Faith vs Law in Abraham
And it is not to have provided to man those things which do not belong to him. Not in opposition to the law, but according to the addition of good and the free gift of God, so that we might no longer be judged by human righteousness which is altogether convicted, but might be perfected by the righteousness from God (Rom 3:21); and this is the one who rests through the faith of Christ, passing into all the believing ones and to all.
Abraham demonstrates faith by the pattern according to Abraham (Rom 4:1), not given to those in law and circumcision only for justification but also to those in uncircumcision; for Abraham indeed was justified not from works—for his boasting was not bright, being imperfect and unable to stand before God, by which righteousness limping, it is not able to have a boast—but from faith is the justification of our father Abraham. But he calls him father according to the flesh of the Israelites, those having become sons according to the Spirit of God; to whom Christ, having been made like them in the fleshly generation, made them like himself through the spiritual generation through grace.
God did not ordain the promise to Abraham and to his seed by law, but having justified him by faith (Rom 4:13). And the promise given to Abraham was, as we have learned from Moses, the one saying: I will give to you and to your seed all this land. For which reason, that the promise might be a world of inheritance, the apostle says, a promise of land. And in the letter to the Corinthians, bringing to us, the heirs of Abraham in the Spirit, all of us, he says, whether it be a world, whether existing, or about to be. And it is evident to those reading the things of Moses, that Abraham did not hold such a promise upon these having received the commands of the law; and indeed Paul in the present matters also gives the reason, through which God did not give the promise upon law, but upon faith.
For the Lord raises up his own temple (Rom 4:24); and the Father raised him up from the dead, just as he worked all things through the Son, so also this he worked.
Greek
δὲ ἀνθρώπους μὴ παρεσχηκέναι αὐτῷ τὰ μὴ προσήκοντα. Rom 3,21 Οὐ κατ' ἐναντίωσιν τὴν πρὸς νόμον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ προσθήκην ἀγαθοῦ καὶ δωρεὰν θεοῦ, ἵνα μηκέτι ἐν ἀνθρωπίνῃ δικαιοσύνῃ κρινώμεθα τῇ πάντως ἐξελεγχομένῃ, ἀλλὰ τῇ παρὰ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνῃ τελειωθῶμεν· αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ διὰ τῆς 2 Χριστοῦ πίστεως ἐναναπαυομένη. εἰς πάντας διαβαίνουσα τοὺς πιστεύοντας καὶ πᾶσιν ® Rom 4,1 2 Τύπῳ τῷ κατὰ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἐπιδείκνυσι τὴν πίστιν οὐ τοῖς ἐν νόμῳ καὶ περιτομῇ διδομένην μόνοις εἰς δικαίωσιν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ· δεδικαίωται μὲν γὰρ καὶ Ἀβραὰμ οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων –οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν τὸ καύχημα αὐτοῦ λαμπρόν, ἀτελὲς ὂν καὶ παρὰ θεῷ μὴ δυνάμενον φαίνεσθαι, παρ' ᾧ δικαιοσύνη χωλεύουσα καύχησιν ἔχειν οὐ δύναται–ἀλλ' ἐκ πίστεως ἡ δικαίωσις τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἀβραάμ. πατέρα δὲ κατὰ σάρκα αὐτὸν λέγει τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν τῶν κατὰ πνεῦμα θεοῦ γενομένων υἱῶν· οἷς ἐξομοιωθεὶς Χριστὸς ἐν τῇ κατὰ σάρκα γενέσει ἐξωμοίωσεν αὐτοὺς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν διὰ τῆς ἐν πνεύματι κατὰ χάριν γεννήσεως. Rom 4,13 Οὐ νόμον ὁρίσας τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ὁ θεὸς ἔδωκεν τῷ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ πίστει δικαιώσας αὐτόν. ἡ δὲ δοθεῖσα τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ἐπαγγελία ἦν, ὡς παρὰ τοῦ Μωϋσέως μεμαθήκαμεν, ἡ λέγουσα· σοὶ δώσω καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ταύτην. δι' ὃ καὶ κόσμον κληρονομίας εἶναι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγει, γῆς οὖσαν ἐπαγγελίαν. ἐν δὲ τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους εἰς ἡμᾶς τοὺς τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ κατὰ πνεῦμα διαδόχους ἀναφέρων, πάντα 62 ἡμῶν, φησίν, εἴτε κόσμος εἴτε ἐνεστῶτα εἴτε μέλ λοντα. καὶ δῆλον τοῖς τὰ Μωϋσέως ἀναγινώσκουσιν, ὅτι οὐ νόμου προστάγματα λαβὼν ὁ Ἀβραὰμ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἔσχε τὴν τοιαύτην ἐπαγ γελίαν· ὁ δέ γε Παῦλος ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἀποδίδωσι δι' ἣν οὐκ ἐπὶ νόμῳ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ἔδωκεν ὁ θεός, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ πίστει. Rom 4,24 Ἀνίστησι μὲν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ναὸν ὁ κύριος· ἐγήγερκεν δὲ αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ὁ πατήρ, ὥσπερ τὰ πάντα διὰ τοῦ παιδός, οὕτω καὶ τοῦτο ἐργασάμενος. ®
About this text
Apollinaris of Laodicea on Romans (catena fragments).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.