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Having shown that he has authority to receive, he transfers the argument also to the Gospel, and from this he strengthens it. And it is well done: that he did not say 'they receive from those who offer,' but 'they eat from the temple,' so that neither those who receive might be reproached, nor those who give be puffed up. "Those who serve at the altar share in the offerings of the altar. In the same way the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the Gospel should live by the Gospel." For the things that were offered were no longer the property of those who offered them, but of the temple and the altar. The phrase 'share in the offerings' does not signify an equal distribution, but the consolation given to them out of what is due. "But I have made no use of any of these rights. Nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision for myself." It is as if he were to say, although many examples grant me this authority—that of the soldier, the farmer, the shepherd, the apostles, the law, the things done by us for you, the things done by us for others, the priests, the command of the Lord—I would be persuaded by none of these to abolish my own law, and to receive. "For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting." I would rather, he says, die of hunger than be deprived of these crowns. And it is well said, to call it a 'boast,' and not a 'purpose' or a 'good opinion.' For so that no one might say that he does it, but not with joy, but groaning and in pain, for this reason, wishing to show the excess of his joy and the greatness of his zeal, he calls the matter a 'boast.' "For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" He says this, not as though preaching the gospel is greater than making the gospel free of charge, but as having the advantage from another perspective. For instance, that the one is a command, while the other is an achievement of my own choice. For those things that are done beyond the commandment have a great reward; but those done in the order of a commandment, not so much. Therefore, in this respect he says that not receiving is greater than preaching the gospel—not in the nature of the act itself 95.640 (for what is equal to preaching, which makes us contend even with the angels?); but nevertheless, since the one is a command and a duty, while the other is the generous ambition of choice, in this respect, for him, not receiving has something more than preaching. "For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward. But if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may make the gospel of Christ free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel." The terms 'of my own will' and 'not of my own will,' he takes in reference to undertaking it and not undertaking it. Thus also, 'necessity is laid upon me,' must be understood not as him doing something unwillingly, but as his being accountable for what was commanded; therefore he did not say, 'but if not of my own will, I have no reward,' but 'I am entrusted with a stewardship,' showing that he too has a reward, but such as one who has fulfilled a command, not such as one who has been generous from his own resources and has gone beyond the command. "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them." Again he adds another hyperbole. For it is a great thing not to receive, but this is much greater than that. What is it that he says? That not only did I not receive nor use my authority, but I even enslaved myself, and with a great and varied slavery; and I enslaved myself though subject to no one in any way, nor having any necessity. For this is what 'though I am free from all' means. For he was commanded only to preach and to proclaim what was entrusted to him; but to devise and contrive countless other things was a matter of his own zeal. "And I became to the Jews as a Jew, in order to win Jews." And how did he become so? When he circumcised Timothy, in order to abolish circumcision. For this reason he did not say, 'a Jew,' but 'as a Jew.' For the matter is one of economy. "To those under the law I became as one under the law—though not being myself under the law—that I might win those under the law." When he shaved his head, when he offered sacrifice. And these things were done, not with his opinion changing, but with his love condescending. "To those outside the law I became as one outside the law—not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ." Those outside the law, neither

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ἐξουσίαν λαμβάνειν ἐπιδειξάμενος, μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον καὶ εἰς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, καὶ ἐκ τούτου αὐτὸν ἰσχυροποιῶν. Εὖ δέ· τὸ μὴ εἰπεῖν ἐκ τῶν προσφερόντων λαμβάνουσιν, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἐσθίουσιν, ἵνα μήτε οἱ λαμβάνοντες ὀνειδίζωνται, μήτε οἱ παρέχοντες ἐπαίρωνται. «Οἱ τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ παρεδρεύοντες, τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ συμμερίζονται. Οὕτως καὶ ὁ Κύριος διέταξεν τοῖς Εὐαγγέλιον καταγγέλλουσι, ἐκ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ζῇν.» Τὰ γὰρ προσενεχθέντα οὐκέτι λοιπὸν τῶν προσενεγκόντων ἦσαν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἱεροῦ καὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου. Τὸ δὲ συμμερίζονται, οὐ τὴν ἐξ ἴσου διανομὴν δηλοῖ, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐξ ὀφειλῆς διδομένην αὐτοῖς παραμυθίαν. «Ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ κέχρημαι οὐδενὶ τούτων. Οὐκ ἔγραψα δὲ ταῦτα, ἵνα οὕτως γένηται ἐν ἐμοί.» Ὅμοιον ὡς εἰ λέγοι, πολλῶν μοι παραδειγμάτων παρεχόντων ἐξουσίαν τοῦ στρατιώτου, τοῦ γεωργοῦ, τοῦ ποιμένος, τῶν ἀποστόλων, τοῦ νόμου, τῶν παρ' ἡμῶν εἰς ὑμᾶς γενομένων, τῶν παρ' ἡμῶν εἰς τοὺς ἄλλους, τῶν ἱερέων, τοῦ προστάγματος τοῦ Κυρίου, οὐδενὶ τούτων ἂν ἐπείσθην εἰς τὸ καταλῦσαι τὸν ἐμαυτοῦ νόμον, καὶ λαβεῖν. «Καλὸν γάρ μοι μᾶλλον ἀποθανεῖν, ἢ τὸ καύχημά μου, ἵνα τις κενώσῃ.» Αἱροῦμαι μᾶλλον, φησὶν, ἀποθανεῖν λιμῷ, ἢ τούτων ἀποστερηθῆναι τῶν στεφάνων. Εὖ δὲ, καὶ τὸ καύχημα εἰπεῖν, καὶ μὴ τὸν σκοπὸν ἢ τὸ δόξαν καλόν. Ἵνα γὰρ μή τις λέγῃ, ὅτι ποιεῖ μὲν αὐτὸ, οὐ χαίρων δὲ, ἀλλὰ στένων καὶ ὀδυνάμενος, τούτου χάριν τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς χαρᾶς δεῖξαι θέλων, καὶ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς προθυμίας, καύχημα τὸ πρᾶγμα καλεῖ. Ἐὰν γὰρ εὐαγγελίζωμαι, οὐκ ἔστι μοι καύχημα· ἀνάγκη γάρ μοι ἐπίκειται. Οὐαὶ δέ μοί ἐστιν, ἐὰν μὴ εὐαγγελίζωμαι.» Τοῦτό φησιν, οὐχ ὡς μείζονος ὄντος τοῦ εὐαγγελίσασθαι, τοῦ ἀδάπανον θεῖναι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ἀλλ' ὡς ἑτέρωθεν ἔχοντος τὸ πλέον. Οἷον, ὅτι τὸ μέν ἐστιν ἐπίταγμα, τὸ δὲ τῆς ἐμῆς προαιρέσεως κατόρθωμα. Ἃ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἐντολὴν γίνεται, πολὺν ἔχει μισθόν· ἃ δὲ ἐν ἐντολῆς τάξει, οὐ τοσοῦτον. Ὥστε κατὰ τοῦτό φησιν, τὸ μὴ λαμβάνειν τοῦ εὐαγγελίσασθαι πλέον εἶναι οὐκ αὐτὴν τοῦ πράγματος τὴν 95.640 φύσιν· τί γὰρ τοῦ κηρύξαι ἴσον, ὃ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀγγέλους ἡμᾶς ἁμιλλᾶσθαι ποιεῖ; Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπειδὴ τὸ μὲν ἐπίταγμά ἐστι καὶ ὀφειλή· τὸ δὲ προαιρέσεως φιλοτιμία, κατὰ τοῦτο αὐτῷ τὸ μὴ λαμβάνειν, πλέον τι τοῦ κηρύττειν ἔχει. «Εἰ γὰρ ἑκὼν τοῦτο πράσσω, μισθὸν ἔχω. Εἰ δὲ ἄκων οἰκονομίαν πεπίστευμαι, τίς οὖν μοί ἐστιν ὁ μισθός; ἵνα εὐαγγελιζόμενος, ἀδάπανον θήσω τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰς τὸ μὴ καταχρήσασθαι τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ μου ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ.» Τὸ, ἑκὼν καὶ ἄκων, ἐπὶ τὸ ἐγχειρεῖσθαι, καὶ μὴ ἐγχειρεῖσθαι λαμβάνει. Οὕτω καὶ τὸ, ἀνάγκη μοι ἐπίκειται, νοητέον· οὐχ ὡς ἄκοντός τι τούτου ποιοῦντος, ἀλλ' ὡς ὑπευθύνου ὄντος τοῖς ἐπιταχθεῖσι· διὸ οὐκ εἶπεν, εἰ δὲ ἄκων οὐκ ἔχω μισθὸν, ἀλλ' οἰκονομίαν πεπίστευμαι, δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς ἔχει μισθὸν, ἀλλὰ τοιοῦτον οἷον ὁ τὸ ἐπίταγμα ἐξανύσας, οὐχ οἷον ἐκεῖνος ἐκ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ φιλοτιμησάμενος, καὶ ὑπερβὰς τὸ ἐπίταγμα. «Ἐλεύθερος γὰρ ὢν ἐκ πάντων, πᾶσιν ἐμαυτὸν ἐδούλωσα, ἵνα τοὺς πλείονας κερδήσω.» Πάλιν ἄλλην τίθησιν ὑπερβολήν. Μέγα μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὸ μὴ λαβεῖν· τοῦτο δὲ πολὺ μεῖζον ἐκείνου. Τί δέ ἐστιν ὃ φησίν; Ὅτι οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἔλαβον οὐδὲ ἐχρησάμην τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐδούλωσα ἐμαυτὸν, καὶ δουλείαν μεγάλην καὶ παντοδαπήν· καὶ ἐδούλωσα ὑποκείμενος οὐδενὶ κατ' οὐδὲν, οὐδὲ ἀνάγκην ἔχων. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ ἐλεύθερος ὢν ἐκ πάντων. Καὶ γὰρ κηρύξαι μόνον ἐπετάττετο, καὶ καταγγέλλειν τὰ ἐμπιστεύοντα· τὸ δὲ μυρία μηχανήσασθαι. καὶ ἐπινοεῖν, λοιπὸν τῆς ἐκείνου σπουδῆς ἦν. «Καὶ ἐγενόμην τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὡς Ἰουδαῖος, ἵνα Ἰουδαίους κερδήσω.» Καὶ πῶς ἐγένετο, ἢ ὅτε περιέτεμεν Τιμόθεον, ἵνα καθέλῃ περιτομήν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἰουδαῖος, ἀλλ' ὡς Ἰουδαῖος. Οἰκονομία γὰρ τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστι. «Τοῖς ὑπὸ νόμον, ὡς ὑπὸ νόμον, μὴ ὢν αὐτὸς ὑπὸ νόμον, ἵνα τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον κερδήσω.» Ὅτε ἐξύρατο, ὅτε ἔθυσεν. Ἐγίνετο δὲ ταῦτα, οὐ τῆς γνώμης αὐτοῦ μεταβαλλομένης, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀγάπης συγκαταβαινούσης. «Τοῖς ἀνόμοις ὡς ἄνομος· μὴ ὢν ἄνομος Θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἔννομος Χριστῷ.» Οἱ ἄνομοι, οὔτε