But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
All Commentaries on Romans 10:18 Go To Romans 10
Thomas Aquinas
AD 1274
After showing that the fall of the Jews is pitiable, because they sinned from ignorance [n. 813], here the Apostle shows that their fall is not entirely excusable; because their ignorance was not invincible or rooted in necessity, but somehow voluntary. 423 He shows this in two ways. First, because they heard the teaching of the apostles; secondly, from what they knew from the teachings of the Law and of the prophets [v. 19; n. 850]. 846. In regard to the first he does two things. First, he asks a question, saying: We have said that faith comes from hearing and that men cannot believe a person whom they have not heard. But I ask, have they not heard? so as to be totally excused for their unbelief, according to what is said in Jn (15:22): "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin." 847. Secondly, he answers the question by interjecting the authority of Ps (19:4): Their voice has gone out to all the earth; i.e., the voice of the apostles whose fame has reached every land, both of Jews and of Gentiles: "Destruction and death have said" with our ears we have heard the fame thereof" (Jb 28:22), namely, the wisdom preached by the apostles. For the Lord had commanded them: "Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mt 28:19). And their words, i.e., their distinctive message, has gone out to the ends of the world: "From the ends of the earth we have heard praises" (Is 24:!6),; "I have given thee to be the light of the Gentiles, to be my salvation even to the farthest part of the earth" (Is 49:6). 848. It should be noted that, according to Augustine, these words had not yet been fulfilled when the Apostle spoke them, but he foresaw that they would be fulfilled. So he uses the past for the future, because divine pr-ordination is certain of fulfillment; For David, whose words he employed, also used the past for the future. Augustine said this, 424 because even in his own day there were certain parts of Africa where the faith of Christ had not been preached. Chrysostom, on the other hand, says that what is said here had been fulfilled in the time of the apostles. He draws this from Mt 24(:14), "And this gospel must be preached in the whole world, and then will come the consummation," i.e., the destruction of Jerusalem. Each is correct in his own way. For in the days of the apostles some report about their preaching had reached all nations, even to the ends of the world, at least through their disciples and even through the apostles themselves. For Matthew preached in Ethiopia, Thomas in India, Peter and Paul in the west. And this is what Chrysostom means. However, during the times of the apostles it had not be fulfilled in such a way that the Church had been built up in all nations, but it would be fulfilled before the end of the world, as Augustine says. Yet Chrysostom's explanation is more in keeping with the Apostle's intention that is Augustine's. For the basic excuse of their unbelief is not undercut by the fact that these unbelievers would hear something in the future. However, this does not imply that a report of the apostles' preaching had reached every individual, although it had reached all nations. 849. Does this mean that those it has not reached, for example if they were raised in the jungle, have an excuse for their sin of unbelief? The answer is that according to the Lord's statement (Jn 15:22) those who have not heard the Lord speaking either in person or through his disciples are excused from the sin of unbelief. However, they will not obtain God's blessing, namely, removal of original 425 sin or any sin added by leading an evil life; for these, they are deservedly condemned. But if any of them did what was in his power, the Lord would provide for him according to his mercy by sending a preacher of the faith as he sent Peter to Cornelius and Paul into Macedonia. Nevertheless, the fact that they do what is in their power, namely, by turning to God, proceeds from God's moving their hearts to the good: "Turn us to thee, O Lord, that we may be turned" (Lam 5:19). 850. Then when he says, Again I ask, did not Israel understand? he shows that they were inexcusable, because of the knowledge they had from the Law and the prophets. First, he raises the question, saying: But I ask, did Israel, i.e., the Jewish people, not know the things which pertain to the mystery of Christ and to the calling of the Gentiles and the fall of the Jews? They knew fully: "Instructed by the law" (Rom 2:18); "He has not dealt thus with another nation" (Ps 147:20); "We are happy, O Israel, because the things that are pleasing to God are made known to us" (Bar 4:4). Secondly, he says, First Moses says, he answers the question and shows that they did know: first, through the teaching of the Law, saying: First Moses, who is the lawgiver. He says, first, because Moses was the chief teacher of the Jews: "There has not risen a prophet since in Israel like Moses" (Dr 34:12) or because he was the first among others to say this. I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation, with a foolish nation I will make you angry. Here our text has this (Dt 32:21): "I will provoke them by that which is not a people and by a foolish nation I will anger them." 851. Two differences should be noted here [n. 852]. 426 30 Aquinas’s interpretation here moves from non gens ("not a nation") to non gentiliter vivens ("not living in a Gentile manner"). The first in regard to Gentiles, since he says, not a nation, as though unworthy to be called a nation, because the Gentiles were not united in the worship of one god: "There are two nations which my soul abhors, and the third is no nation, which I hate" (Si 50:27). But he called the same nation a foolish nation. If in some sense it could be called a nation, inasmuch it is united and governed by human law, it is, nevertheless, called foolish, as though lacking true wisdom, which consists in the knowledge and worship of God: "You must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; they are darkened in their minds, alienated from the life of God" (Eph 4:17). And in this way it refers to the Gentiles, namely in their state before conversion. These two things can also be applied to the Gentiles after conversion. They are called not a nation, i.e., not living in a gentile manner,30 as the Apostle says in the same place (Eph 4:17). And converted Gentiles are also called foolish by those who do not believe: "If anyone among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become foolish that he may be wise" (1Cor 3:18). 852. The second difference consists in the fact that he first mentions the jealous, i.e. the envy with which the Jews envied the converted Gentiles: "They make much of you, but for no good purpose" (Gal 4:17); secondly, he mentions the anger with which they were irked against them: "The wicked man makes plots against the just man, and gnashes his teeth at him" (Ps 37:12). These two are fittingly joined, because from envy springs anger: "Anger kills the foolish, and envy slays the little one" (Jb 5:2). 427 But God is said to produce jealousy and stir to anger, not by causing the malice in them but by withdrawing grace, or rather by effecting the conversion of the Gentiles from which the Jews take occasion for jealousy and anger. 853. Secondly, he shows that they knew through the teaching of the prophets, and first he quotes Isaiah as foretelling the conversion of the Gentiles, saying: Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, i.e., Isaiah boldly declares the truth, although this would put him in danger of death: "He goes forth boldly to meet armed men" (Job 39:21). Isaiah says: I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself plainly to those who did not ask for me; here our text has "They have sought me that before asked not for me, they have found me that sought me not" (Is 65:1). 854. He mentions first the conversion of the Gentiles, saying I have been found by those who did not seek me. This shows that the conversion of the Gentiles was beyond their merits and intention: "Christ became a servant in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy" (Rom 15:9). About this finding Mt (13:44) says: "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure in a field, which a man found..." Secondly, he shows the cause and manner of their conversion. The cause, indeed, because it was not by chance that they found what they were not seeking but by the grace of Him Who willed to appear to them. This is indicated, when he says: He showed himself; "The grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men" (*** 2:11). The manner was that Christ did not appear to the Gentiles in the enigmas and figures of the Law but in plain truth; hence he says: I have shown myself plainly to them, 428 i.e., the Gentiles, who did not ask for me, i.e., who did not ask for my doctrine: "They keep on praying to a god that cannot save" (Is 45:20). 855. Then he shows that Isaiah foretold the unbelief of the Jews, saying: But of Israel, i.e., against Israel, he says, All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people. Here our text has this: "I have spread forth my hands all the day to an unbelieving people, who walk in a way that is not good after their own thoughts. A people that continually provoke me to anger" (Is 65:2-3a). 856. That he says, I have held out my hands, can be understood of Christ's hands held out on the cross, which are said to have been held out all day long, i.e., the principal part of a whole day, namely, from the sixth hour until evening. And although during that time the sun was darkened, the rocks rent, and the graves opened, the Jews persisted in their unbelief, blaspheming him, as it says in Mt 28(:39). Hence he adds a people who do not believe, but contradict me: "Consider him who endured such contradiction against himself from sinners" (Heb 12:3). 857. In another way, it can be taken as referring to God stretching out his hands to do miracles: "When you stretch our your hand to cures and signs and prodigies to be worked through the holy name of your son Jesus." The meaning then would be: All the day, i.e., through the whole time of my preaching, I have stretched out my hands, by working miracles, to a people who do not believe, even when they see miracles: "If I had not done the works which no other man has done, they would not have sin" (John 15:24); but contradict me, i.e., slander my miracles, in accord with Mt 12(:24), "By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he casts out demons"; "Your people are like those who contradict a priest" (Hos 4:4). 429 858. Thirdly, it can be understood of God stretching out his hands to give benefits to his people, in accord with Pr 1:24: "I stretched out my hands, and there was none who paid attention." The meaning would then be: All the day, i.e., through the whole time of the Law and the prophets, I stretched out my hands to give benefits to a people who do not believe but contradict me: "Always you have been rebellious against the Lord" (Dt 31:27).
