John Chrysostom, On 2 Timothy

Of Nero and Paul. That one had the glory of the world, this one the dishon 62.622 or. How? That one was a tyrant, having accomplished many things, having set up trophies, having overflowing wealth, numberless armies from every side, the greater part of the inhabited world subject to him, the queen city subject to him, the whole senate bowing to him, he went forth from the palace itself in splendid array. If it was necessary to be armed, he would go out armed with gold and precious stones; if to sit in peace, he sat clothed in purple. He had many bodyguards, many shield-bearers; he was called master of land and sea, autocrat, Augustus, Caesar, king, and many other such names, which flattery and servility devised; and he lacked nothing at all of things pertaining to glory; but also wise men and potentates and kings trembled at him, and feared the man; for he was also said to be otherwise cruel and rash; this man also wished to be a god, and despised all idols, and God who is over all, and he was served as a god. What could be better than this glory? Or rather, what could be worse than this dishonor? But I know not how my mouth has run ahead with the truth, and delivered its verdict before the judgment. For the time being, however, let us examine the matter according to the opinion of the many, according to that of the unbelievers, according to flattery. What is greater in the account of glory than for him even to be thought a god? This is truly a great dishonor, for a man, being human, to rave with such madness; but for now let us examine the matter according to the opinion of the many. Therefore, nothing was lacking to him for human glory, but he was served by all as a god. But let us compare Paul with him, if you please. The man was a Cilician; and everyone knows how great the distance is between Cilicia and Rome; a leather-worker, poor, inexperienced in worldly wisdom, knowing only Hebrew, a language reviled by all, and especially by the Italians. For they do not so revile those who have a barbarian tongue, nor the Greek, nor any other, as they do the Syrian; and this one has much in common with that. And do not be surprised that they despised this one; for if they despise the marvelous and beautiful Greek language, much more so that of the Hebrews. A man who often lived in hunger, and went to sleep hungry, a naked man, not having anything to put on. "In cold and nakedness," he says. Not only these things, but he was also in chains; for by that man's command he was cast among robbers, among sorcerers, among tomb-robbers, among murderers, and was scourged as an evil-doer, which indeed he himself says. Who then is more illustrious? Is it not that of that one the many do not even know the name, but this one Greeks and barbarians and Scythians and those at the very ends of the inhabited world sing of every day? But let us not yet examine the present things, but those of that time. Who was more illustrious? Who more glorious? The one wearing the chain, and being dragged bound from the prison, or the one wearing the purple, and proceeding from the palace? The one who was bound, by all means. How? Because that one, though having armies, and sitting forth in splendid array, was not strong enough to accomplish what he wanted; but the prisoner, even as an evil-doer in a humble guise, did all things with more authority. How and in what way? That one said, "Do not spread the word of piety"; this one said, "I will not endure it; for the word of God is not bound." And the Cilician, the prisoner, the tentmaker, the poor man, the one living in hunger, despised the one from Rome, the rich one, the one reigning, the one ruling over all, the one pro 62.623 viding countless things for countless people; and though there were so many armies, he was powerless. Who then was illustrious? Who was noble? The one conquering in chains, or the one being conquered in purple? The one standing below and striking, or the one sitting above and being struck? The one commanding and being despised, or the one being commanded and having no regard for the commands? The one being alone and

Νέρωνος καὶ τοῦ Παύλου. Ἐκεῖνος τὴν δόξαν εἶχε τοῦ κόσμου, οὗτος τὴν ἀτι 62.622 μίαν. Πῶς; τύραννος ἦν ἐκεῖνος, πολλὰ κατωρθωκὼς, τρόπαια στήσας, πλοῦτον ἔχων ἐπιῤῥέοντα, πανταχόθεν στρατόπεδα ἄπειρα, τὸ πλέον τῆς οἰκουμένης μέρος ὑποτεταγμένον, τὴν βασιλίδα πόλιν ὑποτεταγμένην, τὴν σύγκλητον ἅπασαν ὑποκύπτουσαν, τὰ βασίλεια αὐτὰ ἐν λαμπρῷ τῷ σχήματι προῄει. Εἴτε ὁπλίζεσθαι ἔδει, χρυσῷ καὶ λίθοις τιμίοις ὁπλιζόμενος ἔξεισιν· εἴτε ἐν εἰρήνῃ καθῆσθαι, ἁλουργίδα περικείμενος ἐκάθητο. Πολλοὺς τοὺς δορυφόρους, πολλοὺς τοὺς ὑπασπιστὰς εἶχε· γῆς καὶ θαλάττης δεσπότης ἤκουεν, αὐτοκράτωρ, Αὔγουστος, Καῖσαρ, βασιλεὺς, καὶ πολλὰ ἕτερα ὀνόματα τοιαῦτα, ἅπερ κολακείαν ἐπενόει καὶ θεραπείαν· καὶ οὐδὲν ἐνέλιπεν ὅλως τῶν εἰς δόξαν· ἀλλὰ καὶ σοφοὶ καὶ δυνάσται καὶ βασιλεῖς αὐτὸν ἔτρεμον, καὶ ἐδεδοίκεισαν τὸν ἄνδρα· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἄλλως ὠμός τις καὶ ἰταμὸς εἶναι ἐλέγετο· οὗτος καὶ θεὸς εἶναι ἐβούλετο, καὶ πάντων κατεφρόνει τῶν εἰδώλων, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων Θεοῦ, καὶ ὡς θεὸς ἐθεραπεύετο. Τί ταύτης τῆς δόξης κρεῖττον; μᾶλλον δὲ τί τῆς ἀτιμίας χεῖρον; Ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶδα πῶς ὑπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας προὔδραμε τὸ στόμα, καὶ πρὸ τῆς κρίσεως τὴν ψῆφον ἤνεγκε. Τέως δὲ κατὰ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν ὑπόνοιαν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐξετάσωμεν, κατὰ τὴν τῶν ἀπίστων, κατὰ τὴν κολακείαν. Τί μεῖζον εἰς λόγον δόξης τοῦ καὶ θεὸν νομισθῆναι αὐτόν; Μεγάλη ὄντως τοῦτο ἀτιμία, τὸ ἄνθρωπον ὄντα τοιαῦτα λυττᾷν· ἀλλὰ τέως κατὰ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν ὑπόνοιαν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐξετάσωμεν. Οὐδὲν τοίνυν ἐνέλιπεν αὐτῷ εἰς δόξαν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην, ἀλλὰ ὡς θεὸς παρὰ πάντων ἐθεραπεύετο. Ἀλλὰ ἀντεξετάσωμεν αὐτῷ καὶ τὸν Παῦλον, εἰ δοκεῖ. Κίλιξ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἦν· ὅσον δὲ Κιλικίας καὶ Ῥώμης τὸ μέσον, πάντες ἴσασι· σκυτοτόμος, πένης, τῆς ἔξωθεν σοφίας ἄπειρος, Ἑβραϊστὶ μόνον εἰδὼς, γλῶτταν διασυρομένην παρὰ πάντων, καὶ μάλιστα παρὰ τῶν Ἰταλῶν. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτω τοὺς τὴν βάρβαρον, οὔτε τὴν Ἑλλάδα, οὔτε ἄλλην τινὰ ἔχοντας γλῶτταν διασύρουσιν, ὡς τὴν Σύρων· αὕτη δὲ πολλὴν ἔχει τὴν κοινωνίαν πρὸς ταύτην. Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς ὅτι ταύτην διέπτυον· εἰ γὰρ τὴν Ἑλλάδα τὴν θαυμαστὴν καὶ καλὴν διαπτύουσι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὴν Ἑβραίων. Ἄνθρωπος πολλάκις ἐν λιμῷ ζήσας, καὶ κοιμηθεὶς πεινῶν, ἄνθρωπος γυμνὸς, οὔτε ὅ τι περιβάλοιτο ἔχων. Ἐν ψύχει καὶ γυμνότητι, φησίν. Οὐ ταῦτα δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν δεσμοῖς γεγονώς· μετὰ γὰρ λῃστῶν, μετὰ γοήτων, μετὰ τυμβωρύχων, μετὰ ἀνδροφόνων αὐτοῦ ἐκείνου κελεύσαντος ἐβέβλητο καὶ ἐμαστίζετο ὡς κακοῦργος, ὅπερ οὖν καὶ αὐτός φησι. Τίς οὖν λαμπρότερος; οὐχὶ ἐκείνου μὲν οὐδὲ ὄνομα ἴσασιν οἱ πολλοὶ, τοῦτον δὲ καὶ Ἕλληνες καὶ βάρβαροι καὶ Σκύθαι καὶ οἱ πρὸς αὐτὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ τέρματα καθ' ἑκάστην ᾄδουσι τὴν ἡμέραν; Ἀλλὰ μήπω τὰ νῦν, ἀλλὰ τὰ τότε ἐξετάσωμεν. Τίς ἦν λαμπρότερος; τίς ἐπιδοξότερος; ὁ τὴν ἅλυσιν περικείμενος, καὶ δεδεμένος ἑλκόμενος ἐκ τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου, ἢ ὁ τὴν ἁλουργίδα περικείμενος, καὶ ἐκ τῶν βασιλείων προϊών; Ὁ δεδεμένος πάντως. Πῶς; Ὅτι ἐκεῖνος μὲν καὶ στρατόπεδα ἔχων, καὶ ἐν λαμπρῷ τῷ σχήματι προκαθήμενος, ἅπερ ἤθελεν οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ἀνύειν· ὁ δὲ δεσμώτης, καὶ ὡς κακοῦργος ἐν εὐτελεῖ σχήματι, αὐθεντικώτερον πάντα ἔπραττε. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ἐκεῖνος ἔλεγε, Μὴ διασπείρῃς τὸν λόγον τῆς εὐσεβείας· οὗτος ἔλεγεν, Οὐκ ἀνέχομαι· οὐδὲ γὰρ δέδεται ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ διέπτυσεν ὁ Κίλιξ, ὁ δεσμώτης, ὁ σκηνοποιὸς, ὁ πένης, ὁ ἐν λιμῷ ζῶν τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς Ῥώμης, τὸν πλούσιον, τὸν βασιλεύοντα, τὸν πάντων κρατοῦντα, τὸν μυρίοις μυρία παρ 62.623 έχοντα· καὶ τοσούτων ὄντων στρατοπέδων, οὐδὲν ἴσχυσε. Τίς ἄρα λαμπρὸς ἦν; τίς σεμνός; ὁ ἐν δεσμοῖς νικῶν, ἢ ὁ ἐν ἁλουργίδι νικώμενος; ὁ κάτω ἑστὼς καὶ βάλλων, ἢ ὁ ἄνω καθήμενος καὶ βαλλόμενος; ὁ ἐπιτάττων καὶ καταφρονούμενος, ἢ ὁ ἐπιταττόμενος καὶ οὐδένα λόγον ἔχων τῶν ἐπιταγμάτων; ὁ μόνος ὢν καὶ