St.Paul's wish to be accursed from Christ was of love to Him.279 even made it more intense. How then is it that thou Roм. thema wouldest fain be accursed, and seekest a separation, and 9, 2. 3. a removal to such a distance, that after it there is no possibility of finding a more distant one? Because I love Him exceeding, he may reply. Now, pray, and in what manner? For the things seem a riddle. Or rather, if you will, let us learn what the curse is, and then we will question him upon these points, and shall understand this unspeakable and extraordinary love. What then is the curse? Hear his own words, If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed1. That is, let him be set apart from all, removed anafrom all. For as in the case of a thing dedicated, which is 1 Cor. set apart for God, no one would venture so much as to touch 16, 22. ἀνάθημα it with his hand or even to come near it; so too with a man who is put apart from the Church, in cutting him off from all, and removing him as far off as possible, he calls him by this name in a contrary sense, thus with much fear denouncing 3vá to all men to keep apart from him, and to spring away from him. For the thing set apart, no one, from respect of it, ventures to come near to. But from him who is cut off, all men separate themselves from a very opposite feeling. And so the separation is the same, and both the things and the man1 are equally removed from the generality. Still, the 4 Mss. mode of separation is not the same, but in this case it is the opposite to what it is in that. For from the one they keep back as being dedicated to God; from the other as being estranged from God, and broken off from the Church. This then is what Paul means when he says, I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ. And he does not say merely that I could be willing, but using a stronger term, he says, I could wish. But if what he says trouble you in xóμnv your feebleness, consider the real state of the case, not and 4 only that he wished to be separated, but also the cause for Mss. which he wished it, and then you will see the greatness irrig of his love. Now he even circumcised, and we pay no7 Timothy. attention to what was done, but to the intention of it, and the cause of it, and hence we wonder at him the more. And 3. 6 ἐκεῖνος Mar. ῦ ἀσθε Acts 16, Acts 18, 18; 280 Acts not be judged without thinking of the reasons. HOMIL. he not only circumcised a person, but he even shaved XVI. himself and sacrificed, and yet surely we do not therefore assert him to be a Jew, but upon this very score to be per21, 24. fectly free from Judaizing, and clear of it, and a genuine worshipper of Christ. As then when you see him circumcising and sacrificing, you do not therefore condemn him as Judaizing, but upon this very score have the best reason for crowning him as quite an alien to Judaism; thus when thou seest him to have become desirous of being accursed, do not therefore be troubled, but upon this very ground give him the loudest praise, when thou knowest the cause why he wishes this. For if we do not look narrowly into the causes, we shall call Elijah a manslayer, and Abraham not a manslayer only, but a murderer of his son". And Phinees and Peter we shall implead for murder likewise. Nor is it in the case of the saints alone, but also of the God of the universe, 15 Mss. that he who does not keep to this law', this rule, will be suspecting sundry unbecoming things. Now to prevent this happening in all cases of the kind, let us bring together both 24 Mss. the cause, and the intention, and the time, and all that' makes in behalf of what is so done, and in this way let us investigate the actions. And this we must do now also in the case of this blessed soul. Now what is the cause? It is Jesus Himself who is so beloved. And yet he does not say for Him; for what he says is, I would wish that I were accursed from Him for my brethren. And this comes of his humbleness of mind. For he has no wish to make himself conspicuous, as if he were saying something great, and doing Christ a favour in this. And so he speaks of - his kinsmen, that he may conceal his high aim3. Since to see that he wished it all for Christ's sake, just hear what comes next. After speaking of kinsmen then, he proceeds, om. this law τὰ τημα Ver. 4, 5. To whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the Law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, Who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. b Aug. de Civ. Dei, i. 21. Butler, Anal. p. 262. ii. 3. v. fin. St. Paul's wish was for the honour of God's promise. 281 And what is this? one asks. For if with a view to the belief Roм. 9, 6. of others he was willing to become accursed, he ought to have also wished for this in the Gentiles' behalf. But if he wishes it in the Jews' behalf only, it is a proof that he did not wish it for Christ's sake, but for his own relationship to them. But in fact if he had prayed for the Gentiles only, this would not have been equally clear. But since it is for the Jews only, it is a clear proof that it is only for Christ's glory that he is thus earnest. And I am aware that what I am saying will seem a paradox to you. Still if ye do not make a disturbance, I will presently endeavour to make it clear. For what he has said he has not said nakedly; but since all were talking and accusing God, that after being counted worthy of the name of sons, and receiving the Law, and knowing Him beyond all men, and enjoying such great glory, and serving Him beyond the whole world, and receiving the promises, and being from1 fathers who were His friends,' rariand what was the greatest thing of all, having been forefathers s τῶν αὐτῷ of Christ Himself, (for this is the meaning of the words, of i whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came,) they are now cast out and disgraced; and in their place are introduced men who had never known Him, of the Gentiles. Now since they said all this, and blasphemed God, Paul hearing it, and being cut to the heart, and vexed for God's glory's sake, wished that he were accursed, had it been possible, so that they might be saved, and this blasphemy be put a stop to, and God might not seem to have deceived the offspring of those to whom He promised the gifts. And that you may see that it was in sorrow for this, and that the promise of 2 4 Mss. God might not seem to fall to the ground, which said to Abraham, I will give this land to thee and to thy seed, that he uttered this wish, he proceeds, Ver. 6. Not as though the word of God had taken none effect, Mss. καὶ 1 Ms. To shew that he had courage to bear all these things for 3 Mar. the word of God, that is, the promise made to Abraham. For and as Moses seemed to be pleading for the Jews, yet was doing wished every thing for God's glory, (for he says, Lest they say, Deut. 9, e This was sometimes done; but the Mss. vary unusually in this word, and three different readings mean, if ye are not disturbed.' See Twining on 28. XVI. 282 He would be cut off from glory, not from Christ's love. HOMIL. Because He was not able to save them, He led them forth to destroy them in the wilderness; stay Thy wrath,) so also does Paul, That they may not say (he means) that the promise of God has fallen to the ground, and He has disappointed us of that He vouched to us, and this word has not issued in deed, I could wish to be accursed. This then was why he did not speak of the Gentiles, (for to them 15 Mss. no promises even had been made by Him1, nor had they αὐτῷ worshipped Him, wherefore neither did any blaspheme Him on their account,) but it was for the Jews who had both received the promise, and had also been brought into closer connection with Him than others, that he expressed this wish. Do you see, that if he had expressed it for the Gentiles, he would not have been shewn to be doing this so purely for Christ's glory. But since he was willing to become accursed in the Jews' behalf, then it was most evidenced that it was for Christ's 2 Mar. sake only that he desired this. And for this cause he says, To whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the service of God, and the promise. and 6 Mss. μόνον For the Law, he means, which speaks of Christ, comes from thence, and all the covenants made with them, and Himself came from them, and the Fathers who received the promises were all from them. Yet still the opposite has resulted, and they have fallen from all their good things. Hence, he means, I am vexed, and if it were possible to be separated from the company about Christ, and to be made an alien, not from the love of Him, (that be far from him; for even all this he was doing through love,) but from all that enjoyment and glory, I would accept that lot, provided my Master were not to be blasphemed, that He might not have to hear some saying, that it has been all for stage-effect; He promises to one, and gives to another. He was sprung from one race, He saved another. It was to the forefathers of the Jews that He made the promises, and yet He has deserted their descendants, and put men, who never at any time knew Him, into their good things. They laboured in the practice of the Law, and reading the Prophets, while men who have come but yesterday from heathen altars and images have been set up above them. What foresight is there in all this? Now that these As galled at the blasphemies against Him for breaking His promise. 283 9, 6. &c. St. Paul cannot be speaking temporal death. things may not be said of my Master, he means, even if they ROM. are said unjustly, I would willingly lose even the kingdom and that glory unutterable, and any sufferings would I undergo, as considering it the greatest consolation possible for my trouble', no longer to hear my Beloved so blasphemed. But '3 Mss. om. for, if you be still against allowing this explanation, just reflect that many fathers have at many times taken up with thus much for their children, and have chosen to be separated from them, and to see them in honour, considering their honour dearer to them than their company. But since we are so short of love like this, we cannot even form 2 Bacon, an idea of what is here meant. For there be some that are so wholly unworthy even to hear the name of Paul, and that stand at such an interval and distance from that vehemency of his, as to fancy that he says this of temporal death. Who I should say were as ignorant of Paul, as the blind of the sun's rays, or even much more so. For he that died daily, and set before him3 dangers thick as a snow-storm, and then 3 Mar. said, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall Mss. set tribulation, or distress, or famine, or persecution? and still down Rom. 8, N. O. 8. vii. and 4 unsatisfied with what he had said, and after going above the 35. heaven and the heaven of heavens, and running through the Angels and Archangels, and all the higher orders of beings, and taking in at once things present, things to come, things visible, things intelligible, things grievous, and things good, that were on either part, and leaving nothing out at all, yet not even thus satiated, but even bodying forth another non-existing creation, how should he, by way of saying some great thing after all those things, make mention of a temporary death? It is not so, surely it is not! But such a notion is that of worms nestling in their dunghill. For had he said this, in what sense would he be wishing himself accursed from Christ? For death of that sort would have joined him more closely with 'Phil. 1, the band about5 Christ, and made him enjoy that glory the 54 Mss. more. Yet some there are who venture to say things dif- as Mar. περὶ τὸν ferent from these, even more ridiculous. It was not then, they say, death that he wished to have, but to be a treasure, a thing set apart, of Christ's. And who even of the most worthless and indolent that would not wish for this? And in 1 23. |