聖書注解書

律法の行いによらず信仰による義認という大いなる福音の教理は、モーセの座に座する者たちから学んだユダヤ人の観念に非常に反するものであったため、彼らには容易に受け入れられなかった。それゆえ使徒はこの点に極めて大々的にこだわり、その確認と説明に大いに励んでいる。彼は前に理性と論証によってこれを証明したが、この章では例証によってこれを証明している。例証はある場合には説明と同様に確認の役にも立つ。彼が取り上げた例はアブラハムのものである。アブラハムに言及するのを選んだのは、ユダヤ人がアブラハムとの関係を大いに誇り、アブラハムの子孫であることを外部の特権の第一に数え、実に彼らの父はアブラハムであると本気で考えていたからである。それゆえこの実例は、他のいかなるものよりもユダヤ人にとって受け入れやすく説得力のあるものであったろう。彼の論証は次のように立つ。「救われるすべての人は、アブラハムと同じ仕方で義とされる。しかしアブラハムは行いによるのでなく信仰によって義とされた。ゆえに救われるすべての人もそのように義とされる」。アブラハムが信仰者の父であることは容易に認められるからである。さてこれは、à pari（同等の場合から）というだけでなく、彼らの言うように、à fortiori（より強い場合から）の論証である。行いをもってこれほど名高く、聖性と従順においてこれほど際立ったアブラハムでさえ、それらの行いによらず信仰のみによって義とされたのであれば、ましてや他のいかなる者、とりわけ彼から出て行いにおいてこれほど及ばない者たちが、自分自身の行いによる義認を主張できようか。そしてこれはex abundanti（より豊かに）と、ある人々が観察するように、信仰から流れ出る良いわざでさえ、私たちの義の根拠として私たちを義としないことを証明する。アブラハムのわざはそのようなものであったが、私たちは彼より優れているだろうか。この章全体がこの実例に関する彼の論述に費やされており、前章の終わりと特別な関係を持つものがある。そこで彼は、義認という事柄においてユダヤ人と異邦人は同じ立場にあると主張した。さてこの章で、彼は大いなる論証の力をもって、I. アブラハムが行いによるのではなく信仰によって義とされたことを証明している（Ro 4:1-8）。II. 彼がいつ、なぜそのように義とされたかを観察している（Ro 4:9-17）。III. 彼のその信仰を描写し称賛している（Ro 4:17-22）。IV. これらすべてを私たちに適用している（Ro 4:22-25）。もし彼が今トラノの学校にいたとしても、これ以上論証的に論争することはできなかったであろう。

この章の主要な目的は、使徒が擁護していた信仰による義認の教理が、旧約聖書の中に見出されることを示すことにある。この論証は、特にユダヤ人に向けられたものとみなすべきであり、何ら新しい教理が提示されたのではないことを彼に示すためのものである。論証は第一に、アブラハムがそのように義と認められたという事実から引き出される Romans 4:1-5。第二に、同じことがダビデによって宣言されているという事実から引き出される Romans 4:6-8。

この義認が、彼らが割礼を受けていたことの帰結として、したがって律法への従順から生じたのではないかという問いが、なお提起されえた。これに答えるため使徒は Romans 4:9-12 において、アブラハムは割礼を受ける前に信仰によって義と認められたこと、さらに彼の割礼自身すら、信仰によって義と認められたことの帰結であり、その事実に対する公の封印ないし証明であったことを示す。

さらに使徒は、もし人々が行いによって義と認められるのであれば、信仰は何の役にも立たず、神の約束は何の効果も持たないであろうことを示す。律法は怒りを働かせるが Romans 4:13-14、信仰によって恵みを授けることは、神の最高の恵みの証明である Romans 4:16。その上、アブラハムは強い信仰を示した。彼は信仰が何であるかを示した。彼は後に従うすべての人々の模範であった。そして彼はこのように、割礼以前に、また律法が与えられる「以前に」義と認められたのであるから、割礼を受けたことのない者たちに関しても同じことが起こりうることを示したのである。Romans 2; 3 において使徒は、すべての者が律法を守ることに失敗し、信仰による以外に義認の道が存在しないことを示していた。異邦人の救いについては、ユダヤ人は強い反発を持っていたであろう。彼は、割礼を受けた者たち、ユダヤ人である者たちのほかには誰も救われえないと考えていた。使徒はこの章で、アブラハムが、異邦人もそうなりうると自分が主張したまさにその方法で義と認められたこと、すなわち割礼を受けることなく信仰によって義と認められたことを示すことによって、この反論に応える。信仰する者たちの父、ユダヤ人がこれほど誇った先祖がこのように義と認められたのなら、同じことが今も起こりうるとパウロが主張しても、新しい教理を進めていたことにはならない。異邦人の世界もまた信仰によって義と認められうると主張することにおいて、彼は厳密に彼らの宗教の精神の内にとどまっていたのである。これがこの章の論証の概要である。その論証は、真剣なユダヤ人なら感じ、認めざるをえないものである。そして使徒がこの章で持った主要な目的を心に留めるなら、その解釈に困難はほとんど見出されないであろう。

Abraham was justified by faith, and not by the works of the law; for his faith was imputed to him for righteousness, Romans 4:1-5. David also bears testimony to the same doctrine, Romans 4:6-8. Abraham, the father of the Jewish race, was justified by faith, even before he was circumcised; therefore salvation must be of the Gentiles as well as the Jews, Romans 4:9-12. And the promise that all the nations of the earth should be blessed in him, was made to him while he was in an uncircumcised state; and, therefore, if salvation were of the Jews alone, the law, that was given after the promise, would make the promise of no effect, Romans 4:13-17. Description of Abraham's faith, and its effects, Romans 4:18-22. This account is left on record for our salvation, that we might believe on Christ, who was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification, Romans 4:23-25.

The apostle, having proved in the foregoing chapter that neither Jews nor Gentiles have a right to the blessing of God's peculiar kingdom, otherwise than by grace, which is as free for the one as the other, in this chapter advances a new argument to convince the Jew, and to show the believing Gentile, in a clear light, the high value and strong security of the mercies freely bestowed on them in the Gospel; and, at the same time, to display the scheme of Divine providence, as laid in the counsel and will of God. His argument is taken from Abraham's case: Abraham was the father and head of the Jewish nation; he had been a heathen, but God pardoned him, and took him and his posterity into his special covenant, and bestowed upon them many extraordinary blessings above the rest of mankind; and it is evident that Abraham was not justified by any obedience to law, or rule of right action, but, in the only way in which a sinner can be justified, by prerogative or the mercy of the lawgiver. Now, this is the very same way in which the Gospel saves the believing Gentiles, and gives them a part in the blessings of God's covenant. Why then should the Jews oppose the Gentiles? especially as the Gentiles were actually included in the covenant made with Abraham for the promise, Genesis 17:4, stated that he should be the father of many nations: consequently, the covenant being made with Abraham, as the head or father of many nations, all in any nation who stood on the same religious principle with him, were his seed and with him interested in the same covenant. But Abraham stood by faith in the mercy of God pardoning his idolatry; and upon this footing the believing Gentiles stand in the Gospel; and, therefore, they are the seed of Abraham, and included in the covenant and promise made to him.

To all this the apostle knew well it would be objected, that it was not faith alone, that gave Abraham a right to the blessings of the covenant, but his obedience to the law of circumcision; and this, being peculiar to the Jewish nation, gave them an interest in the Abrahamic covenant; and that, consequently, whoever among the Gentiles would be interested in that covenant, ought to embrace Judaism, become circumcised, and thus come under obligation to the whole law. With this very objection the apostle very dexterously introduces his argument, Romans 4:1, Romans 4:2; shows that, according to the Scripture account, Abraham was justified by faith, Romans 4:3-5; explains the nature of that justification, by a quotation out of the Psalms, Romans 4:6-9; proves that Abraham was justified long before he was circumcised, Romans 4:9-11; that the believing Gentiles are his seed to whom the promise belongs, as well as the believing Jews, Romans 4:12-17; and he describes Abraham's faith, in order to explain the faith of the Gospel, Romans 4:17-25. See Dr. Taylor's notes. We may still suppose that the dialogue is carried on between the apostle and the Jew, and it will make the subject still more clear to assign to each his respective part. The Jew asks a single question, which is contained in the first and part of the second verses. And the apostle's answer takes up the rest of the chapter.

INTRODUCTION TO Romans 4

The apostle having, in the preceding chapters, proved that there is no justification before God by the works of the law, partly from the depraved state and condition that all men are in by nature, both Jews and Gentiles; and partly from the nature of the law itself, which discovers sin, arraigns men for it, and convicts of it, and pronounces guilty before God for it; as also by showing, that it is by another righteousness, which he describes, that men are justified in the sight of God; proceeds in this to confirm the same by an example; and that which he pitches upon is the most appropriate and pertinent he could have thought of, namely, that of Abraham, the father of the Jews, Romans 4:1, for in whatsoever way he was justified, his sons surely could not imagine but it must be the right way, nor should they seek another: now that Abraham was not justified by works, he proves Romans 4:2, from an absurdity following upon it, that he would have just reason to glory; whereas no man ought to glory before God, but only in the Lord: and by a passage of Scripture, Romans 4:3, to which he appeals, he makes it clearly appear that he was justified by faith, for that says, his faith was counted for righteousness. This case of accounting anything to another for righteousness, is illustrated by two sorts of persons, who have different things accounted to them, and in a different manner; to the worker, the reward is reckoned of debt, and not of grace, Romans 4:4, but to the believer that works not, his faith, as Abraham's was, is counted for righteousness; whence it follows, that not the worker is justified by his works, but the believer by the righteousness of faith; and this is confirmed by a testimony of David in Psalm 32:1, by which the apostle proves the imputation of righteousness without works, in which the happiness of men consists, Romans 4:6, and shows, that this happiness does not belong to circumcised persons only, but to the uncircumcised also; and therefore is not by circumcision, but by faith, Romans 4:9, and which he proves by observing the time when faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness; not when he was circumcised, but before, Romans 4:10, the use of which circumcision to him was to assure him, that he should be the father of uncircumcised Gentiles that believed, to whom righteousness should be imputed, as to him when he was uncircumcised, Romans 4:11, who are described by their imitation of his faith, which he had, and exercised before his circumcision, Romans 4:12. And this leads on to a fresh argument, proving justification to be by faith, and not by the works of the law, since the promise made to Abraham, and his seed, was not through the law, but the righteousness of faith; and consequently both his and their justification were not by the one, but by the other, Romans 4:13, or, if otherwise, both the faithfulness of God, and the faith of his people, would be void, and the promise of grace of no effect, Romans 4:14. And this is still further argued from the effect of the law working wrath, which, if justification was by it, it would never do, Romans 4:15. The wisdom and goodness of God in giving faith, and not works, a concern in justification, are observed, Romans 4:16, whereby it appears to be of free grace, faith only being a recipient, and what gives all the glory to God; and also the promise of eternal life through justification by free grace becomes sure to all the spiritual seed; who are distributed into two sorts, the believing Jews under the legal dispensation, and the believing Gentiles, under the Gospel dispensation; of both which Abraham was father; which is confirmed by a testimony out of Genesis 17:4, whose faith is described by the object of it, the omnipotent God that quickens the dead, and calls things that are not, as though they were, Romans 4:17, and by the nature of it, Romans 4:18, believing in hope against hope, resting on the promise of God; and by the strength of it, being not at all weakened by considering, either his own case, or that of his wife's, Romans 4:19, and was so far from being staggered through unbelief at these things, that it was strong in exercise, thereby glorifying God, the object of it, Romans 4:20, nay, it rose up to a plerophory, a full assurance, Romans 4:21, being built upon the power of a promising God; hence, as before observed, his faith was reckoned to him for righteousness, Romans 4:22, And now in the same way that he was justified, all his children, his spiritual seed, are justified, whether they be Jews or Gentiles; for what is said concerning the imputation of the righteousness of faith to him, does not concern him only, Romans 4:23, but all true believers also; whose faith is described by the object of it, him that raised up Christ from the dead, that is, God the Father, Romans 4:24, who is supposed hereby to have been dead, and is represented as the Lord and Saviour of his people; and of whom a further account is given, Romans 4:25, as being delivered into the hands of men, of justice, and of death, for the sins of his people, which he took upon him, and bore, and made satisfaction for, and as being raised again for their justification; so that this is a benefit owing not to the works of men, but to what Christ has done and suffered in the room and stead of his people; which is what the apostle meant to bring this point unto; the blessed effects and consequences of which he relates in the next chapter.

B. THE EXAMPLE OF ABRAHAM (Ch. 4)

Bp Lightfoot (Ep. to the Galatians, detached note to ch. 3) makes it very probable that “at the time of the Christian era the passage in Genesis relating to Abraham’s faith had become a standard text in the Jewish schools … and that the interest thus concentrated upon it prepared the way for the fuller and more spiritual teaching of the Apostles.” By Philo, the great representative of Alexandria, Genesis 15:6 “is quoted or referred to at least ten times.” And in the Talmud, which reflects “fairly, though with some exceptions, the Jewish teaching at the Christian era,” “the significance attached to Abraham’s example may be inferred from the following passage in the Mechilta on Exodus 14:31 : ‘Great is faith, whereby Israel believed on Him that spake and the world was. For as a reward for Israel’s having believed in the Lord, the Holy Spirit dwelt on them.… Abraham our father inherited this world and the world to come solely by the merit of faith whereby he believed in the Lord; for it is said, and he believed in the Lord, and it was counted &c.… So … Habakkuk, The righteous liveth of his faith … Great is faith!’ ”[51] Bp Lightfoot adds in a note, that some later Jewish writers, “anxious, it would appear, to cut the ground from under St Paul’s inference of ‘righteousness by faith,’ interpreted the latter clause [of Genesis 15:6], ‘and Abraham counted on God’s righteousness,’ i.e. on His strict fulfilment of His promise.… Such a rendering is as harsh in itself as it is devoid of traditional support.”

[51] Observe that the idea of merit, visible in the above passages, is carefully excluded by St Paul.

CHAPTER 4

Romans 4:1. Ἀβραὰμ.… εὑρηκέναι] Lachm. and Tisch. (8) read εὑρηκ. Ἀβρ. τὸν προπάτορα ἡμῶν, which Griesb. also approved. This position of the words has indeed preponderant attestation (A C D E F G א, min[941], Copt. Arm. Vulg. It. and several Fathers), but may be suspected of being a transposition intended to connect κατὰ σάρκα with ΤῸΝ ΠΑΤΈΡΑ ἩΜ., as in fact this construction was prevalent among the ancients. ΠΡΟΠΆΤΟΡΑ (Lachm.) though attested by A B C* א, 5, 10, 21, 137, Syr[942] Copt. Arm. Aeth. and Fathers, appears all the more probably a gloss, since ΠΑΤΈΡΑ here is not used in a spiritual sense as it is afterwards in Romans 4:11-12; Romans 4:17-18.

Romans 4:11. ΠΕΡΙΤΟΜῆς] Griesb. recommended ΠΕΡΙΤΟΜΉΝ, which however is only attested by A. C*, min[943], Syr[944] utr. Arm. and some Fathers; and on account of the adjoining accusatives very easily slipped in, especially in the position after ἜΛΑΒΕ.

ΚΑῚ ΑὐΤΟῖς] ΚΑῚ is wanting in A B א*, min[945] Ar. pol. Vulg. ms. Orig. in schol. Cyr. Damasc. Condemned by Mill and Griesb., omitted by Lachm. and Tisch. (8). But after the final syllable NAI the καί, not indispensable for the sense, was very easily overlooked. On the other hand the ground assumed for its addition, by Reiche, that “the copyists would not have the Jews altogether excluded,” cannot be admitted as valid, because in fact the Jews are immediately after, Romans 4:12, expressly included.

The article before ΔΙΚΑΙΟΣΎΝΗΝ, which Tisch. (8) has omitted, has preponderant attestation. Its omission is connected with the old reading (A) ΕἸς ΔΙΚΑΙΟΣΎΝΗΝ (comp Romans 4:9; Romans 5:3). Romans 4:12. Τῆς ἘΝ Τῇ ἈΚΡΟΒ. ΠΊΣΤ.] The reading Τῆς ΠΊΣΤ. Τῆς ἘΝ Τ. ἈΚΡΟΒ., recommended by Griesb. and adopted by Scholz, lacks the authority of most and the best uncials, and seems a mechanical alteration after Romans 4:11. The article Τῇ however is, with Tisch. in accordance with decisive testimony, to be deleted, and to be regarded as having been likewise introduced from ver 11 (not as omitted after Romans 4:10, as Fritzsche thinks).

Romans 4:15. ΟὟ ΓΆΡ] A B C א*, min[947], Copt. Syr. p[948] (in margin), Theodoret, Theophyl. Ambr. Ruf. read ΟὟ ΔΈ. Recommended by Griesb. and adopted by Lachm. Fritzsche, Tisch. (8). An alteration, occasioned by the contrast on failing to perceive the appropriateness of meaning in the ΓΆΡ.

Romans 4:17. ἘΠΊΣΤΕΥΣΕ] F G and some vss[949] and Fathers read ἘΠΊΣΤΕΥΣΑς (so Luther). The ΚΑΤΈΝΑΝΤΙ ΟὟ Κ.Τ.Λ[950] was still regarded as belonging to the passage of Scripture.

Romans 4:19. οὐ] Wanting in A B C א, 67**, 93, 137, Syr[951] Erp. Copt. Chrys. Damasc. Julian. Condemned by Griesb. and deleted by Lachm. and Tisch. (8). But this omission of the οὐ, as well as the very weakly attested ὡς and licet, manifestly arose from incorrectly having regard here to Genesis 17:17 (as is done even by Buttmann, neut. Gr. p. 305 f. and Hofmann). See the exegetical remarks.

ἤδη] Wanting in B F G 47 et. al[952] and several vss[953] and Fathers. Bracketed by Lachm. deleted by Fritzsche and Tisch. It is to be regarded as an addition, which suggested itself very easily, whereas there would have been no reason for its omission.

[941] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[942] yr. Peschito Syriac

[943] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[944] yr. Peschito Syriac

[945] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[947] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[948] yr. p. Philoxenian Syriac.

[949] ss. versions. These, when individually referred to, are marked by the usual abridged forms.

[950] .τ.λ. καὶ τὰ λοιπά.

[951] yr. Peschito Syriac

[952] t. al. and others; and other passages; and other editions.

[953] ss. versions. These, when individually referred to, are marked by the usual abridged forms.

Ro 4:1-25.

前述の信仰による義認の教理が旧約聖書から例証される。

第一：アブラハムは信仰によって義とされた。

1-3. では、肉によるわたしたちの先祖アブラハムは何を見いだしたのでしょうか。——すなわち（原文の語順が示すように）、「肉にしたがって（『によって』、あるいは『肉を通じて』）何を見いだしたのか」；意味は、「彼のすべての自然的努力、あるいは律法の従順によって」ということである。