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There is great war, if we seek all things from all people. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Here again he examines presumption. For he who thinks he is something is nothing, bringing forth such self-complacency as the first proof of his own worthlessness. But let each one test his own work. Here he shows that we must be examiners of our life, and not simply, but test with accuracy the things you have done. For example, did you do something good? Consider whether it was not through vainglory, not through necessity, not out of hostility, not with hypocrisy, not for some other human reason. For just as gold seems to be bright before the crucible, but when it is given over to the fire, then it is shown accurately, with all the dross being separated from the genuine; so also our works, when we examine them with accuracy, will then be clearly revealed, and we will see ourselves to be liable for many charges. And then he will have his boast in himself alone, and not in another. He says these things not as legislating, but condescendingly; as if he were saying: It is absurd to boast; but if you really wish to, do not do so against your neighbor, like the Pharisee. For he who is taught this, will quickly desist from that also. Therefore he permitted this, in order that he might by degrees remove the whole thing. For he who is accustomed to boast in himself alone, and not against others, will quickly correct this fault also. For he who does not consider himself to be better than others (for this is what "Not in another" means), but examines himself by himself and takes pride, will later cease doing this too. And that you may learn that he wishes to establish this, see how he restrains him with fear; by saying above, "Let him test his own work," and here adding: For each one will bear his own burden. For he seems to be laying down a reason that prevents boasting against another, but he corrects the boaster, so that he not even think highly of himself, bringing him to the thought of his own sins, and pressing upon his conscience with the words "burden" and "load-bearing". But let him who is taught the word share with him who teaches in all good things.

2. Here his discourse is then about the teachers, that they should enjoy much care from those who are taught. And for what reason did Christ so legislate? For in the New [Testament] this law is established, that those who proclaim the Gospel should live from the Gospel; and in the Old [Testament] likewise there were many revenues for the Levites from those who were ruled. For what reason, then, did He ordain these things? By setting forth beforehand a ground for humility and love. For since the dignity of a teacher often puffs up those who have it, suppressing his pride, He placed him in the necessity of needing his students; and them in turn He led to an occasion for becoming more disposed to goodwill, training them through goodwill toward their teachers to be gentle toward others also; which indeed produced no small love in each party. Since if this were not so, as I said, for what reason, while feeding the ungrateful Jews with manna, did He place the apostles in the necessity of those who beg? Is it not evident that it was for establishing great goods from this, humility and love, and so that the disciples would not be ashamed of things that seem to be reproachful? For to beg seems to be a matter of shame; but it no longer seemed so, when their teachers practiced it with all boldness; so that the disciples gained no small thing from this also, being taught through these things to despise all glory. For this reason he says: But let him who is taught the word share with him who teaches in all good things. That is, let him show all liberality toward him; for hinting at this he said: In all good things.

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πολύς ἐστι πόλεμος, εἰ παρὰ πάντων πάντα ἐπιζητοῦμεν. Εἰ γάρ τις δοκεῖ εἶναί τι, μηδὲν ὢν, φρεναπατᾷ ἑαυτόν. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἀπόνοιαν κατασκοπεῖ. Ὁ γὰρ δοκῶν εἶναί τι, οὐδέν ἐστι, πρῶτον τῆς εὐτελείας αὐτοῦ δεῖγμα ἐκφέρων τὴν τοιαύτην εὐμένειαν. Τὸ δὲ ἔργον ἑαυτοῦ δοκιμαζέτω ἕκαστος. Ἐνταῦθα δείκνυσιν ὅτι δεῖ βίου ἐξεταστὰς εἶναι, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ μετ' ἀκριβείας δοκιμάζειν τὰ πεπραγμένα ὑμῖν. Οἷον, ἐποίησάς τι καλόν; Σκόπησον μή ποτε διὰ κενοδοξίαν, μὴ δι' ἀνάγκην, μὴ πρὸς ἀπέχθειαν, μὴ ὑποκρίσει, μὴ δι' ἄλλην τινὰ αἰτίαν ἀνθρωπίνην. Καθάπερ γὰρ τὸ χρυσίον δοκεῖ μὲν εἶναι λαμπρὸν πρὸ τοῦ χωνευτηρίου, ὅταν δὲ αὐτὸ παραδοθῇ τῷ πυρὶ, τότε ἀκριβῶς διαδείκνυται, τοῦ νόθου παντὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ γνησίου χωριζομένου· οὕτω καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα ἔργα, ὅταν μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐξετάζωμεν, τότε σαφῶς ἐκκαλυφθήσεται, καὶ πολλῶν ὀψόμεθα ἑαυτοὺς ὄντας ὑπευθύνους ἐγκλημάτων. Καὶ τότε εἰς ἑαυτὸν μόνον τὸ καύχημα ἕξει, καὶ οὐκ εἰς τὸν ἕτερον. Ταῦτα οὐ νομοθετῶν φησιν, ἀλλὰ συγκαταβαίνων· ὡς ἂν εἰ ἔλεγεν· Ἄτοπον μὲν τὸ καυχᾶσθαι· εἰ δ' ἄρα βούλει, μὴ κατὰ τοῦ πλησίον, ὡς ὁ Φαρισαῖος. Ὁ γὰρ τοῦτο παιδευθεὶς, καὶ ἐκείνου ἀποστήσεται ταχέως. ∆ιὸ καὶ τοῦτο συνεχώρησεν, ἵνα τὸ ὅλον κατὰ μικρὸν ἐξέλῃ. Ὁ γὰρ συνεθισθεὶς εἰς ἑαυτὸν μόνον καυχᾶσθαι, καὶ μὴ κατ' ἄλλων, ταχέως καὶ τοῦτο διορθώσεται τὸ ἐλάττωμα. Ὁ γὰρ μὴ νομίσας τῶν ἄλλων ἑαυτὸν εἶναι βελτίονα (τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν, Οὐκ εἰς τὸν ἕτερον), ἀλλ' αὐτὸν καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἐξετάζων ἁβρύνεται, παύσεται καὶ τοῦτο ποιῶν ὕστερον. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τοῦτο βούλεται κατασκευάσαι, ὅρα πῶς αὐτὸν συστέλλει τῷ φόβῳ· ἀνωτέρω μὲν εἰπὼν, ∆οκιμαζέτω τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἐπαγαγών· Ἕκαστος γὰρ τὸ ἴδιον φορτίον βαστάσει. ∆οκεῖ μὲν γὰρ τιθέναι λογισμὸν κωλύοντα καθ' ἑτέρου καυχᾶσθαι, διορθοῦται δὲ τὸν καυχώμενον, ὥστε μηδ' ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ μέγα φρονεῖν, εἰς ἔννοιαν ἄγων αὐτὸν τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων, καὶ τοῖς ὀνόμασι τοῦ φορτίου καὶ τῆς ἀχθοφορίας πιέζων αὐτοῦ τὸ συνειδός. Κοινωνείτω δὲ ὁ κατηχούμενος τὸν λόγον τῷ κατηχοῦντι ἐν πᾶσιν ἀγαθοῖς.

βʹ. Ἐνταῦθα περὶ τῶν διδασκάλων λοιπὸν ὁ λόγος αὐτῷ, ὥστε πολλῆς ἀπολαύειν παρὰ τῶν μαθητευομένων θεραπείας. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν οὕτως ὁ Χριστὸς ἐνομοθέτησε; Καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῇ Καινῇ οὗτος κεῖται ὁ νόμος, ὥστε τοὺς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον καταγγέλλοντας ἐκ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ζῇν· καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ δὲ ὁμοίως πολλαὶ τοῖς Λευΐταις παρὰ τῶν ἀρχομένων ἦσαν αἱ πρόσοδοι. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ταῦτα διετάξατο; Ταπεινοφροσύνης καὶ ἀγάπης ὑπόθεσιν προαποτιθέμενος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸ διδασκαλικὸν ἀξίωμα πολλάκις φυσᾷ τοὺς ἔχοντας, καταστέλλω[ν] αὐτοῦ τὸ φρόνημα, εἰς ἀνάγκην κατέστησε τοῦ δεῖσθαι τῶν μαθητευομένων· κἀκείνους πάλιν εἰς ἀφορμὴν ἤγαγε τοῦ πρὸς εὔνοιαν εὐκολωτέρους γίνεσθαι, γυμνάζων αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ περὶ τοὺς διδασκάλους εὐνοίᾳ καὶ περὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἡμέρους εἶναι· ὅπερ καὶ ἀγάπην οὐ μικρὰν εἰργάζετο ἐν ἑκατέρῳ τῷ μέρει. Ἐπεὶ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, ὅπερ εἶπον, τίνος ἕνεκεν τοὺς Ἰουδαίους τοὺς ἀγνώμονας ἀπὸ τοῦ μάννα τρέφων, τοὺς ἀποστόλους εἰς τὴν τῶν προσαιτούντων κατέστησεν ἀνάγκην; οὐκ εὔδηλον ὅτι τὰ μεγάλα ἐκ τούτου κατασκευάζων ἀγαθὰ, ταπεινοφροσύνην καὶ ἀγάπην, καὶ ὥστε τοὺς μαθητευομένους μὴ αἰσχύνεσθαι ἐπὶ τοῖς δοκοῦσιν ἐπονειδίστοις εἶναι; Τὸ γὰρ ἐπαιτεῖν, αἰσχύνης εἶναι δοκεῖ· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐδόκει λοιπὸν, τῶν διδασκάλων αὐτὸ μετιόντων μετὰ παῤῥησίας ἁπάσης· ὥστε οὐ μικρὰ κἀντεῦθεν ἐκέρδαινον οἱ μαθηταὶ, πάσης δόξης παιδευόμενοι διὰ τούτων ὑπερορᾷν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι· Κοινωνείτω δὲ ὁ κατηχούμενος τὸν λόγον τῷ κατηχοῦντι ἐν πᾶσιν ἀγαθοῖς. Τουτέστι, πᾶσαν ἐπιδεικνύσθω περὶ αὐτὸν δαψίλειαν· τοῦτο γὰρ αἰνιττόμενος ἔλεγεν· Ἐν πᾶσιν ἀγαθοῖς.