John Chrysostom, On 2 Thessalonians

wishing to show affection towards a ruler): Do not go out, he says, to the war with us, lest the lamp of Israel be extinguished. See with how much care they held the old man. I greatly entreat your prayers; let no one, as I said, out of immoderate humility, take away from me this alliance and this help. If our affairs prosper, yours also will be more glorious; if the things of teaching flow abundantly to us, the wealth will pass over to you. Hear the prophet saying, Do not the shepherds feed themselves? Do you see Paul constantly seeking these prayers? Do you hear that Peter was thus snatched from the prison, because earnest prayer was being made for him? I strongly believe that your prayer will have great power, being made with such harmony. How much greater do you think it is than our littleness to approach God and entreat on behalf of so great a people? For if I do not have confidence to pray for myself, much more for others. For this belongs to those who are well-pleasing, to ask that God be merciful to others as well, those who have made Him gracious to themselves; but he who has himself given offense, how will he pray for another? But nevertheless, since I embrace you with fatherly affection, since love dares all things, not only in the church, 62.491 but also at home, before all other things I make my prayer for your health of soul and of body. For there is no other prayer so fitting for a priest as to approach and intercede with God for the good of the people before his own. For if Job, rising immediately, did so much for his earthly children, how much more ought we to do this for our spiritual ones? 4. But why do I say these things? Because if we make supplications and prayers for all of you, though we are so far from the greatness of the matter, it is much more just that you also do this. For for one to make request for many is a very bold thing and requires great confidence; but for many gathered together to make supplication for one is not at all burdensome. For each one does not do this trusting in his own virtue, but in the multitude, and in the harmony, by which God is especially moved everywhere. For wherever two or three are, he says, gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. If, where two or three are gathered, he is in the midst, much more among you. For what someone praying by himself cannot receive, this he will receive praying with the multitude; why? Because even if not his own virtue, yet the harmony has great power. Wherever, he says, two or three are gathered. Why did he say, Two? For if one is in your name, why are you not there? Because I wish all to be together, and not separated. Let us therefore fence one another in, let us be bound together by love, let no one separate us. If anyone has a complaint, if anyone has been grieved, let him not keep it in his mind, whether against his neighbor, or against us. This favor I ask of you, to come forward, and make your complaint, and receive a defense from us. Reprove, it says, lest perhaps he did not say it; reprove, lest perhaps he did not do it; and if he did it, that he may not add to it. For either we will have made our defense, or being convicted we will have asked forgiveness, and will try henceforth to no longer fall into the same things. This is profitable both for you, and for us. For you, perhaps even complaining unreasonably, having learned the truth of the matter, will be corrected; while we, having sinned, are unaware and are corrected. For you, it is not profitable to be indifferent; for there is a punishment for those who utter any idle word; while we strip off the accusations, both the false and the true; the false, by showing that they are false, and the true, by no longer doing the same things. For it is quite necessary for one who cares for so many 62.492 to be both ignorant, and to sin out of ignorance. For if each of you, having a household, and of a wife

φιλοστοργίαν πρὸς ἄρχοντα δεῖξαι βουλόμενος)· Μὴ ἐξέλθῃς, φησὶν, εἰς τὸν πόλεμον μεθ' ἡμῶν, ἵνα μὴ σβεσθῇ ὁ λύχνος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Ὅρα ἐν πόσῃ φειδοῖ τὸν γέροντα εἶχον. Σφόδρα δέομαι τῶν ὑμετέρων εὐχῶν· μηδείς με, ὅπερ ἔφην, ἐξ ἀμέτρου ταπεινοφροσύνης ἀφαιρείσθω ταύτην τὴν συμμαχίαν καὶ τὴν βοήθειαν. Ἂν τὰ ἡμέτερα εὐδοκιμῇ, καὶ τὰ ὑμέτερα λαμπρότερα ἔσται· ἂν ἐπιῤῥέῃ τὰ τῆς διδασκαλίας ἡμῖν, εἰς ὑμᾶς ὁ πλοῦτος διαβήσεται. Ἄκουε τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος, Μὴ ἑαυτοὺς ποιμαίνουσιν οἱ ποιμένες; Ὁρᾷς τὸν Παῦλον ἐπιζητοῦντα συνεχῶς ταύτας τὰς εὐχάς; ἀκούεις ὅτι Πέτρος οὕτως ἐξηρπάγη τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου, ἐπειδὴ ἦν εὐχὴ ἐκτενὴς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ γινομένη; Σφόδρα πιστεύω ὅτι πολλὰ δυνήσεται ὑμῶν ἡ εὐχὴ, μετὰ τοσαύτης συμφωνίας γινομένη. Πόσον νομίζετε μεῖζον εἶναι τῆς ἡμετέρας σμικρότητος τὸ ὑπὲρ δήμου τοσούτου προσιέναι τῷ Θεῷ καὶ παρακαλεῖν; Εἰ γὰρ αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ παῤῥησίαν δεηθῆναι οὐκ ἔχω, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ ἑτέρων. Τῶν γὰρ εὐδοκιμούντων ἐστὶ τοῦτο καὶ ἑτέροις ἀξιοῦν ἵλεων γενέσθαι τὸν Θεὸν, τῶν ἑαυτοῖς εὐμενῆ καταστησάντων· ὁ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς προσκεκρουκὼς, πῶς ὑπὲρ ἄλλου δεήσεται; Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπειδὴ σπλάγχνοις ὑμᾶς περιπλέκομαι πατρικοῖς, ἐπειδὴ ἡ ἀγάπη πάντα τολμᾷ, οὐκ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας μόνον, 62.491 ἀλλὰ καὶ κατ' οἶκον, πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑμετέρας ὑγείας τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν, τῆς κατὰ σῶμα ποιοῦμαι τὴν δέησιν. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν οὕτως ἱερεῖ πρέπουσα εὐχὴ ἑτέρα, ὡς τὸ ὑπὲρ τῶν τοῦ λαοῦ καλῶν πρὸ τῶν αὐτοῦ προσιέναι καὶ ἐντυγχάνειν τῷ Θεῷ. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ Ἰὼβ ἀνιστάμενος εὐθέως ὑπὲρ τῶν τέκνων τοσαῦτα ἐποίει τῶν σαρκικῶν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ τῶν πνευματικῶν ἡμεῖς τοῦτο ποιεῖν ὀφείλομεν; δʹ. Τί δὲ ταῦτά φημι; Ὅτι εἰ ἡμεῖς ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων ὑμῶν ποιούμεθα δεήσεις καὶ προσευχὰς, καίτοι γε τοσοῦτον ἀπέχοντες τοῦ μεγέθους τοῦ πράγματος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον δίκαιον καὶ ὑμᾶς τοῦτο ποιεῖν. Ἕνα μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ πολλῶν ἀξιοῦν, σφόδρα τολμηρὸν καὶ πολλῆς δεόμενον παῤῥησίας· πολλοὺς δὲ ὁμοῦ συνελθόντας ὑπὲρ ἑνὸς ποιεῖσθαι τὴν δέησιν, οὐδὲν φορτικόν. Οὐ γὰρ τῇ οἰκείᾳ πιστεύων ἕκαστος ἀρετῇ τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ τῷ πλήθει, καὶ τῇ ὁμονοίᾳ, ᾗ μάλιστα ὁ Θεὸς δυσωπεῖται πανταχοῦ. Ὅπου γὰρ ἂν ὦσι δύο ἢ τρεῖς, φησὶ, συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα, ἐκεῖ εἰμι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. Εἰ, ὅπου δύο ἢ τρεῖς εἰσι συνηγμένοι, ἐν μέσῳ ἐστὶ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐφ' ὑμῶν. Ὃ γὰρ καθ' ἑαυτόν τις εὐχόμενος λαβεῖν οὐ δύναται, τοῦτο μετὰ τοῦ πλήθους εὐχόμενος λήψεται· διὰ τί; Ὅτι εἰ καὶ μὴ ἡ οἰκεία ἀρετὴ, ἀλλ' ἡ συμφωνία πολλὴν ἔχει τὴν ἰσχύν. Ὅπου ἐὰν ὦσι, φησὶ, δύο ἢ τρεῖς συνηγμένοι. ∆ιὰ τί εἶπε, ∆ύο; Ἂν γὰρ εἷς ᾖ εἰς τὸ ὄνομά σου, διὰ τί μὴ εἶ ἐκεῖ; Ὅτι πάντας ὁμοῦ βούλομαι εἶναι, καὶ μὴ διεσπάσθαι. Συμφράττωμεν τοίνυν ἀλλήλους, συνδεσμῶμεν τῇ ἀγάπῃ, μηδεὶς ἡμᾶς χωριζέτω. Εἴ τις ἐγκαλεῖ, εἴ τις λελύπηται, μὴ κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐχέτω, κἂν πρὸς τὸν πλησίον, κἂν πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Ταύτην ὑμᾶς τὴν χάριν αἰτῶ, προσιέναι, καὶ ἐγκαλεῖν, καὶ ἀπολογίας δέχεσθαι παρ' ἡμῶν. Ἔλεγξον, φησὶ, μήποτε οὐκ εἶπεν· ἔλεγξον, μήποτε οὐκ ἐποίησε· καὶ εἰ ἐποίησεν, ἵνα μὴ προσθῇ. Ἢ γὰρ ἀπελογησάμεθα, ἢ καταγνωσθέντες συγγνώμην ᾐτήσαμεν, καὶ πειρώμεθα λοιπὸν μηκέτι περιπεσεῖν τοῖς αὐτοῖς. Τοῦτο καὶ ὑμῖν συμφέρει, καὶ ἡμῖν. Ὑμεῖς μὲν γὰρ ἴσως καὶ ἀλόγως ἐγκαλοῦντες, μαθόντες τοῦ πράγματος τὴν ἀλήθειαν, διορθωθήσεσθε· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἡμαρτηκότες ἀγνοοῦμεν καὶ διορθούμεθα. Ὑμῖν μὲν ἀδιαφορεῖν οὐ συμφέρει· καὶ γὰρ τιμωρία κεῖται τοῖς πᾶν ῥῆμα ἀργὸν ἐκβάλλουσιν· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀποδυόμεθα τὰ ἐγκλήματα, τά τε ψευδῆ τά τε ἀληθῆ· τὰ μὲν ψευδῆ, ὅτι ψευδῆ ἐστι δείξαντες, τὰ δὲ ἀληθῆ, μηκέτι ποιοῦντες τὰ αὐτά. Πολλὴ γὰρ ἀνάγκη τὸν τοσούτων 62.492 φροντίζοντα καὶ ἀγνοεῖν, καὶ ἐξ ἀγνοίας ἁμαρτάνειν. Εἰ γὰρ οἰκίαν ἕκαστος ὑμῶν ἔχων, καὶ γυναικὸς