John Chrysostom, On the Praises of Saint Paul the Apostle

Certain men once, warring against him, preached this very doctrine in Rome. For wishing to provoke Nero, who was warring against Paul, they themselves also undertook to preach, so that with the word being kindled more, and more disciples being made, the tyrant's anger might become hotter, and the beast might become more savage. And Paul himself, writing to the Philippians, said this: I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has rather served to advance the gospel, so that most of the brothers, having become confident in my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from good will; the one part from contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the other from love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. What then? only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. Do you see how many preached from contention? But nevertheless it prevailed even through its adversaries. 4.16 And besides these things, there were also other opposing factors. For indeed ancient laws not only did not help, but also were contrary and made war, and the wickedness and ignorance of those who slandered; for, they say, they have Christ as a king. For they did not know his kingdom above, that dreadful and boundless one, but as if they were introducing a tyranny to the world, so they slandered. And all in common, and each one individually, contended against them; in common, on the grounds that the state was being destroyed, and the laws overturned; and individually, on the grounds that each household was being torn apart and dissolved. For a father warred against his child then, and a son denied his father, and wives their husbands, and husbands their wives, and daughters their mothers, and kinsmen kinsmen, and friends friends, and this war was of a varied and diverse kind, creeping into houses, tearing apart kinsmen, disturbing council-chambers, troubling law-courts, on the grounds that the ancestral customs were being dissolved, and festivals and the worship of demons were being overthrown, things which to the ancient lawgivers were of the greatest concern above all else. And along with these things, the suspicion of tyranny also caused them to be driven from every side. And one could not say that these things were so among the Greeks, but among the Jews it was quiet, but they too attacked much more harshly; for they also alleged the destruction of the state. For he does not cease, it says, speaking blasphemous words against this holy place and the law. 4.17 But nevertheless, with the fire being kindled from every side, from houses, from cities, from fields, from the wilderness, from the Greeks, from the Jews, from rulers, from the ruled, from kinsmen, from the land, from the sea, from kings, and with all making each other savage, and attacking more fiercely than any wild beast, this blessed man, leaping into so many furnaces, and standing in the midst of wolves, and being assailed from every side, was not only not overwhelmed, but also brought them all over to the truth. Shall I mention also other most difficult wars in addition to these; that of the false apostles, the thing that grieved him most of all, that of the weak brethren; for many believers were being corrupted; but even for these things he was sufficient. From where and from what strength? Our weapons, he says, are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. For this reason all things were being changed, and were being reformed at once. 4.18 And just as when a fire is kindled, the thorns, being consumed little by little, yield and give way to the flame, and make the fields clean; so too when the tongue of Paul spoke, and came upon all things more vehemently than fire, everything yielded

τούτῳ ποτέ τινες πολεμοῦντες, ἐκήρυττον τουτὶ τὸ δόγμα ἐν Ῥώμῃ. Βουλόμενοι γὰρ τὸν Νέρωνα παροξῦναι πολεμοῦντα τῷ Παύλῳ, ἀναδέχονται καὶ αὐτοὶ κηρύττειν, ἵνα μᾶλλον ἐξαφθέντος τοῦ λόγου, καὶ πλειόνων γενομένων μαθητῶν, θερμότερος ὁ θυμὸς τοῦ τυράννου γένηται, καὶ ἀγριωθῇ τὸ θηρίον. Καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸς ὁ Παῦλος Φιλιππησίοις ἐπιστέλλων ἔλεγε· Γινώσκειν ὑμᾶς βούλομαι, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι τὰ κατ' ἐμὲ μᾶλλον εἰς προκοπὴν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐλήλυθεν, ὥστε τοὺς πλείονας τῶν ἀδελφῶν πεποιθότας τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου περισσοτέρως τολμᾶν ἀφόβως τὸν λόγον λαλεῖν. Τινὲς μὲν καὶ διὰ φθόνον καὶ ἔριν, τινὲς δὲ καὶ δι' εὐδοκίαν τὸν Χριστὸν κηρύσσουσιν· οἱ μὲν ἐξ ἐριθείας, οὐχ ἁγνῶς, οἰόμενοι θλῖψιν ἐπιφέρειν τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου· οἱ δὲ ἐξ ἀγάπης, εἰδότες ὅτι εἰς ἀπολογίαν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου κεῖμαι. Τί γάρ; πλὴν παντὶ τρόπῳ, εἴτε προφάσει, εἴτε ἀληθείᾳ, Χριστὸς καταγγέλλεται. Εἶδες πῶς πολλοὶ ἐξ ἐριθείας ἐκήρυττον; Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ἐκράτει. 4.16 Μετὰ δὲ τούτων, καὶ ἕτερα ἦν τὰ ἀντικρούοντα. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ νόμοι παλαιοὶ οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐβοήθουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἠναντιοῦντο καὶ ἐπολέμουν, καὶ ἡ πονηρία καὶ ἡ ἄγνοια τῶν διαβαλλόντων· βασιλέα γάρ, φασίν, ἔχουσι τὸν Χριστόν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ᾔδεισαν τὴν ἄνω βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ, τὴν φρικτὴν ἐκείνην καὶ ἀπέραντον, ἀλλ' ὡς τυραν νίδα αὐτῶν ἐπεισαγόντων τῇ οἰκουμένῃ, οὕτω διέβαλον. Καὶ κοινῇ πάντες, καὶ ἰδίᾳ ἕκαστος αὐτοῖς ἐπύκτευε· κοινῇ μέν, ὡς τῆς πολιτείας ἀναιρουμένης, καὶ τῶν νόμων ἀνατρεπομένων· ἰδίᾳ δέ, ὡς ἑκάστης οἰκίας διασπωμένης καὶ καταλυομένης. Καὶ γὰρ πατὴρ ἐπολέμει παιδὶ τότε, καὶ υἱὸς ἠρνεῖτο πατέρα, καὶ γυναῖκες ἄνδρας, καὶ ἄνδρες γυναῖκας, καὶ θυγατέρες μητέρας, καὶ συγγενεῖς συγγενεῖς, καὶ φίλοι φίλους, καὶ ποικίλος τις ἦν ὁ πόλεμος οὗτος καὶ παντοδαπός, εἰς τὰς οἰκίας ἕρπων, συγγενεῖς διασπῶν, βουλευτήρια ταράττων, δικαστήρια θορυβῶν, ὡς τῶν πατρίων ἐθῶν καταλυομένων, καὶ ἑορτῶν καὶ θεραπείας δαιμόνων ἀνατρεπομένης, ἃ τοῖς πάλαι νομοθέταις πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων περισπούδαστα ἦν. Καὶ μετὰ τούτων καὶ ἡ τῆς τυραννίδος ὑποψία πάντοθεν αὐτοὺς ἐλαύνεσθαι ἐποίει. Καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι τις εἰπεῖν, ὅτι παρὰ μὲν Ἕλλησι ταῦτα, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἡσύχαζεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκεῖνοι πολλῷ χαλεπώτερον ἐπετίθεντο· καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ πολιτείας ἀναίρεσιν ᾐτιῶντο. Οὐ παύεται γάρ, φησί, λαλῶν ῥήματα βλάσφημα κατὰ τοῦ τόπου τοῦ ἁγίου τούτου καὶ τοῦ νόμου. 4.17 Ἀλλ' ὅμως πάντοθεν τῆς πυρᾶς ἀναπτομένης, ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκιῶν, ἀπὸ τῶν πόλεων, ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγρῶν, ἀπὸ τῆς ἐρημίας, ἀπὸ τῶν Ἑλλήνων, ἀπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἀπὸ τῶν ἀρχόντων, ἀπὸ τῶν ἀρχομένων, ἀπὸ τῶν συγγενῶν, ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάττης, ἀπὸ τῶν βασιλευόντων, καὶ πάντων ἀλλήλους ἐξαγριούντων, καὶ θηρίου παντὸς χαλεπώτερον ἐπιτιθεμένων, ὁ μακάριος οὗτος εἰς τοσαύτας καμίνους ἐμπηδῶν, καὶ ἐν μέσῳ λύκων ἱστάμενος, καὶ πάντοθεν βαλλόμενος, οὐ μόνον οὐ κατεχώσθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντας αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν ἀλήθειαν μετήγαγεν. Εἴπω καὶ ἄλλους πρὸς τούτοις πολέμους χαλεπωτάτους· ὁ τῶν ψευδαποστόλων, τὸ μάλιστα πάντων αὐτὸν λυποῦν, ὁ τῶν οἰκείων τῶν ἀσθενούντων· πολλοὶ γὰρ πιστεύοντες διεφθείροντο· ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα ἤρκεσε. Πόθεν καὶ ἐκ ποίας ἰσχύος; Τὰ ὅπλα ἡμῶν, φησίν, οὐ σαρκικά, ἀλλὰ δυνατὰ τῷ Θεῷ πρὸς καθαίρεσιν ὀχυρωμάτων, λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάντα μετεβάλλετο, καὶ μετερρυθμίζετο ἀθρόον. 4.18 Καὶ ὥσπερ πυρᾶς ἀναφθείσης, αἱ ἄκανθαι, κατὰ μικρὸν δαπανώμεναι, εἴκουσι καὶ παραχωροῦσι τῇ φλογί, καὶ καθαρὰς ποιοῦσι τὰς ἀρούρας· οὕτω δὴ καὶ τῆς Παύλου γλώττης φθεγγομένης, καὶ πάντα πυρὸς σφοδρότερον ἐπιούσης, εἶκεν ἅπαντα