Thomas Aquinas Commentary Romans 11:33-36

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and unto him, are all things. To him [be] the glory for ever. Amen." — Romans 11:33-36 (ASV)

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!”