ τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην. ἐπὶ τίνι ἐπίστευσεν Ἀβραὰμ τῷ θεῷ οὐ πάνυ σαφῶς διηγήσατο ἡ γραφή· ἔοικεν δὲ ὁ ἀπόστολος καθόλου αὐτὸν ἐκλαμβάνειν πεπιστευκέναι. καὶ γὰρ ἀληθῶς, εἰ μὲν τὸ καθόλου, πάντως καὶ τὸ κατὰ μέρος· εἰ δ' ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἐπίστευσεν τῷ θεῷ, οὐκ ἀκολουθεῖ ὅτι καθόλου ἐπίστευσεν· ἔστιν γὰρ μέτρα τοῦ πιστεύειν θεῷ· διὸ Ἀβραὰμ μὲν ἐπίστευσε τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην, οὐδὲν δὲ τοιοῦτον γέγραπται ἡνίκα εἶδεν Ἰραὴλ τὴν χεῖρα τὴν μεγάλην ἃ ἐποίηε κύριο τοῖ Αἰγυπτίοι· καὶ ἐφοβήθη ὁ λαὸ τὸν κύριον· καὶ ἐπίτευε τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ Μωῇ τῷ θεράποντι αὐτοῦ, οὐ πρόσκειται δὲ ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τὸ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην. νομίζω δὲ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν μὴ ἐπιστήσαντας τῇ ἀκριβείᾳ τῆς γραφῆς ἐκτεθήσεσθαι τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς Γενέσεως ῥητὸν οὐχ ὡς Παῦλος αὐτὸ ἔθηκεν ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ· οὐκ ἂν γὰρ ὁ οὕτως ἀκριβὴς ἐξέθετο τὸ ἐπίστευσεν δὲ Ἀβραὰμ τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην, ἀλλ' ἐπίστευσεν δὲ Ἀβραὰμ τῷ θεῷ. οὕτω δὲ εἰκὸς καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς γεγράφθαι ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἐπιστολῇ ὅτι ἐλογίθη ἡ πίτι τῷ Ἀβραὰμ εἰ δικαιούνην. νυνὶ δὲ ἔχομεν ἡμεῖς Ἀβραάμ. 22 iv 4, 5 τῷ δὲ ἐργαζομένῳ ὁ μισθὸς οὐ λογίζεται κατὰ χάριν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ ὀφείλημα· τῷ δὲ μὴ ἐργαζομένῳ, πιστεύοντι δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν δικαιοῦντα τὸν ἀσεβῆ, λογίζεται ἡ πίστις αὐτοῦ εἰς δικαιοσύνην. οὐδὲν ὧν δίδωσιν ὁ θεὸς τῇ γενητῇ φύσει ὡς ὀφείλων δίδωσιν, ἀλλὰ πάντα ὡς χάριν δωρεῖται· καὶ πάντα τὰ εὐεργετούμενα οὐκ ὀφειλομένης αὐτοῖς εὐεργεσίας εὐεργετεῖται, ἀλλὰ τῷ βούλεσθαι τὸν θεὸν ἰδίᾳ χάριτι εὐεργετεῖν οὓς ἂν εὐεργετῇ. νῦν οὖν νομιστέον αὐτὸ ἁπλούστερον καὶ καθόλου εἰρῆσθαι καὶ ἄλλως κοινότερον νοούμενον ἐπὶ τῶν οἱστισινοῦν ἐργαζομένων καὶ τὸν μισθὸν ἀπ' ἐκείνων λαμβανόντων, οὐ κατὰ χάριν ἀλλὰ κατὰ ὀφείλημα. ἡγητέον δὲ αὐτὸ δύνασθαι λέγεσθαι φέρε εἰπεῖν ἐπὶ τῶν ὡς Κάιν ἐργαζο μένων τὴν γῆν καὶ ποιούντων ἔργα πονηρά· τούτοις γὰρ ὡς ὀφειλόμενα νομίζω καὶ ὡς μισθὸν τῶν ἡμαρτημένων ἀποδίδοσθαι τὰς κολάσεις. διὸ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος ὀψώνια μὲν τῆ ἁμαρτία ἔφησεν εἶναι τὸν θάνατον· οὐκέτι δὲ ὀψώνια καὶ ὡσπερεὶ