John Chrysostom, On Romans

to the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. But writing to the Corinthians he said: "If it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me," speaking of those who were carrying these funds there. From which it is clear, that when he wrote to the Corinthians, his own journey of this kind was doubtful; but when to the Romans, it was finally settled. This being acknowledged, that also is clear, that this Epistle is after those ones. And the one to the Thessalonians seems to me to be before the Epistle to the Corinthians. For having written to them first, and having initiated the subject of almsgiving with them, when he said: "But concerning brotherly love we have no need to write to you; for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for you also do it toward all the brethren;" then he wrote to the Corinthians. And this he himself makes clear, saying: "For I know your readiness, of which I boast on your behalf to the Macedonians, that Achaia has been prepared since last year; and your zeal has stirred up the greater number." From which he showed that he had discussed this with them first. Therefore, this Epistle is after these, but the first of those from Rome; for he had not yet set foot in the city of the Romans, when he wrote this Epistle; and this he makes clear, saying: "For I long 60.393 to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift." But from Rome he wrote to the Philippians; wherefore he says, "All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household." And to the Hebrews likewise from there; wherefore he says that those from Italy greet them all. And the Epistle to Timothy he also sent from Rome as a prisoner; which also seems to me to be the last of all the Epistles; and this is clear from the end: "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering," he says, "and the time of my departure is at hand." That he ended his life there is surely clear to everyone. The one to Philemon is also a late one; for he wrote it in extreme old age; wherefore he also said: "as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner in Christ Jesus;" however, it is before the one to the Colossians; and this is clear from the end again. For writing to the Colossians he says that "Tychicus will make known to you all things, whom I have sent with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother." And this was the Onesimus for whom he composed the Epistle to Philemon. And that this was not another of the same name is clear also from Archippus; for the one whom he took as a fellow worker in the Epistle to Philemon in the appeal for Onesimus, this one writing to the Colossians he rouses, saying: "Say to Archippus: 'See to the ministry which you have received, that you may fulfill it.'" And the one to the Galatians seems to me to be before the one to the Romans. But if in the books they have a different order, it is no wonder; since also the twelve prophets, not being consecutive to one another in time, but widely separated from one another, are placed consecutively in the order of the books. At any rate Haggai and Zechariah and others prophesied after Ezekiel and Daniel, and many after Jonah and Zephaniah and all the others; but nevertheless they are joined to all those from whom they are so separated in time. 2. Let no one consider this labor a secondary matter, nor such an investigation to be of superfluous curiosity; for the time of the Epistles contributes not a little to us for the things being sought. For when I see him writing to the Romans and Colossians about the same things, but not in the same way about the same things, but to the former with much condescension, as when he says: "But him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations; For one believes he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eats herbs;" but to the Colossians not so concerning the same things, but with greater boldness; "Wherefore if ye be dead," he says, "with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not;)? which all are to perish with the using; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh;" I find no other reason for this difference, than the

τοῖς ἁγίοις. Εὐδόκησαν γὰρ Μακεδονία καὶ Ἀχαΐα κοινωνίαν τινὰ ποιήσασθαι εἰς τοὺς πτωχοὺς τῶν ἁγίων τῶν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ. Κορινθίοις δὲ ἐπιστέλλων ἔλεγεν· Ἐὰν ᾖ ἄξιον τοῦ καὶ ἐμὲ πορεύεσθαι, σὺν ἐμοὶ πορεύσονται, περὶ τῶν ἀποκομιζόντων ἐκεῖσε τὰ χρήματα ταῦτα λέγων. Ὅθεν δῆλον, ὅτι ἡνίκα μὲν ἐπέστελλε Κορινθίοις, ἀμφίβολον ἦν τὸ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀποδημίας αὐτοῦ· ὅτε δὲ Ῥωμαίοις, ἦν κεκυρωμένον λοιπόν. Τούτου δὲ ὁμολογουμένου, κἀκεῖνο δῆλον, ὅτι αὕτη μετ' ἐκείνας ἡ Ἐπιστολή. Καὶ ἡ πρὸς Θεσσαλονικεῖς δὲ ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ προτέρα τῆς πρὸς Κορινθίους Ἐπιστολῆς εἶναι. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνοις πρότερον ἐπιστείλας, καὶ τὸν τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης πρὸς αὐτοὺς κινήσας λόγον, ὅτε ἔλεγε· Περὶ δὲ τῆς φιλαδελφίας οὐ χρείαν ἔχομεν γράφειν ὑμῖν· αὐτοὶ γὰρ ὑμεῖς θεοδίδακτοί ἐστε εἰς τὸ ἀγαπᾷν ἀλλήλους· καὶ γὰρ ποιεῖτε αὐτὸ πρὸς πάντας τοὺς ἀδελφούς· τότε Κορινθίοις ἐπέστελλε. Καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ δηλοῖ λέγων· Οἶδα γὰρ ἐγὼ τὴν προθυμίαν ὑμῶν, ἣν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν καυχῶμαι Μακεδόσιν, ὅτι Ἀχαΐα παρεσκεύασται ἀπὸ πέρυσι· καὶ ὁ ἐξ ὑμῶν ζῆλος ἠρέθισε τοὺς πλείονας. Ἐξ ὧν ἔδειξεν, ὅτι πρώτοις ἐκείνοις περὶ τούτου διελέχθη. Τούτων μὲν οὖν ὑστέρα τῶν Ἐπιστολῶν αὕτη, τῶν δὲ ἀπὸ Ῥώμης πρώτη· οὐδέπω γὰρ ἦν τῆς Ῥωμαίων πόλεως ἐπιβὰς, ἡνίκα ταύτην ἔγραφε τὴν Ἐπιστολήν· καὶ τοῦτο δηλοῖ λέγων· Ἐπιποθῶ γὰρ 60.393 ἰδεῖν ὑμᾶς, ἵνα τι μεταδῶ χάρισμα ὑμῖν πνευματικόν. Ἀπὸ Ῥώμης δὲ Φιλιππησίοις ἐπέστελλε· διό φησιν, Ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς οἱ ἅγιοι πάντες, μάλιστα οἱ ἐκ τῆς Καίσαρος οἰκίας. Καὶ Ἑβραίοις δὲ ἐκεῖθεν ὁμοίως· διό φησι, τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰταλίας ἀσπάζεσθαι πάντας αὐτούς. Καὶ τὴν πρὸς Τιμόθεον δὲ Ἐπιστολὴν καὶ αὐτὴν ἀπὸ Ῥώμης δεδεμένος ἔπεμψεν· ἢ καὶ ἐσχάτη μοι δοκεῖ πασῶν εἶναι τῶν Ἐπιστολῶν· καὶ δῆλον ἀπὸ τοῦ τέλους· Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἤδη σπένδομαι, φησὶ, καὶ ὁ καιρὸς τῆς ἐμῆς ἀναλύσεως ἐφέστηκεν. Ὅτι δὲ τὸν βίον ἐκεῖ κατέλυσε, παντί που δῆλόν ἐστιν. Ἡ δὲ πρὸς Φιλήμονα ἐσχάτη μὲν καὶ αὕτη· πρὸς γὰρ ἐσχάτῳ γήρᾳ αὐτὴν ἔγραψε· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Ὡς Παῦλος πρεσβύτης, νυνὶ δὲ καὶ δέσμιος ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· τῆς μέντοι πρὸς Κολοσσαεῖς προτέρα· καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τοῦ τέλους δῆλον πάλιν. Κολοσσαεῦσι γὰρ γράφων φησὶν, ὅτι Τυχικὸς πάντα γνωρίσει ὑμῖν, ὃν ἔπεμψα σὺν Ὀνησίμῳ τῷ πιστῷ καὶ ἀγαπητῷ ἀδελφῷ. Ὀνήσιμος δὲ οὗτος ἦν, ὑπὲρ οὗ τὴν πρὸς Φιλήμονα Ἐπιστολὴν συνέθηκε. Καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἦν ἄλλος οὗτος ὁμώνυμος ἐκείνῳ, δῆλον καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀρχίππου· ὃν γὰρ ἔλαβε συνεργὸν ἐν τῇ πρὸς Φιλήμονα Ἐπιστολῇ τῆς παρακλήσεως τῆς ὑπὲρ Ὀνησίμου, τοῦτον Κολοσσαεῦσιν ἐπιστέλλων διεγείρει, λέγων· Εἴπατε Ἀρχίππῳ· Βλέπε τὴν διακονίαν, ἣν παρέλαβες, ἵνα αὐτὴν πληροῖς. ∆οκεῖ δέ μοι καὶ ἡ πρὸς Γαλάτας προτέρα εἶναι τῆς πρὸς Ῥωμαίους. Εἰ δὲ ἐν ταῖς βίβλοις ἑτέραν ἔχουσι τάξιν, θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν· ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ προφῆται οἱ δώδεκα οὐκ ἐφεξῆς ἀλλήλοις ὄντες κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους, ἀλλὰ πολὺ διεστηκότες ἀλλήλων, ἐν τῇ τῶν βιβλίων τάξει ἐφεξῆς εἰσι κείμενοι. Ὁ γοῦν Ἀγγαῖος καὶ Ζαχαρίας καὶ ἄλλοι μετὰ τὸν Ἰεζεκιὴλ καὶ ∆ανιὴλ προεφήτευσαν, καὶ πολλοὶ μετὰ τὸν Ἰωνᾶν καὶ τὸν Σοφονίαν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους δὲ πάντας· ἀλλ' ὅμως συνημμένοι πᾶσίν εἰσιν ἐκείνοις, ὧν τοσοῦτον τῷ χρόνῳ διεστήκασι. βʹ. Μηδεὶς δὲ πάρεργον τοῦτον ἡγείσθω τὸν πόνον, μηδὲ περιεργίας περιττῆς τὴν τοιαύτην ἔρευναν· συντελεῖ γὰρ ἡμῖν πρὸς τὰ ζητούμενα οὐ μικρὸν ὁ τῶν Ἐπιστολῶν χρόνος. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδω Ῥωμαίοις καὶ Κολοσσαεῦσιν ὑπὲρ τῶν αὐτῶν μὲν ἐπιστέλλοντα, οὐχ ὁμοίως δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν αὐτῶν, ἀλλ' ἐκείνοις μὲν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς συγκαταβάσεως, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Τὸν δὲ ἀσθενοῦντα τῇ πίστει προσλαμβάνεσθε, μὴ εἰς διακρίσεις διαλογισμῶν· ὃς μὲν πιστεύει φαγεῖν πάντα· ὁ δὲ ἀσθενῶν λάχανα ἐσθίει· Κολοσσαεῦσι δὲ οὐχ οὕτω περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πλείονος παῤῥησίας· Εἰ γὰρ ἀπεθάνετε, φησὶ, σὺν Χριστῷ ἀπὸ τῶν στοιχείων τοῦ κόσμου, τί ὡς ζῶντες ἐν κόσμῳ; δογματίζεσθε, Μὴ ἅψῃ, μηδὲ γεύσῃ, μηδὲ θίγῃς; ἅτινά ἐστι πάντα εἰς φθορὰν τῇ ἀποχρήσει, οὐκ ἐν τιμῇ τινι πρὸς πλησμονὴν τῆς σαρκός· οὐδὲν ἄλλο αἴτιον εὑρίσκω τῆς διαφορᾶς ταύτης, ἢ τὸν τῶν