John Chrysostom, On 2 Thessalonians

The request is an encomium; Just as, he says, also to you. And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. This shows his own dangers as well; for which reason he especially besought them. From unreasonable, he says, and wicked men: for all men have not faith. Therefore he speaks about those who contradict the preaching, about those who resist and fight against the doctrines. For he hinted at this by saying, For all men have not faith. He does not seem to me here to be hinting at dangers, but at those who contradict and hinder his word, such as Hymenaeus was, such as Alexander the coppersmith. For greatly, he says, did he withstand our words; just as if someone speaking about a paternal inheritance said that it is not for all to serve in the palace, so also he, concerning the wicked from whom he wishes to be delivered, there are such, he says, to whom it is given not to believe. And in saying this, he also rouses them up. So they were some great persons, if indeed they have so much confidence as to be able to deliver even their teacher from dangers, and to make the preaching easy for him. Therefore we too say the same things to you. Let no one accuse us of folly; let none of you out of excessive humility deprive us of so great assistance. For we do not speak from the same mind as Paul spoke; for he, wishing to encourage the disciples, said these things; but we, to reap something great and good; and we strongly believe that we will accomplish all things, if you all are willing with one accord to stretch out your hands to God on behalf of our littleness. Thus let us fight our enemies with prayers and supplications. For if the men of old fought thus against armed men, much more must we fight thus against those without arms. Thus did Hezekiah rout the Assyrian, thus Moses Amalek, thus Samuel the Ashkelonites, thus Israel the thirty- 62.490 two kings. If where there was need of arms and battle-array and fighting, they laid aside their arms and took refuge in prayer; where things must be accomplished by prayers alone, how should we not much more pray? But there, one says, the leaders prayed on behalf of the people; but you think it right for the people to pray on behalf of the leader? I know it too. For then the governed were wretched and of no account; for which reason they were saved by the confidence and virtue of their general alone; but now, since the grace of God has increased, and among the governed we will find many, or rather the majority, far surpassing their ruler in this respect, do not deprive us of this alliance; lift up our hands for us, that they may not grow weak; open our mouth for us, that it may not be shut; beseech God, beseech him for this. For what is done is on our behalf, but the whole is done on your behalf; for we are appointed for your benefit, and we are concerned for your affairs. Let each one pray both privately and in common. See Paul saying, That the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many may be acknowledged with thanksgiving on our behalf; that is, that He may give the grace to many. If in the case of men, a people approaching has asked for the release of men condemned and led away to death, and the king, being prevailed upon by the multitude, has reversed his sentence; much more will God also be prevailed upon by you, not by your number, but by your virtue. For we have a fierce enemy. For each of you is anxious and cares for his own things, but we for the things of all together; we stand in the laboring part of the war. The devil arms himself more fiercely against us. For in wars also the adversary attempts to strike down the general before all others. For this reason all the shield-bearers run there; for this reason there is a great clamor, as each one attempts to rescue him, and they fence him around on all sides with their shields, wishing to save his head. Hear what all the people say to David (not comparing myself to David do I say these things, I am not so mad, but of a people

ἐγκωμίου ἡ αἴτησις· Καθάπερ, φησὶ, καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Καὶ ἵνα ῥυσθῶμεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀτόπων καὶ πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων· οὐ γὰρ πάντων ἡ πίστις. Τοῦτο δηλοῦντός ἐστι καὶ τοὺς αὐτοῦ κινδύνους· διὸ μάλιστα αὐτοὺς παρεκάλει. Ἀπὸ τῶν ἀτόπων, φησὶ, καὶ πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων· οὐ γὰρ πάντων ἡ πίστις. Ἄρα περὶ τῶν ἀντιλεγόντων τῷ κηρύγματι λέγει, περὶ τῶν ἀνθισταμένων καὶ μαχομένων τοῖς δόγμασι. Τοῦτο γὰρ ᾐνίξατο εἰπών· Οὐ γὰρ πάντων ἡ πίστις. Οὐ κινδύνους ἐνταῦθά μοι δοκεῖ αἰνίττεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας καὶ ἐμποδίζοντας αὐτοῦ τῷ λόγῳ, ὥσπερ ἦν ὁ Ὑμεναῖος, ὥσπερ Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ χαλκεύς. Λίαν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀνθέστηκε τοῖς ἡμετέροις λόγοις· ὡς ἂν περὶ κλήρου εἰ ἔλεγέ τις πατρικοῦ, ὅτι οὐ πάντων ἐστὶ τὸ στρατεύεσθαι ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις, οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς ἀφ' ὧν βούλεται ῥυσθῆναι πονηρῶν, εἰσὶ τοιοῦτοι, φησὶν, οἷς δέδοται τὸ μὴ πιστεύειν. Ἅμα δὲ τοῦτο λέγων καὶ διανίστησιν αὐτούς. Ἄρα μεγάλοι τινὲς ἦσαν, εἴ γε τοσαύτην ἔχουσι παῤῥησίαν, ὡς δύνασθαι καὶ τὸν διδάσκαλον κινδύνων ἀπαλλάττειν, καὶ ἐξευμαρίζειν αὐτῷ τὸ κήρυγμα. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰ αὐτὰ πρὸς ὑμᾶς λέγομεν. Μηδεὶς ἡμῶν ἀπόνοιαν καταγινωσκέτω· μηδεὶς ὑμῶν ἐξ ἀμέτρου ταπεινοφροσύνης ἀποστερείτω ἡμᾶς τοσαύτης βοηθείας. Οὔτε γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς διανοίας λέγομεν, ἀφ' ἧς Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ παρακαλέσαι τοὺς μαθητὰς βουλόμενος, ταῦτα ἔλεγεν· ἡμεῖς δὲ καρποῦσθαί τι μέγα καὶ χρηστόν· καὶ σφόδρα πιστεύομεν ὅτι πάντα κατορθώσομεν, ἂν ἐθελήσητε πάντες ὁμοθυμαδὸν τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτείνειν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡμετέρας σμικρότητος. Οὕτω πολεμῶμεν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς εὐχαῖς καὶ ἱκετηρίαις. Εἰ γὰρ τοῖς ἐνόπλοις οὕτως ἐπολέμουν οἱ παλαιοὶ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοῖς χωρὶς ὅπλων οὕτω δεῖ πολεμεῖν. Οὕτως ἐτροπώσατο Ἐζεκίας τὸν Ἀσσύριον, οὕτως ὁ Μωϋσῆς τὸν Ἀμαλὴκ, οὕτω τοὺς Ἀσκαλωνίτας ὁ Σαμουὴλ, οὕτως ὁ Ἰσραὴλ τοὺς τριά 62.490 κοντα δύο βασιλεῖς. Εἰ ἔνθα ὅπλων ἔδει καὶ παρατάξεως καὶ μάχης, τὰ ὅπλα ἀφέντες ἐπὶ τὴν εὐχὴν κατέφυγον· ἔνθα εὐχαῖς μόνον ἀνυσθῆναι τὰ πράγματα χρὴ, πῶς οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον εὔχεσθαι δεῖ; Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ, φησὶν, οἱ ἡγούμενοι ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ παρεκάλουν· σὺ δὲ ἀξιοῖς τὸν λαὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἡγουμένου παρακαλεῖν; Οἶδα κἀγώ. Τότε μὲν γὰρ οἱ ἀρχόμενοι ταλαίπωροί τινες ἦσαν καὶ εὐτελεῖς· διόπερ ἀπὸ τῆς παῤῥησίας καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς τοῦ στρατηγοῦντος ἐσώζοντο μόνης· νυνὶ δὲ ὅτε ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάρις ἐπέδωκε, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀρχομένοις πολλοὺς, μᾶλλον δὲ τοὺς πλείους εὑρήσομεν τοῦ κρατοῦντος ἐκ πολλοῦ περιόντας τοῦ μέρους, μὴ δὴ τῆς συμμαχίας ἡμᾶς ἀποστερήσητε ταύτης· ἀνορθώσατε τὰς χεῖρας ἡμῖν, ἵνα μὴ ἐκλύωνται· ἀνοίξατε τὸ στόμα ἡμῖν, ἵνα μὴ ἐμφράττηται· παρακαλεῖτε τὸν Θεὸν, παρακαλεῖτε διὰ τοῦτο. Ἔστι μὲν οὖν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τὸ γινόμενον, τὸ δὲ πᾶν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν γίνεται· εἰς γὰρ τὸ ὑμῖν χρήσιμον κείμεθα, καὶ τὰ ὑμέτερα μεριμνῶμεν. Παρακαλεῖτε ἕκαστος καὶ ἰδίᾳ καὶ κοινῇ. Ὅρα Παῦλον λέγοντα, Ἵνα τὸ εἰς ἡμᾶς χάρισμα διὰ πολλῶν εὐχαριστηθῇ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν· τουτέστιν, ἵνα πολλοῖς δῷ τὴν χάριν. Εἰ ἐπὶ ἀνθρώπων καταδίκους ἄνδρας καὶ ἀπαγομένους εἰς θάνατον δῆμος προσελθὼν ἐξῃτήσατο, καὶ τὸ πλῆθος δυσωπηθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν γνώμην ἀνέθετο· πολλῷ μᾶλλον καὶ ὑφ' ὑμῶν ὁ Θεὸς δυσωπηθήσεται, οὐ τῷ πλήθει, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἀρετῇ. Σφοδρὸν γὰρ ἡμεῖς τὸν πολέμιον ἔχομεν. Ὑμῶν μὲν γὰρ ἕκαστος τὰ ἑαυτοῦ μεριμνᾷ καὶ φροντίζει, ἡμεῖς δὲ τὰ πάντων ὁμοῦ· εἰς τὸ μέρος ἑστήκαμεν τοῦ πολέμου τὸ πονοῦν. Σφοδρότερον καθ' ἡμῶν ὁ διάβολος ὁπλίζεται. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων τὸν στρατηγὸν καταβαλεῖν ὁ δι' ἐναντίας ἐπιχειρεῖ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκεῖ πάντες οἱ συνασπισταὶ τρέχουσι· διὰ τοῦτο πολὺς ὁ θόρυβος, ἐξελεῖν αὐτὸν ἑκάστου ἐπιχειροῦντος, καὶ ταῖς ἀσπίσι περιφράττουσι πάντοθεν, τὴν ἐκείνου βουλόμενοι διασῶσαι κεφαλήν. Ἀκούσατε τί φησι πρὸς τὸν ∆αυῒδ ἅπας ὁ δῆμος (οὐ τῷ ∆αυῒδ ἑαυτὸν παραβάλλων ταῦτα λέγω, οὐχ οὕτω μέμηνα, ἀλλὰ δήμου