Thomas Aquinas Commentary Romans 11

1. After showing that the fall of the Jews is deplorable, though not entirely excusable, the Apostle now shows that it is not universal.

He proceeds in three steps:

1. He raises a question.
2. He answers it with the words God forbid.
3. He draws a conclusion, beginning with what then.

2. First, therefore, he asks: I say then, has God cast away His people?—that is, the Jews, whom He calls unbelieving and contrary. Even the Psalmist asks, O God, why do you cast us off forever? (Psalms 74:1); and it is written, the Lord has scorned his altar (Lamentations 2:7).

3. Then, with the words God forbid, he answers the question and shows that God has not totally rejected the Jewish people. He means, God forbid that the Jewish people be rejected in their entirety. He proves this, first of all, with respect to himself, saying, For I also am an Israelite—one who is living in the faith of Christ. He is an Israelite by race, as he says elsewhere: Are they Israelites? So am I (2 Corinthians 11:22).

Because there were some proselytes among the people of Israel who were not descended physically from the patriarchs, Paul clarifies that this is not the case for him, adding, of the seed of Abraham. He confirms this elsewhere: Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I (2 Corinthians 11:23).

Furthermore, among the Jewish people, the tribes were distinguished according to the sons of Jacob, some of whom were sons of handmaids and some of wives. Joseph and Benjamin were sons of Rachel, Jacob’s most beloved wife. Paul thus shows his high standing among the Jewish people by saying, of the tribe of Benjamin, which he also states in another letter: of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin (Philippians 3:5). For this reason, some apply to Paul the prophecy from Genesis: Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning devouring the prey, and at evening dividing the spoil (Genesis 49:27).

4. Second, when he says, God has not cast away His people, he shows that His people have not been rejected by God, with respect to the many who are chosen.

1. He states his proposition.
2. He recalls a similar situation, introduced by do you not know.
3. He applies it to the present, beginning with even so then, at this present time.

5. First, therefore, he says that not only has he not been rejected, but God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew—that is, the predestined. As he wrote earlier, For whom He foreknew, He also predestined (Romans 8:29). The Apostle applies the verse, For the Lord will not reject His people (Psalms 94:14), to the predestined.

6. Then, with the words do you not know, he recalls a similar situation that occurred in the time of Elijah, when all the people seemed to have turned from the worship of the one God.

1. He presents Elijah’s plea.
2. He gives the Lord’s reply, introduced by but what does the divine answer say.

7. First, therefore, he says, Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah? This refers to the account in 1 Kings (1 Kings 19:10). The phrase of Elijah can also mean "in the book written about Elijah."

The entire book of Kings was written mainly to publicize the sayings and deeds of the prophets, which is why Jerome counts it among the prophetic books. The passage continues, showing how he—namely, Elijah himself—calls on God against Israel.

8. The words of Samuel seem to contradict this when he says, Far from me be this sin against the Lord, that I should cease to pray for you (1 Samuel 12:23). It would seem, then, that one should much less intervene against the people.

But it should be noted that prophets intervene against the people in three ways:

1. By conforming their wills to the divine will revealed to them, as it says in a psalm: The just will rejoice when he sees the vengeance (Psalms 58:10).
2. By intervening against the kingdom of sin, so that people’s sins might be destroyed, but not the people themselves.
3. By having their intervention or prayer be understood as a denunciation, as in Jeremiah: Let them that persecute me be confounded (Jeremiah 17:18), which is to say, "They will be confounded."

9. In this intervention, Elijah alleges two things against them.

First, he points to the impiety they committed against the worship of God. This was done by persecuting His ministers, to which he refers when he says, Lord, they have slain Your prophets. This is confirmed elsewhere: Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord? (1 Kings 18:13); and, Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? (Acts 7:52).

They also committed impiety against God’s holy places, as it says, They set the sanctuary on fire (Psalms 74:7). In regard to this, Elijah says, They have dug down Your altars.

10. Here it should be noted what the Lord commanded: You shall seek the place which the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put His name and make His habitation there; there you shall go, and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices (Deuteronomy 12:5).

However, before the temple was built, the people were allowed to build altars for divine worship in various places. Because this became illegal after the temple was built, the pious King Hezekiah destroyed all such altars. This is what is referenced in 2 Kings: Is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’? (2 Kings 18:22).

Therefore, what Hezekiah did in a spirit of piety, Ahab and Jezebel did in a spirit of impiety, desiring to root out the worship of God entirely.

11. Third, Elijah alleges the impiety they intended to commit, saying, And I am left alone—that is, alone in worshipping the one God, because the rest did not clearly show that they were God’s worshipers. For it says of him, And Elijah the prophet stood up, as a fire, and his word burnt like a torch . He continues, And they seek my life, meaning they sought to kill him. For Jezebel had sent word to Elijah, saying, So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them (1 Kings 19:2), referring to the prophets of Baal whom Elijah had killed.

12. Then, beginning with but what does, he gives the divine reply: But what does the divine answer say to him?—that is, to Elijah. The answer is this: I have left for Myself—meaning, for My worship, by not permitting them to fall into sin—seven thousand men (this definite number is used for an indefinite one, because seven and thousand are perfect numbers) who have not bowed their knees to Baal. This means they have not abandoned the worship of God, as it is written: all who call on my name, whom I created for my glory (Isaiah 43:17).

13. Then, with the words even so then, he applies all this to the present situation.

First, he presents the application, saying, Even so then, at this present time also, when a multitude of people seems to have gone astray, there is a remnant saved according to the election of grace. This means it is according to the free choice of God, as Jesus said: You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you (John 15:16).

Second, he draws a conclusion from this: And if by grace they have been saved, it is no longer by works. As he says elsewhere, He saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of His own mercy (Titus 3:5).

Third, he shows that this conclusion follows from the premises when he says, Otherwise—that is, if grace were based on works—grace is no longer grace. It is called grace precisely because it is freely given, as in the phrase, being justified freely by His grace (Romans 3:24).

14. Then, with the words what then, he draws his intended conclusion.

First, he states it: What follows from what has been said? This: Israel has not obtained that which it sought—namely, righteousness—as far as the greater part of its people was concerned. This is how one must interpret what was said before: But Israel, by following after the law of righteousness, has not come to the law of righteousness (Romans 9:31). And as Jesus said, You shall seek Me, and shall not find Me (John 7:34).

Nevertheless, the election—that is, the elect among the Jews—has obtained it, as it is written: He chose us in Him, that we should be holy (Ephesians 1:4). But the rest—the remainder of the people—have been blinded because of their malice: Their own malice blinded them .

15. Then, with the words as it is written, he clarifies the first part of the conclusion:

1. First, using the authority of Isaiah.
2. Second, using the authority of David, introduced by and David says.

16. Regarding the first point, it should be noted that the Apostle bases his argument on two passages from Isaiah. For it says in Isaiah, The Lord has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep (Isaiah 29:10). In reference to this, Paul says, God has given them the spirit of compunction, which relates to a perversity of emotion.

For "compunction" implies a piercing of the heart, or sorrow. There is a good compunction, by which one grieves over one's own sins, as it says in a psalm: You have made us drunk with the wine of compunction (Psalms 60:3). There is also an evil compunction—the compunction of envy—by which one grieves over the good fortune of another.

Therefore, God gave them this spirit of compunction, or envy, not by instilling malice but by withdrawing grace, as was said before: I will provoke you to jealousy by that which is not a nation (Romans 10:19).

17. Likewise, it says in Isaiah, Make the heart of this people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears (Isaiah 6:10). In regard to this, Paul points to their weakened power of knowing when he adds, eyes that they should not see the miracles Christ performed in their presence, and ears that they should not hear the teachings of Christ and the apostles fruitfully. This is similar to another passage: You that see many things, will you not observe them? You that have ears open, will you not hear? (Isaiah 42:20).

To this, the Apostle adds on his own, until this present day, because they will see and hear at the end of the world, when the hearts of the children will be converted to their fathers, as it says in Malachi 4:5.

18. Then, with the words and David says, he presents the authority of David on the same point.

First, he touches on the things that occasioned the fall of the Jews, quoting David. He says, Let their table... This "table" can be interpreted as the malice with which sinners are nourished, as in Job: Though wickedness is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue (Job 20:12). This table is "before them" when they sin with malice aforethought.

This table then becomes a snare, which is a temptation to sin (he who comes out of the pit shall be caught in the snare, Isaiah 24:18); and a trap, when they succumb to the pleasure of that temptation (they shall be trapped and taken, Isaiah 8:15); and a stumbling block, when they fall from one sin into another (unlike those who have much peace... and it is not a stumbling block to them, Psalms 119:165); and a retribution to them, when they are finally punished for their sins. This retribution can also be understood as the very act of God permitting them to fall: Render to the proud their deserts (Psalms 94:2).

Alternatively, the table is the Sacred Scripture placed before the Jews, as in Proverbs: She has set forth her table (Proverbs 9:2). In this case, Scripture becomes a snare when something ambiguous is encountered; a trap when it is not correctly understood; a stumbling block when it leads to obstinate error; and a retribution, as explained above.

19. Second, he mentions the weakening of their power to understand when he says, Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see. This should be understood more as a prediction than a desire, as in the phrase, having their understanding darkened (Ephesians 4:18). He then mentions the effect: and their backs bow down always. "Their backs" can be interpreted as their free choice, which carries them toward good or evil. To "bow down always" means to be bent away from eternal things toward temporal things, and from the path of righteousness to iniquity, as it is written: Bow down, that we may pass over (Isaiah 51:23).

1. After showing that the fall of the Jews is not universal, the Apostle now begins to show that their fall was neither useless nor irreparable.

   In regard to this, he does two things:

   • First, he shows that the fall of the Jews is useful and reparable.
   • Second, he disputes the Gentiles’ boasting against the Jews, beginning at Romans 11:17 with the words, and if some of the branches were broken off.

   Concerning the first point, he does two things:

   • First, he asks a question.
   • Second, he answers it, beginning with, By no means!

2. First, therefore, he says: it has been stated and proven that, except for the chosen, the rest of the Jews have been blinded. So the question arises: have they stumbled so that they should fall?

   This can be interpreted in two ways. The first way is this: has God permitted them to stumble only so that they would fall—that is, not for any benefit that might follow, but merely because He willed their fall? This, of course, would be contrary to God’s goodness. As Augustine says, God's goodness is so great that He would not permit any evil to occur except for some good that He draws out of the evil. Hence it says in Job: he shall break in pieces many and innumerable, and shall make others to stand in their stead (Job 34:24); and in Revelation: hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown (Revelation 3:11). This is because God permits some to fall in order that their fall may be the occasion of salvation for others.

   Another interpretation is this: have they stumbled so that they should fall—that is, so that they should remain fallen forever? As the Psalm asks, Will he not rise again from where he lies? (Psalms 41:8).

3. Then, when he says, By no means!, he answers the question.

   • First, according to the first interpretation, he shows that the fall of the Jews was useful.
   • Second, he resolves the question according to the second interpretation, showing that the Jews’ situation is reparable, beginning with the words, now if their offense.

4. First, therefore, he says: By no means! They did not fall to no purpose. But rather, by their offense, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Hence the Lord Himself says, salvation is from the Jews (John 4:22).

   This can be understood in three ways.

   1. First, that by their offense, which they committed in killing Christ, the salvation of the Gentiles was obtained through the redemption of Christ’s blood: you know that you were ransomed not with perishable things, such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of the Lamb (1 Peter 1:18).

   2. Second, it can be understood of the trespass by which they rejected the teaching of the apostles, with the result that the apostles preached to the Gentiles, as it says in Acts: it was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it from you, we turn to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46).

   3. Third, it can be understood as meaning that on account of their impenitence they have been scattered among all the nations. As a result, Christ and the Church had, from the books of the Jews, testimony to the Christian faith that was helpful in converting the Gentiles. The Gentiles might have suspected that the prophecies concerning Christ, which the preachers of the faith brought forward, were fabricated if they had not been proven by the testimony of the Jews. Hence it says in a psalm: let me look in triumph on my enemies, that is, the Jews; slay them not, lest my people forget, make them totter by your power (Psalms 59:10).

5. There follows: so that they may be emulous of them.

   Because he does not specify who is emulous of whom, and since there are two kinds of emulation—namely, that of indignation and that of imitation—this phrase can be explained in four ways.

   1. The first way is this: that the Gentiles may be emulous of the Jews, meaning that they imitate them in the worship of the one God. As Paul says, you were at one time without Christ, alien to the way of life of Israel, and later he adds, but now you, who were once far off, have been drawn near in the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:12). And elsewhere, you have become imitators of the churches of God (1 Thessalonians 2:14), which are in Judea.

   2. Or it can be interpreted this way: the Gentiles are emulous of the Jews, meaning they are indignant against them on account of their unbelief: I beheld the transgressors and I pined away, because they do not keep your words (Psalms 118:158).

   3. Third, it can be understood in this way: the Jews are emulous, meaning they imitate the Gentiles. When Gentiles everywhere are converted to the faith, some Jews, and eventually all of Israel, will be saved by imitating their faith when the fullness of the Gentiles has entered. Thus will be fulfilled what is said in Deuteronomy: he will be the head and you will be the tail (Deuteronomy 28:44).

   4. Fourth, it can be interpreted this way: the Jews are emulous of the Gentiles, meaning they are disturbed by envy toward them when they see their glory passing over to them: I will provoke you by that which is not a people (Deuteronomy 22:21).

6. Then when he says, now if their offense, he answers the question as interpreted in the second way and shows that the fall of the Jews is reparable. He does this in three ways:

   • First, from its usefulness.
   • Second, from the Apostle’s intention, at for I say to you.
   • Third, from the condition of that people, at for if the firstfruit be holy.

7. In regard to the first, he presents the following reason: a good is more powerful than an evil in producing a useful outcome. But the evil that befell the Jews produced something very useful for the Gentiles; therefore, their good will produce greater usefulness for the world. What he is saying is this: it has been said that by their trespass the salvation of the Gentiles was achieved. Now if their offense is the riches of the world—that is, for the Gentiles—it is because the trespass of the Jews resulted in spiritual riches for the Gentiles, about which it is said: riches of salvation, wisdom and knowledge (Isaiah 33:6). This refers to their guilt.

   And their diminution, by which they fell from the lofty glory they had, pertains to their punishment. For we are diminished more than any nation and are brought low in all the earth this day for our sins (Daniel 3:37). They were, however, an occasion of the riches of the Gentiles, as was said. Or, their diminution means that some of the least and most humble of the Jews, namely the apostles, enriched the nations spiritually, about which 1 Corinthians says: God chose the weak things of the world, that he might confound the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27). How much more will their fullness—that is, their spiritual abundance or their multitude converted to God—result in riches for the Gentiles? My abode is in the full assembly of saints .

   And so, if for the benefit of the whole world God permitted the Jews to do wrong and be diminished, much more will He repair their disaster for the benefit of the whole world.

8. Then when he says, for I say to you, Gentiles, he shows the same thing by revealing the purpose of his ministry, which he first states.

   Second, he assigns the reason, at for if their loss.

9. In regard to the first point, it should be noted that whereas the previous parts of the epistle were directed to all the believers in Rome, whether from the Jews or from the Gentiles, he is now directing his words to the converted Gentiles.

10. He says, therefore: I have stated that their fullness will mean riches for the world. As testimony to this I say to you, Gentiles—that is, Gentiles converted to the faith: I said, ‘Behold me,’ to a nation that did not call upon my name (Isaiah 65:1). This, I repeat, I say to you: as long indeed as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, the special care of whom has fallen to me on account of the office entrusted to me. They gave to me and to Barnabas the right hands of fellowship: that we should go unto the Gentiles, and they unto the circumcision (Galatians 2:9); for this was I appointed a preacher and apostle, a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth (1 Timothy 2:7). I will honor my ministry, not with things that pertain to worldly honor, but first by adorning it with good morals: as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way in much patience (2 Corinthians 6:4). Second, by performing extra works to which he was not bound: What is my reward then? That in preaching the Gospel, I may deliver the Gospel without charge, that I abuse not my power in the Gospel (1 Corinthians 9:18). Third, by increasing his solicitude for the salvation of all: besides those things which are without: my daily instance, the solicitude for all the churches (2 Corinthians 11:28).

11. Hence he adds: if, by any means, I may provoke to emulation them who are my flesh, that is, the Jews, who are my kinsmen according to the flesh (Romans 9:3). As Isaiah says, do not despise your own flesh (Isaiah 58:7). And may they emulate with good emulation, as is said in 1 Corinthians: emulate the better gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31). And in this way I may save some of them, namely, of the Jews: not seeking my own advantage but that of many, that they may be saved (1 Corinthians 10:33).

12. But this seems contrary to what he says in 2 Corinthians: but we will not boast beyond limit, but will keep to the limits God apportioned us, to reach even to you (2 Corinthians 10:13). But he had accepted the limit of his service, which was to the Gentiles. Therefore, he should not have concerned himself with the Jews.

    Some say that the Jews living in Judea did not pertain to his apostolate, but to that of Peter, James, and John (Galatians 2:7). But the Jews living among the Gentiles pertained to his apostolate, and he worked for their salvation.

    But this seems contrary to his statement here. For if those Jews were the limit of his apostolate, he would not be magnifying his service.

    Therefore, it must be said that preaching to the Gentiles was committed to him in such a way that he was bound to it by necessity, as he says: woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel. For necessity is laid upon me (1 Corinthians 9:16). But he was not forbidden to preach to the Jews, even though he was not bound to do so. Consequently, by working for their salvation he magnified his service. But he would not have done this if he thought their fall was irreparable.

    Hence the Apostle’s very zeal for the conversion of the Jews was the sign he presented for stating that the fall of the Jews was reparable.

13. Then when he says, for if, he assigns the reason for his interest: namely, that the conversion of the Jews would contribute to the salvation of the Gentiles. Hence he says, for if their loss—that is, their unbelief and disobedience, as a slave is said to be lost when he flees from the care and obedience of his master: my people have been a lost flock (Jeremiah 50:6). If, I say, the loss of the Jews occasions the reconciliation of the world, inasmuch as we have been reconciled to God through the death of Christ, what shall their receiving be, but life from the dead? This means that the Jews will be accepted again by God, as it says in Zechariah: I took unto me two rods (Zechariah 11:17). What, I say, will such an acceptance mean but that it will make the Gentiles rise to life?

    For Gentiles are the believers who will grow lukewarm: because wickedness is multiplied, most men’s love will grow cold (Matthew 24:12), or will fall away entirely, being deceived by the Antichrist. These will be restored to their original fervor after the conversion of the Jews. And as the Gentiles were reconciled after their enmity, the Jews having fallen away, so after the conversion of the Jews, with the end of the world then imminent, there will be a general resurrection, through which people will return from the dead to immortal life.

14. Then when he says, for if the firstfruit, he proves the same thing by considering the status of the Jewish race.

    This he does in two ways.

    1. First, on the part of the apostles, when he says: if the firstfruit be holy, so is the lump also.

       The "firstfruit" is the representative portion taken from the whole lump of dough, as if for approval. The apostles chosen by God from the Jewish people are the representative sample taken from the whole lump. If, therefore, the apostles are holy, the consequence is that the Jewish people are holy. You are a holy nation, God’s own people (1 Peter 2:9).

    2. Second, he proves the same thing on the part of the patriarchs, who are compared to the Jews as a root to its branches; hence it says in Isaiah: there shall come forth a rod from the root of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1). If, therefore, the patriarchs, who are the root, are holy, then the Jews, who grew from them as branches, are also holy. And his root shall shoot forth as that of Libanus, and his branches shall spread (Hosea 14:6).

15. But this seems to conflict with what is said in Exodus: if a man is righteous, he shall surely live (Exodus 18:9). Therefore, it does not follow that if the root is holy, so also are the branches. He also adds there that if the son seeing the sins of his father will have been afraid and will not have done the same, he shall not die, but will live life. From this, it seems not to follow that if the representative portion is holy, so is the whole lump.

    The answer is that the Apostle is not speaking here of actual holiness, for he does not mean to say that unbelieving Jews are holy, but of potential holiness. For if their ancestors and descendants are holy, nothing prevents them from being called back to holiness themselves.

    Or one might answer that those who imitate the patriarchs are a special type of branch, as it says in John: if you were Abraham’s children, you would do what Abraham did (John 8:39).

1. After showing that the fall of the Jews was both useful and reversible, the Apostle now forbids the Gentiles to boast against the Jews.

   In this regard, he does two things:

   First, he shows that the converted Gentiles must not boast against the Jews.

   Second, he answers an objection from the Gentiles, at you will say then.

   Regarding the first point, he does two things:

   First, he forbids the Gentiles to boast against the Jews.

   Second, he gives the reason for this prohibition, at but if you boast.

2. There seemed to be two things that might tempt the Gentiles to boast against the Jews.

   First was the falling away of the Jews. Therefore, he says: we have stated that if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches, that is, some of the Jews but not all, were broken off, that is, separated from the faith of their fathers who are compared to the root, do not boast. The flame will dry up his shoots (Job 15:30); the branches not being perfect shall be broken .

   The second ground for boasting was their own promotion. But the lower the state from which one has been promoted, the more one is inclined to vain boasting, as it says in Proverbs: By three things the earth is disturbed, and the fourth it cannot bear: by a slave when he reigns (Proverbs 30:21–22). Therefore, he reminds them of the low state from which they were raised, saying: and you, O Gentile, when you were a Gentile, being a wild olive tree, that is, a tree bearing no fruit. He shall be like a tamarisk in the desert (Jeremiah 17:6); every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (Matthew 3:10).

3. Then he describes their promotion.

   First, that they have been raised to the dignity of that race; therefore, he says: you were grafted in among them, that is, in their place. He shall break in pieces many and innumerable, and shall make others to stand in their place (Job 34:24).

   Second, that they have been made partners with the patriarchs, whom he had compared to the root; therefore he says: and have become partakers of the root, that is, united to the patriarchs and prophets. Many will come from the east and west, and sit at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 8:11).

   Third, that they share the glory of the apostles when he says: and of the richness of the olive tree. The Jewish race is called the olive tree on account of the rich spiritual fruit they bore: The LORD called your name, a green olive tree, beautiful with goodly fruit (Jeremiah 11:16); I am like a green olive tree in the house of God (Psalms 52:8). But just as the roots of this olive tree are the patriarchs and prophets, so its richness is the abundance of the Holy Spirit’s grace, which the apostles had more than all the others, as a Gloss says. This is why the olive tree was led to say: Can I leave my fatness... to come to be promoted among the trees? (Judges 9:9); my soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food (Psalms 63:5). This, therefore, is how the Gentiles have been promoted to a partnership with that people—namely, with the patriarchs, apostles, and prophets: You are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:19–20).

   And although these may seem to be reasons for boasting, do not boast against the branches, that is, against the Jews: Your boasting is not good (1 Corinthians 5:6).

4. Then when he says, but if you boast, he gives the reason for his warning, saying: but if, in spite of this warning, you boast by insulting the Jews, you should consider as a check to your boasting that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. That is, Judea did not receive salvation from the Gentiles, but the reverse is true: salvation is from the Jews (John 4:22). Therefore, Abraham was promised that all the nations of the earth would be blessed in him (Genesis 22:18).

5. Then when he says, you will say then, he refutes an objection from the Gentiles.

   First, he presents the objection.

   Second, he refutes it by considering divine justice, at well.

   Third, he urges them to diligently consider God’s judgments, at see then the goodness.

6. First, therefore, he says: So, O Gentile, who boasts against the Jews, you might say: The branches were broken off that I might be grafted in. That is, God permitted the Jews to fall from faith so that I might enter into faith.

   But no one accepts the loss of one thing except for something more precious and desired, just as a physician allows a foot to remain sore in order to heal the eye. Thus, it would seem that the Gentile nations are more valuable and acceptable to God than Judea. As it says in Malachi: I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations (Malachi 1:10–11), and in Isaiah: It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob... I will make you as a light for the nations (Isaiah 49:6).

7. Then when he says, well, he refutes the objection.

   First, he assigns the reason why the Jews fell away and the Gentiles were promoted, saying: Well, that is, it is true that God permitted branches to be broken off so that you might be grafted in, but consider the cause of their breaking off. It is because of unbelief, that is, because they refused to believe in Christ, they were broken off. For you are among rebels and thorns (Ezekiel 2:6); If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? (John 8:46). But you, O Gentile, stand by faith, that is, by believing in Christ, through whom you have obtained grace: for by faith you stand (2 Corinthians 1:24); I preached to you the gospel, in which you stand, by which you are saved (1 Corinthians 15:1–2).

8. Second, he gives a warning, saying: be not high-minded, that is, do not presume on yourself: do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly (Romans 12:16); O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high (Psalms 131:1). But fear, so that you are not also broken off because of unbelief: Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity (Proverbs 28:14); the fear of the Lord drives out sin .

9. The reason for this warning is given when he says: for if God did not spare the natural branches, that is, the Jews, who descended by natural origin from the patriarchs, but allowed them to be broken off, fear that he may not spare you either. That is, fear that he may permit you to be broken off because of unbelief: The jealousy and rage of the husband will not spare on the day of revenge (Proverbs 6:34); I will not spare, and I will not pardon; nor will I have mercy, but I will destroy them (Jeremiah 13:14).

   This, therefore, is the Apostle’s answer. When someone sees that he has obtained grace while another has fallen, he should not boast against the one who has fallen. Instead, he should fear for himself, because pride is the cause of falling headlong, while fear is the cause of watchfulness and safety.

10. Then when he says, see then the goodness and the severity of God, he invites them to a close examination of divine judgments.

    First, he invites them to consider this.

    Second, he instructs them as if they were unable to consider it by themselves, at for I would not have you ignorant (Romans 11:25).

    Third, as if he himself were not perfectly capable of this investigation, he exclaims in admiration of God’s wisdom, at O the depth of the riches (Romans 11:33).

11. Regarding the first point, he does three things. First, he shows what should be considered, saying: see then, that is, carefully consider, the goodness of God in showing mercy: Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart (Psalms 73:1); or do you presume on the riches of his kindness? (Romans 2:4). And his severity in punishing: O LORD, you God of vengeance (Psalms 94:1); The LORD is a jealous and avenging God (Nahum 1:2).

    The first consideration produces hope, and the second produces fear, so that both despair and presumption are avoided.

12. Second, he indicates who is affected by each of these two qualities, saying: severity toward those who have fallen, that is, the Jews: The Lord has destroyed without mercy all the habitations of Jacob (Lamentations 2:2); but toward you, the grafted-in Gentile, God's kindness: You have dealt well with your servant, O LORD (Psalms 119:65).

13. Third, he shows how the previous points should be considered, since the situation is not unchangeable but could be different in the future.

14. First, he shows this with respect to the Gentiles, saying: toward you, I say, kindness, provided you continue in his kindness. Remain in my love (John 15:9). Otherwise, if you do not strive to persevere through fear and humility, you also will be cut off. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down (Matthew 3:10).

15. Second, he shows the same with respect to the Jews. First, he states the fact: and they also, namely, the Jews, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, that is, restored to their former status. You have prostituted yourself to many lovers. Nevertheless, return to me, says the LORD (Jeremiah 3:1).

16. Then he proves what he has said, first, from God’s power, saying: for God is able to graft them in again. Therefore, we should not despair of their salvation: Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save (Isaiah 59:1).

17. Second, by arguing from the lesser case, he says: for if you, O Gentile, were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, that is, from your Gentile state, which by nature was not fruit-bearing—not as God made nature, but because it was spoiled by sin: they were a wicked generation, and their malice was natural ; we were by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3)—and were grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, that is, into the faith of the Jews, against the normal course of nature. For it is not the custom to graft the branch of a bad tree onto a good tree, but the reverse.

    However, what God does is not against nature; it is natural in the fullest sense. We call something "natural" when it is caused by an agent to which the recipient is naturally subject, even if the effect is not in keeping with the specific nature of that recipient.

    For example, the ebb and flow of the sea is natural because it is produced by the moon's motion, to which water is naturally subject, even though this movement is not inherent to the nature of water itself.

    In the same way, since every creature is naturally subject to God, whatever God does in creation is "natural" in this complete sense. This is true even if it is contrary to the specific, particular nature of the thing acted upon—for instance, when a blind man's sight is restored or a dead man is raised to life.

18. If, as I said, this was contrary to nature, how much more will these, the natural branches, who by natural origin belong to the Jewish nation, be grafted back into their own olive tree, that is, be brought back to the greatness of their nation. He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers (Malachi 4:6).

1. After leading the Gentiles to a knowledge of the divine judgments, in which God’s goodness and severity were manifested, the Apostle, acting as if they are still unable to consider these things, explains how they seem to him.

He proceeds in three steps:

1. First, he presents the fact.
2. Second, he proves it, beginning with as it is written.
3. Third, he gives the reason, beginning with for just as you also.

2. Regarding the first point, he does three things. First, he states his intention, saying: I have urged you to consider the kindness and severity of God, for I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, since you cannot grasp all mysteries. This is a prerogative of the perfect, to whom the Lord says, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God” (Luke 8:10), and as it is written, “I will not hide from you the mysteries of God” . But ignorance of this mystery would be very damaging to us: “but if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized” (1 Corinthians 14:38).

3. Second, he discloses the reason for his intention: so that you would not be wise in your own estimation; that is, so you do not presume on your own understanding to condemn others and exalt yourselves above them: “Do not be wise in your own conceits” (Romans 12:16); “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:21).

4. Third, he states what he intended. First, with respect to the fall of particular Jews, when he says, that a partial hardening has come upon Israel, not universally but upon a part: “Make the heart of this people dull” (Isaiah 6:10). Second, he predicts the end of this hardening, saying, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in to the faith. This means not only some Gentile nations as had been converted then, but that the Church would be established in all or the greater part of them: “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof” (Psalms 24:1). The Gentiles converted to the faith are said to “come in,” as if they are moving from the external and visible things they venerated to spiritual things and the divine will: “come into his presence with singing!” (Psalms 100:2).

5. It should be noted that the word until can signify the cause of the Jews’ hardening, for God permitted them to be hardened so that the full number of the Gentiles might come in. It can also designate the end point, meaning that the hardening of the Jews will last until the time when the full number of the Gentiles will come to the faith. With this agrees his next statement: and so, meaning, when the full number of the Gentiles has come in, all Israel will be saved—not some, as now, but all of them universally: “I will save them by the LORD their God” (Hosea 1:7); “he will again have compassion on us” (Micah 7:19).

6. Then when he says, as it is written, he proves what he said about the future salvation of the Jews. He does this in two ways:

1. First, he proves this with an authority from Scripture.
2. Second, he proves it with a reason, beginning with As for the gospel.

7. First, therefore, he says: I say that all Israel will be saved, as it is written. Our Hebrew text says, “A Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression, says the LORD” (Isaiah 59:20). But the Apostle uses the Septuagint and touches on three things. First is the coming of a Savior, when he says, the Deliverer will come out of Zion, namely, God in human flesh to save us. He comes out of Zion, that is, from the Jewish people, who are signified by Zion, the citadel of Jerusalem, a city in Judea. Hence it says in Zechariah, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you” (Zechariah 9:9), and in John, “salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22). Alternatively, he says that Christ comes from Zion not because He was born there, but because His doctrine went out from there into the whole world, since the apostles received the Holy Spirit in the upper room in Zion: “out of Zion shall go the law” (Isaiah 2:3).

8. Second, he touches on the salvation offered by Christ to the Jews, saying, he who will deliver and will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. This could refer to deliverance from punishment: “you have delivered my soul from death” (Psalms 116:8). He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob could refer to deliverance from guilt: “Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!” (Psalms 53:6). Or both could refer to liberation from guilt. He says he who will deliver because of the few who are now converted with great difficulty and with, so to speak, a certain force: “As a shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel be rescued” (Amos 3:12). But he says he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob to show the ease with which the Jews will be converted at the end of the world: “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance?” (Micah 7:18).

9. Third, he shows the manner of salvation when he says, and this will be my covenant with them, a new one from me, when I take away their sins. The old covenant did not remove sins, because “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). Therefore, because the Old Testament was imperfect, a New Testament is promised to them: “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31). This new covenant will have the power to remit sin through the blood of Christ: “this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28); “you will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19).

10. Then when he says, As for the gospel, he proves his statement with a reason. He does this in two steps:

1. First, he presents the proof.
2. Second, he removes an objection, beginning with for the gifts and the calling.

11. First, therefore, he says that their sins will be taken away and that, because they have sinned, they are enemies of Christ. As for the gospel, which they resist, they are enemies for your sake; that is, it has turned out for your benefit. Hence, it says in Luke, “But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me” (Luke 19:27); and in John, “but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father” (John 15:24). Alternatively, as for the gospel means their enmity has helped the gospel, which has been spread everywhere because of this enmity: “in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing” (Colossians 1:5–6).

12. But as for election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers, because God chose their descendants on account of their forefathers’ grace: “the LORD loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them” (Deuteronomy 10:15).

This does not mean that the merits of the fathers caused the eternal election of their descendants. Instead, it means that God, from all eternity, chose the fathers and their children in such a way that the children would obtain salvation on account of the fathers. This is not as though the fathers' merits were sufficient for their children's salvation, but rather that through an outpouring of divine grace and mercy, the children would be saved because of the promises made to the fathers. Or it can mean as for election, that is, salvation was obtained for those elected from that people. For if they are dear to God, it is reasonable that they be saved by God: “from of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him” (Isaiah 64:4).

13. Then when he says, for the gifts and the calling, he excludes an objection. For someone might claim that even though the Jews were previously beloved on account of their forefathers, the hostility they show against the gospel prevents them from being saved in the future. But the Apostle asserts that this is false, saying, for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. It is as if to say: that when God gives something to certain people or calls them, it is irrevocable, because God does not change His mind: “the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret” (1 Samuel 15:29); “The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind” (Psalms 110:4).

14. However, this seems false, for the Lord says, “I regret that I have made man” (Genesis 6:6), and, “if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it” (Jeremiah 18:8). The answer is that just as God is said to grow angry, not because the emotion of anger is in Him but because He produces the effect of punishment in the manner of an angry man, so He is said to repent, not because the change involved in repentance is in Him but because He changes what He had done in the manner of one who repents.

15. Nevertheless, it seems that God's gifts are not without repentance, since they are frequently lost, as in Matthew: “take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents” (Matthew 25:28). Furthermore, God’s call seems to be changed sometimes, since it is written, “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14).

But it should be noted that gift is understood here as a promise made according to God’s foreknowledge or predestination, and calling is understood as election. Because both are so certain, whatever God promises is as good as given, and whoever He elects is, in a sense, already called. Such temporal gifts and callings are not revoked by a change in God, as though He repented of them, but by a change in the person who rejects them: “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God” (Hebrews 12:15).

16. This passage can also be taken to mean that God’s gifts which are bestowed in baptism, and the calling by which the baptized person is called, are given without the repentance of the person being baptized. Furthermore, it was introduced to counteract any despair about the future salvation of the Jews, since they do not seem to repent of their sin.

But against this interpretation are the words of Peter: “Repent and be baptized every one of you” (Acts 2:38). This can be answered by recalling that repentance is of two kinds: internal and external. Internal repentance consists of a contrition of the heart, by which a person is sorry for past sins. Such repentance is required of the baptized, because, as Augustine says, no one who is master of his own will can begin the new life unless he repents of his old life; otherwise, he would be approaching insincerely. But external repentance consists of making satisfaction outwardly, and this is not required of the baptized person, because by baptismal grace one is freed not only from guilt but from all penalty, by virtue of the passion of Christ who satisfied for the sins of all: “all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death” (Romans 6:3); “by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly” (Titus 3:5–6).

17. But since the keys of the Church and all the other sacraments work by the power of Christ’s passion, it seems that by the same logic all the other sacraments should liberate a person from guilt and from all punishment. The answer is that Christ’s passion works in baptism in the manner of a regeneration, which requires that a person die completely to his former life to receive a new life. And because the debt of punishment belongs to the old way of life, it is taken away in baptism. But in the other sacraments, Christ’s passion works in the manner of a cleansing, as in the sacrament of penance. A cleansing, however, does not require that every remnant of weakness be taken away immediately. The same argument applies to the other sacraments.

18. But since the confession of sins is part of external repentance, one could ask whether confession of sins is required at baptism. It seems that it is, because Matthew says that men were baptized by John, “confessing their sins” (Matthew 3:6).

The answer is that John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance, because by receiving that baptism people declared that they would undertake penance for their sins. It was therefore fitting that they should confess so that penance could be assigned to them in accordance with the nature of their sins. But Christ’s baptism is a baptism for the remission of all sins, such that the baptized person no longer owes any satisfaction for past sins, and for this reason there is no need for vocal confession. Confession is necessary in the sacrament of penance so that the priest can, by the power of the keys, fittingly loose or bind the penitent.

19. Then when he says, For just as you also, he gives the reason for the future salvation of the Jews, which will follow their unbelief. He does this in two steps:

1. First, he shows a similarity between the salvation of both peoples.
2. Second, he shows the cause of this similarity, beginning with for God has concluded.

20. First, therefore, he says: So I say that Israel will be saved, although they are now enemies. For just as you Gentiles also were once disobedient to God, but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they also have now been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. This was because of their disobedience, which was the occasion of your salvation, as was said above. So they also, the Jews, have now been disobedient in the time of grace, namely, toward Christ: “why do you not believe me?” (John 8:46). And this is what he adds: because of the mercy shown to you, that is, in Christ’s grace, by which you have obtained mercy: “he saved us... according to his own mercy” (Titus 3:5). Or they have been disobedient so that they might enter into your mercy. Or they have been disobedient, which turned out to be the occasion of the mercy shown to you, so that they also at some time may receive mercy: “For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob” (Isaiah 14:1).

21. Then, when he says for God has concluded, he assigns the reason for this similarity, namely that God has willed to have mercy on all. And this is what he adds: for God has concluded all in disobedience, that is, permitted them to be enclosed, as in a kind of prison of error: “all were fettered with the bonds of darkness” . He did this that he may have mercy on all, that is, that He may have mercy on every race of humanity: “but you have mercy on all” . This does not extend to the demons, in accordance with the error of Origen, nor even to all individual people, but to every race of humanity. For the distribution is made according to peoples, not according to every individual within those peoples. But God wills all to be saved by His mercy, so that they might be humbled by this and attribute their salvation not to themselves but to God: “You have destroyed yourself, O Israel; your help is only in me” (Hosea 13:9); “that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God” (Romans 3:19).

1. Previously, the Apostle sought to explain the reason for the divine judgments by which Gentiles and Jews obtain mercy after their unbelief. Now, he recognizes his own inadequacy for such an investigation and exclaims in admiration at the divine excellence.

   First, he extols the divine excellence. Second, he proves what he says, beginning with the words for who has known.

   Regarding the first point, he does two things: first, he extols the divine wisdom in itself; second, he extols it in relation to us, with the words how incomprehensible.

2. He extols the excellence of divine knowledge, first, concerning its depth, saying, O the depth. It is a great depth. Who shall find it out? (Ecclesiastes 7:24); a glorious throne set on high from the beginning (Jeremiah 17:12).

   This depth is considered in three respects: first, concerning the thing known, since God knows Himself perfectly: I dwell in the highest places . Second, concerning the manner of knowing, since He knows all things through Himself: the Lord looked down from his holy height, from heaven the Lord looked at the earth (Psalms 102:19). Third, concerning the certainty of His knowledge: the eyes of the Lord are far brighter than the sun .

3. Second, he extols the excellence of divine knowledge concerning its fullness when he says, of the riches. Abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge (Isaiah 33:6).

   This fullness is regarded in three ways. First, concerning the number of things known, because He knows all things: Lord, you know all things (John 21:17); in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). Second, concerning the ease of knowing, because He intuits all things without searching or difficulty: all things are open and laid bare to his eyes (Hebrews 4:13). Third, concerning the abundance of His knowledge, because He gives it generously to everyone: if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives to all generously (James 1:5).

4. Third, he extols the divine excellence concerning its perfection when he says, of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God. For He has wisdom about divine things—with him is strength and wisdom (Job 12:16)—and knowledge about created things: he who knows all things knows her .

5. Then, when he says, how incomprehensible, he shows the excellence of divine wisdom as compared to our understanding.

   First, in regard to wisdom, whose function is to judge and bring order, he says, how incomprehensible are his judgments. This is because a person cannot comprehend the reason for God’s judgments, since they are hidden in His wisdom: your judgments are like the great deep (Psalms 36:6); Will you really comprehend the steps of God, and find out the Almighty perfectly? (Job 11:7).

   Second, in regard to knowledge, through which He is at work in things, he adds, and how unsearchable—that is, not completely searchable by humans—his ways, that is, His procedures by which He works in creation. Even though creatures are known by man, the ways in which God works in them cannot be comprehended by man: your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen (Psalms 77:19); Where is the way to the dwelling of light? (Job 38:19).

6. Then, when he says, for who, he proves what he had said by appealing to two authorities. One is from Isaiah: For who has helped the spirit of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? (Isaiah 40:13). In place of this, he says, For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? The other authority is from Job: Who has given to me, that I should repay him? (Job 41:11). In place of this, he says, Or who has first given to him, and will be repaid?

   In these words and those that follow, the Apostle does three things.

7. First, he shows the excellence of divine wisdom as compared to our understanding, saying, how incomprehensible are his judgments, and how unsearchable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, namely, the mind through which He judges and acts. It is as if to say: no one, unless God reveals it. Who can know your counsel, except you give wisdom and send your Holy Spirit from on high? and the things of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now God has revealed them to us through his Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10–11).

8. Second, he shows the excellence of divine wisdom as it possesses a height in itself, which is indeed the supreme principle. Two points pertain to this: first, that it does not proceed from something else; second, that other things proceed from it, which he addresses at for from him.

9. That God’s wisdom does not depend on a higher source is shown in two ways.

   First, by the fact that it is not instructed by another’s teaching. For this reason, he says, or who has been his counselor? It is as if to say: no one. For counsel is needed by one who does not fully know how something should be done, and this does not apply to God: To whom have you given counsel? Perhaps to one who has no wisdom? (Job 26:3). Who has stood in the counsel of the Lord? (Jeremiah 23:18).

   Second, by the fact that it is not helped by another’s gift. For this reason he adds, or who has first given to him, and will be repaid, as one giving first? It is as if to say: no one. For a person can give God only what he has received from God: all this abundance comes from your hand and is all your own (1 Chronicles 29:16); If you are righteous, what do you give to him, or what does he receive from your hand? (Job 35:7).

10. Then, when he says, for from him, he shows God’s depth, since in Him are all things.

    First, he shows His causality; second, His dignity, at to him be glory; third, His perpetuity, at for ever.

11. First, therefore, he says it is right to claim that no one has first given to God, because from him, and through him, and in him, are all things. Thus, nothing can exist unless it is received from God.

    To designate God’s causality, the Apostle uses three prepositions: from, through, and in.

    The preposition “from” denotes a principle of change in three ways. First, as the acting or moving principle; second, as the matter; and third, as the contrary opposite, which is the starting point of the change. For example, we say a knife is made from the knifemaker, from the steel, and from its previously unshaped state.

    However, the universe of creatures was not made from preexisting matter, because their matter itself is an effect of God. Accordingly, created things are not said to be from something, but from its opposite, which is nothing, because they were nothing before they were created to exist: we are born of nothing . But all things are from God as from their first maker: all things are from God (1 Corinthians 11:12).

12. It should be noted that another Latin word for “from” is de, which seems to suggest the same relationships; however, de always designates a consubstantial cause. For we say that a knife is from the iron, but not from the maker. Therefore, because the Son proceeds from the Father as consubstantial with Him, we say that the Son is from the Father. But creatures do not proceed from God as consubstantial with Him; therefore, they are not said to be from Him but out of Him.

13. The preposition “through” designates the cause of an action. Because an action lies between the maker and the things he makes, there are two ways in which the preposition “through” can designate this cause.

    In one way, it relates to the action coming from its performer, as when something that is its own cause of acting is said to act through itself. This can be the form, as we say that fire acts through heat. Or it can be a higher agent, as we say that a man begets a man through the power of the sun, or rather, of God.

    Therefore, all things are said to be through Him in two ways. First, as through the first agent, by whose power all things act: by me kings reign (Proverbs 8:15). Second, since His wisdom, which is His essence, is the form through which God makes all things: The Lord by wisdom founded the earth (Proverbs 3:19).

14. In another way, the preposition “through” designates the cause of an action, not as it comes from the performer but as it is terminated in its products. For example, we say that an artisan makes a knife through a hammer—not that the hammer works with the artisan in the way described above, but because the knife comes to be from the artisan’s activity by means of the hammer. Therefore, it is said that this preposition, “through,” designates authority directly, as when we say that the king acts through his bailiff—which relates to the current point. But sometimes it is used in a causal sense, as when we say that the bailiff acts through the king—which relates to the previous mode.

    In this mode we are now speaking of, all things are said to have been made by the Father through the Son, as in John: all things were made through him (John 1:3). This is not because the Father has the power to make things from the Son, but rather that the Son accepts the power of making things from the Father—a power not instrumental but principal, not of a lower order but equal, not diverse but the same: whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise (John 5:19).

    Hence, although all things were made by the Father through the Son, the Son is not an instrument or minister of the Father.

15. The preposition “in” also designates a causal relationship in three ways. First, it can designate matter, as we say that the soul is in the body or a form is in matter. This is not the way in which things are said to be in God, because He is not the material cause of things.

    Second, it can designate a relationship to the efficient cause, in whose power it is to dispose of its effects. In this sense, all things are said to be in Him, since all things lie under His power and arrangement: in his hand are all the ends of the earth (Psalms 95:4); in him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).

    Third, it can designate a relationship to the final cause, in that a thing’s entire good and its preservation consist in its own highest state. In this sense, all things are said to be in God as in the goodness that preserves them. All things hold together in him (Colossians 1:17).

16. When he says, all things, this should be understood as applying to all things that have true being. Sins do not have true being; rather, insofar as they are sins, they lack a certain being, due to the fact that evil is nothing other than a deprivation of good.

    Therefore, when he says, from him, and through him, and in him are all things, this does not include sin, because, according to Augustine, “sin is nothing and man accomplishes nothing when he sins.” However, whatever being is present in an act of sin is from God.

17. Therefore, according to the previous points, all things are from him, that is, from God as the first operating power. All things are through
    him, since He makes all things through His wisdom. All things are in him as in their preserving goodness.

    Now these three things—namely, power, wisdom, and goodness—are common to the three Persons. Hence, the statement that all things are from him, and through him, and in him can be applied to each of the three Persons. Nevertheless, power, which implies the concept of a principle, is appropriated to the Father, who is the principle of the entire Godhead. Wisdom is appropriated to the Son, who proceeds as the Word, which is none other than begotten wisdom. Goodness is appropriated to the Holy Spirit, who proceeds as love, whose object is goodness.

    Therefore, by appropriation we can say: all things are from him, namely, from the Father; through him, namely, through the Son; and in him, namely, in the Holy Spirit.

18. Then, when he says, to him be honor and glory for ever, he shows God’s dignity, which consists in the two points mentioned previously. From the fact that all things are from him and through him and in him, honor, reverence, and subjection are owed to Him by every creature: If I am a father, where is my honor? (Malachi 1:6). But from the fact that He has not received either counsel or gifts from anyone, glory is owed to Him; just as, in contrast, it is said of humanity: If then you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift? (1 Corinthians 4:7). And because this is proper to God, it is said: I am the Lord; my glory I give to no other (Isaiah 42:8).

19. Finally, he mentions His eternity when he says, forever, because His glory does not pass away as human glory does, of which it is said: all his glory is like the flower of the field (Isaiah 40:6). But God’s glory lasts for all ages, that is, through all the ages succeeding all ages, since the duration of any given thing is called an age.

    Alternatively, for ever refers to the durations of incorruptible things, which contain the ages of corruptible things. This applies especially to God’s eternity, which can be spoken of as a plurality because of the multitude and diversity of things contained in it, even though it is one and simple in itself. The meaning would then be “unto the ages that contain the ages.” Your reign is a reign for all ages (Psalms 145:13).

20. He adds, amen, as confirmation. It is as if to say: truly it is so. This is the meaning in the Gospels when it says, Amen, I say to you. Sometimes, however, it means: may it come to pass.

    Thus, in Jerome’s Psalter it says, “all the people will say: amen, amen,” where our text has, “May it come to pass! May it come to pass!”