24

kindling wrath 95.520 through his own hardness. For having enjoyed much long-suffering he did not become better, but remained uncorrected. Therefore he not only called him a vessel of wrath, but also fitted for destruction; that is, perfected, yet from his own doing and by himself; for neither did God omit anything leading to his right action; nor did he himself lack anything that would destroy him, and deprive him of all pardon, but nevertheless, knowing these things, God endured with much long-suffering, wishing to lead him to repentance. For if he had not wished this, he would not have been long-suffering. But since he did not wish to use the long-suffering of God for repentance, but perfected himself for wrath, he used him for the correction of others, through the punishment upon him making others more zealous, and showing his own power through him. "Which he prepared beforehand for glory; whom he also called us, not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles." Since they reproached this, that they were saved by grace, and they thought to shame them, from great abundance, he refutes this suspicion. For if the matter brought glory to God, much more to those through whom God was also glorified. "As he also says in Hosea: I will call those who were not my people, 'my people,' and her who was not beloved, 'beloved'; and it shall be, in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' there they shall be called sons of the living God. And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved." And from another source he makes the argument credible, bringing forth prophets saying these things. "For the Lord will execute his word upon the earth, finishing and cutting it short; and as Isaiah said before, if the Lord of Sabaoth had not left us a seed." There is no need for a period and labor, he says, from the works of the law, but with much brevity shall be the salvation. For such is faith; in few words it has salvation "We would have become like Sodom and been made like Gomorrah." And here he shows that not even the few were saved by themselves, if God had not used much goodness. "What then shall we say? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained righteousness; but righteousness which is from faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not attain to the law. Why? Because not from faith, but from works of the law." This is the clearest solution; For since he also showed from the facts; for "Not all who are from Israel," he says, "are Israel"; and from the ancestors, of Jacob and Esau, and of those punished 95.521 and saved; from the prophets Hosea and Isaiah, he brings forward the most authoritative solution. First having increased the difficulty; for there were two questions: that the Gentiles succeeded, and not pursuing, succeeded, and that Israel did not succeed, and pursuing, did not succeed. What then is this solution? You indeed, O Jew, he says, did not even find the righteousness from the law. For you transgressed it, and have become subject to the curse. But these who did not come through the law, also found another way greater than this, the righteousness from faith. "They stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written: Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame." A stumbling stone and a rock of offense, he says, from the opinion and the end of those who disbelieved.

CHAPTER 10. "Brethren, the good pleasure of my heart, and my prayer to God,

is for them for salvation." Being about to attack them, he removes any suspicion of hostility, now more than before. For he speaks here of good pleasure, the very strong desire. "For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge." "And he was gracious in the saying, and showed their untimely contentiousness.

24

ὀργὴν ἐξάπτων 95.520 διὰ τῆς οἰκείας σκληρότητος. Πολλῆς γὰρ ἀπολαύσας μακροθυμίας οὐκ ἐγένετο βελτίων, ἀλλ' ἀδιόρθωτος ἔμεινεν. ∆ιὸ οὐδὲ σκεῦος ὀργῆς αὐτὸν ἐκάλεσε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατηρτισμένον εἰς ἀπώλειαν· τουτέστι ἀπηρτισμένον, οἴκοθεν μέντοι καὶ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ οὔτε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς παρέλιπέ τι τῶν εἰς κατόρθωσιν ἡκόντων τὴν ἐκείνου· οὔτε αὐτὸς ἐνέλιπέ τι τῶν ἀπολλύντων αὐτὸν, καὶ πάσης ἀποστερούντων συγγνώμης, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ ταῦτα εἰδὼς ὁ Θεὸς, ἤνεγκεν ἐν πολλῇ μακροθυμίᾳ, βουλόμενος αὐτὸν εἰς μετάνοιαν ἀγαγεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο ἤθελεν, οὐδ' ἂν ἐμακροθύμησεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ ἠθέλησεν εἰς μετάνοιαν τῇ μακροθυμίᾳ χρήσασθαι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ἀπήρτισεν ἑαυτὸν εἰς ὀργὴν, ἐχρήσατο αὐτῷ εἰς τὴν ἑτέρων διόρθωσιν διὰ τῆς εἰς ἐκεῖνον κολάσεως ἑτέρους σπουδαιοτέρους ποιῶν, καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ δι' αὐτοῦ δεικνύς. «Ἃ προητοίμασεν εἰς δόξαν· οὓς καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς, οὐ μόνον ἐξ Ἰουδαίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ ἐθνῶν.» Ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ὠνείδιζον, ὅτι χάριτι ἐσώθησαν, καὶ καταισχύνειν αὐτοὺς ἐνόμιζον, ἐκ πολλῆς τῆς περιουσίας, ταύτην ἀναιρεῖ τὴν ὑπόνοιαν. Εἰ γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ τὸ πρᾶγμα δόξαν ἤνεγκεν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐκείνοις δι' ὧν καὶ Θεὸς ἐδοξάσθη. «Ὡς καὶ ἐν τῷ Ὠσηὲ λέγει· Καλέσω τὸν οὐ λαόν μου, λαόν μου, καὶ τὴν οὐκ ἠγαπημένην, ἠγαπημένην· καὶ ἔσται, ἐν τῷ τόπῳ οὗ ἐῤῥέθη αὐτοῖς, οὐ λαός μου ὑμεῖς, ἐκεῖ κληθήσονται υἱοὶ Θεοῦ ζῶντος. Ἡσαΐας δὲ κράζει περὶ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· Ἐὰν ᾖ ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης, τὸ ἐγκατάλειμμα σωθήσεται.» Καὶ ἑτέρωθεν ἀξιόπιστον ποιεῖται τὸν λόγον, προφήτας ἐπάγων ταῦτα λέγοντας. «Λόγον γὰρ συντελῶν καὶ συντέμνων ποιήσει Κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· καὶ καθὼς προείρηκεν Ἡσαΐας, εἰ μὴ Κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἐγκατέλειπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα.» Οὐ περιόδου χρεία καὶ πόνου, τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων τῶν νομικῶν, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς συντομίας ἔσται ἡ σωτηρία. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ πίστις· ἐν βραχέσι ῥήμασιν ἔχει τὴν σωτηρίαν «Ὡς Σόδομα ἂν ἐγενήθημεν καὶ ὡς Γόμοῤῥα ἂν ὡμοιώθημεν.» Καὶ ἐνταῦθα δείκνυσιν, ὅτι οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ οἱ ὀλίγοι οἴκοθεν διεσώθησαν, εἰ μὴ πολλῇ ὁ Θεὸς ἐχρήσατο τῇ ἀγαθότητι. «Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; ὅτι ἔθνη τὰ μὴ διώκοντα δικαιοσύνην κατέλαβε δικαιοσύνην· δικαιοσύνην δὲ τὴν ἐκ πίστεως· Ἰσραὴλ δὲ διώκων νόμον δικαιοσύνης, εἰς νόμον οὐκ ἔφθασεν. ∆ιὰ τί; ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἔργων νόμου.» Ἡ σαφεστάτη λύσις αὕτη ἐστίν· Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔδειξεν· Οὐ γὰρ πάντες οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, λέγων, οὗτοι Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν προγόνων, τοῦ Ἰακὼβ καὶ τοῦ Ἡσαῦ, καὶ τῶν κολα 95.521 σθέντων καὶ σωθέντων· ἀπὸ τῶν προφητῶν τοῦ Ὠσηὲ καὶ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου, τὴν κυριωτάτην ἐπάγει λύσιν. Πρότερον τὴν ἀπορίαν αὐξήσας· καὶ γὰρ δύο ἦν τὰ ζητούμενα· ὅτι τὰ ἔθνη ἐπέτυχεν, καὶ μὴ διώκοντα ἐπέτυχεν, καὶ ὅτι Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ ἐπέτυχεν, καὶ διώκοντα οὐκ ἐπέτυχεν. Τίς οὖν ἡ λύσις ἡ αὕτη; Σὺ μὲν, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, φησὶν, οὐδὲ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ νόμου δικαιοσύνην εὗρες. Παρέβης γὰρ αὐτὴν, καὶ ὑπεύθυνος γέγονας τῇ ἀρᾷ. Οὗτοι δὲ οἱ μὴ διὰ τοῦ νόμου ἐλθόντες, καὶ ἑτέραν ὁδὸν μείζονα ταύτην εὗρον, δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως. «Προσέκοψαν τῷ λίθῳ τοῦ προσκόμματος, καθὼς γέγραπται· Ἰδοὺ τίθημι ἐν Σιὼν λίθον προσκόμματος, καὶ πέτραν σκανδάλου, καὶ ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ' αὐτῷ οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται.» Προσκόμματος λίθον καὶ πέτραν σκανδάλου, φησὶν, ἀπὸ τῆς γνώμης καὶ τοῦ τέλους τῶν ἀπιστησάντων.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ιʹ. «Ἀδελφοὶ, ἡ μὲν εὐδοκία τῆς ἐμῆς καρδίας, καὶ ἡ δέησις ἡ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν,

ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν εἰς σωτηρίαν.» Μέλλων αὐτῶν καθάπτεσθαι, πλέον νῦν ἢ πρότερον πάσης ἀπεχθείας ὑπόνοιαν ἀναιρεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ εὐδοκίαν ἐνταῦθα, τὴν σφόδρα ἐπιθυμίαν φησίν. «Μαρτυρῶ γὰρ αὐτοῖς, ὅτι ζῆλον Θεοῦ ἔχουσιν, ἀλλ' οὐ κατ' ἐπίγνωσιν.» «Καὶ ἐχαρίσατο τῷ ῥήματι, καὶ ἔδειξεν αὐτῶν τὴν ἄκαιρον φιλονεικίαν.