kingdom of the heavens or kingdom of God. For these things, insofar as human nature is concerned, are beyond hope, but insofar as the power of God and his unfailing promises are concerned, it happens to be in hope for those who hope by believing. And since one who believes, believes in hope, for this reason faith, hope remain; from which is born the third, greater than these, love. And I think that faith has the character of an elementary stage, hope of progress, and love of perfection. That the body of Abraham is said to be dead not because of old age, will be clear to one who considers in what way Abraham set forth and took a wife named Keturah; and she bore children to him after the death of Sarah, who lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; and Abraham is clearly found to be ten years older than Sarah. If therefore, as some say, he begat Isaac on account of the promise, how without a promise after one hundred and twenty-seven years did he beget the sons of Keturah? So that such a deadening is spoken of with praise, of the one who deadened his members upon the earth; for when someone by the spirit puts to death the deeds of the body, then he extinguishes all the burning that is naturally kindled in him; so that the birth of Isaac was not from burning passion but from the promise of God; for they became worthy to be inscribed the parents of this patriarch. 27 iv 23-25 But it was not written for his sake alone that it was reckoned to him, but also for us to whom it is to be reckoned, to those who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered up for our trespasses and was raised for our justification. Now, "for his sake alone" is taken instead of "concerning him alone;" but also "for our sake" instead of "concerning us;" for Abraham, who was before Moses, was not benefited by encountering a writing later than himself. But if "it was reckoned to him for righteousness" was written not concerning Abraham alone but also concerning us, as if the word were proclaiming beforehand the righteousness from faith that would be reckoned to those who believe in him who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, pay closer attention lest only and everyone who is raised with Christ believes in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, so that one might say "and he raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ;" but he who has become conformed to his resurrection was raised with Christ, and through having died with him, he lives with him; for if we have died with him, we shall also live with him; and he died with Christ, since Christ also, having died to sin, died once for all; and he himself, having died to sin, lives with Christ; and he who walks in newness of life lives to Christ. 28 v 5-9 because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us; For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly; For one will scarcely die for a righteous person; for perhaps for a good person one would even dare to die; but God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us; Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Wherever he names the weak or sinners, he also includes himself among such people; but where he says "ungodly," he does not. And perhaps it is fitting that one who is under the law, which was weak through the flesh, is weak and a sinner, but not also, according to the customary distinction of the scriptures, ungodly, since those under the law who sin against God say "for even if we sin, we are yours, knowing your power;" but those who are considered to be under the law happen to be ungodly then, whenever, having abandoned the God of their fathers, they seek the gods of the nations. But before we came to the worship of God, love had not been established in us, for we loved all things rather than God; but when, while we were such, Christ died for us, then the love of God was established and substantiated in us, when all things that hindered the establishment of God's love for us were removed from us by the death of Jesus. Therefore, according to this explanation, "demonstrates" is to be understood, as God establishing and substantiating in us His own love, which is properly of no one else than
βασι λείαν οὐρανῶν ἢ βασιλείαν θεοῦ. ταῦτα γὰρ ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει παρ' ἐλπίδα ἐστίν, ὅσον δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ δυνατῷ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ταῖς ἀψευδέσιν ἐπαγγελίαις αὐτοῦ ἐπ' ἐλπίδι τῶν ἐκ τοῦ πιστεύειν ἐλπιζόντων τυγχάνει. καὶ ἐπείπερ ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ' ἐλπίδι πιστεύει, διὰ τοῦτο μένει πίτι, ἐλπί· ἀφ' ὧν γεννᾶται καὶ τὸ τρίτον μεῖζον τούτων ἡ ἀγάπη· καὶ νομίζω στοιχειώσεως μὲν ἔχειν λόγον τὴν πίστιν, προκοπῆς δὲ τὴν ἐλπίδα, τελειότητος δὲ τὴν ἀγάπην. ὅτι δὲ οὐ διὰ τὸ γῆρας λέγεται τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ νενεκρωμένον, δῆλον ἔσται τῷ ἐπιστήσαντι τίνα τρόπον προθέμενο Ἀβραὰμ ἔλαβεν γυναῖκα τοὔνομα Χεττούραν· καὶ ἔτεκεν αὐτῷ μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν άρρα, ἥτις ἔζησεν ἔτη ἑκατὸν εἰκοσιεπτά· πρεσβύτερος δὲ τῆς Σάρρας δεκὰ ἔτεσιν εὑρίσκεται σαφῶς ὁ Ἀβραάμ. εἰ οὖν διὰ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν, ὥς φασί τινες, ἐπαιδοποίησεν τὸν Ἰσαάκ, πῶς χωρὶς ἐπαγγελίας μετὰ ἑκατὸν εἰκοσιεπτὰ ἔτη ἔτεκεν τοὺς ἀπὸ Χεττούρας; ὥστε ἐν ἐπαίνῳ λέγεται ἡ τοιαύτη νέκρωσις τοῦ τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆ γῆ νεκρώαντο· ὅτε γάρ τις πνεύματι τὰ πράξει τοῦ ώματο θανατοῖ, τότε σβέννυσι πᾶσαν τὴν πεφυκυῖαν ἀνάπτεσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ πύρωσιν· ὥστε τὴν τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ γένεσιν μὴ εἶναι ἀπὸ πυρώσεως ἀλλ' ἐξ ἐπαγγελίας θεοῦ· ἄξιοι γὰρ γεγόνασι τ<οῦ> τούτου ἐπιγραφῆναι πατριάρχου γονεῖς. 27 iv 23-25 οὐκ ἐγράφη δὲ δι' αὐτὸν μόνον ὅτι ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ἡμᾶς οἷς μέλλει λογίζεσθαι τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ἐπὶ τὸν ἐγείραντα Ἰησοῦν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν ἐκ νεκρῶν· ὃς παρεδόθη διὰ τὰ παραπτώματα ἡμῶν καὶ ἠγέρθη διὰ τὴν δικαίωσιν ἡμῶν. νῦν τὸ δι' αὐτὸν μόνον εἴληπται ἀντὶ τοῦ περὶ αὐτοῦ μόνου· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ δι' ἡμᾶς ἀντὶ τοῦ περὶ ἡμῶν· οὐ γὰρ ἵνα Ἀβραὰμ ἐντυχὼν ὁ Μωυσέως προγε νέστερος τῷ μεταγενεστέρῳ αὐτοῦ γράμματι ὠφελήθη. εἰ δὲ οὐ περὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ μόνου γέγραπται τὸ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν, οἱονεὶ προαναφωνοῦντος τοῦ λόγου τὴν λογισθησομένην ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοσύνην τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ἐπὶ τὸν ἐγείραντα Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν, πρόσχες ἐπιμελέστερον μήποτε μόνος καὶ πᾶς πιστεύει ἐπὶ τὸν ἐγείραντα Ἰησοῦν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν ἐκ νεκρῶν ὁ συνεγερθεὶς Χριστῷ, ὥστ' ἂν εἰπεῖν καὶ υνήγειρεν καὶ υνεκάθιεν ἡμᾶ ἐν τοῖ ἐπουρανίοι ἐν Χριτῷ· συνηγέρθη δὲ Χριστῷ ὁ ύμμορφο γενόμενος τῇ ἀναστάσει αὐτοῦ καὶ διὰ τὸ συναποτεθνη κέναι συζῶν αὐτῷ· εἰ γὰρ υναπεθάνομεν καὶ υζήομεν· συναπέθανεν δὲ Χριστῷ, ἐπεὶ καὶ Χριστὸς ἀποθανὼν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀπέθανεν ἐφάπαξ· καὶ αὐτὸς ἀποθανὼν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ συζῇ Χριστῷ· ζῇ δὲ Χριστῷ ὁ ἐν καινότητι ζωῆ περιπατῶν. 28 v 5-9 ὅτι ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκέχυται ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου τοῦ δοθέντος ἡμῖν· ἔτι γὰρ Χριστὸς ὄντων ἡμῶν ἀσθενῶν κατὰ καιρὸν ὑπὲρ ἀσεβῶν ἀπέθανεν· μόλις γὰρ ὑπὲρ δικαίου τις ἀποθανεῖται· ὑπὲρ γὰρ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τάχα τις καὶ τολμᾷ ἀποθανεῖν· συνίστησι δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀγάπην εἰς ἡμᾶς ὁ θεὸς ὅτι ἔτι ἁμαρτωλῶν ὄντων ἡμῶν Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀπέθανεν· πολλῷ οὖν μᾶλλον δικαιωθέντες νῦν ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ σωθησόμεθα δι' αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς. ὅπου μὲν ἀσθενεῖς ἢ ἁμαρτωλοὺς ὀνομάζει, καὶ ἑαυτὸν τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐμπερι λαμβάνει· ὅπου δὲ λέγει ἀσεβεῖς, οὐκέτι. καὶ τάχα εἰκότως ὁ ὑπὸ τὸν νόμον ὤν, ὃς ἠθένει διὰ τῆ αρκό, ἀσθενὴς μέν ἐστι καὶ ἁμαρτωλός, οὐ μὴν καὶ κατὰ τὴν συνήθειαν τῆς διαστολῆς τῶν γραφῶν καὶ ἀσεβής, λεγόντων τῶν ὑπὸ νόμον ἁμαρτανόντων τῷ θεῷ καὶ γὰρ ἐὰν ἁμαρτάνωμεν οί ἐμεν εἰδότε ου τὸ κράτο· ἀσεβεῖς δὲ τότε οἱ νομιζόμενοι εἶναι ὑπὸ τὸν νόμον τυγχάνουσιν, ἐπὰν ἐγκαταλιπόντες τὸν θεὸν τῶν πατέρων ζητοῦσι τοὺς θεοὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν. πρὶν δὲ προσελθεῖν ἡμᾶς θεοσεβείᾳ ἀγάπη ἐν ἡμῖν οὐ συνειστήκει, πάντα γὰρ μᾶλλον ἢ θεὸν ἀγαπῶμεν· ὅτε δὲ τοιούτων ἡμῶν ὑπαρχόντων Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀπέθανε, τότε συνέστη καὶ ὑπέστη ἐν ἡμῖν ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀγάπη, πάντων περιαιρεθέντων τῷ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ θανάτῳ ἀφ' ἡμῶν τῶν ἐμποδιζόντων τῇ συστάσει τῆς εἰς ἡμᾶς τοῦ θεοῦ ἀγάπης. κατὰ ταύτην οὖν τὴν διήγησιν τοῦ συνίστησιν ἀκουστέον, συνιστάντος καὶ ὑφιστάντος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀγάπην, τὴν οὐδενὸς ἑτέρου κυρίως ἢ