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eternal life. 1. So great are the benefactions of God, and surpassing all human expectation and hope, as to be often disbelieved. For what the human mind has neither conceived nor expected, these things he has graciously given to us. For this reason the Apostles also make a great argument concerning this, so that the gifts provided to us by God might be believed. 62.520 For just as we experience this with great blessings, saying, "Is it not a dream?" because of our disbelief; so also it is with the gifts of God. What then was disbelieved? Whether enemies, whether sinners, whether those not justified in the law nor through works, these were suddenly, through faith alone, to attain the first place. Therefore he discusses many things concerning this main point in the Epistle to the Romans, and many things here also. The saying, he says, is trustworthy and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. For since the Jews were especially drawn to this, he persuades them not to cling to the law, as it was not possible to be saved through it without faith. He fights against this, therefore. For it seemed incredible, if indeed a man who had squandered all his former life 62.521 rashly and in vain, having consumed it in wicked deeds, was going to be saved afterwards by faith alone. For this reason he says, The saying is trustworthy. But some not only disbelieved, but also accused, which even now the Greeks do, saying: Let us do evil, that good may come. For when they heard him say, Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, they, mocking our ways, said this. So also when we discuss Gehenna with them, And how, they say, are these things worthy of God, if a man, taking his own servant who has sinned much, lets him go and deems him worthy of pardon; but God punishes eternally? And when again we discuss the font with them and the remission of sins through it, How are these things, they say, worthy of God, to forgive the sins of one who has done countless evil things? Do you see the perverse opinion, how everywhere it displays its own contentiousness? And yet if forgiveness is evil, punishment is good; but if punishment is not good, forgiveness is good; I speak according to their reasoning; for according to ours both are good; and how, we will show at another time; for it would not be for the present moment. For since it is a deep matter and requiring much elaboration, it is necessary to set this forth before your love in due season; but for now let us keep to the matters before us. The saying, he says, is trustworthy. From where is it trustworthy? Both from what has gone before, and from what comes after. See how he both prepares the ground, and after having prepared it, he dwells on it. For to say that He had mercy on one who was a blasphemer and a persecutor, this was part of preparing the ground. And He did not only have mercy, he says, but also made him faithful; to such an extent, he says, one must not disbelieve that He had mercy. For no one seeing a prisoner moving about in a palace ever doubts that he has received mercy; which was to be seen in the case of Paul. For he makes the proof from himself, and is not ashamed to call himself a sinner, but rather rejoices in it. For thus he is best able to show the great wonder of God's care, and that he was deemed worthy of such philanthropy. And how, when speaking of himself elsewhere, As to the righteousness which is in the law, being blameless, does he here say that he is a sinner, and the foremost of sinners? Because in comparison to the righteousness which God has wrought, and that which is truly sought, even those in the law are sinners; For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God. For this reason he did not say simply righteousness, but, That which is in the law. For just as one who possesses much silver seems rich by himself, but in comparison with the treasures

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ζωὴν αἰώνιον. αʹ. Οὕτω μεγάλαι εἰσὶν αἱ εὐεργεσίαι τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀνθρωπίνην ὑπερβαίνουσαι προσδοκίαν καὶ ἐλπίδα, ὡς πολλαχοῦ καὶ ἀπιστεῖσθαι. Ἃ γὰρ μήτε ἐνενόησε, μήτε προσεδόκησε νοῦς ἀνθρώπινος, ταῦτα ἡμῖν ἐχαρίσατο. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ πολὺν οἱ ἀπόστολοι λόγον ὑπὲρ τούτου ποιοῦνται, ὥστε πιστευθῆναι τὰ δῶρα τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῖν παρασχεθέντα. Καθά 62.520 περ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν μεγάλων ἀγαθῶν τοῦτο πάσχομεν, ἆρα μὴ ὄναρ ἐστίν; λέγοντες, τῷ ἀπιστεῖν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεῶν. Τί οὖν ἦν τὸ ἀπιστούμενον; Εἰ οἱ ἐχθροὶ, εἰ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ, εἰ οἱ ἐν νόμῳ μὴ δικαιωθέντες μηδὲ δι' ἔργων, οὗτοι ἐξαίφνης διὰ πίστεως μόνης ἔμελλον τῶν πρωτείων τεύξεσθαι. Πολλὰ μὲν οὖν καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους περὶ τούτου διαλέγεται τοῦ κεφαλαίου, πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Πιστὸς, φησὶν, ὁ λόγος, καὶ πάσης ἀποδοχῆς ἄξιος, ὅτι Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς ἦλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἁμαρτωλοὺς σῶσαι, ὧν πρῶτός εἰμι ἐγώ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ Ἰουδαῖοι τούτῳ μάλιστα ἐφείλκοντο, πείθει αὐτοὺς τῷ νόμῳ μὴ προσέχειν, ὡς οὐκ ἐνὸν δι' ἐκείνου σωθῆναι πίστεως χωρίς. Πρὸς τοῦτο τοίνυν μάχεται. Ἄπιστον γὰρ εἶναι ἐδόκει, εἰ δὴ ἄνθρωπος πάντα τὸν ἔμπροσθεν καταδαπανήσας βίον 62.521 εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην ἐν πονηραῖς πράξεσι καταναλώσας, ἔμελλε σώζεσθαι ὕστερον ἀπὸ πίστεως μόνης. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι, Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος. Ἀλλά τινες οὐκ ἠπίστουν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνεκάλουν, ὃ καὶ νῦν ποιοῦσιν Ἕλληνες λέγοντες· Ποιήσωμεν τὰ κακὰ, ἵνα ἔλθῃ τὰ ἀγαθά. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἤκουσαν λέγοντος, Ὅπου ἐπλεόνασεν ἡ ἁμαρτία, ὑπερεξεπερίσσευσεν ἡ χάρις, διασύροντες τὰ ἡμέτερα ἐκεῖνοι ἔλεγον τοῦτο. Οὕτω καὶ ὅταν περὶ γεέννης διαλεγώμεθα αὐτοῖς, Καὶ ποῦ, φασὶ, ταῦτα ἄξια Θεοῦ, εἰ ἄνθρωπος μὲν τὸν οἰκέτην λαβὼν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πολλὰ ἡμαρτηκότα, ἀφίησι καὶ συγγνώμης ἀξιοῖ· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ἀθάνατα κολάζει; Καὶ ὅταν περὶ λουτροῦ πάλιν αὐτοῖς διαλεγώμεθα καὶ τῆς διὰ τούτου τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀφέσεως, Ποῦ ταῦτα, φασὶν, ἄξια Θεοῦ, τὸν μυρία ἐργασάμενον κακὰ, ἀφιέναι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων; Ὁρᾷς τὴν ἐνδιάστροφον γνώμην, πῶς πανταχοῦ τὴν οἰκείαν ἐνδείκνυται φιλονεικίαν; Καὶ μὴν εἰ ἡ ἄφεσις κακὸν, καλὸν ἡ κόλασις· εἰ δὲ ἡ κόλασις οὐ καλὸν, ἡ ἄφεσις καλόν· κατὰ τὸν ἐκείνων φημὶ λόγον· κατὰ γὰρ τὸν ἡμέτερον ἀμφότερα καλά· καὶ πῶς, ἐν ἑτέρῳ δείξομεν καιρῷ· οὐ γὰρ τοῦ παρόντος ἂν εἴη. Βαθὺν γὰρ ὄντα καὶ πολλῆς δεόμενον τῆς ἐπεξεργασίας, ἐν καιρῷ δεῖ τοῦτον προθεῖναι ἐπὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀγάπης· τέως δὲ τῶν προκειμένων ἐχώμεθα. Πιστὸς, φησὶν, ὁ λόγος. Πόθεν πιστός; Καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν προαγόντων, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα. Ὅρα πῶς καὶ προκατασκευάζει, καὶ μετὰ τὸ κατασκευάσαι αὐτῷ ἐνδιατρίβει. Τὸ γὰρ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Βλάσφημον ὄντα καὶ διώκτην ἠλέησε, τοῦτο κατασκευάζοντος ἦν. Καὶ οὐκ ἠλέησε, φησὶ, μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πιστὸν ἐποίησε· τοσοῦτον οὐ χρὴ, φησὶν, ἀπιστεῖν ὅτι ἠλέησεν. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ὁρῶν τὸν δεσμώτην ἐν βασιλείοις στρεφόμενον, ὅτι ἠλεήθη ἀμφιβάλλει ποτέ· ὅπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Παύλου ἦν ἰδεῖν. Ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ γὰρ ποιεῖται τὸ σημεῖον, καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνεται καλῶν ἑαυτὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον εὐφραίνεται. Οὕτω γὰρ μάλιστα δύναται δεῖξαι τὸ μέγα τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ κηδεμονίας θαῦμα, καὶ ὅτι φιλανθρωπίας ἠξιώθη τοσαύτης. Καὶ πῶς ἀλλαχοῦ λέγων περὶ ἑαυτοῦ, Κατὰ δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐν νόμῳ γενόμενος ἄμεμπτος, ἐνταῦθά φησιν ἁμαρτωλὸν εἶναι, καὶ πρῶτον τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν; Ὅτι πρὸς τὴν δικαιοσύνην, ἣν ὁ Θεὸς εἰργάσατο, καὶ τὴν ὄντως ζητουμένην, ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ· Πάντες γὰρ ἥμαρτον, καὶ ὑστεροῦνται τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπε δικαιοσύνην, ἀλλὰ, Τὴν ἐν νόμω. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ἀργύριον πολὺ κεκτημένος καθ' ἑαυτὸν μὲν πλούσιος φαίνεται, κατὰ δὲ τὴν σύγκρισιν τῶν θησαυρῶν