The Fullness of the Nations and All Israel
…was constructed by the apostle. For he sets Israel right, since it had fallen short of what was fitting, and he urges it toward what is to its profit, and to lay claim to its own root through faith in Christ. He also says that those from the nations have been honoured by God, and he urges them to stand firm in faith and godliness: for if you remain so, you remain a noble branch of the holy root; but if you disobey, you too will be outside the root (Romans 11:16–22).
“Until the fullness of the nations has come in; and so all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:25–26). Look again at this and consider it closely. He said that the fullness of the nations would come in and all Israel would be saved. But suppose someone chose to answer this: “Yet many of the nations have died in unbelief; how, then, has the fullness of the nations come in? Nor will all Israel be saved, if it is true that the Jews will receive the son of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:3), having cast away their love for Christ. For He Himself said this: ‘I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive’ (John 5:43). And the most wise Paul says: ‘Because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved, therefore God sends them a working of error, so that they believe the lie’ (2 Thessalonians 2:10–11).”
What, then, shall we say to this? We say that, since God has set the grace that comes through faith before all without stint and shuts out no one at all, how has the fullness of the nations not come in, as far as the mind and purpose of the One who called is concerned? For if some have slipped aside of their own will and missed the gift, we shall not on that account find the word of Scripture to be false. For though they were free to share in the gifts once given, why did they choose of their own will to fall away? So, as far as the gentleness and love for mankind of the One who called is concerned, the fullness of the nations has come in, and all Israel too has been saved. But since they have become unbending, for that reason he says that a hardening has come upon them in part (Romans 11:25).
“As it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion’” (Romans 11:26; Isaiah 59:20). He confirms the hope that even rejected Israel is to be saved in due time, by setting out a sacred oracle. For Israel will be saved in due time, called last, after the calling of those from the nations.
“Enemies for your sake” (Romans 11:28). As far as the preaching of the gospel is concerned, they have become enemies, for they stumbled through their impiety toward Christ. But because of the nobility of the fathers, who were honoured as holy and dear to God, they may be reckoned beloved for the fathers’ sake. Yet they have become enemies so that a cause of jealousy might be set before those who disbelieved.
“For just as you once disobeyed God,” and so on (Romans 11:30). He shows that the charges against both are equal, and that those from the nations and Israel alike have been healed by one grace. For Israel was called in its time through Moses and rescued from its misery in Egypt; but the worshippers of demons, that is, the nations,…
Greek
κατεσκευάσθη τῷ ἀποστόλῳ· ἐπανορθοῖ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ πρέποντος ἡμαρτηκότα τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ λυσιτελῆ προτρέπεται, καὶ τῆς ἰδίας ἀντιποιεῖσθαι ῥίζης διὰ πίστεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ. λέγει δὲ τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν τετιμῆσθαι παρὰ Θεοῦ καὶ προτρέπεται εἰς τὸ ἑδραῖον ἐν πίστει καὶ εὐσεβείᾳ· ἐὰν γὰρ οὕτω μείνῃς, κλάδος εὐγενὴς τῆς ἁγίας ἀπομένεις ῥίζης· εἰ δὲ ἀπειθήσεις, ἔξω καὶ αὐτὸς γενήσῃ τῆς ῥίζης. Ἄχρις οὗ τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ, καὶ οὕτω πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται. Ἐκεῖνο δὴ πάλιν ἄθρει καὶ κατασκέπτου· ἔφη μὲν γὰρ ὅτι τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσελεύσεται καὶ πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται· ἀλλ' εἴ τις ἕλοιτο πρὸς τοῦτο εἰπεῖν Καίτοι πολλοὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ τεθνήκασι, πῶς οὖν εἰσβέβηκε τὸ 243 πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν; ἀλλ' οὐδὲ πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται, εἴπερ ἐστὶν ἀληθὲς ὅτι τὸν τῆς ἀνομίας υἱὸν παραδέξονται οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ἀγάπης ἠφειδηκότες· τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτὸς ἔφασκεν "Ἐγὼ ἐλήλυθα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ πατρός μου, καὶ "οὐ λαμβάνετέ με· ἐὰν ἄλλος ἔλθῃ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τῷ ἰδίῳ, "ἐκεῖνον λήψεσθε·" καὶ ὁ σοφώτατος Παῦλος "Ἀνθ' ὧν "τὴν ἀγάπην τῆς ἀληθείας οὐκ ἐδέξαντο εἰς τὸ σωθῆναι "αὐτούς· διὰ τοῦτο πέμπει αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεὸς ἐνέργειαν πλάνης "εἰς τὸ πιστεῦσαι αὐτοὺς τῷ ψεύδει." τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν πρὸς τοῦτο; φαμὲν, ὅτι Θεοῦ προθέντος ἀδιαφθονήτως ἅπασι τὴν διὰ πίστεως χάριν, ἐξείργοντος δὲ παντελῶς οὐδένα, πῶς οὐκ εἰσβέβηκε τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν, τό γε ἧκον εἰς νοῦν καὶ σκοπὸν τὸν τοῦ κεκληκότος; οὐ γὰρ εἴ τινες ἐθελοντὶ παρώλισθον καὶ τῆς δωρεᾶς διημαρτήκασι, ταύτῃτοι κατεψευσμένον τὸν τῆς γραφῆς εὑρήσομεν λόγον· ἐξὸν γὰρ αὐτοῖς τῶν ἅπαξ δεδωρημένων μεταλαχεῖν, ἐθελούσιον ἀνθ' ὅτου πεποίηνται τὴν ἀπόστασιν; οὐκοῦν ὅσον ἧκεν εἰς ἡμερότητα καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν τοῦ κεκληκότος καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσβέβηκεν, σέσωσται δὲ καὶ ἅπας ὁ Ἰσραήλ· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀκαμπεῖς γεγόνασι, 29 ταύτῃτοι καὶ πώρωσιν αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ μέρους γενέσθαι φησί. Καθὼς γέγραπται Ἥξει ἐκ Σιὼν ὁ ῥυόμενος. Ὅτι μέλλει σώζεσθαι καὶ ὁ ἀπόβλητος Ἰσραὴλ κατὰ καιροὺς, βεβαιοῖ τὰ τῆς ἐλπίδος, λόγιον παρατιθεὶς ἱερόν· σωθήσεται γὰρ κατὰ καιροὺς ὁ Ἰσραὴλ, ἔσχατος καλούμενος μετὰ τὴν τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν κλῆσιν. Ἐχθροὶ δι' ὑμᾶς. Ὅσον μὲν οὖν ἧκεν εἰς τὸ κήρυγμα τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν, 244 γεγόνασιν ἐχθροί· προσκεκρούκασι γὰρ διὰ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν ἀσέβειαν· διὰ δὲ τὴν τῶν πατέρων εὐγένειαν οἳ ἐτιμήθησαν ὡς ἅγιοι καὶ θεοφιλεῖς, λογισθεῖεν ἂν εἶναι δι' ἐκείνους ἀγαπητοί· ὅμως ἐχθροὶ γεγόνασιν ἵνα τεθῇ εἰς παραζήλωσιν τοῖς ἀπιστήσασιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ καὶ ὑμεῖς ποτε ἠπειθήσατε τῷ Θεῷ κ.τ.λ. Ἴσα δείκνυσι τὰ ἀμφοῖν ἐγκλήματα, καὶ μιᾷ χάριτι τεθεραπευμένους τούς τε ἐξ ἐθνῶν καὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ· κέκληται μὲν γὰρ κατὰ καιροὺς διὰ τοῦ Μωσέως ὁ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ τῆς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ταλαιπωρίας ἐξῄρηται· ἀλλ' οἱ τῶν δαιμόνων θεραπευταὶ, τουτέστι τὰ ἔθνη,