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and those being beaten contribute to the song. Thirdly, that they are tearing down his work, which he built up through his own slaughter. "Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble." This is characteristic of the best teacher, to teach by his own example what he says. And he did not say, whether justly or unjustly, but, in any way whatever.

CHAPTER 9. "Am I not an apostle? Am I not free?" Lest anyone say: You boast in vain; show by your works what you have disdained, so as not to scandalize your brother; for this reason he is now compelled to come to the proof of these things. And this is his meaning: what need is there to speak about things sacrificed to idols, he says? For when Christ commanded those who preach the Gospel to live from those being taught, I did not do this, but I chose rather to end my life by starvation than to receive anything from those being catechized; not because they were going to be scandalized, but because I wished them to be managed with economy. And lest anyone say that, Even if you did not receive, it was because it was not permitted that you did not receive. 95.636 For this reason he first sets forth the reasons for which he might have reasonably taken, if indeed he had wanted to receive. Then, lest he seem to be slandering Peter and his circle by saying these things; for they indeed received before; he shows that it was permitted for them to receive. Then again, lest anyone should say that it was permitted for Peter, but not for you, he anticipates the hearer with praises of himself, doing these things out of necessity. "Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you." Lest someone should say again: But they have more, having been with Christ; for this too was no small honor according to what was said: Many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it; he said: Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? And lest anyone should say: You have shown no work of an apostle, for this reason he says: You are my workmanship in the Lord. And since he had uttered something great, he adds "in the Lord," that is, it is the work of God, not mine. "For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a sister-wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working?" This is the proof: and if anyone wants to know from whence I am an apostle, I put you forward. For I have shown all the signs of an apostle among you. And calming bodily pleasures with moderation, and blunting the goad of love for the flesh, we are accustomed to eat little, and we say that living luxuriously is not for the best. "Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock?" Since he proved what was strongest from the apostles, that it is permitted to do this, he now comes to examples, and strengthens the common custom again from these words. "Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.’ Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Or does he say it entirely for our sake? It was written for our sake." 95.637 Do I argue from human examples only? "Because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?" He speaks of the future. "But we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ." That is, we did not receive. "Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple?" From the law to have

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καὶ εἰς τὸ μέλος τελοῦσιν οἱ τυπτόμενοι. Τρίτῳ δὲ, ὅτι ἔργον αὐτοῦ, ὃ διὰ τῆς οἰκείας ᾠκοδόμησε σφαγῆς, τοῦτο καθαιροῦσι. «∆ιόπερ εἰ βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει τὸν ἀδελφόν μου, οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἵνα μὴ τὸν ἀδελφόν μου σκανδαλίζω.» Τοῦτο ἀρίστου διδασκάλου, τὸ δι' ἑαυτοῦ παιδεύειν ἃ λέγει. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, εἴτε δικαίως, εἴτε ἀδίκως, ἀλλ', ὁπωσοῦν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Θʹ. «Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἀπόστολος; οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐλεύθερος;» Ἵνα μή τις λέγῃ· Κομπάζεις εἰκῆ·

δεῖξον διὰ τῶν ἔργων τίνος κατεφρόνησας, ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ σκανδαλίσαι τὸν ἀδελφόν· διὰ τοῦτο ἀναγκάζεται λοιπὸν εἰς τὴν ἀπόδειξιν τούτων ἐλθεῖν. Ὁ δὲ νοῦς οὗτος αὐτῷ· τί χρὴ λέγειν περὶ τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων, φησί; τοῦ γὰρ Χριστοῦ ἐπιτάξαντος τοὺς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον κηρύσσοντας ἐκ τῶν μαθητευομένων ζῇν, ἐγὼ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐποίησα, ἀλλ' εἱλόμην λιμῷ μᾶλλον καταλῦσαι τὸν βίον, ἢ λαβεῖν τι παρὰ τῶν κατηχουμένων· οὐκ ἐπειδὴ σκανδαλίζεσθαι ἔμελλον, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οἰκονομεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς ἠβουλόμην. Καὶ ἵνα μή τις λέγῃ, ὅτι Εἰ καὶ μὴ ἔλαβες, ἐπειδὴ μὴ ἐξὸν ἦν, οὐκ ἔλαβες. 95.636 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πρῶτον τίθησι τὰς αἰτίας δι' ἃς εὐλόγως ἀνέλαβεν, εἴπερ ἐβούλετο λαβεῖν. Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ τοὺς περὶ Πέτρον διαβάλλων ταῦτα λέγειν· καὶ γὰρ ἐλάμβανον ἐκεῖνοι πρότερον· δείκνυσιν ὅτι ἐξῆν ἐκείνοις λαμβάνειν. Εἶτα πάλιν, ἵνα μή τις εἴποι ὅτι Πέτρῳ μὲν ἐξῆν, σοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐξῆν, προλαμβάνει τὸν ἀκροατὴν τοῖς ἐγκωμίοις τοῖς περὶ ἑαυτοῦ, δι' ἀνάγκην ταῦτα ποιῶν. «Οὐχὶ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν ἑώρακα; οὐ τὸ ἔργον μου ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν Κυρίῳ; Εἰ ἄλλοις οὐκ εἰμὶ ἀπόστολος, ἀλλά γε ὑμῖν εἰμι.» Ἵνα μή τις πάλιν λέγῃ· Ἀλλ' ἔχουσι πλέον ἐκεῖνοι, τὸ μετὰ Χριστοῦ γενέσθαι· οὐ μικρὸν γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἀξίωμα ἦν κατὰ τὸ λεχθέν· Πολλοὶ προφῆται καὶ δίκαιοι ἐπεθύμησαν ἰδεῖν ἃ βλέπετε, καὶ οὐκ εἶδον· εἶπεν· Οὐχὶ Ἰησοῦν τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν ἑώρακα; Καὶ ἵνα μή τις εἴπῃ· Οὐδὲν ἐπεδείξω ἀποστόλου ἔργον, διὰ τοῦτό φησι· Τὸ ἔργον μου ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν Κυρίῳ. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ μέγα ἐφθέγξατο, τὸ, ἐν Κυρίῳ, προστίθησι, τουτέστι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ἔργον ἐστὶν, οὐκ ἐμόν. «Ἡ γὰρ σφραγίς μου τῆς ἀποστολῆς ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν Κυρίῳ· ἡ ἐμὴ ἀπολογία τοῖς ἐμὲ ἀνακρίνουσίν ἐστιν αὕτη· Μὴ οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν; μὴ οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν ἀδελφὴν γυναῖκα περιάγειν, ὡς οἱ λοιποὶ ἀπόστολοι, καὶ ἀδελφοὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ Κηφᾶς; ἢ μόνος ἐγὼ καὶ Βαρνάβας οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ μὴ ἐργάζεσθαι;» Τουτέστιν ἡ ἀπόδειξις· κἂν βούληταί τις μαθεῖν, πόθεν ἀπόστολός εἰμι, ὑμᾶς προβάλλομαι. Πάντα γὰρ τὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου ἐν ὑμῖν ἐπεδειξάμην. Κατευνάζοντες δὲ ταῖς ἐπιεικείαις τὰς σωματικὰς ἡδονὰς, καὶ τὸ τῆς φιλοσαρκίας ἀπαμβλύνοντες κέντρον, ὀλιγοσιτεῖν εἰθίσμεθα, καὶ τὸ τρυφᾷν οὐ τῶν ἀρίστων εἶναί φαμεν. «Τίς στρατεύεται ἰδίοις ὀψωνίοις ποτέ; τίς φυτεύει ἀμπελῶνα, καὶ ἐκ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐσθίει; ἢ τίς ποιμαίνει ποίμνην, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ γάλακτος τῆς ποίμνης οὐκ ἐσθίει;» Ἐπειδὴ ὅπερ ἦν ἰσχυρώτατον, ἐκ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἀπέδειξεν, ὅτι ἔξεστι τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ἐπὶ παραδείγματα λοιπὸν ἔρχεται, καὶ τὴν κοινὴν συνήθειαν ἐκ τούτων πάλιν τῶν λόγων ἰσχυροποιῶν. «Μὴ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον ταῦτα λαλῶ; Ἢ οὐχὶ καὶ ὁ νόμος ταῦτα λαλεῖ; Ἐν γὰρ τῷ Μωϋσέως νόμῳ γέγραπται· Οὐ φιμώσεις βοῦν ἀλοῶντα. Μὴ τῶν βοῶν μέλει τῷ Θεῷ; Ἢ δι' ἡμᾶς πάντως λέγει; ∆ι' ἡμᾶς γὰρ ἐγράφη.» 95.637 Μὴ ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνων μόνον παραδειγμάτων ἰσχυρίζομαι; «Ὅτι ὀφείλει ἐπ' ἐλπίδι ὁ ἀροτριῶν ἀροτριᾷν, καὶ ὁ ἀλοῶν τῆς ἐλπίδος αὐτοῦ μετέχειν ἐπ' ἐλπίδι. Εἰ ἡμεῖς ὑμῖν τὰ πνευματικὰ ἐσπείραμεν, μέγα εἰ ἡμεῖς ὑμῶν τὰ σαρκικὰ θερίσομεν; Εἰ ἄλλοι τῆς ἐξουσίας ὑμῶν μετέχουσι, οὐ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς;» Τῆς μελλούσης λέγει. «Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐχρησάμεθα τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ταύτῃ, ἀλλὰ πάντα στέγομεν, ἵνα μὴ ἐκκοπήν τινα δίδωμεν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ.» Τουτέστιν, οὐκ ἐλάβομεν. «Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ τὰ ἱερὰ ἐργαζόμενοι, ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἐσθίουσιν;» Ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου τὸ ἔχειν