Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 2 · Chapter 12 · Section 3 · Subsection 32 – Subsection 33
28. Quest. How we should not auenge our selues, but leaue it vntounto God.
v. 19. Auenge not your selues, &c. The vulgar Latin readeth, defendentes, defending: but the Greeke word is foreign, which is better translated, vindicantes, auenging, as Chrysostomes interpreter; or vlciscentes, taking reuenge, as Origens interpreter: Pererius taketh vponupon him here to iustifie the vulgar Latine, and sheweth out of Nonius Marcellus, and Gellius, how the word defendere, to defend, was in time past vsed, for vlcisci, to reuenge, as we are said ho…os defendere, to defend, that is, to keepe off our enemies: But howsoeuer this may be admitted, that some kind of defense is ioyned with reuenge; yet can he not shew, these 2. words to be of the same sense: I prefer Tolets iudgement, defensio aliquādo iusta est, defence is somtime iust, but all reuenge is very vniust: and therefore he thinketh, it should be interpreted, reuenge: Haymo taketh the word defend, in the proper sense, shewing, that Christians beeing railed vponupon, should not defend themselues, but by silence, as Christ did before Pila… wherfore if this interpretation should be admitted, it would be thought a thing vnlawfull, for any Christian to defend himselfe: neither doth the Latin interpreter keepe the propertie of the word, who els-where translateth another Greeke word foreign, defence, 2. Tim. 4.16.
2. Ambrose thinketh, that not onelyonly priuate persons are here concluded, but the publike Magistrate also, si plus exigat, &c. if he take greater punishment of the offender, then the cause requireth: but the magistrate reuengeth not himselfe but others. Now here men are forbidden onelyonly to auenge themselues: and yet in this case euen the magistrate auengeth himselfe, when vnderunder colour of his office, he in respect of some particular wrong, proceedeth more rigorously against an offender. 3. But the Apostle taketh not away here all libertie to vse defence by the authoritie of the Magistrate: for both S. Paul himselfe appealed vntounto Cesar, and the Magistrate is appointed of God for our wealth: yet we must not goe vntounto the Magistrate, animo vlciscendi, with a mind to seeke reuenge. For these causes a Christian may safely craue the aid of the Magistrate: 1. to discharge his dutie in defending those frō wrong, which are vnderunder his care and charge. 2. to seek the amendment of the offender, and wrongdoer, by moderate correction. 3. to take away such euil examples and scandals among Christians, Martyr: but one must not vse the benefit of the law, to seeke his owne reuenge; as S. Paul, when 40. Iewes conspired against him, sought the Magistrates helpe for his defence and deliuerance, not for their punishment, Gualt. so that nihilo plus excusationis habet, &c. he hath no better excuse, that seeketh to the Magistrate, with a malevolent minde, then if he sought to be reuenged by himselfe, Calv. 4. The Apostle doth not onelyonly stay our hands & tongue here from reuenge, sed, ne cor huiusmodi cupiditate teneatur, but he forbiddeth, least the heart should be tempted, with any such desire, Calv. 5. But whereas our Sauiour proceedeth yet further, and saith, Matth. 5.39. Resist not euill, but whosoeuer shal smite thee on the right cheeke, turne to him the other also: this must not be vnderstood according to the strict letter: as Augustine well interpreteth, that this precept is not alwaies to be obserued, quantum ad executionem, in respect of the execution in fact, sed quantum ad praeparationem animi, but in the preparation of the minde, that we should alwaies be armed with patience to suffer wrong: for neither did our Sauiour, when he was smitten on the cheeke turne the other, but mildly reprooued him that did the violence: to this purpose Aug. epist. ad Marc. This then is to be done, when it may either profit our brother, or maketh more for the glorie of God, and not otherwise, Martyr.
Beloued … The Apostle vseth this friendly compellation: 1. because these things, which now he speaketh of, were duriora, somewhat harsh and vnpleasing; therefore he thus insinuateth himselfe, the better to perswade, Martyr: blanda appellatione manum inijcit, vt nos retineat, &c. he doth stay vsus as with his hand, by this friendly word: for otherwise men are impatient in their affections, Calv. 2. And least they might thinke, that he in thus reading, did not counsell them for their profit, he calleth them, beloued, Mart. 3. And though the world hate such as were patient in suffering wrong, yet they were beloued of God; and so also beloued of the Apostle, Tolet. 4. And in thus saluting them, as beloued brethren, he putteth them in mind of brotherly louelove, which is much hindred by seeking of reuenge.
GiueGive place vntounto wrath. 1. some vnderstand this of our owne wrath, to giuegive way vntounto it, not to suffer it to breake forth, sed apud nos ipsos concoquamus, but to digest and allay it in our selues, Gualt. so also Vatablus, compescite eam, stay your anger: but this phrase is vsed in a contrarie sense, Eph. 4.27. neither giuegive place vntounto the deuill: to giuegive place vntounto wrath, were to giuegive way vntounto it, not to resist it. 2. others referre it to the anger and wrath of the aduersarie, that doth wrong: and so they giuegive two expositions, giuegive place, that is, permittite vobis nocere, suffer them willingly to doe you wrong and hurt: or, fugite a loco ad locum, flee from place to place, and so giuegive way vntounto them, Haymo: and Basil also hath both these expositions, regul. brev. resp. 244. Origen vnderstanding it also of the wrath of him, that doth the wrong, giueth an other sense, that if he that hath receiued the wrong, auenge not himselfe, quasi effuso, & àrgesto furore, &c. he hauing digested, and allaied his furie, waxeth milder. 3. But the better interpretation is, by wrath, to vnderstand the diuine reuenge or punishment: permitte Deo, vt adversarium tuum in ius vocet, suffer God to deale with thine aduersarie, Chrysost. so also Origen vnderstandeth vindictam divinam, the diuine reuenge, and that wrath, quam sibi the saurizat malis actibus, which he doth treasure vntounto himselfe, by his owne leud acts: this sense followeth Calv. Mart. Osiand. Par. Perer. & it is confirmed by the sentence following, cited out of Moses, vengeance is mine, I will repay: the meaning is then, that we should commend our cause vntounto God, and he will in due time take reuenge.
4. Vengeance is mine, &c. 1. Concerning the reading of the words. 1. the vulgar Latin putteth the word in the accusative, vindictam, reuenge: which reading Pererius defendeth to be auncient, and to hauehave beene vsed both by Tertull. l. 2. cont. Marc. and Hil. in Psal. 118. yet he confesseth, quod lectio sit rectior, &c. that it is the better reading in the nominatiue. And so it is in the Greeke, and so readeth Hier. epist. ad Ruffia. mihi vindicta, to me reuenge, that is, belongeth. 2. now whereas in the originall, Deut. 32.35. whence this testimonie is cited, there is the coniunction, and, which is here omitted by the Apostle: and there a verbal word is put, recompence is mine, which here the Apostle expresseth by the verb, I will repay: herein he partly followeth the Septuagint, who doe interpret it so, foreign, I wil repay: and partly he expresseth the sense, not tying himselfe to the words: neither doth the omitting of the coniunction any thing alter the sense. 2. The Apostle here secretly meeteth with an obiection: for whereas he forbiddeth all reuenge, it might be said, what then, shall iniuries neuer be requited: yes, saith the Apostle, God in his good time shall take reuenge, Tol. neither must the Apostle be so vnderstood, as though we should votis expetere, by our vowes and desire entreat God to be reuenged of our enemies: but the Apostle here sheweth, that we must not reuenge our selues, for this were to take Gods office vponupon vsus: we must therfore pray first, that God would conuert our enemies, but if they continue in their wickednes, then we leaue them to Gods iustice, Calv. and when the righteous seeth his desire vponupon his enemies, non tam delectatur poena, quam dei iustitia, he is not so much delighted in his punishment, as in the iustice of God, gloss. ordinar. 3. Now then we must leaue all reuenge vntounto God: 1. because he is the iudge of all the earth, and it belongeth vntounto him to punish, Gualt. 2. he taketh reuenge citra vllam perturbationē, without any passion, or perturbation, which man can not doe, Gryneus. 3. and it is God onelyonly, cui propria est generalis omnium delictorū vindictà, to whom is proper the generall reuenge of all wrongs; which man can not doe, Tolet. 4. acerbius vindicabit Deus, God will more sharply and seuerely take reuenge then any man can doe: whereas if a man reuenge his owne cause, he must not expect the diuine reuenge also, Theophyl.
29. Quest. Of doing good vntounto our enemies.
v. 20. If thine enemie hunger, &c. 1. This precept is fitly ioyned vntounto the former, of not auenging our selues: for not onelyonly he which rendreth euill for euill, reuengeth himselfe, but he also, which withdraweth his helping hand: and by feeding, and giuing drinke, we vnderstand, omnia humanitatis officia, all the offices of humanity: as where the Scripture saith, God suffereth the raine to fall, and the Sunne to shine vponupon the wicked, all other temporall gifts are vnderstood: and P. Martyr here obserueth out of the ciuill law, that if victus testamento legatus sit, if maintenance of food be giuen vntounto any by will, it includeth apparell, habitation, lodging, medicine for sicknes. 2. Further, whereas we are commanded to feede him, this must be vnderstood of the time of necessitie: we are not required to bid him home to our houses, Tolet: we must succurrere necessitati, non indulgere voluptati, succour his necessitate, not pamper his pleasure, Caietan: and we must then releeue him, when fittest occasion is offered to vsus to take reuenge: this precept hath not place, when our enemie is in prosperitie and of power: for then men vse to faune vponupon their enemies, that they may doe them no harme: but then there is vse of this precept, when our enemie is in necessitie, and hath neede of our helpe: and then must we afford our helpe willingly and liberally: for so the word foreign, signifieth not simply to feede, but to doe it liberally and plentifully, Tolet. 3. This is the most perfect worke of charitie, which is here prescribed; and so most hard to flesh and blood: which made Iulian to deride and scoffe the Christians, as fooles and idiots, because he fauoured not those things, which were of the spirit of God. August. lib. de serm. Dom. c. 33. setteth downe diuers degrees of duties to be practised toward our enemies: 1. one is not to butt, vnlesse one be first prouoked, but then he careth not if he doe greater hurt, then he receiued. 2. an other degree is velle tantum laedere, to doe no more hurt, then was done. 3. a higher degree is, velle minus laedere, to doe lesse hurt, then was receiued. 4. but yet he goeth further, qui nihil vult laedere, which will doe no hurt at all, though he hauehave receiued much. 5. he is yet more perfect, who beeing wronged, yet is readie vt amplius laedatur, to beare it, if he be more wronged and hurt. 6. but the perfectest point of all is, quando laesus laedenti benefacit, when he who is hurt, doth good vntounto him, that hurt him. These three last duties are touched by the Apostle here; not to reuenge, to giuegive place vntounto wrath, to be prepared with patience to beare still, & to feed our enemie being hungrie.