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being in hope. And from the things given, those other things are also confirmed, from sanctification, life. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life, in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Since he mentioned weapons and a kingdom, he continues with the metaphor; but having said wages concerning 95.489 sin, he did not keep the same arrangement for Christ, nor did he say the reward of good deeds, but the gift of God, showing that they were not released of themselves, they did not receive a debt, but all these things happened by grace. CHAPTER 7. “Or are you ignorant, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law)?” Having finished the moral discourse, he moves on to the dogmatic, showing that not only does sin not have dominion over them, but neither does the law; and if the law does not have dominion, much more so sin; and he constructs this from an example; and he begins with praises, sweetening the hearing of the listeners. “That the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives; for the married woman is bound by law to her living husband. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then, while her husband is living, she will be called an adulteress if she is with another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress, though she be with another man. So you also, my brethren, were made to die to the law through the body of Christ, so that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead.” To the living, he says, the law is given, but to the dead it no longer gives commands. And if you also have died, having been buried with Christ through baptism, the law no longer has dominion over you. But see the understanding of Paul; how in the example he shows the law as having died, saying: But if the husband dies. But in the application he no longer does this; for the logical thing would have been to say: So, brethren, you also, since the law has died, are not judged for adultery for being with another man; but he did not say this in this way, but you were made to die to the law, so that you might not be suspected as enemies of blaspheming against the law. And see again the excellence of his construction. For he shows that the law itself wishes this, that one should depart from it and belong to another man; for it does not, he says, forbid being with another after the first has died. It is similar to if he were to say: The law itself releases us who have departed from it from accusations, and it is the will of the law itself that we should belong to Christ. “So that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were in the flesh.” He makes the exhortation from what is better, For then, he says, you bore fruit for death; but now for God.” “The passions of sins which were through the law, were at work in your members, to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the law.” 95.492 He did not say, the passions of sins, which are caused by the law, but which were through the law. And he did not add, caused, but simply, through the law; that is, being made manifest through the law. And so that he might not be an accuser of the flesh either, he did not say, which the members work; but were at work in our members; showing that the origin of evil is from elsewhere, from the thoughts that are at work, not from the members that are worked upon; nor does he say that the law is the cause of sins, nor does he acquit it of odiousness; for it held the position of a harsh accuser, laying bare sins. For he who commands more to one who wishes to obey in nothing, increases the trespass. “Having died to that wherein we were held.” That is, to the sin of the old man who was held in it, who has died and been buried. “So that we serve in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.” It is no longer the letter that condemns, he says, that is, the old law, but a spirit that helps. “What then shall we say? Is the law sin? By no means! Since he seemed to say many things against the law, the passions of sins through the law were at work in our members; and sin will not have dominion over you; For you are not under law. And again, For where there is no law, there is no transgression. And again, But the law entered, so that the

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ἐλπίσιν ὄντα. Καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν δεδομένων κἀκεῖνα πιστοῦται, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγιασμοῦ τὴν ζωήν. «Τὰ γὰρ ὀψώνια τῆς ἁμαρτίας θάνατος· τὸ δὲ χάρισμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ζωὴ αἰώνιος, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν. Ἐπειδὴ ὅπλων ἐμνημόνευσεν καὶ βασιλείας, ἐπιμένει τῇ μεταφορᾷ· εἰπὼν δὲ ὀψώνια ἐπὶ τῆς 95.489 ἁμαρτίας, οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐτήρησεν τάξιν ἐπὶ τὸν Χριστὸν, οὐδ' εἶπεν ὁ μισθὸς τῶν κατορθωμάτων, ἀλλὰ τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ οἴκοθεν ἀπηλλάγησαν, οὐκ ὀφειλὴν ἀπέλαβον, ἀλλὰ χάριτι πάντα ταῦτα ἐγίνετο. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ζʹ. «Ἢ ἀγνοεῖτε ἀδελφοὶ (γινώσκουσι γὰρ νόμον λαλῶ); Καταλύσας τὸν ἠθικὸν λόγον ἐπὶ τὰ δογματικὰ μεταβαίνει, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἁμαρτία αὐτῶν οὐ κυριεύει, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ νόμος· εἰ δὲ νόμος οὐ κυριεύει, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἁμαρτία· κατασκευάζει δὲ αὐτὸ ἀπὸ παραδείγματος· ἄρχεται δὲ ἐξ ἐγκωμίων, τῶν ἀκροατῶν καταγλυκαίνων τὴν ἀκοήν. «Ὅτι ὁ νόμος κυριεύει τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐφ' ὅσον χρόνον ζῇ· ἡ γὰρ ὕπανδρος γυνὴ τῷ ζῶντι ἀνδρὶ δέδεται νόμῳ. Ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ ὁ ἀνὴρ, καταργεῖται ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου τοῦ ἀνδρός. Ἄρα οὖν ζῶντος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, μοιχαλὶς χρηματίσει, ἐὰν γένηται ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ. Ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ ὁ ἀνὴρ, ἐλευθέρα ἐστὶν ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου, τοῦ μὴ εἶναι αὐτὴν μοιχαλίδα, γενομένην ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ. Ὥστε καὶ ὑμεῖς, ἀδελφοί μου, ἐθανατώθητε τῷ νόμῳ διὰ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι ὑμᾶς ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ τῷ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγερθέντι.» Τοῖς ζῶσι, φησὶν, ὁ νόμος κεῖται, τοῖς δὲ τεθνηκόσι οὐκέτι διατάττει. Εἰ δὲ τεθνήκατε καὶ ὑμεῖς, συνταφέντες τῷ Χριστῷ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, οὐκέτι κυριεύει ὑμῶν ὁ νόμος. Ὅρα δὲ σύνεσιν τοῦ Παύλου· πῶς ἐν μὲν παραδείγματι τὸν νόμον δείκνυσι τετελευτηκότα, λέγων· Ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ ὁ ἀνήρ. Ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐπαγωγῇ οὐκέτι τοῦτο ποιεῖ· τὸ γὰρ ἀκόλουθον ἦν εἰπεῖν· Ὥστε, ἀδελφοὶ, καὶ ὑμεῖς τοῦ νόμου τελευτήσαντος οὐ κρίνεσθε μοιχείας ἀνδρὶ γενόμενοι ἑτέρῳ· ἀλλ' οὐκ εἶπεν οὕτως τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ἐθανατώθητε τῷ νόμῳ, ἵνα μὴ ὡς ἐχθροὺς ὑποπτεύητε κατὰ τοῦ νόμου βλασφημεῖν. Ὅρα δὲ καὶ πάλιν ὑπερβολὴν κατασκευῆς. ∆είκνυσι γὰρ αὐτὸν τὸν νόμον τοῦτο βουλόμενον, τὸ ἀποστῆναι αὐτοῦ καὶ γίνεσθαι ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ· οὐ γὰρ κωλύει, φησὶν, ἑτέρῳ συνεῖναι τελευτήσαντος τοῦ προτέρου. Ὅμοιον δὲ ὡς εἰ λέγοι· Αὐτὸς ὁ νόμος ἀπαλλάττει τῶν ἐγκλημάτων ἡμᾶς ἀποστάντας αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτοῦ βούλημα τοῦ νόμου, τὸ γενέσθαι ἡμᾶς τοῦ Χριστοῦ. «Ἵνα καρποφορήσωμεν τῷ Θεῷ. Ὅτε γὰρ ἦμεν ἐν τῇ σαρκί.» Ἀπὸ τοῦ κρείττονος τὴν προτροπὴν ἐργάζεται, Τότε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκαρποφορεῖτε τῷ θανάτῳ· νυνὶ δὲ τῷ Θεῷ.» «Τὰ παθήματα τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τὰ διὰ τοῦ νόμου, ἐνεργεῖτο ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ὑμῶν, εἰς τὸ καρποφορῆσαι τῷ θανάτῳ. Νυνὶ δὲ κατηργήθημεν ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου.» 95.492 Οὐκ εἶπεν, τὰ παθήματα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου γινόμενα, ἀλλὰ τὰ διὰ τοῦ νόμου. Καὶ οὐ προσέθηκεν, γινόμενα, ἀλλὰ ἁπλῶς, διὰ τοῦ νόμου· τουτέστι, διὰ τοῦ νόμου φαινόμενα. Ἵνα δὲ μηδὲ τῆς σαρκὸς κατήγορος ᾖ, οὐκ εἶπεν, ἃ ἐνεργεῖ τὰ μέλη· ἀλλ' ἐνεργεῖτο ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν· δεικνὺς ἑτέρωθεν οὖσαν τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς πονηρίας ἀπὸ τῶν ἐνεργούντων λογισμῶν, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐνεργουμένων μελῶν· οὔτε δὲ τὸ αἴτιον εἶναί φησιν ἁμαρτημάτων τὸν νόμον, οὔτε ἀπαλλάττειν αὐτὸν ἀπεχθείας· κατηγόρου γὰρ τάξιν ἐπεῖχεν πικροῦ, ἀπογυμνῶν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. Ὁ γὰρ τῷ μηδὲν πείθεσθαι βουλομένῳ πλείονα ἐπιτάττων, πλεονάζει τὸ παράπτωμα. «Ἀποθανόντες ἐν ᾧ κατειχόμεθα.» Τουτέστι τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ τοῦ παλαιοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοῦ κατεχομένου ἐν αὐτῇ, ἀποθανόντος καὶ ταφέντος. «Ὥστε δουλεύειν ἡμᾶς ἐν καινότητι πνεύματος, καὶ οὐ παλαιότητι γράμματος.» Οὐκ ἔστιν μὲν γράμμα ἔτι τὸ καταδικάζον, φησὶν, τουτέστιν ὁ νόμος ὁ παλαιὸς, ἀλλὰ πνεῦμα βοηθοῦν. «Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; ὁ νόμος ἁμαρτία; Μὴ γένοιτο! Ἐπειδὴ πολλὰ ἔδοξεν κατὰ τοῦ νόμου λέγειν, τὰ παθήματα τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν διὰ τοῦ νόμου ἐνεργεῖτο ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν· καὶ ἁμαρτία ὑμῶν οὐ κυριεύσει· Οὐ γάρ ἐστε ὑπὸ νόμον. Καὶ πάλιν, Οὗ γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι νόμος, οὐδὲ παράβασις. Καὶ πάλιν, Νόμος δὲ παρεισῆλθεν, ἵνα πλεονάσῃ τὸ