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and more emphatically, That the bowels of the saints, as if concerning a child longed for by his fathers and beloved. Thus love, tender affection, shows him also to be exceedingly loved by them. Wherefore, though I have much boldness in Christ to enjoin upon you what is fitting.

See how he secures himself, lest any of the things said out of vehement love should strike the hearer, so as to make him impatient. For this reason, before saying, To enjoin upon you, since it was a heavy thing, although indeed being said out of love it was more able to heal, but nevertheless out of abundance he puts much correction, saying, Having boldness, which was the mark of one showing Philemon to be great; that is, You have given us boldness. And not this only, but also having added, In Christ, which is to declare that it is not as being more illustrious in the world, nor as more powerful, but because of faith in Christ. And then he put, To enjoin upon you, and not this only, but also, What is fitting, that is, a reasonable matter. And see from how many things he constructs it. You do good to others. he says; and to me, and for Christ's sake, and because the matter is reasonable, and because love gives it. Wherefore he also adds; For love's sake I rather beseech you. As if he had said, I know indeed that even by commanding I can accomplish it with much authority, from what has gone before; nevertheless, since I make great haste about the matter, I beseech you. He showed both things at once, that he is confident in him (for he commanded), and that he is exceedingly interested in the matter; wherefore he beseeches. Being such a one, he says, as Paul the aged.

b. Alas, how many persuasive things! Paul, from the quality of his person; from his age, that he is an old man; from the most just of all things, that he is also a Prisoner of Jesus Christ. For who would not have received the athlete and victor with outstretched hands? who, seeing him bound for Christ's sake, would not have granted countless things, Having thus smoothed his soul with so many things, he did not even immediately introduce the name, but having made such a request, he postpones it. For you know the tempers of masters against runaway servants, and especially when they do this with theft, even if they have good masters, how their anger increases. This then he smoothed beforehand with all these things; and having first persuaded him to minister anything readily, and having prepared his soul for all obedience, then he brings on the request, and says; I beseech you; and with praises; For my own child, whom I have begotten in my bonds. Again the bonds are persuasive. And then the name; for not only did he quench his anger, but he also made him pleased. For I would not, he says, have called him a child, if he were not exceedingly useful. What I called Timothy, this also I call him. And in many places showing his tender affection, he puts him to shame by the time of his birth-pangs; A prisoner I begot him, he says. So that for this reason also he is worthy to receive much honor, because he was brought forth in the very contests, in the trials for Christ. Onesimus, who was once unprofitable to you.

See how great is his understanding, how he confesses his sin, and by this quenches his anger. I know, he says, that he was unprofitable. But now he will be profitable to you and to me. He did not say, But now he will be profitable to you, lest that one should gainsay it, but he also introduced his own person, that the hopes might be trustworthy. But now, he says, profitable to you and to me. For if he is useful to Paul, who requires so much exactness, much more to his master. Whom I have sent to you. And by this he quenched his anger, by handing him over. For masters are most angry then, when they are besought for those who are absent; so that by this very thing he rather appeased him. But you receive him, that is, my own bowels. And again he does not put the name bare, but with a persuasive word, which is warmer than "child." He said, Child; he said,

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καὶ ἐμφαντικώτερον, Ὅτι τὰ σπλάγχνα τῶν ἁγίων, ὡσανεὶ περὶ παιδίου ποθεινοῦ τοῖς πατράσιν ὄντος καὶ ἐπεράστου. Οὕτως ἡ ἀγάπη, ἡ φιλοστοργία δείκνυσιν αὐτὸν καὶ σφόδρα ἀγαπώμενον παρ' αὐτῶν. ∆ιὸ πολλὴν παῤῥησίαν ἔχων ἐν Χριστῷ ἐπιτάσσειν σοι τὸ ἀνῆκον.

Ὅρα πῶς ἀσφαλίζεται, μή τι καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ σφοδρᾶς ἀγάπης λεγομένων πλήξῃ τὸν ἀκροατὴν, ὡς δυσανασχετεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πρὶν ἢ εἰπεῖν, Ἐπιτάσσειν σοι, ἐπειδὴ βαρὺ ἦν, καίτοι γε ἀπὸ ἀγάπης λεγόμενον μᾶλλον ἱκανὸν θεραπεῦσαι, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐκ περιουσίας πολλὴν τίθεται τὴν διόρθωσιν, εἰπὼν, Παῤῥησίαν ἔχων, ὅπερ μέγαν δεικνύντος ἦν τὸν Φιλήμονα· τουτέστι, Παῤῥησίαν ἡμῖν ἔδωκας σύ· καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ, Ἐν Χριστῷ, ἐπαγαγὼν, ὅπερ δηλοῦντός ἐστιν, ὅτι οὐχ ὡς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ λαμπρότερον, οὐδὲ ὡς δυνατώτερον, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν πίστιν τὴν εἰς τὸν Χριστόν· καὶ τότε ἔθηκε τὸ, Ἐπιτάσσειν σοι, καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ, Τὸ ἀνῆκον, τουτέστιν, εὔλογον πρᾶγμα. Καὶ ὅρα ἐκ πόσων αὐτὸ κατασκευάζει. Τοὺς ἄλλους εὖ ποιεῖς. φησί· καὶ ἐμὲ, καὶ διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν, καὶ ὅτι τὸ πρᾶγμα εὔλογον, καὶ ὅτι ἡ ἀγάπη δίδωσι. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπάγει· ∆ιὰ τὴν ἀγάπην μᾶλλον παρακαλῶ. Ὡσανεὶ εἶπεν, Οἶδα μὲν, ὅτι καὶ ἐπιτάττων ἀνύω μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἐξουσίας, ἀπὸ τῶν προλαβόντων· πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πολλὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πράγματος ποιοῦμαι σπουδὴν, παρακαλῶ. Ἀμφότερα ἔδειξεν ὁμοῦ, ὅτι καὶ θαῤῥεῖ αὐτῷ (ἐπέταξε γὰρ), καὶ ὅτι σφόδρα τοῦ πράγματος ἀντιποιεῖται· διὸ παρακαλεῖ. Τοιοῦτος ὢν, φησὶν, ὡς Παῦλος πρεσβύτης.

βʹ. Βαβαὶ, πόσα δυσωπητικά! Παῦλος, ἀπὸ τῆς ποιότητος τοῦ προσώπου· ἀπὸ

τῆς ἡλικίας, ὅτι πρεσβύτης· ἀπὸ τοῦ δικαιοτέρου πάντων, ὅτι καὶ ∆έσμιος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τίς γὰρ οὐκ ἂν τὸν ἀθλητὴν, καὶ 62.710 στεφανίτην ἐδέξατο ὑπτίαις χερσί; τίς ὁρῶν διὰ Χριστὸν δεδεμένον, οὐκ ἂν μυρία ἐχαρίσατο, Τοσούτοις δὴ προλεάνας αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν, οὐδὲ εὐθέως ἐνέβαλε τὸ ὄνομα, ἀλλὰ τοσαύτην ποιησάμενος αἴτησιν ἀναβάλλεται. Ἴστε γὰρ τοὺς θυμοὺς τῶν δεσποτῶν κατὰ τῶν ἀποδεδρακότων οἰκετῶν, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν μετὰ κλοπῆς τοῦτο ἐργάσωνται, κἂν χρηστοὺς ἔχωσι δεσπότας, πῶς αὔξεται ἡ ὀργή. Ταύτην οὖν πᾶσι τούτοις προελέανε· καὶ πρότερον πείσας πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ὑπουργῆσαι ἑτοίμως, καὶ παρασκευάσας αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν πρὸς πᾶσαν ὑπακοὴν, τότε ἐπάγει τὴν δέησιν, καί φησι· Παρακαλῶ σε· καὶ μετὰ ἐγκωμίων· Περὶ τοῦ ἐμοῦ τέκνου, ὃν ἐγέννησα ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου. Πάλιν οἱ δεσμοὶ δυσωπητικοί. Καὶ τότε τὸ ὄνομα· οὐ μόνον γὰρ τὸν θυμὸν ἔσβεσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡσθῆναι πεποίηκεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν αὐτὸν, φησὶ, τέκνον ἐκάλουν, εἰ μὴ σφόδρα ἦν εὔχρηστος. Ὅπερ Τιμόθεον ἐκάλεσα, τοῦτο καὶ τοῦτον. Καὶ πολλαχοῦ τὴν φιλοστοργίαν δεικνὺς, ἀπὸ τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς ὠδῖνος ἐντρέπει· ∆έσμιος αὐτὸν ἐγέννησα, φησίν. Ὥστε καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἄξιος πολλῆς τυχεῖν τῆς τιμῆς, ὅτι ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἄθλοις ἀπετέχθη, ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πειρασμοῖς. Ὀνήσιμον, τὸν ποτέ σοι ἄχρηστον.

Ὅρα πόση ἡ σύνεσις, πῶς ὁμολογεῖ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἁμάρτημα, καὶ τούτῳ σβεννὺς αὐτοῦ τὸν θυμόν. Οἶδα, φησὶν, ὅτι ἄχρηστος ἦν. Νῦν δὲ σοὶ καὶ ἐμοὶ χρήσιμος ἔσται. Οὐκ εἶπε, Νῦν δέ σοι χρήσιμος ἔσται, ἵνα μὴ ἐκεῖνος ἀντείπῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ αὑτοῦ πρόσωπον εἰσήγαγεν, ἵνα ἀξιόπιστοι ὦσιν αἱ ἐλπίδες. Νῦν δὲ σοὶ, φησὶ, καὶ ἐμοὶ εὔχρηστον. Εἰ γὰρ Παύλῳ χρήσιμος τῷ τοσαύτην ἀκρίβειαν ἀπαιτοῦντι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τῷ δεσπότῃ. Ὃν ἔπεμψα πρὸς σέ. Καὶ τούτῳ τὸν θυμὸν ἔσβεσε, τῷ παραδοῦναι αὐτόν. Μάλιστα γὰρ οἱ δεσπόται τότε ὀργίζονται, ὅταν ὑπὲρ ἀπόντων παρακαλῶνται· ὥστε καὶ αὐτῷ τούτῳ μᾶλλον κατεπράϋνε. Σὺ δὲ αὐτὸν, τουτέστι, τὰ ἐμὰ σπλάγχνα, προσλαβοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν οὐ γυμνὸν τίθησι τὸ ὄνομα, ἀλλὰ μετὰ ῥήματος ἐντρεπτικοῦ, ὃ τοῦ τέκνου θερμότερόν ἐστιν. Εἶπε, Τέκνον· εἶπεν,