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he has shown, saying: For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Do you see how he everywhere lays hold of sin, acquitting the law of all accusation? Therefore he also added, saying: Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. But, if you wish, let us also bring into the discussion the argument of those who misinterpret these explanations; for thus what we say will be clearer. For some here say that he is not speaking of the law of Moses, but some say of the natural law, and others of the commandment given in paradise. And yet, Paul's purpose everywhere is to set this law to rest, but he has no argument against those others; and quite reasonably; for the Jews, fearing and shuddering at this, contended against grace. But the commandment in paradise, it seems he never called a law, neither he nor anyone else. But so that this may become clearer from the very words spoken, let us go through the sayings, taking up the argument from a little earlier. For after discoursing to them accurately about conduct, he added, saying: Or do you not know, brethren, that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? So you have been made dead to the law. Therefore, if these things are said about the natural law, we shall be found not to have a natural law; and if this is true, we are more senseless than the irrational creatures. But this is not so, it is not. For concerning the one in paradise, it is not even necessary to contend, lest we take on a superfluous war, stripping ourselves for what is already agreed upon. How then does he say, I had not known sin, but by the law? Not speaking of complete ignorance, but of more accurate knowledge. For if this is said about the natural law, how could what follows make sense? For I, he says, was alive without the law once. For neither Adam, nor any other man, ever seems to have lived without a natural law; for at the same time God formed him, He also placed that law in him, establishing a safe companion for all nature. Apart from these things, he nowhere appears to have called the natural law a commandment; but this one he calls a commandment, and just, and holy, and a spiritual law. But the natural law was not given to us by the Spirit; for indeed barbarians and Greeks and all men have this law. Whence it is clear, that he is speaking about the Mosaic law above and below and everywhere. Therefore he also calls it holy, saying: Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. For even if the Jews became unclean after the law, and unjust and greedy, this does not nullify the virtue of the law, just as their unbelief does not abolish the faithfulness of God. So from all these things it is clear, that he is speaking about the Mosaic law. Has then what is good, he says, become death to me? By no means; but sin, that sin might appear. That is, that it might be shown how great an evil sin is, the indolent choice and the impulse toward the worse, and the act itself and the corrupt mind; for this is the cause of all evils. 60.503 And he magnifies it, showing the excess of the grace of Christ, and teaching from what kind of evil it delivered the race of men, which even through medicinal drugs became worse, and through hindrances increased; therefore he also adds, saying: That sin by the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. Do you see everywhere how he is entangled with this? And through the things he accuses it of, he shows again more greatly the virtue of the law. For he accomplished no small thing by showing how great an evil sin is, and uncovering all its venom, and setting it forth in the midst; for he showed this by saying: That sin by the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. That is, that it might appear how great an evil, how great a destruction sin is; and this was shown through the commandment. From these things he also shows the superiority of grace to the law; the superiority, not the conflict. For do not see this, that those who received it became worse, but consider that the law not only did not wish to bring wickedness to an increase, but also strove to cut out that which pre-existed. But if not

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ἐδήλωσεν, εἰπών· Ἡ γὰρ ἁμαρτία ἀφορμὴν λαβοῦσα διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς, ἐξηπάτησέ με, καὶ δι' αὐτῆς ἀπέκτεινεν. Εἶδες πῶς πανταχοῦ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἔχεται, τὸν νόμον ἀπαλλάττων κατηγορίας ἁπάσης; ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε λέγων· Ὥστε ὁ νόμος ἅγιος, καὶ ἡ ἐντολὴ ἁγία καὶ δικαία καὶ ἀγαθή. Ἀλλ', εἰ βούλεσθε, καὶ τῶν παραποιούντων τὰς ἐξηγήσεις ταύτας εἰς μέσον τὸν λόγον ἀγάγωμεν· οὕτω γὰρ σαφέστερα ἔσται τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν λεγόμενα. Τινὲς γὰρ ἐνταῦθα οὐ περὶ τοῦ νόμου Μωϋσέως αὐτόν φασι λέγειν τὰ λεγόμενα, ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν περὶ τοῦ φυσικοῦ, οἱ δὲ περὶ τῆς ἐντολῆς τῆς ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ δοθείσης. Καὶ μὴν πανταχοῦ σκοπὸς τῷ Παύλῳ τοῦτον ἀναπαῦσαι τὸν νόμον, πρὸς δὲ ἐκείνους οὐδένα λόγον ἔχει· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως· τοῦτο γὰρ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι δεδοικότες καὶ φρίττοντες, ἐφιλονείκουν τῇ χάριτι. Τὴν δὲ ἐντολὴν τὴν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ οὐδὲ νόμον φαίνεταί ποτε καλέσας, οὔτε αὐτὸς οὔτε ἄλλος οὐδείς. Ἵνα δὲ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν εἰρημένων τοῦτο σαφέστερον γένηται, ἐπεξέλθωμεν τοῖς ῥήμασι, μικρὸν ἀνωτέρω τὸν λόγον ἀναγαγόντες. Περὶ γὰρ πολιτείας ἀκριβῶς αὐτοῖς διαλεχθεὶς, ἐπήγαγε λέγων· Ἢ ἀγνοεῖτε, ἀδελφοὶ, ὅτι ὁ νόμος κυριεύει τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐφ' ὅσον χρόνον ζῇ; Ὥστε ὑμεῖς ἐθανατώθητε τῷ νόμῳ. Οὐκοῦν εἰ περὶ τοῦ φυσικοῦ ταῦτα εἴρηται, εὑρεθησόμεθα νόμον μὴ ἔχοντες φυσικόν· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ἀληθὲς, τῶν ἀλόγων ἐσμὲν ἀνοητότεροι. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα, οὐκ ἔστι. Περὶ γὰρ τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ οὐδὲ φιλονεικεῖν ἀναγκαῖον, ἵνα μὴ περιττὸν ἀναδεξώμεθα πόλεμον, πρὸς τὰ ὡμολογημένα ἀποδυόμενοι. Πῶς οὖν φησι, Τὴν ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔγνων, εἰ μὴ διὰ νόμου; Οὐ τὴν καθόλου λέγων ἄγνοιαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀκριβεστέραν γνῶσιν. Εἰ γὰρ περὶ τοῦ φυσικοῦ τοῦτο εἴρηται, πῶς ἂν τὸ ἑξῆς ἔχοι λόγον; Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔζων χωρὶς νόμου ποτέ. Οὔτε γὰρ ὁ Ἀδὰμ, οὔτε ἄλλος ἄνθρωπος οὐδεὶς οὐδέποτε φαίνεται χωρὶς νόμου ζήσας φυσικοῦ· ὁμοῦ τε γὰρ αὐτὸν ἔπλαττεν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἐκεῖνον ἐνετίθει τὸν νόμον αὐτῷ, σύνοικον ἀσφαλῆ παρακαθιστὰς τῇ φύσει πάσῃ. Χωρὶς δὲ τούτων οὐδαμοῦ φαίνεται ἐντολὴν τὸν φυσικὸν νόμον καλέσας· τοῦτον δὲ καὶ ἐντολὴν, καὶ δικαίαν, καὶ ἁγίαν καλεῖ, καὶ νόμον πνευματικόν. Ὁ δὲ φυσικὸς οὐκ ἀπὸ Πνεύματος ἡμῖν ἐδόθη· καὶ γὰρ καὶ βάρβαροι καὶ Ἕλληνες καὶ πάντες ἄνθρωποι τοῦτον τὸν νόμον ἔχουσιν. Ὅθεν δῆλον, ὅτι περὶ τοῦ Μωσαϊκοῦ καὶ ἄνω καὶ κάτω καὶ πανταχοῦ διαλέγεται. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἅγιον αὐτὸν καλεῖ λέγων· Ὥστε ὁ μὲν νόμος ἅγιος καὶ ἡ ἐντολὴ ἁγία καὶ δικαία καὶ ἀγαθή. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀκάθαρτοι γεγόνασιν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι μετὰ τὸν νόμον, καὶ ἄδικοι καὶ πλεονέκται, οὐ καταργεῖ τοῦτο τοῦ νόμου τὴν ἀρετὴν, ὥσπερ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν πίστιν οὐκ ἀναιρεῖ ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν. Ὥστε ἐξ ἁπάντων τούτων δῆλον, ὅτι περὶ τοῦ Μωσαϊκοῦ ταῦτα διαλέγεται νόμου. Τὸ οὖν ἀγαθὸν, φησὶν, ἐμοὶ γέγονε θάνατος; Μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλ' ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἵνα φανῇ ἡ ἁμαρτία. Τουτέστιν, ἵνα δειχθῇ ὅσον κακὸν ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἡ ῥᾴθυμος προαίρεσις καὶ ἡ ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ὁρμὴ, καὶ αὐτὴ δὲ ἡ πρᾶξις καὶ ἡ διεφθαρμένη γνώμη· τοῦτο γὰρ πάντων αἴτιον τῶν κακῶν. 60.503 Αὔξει δὲ αὐτὴν, δεικνὺς τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάριτος τὴν ὑπερβολὴν, καὶ διδάσκων οἵου κακοῦ τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπήλλαξε γένος, ὃ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἰατρικῶν φαρμάκων χεῖρον ἐγίνετο, καὶ διὰ τῶν κωλυόντων ηὔξετο· διὸ καὶ ἐπάγει λέγων· Ἵνα γένηται καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἁμαρτωλὸς ἡ ἁμαρτία διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς. Εἶδες πανταχοῦ πῶς ταύτῃ συμπλέκεται; Καὶ δι' ὧν αὐτῆς κατηγορεῖ, δείκνυσι πάλιν μειζόνως τοῦ νόμου τὴν ἀρετήν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μικρὸν ἤνυσε δείξας ὅσον ἡ ἁμαρτία κακὸν, καὶ πάντα τὸν ἰὸν αὐτῆς ἐκκαλύψας, καὶ εἰς μέσον προθείς· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδήλωσεν εἰπών· Ἵνα γένηται καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἁμαρτωλὸς ἡ ἁμαρτία διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς. Τουτέστιν, ἵνα φανῇ ἡλίκον κακὸν, ἡλίκος ὄλεθρος ἡ ἁμαρτία· τοῦτο δὲ διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς ἐδείχθη. Ἐκ τούτων καὶ τὴν ὑπεροχὴν δείκνυσι τῆς χάριτος πρὸς τὸν νόμον· τὴν ὑπεροχὴν, οὐ τὴν μάχην. Μὴ γὰρ τοῦτο ἴδῃς, ὅτι χείρους ἐγένοντο οἱ δεξάμενοι, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο σκόπει, ὅτι οὐ μόνον εἰς ἐπίτασιν τὴν κακίαν ἀγαγεῖν οὐκ ἤθελεν ὁ νόμος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν προϋπάρχουσαν ἐκκόψαι ἐσπούδαζεν. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ