Romans 11:25Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

What, then, is this mystery? "That blindness in part has happened to Israel." Here again he strikes the Jew, though he seems also to humble the Gentile. By this he means the same thing he said above: unbelief did not come from all the Jews, but only from a part.

So he also said: "If anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but in part, that I may not burden you all" (2 Cor 2:5). Elsewhere he says: "When I have first enjoyed your company for a while" (Rom 15:24).

Here too he expresses the same thing he said above: "God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew," and again: "Have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not" (Rom 11:2, 11).

Here he confirms precisely this: not the whole people has been rejected, but many have already believed or are to believe afterward. Since he has announced something great, he brings forward as witness the prophet who says the same.

"The wise Paul also said: 'Because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, so that they should believe the lie' (2 Thess 2:10-11)."

What then shall we say in reply? We affirm that if God in His longsuffering offered grace to all and excluded absolutely no one from it, then the fullness of the Gentiles has indeed come in, so far as the intention of Him Who called is concerned.

If some slipped and turned aside from such a gift, this does not mean that we shall find the word of Scripture false. They had the possibility of becoming partakers of what had once been given. Why then did they make a voluntary departure?

Therefore, with regard to the meekness and love for mankind of Him Who called, the fullness of the Gentiles came in and all Israel was saved. But because they proved unyielding, he says that hardening happened to them in part.

"As it is written: The Deliverer will come from Zion" (Rom 11:26; cf. Isa 59:20).

The Apostle confirms by a sacred saying the hope that even rejected Israel must be saved in its own time. For Israel will be saved in its own time, being called last after the calling of the Gentiles.

What is this mystery? "That blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved." The Apostle said "in part," making known that not all disbelieved, for many of the Jews believed. He also counsels them not to despair of the salvation of the rest. For after the Gentiles receive the preaching, they too will believe, when the great Elijah comes and proclaims to them the teaching of faith. The Lord Himself said this in the Holy Gospel: "Elijah will come and restore all things" (Mt 17:11).

Thus Christians from among the Gentiles have no grounds whatever for boasting over the unconverted Jews. This is especially so because the Gentile Christians themselves were recently far from God, and yet by God's mercy received mercy. In the same way the Jews too can receive mercy.

Moreover, just as the apostasy of the Gentiles was the occasion for the election of the Jews, so now the rejection of the Jews has become the occasion for the calling of the Gentiles. Therefore all nations, like the Jews, are sinful, and all can be saved by the mercy of God.

In explanation of this passage Ambrosiaster writes: "The Jews were struck with blindness only for a time, and among them only those who, zealous for the law, did not see that the good things promised by God had come in Jesus Christ the Lord and were being proclaimed.

"By such stumbling they were blinded in part, so that they might suffer for their unbelief, seeing the Gentiles gladly profit from their unbelief and enter into the inheritance of Abraham's promise. But when the full number of the Gentiles comes in, then blindness will fall from the eyes of their mind, and they will be able to believe, and they will believe."

Explaining the words of verse 26, Chrysostom observes: "Since what the Apostle proclaims is important, he brings in as witness the prophet who says the same. He does not offer testimony that blindness occurred, since this is evident.

"But that the Jews will believe and be saved is witnessed by Isaiah, who cries out and says: 'The Deliverer will come from Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.'"

Concerning the words, "For God has shut up all in disobedience," he says: "He convicted all and declared all disobedient, not so that all should remain disobedient, but so that He might save some through the obstinacy of others: the Jews through the Gentiles, and the Gentiles through the Jews."

1 Cor 15:51." Blessed Theodoret adds to this: "A mystery is something known not to all, but to those entrusted with it alone. Therefore the Apostle says: I want to make known to you what mystery concerning the subject of our discussion we know by revelation." In what does this mystery consist? "That blindness in part has happened to Israel." "In part" means either not finally and not forever, but only for a definite time. Or it means that not all were subjected to this blindness through unbelief, but that there are also believers. Or it means both together: part believed, and part remains in blindness, yet one must not despair even of them. They too will believe afterward, when blindness falls from their eyes. He called the state of the unbelieving Jews blindness because a veil truly lay over the eyes of their mind. This was because of their attachment to the law, which did not allow them to see concerning Christ the Lord. They did not believe because of error. When the errors are scattered, they will believe. When? "When the fullness of the Gentiles has entered." Israel's blindness will continue until "all the Gentiles foreknown by God" enter the enclosure of faith; Blessed Theophylact. "After the Gentiles receive the preaching, they too will believe, when the great Elijah comes and announces to them the teaching of the faith. The Lord also spoke this in the Holy Gospel: 'Elijah will come and restore all things'; cf. Mt 17:11"; Blessed Theodoret. Ambrosiaster writes: "The Jews have been struck with blindness only for a time, and among them only those who, being zealous for the law, did not see that the good things promised by God had come and were proclaimed in Jesus Christ the Lord. Thus they were blinded by unreasonable zeal. Thinking that the law of works must never cease, they are zealous for the Sabbath. By such stumbling they have been partly blinded, so that they might suffer for their unbelief. They see how the Gentiles joyfully profit from their unbelief and enter the inheritance of Abraham's promise. But when the full number of the Gentiles has entered, then blindness will fall from the eyes of their mind. They will be able to believe, and they will believe. The spirit of stupor that brings blindness upon them will depart from their heart and restore freedom to their good will. Their unbelief is not from evil will, but from error. They will be corrected and saved." The Apostle communicates this revelation to the brethren, that is, to the whole assembly of Roman believers, both Jews and Gentiles. He communicates it for this reason: "that you may not be wise in your own opinion." Perhaps by this he wishes to spare them the labor of investigating and resolving the present perplexity concerning the rejection of the Jews and the calling of the Gentiles. It is as though he said: lest you rack your brains over this and mistakenly come to false conclusions, which will nevertheless seem true to you and thereby puff you up. Or it may be understood thus: the Romans were more educated than others. It was natural for them to attribute to themselves a certain superiority over others, especially after the enlightenment of faith. Faith communicated views embracing all that exists, from the beginning to the last days and throughout all eternity. Therefore the Apostle says: lest you imagine yourselves already to know everything, I communicate to you an astonishing, ineffable, and unknown mystery of God's providence concerning all men. It concerns the rejection of the Jews for a time and the calling of the Gentiles. Understand and humble yourselves; see Gennadius in Oecumenius. Blessed Theodoret seems to have had something similar in mind when he wrote: "So that you, considering yourselves very intelligent, may not therefore form a high opinion of yourselves."