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wishing them to be versatile, not hypocrites; for this is not of wisdom, but of folly. But what? In those things in which they do no harm, he says, give them no handle; which also writing to the Romans he says: Render to all their dues, to whom tax, tax; to whom custom, custom; to whom honor, honor. Let your war be for the sake of the preaching only, he says; let this war take no other starting point. For if they should be hostile to us for other reasons as well, there will be no reward for us, and they themselves will be worse, and they will seem to have just cause to accuse us; for instance, if we do not pay the taxes, if we do not render the proper honors, if we are not humble. Do you not see Paul, where it did not harm the preaching, how yielding he is? For hear him saying to Agrippa: I think myself happy, 62.374 about to make my defense before you this day, especially as you are an expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews. But if he had thought it necessary to insult the ruler, he would have overturned everything. And hear also those with the blessed Peter, how meekly they answer the Jews, saying: We must obey God rather than men. And yet, as men who had despaired of their own lives, they were able to insult and do anything whatever; but for this reason they despaired of their life, not that they might be vainglorious (for this is of vainglory), but that they might preach, and that with boldness they might speak all things. But that is of immoderation. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt; that is, let not its pleasantness fall into indifference. For it is possible to be gracious, and it is possible to do this with becoming propriety. That you may know how you ought to answer each one. So one must not converse with all in the same way, I mean with Greeks and with brethren. By no means; since this is of the utmost folly. All my affairs Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord, will make known to you. Ah, how great is Paul's wisdom! How he does not put everything into his letters, but the necessary and urgent things? First, not wishing to extend them to great length; second, also making the one departing more respected, so that he might have something to relate; third, showing how he is disposed toward him; for he would not have entrusted these things to him. Then, there were things that ought not to be made known by letter. The beloved, he says, brother. If beloved, he knows all things, and he hid nothing from him. And a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. If faithful, he will not lie in anything; if a fellow servant, he has shared in the 62.375 temptations; so that from every quarter he has established his trustworthiness. Whom I have sent to you for this very purpose. Here he shows his great love, if indeed for this reason he sent him, and this became the cause of his journey; which also writing to the Thessalonians he said: Therefore, when we could no longer forbear, we were pleased to be left in Athens alone, and sent Timothy our brother. And to the Ephesians he also sends this same man, and for the same reason: That he may know, he says, your affairs, and may comfort your hearts. See what he says: Not that you might learn my affairs, but that I might learn yours; thus he nowhere puts his own. He shows that they are also in temptations by saying: That he may comfort your hearts. With Onesimus the beloved and faithful brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all things that are done here. This is that Onesimus, concerning whom writing to Philemon he said: Whom I would have retained with me, that in your stead he might minister unto me in the bonds of the Gospel; but without your mind I would do nothing. And he adds the praise of the city, that they may even glory, not only not be ashamed. Who is, he says, one of you; They will make known to you all things that are done here. Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you. 2. Nothing is greater than this praise. This is he who was brought up from Jerusalem with him. This man said something greater than the prophets; for they indeed strangers and sojourners

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ποικίλους εἶναι βουλόμενος, οὐδὲ ὑποκριτάς· τοῦτο γὰρ οὐ σοφίας, ἀλλὰ ἀνοίας· ἀλλὰ τί; Ἐν οἷς μὴ βλάπτουσι, φησὶ, μηδεμίαν αὐτοῖς δίδοτε λαβήν· ὃ καὶ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους γράφων φησίν· Ἀπόδοτε πᾶσι τὰς ὀφειλὰς, τῷ τὸν φόρον, τὸν φόρον· τῷ τὸ τέλος, τὸ τέλος· τῷ τὴν τιμὴν, τὴν τιμήν. ∆ιὰ τὸ κήρυγμα μόνον ἔστω σοι πόλεμος, φησί· μηδεμίαν ἑτέραν ὁ πόλεμος οὗτος ἀρχὴν λαμβανέτω. Εἰ γὰρ μέλλοιεν ἡμῖν καὶ δι' ἕτερα ἀπεχθάνεσθαι, οὔτε μισθὸς ἡμῖν ἔσται, καὶ αὐτοὶ χείρους ἔσονται, καὶ δόξουσιν ἡμῖν δίκαια ἐγκαλεῖν· οἷον τὰ τελέσματα ἂν μὴ καταβάλλωμεν, τὰς τιμὰς τὰς προσηκούσας ἐὰν μὴ ἀποδιδῶμεν, ἂν μὴ ὦμεν ταπεινοί. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς Παῦλον, ἔνθα μηδὲν ἔβλαπτε τὸ κήρυγμα, πῶς ἐστι καθυφιείς; Ἄκουε γὰρ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος πρὸς τὸν Ἀγρίππαν· Μακάριον ἐμαυ 62.374 τὸν ἥγημαι ἐπὶ σοῦ μέλλων ἀπολογεῖσθαι σήμερον, μάλιστα γνώστην σε ὄντα τῶν κατὰ Ἰουδαίους ἐθῶν τε καὶ ζητημάτων. Εἰ δὲ ἐνόμιζε δεῖν ὑβρίζειν τὸν ἄρχοντα, πάντα ἂν ἀνέτρεψεν. Ἄκουε δὲ καὶ τῶν περὶ τὸν μακάριον Πέτρον, πῶς ἐπιεικῶς ἀποκρίνονται τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις λέγοντες· Πειθαρχεῖν δεῖ Θεῷ μᾶλλον, ἢ ἀνθρώποις. Καίτοι γε ἄνθρωποι τῆς ἑαυτῶν ψυχῆς ἀπεγνωκότες, καὶ ὑβρίζειν καὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ποιεῖν ἠδύναντο· ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπέγνωσαν τῆς ψυχῆς, ἵνα μὴ κενοδοξῶσι (κενοδοξίας γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστιν), ἀλλ' ἵνα κηρύσσωσι, καὶ ἵνα μετὰ παῤῥησίας πάντα φθέγγωνται· ἐκεῖνο δὲ ἀμετρίας ἐστίν· Ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν πάντοτε ἐν χάριτι, ἅλατι ἠρτυμένος· τουτέστι, μὴ εἰς ἀδιαφορίαν τὸ χαρίεν ἐκπίπτῃ. Ἔνι γὰρ καὶ χαριεντίζεσθαι, ἔνι καὶ μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης κοσμιότητος τοῦτο ποιεῖν. Εἰδέναι πῶς δεῖ ὑμᾶς ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ ἀποκρίνεσθαι. Ὥστε οὐχ ὁμοίως πᾶσι διαλέγεσθαι χρὴ, Ἕλλησι λέγω καὶ ἀδελφοῖς. Οὐδαμῶς· ἐπεὶ τοῦτο τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας ἐστί. Τὰ κατ' ἐμὲ πάντα γνωρίσει ὑμῖν Τυχικὸς, ὁ ἀγαπητὸς ἀδελφὸς, καὶ πιστὸς διάκονος, καὶ σύνδουλος ἐν Κυρίῳ. Βαβαὶ, ὅση σοφία Παύλου! Πῶς οὐ πάντα ἐντίθησιν εἰς τὰς ἐπιστολὰς, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἀναγκαῖα καὶ τὰ κατεπείγοντα; Πρῶτον μὲν, οὐ βουλόμενος αὐτὰς εἰς μῆκος ἐκτείνειν· δεύτερον δὲ, καὶ τὸν ἀπερχόμενον αἰδεσιμώτερον ποιῶν, ἵνα ἔχῃ τι καὶ διηγεῖσθαι· τρίτον, δεικνὺς πῶς πρὸς αὐτὸν διάκειται· οὐ γὰρ ἂν αὐτῷ ταῦτα ἐνεχείρισεν. Ἔπειτα ἦν, ἃ οὐκ ἔδει διὰ γραμμάτων δηλωθῆναι. Ὁ ἀγαπητὸς, φησὶν, ἀδελφός. Εἰ ἀγαπητὸς, πάντα οἶδε, καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτὸν ἔκρυπτε. Καὶ πιστὸς διάκονος καὶ σύνδουλος ἐν Κυρίῳ. Εἰ πιστὸς, οὐδὲν ψεύσεται· εἰ σύνδουλος, κεκοινώνηκε τῶν 62.375 πειρασμῶν· ὥστε αὐτῷ πάντοθεν τὸ ἀξιόπιστον συνήγαγεν. Ὃν ἔπεμψα πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο. Ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἀγάπην δείκνυσι τὴν πολλὴν, εἴ γε καὶ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν ἀπέσταλκε, καὶ τῆς ἀποδημίας αἰτία αὕτη γέγονεν· ὃ καὶ Θεσσαλονικεῦσι γράφων ἔλεγε· ∆ιὸ μηκέτι στέγοντες ηὐδοκήσαμεν καταλειφθῆναι ἐν Ἀθήναις μόνοι, καὶ ἐπέμψαμεν Τιμόθεον τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν. Καὶ Ἐφεσίοις δὲ αὐτὸν τοῦτον πέμπει, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς αὐτῆς αἰτίας· Ἵνα γνῷ, φησὶ, τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν, καὶ παρακαλέσῃ τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν. Ὅρα τί φησιν· Οὐχ ἵνα ὑμεῖς τὰ ἐμὰ μάθητε, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἐγὼ τὰ ὑμέτερα· οὕτως οὐδαμοῦ τὸ αὑτοῦ τίθησι. ∆είκνυσιν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐν πειρασμοῖς ὄντας τῷ εἰπεῖν· Ἵνα παρακαλέσῃ τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν. Σὺν Ὀνησίμῳ τῷ ἀγαπητῷ καὶ πιστῷ ἀδελφῷ, ὅς ἐστιν ἐξ ὑμῶν. Πάντα ὑμῖν γνωριοῦσι τὰ ὧδε. Ὀνήσιμος οὗτός ἐστι, περὶ οὗ γράφων τῷ Φιλήμονι ἔλεγεν· Ὃν ἐβουλόμην πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν κατέχειν, ἵνα ὑπὲρ σοῦ μοι διακονῇ ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου· χωρὶς δὲ τῆς σῆς γνώμης οὐδὲν ἠθέλησα ποιῆσαι. Καὶ τὸ ἐγκώμιον δὲ προστίθητι τῆς πόλεως, ἵνα καὶ ἐγκαλλωπίζωνται, μὴ μόνον οὐκ ἐπαισχύνωνται. Ὅς ἐστι, φησὶν, ἐξ ὑμῶν· Πάντα ὑμῖν γνωριοῦσι τὰ ὧδε. Ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς Ἀρίσταρχος ὁ συναιχμάλωτός μου. βʹ. Οὐδὲν τούτου τοῦ ἐγκωμίου μεῖζον. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων ἀναχθεὶς μετ' αὐτοῦ. Μεῖζον εἶπε τῶν προφητῶν οὗτος· ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ξένους καὶ παρεπιδήμους