Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 11 · Section 3 · Subsection 34 – Subsection 36
Quest. 32. Of the Apostles exclamation, v. 33. The deepenesse of the riches, &c.
1. Touching the occasion of these words. 1. Origen thinketh this to be it, quia alterius malitiae opus alterum vertat in salutem, because he turned the malice of one to the salvation of an other: as the ruine of the Iewes was the occasion of calling the Gentiles: so also Chrysostome, the Apostle wondreth quod contraria contrarijs curaverit, because the Lord healed one contrarie by an other, the Gentiles became to be beleeuers, by occasion of the vnbeleeuing Iewes: but the generalitie of the Apostles words, speaking of the wayes of God, would not be restrained vntounto one particular. 2. Faius vnderstandeth the whole mysterie of the Gospel, the which as S. Peter saith, the Angels yet desire to behold, but this is too generall. 3. Augustine and Haymo, restraine it to this particular, of the mysterie in the vocation of the Gentiles and the reiection of the Iewes. 4. But beside this, it may be applyed to the whole mysterie of predestination, how God resecteth some, and electeth others, wherein humane reason must be silent: Gryneus, Calvin, Hyperius, Mart.
2. For the reading of the words. 1. Some doe thus read, O the deepenesse of the riches, of the wisedome, and knowledge of God: as the vulgar latine, making wisedome and knowledge to depend of riches: but in this reading the Greeke coniunction foreign, and, which is set betweene riches, and wisedome, is omitted: Chrysostome inserting that word, thinketh that these two words, depth, and riches, are two names added to expresse the excellencie of Gods wisedome and knowledge: so also Beza, Gryneus, Faius, taking riches here for abundance: likewise Pererius: Gorrhan would prooue it by the like place, Coloss. 2.3. in whome are hid the treasures of wisedome and knowledge: and so the Apostle saith here, the riches of the wisedome and knowledge. 2. But Origen referreth this deepenesse to all three, O the deepenes of the riches, and of the wisedome, and of the knowledge of God: so also Theophylact, whom Erasmus and Tolet follow: the reasons are these. 1. because as Erasmus obserueth, there is a comma or distinction in all the copies, that he saw, betweene riches, and wisedome, which sheweth, that one hangeth not on an other. 2. Tolet addeth that the coniunction, (and) betweene riches, and wisedome, doth shew them to be two distinct things. 3. likewise the three clauses following, who hath knowne his minde, who was his counsellor, who hath giuen to him first, are answerable vntounto these three, knowledge, wisdome, riches. 4. And else where these three are distinguished: Ephes. 2.17. The riches of his grace, &c. in all wisedome and vnderstanding. 5. This is most agreeable to the scope of the Apostle, who immediately before made mention of the merciemercy of God, which here he vnderstandeth, by the depth of his riches: as Ephes. 2.7. That he might shew in the ages to come, the exceeding riches of his grace.
Though either of these readings may indifferently be followed, and Haymo and Pet. Martyr doe propound both; yet the former seemeth to be the fitter, because of that place Coloss. 2.3. where they are called the treasures of wisedome and knowledge, as here the riches: the Greeke coniunction foreign, signifieth as well both, as and: and where the Apostle saith v. 35. who hath giuen vntounto him first: it is another reason to stay mens murmuring against God: as here he perswadeth thereunto, by the vnsearchable depth of Gods iudgements: so there from Gods all sufficiencie that he giueth freely to all, and none to him.
Quest. 33. How the iudgements of God are said to be vnsearcheable. v. 33.
1. Some thinke that the Apostle expresseth the same thing, by this ingemination of words, vnderstanding one and the same thing by the iudgements and waies of God: Calvin: but they are better distinguished: Haymo by the iudgements would hauehave vnderstood, Gods iust proceedings both against Angels and men, Iewes and Gentiles, in electing some, and reiecting others: and by his waies, his passage from the Gentiles to the Iewes, and from the Iewes to the Gentiles; but they are better referred, the iudgements to the decree and purpose of God, which belonged to his knowledge, and the waies to the meanes, whereby God executeth and bringeth his purpose and counsell to passe; wherein his wisedome is seeme: as Gods counsell and iudgement was to preferre Ioseph and exalt him aboue his brethren: the way was, in bringing this to effect, by the selling of him into captiuitie by his brethren: Tolet, so also Martyr.
2. Where the word in the originall is foreign, which signifieth, not to be traced out, the vulgar latine readeth, investigabiles, in a quite contrarie sense, to be paced, or traced out: which as Tolet coniectureth might be the error of the writer, leauing out (in:) for he should hauehave said, in investigabiles, as Erasmus noteth out of Hilarie lib. 8. de Trinit. who hath that word. But Chrysostome here well obserueth, whome Bucer followeth, that hereby, in that the iudgements of God are said to be vnsearchable, is signified, quòd non solùm cognosci neq…ant, sed nec quaeri, they can not onelyonly be knowne, but they are not to be searched: so also Bucer well noteth, that the first word signifieth, that inveneri non possunt, they can not be loued out of vsus, and the other, quod pervestigari curiosius non debeant, they must not be curiously sought out.
3. Origen also putteth in this exception, that this must be vnderstood of the creature; that to them the iudgements of God are vnsearchable; the blessed Trinitie is excepted: for both the Sonne knoweth the father, and the holy Spirit searcheth the hid things of God; but the creature of it selfe is not able to find them out.
4. P. Martyr hath an other exception, that this must be vnderstood of the secrets of God hid, and not reuealed; but the will of God reuealed in Scripture, it is lawfull for vsus to search, and we are commanded so to doe, Ioh. 5.39.
5. Pareus also addeth an other caution; that the iudgements of God are vnsearchable of the creature of it selfe, but by the spirit of Christ they may attaine to the knowledge of them in part: as here the Apostle saith, Who hath knowne the mind of the Lord: as he likewise saith, 1. Cor. 2.16. Who hath knowne the mind of the Lord, that he might instruct him: and then it followeth, but we hauehave the mind of Christ. In Christ then the will of God is reuealed to vsus; as it is said Ioh. 1.16. No man hath seene God at any time, but the onelyonly begotten Sonne hath declared him, &c.
34. Quest. How those words must be vnderstood, Of him, through him, and for him are all things, &c.
1. The Arrians, as Theodoret here testifieth, doe vnderstand all this to be spoken onelyonly of God the father, to confirme their heresie, in making the Sonne inferiour to the father, and onelyonly as the instrument, not the efficient cause of creation; but the Apostle els where directly saith of Christ, by whome are all things, and we by him, 1. Cor. 8.9. as here he saith, of him, and through him are all things.
2. Some doe interpret all this of God the Sonne onelyonly, as Basil lib. de spirit. and Ambrose lib. 4. de fide, c. 6. and whereas it may be obiected, that the father knoweth the minde of the Sonne, whereas the Apostle saith, who hath knowne his mind: Basil answeareth, that the Apostle onelyonly thereby signifieth not all to be excluded, because the father knoweth the mind of the Sonne, but onelyonly that few can attaine to it: and whereas againe it might be obiected, if this be vnderstood onelyonly of the Sonne, that it can not be said of him, who hath giuen vntounto him first? because he receiued his essence of his father; Ambrose answeareth, that the father gaue vntounto the Sonne, but not first, for one is not before the other. But, as was before obserued out of Origen, the Trinitie is excepted here; the Apostle speaketh onelyonly of the creatures, that none of them know the mind of God, or first gaue vntounto him: neither is this to be restrained to the person of the Sonne, but must be vnderstood of the Godhead in generall, whose waies are vnsearchable.
3. Some doe distinguish these three, and appropriate them to the three persons of the Trinitie, as of the father, through the Sonne, and in the holy Ghost all things are said to be: so Origen vponupon this place, Gregor. homil. 16. in Ezek. Hilar. lib. 8. de Trin. so also Haymo, gloss. interlin. Tolet, Gorrhan, Lyran. but this seemeth to be too curious: for this phrase by whom, is as well giuen vntounto the Father, 1. Cor. 1.9. as vntounto the Sonne.
4. Wherefore this clause, of whome, through whome, and for whome, &c. is better referred to the whole Trinity, as Chrysost. interpreteth, ipse fecit, ipso conservat, he made, & he preserueth all things: so also Augustine, as the ordin. glosse citeth him, sheweth how eueryevery one of these prepositions, of, through, for, may be applied vntounto eueryevery one of the glorious persons of the Trinitie: and so all things are of God, as the first cause, by him, as the preseruer of all things, and in him, as the end and perfection, Thomas: so all things are à seipso nullo alio movente, from himselfe, none other moouing him, per seipsum nullo alio adiuvante, by himselfe, none other helping, and propter seipsum, onelyonly for himselfe, and for none other cause, for he made all things for his owne glosse, Calvin.
5. Whereas the vulgar Latin readeth in the third place, in ipso, in him, in the originall the word is foreign, in ipsum, for him: which sheweth that God is the ende and perfection of all, that all things were ordained for him, that is, to set forth his glorie; and so readeth Chrysostome.