Lectio 1
Lecture 1
Dilectio Pauli pro Judaeis
Paul’s love of the Jews
9:1 Veritatem dico in Christo, non mentior: testimonium mihi perhibente conscientia mea in Spiritu Sancto: [n. 735]
9:1 I speak the truth in Christ: I am not lying, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit: [n. 735]
9:2 quoniam tristitia mihi magna est, et continuus dolor cordi meo. [n. 737]
9:2 That I have great sadness and continual sorrow in my heart. [n. 737]
9:3 Optabam enim ego ipse anathema esse a Christo pro fratribus meis, qui sunt cognati mei secundum carnem, [n. 739]
9:3 For I wished myself to be an anathema from Christ, for my brethren, who are my kinsmen according to the flesh, [n. 739]
9:4 qui sunt Israëlitae, quorum adoptio est filiorum, et gloria, et testamentum, et legislatio, et obsequium, et promissa: [n. 742]
9:4 Who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption of sons and the glory and the testament and the giving of the law and the service of God and the promises, [n. 742]
9:5 quorum patres, et ex quibus est Christus secundum carnem, qui est super omnia Deus benedictus in saecula. Amen. [n. 745]
9:5 To them belong the patriarchs, and of their race is Christ, according to the flesh, who is over all things, God blessed forever. Amen. [n. 745]
735. Apostolus supra necessitatem et virtutem gratiae demonstravit, hic incipit agere de origine gratiae, utrum ex sola Dei electione detur aut detur ex meritis praecedentium operum, occasione accepta ex eo quod Iudaei, qui videbantur divinis obsequiis mancipati, exciderant a gratia, gentiles autem ad eam erant admissi, qui prius fuerant a Deo alieni.
735. Having shown the need and power of grace, the Apostle begins to discuss the origin of grace and ask whether it is conferred solely by God’s choice or from the merits of previous works. He raises this question because the Jews, seemingly called to God’s special protection, had fallen from grace; whereas the gentiles, previously alienated from God, had been admitted to it.
Primo igitur agit de electione gentium;
First, therefore, he discusses the election of the gentiles;
secundo de casu Iudaeorum cap. X fratres voluntas quidem cordis mei, et cetera.
second, the fall of the Jews, at brethren, the will of my heart (Rom 10:1).
Circa primum duo facit.
In regard to the first he does two things.
Primo commemorat dignitatem Iudaeorum;
First, he recounts the greatness of the Jews;
secundo ostendit quomodo gentiles ad illam dignitatem sunt assumpti, ibi non autem quod exciderit.
second, he shows how the gentiles have been drawn into that greatness, at not as though the word of God has failed (Rom 9:6).
Circa primum duo facit.
In regard to the first, he does two things.
Primo Apostolus ostendit affectum suum ad gentem Iudaeorum, ne ea quae contra eos dixit vel dicturus est, ex odio dicere videatur;
First, the Apostle shows his affection for the Jewish people, lest anything he had said or was about to say against them should seem to proceed from hatred;
secundo eorum dignitatem ostendit, ibi qui sunt Israelitae, et cetera.
second, he shows their dignity, at who are Israelites.
Circa primum duo facit.
Concerning the first he does two things.
Primo confirmat ea quae dicturus est;
First, he confirms what he was about to say;
secundo demonstrat suum affectum, ibi quoniam mihi tristitia.
second, he demonstrates his affection, at that I have great sadness.
736. Circa primum duo facit.
736. Concerning the first he does two things.
Primo confirmat dicenda per simplicem assertionem, dicens veritatem dico, quod maxime convenit praedicatori, qui est testis veritatis. Prov. VIII, 7: veritatem meditabitur guttur meum. Zach. VIII, 19: pacem et veritatem diligite.
First, he confirms what he is about to say with a simple assertion, I speak the truth, which especially befits the preacher who is a witness to the truth: my mouth will utter truth (Prov 8:7); love truth and peace (Zech 8:19).
Et quia quandoque aliquis veritati quam loquitur aliquod mendacium interserit, ad hoc excludendum subdit non mentior. Eph. c. IV, 25: deponentes mendacium loquimini veritatem.
And because a person sometimes mixes falsehood with the truth, he excludes this when he adds, I am not lying: putting away falsehood, let everyone speak the truth to his neighbor (Eph 4:25).
Secundo confirmat quae dicenda sunt per iuramentum, quod est quaedam confirmatio per testimonium infallibilis veritatis. Tales autem sunt testes sanctorum. Primo quidem Deus, secundum Iob XVI, 20: ecce in caelo testis meus. Et ideo dicit in Christo Iesu, id est, per Christum Iesum, qui est veritas absque mendacio. II Cor. I, 19: Dei enim Filius qui praedicatus est in vobis, non fuit in illo est, et non. Secundo testis infallibilis sanctorum est eorum conscientia, unde subdit testimonium perhibente mihi conscientia mea. II Cor. I, 12: gloria nostra haec est, testimonium conscientiae nostrae. Et quia interdum conscientia errat, nisi per Spiritum Sanctum rectificetur, subdit in Spiritu Sancto. Supra VIII, 16: ipse Spiritus testimonium reddit spiritui nostro.
Second, he confirms what he is about to say with an oath, which is a confirmation supported by the testimony of infallible truth. Such are the witnesses of the saints. First, God himself, as it says in Job: my witness is in heaven (Job 16:19). Hence Paul says, in Christ, i.e., through Jesus Christ who is the truth without falsehood: the Son of God whom we preached among you was not yes and no (2 Cor 1:19). Second, the infallible witness of the saints is their conscience; hence he adds: my conscience bearing me witness: our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience (2 Cor 1:12). But because one’s conscience is sometimes erroneous unless it is corrected by the Holy Spirit, he adds: in the Holy Spirit: the Spirit himself gives testimony to our spirit (Rom 8:16).
737. Deinde cum dicit quoniam tristitia, etc., ostendit suum affectum ad Iudaeos per dolorem, quem de eorum casu patiebatur, quem quidem
737. Then he shows his affection for the Jews by the pain he suffered from their fall, when he says, that I have great sadness.
primo exponit;
First, he describes this pain;
secundo eius signum ponit cum dicit optabam, et cetera.
second, he mentions a sign of it, when he says, for I wished myself.
738. Exaggerat autem suum dolorem tripliciter.
738. He emphasizes how much pain he has suffered in three ways.
Primo quidem ex eius magnitudine: quoniam mihi tristitia est magna, quia scilicet est de magno malo, id est de excidio tantae gentis. Thr. II, 13: magna est velut mare contritio tua.
First by its magnitude: that I have great sadness, because it concerns a great evil, namely, the exclusion of such a great people: vast as the sea is your ruin (Lam 2:13).
Sed contra hoc videtur esse quod dicitur Eccli. XXX, 22: tristitiam non des animae tuae, quod videtur sententiae Stoicorum consonare, qui tristitiam omnino ab animo sapientis propellebant. Cum enim tristitia sit de malo praesenti, non potest sapienti competere, cui nullum malum est praesens. Non enim aestimabant aliquid esse bonum nisi honestum, et malum nisi peccatum.
But this seems to conflict with Sirach where it says, give not up your soul to sadness (Sir 30:22), which seems to agree with the opinion of the Stoics, who admitted no sadness at all in the soul of a wise man. For since sadness is a reaction to a present evil, it cannot exist in a wise man to whom no evil is present. For they supposed that virtue was the only good and sin the only evil.
Sed haec opinio refellitur dupliciter. Primo quidem quia corporales defectus licet non sint simpliciter mala, quibus scilicet homines fiant mali, sunt tamen quaedam mala, quae natura abhorret. Unde et Dominus pro his tristatus legitur Matth. XXVI, 38: tristis est anima mea usque ad mortem.
But this opinion is refuted in two ways. First, because bodily defects, although they are not such evils as make men evil, are nevertheless among the evils which nature abhors. Hence, even the Lord is described as saddened by them: my soul is sorrowful, even to death (Matt 26:38).
Secundo cum ex caritate homo debet suum diligere proximum sicut seipsum, imminet sapienti tristitia laudabilis de peccato proximi, sicut de peccato sui ipsius; unde Apostolus dicit I Cor. XII, 21: et lugeam multos ex eis qui peccaverunt.
Second, since charity requires that a person love his neighbor as himself, it is laudable for a wise man to grieve over a son of his neighbor as over his own. Hence the Apostle says: I fear that I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned (1Cor 12:2).
Sic igitur reprobatur saeculi tristitia quae mortem operatur, procedens ex amore saeculi: sed tristitia quae est secundum Deum, utpote ex divina caritate procedens, salutem operatur, ut dicitur II Cor. VII, 10. Et talis fuit ista tristitia.
Thus, worldly sadness, which works death, springing from love of the world, is rejected, but sadness which is godly and springs from divine love works salvation (2 Cor 7:10). Such was Paul’s sadness.
Secundo exaggerat eam ex continuitate; unde subdit et continuus dolor. Non quod continuo actu doleret, sed secundum habitum. Ier. IX, 1: ut plorem die ac nocte interfectos populi mei.
Second, he emphasizes his grief by its duration, when he says, and continual sorrow; not that he never ceased to grieve actually, but habitually: that I might weep day and night for the slain of my people (Jer 9:1).
Tertio exaggerat eam ex sui veritate, et dicit cordi meo; non enim erat superficialis, sed in corde radicata. Thr. I, 22: multi gemitus mei et cor meum moerens.
Third, he emphasizes how real it was when he says, in my heart; for it was not superficial but rooted in the heart: my eyes are spent in weeping and my heart is poured out in grief (Lam 2:11).
739. Deinde cum dicit optabam enim, etc., ponit signum doloris dicens: optabam enim ego ipse, qui tam fervens sum in caritate Christi, ut supra ostensum est, anathema esse a Christo pro fratribus meis.
739. Then he presents the sign of his sadness, saying, for I, who am so fervent in the love of Christ, as was shown above, wished myself to be an anathema from Christ, for my brethren.
Ubi, primo, sciendum est quod anathema est Graecum et componitur ab ana quod est sursum, et thesis quod est positio, ut dicatur anathema quasi sursum positum: quia scilicet cum capiebatur aliquid in praeda quod nolebant esse in usu hominum, suspendebant illud in templo. Et inolevit usque adhuc ut ea quae sunt separata ab hominum communi usu, anathemata vocarentur; unde Ios. VI, v. 17 dicitur: sit civitas haec anathema, et omnia quae in ea sunt, Domino.
Here it should be noted that anathema is a Greek word formed by combining ana which means ‘above’ and thesis which means ‘placing,’ so that something placed above is said to be anathema. For when they found among the spoils of war something they did not wish men to use, they hung it in the temple. From this, the custom arose that things cut off from the common use of men were said to be anathema; hence, it says in Joshua: let this city be anathema, and all things that are in it, to the Lord (Josh 6:17).