In his obedientia locum habet quae voluntarie facere possumus. His autem quae sunt fidei voluntate consentimus, non ex rationis necessitate, cum sint supra rationem, nullus enim credit nisi volens, ut dicit Augustinus, et ideo circa fidem locum habet, infra VI, 17: obedistis ex corde in eam formam doctrinae in quam traditi estis. De hoc fructu dicitur Io. XV, 16: posui vos ut eatis, etc.
Obedience finds its scope in things we can do voluntarily; in matters of faith, since they are above reason, we consent voluntarily. For no one believes unless he wills to, as Augustine says. Consequently, in matters of faith, the following has a place: but have obeyed from the heart unto that form of doctrine into which you have been delivered (Rom 6:17). Concerning this aim it is said: I appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide (John 15:16).
63. Secundo, describitur ex amplitudine cum subditur in omnibus gentibus, quia non tantum in una gente Iudaeorum, sed ad instructionem omnium gentium sunt directi. Matth. ultimo: euntes docete omnes gentes.
63. Second, it is described from its extent when he says in all the nations, because they were directed to instruct not only the Jews but all nations: go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19).
Specialiter Paulus in omnes gentes apostolatum acceperat, ut ei competere possit quod dicitur Is. XLIX, 6: parum est ut sis mihi servus ad suscitandum tribus Iacob et faeces Israel convertendas; dedi te in lucem gentium. Tamen ab eius apostolatu exclusi non erant Iudaei, praesertim qui inter gentes habitabant; infra XI, 13 s.: quamdiu quidem ego sum gentium apostolus, ministerium meum honorificabo, si quomodo ad aemulandum provocem carnem meam et salvos faciam aliquos ex ipsis.
Paul in particular had received a mandate to all nations, so that the words of Isaiah apply to him: it is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will give you as a light to the nations (Isa 49:6). Yet the Jews were not excluded from his apostolate, especially those who lived among the gentiles: inasmuch as I am an apostle to the gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them (Rom 11:13–14).
64. Tertio, ex plenitudine potestatis, cum subdit pro nomine eius, scilicet vice et auctoritate ipsius.
64. Third, from the completeness of its power when he says for his name, i.e., in his place and with his authority.
Sicut enim Christus in nomine Patris venisse dicitur, Io. XX, 21, quasi plenam Patris potestatem habens, ita et apostoli in nomine Christi venisse dicuntur, quasi in persona Christi. II Cor. II, 10: nam et ego quod donavi, si quid donavi, propter vos in persona Christi.
For as Christ is said to have come in the Father’s name and had the Father’s full authority, so the apostles are said to have come in Christ’s name, as though in Christ’s person: what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the person of Christ (2 Cor 2:10).
Vel per hoc describitur ex fine, ut sit sensus: pro nomine eius dilatando, non pro aliquo terreno fructu sibi quaerendo. Act. IX, 15: vas electionis est mihi iste ut portet nomen meum, etc., unde ad hoc fideles hortabatur dicens: omnia in nomine Iesu Christi agite.
Or by these words it is described from its end, i.e., to broadcast his name without seeking any earthly reward for himself: he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name (Acts 9:15). Hence, he urged all believers to do the same: do everything in the name of Jesus Christ (Col 3:17).
65. Quarto ex potestate super illos quibus scribebat qui praedicto apostolatui erant subiecti unde subdit in quibus, id est inter quas gentes, nostro apostolatui subiectas, estis et vos, scilicet Romani, quamvis sublimes. Is. XXVI, 5 s.: civitatem sublimem humiliabit, conculcabit eam pes pauperis, scilicet Christi, gressus egenorum, id est apostolorum, specialiter Petri et Pauli, II Cor. X, 14: usque ad vos pervenimus in Evangelio Christi.
65. Fourth, as to his power over those to whom he was writing and who were subject to his apostleship. Hence he says among whom, i.e., I number among those subject to my apostolate even you Romans howsoever lofty: he lays it low, the lofty city, the foot of the poor, i.e., of Christ, tramples it, the steps of the needy, namely, of the apostles Peter and Paul (Isa 26:5ff.); we were the first to come all the way to you with the Gospel of Christ (2 Cor 10:14).
Subdit vocati Iesu Christi, secundum illud Os. I, 9: vocabo non populum meum; vel: vocati ut sitis Iesu Christi, infra VIII, 30: quos praedestinavit hos et vocavit; vel: vocati Iesu Christi, id est dicti a Iesu Christo, Christiani, Act. XI, 26: ita ut cognominarentur primum Antiochiae discipuli Christiani.
He adds the called of Jesus Christ, in accord with Hosea: I will call ‘not my people’ mine (Hos 1:9); or, you are called that you may be of Jesus Christ, as is said below: those whom he predestined he also called (Rom 8:30). Or, you are called of Jesus Christ, i.e., you are named from Christ, Christians: so that at Antioch the disciples were first named Christians (Acts 11:21).
66. Consequenter describuntur personae salutatae, et primo, ex loco cum dicit omnibus qui sunt Romae.
66. Then the persons greeted are described: first, from their place when he says to all who are in Rome.
Signanter autem omnibus scribit quia omnium salutem cupiebat; I Cor. VII, 7: volo omnes homines esse sicut meipsum; Act. XXIII, 11, dictum est ei: oportet te et Romae testificari.
To all, indeed, because he sought the salvation of all: I wish that all were as I myself am (1 Cor 7:7); also the Lord had said to him: you must bear witness also at Rome (Acts 23:11).
67. Secundo, describuntur personae salutatae ex gratiae dono, ibi dilectis Dei.
67. Second, they are described from their gift of grace, the beloved of God.
Circa quod primo ponitur gratiae origo, quod est Dei dilectio. Deut. XXXIII, 3: dilexit populos, omnes sancti in manu illius sunt. I Io. IV, 10: non quasi nos dilexerimus Deum, scilicet prius, sed quoniam ipse prior dilexit nos. Dei enim dilectio non provocatur ex bono creaturae, sicut dilectio humana, sed magis ipsum bonum creaturae causat, quia diligere est bonum velle dilecto: voluntas autem Dei est causa rerum, secundum illud Ps.: omnia quaecumque voluit fecit.
First, the primary source of grace is mentioned, namely, God’s love: he loved his people, all those consecrated to him were in his hand (Deut 33:3); not that we loved God first, but that he first loved us (1 John 4:10). For God’s love is not called forth by any goodness in a creature, as human love is; rather, he causes the creature’s goodness, because to love is to will goodness to the beloved. But God’s love is the cause of things: whatever the Lord desires, he makes (Ps 135:6).
68. Secundo, ponitur vocatio cum subdit vocatis.
68. Second, their calling when he adds called.
Quae quidem est duplex. Una exterior, secundum quam vocavit Petrum et Andream, Matth. IV, 18. Alia autem est vocatio interior, quae est secundum interiorem inspirationem, Prov. I, 24: vocavi et renuistis.
This call is twofold. One is outward, as when he called Peter and Andrew (Matt 4:18–19), while the other is inward, when it is according to an interior inspiration: I called and you refused to listen (Prov 1:24).
69. Tertio, ponit gratiam iustificationis cum dicit sanctis, id est per gratiam et sacramenta gratiae, sanctificatis. I Cor. VI, 11: sed abluti estis, sed sanctificati estis, ut sitis dilecti a Deo, vocati ad hoc quod sitis sancti.
69. Third, he mentions the grace of justification when he says to be saints, i.e., sanctified by grace and the sacrament of grace: but you were washed, you were sanctified, to be beloved by God, called to be saints (1 Cor 6:11).
70. Deinde ponuntur bona quae eis optat, quae sunt gratia et pax. Quorum unum, scilicet gratia, est primum inter Dei bona, quia per eam iustificatur impius, infra III, 24: iustificati gratis per gratiam ipsius. Aliud autem, scilicet pax, est ultimum quod in beatitudine perficitur. Ps.: qui posuit fines tuos pacem. Tunc enim erit perfecta pax, quando voluntas requiescet in plenitudine omnis boni, consequens immunitatem ab omni malo. Is. XXXII, 18: sedebit populus meus in pulchritudine pacis.
70. Then the blessings he wishes them are mentioned. These are grace and peace. One of these, namely grace, is the first among God’s gifts, because by it the sinner is made holy: they are justified by his grace as a gift (Rom 3:24). The other, namely peace, is his last gift, which is completed in happiness: he makes peace in your borders (Ps 147:14). For perfect peace will exist when the will is at rest in the fullness of all good, a state that results from being free of all evil: my people will abide in the beauty of peace (Isa 32:18).
Et sic per haec duo bona, alia media intelliguntur.
Consequently, in these two blessings all those between are understood.
71. Ostendit etiam consequenter unde sint huiusmodi bona expectanda, cum subdit a Deo Patre nostro. Iac. I, 17: omne datum optimum et omne donum perfectum desursum est, descendens a Patre luminum. Ps. LXXXIII, 12: gratiam et gloriam dabit Dominus.
71. Then he shows from whom these blessings are to be expected when he adds from God our Father: every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights (Jas 1:17). The Lord bestows grace and glory (Ps 84:11).
Addit autem et Domino Iesu Christo quia, ut dicitur Io. I, 17, gratia et veritas per Iesum Christum facta est. Ipse etiam dicit, Io. XIV, 27, pacem meam do vobis.
He adds and from the Lord Jesus Christ because, as it is said: grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). He himself says: my peace I give to you (John 14:27).
72. Quod autem dicit Deo Patre nostro, potest teneri essentialiter pro tota Trinitate, quae dicitur Pater, quia nomina importantia relationem ad creaturam, communia sunt toti Trinitati, sicut Creator et Dominus.
72. The phrase God our Father can be taken for the whole Trinity, which is called Father, because names implying a relationship to the creature are common to the whole Trinity, for example, Creator and Lord.
Addit autem et Domino Iesu Christo, non quod sit alia persona a tribus, sed propter humanam naturam, per cuius mysterium ad nos dona gratiarum perveniunt. II Petr. I, 4: per quem maxima et pretiosa nobis promissa donavit.
But he adds and from the Lord Jesus Christ not to imply that he is another person distinct from the three, but to stress the human nature by whose mystery the gifts of grace come to us: through whom he has granted to us his precious and very great promises (2 Pet 1:4).
Vel potest dici quod hoc quod dicit Deo Patre nostro, tenetur pro persona Patris, quae secundum proprietatem dicitur Pater Christi, sed secundum appropriationem Pater noster. Io. XX, 17: ascendo ad Patrem meum et Patrem vestrum.
Or it might be said that the phrase from God our Father stands for the person of the Father, who is called the Father of Christ by propriety, but our Father by appropriation: I am ascending to my Father and to your Father (John 20:17).
73. Tangitur autem persona Filii cum dicitur et Domino Iesu Christo. Persona autem Spiritus Sancti expresse non ponitur, quia intelligitur in donis eius, quae sunt gratia et pax; vel etiam quia intelligitur in duabus personis Patris et Filii, quarum est unio et nexus.
73. Then the person of the Son is meant when it is said, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. The person of the Holy Spirit is not expressly mentioned, because he is understood in his gifts, which are grace and peace, or even because he is understood whenever there is mention of the Father and of the Son, for he is their union and bond.
Lectio 5
Lecture 5
Oratio actionis gratiarum
Prayer of thanksgiving
1:8 Primum quidem gratias ago Deo meo per Jesum Christum pro omnibus vobis: quia fides vestra annuntiatur in universo mundo. [n. 74]
1:8 First, I give thanks to my God, through Jesus Christ, for you all: because your faith is proclaimed in the whole world. [n. 74]
1:9 Testis enim mihi est Deus, cui servio in spiritu meo in Evangelio Filii ejus, quod sine intermissione memoriam vestri facio [n. 78]
1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the Gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make a commemoration of you: [n. 78]
1:10 semper in orationibus meis: obsecrans, si quomodo tandem aliquando prosperum iter habeam in voluntate Dei veniendi ad vos. [n. 83]
1:10 Always in my prayers making request, if by any means now at length I may have a prosperous journey, by the will of God, to come unto you. [n. 83]
1:11 Desidero enim videre vos, ut aliquid impertiar vobis gratiae spiritualis ad confirmandos vos: [n. 87]
1:11 For I long to see you that I may impart unto you some spiritual grace, to strengthen you: [n. 87]
1:12 id est, simul consolari in vobis per eam quae invicem est, fidem vestram atque meam. [n. 88]
1:12 That is to say, that I may be comforted together in you by that which is common to us both, your faith and mine. [n. 88]
1:13 Nolo autem vos ignorare fratres: quia saepe proposui venire ad vos (et prohibitus sum usque adhuc) ut aliquem fructum habeam et in vobis, sicut et in ceteris gentibus. [n. 89]
1:13 And I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that I have often purposed to come unto you (and have been hindered hitherto) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other gentiles. [n. 89]
1:14 Graecis ac barbaris, sapientibus, et insipientibus debitor sum: [n. 92]
1:14 To the Greeks and to the barbarians, to the wise and to the unwise, I am a debtor. [n. 92]
1:15 ita (quod in me) promptum est et vobis, qui Romae estis, evangelizare. [n. 95]
1:15 So (as much as is in me) I am ready to preach the Gospel to you also who are at Rome. [n. 95]
1:16 Non enim erubesco Evangelium. Virtus enim Dei est in salutem omni credenti, Judaeo primum, et Graeco. [n. 96]
1:16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes: to the Jew first and to the Greek. [n. 96]
74. Praemissa salutatione, hic Apostolus epistolarem tractatum incipit, in quo:
74. After the greeting, the Apostle begins the message, wherein
primo ostendit affectum suum ad eos quibus scribebat ut reddat auditores benevolos,
first he shows his affection for his readers, in order to render them benevolent hearers;