John Chrysostom, On 2 Timothy

providing all the other service, has the same as the one competing. 2. For do not think of Paul, the athlete, the invincible and unconquerable, but some other one of the many, who if he had not received much comfort, much encouragement, perhaps would not have stood, would not have contended. So that those outside the contests have become the cause of victory for the one who has entered 62.615 the contests, and they might become partakers of the crowns laid up for the victory. And what wonder is it, if one who has fellowship with those still living is deemed worthy of the same things as those competing? Just as, then, it is possible to have fellowship even after death with those who have departed, those who are already laid to rest, those who have been crowned, those who need nothing; for hear Paul saying: 'Sharing in the remembrances of the saints.' And how, he says, is it possible to have fellowship? When you admire the man, when you do one of those things for which he was crowned, you have had fellowship with him in the contests and evidently in the crowns. May the Lord, he says, grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. He had mercy on me, he says; therefore he will have the reward on that day, the fearful and terrible day, where we have need of much mercy. May the Lord, he says, grant him to find mercy from the Lord. Two Lords? By no means, but for us there is one Lord Jesus Christ, and one God. Here those who are sick with Marcion's disease leap upon what has been said; but let them learn that this is the custom of Scripture, and in many places it is possible to find the Scripture using this custom, as when it says: 'The Lord said to my Lord'; and again, 'I said to the Lord, You are my Lord'; and elsewhere, 'The Lord rained from the Lord.' But this is indicative of persons of the same substance, not divisive of nature; for it says this not so that we might think of two substances differing from each other, but so that we might understand two persons, each being of the same substance. But see how he also said: May the Lord grant to him. What is this? Not something else, but mercy. For since he himself received mercy from Onesiphorus, he prays that he also may receive this from God. But if Onesiphorus, who exposed himself to dangers, is saved by mercy, how much more we. For the reckonings are fearful, fearful, and in need of much loving-kindness, so as not to hear that terrible saying: 'Depart, I do not know you, you workers of iniquity'; so as not to hear again that fearful thing: 'Depart, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels'; so as not to hear, 'There is a chasm between us and you'; so as not to hear that thing full of terror, 'Take him, and cast him into the outer darkness'; so as not to hear that thing full of great fear, 'You wicked and lazy servant.' For that place of judgment is very terrible and fearful; and yet God is gentle, and yet gracious. For He is called the God of mercies, and the God of comfort, and good as no one is good, and kind and gentle and of great mercy, and He does not will the death of the sinner, but that he should turn and live. From where, then, from where is that day so full of anguish? a river of fire is drawn before his face, the books of our deeds are opened, this day is like a burning furnace, angels run about, and many furnaces are set forth. How then is He a lover of mankind? how merciful? how good? He is indeed a lover of mankind even so, and from these things especially the greatness of His love for mankind is shown. For on this account He brandishes so much fear at us, so that even through these things being constrained, we might at some point be roused to the 62.616 desire for the kingdom. But observe for me, how he does not simply bear witness to Onesiphorus, but says: 'He often refreshed me.' Like some athlete oppressed by drought, by the afflictions. he restored him, he says, and strengthened him. And how many things he ministered in Ephesus, you know better. Not only in Ephesus, he says, but also here. For such must be the one who is sober and alert, not

τὴν ἄλλην θεραπείαν ἅπασαν παρέχων, τὸ ἴσον ἔχει τῷ ἀθλοῦντι. βʹ. Μὴ γάρ μοι Παῦλον ἐννοήσῃς τὸν ἀθλητὴν, τὸν ἄμαχον καὶ ἀκαταγώνιστον, ἀλλὰ ἄλλον τινὰ τῶν πολλῶν, ὃς εἰ μὴ ἔτυχε πολλῆς παραμυθίας, πολλῆς παρακλήσεως, οὐκ ἂν ἴσως ἔστη, οὐκ ἂν ἠγωνίσατο. Ὥστε οἱ ἔξω τῶν ἀγώνων τῷ εἰς τοὺς ἀγώνας ἐμβε 62.615 βηκότι τῆς νίκης γεγόνασιν αἴτιοι, καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ τῇ νίκῃ κειμένων στεφάνων γένοιντ' ἂν μέτοχοι. Καὶ τί θαυμαστὸν, εἰ τοῖς ἔτι ζῶσι κοινωνῶν τις τῶν αὐτῶν ἀξιοῦται τοῖς ἀγωνιζομένοις; ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τοῖς ἀπελθοῦσι, τοῖς ἤδη κειμένοις, τοῖς ἐστεφανωμένοις, τοῖς οὐδενὸς δεομένοις ἔστι κοινωνεῖν καὶ μετὰ θάνατον· ἄκουε γὰρ τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος· Ταῖς μνείαις τῶν ἁγίων κοινωνοῦντες. Καὶ πῶς, φησὶν, ἔστι κοινωνεῖν; Ὅταν θαυμάσῃς τὸν ἄνδρα, ὅταν ἐργάσῃ τι τούτων ἐφ' οἷς ἐκεῖνος ἐστεφανώθη, κεκοινώνηκας αὐτῷ τῶν ἄθλων καὶ τῶν στεφάνων δηλονότι. ∆ῴη αὐτῷ, φησὶν, ὁ Κύριος εὑρεῖν ἔλεος παρὰ Κυρίου ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ. Ἠλέησέ με, φησίν· οὐκοῦν ἕξει τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ φοβερᾷ καὶ φρικτῇ, ἔνθα πολλοῦ ἐλέους χρεία ἡμῖν. ∆ῴη αὐτῷ, φησὶν, ὁ Κύριος εὑρεῖν ἔλεος παρὰ Κυρίου. ∆ύο Κύριοι; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλ' ἡμῖν εἷς Κύριος Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς, καὶ εἷς Θεός. Ἐνταῦθα οἱ τὰ Μαρκίωνος νοσοῦντες ἐπιπηδῶσι τῷ εἰρημένῳ· ἀλλὰ μανθανέτωσαν, ὡς ἔθος τῇ Γραφῇ τοῦτο, καὶ πολλαχοῦ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν ταύτῃ τῇ συνηθείᾳ τὴν Γραφὴν κεχρημένην, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου· καὶ πάλιν, Εἶπα τῷ Κυρίῳ, Κύριός μου εἶ σύ· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· Ἔβρεξε Κύριος παρὰ Κυρίου. Τοῦτο δὲ προσώπων ἐστὶ παραστατικὸν ὁμοουσίων, οὐ φύσεως διαιρετικόν· οὐ γὰρ ἵνα δύο οὐσίας διαφερούσας ἀλλήλων, ἀλλ' ἵνα δύο πρόσωπα νοήσωμεν τῆς αὐτῆς ὄντα οὐσίας ἑκάτερα, τοῦτο λέγει. Ὅρα δὲ πῶς καὶ εἶπε· ∆ῴη αὐτῷ Κύριος. Τί τοῦτο; Οὐχ ἕτερον, ἀλλ' ἔλεος. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐλέους ἔτυχε παρὰ Ὀνησιφόρου, τούτου τυχεῖν ἐπεύχεται καὶ αὐτὸν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἰ δὲ Ὀνησιφόρος ὁ κινδύνοις παραβαλὼν ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ ἐλέους σώζεται, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς. Φοβεραὶ γὰρ αἱ εὐθῦναι, φοβεραὶ, καὶ πολλῆς δεόμεναι τῆς φιλανθρωπίας, ὥστε μὴ ἀκοῦσαι τὸ ῥῆμα τὸ φρικτὸν ἐκεῖνο· Ὑπάγετε, οὐκ οἶδα ὑμᾶς, οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν· ὥστε μὴ ἀκοῦσαι πάλιν ἐκεῖνο τὸ φοβερόν· Ἀπέλθετε, οἱ κατηραμένοι, εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον, τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ· ὥστε μὴ ἀκοῦσαι, Χάος ἐστὶ μεταξὺ ἡμῶν καὶ ὑμῶν· ὥστε μὴ ἀκοῦσαι ἐκεῖνο τὸ φρίκης γέμον, Ἄρατε αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐμβάλετε εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον· ὥστε μὴ ἀκοῦσαι ἐκεῖνο τὸ πολλοῦ φόβου γέμον, Πονηρὲ δοῦλε καὶ ὀκνηρέ. Φρικτὸν γὰρ σφόδρα τὸ διδακτήριον ἐκεῖνο καὶ φοβερόν· καίτοι ὁ Θεὸς ἥμερός ἐστι, καίτοι προσηνής. Θεὸς γὰρ οἰκτιρμῶν λέγεται, καὶ Θεὸς παρακλήσεως, καὶ ἀγαθὸς ὡς οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς, καὶ χρηστὸς καὶ ἐπιεικὴς καὶ πολυέλεος, καὶ οὐ βούλεται τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ὡς τὸ ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ ζῇν αὐτόν. Πόθεν οὖν, πόθεν τοσαύτης ἀγωνίας ἡ ἡμέρα γέμει ἐκείνη; πυρὸς ἕλκεται ποταμὸς πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ, βίβλοι τῶν πράξεων ἡμῶν ἀνοίγονται, αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα ὡς κλίβανός ἐστι καιομένη, ἄγγελοι περιτρέχουσι, καὶ κάμινοι προτίθενται πολλαί. Πῶς οὖν φιλάνθρωπος; πῶς ἐλεήμων; πῶς ἀγαθός; Φιλάνθρωπος μὲν οὖν καὶ οὕτω, καὶ ἐκ τούτων μάλιστα δείκνυται αὐτοῦ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τὸ μέγεθος. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο τοσοῦτον ἡμῖν ἐπισείει τὸν φόβον, ἵνα κἂν διὰ τούτων συνωθούμενοι πρὸς 62.616 τὸν τῆς βασιλείας πόθον ποτὲ διεγερθῶμεν. Θέα δέ μοι, πῶς οὐχ ἁπλῶς τῷ Ὀνησιφόρῳ μαρτυρεῖ, ἀλλά φησι· Πολλάκις με ἀνέψυξε. Καθάπερ ἀθλητήν τινα ὑπὸ αὐχμοῦ πιεζόμενον, ὑπὸ τῶν θλίψεων. ἀνεκτήσατο, φησὶ, καὶ ἀνέῤῥωσε. Καὶ ὅσα ἐν Ἐφέσῳ διηκόνησε, βέλτιον σὺ γινώσκεις. Οὐ μόνον ἐν Ἐφέσῳ, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ δεῖ εἶναι τὸν νήφοντα καὶ διεγηγερμένον, οὐχ