The Essence of Sin and the Law
It is good. Since, therefore, sin itself—that is, the devil—is sin by nature and by essence, he proffers this: that through the commandment, sin becomes a sin in excess. For that which is by essence cannot receive more or less; for it is what it is, always being what it is essentially. For whatever is added or increased, whether a little or in excess, is of a different essence from the things to which it is added; for 'how much' is not essence, but is about essence, not being essence. Thus, the so-called sin by the apostle, which is received to sin in excess, is so that sin becomes a sin in excess. Thus, even the being of sin, in which it is sin, took its beginning, not being in excess in the beginning, according to the sinning of sin.
Therefore, regarding the penalty of becoming a sin in excess in the time to come, he signifies this by saying: 'that sin may become a sin in excess through the commandment.' If they were to say: 'And how could it be good and just? And how is the commandment and the law holy, when through their occasion sin became a sin in excess?' Let them listen to this: that if something is being harmed, the occasion through which it is harmed is already bad and evil. Just as we do not say the sun is evil just because those who gaze at it without end and without measure are harmed in their eyes. Nor do we say the Son of God is bad and evil just because the devil has become a sin in excess by opposing the Son of God.
I know that the good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh (Rom 7:21). This is explained through the person of Adam. And that, having been deprived of God to have within himself, he exchanged true life for death—for death did not hold only the common members of it, but also the disobedience invading his soul. For above all, death ruled before the arrival of Christ, having disobedience as the law and scepter of its own kingdom. But the kingdom of death is not without a ruler or unbegotten; for to die happens from the living, and to disobey happens from the obedience of subjects.
For the willing is possible for me, but the doing of the good is not. For what I want as good, this I do not do, but what I hate, this I practice (Rom 7:15). If the willing alone is in us, but the doing of the thing willed as good is not in us, then the good God sent his consubstantial souls into bodies in vain; for they do not practice what they love and what is with them, but only they will; perhaps even that willing is not, for it is unclear. If this is true, I will say according to the impious: then the good was not and will not be in life, nor did anyone ever act it, if they take as a refutation of the good and the beautiful against every man, that what I want as good, this I do not do, but what I hate, this I do.
Greek
ἀγαθή. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐδ' αὐτὴ ἡ ἁμαρτία, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ὁ διάβολος, φύσει καὶ οὐσίᾳ ἁμαρτία ἐστίν, ἐπιφέρει λέγων· ἵνα γένηται καθ' ὑπερ 4 βολὴν ἁμαρτωλὸς ἡ ἁμαρτία διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς. τὸ γὰρ κατ' οὐσίαν τὶ ὂν τὸ πλέον καὶ τὸ ἔλαττον οὐκ ἐπιδέξεται· ἔστιν γὰρ ὅπερ ἐστίν, ἀεὶ τοῦτο ὂν ὅπερ ἐστὶν οὐσιωδῶς. τῷ γὰρ γινομένῳ καὶ ἐπιγινομένῳ τι, εἴτε ὀλίγον εἴτε καθ' ὑπερβολήν, ἕτερός ἐστι κατ' οὐσίαν τῶν αὐτῷ ἐπιγινομένων· τὸ γὰρ πόσον οὐκ οὐσία ἀλλὰ περὶ τὴν οὐσίαν ἐστίν, οὐκ ὂν οὐσία. ἡ ἄρα τοίνυν καλουμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀποστόλου ἁμαρτία τὸ πλέον ἐπιδεχομένη ἁμαρτήσειν, ἵνα γένηται καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἁμαρτωλὸς ἡ ἁμαρτία. ἄρα καὶ τοῦ εἶναι ἁμαρτία, ᾗ ἁμαρτία ἐστίν, ἀρχὴν ἔλαβεν, οὐκ οὖσα καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἐν ἀρχῇ κατὰ τὸ ἡμαρτηκέναι ἁμαρτωλὸς ἡ ἁμαρτία. διὸ δὴ καὶ τὴν ἐπίτασιν τοῦ γενέσθαι καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐσομένῳ χρόνῳ σημαίνει οὕτω λέγων· ἵνα γένηται καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἁμαρτωλὸς ἡ ἁμαρτία διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς. εἰ δὲ λέγοιεν· καὶ πῶς ἂν εἴη ἀγαθὴ καὶ δικαία; πῶς δὲ ἁγία ἡ ἐντολὴ καὶ ὁ νόμος, ὁπότε διὰ τῆς ἀφορμῆς αὐτῶν 2 ἁμαρτωλὸς καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἐγένετο ἁμαρτωλὸς ἡ ἁμαρτία; πρὸς ταῦτα ἀκουέτωσαν ὅτι οὐκ, εἴ τι καταβλάπτεται, ἤδη καὶ ἡ ἀφορμὴ δι' ἣν βλάπτεται φαύλη ἐστὶ καὶ πονηρά· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὅτι οἱ ἀνόδως καὶ ἀμέτρως ἐνατενίζοντες τῷ ἡλίῳ βλάπτονται τὰς ὄψεις, ἤδη καὶ τὸν ἥλιόν φαμεν πονηρόν· οὐδ' ὅτι καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ὁ διάβολος ἁμαρτωλὸς γέγονε τῷ ἐπικεχειρηκέναι κατὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἤδη καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φαῦλον καὶ πονηρὸν εἶναι λέγομεν. Οἶδα δὲ ὅτι οὐκ οἰκεῖ ἐν ἐμοί, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου, ἀγαθόν. νῦν εἰς τὸ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ πρόσωπον ἐξηγεῖται. καὶ ὅτι στερηθεὶς τὸν θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, ἀντὶ τῆς ὄντως ζωῆς θάνατον καταλλαξάμενος–καὶ γὰρ θάνατος οὐχ ὁ κοινὸς μόνος τῶν μελῶν αὐτοῦ ἐκράτησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ τῆς παρακοῆς κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ εἰσβαλών· μάλιστα γὰρ ὁ κρατῶν θάνατος πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημίας ἐβασίλευσε, κατὰ πάντων νόμον καὶ σκῆπτρον τῆς ἑαυτοῦ βασιλείας ἔχων τὴν παρακοήν. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἄναρχος ἢ ἀγέννητος ἡ τοῦ θανάτου βασιλεία· ἐκ γὰρ τῶν ζώντων τὸ τεθνάναι συμβαίνει, καὶ ἐκ τῆς τῶν ὑπηκόων ὑπακοῆς τὸ παρακοῦσαί τινα. τὸ γὰρ θέλειν παράκειταί μοι, τὸ δὲ κατεργάζεσθαι τὸ καλὸν οὔ· ὃ γὰρ θέλω ἀγαθὸν τοῦτο οὐ ποιῶ, ἀλλ' ὃ μισῶ τοῦτο πράσσω. εἰ τὸ θέλειν μόνον ἐν ἡμῖν ἔστιν, τὸ δὲ κατεργάζεσθαι τὸ θεληθὲν καλὸν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἡμῖν, εἰς μάτην ὁ ἀγαθὸς θεὸς τὰς ὁμοουσίας ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὰς ἐν τοῖς σώμασι κατέπεμψεν· τὸ γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ αὐταῖς φίλον οὐ πράττουσιν, οὐκ ἐνεργοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ μόνον θέλουσιν· τάχα δὲ οὐδ' αὐτό, ἄδηλον γάρ. εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ἀληθές ἐστιν, κατὰ τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς ἐρῶ· ἄρα οὐκ ἦν οὐδ' ἔσται ἐν βίῳ τὸ καλόν, οὔτε τίς ποτ' αὐτὸ ἐνήργησεν, εἴγε κατ' ἀναίρεσιν τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ ἀγαθοῦ ἐπὶ παντὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐκλαμβάνωσιν, ὅτι ὃ θέλω ἀγαθόν, τοῦτο οὐ ποιῶ, ἀλλ' ὃ μισῶ τοῦτο
About this text
Eusebius of Emesa on Romans (catena fragments).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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