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Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior and of Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, To Timothy, my own son in

faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

1. Great was the dignity of the Apostle, great and wonderful; and everywhere we see Paul setting forth the grounds of his dignity, not as one seizing the honor, but as one entrusted with it, and under constraint. For when he calls himself "called," and when he says, "By the will of God," and again elsewhere, "For a necessity is laid upon me," and when he says he was "separated" for this, all these things are a removal of ambition and arrogance. For just as one who leaps upon an honor not given by God is worthy of the utmost blame, so he who evades and shrinks from it is responsible for other charges, of disobedience and contumacy. Paul, therefore, says this now at the beginning of the Epistle to Timothy, speaking thus, "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God." He did not say here, "Paul, called," but, "By commandment." For so that Timothy might not feel anything human, thinking that he was conversing with him as with an equal and with his disciples, for this reason he began thus. And where did God command him? The Spirit is found saying in the Acts of the Apostles, "Separate me Paul and Barnabas." And everywhere writing he adds the name of Apostle, teaching the hearer not to think that the things being said are human; for the Apostle would say nothing of his own; and having said "Apostle," he immediately directs the hearer's mind to the one who sent him. For this reason he places this at the beginning of all his epistles, making the word trustworthy, and speaks thus: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior." And yet nowhere does the Father appear to have commanded, but everywhere Christ speaks with him. For what does he say? "Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles;" and again, "You must stand before Caesar." But whatever the Son commands, [and] these he says are the commandments of the Father, just as also those of the Spir 62.504 it of the Son. For behold, he was sent out by the Spirit, he was set apart by the Spirit, and he says it is a commandment of God. What then? Does the fact that his Apostle was sent by the commandment of the Father diminish the authority of the Son? By no means; for see how he made it common. For having said, "By the commandment of God our Savior," he added, "And of Lord Christ Jesus, our hope." See how appropriately he has placed the titles. And indeed the Psalmist says this concerning the Father, saying, "The hope of all the ends of the earth;" and again the blessed Paul, writing elsewhere, says, "For to this end we toil and are reproached, because we have hoped in the living and true God." It is necessary for the teacher to endure dangers, and many more than the disciples. "For I will strike the shepherd," he says, "and the sheep will be scattered." Since this happens, therefore, the devil breathes more fiercely against them, since in their destruction the flock is also scattered. For by killing the sheep, he has diminished the flock; but by removing the shepherd, he has ruined the entire flock. Since, therefore, with less labor he accomplishes more, and in one soul ruins the whole, he sets upon these more. For this reason, straight from the beginning he raises his soul, saying, "We have God as our Savior, and Christ as our hope." We suffer many things, but we have great hopes; we are in danger, we are plotted against, but we have one who saves, not a man, but God. Therefore, neither is the one who saves weak, for He is God, and whatever the dangers may be, they will not overcome us; nor is our hope put to shame, for it is Christ. For by these two things we bear the dangers, either quickly

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Παῦλος ἀπόστολος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ κατ' ἐπιταγὴν Θεοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καὶ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τῆς ἐλπίδος ἡμῶν, Τιμοθέῳ γνησίῳ τέκνῳ ἐν

πίστει, χάρις, ἔλεος, εἰρήνη ἀπὸ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν.

αʹ. Μέγα τὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου ἀξίωμα ἦν, μέγα καὶ θαυμαστόν· καὶ πανταχοῦ ὁρῶμεν τὸν Παῦλον προτιθέντα τὰς αἰτίας τοῦ ἀξιώματος, οὐχ ὡς ἁρπάζοντα τὴν τιμὴν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐγχειρισθέντα, καὶ ἀνάγκην ἔχοντα. Καὶ γὰρ ὅταν λέγῃ κλητὸν ἑαυτὸν, καὶ ὅταν λέγῃ, ∆ιὰ θελήματος Θεοῦ, καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ, Ἀνάγκη γάρ μοι ἐπίκειται, καὶ ὅταν εἰς τοῦτο ἀφωρίσθαι λέγῃ, ταῦτα πάντα ἀναίρεσις φιλοτιμίας καὶ ἀλαζονείας ἐστίν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ἐπιπηδῶν μὴ δεδομένῃ παρὰ Θεοῦ τιμῇ, μέμψεως ἄξιος τῆς ἐσχάτης· οὕτως ὁ διακρουόμενος καὶ ἀποπηδῶν, ἑτέρων ἐστὶν ἐγκλημάτων ὑπεύθυνος, παρακοῆς καὶ ἀπειθείας. Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ νῦν ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς πρὸς Τιμόθεον ἐπιστολῆς ὁ Παῦλός φησιν, οὕτω λέγων, Παῦλος ἀπόστολος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ κατ' ἐπιταγὴν Θεοῦ. Οὐκ εἶπεν ἐνταῦθα, Παῦλος κλητὸς, ἀλλὰ, Κατ' ἐπιταγήν. Ἵνα γὰρ μή τι ἀνθρώπινον πάθῃ ὁ Τιμόθεος, νομίζων ἐξ ἴσης αὐτῷ διαλέγεσθαι καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς, διὰ τοῦτο οὕτως ἤρξατο. Καὶ ποῦ ἐπέταξεν αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός; Εὑρίσκεται τὸ Πνεῦμα λέγον ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι τῶν ἀποστόλων, Ἀφορίσατέ μοι τὸν Παῦλον καὶ τὸν Βαρνάβαν. Καὶ πανταχοῦ δὲ γράφων προστίθησι τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Ἀποστόλου, παιδεύων τὸν ἀκούοντα μὴ νομίζειν ἀνθρώπινα εἶναι τὰ λεγόμενα· ὁ γὰρ Ἀπόστολος οὐδὲν ἂν ἴδιον λέγοι· καὶ εἰπὼν Ἀπόστολον, εὐθέως τοῦ ἀκροατοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν εἰς τὸν ἀποστείλαντα παραπέμπει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πασῶν τῶν ἐπιστολῶν τοῦτο προτίθησιν, ἀξιόπιστον τὸν λόγον ποιῶν, καὶ οὕτω λέγων· Παῦλος ἀπόστολος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ κατ' ἐπιταγὴν Θεοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν. Καὶ μὴν οὐδαμοῦ φαίνεται ὁ Πατὴρ ἐπιτάξας, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ ὁ Χριστὸς αὐτῷ διαλέγεται· τί γάρ φησι; Πορεύου, ὅτι ἐγὼ εἰς ἔθνη μακρὰν ἀποστελῶ σε· καὶ πάλιν, Καίσαρί σε δεῖ παραστῆναι. Ἀλλ' ἅπερ ἂν ὁ Υἱὸς ἐπιτάξῃ, [καὶ] ταῦτα τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐπιτάγματα λέγει εἶναι, ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ τοῦ Πνεύ 62.504 ματος τοῦ Υἱοῦ. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἐξεπέμφθη, ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἀφωρίσθη ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος, καί φησιν ἐπιταγὴν εἶναι Θεοῦ. Τί οὖν; μὴ ἄρα ἐλαττοῖ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τὸ τὸν Ἀπόστολον αὐτοῦ κατ' ἐπιταγὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς πεπέμφθαι; Οὐδαμῶς· ὅρα γὰρ πῶς αὐτὴν κοινὴν ἐποίησεν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Κατ' ἐπιταγὴν Θεοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, ἐπήγαγε, Καὶ Κυρίου Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, τῆς ἐλπίδος ἡμῶν. Ὅρα πῶςκυρίως τὰ ἐπώνυμα τέθεικε. Καὶ μὴν ὁ Ψαλμῳδὸς περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς τοῦτό φησι, λέγων, Ἡ ἐλπὶς πάντων τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς· καὶ πάλιν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος γράφων ἑτέρωθί φησιν, Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ κοπιῶμεν καὶ ὀνειδιζόμεθα, ὅτι ἠλπίκαμεν ἐπὶ Θεῷ ζῶντι καὶ ἀληθινῷ. Τὸν διδάσκαλον ἀναγκαῖον κινδύνους ὑπομένειν, καὶ πολλῷ τῶν μαθητῶν πλείονας. Πατάξω γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν ποιμένα, καὶ διασκορπισθήσεται τὰ πρόβατα. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τοῦτο γίνεται, σφοδρότερον κατ' αὐτῶν ὁ διάβολος πνεῖ, ἅτε ἐν τῇ τούτων ἀναιρέσει καὶ τοῦ ποιμνίου διασπειρομένου. Πρόβατα μὲν γὰρ ἀποκτείνας, τὸ ποίμνιον ἠλάττωσε· τὸν δὲ ποιμένα ἐκ μέσου ποιήσας, ὁλόκληρον τὴν ποίμνην ἐλυμήνατο. Ἅτε οὖν ἐν ἐλάττονι πόνῳ μείζονα ἐργαζόμενος, καὶ ἐν μιᾷ ψυχῇ τὸ πᾶν λυμαινόμενος, τούτοις ἐφίσταται μᾶλλον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εὐθέως ἐκ προοιμίων αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀνιστᾷ λέγων, Σωτῆρα τὸν Θεὸν ἔχομεν, καὶ ἐλπίδα τὸν Χριστόν. Πολλὰ πάσχομεν, ἀλλ' ἔχομεν ἐλπίδας μεγάλας· κινδυνεύομεν, ἐπιβουλευόμεθα, ἀλλ' ἔχομεν σώζοντα, οὐκ ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ Θεόν. Οὔτε οὖν ὁ σώζων ἀσθενεῖ· Θεὸς γάρ ἐστι, καὶ οἷοι ἐὰν ὦσιν οἱ κίνδυνοι, οὐ περιέσονται ἡμῶν· οὔτε ἡ ἐλπὶς καταισχύνεται· Χριστὸς γάρ ἐστι. ∆ύο γὰρ τούτοις φέρομεν τοὺς κινδύνους, ἢ ταχέως