The Glory of the Ministry of the Spirit
Having called us worthy for the ministry of the word, God made us, not possessing from ourselves any thought as if from ourselves according to divine knowledge; for He himself, the one who gave to us to minister the new covenant, provided the conviction for the speaking. And it is a ministry of the Spirit and not of the letter which we were believed to have—for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor 3:6)—the new covenant of the life-giving Spirit, not an old one; for no other teaching comes after it in this life, for it is without successor.
The heterodox also use this expression to slander the old covenant, asserting that the former is the writing that kills, while the new is life-giving as being of the life-giving Spirit; therefore they must be rebuked, being very far from the apostolic mind. For even if the letter kills, it brings a praiseworthy death to those being lifted up; for living in ignorance and wickedness before the reception of the legal teaching, after having received it, they die, casting off the evil life they had.
For in this way they will be ready to receive the life-giving work of the Spirit: for instance, he who is in evil lives according to it, but he who turns away from it casts off the life he had according to it, coming through the doing of the good toward the blessed life; for just as evil and good do not coexist, so also the two lives cannot be at once. The letter is certainly not a lie, having imposed an end upon the bad life; for the life-giving work according to the Spirit will immediately approach.
Regarding 2 Cor 3:7-16, he compares both covenants, the new and the old, each witnessing to the one given in glory from God. However, even if both have been glorified, the one in the Spirit has greater glory. And if, by comparison, the glory of the Spirit is greater, it is not a lie regarding that which it is compared to; for a good thing is more good than a good. For a ministry of death is inscribed in letters on stones through Moses...
Until it is, the ministry of death which we said brings death. Just as that spoken death was poetic, so the ministry of the spirit is a provider of life after that death.
And it attempts to lead an argument that the ministry of the spirit will be in glory, making the attempt from the lesser; for it says: if the ministry of condemnation had such glory that it could not see all the sons of Israel unto perfection—for it was scarcely veiled—how much more will the spiritual ministry be from glory? Regarding the same view, it makes another attempt, saying: the former scripture, condemning the worthy according to the life of sin which they had, as having brought death as said, is given until a certain time; for this evangelical teaching receives it, being without successor. If therefore that which is being abolished has its end in glory, the remaining, being more, has much more glory; the abolished word is not placed reproachfully.
And certainly the knowledge and prophecy from the part of the saints will be abolished, not utterly, but by the presence of the knowledge of the truth. And just as if we were to say that the introductory teaching is being abolished from the science of the perfect theorems, we do not speak insultingly; for the word declares the necessity intended toward Paul, the one being introduced.
Therefore, having such a conviction, being placed as ministers of a new covenant, bringing the teaching unmasked, we use much boldness, being teachers of perfect hearers, since that which we bring to children does not need glory from without, having it by nature. For Moses indeed wore a veil over the face when speaking to the many of the people; for they did not bear the splendor of the teaching. And certainly to the elders and to Joshua the son of Nun, and if anyone was conversing according to them, he was showing the glory naked. And this also happened as...
Greek
ὡς θεὸς ἡμᾶς ἱκανοὺς πρὸς διακονίαν τοῦ λόγου καλέσας ἐποίησεν, οὐκ ἔχοντας ἐξ αὑτῶν τὸ λογίσασθαί τι ὡς ἐξ ἑαυτῶν κατὰ θείαν ἐπιστήμην· αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ δοὺς διακονεῖν ἡμῖν τὴν καινὴν διαθήκην, τὴν πεποίθησιν τὴν πρὸς τὸ λέγειν ὤρεξεν. ἔστι δὲ ἣν ἐπιστεύθημεν διακονίαν πνεύματος ἀλλ' οὐ γράμματος–ἀποκτέννει μὲν γὰρ τὸ γράμμα, ζωοποιεῖ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα–τῆς τοῦ ζωοποιοῦντος πνεύματος ἡ διαθήκη καινή, οὐ παλαιουμένη· οὐ γὰρ ἐπιγίνεται διδασκαλία ἄλλη μετ' 22 αὐτὴν ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ· ἀδιάδοχος γάρ ἐστιν. χρῶνται δὲ καὶ τῇ λέξει ταύτῃ πρὸς διαβολὴν τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης οἱ ἑτερόδοξοι, φάσκοντες ἐκείνην μὲν τὴν γραφὴν θανατοῦν, ζωοποιεῖν δὲ τὴν καινὴν ὡς οὖσαν τοῦ ζωοποιοῦντος πνεύματος· διὸ ἐλεγκτέον αὐτοὺς πολὺ μακρὰν ὄντας τῆς ἀποστολικῆς διανοίας. εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀποκτέννει τὸ γράμμα, ἀλλ' οὖν ἐπαινετὸν ἐπιφέρει θάνατον τοῖς ἀναιρουμένοις· ζῶντες γὰρ τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ καὶ τῇ κακίᾳ πρὸ παραδοχῆς τῆς νομικῆς διδασκαλίας, μετὰ τὸ παραδέξασθαι αὐτὴν θανατοῦνται ἀποβάλλοντες ἣν εἶχον πονηρὰν ζωήν. οὕτω γὰρ ἕτοιμοι πρὸς τὸ δέξασθαι τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος ζωοποίησιν ἔσονται, οἷον· ὁ ὢν ἐν κακῷ ζῇ κατ' αὐτὸ, ὁ ἐκκλίνας ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἀποβάλλει ἣν εἶχε κατ' αὐτὸ ζωήν, ἐλευσόμενος διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ποιήσεως ἐπὶ τὸ μακαρίως ζῆν· ὡς γὰρ τὸ κακὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν ἀσυνύπαρκτα, οὕτω καὶ αἱ ἑκάτεραι ζωαὶ ἅμα εἶναι οὐ δύνανται. οὐ ψέγεται τοιγαροῦν τὸ γράμμα τέλος ἐπιβαλὸν τῇ φαύλῃ ζωῇ· προσάξει γὰρ εὐθέως τῇ κατὰ τὸ πνεῦμα ζωοποιήσει. 2 Kor 3,7-16 Συγκρίνει ἀμφοτέρας τὰς διαθήκας, τὴν καινὴν καὶ παλαιάν, ἑκατέρᾳ μαρτυρῶν τὸ ἐν δόξῃ τῇ ἐκ θεοῦ δεδόσθαι. ὅμως δὲ εἰ καὶ ἀμφότεραι δεδοξασμέναι, ἡ ἐν πνεύματι πλείονα δόξαν ἔχει. εἰ δὲ ἐκ συγκρίσεως πλείων ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος δόξα, οὐ ψεκτὴ πρὸς ἣν συγκρίνεται· ἀγαθοῦ γὰρ ἀγαθὸν μᾶλλον ἀγαθόν. διακονία γὰρ θανάτου ἐν γράμμασιν ἐντετυπωμένη λίθοις ἡ διὰ Μωϋσέως ἐστίν, διακονοῦσα θάνατον ὃν εἴπομεν ἐπιφέρειν τὸ γράμμα. ὥσπερ οὖν ἐκείνη τοῦ λεχθέντος θανάτου ποιητική, οὕτω τῆς μετὰ τὸν θάνατον ἐκεῖνον ζωῆς 5 πάροχος ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος διακονία. πειρᾶται δὲ ἀπόδειξιν ἐπαγαγεῖν τοῦ ἐν δόξῃ εἶναι τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος διακονίαν, ἐκ τοῦ ἐλάττονος ποιούμενος τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν· φησὶ γάρ· εἰ ἡ τῆς κατακρίσεως διακονία τοσαύτην ἔσχε δόξαν ὡς μὴ πάντας τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὴν τελείωσιν βλέψαι δύνασθαι–μόγις γὰρ κεκαλυμμένην αὐτὴν ἔφερον–, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἡ πνευματικὴ διακονία ἔσται ἐκ δόξῃ; τοῦ αὐτοῦ θεωρήματος καὶ ἑτέραν ἐπιχείρησιν ποιεῖται φάσκων· ἡ προτέρα γραφὴ κατακρίνουσα τοὺς ἀξίους ἧς εἶχον κατὰ ἁμαρτίαν ζωῆς ὡς τὸν εἰρημένον ἐνεγκεῖν θάνατον, μέχρι καιροῦ τινος δέδοται· διαδέχεται γὰρ αὐτὴν ἡ εὐαγγελικὴ διδασκαλία αὕτη ἀδιάδοχος οὖσα. εἰ τοίνυν τὸ καταργούμενον τὸ τέλος ἔχει ἐν δόξῃ, πολλῷ πλέον τὸ μένον πλείονα δόξαν ἔχει· ἡ καταργεῖται λέξις οὐ λοιδορικῶς κεῖται. ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ ἡ ἐκ μέρους τῶν ἁγίων γνῶσις καὶ προφητεία καταργηθήσεται, οὐ καθάπαξ ἀλλὰ παρουσίᾳ τῆς γνώσεως τῆς ἀληθείας. καὶ ὥσπερ εἰ λέγοιμεν καταργεῖσθαι τὴν εἰσαγωγικὴν διδασκαλίαν ἐξ ἐπιστήμης τῶν τελείων θεωρημάτων, οὐχ 23 ὑβριστικῶς φαμεν· δηλῶσαι γὰρ διὰ τῆς λέξεως προτιθεμένης χρείας τῆς πρὸς τὸν εἰσαγόμενον Παῦλον. τοιγαροῦν τοιαύτην πεποίθησιν ἔχοντες, ὡς διάκονοι καινῆς διαθήκης τεθειμένοι, ἀνεγκαλύπτως τὴν διδασκαλίαν προφέροντες πολλῇ παρρησίᾳ χρώμεθα, τελείων ὄντες ἀκροατῶν διδάσκαλοι, ἐπείπερ ἣν προφερόμεθα παίδευσιν οὐκ ἔξωθεν δέεται δόξης, σύμφυτον αὐτὴν ἔχουσα. Μωϋσῆς μὲν γὰρ κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσωπον ἔφερε τοῖς πολλοῖς τοῦ λαοῦ ὁμιλῶν· οὐ γὰρ ἔφερον τὸ μεγαλοφυὲς τῆς διδασκαλίας. ἀμέλει γοῦν τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις καὶ Ἰησοῦ τῷ τοῦ Ναυῆ καὶ εἴ τις κατ' ἐκείνους διαλεγόμενος γυμνὴν ἐπεδείκνυτο τὴν δόξαν. ἐγίνετο δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ὡς καὶ
About this text
Didymus on Paul's second letter to Corinth: suffering, comfort, and what makes a true apostle.
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.