Transformation from Law to Spirit
Concerning the comparison with the superior one. 2 Cor 3:11 showed that it was necessary to cease and to be idle regarding the law, but the grace of the Spirit, having been opposed to the law, remains. 2 Cor 3:12–14 Having therefore such a hope. A hope that is seen is not a hope; but he showed that the grace remains, even after the resurrection, receiving the additions, toward the inability of the sons of Israel to gaze intently until the one being made void comes to an end; for just as they were not able to attend to the glory... so they were not able even to the end of the law, that is, that the law shall be ceased. He says immediately: until today they have a veil. The end of the law is when the veil is taken away and they behold the glory of the Spirit, because in Christ it is made void, that is, it is through the faith into him.
What kind of hope? That the grace of the Spirit is not made void like the law, but remains even after the resurrection. We, because of the blessed hope of the grace of the Spirit remaining, teach with boldness, and we do not imitate the commands of Moses, who through the veil upon the face signaled that the Jews are not able to gaze intently and realize that the law shall receive an end and shall be idle. The veil remains showing no appearance, that the law is made void upon the coming of Christ. 2 Cor 3:15–16 Just as Moses, while speaking to the Jews, had the veil, but returning to the Lord it is taken away, and now the Jews, after reading the law and returning the book, carry the veil as if Moses had returned to the Lord. If therefore, having turned away, you come to the Spirit, your veil is taken away just as Moses' was being taken away when returning to the Lord. 2 Cor 3:17 The one made worthy of the Spirit of the Lord, this one was freed from the condemnation of the law; for through the Spirit the gifts are being worked. And the gift is toward the worthy ones. 2 Cor 3:18 We, he says, the apostles, are seen by men with an unveiled face; but having said this, we all demonstrate the common benefit of the Spirit. And for Moses the glory was not approaching the Israelites, but for us the glory of God is approaching; for having established ourselves on faith, we reflect the glory of God, that is, we see and are being changed as into...
We are being transformed from legal knowledge into spiritual grace, moving from the glory of the Spirit working in us toward the glory of adoption. This is made clear by the Lord Spirit, not the Son of God. Just as one sees in that mirror, and another receives the reflection of the one seeing, so it is with the Spirit; for those reflecting the glory of Christ carry a certain likeness from that glory into glory, that is, they receive and take upon themselves the glory of the spiritual image.
We are being transformed from legal knowledge into spiritual grace, and from the glory not of the law but of the Spirit, into the glory of adoption; for we come to adoption through a washing. He says 'of grace', not 'of the law'; for through the abundance of grace we endure tribulations. The shameful and the base things are hidden, which those practicing strive to hide because of shame; for the base things do not partake of boldness, but wander in darkness. Even if the gospel is covered, it is covered to the unbelieving, not as the glory of Moses' face was covered from all Israel in the law (2 Cor 4:3).
If the god of this age is said to be associated with reading, it follows that he blinded them. But if God blinded, it was supernaturally, as God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that do not see, and 'I hardened the heart of Pharaoh' (Exodus 10:27) according to the spoken word. Just as it was said of a ruler, not that he is naturally a ruler, but that those deceived showed him to be their ruler by obeying him, so also the god of this age has been forbidden, not as being truly God, but because of what the nations say and think, being called God, just as the belly is called the god of gluttons.
He says, 'If we had preached ourselves, it would be possible to suppose that we are deceiving with the word' (2 Cor 4:5); but if Jesus Christ and his glory, there is no deceit in the preaching according to the...
Greek
τῆς συγκρίσεως τῆς πρὸς τὸ ὑπερέχον. 2 Kor 3,11 Ἔδειξεν ὅτι δεῖ παύσασθαι καὶ ἀργῆσαι τὸν νόμον, ἀντεισαχθεῖσαν δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος τὴν χάριν διαμεῖναι. 2 Kor 3,12–14 Ἔχοντες οὖν τοιαύτην ἐλπίδα. ἡ ἐλπὶς ἡ βλεπομένη οὐκ ἔστιν ἐλπίς· ἐδήλωσε δὲ ὅτι μένει ἡ χάρις καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τὰς προσθήκας λαμβάνουσα πρὸς τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι ἀτενίσαι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὸ τέλος τοῦ καταργουμένου· ὡς γὰρ οὐκ 286 ἠδύνατο τῇ δόξῃ ... προσέχειν, οὕτως οὐκ ἐδύναντο οὐδὲ τῷ τέλει τοῦ νόμου, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ὅτι παυθήσεται ὁ νόμος. αὐτίκα φησίν· ἄχρι σήμερον ἔχουσι κάλυμμα. τὸ τέλος τοῦ νόμου, ὅταν ἀρθῇ τὸ κάλυμμα καὶ θεάσωνται τὴν δόξαν τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅτι ἐν Χριστῷ καταργεῖται, τοῦτ' ἔστι διὰ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν πίστεως. 285,ξολ2 Ποίαν ἐλπίδα; ὅτι οὐ καταργεῖται ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος χάρις ὥσπερ ὁ νόμος, ἀλλὰ μένει καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν. Ἡμεῖς διὰ τὴν μακαρίαν ἐλπίδα τοῦ παραμένειν τοῦ πνεύματος τὴν χάριν μετὰ παρρησίας διδάσκομεν, καὶ οὐ μιμούμεθα τὰ Μωϋσέως ἐπιτάγματα, ὃς διὰ 286,ξολ2 τοῦ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον καλύμματος ἐσήμανεν ὅτι οὐ δύνανται ἀτενίσαι καὶ συνιδεῖν Ἰουδαῖοι ὅτι τέλος λήψεται καὶ ἀργήσει ὁ νόμος. Μένει τὸ κάλυμμα μηδὲ ὄψιν δεικνύον ὅτι Χριστοῦ ἐλθόντος καταργεῖται ὁ νόμος. 2 Kor 3,15–16 Ὥσπερ Μωϋσῆς λαλῶν μὲν Ἰουδαίοις εἶχε τὸ κάλυμμα, ὑποστρέφων δὲ πρὸς κύριον περιαιρεῖται αὐτό, καὶ νῦν Ἰουδαῖοι μετὰ τὸ ἀναγνῶναι τὸν νόμον καὶ ἀποδοῦναι τὴν βίβλον ἀποφέρουσιν τὸ κάλυμμα ὡς ὑποστρέψαντος Μωϋσέως πρὸς κύριον. ἐὰν οὖν ἀποστὰς ἔλθῃς πρὸς τὸ πνεῦμα, περιαιρεῖταί σου τὸ κάλυμμα ὥσπερ καὶ Μωϋσέως ὑποστρέφοντος πρὸς κύριον. 2 Kor 3,17 Ὁ καταξιωθεὶς πνεύματος κυρίου οὗτος ἠλευθηρώθη τῆς κατακρίσεως τοῦ νόμου· διὰ γὰρ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐνεργεῖται τὰ χαρίσματα. καὶ ἡ δωρεὰ πρὸς τοὺς ἀξίους. 2 Kor 3,18 Ἡμεῖς, φησίν, οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ ὁρώμεθα ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· εἰπὼν δὲ ἡμεῖς πάντες δείκνυσι κοινὴν τοῦ πνεύματος τὴν εὐεργεσίαν. καὶ Μωϋσέως μὲν ἡ δόξα ἀπρόσιτος ἦν Ἰσραηλίταις, ἡμῶν δὲ ἡ δόξα τοῦ θεοῦ εὐπρόσιτός ἐστιν· στηρίσαντες γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς τῇ πίστει καὶ καθάραντες κατοπτριζόμεθα τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ, τοῦτ' ἔστι καὶ ὁρῶμεν καὶ ἀπομασσόμεθα ὡς ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ ταῖς ψυχαῖς τὴν εἰκόνα τῆς δόξης τοῦ πνεύματος. ἀπὸ νομικῆς ἐπιστήμης εἰς πνευματικὴν χάριν μεταμορφούμεθα. ἢ οὕτως νοητέον· ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς ἐνεργουμένης ἐν ἡμῖν ἐρχόμεθα 287,ξολ2 δηλονότι εἰς δόξαν τῆς υἱοθεσίας. τὸ δὲ καθάπερ δηλοῖ ἅτε δὴ ἀπὸ κυρίου πνεύματος. ἐπιτηρητέον δὲ ὅτι κύριον τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον εἶπεν, οὐχὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ. καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ μέν τις ὁρᾷ τὸ ἔσοπτρον ἐκεῖνο, ὁ δὲ δέχεται τοῦ ὁρῶντος τὸ ἴνδαλμα, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ πνεύματος· οἱ γὰρ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατοπτριζόμενοι αὐτοὶ ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης ὁμοιότητά τινα ἀποφέροντες εἰς δόξαν, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἐπισπῶνται καὶ λαμβάνουσι δόξαν τῆς πνευματικῆς εἰκόνος. 286.30 Μεταμορφούμεθα ἀπὸ νομικῆς ἐπιστήμης εἰς πνευματικὴν χάριν, καὶ ἀπὸ δόξης οὐ 287 τῆς τοῦ νόμου ἀλλὰ τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος, εἰς δόξαν τὴν τῆς υἱοθεσίας· λουτροῦ γὰρ τυχόντες εἰς υἱοθεσίαν ἐρχόμεθα. 2 Kor 4,1 Τὴν τῆς χάριτος λέγει, οὐ τὴν τοῦ νόμου· διὰ γὰρ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς χάριτος τὰς θλίψεις πατοῦμεν. 2 Kor 4,2 Κρυπτά ἐστι τῆς αἰσχύνης τὰ φαῦλα καὶ τὰ αἰσχρὰ ἅπερ οἱ πράττοντες κρύπτειν σπουδάζουσι διὰ τὴν αἰσχύνην· οὐ γὰρ μετέχει παρρησίας τὰ φαῦλα, ἀλλ' ἐν σκότει διαλανθάνει. 2 Kor 4,3 Κἂν ᾖ κεκαλυμμένον τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, τοῖς ἀπίστοις κεκάλυπται, οὐχ ὡς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ἀπὸ παντὸς Ἰσραὴλ ἐκεκάλυπτο ἡ δόξα τοῦ προσώπου Μωϋσέως. 2 Kor 4,4 Ἐὰν μὲν ὁ θεὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου λέγηται συναπτομένης τῆς ἀναγνώσεως, καὶ τὸ ἐτύφλωσεν ἀκολουθίαν ἔχει. ἐὰν δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἐτύφλωσε, καθ' 288 ὑπερβατόν, ὡς τὸ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ὁ θεὸς πνεῦμα κατανύξεως, ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ μὴ βλέπειν, καὶ τὸ ἐγὼ ἐσκλήρυνα τὴν καρδίαν Φαραώ, κατὰ τὸν ἀποδοθέντα λόγον. 287,ξολ2 Ὥσπερ δὲ εἴρηται ἄρχων τοῦ αἰῶνος, οὐ φύσει ἄρχων ὤν, ἀλλ' ὅτι οἱ ἀπατηθέντες ἄρχοντα ἑαυτῶν ἀνέδειξαν αὐτὸν ὑπακούοντες αὐτῷ, οὕτως καὶ ὁ 288,ξολ2 θεὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου προσηγόρευται, οὐχ ὡς ἀληθῶς ὢν θεός, ἀλλ' ἀφ' ὧν τὰ ἔθνη λέγουσι καὶ νομίζουσιν ὀνομαζόμενος θεός, ὡς καὶ τῶν γαστριμάργων θεὸς ἡ κοιλία καλεῖται. 2 Kor 4,5 Εἰ ἑαυτοὺς ἐκηρύξαμεν, φησίν, ἐνῆν ὑποπτεῦσαι ὅτι δολοῦμεν τὸν λόγον· εἰ δὲ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου δόξαν, οὐδὲ εἷς δόλος ἐν τῷ κηρύγματι κατὰ τὸ
About this text
A close reading of Paul's letter to the Corinthians reveals how spiritual decisions are made with divine authority and integrity.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 65 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.