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Fragments on the Epistle to the Romans

Ro+m 1,1 For all things are slaves of Christ and he is Lord of all. Therefore, first calling himself his slave, he thus also leads the rest to this. But he mentions only the lordship of the Son, as if it were unknown, but not that of the Father, which is confessed by all. And by saying "set apart," he showed that he was not only called but also chosen from many as useful for the preaching of the gospel. Ro+m 1,7 And for this reason he said: "to all," since with Christ all are equal. Then he said: "to God's beloved, to the called saints," he separates the unbelievers. Grace might be called the forgiveness of sins and the gift of adoption, and peace the deliverance from unseen enemies from whom Christ delivers us, and the body not being at odds with the reasonings of the soul, and the pious harmony with one another. Ro+m 1,8 Instead of before any proposed discourse, I thank God for all of you, whether poor or rich; for it shows to the Romans the equality in piety of believers everywhere. And he appears in other epistles also beginning with thanksgiving, teaching those to whom he writes the letter to begin every word and deed with thanksgiving to God, not only for their own affairs but also for those of others. But here he uses this preface most especially and appropriately; for it was necessary for the one attempting to hand down to them the doctrines of piety after the teaching of Peter, to show that he accepts the first things, and that he undertakes the teaching to them while finding no fault in those things. Nevertheless, what has been said also contains no small praise of the Romans; for it is for this very reason that he continuously in 114 his epistles uses this preface, so that by praises he might prepare them to be more eager for the reading of what is written; which he also accomplished in the case of the Romans, the facts themselves working with him to this end. But here too one must pay attention to "through Jesus Christ," how he uses it not for ministry, as it does not seem to the heretics, but for cause; for the apostle was certainly not going to use Christ as a minister of thanksgiving to God, but he says that I thank God for you, Christ having provided us the cause of this thanksgiving. Ro+m 1,9 Therefore he said well "in my spirit," contrasting it with the bodily worship of the Jews, which consists in circumcision and Sabbath-keeping and such sacrifices; for in all respects it is neither spiritual nor true. But some have understood "in my spirit" more simply, instead of "with the mind and with eagerness." Ro+m 1,10 Well [he says] "if somehow now at length," as one intensely desiring to attain his arrival to them and not even bearing the delay of the time that has passed. Ro+m 1,11 Therefore, through desiring to see them, he showed the genuineness of his disposition, and through his haste to impart, that he was imparting to them a divine gift, not his own but one which he himself also received. Now spiritual gifts are the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, workings of powers; for these make one more steadfast in the faith. Ro+m 1,13 Meanwhile, from the present circumstances, he sufficiently shows also his own disposition, that having wished to come many times he was hindered; and at the same time he also puts them in fear, lest perhaps he was hindered because of their own unworthiness. 115 But it is asked how he reciprocated "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you"; for he did not say "And second." I think, therefore, that here the reciprocation has occurred in "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren," and the following. Ro+m 1,15 "So I am eager." He showed the reason and then confessed why he was eager to see them; for he says, "So I am eager," instead of "for these reasons and in this manner." Ro+m 1,18 Since, therefore,

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Fragmenta in epistulam ad Romanos

Ro+m 1,1 Χριστοῦ γὰρ πάντα δοῦλα καὶ δεσπότης ἁπάντων αὐτός. διὸ πρῶτον ὀνομάσας ἑαυτὸν δοῦλον αὐτοῦ, οὕτω καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἄγει εἰς τοῦτο. μόνης δὲ τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ μέμνηται δεσπότητος, ὡς ἀγνοούμενος οὐ μὴν καὶ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς ἥτις παρὰ πᾶσιν ὡμολόγηται. Εἰπὼν δὲ ἀφωρισμένος, ἔδειξεν ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἐκλήθη ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξελέγη ἐκ πολλῶν ὡς χρήσιμος πρὸς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου κήρυγμα. Ro+m 1,7 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὲ εἶπεν· πᾶσιν, ἐπειδὴ παρὰ Χριστῷ πάντες ἴσοι. εἶτα εἶπεν· ἀγαπητοῖς θεοῦ, κλητοῖς ἁγίοις, ἀπομερίζει τοὺς ἀπίστους. Κληθείη δ' ἂν χάρις ἡ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων συγχώρησις καὶ ἡ τῆς υἱοθεσίας δωρεά, εἰρήνη δὲ ἡ τῶν ἀοράτων πολεμίων ἀπαλλαγὴ ὧν ἡμᾶς ἀπαλλάσσει Χριστός, καὶ τὸ μὴ στασιάζειν τὸ σῶμα πρὸς τοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς λογισμοὺς καὶ ἡ πρὸς ἀλλήλους εὐσεβὴς συμφωνία. Ro+m 1,8 Ἀντὶ τοῦ πρὸ παντὸς τοῦ προκειμένου λόγου τῷ θεῷ εὐχαριστῶ ὑπὲρ πάντων ὑμῶν εἴτε πενήτων εἴτε πλουσίων· τὸ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἶσον τῶν πιστευόντων πανταχοῦ δείκνυσι τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις. Φαίνεται δὲ καὶ ἐν ἑτέραις τῶν ἐπιστολῶν ἀπ' εὐχαριστίας ἀρχόμενος, ἐκείνους πρὸς οὓς ποιεῖται τὸ γράμμα διδάσκων παντὸς λόγου καὶ πράγματος ἀπ' εὐχαριστίας ἀπάρχεσθαι τῷ θεῷ, οὐ μόνον ὑπὲρ οἰκείων ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀλλοτρίων. ἐνταῦθα δὲ μάλιστα κυριώτατα χρῆται τούτῳ τῷ προοιμίῳ· ἔδει γὰρ τὸν μετὰ τὴν Πέτρου διδασκαλίαν τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας δόγματα παραδιδόναι αὐτοῖς ἐπιχειροῦντα, δεικνύναι ὡς ἀποδέχεται τὰ πρῶτα, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐκείνοις ἐπιμεμφόμενος τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ποιεῖται διδασκαλίαν. ἔχει δὲ ὅμως καὶ Ῥωμαίων ἔπαινον τὸ εἰρημένον οὐ τὸν τυχόντα· καὶ αὐτοῦ γὰρ τούτου ἕνεκεν συνεχῶς ἐν 114 ταῖς αὐτοῦ ἐπιστολαῖς τούτῳ κέχρηται τῷ προοιμίῳ, ὥστε ταῖς εὐφημίαις προθυμοτέρους αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὴν τῶν γραφομένων παρασκευάζειν ἀνάγνωσιν· ὅπερ καὶ ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίων εἰργάσατο, τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῷ συνεργούντων εἰς τοῦτο. Προσεκτέον δὲ κἀνταῦθα τὰ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅπως οὐκ ἐπὶ διακονίας κέχρηται, ὥσπερ οὐ δοκεῖ τοῖς αἱρετικοῖς, ἀλλ' ἐπ' αἰτίας· οὐ γὰρ δὴ διακόνῳ τῷ Χριστῷ κεχρῆσθαι ὁ ἀπόστολος ἔμελλε τῆς εἰς τὸν θεὸν εὐχαριστίας, λέγει δὲ ὅτι τῷ θεῷ εὐχαριστῶ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, τοῦ Χριστοῦ ταύτης ἡμῖν τῆς εὐχαριστίας τὴν αἰτίαν παρασχομένου. Ro+m 1,9 ∆ιὸ καλῶς εἶπεν τῷ πνεύματί μου, ἀντιδιαστέλλων πρὸς τὴν σωματικὴν Ἰουδαίων λατρείαν τὴν οὖσαν ἐν περιτομῇ καὶ σαββατισμῷ καὶ ταῖς τοιαύταις θυσίαις· κατὰ πάντα γὰρ οὐ πνευματικὴ οὐδ' ἀληθής. τινὲς δὲ ἁπλούστερον ἐδέξαντο τὸ ἐν τῷ πνεύματί μου ἀντὶ τοῦ τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ τῇ προθυμίᾳ. Ro+m 1,10 Καλῶς τὸ εἴ πως ἤδη ποτέ, ὡς ἂν σφόδρα ποθῶν τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀφίξεως τυχεῖν καὶ οὐδὲ φέρων τοῦ παρεληλυθότος χρόνου τὴν ὑπέρθεσιν. Ro+m 1,11 Ἔδειξε τοίνυν διὰ τοῦ ἐπιθυμεῖν ἰδεῖν αὐτοὺς τὸ τῆς διαθέσεως γνήσιον, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἐπείγεσθαι μεταδοῦναι, ὅτι αὐτοῖς χάρισμα θεῖον οὐκ ἴδιον ἀλλ' οὗ ἔτυχε καὶ αὐτὸς μεταδιδούς. πνευματικὰ δὲ χαρίσματά εἰσι λόγος σοφίας, λόγος γνώσεως, πίστις, χαρίσματα ἰαμάτων, ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων· ταῦτα γὰρ βεβαιοτέρους ἐν τῇ πίστει καθίστησιν. Ro+m 1,13 Τέως δὲ ἐκ τῶν παρόντων ἱκανῶς καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ διάθεσιν δείκνυσιν, ὅτι θελήσας ἐλθεῖν πολλάκις ἐκωλύθη· ἅμα δὲ καὶ εἰς φόβον αὐτοὺς καθίστησι, μή ποτε διὰ τὸ αὑτῶν ἀνάξιον ἐκωλύθη. 115 Ζητεῖται δὲ πῶς ἀνταπέδωκεν πρῶτον μὲν εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ μου διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ περὶ πάντων ὑμῶν· οὐ γὰρ εἶπε δεύτερον δέ. ἡγοῦμαι τοίνυν ὅτι ἐνταῦθα ἡ ἀνταπόδοσις γέγονεν εἰς τὸ οὐ θέλω δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί , καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ro+m 1,15 Οὕτω τὸ κατ' ἐμὲ πρόθυμον. ἔδειξε τὴν αἰτίαν καὶ ὡμολόγησε λοιπὸν δι' ἣν ἔσπευδεν αὐτοὺς θεάσασθαι· φησὶ γάρ· οὕτω τὸ κατ' ἐμὲ πρόθυμον, ἀντὶ τοῦ διὰ ταῦτα καὶ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον. Ro+m 1,18 Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν