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Ro+m 11,1 Since he has shown the usefulness of the law from those who have believed, and by his response to the objections he has intensified the accusation against those who have disbelieved as bringing no slander against the law by their own wickedness, he then makes a defense also concerning having said nothing to the slander of the kinship of Abraham through the censure of those who have disbelieved. For is it then, he says, that I have considered the economy of the law to be something wonderful, but I show the kinship of Abraham in my words to be rejected? May it not be! And what is the proof of my saying these things? For I also, he says, am an Israelite, and so on. He could have mentioned many from the race who had believed in Christ, but in relation to "I say then," it was more appropriate to speak of himself; for how was it possible 154 for one priding himself in the faith and teaching about it, <not> promising others? And it was good that he mentioned not only the forefather, but also the head of the tribe, so as to show that he is not fabricating the kinship. Ro+m 11,2-5 You have forgotten, he says, the things concerning Elijah, as it seems, how he accused Israel of turning aside for the worse, hesitating to be sent any longer to such ungrateful people, but God answered him that he had seven thousand who still cared for the knowledge of him and had not inclined toward what is worse, thereby urging him to hold to the work of teaching, as one who would not be laboring in vain for the rest of the time; and that God considered it sufficient, if out of the whole people of the Jews seven thousand should remain in piety through the teaching of the prophets, so that it is not at all unlikely that there are more now who are unwilling to be persuaded by the things spoken concerning piety. However, what is happening does not bring any slander against the promises of God concerning the race; for its usefulness is shown forth in those who believe, but the unbelief of the rest contains a proof of their own wickedness, if they have received no benefit from such great care. Ro+m 11,7 Some, because of great foolishness, have read it thus: "What then does Israel seek?" joining to this "that which it did not obtain," even destroying the apostolic words so that they might seem to establish their own foolishness, and removing the "what" which lies before "Israel seeks" and putting "this which it did not obtain," as if the apostle were saying: "What ever then is that which is sought by Israel? This very thing which it did not obtain." having most ridiculously thought that the apostle was eager to show what it is that is sought by Israel, and not having understood that he added it as a conclusion from the things previously said. Therefore, it must be read thus: "What then?"—that is to say, what, therefore, is the conclusion for us from the things previously said, in which we have both accused those who disbelieved and shown that those who have believed have most rightly preferred the truth of the doctrines?— 155 "what Israel seeks, this it did not obtain," because it was not given to the Israelites to obtain this which they seem to seek, that is to say, righteousness. For it is similar to: "But Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not attain to a law of righteousness." But "all" is missing, so that it would be: "this all did not obtain." For he adds: "but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened," that is to say, those obtained righteousness who were deemed worthy of the election on account of their own manner of life, but all the rest were rejected on account of their own wickedness. Ro+m 11,9-10 He did not use the words as having been spoken prophetically, but as fitting them from the scriptures because they were also spoken about Jews, at the same time also showing this, that nothing new has happened now, but they have endured things similar to those then, having preferred the worse to the better; for since the Jews attempted to slander the Christian doctrine from their own rejection, the apostle necessarily and at length shows that they have always been such concerning piety. Ro+m 11,11 But do we say this, that having stumbled concerning piety and not having believed in Christ they have endured a complete rejection, so that for them there is no

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Ro+m 11,1 Ἐπειδὴ τοῦ τε νόμου τὸ χρήσιμον ἀπὸ τῶν πεπιστευκότων ἔδειξε καὶ τῇ πρὸς τὰς ἀντιρρήσεις ἀποκρίσει τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἠπιστηκότων κατηγορίαν ἐπέτεινεν ὡς οὐδεμίαν τῇ ἑαυτῶν κακίᾳ διαβολὴν τῷ νόμῳ φερόντων, ἀπολογεῖται λοιπὸν καὶ περὶ τοῦ μηδὲν ἐπὶ διαβολῇ τῆς τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ συγγενείας εἰρηκέναι διὰ τῆς κατὰ τῶν ἠπιστηκότων μέμψεως. ἆρα γάρ, φησί, τοῦ μὲν νόμου τὴν οἰκονομίαν θαυμαστήν τινα εἶναι νενόμικα, τὴν συγγένειαν δὲ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἐν τοῖς λόγοις ἀδόκιμον οὖσαν δείκνυμι; μὴ γένοιτο· τίς δὲ τοῦ με ταῦτα λέγειν ἡ ἀπόδειξις; καὶ γὰρ ἐγώ, φησίν, Ἰσραηλίτης εἰμὶ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. εἶχεν μὲν εἰπεῖν πολλοὺς ἐκ τοῦ γένους πεπιστευκότας Χριστῷ, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ λέγω οὖν τοῦτο ἦν οἰκειότερον τὸ καθ' ἑαυτὸν εἰπεῖν· πῶς γὰρ οἷόν τε ἦν 154 ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει σεμνυνόμενον καὶ περὶ ταύτης διδάσκειν <μὴ> ὑπισχνού μενον ἑτέρους; καλῶς δὲ οὐ τὸν προπάτορα μόνον εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν φύλαρχον, ὥστε δεῖξαι ὅτι οὐ πλάττεται τὴν οἰκειότητα. Ro+m 11,2-5 Ἐπιλέλησθε, φησί, τῶν κατὰ τὸν Ἠλίαν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὅπως ὁ μὲν ᾐτιᾶτο τὸν Ἰσραὴλ τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἐκτροπῆς ὀκνῶν ἀποστέλλεσθαι ἔτι πρὸς τοὺς οὕτως ἀγνώμονας, ἀπεκρίνατο δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς ἑπτα κισχιλίους ἔχειν τοὺς ἔτι τῆς αὐτοῦ γνώσεως ἐπιμελουμένους καὶ μὴ πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον νεύσαντας, διὰ τούτου προτρέπων αὐτὸν ἔχεσθαι τοῦ τῆς διδασκαλίας ἔργου, ὡς ἂν οὐκ εἰς μάτην πονοῦντα τοῦ λοιποῦ· καὶ ὅτι θεὸς ἀρκεῖν ἡγήσατο, εἰ ἀπὸ παντὸς τοῦ δήμου τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἑπτακισχίλιοι τῇ τῶν προφητῶν διδασκαλίᾳ ἐπὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας μένοιεν, ὥστε οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς πλείονας εἶναι καὶ νῦν τοὺς οὐ βουλομένους τοῖς περὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας λεγομένοις πείθεσθαι. οὐ μὴν ταῖς περὶ τὸ γένος ἐπαγγελίαις τοῦ θεοῦ διαβολήν τινα φέρει τὸ γιγνόμενον· τοῦ μὲν γὰρ τὸ χρήσιμον ἐν τοῖς πιστεύουσι διαδείκνυται, ἡ δέ γε τῶν λοιπῶν ἀπιστία ἔλεγχον ἔχει τῆς αὐτῶν κακίας, εἰ μηδὲν ὄφελος ἀπὸ τῆς τοσαύτης κηδεμονίας ἐδέξαντο. Ro+m 11,7 Τινὲς ὑπὸ πολλῆς τῆς ἀνοίας οὕτως ἀνέγνωσαν· τί οὖν ἐπιζητεῖ Ἰσραήλ; συνάψαντες τούτῳ τὸ ὃ οὐκ ἐπέτυχεν, ἔτι καὶ τὰς λέξεις τὰς ἀποστολικὰς ἀφανίσαντες ἵνα τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἱστάναι δόξωσιν ἄνοιαν, καὶ τὸ ὃ ὅπερ κεῖται πρὸ τοῦ ἐπιζητεῖ Ἰσραὴλ ἀφελόντες καὶ τεθεικότες τὸ τοῦτο ὃ οὐκ ἐπέτυχεν, ὡς ἂν τοῦ ἀποστόλου λέγοντος· τί ποτε οὖν ἄρα ἐστὶ τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπιζητούμενον; τοῦτο δὴ ὅπερ οὐκ ἐπέτυχεν. γελοιότατά γε οἰηθέντες τὸν ἀπόστολον δεικνύναι σπουδάζειν τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπιζητούμενον, τί ποτε ἄρα ἐστίν, καὶ οὐ συνεωρακότες, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῶν προειρημένων κατὰ συλλογι σμὸν αὐτὸ ἐπήγαγεν. ἀναγνωστέον οὖν οὕτως· τί οὖν; ἀντὶ τοῦ τί τοίνυν τὸ ἐκ τῶν προειρημένων ἡμῖν συναγόμενον, ἐν οἷς τῶν τε ἠπιστηκότων κατηγορήσαμεν καὶ τοὺς πεπιστευκότας δικαιότατα τὴν τῶν δογμάτων 155 ἀλήθειαν προτετιμηκότας ἐδείξαμεν; ὃ ἐπιζητεῖ Ἰσραήλ, τούτου οὐκ ἐπέτυχεν, ὅτι τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις τυχεῖν οὐκ ἐγένετο τούτου ὃ δὴ ζητεῖν δοκοῦσιν, ἵνα εἴπῃ τῆς δικαιοσύνης· ὅμοιον γάρ ἐστι τῷ· Ἰσραὴλ δὲ διώκων νόμον δικαιοσύνης εἰς νόμον δικαιοσύνης οὐκ ἔφθασεν. λείπει δὲ τὸ πάντες, ἵνα ᾖ· τούτου πάντες οὐκ ἐπέτυχον· ἐπάγει γάρ· ἡ δὲ ἐκλογὴ ἐπέτυχεν, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ ἐπωρώθησαν, ἵνα εἴπῃ ὅτι ἔτυχον μὲν τῆς δικαιώσεως οἱ τῆς ἐκλογῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ οἰκείου τρόπου νομισθέντες ἄξιοι, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ πάντες ἀπεβλήθησαν διὰ τὴν ἑαυτῶν κακίαν. Ro+m 11,9-10 Οὐχ ὡς προφητικῶς εἰρημέναις ἐχρήσατο ταῖς φωναῖς, ἀλλ' ὡς ἁρμοττούσαις αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν τῷ καὶ περὶ Ἰουδαίων αὐτὰς εἰρῆσθαι, ὁμοῦ κἀκεῖνο δεικνὺς ὅτι μηδὲν καινὸν ἐγένετο νῦν, παρόμοια δὲ τοῖς τότε ὑπομεμενήκασιν, προτετιμηκότες τοῦ κρείττονος τὸ χεῖρον· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀποβολῆς ἐπειρῶντο τὸ Χριστιανικὸν δόγμα διασύρειν Ἰουδαῖοι, ἀναγκαίως διὰ πλειόνων ὁ ἀπόστολος δείκνυσι πάντοτε τοιούτους αὐτοὺς περὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν γεγονέναι. Ro+m 11,11 Ἀλλὰ μὴ τοῦτό φαμεν ὅτι σφαλέντες περὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν καὶ μὴ πιστεύσαντες τῷ Χριστῷ παντελῆ τὴν ἀποβολὴν ὑπέμειναν, ὡς μηδεμίαν αὐτοῖς