Thomas Aquinas

Having set down the things that pertain to the commendation of the gift received from God, here he consequently sets down the things that pertain to the commendation of the confidence conceived concerning this gift. Now concerning this he does two things. First, he sets down the confidence conceived from the gift; second, he compares the confidence of the old and the new testament, at *and not as Moses*.

He says therefore first: *having therefore such hope* — namely from this, that it has been said to us, namely of seeing the glory of God, Rom. 8:24: *for by hope we are saved* — *we use much confidence*, that is, we work confidently at those things which pertain to the use of this ministry, from which hope grows in us. Prov. 28:1: *The just, like a confident lion, will be without terror.* Jer. 17:7: *Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.*

Consequently, just as he preferred gift to gift, so he prefers the confidence of the new testament to the confidence of the old testament, when he says *and not as Moses, etc.* And concerning this he does two things: first he sets forth the deed in the old testament; second he explains it, at *which is done away, etc.* Now the deed which he sets forth is read in Exodus 34:34, where it is said that Moses, when he spoke to the people, veiled his face, because on account of the brightness of his countenance the children of Israel could not look upon him. And therefore he says *and not as Moses, etc.*, as if to say: I say that we use much confidence, and so much, that it does not happen to us as Moses did to them, namely by not revealing his face to the people, because the time for revealing the brightness of the truth had not yet come. We therefore have confidence without a veil.

Consequently he explains what he had said about the veil, saying *which is done away, etc.* For that veil was the obscurity of the figures, which was done away through Christ. And concerning this he does three things. First he sets down the doing away of this veil; second, how this doing away has place among the Jews, at *but blunted, etc.*; third, how it has no place among the ministers of the new testament, at *but we with unveiled, etc.*

He says therefore that Moses put a veil, namely of the figure, over his face, which — namely the veil — *is done away*, that is, it is taken away through Christ, namely by fulfilling in truth what Moses handed down in figure, because all things happened to them in figure. For thus Christ, through his death, removed the veil from the slaying of the paschal lamb, and therefore as soon as he gave up his spirit, the veil of the temple was torn. Likewise, in sending the Holy Spirit into the hearts of believers, that they might understand spiritually what the Jews understand carnally. And he removed this veil, when he opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, Lk., last chapter.

But what effect this doing away has among the Jews, he shows, saying *but blunted, etc.* And concerning this he does two things. First he shows that it was not removed from them in the state of unbelief; second he shows that it will be removed at their conversion, at *but when it shall be converted, etc.* Concerning the first he does two things. First he shows the reason why this doing away has no place among the Jews; second, from this he shows that they still have the veil, at *but even to this present day, etc.*

He says therefore that it is done away in those who believe, but not as regards the unbelieving Jews. And the reason for this is, because *their senses are blunted*, that is, their reason is dull, and their senses are weak and blunted, nor can they see the brightness of the divine light, that is, of the divine truth, without the veil of the figures. And the reason for this is that they close their eyes, so that they may not see that the veil of the temple has been torn. And therefore it is from their own fault of unbelief, not from a defect of the truth, because, the veil having been removed, to all who open the eyes of the mind through faith, the truth is most clearly manifested. Rom. 11:25: *blindness in part has happened in Israel.* Jn. 9:39: *for judgment I have come into this world, etc.* For thus Isaiah had prophesied in chapter 6: *blind the heart of this people, etc.* And truly their senses are so blunted, that even to this present day they do not understand the truth manifested to us.

But that very veil, which was in the old testament, before the veil of the temple was torn, remains in the reading of the old testament, because they understand it no differently than before, because they still lean upon the figures, so that they do not reveal the truth, that is, they do not understand it; thus they believe the veil of God is not the figure, but the truth — which, namely, is done away as regards believers, and as far as is in itself, for all through Christ, that is, in the faith of Christ, but in them it does not remain, because they do not believe that Christ has come.

Consequently when he says *but even to this present day, etc.*, he shows how the veil still exists among the Jews as regards unbelievers, although it has been removed through Christ. Concerning this it must be known, that a veil is said to be put upon someone in two ways: either because it is put upon the thing seen, so that it cannot be seen, or because it is put upon the one seeing, so that he may not see. But for the Jews, under the old law, the veil was put on in both ways. For both their hearts were blinded, lest they should know the truth, on account of their hardness, and the old testament was not yet completed, because the truth had not yet come. Hence, as a sign of this, the veil was on the face of Moses and not on their faces; but, when Christ came, the veil was removed from the face of Moses, that is, from the old testament, because it is now fulfilled, but nevertheless it is not removed from their hearts.

And this is what he says *but even to this present day*, as if to say: the veil has been taken away from the believers of the old testament, but still, when Moses is read, that is, when the old testament is expounded to them — Acts 15:21: *Moses from ancient times has in every city those who preach him in the synagogues, etc.* — a veil, that is, blindness, is placed over their heart. Rom. 11:25: *blindness in part has happened, etc.*

But when and how that veil is removed from them, he shows consequently, when he says *but when it shall be converted, etc.* And first he describes the manner of removing this veil; second he gives the reason for this, at *but the Lord is the Spirit, etc.* He says therefore, that that veil is still in them, not that the old testament is veiled, but because their hearts are veiled. And therefore, in order that it may be removed, nothing remains except that they be converted, and this is what he says *but when it shall have been converted*, namely someone of them to God through faith in Christ, from that very conversion the veil will be taken away. Isa. 10:21: *the remnant shall be converted, etc.* And this same thing is found in Rom. 9:27.

And note, that when he was treating of blindness, he speaks in the plural, hence he says *over their hearts*; but when he speaks of conversion, he speaks in the singular, saying *but when it shall be converted*, in order to show their readiness toward evil, and their difficulty toward good, as if few are converted.

But the reason why they should be converted, and the veil removed, is in this way, because God wills it. For someone could say, that that veil was put on by the precept of the Lord, and therefore it cannot be removed. But the Apostle shows, that it not only can be removed, indeed that it is removed by him who is the Lord. And this is what he says *for the Lord, etc.* This can be read in two ways.

In one way, that "Spirit" be taken on the part of the subject, so that it is said: *the Spirit*, that is, the Holy Spirit, namely who is the author of the law, *is the Lord*, that is, he works from his own free choice. Jn. 3:8: *the spirit breathes where it wills.* 1 Cor. 12:11: *dividing to each as he wills.* *But where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty*; as if to say: because the Spirit is the Lord, he can give liberty, that we may be able to use the Scripture of the old testament freely, without a veil. And therefore, those who do not have the Holy Spirit, cannot use it freely. Gal. 5:13: *you have been called unto liberty.* 1 Pet. 2:16: *as free, and not as having liberty as a veil of malice.*

In another way, that by "Lord" Christ be understood, and then it is read thus: *the Lord*, that is, Christ, *is spiritual*, that is, a spirit of power, and therefore *where the Spirit of the Lord is* — that is, the law of Christ understood spiritually, not written in letters, but impressed on hearts through faith — *there is liberty*, from every hindrance of the veil.

But it must be known, that on occasion of these words, namely *where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty*, and of those, namely *the law is not laid down for the just*, some have erroneously said that spiritual men are not bound by the precepts of the divine law. But this is false; for the precepts of God are the rule of the human will. But there is no man, nor even an Angel, whose will it is not necessary to be regulated and directed by the divine law. Hence it is impossible for any man not to be subject to the precepts of God. But this that is said, *the law is not laid down for the just*, is explained thus: that is, on account of the just, who are moved by an interior habit to those things which the law of God commands, the law is not laid down; but on account of the unjust — not but that the just also are bound to it.

And likewise *where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty* is understood, because he is free who is his own cause; but a servant is for the sake of a master. Whoever therefore acts from himself, acts freely; but he who is moved by another, does not act freely. He therefore, who avoids evils, not because they are evil, but on account of the commandment of the lord, is not free; but he who avoids evils, because they are evil, is free. But this the Holy Spirit does, who perfects the mind inwardly through a good habit, so that thus he takes care out of love, as if the divine law commanded it; and therefore he is called free, not but that he is subject to the divine law, but because from a good habit he is inclined to do this, which the divine law ordains.

Then, when he says *but we all, etc.*, he shows how the faithful of Christ are entirely free from this veil. He says therefore: I say that this veil is taken away from them, when someone shall have been converted as we are — not merely someone, but all of us who are faithful of Christ. Lk. 8:10: *to you it has been given, etc.* *With face unveiled*, not having a veil over the heart, as they do. And by "face" is understood the heart, or the mind, because just as by the face one sees bodily, so by the mind one sees spiritually. Ps. 118:18: *uncover my eyes, etc.*

*The glory of the Lord*, not of Moses: for glory signifies brightness, as Augustine says. But the Jews saw a certain glory in the face of Moses from this, that he had spoken with God. But this glory is imperfect, because it is not the brightness by which God himself is glorious; and this is to know God himself. Or *the glory of the Lord*, that is, the Son of God. Prov. 10: *the glory of a father is a wise son, etc.*

*Beholding* is not taken here from a watchtower, but from a mirror, that is, knowing the glorious God himself through the mirror of reason, in which there is a certain image of him. And we behold him thus when a man, from consideration of himself, rises up into some knowledge of God, and is transformed. For since all knowledge is through an assimilation of the knower to the known, it is necessary that those who see be transformed in some way into God. And if indeed they see perfectly, they are perfectly transformed, as the blessed in the fatherland through the union of enjoyment, 1 Jn. 3:2: *but when he shall appear, etc.* But if imperfectly, imperfectly, as here through faith, 1 Cor. 13:12: *we see now through a mirror in an enigma.*

And therefore he says *into the same image*, that is, as we see, *we are transformed*, I say, *from brightness into brightness*, in which he distinguishes a threefold degree of knowledge in the disciples of Christ: the first is from the brightness of natural knowledge into the brightness of the knowledge of faith. The second is from the brightness of the knowledge of the old testament, into the brightness of the knowledge of the grace of the new testament. The third is from the brightness of natural knowledge and of the old and new testament, into the brightness of eternal vision. Below, 4:16: *although the one who is outward, etc.*

But whence is this? Not from the letter of the law, but as from the Spirit of the Lord. Rom. 8:14: *whoever are led by the Spirit of God.* Ps. 142:10: *your good spirit shall lead, etc.*