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you are. For the present he here shows the greatness of his own longing, if indeed he had them in his heart, and even when bound in the prison itself he was mindful of the Philippians. And it is no small praise for the men, to be remembered by this holy man; since the love of this holy man is not one of prejudice, but of judgment and right reason. So to be loved so vehemently by Paul is proof that a person is great and wonderful. And in the defense, he says, and confirmation of the Gospel. And what is surprising, if he had them in the prison? For not even at that time, he says, when I was entering the court to make my defense, did you fall from my memory. For so tyrannical is spiritual love, as to yield to no circumstance, but always to cling to the soul of the one loving, and to allow no tribulation or pain to overcome the soul. For just as in the Babylonian furnace, when so great a flame was rising, there was dew for those blessed children; so also the friendship of one who loves and pleases God, seizing the soul, shakes off every flame, and creates a wonderful dew. And in the confirmation of the Gospel, he says. So then the bonds were a confirmation of the Gospel, so then a defense. And very rightly; because if he had refused the bonds, he would have seemed to be an imposter; but now by enduring all things, both bonds and affliction, he shows that he suffers these things not for any human cause, but for God who repays. For no one would have chosen to die and to undertake so many dangers, no one would have submitted to offending such a king, I mean Nero, unless he looked to another king much greater. So then the bonds were a confirmation of the Gospel. See how with abundance he turned everything to the contrary. For what they thought to be a weakness and an accusation, this he calls a confirmation; and if this had not happened, it would have been in weakness. Then he shows that his love is not of prejudice, but of judgment. Why? I have you, he says, in my bonds, and in the defense because you are partakers of the grace. What is this? Was the grace of the Apostle this, to be bound, to be persecuted, to suffer countless terrible things? Yes; For 'My grace,' he says, 'is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, he says, 'I am well pleased in weaknesses, in insults.' Since, therefore, seeing you demonstrating virtue through your works, and being partakers of this grace, and with eagerness, I rightly think these things. For having had experience of you, and knowing you above all, and your achievements, that although you are so far 62.187 distant from us, you strive not to be left behind from us in tribulations, but to partake in the trials for the Gospel, and to have nothing less than me who has entered the contests, you who are far away, I am right to testify these things. But why did he not say, 'partakers,' but, 'fellow-partakers'? For I myself, he says, am a partaker with another, so that I may become a fellow-partaker of the Gospel; that is, so that I may partake of the good things laid up for the Gospel. And the wonderful thing is that they were all so disposed as to be called fellow-partakers with Paul; For 'all of you being fellow-partakers of my grace,' he says. From these introductions, therefore, I am persuaded that you will be such until the end. For it is not possible for so brilliant a beginning to be extinguished and to cease, but it shows great endings. 4. Since therefore it is possible to partake of grace in other ways also, both of trials and of tribulations, let us also, I beseech you, partake. How many of those standing here, or rather all, would wish to partake with Paul of the good things laid up! It is possible, if you wish, to ally with and help those who have undertaken his ministry, those who are suffering some terrible thing for Christ's sake. Have you seen a brother in temptation? Extend a hand. Have you seen the teacher struggling? Stand by him. But no one is like Paul, he says. Straightway, despair,

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ὑμᾶς ὄντας. Πολὺν τέως δείκνυσιν ἐνταῦθα αὐτοῦ τὸν πόθον, εἴ γε ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοὺς εἶχε, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ δεδεμένος Φιλιππησίων ἐμέμνητο. Οὐ μικρὸν δὲ τῶν ἀνδρῶν τὸ ἐγκώμιον, τὸ μεμνῆσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου τούτου· ἐπειδὴ μηδέ ἐστι προλήψεως ἡ τοῦ ἁγίου τούτου ἀγάπη, ἀλλὰ κρίσεως καὶ λογισμῶν ὀρθῶν. Ὥστε τὸ ἀγαπᾶσθαι παρὰ Παύλου οὕτω σφοδρῶς, τεκμήριόν ἐστι τινὰ εἶναι μέγαν καὶ θαυμαστόν. Καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀπολογίᾳ, φησὶ, καὶ βεβαιώσει τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου. Καὶ τί θαυμαστὸν, εἰ ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ εἶχεν αὐτούς; Οὐδὲ γὰρ κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν, φησὶ, καθ' ὃν εἰσῄειν εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον ἀπολογησόμενος, ἐξεπέσατέ μου τῆς μνήμης. Οὕτω γάρ ἐστι τυραννικὸν ὁ ἔρως ὁ πνευματικὸς, ὡς μηδενὶ παραχωρεῖν καιρῷ, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἔχεσθαι τοῦ φιλοῦντος, καὶ μηδεμίαν θλῖψιν ἢ ὀδύνην συγχωρεῖν περιγενέσθαι τῆς ψυχῆς. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς καμίνου τῆς Βαβυλωνίας, τοσαύτης αἰρομένης φλογὸς, δρόσος ἦν τοῖς μακαρίοις ἐκείνοις παισίν· οὕτω καὶ φιλία τοῦ ἀγαπῶντος καὶ ἀρέσκοντος Θεῷ τὴν ψυχὴν καταλαβοῦσα, πᾶσαν ἀποτινάσσει φλόγα, καὶ δρόσον ποιεῖ θαυμαστήν. Καὶ βεβαιώσει τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, φησίν. Ἄρα τὰ δεσμὰ βεβαίωσις τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἦν, ἄρα ἀπολογία. Καὶ πάνυ ὑγιῶς· ὅτι εἰ μὲν παρῃτήσατο τὰ δεσμὰ, ἔδοξεν ἂν εἶναι ἀπατεών· νῦν δὲ πάντα ὑπομένων, καὶ δεσμὰ καὶ θλῖψιν, δηλοῖ ὡς οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνης τινὸς αἰτίας ἕνεκεν ταῦτα πάσχει, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν Θεὸν τὸν ἀνταποδιδόντα. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἂν καὶ ἀποθανεῖν εἵλετο καὶ τοσούτους κινδύνους ἀναδέξασθαι, οὐδεὶς ἂν καὶ βασιλεῖ τοιούτῳ κατεδέξατο προσκροῦσαι, τῷ Νέρωνι λέγω, εἰ μὴ πρὸς ἕτερον ἑώρα βασιλέα πολλῷ μείζονα. Ἄρα βεβαίωσις τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἦν τὰ δεσμά. Ὅρα πῶς ἐκ περιουσίας εἰς τὸ ἐναντίον ἅπαντα περιέτρεψεν. Ὃ γὰρ ἐνόμιζον εἶναι ἀσθένειαν καὶ κατηγορίαν, τοῦτο βεβαίωσίν φησι· καὶ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο γέγονεν, ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ ἦν. Εἶτα δείκνυσιν ὅτι οὐ προλήψεως ἡ ἀγάπη, ἀλλὰ κρίσεως. ∆ιὰ τί; Ἔχω ὑμᾶς, φησὶν, ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀπολογίᾳ διὰ τὸ συγκοινωνοὺς εἶναι τῆς χάριτος. Τί ἐστι τοῦτο; ἡ χάρις τοῦ Ἀποστόλου τοῦτο ἦν τὸ δεσμεῖσθαι, τὸ ἐλαύνεσθαι, τὸ μυρία πάσχειν δεινά; Ναί· Ἀρκεῖ γάρ σοι, φησὶν, ἡ χάρις μου· ἡ γὰρ δύναμίς μου ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειοῦται. ∆ιὸ εὐδοκῶ, φησὶν, ἐν ἀσθενείαις, ἐν ὕβρεσιν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁρῶν ὑμᾶς διὰ τῶν ἔργων τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐπιδεικνυμένους, καὶ τῆς χάριτος ταύτης ὄντας κοινωνοὺς, καὶ μετὰ προθυμίας, εἰκότως ταῦτα στοχάζομαι. Ὁ γὰρ πεῖραν ὑμῶν εἰληφὼς, καὶ μάλιστα πάντων ὑμᾶς εἰδὼς, καὶ τὰ ὑμέτερα κατορθώματα, ὅτι καὶ τοσοῦτον ἡμῶν ἀφεστη 62.187 κότες βιάζεσθε μὴ ἀπολειφθῆναι ἡμῶν ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου πειρασμῶν κοινωνῆσαι, καὶ μηδὲν ἔλαττον ἐμοῦ ἔχειν τοῦ εἰς τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἐμβεβηκότος, αὐτοὶ οἱ πόῤῥωθεν ὄντες, δίκαιός εἰμι ταῦτα μαρτυρεῖν. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ οὐκ εἶπε, Κοινωνοὺς, ἀλλὰ, Συγκοινωνούς; Καὶ αὐτὸς ἐγὼ, φησὶν, ἑτέρῳ κοινωνῶ, ἵνα γένωμαι συγκοινωνὸς τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου· τουτέστιν, ἵνα κοινωνήσω τῶν ἀποκειμένων ἀγαθῶν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ. Καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστὸν, τὸ πάντας αὐτοὺς οὕτω διακεῖσθαι ὥστε συγκοινωνοὺς Παύλου ἀκούειν· Συγκοινωνούς μου γὰρ, φησὶ, τῆς χάριτος πάντας ὑμᾶς ὄντας. Ἀπὸ τῶν προοιμίων τοίνυν τούτων πέποιθα, ὅτι τοιοῦτοι ἔσεσθε μέχρι τέλους. Οὐ γὰρ ἔνι οὕτω λαμπρὰν ἀρχὴν σβεσθῆναι καὶ λῆξαι, ἀλλὰ μεγάλα δείκνυσι τὰ τέλη. δʹ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἔστι κοινωνῆσαι καὶ ἑτέρως χάριτος, καὶ πειρασμῶν καὶ θλίψεων, κοινωνῶμεν, παρακαλῶ, καὶ ἡμεῖς. Πόσοι τῶν ἐνταῦθα ἑστώτων, μᾶλλον δὲ πάντες, ἐβούλεσθε κοινωνῆσαι τῷ Παύλῳ τῶν ἀποκειμένων ἀγαθῶν! Ἔνεστιν, εἰ βούλεσθε τοῖς τὴν διακονίαν ἀναδεδεγμένοις τὴν ἐκείνου, τοῖς πάσχουσί τι δεινὸν διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν συμμαχῆσαι, βοηθῆσαι. Εἶδες ἐν πειρασμῷ τὸν ἀδελφόν; ὄρεξον χεῖρα. Εἶδες τὸν διδάσκαλον ἀγωνιζόμενον; παράστηθι. Ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς κατὰ Παῦλόν ἐστι, φησίν. Εὐθέως ἀπόνοια,