What the Early Church Believed About Romans 10:9-15: Every Church Father Commentary on Faith, Confession, and Calling

This is every Early Christian commentary, early church commentary, and church father writing on Romans 10:9-15. I've divided this into three schools of thought.

1. The Early Church Antiochene school of thought, including John Chrysostom, who teaches salvation is given by believing and calling on God in prayer to give you salvation.

2. The Early Church Western school, which either views Romans 10:9 as a submission to lordship or a profession.

3. Miscellaneous Early Christian writers, who view calling as required for salvation. (This is not on purpose; they are the only ones I could find that didn't fit in either group.)

Diodorus of Tarsus

Ἀναγκαίως προέθηκε τοὺς ἐπικαλουμένους αὐτόν· οὐ γὰρ ἀκρίτως δίδωσιν ὁ θεὸς τὴν χάριν καὶ εἰς τοὺς μηδὲ τοσοῦτον παρασχεῖν βουλομένους τῷ εὐεργέτῃ ὅσον γοῦν αἰτῆσαι καὶ δεηθῆναι. ἵνα δὲ μήτις λέγῃ, ὡς οὐ δι' ἀπιστίαν καὶ ἀγνωμοσύνην ἀλλὰ δι' ἄγνοιαν πολλοὶ τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν οὐ παρακαλοῦσιν, δείκνυσι διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς καὶ τὴν τῆς ἀγνοίας αὐτῶν περιεῖλεν πρόφασιν, ἀποστείλας εὐαγγελιστὰς καὶ κήρυκας προτρέποντας καὶ καλοῦντας εἰς τὴν τῆς δωρεᾶς αἴτησιν. διὸ ἐπήγαγεν τὸ ἑξῆς.

"Necessarily he set forth 'those who call upon him.' For God does not give grace without discernment, extending it even to those who are unwilling to offer so much to the Benefactor as at least to ask and pray with him. And lest anyone say that many fail to call upon the Lord Jesus out of ignorance rather than unbelief and ingratitude, he shows through what follows that God took away even the excuse of their ignorance, sending evangelists and heralds who urge and invite them to ask for the gift. Therefore he added what follows." - Diodorus of Tarsus/Diodore of Tarsus, Romans 10:11-13.

John Chrysostom

"For there is no need to say, he means, that one must go up to heaven, or cross a great sea, and then receive the commandments, but things so great and grand hath God made of easy access to us. And what meaneth the phrase, 'The Word is nigh thee?' That is, It is easy. For in thy mind and in thy tongue is thy salvation. There is no long journey to go, no seas to sail over, no mountains to pass, to get saved. But if you be not minded to cross so much as the threshold, you may even while you SIT AT HOME BE SAVED. For 'in thy mouth and in thy heart' is the source of salvation." - John Chrysostom, Romans 10:9, Homily 18 on Romans.

"You see how he produces witnesses, whether to the faith, or to the confession of it. For the words, 'Every one that believeth,' point out the faith. But the words, 'Whosoever shall call upon,' set forth confession. Then again to proclaim the universality of the grace, and to lay their boasting low, what he had before demonstrated at length, he here briefly recalls to their memory, showing again that there is no difference between the Jew and the uncircumcised. 'For there is,' he says, 'no difference between the Jew and the Greek.'" - John Chrysostom, Romans 10:11, Homily 18 on Romans.

Ού γάρ έστιν είπείν, φησίν, δτι είς τόν ούρανόν άναβήναι δεί καί πέλαγος διαβήναι μέγα, καί τότε λαβείν τάς έντολάς· άλλά τά ούτω μεγάλα καί ύπέρογκα, εύκολα ήμίν έποίησεν ό Θεός. Τί δέ έστιν, Έγγύς σου τό ρήμά έστι; Τουτέστιν, εύκολόν έστιν· έν γάρ τή διανοία σου καί τή γλώσση ή σωτηρία. Ού μακράν όδόν βαδίσαντας, ούδέ πέλαγος πλεύσαντας, ούδέ δρη παρελθόντας, ούτω δεί σωθήναι· άλλ' εί μηδέν αύτόν βουληθής ύπερβήναι τόν ούδόν, έξεστί σοι καί οίκοι καθημένω σωθήναι· έν γάρ τώ στόματί σου καί έν τή καρδία έστί τής σωτηρίας ή άφορμή.

"But Isaiah the prophet, who spake many years ago, that we were to be sent, and to preach, and to say what we do say. If the BEING SAVED, then, came of CALLING upon Him, and calling upon Him from believing, and believing from hearing, and hearing from preaching, and preaching from being sent, and if they were sent, and did preach, and the prophet went round with them to point them out, and proclaim them, and say that these were they whom they showed of so many ages ago, whose feet even they praised because of the matter of their preaching; then it is quite clear that the not believing was their own fault only. And that because God's part had been fulfilled completely." - John Chrysostom, Romans 10:14, Homily 18 on Romans.

Είδες πώς καί τής πίστεως καί τής όμολογίας παράγει μαρτυρίας; Τό μέν γάρ είπείν, δτι Πάς ό πιστεύων, τήν πίστιν έδήλωσε· τό δέ είπείν, Ός άν έπικαλέσθηται, τήν όμολογίαν ένέφηνεν. Είτα πάλιν τό κοινόν τής χάριτος άνακηρύττων, καί τό έκείνων φύσημα καταστέλλων, ά διά πολλών έμπροσθεν άπέδειξε, ταύτα έν βραχέσιν άναμιμνήσκει, πάλιν δεικνύς, δτι ούδέν τό μέσον τού Ίουδαίου καί τού άκροθύστου. Ού γάρ έστι διαστολή, φησίν, Ίουδαίου τε καί Έλληνος.

"What he means then is somewhat of this sort. There is no need of fetching a circuit, and of trouble, and the vexation of the works of the Law, for the salvation is by a very short way. For such is faith, it holds salvation in a few short words. For if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. Romans 10:9 Now you see what this, the Lord shall make a short word upon earth, is. And what is indeed wonderful is, that this short word carries with it not salvation only, but also righteousness." - John Chrysostom, Homily 16 on Romans.

Οὐ περιόδου χρεία καὶ πόνων καὶ ταλαιπωρίας τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων τῶν νομίμων, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς συντομίας ἔσται ἡ σωτηρία. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ πίστις, ἐν ὀλίγοις ῥήμασιν ἔχει τὴν σωτηρίαν. Ἐὰν γὰρ ὁμολογήσῃς ἐν τῷ στόματί σου Κύριον Ἰησοῦν, καὶ πιστεύσῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, σωθήσῃ. Εἶδες τί ἐστι τὸ, Λόγον συντετμημένον ποιήσει Κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; Καὶ τὸ θαυμαστόν, ὅτι ὁ βραχὺς οὗτος λόγος οὐ σωτηρίαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐπήνεγκεν.

"Or, in that he wishes his tongue to be cooled, when he was altogether burning in the flame, that is SIGNIFIED which is written, Death and LIFE are in the hands of the tongue, (Prov. 18:21.) and with the mouth CONFESSION is made to SALVATION; (Rom. 10:10.) which from pride he DID NOT do, but the tip of the finger means the very least work in which a man is assisted by the Holy Spirit." - John Chrysostom, Luke 16:22-24, Catena Aurea.

Vel quod linguam suam vult refrigerari cum in flamma totus arderet, significat quod scriptum est: mors et vita in manibus linguae, et quia ore confessio fit ad salutem, quod per superbiam ille non fecit. Extremum autem digiti vel minimam operationem significat, qua per spiritum sanctum subvenitur.

"Here the condemned performs the office of judge, and he begins to decide concerning truth who before Pilate confessed his crime only after many tortures. For the judgment of man from whom secret things are hid is of one kind; the judgment of God who searches the heart of another. And in the former case punishment follows after confession, but here confession is made to salvation. But he also pronounces Christ innocent, adding, But this man has done nothing wrong: as if to say, Behold a new injury, that innocence should be condemned with crime. We kill the living, He raised the dead. We have stolen from others, He bids us give up even what is our own." - John Chrysostom, Luke 23:40-41, Catena Aurea (Golden Chain).

"Here then might one see the Savior between the thieves weighing in the scales of justice faith, and unbelief. The devil cast Adam out of Paradise. Christ brought the thief into Paradise before the whole world, before the Apostles. By a mere word and by faith alone he entered into Paradise, that no one after his sins might despair of entrance. Mark the rapid change, from the cross to heaven, from condemnation to Paradise, that you may know that the Lord did it all, not with regard to the thief's good intention, but His own mercy." - John Chrysostom, Luke 23:42-43.

Hic fungitur vice iudicis, condemnatus, et incipit de veritate censere qui coram Pilato post multa tormenta confessus est scelera. Quia aliud est homo censor, quem latent intima, et aliud Deus, qui mentes penetrat: et ibi quidem post confessionem poena subsequitur, hic autem confessio fit ad salutem. Sed et Christum pronuntiat innocentem, cum subdit hic vero nihil mali fecit; quasi dicat: novam vide iniuriam; honestatem damnari cum scelere. Nos viventes occidimus, hic mortuos suscitavit; nos aliena sumus furati, hic et sua iubet tribuere. Beatus igitur latro astantes docebat, talia disserens, quibus alterum increpabat. Sed ut videt extinctos auditus astantium, redit consequenter ad eum qui novit praecordia; sequitur enim et dicebat ad Iesum: domine, memento mei cum veneris in regnum tuum. Crucifixum aspicis, at dominum profiteris: condemnati vides figuram, et regis praedicas dignitatem: mille malis imbutus, postulas iustitiae fontem reminisci tuae nequitiae. Sed dices: video quidem apparens opprobrium, sed intueor latens regnum; et tu avertis mea publica scelera, et acceptas fidem intentionis occultae. Discipulum veritatis usurpavit nequitia, discipulum nequitiae non commutabit veritas?

Theodoret of Cyrus

"Ἀμφοτέρων γὰρ χρεία, καὶ πίστεως ἀληθοῦς καὶ βεβαίας, καὶ ὁμολογίας σὺν παῤῥησίᾳ γινομένης· ἵνα καὶ ἡ καρδία κοσμῆται τῷ ἀναμφιβόλῳ τῆς πίστεως, καὶ ἡ γλῶττα λαμπρύνηται ἀδεῶς κηρύττουσα τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Εἶτα πάλιν ἀναμιμνήσκει τῆς Γραφικῆς μαρτυρίας." - Theodoret of Cyrus, Romans 10:9-10.

"For there is need of both: of true and firm faith, and of confession made with boldness, so that the heart may be adorned with the undoubted character of the faith, and the tongue may shine brightly as it fearlessly proclaims the truth." - Theodoret of Cyrus, Romans 10:9-10.

"Ἑρμηνεύει δὲ καὶ τὸ Πᾶς." - Theodoret of Cyrus, Romans 10:11.

"And he also interprets the 'Whosoever.'" - Theodoret of Cyrus, Romans 10:11.

"Πλοῦτον τοῦ Θεοῦ προσηγόρευσε τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν σωτηρίαν. Οἶδε γὰρ τὴν τοῦ Δεσπότου φιλανθρωπίαν. Ἁρμοδίως δὲ τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ τῇ γλώττῃ τὰς μαρτυρίας προσήρμοσε· τῇ μὲν καρδίᾳ τὸ, Πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ' αὐτῷ οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται· τῇ δὲ γλώττῃ· Πᾶς γὰρ ὃς ἐὰν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, σωθήσεται. Εἶτα διδάσκει ὡς ἑκόντες Ἰουδαῖοι τῆς σωτηρίας ἐστέρηνται, προσενεχθὲν τὸ κήρυγμα δέξασθαι μὴ θελήσαντες. Ἀλλ' ἐναργῶς οὐ προσφέρει τὸν ἔλεγχον, ἀλλ' ἑτέρως μεθοδεύει τὸν λόγον." - Theodoret of Cyrus, Romans 10:12-13.

"He called the salvation of men the wealth of God. For he knows the Master's loving-kindness. Fittingly he adapted the testimonies to the heart and to the tongue: to the heart, 'Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed'; to the tongue, 'For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Then he teaches that the Jews have been deprived of salvation of their own will, because they did not wish to receive the preaching that was offered to them. But he does not bring the reproof in an obvious way; instead he manages the argument differently." - Theodoret of Cyrus, Romans 10:12-13.

"Προσήκει, φησὶ, πρότερον πιστεῦσαι, εἶτα ἐπικαλέσασθαι. Ἀδύνατον δὲ πιστεῦσαι τὸν διδασκαλίας οὐκ ἀπολαύσαντα· ταύτης δὲ τυχεῖν οὐχ οἷόν τε τῶν κηρυττόντων οὐκ ὄντων· καὶ τούτους πάλιν ἡ χειροτονία ποιεῖ. Οὕτω ταῦτα ὡς εἰς ἀπολογίαν τεθεικὼς Ἰουδαίων, δι' αὐτῶν αὔξει τὴν κατ' ἐκείνων κατηγορίαν· καὶ τελευταῖον πρῶτον τέθεικε, τὸ τῆς τῶν κηρύκων ἀποστολῆς, δεικνὺς ἄνωθεν ταῦτα προτεθεσπισμένα. Καὶ γὰρ ἀκόλουθον ἦν τοῦτο πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιδεῖξαι. Δεῖ γὰρ πρῶτον χειροτονηθῆναι τοὺς κήρυκας, εἶτα κηρύξαι, ἔπειτα τῶν κηρυγμάτων ἀκοῦσαι, καὶ τηνικαῦτα πιστεῦσαι. Φέρει τοίνυν τοῦ Ἡσαΐου τὴν προφητείαν, καί φησιν· Καὶ γὰρ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ὁ Κύριος ἐνετείλατο εἰς οἰκίαν εἰσιοῦσι λέγειν· «Εἰρήνη τῷ οἴκῳ τούτῳ.» Κατεμήνυον γὰρ τὰς θείας καταλλαγὰς, εὐηγγελίζοντο δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν. Τούτων τοὺς πόδας ὡραίους ἀποκαλεῖ, ὡς τὸν καλὸν τρέχοντας δρόμον, ὡς ὑπὸ τῶν Δεσποτικῶν ἀπονιφθέντας χειρῶν." - Theodoret of Cyrus, Romans 10:14-15.

"It is necessary, he says, first to believe and then to call upon him. But it is impossible for one who has not enjoyed teaching to believe; and it is not possible to obtain this if there are no preachers; and these in turn are made by ordination. Having set these things thus as an apology for the Jews, through them he increases the accusation against them; and he placed last first, that of the sending of the preachers, showing that these things were prophesied from above. For it was sequential to show this before the others. For first the preachers must be ordained, then preach, then hear the preachings. Therefore he brings the prophecy of Isaiah, and says: 'How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, of them that preach the good things.' For the Lord commanded the apostles entering a house to say: 'Peace be to this house.' For they announced the divine reconciliations, and evangelized the enjoyment of the good things. He calls their feet beautiful, as running the good course, as washed by the Master's hands." - Theodoret of Cyrus, Romans 10:14-15.

Gennadius

Romans 10:6–10

Ἡ δὲ ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοσύνη, φησίν, οὕτως λέγει, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι περὶ δὲ τῆς ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοσύνης οὕτως φησίν·

"But the righteousness which is of faith," he says, "speaks on this wise," that is, concerning the righteousness of faith he speaks as follows.

ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ Μωϋσέως, φησίν, ἐστὶ καὶ τὰ ἐφεξῆς, τὸ δὲ μὴ εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; ἢ τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον; ἐγγύς γάρ σου τὸ ῥῆμά ἐστιν, ἐν τῷ στόματί σου καὶ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, πρὸς τὸν λαὸν εἴρητο τῷ Μωϋσεῖ διδάσκοντι τοῦτο αὐτὸν ὅτι μηδ᾽ ὁτιοῦν αὐτῶν συνεισενεγκαμένων ἰδίᾳ φιλοτιμίᾳ θεὸς τῆς τῶν νομίμων αὐτοὺς ἠξίωσε λήψεως, καὶ οὐ δέοι διὰ τοῦτο τῷ μεγέθει τῆς δωρεᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀπιστεῖν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀντιποιεῖσθαι μᾶλλον διὰ τοῦτο πλέον τῆς ἀρετῆς·

For what follows is also from Moses, he says; and the words, "Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? or, Who shall descend into the deep? For the word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart," were spoken by Moses to the people to teach them that, even though they had contributed nothing at all by their own effort, God deemed them worthy to receive the commandments; and therefore they ought not to disbelieve because of the magnitude of the gift, but rather lay claim all the more to virtue because of it.

τὸ γὰρ μὴ εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐκ ἔνεστιν οὔτε λογίσασθαι τί σοι τοιοῦτον, οὔτε εἰπεῖν, προλαβόντος σε τοῦ θεοῦ τῇ δόσει τοῦ νόμου.

For "Say not in thine heart" means: it is not possible for you either to conceive such a thought or to utter it, since God has already anticipated you by giving the Law.

ὥσπερ τοίνυν ἐκείνοις ἐλέγετο περὶ τῆς τοῦ νόμου δόσεως τότε, φησί, τοῦτο καὶ ἡμῖν νῦν ἐπὶ τῆς διὰ Χριστοῦ χάριτος ἐφαρμόττει·

Just as this was spoken to them back then concerning the giving of the Law, he says, so it applies to us now with respect to the grace through Christ.

τὸ γὰρ τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν ταῖς Μωϋσαϊκαῖς αὐτὸς τρίτον παρέθηκε ῥήσεσιν, τοιοῦτόν τι διὰ τούτου σημαίνων ὅτι τοῦτο δὲ ἴσον ἐστὶν οἷον ἂν εἰ καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐλέγετο μὴ χρῆναι διαπιστεῖν ἢ περὶ τῆς ἐξ οὐρανῶν τοῦ σωτῆρος καθόδου ἢ περὶ τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν αὐτοῦ πάλιν ἀνόδου, ἀλλὰ τελείᾳ καρδίᾳ πεπιστευκότας ὁμολογεῖν καὶ διὰ γλώττης τὴν χάριν·

For he himself added "that is" three times to the words of Moses, signifying thereby something of this sort: that this is equivalent to saying to us that we must not doubt either the Savior's descent from heaven or His ascent again from the dead, but, having believed with a whole heart, to confess this grace also with the tongue;

περιγενήσεσθαι γὰρ ἡμῖν τοῦτο ποιοῦσι τὴν διὰ τῆς δικαιώσεως σωτηρίαν συμβῇ.

for to those who do this it results in obtaining the salvation that comes through justification.

τὸ γὰρ εἰς δικαιοσύνην καὶ τὸ εἰς σωτηρίαν διεῖλε συνήθως, καὶ τὸ μὲν τῇ πίστει τῆς καρδίας, τὸ δὲ τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ τοῦ στόματος ἀποδέδωκεν, ἑκατέροις ἁρμόττοντος ἑκατέρου.

For according to his custom he distinguished "unto righteousness" and "unto salvation," assigning the former to the faith of the heart and the latter to the confession of the mouth, as each properly corresponds to each.

Romans 10:14–15

Ἡ μὲν γραφή, φησί, τοὺς ἐπικαλουμένους τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ κυρίου λέγει σωθήσεσθαι.

"Scripture indeed," he says, "states that those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

οὐχ οἷόν τε δέ τινα τῶν πάντων ἐπικαλέσασθαι μὴ πιστεύσαντα πρότερον;

"Yet is it possible for anyone at all to call upon Him without having first believed?

πιστεῦσαι δὲ πάλιν ἀδύνατον μὴ τὸ πιστευθησόμενον προακούσαντα, καὶ μὴν ἀκοῦσαι πλέον ἀμήχανον οὐκ ὄντος τινὸς τοῦ κηρύσσοντος·

And again, it is impossible to believe without having first heard what is to be believed; and furthermore, hearing is quite out of the question if there is no one preaching;

κηρῦξαι δὲ αὖ πῶς ἐνδεχόμενον οὐκ ἀποσταλέντα εἰς τοῦτο;

and again, how could anyone preach without having been sent for this purpose?"

οὐκοῦν ἡγεῖσθαι δεῖ τῆς μὲν κηρύξεως τὴν ἀποστολήν, τῆς ἀκοῆς δὲ τὴν κήρυξιν, τὴν ἀκοὴν δὲ τῆς πίστεως, τὴν πίστιν δέ γε τῆς ἐπικλήσεως· οὐ γὰρ ἂν γένοιτο τὰ δεύτερα τῶν προτέρων οὐκ ὄντων.

Therefore, the mission (sending) must precede the preaching, the preaching must precede the hearing, the hearing must precede faith, and faith indeed must precede the calling upon Him; for the subsequent steps cannot take place without the prior ones.

εἰ τοίνυν τὸ πρᾶγμα ταύτῃ χρὴ προελθεῖν, ταύτῃ καὶ προὔβη, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι τις ἐπισκῆψαι τοῖς ὑπὸ θεοῦ τὸ παράπαν·

If, then, the matter had to proceed in this order, it has indeed so proceeded, and no one could level any criticism whatever against the things done by God;

πέπομφε γὰρ προχειρισάμενος τοῖς ἅπασι περιαγγελοῦντας τὸ κήρυγμα, ὥστε καὶ προσήκειν αὐτοῖς ἐκεῖνο τὸ τῆς γραφῆς· ὡς ὡραῖοι οἱ πόδες τῶν εὐαγγελιζομένων εἰρήνην, τῶν εὐαγγελιζομένων τὰ ἀγαθά.

for He has chosen and sent forth heralds to proclaim the gospel to all, so that that passage of Scripture properly applies to them: "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"

Western Fathers

Origen of Alexandria

«Quia si confitearis in ore tuo Dominum Jesum, et credideris in corde tuo quod Deus illum suscitavit a mortuis, salvus eris. Corde enim creditur ad justitiam, ore autem confessio fit in salutem.»

"Because if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Debemus etiam hoc scire, quod aliud est possibilitatem esse in aliquo, aliud efficaciam vel efficientiam, quod Graeci δύναμιν et ἐνέργειαν vocant.

We ought also to know this: that potentiality in someone is one thing, and actualization or efficacy is another—what the Greeks call dynamis (δύναμις) and energeia (ἐνέργεια).

Verbi causa: Parvulus nuper natus possibilitate rationalis homo est: potest enim esse rationalis si adoleverit. Et possibilitate etiam faber, et gubernator, et grammaticus dicitur; possibile enim est ut horum aliquid sit.

For example: a newborn infant is a rational man by potentiality, for he can be rational if he grows up. And by potentiality he is also called a craftsman, a helmsman, or a grammarian; for it is possible for him to become any of these.

Efficacia vero vel efficientia, hoc est, re ipsa atque effectu, nihil horum est dum est parvulus: sed si coeperit vel rationis jam capax esse, vel aliquid fabrilis artis, aut cujuslibet alterius efficere, tunc jam efficacia rationabilis dicitur, vel faber, vel sicut illud est quod effectu operis agit.

In actuality or efficacy, however—that is, in reality and in effect—he is none of these things while he is an infant. But if he begins either to be capable of reason, or to produce something of the craftsman's craft or of any other, then he is already called rational in actuality, or a craftsman, or whatever it is that he performs by the effect of his work.

Hoc ergo modo etiam Christus, qui est Verbum Dei, possibilitate quidem juxta nos, hoc est, juxta omnem hominem, esse credendus est tanquam ratio parvulis: efficacia vero tunc in me esse dicitur, cum in ore meo confessus fuero Dominum Jesum, et in corde meo credidero quod Deus illum suscitavit a mortuis.

In this manner, then, Christ, who is the Word of God, is to be believed to be in us by potentiality—that is, in every human being—as reason is in infants; but in actuality He is said to be in me when I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead.

Vis autem scire quia adest ubique, et medius est etiam eorum qui ignorant eum, et non confitentur? Audi quomodo Joannes Baptista de eo haec ipsa testatur: «Medius,» inquit, «vestrum stat quem vos nescitis, qui post me venit.»

Would you like to know that He is present everywhere, and stands in the midst even of those who do not know Him and do not confess Him? Listen to how John the Baptist testifies this very thing about Him: "In your midst," he says, "stands one whom you do not know, who comes after me."

Est ergo medius etiam inter eos qui eum nesciunt, sed possibilitate eis medius est, non efficacia. Possunt enim eum capere, sed nondum capiunt.

He is therefore in the midst even of those who do not know Him, but He is in their midst by potentiality, not by actuality. For they have the capacity to receive Him, but do not yet receive Him.

Efficacia vero vel efficientia inter illos medius est quibus dicebat: «Ubicunque fuerint congregati duo vel tres in nomine meo, ibi sum in medio eorum.» Isti enim confitebantur in ore suo Dominum Jesum, et credebant in corde suo quod Deus illum suscitavit a mortuis.

But in actuality or efficacy He is in the midst of those to whom He said: "Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." For these confessed with their mouth the Lord Jesus, and believed in their heart that God raised Him from the dead.

Alioquin absurdum videtur si et inter eos qui in nomine ejus congregantur, medius esse dicitur, et inter eos qui eum nesciunt: nisi hujusmodi differentia teneatur, quod inter ignorantes et nondum credentes possibilitate medius dicitur; inter credentes vero efficacia, id est rei ipsius et operis effectu.

Otherwise it would seem absurd if He is said to be in the midst both of those gathered in His name and of those who do not know Him, unless this distinction is maintained: that among the ignorant and those who do not yet believe He is said to be in their midst by potentiality; but among believers, by actuality—that is, by the effect of the reality itself and of work.

Verum et illud observa quod ait: «Quia si confitearis in ore tuo Dominum Jesum, et credideris in corde tuo quod Deus illum suscitavit a mortuis, salvus eris.»

But observe also what he says: "Because if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Videbitur enim quibusdam per hoc, quia etiamsi desint alicui boni operis privilegia, etiamsi virtutibus operam non dederit, hoc ipso tamen quod credit, non pereat, sed salvetur, et habeat salutem, etiamsi beatitudinis gloriam habere non poterit.

For from this it will seem to some that even if someone lacks the distinctions of good work, even if he has devoted no effort to the virtues, nevertheless, by this very fact that he believes, he will not perish, but be saved, and possess salvation, even if he cannot attain the glory of beatitude.

Sed vide ne magis illud intelligi debeat, quod qui vero et non falso confitetur ore Dominum Jesum, et corde credit, pariter confiteatur se dominatui subjectum esse sapientiae, et justitiae, et veritatis, et omnibus quae Christus est: nec sibi ultra esse dominum mammonam, id est, neque avaritiam sibi ultra, neque injustitiam, neque impudicitiam, neque mendacium dominari. Semel enim Jesum Christum Dominum confessus, nulli horum se servire profitetur.

But see whether this should rather be understood: that he who truly and not falsely confesses with his mouth the Lord Jesus, and believes in his heart, confesses at the same time that he is subject to the dominion of wisdom, and of righteousness, and of truth, and of all that Christ is; and that mammon is no longer his master—that is, that neither greed, nor unrighteousness, nor impurity, nor falsehood dominates him any longer. For having once confessed Jesus Christ as Lord, he professes that he serves none of these.

Sed et credens in corde suo quod Deus illum suscitavit a mortuis, certum est quia suscitatum eum ad justificationem sui credit. Alioquin, quid proderit scire me et credere quod Jesum Deus suscitavit a mortuis, si in me ipso eum non habeam suscitatum?

Furthermore, believing in his heart that God raised Him from the dead, it is certain that he believes He was raised for his own justification. Otherwise, what will it profit me to know and believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, if I do not have Him raised up within myself?

Ergo si non in novitate vitae ambulo, et vetustam peccandi consuetudinem non fugio, nondum mihi Christus resurrexit a mortuis.

Therefore, if I do not walk in newness of life, and do not flee the old habit of sinning, Christ has not yet risen from the dead for me.

Ad hunc autem sensum etiam ea conveniunt quae sequuntur, quando ait: «Dicit enim Scriptura, quia omnis qui credit in eum, non erubescet.» Hoc autem apud Isaiam scriptum est.

With this meaning also agree the words that follow, when he says: "For the Scripture says: Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." Now this is written in Isaiah.

Quod si omnis qui credit in eum, non erubescet: erubescit autem omnis qui peccat, sicut Adam peccavit, et erubuit, et abscondit se: qui adhuc ruborem peccati incurrit, credere non videtur.

But if everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame, and yet everyone who sins is put to shame (just as Adam sinned, and blushed, and hid himself), then whoever still incurs the blushing shame of sin does not appear to believe.

Romans 10:11–13 (PG 14, cols. 1164B–1165B)

«3. Non enim est distinctio Judaei et Graeci. Idem enim ipse Dominus omnium, dives in omnes qui invocant illum. Omnis enim quicunque invocaverit nomen Domini, salvus erit.»

"3. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. For the same Lord of all is rich toward all who call upon him. For everyone whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

Quomodo non sit distinctio in fide Judaei et Graeci, supra jam frequenter ostendimus. Quod autem idem sit Dominus omnium, secundum haec accipies quae nuper edidimus; hoc est, si justitia nobis, et veritas, et sanctificatio, et sapientia, quod totum est Christus Dominus, dominetur.

How there is no distinction in faith between Jew and Greek we have already shown frequently above. But that the same is Lord of all, you will understand according to the things we recently set forth: that is, if righteousness, truth, sanctification, and wisdom—all of which Christ the Lord is—rule over us.

Haec enim sunt ejus divitiae, utpote in quo thesauri sapientiae et scientiae sunt absconditi. Quas tamen divitias non dixit largiri eum omnibus hominibus, sed omnibus quicunque invocaverint nomen ejus.

For these are His riches, inasmuch as in Him are hidden the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Yet he did not say that He bestows these riches upon all people, but upon all whoever call upon His name.

Sed et in hoc similis videtur quaestio ut in prioribus oboriri. Neque enim omnes qui quoquo modo invocaverint nomen Domini salvi esse possunt, etiamsi non egerint opera invocati nominis digna, maxime cum et Sapientia Dei in Proverbiis dicat: «Erit enim cum invocaveritis me: ego autem non exaudiam vos.»

But here too a question similar to the earlier ones seems to arise. For surely not all who call upon the name of the Lord in any manner whatsoever can be saved, even if they have not performed works worthy of the name invoked—especially since the Wisdom of God also says in Proverbs: "For it will come to pass when you call upon me, that I will not hear you."

In quo videtur mihi Sapientia cohortari et pergere eos qui salvari volunt, ut citius invocent Sapientiam, nec morentur, neque differant: ne forte cum statutum tempus excesserit, hoc est, in quo poenitendi facultas est, tarde post haec invocent ubi poenitentiae locus non est. Et hinc dicit: «cum invocaveritis me, et ego non exaudiam vos.»

By this, Wisdom seems to me to exhort and urge those who wish to be saved to call upon Wisdom more promptly, and not delay nor postpone—lest perhaps, when the appointed time has passed (that is, the time in which opportunity for repentance exists), they should call too late afterwards, when there is no longer a place for repentance. And hence it says: "when you call upon me, I will not hear you."

Sermo tamen hic quem ponit Apostolus, id est: «Quicunque invocaverit nomen Domini, salvus erit,» apud Joel prophetam hoc modo scriptus est: «Et dabo prodigia in caelo sursum, et in terra deorsum, sanguinem, et ignem, et vaporem fumi. Sol convertetur in tenebras, et luna in sanguinem, prius quam veniat dies Domini magnus et nobilis. Et erit: Quicunque invocaverit nomen Domini, salvus erit.»

Nevertheless, this saying which the Apostle quotes, namely: "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved," is written in the prophet Joel in this manner: "And I will show wonders in heaven above and signs on the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and manifest day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass: Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

Videtur tamen mihi grande aliquid in Scripturis divinis sub hoc invocationis nomine designari. Non enim de qualibuscunque viris, sed de ingentibus et praecipuis scribitur quia Enos primus speravit invocare nomen Domini; et in Psalmis: «Moyses et Aaron in sacerdotibus ejus, et Samuel in his qui invocant nomen ejus. Invocabant Dominum, et ipse exaudiebat eos: in columna nubis loquebatur ad eos.»

Yet it seems to me that something great is designated in the divine Scriptures under this term 'calling upon' (invocatio). For it is written not of ordinary men, but of great and preeminent ones, that Enosh was the first to hope to call upon the name of the Lord; and in the Psalms: "Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those who call upon his name. They called upon the Lord, and he heard them; in the pillar of a cloud he spoke to them."

Romans 10:14–15 (PG 14, cols. 1165B–1170B)

«5. Quomodo ergo invocabunt, in quem non crediderunt? Aut quomodo credent ei, quem non audierunt? Quomodo autem audient sine praedicante? Quomodo vero praedicabunt nisi mittantur? Sicut scriptum est: Quam speciosi pedes evangelizantium bona!»

"5. How then will they call upon him in whom they have not believed? Or how will they believe him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? And how will they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!"

Manifeste in his per hoc quod dicit: «Quomodo ergo invocabunt, in quem non crediderunt?» illud quod superius posuit de propheta dictum, quia «omnis quicunque invocaverit nomen Domini, salvus erit,» ad Christum Dominum docuit referendum.

In these words, by saying, "How then will they call upon him in whom they have not believed?" he clearly taught that what he cited above from the prophet—that "everyone whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved"—is to be referred to Christ the Lord.

Postquam enim dixit: «Omnis quicunque invocaverit nomen Domini, salvus erit,» subjungit: «Quomodo ergo invocabunt, in quem non crediderunt?» Christo enim Judaei non crediderunt, et ideo nec invocant eum cui non crediderunt.

For after he said, "Everyone whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved," he immediately subjoins: "How then will they call upon him in whom they have not believed?" For the Jews did not believe in Christ, and therefore they do not call upon Him in whom they have not believed.

Sed et in principio Epistolae quam ad Corinthios scribit, ubi dicit: «Cum omnibus qui invocant nomen Domini nostri Jesu Christi in omni loco ipsorum et nostro,» eum cujus nomen invocatur, Dominum Jesum Christum esse pronuntiat.

But also at the beginning of the Epistle which he writes to the Corinthians, where he says, "With all who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, theirs and ours," he declares that He whose name is called upon is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Si ergo et Enos, et Moyses, et Aaron, et Samuel invocabant Dominum, et ipse exaudiebat eos, sine dubio Christum Jesum Dominum invocabant: et si invocare nomen Domini, et orare Dominum, unum atque idem est; sicut invocatur Deus, invocandus est Christus; et sicut oratur Deus, ita et orandus est Christus; et sicut offerimus Deo Patri primo omnium orationes, ita et Domino Jesu Christo; et sicut offerimus postulationes Patri, ita offerimus postulationes et Filio; et sicut offerimus gratiarum actiones Deo, ita et gratias offerimus Salvatori.

If, therefore, Enosh, Moses, Aaron, and Samuel called upon the Lord, and He heard them, they without doubt called upon Christ Jesus the Lord. And if calling upon the name of the Lord and praying to the Lord are one and the same thing: just as God is called upon, so Christ is to be called upon; and just as God is prayed to, so Christ is to be prayed to; and just as we offer prayers first of all to God the Father, so also to the Lord Jesus Christ; and just as we offer petitions to the Father, so we offer petitions to the Son; and just as we offer thanksgivings to God, so also we offer thanks to the Savior.

Unum namque utrique honorem deferendum, id est Patri, et Filio, divinus edocet sermo cum dicit: «Ut omnes honorificent Filium, sicut honorificant Patrem.»

For divine scripture teaches that one and the same honor is to be rendered to both—that is, to the Father and to the Son—when it says: "That all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father."

Quod modo autem de Epistola ad Corinthios proposuimus, ubi Apostolus primo quidem dicit: «Ecclesiae Dei, quae est Corinthi, sanctificatis in Christo Jesu, vocatis sanctis,» et post haec, quasi alterius gradus et alterius ordinis sint, ita subjungit quosdam, de quibus dicit: «Cum universis qui invocant nomen Domini nostri Jesu Christi in omni loco ipsorum et nostro»: videbitur fortassis habere aliquid differentiae, quod illos quidem Ecclesiam Dei nominat, et sanctificatos et vocatos sanctos: istos autem tantum, «qui invocant nomen Domini nostri Jesu Christi.»

Now as to what we just proposed from the Epistle to the Corinthians, where the Apostle says first: "To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints," and after this, as though they were of another degree and rank, subjoins certain ones about whom he says: "With all who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, theirs and ours"—it will perhaps appear to have some distinction, in that he names the former indeed the 'Church of God' and 'sanctified' and 'called saints,' but the latter merely "those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Et vide ne forte ista diversitas tale aliquid ostendat, quale et praesens videtur habere capitulum, in quo docet non posse invocari nomen Domini, nisi prius credatur in Christum.

And see whether perhaps this diversity indicates something like what the present chapter also seems to have, wherein he teaches that the name of the Lord cannot be invoked unless one first believes in Christ.

Cum autem crediderit quis Christo, etiamsi nondum sanctificatus sit, et Ecclesiae corpori sociatus, tamen necesse est ut jam invocet eum cui credidit. Christus enim venit mundum reconciliare Deo, et credentes sibi offerre Patri.

But when someone has believed in Christ, even if he is not yet sanctified and united to the body of the Church, it is nevertheless necessary that he already call upon Him in whom he has believed. For Christ came to reconcile the world to God, and to present to the Father those who believe in Him.

Quos autem offert Patri, Spiritus sanctus suscipit, ut sanctificet eos, et tanquam coelestis Ecclesiae primitivorum membra vivificet, atque in soliditatem totius corporis perfectionemque restituat, et ita demum Ecclesia Dei non habens maculam neque rugam appellari mereantur.

And those whom He presents to the Father, the Holy Spirit receives, so that He may sanctify them, and give life to them as members of the heavenly Church of the firstborn, and restore them into the solidity and perfection of the whole body; and only thus may they deserve to be called the Church of God, having neither spot nor wrinkle.

Prius ergo quam ad gradum istius perfectionis accedant, tanquam mediatoris Dei et hominum invocant nomen Domini nostri Jesu Christi: postea vero quam Spiritus Dei fuerit in corde eorum clamans, «Abba Pater,» ipse Spiritus eos etiam nomen Patris edocet invocare.

Before, therefore, they arrive at the level of that perfection, they call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Mediator between God and men; but after the Spirit of God has entered into their heart crying, "Abba, Father," the Spirit Himself teaches them also to call upon the name of the Father.

Ideo ergo «quomodo,» inquit, «invocabunt, in quem non crediderunt?» et in hoc arctissima eos conclusione constringit. Salvus, inquit, non est nisi invocanti. Nemo vero invocat qui non credit. Ergo quia non creditis, non invocatis; et quia non invocatis, non salvamini.

Therefore, he says: "How will they call upon him in whom they have not believed?" And in this he binds them with a most tight-knit conclusion: Salvation, he says, belongs only to the one who calls upon Him. But no one calls upon Him who does not believe. Therefore, because you do not believe, you do not call upon Him; and because you do not call upon Him, you are not saved.

Sed «quomodo,» inquit, «credent ei, quem non audierunt?» Quod non audierunt possumus sic intelligere, quia vel ipsum in carne positum, vel apostolos ejus praedicantes de eo audire noluerint. Sic enim et ipse Dominus dicit: «Qui vos audit, me audit: et qui vos spernit, me spernit.»

But "how," he says, "will they believe him whom they have not heard?" That they have not heard we can understand in this way: that they refused to hear either Himself while He was in the flesh, or His apostles preaching about Him. For thus the Lord Himself also says: "He who hears you hears me, and he who despises you despises me."

Potest autem et hoc intelligi, quod etiam et nunc et semper Christus tanquam Verbum et Ratio unicuique loquatur in corde, et de pietate doceat, de justitia suadeat, de castitate, de pudicitia et de omnibus simul virtutibus protestetur, sicut et ipse dicit: «Oves meae vocem meam audiunt.»

It can also be understood in this way: that even now and always, Christ, as the Word and Reason (Logos), speaks in the heart of each person, teaching piety, persuading toward righteousness, bearing witness to chastity, modesty, and all the virtues together, as He Himself also says: "My sheep hear my voice."

Sic denique et in corde Pauli loquebatur, ita ut ille diceret: «An experimentum ejus quaeritis qui in me loquitur Christus?»

So, in short, He also spoke in Paul's heart, so that Paul could say: "Do you seek proof of Christ speaking in me?"

Sequitur: «Quomodo autem audient sine praedicante?» In hoc magis per praedicantium sermonem Christum ostendit audiri, in quibus, secundum ea quae supra diximus, Christus loqui et docere monstratur.

There follows: "And how will they hear without a preacher?" In this he shows rather that Christ is heard through the speech of those preaching, in whom, according to what we said above, Christ is shown to speak and teach.

«Quomodo autem praedicabunt, nisi mittantur?» Difficultas mihi quaedam in hoc sermone videtur exsurgere. Si enim ita intelligamus quod propterea non praedicent, quia non mittuntur; nullo autem praedicante non audient; non audientes vero non credent; non credentes autem non invocabunt; non invocantes non salvabuntur: colligitur ex his, ut causa qua non sunt salvati, ad vitium redeat auctoris, qui non miserit praedicantes.

"And how will they preach unless they are sent?" A certain difficulty seems to me to arise in this statement. For if we understand it to mean that they do not preach for this reason—because they are not sent; and with no one preaching they will not hear; and not hearing they will not believe; and not believing they will not call upon Him; and not calling upon Him they will not be saved—it would be gathered from this that the cause why they were not saved returns to the fault of the sender, who did not send preachers.

Sed magis ad illum nos, qui rectior est, intelligentiae tramitem deflectamus: et quod dixit, «Quomodo praedicabunt, nisi mittantur,» sic accipiamus quasi dicat Apostolus: Nos praecones et praedicatores Christi non possemus praedicare, nec annuntiandi nobis virtus ulla subsisteret, nisi adesset nobis ipse qui misit.

But let us rather turn aside to that path of understanding which is more upright; and what he said, "How will they preach unless they are sent," let us understand as if the Apostle were saying: We, the heralds and preachers of Christ, would not be able to preach, nor would any power of proclaiming reside in us, unless He who sent us were present with us.

Quod si praedicantibus nobis audire non vultis, vestra jam culpa est, et si audientes non creditis, et non credentes non invocatis, et non invocantes salvi esse nequitis.

And if, when we preach, you are unwilling to listen, the fault is now yours; and if upon hearing you do not believe, and not believing you do not call upon Him, and not calling upon Him you cannot be saved.

Quia ergo missi sunt ad praedicationem, idcirco de his qui ab ipso missi sunt scriptum est: «Quam speciosi pedes evangelizantium bona!»

Because, therefore, they were sent to preach, for this reason it is written of those who were sent by Him: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!"

Quod pedes hic speciosos non corporales, sed spiritales dicat, puto quod quamvis amicus sit quis litterae, negare non possit. Neque enim in id ridiculi deducet apostolicum sensum, ut evangelistarum pedes qui corporeis oculis videri possunt, putet ab eo decoros dici et speciosos; sed illi sunt decori et speciosi pedes, qui ambulant per viam vitae.

That he here calls their feet beautiful not bodily, but spiritually, I think that however much a friend of the literal letter someone may be, he cannot deny it. For he will not reduce the apostolic meaning to such ridicule as to think that the evangelists' feet, which can be seen with bodily eyes, are called by him comely and beautiful; rather, those feet are comely and beautiful which walk along the way of life.

Secundum illum enim qui dixit, «Ego sum via», intellige decoros et speciosos evangelizantium pedes, qui per talem viam merentur incedere.

For in accordance with Him who said, "I am the way," understand the comely and beautiful feet of those preaching the Gospel to be those that are worthy to walk along such a Way.

Isti sunt pedes quibus et Paulus cucurrisse cursum se dixit, et sic currere ut comprehendat, id est vigor animae quo tenditur et properatur ad coelum.

These are the feet with which Paul also said he had run the race, and so ran that he might lay hold of the prize—that is, the vigor of the soul by which one strives and hastens toward heaven.

Gratificae autem pedes istos esse firmabis, quos Jesus discipulis lavat, et linteo quo praecinctus est tergit. Et quamvis corporali tunc specie fuerit impletum, tamen Petro hoc solum quod fieri videbat intelligentis, et quasi honoris causa ne sibi servo pedes lavaret Dominus excusanti, audi quam profundi mysterii proditur sermo. «Si te,» inquit, «non lavero, non habebis partem mecum.»

Moreover, you will confirm that these feet are grace-bestowed, which Jesus washes for the disciples and wipes with the linen towel with which He was girded. And although it was then fulfilled in bodily form, nevertheless, to Peter—who understood only what was visibly happening, and who excused himself as if out of respect, lest the Lord should wash the feet of him, a servant—listen to the word of how profound a mystery is brought forth: "If I do not wash you," He says, "you will have no part with me."

Et iterum aliam similem huic vocem tanquam de secretis scientiae profert thesauro, et dicit: «Quod ego feci vos nescitis modo: scietis autem postmodum»; et addit, «quia et ego Dominus et magister lavi pedes vestros: et vos invicem lavate pedes alterutrum. Exemplum enim dedi vobis».

And again He brings forth another saying similar to this, as if from the secret treasury of knowledge, and says: "What I am doing you do not know now, but you will know hereafter"; and He adds, "for if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example."

Videamus ergo quod sit istud exemplum, quo magistri discipulorum lavare debeant pedes, aut de qua aqua lavare. Si quis inveniat aquam vivam, et si quis accipiat bibere a Jesu, et aqua illa fiat in eo fons aquae salientis in vitam aeternam, iste de hac aqua doctrinae spiritalis potest lavare pedes discipulorum, et omnes ex anima ipsorum immunditias sordesque diluere: et hoc faciens datum a magistro implebit exemplum.

Let us see, then, what this example is, by which teachers ought to wash the feet of disciples, or with what water to wash them. If anyone finds living water, and if anyone receives a drink from Jesus, and that water becomes in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life, he is able, from this water of spiritual teaching, to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wash away from their soul all impurities and filth; and doing this, he will fulfill the example given by the Teacher.

«Speciosi ergo sunt pedes evangelizantium bona.» De ipsis puto pedibus etiam in Canticis canticorum Sponsa dicit ad Verbum Dei: «Lavi pedes meos, quomodo inquinabo eos?» Et de ipsis nihilominus dicitur: «Tibiae tuae sicut columnae marmoreae cum basibus argenteis.»

"Beautiful therefore are the feet of those who preach good news." Concerning these very feet, I think, the Bride also says to the Word of God in the Song of Songs: "I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?" And of them it is nonetheless said: "Your legs are like marble pillars set on bases of silver."

Et fortassis quia haec pulchritudo est in pedibus evangelistarum, propterea non vult eos Dominus Jesus calceamentis operire, et occultare speciem pulchram; sed praecipit eis neque calceamentum habere in via.

And perhaps because this beauty belongs to the feet of the evangelists, for this reason the Lord Jesus does not want them to cover them with sandals and conceal their fair appearance, but commands them to have no sandals on the way.

Quae autem bona sint quae evangelizant, hoc est, quae annuntiant, videamus. Quamvis hoc ipsum quod dicit evangelizare, interpretetur «bona annuntiare,» quae sint tamen bona quae bonis addidit, requiramus.

Now let us see what the good things are which they evangelize—that is, which they announce. Although the very word 'evangelize' translates as 'to announce good things,' let us nevertheless examine what the goods are which he added to the good.

Unum et verum bonum est Deus, cujus imago bonitatis est Filius, et Spiritus ejus, qui dicitur bonus. Istud ergo unum bonum, quia in Deo Patre, et Filio, et Spiritu sancto est, «bona» nominavit.

God is the one and true Good, whose image of goodness is the Son, and His Spirit, who is called good. This one Good, therefore, because it exists in God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, he termed 'good things' in the plural (bona).

Hoc est enim quod annuntiant evangelistae, secundum praeceptum Domini et Salvatoris nostri dicentis: «Ite, docete omnes gentes, baptizantes eos in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus sancti.» Haec sunt ergo evangelizantium bona.

For this is what the evangelists proclaim, according to the commandment of our Lord and Savior when He says: "Go, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." These, therefore, are the good things of those who evangelize.

Sed quoniam et ipse bonus nuntius dicitur, et nuntiare de bonis, illa sit ratio quod non solum bona nuntiant, sed et bene bona nuntiant.

But since it is also called a good message, and a proclaiming of good things, let this be the reason: that they not only proclaim good things, but they also proclaim good things well.

Sunt enim nonnulli qui annuntiant quidem et praedicant de Patre, et Filio, et Spiritu sancto; sed non sincere, non integre: ut sunt omnes haeretici, qui Patrem quidem, et Filium, et Spiritum sanctum annuntiant; sed non bene, neque fideliter annuntiant.

For there are some who indeed announce and preach concerning the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but not sincerely, not soundly—such as all the heretics, who announce Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but do not announce them well, nor faithfully.

Aut enim male separant Filium a Patre, ut alterius naturae Patrem, alterius Filium dicant: aut male confundunt, ut vel ex tribus compositum Deum, vel trinae tantummodo appellationis in eo esse vocabulum putent.

For either they wrongly separate the Son from the Father, so as to say that the Father is of one nature and the Son of another; or they wrongly confuse Them, so as to suppose either that God is composite of three parts, or that there is in Him merely a threefold designation of names.

Qui autem bene annuntiat bona, proprietates quidem Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui sancto suas cuique dabit; nihil autem diversitatis esse confitebitur in substantia vel natura. Qui ergo ita annuntiant Evangelium, non solum bona annuntiant, sed bene et integre annuntiant bona.

But he who announces good things well will assign to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit their own distinct properties to each; yet he will confess that there is no difference in substance or nature. Those, therefore, who preach the Gospel in this way not only announce good things, but announce good things well and soundly.

Exemplum vero hoc de Isaia videtur assumptum: sed ibi propheta ad ipsum Dominum evangelizandi officium retulit. Ita enim ait: «Quoniam ego ipse qui loquebar, adsum, tanquam aura in montibus, ut pedes evangelizantis auditum pacis, ut evangelizans bona.»

Now this citation seems to be taken from Isaiah; but there the prophet attributed the office of evangelizing to the Lord Himself. For he says thus: "Because I myself who was speaking am present, like a breeze upon the mountains, like the feet of one preaching the report of peace, like one preaching good news."

Verum videtur mihi Paulus, quia propheta dixerat, «ut pedes evangelizantis auditum pacis, ut evangelizantis bona,» et hoc quasi ex alterius comparatione memorasse; velut si diceret: Ita adero ut homo qui evangelizat pacem, et evangelizat bona. Hoc autem facient apostoli: idcirco de semetipsis hoc dictum, id est, de apostolis, accepisse videtur, ad quorum comparationem adfuturum et evangelizaturum bona per prophetas se dixerat Christus.

But it seems to me that Paul—because the prophet had said, "like the feet of one preaching the report of peace, like one preaching good news," having mentioned this as if by comparison to another (as though he had said: 'I will be present just like a man who preaches peace and preaches good news', which the apostles were going to do)—for that reason understood this to have been spoken concerning themselves (that is, concerning the apostles), to whose comparison Christ had foretold through the prophets that He would be present and preach good news.

Ambrosiaster

Romans 10:9

[Text] (v. 9) That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

[Commentary] He declares that the faith through which a person is saved is easy and unencumbered. For he does not say that heavy precepts must be fulfilled, as the Law demands, such as offering sacrifice or observing the rest of the carnal commandments, but that faith of the heart alone and confession of the mouth promise salvation.

"If you believe," he says, "that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead, and you confess this openly, you will be saved." For because Christ's death has forgiven sins, and His resurrection has demonstrated the hope of the future resurrection, whoever believes and confesses this shall be saved.

Romans 10:10

[Text] (v. 10) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

[Commentary] It is evident that whoever believes with the whole heart is justified before God; but whoever confesses with the mouth is crowned unto salvation.

For it is not sufficient merely to believe in the heart unless you also confess with the mouth before men; for faith is within, but confession is without. One believes with the heart so that a person may be justified before God; confession is made with the mouth so that God may be glorified before men.

Romans 10:11

[Text] (v. 11) For the Scripture says: "Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame."

[Commentary] He fortifies what he has said by the testimony of the prophet Isaiah (Isa. 28:16), for it says: Whoever believes in Him will not blush with shame. And he will not be put to shame, because he will not be cheated of his hope, but will receive what he believed; and he will not be ashamed of his faith when he is glorified on the Day of Judgment.

Romans 10:12

[Text] (v. 12) For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord of all is rich to all who call upon Him.

[Commentary] This confirms what he stated above, "whoever believes," signifying the Jew as well as the Greek. For God is the one Creator of all, who does not show partiality toward persons, but is the examiner of minds; and He bestows the riches of His goodness equally upon all who call upon Him with a pure heart.

Romans 10:13

[Text] (v. 13) For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

[Commentary] He cites a testimony from the prophet Joel (Joel 2:32), to demonstrate that salvation is promised to all through calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. For He is the Lord through whom all things exist, and in whose name every knee must bow.

Romans 10:14

[Text] (v. 14) How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

[Commentary] The Apostle lays out the sequence of human salvation. For no one can call upon Him in whom he does not believe; nor can he believe unless he hears; nor can he hear unless someone preaches. Therefore, a preacher is necessary, through whom faith comes to hearing, so that through faith invocation may occur, and through invocation salvation may follow.

Romans 10:15

[Text] (v. 15) And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!"

[Commentary] For no one can rightly preach unless he has been sent by God; as it is also said: "No one takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God" (Heb. 5:4). For the prophets and the Apostles were sent by God to announce peace and celestial goods.

Hence the prophet Isaiah also says (Isa. 52:7): How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things! For "feet" signifies the arrival and course of those who have carried the Gospel of Christ throughout the whole world.

Miscellaneous

Apollinaris of Laodicea

[Rom 10:14–15]

Common to all people, he says, is salvation through calling upon the Lord; but the aforementioned obstinacy deprived the Jews of this universal grace, since they developed a personal unfitness toward the common good. Because of this, the apostolate, the proclamation, the hearing, the faith, and the calling upon [the Lord] turned away from them and toward the Gentiles.

Just as light, being by nature common to all, becomes alien to the blind, and the sun neither shines nor rises for the blind, nor does a shouting voice speak to the deaf, so too those sent out and preaching were of no avail to the Jews. For their inability to hear was already present, as though they had fallen into deafness toward divine proclamations. Hence they were deprived of salvation by not calling upon Him, just as was made clear in the prophet: "For there is none," he says, "who calls upon Your name, nor remembers to lay hold of You, because You turned Your face away from us." [Isa 64:7]

And this testimony is sufficient even against the Jews. For it is clear that Christ is the One whom they do not call upon and do not lay hold of, and who turned His face away from them, on account of which He said: "You shall not see My face from now on until you say: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." [Matt 23:39]

But since he has not chosen at present to engage primarily in a refutation of the Jews, as I said, he instead points to the mystery of the divine economy concerning them as the cause of their not calling upon the Lord, namely, that the apostles were sent not to them, but to the Gentiles, just as the Lord's own word has it: "Go and make disciples of all nations." [Matt 28:19]

And the apostles were not transgressing the command when they set out first to the Jews and only later turned to the Gentiles whenever they were driven out by the former. Rather, He who gave the command already knew among whom the preaching was destined to find its home, since the former were unreceptive.

Nor does the Apostle now contradict his own practice by conversing primarily with Jews while claiming that he was not sent to them; rather, he says that the apostleship was given to the Gentiles according to the decree and foreknowledge of God, with the apostles approaching Israel with the intention, rather, of being driven out, just as Moses went to Pharaoh. For God knew that he would not persuade him, and foretold: "I know that Pharaoh will not let you go." [Exod 3:19]

And there, the outcome of Pharaoh's contradiction was the display of signs for the benefit of the world; here, the outcome of the Jews' unbelief was the apostles' departure to the Gentiles, according to that word of Paul: "It was necessary that the word of the Lord should be spoken to you first; but since you thrust it away and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us." [Acts 13:46–47]

This, then, was the command and the mission to the Gentiles. From this point, Israel shifted into the former status of the Gentiles, so that they do not call upon the Lord. It was not possible for them to call upon Him, he says, since they did not believe. Nor could they believe, being indisposed to hear, just as the Lord spoke to them in veiled terms and showed how rare it was for anyone among them to be able to hear, saying: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." [Matt 11:15]

And while present among them, His intent was His departure from them, saying: "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?" [Matt 17:17] And that they were incapable of hearing Him and believing, He said: "You do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." [John 10:26–27]

And He spoke to them more as to strangers than to His own, not in order that they might believe (for He knew full well they would not believe), but so that they would be without excuse in their unbelief: "For if I had not come," He says, "and spoken to them, they would have had no sin." [John 15:22] For neither did He overlook the slight inclination they still retained toward being persuaded, by virtue of which the apostles believed and became a reproof of their unbelief, sitting on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. [Matt 19:28]

To one looking at the true purpose and outcome, therefore, not even the Lord was sent to the Jews, for had He come for that purpose, He would not have failed, and in like manner neither were the apostles. And for this reason, Paul speaks as though no one had been sent to them nor preached: "How then shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?" [Rom 10:14–15]

And he linked their failure to call upon the Lord to the fact that no one was sent to them, showing this to be God's judgment, or rather, mentioning nothing of judgment itself, but only of the divine dispensation: "As it is written," he says, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news of peace, who preach good news of good things!" [Rom 10:15 / Isa 52:7]

For it is clear, he says, also from the prophecy that it is impossible to believe without preachers, who send forth a noble and resounding voice as from a mountain, proclaiming the peace of God and good things, a voice delighting by its beauty and reaching the ear by its power: "For as a season upon the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news of the report of peace, as of those who bring good news of good things." For such is the translation of the Septuagint. [Isa 52:7]

Acacius of Caesarea

Καρδίᾳ γάρ, φησί, πιστεύεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην, στόματι δὲ ὁμολογεῖται εἰς σωτηρίαν.

"For with the heart," he says, "one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

ἀσαφὲς ἦν μοι τὸ λεγόμενον ἀεὶ διὰ τὸ οἴεσθαι τὸ καρδίᾳ γὰρ ὀνοματικῶς εἰρῆσθαι,

What was said was always unclear to me because I assumed that καρδίᾳ γάρ ("for [with the] heart") was stated in the nominative case;

ὕστερον δὲ ἐπέστησα ὅτι δοτικὴ πτῶσις τυγχάνει ὁμοίως τῷ στόματι.

but later I realized that it is actually in the dative case, just like στόματι ("with the mouth").

σαφέστερον δὲ ἔσται τὸ λεγόμενον προσϑέσει ἄρϑρου, ἵνα ᾖ τῇ καρδίᾳ γὰρ πιστεύεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην, στόματι δὲ ὁμολογεῖται εἰς σωτηρίαν.

The statement becomes clearer with the addition of the article, so that it reads: "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

τίς δὲ ὁ πιστευόμενος καὶ ὁμολογούμενος ἀλλ᾽ ἢ ὁ Χριστός, ᾧ πιστεύσαντες ὁμολογοῦμεν τοῦτον κατὰ τὸ ἐπίστευσα, διὸ ἐλάλησα.

And who is the one believed in and confessed other than Christ? Having believed in Him, we confess Him according to the saying: "I believed, therefore I spoke."

καὶ τοῦτο δὲ λεκτέον ὅτι ἤρκει μὲν ἡ καρδία εἰς ἀμφότερα, καὶ εἰς τὸ πιστεύειν καὶ εἰς τὸ ὁμολογεῖν,

And this too must be said: the heart would indeed suffice for both, both for believing and for confessing,

εἰ μὴ ἀναγκαῖον ἦν καὶ διὰ τοῦ στόματος ὁμολογεῖν, ἢ τοῖς διδάσκουσι τοὺς πιστευομένους, ἢ ἐν διωγμοῖς ὁμολογεῖν καὶ μὴ ἀρνεῖσθαι.

were it not also necessary to confess with the mouth, either for those instructing prospective believers, or in times of persecution to confess and not deny.

Citations

Diodorus of Tarsus - Karl Staab, Pauluskommentare aus der griechischen Kirche (1933).

John Chrysostom - Patrologia Graeca vol. 60, Catena Aurea from aquinas.cc (an Aquinas archive, although they misattributed Augustine's words to Chrysostom, despite other books attributing it to Chrysostom).

Theodoret - Patrologia Graeca vol. 82.

Gennadius - Karl Staab, Pauluskommentare aus der griechischen Kirche (1933).

Origen - Patrologia Graeca vol. 14.

Ambrosiaster - Patrologia Latina vol. 17.

Apollinaris of Laodicea - Karl Staab, Pauluskommentare aus der griechischen Kirche (1933).

Acacius of Caesarea - Karl Staab, Pauluskommentare aus der griechischen Kirche (1933).