The Dwelling of Sin
I do it. But where, even in the life of men, have the names of virtues been found? If they are indeed active in doing what is good, even if those doing this were few, will not all say so? Yet we know that good does not dwell in us; for whatever they desired to be good, this is what they practice. But if those who are active in the good exist in the flesh doing this, and those who do not do this but are in the flesh doing evil, is it not the flesh that is the cause of the good not happening by turning away, but rather the softness of their soul?
For if to those desiring to do the good, evil is a neighbor, and likewise to those desiring to do evil, good is not a guest, yet having foreseen and having intended, they arrive at such great activities, is it not that our bodies are not evil in nature and essence? For of our practical actions, counsel and will go before, the soul having this faculty of mind, being able to flow toward the actions it wills. Now I no longer work this, but the sin dwelling in me. He explained through this logical point that the flesh is not naturally evil; for it is not the flesh in which we are surrounded that dwells in us, but the devil dwelling in lawlessness. For that which I say is: Christ dwells in every righteous person working the good, while I think the same manner of way the devil dwells in every evildoer.
Therefore, it is not that we are evil because we have flesh, but the sin dwelling in us, being something else besides the flesh and the soul of the man; for it is said especially in the soul that the devil dwells in, according to how Satan entered into the heart of Judas (John 13:2), and according to Ananias, 'Why has Satan filled your heart?' (Acts 5:3). And it is indeed good to say, 'I no longer work this, but the sin dwelling in me'; for the preparation goes before the work much like, so to speak, the preparation of a house or a temple; and the preparation is that which is the groundwork of the matter. Thus, the sin dwelling in those who sin—that is, the devil—concedes in our thoughts that he prepares beforehand the idea of the evil to come, the construction, of the soul cooperating with him in the wickedness, just as the womb of a female prepares for the sowing to be brought to completion.
And since evil thoughts come out of the heart (Matthew 12:34), from the seizure occurring of the devil, the divine word has cried out: taking thoughts captive and lifting up every height against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5). Just as for the well-disposed souls the Holy Spirit is said to toil together, according to the saying, 'I have labored more than all,' not I, but the grace of God with me, so also, if a yielding soul is persuaded by the incitements of the devil, it has a co-worker in the evil, the devil himself; for he also prepared beforehand in it the pattern of the coming sin. For this reason it is said, 'I no longer work this, but the sin dwelling in me.'
Greek
πράσσω. πόθεν δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίῳ 5 ἀρετῶν ὀνόματα εὑρέθη; εἰ δέ εἰσιν ἐνεργοῦντες τὸ καλόν, κἂν ὀλίγοι εἶεν οἱ τοῦτο δρῶντες, ἄρ' οὐχ οἱ πάντες φήσουσιν· οἴδαμεν δὲ ὅτι οὐκ οἰκεῖ ἐν ἡμῖν ἀγαθόν· ὃ γὰρ ἠθέλησαν ἀγαθόν, τοῦτο πράττουσιν. εἰ δὲ οἱ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐνεργοῦντες ἐν σαρκὶ ὑπάρχοντες τοῦτο ἐνεργοῦσιν, καὶ οἱ τοῦτο μὴ ποιοῦντες ἀλλὰ τὸ κακὸν ἐν σαρκί εἰσίν, ἄρ' οὐ τῇ σαρκὶ τὸ αἴτιον τοῦ μὴ γίνεσθαι τὸ ἀγαθὸν περιαπτέον, ἀλλὰ τῇ τούτων μαλακοψυχίᾳ. εἰ γὰρ τοῖς ἐθέλουσι τὸ καλὸν ποιῆσαι παροικεῖται τὸ κακόν, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐθέλουσι κακοεργεῖν οὐ καλὸν παράκειται, προνοήσαντες δὲ καὶ προθελήσαντες ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἐνεργείας ἔρχονται, ἄρ' οὐ φύσει καὶ οὐσίᾳ τὰ σώματα ἡμῶν ἐστι φαῦλα· τῶν γὰρ πρακτέων ἡμῶν προηγεῖται βουλὴ καὶ θέλησις, ψυχῆς δὲ ταῦτα φρόνημα ἐχούσης αὐτεξούσιον, ῥέψαι δυναμένης πρὸς ἃς βούλεται πράξεις. Νυνὶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγὼ κατεργάζομαι αὐτό, ἀλλ' ἡ οἰκοῦσα ἐν ἐμοὶ ἁμαρτία. ἀπελογήσατο διὰ τούτου τοῦ λογίου, ὅτι περ οὐ φαύλη κατὰ φύσιν ἡ σάρξ· οὐ γὰρ ἡ σὰρξ ἣν περικείμεθα οἰκεῖ ἐν ἡμῖν, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐν τοῖς παρανόμοις οἰκῶν διάβολος. ᾧ γὰρ λέγω· Χριστὸς οἰκεῖ ἐν παντὶ δικαίῳ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐργαζομένῳ, τὸν αὐτὸν οἶμαι τρόπον οἰκεῖν τὸν διάβολον ἐν παντὶ κακοποιῷ. οὐκοῦν οὐχ ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν καθὸ σάρκα ἔχομεν πονηροί, ἀλλ' ἡ οἰκοῦσα ἐν ἡμῖν ἁμαρτία, ἄλλη τις οὖσα παρὰ τὴν σάρκα καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου· καὶ γὰρ ἐν ψυχῇ μάλιστα λέγεται ἐπιχωριάζειν ὁ διάβολος κατὰ τὸ εἰσῆλθεν ὁ σατανᾶς εἰς τὴν καρδίαν Ἰούδα, καὶ κατὰ τὸ Ἀνανία, ἵνα τί ἐπλήρωσεν ὁ σατανᾶς τὴν καρδίαν σου; εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ εἰπεῖν οὐκέτι ἐγὼ κατεργάζομαι αὐτὸ ἀλλ' ἡ οἰκοῦσα ἐν ἐμοὶ ἁμαρτία· ἔργου γὰρ καὶ κατέργου πολὺ τὸ μέσον, διότι τοῦ ἔργου προηγεῖται τὸ κάτεργον ὡς φέρε εἰπεῖν οἰκίας ἢ νηός· τὸ δὲ κάτεργον, τοῦτ' ἔστι τῆς ὕλης ἡ προπαρασκευή. ἡ τοίνυν οἰκοῦσα ἐν τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν ἁμαρτία, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ὁ σατανᾶς, ὁμολογουμένως ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἡμῶν προκατεργάζεται τοῦ ἐσομένου κακοῦ τῆς ἰδέας, τὴν κατασκευήν, τῆς ὑποδεξαμένης αὐτὸν ψυχῆς συμπραττούσης αὐτῷ τῆς κακίας καθάπερ τοῖς σπείρουσιν ἡ τῆς θήλεος μήτρα πρὸς τὸ 3 τελεσφορηθῆναι τὸ σπαρέν. καὶ ἐπειδήπερ ἐκ τῆς καρδίας ἐκπορεύονται λογισμοὶ πονηροί, ἐκ τῆς γενομένης τοῦ διαβόλου συλλήψεως, κέκραγε τὸ θεῖον λόγιον· λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ. ὥσπερ τοίνυν ταῖς φιλαρέτοις ψυχαῖς τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα συγκοπιᾶν λέγεται κατὰ τὸ περισσότερον πάντων ἐκοπίασα, οὐκ ἐγὼ δὲ ἀλλ' ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ σὺν ἐμοί, οὕτω δὴ ἐπὰν ῥᾴθυμος ψυχὴ ταῖς 6 τοῦ διαβόλου προτροπαῖς πεισθῇ, συνεργὸν ἔχει πρὸς τὸ κακὸν αὐτὸν τὸν διάβολον· αὐτὸς γὰρ καὶ τὸν τύπον τῆς ἐσομένης ἁμαρτίας προκατειργάσατο ἐν αὐτῇ. ὅτου χάριν εἴρηται οὐκέτι ἐγὼ κατεργάζομαι αὐτό, ἀλλ' ἡ οἰκοῦσα ἐν ἐμοὶ ἁμαρτία. 4
About this text
Eusebius of Emesa on Romans (catena fragments).
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (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.