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Writing to Philemon he says: As Paul an old man, and now also a prisoner in Christ. For nothing is so glorious as a bond for Christ's sake, as the chains which were laid upon those holy hands. Than to be an apostle, than to be a teacher, than to be an evangelist, this is more glorious, to be a prisoner for Christ. If any one loves Christ, he knows what is said; if any one is mad and burns for the Master, he knows the power of the bonds. Such a one would choose to be a prisoner for Christ's sake, rather than 62.56.20 to dwell in the heavens. He showed them his hands more glorious than any gold, than any royal diadem. For a gem-studded band placed around it does not make a head so glorious, as an iron chain for Christ's sake. Then the prison was more glorious than royal palaces. What do I say of royal palaces? and of heaven itself; for it held a prisoner of Christ. If any one loves Christ, he knows this dignity, he knows this virtue, he knows how great a gift it was to the human race to be bound for His sake. Perhaps this is more glorious than sitting at His right hand, this is more venerable than sitting on twelve thrones, to be bound for His sake. And what do I say of human things? I am ashamed to compare wealth and golden ornament with bonds. But leaving aside to speak of those great things, even if the matter had no reward, this alone is a great reward, this is a sufficient recompense, to suffer these terrible things for the sake of the beloved. Those who love know what is said, even if not God, but men, who take more pleasure in suffering evil than in being honored by their beloveds. Comprehending these things belongs to the holy choir alone, I mean the apostles. For hear the blessed Luke saying: that they returned rejoicing from the presence of the council, because they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Christ. To others, then, it seems a joke, if to suffer dishonor is to be counted worthy, if to suffer dishonor is to rejoice; but to those who know the love of Christ, this is considered the most blessed of all things. If someone gave me all of heaven, or that chain, I would have preferred that chain; if someone placed me with the angels above, or with Paul in chains, I would have chosen the prison; if someone made me one of those powers which are about heaven, which are about the throne, or such a prisoner, I would have chosen to become such a prisoner. Naturally; nothing is more blessed than that chain. I would wish to be in those places now; for it is said that the bonds still remain; and to see and to admire those men for their love of Christ; I would wish to see the 62.57 chains, which demons fear and shudder at, but angels reverence. Nothing is better than to suffer some evil for Christ's sake. I do not count Paul blessed so much for being caught up into paradise, as for being cast into prison. I do not count him blessed so much for hearing unspeakable words, as for enduring the bonds; I do not count him blessed so much for being caught up to the third heaven, as I count him blessed for the bonds. For that these things are greater than those, hear how he himself knows this. For he did not say, I beseech you, I who have heard unspeakable words, but what? I beseech you, I the prisoner in the Lord. And if he does not add this to all his epistles, it is not surprising; for he was not always in chains, but at certain times. It is more preferable for me to suffer evil for Christ, than to be honored by Christ. This is a great honor, this is a glory that surpasses all things. If He himself for my sake became a slave, and emptied His glory, and did not consider Himself to be in glory so much as when He was crucified for me, what ought I not to suffer? For hear Him saying: Glorify me, you, Father. What are you saying? you are led to the cross with thieves and tomb-robbers, to undergo the death of the accursed, you are about to be spat upon and struck, and you call these things glory? Yes, he says; for I suffer these things for the sake of those who are loved, and for now I consider them glory. If he who loved the wretched and miserable calls the matter glory, and not being on the paternal throne, nor being in glory, but being in dishonor was glory, and this more than that

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Φιλήμονα γράφων φησίν· Ὡς Παῦλος πρεσβύτης, νυνὶ δὲ καὶ δέσμιος ἐν Χριστῷ. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω λαμπρὸν, ὡς δεσμὸς διὰ Χριστὸν, ὡς αἱ ἁλύσεις αἱ περικείμεναι ταῖς ὁσίαις χερσὶν ἐκείναις. Τοῦ ἀπόστολον εἶναι, τοῦ διδάσκαλον εἶναι. τοῦ εὐαγγελιστὴν εἶναι, τοῦτο λαμπρότερον, τὸ δέσμιον εἶναι διὰ τὸν Χριστόν. Εἴ τις φιλεῖ τὸν Χριστὸν, ἔγνω τὸ λεγόμενον· εἴ τις μαίνεται καὶ περικαίεται τοῦ ∆εσπότου, οἶδε τὴν δύναμιν τῶν δεσμῶν. Ὁ τοιοῦτος ἕλοιτο ἂν δέσμιος εἶναι διὰ Χριστὸν, ἢ 62.56.20 τοὺς οὐρανοὺς οἰκεῖν. Παντὸς χρυσοῦ λαμπροτέρας αὐτοῖς ἐδείκνυ τὰς χεῖρας, παντὸς διαδήματος βασιλικοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτω ποιεῖ λαμπρὰν κεφαλὴν ταινία λιθοκόλλητος περικειμένη, ὡς ἅλυσις σιδηρᾶ διὰ Χριστόν. Τότε τῶν βασιλείων λαμπρότερον τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἦν. Τί λέγω βασιλείων; καὶ αὐτοῦ δὲ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· δέσμιον γὰρ εἶχε Χριστοῦ. Εἴ τις φιλεῖ τὸν Χριστὸν, οἶδε τοῦτο τὸ ἀξίωμα, οἶδε ταύτην τὴν ἀρετὴν, οἶδεν ὅσον ἐχαρίσατο τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένει τὸ δεθῆναι δι' αὐτόν. Τάχα τοῦ καθίσαι ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ τοῦτο λαμπρότερον, τοῦ καθίσαι ἐπὶ δώδεκα θρόνων τοῦτο σεμνότερον, τὸ δεθῆναι δι' αὐτόν. Καὶ τί λέγω περὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων; αἰσχύνομαι συγκρίνων πλοῦτον καὶ κόσμον χρυσοῦν δεσμοῖς. Ἀλλ' ἀφεὶς εἰπεῖν περὶ τῶν μεγάλων ἐκείνων, κἂν μηδένα μισθὸν εἶχε τὸ πρᾶγμα, τοῦτο μόνον μέγας μισθὸς, τοῦτο ἀντίδοσις ἱκανὴ, τὸ διὰ τὸν φιλούμενον ταῦτα πάσχειν τὰ δεινά. Ἴσασιν οἱ φιλοῦντες, εἰ καὶ μὴ τὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλ' ἀνθρώπους, τὸ λεγόμενον, οἳ ἥδονται κακῶς πάσχοντες μᾶλλον, ἢ τιμώμενοι παρὰ τῶν ἐρωμένων. Τοῦ ἁγίου χοροῦ τὸ ταῦτα συνιδεῖν μόνον, τῶν ἀποστόλων λέγω. Ἄκουε γὰρ τοῦ μακαρίου Λουκᾶ λέγοντος· ὅτι Ὑπέστρεφον χαίροντες ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ συνεδρίου, ὅτι ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατηξιώθησαν ἀτιμασθῆναι. Τοῖς μὲν οὖν ἄλλοις δοκεῖ γέλως εἶναι, εἰ τὸ ἀτιμασθῆναι καταξιωθῆναί ἐστιν, εἰ τὸ ἀτιμασθῆναι, χαίρειν ἐστί· τοῖς δὲ ἐπισταμένοις τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸν πόθον τοῦτο πάντων μακαριστότερον νενόμισται. Εἴ τις ἐμοὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐχαρίζετο πάντα, ἢ τὴν ἅλυσιν ἐκείνην, ἐκείνην ἂν ἐγὼ προετίμησα· εἴ τίς με μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἵστη ἄνω, ἢ μετὰ Παύλου δεδεμένου, τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἂν εἱλόμην· εἴ τις με ἐκείνων ἕνα ἐποίει τῶν δυνάμεων τῶν περὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν, τῶν περὶ τὸν θρόνον, ἢ δεσμώτην τοιοῦτον, τοιοῦτος ἂν εἱλόμην γενέσθαι δεσμώτης. Εἰκότως· οὐδὲν τῆς ἁλύσεως ἐκείνης μακαριώτερον. Ἐβουλόμην ἐν τοῖς τόποις γενέσθαι νῦν ἐκείνοις· λέγεται γὰρ ἔτι μένειν τὰ δεσμά· καὶ ἰδεῖν καὶ θαυμάσαι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐκείνους τοῦ πόθου τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐβουλόμην ἰδεῖν τὰς 62.57 ἁλύσεις, ἃς δεδοίκασι μὲν δαίμονες καὶ φρίττουσιν, αἰδοῦνται δὲ ἄγγελοι. Οὐδὲν βέλτιον τοῦ κακῶς παθεῖν τι διὰ Χριστόν. Οὐχ οὕτω μακαρίζω Παῦλον, ὅτι εἰς παράδεισον ἡρπάγη, ὡς ὅτι εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἐνεβλήθη. Οὐχ οὕτως αὐτὸν μακαρίζω, ὅτι ἤκουσεν ἄῤῥητα ῥήματα, ὡς ὅτι ὑπέμεινε τὰ δεσμά· οὐχ οὕτως αὐτὸν μακαρίζω, ὅτι ἡρπάγη εἰς τρίτον οὐρανὸν, ὡς μακαρίζω διὰ τὰ δεσμά. Ὅτι γὰρ ταῦτα ἐκείνων μείζονα, ἄκουσον καὶ αὐτὸς πῶς τοῦτο οἶδεν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπε, Παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς ἐγὼ ὁ ῥήματα ἄῤῥητα ἀκούσας, ἀλλὰ τί; Παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς ἐγὼ ὁ δέσμιος ἐν Κυρίῳ. Εἰ δὲ μὴ πάσαις τοῦτο προσγράφει ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς, οὐ θαυμαστόν· οὐδὲ γὰρ πάντοτε ἐδέδετο, ἀλλ' ἐν χρόνοις τισίν. Αἱρετώτερον ἐμοὶ παθεῖν κακῶς ὑπὲρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἢ τιμᾶσθαι παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τοῦτο μεγάλη τιμὴ, τοῦτο δόξα ἡ πάντα ὑπερβάλλουσα. Εἰ αὐτὸς δι' ἐμὲ γενόμενος δοῦλος, καὶ τὴν δόξαν κενώσας, οὐχ οὕτως ἡγεῖτο ἐν δόξῃ εἶναι, ὡς ὅτε ἐσταυροῦτο ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, τί ἐμὲ παθεῖν οὐ δεῖ; Ἄκουε γὰρ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος. ∆όξασόν με σὺ, Πάτερ. Τί λέγεις; ἐπὶ σταυροῦ ἄγῃ μετὰ λῃστῶν καὶ τυμβωρύχων, τὸν τῶν ἐπαράτων ὑφίστασθαι θάνατον, ἐμπτύεσθαι μέλλεις καὶ ῥαπίζεσθαι, καὶ ταῦτα δόξαν καλεῖς; Ναὶ, φησίν· ὑπὲρ γὰρ τῶν φιλουμένων ἐγὼ πάσχω ταῦτα, καὶ τανῦν δόξαν αὐτὰ ἡγοῦμαι. Εἰ ὁ τοὺς οἰκτροὺς καὶ ταλαιπώρους φιλήσας, δόξαν τὸ πρᾶγμα καλεῖ, καὶ οὐ τὸ ἐν τῷ θρόνῳ εἶναι τῷ πατρικῷ, οὐδὲ τὸ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ δόξα ἦν, καὶ τοῦτο ἐκείνου