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a branded slave of Christ, For I, he says, bear the marks of Christ. The prisoner of Christ. For on account of Him he was bound.

Who 62.704 would not be ashamed, who would not be abashed, hearing of the bonds of Christ? who would not even give up his life, let alone one servant? And Timothy our brother. He takes another also with himself, so that he too, being entreated by many, might be more inclined to yield and to grant the favor. To Philemon our beloved, and our fellow-worker. If beloved, his confidence is not boldness nor forwardness, but a proof of great friendship; if a fellow-worker, he ought not only to be asked on behalf of such persons, but even to be thankful; for he does a favor to himself, the same work is built up. So that even without an entreaty, he says, you have another necessity to grant the favor; for if he is useful to the Gospel, and you are zealous for the Gospel, then you ought not to be asked, but to ask. And to Apphia our beloved. It seems to me she was his wife. See the humility of Paul; he both takes Timothy with him for the entreaty, and entreats not the husband only, but also the wife, and some other person, perhaps a friend. And to Archippus, he says, our fellow-soldier. Not wishing to accomplish such things by command, nor being indignant if one does not immediately obey his command, but what an unknown man 62.705 might do, this he asks them also to do, so that they might take up the supplication.

For not only to be entreated by many, but also for the supplication to be made to many, contributes something to the accomplishment of what is requested. For this reason he said: And to Archippus our fellow-soldier. If you are a fellow-soldier, you ought to share in these things also. This is that Archippus, of whom writing to the Colossians he said: Say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfill it. It seems to me that this man was also numbered among the clergy; whom he also takes with him in the entreaty, and calls a fellow-soldier, so that he might help in every way. And to the Church in your house. He has not passed over the slaves here; for he knows that often the words of slaves are able to subvert their master, and especially when the entreaty is on behalf of a slave; and those who were most likely to provoke him, perhaps were they. Therefore he does not allow them to fall into envy, having honored them with this address together with their masters. But neither does he permit the master to be indignant. For if he had spoken by name, perhaps he would have been indignant; but if he had not mentioned them, he might have been displeased.

See, therefore, how prudently he found a way through this mention both to honor them with the remembrance, and not to offend him. For the name of the Church does not permit masters to be indignant, if indeed they are numbered together with their servants. For the Church knows no difference of master, knows no difference of servant; by right actions and sins it defines this one and that one. If, therefore, it is a Church, be not indignant, that the slave was addressed with you; For in Christ Jesus there is neither slave nor free. Grace to you and peace. He brought him to the remembrance of his own sins, by reminding him of grace. Consider, he says, how many things God has forgiven you, how by grace you were saved; imitate your Master. And he prays for peace for him; with good reason. For it too comes then, when we imitate Him, when grace abides; since even that slave who was unmerciful toward his fellow-slave, as long as he did not demand the hundred denarii, the master's grace remained; but when he demanded them, it was taken away and he was delivered to the tormentors.

2. Let us therefore, considering these things, be compassionate, ready to forgive

those who sin against us. The sins against us here are a hundred denarii, but those by us against God are ten thousand talents. And know that sins are judged also by the quality of the persons. For instance: He who has insulted a private citizen, has sinned, but not in the same way as he who has insulted a magistrate; and more greatly than this, he who has insulted the

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στιγματίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ, Ἐγὼ γὰρ τὰ στίγματα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, φησὶ, βαστάζω. Ὁ δέσμιος τοῦ Χριστοῦ. ∆ιὰ γὰρ αὐτὸν δέδετο.

Τίς 62.704 οὐκ ἂν αἰδεσθείη, τίς οὐκ ἂν δυσωπηθείη, Χριστοῦ δεσμὰ ἀκούων; τίς οὐκ ἂν καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν πρόοιτο, μήτι γε οἰκέτην ἕνα; Καὶ Τιμόθεος ὁ ἀδελφός. Συμπαραλαμβάνει καὶ ἕτερον μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ, ὥστε κἀκεῖνον ὑπὸ πολλῶν ἀξιούμενον μᾶλλον εἶξαι καὶ δοῦναι τὴν χάριν. Φιλήμονι τῷ ἀγαπητῷ, καὶ συνεργῷ ἡμῶν. Εἰ ἀγαπητὸς, οὐ τόλμα τὸ θαῤῥεῖν οὐδὲ προπέτεια, ἀλλὰ πολλῆς φιλίας δεῖγμα· εἰ συνεργὸς, οὐ μόνον ἀξιοῦσθαι ὑπὲρ τῶν τοιούτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ χάριν εἰδέναι ὀφείλει· ἑαυτῷ γὰρ χαρίζεται, τὸ αὐτὸ ἔργον οἰκοδομεῖται. Ὥστε καὶ χωρὶς ἀξιώσεως ἑτέραν ἀνάγκην, φησὶν, ἔχεις τοῦ δοῦναι τὴν χάριν· εἰ γὰρ τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ ἐστὶ χρήσιμος, σὺ δὲ εἰς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον σπουδάζεις, ἄρα οὐκ ἀξιωθῆναι, ἀλλ' ἀξιῶσαι ὀφείλεις. Καὶ Ἀπφίᾳ τῇ ἀγαπητῇ. Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ σύμβιον εἶναι τούτου. Ὅρα Παύλου τὸ ταπεινόν· καὶ Τιμόθεον παραλαμβάνει πρὸς τὴν ἀξίωσιν, καὶ οὐ τὸν ἄνδρα μόνον ἀξιοῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ ἕτερόν τινα ἴσως φίλον. Καὶ Ἀρχίππῳ, φησὶ, τῷ συστρατιώτῃ ἡμῶν. Οὐκ ἐξ ἐπιτάγματος βουλόμενος τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀνύειν, οὐδὲ ἀγανακτῶν, εἰ μὴ εὐθέως κελεύσαντι ὑπακούει, ἀλλ' ἅπερ ἂν ἀνὴρ 62.705 ἄγνωστος ἐποίει, ταῦτα ποιεῖν κἀκείνους ἀξιοῖ, ὥστε ἀντιλαβέσθαι τῆς δεήσεως.

Οὐ γὰρ τὸ παρὰ πολλῶν ἀξιοῦσθαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ πρὸς πολλοὺς τὴν δέησιν γενέσθαι, φέρει τι εἰς τὸ ἀνυσθῆναι τὸ ἀξιούμενον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγε· Καὶ Ἀρχίππῳ τῷ συστρατιώτῃ ἡμῶν. Εἰ συστρατιώτης εἶ, καὶ ἐν τούτοις κοινωνεῖν ὀφείλεις. Οὗτος δέ ἐστιν Ἄρχιππος, περὶ οὗ γράφων Κολοσσαεῦσιν ἔλεγεν· Εἴπατε Ἀρχίππῳ, βλέπε τὴν διακονίαν, ἣν παρέλαβες ἐν Κυρίῳ, ἵνα αὐτὴν πληροῖς. ∆οκεῖ μοι οὗτος καὶ εἶναι τῶν ἐν κλήρῳ κατειλεγμένων· ὃν καὶ παραλαμβάνει εἰς τὴν ἀξίωσιν, καὶ συστρατιώτην καλεῖ, ὥστε παντὶ τρόπῳ συνάρασθαι. Καὶ τῇ κατ' οἶκόν σου Ἐκκλησίᾳ. Οὐδὲ δούλους παρῆκεν ἐνταῦθα· οἶδε γὰρ πολλάκις καὶ ῥήματα δούλων ἀνατρέψαι δυνάμενα τὸν δεσπότην, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν ὑπὲρ δούλου ἡ ἀξίωσις ᾖ· οἱ δὲ μάλιστα παροξύνοντες, ἴσως ἐκεῖνοι ἦσαν. Οὐ τοίνυν ἀφίησιν αὐτοὺς εἰς φθόνον ἐμπεσεῖν, τῇ προσηγορίᾳ τιμήσας μετὰ τῶν δεσποτῶν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὸν δεσπότην ἀγανακτῆσαι συγχωρεῖ. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὀνομαστὶ εἶπεν, ἴσως ἂν ἠγανάκτησεν· εἰ δὲ μὴ ἐμνήσθη, κἂν ἐδυσχέρανεν.

Ὅρα οὖν, πῶς συνετῶς εὗρε διὰ τοῦ μνησθῆναι καὶ τούτους τῇ μνήμῃ τιμῆσαι, κἀκεῖνον μὴ πλῆξαι. Τὸ γὰρ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὄνομα οὐκ ἀφίησι τοὺς δεσπότας ἀγανακτεῖν, εἴ γε συναριθμοῖντο τοῖς οἰκέταις. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ Ἐκκλησία οὐκ οἶδε δεσπότου, οὐκ οἶδεν οἰκέτου διαφοράν· ἀπὸ κατορθωμάτων καὶ ἁμαρτημάτων τοῦτον κἀκεῖνον ὁρίζει. Εἰ τοίνυν Ἐκκλησία ἐστὶ, μὴ ἀγανάκτει, ὅτι μετὰ σοῦ προσηγορεύθη ὁ δοῦλος· Ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ οὐ δοῦλος, οὐκ ἐλεύθερος· Χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη. Εἰς ὑπόμνησιν αὐτὸν ἤνεγκε τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων, τῆς χάριτος ὑπομνήσας. Ἐννόησον, φησὶν, ὅσα σοι συνεχώρησεν ὁ Θεὸς, πῶς χάριτι σὺ ἐσώθης· μίμησαι τὸν ∆εσπότην. Ἐπεύχεται δὲ αὐτῷ τὴν εἰρήνην· εἰκότως. Τότε γὰρ παραγίνεται καὶ αὐτὴ, ὅταν μιμώμεθα αὐτὸν, ὅταν ἐπιμένῃ ἡ χάρις· ἐπεῖ κἀκεῖνος ὁ δοῦλος ὁ περὶ τὸν σύνδουλον ἀνηλεὴς γεγονὼς, ἕως ὅτε οὐκ ἀπῄτει τὰ ἑκατὸν δηνάρια, καὶ ἡ χάρις ἔμενεν ἡ δεσποτική· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀπῄτησεν, ἀφῃρέθη καὶ παρεδόθη τοῖς βασανισταῖς.

βʹ. Ταῦτα δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐννοοῦντες, οἰκτίρμονες ὦμεν, συγγνωμονικοὶ περὶ

τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας εἰς ἡμᾶς. Ἑκατὸν δηνάριά ἐστιν ἐνταῦθα τὰ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἁμαρτήματα, τὰ δὲ εἰς τὸν Θεὸν παρ' ἡμῶν, μυρία τάλαντα. Ἴστε δὲ, ὅτι καὶ τῇ ποιότητι τῶν προσώπων τὰ ἁμαρτήματα κρίνονται. Οἷόν τι λέγω· Ὁ τὸν ἰδιώτην ὑβρίσας, ἥμαρτεν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁμοίως ὡς ὁ τὸν ἄρχοντα· καὶ μειζόνως τούτου ὁ τὸν