John Chrysostom, On Romans

I know, he says. Therefore, do not ask me for God’s counsel or mind. For the thing formed will not say to the one who formed it: Why have you made me thus? For on account of what, tell me, do you seek to learn? Do you not know that He cares for all things, that He is wise, that He does nothing simply and at random? that He loves you more than those who bore you, and surpasses a father's affection by far, and a mother's care? Therefore, seek nothing more, nor go any further; for these things are sufficient for your comfort. Since then also the affair of the Romans was wisely administered. But if you do not know the way, do not be displeased; for this is especially of faith, to accept the doctrine of providence, even while ignorant of the manner of the economy. εʹ. Having therefore accomplished what Paul was eager for (and what was this? To show that it was not from contempt of them that he did not come, but that, though he greatly desired it, he was prevented), and having stripped off the accusation of indifference, and having persuaded them that he desired to see them no less than they, again he also shows his love through other things. For not because I was hindered, he says, did I cease from attempting, but I always attempted, and was always hindered, but never desisted, not opposing the will of God, but preserving my love. For by purposing and not desisting he showed his affection; but by being hindered and not resisting he declared his entire love for God. That I might have some fruit among you also. And yet, he both stated the cause of his desire above, and showed it was fitting for him, but nevertheless he also puts it here, vigorously clearing away their suspicion. For since the city was famous, and unique of its kind everywhere on land and sea, and the desire to see it has alone been a pretext for travel for many; so that they might not think some such thing also concerning Paul, nor suspect that he desired to be present there simply to glory in their acquaintance, he continually states the reason for his desire. And before, he says: That I may impart to you some spiritual gift, I longed to see you; but here more clearly: That I might have some fruit among you also, even as among the other Gentiles. He has placed the rulers with the ruled, and after the countless trophies and victories and the eminence of the consuls, he places them with the barbarians; and quite rightly. For where there is nobility of faith, there is no barbarian, no Greek, no foreigner, no citizen, but all ascend to one preeminence of dignity. But see how he is moderate here also. For he did not 60.407 say, That I may teach and catechize, but what? That I might have some fruit. And not simply fruit, but That I might have some fruit; again diminishing what concerns himself, just as he said above: That I may impart some gift. Then, checking them also, as I have already said, Even as among the other Gentiles, he says. For it is not because you are rich and have more than others that I show less zeal for the rest; for we do not seek the rich, but the faithful. Where now are the wise men of the Greeks, those who trail their deep beards, and have put on their sleeveless tunics, and are puffed up with big words? All of Greece, all the barbarian world, the tentmaker converted. But Plato, who is led about and paraded among them, having come to Sicily a third time with that pomp of words, with that brilliant reputation, did not get the better of even one tyrant, but departed so wretchedly as to even lose his own freedom. But this tentmaker overran not only Sicily nor Italy, but the whole inhabited world, and not even while preaching did he desist from his craft, but even then he was stitching skins and was in charge of a workshop; and not even this scandalized those of consular rank; and quite rightly. For it is not the crafts and trades, but falsehood and fabricated doctrines that are wont to make teachers contemptible. For this very reason, even the Athenians henceforth laugh at them; but to this man even barbarians and foolish men and common people give heed. For the proclamation is set before all in common; it knows no difference of rank, no superiority of nation, no other thing of that sort

οἶδα, φησί. Μὴ τοίνυν ἐρώτα με Θεοῦ βουλὴν ἢ γνώμην. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι· Τί με ἐποίησας οὕτω; Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ ζητεῖς μαθεῖν; οὐκ οἶσθα, ὅτι μέλει πάντων αὐτῷ, ὅτι σοφός ἐστιν, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἁπλῶς ἐργάζεται καὶ εἰκῆ; ὅτι τῶν γεγεννηκότων σε μᾶλλον φιλεῖ, καὶ πατρὸς ἐκ πολλοῦ τοῦ περιόντος ὑπερβαίνει φιλοστοργίαν, καὶ μητρὸς κηδεμονίαν; Μηδὲν οὖν πλέον ζήτει, μηδὲ πρόβαινε περαιτέρω· καὶ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ σοι ταῦτα εἰς παραμυθίαν· ἐπεὶ καὶ τότε σοφῶς ᾠκονόμητο τὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων. Εἰ δὲ τὸν τρόπον ἀγνοεῖς, μὴ δυσχέραινε· τοῦτο γὰρ πίστεως μάλιστα, τὸ καὶ ἀγνοοῦντα τὸν τρόπον τῆς οἰκονομίας, δέχεσθαι τὸν περὶ προνοίας λόγον. εʹ. Κατορθώσας τοίνυν ὅπερ ἐσπούδαζεν ὁ Παῦλος (τί δὲ τοῦτο ἦν; Τὸ δεῖξαι, ὅτι οὐ καταφρονῶν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἤρχετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ἐπιθυμῶν ἐκωλύετο), καὶ τὸ ἔγκλημα ἀποδυσάμενος τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας, καὶ πείσας ὅτι αὐτῶν οὐχ ἧττον ἐκεῖνος ἰδεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐπεθύμει· πάλιν καὶ δι' ἑτέρων ἐνδείκνυται τὴν ἀγάπην. Οὐδὲ γὰρ, ἐπειδὴ ἐκωλύθην, φησὶν, ἀπέστην τοῦ ἐπιχειρεῖν, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ μὲν ἐπεχείρουν, ἀεὶ δὲ ἐκωλυόμην, οὐδέποτε δὲ ἀφιστάμην, τῷ μὲν θελήματι τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἀντιπίπτων, τὴν δὲ ἀγάπην τηρῶν. ∆ιὰ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ προτίθεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἀφίστασθαι τὸ φίλτρον ἐπεδείκνυτο· διὰ δὲ τοῦ κωλύεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἀντιτείνειν τὴν περὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἅπασαν ἀγάπην ἐδήλου. Ἵνα τινὰ καρπὸν σχῶ καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν. Καίτοι καὶ ἀνωτέρω τὴν αἰτίαν εἶπε τῆς ἐπιθυμίας, καὶ αὐτῷ πρέπουσαν ἔδειξεν, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ ἐνταῦθα αὐτὴν τίθησι, σφοδρῶς ἐκκαθαίρων αὐτῶν τὴν ὑπόνοιαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ περίβλεπτος ἦν ἡ πόλις, καὶ μόνη πανταχοῦ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης τοιαύτη, καὶ ἡ τῆς ἱστορίας αὐτῆς ἐπιθυμία μόνη πολλοῖς ἀποδημίας πρόφασις γέγονεν· ἵνα μὴ καὶ περὶ τοῦ Παύλου τοιοῦτόν τι νομίσωσι, μηδὲ ὑποπτεύσωσιν, ὅτι ἁπλῶς τῇ οἰκειώσει αὐτῶν ἐγκαλλωπιζόμενος ἐπεθύμει τῆς ἐκεῖ παρουσίας, συνεχῶς τίθησι τὴν ὑπόθεσιν τῆς ἐπιθυμίας. Καὶ ἔμπροσθεν μέν φησιν· Ἵνα τι μεταδῶ χάρισμα ὑμῖν πνευματικὸν, ἐπεθύμουν ἰδεῖν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ σαφέστερον· Ἵνα τινὰ καρπὸν σχῶ καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν, καθὼς καὶ ἐν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσι. Τοὺς ἄρχοντας μετὰ τῶν ἀρχομένων ἔστησε, καὶ μετὰ τὰ μυρία τρόπαια καὶ τὰς νίκας καὶ τὴν τῶν ὑπάτων περιφάνειαν, μετὰ τῶν βαρβάρων αὐτοὺς τίθησι· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Ὅπου γὰρ ἡ τῆς πίστεως εὐγένεια, οὐδεὶς βάρβαρος, οὐδεὶς Ἕλλην, οὐδεὶς ξένος, οὐδεὶς πολίτης, ἀλλ' εἰς μίαν ἅπαντες ἀξιώματος ἀναβαίνουσιν ὑπεροχήν. Ὅρα δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ ἐνταῦθα μετριάζοντα. Οὐ γὰρ 60.407 εἶπεν, Ἵνα διδάξω καὶ κατηχήσω, ἀλλὰ τί; Ἵνα τινὰ καρπὸν σχῶ. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς καρπὸν, ἀλλ' Ἵνα τινὰ καρπόν· πάλιν συστέλλων τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν, ὥσπερ ἀνωτέρω εἶπεν· Ἵνα τι μεταδῶ. Εἶτα καὶ αὐτοὺς, ὥσπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, καταστέλλων, Καθὼς καὶ ἐν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσι, φησίν. Οὐ γὰρ, ἐπειδὴ πλουτεῖτε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἔχετε πλέον, ἐλάττονα περὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς σπουδὴν ἐπιδείκνυμι· οὐ γὰρ τοὺς πλουτοῦντας ζητοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς πιστούς. Ποῦ νῦν οἱ σοφοὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων, οἱ τοὺς βαθεῖς πώγωνας ἕλκοντες, καὶ τὰς ἐξωμίδας ἀναβεβλημένοι, καὶ τὰ μεγάλα φυσῶντες; Τὴν Ἑλλάδα, τὴν βάρβαρον πᾶσαν ὁ σκηνοποιὸς ἐπέστρεψεν. Ὁ δὲ παρ' αὐτοῖς ἀγόμενος καὶ περιφερόμενος Πλάτων, τρίτον εἰς Σικελίαν ἐλθὼν μετὰ τοῦ κόμπου τῶν ῥημάτων ἐκείνων, μετὰ τῆς ὑπολήψεως τῆς λαμπρᾶς, οὐδὲ ἑνὸς περιεγένετο τυράννου, ἀλλ' οὕτως ἀθλίως ἀπήλλαξεν, ὡς καὶ αὐτῆς ἐκπεσεῖν τῆς ἐλευθερίας. Ὁ δὲ σκηνοποιὸς οὗτος οὐ Σικελίαν μόνον οὐδὲ Ἰταλίαν, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν ἐπέδραμε τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ κηρύττειν τῆς τέχνης ἀπέστη, ἀλλὰ καὶ τότε δέρματα ἔῤῥαπτε, καὶ ἐργαστηρίου προειστήκει· καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἐσκανδάλισε τοὺς ἐξ ὑπάτων· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Οὐ γὰρ αἱ τέχναι καὶ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα, ἀλλὰ τὸ ψεῦδος καὶ τὰ πεπλασμένα δόγματα εὐκαταφρονήτους ποιεῖν εἴωθε τοὺς διδάσκοντας. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο ἐκείνων μὲν καὶ Ἀθηναῖοι λοιπὸν καταγελῶσι· τούτῳ δὲ καὶ βάρβαροι προσέχουσι καὶ ἀνόητοι καὶ ἰδιῶται. Κοινὸν γὰρ τὸ κήρυγμα πρόκειται πᾶσιν· οὐκ ἀξιώματος οἶδε διαφορὰν, οὐκ ἔθνους ὑπεροχὴν, οὐκ ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων