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to heal, even if he seems to be practicing the art, he has failed in the whole matter; so also in the case of the law and of faith, the one who has this, also has the end of that; but the one who is outside of this, is a stranger to both. For what did the law want? To make man righteous; but it was not able; for no one fulfilled it. This then was the end of the law, and all things looked to this, and for this all things came to be, both the feasts and the commandments and the sacrifices and all the rest, that man might be justified. But this end Christ accomplished in a greater way through faith. Do not be afraid, then, he says, as if transgressing the law, because you have come to faith; for you transgress it then, when on account of it you do not believe in Christ; whereas, if you believe in Him, you have fulfilled that also, and much more than it commanded; for you have received a much greater righteousness. Then since these things were a declaration, he confirms them again from the Scriptures. Moses writes, he says, the righteousness which is from the law. What he says is this: Moses shows us the righteousness from the law, what kind and of what sort it is. What kind, then, and from whence is it established? From the fulfillment of the commandments. He who does them, he says, 60.566 shall live by them. And it is not otherwise possible to become righteous in the law, than by fulfilling all things; but this has been possible for no one. 2. Therefore this righteousness has failed. But tell us, O Paul, also of the other righteousness, that which is from grace. What then is this, and from whence is it established? Hear him clearly describing it. For since he refuted that one, he now passes on to this one, and says: But the righteousness which is of faith speaks on this wise: 'Say not in your heart, Who shall ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 'Or, Who shall descend into the deep?' (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart:' that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For so that the Jews may not say, 'How did those who did not find the lesser righteousness find the greater?' he states an irrefutable argument, that this way is lighter than that. For this one requires the fulfillment of all things: For when you do all things, then you will live; but the righteousness from faith does not say this, but what? If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Then, lest he should again seem to make it contemptible by showing it to be easy and simple, see how he expands the discourse concerning it. For he did not come immediately to this, which we have mentioned, but what does he say? But the righteousness which is of faith speaks on this wise: 'Say not in your heart, Who shall ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 'Or, Who shall descend into the deep?' (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) For just as virtue through works is opposed by sloth and laxity, which weaken the labors, and a very watchful soul is needed, so as not to give way; so also when one must believe, there are reasonings that disturb and corrupt the mind of many, and a more youthful soul is needed to beat them back. For this reason indeed he brings these very things into the open; and what he did in the case of Abraham, this he also does here. For having shown there that he was justified by faith, lest he should seem to have received so great a crown for nothing and in vain, as if the matter were nothing, extolling the nature of faith, he says: 'Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations,' and 'being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead,...nor yet the deadness of Sara's womb:' 'he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.' And he showed that there is need both of strength and of an exalted soul that receives things beyond hope, and does not stumble at what is seen. This, therefore, he also does here, and shows that there is need of a philosophical mind and judgment
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θεραπεύειν, κἂν μετιέναι δοκῇ τὴν τέχνην, τοῦ παντὸς ἐξέπεσεν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῆς πίστεως, ὁ μὲν ταύτην ἔχων, καὶ τὸ ἐκείνου τέλος ἔχει· ὁ δὲ ταύτης ἔξω ὢν, ἀμφοτέρων ἐστὶν ἀλλότριος. Τί γὰρ ἐβούλετο ὁ νόμος; ∆ίκαιον ποιῆσαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἴσχυσεν· οὐδεὶς γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐπλήρωσε. Τοῦτο οὖν τέλος ἦν τοῦ νόμου, καὶ εἰς τοῦτο πάντα ἔβλεπε, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πάντα ἐγένετο, καὶ αἱ ἑορταὶ καὶ αἱ ἐντολαὶ καὶ αἱ θυσίαι καὶ τὸ λοιπὰ πάντα, ἵνα δικαιωθῇ ὁ ἄνθρωπος. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο τὸ τέλος ἤνυσεν ὁ Χριστὸς μειζόνως διὰ τῆς πίστεως. Μὴ τοίνυν φοβηθῇς, φησὶν, ὡς τὸν νόμον παραβαίνων, ἐπειδὴ τῇ πίστει προσῆλθες· τότε γὰρ αὐτὸν παραβαίνεις, ὅτε δι' αὐτὸν τῷ Χριστῷ μὴ πιστεύσῃς· ὡς, ἂν πιστεύσῃς αὐτῷ, κἀκεῖνον ἐπλήρωσας, καὶ πολλῷ πλέον ἢ ἐκέλευσε· πολλῷ γὰρ μείζονα δικαιοσύνην ἔλαβες. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα ἀπόφασις ἦν, ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν πάλιν αὐτὰ πιστοῦται. Μωϋσῆς γράφει, φησὶ, τὴν ἐκ τοῦ νόμου δικαιοσύνην. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστι· Μωϋσῆς δείκνυσιν ἡμῖν τὴν ἐκ τοῦ νόμου δικαιοσύνην, ὁποία τίς ἐστι καὶ ποταπή. Ποία τοίνυν, καὶ πόθεν συνίσταται; Ἀπὸ τοῦ πληρωθῆναι τὰς ἐντολάς. Ὁ ποιήσας αὐτὰ, φησὶ, 60.566 ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς. Καὶ ἄλλως οὐκ ἔνι δίκαιον γενέσθαι ἐν νόμῳ, ἀλλ' ἢ πάντα πληρώσαντα· τοῦτο δὲ οὐδενὶ γέγονε δυνατόν. βʹ. Οὐκοῦν διαπέπτωκεν ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὕτη. Ἀλλ' εἰπὲ καὶ τὴν ἑτέραν ἡμῖν, ὦ Παῦλε, δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐκ τῆς χάριτος. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν αὕτη, καὶ πόθεν συνίσταται; Ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ σαφῶς αὐτὴν ὑπογράφοντος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκείνην ἤλεγξε, μεταβαίνει λοιπὸν ἐπὶ ταύτην, καί φησιν· Ἡ δὲ ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοσύνη οὕτω λέγει· Μὴ εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; τοῦτ' ἔστι Χριστὸν καταγαγεῖν· ἢ τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον; τοῦτ' ἔστι Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναγαγεῖν. Ἀλλὰ τί λέγει; Ἐγγύς σου τὸ ῥῆμά ἐστιν, ἐν τῷ στόματί σου καὶ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· τοῦτ' ἔστι τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς πίστεως ὃ κηρύσσομεν, ὅτι ἐὰν ὁμολογήσῃς ἐν τῷ στόματί σου Κύριον Ἰησοῦν, καὶ πιστεύσῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, σωθήσῃ. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγωσιν Ἰουδαῖοι· Πῶς εὗρον μείζονα δικαιοσύνην οἱ τὴν ἐλάττω μὴ εὑρόντες; λέγει λογισμὸν ἀναντίῤῥητον, ὅτι κουφοτέρα αὕτη ἡ ὁδὸς ἐκείνης. Αὕτη μὲν γὰρ πλήρωσιν ἀπαιτεῖ πάντων· Ὅταν γὰρ ποιήσῃς πάντα, τότε ζήσεις· ἡ δὲ ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοσύνη οὐ τοῦτο λέγει, ἀλλὰ τί; Ἐὰν ὁμολογήσῃς ἐν τῷ στόματί σου Κύριον Ἰησοῦν, καὶ πιστεύσῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, σωθήσῃ. Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ πάλιν αὐτὴν εὐκαταφρόνητον ποιεῖν τῷ εὔκολον καὶ εὐτελῆ δεικνύναι, ὅρα πῶς πλατύνει τὸν λόγον τὸν περὶ αὐτῆς. Οὐ γὰρ εὐθέως ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἦλθεν, ὅπερ εἰρήκαμεν, ἀλλὰ τί φησιν; Ἡ δὲ ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοσύνη οὕτω λέγει· Μὴ εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; τοῦτ' ἔστι Χριστὸν καταγαγεῖν· ἢ τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον; τοῦτ' ἔστι Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναγαγεῖν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῇ ἀρετῇ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἀνθίσταται ῥᾳθυμία καὶ ἔκλυσις, τοὺς πόνους ἐκλύουσα, καὶ δεῖ σφόδρα ἀγρυπνούσης ψυχῆς, ὥστε μὴ εἴκειν· οὕτω καὶ ὅταν πιστεῦσαι δέοι, εἰσὶ λογισμοὶ θορυβοῦντες καὶ λυμαινόμενοι τὴν τῶν πολλῶν διάνοιαν, καὶ δεῖ νεανικωτέρας ψυχῆς, ὥστε αὐτοὺς διακρούσασθαι. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτοὺς τούτους εἰς μέσον ἄγει· καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἐποίησε, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ δείξας αὐτὸν ἀπὸ πίστεως δικαιωθέντα, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ μάτην καὶ εἰκῆ τοσοῦτον εἰληφέναι στέφανον, ὡς οὐδὲν τοῦ πράγματος ὄντος, ἐπαίρων τὴν τῆς πίστεως φύσιν, φησίν· Ὃς παρ' ἐλπίδα ἐπ' ἐλπίδι ἐπίστευσεν εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι αὐτὸν πατέρα πολλῶν ἐθνῶν, καὶ μὴ ἀσθενήσας τῇ πίστει, οὐ κατενόησε μὲν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα νενεκρωμένον, καὶ τὴν νέκρωσιν τῆς μήτρας Σάῤῥας· εἰς δὲ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐ διεκρίθη τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ, ἀλλ' ἐνεδυναμώθη τῇ πίστει, δοὺς δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ πληροφορηθεὶς, ὅτι ὃ ἐπήγγελται, δυνατός ἐστι καὶ ποιῆσαι. Καὶ ἔδειξεν, ὅτι καὶ δυνάμεως χρεία καὶ ψυχῆς ὑψηλῆς τὰ ὑπὲρ ἐλπίδα δεχομένης, καὶ μὴ προσπταιούσης τοῖς ὁρωμένοις. Τοῦτο τοίνυν καὶ ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖ, καὶ δείκνυσιν ὅτι φιλοσόφου διανοίας χρεία καὶ γνώμης