Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 1 · Section 3 · Subsection 60 – Subsection 62
Quest. 60. v. 21. How the Gentiles did not glorifie God, neither were thankefull, but became vaine.
1. Did not glorifie him as God: this word to glorifie, is taken two wayes: either to conceiue an honourable opinion of God, and to magnifie him, and set forth his praise: as Ioh. 11.4. this sickenesse is not vntounto death, but for the glorie of God, that the Sonne of God, may be glorified thereby: or it signifieth the worship due vntounto God, as Isay. 43.23. Neither hast thou honoured (or glorified) me with thy sacrifices: Theodoret, so likewise Chrysostome and Origen, seeme to take it in the first sense: that the Gentiles did not conceiue so reuerent an opinion of God, in faining him to be like vntounto the images of creatures: so also P. Martyr. Gregor. hom. 11. in Ezech. thus vnderstandeth it: they did not glorifie God, non impenderunt ei cultum debitum, they did not giuegive vntounto him his due worship: Ambrose, Anselm, Sedulius, doe expound the former of the latter: they glorified not God, in not giuing him thankes, but the Apostle set these two downe, as two distinct things: not to glorifie God, and not to giuegive him thankes: Therefore, by this word, to glorifie, is better comprehended, both the inward reuerent opinion of God, of his iustice, merciemercy, eternitie, power, goodnesse, as also the outward worship due vntounto him, Calvin. Pareus. So the Gentiles did offend in both these: they neither honoured God as they ought, worshipping him and reposing their trust and confidence in him: neither did they returne him thanks for the benefits receiued, but referred all vntounto fortune, some to the starres, some to their owne prouidence.
2. They became vaine in their imaginations. 1. Erasmus giueth this sense, they were deceiued in their expectation, because they tooke themselues to be wise, yet prooued verie fooles: but this the Apostle expresseth afterward in particular. 2. some take it in Aristotles sense: that is called vaine, which is not brought to the due effect: as the end of this their knowledge was, that God should be honoured: which end they attained not vntounto, Martyr. but indeed they neither had the true knowledge of God, nor yet propounded vntounto thēselues any such end.
3. Some referre it to the errors of the Philosophers, because they did resemble the Godhead by vaine images: Theodoret, Chrysost. Tolet: but this seemeth to be to particular: they had many vanities beside: and this the Apostle alleadgeth afterward, as a proofe of their foolishnesse, v. 23.
4. Augustine, whom Anselm followeth, vnderstandeth it of their pride: the knowledge which they had, suis cogitationibus tribuebant, they attributed to their owne thoughts, and reason: but their vanitie was more generall, it comprehended other things beside.
5. Therefore hereby are vnderstood all the vaine opinions and inventions which the heathen, trusting to their owne wit and invention, coy…ed concerning the diuine nature: as 1. some denied there was any God, as the Epicures. 2. some doubted thereof, as Protagoras, Diagoras. 3. some affirmed that there was a diuine power, but they made many gods: and them either incorporeall, as the spirits, so the Platonists. 4. or some also made materiall and corporall gods, as the Greekes and Romanes made men departed gods: the Egyptians other creatures, as oxen, geese, crocodiles, yea herbes, as onyons, leckes. 5. Some acknowledged one God, as Plato, Aristotle: but either denied his prouidence in all things done vnderunder the moone, as the Peripatetikes: or tied him vntounto second, and inferior causes, as the Stoikes: this is the vanitie, which the Apostle speaketh of: And as this was their vanitie in their iudgement and opinion, so were they deceiued in their hope and expectation: they thought by such meanes to appease their gods, to procure fauour, to obtaine good things: but the contrarie fell out.
3. Their foolish heart was full of darkenesse. 1. by the heart is vnderstood the mind, their very vndestanding was darkened, Faius. the naturall reason in them was obscured, Gorrham. 2. this was a iust punishment vponupon them, because they abused that knowledge, which was giuen vntounto them: their owne pride and ouerweening of themselues besotted them, that whereas they thought themselues wise, they became fooles, iusto Dei iudicio propter super…iam, their foolish heart was obscured thorough their pride, Lyran. 3. that whereas they boasted of the name and title of wisemen: as the Grecians much gloried in their seuen wise men: as the Romanes had their wise men also, Numa, Cato, Cicero, yet they were all fooles: for as fooles delight in toyes, and let passe things of greater substance and importance: so they worshipped images instead of the true God, which the Apostle in the next verse giueth as a reason of their foolishnesse: yea Socrates, who was counted one of their wisest Philosophers, desired his friends, beeing now readie to die, to offer for him a cocke vntounto Aesculapius, which he had vowed, Pareus.
4. Some interpret thus, that while they held themselues wise in temporall things, stultifacti sunt in spiritualibus, they became fooles in spirituall things: Lyran. But their vnderstanding was darkened euen in moral duties: as Cato gaue his wife vntounto Hortensius, desiring her, and tooke her againe, when he was dead. Lycurgus exposed virgines naked in their playes and publike spectacles, he commended theft, if it were secret: and many such absurd things euen in ciuill duties were committed by their wisest men, Gryneus.
5. Augustine, whom Hugo Cardinal. followeth, doth somewhat curiously distinguish these three. 1. they became vaine in their imaginations, this he applyeth to th…, which do measure the diuine nature according to their corporall sense, imagining him to hauehave parts and members like vntounto man, which was the errour of the Anthropomorphites. 2. their foolish heart was full of darkenesse, this he vnderstandeth of them, which ascribe vntounto God the qualities and affections of the soule of man, as anger, griefe, forgetfulnesse, remembrance. 3. when they thought themselues wise, they became fooles, this he doth interpret of those which doe imagine such things of God, which neither can be found in him, nor in any other creature, neither in the bodie, nor in the soule of man.
6. But this description of the error and blindnesse of the Gentiles is better referred generally to their foolish and carnall deuises, and pretexes whereby they obscured the truth both in diuine & humane duties: as they alleadged for their images, that they did not worship the image or idol, but the thing represented thereby, and that as a man cannot hauehave accesse vntounto the Prince, but by his courriers: so there must be mediators to bring vsus vntounto God: Thus they became foolish in their imaginations, for God is not like vntounto man, that he neede to be informed by others: Thus they became fooles, leauing the true substance of Gods worship, and following after shadowes and shewes: as the Apostle saith; Col. 2.23 which things hauehave indeede a shew of wisedome, &c. but substance they had none, Martyr.
Quest. 61. How the Gentiles changed the glorie of God into the image of men and beasts, v. 23.
1. They changed the glorie of the incorruptible God. 1. The glorie of God is either absolute in himselfe, which can no wayes be changed: or it is considered with relation to vsus, as the worship and honour which is yeelded by the Creatures vntounto the Creator: this is changed by men, when they giuegive the honour due vntounto God, vntounto creatures, Pareus. So that indeede they could not depriue God of his glorie, sed audaciae accusantur, but they are accused of great presumption, that as much as in them lay they attempted to rob God of his honour, Martyr. 2. God is said to be incorruptible, because he onelyonly of himselfe is free from all corruption and change: the Angels are incorruptible, yet not originally, but by the will of God, Pareus, infaelix mutatio, this was an vnhappie change of the true glorie of God, into a similitude, of the very God, into an image, and of the incorruptible, into that which is corruptible, Gorrham. 3. this they did two wayes: first in ascribing diuine honor to such things, as by nature were not gods, as the Egyptians did worship beasts and other creatures for their gods: then in seeming to honour the true God by the images of men and beasts, Pareus. 4. Some take the words in this sense, as though they should thinke that the godhead was like vntounto these things, as S. Paul toucheth that error, Act. 17.29. We ought not to thinke that the Godhead is like to gold or siluer, &c. But the meaning rather is, that they giuegive the diuine honour due vntounto God, vntounto the images of men and beasts: for the Apostle seemeth here to allude to that place, Psal. 106.16. they turned their glorie into the similitude of a bullocke, &c. yet the Israelites did not thinke God to be like vntounto a calfe or bullocke, Tolet. now whereas in the Psalme, it is said, their glorie, but here the glorie of God, the reason is, because gloria eorum Deus, God was their glorie: for there can be no greater honour vntounto a nation, then the true worship of God, Mart. 5. The Apostle here doth diuers wayes exaggerate this grosse idolatrie of the heathen. 1. maxime ridiculum est, &c. it was ridiculous that they tooke vponupon them to change the glorie of God: 2. then quod in tam absurda mutarunt, that they changed it into such absurd things, Chrysostome. 3. he saith not, they changed the glorie of the incorruptible God into a corruptible man: but into the similitude of the image, &c. not naturall, but such as was fashioned and framed by the hands of man, Gorrham, Tolet. 6. And whereas some of the Philosophers were not so grosse to thinke, that the verie images of wood, gold, or siluer, were the gods, but that the Gods were represented in them: yet both the one and the other did worship them for gods, as Athanas. sheweth, orat. cont. idolat. and Augustine saith well, quis orat intuens simulachrum, qui non sic afficiatur, vt ab eo se exandirs putet, &c. who prayeth looking toward an image, is not so affected, as though he thought it heard him, and hopeth to hauehave performed by it, that which he desireth: whereupon men addicted to such superstitions, doe turne their backe vponupon the Sunne, and power out their prayers before the image of the Sun, August. tractat. in Psal. 123. ex Beda.
62. Quest. Of the diuerse kinds of idolatrie among the heathen in worshipping the images of men and beasts, v. 23.
1. Varro a famous antiquarie among the Romanes, who wrote the 41. bookes of antiquities, whereof 25. are of humane matters, 16. of them of diuine, he maketh three kinds of Theologie or heathenish diuinitie: one fabulous and poeticall, wherein the Poets doe faine many vndecent things of the gods, as that they committed theft, adulterie: that some of them had their beginning out of the thigh, some out of the head of Iuppiter: there was also a naturall Theologie, which the Philosophers handled: as whether the gods were eternall, what their beginning was, whether of the fire, as Heraclitus, or they consisted of numbers, as Pythagoras, or ex atomis, of small motes, as the Epicures: the third was ciuill Theologie, which belonged to the Priests, as what gods ought to be worshipped, and with what ceremonies and sacrifices: this was for cities, the second for the world, the first for the theater or stage: to this purpose Varro. But Thomas sheweth how in this place, the Apostle condemneth all these kinds: the Ciuill, which consisted in the adoration of images, in these words, they turned the glorie of the incorruptible God, into the similitude of the image, &c. the fabulous and poeticall, in these words, v. 25. which turned the truth of God into a lie: and the naturall, obserued by the Philosophers, he condemneth in saying, v. 25. they serued the Creature, forsaking the Creator. Thom. in hunc locum.
2. Plutarke 6. c. lib. 1. de plurit. Philosoph. diuideth the heathen idolatrie into 7. kinds, 1. they obserued the heauens, and starres, and when they sawe that by their motion and influence the things belowe were much guided, they gaue vntounto them the name of gods. 2. they made some profitable and wholesome gods, as Iuppiter, Iono, Mercurie. 3. some vnprofitable as Mars, Saturne, the Furies, whom they appeased with sacrifices. 4. they gaue the fourth place vntounto the passions and affections of the minde, as to louelove, venerie, desire. 5. then they made goddesses of the vertues, as of Iustice, Fortitude, and such like. 6. Then followe the poeticall fictions, as Hesiodus generation of the gods. 7. They ascribed diuine honour vntounto those, that had bestowed any benefits, or found out any profitable inuention for men, as Hercules, Castor, Pollux, Bacchus.
3. And of all other people the Romanes exceeded in the varietie of idolatrie: Tertullian in apologet. citeth Varro, that he brought in 300. Iuppiters, and of other kinds they had an infinite number of gods: whereof Augustine giueth this reason, Roma quanto maior facta est, sicut nauis nautas, tanto plures adhibendos esse Deos putavit, &c. Rome the greater it waxed, as a great ship requireth more mariners, so they thought to vse many gods, as though a fewe gods sufficed not for their greatnesse, lib. 3. de ciuit. c. 12. Leo addeth further, cum pene omnibus dominaretur gentibus omnium pene serutebat errorbus, when as they bare rule ouer all nations, they became slaues to all their errors, serm. 1. de Natal. Pet. & Paul. and they in policie did worship the gods of all other nations, ad dilatationem imperij, for the enlarging of their dominion: thinking thereby the rather to insinuate themselues, Lyranus.