Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 1 · Section 3 · Subsection 4 – Subsection 8
Quest. 3. VponUpon what occasion the names Saul was turned to Paul.
1. Origen thinketh, that the Apostle had two names from the beginning, as Matthew was called Leui: and it was the manner of the Hebrewes to vse diuerse names: and he giueth this reason, because it is said, Act. 13.9. Saul, which is called Paul, that be beganne not then to hauehave two names, but was so called before: and his parents because they were Iewes of the tribe of Beniamin called him Saul, and beeing citizens of Rome also by priuiledge, they called him Paul, according to the Romane names: But Toletus thus obiecteth, that if he had two names from the beginning, S. Luke would hauehave expressed them before, whereas he is onelyonly called Saul in the historie going before the 13. chapter: otherwise there is great probabilitie in this opinion, that the Apostle was called both Saul and Paul, but not at the same instant, neither from the beginning, but afterward.
2. Chrysostome, Theodoret, Theophylact, Theodulus, all these are of opinion, that the Apostles name was changed from Saul to Paul, by God himselfe, as Abraham and Iacobs names were changed, and Peters, that herein he should not be inferiour to Peter. But Hierome in commentar, in Philemon, and Sedulius, doe refute this opinion by this reason, because mention is made in Scripture of the change of their names, so is there not of this: and Tolet addeth further that Peters name was not changed, but somewhat added to it: he was called Simon Peter: But after the Apostle beganne to be called Paul, he is no more named Saul.
3. Hierome in epist. ad Philem. whome Lyranus followe, thinke, that Paul after the conuersion of Sergius Paulus, would be called by his name, as a monument of that triumph in conuerting a chiefe man of the Gentiles to the Christian faith: Sedulius and Anselme doe reiect this opinion, because there is no such vse and custome in the Scripture for Saints to take vntounto them names vponupon any such occasion: And againe, this had not beseemed Pauls humilitie to hauehave taken the glorie of that victorie to himselfe, which was due vntounto Christ, Tolet. and rather Sergius should hauehave beene called by Pauls name by whom he was conuerted and baptized, then Paul by his. Perer.
4. Ambrose and Augustine, thinke that the Apostles name was changed at the time of his conuersion: and Ambrose giueth this reason, ex Saulo inquieto factum Paulum quietum &c. of vnquiet Saul he was made quiet Paul, of a persecutor a preacher of the Gospel: But here Ambrose alludeth vntounto the Greeke signification of these words, whereas Saul is an Hebrewe name, and Paul a Latine, as is shewed before: But Augustine rendreth an other reason, which Beda followeth: Saulus factus est Paulus, primo superbus, postea humilis, Saul was made Paul, first proud, then humble: for Saul was a proud and cruell king, and persecuted Dauid, and so Saul before his conuersion persecuted the Church: this opinion Tolet approoueth. But if Paul had beene so called vponupon any of these occasions, S. Luke would hauehave called him by that name before, presently after his conuersion, whereas he maketh no mention of Paul vntill he came to the 13. chapter.
5. Therefore this is the most probable coniecture, that as long as S. Paul laboured among them of the circumcision, he was called by his Hebrewe name Saul. But after his calling to preach vntounto the Gentiles, he was called by a Romane name, Paul, not so much to shewe that he was a Romane by priuiledge, as to testifie and professe himselfe the Apostle of the Gentiles, because the name of Paul was more acceptable vntounto the Gentiles, as beeing a Romane name: And Saul and Paul may be thought to be one and the same name in effect, and to differ no more, then Theodoricus in Latine, Dietrich in the Germane tongue, and Tierrie in French: as Iochanan in Hebrewe, Ioannes in Latine, and Iean in French: Beza annot. Act. 13.9. with whom agreeth Pareus. But Aretius obiecteth, that Saul and Paul cannot be the same name, and one deriued of the other, because Saul is an Hebrewe name, and Paul a Latine or Romane: Tolet addeth further, that if they had beene one and the same name, S. Luke would not hauehave said, Saul which also is Paul.
Answ. 1. We doe not say that Paul is deriued of Saul, or of the same signification in the Latine, which Saul hath in the Hebrewe: but that in likenesse of sound the one commeth neare the other, and so one might be taken for the other. 2. And though th…y be one name in effect, yet beeing diuerse in language, and so differing, S. Luke may make mention of both, as Iohn doth of Simons newe name, which was Cephas in Hebrewe, and Peter in Greeke, Iohn 1.42. And this is an euident argument, these were not two diuerse names of the Apostle at the same instant, because as soone as the Apostle beganne to be called Paul, he ceased to be named Saul.
Quest 4. At what time the Apostles name beganne to be called Paul.
1. Origens opinion is, that from the beginning euen of his natiuitie he was called by two names by his parents, so also Pererius: but that is not like, for then from the beginning of the storie, S. Luke would hauehave called him indifferently by the one name, as well as the other.
2. Ambrose and Augustine thinke, that this change was made at the time of their conuersion: whose opinion is seene before: but this is vnlike vponupon the former reason, because S. Luke maketh no mention of the name of Paul, at his first calling and conuersion.
3. Hieromes opinion is, that he then first was called Paul when he conuerted Sergius Paulus: But he is so called before S. Luke setteth downe the manner of his conuersion, Acts. 13.9.
4. I preferre therefore their opinion, that thinke that Saul beganne then to be called Paul, when he was set apart by the Church of Antioch by the instinct of the spirit to preach among the Gentiles: thus Beza annot. and Catharinus a Popish writer. Pererius obiecteth that after the Apostle was thus separate, and set apart by the Church, he is called Saul, and Barnabas was also separate with him, and yet his name is not changed: Answer. He is not called Saul after he was sent forth by the Church: but the last place wherein he is called Saul onelyonly, is v. 2. Separate me Barnabas and Saul, &c. But beeing now sent forth, they came first to the Isle Salamis, the deputie whereof was Sergius Paulus: and then he is called Saul, otherwise Paul, and euer after that, in all that historie Paul onelyonly.
5. Quest. In what sense Paul calleth himselfe the seruant of Iesus Christ.
1. Origen assigneth sowre causes why Paul calleth himselfe, the seruant of Iesus, 1. propter humilitatem to shewe his humilitie. 2. propter imitationem Christi, to imitate Christ, who said, I am in the middes among you, as one which ministreth. 3. And because he is thought to hauehave beene called, hauing a wife, in that respect he was a seruant. 4. as long as we are in this bodie, we hauehave not attained to perfect libertie, and therefore are as seruants still: But all this beeing admitted to be true, that in all these respects Paul was a seruant to Christ: yet they are too generall, and agree vntounto other seruants of Christ: whereas S. Paul doth make this somewhat more peculiar to himselfe. 3. Chrysostome saith, that three waies we are seruants vntounto God: by the right of creation, by the obedience of faith, and the obedience of life and conuersation: but yet these considerations are somewhat too generall, and doe not shewe, why the Apostle doth vse this title specially of himselfe. 4. Some giuegive this reason: the seruant must be addicted to his masters religion: as Exod. 12.22. the seruants bought for money, were to be circumcised: so Paul professeth himselfe a seruant of Iesus Christs, that is, of the Christian religion: so that writing to Christians, he might better perswade them hereby, professing the same religion, Aretius, Toletus. But in this sense, not onelyonly Paul, but euerie Christian is the seruant of Iesus Christ. 5. Sedulius vnderstandeth Paul to be a seruant in respect of his ministerie, which is a kind of seruice: But Tolet misliketh this, because his office and ministerie is expressed in the next word following, wherein he maketh mention of his Apostleship. 6. Ambrose, Theodoret, Theodulus, interpret him to be a seruant, because he was àlege liberatus, deliuered from the Lawe: But this was not a peculiar priuiledge to Paul, but generall to all Christians. 7. Therefore this holy Apostle in a peculiar, and speciall regard, calleth himselfe the seruant of Iesus, in respect of his singular and miraculous conuersion: by the which he was so obliged vntounto Christ, that he devoteth himselfe wholly to his seruice: so that both by his condition, he professeth himselfe Christs seruant, beeing by him redeemed from the tyrannie and seruitude of Sathan, of a cruell persecutor and blaspemer, beeing made a worthie Apostle and preacher of the gospel: and so by his office also and ministerie, he wholly doth consecrate himselfe to the setting forth of the Gospell of Christ.
Quest. 6. How Paul calleth himselfe a seruant, seeing Christ saith, I will not call you seruants, Iohn. 15.15.
1. Hierome giueth this solution,initio. cōment. in epistol. ad Titum. that there is a double kind of seruice, one is a seruice of men, of the whith Christ speaketh, I will not call you seruants, but friends: the other is a seruice vntounto God, whereof Dauid speaketh, I am thy seruant, and the sonne of thine handmaid, Psal. 116.15. 2. Origen giueth this satisfaction, seruit Christo non in spiritu seruitutis, &c. he serueth Christ not in the spirit of seruitude, but in the spirit of adoption: quia omni libertate nobilior est Christi seruitus, for Christs seruice is more noble then any libertie. 3. But yet to speake hereof more distinctly: there is a theefold kind of seruice, seruitus peccati, the seruice of sinne: whereof our Sauiour speaketh, Ioh. 8.34. he that committeth sinne is the seruant of sinne: there is seruitus humana, the seruice of men, from the first we are freed by faith in Christ, but not from the second: for the Apostles exhort those which are called being seruants, to be obedient to their masters in the flesh: the third kind is the seruice of God: which is of two sorts, voluntarie, as in the Angels and Saints: the which S. Paul meaneth here, and constrained, as in the deuils, which are forced to be obedient to Gods will: now there are two speciall bond of this seruice, both by right of the creation, we are Gods creatures, and the workemanship of his hands, and therefore bound vntounto his seruice, and of our redemption in Christ, Perer. 4. And of this seruice vntounto God, there is a threefold consideration: there are seruants, natura, conditione, statu, by nature, as by the right of creation, by condition, by the right of redemption: thus the faithfull remaine seruants vntounto God: but they are not in the state of seruants, but are freemen, though the Lords seruants, Tolet. 5. And of these seruants vntounto God there are three kinds, 1. the worst sort is of those which serue onelyonly for feare: the middle sort is of such, which serue onelyonly for hope of reward: the third of those, qui Deo propter Deum serviunt, which serue God onelyonly for his owne sake, Pererius.
Quest. 7. How S. Paul saith, called to be an Apostle.
1. Pererius note is somewhat curious here, as if the Apostle should hauehave said, I dare not call my selfe an Apostle, but I am so called of all: for here the Greeke word foreign, called, is not of the nature of a Participle, but rather of a noune, as Erasmus noteth and Beza, and it is as much, as if he should say, by calling an Apostle: so that this word rather sheweth the authoritie by the which he was called, then the calling it selfe. 2. here may be noted the difference which the fathers make betweene foreign and foreign, which both signifie called: but the first is vsed of them which are called, and obey not, the other of them which are effectually called, and obey their calling which difference though it may well be obserued here, yet it is not derpetuall, as Math. 22.19. Many are called, and fewe chosen, the word is there foreign Beza. 3. not much vnlike is Origens distinction: betweene, electus and vocatus: elected to be an Apostle, and called to be an Apostle, Iudas was an Apostle called, but not elected: which distinction, if by election be vnderstood predestination, it holdeth well: otherwise in respect of the outward calling, Iudas was both elected and called to be one of the twelue, Tolet. 4. the difference which Augustine here noteth betweene vocari, and congregari, to be called and congregate, or gathered together, is not generally true: the first he thinketh to be peculiar to the Church of Christ, the other to be vsed of the synagogue and Church of the Iewes: for the Prophets in the old Testament doe vse the word of vocation and calling, Beza. 5. there are two kinds of calling, one is generall, as to be called to the knowledge of God: in what sense it is said, many are called, but fewe chosen: there is a speciall kind of calling, as to be called to some speciall office: as the Apostle saith, No man taketh this honour to himselfe, but he that is called of God, as Aron, Heb. 4.5. S. Paul was called both wayes, first to the knowledge of Christ when he was conuerted, Act. 9. then he was separated to the office of his Apostleship, Act. 13. Tolet. 6. And hereby S. Paul, in saying, called to be an Apostle, noteth two things: 1. that he did not take this honour vponupon him by intruding himselfe, but he was therevnto appointed of God, Erasm. 2. he sheweth that the Apostolike dignitie is not attained vntounto by any humane merits, but by the grace onelyonly, and free gift of him that called, Perer. ex Thoma.
Quest. 8. Of the office and calling of an Apostle, what it was.
1. The word Apostle is taken, either aequivoce, in an equivocall and improper sense: and either in the better sort, as Andronicus and Iunta are said to be notable among the Apostles, Rom. 16.7. where the word is generally taken for one that is sent: or in the worse, as some are called false Apostles, 2. Cor. 11.13. 2. or the word is vsed vnivoce, properly: and that either in a kind of excellencie, as Christ is called our high Priest and Apostle, Heb. 3.1. or else it is applyed to the chiefe Ministers of the New Testament, which were properly called Apostles, Gryneus. 2. Hierome maketh fowre kinds of Apostles, that is of such as were sent, as the word signifieth. 1. Some were onelyonly sent from God, as the Prophets Isaias, Ieremias, with the rest. 2. Some were ordained of God, but by men, as Moses consecrated Aaron to be high Priest: and Iosuah to succeede him. 3. Some are sent by men, and not of God, as they which enter by corruption and bribes. 4. some intrude themselues being neither sent of God, nor by men. 3. the word Apostle generally signifieth any, that is sent, yet it properly also expresseth the highest office and dignitie of Apostles in the Newe Testament: as S. Paul saith, 1. Cor. 12.20. God hath ordained some in the Church: as first, Apostles, secondly Prophets, thirdly teachers. 4. And though S. Paul were none of the 12. Apostles, yet he and Barnabas were also ordained of Christ, to be Apostles, of equal authoritie with the twelue.