Thomas Aquinas

After the Apostle showed the prerogative of the Jews over the Gentiles as regards the divine benefits, here he excludes their empty glorying, by which they preferred themselves to the Gentiles who had been converted to the faith. And first he sets forth what he intends; second he proves his proposition, at the words "for we have charged." He says therefore first: thus it was said, "What advantage then hath the Jew?" First indeed, because the oracles of God were entrusted to them. "What then," shall we Jews converted to the faith say? "Do we excel them," namely the Gentiles converted to the faith? Concerning which there was a dispute among them. Luke 22:24: "And there was also a strife among the disciples of Jesus, which of them should seem to be the greater." And answering, he adds, "No, not so." But this seems to be against what was said before, in which it was said, "much every way," is more to the Jew. But to this it is answered in the Gloss that that was said with regard to the being which the Jews had in the time of the law; but this the Apostle now says according to the state of grace, because, as it is said in Colossians 3:11, "in Christ there is neither Gentile nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision," since these make no difference as to the state of grace. But this response does not seem to be entirely according to the intention of the Apostle, because below he will show that even while they were under the law they were subject to sins, just as the Gentiles were, or even more. Ezekiel 5:5f: "This is Jerusalem, I have set her in the midst of the nations, and the countries round about her... she hath despised my judgments, so as to be more wicked than the nations?" Thus therefore it must be said that above he showed the prerogative of the divine benefits, whence he did not say that the Jew was more excellent, but that something more had been given to the Jew; but here he excludes the excellence of persons, because those who received the divine benefits did not use them as they ought.

Then, when he says "for we have charged," he shows his proposition, and first that the Jews do not exceed the Gentiles as regards the state of sin; second, that they do not exceed them as regards the state of righteousness, at the words "but now without the law." He shows the first in two ways. First indeed from what was said above; second by an authority, at the words "as it is written." He says therefore, "for we have charged," that is, by arguing with reasons we have shown, "both Jews and Greeks," that is, Gentiles, that "they are all under sin." Isaiah 1:6: "From the sole of the foot unto the top of the head, there is no soundness therein," etc. For he showed first that the Gentiles held down the known truth of God in impiety and injustice; second, that the Jews, having received the law, dishonored God through transgression of the law.

Then, when he says "as it is written," he shows his proposition through the authority of the Psalmist, and first he introduces the authority, second he explains it, at the words "now we know." Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets down the sins of omission; second, the sins of commission, at the words "their throat is an open sepulchre." Now he touches on the sins of omission in two ways. First indeed by removing the principles of good works; second, by removing the good works themselves, at the words "they are all gone out of the way." Now there are three principles of good works, of which one pertains to the rectitude of the work itself, and this is justice, which he excludes saying, "as it is written," namely in Psalm 13:3, that "there is none righteous, no, not one." Micah 7:2: "The holy man is perished out of the earth, and there is none upright among men." This indeed can be understood in two ways. In one way, that it be understood: no one is righteous in himself, of himself, but of himself each one is a sinner, and has righteousness from God alone. Exodus 34:6f: "O Lord, the ruler, God, merciful and gracious, who takest away iniquity and sins, and no one is innocent before thee of himself." In another way, that no one is righteous with regard to all things, without having some sin, according to Proverbs 20:9: "Who can say: My heart is clean?" Ecclesiastes 7:21: "There is no just man on earth who does good and does not sin." Third, it can also be understood as referring to a people of evil men, among whom none is righteous. For it is the custom of Scripture sometimes to speak of the whole people by reason of the evil, sometimes by reason of the good, as is clear in Jeremiah 26:8f, where it is said that when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to the whole people, the priests and the prophets, and all the people, seized him, saying: he shall surely die. And afterward it is added: the princes and all the people said, there is no judgment of death for this man. But the first two senses are more in accord with the intention of the Apostle. And the same must be said in what follows. Now the second principle of a good work is the discernment of reason. And this he excludes, adding: "there is none that understandeth." Psalm: "They have not known nor understood," and elsewhere: "he would not understand." The third principle is the rectitude of intention, which he excludes, adding, "there is none that seeketh God," namely by directing his intention toward him. Hosea 10:12: "It is time to seek the Lord, who, when he shall come, will teach justice."

Consequently he excludes the good works themselves. And first indeed as to the offense against the divine law, when he says, "they are all gone out of the way," namely from the rule of the divine law. Isaiah 56:11: "They have all turned aside into their own way." Second, as to the showing of the end; whence he adds, "they are together become unprofitable." For we call that unprofitable, which does not pursue its own end. And therefore when men turn aside from God, for whom they were made, they are rendered unprofitable. Wisdom 4:3: "the multitude of the wicked shall not be profitable." Third, he excludes the good works themselves, when he adds, "there is none that doeth good." Jeremiah 4:22: "They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge." But he adds, "no, not one," which can be understood in one way exclusively, as if he were saying, except for one, namely him who alone did good by redeeming the human race. Ecclesiastes 7:29: "One man among a thousand I have found, a woman I have not found." Or it can be understood inclusively, as if he says, not even one mere man does good, namely perfect good. Jeremiah 5:1: "Seek in the streets thereof, if you can find a man that executeth judgment, and seeketh faith."

Then, when he says, "their throat is an open sepulchre," he sets down the sins of commission, and first the sins of the mouth; second, the sins of deed, at the words "their feet are swift." But the sins of the heart are detected from these sins. Concerning the sin of the mouth he sets down four things. First, readiness, or foulness, when he says, "their throat is an open sepulchre." For an open sepulchre has two things. It is prepared to receive a dead body, and according to this a man's throat is said to be an open sepulchre when it is ready to utter deadly things, in the manner in which it is said in Jeremiah 5:16: "their quiver is as an open sepulchre." Second, it exhales a stench. Matthew 23:27: "they are like to whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones, and of all filthiness." Their throat therefore is an open sepulchre, from whose mouth proceeds the stench of foul speech. Apocalypse 9:17: "and from their mouths proceeded fire and smoke and brimstone." Second, concerning the sin of the mouth, he touches on deceit, when he says, "with their tongues they have dealt deceitfully," namely by having one thing in the heart and another in the mouth. Jeremiah 9:8: "their tongue is a wounding arrow, it hath spoken deceit." Third, he sets down the harmfulness of words, when he says, "the venom of asps is under their lips," because indeed such words come about as incurably kill their neighbors, whether spiritually or bodily. Deuteronomy 32:33: "their wine is the gall of dragons, and the venom," etc. Fourth, he designates the abundance of these sins, when he says, "whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness," because indeed in such men cursing always abounds, since they curse others by detraction, against what is said below, 12:14: "bless, and curse not." And "bitterness," inasmuch as they do not fear to say injurious words to the face of their neighbor, by which they are provoked to bitterness, against what is said in Ephesians 4:31: "let all bitterness be taken away from you."

Then, when he says, "their feet are swift," he touches on the sins of deed, concerning which he touches on three things. First indeed, readiness to do evil. Whence he says, "their feet are swift," their feet are ready — that is, their affections — "to shed blood," that is, to commit whatsoever grave sins, because among the other things we commit against our neighbor, homicide is more grave. Proverbs 1:16: "their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood." Second, he touches on the multitude of harms which they inflict on others, when he adds, "in their ways," that is, in their works, "is destruction," because indeed they crush others by oppressing them. Isaiah 10:7: "to crush his heart." And "unhappiness," inasmuch indeed as they deprive men of their goods, leading them into misery. Job 24:7: "they send away men naked, taking away their clothing," etc. These two, however, can be understood to be set down to designate punishment rather than fault, so that the sense would be: "in their ways is destruction and unhappiness," that is, their works, which are designated by the ways, lead them to destruction and unhappiness. So that "destruction" would refer to the oppression of punishment by which they will be punished for their sins — Isaiah 30:14: "they shall be broken to pieces, as a potter's vessel is broken" — while "unhappiness" is to be referred to the punishment of loss, since they will be deprived of eternal happiness. Wisdom 13:10: "but unhappy are they, and their hope is among the dead." Third, he shows the obstinacy of their guilt toward evil, from which indeed some are called back in two ways. In one way, by this, that they wish to have peace from men. But against this it is said, "and the way of peace they have not known," that is, they have not accepted it. Psalm 119:7: "with them that hated peace." In another way, by regard for the fear of God, but these men neither fear God nor respect man, as is said in Luke 18:7. Whence it is added, "there is no fear of God before their eyes," that is, before their consideration. Ecclesiasticus 1:27: "the fear of the Lord driveth out sin." For he who is without fear will not be able to be justified. But this can also be said specially against the Jews, who do not believe in Christ, that they did not know the way of peace, that is, Christ, of whom it is said in Ephesians 2:14: "he is our peace."

Then, when he says, "now we know that whatsoever," he explains the authority he introduced in three ways. First indeed by expounding its sense; second by expounding its intention, at the words "that every mouth"; third, by assigning the reason for what is said in it, at the words "because by the works." Concerning the first, it must be considered that the Jews, against whom the Apostle was here speaking, could, for their own excuse, pervert the sense of the authority introduced, saying that the aforesaid words are to be understood of the Gentiles, not of the Jews. But the Apostle excludes this, saying, "we know that whatsoever the law saith, it speaketh to them who are in the law," that is, to those to whom the law was given, and who profess the law. Deuteronomy 33:4: "Moses commanded us a law." But the Gentiles were not under the law, and according to this the aforesaid words pertain to the Jews.

But here there is a twofold objection. The first indeed, because the words introduced above are not taken from the law, but from the Psalm. But to this it must be said that sometimes the name "law" is taken for the whole Old Testament, not only for the five books of Moses, according to John 15:25: "that the word may be fulfilled which is written in their law: they hated me without cause" — which is written in the Old Testament, not in the five books of Moses, which are properly called the law. And thus also is "law" taken here. But sometimes the whole Old Testament is divided into three, namely into the law, the Psalms, and the prophets, according to the last chapter of Luke: "it is necessary that all things be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and in the Psalms, and in the prophets, concerning me." Sometimes, however, the whole Old Testament is divided into two, namely into the law and the prophets, according to Matthew 22:40: "on these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets." And according to this way, the Psalter is contained under the prophets.

The second objection is, that in the law, that is, in the Old Testament, many things are said pertaining to other nations, as is clear in many passages of Isaiah and Jeremiah, where many things are said against Babylon, and likewise against other nations. Therefore not whatsoever the law says, it says to and of those who are in the law. But it must be said that whatever it speaks indeterminately seems to pertain to those to whom the law was given; but when Scripture speaks of others, it designates the others by a special title, as when it is said, "the burden of Babylon," and "the burden of Tyre," etc. The things which are said against other nations in the Old Testament pertained in some way to the Jews, inasmuch as the misfortunes of those nations were foretold for their consolation or their terror, just as also a preacher ought to say those things which pertain to those to whom he preaches, and not those which pertain to others. Isaiah 58:1: "declare to my people their wicked doings," as if he were saying, not those which belong to others.

Then, when he says, "that every mouth," etc., he assigns the intention of the aforesaid authority: for Sacred Scripture convicts all of injustice on account of two things. First indeed, to repress their boasting, by which they judged themselves righteous, according to Luke 18:12: "I fast twice in a week." And as to this he says, "that every mouth may be stopped," namely the mouth which presumptuously ascribed righteousness to itself. Psalm 62:12: "stopped is the mouth of them that speak unjust things." 1 Kings 2:3: "do not multiply to speak lofty things, boasting." Second, that, recognizing their own guilt, they might subject themselves to God, as a sick man to a physician. Whence he adds, "and all the world may be made subject to God," that is, not only the Gentile but also the Jew, recognizing his own guilt. Psalm 61:2: "shall not my soul be subject to God?"

Then, when he says, "because by the works of the law," he assigns the reason for the aforesaid words. And first he sets down the reason; second he explains it, at the words "for by the law," etc. He says therefore first: therefore there is none righteous, because "all flesh," that is, every man, "is not justified before him," that is, according to his judgment, "by the works of the law," because, as it is said in Galatians 2:21: "if righteousness be by the law, then Christ died in vain," and in Titus 3:5: "not by the works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us." Now there is a twofold work of the law. One indeed is proper to the Mosaic law, such as the observance of the ceremonial precepts; the other is a work of the law of nature, since it pertains to the natural law, such as: "thou shalt not kill," "thou shalt not steal," etc. Some therefore understand this to have been said of the first works of the law, namely that the ceremonial precepts did not confer the grace by which men are justified. However this does not seem to be the intention of the Apostle, which is clear from the fact that he immediately adds, "for by the law is the knowledge of sin." But it is manifest that sins are known through the prohibition of the moral precepts, and thus the Apostle intends that by all the works of the law, even those which are commanded by the moral precepts, man is not justified, in such a way that righteousness would be caused in him from works, because, as is said below, 11:3: "for if by grace, now it is not of works."

Then, when he says, "for by the law," he proves what he had said, namely that the works of the law do not justify. For the law is given so that man may know what he ought to do, and what to avoid. Psalm 147:20: "he hath not done in like manner to every nation, and his judgments he hath not made manifest to them." Proverbs 6:23: "the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light, and the way of life." But from the fact that man knows a sin, which he ought to avoid as forbidden, it does not immediately follow that he avoids it, which pertains to the nature of righteousness, because concupiscence subverts the judgment of reason in the particular matter to be done. And therefore the law does not suffice for justifying, but another remedy is necessary, by which concupiscence may be repressed.