Fragments on Romans · §13

The Jewish Rejection and the Gentile Mission

Romans 10:14-15 says that the salvation of the Lord's calling is for all men, but the previously mentioned strife of the Jews deprived them of the universal grace, having a private unfitness for the common good, because of which the apostleship, the preaching, the hearing, the faith, and the calling stood not toward them, but toward the nations.

Just as light, being common to all by nature, becomes foreign to those darkening themselves, and the sun shines not for the blind nor rises, nor does the one who has cried out speak to the deaf, so indeed the ones sent and preaching do nothing toward the Jews; for it is a prerequisite that they are unable to hear, as if they had fallen into deafness toward the divine preachings, whence they were deprived of salvation by not calling upon Him, just as it was revealed in the prophet: 'For there is not,' he says, 'one who calls upon your name and remembers to take hold of you, because you turned your face away from us.'

This also is sufficient testimony even against the Jews; for it is evident that the Christ whom they do not call upon, they do not hold fast to. He is the one who turned His face from them, from whom He indeed said: 'You shall not see my face from now until you say: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'

But he does not prove the fault of the Jews, as I said being previously advanced in the present, but rather the mystery of the economy concerning them is the cause of their not calling upon the Lord, namely that the apostles were sent not to them but to the nations, just as the Lordly command has: 'Having gone, make disciples of all nations.' And the apostles did not transgress the command by starting toward the Jews first and later turning to the nations when they were expelled by them, but the Overseer knew to whom the preaching was to end, those of the former who were not receiving it graciously.

Nor does the apostle now say anything contrary to what he previously practiced, while conversing with the Jews, asserting that the apostleship was not sent to them, but according to the determination and the foreknowledge of God is given to the Gentiles; the aim being rather that the apostles would walk toward the persecution of Israel, just as Moses walked toward Pharaoh: for God knew that they would not believe and had said previously, 'I know that you will not persuade Pharaoh' (Exodus 7:1). And there, too, the end of Pharaoh's opposition was the showing of the signs for the benefit of the world; but here, the end of the Jews' unbelief became the movement of the apostles toward the Gentiles according to that word of Paul: 'It was necessary for you first to have the word of the Lord spoken, but since you cast it aside and do not judge yourselves worthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles' (Acts 18:6). For thus the Lord has commanded us. This, therefore, was the command, and toward the Gentiles was the apostleship.

From this, Israel stood in the former rank of the Gentiles so as not to call upon the Lord. It is not possible, therefore, for them to call upon Him, he says, because they did not believe. And they were not able to believe, having an unsuitability, even after hearing, just as the Lord was conversing with them in a concealed manner, and showing that there was only a little among them capable of hearing, saying: 'Let him who has ears to hear, hear' (Matthew 13:9).

And being present with them, having the transition from them, he had an aim, saying: 'O perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I endure you?' (Matthew 15:24). And because they were unable to hear him and to believe, he said: 'You do not believe, that you are not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me' (John 10:26-27).

And he spoke to them as to strangers rather than to insiders, not so as to cause belief—for he knew that they would not believe—but so that they, being unpersuadable, might become those who did not believe. For if I had not come and spoken to them, he says, I would not have had sin; nor even the brief opportunity which they had toward being able [...]

Greek

Rom 10,14 15 Κοινή, φησί, πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἡ δι' ἐπικλήσεως τοῦ κυρίου σωτηρία, Ἰουδαίους δὲ ἡ προειρημένη φιλονεικία τῆς καθολικῆς χάριτος ἀπεστέρησεν, ἰδίαν ἀνεπιτηδειότητα πρὸς τὸ κοινὸν ἀγαθὸν ἐσχηκότας, δι' ἣν οὐκ εἰς αὐτούς, ἀλλ' εἰς τὰ ἔθνη περιέστηκεν ἡ ἀποστολὴ καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα καὶ ἡ ἀκοὴ καὶ ἡ πίστις καὶ ἡ ἐπίκλησις. ὥσπερ τὸ φῶς κοινὸν ἅπασιν ὂν τῇ φύσει, τοῖς τυφλώττουσιν ἀλλότριον γίνεται, καὶ οὐ φαίνει τοῖς τυφλοῖς ἥλιος οὐδὲ ἀνατέλλει, οὐδέ γε τοῖς κωφοῖς ὁ κεκραγὼς φθέγγεται, οὐ τοίνυν οὐδὲ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους οὐδὲν οἱ ἀποσταλέντες καὶ κηρύσσοντες· προϋπόκειται γὰρ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι αὐτοὺς ἀκούειν, ὥσπερ εἰς κωφότητα πεπτωκότας πρὸς τὰ θεῖα κηρύγματα, ὅθεν ἐστέρηνται 70 τῆς σωτηρίας οὐκ ἐπικαλούμενοι, καθὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ δεδήλωτο· οὐκ ἔστι γάρ, φησίν, ὁ ἐπικαλούμενος τὸ ὄνομά σου καὶ ὁ μνησθεὶς ἀντιλαβέσθαι σου, ὅτι ἀπέστρεψας τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀφ' ἡμῶν. αὕτη δὲ ἱκανὴ καὶ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἡ μαρτυρία· δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς ὃν οὐκ ἐπικαλοῦνται, οὗ μὴ ἀντέχονται. ὃς ἀπέστρεψεν ἀπ' αὐτῶν τὸ πρόσωπον, ἀφ' οὗ δὴ καὶ εἶπεν· οὐ μὴ ἴδητε τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἀπ' ἄρτι ἕως ἂν εἴπητε· εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου. ἅτε δὲ οὐ τὸν Ἰουδαίων ἔλεγχον, ὡς ἔφην ἐν τῷ παρόντι προελόμενος, ἀλλὰ τῆς περὶ αὐτοὺς οἰκονομίας τὸ μυστήριον αἴτιον ἀποδείκνυσι τοῦ μὴ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς τὸν κύριον, τὸ τοὺς ἀποστόλους μὴ αὐτοῖς ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀπεστάλθαι, καθὰ καὶ τὸ δεσποτικὸν ἔχει ῥῆμα· πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. καὶ οὐ παρέβαινον οἱ ἀπόστολοι τὸ πρόσταγμα πρὸς Ἰουδαίους πρώτους ὁρμῶντες, ὕστερον δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη μετιόντες, ὁπότε ὑπ' ἐκείνων ἐκδιωχθεῖεν, ἀλλ' ὁ προστάττων ᾔδει ἐπὶ τίνας ἔμελλεν καταλήξειν τὸ κήρυγμα, τῶν προτέρων οὐ δεκτικῶς ἐχόντων. οὐδὲ ὁ ἀπόστολος ἐναντία λέγει νῦν οἷς ἔπραττεν, προηγουμένως μὲν Ἰουδαίοις διαλεγόμενος, φάσκων δὲ οὐ πρὸς ἐκείνους ἀπεστάλθαι, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν ὁρισμὸν καὶ τὴν πρόγνωσιν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῖς ἔθνεσι δίδοσθαί φησι τὴν ἀποστολήν, σκοπῷ τοῦ διωχθῆναι μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ βαδιζόντων τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὡς καὶ τοῦ Μωϋσέως πρὸς τὸν Φαραώ· ᾔδει γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ὅτι μὴ πείσῃ καὶ προὔλεγεν· ἐγὼ δὲ οἶδα ὅτι οὐ προήσε ται ὑμᾶς Φαραώ. κἀκεῖ μὲν τῆς ἀντιλογίας τοῦ Φαραὼ τέλος ἦν ἡ τῶν σημείων ἐπίδειξις πρὸς ὠφέλειαν τοῦ κόσμου, ἐνταῦθα δὲ τῆς Ἰουδαίων ἀπιστίας ἐγίνετο τέλος ἡ πρὸς τὰ ἔθνη πορεία τῶν ἀποστόλων κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα ἐκεῖνο τοῦ Παύλου· ὑμῖν ἦν ἀναγκαῖον πρῶτον λαληθῆναι τὸν λόγον τοῦ κυρίου, ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀπω θεῖσθε αὐτὸν καὶ οὐκ ἀξίους κρίνετε ἑαυτοὺς τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς, ἰδοὺ στρεφόμεθα εἰς τὰ ἔθνη. οὕτως γὰρ ἐντέταλται ἡμῖν ὁ κύριος. αὕτη ἄρα ἦν ἡ ἐντολὴ καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἔθνη ἡ ἀποστολή. ἔνθεν εἰς τὴν προτέραν τάξιν τῶν ἐθνῶν ὁ Ἰσραὴλ περιέστη εἰς τὸ μὴ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸν κύριον. οὐ δυνατὸν οὖν αὐτοῖς ἐπικαλεῖσθαι, φησίν, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν. οὐκ ἠδύναντο δὲ πιστεύειν ἀνεπιτηδείως ἔχοντες ἀκοῦσαι, καθὰ καὶ ἐπικεκρυμμένως αὐτοῖς ὁ κύριος διελέγετο, καὶ σπάνιον ὄντα τὸν δυνάμενον ἀκούειν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐδείκνυσεν λέγων· ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω. καὶ παρὼν πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὴν ἀπ' αὐτῶν μετάβασιν εἶχεν σκοπὸν λέγων· ὧ γενεὰ πονηρά, ἕως πότε ἔσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς· ἕως πότε ἀνέξομαι ὑμῶν; καὶ ὅτι ἀδυνάτως εἶχον ἀκούειν αὐτοῦ 71 καὶ πιστεύειν, ἔλεγεν· ὑμεῖς οὐ πιστεύετε, ὅτι οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐκ τῶν προβάτων τῶν ἐμῶν. τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἐμὰ τῆς φωνῆς μου ἀκούει, κἀγὼ γινώσκω αὐτὰ, καὶ ἀκο λουθοῦσίν μοι. καὶ ἐλάλει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὡς πρὸς ἀλλοτρίους τὸ πλέον ἢ πρὸς οἰκείους, οὐχ ὡς πιστεῦσαι–ἐνῄδει γὰρ ὅτι μὴ πιστεύ σωσιν–ἀλλ' ὡς 8 ἀπροφάσιστοι μὴ πιστεύσαντες γένοιντο. εἰ μὴ ἦλθον γάρ, φησί, καὶ ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἶχον· οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ τὴν βραχεῖαν ἣν εἶχον ἔτι πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι

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.