Commentary on Romans 2.11–2.12

"But if you are called a Jew, and rest in the law, and glory in God, and know his will, and approve the more useful things, being instructed by the law, and are confident that you are a guide of the blind, a light of those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law: you, then, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one must not steal, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you commit sacrilege? You who glory in the law, do you dishonor God through transgression of the law? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you, as it is written."

Just as we have observed in the prophetic Scriptures that not only the person of the speaker changes covertly and suddenly, but also the persons of those to whom or about whom the word is spoken (for example, that some things are said now in the person of the Father, now of the Son or of the Holy Spirit, now also in the person of the prophet or of any others; and that the word is directed now to the Israelite nation, now to foreign nations, or to kings, and to a thousand others), so it seems to me that this Epistle to the Romans too has been written in such a way that sometimes the person of the speaker changes: sometimes it is the spiritual Paul who speaks, as in many places of the Epistle, but sometimes the carnal Paul, as for example when he says, "But I am carnal, sold under sin," as will be shown when, the Lord directing us, we come to that passage. And sometimes there is also a change of the persons to whom the word is addressed: so that now it is said to the whole Church of the Romans, "I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in the whole world"; but in other places not to the whole Church but to everyone who judges another and himself does what he condemns in others, and is without excuse. But now this word is addressed neither to the Church nor to the one who judges, where he says, "But if you are called a Jew, and rest in the law, and glory in God, and know his will," and so on, up to the place where he says, "And the uncircumcision that is by nature, fulfilling the law, will judge you, who through the letter and circumcision are a transgressor of the law." Just as in the prophetic Scriptures one who wishes to grasp the understanding of what is written must watchfully attend to the persons of the speakers, or of those to whom or about whom the word is spoken, so it seems to me that one must now proceed in the Epistle to the Romans.

But let us now see what the Apostle says to the one who is called a Jew. First, it must be observed that he did not say of him, "But if you are a Jew," but "you are called a Jew"; because to be a Jew and to be called a Jew are not the same. For Paul himself teaches later that he is truly a Jew who is circumcised in secret with the circumcision of the heart, who keeps the law in the spirit, not the letter, whose praise is not from men but from God. But one who is circumcised openly, in the flesh, keeping the law in order to be seen by men, is not truly a Jew but is called one. For of these the Apostle himself says: "Look at the circumcision; for we are the circumcision, who serve God in the spirit." And John too says in the Apocalypse of certain people: "Who say that they are Jews and are not"; whom he also declares to be of the synagogue of Satan. It must be known, however, that he who is a Jew in secret and truly takes his name from that Judah of whom it is written in Genesis: "Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hands will be on the back of your enemies. A lion's whelp is Judah," and the rest that was prophesied of the Savior, the Lord.

If, then, it has become clear about the differences of persons, and who is truly a Jew and who is called one only in name, let us see what the apostolic word says to this one who boasts that he is a Jew and is not. "You," he says, "who are called a Jew, and place all your rest in the letter of the law, and glory in God as one who is his portion and to whom it has been granted to know the will of God; and you boast, as one skilled in testing, that you can know and discern the more useful and the differing things, so that you not only know what is good but also discern what is better and more useful; you are also confident that you can be a guide of the blind": no doubt you are of those guides of whom the Lord said: "They are blind guides of the blind; and if a blind man leads a blind man, both fall into the pit." He is confident, then, that he is a guide of the blind, a light also of those who are in darkness. But to these too the Lord says no less: "If the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" They are confident, however, that they are instructors of the foolish and teachers of infants, as having received from the letter of the law the form of knowledge and truth. And because they profess this but do not truly hold it, the Apostle says to them: "You then who teach another, do you not teach yourself? And you who preach that one must not steal, do you steal" the coming and presence of Christ, which has shone out on the whole world? "You who say that one must not commit adultery" commit adultery against the synagogue of the people of God, bringing upon it a perverse and adulterous word of teaching; and you set it beside the letter of the law, which is outward, though you read it written of the law, "All the glory of the king's daughter is within"; and of it you read it said likewise through the prophet: "Unless you listen in secret, your soul will weep." You, then, who forbid adultery commit so grave an adultery that you bring an adulterous sense to her of whom you read that God said: "I will betroth you to myself in faith and mercy." "You who abhor idols commit sacrilege," violating the true temple of God, which is Christ Jesus. For you destroy the temple of God, which was raised up in three days for those who believe. And one who steals and hides the word of the law and the prophets that proclaims Christ, so that the people may not hear and believe, commits sacrilege and truly violates the temple of God. This same man, too, who is called a Jew and glories in the letter of the law of Moses, is convicted as a transgressor of the law when he does not believe in Christ. For if he believed Moses, he would surely believe this one, of whom Moses wrote. Because of such people, then, who are called Jews and are not, the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles, not only for their very bad works but also because of the lowly and abject understanding they have of the law and the prophets. For things become ridiculous even to the Gentiles themselves when, following the letter of the law, they say: "Do not touch, do not taste, do not defile yourself"; all of which perish in their use, according to the commandments and doctrines of men.

The Apostle says these things, to be sure, to one who is a Jew in name, not in deed; yet they can also apply to every man in whom there is only the name of religion and piety, but works and knowledge and faith are lacking. And therefore we ought to discuss these things with greater care in ourselves than in those who do not come to the faith of Christ, lest any of us who, through the faith of Christ and the circumcision given in baptism, has been made a true Jew and rests in the law of Christ, and glories too that, having driven out the error of idols, he has come to know God and that God's will has become known to him (for he knows how to test what is good and well-pleasing and perfect), and has gone so far as even to be a leader and teacher of the Church, to enlighten those who are blind in knowledge and to instruct little ones in Christ: lest such a man, I say, should wish to teach others more strictly and demand the highest discipline of chastity from those he instructs, while he himself is driven by the vice of intemperance and greed, and sometimes even burns with the flames of hidden lust. To such a man, then, the apostolic word is fittingly applied, saying to him: "You who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one must not steal, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?" And if, as sometimes happens, he has turned to his own profit the gifts offered to God and the alms given for the use of the poor, it is rightly said to him: "You who abhor idols commit sacrilege." And if he also incurs open disgrace, and already bears public notoriety for his avarice and unjust judgments and drunkenness, God is dishonored in his acts; and when such a teacher of the Church has become known to the peoples, the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles. For they are sure that disciples are like their teacher.

These same things can also, in the third place, be applied to heretics. For they too are called Christians, and some of them have even held to the Law; instructed by it, they profess themselves guides of the blind and teachers of infants, approving the "more useful things" that they say are hidden from churchmen. But since these steal the words of God and filch their meaning by perverse exposition, and bring an adulterous sense of the faith into the royal bridal chamber, to the Church, the bride of Christ, it is rightly said to them: "You who preach that one must not steal, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?" And those who abhor idols commit sacrilege, stealing the precious vessels from the temple of God, that is, the pearls of the true faith from the holy Scriptures; through them, too, the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles, while they stain the chaste and honorable doctrines of the Church with the corrupt and shameful errors of heretical depravity. For from them arose the reproaches of infanticide and incest and other similar crimes, to bring hatred on the holy religion. It must be known, however, that the Apostle says these things to the Jews by irony. For one who truly rests in the Law and glories in God and approves the more useful things is not to be believed to do the things enumerated. The testimony that he cited, that is, "For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you," is taken from Isaiah.

"Circumcision is indeed of value if you keep the law; but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. If, then, the uncircumcision keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? And the uncircumcision that is by nature, fulfilling the law, will judge you, who through the letter and circumcision are a transgressor of the law. For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one in secret, and circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit, not the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God." What the circumcision is that the Apostle says is of value, or which law is of value … [the circumcision of the heart, which] has praise not from men but from God; and elsewhere he says: "Look at the circumcision; for we are the circumcision, who serve God in the spirit and put no confidence in the flesh." This, as I think, is the circumcision that the Apostle says is of value if you keep the law: not the law of the letter, whose circumcision in the flesh you certainly do not receive, but the law of the spirit, according to which you are circumcised in heart. "For the letter kills, but the spirit gives life," because the law of God too was not written with ink but by the finger of God, which is his Spirit, and not on tablets of stone but on the tablets of the heart.

But it may be objected to us: if the Apostle says that circumcision is of value, which is surely understood to be nothing other than the purification of the soul and the casting off of vices, how does he add further that such circumcision is of value only if you keep the law, since this very circumcision seems to come about only from the observance of the law? But consider whether perhaps circumcision signifies cutting off vices and ceasing from evil, while keeping the law means doing what is good and accomplishing what is perfect. For perfection does not consist in ceasing from evil, but in doing good, as we are more clearly taught in the Psalm, when it says, "Turn away from evil," and it did not stop there but added, "and do good." Likewise, then, the Apostle, being steeped in these things, says that circumcision and the casting off of evils are of value only if you keep the law of good things. For no one can be perfect if he has done nothing evil, but only if he has done something good. Hence the very circumcision that was done in the flesh will be signified as an image not without this understanding that we are now setting out. Indeed, it was given on the eighth day to little ones who had certainly not yet done any work.

And if someone brings against us what is set down at the beginning of the book of Job in his praise, where it is said, "blameless, righteous, a worshipper of God, keeping himself from every evil thing," where, after the praise of good works has come first, abstinence from evil is counted last: I think that what is indicated is what often happens, that very many do what is good but yet mix in something of evil work; but few are like Job, who are both so truthful and blameless, so righteous, and keep themselves from every evil thing. "If, then," he says, "you are a transgressor of the law," as we explained above, by not doing what is good, "your circumcision has become uncircumcision," while even this, that you seemed to abstain from evil, is counted to you as unbelief, since you do not do the works of faith and righteousness. For it is not possible for anyone's fleshly circumcision to be turned back into uncircumcision, since the flesh of the foreskin, once cut off, cannot return. It is therefore understood more fittingly and more clearly that abstinence from evil work, which is signified by circumcision, is counted as uncleanness if it does not have the works of faith. And in the Church too, one who is circumcised through the grace of baptism, if after this he is a transgressor of the law of Christ, the circumcision of baptism will be counted to him as the uncircumcision of unbelief: because "faith without works" is also said to be "dead," and the portion of the wicked steward is set with the unbelievers.