Reconciliation through Christ and Faith
The Paul of the Law, made wise by the divine Spirit, guarantees that those who believe in the Son will escape the charge concerning the glory of the created gods.
Moreover, he also calls “atheists” those before this time who knew only God the Father apart from the Son — since their knowledge does not come to completion in works — writing here that: “Remember that at one time you, the Gentiles in the flesh — the so-called uncircumcision by the so-called circumcision made by hand in the flesh — that you were at that time apart from Christ, estranged from the hope of Israel and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and godless in the world.” (Eph 2:12).
And elsewhere: “But then, not knowing God, you were enslaved to those who by nature are not gods; but now, knowing God — or rather being known by God — how do you turn back again to the weak and poor elemental things, to which you want to be enslaved again anew?” (Gal 4:8-9).
But the saving proclamation concerning Christ and the Holy Spirit — ever new and never declining into old age — and the ecclesiastical order of the elder Law, he also deems more honorable, because it is perfect and has nothing unlawful troubling it, nor should anything better or greater be set forth in word or in manner; for in this matter he writes, saying that: “I was ‘in zeal persecuting the church; in righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever were gains to me, these I have counted as loss for Christ. Indeed I also count all things as loss for the surpassing worth of the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse, that I may gain Christ.’” (Phil 3:6-8).
And to the Romans: “For if the one coming preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit, which you did not receive.”
Through that reconciliation — if one is reconciled to the Son, he is reconciled to God — the world was reconciled to God, and in Christ there is a covenant toward God for the world. For he has: 'just as God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and having established in us the word of reconciliation. Therefore we plead on behalf of Christ as the God pleading through us. We pray on behalf of Christ: be reconciled to God.' (2 Cor 5:19).
And again, as if setting all other things aside, he preached, boasting loudly that even what seems reproachable for Christ is, through his philanthropy-driven economy, overflowing with all good repute and strength — doing this in practice — so that even the one who, from the glorious passion, does not look down upon the unbegotten, incorruptible, and unchangeable divinity might incur a charge of pride.
And he said such things: 'not that I have judged anything to be known among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.' (1 Cor 2:2). To the Romans: 'the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.' (Rom 3:22).
Through the faith spoken toward the Son, each is justified by God. To the Galatians: 'knowing that a man is not justified by works of the law except through faith in Jesus Christ, and we believed in Jesus Christ so that we might be justified from the faith of Christ and not from works of the law, because no flesh shall be justified by works of the law.' (Gal 2:16).
And he explains also to others that 'neither circumcision avails nor uncircumcision, but a new faith working through love.' (Gal 5:6). But as the word deepens the mind, it must be unfolded.
Therefore he intends to teach how the appearing of Christ found a new faith, the only one, for all men; according to which he left no place, neither in Judaism nor in Hellenism. And this could be understood also according to: 'behold, the old things have passed away, all things have become new.' (2 Cor 5:17). And so that it may be understood, he who knows God says that the circumcision is not complete according to the law. He took up into
Greek
De trinitate 7.1 Ἐκφεύγειν τοιγαροῦν τὸ ἔγκλημα τὸ περὶ τῆς δόξης τῶν κτιστῶν θεῶν τοὺς πιστεύοντας τῷ υἱῷ ὁ ἔννομος Παῦλος τῷ θεϊκῷ πνεύματι σεσοφισμένος ἐγγυᾶται. 7.2 ἔτι δὲ καὶ "ἀθέους" ἀποκαλεῖ τοὺς πρὸ τούτου ἐκτὸς τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸν θεὸν καὶ πατέρα μόνον ἐγνωκότας, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἐν π̣ο̣ι̣ήμασι τ̣ελ̣εῖ, γράφων πῇ μὲν ὅτι «μνημονεύετε ὅτι ποτὲ ὑμεῖς τὰ ἔθνη ἐν σαρκί, οἱ λεγόμενοι ἀκροβυστία ὑπὸ τῆς λεγομένης περιτομῆς ἐν σαρκὶ χειροποιήτου, ὅτι ἦτε τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ χωρὶς Χριστοῦ, ἀπηλλοτρι̣ω̣μ̣ένοι τῆς ἐλπ̣ι´̣δος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ξένοι τῶν διαθηκῶν τῆς ἐπ̣αγγελίας, ἐλπίδα μὴ ἔχοντες καὶ ἄθεοι ἐν τῷ κ̣όσμῳ». 7.3 πῇ δέ «ἀλλὰ τότε μὲν οὐκ εἰδότες θεὸν ἐδουλεύσατε τοῖς φύσει μὴ οὖσι θεοῖς–νῦν δὲ γνόντες θεόν, μᾶλλον γν̣ωσθέντες ὑπὸ θεοῦ, πῶς ἐπιστρέφετε πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ ἀσθενῆ καὶ πτωχὰ στοιχεῖα, οἷς πάλιν ἄνωθεν δ̣ουλεύειν θ̣έλετε»; 7.4 ἀλλὰ μὴν τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου νόμου τὸ ἀεὶ νέον καὶ οὐκ εἰς γῆρας ἀποκλῖνον σω̣τ̣η´̣ρ̣ιον κήρυγμα τὸ περὶ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος καὶ τὸν ἐκκλησιαστικὸν θεσμὸν προφερέστερον ἡγεῖται διὰ τὸ τέλ̣ε̣ι̣ο̣ν καὶ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν μήτε ἀνομ ἐνοχλοῦν μήτε ··κάλλιον ἢ μεῖζον χρὴ προτεθη ο·· λόγῳ ἢ τρόπῳ καλλ γὰρ τῷ χρήματι τούτῳ γράφει π̣ε̣π σι τὸ μὲν ὁ´̣τι «ἐγενόμην» «κατὰ ζῆλον διώκων τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, κατὰ δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐν νόμῳ γενόμενος ἄμεμπτος· ἀλλὰ ἅτινα ἦν μοι κέρδη, ταῦτα ἥγημαι διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν ζημίαν. ἀλλὰ μὲν οὖν γε καὶ ἡγοῦμαι πάντα ζημίαν εἶναι διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τ̣ο̣ῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν, δι' ὃν τὰ πάντα ἐζημιώθην καὶ ἡγοῦμαι σκύβαλα εἶναι, ἵνα Χριστὸν κερδήσω». 7.5 Ῥωμαίοις δέ· «εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἄλλον Ἰησοῦν κηρύσσει, ὃν οὐκ ἐκηρύξαμεν, ἢ πνεῦμα ἕτερον λαμβάνετε, ὃ οὐκ ἐλάβετε». 7.6 Ἆρα δὲ καὶ πρὸς τί ἀπιδὼν καὶ οἷα διανοηθεὶς ἀκραιφνοῦς θεογνωσίας αὖθις ἴδια γέγραφεν· Κορινθίοις μὲν τὸ δεύτερον ὅτι γε εἰ τῷ υ̣ἱῷ τις καταλλαγῇ, τῷ θεῷ κατηλλάγη κ̣αὶ ὅτ̣ι ἐν Χριστῷ η῾̣ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν σ̣ύμβασίς ἐστι τοῦ κόσμου· 7.7 ἔχει δέ· «ὡς ὅτι θεὸς ἦν ἐν Χριστῷ κόσμον καταλλάσσων ἑαυτῷ, μὴ λογιζόμενος αὐτοῖς τὰ παραπτώμα̣τα αὐτῶν, καὶ θέμε̣νος ἐν ἡμῖν τὸν λόγον τῆς καταλλαγῆς. ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ οὖν πρε̣σβεύομεν ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ παρακαλοῦντος δι' ἡμῶν. δεόμεθα ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ· καταλλάγητε τῷ θεῷ». 7.8 Καὶ πάλιν ὡς πάντα τὰ ἄλλα ᾶ παρεὶς ἐκήρυττεν μεγάλα αὐχῶν ὅτι καὶ τὸ δοκοῦν ἐπονείδιστον εἶναι Χριστῷ διὰ τὴν φιλάνθρωπον αὐτοῦ οἰκονομίαν, πᾶσαν εὔκλειαν καὶ ῥώμην βρύει, ἐγᾦμαι τοῦτο ποιῶν ἐξ ἔργου, ἵνα καὶ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ ἐνδόξου πάθους τὴν ἀγένητον καὶ ἀκήρατον καὶ ἀναλλοίωτον θεότητα μὴ κατοπτεύων γραφὴν ὑπερηφανίας ὀφλοῖ. 7.9 ἔλεγεν δὲ τοιάδε· «οὐκ ἔκρινά τι εἰδέναι ἐν ὑμῖν εἰ μὴ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν καὶ τοῦτον ἐσταυρωμένον». Ῥωμαίοις δέ· «δικαιοσύνη δὲ θεοῦ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας». 7.10 διὰ τῆς εἰς τὸν υἱὸν φησ̣ὶ πίστεως δικαιοῦται ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἕκαστος. 7.11 Γαλάταις δέ· «εἰδότες δὲ ὅτι οὐ δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἔργων νόμου ἐὰν μὴ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐπιστεύσαμεν, ἵνα δικα̣ιωθῶμεν ἐκ πίστεως Χριστοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, ὅτι ἐξ ἔργων νόμου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σάρξ». 7.12 ἐξηγεῖται δὲ καὶ ἑτέρωθι ὅτι «οὔτε περιτομή τι ἰσχύει οὔτε ἀκροβυστία, ἀλλὰ καινὴ πίστις δ̣ι̣' α᾿̣γάπης ἐνεργουμένη». 7.13 Τοῦ δὲ λόγου βαθύνοντος τὸν νοῦν ἀναπτυκτέον. 7.14 διδάσκειν μὲν οὖν βούλεται ὡς ἡ Χριστοῦ ἐπιφάνεια καινήν̣ τινα καὶ τὴν μόνην πίστιν ἁ´̣πασιν ἀνθρώποις ἐξεύρετο· καθ' ἣν οὐδεμίαν χώραν οὔτε Ἰουδαισμῷ οὔτε Ἑλληνισμῷ καταλέλοιπεν. 7.15 αὕτη δὲ νοηθ̣ε̣ι´̣η̣ ἂν καὶ κατὰ τό· «ἰδο̣υ`̣ τὰ ἀρχαῖα παρῆλθεν, καινὰ γέγονε̣ν πάν τα». καὶ ἵνα συνελ··ε̣ι̣ παύεται μὲν̣ ὁ τὸν̣ θεὸν εἰδὼς νόμου ὡσ μὴ τελεία̣ν τὴν π̣εριτομὴν φησίν. 7.16 ἀνέλαμψεν δὲ εἰς