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by His own, He elects the worthy, rejecting the wicked among men. But since questions have arisen from what has been said, having provided a fitting solution for them, he returns to the subject at hand and says: whom he also called, us, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles, saying this, that God, demonstrating His own goodness now as is His custom, chose us by grace, some from the Jews and others from the Gentiles, from both sides calling to piety those whom He considered worthy, not looking to nature nor by this distinguishing us from the others, but by a testing of character, casting some off, while receiving others. Ro+m 9,25-26 The apostle did not use the testimony of Hosea at present as if it were spoken prophetically about the Gentiles, who were saved—for it is clearly spoken about the Jews—but as being able to show that God does not respect nature, but is accustomed to make a test of character, since He indeed disowned Jews who were wicked in their disposition, not choosing to honor them on account of their nature, and again He made them His own when they changed their ways; for this is shown in the present testimony, from which, confirming the same thing through another, he adds: And Isaiah cries out and what follows. Ro+m 9,27-29 And through another testimony, the same thing is confirmed; for the prophet says that even if the Israelites are in number like the sand of the sea, few of them will be saved, those who are worthy 149 of obtaining the better things, and having confined the promise made to the fathers concerning those who descend from that race to a few, in them He will fulfill with justice the truth of the promises. Ro+m 9,30-31 He then states the reason why most of the Jews have been outside the fellowship of God, while it has become possible for not a few of the Greeks to obtain this against all hope; for it was consistent for the one who had spoken of the rejection of the one group and the appropriation of the other to add the reason for each of these. Therefore he says: What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness and so on. What then might we say, he says, that not a few of the Greeks obtained righteousness, having come to the teaching about Christ, although they had never taken care for piety? For how could they, who were devoted to idols? But most of the Jews came to be outside of it, men who always pledged to observe the law in the hope of righteousness. For by "pursuing the law of righteousness," he speaks about the Mosaic law, wishing to say that they pursued a law promising righteousness, if anyone should keep it; but "unto the law of righteousness" is according to his own idiom, calling righteousness "the law of righteousness" just as he calls faith "the law of faith." But some, having divided it thus, have read, "What then shall we say?" as a question, and then, as an answer, "That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness," and so on, being greatly mistaken about what is fitting and not being able to understand the apostolic meaning; for it must be joined together in the reading according to the interpretation we have proposed: What then shall we say? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness, and so on, the apostle saying this, "What could we say about this, which is both very new and has happened against all hope, that those who took no account of the matter should obtain it, while those who had all diligence concerning it should not?" Ro+m 9,32-33 To be justified from the works of the law is among the impossible things; for it is necessary never to sin—but this is utterly impossible for human beings—and one who has sinned is necessarily judged to be under the sentence of the law. So far is one who hopes to enjoy righteousness by the way of life according to the law from obtaining it from the law, but by grace 150 God has given this to human beings, promising to take away all our inclination to sin, whenever He raises us up and makes us immortal; and it is possible to receive the promises of these things through bringing faith in Christ. These therefore, of the hope according to grace for us through

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οἰκείᾳ τοὺς ἀξίους ἐκλέγεται ἀποδοκιμάζων τοὺς ἀτόπους τῶν ἀνθρώπων. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ζητήματα ἀπὸ τῶν ῥηθέντων ἀνέκυψεν, λύσιν αὐτῶν ποιησάμενος τὴν προσήκουσαν, ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον ἀνατρέχει καί φησιν· οὓς καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς οὐ μόνον ἐξ Ἰουδαίων ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ ἐθνῶν, τοῦτο λέγων ὅτι τὴν οἰκείαν καὶ νῦν χρηστότητα συνήθως ἐπιδεικνύμενος ὁ θεὸς ἐξελέξατο ἡμᾶς χάριτι τοὺς μὲν ἀπὸ Ἰουδαίων τοὺς δὲ ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν, ἑκατέρωθεν οὓς ἀξίους ἡγήσατο τούτους ἐπὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν καλέσας, οὐ πρὸς φύσιν ἀποβλέψας οὐδὲ ταύτῃ διακρίνας ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν ἑτέρων, δοκιμασίᾳ δὲ τρόπου τοὺς μὲν ἀποβάλλων, τοὺς δὲ εἰσδεξάμενος. Ro+m 9,25-26 Οὐχ ὡς περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰρημένῃ προφητικῶς, οἵτινες ἐσώθησαν, ὁ ἀπόστολος ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἐχρήσατο τῇ μαρτυρίᾳ τοῦ Ὠσηέ εἴρηται γὰρ περὶ Ἰουδαίων σαφῶςἀλλ' ὡς δυναμένῃ δεικνύναι ὅτι φύσιν οὐκ αἰδεῖται θεός , δοκιμασίαν δὲ τρόπου ποιεῖσθαι εἴωθεν, ὅπουγε καὶ Ἰουδαίους ἀπεποιήσατό τε μοχθηροὺς ὄντας τὴν γνώμην, οὐχ ἑλόμενος τιμῆσαι διὰ τὴν φύσιν, καὶ οἰκειώσατο πάλιν αὐτοὺς μετα βαλομένους τὸν τρόπον· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς παρούσης δείκνυται μαρ τυρίας, ὅθεν καὶ δι' ἑτέρας τὸ αὐτὸ πιστούμενος ἐπάγει· Ἡσαΐας δὲ κράζει καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ro+m 9,27-29 Καὶ δι' ἑτέρας μαρτυρίας τὸ αὐτὸ πιστοῦται· λέγει γὰρ ὁ προφήτης ὅτι κἂν κατὰ τὴν ἄμμον τῆς θαλάσσης ὦσιν οἱ Ἰσραηλῖται τῷ πλήθει , ὀλίγοι σωθήσονται ἀπ' αὐτῶν οἱ τοῦ τυχεῖν ἄξιοι 149 τῶν κρειττόνων, καὶ τὴν γεγενημένην πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ἐπαγγελίαν περὶ τῶν καταγόντων ἐκεῖθεν τὸ γένος συντεμὼν εἰς ὀλίγους, ἐν αὐτοῖς πληρώσει μετὰ τοῦ δικαίου τῶν ὑποσχέσεων τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ro+m 9,30-31 Λέγει λοιπὸν τὴν αἰτίαν ἀφ' ἧς Ἰουδαίων μὲν οἱ πλεῖστοι τῆς οἰκειότητος ἔξω τοῦ θεοῦ γεγόνασιν, Ἑλλήνων δὲ οὐκ εὐαριθμήτοις παρὰ πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα ταύτης τυχεῖν ἐνεγένετο· καὶ γὰρ ἦν ἀκόλουθον τὸν εἰρηκότα τῶν μὲν τὴν ἀποβολήν, τῶν δὲ τὴν οἰκείωσιν προσθεῖναι τὴν ἑκατέρου τούτων αἰτίαν. διό φησιν· τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν, ὅτι ἔθνη τὰ μὴ διώκοντα δικαιοσύνην καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. τί τοίνυν εἴποιμεν ἄν, φησίν, ὅτι Ἑλλήνων μὲν οὐκ ὀλίγοι τῆς δικαιώσεως ἔτυχον, προσεληλυθότες τῇ περὶ Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίᾳ, καίτοιγε οὐδέποτε εὐσε βείας ἐπιμεληθέντες; πῶς γὰρ οἵ γε τοῖς εἰδώλοις προσεῖχον; Ἰουδαίων δὲ ἔξω ταύτης ἐγένοντο οἱ πλεῖστοι ἄνδρες ἀεὶ τῷ νόμῳ προσέχειν ἐπ' ἐλπίδι τῆς δικαιώσεως ὑπισχνούμενοι. τὸ μὲν γὰρ διώκων νόμον δικαιοσύνης περὶ τοῦ Μωϋσαϊκοῦ λέγει, βουλόμενος εἰπεῖν ὅτι μετῄεσαν νόμον δικαιοσύνην ὑπισχνούμενον, εἴ τις αὐτὸν φυλάττοι· τὸ δὲ εἰς νόμον δικαιοσύνης κατὰ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἰδίωμα, νόμον δικαιο σύνης τὴν δικαιοσύνην καλῶν ὡς καὶ νόμον πίστεως τὴν πίστιν. τινὲς δὲ οὕτω διελόντες ἀνέγνωσαν τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν κατ' ἐρώτη σιν, εἶτα κατ' ἀπόκρισιν ὅτι ἔθνη τὰ μὴ διώκοντα δικαιοσύνην καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, σφόδρα ἀποσφαλέντες τοῦ προσήκοντος καὶ συνιδεῖν τὴν ἀποστολικὴν οὐ δυνηθέντες διάνοιαν· συναπτέον γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀναγνώσεως κατὰ τὴν προκειμένην ἡμῖν ἑρμηνείαν· τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν, ὅτι ἕθνη τὰ μὴ διώκοντα δικαιοσύνην καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, τοῦτο τοῦ ἀποστόλου λέγοντος, ὅτι τί εἴποιμεν ἂν περὶ τούτου καινοῦ τε ὄντος ἄγαν καὶ παρὰ πᾶσαν συμβεβηκότος ἐλπίδα, τοῦ τυχεῖν μὲν τοὺς οὐδένα λόγον ποιουμένους τοῦ πράγματος, μὴ τυχεῖν δὲ τοὺς τὴν πᾶσαν σπου δὴν περὶ τοῦτο ἔχοντας. Ro+m 9,32-33 ∆ικαιωθῆναι ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων τοῦ νόμου τῶν ἀδυνάτων· δεῖ γὰρ μηδέποτε ἁμαρτεῖνἔστι δὲ ἄγαν ἀμήχανον ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων κρινόμενον ἡμαρτηκότα δὲ ἀνάγκη ὑπὸ τὴν ἀπόφασιν γενέσθαι τοῦ νόμου. τοσοῦ τον ἀποδεῖ τοῦ δικαιώσεως τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου τυχεῖν ὁ διὰ τῆς κατ' αὐτὸν πολιτείας ἀπολαῦσαι ταύτης ἐλπίζων, χάριτι δὲ ταύτην δεδώρηται 150 ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, πᾶσαν ἡμῶν τὴν περὶ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν ῥοπὴν ἀφελεῖν ὑποσχόμενος, ἐπειδ' ἂν ἀναστήσας ἀθανάτους ἐργάσηται· τούτων δὲ ἔνεστι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας λαβεῖν διὰ τῆς ἐπὶ τὸν Χριστὸν κομίσασθαι πίστεως. οὗτοι τοίνυν τῆς μὲν κατὰ χάριν ἐλπιζομένης ἡμῖν διὰ