John Chrysostom, On Romans

But yet, even though this is the case, 60.496 serve, he says, even on equal terms. For even if the Master is far superior, and the distance in servitude is great, and in the prizes for which you serve, I demand nothing more for the present. Then, since he mentioned weapons and a king, he persists with the metaphor, saying: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Having said 'wages of sin,' in the case of good things he did not maintain the same order. For he did not say, 'The reward of your right actions,' but, 'But the gift of God,' showing that they were not delivered by their own power, nor did they receive a debt owed, nor a recompense and return for labors, but all these things came about by grace; so that from this also comes the superiority, not that He only delivered them, nor that He transferred them to better things, but that it was without their toiling or laboring; and not that He only delivered them, but He also gave much greater things, and He gave them through the Son. And he inserted all these things, because he had discoursed about grace, and is now about to overthrow the Law. For so that both these things might not make them more remiss, he inserted in the middle the things concerning strictness of life, everywhere stirring up the hearer to the pursuit of virtue. And when he calls death the 'wages of sin,' he frightens them again, and makes them secure for the future. For by the things of which he reminds them of their former state, by these he also makes them thankful, and more secure against all that is to come. Having therefore concluded here the moral discourse, he proceeds again to the doctrines, saying thus: Or are you ignorant, brethren? for I speak to those who know the law. For since he said that we have died to sin, he shows here, that not only does sin not have dominion over them, but neither does the law. And if the law does not have dominion, much more so sin. And sweetening his discourse, he makes this evident from a human example. And he seems to say one thing, but he sets forth two arguments for his proposition, one, that when the husband is dead, the wife is not subject to the law of the husband, nor is there anything to prevent her from becoming another's wife; and the other, that in this case not only has the husband died, but also the wife; so that she enjoys a double freedom. For if when the husband has died, she is freed from his authority, when she also is shown to have died, she has been much more set free. For if one thing happening frees her from his authority, much more so both things coming together. Being about, therefore, to enter upon the proof of these things, he begins with a commendation of his hearers, saying, Or are you ignorant, brethren? for I speak to those who know the law. That is, I say something that is very much agreed upon and clear, and to those who know all these things with accuracy. That the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives. He did not say, Of the man, nor Of the woman, but, Of the person, which is a name common to each creature. For he who has died, he says, has been justified from sin. Therefore the law is established for the living, but for the dead it no longer gives commands. Do you see how he has shown the freedom to be twofold? Then, having hinted at this in the introduction, in the construction of his argument regarding the woman he brings his argument forward, saying thus: For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives; but if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she will be called an adulteress if she is married to another man; but if her husband 60.497 dies, she is free from that law, so that she is 60.497 no adulteress, though she has married another man. He continually turns it about, and with much precision; because he is very confident in the argument being constructed by him. And he places the Law in the position of the husband, and all the believers in the position of the wife. Then he does not draw the conclusion according to the premise; for the logical consequence would have been to say: Therefore, my brethren, the law will not have dominion over you; for it has died. But he did not say it this way, but while he hinted at this in the premise, then in the application, so as to make the argument inoffensive, he introduces the wife as having died, saying: Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law. For when also this

Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τούτων ὄντων, 60.496 κἂν ἐξ ἴσης, φησὶ, δουλεύσατε. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὁ ∆εσπότης σφόδρα ὑπερέχων, καὶ τῆς δουλείας πολὺ τὸ μέσον καὶ τῶν ἐπάθλων ὑπὲρ ὧν δουλεύετε, οὐδὲν ἀπαιτῶ πλέον τέως. Εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ ὅπλων ἐμνημόνευσε καὶ βασιλέως, ἐπιμένει τῇ μεταφορᾷ, λέγων· Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ὀψώνια τῆς ἁμαρτίας, θάνατος· τὸ δὲ χάρισμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ζωὴ αἰώνιος ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν. Εἰπὼν ὀψώνια ἁμαρτίας, ἐπὶ τῶν χρηστῶν οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐτήρησε τάξιν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ὁ μισθὸς τῶν κατορθωμάτων ὑμῶν, ἀλλὰ, Τὸ δὲ χάρισμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ οἴκοθεν ἀπηλλάγησαν, οὐδὲ ὀφειλὴν ἀπέλαβον, οὐδὲ ἀμοιβὴν καὶ ἀντίδοσιν πόνων, ἀλλὰ χάριτι ταῦτα πάντα ἐγένοντο· ὥστε καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἡ ὑπεροχὴ, οὐχ ὅτι ἀπήλλαξε μόνον, οὐδὲ ὅτι ἐπὶ τὰ βελτίω μετέθηκεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι μηδὲ κάμνοντας μηδὲ πονήσαντας· καὶ οὐχ ὅτι ἀπήλλαξε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ μείζονα ἔδωκε, καὶ διὰ τοῦ Παιδὸς ἔδωκε. Ταῦτα δὲ παρενέβαλεν ἅπαντα, ἐπειδὴ καὶ περὶ χάριτος διελέχθη, καὶ τὸν νόμον μέλλει καταβάλλειν λοιπόν. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ ταῦτα ἀμφότερα ῥᾳθυμοτέρους ἐργάσηται, μέσα παρενέθηκε τὰ περὶ τῆς ἀκριβείας τοῦ βίου, πανταχοῦ διεγείρων εἰς τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐπιμέλειαν τὸν ἀκροατήν. Ὅταν δὲ ὀψώνια τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὸν θάνατον καλῇ, φοβεῖ πάλιν, καὶ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα ἀσφαλίζεται. ∆ι' ὧν γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἀναμιμνήσκει τῶν προτέρων, διὰ τούτων καὶ εὐχαρίστους ποιεῖ, καὶ ἀσφαλεστέρους πρὸς τὰ ἐπιόντα ἅπαντα. Καταλύσας τοίνυν ἐνταῦθα τὸν τῶν ἠθικῶν λόγον, ἐπὶ τὰ δόγματα ἐκβαίνει πάλιν, οὕτω λέγων· Ἢ ἀγνοεῖτε, ἀδελφοί; γινώσκουσι γὰρ νόμον λαλῶ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι ἀπεθάνομεν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, δείκνυσιν ἐνταῦθα, ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἁμαρτία αὐτῶν οὐ κυριεύει, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ νόμος. Εἰ δὲ νόμος οὐ κυριεύει, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἁμαρτία. Καὶ καταγλυκαίνων τὸν λόγον, ἀπὸ παραδείγματος ἀνθρωπίνου τοῦτο ποιεῖ φανερόν. Καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν ἕν τι λέγειν, δύο δὲ τίθησι τοῦ προκειμένου κατασκευὰς, μίαν μὲν, ὅτι ἀποθανόντος ἀνδρὸς, οὐχ ὑπόκειται γυνὴ νόμῳ τῷ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, οὐδὲ ἔστιν ὁ κωλύων ἑτέρῳ γενέσθαι γυναῖκα· ἑτέραν δὲ, ὅτι ἐνταῦθα οὐ μόνον ὁ ἀνὴρ ἐτελεύτησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ γυνή· ὥστε διπλῆς ἀπολαύειν τῆς ἐλευθερίας. Εἰ γὰρ τελευτήσαντος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, ἀπήλλακται τῆς ἐξουσίας, ὅταν καὶ αὐτὴ τετελευτηκυῖα φανῇ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἠλευθέρωται. Εἰ γὰρ ἓν γενόμενον ἀπαλλάττει τῆς ἐξουσίας αὐτὴν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἀμφότερα συνελθόντα. Μέλλων τοίνυν ἐμβαίνειν εἰς τὴν περὶ τούτων ἀπόδειξιν, μετ' ἐγκωμίου τῶν ἀκροατῶν ἄρχεται λέγων, Ἢ ἀγνοεῖτε, ἀδελφοί; γινώσκουσι γὰρ νόμον λαλῶ. Τουτέστι, σφόδρα ὡμολογημένον λέγω καὶ σαφὲς, καὶ γινώσκουσι ταῦτα μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἅπαντα. Ὅτι ὁ νόμος κυριεύει τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ἐφ' ὅσον χρόνον ζῇ. Οὐκ εἶπε, Τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, οὐδὲ Τῆς γυναικὸς, ἀλλὰ, Τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὅπερ ἐστὶ κοινὸν ἑκατέρου τοῦ ζώου ὄνομα. Ὁ γὰρ ἀποθανὼν, φησὶ, δεδικαίωται ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Οὐκοῦν τοῖς ζῶσιν ὁ νόμος κεῖται, τοῖς δὲ τεθνηκόσιν οὐκέτι διατάττεται. Ὁρᾷς πῶς διπλῆν τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἐδήλωσεν; Εἶτα ἐν τοῖς προοιμίοις τοῦτο αἰνιξάμενος, ἐπὶ τῆς γυναικὸς ἐν τῇ κατασκευῇ προάγει τὸν λόγον, οὕτω λέγων· Ἡ γὰρ ὕπανδρος γυνὴ τῷ ζῶντι ἀνδρὶ δέδεται νόμῳ· ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ ὁ ἀνὴρ, κατήργηται ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου τοῦ ἀνδρός. Ἄρα οὖν ζῶντος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, μοιχαλὶς χρηματίζει, ἐὰν γένηται ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ· ἐὰν δὲ ἀπο 60.497 θάνῃ ὁ ἀνὴρ, ἐλευθέρα ἐστὶν ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου, τοῦ μὴ 60.497 εἶναι αὐτὴν μοιχαλίδα, γενομένην ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ. Συνεχῶς αὐτὸ περιστρέφει, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀκριβείας· ἐπειδὴ σφόδρα θαῤῥεῖ τῷ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κατασκευαζομένῳ. Καὶ τίθησιν ἐν τάξει μὲν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὸν νόμον, ἐν τάξει δὲ τῆς γυναικὸς τοὺς πιστεύσαντας ἅπαντας. Εἶτα τὸ συμπέρασμα οὐ κατὰ τὴν πρότασιν ἐπάγει· τὸ γὰρ ἀκόλουθον ἦν εἰπεῖν· Ὥστε, ἀδελφοί μου, οὐ κυριεύσει ὑμῶν ὁ νόμος· ἀπέθανε γάρ. Ἀλλ' οὐκ εἶπεν οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἐν μὲν τῇ προτάσει τοῦτο ᾐνίξατο· ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐπαγωγῇ λοιπὸν, ὥστε ἀνεπαχθῆ ποιῆσαι τὸν λόγον, τὴν γυναῖκα εἰσάγει τετελευτηκυῖαν, λέγων· Ὥστε, ἀδελφοί μου, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐθανατώθητε τῷ νόμῳ. Ὅταν γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο