36

promise. "And that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with His people. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud Him, all ye people. And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and He that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in Him shall the Gentiles trust. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." This he establishes in his argument, that those from the Gentiles are greater debtors to God. And if they are greater, they would also be right to bear with the weak, those from 95.560 the Jews. For since he has sharply touched upon them, lest this should lift these up, he checks their arrogance. For to them he shows the good things given from the promise of the fathers; but to those from the Gentiles from mercy and loving-kindness alone. But to glorify God is this: to be joined together, to be united, to praise with one accord, to bear the weaker, not to overlook a member being torn away. Wherefore he also brings forward many testimonies, through which he shows that those from the Jews must be joined to those from the Gentiles. And he brings forward all these testimonies, at once checking the one from the Jews, that he not be lifted up, since all the prophets call them, I mean those from the Gentiles, and persuading the one from the Gentiles to be moderate, by showing that he is accountable for a greater grace. "And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness." That is, the one who rebukes and accuses. - Thus he calls the whole virtue. "filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another." Since there are some who are indeed affectionate, but do not know how to make good use of the matter. "Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God." Again he says things of humility; for they were most in need of this. "That the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost." That is, the souls of those being taught, that they may be received. For God, not so much honoring me, led me to this, as caring for you. But how could it be acceptable in the Holy Spirit, unless a spiritual way of life is added to our faith, so that we may hold fast to the Spirit given to us? "I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God." Since he had greatly humbled himself, he again lifts up his discourse; and he does this for their sake, so that he might not seem contemptible. "For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God. For no one could say, he says, that my words are a boast. For of my ordination I can show the proofs. "So that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ; Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel." He enumerates both cities and countries, not only those under the Ro 95.561 mans, but also all the barbarian nations; such as Persians and Saracens and Armenians, and the other barbarian nations. For this is what "round about" signifies. "not where Christ was named." So far was he from thrusting himself upon others' disciples, and doing this for the sake of glory, that he was also eager to teach those who had not heard. "Lest I should build upon another man's foundation: But as it is written, To whom He was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand. For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you. He says "another man's" not according to the quality of the person, nor according to the nature of the preaching, but according to the matter of the reward. Since the preachings were not another's, but it was another's as far as the reward. For the reward of what was labored for by others was another's than his. "But now having no more place in these parts."

36

ἐπαγγελίαν. «Τὰ δὲ ἔθνη ὑπὲρ ἐλέους δοξάσαι τὸν Θεὸν, καθὼς γέγραπται· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι ἐν ἔθνεσι, καὶ τῷ ὀνόματί σου ψαλῶ. Καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Εὐφράνθητε, ἔθνη, μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν· Αἰνεῖτε, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἐπαινεσάτωσαν αὐτὸν πάντες οἱ λαοί. Καὶ πάλιν Ἡσαΐας λέγει· Ἔσται ἡ ῥίζα τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ, καὶ ὁ ἀνιστάμενος ἄρχειν ἐθνῶν, ἐπ' αὐτῷ τὰ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσιν. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς τῆς ἐλπίδος πληρώσαι ὑμᾶς πάσης χαρᾶς, καὶ εἰρήνης ἐν τῷ πιστεύειν, εἰς τὸ περισσεύειν ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἐλπίδι, ἐν δυνάμει Πνεύματος ἁγίου.» Τοῦτο κατασκευάζει τῷ λόγῳ, ὅτι μειζόνων εἰσὶν οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ὀφειλέται τῷ Θεῷ. Εἰ δὲ μειζόνων εἰσὶ, καὶ δίκαιοι ἂν εἶεν φέρειν τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς, τοὺς ἐξ 95.560 Ἰουδαίων. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ σφόδρα ἐκείνων ἥψατο, ἵνα μὴ τούτους ἐπάρῃ τοῦτο, καταστέλλει αὐτῶν τὴν ἀπόνοιαν. Ἐκείνοις μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἐπαγγελίας πατέρων δείκνυσι διδόμενα τὰ ἀγαθά· τοῖς δὲ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐξ ἐλέου καὶ φιλανθρωπίας μόνης. Τὸ δὲ, δοξάζειν τὸν Θεὸν, τοῦτό ἐστι, τὸ συνῆφθαι, τὸ ἡνῶσθαι, τὸ ὁμοθυμαδὸν εὐφημεῖν, τὸ βαστάζειν τὸν ἀσθενέστερον, τὸ μὴ περιορᾷν ἀποῤῥηγνύμενον τὸ μέλος. ∆ιὸ καὶ μαρτυρίας ἐπάγει πολλὰς, δι' ὧν δείκνυσιν ὅτι δεῖ συνῆφθαι τοὺς ἐξ Ἰουδαίων τοῖς ἐξ ἐθνῶν. Ταύτας δὲ πάσας παράγει τὰς μαρτυρίας, ὁμοῦ καὶ τὸν ἐξ Ἰουδαίων καταστέλλων, ἵνα μὴ ἐπαίρηται, τῶν προφητῶν πάντων καλούντων αὐτοὺς, τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν φημι, καὶ τὸν ἐξ ἐθνῶν πείσῃ μετριάζειν, τοῦ δεῖξαι πλείονος ὑπεύθυνον ὄντα χάριτος. «Πέπεισμαι δὲ, ἀδελφοί μου, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐγὼ περὶ ὑμῶν, ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ μεστοί ἐστε ἀγαθωσύνης.» Τουτέστιν, ὁ ἐπιτιμῶν καὶ ἐγκαλῶν. -Τὴν ὁλόκληρον ἀρετὴν οὕτω καλεῖ. «Πεπληρωμένοι πάσης τῆς γνώσεως, δυνάμενοι καὶ ἀλλήλους νουθετεῖν.» Ἐπειδή εἰσί τινες φιλόστοργοι μὲν, οὐκ εἰδότες δὲ τῷ πράγματι χρήσασθαι καλῷ. «Τολμηρότερον δὲ ἔγραψα ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοὶ, ἀπὸ μέρους, ὡς ἐπαναμιμνήσκων ὑμᾶς διὰ τὴν χάριν τὴν δοθεῖσαν μοι ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς τὸ εἶναί με λειτουργὸν Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ εἰς τὰ ἔθνη, ἱερουργοῦντα τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Πάλιν τὰ τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης φησίν· τούτου γὰρ μάλιστα ἔδει αὐτοῖς. «Ἵνα γένηται ἡ προσφορὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν εὐπρόσδεκτος, ἡγιασμένη ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ.» Τουτέστιν, αἱ ψυχαὶ τῶν διδασκομένων, ἵνα δεχθῶσιν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐμὲ τοσοῦτον τιμῶν ὁ Θεὸς, εἰς τοῦτο ἤγαγεν, ὅσον ὑμῶν κηδόμενος. Πῶς δὲ γένοιτο εὐπρόσδεκτος ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ, ἀλλ' ἢ ὅταν ἡμῖν πρὸς τῇ πίστει καὶ πολιτεία προσγένηται πνευματικὴ, ἵνα κατέχωμεν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ δοθὲν ἡμῖν; «Ἔχω οὖν καύχησιν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν.» Ἐπειδὴ σφόδρα ἑαυτὸν ἐταπείνωσεν, πάλιν ἐπαίρει τὸν λόγον· καὶ τοῦτο ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων ποιῶν, ὥστε μὴ δόξῃ εὐκαταφρόνητος εἶναι. «Οὐ γὰρ τολμήσω τι λαλεῖν ὧν οὐ κατειργάσατο Χριστὸς δι' ἐμοῦ εἰς ὑπακοὴν ἐθνῶν λόγῳ καὶ ἔργῳ, ἐν δυνάμει σημείων καὶ τεράτων, ἐν δυνάμει Πνεύματος Θεοῦ. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἂν ἔχοι τις εἰπεῖν, φησὶν, ὅτι κόμπος μου τὰ ῥήματα. Τῆς γὰρ χειροτονίας μου ἔχω δεῖξαι τὰ τεκμήρια. «Ὥστε με ἀπὸ Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ κύκλῳ μέχρι τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ πεπληρωκέναι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ· οὕτως δὲ φιλοτιμούμενον εὐαγγελίζεσθαι.» Ἀριθμεῖ καὶ πόλεις καὶ χώρας, οὐ τὰς ὑπὸ Ῥω 95.561 μαίους μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντα τὰ βάρβαρα ἔθνη· οἷον Πέρσας καὶ Σαρακηνοὺς καὶ Ἀρμενίους, καὶ τὰ ἕτερα τῶν βαρβάρων ἐθνῶν. Τοῦτο γὰρ, τῷ κύκλῳ, σημαίνει. «Οὐχ ὅπου ὠνομάσθη Χριστός.» Τοσοῦτον ἀπεῖχεν τοῦ ἐπιῤῥίπτειν ἑαυτὸν ἀλλοτρίοις μαθηταῖς, καὶ δόξης ἕνεκεν τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ὅτι καὶ ἐσπούδαζεν τοὺς μὴ ἀκηκοότας διδάσκειν. «Ἵνα μὴ ἐπ' ἀλλότριον θεμέλιον οἰκοδομήσω· ἀλλὰ καθὼς γέγραπται· Οἷς οὐκ ἀνηγγέλη περὶ αὐτοῦ, ὄψονται, καὶ οἳ οὐκ ἀκηκόασι, συνήσουσι. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐνεκοπτόμην τὰ πολλὰ τοῦ ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Ἀλλότριον οὐ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ προσώπου ποιότητά φησιν, οὐδὲ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ κηρύγματος φύσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν τοῦ μισθοῦ λόγον. Ἐπεὶ οὐ τὰ κηρύγματα ἀλλότρια ἦν, ἀλλ' ὅσον εἰς μισθὸν ἀλλότριον. Ὁ γὰρ τῶν ἑτέροις πεπονημένων μισθὸς, τούτου ἀλλότριος ἦν. «Νῦν δὲ μηκέτι τόπον ἔχων ἐν τοῖς κλίμασι τούτοις.»