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for this very purpose many. And how is it clear that these 60.573 are those who were sent? Then, therefore, he brings in the prophet saying: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach peace, of those who preach good things. Do you see how from the manner of the preaching he points out the preachers? For these men went about everywhere saying nothing else, but those ineffable good things and the peace which had come from God to men. So that in disbelieving. you do not disbelieve us, he says, but Isaiah who said many years ago, that we would be sent and we would preach and we would say what we have said. If, therefore, to be saved was from calling upon, and to call upon from believing, and to believe from hearing, and to hear from preaching, and to preach from being sent, and they were sent and they preached, and with them the prophet went about, pointing them out and proclaiming and saying, that these are they, whom from long ages above he was making known, whose feet he also praised on account of the manner of their preaching; it is clear that their not believing has become their fault alone; for all things from God have been perfected. But not all have obeyed the Gospel. For Isaiah says: Lord, who has believed our report? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Since they again brought forward another objection, saying, that “And yet if these were the ones sent forth and dispatched by God, all ought to have obeyed;” observe the understanding of Paul, how this very thing, which was causing the disturbance, he shows to be destructive of the disturbance and confusion. For what scandalizes you, he says, O Jew, after so great and so significant a testimony and demonstration of facts, that not all have obeyed the Gospel? This very thing, therefore, along with the others, is sufficient to persuade you concerning what has been said, the fact that not all obey; for the prophet also foretold this from of old. And observe the ineffable wisdom, how he shows more than they expected and hoped to object. For what do you say? he says; that not all have obeyed the Gospel? But Isaiah also foretold this from of old; or rather, not only this, but also much more than this. For you complain because not all have obeyed; but Isaiah says more than this. For what does he say? Lord, who has believed our report? Then, since he removed this disturbance by interjecting the prophet, he again holds to the former sequence. For since he said that it was necessary to call upon, and for those calling upon to believe, and for those believing to first hear, and for those who are going to hear to have preachers, and for the preachers to have been sent, and he showed that they were sent and that they preached; being about to introduce another objection again, having first taken a starting point from another testimony of the prophet, by which he resolved the objection a little before this one, he thus weaves it and connects it with the preceding things. For since he brought forward the prophet saying, “Lord, who has believed our report?”, opportunely taking up the testimony, he says: So then faith comes by hearing. But he has not set this down simply, but since at every opportunity the Jews were seeking signs, and the sight of the resurrection, and many were gaping for these things, he says that, “And yet the prophet announced that we must believe by hearing.” Therefore he first establishes it, and says: So then faith comes by hearing. Then, since this seemed to be a trivial thing, see how he elevates it. For I did not simply say to hear, he says, nor that one must hear human words and believe, but I speak of a great hearing 60.574; for hearing is through the word of God. For they did not say their own things, but having learned from God they reported them; which is higher than signs. For one must equally believe and obey God both when He speaks and when He works wonders; since both the works and the wonders are from His words; for indeed both the heaven and all other things were established thus. βʹ. Having shown, therefore, that it is necessary to believe the prophets who are always speaking the things of God, and to seek nothing more than hearing, he then brings on the

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εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο πολλοί. Καὶ πόθεν δῆλον, ὅτι οὗτοί 60.573 εἰσιν ἐκεῖνοι οἱ ἀποσταλέντες; Τότε λοιπὸν εἰσάγει τὸν προφήτην λέγοντα· Ὡς ὡραῖοι οἱ πόδες τῶν εὐαγγελιζομένων εἰρήνην, τῶν εὐαγγελιζομένων τὰ ἀγαθά. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἀπὸ τοῦ τρόπου τοῦ κηρύγματος δείκνυσι τοὺς κήρυκας; Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄλλο περιῄεσαν οὗτοι πανταχόθεν λέγοντες, ἀλλ' ἢ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐκεῖνα τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους γεγενημένην εἰρήνην. Ὥστε ἀπιστοῦντες. οὐχ ἡμῖν ἀπιστεῖτε, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ τῷ πρὸ πολλῶν ἐτῶν εἰπόντι, ὅτι καὶ ἀποσταλησόμεθα καὶ κηρύξομεν καὶ ἐροῦμεν ὅπερ εἰρήκαμεν. Εἰ τοίνυν τὸ μὲν σωθῆναι ἐκ τοῦ ἐπικαλέσασθαι ἦν, τὸ δὲ ἐπικαλέσασθαι ἐκ τοῦ πιστεῦσαι, τὸ δὲ πιστεῦσαι ἐκ τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι, τὸ δὲ ἀκοῦσαι ἐκ τοῦ κηρῦξαι, τὸ δὲ κηρῦξαι ἐκ τοῦ ἀποσταλῆναι, ἀπεστάλησαν δὲ καὶ ἐκήρυξαν, καὶ μετ' αὐτῶν ὁ προφήτης περιῄει δεικνὺς αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀνακηρύττων καὶ λέγων, ὅτι Οὗτοί εἰσιν, οὓς πρὸ πολλῶν ἄνωθεν ἐδήλουν χρόνων, ὧν καὶ τοὺς πόδας ἐνεκωμίαζον διὰ τὸν τοῦ κηρύγματος τρόπον· εὔδηλον, ὅτι τὸ μὴ πιστεῦσαι, ἐκείνων ἔγκλημα γέγονε μόνον· καὶ γὰρ τὰ παρὰ Θεοῦ πάντα ἀπήρτισται. Ἀλλ' οὐ πάντες ὑπήκουσαν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ. Ἡσαΐας γὰρ λέγει· Κύριε, τίς ἐπίστευσε τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν; Ἄρα ἡ πίστις ἐξ ἀκοῆς, ἡ δὲ ἀκοὴ διὰ ῥήματος Θεοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ πάλιν ἑτέραν ἐπήγοντο ἀντίθεσιν λέγοντες, ὅτι Καὶ μὴν εἰ ἦσαν οὗτοι οἱ ἀπεσταλμένοι καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ πεμφθέντες, ἔδει πάντας ὑπακοῦσαι· σκόπει τοῦ Παύλου τὴν σύνεσιν, πῶς αὐτὸ τοῦτο, ὃ τὸν θόρυβον ἐποίει, τοῦ θορύβου καὶ τῆς ταραχῆς δείκνυσιν ὂν ἀναιρετικόν. Τί γάρ σε σκανδαλίζει, φησὶν, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, μετὰ τοσαύτην καὶ τηλικαύτην μαρτυρίαν καὶ πραγμάτων ἀπόδειξιν, ὅτι οὐ πάντες ὑπήκουσαν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ; Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν αὐτὸ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἱκανόν σε πιστώσασθαι ὑπὲρ τῶν εἰρημένων, τὸ μὴ πάντας ὑπακούειν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἄνωθεν προεῖπεν ὁ προφήτης. Καὶ σκόπει τὴν ἄφατον σοφίαν, πῶς πλέον δείκνυσιν, ἢ προσεδόκων ἐκεῖνοι καὶ ἤλπιζον ἀντερεῖν. Τί γάρ φατε, φησίν; ὅτι οὐ πάντες ὑπήκουσαν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ; Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο ἄνωθεν προεῖπεν Ἡσαΐας· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ τούτου πλέον. Ὑμεῖς μὲν γὰρ ἐγκαλεῖτε διὰ τί μὴ πάντες ὑπήκουσαν· ὁ δὲ Ἡσαΐας πλέον τούτου λέγει. Τί γάρ φησι; Κύριε, τίς ἐπίστευσε τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν; Εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ τὸν θόρυβον τοῦτον ἐξεῖλε παρεμβαλὼν τὸν προφήτην, πάλιν ἔχεται τῆς προτέρας ἀκολουθίας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι ἐπικαλέσασθαι ἔδει, τοὺς δὲ ἐπικαλουμένους πιστεῦσαι, τοὺς πιστεύοντας ἀκοῦσαι πρῶτον, τοὺς δὲ μέλλοντας ἀκούσασθαι τοὺς κηρύσσοντας ἔχειν, τοὺς δὲ κηρύσσοντας ἀπεστάλθαι, καὶ ἔδειξεν ὅτι ἀπεστάλησαν καὶ ὅτι ἐκήρυξαν· ἑτέραν πάλιν εἰσάγειν μέλλων ἀντίθεσιν, ἀφορμὴν λαβὼν πρότερον ἀπὸ ἑτέρας μαρτυρίας τοῦ προφήτου, καθ' ἢν ἔλυσε τὴν μικρῷ πρὸ ταύτης ἀντίθεσιν, οὕτως αὐτὴν πλέκει καὶ συνείρει τοῖς προτέροις. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ παρήγαγε τὸν προφήτην λέγοντα· Κύριε, τίς ἐπίστευσε τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν; εὐκαίρως τῆς μαρτυρίας ἐπιλαβόμενος, φησίν· Ἄρα ἡ πίστις ἐξ ἀκοῆς. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐχ ἁπλῶς τέθεικεν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ καθ' ἕκαστον καιρὸν σημεῖα ἐζήτουν Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ τὴν ὄψιν τῆς ἀναστάσεως, καὶ πολλοὶ πρὸς ταῦτα κεχηνότες ἦσαν, φησὶν, ὅτι Καὶ μὴν ὁ προφήτης ἐπηγγείλατο, ὅτι ἐξ ἀκοῆς ἡμᾶς δεῖ πιστεῦσαι. ∆ιὸ πρότερον αὐτὸ κατασκευάζει, καί φησιν· Ἄρα ἡ πίστις ἐξ ἀκοῆς. Εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ ἐδόκει τοῦτο εὐτελὲς εἶναι, ὅρα πῶς αὐτὸ ἀνάγει. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ἀκούειν εἶπον, φησὶν, οὐδ' ὅτι ἀνθρωπίνων δεῖ ῥημάτων ἀκοῦσαι καὶ πιστεῦσαι, ἀλλ' ἀκοὴν μεγάλην 60.574 λέγω· ἡ γὰρ ἀκοὴ διὰ ῥήματος τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ τὰ αὑτῶν ἔλεγον, ἀλλὰ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ μανθάνοντες ἀπήγγελλον· ὃ σημείων ἐστὶν ὑψηλότερον. Τῷ γὰρ Θεῷ καὶ λέγοντι καὶ θαυματουργοῦντι ὁμοίως πιστεύειν καὶ πείθεσθαι δεῖ· ἐπεὶ καὶ τὰ ἔργα καὶ τὰ θαύματα ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων ἐστὶ τῶν ἐκείνου· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα οὕτως ἔστη. βʹ. ∆είξας τοίνυν, ὅτι δεῖ πιστεῦσαι τοῖς προφήταις ἀεὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγουσι, καὶ ἀκροάσεως μηδὲν πλέον ἐπιζητῆσαι, ἐπάγει λοιπὸν τὴν