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to say, he says, that sin overcomes me, who hate the law and turn away from it. For I delight in it and agree with it, and I flee to it for refuge, but nevertheless it was not strong enough to save even one fleeing to it, but Christ saved one even fleeing from Him. 60.512 Do you see how great is the excess of grace? But the Apostle did not put it this way; but only by groaning and lamenting greatly, as if in a wilderness of helpers, through his despair he shows the power of Christ, and says: Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death? The law was not strong enough, the conscience was not sufficient; and yet I praised the good things, and not only praised them, but also fought against their opposites. For by saying, "warring against," he showed that he himself was also set in opposition. From where, then, will be the hope of salvation? I thank God, he says, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Did you see how he showed the coming of grace to be necessary, and the good deeds to be common to the Father and the Son? For even if he gives thanks to the Father, yet the Son is also the cause of this thanksgiving. But when you hear him saying, "Who will deliver me from the body of this death?" do not think he is accusing the flesh. For he did not say body of sin, but body of death; that is, the mortal body, that which was overcome by death, not that which begot death; which is a sign not of the wickedness of the flesh, but of the outrage which it endured. Just as if someone, having been taken captive by barbarians, should be said to be of the barbarians, not because he is a barbarian, but because he is held by them; so also the body is called of death, because it was possessed by it, not because it was its cause. Wherefore he does not wish to be delivered from the body, but from the mortal body, hinting at what I have often said, that from its having become passible, it also became easy to be assailed by sin. 4. And for what reason, he says, if the tyranny of sin was so great before grace, were the sinners punished? Because such things were commanded as it was possible to do aright even while sin had dominion. For it did not draw them to a perfect way of life, but permitted them to enjoy riches, and did not forbid using more women, and to gratify anger with justice, and to use moderate luxury; and so great was the condescension, that the written law required less than what the natural law dictated. For the law of nature commanded one man to be with one woman continually; which Christ also, making clear, said, that "He who made them from the beginning, made them male and female." But the law of Moses neither forbade casting one out and bringing another in her place, nor prohibited having two at the same time. And besides this, one might see those who lived uprightly before this law, being taught by the law of nature, accomplishing many more things than were in the law. Therefore, those who lived under the Old Covenant were not treated spitefully, since such a moderate legislation was introduced to them. But if even so they were not able to overcome, the fault is their own sloth. For this reason Paul also gives thanks, that Christ, having examined none of these things strictly, not only did not demand an account for our deeds, but also made us fit for a greater race. Wherefore he says, "I thank my God through Jesus Christ." And leaving salvation as an acknowledged fact, from what has already been established, he passes on to something more, saying, that not only have we been freed from former things, but we have also become unconquerable for the future. For there is, he says, now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh. 60.513 But he did not say this before, until he had again reminded them of their former state. For having first said, "So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh the law of sin," then he added: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus." Then, since the objection occurred to him that many sin even after baptism, for this reason he presses on to it. And he does not say simply, "For those in Christ Jesus," but, "For those who do not walk according to the flesh;" showing, that from

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εἰπεῖν, φησὶν, ὅτι μισοῦντά με τὸν νόμον καὶ ἀποστρεφόμενον ἡ ἁμαρτία χειροῦται· συνήδομαι γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ σύμφημι, καὶ καταφεύγω πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὐδὲ φεύγοντα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἴσχυσε σῶσαι, ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς καὶ φεύγοντα ἀπ' αὐτοῦ 60.512 ἔσωσεν. Εἶδες πόση τῆς χάριτος ἡ ὑπερβολή; Ἀλλ' οὕτω μὲν οὐκ ἔθηκεν αὐτὸ ὁ Ἀπόστολος· ἀνοιμώξας δὲ μόνον καὶ θρηνήσας μέγα, ὡς ἐν ἐρημίᾳ τῶν βοηθησόντων, διὰ τῆς ἀπορίας δείκνυσι τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν δύναμιν, καί φησι· Ταλαίπωρος ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος· τίς με ῥύσεται ἐκ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ θανάτου τούτου; Νόμος οὐκ ἴσχυσε, τὸ συνειδὸς οὐκ ἤρκεσε· καίτοι γε ἐπῄνουν τὰ καλὰ, καὶ οὐκ ἐπῄνουν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπεμαχόμην πρὸς τὰ ἐναντία. Τῷ γὰρ εἰπεῖν, Ἀντιστρατευόμενον, ἔδειξε καὶ αὐτὸν ἀντιταττόμενον. Πόθεν οὖν ἔσται σωτηρίας ἐλπίς; Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ Θεῷ, φησὶ, διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν. Εἶδες πῶς ἔδειξεν ἀναγκαίαν τῆς χάριτος τὴν παρουσίαν, καὶ κοινὰ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ τὰ κατορθώματα; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τῷ Πατρὶ εὐχαριστεῖ, ἀλλὰ τῆς εὐχαριστίας ταύτης καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς αἴτιος. Ὅταν δὲ ἀκούσῃς λέγοντος αὐτοῦ, Τίς με ῥύσεται ἐκ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ θανάτου τούτου; μὴ νόμιζε τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτὸν κατηγορεῖν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπε σῶμα ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλὰ σῶμα θανάτου· τουτέστι τὸ θνητὸν σῶμα, τὸ χειρωθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου, οὐ τὸ γεννῆσαν τὸν θάνατον· ὅπερ οὐ τῆς πονηρίας τῆς σαρκὸς, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐπηρείας ἧς ὑπέμεινε, δεῖγμά ἐστιν. Ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις αἰχμαλωτισθεὶς παρὰ βαρβάρων, λέγοιτο εἶναι τῶν βαρβάρων, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ βάρβαρός ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ὑπ' ἐκείνων κατέχεται· οὕτω καὶ τὸ σῶμα θανάτου λέγεται, ἐπειδὴ κατεσχέθη παρ' αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ προεξένησεν αὐτόν. ∆ιόπερ οὐδὲ αὐτὸς τοῦ σώματος ῥυσθῆναι βούλεται, ἀλλὰ τοῦ θνητοῦ σώματος, αἰνιττόμενος ὃ πολλάκις ἔφην, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ παθητὸν αὐτὸ γενέσθαι, καὶ εὐεπιχείρητον γέγονε τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ. δʹ. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν, φησὶν, εἰ τοσαύτη τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἡ τυραννὶς πρὸ τῆς χάριτος ἦν, ἐκολάσθησαν οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες; Ὅτι τοιαῦτα ἐπετάγησαν, οἷα δυνατὸν ἦν καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κρατούσης κατορθοῦν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰς ἄκραν αὐτοὺς εἷλκε πολιτείαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ χρημάτων ἀπολαύειν ἐπέτρεπε, καὶ γυναιξὶ κεχρῆσθαι πλείοσιν οὐκ ἐκώλυε, καὶ θυμῷ χαρίσασθαι μετὰ τοῦ δικαίου, καὶ τρυφῇ χρήσασθαι συμμέτρῳ· καὶ τοσαύτη ἦν ἡ συγκατάβασις, ὡς καὶ ἐλάττονα ὧν ὁ φυσικὸς διηγόρευσε νόμος, τὸν γραπτὸν ἀπαιτεῖν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τῆς φύσεως νόμος ἕνα ἄνδρα μιᾷ γυναικὶ διηνεκῶς ὁμιλεῖν ἐκέλευεν· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς δηλῶν ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ὁ ποιήσας ἐξ ἀρχῆς, ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτούς. Ὁ δὲ Μωϋσέως νόμος οὔτε τὴν μὲν ἐκβαλεῖν, τὴν δὲ ἀντεισάγειν ἐκώλυεν, οὔτε δύο κατὰ ταυτὸν ἔχειν ἀπηγόρευε. Χωρὶς δὲ τούτου, καὶ ἕτερα πλείονα τῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τοὺς πρὸ τούτου κατορθωκότας ἴδοι τις ἂν τῷ τῆς φύσεως παιδευομένους νόμῳ. Οὐ τοίνυν ἐπηρεάσθησαν οἱ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ πολιτευσάμενοι, συμμέτρου νομοθεσίας οὕτως εἰσενεχθείσης αὐτοῖς. Εἰ δὲ μηδὲ οὕτως ἤρκεσαν περιγενέσθαι, τῆς αὐτῶν ῥᾳθυμίας τὸ ἔγκλημα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος εὐχαριστεῖ, ὅτι οὐδὲν τούτων ἀκριβολογησάμενος ὁ Χριστὸς, οὐ μόνον τῶν ἡμετέρων οὐκ ἀπῄτησεν εὐθύνας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιτηδείους ἐποίησε πρὸς μείζονα δρόμον. ∆ιό φησιν, Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ Θεῷ μου διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἀφεὶς ὡμολογημένην, ἐκ τῶν ἤδη κατασκευασθέντων ἐπ' ἄλλο μεταβαίνει πλέον λέγων, ὅτι οὐ τῶν προτέρων ἀπηλλάγημεν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἀχείρωτοι γεγόναμεν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ, φησὶ, κατάκριμα νῦν τοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, μὴ κατὰ σάρκα 60.513 περιπατοῦσιν. Ἀλλ' οὐ πρότερον αὐτὸ εἴρηκεν, ἕως ἀνέμνησε πάλιν τῆς προτέρας καταστάσεως. Πρότερον γὰρ εἰπὼν, Ἄρα οὖν αὐτὸς ἐγὼ τῷ μὲν νοῒ δουλεύω νόμω Θεοῦ, τῇ δὲ σαρκὶ νόμῳ ἁμαρτίας, τότε ἐπήγαγεν· Οὐδὲν ἄρα κατάκριμα νῦν τοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ ἀντέπιπτεν αὐτῷ τὸ πολλοὺς καὶ μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα ἁμαρτάνειν, διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς αὐτὸ ἐπείγεται. Καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς φησι, Τοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ἀλλὰ, Τοῖς μὴ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦσι· δεικνὺς, ὅτι ἐκ