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Commentarii in epistulas Pauli

TO THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.

CHAPTER FIRST. "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, a called Apostle." There are three kinds of servitude; one is according to creation, as it says, for All things are your servants. Another is from faith, according to what is said: But having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. The third is from conduct, according to what is said: Moses my servant is dead. Since, therefore, in all these ways, the dignity of servitude was shown, he rightly places this at the beginning of the epistle as a matter of boasting. "Set apart for the Gospel of God." He shows how great his dignity is. If indeed he was set apart by God to minister His Gospel. And he calls it the Gospel of God, from the very beginning stirring up the hearer. "Which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures." Since they were accusing the doctrine of novelty, he shows that it is older than that of the Greeks, and prefigured in the prophets. "Concerning His Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh." 95.444 Not concerning a mere man, he says, is our discourse. For this reason he added "according to the flesh," hinting that there is also a birth of the same one according to the spirit; and he followed the order of the mystery. For first they saw him as a man on earth, and being proclaimed as born, and then they knew him as God, he says. "Who was declared Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord." The one born of David we proclaim, he says, that this incarnate one is also the Son of God; first, from the prophets, which is why he said, Which He promised beforehand through the prophets. Second, from the very manner of his birth, which he also showed by saying, of the seed of David according to the flesh; because he dissolved the law of nature by being born of a Virgin; third, from his miracles, for this is in power. Fourth, from the spirit which he gave to those who believe in him, through which he makes all holy. Therefore he said, Spirit of holiness; fifth, from his resurrection; for he first and alone raised himself. Who was declared: shown, revealed, confessed by the judgment and vote of all. "Through whom we have received." See the gratitude; he wishes nothing for himself, but all for the Master. "Grace and apostleship." We did not achieve for ourselves, he says, becoming apostles; for neither did we receive this dignity by toiling much; but we received grace, and the achievement was the work of Him who is from above. "For obedience to the faith." He did not say, "for the inquiry and construction of faith," but "for obedience." For when the Master declares, those who hear should not examine and be overly curious about what is said, but only receive it. "Among all nations." See how the preaching will be; if indeed long ago the law through Moses was preached to one nation; but the Gospel has spread to the ends of the inhabited world. "For His name's sake." Not that we might investigate his substance, he says, but that we might believe in the name. For this was the name that also performed the signs. For "in the name of Jesus Christ," he says, "rise up and walk." "Among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; to all who are in Rome, beloved of God." Through these things two good things can be seen, and the Apostle's soul freed 95.445 from flattery; if indeed writing to the Romans, who were then in power and had just received the rule of the inhabited world, he says nothing flattering; and that of immediately calling their

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Commentarii in epistulas Pauli

ΕΙΣ ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗΝ.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΠΡΩΤΟΝ. «Παῦλος δοῦλος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, κλητὸς Ἀπόστολος.» Τρεῖς εἰσὶ δουλείας τρόποι· εἷς μὲν ὁ κατὰ τὴν δημιουργίαν, καθ' ὅ φησιν, ὅτι Τὰ σύμπαντα δοῦλα σά. Ἕτερος δὲ ὁ ἀπὸ πίστεως, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· Ἐλευθερωθέντες δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐδουλώθητε τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ. Ὁ τρίτος ὁ ἀπὸ τῆς πολιτείας κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· Μωϋσῆς ὁ θεράπων μου ἐτετελεύτηκεν. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν κατὰ πάντας τοὺς τρόπους, τὸ τῆς δουλείας ἀξίωμα ἐδέδεικτο, εἰκότως ἐν καυχήματος τάξει προτάττει τοῦτο τῆς ἐπιστολῆς. «Ἀφωρισμένος εἰς Εὐαγγέλιον Θεοῦ.» ∆είκνυσιν ὅσον αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀξίωμα. Εἴ γε ἀφώριστο ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς τὸ διακονῆσαι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον αὐτοῦ. Εὐαγγέλιον δὲ Θεοῦ καλεῖ, ἀπὸ τῶν προοιμίων διεγείρων τὸν ἀκροατήν. «Ὁ προεπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν Γραφαῖς ἁγίαις.» Ἐπειδὴ καινοτομίαν ἐνεκάλουν τῷ δόγματι, δείκνυσιν αὐτὸ πρεσβύτερον Ἑλλήνων ὄν· καὶ ἐν τοῖς προφήταις προδιαγραφόμενον. «Περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ γενομένου ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αβὶδ κατὰ σάρκα.» 95.444 Οὐ περὶ ἀνθρώπου ψιλοῦ, φησὶν, ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν. ∆ιάτοι τοῦτο προσέθηκεν τὸ, κατὰ σάρκα, αἰνιττόμενος, ὅτι καὶ κατὰ πνεῦμα γένεσίς ἐστι τοῦ αὐτοῦ· τῇ τάξει δὲ τοῦ μυστηρίου ἠκολούθησεν. Πρῶτον γὰρ εἶδον αὐτὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπὶ γῆς· καὶ τὸν γεννώμενον ἀνακηρυττόμενον καὶ τότε ἔγνωσαν Θεὸν, φησίν. «Τοῦ ὁρισθέντος Υἱοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν δυνάμει κατὰ Πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης, ἐξ ἀναστάσεως ἐκ νεκρῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν.» Τὸν ἐκ ∆αβὶδ γεννώμενον ἀνακηρύττομεν, φησὶν, ὅτι καὶ Υἱὸς Θεοῦ ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ σαρκωθείς· πρῶτον, ἀπὸ τῶν προφητῶν δι' ὃ ἔλεγεν· Ὃ προεπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προφητῶν. ∆εύτερον, ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ τρόπου τῆς γεννήσεως, ὃ καὶ αὐτῷ ἔδειξεν εἰπών· ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αβὶδ κατὰ σάρκα· ὅτι τὸν τῆς φύσεως ἔλυσεν νόμον ἐκ Παρθένου τεχθείς· τρίτον, ἀπὸ τῶν θαυμάτων· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἐν δυνάμει. Τέταρτον, ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ὅπερ ἐδίδου τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς αὐτὸν, δι' οὗ πάντας ἁγίους ποίει. ∆ιὸ Πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης εἶπεν· πέμπτον, ἀπὸ τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ· πρῶτος γὰρ αὐτὸς καὶ μόνος ἑαυτὸν ἤγειρεν. Τοῦ ὁρισθέντος, δείχθεντος, ἀποφανθέντος, ὁμολογηθέντος ἀπὸ τῆς πάντων γνώμης καὶ ψήφου. «∆ι' οὗ ἐλάβομεν.» Ὅρα τὴν εὐγνωμοσύνην· οὐδὲν ἑαυτοῦ βούλεται, ἀλλὰ πάντα τοῦ ∆εσπότου. «Χάριν καὶ ἀποστολήν.» Οὐχ ἡμεῖς ἑαυτοῖς κατωρθώσαμεν, φησὶ, τὸ γενέσθαι ἀποστόλους· οὔτε γὰρ καμόντες πολλὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ταύτην ἐλάβομεν· ἀλλὰ χάριν ἐλάβομεν, καὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν δημιουργίας τὸ κατόρθωμα γέγονεν. «Εἰς ὑπακοὴν πίστεως.» Οὐκ εἶπεν, εἰς ζήτησιν καὶ κατασκευὴν πίστεως, ἀλλ' εἰς ὑπακοήν. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ ∆εσπότης ἀποφαίνηται, τοὺς ἀκούοντας οὐ περιεργάζεσθαι χρὴ τὰ λεγόμενα καὶ πολυπραγμονεῖν, ἀλλὰ δέχεσθαι μόνον. «Ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν.» Ὅρα πῶς ἔσται τὸ κήρυγμα· εἴ γε πάλαι μὲν ὁ διὰ Μωϋσέως νόμος, ἑνὶ ἐκηρύττετο ἔθνει· τὸ δὲ Εὐαγγέλιον εἰς πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης διαδέδοται. «Ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ.» Οὐχ ἵνα τὴν οὐσίαν περιεργασώμεθα, φησίν· ἀλλ' ἵνα εἰς τὸ ὄνομα πιστεύσωμεν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν τὸ ὄνομα, ὃ καὶ τὰ σημεῖα ἐποίει. Ἐν γὰρ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, φησὶν, ἔγειρε καὶ περιπάτει. «Ἐν οἷς ἐστε καὶ ὑμεῖς κλητοὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· πᾶσι τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἀγαπητοῖς Θεοῦ.» ∆ύο διὰ τούτων ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἀγαθὰ, καὶ κολακείας 95.445 ἀπηλλαγμένην τὴν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου ψυχήν· εἴ γε Ῥωμαίοις κρατοῦσι τότε, καὶ εὐθὺς τὴν ἀρχὴν δεξαμένοις τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐπιστέλλων, οὐδέν τι κολακικόν φησιν· καὶ τὸ εὐθέως καλεῖν αὐτῶν τὸν