17. When, then, the
apostle “thanks God through Jesus Christ,” Rom. i. 8. and again says that “through Him”
we have “received grace and apostleship for obedience to the
faith among all nations,” Rom. i. 5. or
“through Him have access unto this grace wherein we stand and
rejoice,” Rom. v. 2. he sets forth the
boons conferred on us by the Son, at one time making the grace of
the good gifts pass through from the Father to us, and at another
bringing us to the Father through Himself. For by saying
“through whom we have received grace and
apostleship,” Rom. i. 5. he declares the
supply of the good gifts to proceed from that source; and again in
saying “through whom we have had access,” Rom. v. 2. he sets forth our acceptance and being
made “of the household of God” cf.
Eph. ii. 19.
through Christ. Is then the confession of the grace wrought by
Him to usward a detraction from His glory? Is it not truer to
say that the recital of His benefits is a proper argument for
glorifying Him? It is on this account that we have not found
Scripture describing the Lord to us by one name, nor even by such
terms alone as are indicative of His godhead and majesty. At
one time it uses terms descriptive of His nature, for it recognises
the “name which is above every name,” Phil. ii. 9. the name of Son, Two
mss., those in the B. Museum and at Vienna,
read here Ιησοῦ. In
Ep. 210. 4, St. Basil writes that the name above every name
is αὐτὸ
τὸ
καλεῖσθαι
αὐτὸν Υιον
τοῦ Θεοῦ.
and speaks of true Son, cf.
Matt. xiv. 33, and xxvii. 54. and only begotten
God, John i. 18. cf. note on
p. . and Power of
God, 1 Cor. i. 24, and possibly Rom. i. 16, if with D. we read gospel
of Christ. and
Wisdom, 1 Cor. i. 24. and
Word. e.g.,
John i. 1. cf.
Ps. cvii. 20; Wisdom
ix. 1, xviii. 15; Ecclesiasticus xliii. 20. Then
again, on account of the divers manners Τὸ
πολύτροπον. cf. Heb.
i. 1.
wherein grace is given to us, which, because of the riches of His
goodness, Τὸν
πλοῦτον τῆς
ἀγαθότητος. cf. Rom.
ii. 4, τοῦ
πλούτου τῆς
χρηστότητος. according to his
manifold Eph. iii. 10. wisdom, he
bestows on them that need, Scripture designates Him by innumerable
other titles, calling Him Shepherd, e.g.,
John x. 12.
King, e.g.,
Matt. xxi. 5.
Physician, e.g.,
Matt. ix. 12.
Bridegroom, e.g.,
Matt. ix. 15. Way, e.g.,
John xiv. 6. Door, e.g.,
John x. 9.
Fountain, cf.
Rev. xxi. 6. Bread, e.g.,
John vi. 21. Axe, cf.
Matt. iii.
10. and
Rock. e.g.,
1 Cor. x. 4. And these
titles do not set forth His nature, but, as I have remarked, the
variety of the effectual working which, out of His
tender-heartedness to His own creation, according to the peculiar
necessity of each, He bestows upon them that need. Them that
have fled for refuge to His ruling care, and through patient
endurance have mended their wayward ways, I translate here
the reading of the Parisian Codex called by the Benedictine Editors
Regius Secundus, τὸ
εὐμετάβολον
κατωρθωκότας.
The harder reading, τὸ
εὐμετάδοτον, which may be rendered “have perfected their readiness to
distribute,” has the best manuscript authority, but it is barely
intelligible; and the Benedictine Editors are quite right in calling
attention to the fact that the point in question here is not the
readiness of the flock to distribute (cf.
1 Tim. vi.
18), but their patient
following of their Master. The Benedictine Editors boldly
propose to introduce a word of no authority τὸ
ἀμετάβολον,
rendering qui per patientiam animam immutabilem
præbuerunt. The reading adopted above is
supported by a passage in Ep. 244, where St. Basil is
speaking of the waywardness of Eustathius, and seems to fit in
best with the application of the passage to the words of our
Lord, “have fled for refuge to his ruling care,”
corresponding with “the sheep follow him, for they know his
voice” (St. John x. 4), and “have mended their
wayward ways,” with “a stranger will they not
follow,” v. 5. Mr. Johnston, in his
valuable note, compares Origen’s teaching on the Names of
our Lord.
He calls “sheep,” and confesses Himself to be, to them
that hear His voice and refuse to give heed to strange teaching, a
“shepherd.” For “my sheep,” He says,
“hear my voice.” To them that have now reached a
higher stage and stand in need of righteous royalty, So three
mss. Others repeat
ἐπιστασία,
translated “ruling care” above. ἔννομος is used by
Plato for “lawful” and
“law-abiding.” (Legg. 921 C. and Rep. 424
E.) In 1 Cor. ix.
21, A.V. renders
“under the law.” He is a King. And in that, through
the straight way of His commandments, He leads men to good
actions, and again because He safely shuts in all who through
faith in Him betake themselves for shelter to the blessing of the
higher wisdom, Τὸ τῆς
γνώσεως
ἀγαθόν: possibly
“the good of knowledge of him.” He is a
Door.