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For I have no one like-minded, he says; but Epaphroditus because of his sickness. Then showing that this had become long, and had consumed much time, he says: For he was sick near to death. Do you see how great pains Paul takes to cut off every pretext of sloth and neglect from the mind of his disciples, and not to be suspected of having failed to come because he despised them? For nothing will be so able to win over the disciple, as to be persuaded both that his superior cares for him, and that he is distressed for him, which is a sign of surpassing love. You have heard, he says, that he was sick; for indeed he was sick near to death. And that I am not making an excuse, hear: But God had mercy on him. What do you say, O heretic? Here he says it is a mercy of God for one who is about to depart to be held back and to return again. And yet if the world is evil, it is not a mercy to leave one in what is evil. But while it is easy to speak to the heretic, what shall we say to the Christian? For he too will perhaps dispute, and say: If to depart and be with Christ is far better, for what reason does he say that he had mercy? But I will rather ask: For what reason does he himself say that to remain is more needful for your sake? For as that was necessary for him, so also for this one who was about to depart to God with greater wealth and greater boldness. For that, even if it had not happened now, was to be later; but to gain souls is no longer possible for those who have departed there. Paul says many things also according to the common custom of his hearers, and does not philosophize everywhere; for his speech was to worldly men, who still feared death. Then he shows in what great esteem Epaphroditus is to him, and from this makes him worthy of respect, if indeed he says that his salvation is so useful to himself, that he himself also had mercy through him. But otherwise, even apart from this, the present life is good; since if it were not good, why does he place untimely deaths in the rank of punishment? as when he says, For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep. For the life to come is not better than an evil thing, since it is not good, but better than a good thing. Lest I should have sorrow, he says, upon sorrow, that from his death upon that which came to him through his sickness. Through these 62.249 things he shows how much he honors Epaphroditus. I have therefore sent him the more eagerly. What is, The more eagerly? That is, Without delay, without hesitation, with great speed, having commanded him to put everything aside and come to you, that he might be relieved of his distress. For we do not so rejoice on hearing that those we long for are in good health, as when we see them, and especially when the matter turns out beyond our hopes; which then happened in the case of Epaphroditus. Therefore, he says, I have sent him the more eagerly, that, when you see him, you may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful. How, less sorrowful? Because if you rejoice, I also rejoice, and he rejoices at such pleasure, and I will be less sorrowful. And he did not say, Without sorrow, but, Less sorrowful, showing that his soul was never free from sorrow. For he who says, Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is made to stumble, and I do not burn? when was he free from sorrow? As if he said: I put away this despondency. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness. In the Lord, that is, spiritually. That is, with great eagerness; or rather, In the Lord means this, that it is God’s will. Receive him worthily of the saints, and as it is fitting to receive the saints, With all, he says, gladness. 3. All these things he does for their sakes, not for the sake of those who are sent. For greater is the gain to the one who does good, than to the one who receives it. And hold such in honor. That is, Receive him worthily of the saints. Because for the work of Christ even unto

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Οὐκ ἔχω γὰρ, φησὶν, ἰσόψυχον· τὸν δὲ Ἐπαφρόδιτον διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν. Εἶτα δεικνὺς, ὅτι μακρὰ αὕτη γέγονε, καὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἀνάλωσε, φησί· Καὶ γὰρ ἠσθένησε παραπλήσιον θανάτου. Ὁρᾷς ὅσην ποιεῖται Παῦλος σπουδὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πάσης ῥᾳθυμίας καὶ ὀλιγωρίας πρόφασιν ἐκκόψαι ἐκ τῆς τῶν μαθητῶν διανοίας, καὶ μὴ ὑποπτευθῆναι, ὅτι καταφρονῶν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἦλθεν; Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω τὸν μαθητὴν ἐπαγαγέσθαι δυνήσεται, ὡς τὸ πεπεῖσθαι, καὶ ὅτι φροντίζει αὐτοῦ ὁ προεστὼς, καὶ ὅτι ἀδημονεῖ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, ὅπερ ὑπερβαλλούσης ἀγάπης ἐστίν. Ἠκούσατε, φησὶν, ὅτι ἠσθένησε· καὶ γὰρ ἠσθένησε παραπλήσιον θανάτου. Καὶ ὅτι οὐ προφασίζομαι, ἀκούσατε· Ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἠλέησε. Τί λέγεις, ὦ αἱρετικέ; Ἐνταῦθα ἔλεόν φησι τοῦ Θεοῦ εἶναι τὸ τὸν μέλλοντα ἀπιέναι κατέχειν καὶ ὑποστρέψαι πάλιν. Καὶ μὴν εἰ πονηρὸν ὁ κόσμος, οὐκ ἔλεος οὗτός ἐστι τὸ ἐν τῷ πονηρῷ ἀφιέναι. Ἀλλὰ πρὸς μὲν τὸν αἱρετικὸν εὔκολον εἰπεῖν, πρὸς δὲ τὸν Χριστιανὸν τί ἐροῦμεν; Καὶ γὰρ ὁ αὐτὸς ἀμφισβητήσει ἴσως, καὶ ἐρεῖ· Εἰ τὸ ἀναλῦσαι σὺν Χριστῷ πολλῷ μᾶλλον κρεῖσσον, τίνος ἕνεκέν φησιν αὐτὸν ἐλεεῖσθαι; Ἐγὼ δὲ μᾶλλον ἐρήσομαι· Τίνος ἕνεκεν ὁ αὐτός φησιν ἀναγκαιότερον εἶναι τὸ ἐπιμεῖναι δι' ὑμᾶς; Ὥσπερ γὰρ αὐτῷ ἀναγκαῖον ἦν ἐκεῖνο, οὕτω καὶ τούτῳ μετὰ πλείονος πλούτου καὶ μείζονος παῤῥησίας μέλλοντι πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀπιέναι. Ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ κἂν μὴ νῦν ἐγένετο, ὕστερον ἔμελλε· τὸ δὲ κερδᾶναι ψυχὰς οὐκ ἔνι λοιπὸν ἀπελθόντας ἐκεῖ. Τὰ πολλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὴν κοινὴν συνήθειαν τῶν ἀκουόντων ὁ Παῦλος φθέγγεται, καὶ οὐ πανταχοῦ φιλοσοφεῖ· πρὸς γὰρ ἀνθρώπους κοσμικοὺς ὁ λόγος ἦν αὐτῷ, δεδοικότας ἔτι τὸν θάνατον. Εἶτα δείκνυσιν ἐν ὅσῳ λόγῳ ἐστὶν αὐτῷ ὁ Ἐπαφρόδιτος, καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου αἰδέσιμον αὐτὸν ποιῶν, εἴ γε τὴν ἐκείνου σωτηρίαν οὕτω χρησίμην ἑαυτῷ φησιν εἶναι, ὡς ἠλεῆσθαι καὶ αὐτὸν δι' ἐκείνου. Ἄλλως δὲ, καὶ χωρὶς τούτου καλὸν ἡ παροῦσα ζωή· ἐπεὶ εἰ μὴ καλὸν, διὰ τί ἐν τάξει τιμωρίας τίθησι τοὺς ἀώρους θανάτους; ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ, ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐν ὑμῖν πολλοὶ ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ἄῤῥωστοι, καὶ κοιμῶνται ἱκανοί. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ μέλλουσα ζωὴ οὐχὶ πονηροῦ κρείττων, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἀγαθὴ, ἀλλὰ καλοῦ κρείττων. Ἵνα μὴ λύπην, φησὶν, ἐπὶ λύπῃ σχῶ, τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς τελευτῆς ἐπὶ τῇ διὰ τὴν ἀῤῥωστίαν γενομένῃ αὐτῷ. ∆ιὰ τού 62.249 των δείκνυσιν, ὅσου τιμᾶται τὸν Ἐπαφρόδιτον. Σπουδαιοτέρως οὖν ἔπεμψα αὐτόν. Τί ἐστι, Σπουδαιοτέρως; Τουτέστιν, Ἀνυπερθέτως, χωρὶς μελλήσεως, μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ τάχους, κελεύσας πάντα ὑπερθέμενον ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἵνα τῆς ἀδημονίας ἀπαλλαγῇ. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτω τοὺς ποθουμένους ἀκούοντες ἐν ὑγείᾳ ὄντας χαίρομεν, ὡς ὅταν ἴδωμεν, καὶ μάλιστα, ὅταν παρ' ἐλπίδας ἐκβῇ τὸ πρᾶγμα· ὅπερ ἐπὶ Ἐπαφροδίτου τότε γέγονε. Σπουδαιοτέρως οὖν, φησὶν, ἔπεμψα αὐτὸν, ἵνα ἰδόντες αὐτὸν χαρῆτε, κἀγὼ ἀλυπότερος ὦ. Πῶς ἀλυπότερος; Ὅτι ἐὰν ὑμεῖς χαίρητε, κἀγὼ χαίρω, καὶ οὗτος χαίρει ἐπὶ τοιαύτῃ ἡδονῇ, καὶ ἐγὼ ἀλυπότερος ἔσομαι. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἄλυπος, ἀλλ', Ἀλυπότερος, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐδέποτε ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἦν λύπης ἐκτός. Ὁ γὰρ λέγων, Τίς ἀσθενεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ; τίς σκανδαλίζεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ πυροῦμαι; πότε λύπης ἐκτὸς ἦν; Ὡσεὶ ἔλεγε· Ταύτην ἀποτίθεμαι τὴν ἀθυμίαν. Προσδέχεσθε οὖν αὐτὸν ἐν Κυρίῳ μετὰ πάσης χαρᾶς. Ἐν Κυρίῳ, ὅ ἐστι, πνευματικῶς. Τουτέστι, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σπουδῆς· μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ, Ἐν Κυρίῳ, τοῦτό ἐστι, τοῦ Θεοῦ θέλοντος. Ἀξίως τῶν ἁγίων ὑποδέξασθε, καὶ ὥσπερ τοὺς ἁγίους ὑποδέχεσθαι προσῆκε, Μετὰ πάσης, φησὶ, χαρᾶς. γʹ. Ταῦτα πάντα ποιεῖ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἐκείνων, οὐχ ὑπὲρ τῶν πεμπομένων. Μεῖζον γὰρ τὸ κέρδος τῷ ποιοῦντι, ἢ τῷ πάσχοντι εὖ. Καὶ τοὺς τοιούτους ἐντίμους ἔχετε. Τουτέστι, Προσδέχεσθε αὐτὸν ἀξίως τῶν ἁγίων. Ὅτι διὰ τὸ ἔργον τοῦ Χριστοῦ μέχρι