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"For being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to the righteousness of God." He shows that they are erring more from contentiousness and love of power than from ignorance. But his saying, seeking to establish their own, shows that they did not even establish that righteousness which is from the law. He calls it their own righteousness, either because the law is no longer in force, or because it is of toils and sweat. This is said not about the Jews alone, but also about the whole race of men. "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." Since he said, righteousness, lest those who believed from among the Jews might seem to have one but be deprived of the other, he shows that righteousness is one, and that the former is summed up in this one; because he who chose this righteousness which is from faith, also fulfilled that one; but he who dishonored this one, has also fallen away from that one. For if Christ is the end of the law, he who does not have Christ, even if he seems to have that righteousness, does not have it; but he who has Christ, even if he has not fulfilled the law, has received everything. For just as health is the end of medicine, and one who is able to make someone healthy, even if he does not have medical knowledge, has the 95.524 whole thing; but he who does not know how to heal, even if he seems to practice the art, has fallen away from the whole; so it is with the law and faith: he who has this faith, also has the end of that law; but he who is outside this faith, is a stranger to both; for what did the law want? To make man righteous. But no one was able to fulfill it. This then was the end of the law, and all things looked to this, and for this all things were made, both feasts, and sacrifices, and commandments, and all the rest, so that man might be justified. But its end was more fully in Christ through faith. "For Moses writes that the man who does the righteousness which is from the law shall live by it. But the righteousness from faith speaks in this way." He confirms his arguments from the Scriptures. What he says is something like this. Moses shows us the righteousness from the law, what it is, and from what it consists. From what then, if not from fulfilling all the commandments? But this has been possible for no one. "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' that is, to bring Christ down; or 'Who will descend into the abyss?' that is, to bring Christ up from the dead." So that the Jews might not say, 'How have these found a greater righteousness, not having found the lesser?' he gives an irrefutable argument, that this way is lighter than that one. For the one requires the fulfillment of all things, but the righteousness from faith holds salvation in a word. Lest the ease of it seem to make it contemptible and cheap, see how he expands the discourse about it, just as sloth opposes virtue which comes through works, by dissolving the toils, and a very vigilant soul is needed so as not to yield. So when one must believe, troubling reasonings arise and corrupt the mind of the many, and a more vigorous soul is needed to beat them back. "But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart'; that is, the word of faith which we preach. That, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart one believes unto salvation. For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek.'" That is, it is easy; when, therefore, righteousness is both greater, and light, and readily acceptable, and it is not possible to be justified otherwise, it is the utmost contentiousness to attempt the impossible things, having abandoned the easy and simple things. 95.525 Have you seen that this short word brought not only salvation, but also righteousness? "For the same Lord of all is rich to all who call upon him; for whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." What he said above concerning the Father, that is, 'Is He the God of the Jews only, and not also of the Gentiles?' this he also says here concerning the Son. "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, unless

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«Ἀγνοοῦντες γὰρ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν ζητοῦντες στῆσαι, τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐχ ὑπετάγησαν.» ∆είκνυσιν ἀπὸ φιλονεικίας καὶ φιλαρχίας μᾶλλον, ἢ ἐξ ἀγνοίας πλανωμένους. Τὸ δὲ εἰπεῖν, τὴν ἰδίαν ζητοῦντες στῆσαι δεικνύντος ἐστὶν, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐκείνην τὴν δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου ἐστήσαντο. Ἰδίαν δὲ δικαιοσύνην αὐτῶν καλεῖ, ἢ διὰ τὸ μηκέτι τὸν νόμον ἰσχύειν, ἢ διὰ τὸ πόνων εἶναι καὶ ἱδρώτων. Τοῦτο οὐ περὶ Ἰουδαίων εἴρηται μόνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ παντὸς τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους. «Τέλος γὰρ νόμου Χριστὸς, εἰς δικαιοσύνην παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι.» Ἐπειδὴ εἶπε, δικαιοσύνην, ἵνα μὴ δόξωσιν οἱ πιστεύσαντες ἐξ Ἰουδαίων, τὴν μὲν ἔχειν, τῆς δὲ ἀπεστερῆσθαι, δείκνυσιν ὅτι μία ἐστὶ δικαιοσύνη, καὶ ἐκείνην εἰς ταύτην ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται· ὅτι ὁ μὲν ταύτην ἑλόμενος τὴν ἐκ πίστεως, κἀκείνην ἐπλήρωσεν· ὁ δὲ ταύτην ἀτιμάσας, κἀκείνης ἐξέπεσεν. Εἰ γὰρ τοῦ νόμου τέλος ὁ Χριστὸς, ὁ τὸν Χριστὸν οὐκ ἔχων, κἂν ἐκείνην ἔχειν δοκῇ, οὐκ ἔχει· ὁ δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν ἔχων, κἂν μὴ κατωρθωκὼς τὸν νόμον ᾖ, τὸ πᾶν εἴληφεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τέλος ἰατρικῆς ὑγεία, καὶ ὁ δυνάμενος ὑγιῆ ποιεῖν, κἂν μὴ ἰατρικὴν ἔχῃ, τὸ 95.524 πᾶν ἔχει· ὁ δὲ μὴ εἰδὼς θεραπεύειν, κἂν μετιέναι δοκῇ τὴν τέχνην, τοῦ παντὸς ἐξέπεσεν· οὕτως ἐπὶ τῷ νόμῳ καὶ τῆς πίστεως· ὁ μὲν ταύτην ἔχων, καὶ τὸ ἐκείνου τέλος ἔχει· ὁ δὲ ταύτης ἔξω ὢν, ἀμφοτέρων ἐστὶν ἀλλότριος· τί γὰρ ἐβούλετο ὁ νόμος; ∆ίκαιον ποιῆσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἴσχυσεν οὐδεὶς αὐτὸν πληρῶσαι. Τοῦτο οὖν τέλος ἦν τοῦ νόμου, καὶ εἰς τοῦτο πάντα ἔβλεπεν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πάντα ἐγένετο, καὶ ἑορταὶ, καὶ θυσίαι, καὶ ἐντολαὶ, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πάντα, ἵνα δικαιωθῇ ὁ ἄνθρωπος. Ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ τὸ τέλος ἦν ἐν Χριστῷ μειζόνως διὰ τῆς πίστεως. «Μωϋσῆς γὰρ γράφει, ὅτι τὴν δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐκ τοῦ νόμου ὁ ποιήσας ἄνθρωπος, ζήσεται ἐν αὐτῇ. Ἡ δὲ ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοσύνη, οὕτως λέγει.» Τὰς κατασκευὰς ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν πιστοῦται. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστι. Μωϋσῆς δείκνυσιν ἡμῖν τὴν ἐκ τοῦ νόμου δικαιοσύνην, ποία ἐστὶ, καὶ πόθεν συνίσταται. Πόθεν οὖν, ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ πληρωθῆσαι πάσας τὰς ἐντολάς; Τοῦτο δὲ οὐδενὶ γέγονε δυνατόν. «Μὴ εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; τουτέστι Χριστὸν καταγαγεῖν· ἢ τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον; τουτέστι Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναγαγεῖν.» Ἵνα μὴ λέγωσιν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, πῶς ηὗρον μείζονα δικαιοσύνην οὗτοι, τὴν ἐλάττω μὴ εὑρόντες, λέγει λογισμὸν ἀναντίῤῥητον, ὅτι κουφοτέρα αὕτη ἡ ὁδὸς ἐκείνης. Αὕτη μὲν γὰρ πλήρωσιν ἀπαιτεῖ πάντων, ἡ δὲ ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοσύνη ῥήματι ἔχει τὴν σωτηρίαν. Ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ τὸ εὔκολον, εὐκαταφρόνητον αὐτὴν ποιεῖν καὶ εὐτελῆ, ὅρα πῶς πλατύνει τὸν περὶ αὐτῆς λόγον, ὥσπερ τῇ ἀρετῇ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἀνθίσταται ῥᾳθυμία, τοὺς πόνους ἐκλύουσα, καὶ δεῖ σφόδρα ἀγρυπνούσης ψυχῆς, ὥστε μὴ εἴκειν. Οὕτως ὅταν πιστεῦσαι δεηθῇ, λογισμοὶ θορυβοῦντες καὶ λυμαινόμενοι τὴν τῶν πολλῶν διάνοιαν, καὶ δεῖ νεανικωτέρας ψυχῆς, ὥστε αὐτοὺς διακρούεσθαι. «Ἀλλὰ τί λέγει; Ἐγγύς σου τὸ ῥῆμά ἐστιν ἐν τῷ στόματί σου, καὶ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· τουτέστι, τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς πίστεως, ὃ κηρύσσομεν. Ὅτι, ἐὰν ὁμολογήσῃς ἐν τῷ στόματί σου, ὅτι Κύριος Ἰησοῦς, καὶ πιστεύσῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, σωθήσῃ· καρδίᾳ γὰρ πιστεύεται εἰς σωτηρίαν. Λέγει γὰρ ἡ Γραφή· Πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ' αὐτῷ οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι διαστολὴ Ἰουδαίου τε καὶ Ἕλληνος.» Τουτέστιν εὔκολον· ὅταν οὖν καὶ μείζων ἡ δικαιοσύνη, καὶ κούφη, καὶ εὐπαράδεκτος, καὶ ἄλλως δικαιωθῆναι μὴ ᾖ, ἐσχάτης φιλονεικίας τοῖς ἀδυνάτοις ἐπιχειρεῖν, τὰ εὔκολα ἀφέντας καὶ ῥᾴδια. 95.525 Εἶδες ὅτι ὁ βραχὺς οὗτος ὁ λόγος οὐ σωτηρίαν ἤνεγκε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δικαιοσύνην. «Ὁ γὰρ αὐτὸς Κύριος πάντων, πλουτῶν εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἐπικαλουμένους αὐτόν· πᾶς γὰρ ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, σωθήσεται.» Ὅπερ ἄνω περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς εἴρηκεν, τὸ, ἢ Ἰουδαίων ὁ Θεὸς μόνον, οὐχὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν; τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ λέγει. «Πῶς οὖν ἐπικαλέσονται εἰς ὃν οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν; πῶς δὲ πιστεύσουσιν οὗ οὐκ ἤκουσαν; πῶς δὲ ἀκούσονται χωρὶς κηρύσσοντος; πῶς δὲ κηρύξουσι, ἐὰν μὴ