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will be grafted in, if he is earnest; for you too were grafted in. But very wisely he turns the whole argument to the one from the Gentiles, as he is always accustomed to do, correcting the weak in his rebuke of the stronger. This he also does at the end of the Epistle, when discoursing about the observance of foods. Then he also constructs it from past events, and not only from future ones; which was more persuasive to the hearer. And intending to maintain an irrefutable sequence of reasoning, he first sets forth the proof from the power of God. For even if they were cut off and cast away, and others took their place, do not despair even so; For God is able, he says, to graft them in again, He who does things even beyond hope. But if you also seek an order of things and a sequence of reasoning, 60.591 you have the example from your own case with even greater abundance. For if you, he says, were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into a good olive tree, how much more will these, who are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? For if faith had power for what is contrary to nature, much more for what is according to nature. For if this one, being cut off from his natural fathers, came contrary to nature to Abraham, much more will you be able to receive back what is your own, For in the Gentile's case, the bad is according to nature; for he was by nature a wild olive; but the good is contrary to nature; for contrary to nature he was grafted into Abraham; but in your case, on the contrary, the good is according to nature; for you will not be fixed in a foreign root, like the Gentile, but in your own, if you wish to return. Of what pardon, then, would you be worthy, when the Gentile was able for what is contrary to nature, you are not strong enough for what is according to nature, but even betray this? Then, since he said, Contrary to nature, and, You were grafted in, lest you think the Jew has something more, he again corrects this, saying that he too is grafted in: How much more, he says, will these, who are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? And again, God is able to graft them in. And before this he says, that if they do not continue in unbelief, they will be grafted in. But when you hear him constantly saying contrary to nature and according to nature, do not think he means this unchangeable nature, but that by these names he is indicating what is likely and what follows, and again what is unlikely. For good things and things not such are not of nature, but of judgment and choice alone. But also consider how inoffensive he is. For having said that You also will be cut off, if you do not continue in the faith, and they will be grafted in, if they do not continue in unbelief, he sets aside the gloomier part, constructs the more kindly one, and concludes with it, weaving great hopes for the Jews, if they should wish it. Wherefore he adds, saying: For I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own conceits; a mystery here, meaning that which is unknown and secret, and having much that is wonderful, and much that is paradoxical; just as he also says elsewhere: Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. What then is the mystery? That a hardening has come upon Israel in part. Here again he strikes the Jew, while seeming to subdue the one from the Gentiles. And what he says is this, which he also said before, that the unbelief is not total, but in part, as when he says: But if any has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but in part, that I may not be too severe on you all; and, If first I may be filled with you in part. So also here he says this, which he had said above: Has God rejected his people, whom he foreknew? and again, What then? Have they stumbled that they should fall? By no means. This indeed he also says here: that the nation is not torn up entirely, but that many have already believed, and are about to believe again. Then, since he had promised a great thing, he brings forward the prophet as a witness, saying thus. For that a hardening has occurred, he does not bring forward a testimony; for it was clear to all; but that they will believe and be saved, he again brings in Isaiah crying out, and saying: The Deliverer will come from Zion, and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. Then the

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ἐγκεντρισθήσεται, ἐὰν σπουδάζῃ· καὶ γὰρ καὶ σὺ ἐνεκεντρίσθης. Πάνυ δὲ συνετῶς ὅλον τὸν λόγον πρὸς τὸν ἐξ ἐθνῶν τρέπει, ἅπερ ἀεὶ ποιεῖν εἴωθεν, ἐν τῇ τῶν ἰσχυροτέρων ἐπιπλήξει τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς διορθούμενος. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῷ τέλει τῆς Ἐπιστολῆς ἐργάζεται, περὶ τῆς τῶν σιτίων διαλεγόμενος παρατηρήσεως. Εἶτα καὶ ἐκ τῶν παρελθόντων αὐτὸ κατασκευάζει, καὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν μελλόντων μόνον· ὅπερ μᾶλλον ἔπειθε τὸν ἀκροατήν. Καὶ μέλλων λογισμῶν ἀκολουθίαν τηρεῖν ἀναντίῤῥητον, πρότερον ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμεως τὴν ἀπόδειξιν τίθησιν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀπεκόπησαν καὶ ἀπεῤῥίφθησαν, καὶ ἄλλοι τὰ αὐτῶν προκατέλαβον, μηδὲ οὕτως ἀπογνῷς· ∆υνατὸς γάρ ἐστι, φησὶ, πάλιν ὁ Θεὸς ἐγκεντρίσαι αὐτοὺς, ὁ καὶ τὰ ὑπὲρ ἐλπίδα ποιῶν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ πραγμάτων τάξιν ζητεῖς καὶ λογισμῶν 60.591 ἀκολουθίαν, ἔχεις οἴκοθεν τὸ ὑπόδειγμα μετὰ πλείονος τῆς περιουσίας. Εἰ γὰρ σὺ, φησὶν, ἐκ τῆς κατὰ φύσιν ἐξεκόπης ἀγριελαίου, καὶ παρὰ φύσιν ἐνεκεντρίσθης εἰς καλλιέλαιον, πόσῳ μᾶλλον οὗτοι, οἳ κατὰ φύσιν ἐγκεντρισθήσονται τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἐλαίᾳ; Εἰ γὰρ τὸ παρὰ φύσιν ἴσχυσεν ἡ πίστις, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸ κατὰ φύσιν. Εἰ γὰρ οὗτος τῶν κατὰ φύσιν αὐτοῦ πατέρων ἐκκοπεὶς, ἦλθε παρὰ φύσιν πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον σὺ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἀπολαβεῖν δυνήσῃ, Τοῦ μὲν γὰρ ἐθνικοῦ τὸ μὲν κακὸν κατὰ φύσιν· ἀγριέλαιος γὰρ κατὰ φύσιν ἦν· τὸ δὲ καλὸν, παρὰ φύσιν· παρὰ φύσιν γὰρ ἐνεκεντρίσθη τῷ Ἀβραάμ· σοῦ δὲ τοὐναντίον τὸ καλὸν κατὰ φύσιν· οὐ γὰρ ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ ῥίζῃ, ὥσπερ ὁ ἐθνικὸς, ἀλλ' ἐν οἰκείᾳ παγήσῃ, ἐὰν βουληθῇς ἐπανελθεῖν. Τίνος οὖν ἂν εἴης ἄξιος συγγνώμης, ὅταν τοῦ ἐθνικοῦ τὸ παρὰ φύσιν δυνηθέντος, σὺ τὸ κατὰ φύσιν μὴ ἰσχύσῃς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο προδῷς; Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ εἶπε, Παρὰ φύσιν, καὶ, Ἐνεκεντρίσθης, ἵνα μὴ πλέον τι τὸν Ἰουδαῖον ἔχειν νομίζῃς, πάλιν αὐτὸ διορθοῦται, λέγων καὶ αὐτὸν ἐγκεντρίζεσθαι· Πόσῳ μᾶλλον οὗτοι, φησὶν, οἱ κατὰ φύσιν ἐγκεντρισθήσονται τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἐλαίᾳ; Καὶ πάλιν, ∆υνατὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἐγκεντρίσαι αὐτούς. Καὶ πρὸ τούτου δέ φησιν, ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ ἐπιμείνωσι τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ, ἐγκεντρισθήσονται. Παρὰ φύσιν δὲ καὶ κατὰ φύσιν ὅταν ἀκούσῃς αὐτοῦ συνεχῶς λέγοντος, μὴ τὴν ἀκίνητον ταύτην φύσιν νόμιζε λέγειν αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ εἰκὸς καὶ τὸ ἀκόλουθον, καὶ τὸ ἀπεικὸς πάλιν τούτοις δηλοῦν τοῖς ὀνόμασιν. Οὐ γὰρ φυσικὰ τὰ καλὰ καὶ τὰ μὴ τοιαῦτα, ἀλλὰ γνώμης καὶ προαιρέσεως μόνης. Σκόπει δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ἀνεπαχθές. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, ὅτι Καὶ σὺ ἐκκοπήσῃ, ἐὰν μὴ ἐπιμείνῃς τῇ πίστει, καὶ οὗτοι ἐγκεντρισθήσονται, ἐὰν μὴ ἐπιμείνωσι τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ, τὸ σκυθρωπότερον ἀφεὶς, τὸ χρηστότερον κατασκευάζει, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ τελευτᾷ, μεγάλας τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὑφαίνων ἐλπίδας, εἰ βουληθεῖεν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπάγει λέγων· Οὐ γὰρ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοὶ, τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο, ἵνα μὴ ἦτε παρ' ἑαυτοῖς φρόνιμοι· μυστήριον ἐνταῦθα, τὸ ἀγνοούμενον καὶ ἀπόῤῥητον λέγων, καὶ πολὺ μὲν τὸ θαῦμα, πολὺ δὲ τὸ παράδοξον ἔχον· ὥσπερ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· Ἰδοὺ μυστήριον ὑμῖν λέγω, πάντες μὲν οὐ κοιμηθησόμεθα, πάντες δὲ ἀλλαγησόμεθα. Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ μυστήριον; Ὅτι πώρωσις τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ μέρους γέγονεν. Ἐνταῦθα πάλιν πλήττει τὸν Ἰουδαῖον, δοκῶν καταστέλλειν τὸν ἐξ ἐθνῶν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ὅπερ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν ἔλεγεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐξ ὁλοκλήρου ἡ ἀπιστία, ἀλλὰ ἐκ μέρους, ὥσπερ ὅταν λέγῃ· Εἰ δέ τις λελύπηκεν, οὐκ ἐμὲ λελύπηκεν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ μέρους, ἵνα μὴ ἐπιβαρῶ πάντας ὑμᾶς· καὶ, Ἐὰν ὑμῶν πρῶτον ἀπὸ μέρους ἐμπλησθῶ. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθά φησι τοῦτο, ὅπερ ἀνωτέρω ἔλεγεν· Οὐκ ἀπώσατο ὁ Θεὸς τὸν λαὸν αὑτοῦ, ὃν προέγνω; καὶ πάλιν, Τί οὖν; ἔπταισαν ἵνα πέσωσι; Μὴ γένοιτο. Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα λέγει· ὅτι οὐχ ὁλόκληρον ἀνασπᾶται τὸ ἔθνος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἤδη πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν, καὶ μέλλουσι πάλιν πιστεύειν. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ μέγα ἐπηγγείλατο, φέρει μάρτυρα τὸν προφήτην οὕτω λέγοντα. Ὅτι μὲν γὰρ πώρωσις γέγονεν, οὐ παράγει μαρτυρίαν· καὶ γὰρ δῆλον ἅπασιν ἦν· ὅτι δὲ πιστεύσουσι καὶ σωθήσονται, τὸν Ἡσαΐαν πάλιν εἰσάγει βοῶντα, καὶ λέγοντα· Ἥξει ἐκ Σιὼν ὁ ῥυόμενος, καὶ ἀποστρέψει ἀσεβείας ἀπὸ Ἰακώβ. Εἶτα τὸ