The following excerpts come from:
Origen,
Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans Books 1-5 (trans. Thomas P.
Scheck; The Fathers of the Church 103; Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University
of America Press, 2001)
Book
1, Chapter 1:
(3) Paul then, if certain traditions are
true, was called while in possession of a wife, concerning whom he speaks when
writing to the Philippians, “I ask you, also my loyal mate, help these women.”
(p. 62)
Book
2, Chapter 5:
(2) To whose who seek glory and honor
and incorruption, he says, God will give eternal life on account of their
perseverance in good works, not only to the Jews to whom the oracles of God
appear to have been entrusted, but also to the Greeks, because the judgment of God
is just, and God is not only God of the Jews but also of the Gentiles. But to
those who, through the contention of mind and perverseness of spirit, do not
believe the truth but follow after wickedness, wrath, and indignation,
affliction and anguish are paid back, not only to the Gentile but also to the
Jews, because God shows no partiality. Certainly, this treats the literal
meaning, but let us now investigate that which concerns their inner meaning.
(3) He says, “to those who by
perseverance in good works.” When he says, “perseverance in good works,” he is pointing
out that certain exertions and struggles are close at hand for those who want
to do good works. For as the same Apostle says, “Our struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but again the principalities and powers and rulers of this
world,” all of which are opposed to good works. This is why perseverance is
necessary, for it is written, “By your perseverance you will gain your souls.”
Now let us see what he means by a good work. In the Gospel the Lord declares of
the women who poured the alabaster jar of ointment upon his head, “A good work
has been done to me.” By this he is showing that the one who pours out ointment
upon the Word of God, that is to say, he who unites works with the Word,
accomplishes a good work. For the spoken word becomes fragrant, filled with all
the sweetness of the ointment, when it has been adorned with deeds and actions.
(4) Now let us investigate what it
means to seek for glory and incorruption. In many passages of Holy Scripture
the authors write about glory. For it is said in Exodus concerning Moses that
when he was descending from the mountain his face was glorified. When the
Apostle explicates this passage in the letter to the Corinthians he says, “Now
if the ministry of death chiseled in letters on stone tablets, happened in
glory [M881] so that the sons of Israel could not gaze at Moses’ face because
of his face’s glory, which fades, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit
be in glory? For if there is glory in the ministry of condemnation, how much
more will the ministry of righteousness abound in glory?” And after a few words
he adds, “And all of us, with unveiled faces, observing the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image form glory to glory, as by the Spirit
of the Lord.” According to the Apostle, then, there is a certain glory which is
not glorified, as for example the glory which was in Moses’ face, which is said
to have been destroyed. This can be understood as the letter of the law.
Although it possesses a certain glory in its commands, it is nevertheless not
capable of being glorified. There exists another glory which remains and is
glorified in Christ. For when he had ascended the mountain with Peter, James,
and John, it is written that he was transformed in glory. It says, “And then
Moses and Elijah appeared, speaking with him.” This show that when Jesus was
transformed into glory, the glory of the law and the prophets then appeared, so
that prophecy and law, illuminated by Christ’s glory, could be understood in
the Spirit, once the veil of the letter had been taken out of the way. (pp.
113-15)
Book
2, Chapter 7:
(3) But how can the Apostle ascribe such
a hope to the Gentiles who do not yet believe when the Church’s rule of faith
seems to be opposed? This rule establishes that “unless one should be born
again of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Furthermore, Peter declares of Christ in Acts, “For there is no other name
under heaven by which they must be saved.” How then does Paul here make the
[unbelieving] Gentiles sharers of the glory and honor and peace in the second
place after the Jews? But let us see whether perhaps these things which the
goodness and sweetness of God usually hides in the Holy Scriptures might yield something
which is concealed here as well.
(4) As I see it, the Apostle has
created three ranks in this passage. First he says of those “who by
perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and corruption” that God pays
back to them “eternal life.” It is certain that perseverance in doing good
exists in those who hold out through the struggles and battles of piety. We
have explained above that this has been plainly said of Christians, among whom
they are martyrs. This may be proved also by the Lord’s words to the disciples,
“You will have affliction in this world, and the world shall rejoice but you
will grieve.” And a little while later he goes on to say, “By your perseverance
you will gain your souls.” Therefore, to endure oppression in this world and to
grieve is the lot of Christians, those who possess eternal life except the one
who believes in Christ? Then hear the voice of the Savior himself making it
very plain in the Gospels, “And this is eternal life, that they may know you,
the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Therefore anyone who
has not known the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only true God, and his
Son Jesus Christ, is a stranger from eternal life. Doubtless this knowledge
itself and faith are designated in this passage as eternal life. (pp. 123-24)
Book
2, Chapter 7:
(7) After all, all this is the reason
why he adds in this passage “For God shows no partiality.” If this still seems
doubtful to you, listen to what Peter declares in the Acts o the Apostles when
he had entered the home of the Gentile Cornelius, “I truly understand that God
shows no partiality, but in every place and among every nation anyone who does his
will is acceptable to him.” Now it is possible to oppose us with the saying of
the Lord in the Gospel, “Everyone who believes in me is not condemned; but he
who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the
name of the only begotten Son of God.” But let us see in what sense we who
believe in Christ are not condemned, in order that we might know how he who has
not believed is already condemned. For we are to think that anyone who believes
in Christ and afterwards commits murder or adultery or speaks false testimony
or does anything of this sort, which we sometimes see even believers
perpetrating, that even then he who has believed in Christ will not be condemned
for these things? It is certain that all these things will come to judgment.
Therefore, the word of the Lord, “he who believes in me will not be condemned,”
has to be understood in the following sense: Anyone who has believed will not
be condemned as an unbeliever and infidel; but he will undoubtedly be condemned
for his own actions. So then, he who has not believed has already been
condemned because he has not believed. Just as judgment still awaits a believer
when he commits some sin in addition, though his faith is kept intact, so also
the unbeliever shall not lose the remuneration of the good works he has done,
his unbelief notwithstanding. (pp. 126-27)
Book
3, Chapter 8:
8. Whom God pre-determined as a propitiation
through faith in his blood, as a manifestation of his righteousness, through
the remission of previously committed sins, in the forbearance of God, as a
manifestation of his righteousness in this time, that he himself might be just
in justifying him who is from faith in Jesus Christ. Although the holy
Apostle has taught us many things about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ which
are to be marveled at, things which are spoken about him through a mystery, in
this passage he has brought forth something even more admirable which I do not think
is easy to find in other passages of Scripture. For above he had said that
Christ has given his very self as the redemption price for the entire human
race so that he might redeem those who were being held in the captivity of
their sins, when “apart from God he tastes death for everyone.” Now he has
added something even more profound and says, “God pre-determined him as a propitiation
through faith in his blood.” This means of course that through the sacrifice of
himself he would make God propitious to men and through this he would manifest
his own righteousness as he forgives them their past sins, which they had
contracted by serving the worst tyrants at the time when God was tolerating and
allowing this to be done. God allowed this so that afterwards, i.e., at this
time, he would manifest his own righteousness. For at the consummation of the
age, at the end of time, God disclosed his own righteousness and, for the redemption
price, gave him whom he had a propitiator. If perchance he would have sent the
propitiator earlier, he would not have made propitiation unto God for so many
of the human race as was accomplished at this time, when the world now appears
to be filled with men. For God is just, and the one who is just could not
justify the unjust; for that reason he wanted there to be the mediation of a
propitiator so that those who were not able to be justified through their own
works might be justified through faith in him. These things had to be said
first, as much as pertains to the explanation of his discourse, in order that
the apostolic reading might become clearer. (pp. 216-17)
Book
5, Chapter 9:
(7) The apostle John shows what it
means to be planted together into the likeness of his resurrection: [M1045] “Little
children,we do not yet know what we shall be. But if he is revealed to us, we
shall be like him.” And again the Savior himself says, “Father, I want that
where I am they might be with me as well,” and once more, “Just as I am in you
and you are in me, that they also might be one in us.” Surely he is saying this
about those who have been planted together in the likeness of his death in the
present life. Now I think that this could deservingly be said also about the
thief who was hanging alongside Jesus on the cross. It seems that he had been
planted together into the likeness of his death by his own confession, in which
he said, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom”; and by the fact
that he rebuked the other one who was blaspheming. He was also planted together
in his resurrection through what is said to him, “Today you will be with me in
paradise.” For he was a sprout worthy of paradise, which was joined to the tree
of life. (Ibid., 363-64)
