John Chrysostom, On the Praises of Saint Paul the Apostle

to stir up the people against himself? Who, even seeing himself in so many dangers that the city was also besieged, was let down through a window in the wall, and having been let down, not even so did he fall into hesitation, nor into cowardice and fear, but from this he received greater zeal, yielding to the dangers for the sake of the divine plan, but yielding his teaching to no one, but seizing the cross again he followed. And yet he still had at his feet the example of what happened to Stephen, and seeing the Jews breathing murder against him above all, and desiring to taste of his very flesh. Therefore, he neither fell recklessly into dangers, nor did he become weaker again when escaping. He greatly loved the present life on account of the gain from it, and he greatly looked down on it on account of the philosophy that came to him from looking down on it, or because he was eager to depart to Jesus. 5.4 For what I always say about him, and will never cease to say, no one having fallen into such opposite circumstances, practiced both with precision; no one, at least, so desired the present life, not even those who are intensely fond of life; no one so looked down on it, not even those who embrace death with extravagance. Thus he was pure from every desire, and was attached to none of the things present, but everywhere he mingled his own desire with the will of God; and now he says it is more necessary even than fellowship and communion with Christ, and now so heavy and burdensome as to groan and hasten toward his departure; For he desires only those things that bring him gain according to God, even if these happened to be contrary to the former things. For he was varied and of all kinds, not being a hypocrite, God forbid, but becoming all things that the need of the preaching and the salvation of men required, and in this imitating his own Master. 5.5 For God appeared both as God and man, when it was necessary for this to appear; and in fire long ago when the time required this; and now in the form of a heavy-armed soldier and a warrior, now in the image of an old man, now in a breeze, now as a wayfarer, now simply as a man, and not even so did he refuse to die. But when I say, 'it was necessary for this,' let no one think there is any necessity in the Word, but only of His love for mankind. And sometimes He sits on a throne, and sometimes on the Cherubim. And He did all these things in relation to the underlying divine plans. Wherefore He also said through the prophet: 'I have multiplied visions, and I have been represented by the hands of prophets.' 5.6 Thus Paul also, imitating his own Master, would not be condemned, now becoming as a Jew, now as one without law; and now he kept the law, now he disregarded the law; and sometimes he held on to the present life, and sometimes he despised it; and now he asked for money, and now he refused it when it was given; and he offered sacrifice and shaved his head, and again he anathematized those who did so; and now he circumcised, and now he cast out circumcision. And the things done were contrary, but the purpose and the thought from which these things were done was very consistent and connected with itself. For he sought one thing, the salvation of those hearing and seeing these things. For this very reason he now lifts up the law, and now he pulls it down. For not only in what he did, but also in what he said, he was varied and of all kinds, not changing his purpose, nor becoming one thing from another, but remaining what he was, and handling each of the things said for the present need. Therefore, do not blame him for these things, but for these very things especially proclaim and crown him. 5.7 Since also the physician, when you see him now cauterizing, now nourishing, and now

τὸν δῆμον διεγεῖραι καθ' ἑαυτοῦ; ὃς καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἐν τοσούτοις ὄντα κινδύνοις, ὡς καὶ τὴν πόλιν πολιορκεῖσθαι, διὰ θυρίδος ἐχαλάσθη διὰ τοῦ τείχους, καὶ χαλασθείς, οὐδὲ οὕτως εἰς ὄκνον ἐνέπεσεν, οὐδὲ εἰς δειλίαν καὶ φόβον, ἀλλὰ πλείονα προθυμίαν ἐντεῦθεν ἐδέ χετο, παραχωρῶν μὲν τοῖς κινδύνοις δι' οἰκονομίαν, οὐ παραχωρῶν δὲ τῆς διδασκαλίας οὐδενί, ἀλλὰ τὸν σταυρὸν πάλιν ἁρπάσας ἠκολούθει· καίτοι γε παρὰ πόδας ἔχων ἔτι τὸ παράδειγμα τὸ κατὰ τὸν Στέφανον, καὶ ὁρῶν κατ' αὐτοῦ μάλιστα πάντων φόνου πνέοντας Ἰουδαίους, καὶ αὐτῶν ἐπιθυμοῦντας αὐτοῦ τῶν σαρκῶν ἀπογεύσασθαι. Οὔτε οὖν ἀφειδῶς ἐνέπιπτε τοῖς κινδύνοις, οὐδὲ διαφεύγων μαλακώτερος ἐγίνετο πάλιν. Σφόδρα τῆς παρούσης ἤρα ζωῆς διὰ τὸ κέρδος τὸ ἐξ αὐτῆς, καὶ σφόδρα αὐτῆς ὑπερεώρα διὰ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπεροψίας γινομένην αὐτῷ, ἢ διὰ τὸ ἐπείγεσθαι πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀπελθεῖν. 5.4 Ὅπερ γὰρ ἀεὶ λέγω περὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐδέποτε παύσομαι λέγων, οὐδεὶς οὕτως εἰς ἐναντία πράγματα ἐμπεσών, ἑκάτερα πρὸς ἀκρίβειαν ἤσκησεν· οὐδεὶς γοῦν οὕτω τῆς παρούσης ἐπεθύμησε ζωῆς, οὐδὲ τῶν σφόδρα φιλοψυχούντων· οὐδεὶς οὕτως αὐτῆς ὑπερεῖδεν, οὐδὲ τῶν μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς θανατώντων. Οὕτω πάσης ἐπιθυμίας καθαρὸς ἦν ἐκεῖνος, καὶ οὐδενὶ προσέπασχε τῶν παρόντων, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ τῇ βουλῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἐπιθυ μίαν ἐκίρνα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ· καὶ νῦν μὲν αὐτὴν καὶ τῆς μετὰ Χριστοῦ συνουσίας καὶ ὁμιλίας ἀναγκαιοτέραν εἶναί φησι, νῦν δὲ οὕτω βαρεῖαν καὶ ἐπαχθῆ, ὡς καὶ στενάζειν καὶ ἐπείγεσθαι πρὸς τὴν ἀνάλυσιν· Ἐκείνων γὰρ ἐπιθυμεῖ μόνον, τῶν κατὰ Θεὸν κέρδος αὐτῷ φερόντων, εἰ καὶ ἐναντία ταῦτα εἶναι συνέβαινε τοῖς προτέροις. Καὶ γὰρ ποικίλος τις ἦν καὶ παντοδαπός, οὐχ ὑποκρινόμενος, μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ πάντα γινόμενος ἅπερ ἡ τοῦ κηρύγματος καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπῄτει χρεία, κἀν τούτῳ τὸν ∆εσπότην τὸν ἑαυτοῦ μιμούμενος. 5.5 Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἐφαίνετο, ὅτε ἔδει φανῆναι τοῦτο· καὶ ἐν πυρὶ πάλαι ὅτε ὁ καιρὸς τοῦτο ἀπῄτει· καὶ νῦν μὲν ἐν ὁπλίτου σχήματι καὶ στρατιώτου, νῦν δὲ ἐν εἰκόνι πρεσβύτου, νῦν δὲ ἐν αὔρᾳ, νῦν δὲ ὡς ὁδοιπόρος, νῦν δὲ αὐτοάνθρωπος, καὶ οὐδὲ ἀποθανεῖν οὕτω παρῃτήσατο. Τὸ δέ, ἔδει τοῦτο, ὅταν εἴπω, μηδεὶς ἀνάγκην εἶναι νομιζέτω τοῦ λόγου, ἀλλὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας μόνον. Καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἐν θρόνῳ, ποτὲ δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν Χερουβὶμ κάθηται. Πάντα δὲ ταῦτα πρὸς τὰς ὑποκειμένας οἰκονομίας ἔπραττε. ∆ιὸ καὶ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου ἔλεγεν· Ἐγὼ ὁράσεις ἐπλήθυνα, καὶ ἐν χερσὶ προφητῶν ὡμοιώθην. 5.6 Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος τὸν ἑαυτοῦ μιμούμενος ∆εσπότην οὐκ ἂν κατεγνώσθη, νῦν μὲν ὡς Ἰουδαῖος γινόμενος, νῦν δὲ ὡς ἄνομος· καὶ νῦν μὲν νόμον ἐφύλαττε, νῦν δὲ ὑπερεώρα νόμου· καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἀντείχετο τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς, ποτὲ δὲ κατεφρόνει αὐτῆς· καὶ νῦν μὲν ᾔτει χρήματα, νῦν δὲ καὶ διδόμενα διεκρούετο· καὶ ἔθυε καὶ ἐξυρᾶτο, καὶ πάλιν ἀνεθεμάτιζε τοὺς ποιοῦντας· καὶ νῦν μὲν περιέτεμε, νῦν δὲ περιτομὴν ἐξέβαλε. Καὶ τὰ μὲν γινόμενα ἐναντία ἦν, ἡ δὲ γνώμη καὶ ἡ διάνοια ἀφ' ἧς ταῦτα ἐγίνετο σφόδρα ἀκόλουθος καὶ ἑαυτῇ συνημμένη. Ἓν γὰρ ἐζήτει, τῶν ταῦτα ἀκουόντων καὶ ὁρώντων τὴν σωτηρίαν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο νῦν μὲν ἐπαίρει νόμον, νῦν δὲ αὐτὸν καθαιρεῖ. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον ἐν οἷς ἔπραττεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν οἷς ἔλεγε, ποικίλος ἦν καὶ παντοδαπός, οὐχὶ μεταβαλλόμενος τὴν γνώμην, οὐδὲ ἕτερος ἐξ ἑτέρου γινόμενος, ἀλλὰ μένων ὅπερ ἦν, καὶ τῶν εἰρημένων ἕκαστον πρὸς τὴν παροῦσαν μεταχειρίζων χρείαν. Μὴ τοίνυν διὰ ταῦτα αὐτὸν κακίσῃς, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὰ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα μάλιστα ἀνακήρυξον καὶ στεφάνωσον. 5.7 Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸν ἰατρόν, ὅταν ἴδῃς νῦν μὲν καίοντα, νῦν δὲ τρέφοντα, καὶ νῦν