John Chrysostom, On the Progress of the Gospel

Often, being held in one place, he was not able to be with his own beloved ones, so through his disciples he was with them.

ζʹ. And then, therefore, being in bonds he writes to the Philippians saying: But I want you to know, brothers, calling his disciples brothers. For such is love: it casts out all inequality, and knows no superiority or rank, but even if one is higher than all, he descends to the one who is humbler than all; which is what Paul also did. But let us hear what he wants them to know: That the things which concern me, he says, have rather turned out for the progress of the Gospel. Tell me, how and in what way? Were you released from your bonds? Did you cast off your chain, and preach with freedom in the city? Did you enter the church, deliver long and numerous discourses about the faith, and depart having gained many disciples? Did you raise the dead, and were you marveled at? Did you cleanse lepers, and were all astonished? Did you drive out demons, and were you exalted? None of these things, he says. How then did the progress of the Gospel happen? Tell me. So that my bonds, he says, became manifest in Christ throughout the whole praetorium, and to all the rest. What are you saying? Is this then, this the progress? This the advance? This the growth of the preaching, that all learned you are bound? Yes, he says. Hear then what follows, so that you may learn that the bonds were not only no hindrance, but even a cause for greater boldness: So that most of the brothers in the Lord, being confident in my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. What are you saying, O Paul? The bonds did not cause anguish, but courage? Not fear, but longing? What is said lacks consistency. I know it too. For these things did not happen according to the consistency of human affairs, he says; but the things that happened were beyond nature, and were the achievements of divine grace. Therefore, what caused anguish to others, in his case provided courage.

For if someone takes a general and, having imprisoned him, makes this known, he puts the whole army to flight; and if someone leads a shepherd away from the flock, he drives away the sheep with great freedom. But it was not so in Paul's case, but quite the contrary. For the general was bound, and the soldiers became more eager, and with greater boldness leaped upon the enemies; the shepherd was imprisoned, and the sheep were not consumed, nor were they scattered.

ηʹ. Who has seen, who has heard of disciples receiving greater encouragement in the terrible sufferings of their teachers? How were they not afraid? How were they not terrified? How did they not say to Paul, Physician, heal yourself? Deliver yourself from these manifold troubles, and then you will provide countless good things for us. How did they not say these things? How? Because they had been taught by the grace of the Spirit, that these things happened not from weakness, but by Christ's permission, so that the truth might shine more brightly, growing through bonds and imprisonments and tribulations and distresses, and being lifted to a greater magnitude. Thus the power of Christ is made perfect in weakness. For if the bonds had tripped up Paul and made him more cowardly, either he or those belonging to him would have needed to be perplexed; but if instead it prepared him to be more courageous and led to greater glory, one must be astonished and marvel, how through a thing that has dishonor, glory was procured for the disciple, how through a thing that causes cowardice, courage and encouragement came to all of them. For who was not astonished at him then, seeing him bound with a chain? Then demons fled all the more, when they saw him spending time in prison. For a diadem does not make a royal head so glorious as the chain made his hands, not because of its own nature, but because of the grace that bloomed upon them. For this reason, great encouragement

πολλάκις ἐν ἑνὶ κατεχόμενος τόπῳ συγγενέσθαι τοῖς αὐτοῦ σπλάγχνοις οὐκ ἠδύνατο, διὰ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῖς συνεγένετο.

ζʹ. Καὶ τότε τοίνυν ἐν δεσμοῖς ὢν γράφει τοῖς Φιλιππησίοις λέγων· Γινώσκειν

δὲ ὑμᾶς βούλομαι, ἀδελφοὶ, τοὺς μαθητὰς ἀδελφοὺς καλῶν. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ ἀγάπη· πᾶσαν ἀνωμαλίαν ἐκβάλλει, καὶ ὑπεροχὴν καὶ ἀξίαν οὐκ οἶδεν, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἁπάντων ὑψηλότερος ᾖ τις, πρὸς τὸν πάντων κάτεισι ταπεινότερον· ὅπερ καὶ Παῦλος ἐποίει. Ἀλλ' ἀκούσωμεν τί βούλεται γινώσκειν αὐτούς· Ὅτι τὰ κατ' ἐμὲ, φησὶ, μᾶλλον εἰς προκοπὴν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἐλήλυθεν. Εἰπέ μοι, πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ἆρα τῶν δεσμῶν ἀφέθης; ἆρα ἀπέθου τὴν ἅλυσιν, καὶ μετὰ ἀδείας κηρύττεις ἐν τῇ πόλει; ἆρα εἰς ἐκκλησίαν εἰσελθὼν, μακροὺς καὶ πολλοὺς κατέτεινας λόγους περὶ τῆς πίστεως, καὶ πολλοὺς λαβὼν μαθητὰς ἀπῆλθες; ἆρα νεκροὺς ἤγειρας, καὶ ἐθαυμαστώθης; ἆρα λεπροὺς ἐκάθηρας, καὶ ἐξεπλάγησαν ἅπαντες; ἆρα δαίμονας ἀπήλασας, καὶ ἀνυψώθης; Οὐδὲν τούτων, φησί. Πῶς οὖν ἡ προκοπὴ γέγονε τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου; εἰπέ. Ὥστε τοὺς δεσμούς μου, φησὶ, φανεροὺς ἐν Χριστῷ γενέσθαι ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ πραιτωρίῳ, καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς πᾶσι. Τί λέγεις; τοῦτο ἄρα, τοῦτο ἡ προκοπή; τοῦτο ἡ ἐπίδοσις; τοῦτο ἡ αὔξησις τοῦ κηρύγματος, ὅτι πάντες ἔμαθον ὅτι δέδεσαι; Ναὶ, φησίν. Ἄκουσον γοῦν τῶν ἑξῆς, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τὰ δεσμὰ οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐγίνετο κώλυμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπόθεσις πλείονος παῤῥησίας· Ὥστε τοὺς πλείονας τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐν Κυρίῳ, πεποιθότας τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου, περισσοτέρως τολμᾷν ἀφόβως τὸν λόγον λαλεῖν. Τί λέγεις, ὦ Παῦλε; οὐκ ἀγωνίαν ἀνέβαλεν, ἀλλὰ θάρσος τὰ δεσμά; οὐ φόβον, ἀλλὰ πόθον; Οὐκ ἔχει τὰ λεγόμενα ἀκολουθίαν. Οἶδα κἀγώ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ κατὰ ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων ἀκολουθίαν ταῦτα συνέβαινε, φησίν· ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ φύσιν ἦν τὰ γινόμενα, καὶ θείας χάριτος τὰ κατορθώματα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὃ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀγωνίαν ἐποίει, τοῦτο ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ θάρσος παρεῖχε.

Καὶ γὰρ στρατηγὸν ἐὰν λαβών τις καὶ καθείρξας ποιήσῃ φανερὸν τοῦτο, εἰς φυγὴν ἐμβάλλει τὸ στρατόπεδον ἅπαν· καὶ ποιμένα δὲ ἐάν τις τῆς ποίμνης ἀπαγάγῃ, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀδείας ἀπελαύνει τὰ πρόβατα. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπὶ Παύλου οὕτως, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν. Ὁ στρατηγὸς γὰρ ἐδέδετο, καὶ οἱ στρατιῶται προθυμότεροι ἐγίνοντο, καὶ μετὰ πλείονος τῆς παῤῥησίας τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἐπεπήδων· ὁ ποιμὴν καθεῖρκτο, καὶ τὰ πρόβατα οὐκ ἀνηλοῦτο, οὐδὲ ἐσκορπίζετο.

ηʹ. Τίς εἶδε, τίς ἤκουσεν ἐν τοῖς τῶν διδασκάλων δεινοῖς πλείονα παράκλησιν

λαμβάνοντας τοὺς μαθητάς; Πῶς οὐκ ἔδεισαν; πῶς οὐκ ἐφοβήθησαν; πῶς οὐκ εἶπον πρὸς τὸν Παῦλον, Ἰατρὲ, θεράπευσον σεαυτόν; ἀπάλλαξον σεαυτὸν τῶν πολυπλόκων δεινῶν, καὶ τότε ἡμῖν τὰ μυρία προξενήσεις ἀγαθά. Πῶς ταῦτα οὐκ εἶπον; Πῶς; ὅτι πεπαιδευμένοι ἦσαν παρὰ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτος, ὅτι ταῦτα οὐκ ἐξ ἀσθενείας ἐγίνετο, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ συγχωρήσεως, ἵνα μειζόνως ἡ ἀλήθεια διαλάμπῃ, διὰ δεσμῶν καὶ φυλακῶν καὶ θλίψεων καὶ στενοχωριῶν αὐξανομένη καὶ πρὸς μεῖζον αἰρομένη μέγεθος. Οὕτως ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειοῦται. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὑπεσκέλισε τὸν Παῦλον τὰ δεσμὰ, καὶ δειλότερον ἐποίησεν, ἢ αὐτὸν, ἢ τοὺς ἐκείνῳ προσήκοντας ἔδει διαπορεῖν· εἰ δὲ μᾶλλον θαῤῥεῖν παρεσκεύασε καὶ εἰς πλείονα δόξαν ἤγαγεν, ἐκπλήττεσθαι δεῖ καὶ θαυμάζειν, πῶς διὰ πράγματος ἀτιμίαν ἔχοντος δόξα τῷ μαθητῇ προεξενεῖτο, διὰ πράγματος δειλίαν ἐμβάλλοντος θάρσος καὶ παράκλησις πᾶσιν ἐκείνοις ἐγένετο. Τίς γὰρ αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐξεπλήττετο τότε, ὁρῶν ἅλυσιν περικείμενον; Τότε δαίμονες ἐδραπέτευον μᾶλλον, ὅτε ἑώρων αὐτὸν ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ διατρίβοντα. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτω βασιλικὴν κεφαλὴν λαμπρὰν τὸ διάδημα ποιεῖ, ὡς τὰς ἐκείνου χεῖρας ἡ ἅλυσις, οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἀπανθοῦσαν αὐταῖς χάριν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πολλὴ παράκλησις