John Chrysostom, On the Praises of Saint Paul the Apostle

What then, if someone were to say, in the name of the crucified thief, or of this one, or of that one, will the demon flee? Not at all, but will even laugh. But if you add Jesus the Nazarene, they flee as if from some fire. What then would you say? From whence did He prevail? That He was a deceiver? But His commands are not such; besides, many deceivers have arisen. But that He was a magician? But the doctrines do not testify to this; and there has often been a great multitude of magicians. But that He was wise? But many wise men have often existed. Who then has prevailed so? No one ever, not even close by a little. 4.10 Whence it is clear that it was not because He was a magician, nor because He was a deceiver, but because He was the corrector of these things, and some divine and invincible power, that He Himself prevailed over all, and inspired this tentmaker with such great power, as the facts themselves bear witness. For a man standing in the marketplace, whose trade was in skins, was so strong as to bring back to the truth Romans, and Persians, and Indians, and Scythians, and Ethiopians, and Sauromatae, and Parthians, and Medes, and Saracens, and simply the entire race of men in not even thirty whole years. Whence then, tell me, did the man of the marketplace, and standing in a workshop, and handling a chisel, both philosophize on such matters himself, and persuade others, and nations, and cities, and countries, not displaying strength of words, but quite the contrary, being unlearned in the utmost ignorance? Hear him at least saying, and not being ashamed: Though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge. Not possessing money. For he himself says this too: Even to this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are buffeted. And why do I say money, when often he was not well-provided even with necessary food, nor had a garment to put on? And that he was not distinguished by his trade, his disciple also shows this, saying that: He stayed with Aquila and Priscilla because he was of the same craft; for they were tentmakers by trade. Not famous by ancestry; for how could he be, having such a trade? Not from his native land, not from his nation. But nevertheless, coming into the midst, and only appearing, he disturbed all things of his opponents, confounded all things, and like a fire falling upon straw and grass, so he burned up the things of the demons, and changed all things to what he willed. 4.11 And not only is this wonderful, that being such a one he was so strong, but also that most of his disciples were poor, unlearned, uneducated, living with hunger, obscure and from obscure families. And these things he himself proclaims, and is not ashamed, speaking of their poverty, but rather not even begging on their behalf. For I go, he says, to Jerusalem to minister to the saints, and again: Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, so that there be no gatherings when I come. And that the greater part of them consisted of unlearned men, writing to the Corinthians, he says: See your calling, that not many are wise according to the flesh; and that they were from obscure families: Not many, he says, are noble; and not only not noble, but even very insignificant. For God, he says, has chosen the weak things of the world, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are. But though unlearned and uneducated, was he in any way persuasive in speech? Not even this. And this he himself again shows, saying: And I came to you, not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified; and my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom. 4.12 But was what was preached sufficient to attract? But hear what he says about it too: For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness. But

Τί οὖν, εἰ εἴποι τις, ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ λῃστοῦ τοῦ σταυρωθέντος, ἢ τοῦ δεῖνος, ἢ τοῦ δεῖνος, φεύξεται ὁ δαίμων; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ γελάσεται. Ἐὰν δὲ τὸν Ἰησοῦν προσθῇς τὸν Ναζωραῖον, καθάπερ ἀπὸ πυρός τινος φεύγουσι. Τί οὖν ἂν εἴποις; πόθεν ἐκράτησεν; ὅτι πλάνος ἦν; Ἀλλ' οὐ τοιαῦτα αὐτοῦ τὰ παραγγέλματα· ἄλλως δέ, καὶ πλάνοι πολλοὶ γεγόνασιν. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μάγος; Ἀλλ' οὐ τοῦτο μαρτυρεῖ τὰ δόγματα· καὶ μάγων πολλὴ πολλάκις ἐγένετο φορά. Ἀλλ' ὅτι σοφός; Ἀλλὰ σοφοὶ πολλοὶ πολλάκις ἐγένοντο. Τίς οὖν οὕτως ἐκράτησεν; Οὐδεὶς οὐδέποτε, οὐδὲ κατὰ μικρὸν ἐγγύς. 4.10 Ὅθεν δῆλον ὅτι οὐκ ἐπειδὴ μάγος ἦν, οὐδὲ ὅτι πλάνος ἦν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τούτων διορθωτής, καὶ θεία δύναμίς τις καὶ ἄμαχος, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς πάντων περιεγένετο, καὶ τῷ σκηνοποιῷ τούτῳ τοσαύτην ἐνέπνευσε δύναμιν, ὅσην αὐτὰ τὰ πράγματα μαρτυρεῖ. Ἄνθρωπος γὰρ ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς ἑστηκώς, περὶ δέρματα τὴν τέχνην ἔχων, τοσοῦτον ἴσχυσεν, ὡς καὶ Ῥωμαίους, καὶ Πέρσας, καὶ Ἰνδούς, καὶ Σκύθας, καὶ Αἰθίοπας, καὶ Σαυρομάτας, καὶ Πάρθους, καὶ Μήδους, καὶ Σαρακηνούς, καὶ ἅπαν ἁπλῶς τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπαναγαγεῖν ἐν ἔτεσιν οὐδὲ ὅλοις τριάκοντα. Πόθεν οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, ὁ ἀγοραῖος, καὶ ἐπὶ ἐργαστηρίου ἑστηκώς, καὶ σμίλην μεταχειρίζων, καὶ αὐτὸς τοιαῦτα ἐφιλοσόφει, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἔπεισε, καὶ ἔθνη, καὶ πόλεις, καὶ χώρας, οὐ λόγων ἰσχὺν ἐπιδεικνύμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν, τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀμαθίαν ἀμαθὴς ὤν; Ἄκουσον γοῦν αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, καὶ οὐκ αἰσχυνομένου· Εἰ καὶ ἰδιώτης τῷ λόγῳ, ἀλλ' οὐ τῇ γνώσει. Οὐ χρήματα κεκτημένος. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο αὐτός φησι· Μέχρι τῆς ἄρτι ὥρας καὶ πεινῶμεν, καὶ διψῶμεν, καὶ κολαφιζόμεθα. Καὶ τί λέγω χρήματα, ὅπου γε οὐδὲ τῆς ἀναγκαίας πολλάκις εὐπόρει τροφῆς, οὐδὲ ἱμάτιον περιβαλέσθαι εἶχεν; Ὅτι δὲ οὐδὲ ἐξ ἐπιτηδεύματος λαμπρὸς ἦν, καὶ τοῦτο ὁ μαθητὴς αὐτοῦ δείκνυσι λέγων ὅτι· Ἔμεινε πρὸς Ἀκύλαν καὶ Πρίσκιλλαν διὰ τὸ ὁμότεχνον· ἦσαν γὰρ σκηνοποιοὶ τὴν τέχνην. Οὐκ ἀπὸ προγόνων ἐπίσημος· πῶς γάρ, τοιοῦτον ἐπιτήδευμα ἔχων; Οὐκ ἀπὸ πατρίδος, οὐκ ἀπὸ ἔθνους. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐλθὼν εἰς μέσον, καὶ φανεὶς μόνον, πάντα ἐτάραξε τὰ τῶν ἐναντίων, πάντα συνέχεε, καὶ καθάπερ πῦρ εἰς καλάμην ἐμπεσὸν καὶ χόρτον, οὕτω κατέκαυσε τὰ τῶν δαιμόνων, καὶ εἰς ἅπερ ἐβούλετο, πάντα μετέστησε. 4.11 Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ θαυμαστόν, ὅτι αὐτὸς τοιοῦτος ὢν τοσαῦτα ἴσχυσεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ οἱ πλείους τῶν μαθητευομένων, πένητες, ἰδιῶται, ἀπαίδευτοι, λιμῷ συζῶντες, ἄσημοι καὶ ἐξ ἀσήμων. Καὶ ταῦτα καὶ αὐτὸς κηρύττει, καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνεται λέγων αὐτῶν τὴν πενίαν, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ προσαιτῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν. Πορεύομαι γάρ, φησίν, εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ διακονῶν τοῖς ἁγίοις, καὶ πάλιν· Κατὰ μίαν σαββάτων ἕκαστος ὑμῶν τιθέτω παρ' ἑαυτῷ θησαυρίζων, ἵνα μή, ὅταν ἔλθω, τότε λογίαι γίνωνται. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ τὸ πλεῖον αὐτῶν ἐξ ἰδιωτῶν συνειστήκει, Κορινθίοις ἐπιστέλλων, φησί· Βλέπετε τὴν κλῆσιν ὑμῶν, ὅτι οὐ πολλοὶ σοφοὶ κατὰ σάρκα· καὶ ὅτι ἐξ ἀσήμων· Οὐ πολλοί, φησίν, εὐγενεῖς· καὶ οὐ μόνον οὐκ εὐγενεῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα εὐτελεῖς. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ ἀσθενῆ, φησί, τοῦ κόσμου ἐξελέξατο ὁ Θεός, καὶ τὰ μὴ ὄντα, ἵνα τὰ ὄντα καταργήσῃ. Ἀλλ' ἰδιώτης μὲν καὶ ἀπαίδευτος, πιθανὸς δὲ ὁπωσοῦν εἰπεῖν; Οὐδὲ τοῦτο. Καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸς πάλιν δείκνυσι λέγων· Κἀγὼ ἦλθον πρὸς ὑμᾶς, οὐ καθ' ὑπεροχὴν λόγου ἢ σοφίας, καταγγέλλων ὑμῖν τὸ μαρτύριον. Οὐ γὰρ ἔκρινά τι εἰδέναι ἐν ὑμῖν, εἰ μὴ Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, καὶ τοῦτον ἐσταυρωμένον· καὶ ὁ λόγος μου καὶ τὸ κήρυγμά μου οὐκ ἐν πειθοῖς σοφίας λόγοις. 4.12 Ἀλλὰ τὸ κηρυττόμενον ἱκανὸν ἐπισπάσασθαι; Ἀλλ' ἄκουσον καὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ τί φησιν· Ἐπεὶ καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι σημεῖα αἰτοῦσι, καὶ Ἕλληνες σοφίαν ζητοῦσιν, ἡμεῖς δὲ κηρύττομεν Χριστὸν ἐσταυρωμένον, Ἰουδαίοις μὲν σκάνδαλον, Ἕλλησι δὲ μωρίαν. Ἀλλ'