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of a steward of souls, so that we might not have a certain irrational and indiscriminate habit of goodness within us, but when the learning of goodness has come to be in us in this present life in the manner I said, it provides the state of things to come most opportunely and indeed very necessarily; on the one hand, so that by comparison with the present things we might know precisely the difference of those future things, and on the other hand, so that we might perceive the achievement of goodness in a manner befitting a rational nature, seeing these things, of which we received knowledge here in various ways according to the ineffable wisdom of God, then achieved in us without toils by the grace of the Spirit, although in the present, even with toils, we are not able to be pure from wicked action in a similar way to those future things. These things have been said by us so that it might become clearer what the apostle means by saying "what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" For that indeed contributes to the perfection of things here. And for this reason, we having become mortal in the present life, so that the teaching of virtue might first be engendered in us as is fitting, we will then receive the enjoyment of the things to come in the perfect achievement of the things we have learned, he says this, that a few from them who had believed became the cause of the salvation of those from the gentiles, and through them it came about for almost the whole world to obtain reconciliation from God. But if all the Jews had believed, thinking in accordance with the pedagogy of the law, it is manifest that faith in Christ would have come more readily also to the gentiles through their agreement; and since the lesson of piety was then present for all, nothing would have prevented the resurrection of the dead from following these things as the most perfect good, and indeed it is not for this reason that we have not obtained it up to this point, so that an exact learning of goodness might first be engendered in us, for if this had existed, that would certainly have followed. The blessed Paul, however, since he declared that their change must be assigned to a good portion, having this purpose throughout, to teach those from the gentiles to receive them rather, and not indeed to reject them when they wish to approach the lesson of piety, tries also to show from the facts that they are not unacceptable, but worthy of zeal, wishing to incline toward what is better, and he says 158. Ro+m 11,16 Some have thought that the apostle says the same thing by both "firstfruits" and "root," not even considering that the firstfruits are chosen after the gathering of the whole, while the root is considered a kind of beginning of a thing; whence here too, accordingly, he called Christ the firstfruits, as one taken from the entire assembly of the Jews, but he calls Abraham the root, from whom the entire race sprang, rightly proposing to speak from both of their fitness for piety, if they should not choose the worse things by their judgment; for it is ridiculous to consider their firstfruits worthy of all honor, but to reject these men, when they wish to approach the lesson of piety, as not worthy of the matter. Ro+m 11,19-21 It is worthy of wonder how, from these things on which those from the gentiles especially seemed to be proud, he precisely established both that they should sympathize with the evils of the Jews and that it would be more fitting for them to fear for themselves; for why, he says, are you proud, that they were rejected, while you were adopted? But it is not just for one who boasts in their circumstances not also to consider their misfortunes as his own, but it is also fitting for you to fear more on this account, being chastened by the memory of them. Ro+m 11,22 You, however, he says, it is possible to be taught what is fitting through both: on the one hand, by considering the generosity of God toward you, of which you were deemed worthy on account of your faith, become more eager for piety, and on the other hand, by considering how he rejected them on account of their unbelief, guard with all your power against falling into the same things; for by "severity" he does not mean cruelty but the "cutting off," that is, how he separated them and cut them off from the list of the pious. And so if you change your mind, he says, there will be no benefit from the

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ψυχῶν οἰκονόμου, ὡς ἂν μὴ ἄλογόν τινα καὶ ἀδιάκριτον ἐνοῦσαν ἡμῖν ἔχοιμεν τοῦ καλοῦ τὴν ἕξιν, ἐγγενομένης δὲ ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος βίου καθ' ὃν ἔφην τρόπον τῆς τοῦ καλοῦ μαθήσεως, εὐκαιρότατα καὶ μάλα γε ἀναγκαίως τῶν μελλόντων παρέχεται τὴν κατάστασιν· τοῦτο μέν, ἵνα κατὰ παράθεσιν τῶν παρόντων ἀκριβῶς εἰδέναι τῶν τότε τὸ διάφορον ἔχωμεν, τοῦτο δέ, ὡς ἂν λογικῇ πρεπόντως φύσει τῆς τοῦ καλοῦ κατορθώσεως αἰσθανώμεθα, ὧν ἐνταῦθα κατὰ τὴν ἀπόρρητον τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίαν ποικίλως τὴν εἴδησιν ἐδεξάμεθα, ταῦτα τότε πόνων ἐκτὸς τῇ τοῦ πνεύματος χάριτι κατορθωμένα ἐν ἡμῖν ὁρῶντες, καίτοιγε ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος οὐδὲ μετὰ πόνων παραπλησίως τοῖς τότε καθαρεύειν τῆς τῶν ἀτόπων δυνάμενοι πράξεως. ταῦτα ἡμῖν εἴρηται ἐπὶ τὸ σαφέστερον γενέσθαι τί ποτε ὁ ἀπόστολος βούλεται λέγειν τὸ τίς ἡ πρόσληψις, εἰ μὴ ζωὴ ἐκ νεκρῶν; ὡς γὰρ ἐκείνου μὲν πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἐνθάδε συντελοῦντος τελείωσιν. διὰ δὲ τοῦτο ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος βίου γεγονότων θνητῶν, ἵνα τῆς ἀρετῆς ἡ διδασκαλία κατὰ τὸ προσῆκον ἡμῖν ἐγγένηται πρότερον , εἶτα τῶν μελλόντων ἐπὶ τελείᾳ κατορθώσει τῶν ἐγνωσμένων δεξόμεθα τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν, τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι ὀλίγοι πεπιστευκότες ἐξ αὐτῶν αἴτιοι τῆς τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν σωτηρίας ἐγένοντο καὶ δι' ἐκείνων τὸ τυχεῖν τῆς παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καταλλαγῆς ὑπῆρξε μικροῦ παντὶ τῷ κόσμῳ. εἰ δὲ πάντες ἐπίστευσαν Ἰουδαῖοι ἀκόλουθα τῇ τοῦ νόμου παιδαγωγίᾳ φρονήσαντες, πρόδηλον μὲν ὡς ἑτοιμοτέρα καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσι διὰ τῆς τούτων συμφωνίας ἡ ἐπὶ τὸν Χριστὸν ἐγίνετο πίστις· πᾶσι δὲ λοιπὸν τοῦ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐνόντος μαθήματος, οὐδὲν ἂν ἐκώλυσε τῶν νεκρῶν τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἀκολουθῆσαι τούτοις τὸ τελειότατον ἀγαθόν, καὶ οὐ δὴ ταύτης ἕνεκεν τῆς αἰτίας οὐ τετυχήκαμεν ἄχρι τοῦ δεῦρο ὥστε ἀκριβῆ πρότερον ἡμῖν τοῦ καλοῦ τὴν μάθησιν ἐγγενέσθαι, ὡς εἴγε τοῦτο ὑπῆρξεν, εἵπετο κἀκεῖνο πάντως. ὁ μέντοι μακάριος Παῦλος ἐπειδὴ ἀπεφήνατο τὴν μεταβολὴν αὐτῶν ἐκ ἀγαθοῦ δεῖν τίθεσθαι μοίρᾳ, τοῦτον ἔχων δι' ὅλου σκοπὸν τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν παιδεῦσαι προσίεσθαι μᾶλλον αὐτούς , μὴ μὴν ἀπωθεῖσθαι βουλομένους προσιέναι τῷ τῆς εὐσεβείας μαθήματι, πειρᾶται καὶ ἀπὸ πραγμάτων δεικνύναι ὡς οὐκ ἄδεκτοι, σπουδῆς δὲ ἄξιοι πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον βουλόμενοι ῥέπειν καί φησιν 158. Ro+m 11,16 Τινὲς ταὐτὸ λέγειν τὸν ἀπόστολον τήν τε ἀπαρχὴν καὶ τὴν ῥίζαν ᾠήθησαν, οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνο λογισάμενοι ὅτι ἡ μὲν ἀπαρχὴ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ παντὸς ἐκλέγεται συλλογήν, ἡ δὲ ῥίζα ἀρχή τις νενόμισται πράγματος· ὅθεν κἀνταῦθα ἀκολούθως ἀπαρχὴν μὲν ἐκάλεσε τὸν Χριστόν, ὡς ἂν ἐκ παντὸς εἰλημμένον τοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων συλλόγου, ῥίζαν δὲ λέγει τὸν Ἀβραάμ, ἐξ οὗπερ ἅπαν ἔφυ τὸ γένος, καλῶς ἐξ ἑκατέρου τὸ πρὸς τὴν εὐσέβειαν αὐτῶν ἐπιτήδειον εἰπεῖν προθέμενος, εἰ μὴ γνώμῃ τὰ χείρονα αἱροῖντο· γέλοιον γὰρ τὴν μὲν ἀπαρχὴν αὐτῶν ἁπάσης ἀξίαν ἡγεῖσθαι τιμῆς, τουτουσὶ δὲ προσιέναι βουλομένους τῷ τῆς εὐσεβείας μαθήματι ἀπωθεῖσθαι ὡς οὐκ ἀξίους τοῦ πράγματος. Ro+m 11,19-21 Θαυμάσαι ἄξιον ὅπως ἀπὸ τούτων ἐφ' οἷς δὴ μάλιστα μέγα φρονεῖν οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐδόκουν, ὅτι τε συναλγεῖν αὐτοὺς τοῖς Ἰουδαίων κακοῖς καὶ ὅτι φοβεῖσθαι μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς προσῆκον εἴη ἄν, συνέστησεν ἀκριβῶς· τί γὰρ μεγάλα, φησί, φρονεῖς, ὅτι οἱ μὲν ἀπεβλήθησαν, σὺ δὲ εἰσεποιήθης; ἀλλ' οὐ δίκαιον τὸν ἐν τοῖς ἐκείνων καυχώμενον μὴ καὶ τὰς συμφορὰς αὐτῶν νομίζειν οἰκείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ φοβεῖσθαι πλέον διὰ τοῦτο προσῆκεν ὑμᾶς τῇ ἐκείνων σωφρονιζομένους μνήμῃ. Ro+m 11,22 Σὺ μέντοι, φησίν, ἔξεστι δι' ἑκατέρου τὸ πρέπον παιδεύεσθαι, καὶ λογιζόμενος μὲν τὴν περὶ σὲ τοῦ θεοῦ φιλοτιμίαν ἧς ἠξιώθης διὰ τὴν πίστιν, προθυμότερος γίνου περὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ἐννοῶν δὲ ὅπως ἐκείνους διὰ τὴν ἀπιστίαν ἀπεποιήσατο, πάσῃ δυνάμει μὴ τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπεσεῖν φυλάττου· ἀποτομίαν γὰρ οὐκ ὠμότητα λέγει ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀποτομήν, ἀντὶ τοῦ ὅπως διεῖλεν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀπέτεμεν τοῦ καταλόγου τῶν εὐσεβῶν. ἐάν τε οὖν ὑμεῖς μεταβληθῆτε τὴν γνώμην, φησίν, οὐδὲν ὄφελος ἔσται τῶν