Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 2 · Chapter 15 · Section 3 · Subsection 14 – Subsection 15
14. Quest. How Christ is said to hauehave beene the Minister of circumcision, v. 8.
1. Origen vnderstandeth this of the circumcision, which Christ tooke in his flesh, vt nosceretur ex semine Abrahae veniens, &c. that it might be knowne, that he came of the seede of Abraham, to whome the promise was made, that in his seede all the nations of the world should be blessed: and beside the Apostle insinuateth hereby, that the Gentiles should not iudge the Iewes for observing the ceremonies of the law, seeing Christ was in his flesh made the minister of circumcision. Chrysostome following the same sense, giueth an other reason, why Christ was circumcised, vt totam legem impleret, that he might fulfill the whole law for vsus, and so appease his fathers wrath, and deliuer vsus from the curse of the law: But in this sense Christ can not properly be said actiuely to be the minister of circumcision, which was rather ministred to him, when he was circumcised.
2. Origen hath an other sense, vnderstanding it of spirituall circumcision, which is in the heart, according to that saying of S. Paul, Rom. 2.29. the circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter: and Haymo following this sense, applieth it to the spirituall circumcision, which concurreth with baptisme: of the which S. Paul speaketh, Colos. 2.11. In whom also ye are circumcised, with circumcision made without hands, by putting off the sinnefull bodie of the flesh, &c. in that ye are buried with him through baptisme: thus also Iunius in his parall. But this spirituall circumcision, is not peculiar to the Iewes, but common also to the beleeuing Gentiles: whereas the Apostle speaketh here of the prioritie and prerogatiue of the Iewes.
3. Haymo hath also an other interpretation, that Christ is said to be the minister of circumcision, because before the time of his incarnation, he beeing the word of his father, did minister circumcision to the Israelites, eam dando & praecipiendo, by giuing, and commanding it vntounto them to be obserued: this sense Faius misliketh not, lex ipsa per Christum in monte data est, the law was giuen by Christ in the mount. But it is euident, that the Apostle speaketh here of Christ come in the flesh, to confirme the promises made to the fathers.
4. Wherefore by circumcision here, the circumcised Iewes are vnderstood, by the figure called a metonymie, the adiunct beeing taken for the subiect: as c. 4.12. Abraham is called the father of the circumcision: and Gal. 2.8. Peter is saide to hauehave the Apostleship of the circumcision: and yet withall it sheweth that Christ did submit himselfe to the whole law, and to the ceremonies thereof; as Gal. 4.4. he is said to be made vnderunder the law: thus Calvin, Martyr, Beza, Gualter, Lyran, Tolet, Pareus, with many other expositors: and this sense best agreeth with the Apostles purpose, who prooueth that distributiuely, and in parts, which before he affirmed, how Christ had receiued all to the glorie of the father: which first he sheweth to hauehave beene performed in Christs owne person to the Iewes, and afterward to the Gentiles: this then is the meaning of the words.
The Minister. 1. which sheweth the great humilitie of Christ, that he refused no ministerie nor seruice, to doe good to his nation: as he saith himselfe in the Gospel, that he came not to be ministred, but to minister: and in the same sense, S. Paul saith, Phil. 1. that he tooke vponupon him the forme of a seruant. 2. and this ministrie consisted not onelyonly in his preaching, though therein he watched with all diligence, but in all other ministeries in the flesh, his incarnation, passion, resurrection, because he came to fulfill the promises made to the fathers. 3. and he specially laboured, and ministred in preaching the word: teaching vsus wherein the ministerie of the word consisteth, not in a bare naked title, or in ceremonies, solemnities, processions, as the Papall priesthood and ministerie is chiefly busied in such things; but in teaching, and exhorting, wherein our blessed Sauiour laboured most faithfully: and thereunto watched by three meanes especially, prayer vntounto God, holines of life, and by the power of miracles.
Of the circumcision: that is, of the circumcised Iewes: to whome he both preached himselfe, saying, he was sent onelyonly to the lost sheepe of Israel: and also gaue a charge to his Apostles, and disciples, onelyonly to preach to the Iewes, not to the Gentiles: and though Christ preached also in the coasts of the Samaritans, yet that was not vsuall, but onelyonly by the way, and somewhat extraordinarily, to make a way for the calling of the Gentiles: for otherwise, his chiefest aboad was in Iewrie.
For the truth of God, &c. 1. that is, that God might appeare to be true in his promises made vntounto the fathers concerning the Messiah, whome he promised to send: so it was not for any merit in the Iewes, that Christ was first sent vntounto them, but that the promises of God might be fulfilled. 2. yet in a diuers manner: he preached to the Iewes in his owne person, to the Gentiles by his Apostles: the Iewes had promises made to the fathers, which were to be performed, quasi ex debito, as it were of debt, not in regard of the Iewes, to whome God was not endebted, but of the truth of God, with whome it is iust to performe that which he promised, Lyran. but the Gentiles were called of Gods merciemercy onelyonly without any such promise, which though it were made de gentibus, of and concerning the Gentiles and their vocation, yet it was not made gentibus, to the Gentiles, as the promises were made to the fathers, Pareus.
Thus our blessed Sauiour is set forth vntounto vsus, vt minister humilis, as an humble minister, magister vtilis, a profitable master; because it is added, for the truth: and amicus stabilis, a stable and faithfull friend, to confirme the promises, Gorrhan.
15. Quest. Of the vocation and calling of the Gentiles, why it is said to be of merciemercy, and of the Iewes, in truth.
v. 9. And let the Gentiles praise God, &c. This naming and mentioning of the Gentiles sheweth that the other part must be vnderstood of the Iewes, that Christ was first a minister vntounto them: Iunius in his parallels thinketh, that Christ was a Minister of the spirituall circumcision spoken of by S. Paul, Coloss. 2.11. both vntounto Iewes and Gentiles, and that S. Paul doth not expressely speake of the Iewes, though first he shew how Christ receiued them, because partly that needed no proofe, as the assumption of the Gentiles did, and partly it may be vnderstood, by the other part of the distribution concerning the Gentiles: but it is better, as is shewed in the former question, by circumcision to vnderstand the circumcised nation of the Iewes, and so both partes of the distribution are made more euident.
For his merciemercy: It was Gods merciemercy also to make those gracious promises to the Iewes: but because no promise was made to the Gentiles, but concerning them: neither are the promises concerning them so frequent in the Prophets, as those made to the Iewes: therefore the Apostle doth vntounto the Iewes ascribe the veritie of Gods promises, and to the Gentiles merciemercy: so Hierome well obserueth this difference vponupon these words, Psal. 85.11. MercieMercy and truth are met: Iudaeis repromissum est, quod veniet Salvator, nobis ex Gentibus, non est repromissum, &c. It was promised to the Iewes, that the Sauiour should come, but to vsus of the Gentiles it was not promised, therefore it was merciemercy onelyonly in the people of the Gentiles, and truth in the people of the Iewes, because that came which was promised, &c. so the Apostle excludeth the Gentiles from the promises, they were straungers from the covenant of promise: and this difference Gualter well obserueth in that place, Micah. c. 7.20. Thou wilt performe thy truth to Iacob, and thy merciemercy to Abraham: it was merciemercy, in making the first gracious truth and graunt to Abraham, and to his seede, and then truth, in performing the promises to Iacob, made to his father Abraham.
Yet these two, truth and merciemercy, are not so to be distinguished, as the one should be without the other: for the calling of the Iewes, as it was in truth, so was it of merciemercy: and the vocation of the Gentiles, as it was of merciemercy, so also in truth: for the truth of the Prophesies, and predictions made concerning the Gentiles, was to take place: but merciemercy is ascribed to the Gentiles, quia magis apparet in conuersione Gentium, because it appeared more in the conuersion of the Gentiles, to whom no promises were made at all: Gorrhan: This is vsuall in the Apostles distributions, onelyonly to distinguish the partes according to diuerse degrees of more or lesse, not that one member altogether excludeth the other, as specially appeareth in these two places, c. 4.25. Christ died for our sinnes, and rose againe for our iustification: and c. 10.10. With the heart man beleeueth vntounto righteousnesse, and with the mouth he confesseth to salvation.
Thus the Iewes and Gentiles are made equall in their calling, and assuming to Christ, both beeing so assumed of merciemercy, that all envie and dissention might be taken away, and both of them provoked to praise God for his merciemercy.