John Chrysostom, On Timothy

to what is fitting. He has manifested, he says, in due times His word through preaching, with which I have been entrusted; that is, the preaching. For this had all things, the gospel, both things here and things to come, life, godliness, faith, all things together. Through preaching; that is, openly, with boldness; for this is what is meant by, "Through preaching." For just as the herald proclaims when all are present in the theater, so also we preach, so as to add nothing, but to say the very things we have heard. For the virtue of the herald is in telling everyone what has happened, not in adding or taking anything away. If therefore it is necessary to preach, it is necessary to preach with boldness; since otherwise it is not even preaching. For this reason Christ did not say, "Speak upon the housetops," but, "Preach upon the housetops," indicating what had happened both by the place and by the manner. With which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior. And the phrase, "I was entrusted," and the phrase, "According to the commandment," shows its trustworthiness; so that no one should feel unworthy, or be coy, or be displeased. If therefore it is a commandment, I am not my own master; for I fulfill a command. For of things to be done, some are in our power, and some are not in our power; for what He says by way of command, these are not in our power; but what He says by way of permission, these happen to be in our power. For example, "Whoever says to his brother, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire," this is a command; and, "When you bring your gift to the altar, and know that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go reconcile with your brother, and then come and offer your gift"; this too is a command, and he who does not do it is necessarily liable to punishment. But when He says, "If you want to be perfect, sell your possessions"; and again, "He who is able to accept it, let him accept it," this is no longer a command; for He makes the hearer master of what is said, and gives him the choice of what is to be done. For these things are in our power both to do and not to do; but the commands are not in our power, but it is necessary either to do them, or not doing them, to be punished. This is what he means also when he says, "For necessity is laid upon me; for woe is to me 62.667 if I do not preach the gospel." But I will state it more clearly, so that it may be plain to all. For example, one who has been entrusted with the rule of the Church, and honored with the dignity of the episcopate, if he does not declare to the people what must be done, is not without responsibility; the layman, however, has no necessity of this. For this reason Paul also says, that I do this "According to the commandment of our Savior." And see how the epithets fit what I have said. For having said above, "The God who cannot lie," he says here, "According to the commandment of God our Savior." If therefore He is a Savior, and He Himself commanded these things out of a desire to save, then the matter is not one of love of power; for it is faith, and it is a commandment of God the Savior. To Titus, my true child. For it is possible for children not to be true, as that one of whom he says, "If anyone who is called a brother is a fornicator, or greedy, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, with such a one do not even eat." Behold, he is a child, and yet not a true child; he is a child, since he once received grace and was born again; but not true, since he is unworthy of the father, since he deserts to another tyrant. For in the case of natural children, legitimacy and illegitimacy are determined by the one who gives birth and the one who sows; but here it is not so, but from choice. For it is possible for one who has become true not to remain true; it is possible for one who is not true to become true; for these things are not confined by the necessity of nature, but by the power of choice; whence also it has continuous transitions. Onesimus was a true child, but he was also not true; for he became useless; but again he became true, so that he was even called the apostle's own heart. To Titus, my true child according to the common faith. What is, "According to the common faith"? Since he said, "Child," and took on himself the station of a father, how also this honor

τοῖς ἁρμόζουσιν. Ἐφανέρωσε, φησὶ, καιροῖς ἰδίοις τὸν λόγον αὑτοῦ ἐν κηρύγματι, ὃ ἐπιστεύθην ἐγώ· τουτέστι, τὸ κήρυγμα. Τοῦτο γὰρ τὰ πάντα εἶχε, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, καὶ τὰ ἐνταῦθα καὶ μέλλοντα, τὴν ζωὴν, τὴν εὐσέβειαν, τὴν πίστιν, πάντα ὁμοῦ. Ἐν κηρύγματι· τουτέστι, φανερῶς, μετὰ παῤῥησίας· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Ἐν κηρύγματι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ κήρυξ πάντων παρόντων ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ κηρύττει, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς κηρύττομεν, ὥστε μηδὲν προσθεῖναι, ἀλλ' αὐτὰ ἃ ἠκούσαμεν εἰπεῖν. Ἡ γὰρ τοῦ κήρυκος ἀρετὴ ἐν τῷ πᾶσιν εἰπεῖν ἐστι τὸ γεγονὸς, οὐκ ἐν τῷ προσθεῖναί τινα καὶ ἀφελεῖν. Εἰ τοίνυν κηρύττειν δεῖ, μετὰ παῤῥησίας κηρύττειν δεῖ· ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ κηρύττειν ἐστί. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ εἶπεν ὁ Χριστὸς, Εἴπατε ἐπὶ τῶν δωμάτων, ἀλλὰ, Κηρύξατε ἐπὶ τῶν δωμάτων, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τρόπου τὸ γεγονὸς παριστῶν. Ὃ ἐπιστεύθην ἐγὼ κατ' ἐπιταγὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Θεοῦ. Καὶ τὸ, Ἐπιστεύθην, καὶ τὸ, Κατ' ἐπιταγὴν, τὸ ἀξιόπιστον δείκνυσιν· ὥστε μηδένα ἀναξιοπαθεῖν, μηδὲ ἀκκίζεσθαι, μηδὲ δυσχεραίνειν. Εἰ τοίνυν ἐπιταγή ἐστι, οὐκ εἰμὶ κύριος· ἐπίταγμα γὰρ πληρῶ. Τῶν γὰρ πρακτέων τὰ μὲν ἐφ' ἡμῖν κεῖται, τὰ δὲ οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν· ἃ μὲν γὰρ ἐπιτάττων λέγει, ταῦτα οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν· ἅπερ δὲ ἐπιτρέπων, ταῦτα ἐφ' ἡμῖν τυγχάνει. Οἷον τὸ, Ἐάν τις εἴπῃ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὑτοῦ, Μωρὲ, ἔνοχος ἔσται εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρὸς, τοῦτο ἐπίταγμα· καὶ τὸ, Ὅταν προσφέρῃς τὸ δῶρόν σου ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ γνῷς ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἔχει τι κατὰ σοῦ, ἄφες ἐκεῖ τὸ δῶρόν σου ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, καὶ ἀπελθὼν διαλλάγηθι τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου, καὶ τότε ἐλθὼν πρόσφερε τὸ δῶρόν σου· καὶ τοῦτο ἐπίταγμα, καὶ τὸν μὴ ποιήσαντα ἀνάγκη ὑπεύθυνον εἶναι κολάσει. Ὅταν δὲ λέγῃ, Ἐὰν θέλῃς τέλειος εἶναι, πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα· καὶ πάλιν, Ὁ δυνάμενος χωρεῖν, χωρείτω, οὐκέτι ἐπίταγμά ἐστι· τὸν γὰρ ἀκροατὴν ποιεῖ κύριον τῶν λεχθέντων, καὶ τὴν αἵρεσιν αὐτῷ δίδωσι τῶν πρακτέων. Ταῦτα μὲν γὰρ καὶ ποιῆσαι, καὶ μὴ ποιῆσαι ἐφ' ἡμῖν· τὰ δὲ ἐπιτάγματα οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν, ἀλλ' ἀνάγκη ἢ ποιῆσαι, ἢ μὴ ποιήσαντα κολασθῆναι. Τοῦτο οὖν λέγει καὶ ὅταν λέγῃ, Ἀνάγκη γάρ μοι ἐπίκειται· οὐαὶ γάρ μοί 62.667 ἐστιν, ἐὰν μὴ εὐαγγελίσωμαι. Σαφέστερον δὲ ἐρῶ αὐτὸ, ἵνα πᾶσι κατάδηλον γένηται. Οἷον, ὁ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐμπεπιστευμένος, καὶ τῇ τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἀξίᾳ τετιμημένος, ἂν μὴ διαγορεύῃ τῷ λαῷ τὰ πρακτέα, οὐκ ἀνεύθυνός ἐστιν· ὁ μέντοι λαϊκὸς οὐδεμίαν ἀνάγκην ἔχει τούτου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι καὶ ὁ Παῦλος, ὅτι Κατ' ἐπιταγὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τοῦτο ποιῶ. Καὶ ὅρα τὰ ἐπίθετα πῶς πρὸς ὃ εἶπον ἁρμόζει. Ἀνωτέρω γὰρ εἰπὼν, Ὁ ἀψευδὴς Θεὸς, ἐνταῦθά φησι, Κατ' ἐπιταγὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Θεοῦ. Εἰ τοίνυν Σωτήρ ἐστι, καὶ αὐτὸς ταῦτα ἐπέταξεν ἀπὸ τοῦ βούλεσθαι σώζεσθαι, οὐ τοίνυν φιλαρχίας τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστι· πίστις γάρ ἐστι, καὶ ἐπιταγή ἐστι Θεοῦ Σωτῆρος. Τίτῳ γνησίῳ τέκνῳ. Ἔστι γὰρ καὶ μὴ γνήσια εἶναι τέκνα, ὡς ἐκεῖνος περὶ οὗ φησιν· Ἐάν τις ἀδελφὸς ὀνομαζόμενος ᾖ πόρνος, ἢ πλεονέκτης, ἢ εἰδωλολάτρης, ἢ λοίδορος, ἢ μέθυσος, τῷ τοιούτῳ μηδὲ συνεσθίειν. Ἰδοὺ καὶ τέκνον, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι γνήσιον τέκνον· τέκνον μέν ἐστιν, ἐπειδὴ ἅπαξ ἐδέξατο τὴν χάριν, καὶ ἀνεγεννήθη· οὐ γνήσιον δὲ, ἐπειδὴ ἀνάξιον τοῦ πατρός ἐστιν, ἐπειδὴ πρὸς ἕτερον αὐτομολεῖ τύραννον. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν φυσικῶν παίδων τὸ γνήσιον καὶ μὴ γνήσιον ἀπὸ τῆς ὠδινούσης καὶ τοῦ σπείροντος ὁρίζεται· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς προαιρέσεως. Ἔστι γὰρ γνήσιον γενόμενον μὴ μεῖναι γνήσιον· ἔστιν οὐκ ὂν γνήσιον γενέσθαι γνήσιον· οὐ γὰρ ἀνάγκῃ φύσεως ταῦτα κατακέκλεισται, ἀλλ' ἐξουσίᾳ προαιρέσεως· ὅθεν καὶ συνεχεῖς ἔχει τὰς μεταβάσεις. Ἦν Ὀνήσιμος τέκνον γνήσιον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὐ γνήσιον ἦν· καὶ γὰρ ἄχρηστος ἐγένετο· ἀλλὰ πάλιν ἐγένετο γνήσιον οὕτως, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸν σπλάγχνα καλεῖσθαι ἀποστολικά. Τίτῳ γνησίῳ τέκνῳ κατὰ κοινὴν πίστιν. Τί ἐστι, Κατὰ κοινὴν πίστιν; Ἐπειδὴ εἶπε, Τέκνον, καὶ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ ἔλαβε τάξιν, πῶς καὶ ταύτην τὴν τιμὴν