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a power for destruction (For he says, ‘Fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna’); for this reason he says: I have not come bringing these things, not those concerning punishment and vengeance, but those concerning salvation. What then? Did not the Gospel also proclaim these things, the word concerning Gehenna, concerning the outer darkness and the venomous worm? And indeed, from nowhere else but from the Gospel did we know these things; how then, he says, is it ‘the power of God for salvation’? But listen to what follows: To everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For not to all without distinction, but to those who receive it. For even if you are a Greek, even if you have committed every wickedness, even if you are a Scythian, a barbarian, a very beast, full of all unreason, and bearing countless burdens of sins, as soon as you have received the word of the cross and been baptized, you have wiped all those things away. Why then does he say here, ‘to the Jew first, and also to the Greek’? What does this distinction mean? And yet he has said in many places that 60.409 neither circumcision is anything, nor uncircumcision; how then does he make a distinction here, putting the Jew before the Greek? And what of this? For it is not because he is first that he receives more of grace; for the same gift is given to this one and to that one; but ‘first’ is only an honor of order. For he does not have an advantage in receiving a greater righteousness, but is honored only in being the first to receive it; since even among those being enlightened (and you initiates know what is being said) all indeed run to baptism, but not all at the same hour, but one first, another second; yet the first does not receive more than the second, nor he than the one after him, but all enjoy the same things. Therefore, ‘first,’ here, is an honor in word, not an abundance of grace. Then, having said, ‘For salvation,’ he again magnifies the gift, showing that it does not stop at the present, but goes further; for he showed this by saying: For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written: “But the just shall live by faith.” He therefore who has become just will live not only in the present life, but also in the one to come. And not only this, but he also hints at another thing with this, the brightness and conspicuousness of such a life. For since it is possible to be saved even with shame (just as many are saved from punishment by a king’s philanthropy), so that no one should suspect this upon hearing ‘salvation,’ he added, ‘And righteousness,’ and not your own righteousness, but God’s, hinting at both its lavishness and its ease. For you do not achieve it by sweat and toils, but you receive it from the gift from above, contributing only one thing from home: to believe. Then, since the saying seemed incredible, that the adulterer and the effeminate, the tomb-robber and the sorcerer, is not only at once delivered from punishment but also becomes righteous, and righteous with the highest righteousness, he confirms the saying from the Old Testament. And first, with a brief word he unfolds a vast sea of histories for him who is able to see. For by saying, ‘From faith to faith,’ he sent the hearer to the dispensations of God that occurred in the Old Testament, which he explains with much wisdom when writing to the Hebrews, showing that the righteous and sinners were justified in this way even then; which is why he mentioned both Rahab and Abraham. Then, having only hinted at it here (for he was running on to another, and pressing, contemplation), he again confirms the saying from the prophets, bringing forth Habakkuk, crying out and saying that it is not possible for him who will live to live otherwise than by faith. For the just, he says, shall live by faith, speaking of the life to come. For since the things which God bestows all surpass reasoning, we rightly have need of faith. But the conceited and scornful and arrogant man will accomplish nothing at all. Let the heretics hear the spiritual voice. For such is the nature of reasonings; it is like a kind of labyrinth and riddles, having no end anywhere, nor allowing reason to stand upon the rock, and the beginning from arrogance

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δύναμις εἰς ἀπώλειαν (Φοβήθητε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν δυνάμενον καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἀπολέσαι ἐν γεέννῃ)· διὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Οὐ ταῦτα ἐλθὼν κομίζω, οὐ τὰ περὶ κολάσεως καὶ τιμωρίας, ἀλλὰ τὰ περὶ σωτηρίας. Τί οὖν; οὐχὶ καὶ ταῦτα κατήγγελλε τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, τὸν περὶ γεέννης λόγον, τὸν περὶ τοῦ σκότους τοῦ ἐξωτέρου καὶ τοῦ σκώληκος τοῦ ἰοβόλου; Καὶ μὴν οὐδαμόθεν ἄλλοθεν, ἢ ἐκ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ταῦτα ἔγνωμεν· πῶς οὖν, φησὶ, ∆ύναμις Θεοῦ εἰς σωτηρίαν; Ἀλλ' ἄκουε καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς· Παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι, Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον, καὶ Ἕλληνι. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς πᾶσιν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς δεχομένοις. Κἂν γὰρ Ἕλλην ᾖς, κἂν πᾶσαν ἐπελθὼν κακίαν, κἂν Σκύθης, κἂν βάρβαρος, κἂν αὐτοθηρίον, κἂν πάσης ἀλογίας γέμων, καὶ μυρία ἁμαρτημάτων ἐπιφερόμενος φορτία, ἅμα τὸν περὶ σταυροῦ λόγον κατεδέξω καὶ ἐβαπτίσθης, καὶ πάντα ἐκεῖνα ἐξήλειψας. ∆ιὰ τί δέ φησιν ἐνταῦθα, Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον, καὶ Ἕλληνι; τί βούλεται αὕτη ἡ διαφορά; Καίτοι πολλαχοῦ εἶπεν, ὅτι 60.409 οὔτε περιτομὴ τί ἐστιν, οὔτε ἀκροβυστία· πῶς οὖν ἐνταῦθα διαιρεῖ, προτιθεὶς τὸν Ἰουδαῖον τοῦ Ἕλληνος; Καὶ τί τοῦτο; οὐδὲ γὰρ, ἐπειδὴ πρῶτός ἐστι, καὶ πλέον λαμβάνει τῆς χάριτος· ἡ γὰρ αὐτὴ δωρεὰ καὶ τούτῳ κἀκείνῳ δίδοται· ἀλλὰ τάξεώς ἐστι τιμὴ μόνον τὸ πρῶτος. Καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἐν τῷ μείζονα λαβεῖν δικαιοσύνην πλεονεκτεῖ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ πρῶτος αὐτὴν λαβεῖν τετίμηται μόνον· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν φωτιζομένων (ἴστε δὲ οἱ μύσται τὸ λεγόμενον) πάντες μὲν ἐπὶ τὸ βάπτισμα τρέχουσιν, οὐ πάντες δὲ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ὥρᾳ, ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν πρῶτος, ὁ δὲ δεύτερος· οὐ μὴν ὁ πρῶτος τοῦ δευτέρου πλέον λαμβάνει, οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνος τοῦ μετ' αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ τῶν αὐτῶν ἅπαντες ἀπολαύουσι. Τὸ τοίνυν, πρῶτος, ἐνταῦθα ῥήματός ἐστι τιμὴ, οὐ χάριτος πλεονασμός. Εἶτα εἰπὼν, Εἰς σωτηρίαν, πάλιν αὔξει τὴν δωρεὰν, δεικνὺς οὐκ ἄχρι τοῦ παρόντος ἱσταμένην, ἀλλὰ περαιτέρω προϊοῦσαν· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδήλωσεν εἰπών· ∆ικαιοσύνη γὰρ Θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν, καθὼς γέγραπται· Ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται. Ὁ γοῦν γενόμενος δίκαιος, οὐ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὸν μέλλοντα ζήσεται. Οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερον αἰνίττεται μετὰ τούτου, τὸ λαμπρὸν καὶ περιφανὲς τῆς τοιαύτης ζωῆς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔστι καὶ μετὰ αἰσχύνης σωθῆναι (ὥσπερ οὖν πολλοὶ τῶν ἀπὸ φιλανθρωπίας βασιλικῆς ἀπαλλαττομένων κολάσεως σώζονται), ἵνα μὴ ὑποπτεύσῃ τοῦτό τις σωτηρίαν ἀκούσας, προσέθηκε, Καὶ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ δικαιοσύνην οὐ σὴν, ἀλλὰ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὸ δαψιλὲς αὐτῆς καὶ τὸ εὔκολον αἰνιττόμενος. Οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἱδρώτων καὶ πόνων αὐτὴν κατορθοῖς, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς ἄνωθεν δωρεᾶς λαμβάνεις, ἓν μόνον εἰσφέρων οἴκοθεν, τὸ πιστεῦσαι. Εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ ἀπίθανος ὁ λόγος εἶναι ἐδόκει, εἰ ὁ μοιχὸς καὶ μαλακὸς, καὶ τυμβωρύχος καὶ γόης ἀθρόον οὐχὶ κολάσεως ἀπαλλάττεται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δίκαιος γίνεται, καὶ δίκαιος τὴν ἀνωτάτω δικαιοσύνην, ἀπὸ τῆς Παλαιᾶς πιστοῦται τὸν λόγον. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν βραχεῖ ῥήματι πέλαγος ἱστοριῶν ἀχανὲς τῷ δυναμένῳ βλέπειν ἀναπετάννυσιν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν, παρέπεμψε τὸν ἀκροατὴν ἐπὶ τὰς οἰκονομίας τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ γενομένας, ἃς Ἑβραίοις ἐπιστέλλων μετὰ πολλῆς ἐξηγεῖται τῆς σοφίας, καὶ τοὺς δικαίους καὶ τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς οὕτω δικαιωθέντας δείκνυσι καὶ τότε· διὸ καὶ τῆς Ῥαὰβ καὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἐμνημόνευσεν. Ἔπειτα δὲ ἐνταῦθα αἰνιξάμενος αὐτὸ μόνον (καὶ γὰρ ἐφ' ἕτερον ἔτρεχε θεώρημα, καὶ κατεπεῖγον), ἀπὸ τῶν προφητῶν πάλιν πιστοῦται τὸν λόγον, τὸν Ἀμβακοὺμ εἰς μέσον παράγων βοῶντα καὶ λέγοντα, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἔνι ἄλλως ζῇν τὸν μέλλοντα ζήσεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἢ διὰ πίστεως. Ὁ γὰρ δίκαιος, φησὶν, ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται, περὶ τῆς μελλούσης λέγων ζωῆς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἅπερ ὁ Θεὸς χαρίζεται, πάντα ὑπερβαίνει λογισμὸν, εἰκότως πίστεως ἡμῖν δεῖ. Ὁ δὲ κατοιόμενος καὶ καταφρονητὴς ἀνὴρ καὶ ἀλαζὼν οὐθὲν οὐ μὴ περανεῖ. Ἀκουέτωσαν οἱ αἱρετικοὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς φωνῆς. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ τῶν λογισμῶν φύσις· λαβυρίνθῳ τινὶ καὶ γρίφοις ἔοικεν, οὐδὲν οὐδαμοῦ τέλος ἔχουσα, οὐδὲ ἀφιεῖσα τὸν λογισμὸν ἑστάναι ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας, καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐξ ἀλαζονείας