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my bonds became manifest in Christ throughout the whole praetorium, and to all the rest. 2. It was likely that upon hearing that he was bound, they would be grieved, and think that the preaching was hindered. What then does he do? He immediately removes this suspicion, and says: The things concerning me have fallen out rather to the progress of the Gospel. And this is the mark of one who loves, to declare his own circumstances to them, since they were anxious. What do you say? you are bound, you have been hindered, and how does the Gospel advance? 62.192 So that my bonds, he says, became manifest, those in Christ, throughout the whole praetorium. This not only did not silence the others nor make them cowardly, but this very thing encouraged them even more. If, then, those who were near the dangers not only were not harmed at all, but even took more courage, much more ought you to be courageous. For if, being bound, he had borne it wretchedly, and had become silent, it was likely that they too would suffer the same thing; but if, being bound, he spoke with more boldness, he gave them more courage than if he had not been bound. But how did the bonds lead to the progress of the Gospel? God so ordained this, he says, so that my bonds would not be hidden, those in Christ, those for Christ's sake, throughout the whole praetorium. For so they used to call the palace. Not only in the praetorium, but also in the whole city, he says. And that most of the brethren in the Lord, having confidence in my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. This shows that they were courageous before too, and spoke with boldness, but now much more so. If others, then, he says, are courageous because of my bonds, much more so am I; if I am a cause of courage for others, much more so for myself. And most of the brethren in the Lord. Since it was a great thing to say, "My bonds gave them courage," for this reason he said beforehand, "In the Lord." Do you see how, even when having a need to speak great things, he does not depart from modesty? To be much more bold, he says, to speak the word without fear. The "much more," is to show that they had already begun. Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will. What then is this? It is worth learning. Since Paul was detained, many of the unbelievers, wishing to stir up a fierce war from the emperor, also preached Christ themselves; so that the emperor's wrath might become greater, as the preaching was being spread, and so that the full force of his anger might come upon Paul's head. The bonds, then, became the cause of two motives. For to some they gave much courage, while others, leading them to hope for my destruction, they prepared to preach Christ. Some indeed out of envy; that is, envying my glory and my constancy, and wishing me to be destroyed and contending with me, they cooperate with me; or so that they themselves might also be honored, and thinking to draw away some of my glory. But some also out of good will; that is, without hypocrisy, from all readiness. The one group proclaims Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely; that is, not purely, nor for the sake of the matter itself, but for what reason? Supposing to add affliction to my bonds. For thinking that in this way I would fall into greater danger, they bring affliction upon affliction. O, the cruelty! O, the diabolical working! They saw him bound and cast into prison, and still they envied him; they wanted to increase his misfortunes, and to make him liable for greater 62.193 wrath. And well did he say, "Supposing"; for it did not turn out so. For they thought to grieve me by this, but I rejoiced because the preaching advanced. Thus it is possible to do a good work not from a good intention; and not only is there no reward for this, but also punishment. For since, wishing to surround the preacher of Christ with greater dangers, they preached Christ, not only not

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δεσμούς μου φανεροὺς ἐν Χριστῷ γενέσθαι ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ πραιτωρίῳ, καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς πᾶσιν. βʹ. Εἰκὸς ἦν ἀκούσαντας ὅτι δέδεται, ἀλγεῖν, καὶ νομίζειν ἐγκόπτεσθαι τὸ κήρυγμα. Τί οὖν ποιεῖ; Εὐθέως ταύτην ἀναιρεῖ τὴν ὑποψίαν, καί φησι· Τὰ κατ' ἐμὲ μᾶλλον εἰς προκοπὴν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἐλήλυθε. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ φιλοῦντος, τὸ τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν δηλοῦν αὐτοῖς, ἅτε μεριμνῶσι. Τί λέγεις; δέδεσαι, ἐνεποδίσθης, καὶ πῶς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ἐπιδίδωσιν; 62.192 Ὥστε τοὺς δεσμούς μου, φησὶ, φανεροὺς γενέσθαι τοὺς ἐν Χριστῷ ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ πραιτωρίῳ. Τοῦτο οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐπεστόμισε τοὺς ἄλλους οὐδὲ δειλοὺς ἐποίησεν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο καὶ μᾶλλον παρεθάῤῥυνεν. Εἰ τοίνυν οἱ πλησίον ὄντες τῶν κινδύνων μόνον οὐδὲν ἐβλάβησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλέον θάρσος ἔλαβον, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑμᾶς θαῤῥεῖν χρή. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ δεθεὶς ἀθλίως ἤνεγκε, καὶ ἐσίγησεν, εἰκὸς ἦν καὶ ἐκείνους· τὸ αὐτὸ παθεῖν· εἰ δὲ δεθεὶς πλέον ἐπαῤῥησιάζετο, μᾶλλον αὐτοῖς θάρσος ἔδωκεν, ἢ εἰ μὴ ἐδέθη. Πῶς δὲ εἰς προκοπὴν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου γέγονε τὰ δεσμά; Ὁ Θεὸς τοῦτο ᾠκονόμησε, φησὶν, ὥστε μὴ λαθεῖν τοὺς ἐμοὺς δεσμοὺς, τοὺς ἐν Χριστῷ, τοὺς διὰ Χριστὸν, Ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ πραιτωρίῳ. Τέως γὰρ οὕτως ἐκάλουν τὰ βασίλεια. Οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ πραιτωρίῳ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ πόλει, φησὶ, πάσῃ. Καὶ τοὺς πλείονας τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐν Κυρίῳ πεποιθότας τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου περισσοτέρως τολμᾷν ἀφόβως τὸν λόγον λαλεῖν. ∆είκνυσι τοῦτο, ὅτι καὶ πρότερον ἐθάῤῥουν, καὶ μετὰ παῤῥησίας διελέγοντο, νῦν δὲ πολλῷ πλέον. Εἰ ἄλλοι τοίνυν, φησὶ, διὰ τοὺς ἐμοὺς δεσμοὺς θαῤῥοῦσι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐγώ· εἰ ἄλλοις εἰμὶ αἴτιος θάρσους, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐμαυτῷ. Καὶ τοὺς πλείονας τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐν Κυρίῳ. Ἐπειδὴ μέγα ἦν τὸ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Οἱ ἐμοὶ δεσμοὶ θάρσος αὐτοῖς παρεῖχον, διὰ τοῦτο προλαβὼν εἶπεν· Ἐν Κυρίῳ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς καὶ ἀνάγκην ἔχων τοῦ μεγαληγορεῖν, τοῦ μετριάζειν οὐκ ἀφίσταται; Περισσοτέρως τολμᾷν, φησὶν, ἀφόβως τὸν λόγον λαλεῖν. Τὸ, Περισσοτέρως, δεικνύντος ἐστὶν, ὅτι ἤδη ἤρξαντο. Τινὲς μὲν καὶ διὰ φθόνον καὶ ἔριν, τινὲς δὲ καὶ δι' εὐδοκίαν τὸν Χριστὸν κηρύσσουσι. Τί δὴ τοῦτό ἐστιν, ἄξιον μαθεῖν. Ἐπειδὴ κατεσχέθη ὁ Παῦλος, τὸν πόλεμον ἐγεῖραι βουλόμενοι σφοδρὸν τὸν παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως πολλοὶ τῶν ἀπίστων, καὶ αὐτοὶ τὸν Χριστὸν ἐκήρυττον· ὥστε μείζονα γενέσθαι τῷ βασιλεῖ τὴν ὀργὴν, ἅτε τοῦ κηρύγματος διασπειρομένου, καὶ εἰς τὴν τοῦ Παύλου κεφαλὴν τὸ πᾶν ἐλθεῖν τοῦ θυμοῦ. ∆ύο τοίνυν προφάσεων γεγόνασιν οἱ δεσμοὶ αἴτιοι. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ θάρσος παρεῖχον πολὺ, τοὺς δὲ εἰς ἐλπίδα ἄγοντες τῆς ἐμῆς ἀπωλείας, παρεσκεύασαν κηρύττειν τὸν Χριστόν. Τίνες μὲν διὰ φθόνον· τουτέστι, φθονοῦντες τῇ δόξῃ τῇ ἐμῇ καὶ τῇ ἐνστάσει, καὶ βουλόμενοί με ἀπολέσθαι καὶ ἐρίζοντές μοι, συμπράττουσιν ἐμοί· ἢ ὥστε καὶ αὐτοὶ τιμᾶσθαι, καὶ οἰόμενοι παρασπᾷν τι τῆς δόξης τῆς ἐμῆς. Τινὲς δὲ καὶ δι' εὐδοκίαν· τουτέστι, χωρὶς ὑποκρίσεως, ἀπὸ προθυμίας ἁπάσης. Οἱ μὲν ἐξ ἐριθείας τὸν Χριστὸν καταγγέλλουσιν οὐχ ἁγνῶς· τουτέστιν, οὐκ εἰλικρινῶς, οὐδὲ δι' αὐτὸ τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἀλλὰ διὰ τί; Οἰόμενοι θλῖψιν ἐπιφέρειν τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου. Νομίζοντες γὰρ οὕτω με εἰς μείζονα ἐμπεσεῖσθαι κίνδυνον, θλῖψιν ἐπάγουσιν ἐπὶ θλίψει. Ὢ τῆς ὠμότητος! ὢ τῆς διαβολικῆς ἐνεργείας! δεδεμένον ἑώρων καὶ ἐμβεβλημένον εἰς δεσμωτήριον, καὶ ἔτι ἐφθόνουν· αὔξειν αὐτῷ τὰ τῶν συμφορῶν ἤθελον, καὶ μείζονος 62.193 ὀργῆς ὑπεύθυνον καθιστᾷν. Καὶ καλῶς εἶπε τὸ, Οἰόμενοι· οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἐξέβαινεν. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ἐνόμιζόν με τούτῳ λυπεῖν, ἐγὼ δὲ ἔχαιρον ὅτι τὸ κήρυγμα ἐπεδίδου. Οὕτως ἔνι, ἔργον ποιῆσαι ἀγαθὸν οὐκ ἀπὸ προαιρέσεως ἀγαθῆς· καὶ οὐ μόνον οὐ κεῖται μισθὸς ὑπὲρ τούτου, ἀλλὰ καὶ κόλασις. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μείζοσι κινδύνοις περιβαλεῖν τὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ κήρυκα βουλόμενοι, τὸν Χριστὸν ἐκήρυττον, οὐ μόνον οὐ