John Chrysostom, On the Letter to the Ephesians

the prison was secured, because the guards were before the doors; no wall had been dug through, no door was opened, nor any other evidence of wrongdoing. From these things he ought to have marveled at the power of God, which snatched him even from the midst of dangers; and to worship Him who was able to do such things; but he led them away. How then is God the cause here? For if He had caused a wall to be broken 62.64 and so brought him out, perhaps the matter might have been thought the result of their negligence; but if He so ordered it that it was shown that the matter was not of human villainy, but of divine miracle-working, why indeed did he do this? For if he was going to flee, he would have fled with the chains as he had them; if he was going to flee in a tumult, he would not have taken such forethought as even to take his sandals, but would have left them. But now for this reason the angel says to him, Put on your sandals; so that they might learn that he did not work the matter by fleeing, but with much ease. For being bound, and remaining between the two soldiers, he would not have taken such leisure as to even loose the chains, and that being himself in the inner prison. So the punishment of the guards was the result of the judge's injustice. For why did the Jews not do this? For I am reminded of another prison, that former one in Rome, this one in Caesarea, and now the one in Jerusalem. For when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard from those sent by them to the prison to bring out Peter, that We found no one inside, but the doors were closed, and the guards were standing before the doors; why did they not kill the guards, but were perplexed about them, saying, What could this be? If they, though intensely murderous against them, conceived of nothing of the sort, much more you who do everything for their favor. For this reason justice swiftly overtook him. But if you complain about this, complain also about those slaughtered in the streets, and about the myriads of others unjustly killed, and further about the children who were killed on account of Christ; for to them also, as you say, Christ became the cause; or rather not Christ, but the madness and tyranny of the father of Herod. But if you say, Why did He not snatch him from the hands of Herod? He could have done this too, but would have gained nothing from it. How many times, at any rate, did Christ depart from the midst of their hands? what then did this benefit the ungrateful? Here, however, much benefit accrues to the faithful from what has happened; for when records were made, and their enemies testified to the things done, the testimony was above suspicion. Just as, then, they were silenced there from no other source than from the fact that those who came confessed what had happened, so indeed also here. For why did the jailer do nothing of the sort? And yet Herod's actions were no less than this man's. For to see the doors opened was, as a matter of astonishment, no less than to learn that the one who was bound had gone out while they were closed; and yet this might have seemed to be rather a phantasm, but that no longer, being reported with accuracy. So if this man had also been so wicked, he would have slaughtered Paul, just as that one did the soldiers; but he was not. But if we should wish to make a defense to those who say, why did God permit the children also to be killed, we shall perhaps fall into a longer discourse, which ought to have been spoken to you in the introduction, 62.65 For the present, however, having given much thanks for Paul's chain, let us cease our discourse, because it has become the cause of so many good things for us, having exhorted you not only not to be vexed, if you should suffer anything for Christ, but also to rejoice as the apostles did, and to boast as Paul said: Most gladly will I boast in my infirmities. For this reason he also heard, My grace is sufficient for you. Paul boasts in chains, and you are proud of wealth? the apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy to be scourged, and you seek ease and luxury? How then do you wish to obtain the same things as they, while walking the opposite way to them

δεσμωτήριον ἠσφάλιστο, ὅτι οἱ φύλακες ἦσαν πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν· οὐ τοῖχος διωρώρυκτο, οὐ θύρα ἀνέῳκτο, οὐδὲν ἄλλο κακουργίας τεκμήριον. Ἐχρῆν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τούτων θαυμάσαι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν, ἥτις καὶ ἐκ μέσων αὐτὸν ἀνήρπασε τῶν κινδύνων· καὶ προσκυνῆσαι τὸν τοσαῦτα δυνηθέντα· ὁ δὲ ἐκείνους ἀπήγαγε. Πῶς οὖν ἐνταῦθα ὁ Θεὸς αἴτιος; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ τοῖχον διαῤῥαγῆ 62.64 ναι ἐποίησε, καὶ οὕτως ἐξέβαλεν, ἴσως ἂν ἐνομίσθη τῆς ἐκείνων ῥᾳθυμίας τὸ πρᾶγμα· εἰ δὲ οὕτως ᾠκονόμησεν, ὥστε δειχθῆναι ὅτι οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνης κακουργίας, ἀλλὰ θείας θαυματουργίας τὸ πρᾶγμα ἦν, τί δὴ τοῦτο ἐποίησεν; Εἰ γὰρ ἔμελλε φεύγειν, οὕτως ὡς εἶχε τὰς ἁλύσεις ἔφυγεν ἄν· εἰ ἔμελλε φεύγειν τεθορυβημένος, οὐκ ἂν τοσαύτην ἐποιήσατο πρόνοιαν, ὥστε καὶ τὰ σανδάλια λαβεῖν, ἀλλ' εἴασεν ἄν. Νῦν δὲ διὰ τοῦτό φησιν ὁ ἄγγελος πρὸς αὐτὸν, Ὑπόδησαι τὰ σανδάλιά σου· ἵνα μάθωσιν ὅτι οὐ φεύγων, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς ἀνέσεως τὸ πρᾶγμα εἰργάσατο. ∆εδεμένος γὰρ, καὶ μεταξὺ τῶν δύο μένων στρατιωτῶν οὐκ ἂν τοσαύτην ἐποιήσατο σχολὴν, ὥστε καὶ τὰς ἁλύσεις λῦσαι, καὶ ταῦτα εἰς τὴν ἐσωτέραν ὢν καὶ αὐτὸς φυλακήν. Ὥστε τῆς ἀδικίας τοῦ δικαστοῦ γέγονεν ἡ κόλασις τῶν φυλάκων. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ Ἰουδαῖοι μὴ τοῦτο ἐποίησαν; Καὶ γὰρ ἑτέρου δεσμωτηρίου μέμνημαι, ἐκείνου μὲν τοῦ προτέρου τοῦ ἐν Ῥώμῃ, τούτου δὲ τοῦ ἐν Καισαρείᾳ, νῦν δὲ τοῦ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις. Ἀκούσαντες γὰρ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι παρὰ τῶν ἀποσταλέντων παρ' αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον, ὥστε ἐξαγαγεῖν τὸν Πέτρον, ὅτι Ἔσω οὐδένα εὕρομεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κεκλεισμένας τὰς θύρας, καὶ τοὺς φύλακας ἑστῶτας πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν· διὰ τί μὴ τοὺς φύλακας ἀνεῖλον, ἀλλὰ διηπόρουν περὶ αὐτῶν λέγοντες, Τί ἂν γένοιτο τοῦτο; Εἰ δὲ σφόδρα κατ' αὐτῶν φονῶντες οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἐνενόησαν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον σὺ ὁ πρὸς ἐκείνων χάριν πάντα ποιῶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μετῆλθεν αὐτὸν ἡ δίκη ταχέως. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ἐγκαλεῖς, ἐγκάλει καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς σφαττομένων, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀδίκως ἀναιρουμένων μυρίων ἑτέρων, καὶ ἔτι περὶ τῶν παίδων τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀναιρεθέντων· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκείνοις, ὡς σὺ λέγεις, ὁ Χριστὸς ἐγένετο αἴτιος· μᾶλλον οὐχ ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀλλ' ἡ μανία καὶ ἡ τυραννὶς τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ Ἡρώδου. Εἰ δὲ λέγεις, ∆ιὰ τί μὴ ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτὸν ἥρπασε τοῦ Ἡρώδου; καὶ τοῦτο ἠδύνατο ποιῆσαι, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἐκέρδανεν ἂν ἀπὸ τούτου. Ποσάκις γοῦν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν ἐξῆλθε τῶν χειρῶν; τί οὖν τοῦτο ὠφέλησε τοὺς ἀγνώμονας; Ἐνταῦθα μέντοι γε καὶ πολλὴ τοῖς πιστοῖς ὠφέλεια γίνεται ἀπὸ τῶν γεγενημένων· ὑπομνημάτων γὰρ γενομένων, καὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτῶν μαρτυρούντων τοῖς πραττομένοις, ἀνύποπτος ἦν ἡ μαρτυρία. Ὥσπερ οὖν κἀκεῖ οὐδαμόθεν ἄλλοθεν ἐπεστομίσθησαν, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐκ τοῦ τοὺς ἐλθόντας ὁμολογεῖν τὰ γεγενημένα, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ ὁ δεσμοφύλαξ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἐποίησε; καίτοι γε οὐδὲν ἐλάττονα τῶν τούτου τὰ Ἡρώδου ἦν. Τοῦ γὰρ ἰδεῖν ἀνεῳγμένας τὰς θύρας, ὅσον εἰς ἐκπλήξεως λόγον, οὐδὲν ἔλαττον τὸ μαθεῖν ὅτι κεκλεισμένων αὐτῶν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ δεδεμένος· καίτοι ταῦτα καὶ φαντασία ἔδοξεν ἂν εἶναι μᾶλλον, ἐκεῖνο δὲ οὐκέτι, μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἀπαγγελλόμενον. Ὥστε εἰ καὶ οὗτος οὕτως ἦν πονηρὸς, ἔσφαξεν ἂν τὸν Παῦλον, καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος τοὺς στρατιώτας· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν. Εἰ δὲ πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας, διὰ τί καὶ τὰ παιδία συνεχώρησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀναιρεθῆναι, βουληθῶμεν ἀπολογήσασθαι, τάχα εἰς μακρότερον ἐμπεσούμεθα λόγον, ὃν ἐν προοιμίοις ἔδει λέγεσθαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, 62.65 Τέως δὲ πολλὰ τῇ Παύλου εὐχαριστήσαντες ἁλύσει, καταπαύσωμεν τὸν λόγον, ὅτι τοσούτων ἡμῖν ἀγαθῶν αἰτία γέγονε, παρακαλέσαντες ὑμᾶς μὴ μόνον μὴ δυσχεραίνειν, εἴ τι διὰ Χριστὸν πάθοιτε, ἀλλὰ καὶ χαίρειν ὡς οἱ ἀπόστολοι, καὶ καυχᾶσθαι ὡς Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Ἥδιστα καυχήσομαι ἐν ταῖς ἀσθενείαις μου. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ἤκουσεν, Ἀρκεῖ σοι ἡ χάρις μου. Παῦλος ἐπὶ δεσμοῖς καυχᾶται, καὶ σὺ ἐπὶ πλούτῳ μέγα φρονεῖς; οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἔχαιρον, ὅτι κατηξιώθησαν μαστιγωθῆναι, καὶ σὺ ἄνεσιν ζητεῖς καὶ τρυφήν; Πῶς οὖν θέλεις τῶν αὐτῶν ἐκείνοις τυχεῖν, ἀπεναντίας αὐτοῖς ὁδεύων