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will remind you.” He did not say, will teach, so that they might not be displeased, as if learning from him. “My ways which are in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every Church.” That is, the dispensations, the dangers, the customs, the canons, the apostolic regulations, all other things. For since he had said, We are naked, and 95.605 are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place; all these things, he says, he will remind you of. And leading the discourse higher, he added "in Christ," ascribing all things as he was accustomed to the Master, and showing at the same time that men have nothing, and that with help from there he accomplishes everything. “Some have been puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills.” And as he is about to enter upon the accusation of the fornicator, he introduces words full of anger, not because he is suffering this, but correcting them. And leaving the fornicator, he speaks to the others, not deeming that one worthy even of his words. He shakes their pride with an accusation of love of rule, as if they had used the teacher's absence for recklessness. “And I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” For the recklessness was not from accomplishments, but from the teacher's absence, and he did not say, I will know their wisdom, but, their power. It is as if he were to say: We did not prevail by eloquence, but by the fact that our teaching is divine, and announces the kingdom of heaven, providing the greatest proof in the signs which we do by the power of the Spirit. “What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and in a spirit of gentleness?” This saying has both the fearsome and the gentle. What is, “with a rod”? In chastisement, in punishment; but consider also the wisdom of Paul. For though he himself had the authority for either one, he makes others the masters, saying, “What do you want? The matter,” he says, “lies with you.”
CHAPTER 5. “It is actually heard that there is fornication among you, and such fornication.” He did not say, is dared
fornication, but, is heard fornication. And the phrase, "among you" is stated emphatically, that is, among you who are faithful, who have enjoyed so many mysteries, who have been called to heaven. “Such as is not even named among the Gentiles.” For he always reproaches the faithful from the example of the Gentiles. For he also writes to the Thessalonians, saying: “Let each one possess his own vessel in sanctification, not in the passion of lust, just as the Gentiles who do not know God.” “So that one should have his father's wife.” He did not say, stepmother, but father's wife, so as to strike much more severely. “And you are puffed up?” As if he were to say: Do not tell me that it is one person who has committed fornication; the offense has become common to all. Common, 95.608 I say, not in the sin, but in the teaching from him. Even if he did not say so, he left it in the middle, so that he might strike more greatly. For it was one of the teachers who had committed fornication. “And you have not rather mourned, so that he who has done this deed might be removed from among you.” Because, he says, the slander has spread to the community of the Church. And he did not say: you did not rather cast out, but, as in the case of some disease and plague, he has made it a matter for mourning. “For I indeed, as absent in body, but present in spirit.” He says not to await his presence, nor to wait for him, and then act; but just as if he were about to drive out some pestilence, before it can spread to the rest of the body, he hastens to check it. Therefore he also adds, saying: “I have already judged as though I were present.” He said this not only urging them to the decision, and not letting them deliberate at another time, but also frightening them, as one who knows the things that would happen and be judged there. For this is what it is to be present in spirit, just as Elisha was present with Gehazi, and said: “Was not my heart with you?” “I have already judged as though I were present concerning him who has so done this, in the name of our Lord Jesus
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ἀναμνήσει.» Οὐκ εἶπεν, διδάξει, ἵνα μὴ δυσανασχετῶσιν, ὡς παρ' αὐτοῦ μανθάνοντες. «Τὰς ὁδούς μου τὰς ἐν Χριστῷ, καθὼς πανταχοῦ ἐν πάσῃ Ἐκκλησίᾳ διδάσκω.» Τουτέστι, τὰς οἰκονομίας, τοὺς κινδύνους, τὰ ἔθη, τοὺς κανόνας, τοὺς θεσμοὺς τοὺς ἀποστολικοὺς, τὰ ἄλλα πάντα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν, Γυμνητεύομεν, καὶ 95.605 κολαφιζόμεθα, καὶ ἀστατοῦμεν· καὶ ταῦτα πάντα, φησὶν, ὑμᾶς ἀναμνήσει. Καὶ ἀνώτερον τὸν λόγον ἄγων, ἐπήγαγεν τὰς ἐν Χριστῷ, πάντα ὡς εἴωθεν ἀνατιθεὶς τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, καὶ δεικνὺς ἅμα ὅτι οὐδὲν ἔχουσιν ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ὅτι μετὰ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν βοηθείας ἅπαντα κατορθοῖ. «Ὡς μὴ ἐρχομένου δέ μου πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐφυσιώθησάν τινες. Ἐλεύσομαι δὲ ταχέως πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἂν Κύριος θελήσῃ.» Μέλλων δὲ ἐμβάλλειν εἰς τὴν κατηγορίαν τοῦ πεπορνευκότος, θυμοῦ γέμοντας εἰσφέρει τοὺς λόγους, οὐκ αὐτὸς δὲ τοῦτο πάσχων, ἀλλ' ἐκείνους διορθούμενος. Καὶ τὸν πεπορνευκότα ἀφεὶς, τοῖς ἄλλοις διαλέγεται, οὐκ ἀξιῶν ἐκεῖνον οὐδὲ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ λόγων. Κατασείει δὲ αὐτῶν τὸ φρόνημα φιλαρχίας ἐγκλήματι, ὡς τῇ ἀπουσίᾳ τοῦ διδασκάλου εἰς ἀπόνοιαν κεχρημένων. «Καὶ γνώσομαι, οὐ τὸν λόγον τῶν πεφυσιωμένων, ἀλλὰ τὴν δύναμιν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν λόγῳ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐν δυνάμει.» Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπὸ κατορθωμάτων, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ διδασκάλου ἀπουσίας ἡ ἀπόνοια ἦν, καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, γνώσομαι τὴν σοφίαν, ἀλλὰ, τὴν δύναμιν. Ὅμοιον δὲ ὡς εἰ λέγοι· Οὐ δι' εὐγλωττίας ἐκρατήσαμεν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ θείαν εἶναι τὴν διδασκαλίαν ἡμῶν, καὶ βασιλείαν καταγγέλλειν τῶν οὐρανῶν, μεγίστην ἀπόδειξιν παρεχόμενοι τὰ σημεῖα, ἃ ποιοῦμεν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ Πνεύματος. «Τί θέλετε; ἐν ῥάβδῳ ἔλθω πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἢ ἐν ἀγάπῃ, πνεύματί τε πραΰτητος;» Καὶ τὸ φοβερὸν ἔχει καὶ τὸ προσηνὲς ὁ λόγος οὗτος. Τί δέ ἐστιν, ἐν ῥάβδῳ; ἐν κολάσει, ἐν τιμωρίᾳ· σκόπει δὲ καὶ φιλοσοφίαν τοῦ Παύλου. Τὴν ἐξουσίαν γὰρ αὐτὸς ἔχων καὶ τούτου κἀκείνου, ἑτέρους ποιεῖται κυρίους, λέγων, Τί θέλετε; ἐν ὑμῖν τὸ πρᾶγμα κεῖται, φησίν.
ΚΕΦΑΛ. Εʹ. «Ὅλως ἀκούεται ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία, καὶ τοιαύτη πορνεία.» Οὐκ εἶπε, Τολμᾶται
πορνεία, ἀλλὰ, ἀκούεται πορνεία. Καὶ τὸ, ἐν ὑμῖν δὲ ἐμφατικῶς εἴρηται, τουτέστιν ἐν ὑμῖν τοῖς πιστοῖς, τοσούτων ἀπολελαυκόσι μυστηρίων, τοῖς ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν κληθεῖσιν. «Ἥ τις οὐκ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὀνομάζεται.» Καὶ γὰρ ἀεὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν ὀνειδίζει τοῖς πιστοῖς. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ Θεσσαλονικεῦσιν γράφει λέγων· Ἕκαστος τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος κτάσθω ἐν ἁγιασμῷ, μὴ ἐν πάθει ἐπιθυμίας· καθὼς καὶ τὰ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ εἰδότα Θεόν. Ὥστε γυναῖκα τοῦ πατρὸς ἔχειν.» Οὐκ εἶπε, μητρυῖαν, ἀλλὰ γυναῖκα πατρός· ὡς πολλῷ πλῆξαι χαλεπώτερον. «Καὶ ὑμεῖς πεφυσιωμένοι ἐστέ;» Ὡς εἰ λέγοι· Μή μοι εἴπῃς ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν ὁ πεπορνευκώς· κοινὸν πάντων γέγονεν τὸ ἔγκλημα. Κοινὸν 95.608 δὲ οὐκ ἐπὶ τῷ ἁμαρτήματι λέγω, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ τῇ παρ' ἐκείνου. Εἰ καὶ οὐχ οὕτως εἴρηκεν, ἀλλὰ ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸ μέσον, ἵνα πλήξῃ μειζόνως. Εἷς δὲ τῶν διδασκάλων πορνεύσας ἦν. «Καὶ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἐπενθήσατε, ἵνα ἐξαρθῇ ἐκ μέσου ὑμῶν ὁ τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο ποιήσας.» Ὅτι εἰς τὸ κοινὸν, φησὶ, τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἡ διαβολὴ προεχώρησεν. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν· οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἐξεβάλετε, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐπὶ νόσου τινὸς καὶ λοιμοῦ πένθους χρείαν πεποίηκεν. «Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ ὡς παρὼν τῷ σώματι, παρὼν δὲ τῷ πνεύματι.» Οὐκ ἀναμεῖναι αὐτοῦ τὴν παρουσίαν φησὶν, οὐδὲ ἐκδέξασθαι αὐτὸν, καὶ τότε πρᾶξαι· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τινὰ λοιμὸν ἀπελαύνειν μέλλων, πρὶν ἣ διαδοθῆναι εἰς τὸ λοιπὸν σῶμα ἐπείγεται κατασχεῖν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπάγει λέγων· Ἤδη κέκρικα ὡς παρών. Τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγεν οὐ μόνον κατεπείγων αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν ἀπόφασιν, καὶ οὐκ ἀφεὶς ἄλλοτι βουλεύσασθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ φοβῶν, ὡς εἰδὼς τὰ ἐκεῖ γενησόμενα καὶ κριθησόμενα. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι παρεῖναι τῷ πνεύματι ὥσπερ ὁ Ἐλισσαῖος παρῆν τῷ Γιεζῇ, καὶ ἔλεγεν· Οὐχὶ ἡ καρδία μου μετὰ σοῦ; «Ἤδη κέκρικα ὡς παρὼν τὸν οὕτως τοῦτο κατεργασάμενον, ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ