John Chrysostom, On the Letter to the Ephesians

they become. What a boast to know that he was bound for Christ? what pleasure, what honor, what splendor? I wished to always speak these things; I wished to hold fast to the chain; I wished, even if in fact I am deprived of it, yet in word to place the chain around my soul through my disposition. The prison, he says, was shaken while Paul was bound, and everyone's bonds were loosened. Have you seen the nature of bonds loosening bonds? For just as the Lord's death put death to death, so also Paul's bonds freed the prisoners, shook the prison, opened the doors; and yet this is not the nature of bonds, but the opposite, to hold the one bound in security, 62.59 not to open the walls for him. But such is not the nature of bonds in general, but it is the nature of bonds for Christ's sake. The jailer fell down before Paul and Silas. But this is not what bonds ordinarily do, bring the binders to the feet of the bound; on the contrary, they make the bound subject to the binders. But now the loosed one was at the feet of the bound one; he who bound asked the one who was bound to be loosed from fear. Did you not bind him, tell me? did you not cast him into the inner prison? did you not secure his feet in the stocks? why do you tremble? why are you in an uproar? why do you weep? why have you drawn your sword? I bound no such person, he says; I did not know that the power of Christ's prisoners was so great. What are you saying? they received authority to open the heavens, and were they not going to open a prison? they loosed those bound by demons, and was iron going to overcome them? you do not know the men; for this reason you also obtained forgiveness. Paul is the one who is bound, whom all the angels revered; it is Paul, whose handkerchiefs and aprons drove out demons and put diseases to flight, and yet a bond from a demon is much more like adamant than iron, and harder to break; for this one binds the soul, but that one the body. He who looses bound souls, therefore, would he not have been able to loose his own body? He who breaks the bonds of demons, would he not have loosed a fetter of iron? He who through his garments loosed those who were bound, and delivered them from demons, would he not by himself have loosed himself? For this reason he was first bound, and then he loosed those who were bound, that you might learn that the servants of Christ, when bound, have much greater strength than those who are loosed. If he had done this while loosed, it would not have been so wonderful; so that the bond was not of weakness, but of greater power. For thus the strength of the saint is shown more splendidly, when even while bound he prevails over those who are loosed, when the one bound looses not only himself, but also those who are bound. What is the use of the walls? What is the advantage of casting him into the inner prison, when he also opened the outer one? But why did it happen at night, and with an earthquake? Grant me a little and yield, that I who have refrained from apostolic sayings and delighted in apostolic deeds, may feast upon the chain of Paul; allow me to linger longer. I have taken hold of the bond, no one turns me away. I am more securely bound now by longing than he was then by the stocks. No one looses this bond; for it is from the longing for Christ; neither angels nor the kingdom of heaven has the strength to loose this; for one can hear Paul himself saying, Neither angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, will be able to separate us from the love of Christ. For what reason, then, did the event happen in the middle of the night? For what reason also with an earthquake? Hear the economy of God, and marvel. Everyone's bonds were loosed, and the doors were opened. But this happened only for the sake of the jailer, not for display, but for salvation. For that the prisoners did not know that they were loosed is clear from the voice of Paul. For what does he say? But he cried out with a loud voice, saying: Do yourself no harm, for we are all here. But they would not all have been inside if they had seen the doors opened and themselves loosed. For those who 62.60 cut through walls, and climb over roofs and cornices, and all

γίνονται. Πόσον καύχημα εἰδέναι, ὅτι διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν ἐδέθη; πόση ἡδονὴ, πόση τιμὴ, πόση λαμπρότης; Ἐβουλόμην διαπαντὸς ταῦτα φθέγγεσθαι· ἐβουλόμην ἔχεσθαι τῆς ἁλύσεως· ἐβουλόμην, εἰ καὶ τῷ πράγματι ἀπεστέρημαι, ἀλλὰ τῷ λόγῳ περιθεῖναι τὴν ἅλυσιν τῇ ψυχῇ διὰ τῆς διαθέσεως. Ἐσείσθη, φησὶ, τὸ δεσμωτήριον δεδεμένου Παύλου, καὶ πάντων τὰ δεσμὰ ἀνείθη. Εἶδες δεσμῶν φύσιν τὰ δεσμὰ ἀναλύουσαν; Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου θάνατος τὸν θάνατον ἐθανάτωσεν, οὕτω καὶ τὰ Παύλου δεσμὰ τοὺς δεσμώτας ἔλυσε, τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἔσεισε, τὰς θύρας ἀνέῳξε· καίτοι οὐχ αὕτη τῶν δεσμῶν ἡ φύσις ἐστὶν, ἀλλ' ἡ ἐναντία, κατέχειν ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ τὸν δεδεμένον, 62.59 οὐχὶ τοὺς τοίχους ἀνοίγειν αὐτῷ. Ἀλλὰ τῶν μὲν δεσμῶν ἁπλῶς φύσις οὐκ ἔστιν αὕτη, δεσμῶν δὲ τῶν διὰ Χριστὸν αὕτη. Προσέπεσεν ὁ δεσμοφύλαξ τῷ Παύλῳ καὶ τῷ Σίλᾳ. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦτο ποιεῖ δεσμὰ ἁπλῶς, τοὺς δήσαντας εἰς τοὺς πόδας ἄγειν τῶν δεδεμένων, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ὑποχειρίους τούτους ἐκείνοις ποιεῖν. Νῦν δὲ ὁ λελυμένος ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ἦν τοῦ δεδεμένου· ὁ δήσας ἠξίου τὸν δεθέντα λυθῆναι τοῦ φόβου. Οὐχὶ σὺ ἔδησας, εἰπέ μοι; οὐχὶ εἰς τὴν ἐσωτέραν ἔβαλες φυλακήν; οὐχὶ εἰς τὸ ξύλον ἠσφαλίσω τοὺς πόδας; τί τρέμεις; τί θορυβῇ; τί δακρύεις; τί τὸ ξίφος ἐσπάσω; Οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἔδησα, φησίν· οὐκ ᾔδειν, ὅτι τοσαύτη τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ δεσμίων ἡ δύναμις. Τί λέγεις; οὐρανοὺς ἔλαβον ἐξουσίαν ἀνοίγειν, καὶ δεσμωτήριον οὐκ ἔμελλον ἀνοίγειν; τοὺς ὑπὸ δαιμόνων δεδεμένους ἔλυον, καὶ σιδήριον ἔμελλεν αὐτῶν περιέσεσθαι; οὐκ οἶδας τοὺς ἄνδρας· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ συγγνώμης ἔτυχες. Παῦλος ὁ δεδεμένος ἐστὶν, ὃν ἄγγελοι πάντες ᾐδέσθησαν· Παῦλός ἐστιν, οὗ καὶ τὰ σουδάρια καὶ τὰ σημικίνθια δαίμονας ἤλαυνε, καὶ νόσους ἐφυγάδευε, καίτοι πολλῷ σιδήρου ἀδαμάντινος, καὶ ἀῤῥαγέστερος ὁ παρὰ τοῦ δαίμονος δεσμός· οὗτος μὲν γὰρ ψυχὴν, ἐκεῖνος δὲ σῶμα δεσμεῖ. Ὁ ψυχὰς τοίνυν δεδεμένας λύων, τὸ σῶμα τὸ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἂν ἴσχυσε λῦσαι; ὁ δαιμόνων δεσμὰ διαῤῥηγνὺς, σιδήρου δέσιν οὐκ ἂν ἔλυσεν; ὁ διὰ τῶν ἱματίων αὐτοῦ τοὺς δεσμώτας ἐκείνους λύων, καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων ἀπαλλάττων, αὐτὸς δι' ἑαυτοῦ ἑαυτὸν οὐκ ἂν ἔλυσε; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πρῶτον ἐδέθη, καὶ τότε τοὺς δεδεμένους ἔλυσεν, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δοῦλοι δεδεμένοι, πολλῷ τῶν λελυμένων μείζονα ἔχουσι τὴν ἰσχύν. Εἰ λελυμένος τοῦτο εἰργάσατο, οὐκ ἦν οὕτω θαυμαστόν· ὥστε οὐκ ἀσθενείας ὁ δεσμὸς ἦν, ἀλλὰ μείζονος δυνάμεως. Οὕτω γὰρ λαμπροτέρα ἡ ἰσχὺς τοῦ ἁγίου δείκνυται, ὅταν καὶ δεδεμένος τῶν λελυμένων κρατῇ, ὅταν ὁ δεδεμένος μὴ μόνον ἑαυτὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς δεδεμένους λύῃ. Τί τῶν τοίχων τὸ ὄφελος; τί τὸ πλέον ἀπὸ τοῦ εἰς τὴν ἐσωτέραν φυλακὴν βαλεῖν αὐτὸν, ὅπου γε καὶ τὴν ἐξωτέραν ἀνέῳξε; ∆ιὰ τί δὲ ἐν νυκτὶ, καὶ μετὰ σεισμοῦ γέγονεν; Ἔνδοτέ μοι μικρὸν καὶ παραχωρήσατε, τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ἀποσχομένῳ ῥημάτων, καὶ ἐντρυφήσαντι τοῖς ἀποστολικοῖς πράγμασιν, ἑστιαθῆναι ἐν τῇ ἁλύσει Παύλου· δότε μοι ἐπιπλέον ἐνδιατρίψαι. Ἐπελαβόμην τοῦ δεσμοῦ, οὐδείς με ἀφίστησιν. Ἀσφαλέστερον ἐγὼ δέδεμαι νῦν τῷ πόθῳ, ἢ ἐκεῖνος τότε τῷ ξύλῳ. Τοῦτον οὐδεὶς λύει τὸν δεσμόν· ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ πόθου ἐστὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ· τοῦτον οὐδὲ οἱ ἄγγελοι, οὐδὲ βασιλεία οὐρανῶν ἰσχύει λῦσαι· αὐτοῦ Παύλου ἐστὶν ἀκοῦσαι λέγοντος, Οὔτε ἄγγελοι, οὔτε ἀρχαὶ, οὔτε δυνάμεις, οὔτε ἐνεστῶτα οὔτε μέλλοντα, οὔτε ὕψωμα οὔτε βάθος δυνήσεται ἡμᾶς χωρίσαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκα μέσον νυκτῶν τὸ πρᾶγμα γέγονε; τίνος ἕνεκεν καὶ μετὰ σεισμοῦ; Ἀκούσατε Θεοῦ οἰκονομίαν, καὶ θαυμάσατε. Πάντων τὰ δεσμὰ ἐλύθη, καὶ αἱ θύραι ἀνεῴγησαν. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μόνον διὰ τὸν δεσμοφύλακα γέγονεν, οὐ πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς σωτηρίαν. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐκ ᾔδεσαν οἱ δεσμῶται ὅτι λελυμένοι εἰσὶν, δῆλον ἀπὸ τῆς φωνῆς Παύλου. Τί γάρ φησιν; Ἐφώνησε δὲ φωνῇ μεγάλῃ λέγων· Μηδὲν πράξῃς σεαυτῷ κακὸν, πάντες γάρ ἐσμεν ἐνθάδε. Οὐκ ἂν δὲ πάντες ἦσαν ἔνδον, εἰ εἶδον τὰς θύρας ἀνεῳγμένας, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς λελυμένους. Οἱ γὰρ τοίχους 62.60 διατέμνοντες, καὶ ὀρόφους καὶ θριγκία ὑπερβαίνοντες, καὶ πάντα