Commentary on Romans 8:5–11 by Libert Froidmont
Note: Libert Froidmont (Libertus Fromondus, 1587–1653) was a Belgian Catholic theologian, scientist, and biblical scholar. His commentary on the Epistles of St. Paul reflects the scholastic tradition of the 17th century, heavily reliant on patristic authority (especially Augustine and Chrysostom) and precise linguistic analysis. This text is excerpted from his Commentarius in Epistolam ad Romanos. Translated by Qwen
Rom 8:5 "FOR THOSE WHO ARE ACCORDING TO THE FLESH" That is, those who live carnally. The Apostle says that such men not only walk according to the flesh but also are according to the flesh, as if their whole being were flesh, and they were similar to senseless beasts. For man is composed of spirit and flesh, so that when he does carnal things, he is called wholly "flesh," and when he does spiritual things, wholly "spiritual." For when either substance has reduced the other to its own condition, it somehow loses its proper force and its own name, says Sedulius.
"MIND THE THINGS OF THE FLESH" That is, even their wisdom itself, which holds the supreme place in them, is carnal. For as they are, so they judge and are affected. Because they are wholly carnal, the intellect understands only carnal things, the will loves only carnal things. "For as a man is, so he speaks, acts, and lives," says the Philosopher (Aristotle, Ethics, Book 4, Chapter 13).
"BUT THOSE WHO ARE ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT" That is, who are spiritual, with the Spirit of God dwelling in them.
"SENSE THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT" In Greek: "THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT" (understand "THEY MIND" from the prior member). Whence Erasmus criticizes our Translator here, saying it is a useless and affected copiousness of words that he translated the same verb now as sapiunt (they mind) and now as sentiunt (they sense). "Which copiousness," says Erasmus, "even hinders understanding." But the Translator varied this word with prudent reason, to signify that even the senses of spiritual men become somehow spiritual, just as the very wisdom and mind of carnal men is carnal. For just as those who serve the belly and pleasures make their soul also flesh, so those who are raised up and exult in the Holy Spirit make their bodies also somehow spiritual, says Chrysostom. These are they who, in Isaiah 60, fly like clouds above the earth, and as doves to their windows. For through the windows of the senses of the body they see the illicit and concupiscible things of the world, but like doves to their windows, because with placid and unperturbed movements of the eyes they do not join the appetite of the soul, nor by concupiscing do they lose the simplicity of a pure heart, as Saint Gregory tropologically and elegantly explains (Book 5, Chapter 1, on the Books of Kings).
Rom 8:6"FOR THE PRUDENCE OF THE FLESH" In Greek: "THE WISDOM OF THE FLESH."
"IS DEATH" It generates the death of sin in the present age, and truly eternal death in the future. "The prudence of the flesh is said to be," says St. Augustine (Book 83 Questions, q. 66), "when the soul desires temporal goods in place of great goods." But if it also constitutes its ultimate end in those things, it sins mortally, and thus begets the death of the soul, as St. Thomas teaches (2a2ae, q. 55, art. 2). Yet it is called prudence by its own lovers, when it is the utmost folly to prefer temporal and soon-perishing things to eternal ones. Whence "the wisdom of this world is folly with God" (1 Cor. 3:19).
"BUT THE PRUDENCE OF THE SPIRIT" Which the Holy Spirit dictates. This indeed desires spiritual goods and contemns temporal ones, as St. Augustine says in the same place. And because there are three offices of prudence, as Aristotle and St. Thomas teach—to counsel concerning means to the end, to judge, and to command—the prudence of the spirit counsels, judges, and commands concerning all means, both spiritual and temporal, for the spiritual end. Just as the prudence of the flesh refers all means, not only temporal but also spiritual, to carnal ends.
"IS LIFE AND PEACE" It begets in the present age the life of grace and the peace of conscience, and tranquility; in the future, however, the life of glory, eternal and secure, and the tranquil possession of it.
Rom 8:7 "BECAUSE THE WISDOM OF THE FLESH IS ENEMY TO GOD" In Greek: "IT IS ENMITY AGAINST GOD," that is, it exercises enmity and war against God, whence it separates the soul from its life, which is God. Hence a little before it was said to be death, or to generate death, because it separates the soul from its life. Moreover, it is enemy to God, not however so as to be able to injure God, but "By resisting it is enemy, not by killing," says St. Augustine (Sermon 6 on the Words of the Apostle, Chapter 10).
The same Greek word is phronema, which previously our Translator rendered as prudence, now as wisdom, because the prudence and wisdom of the flesh are the same, says St. Thomas. For it is called wisdom insofar as it concerns the end, but prudence insofar as it is concerned with means. The wisdom of the flesh constitutes the end of human life in carnal and temporal goods; the prudence of the flesh orders the means to that end.
"FOR IT IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE LAW OF GOD" In Greek: "IT IS NOT SUBJECTED." It does not obey. Whence it follows that it is enemy and rebel to God. It is also tacitly signified that the sinner cannot hate God according to what He is in Himself, since He is the supreme goodness, says St. Thomas, but he hates Him insofar as He is the author of the Law and precept which the sinner hates. As, for example, he hates God insofar as He is the author of the precept "Thou shalt not commit adultery," which is contrary to the will of the sinner.
"NEITHER INDEED CAN IT BE" Namely, subject to the Divine Law. For vice cannot elicit acts of virtue and obedience concerning the Law of God. "As if it were said," says St. Augustine (Questions cited above, q. 66), "Snow does not give warmth, neither indeed can it. For as long as it is snow, it does not give warmth; but it can be melted and become hot so that it may give warmth; but when it does this, it is no longer snow." So also a bad tree cannot produce good fruits unless it is amended and puts off its malice. With a similar phrase, 1 John 3:9 it is said: "Everyone who is born of God does not commit sin, and cannot sin," namely, insofar as he is such.
Rom 8:8 "MOREOVER, THOSE WHO ARE IN THE FLESH" That is, whose mind is immersed in carnal concupiscences and is carried by the flesh, not carrying the flesh, says Augustine (Sermon 6 on the Words of the Apostle, Chapter 11).
"CANNOT PLEASE GOD" As long as they remain such. For God hates His enemies.
"BUT THE WISDOM OF THE FLESH" As he said in the preceding verse, "IS ENEMY TO GOD."
Rom 8:9 "BUT YOU ARE NOT IN THE FLESH" That is, you are not immersed in mind in the passions of corruptible flesh. For after the perfect remission of all sins in baptism, and all enmities by which you were separated from God being slain, there indeed remains in the oldness of flesh the fomes of sin (tinder of sin), but as if slain, unless it revives as it were by illicit consents, says St. Augustine (Book 2, Chapter 28, on the Merits and Remission of Sins).
But why did the Apostle not say clearly and expressly: "You are not in sin," or "in flesh oppressed by the passions of sin"? St. Chrysostom asks and responds: Because the Apostle wished to raise up the Romans higher, and to show that those regenerated in Christ ought to walk like certain incorporeal angels and without flesh, according to that: "But our conversation is in heaven" (Phil. 3:20).
"BUT IN THE SPIRIT" That is, you are so inflamed by the Holy Spirit that even by Him you are somehow absorbed in the flesh itself. For just as glowing iron is as if absorbed by fire and shines wholly like fire, so the flesh of a spiritual man is somehow converted into spirit through the grace of the Holy Spirit, namely erected and agile for serving the spirit, not only contemning the delights of the flesh as vile, but exulting in scourges, says Chrysostom.
"IF INDEED THE SPIRIT OF GOD DWELLS IN YOU" That is, if indeed your members are a temple of the Holy Spirit, and you are not your own (1 Cor. 6:19). For if the Spirit of God departs, says St. Augustine (Sermon 6 on the Words of the Apostle, Chapter 12), "the spirit of man by its own weight rolls back into the flesh." Whence it is gathered that the spirit of man without the Spirit of God is only flesh and blood. For "what are men without grace and the Spirit of God," says St. Augustine again, "other than that which the Apostle Peter says: like irrational animals, naturally taken in the snare" (2 Peter 2:12).
The Apostle interjects this doubt ("if indeed") lest by praising the Romans thus he should render them too secure, on account of the quarrels and hotter disputes which were then burning at Rome between converted Gentiles and Jews. Chrysostom, however, and nearly all the Greeks wish this sentence to be not of one doubting but affirming, so that the sense is: "Since indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you." For the Greek particle ei ge can be translated as siquidem (since indeed), or si tamen (if indeed), or quandoquidem (since indeed).
"BUT IF ANYONE DOES NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST" That is, if anyone does not have the Holy Spirit, whom Christ, like the vine into its living branches, breathes into His own with His grace.
"THIS ONE IS NOT HIS" That is, such a one is not a living member of His mystical body, or is not a living branch of the vine which is Christ: "I am the vine, you the branches" (John 15:5).
Rom 8:10 "BUT IF CHRIST IS IN YOU" Just as the vine is in the branch, or the root in the branches of a tree, through the vital spirit which He breathes into them. Then the Apostle signifies that Christ according to His divinity is also where the Holy Spirit is, because where one divine hypostasis is, it is necessary that all be, on account of the inseparable union between them, says Chrysostom.
"THE BODY INDEED IS DEAD BECAUSE OF SIN" It has been made dead, or certainly destined to die, because of the sin of the first man. Most vigilantly he said dead (mortuum), not mortal (mortale), says Augustine (Book 1, Chapters 4 & 5, on the Merits of Sins). For even in the state of innocence the body was going to be mortal before it was changed into that incorruption which is promised in the resurrection of the saints, even if it were never going to die; but through the sin of Adam the mortal itself was made dead, or actually destined to die.
"BUT THE SPIRIT LIVES BECAUSE OF JUSTIFICATION" In Greek: "THE SPIRIT IS LIFE BECAUSE OF JUSTICE." In which sense Augustine also reads it nearly everywhere. Although the body has been made dead, nevertheless your spirit, or soul, lives with spiritual life; indeed it is a life vivifying and making your body also live already with similar spiritual life, because of the grace and justice which Christ, who is in you, inspires into your spirit, and from the spirit overflows into the body. For man, as to the soul, renewed through the grace of Christ, exercises very many holy actions through the body.
Lest however they should think too little had been bestowed upon them through Christ unless the body itself also should rise again to immortal bodily life, as St. Augustine notes, the Apostle adds:
Rom 8:11 "BUT IF THE SPIRIT OF HIM WHO RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD" If the Spirit of God the Father, or the Holy Spirit. For whom in verse 9 He called the Spirit of Christ, now He calls the Spirit of the Father, because the same one proceeds from the Father.
"DWELLS IN YOU" Through grace by which He is united to just souls.
"WILL ALSO GIVE LIFE TO YOUR MORTAL BODIES" That is, He will give new life even to your mortal bodies, so that He will not only put off death but also mortality. For Augustine acutely observes in the preceding verse cited, that the Apostle did not say He will quicken the dead, but "YOUR MORTAL BODIES," to signify that in the resurrection even that mortality is to be put off which bodies would have had in the state of innocence before they were transferred into heaven. Because the animal body will rise spiritual, and the mortal will put on perfect immortality (1 Cor. 15:53).
"BECAUSE OF HIS SPIRIT DWELLING IN YOU" Because your members were a temple and habitation of the life-giving Holy Spirit. For this temple, having fallen into death, will again be raised up, and its habitation will be restored to the Holy Spirit, says Origen. But evil men also will rise, but they will not be vivified, says Chrysostom; or they will not rise to life, but to eternal death. Nor will they rise so that they may become a habitation of the Holy Spirit, whom once they expelled from themselves, nor will they rise on account of the merits of Christ, but the justice of God will excite them to receive vengeance.
CONTINUE
Comments
Post a Comment