87

Are you the cause, having rushed to the matter before others, and given us boldness to remind you of such things? And behold the dignity: he does not rebuke those who do not send, lest he should seem to be serving his own interest; but when they sent, then he rebuked them for the time past, and they bore it; for then it would not seem that he was serving his own interest. You yourselves also know, he says, O Philippians, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church had fellowship with me in the matter of giving and receiving, but you only. Wonderful, how great the praise! if indeed the Corinthians and Romans are exhorted by hearing those things from him, but these, when no church had begun it (for he says, In the beginning of the Gospel), showed such zeal for the holy man, that having not even an example, they themselves were the first to begin this fruit-bearing. And it cannot be said that they did these things for him while he was staying with them, nor for their own sakes; For, When I departed from Macedonia, he says, no church had fellowship with me in the matter of giving and receiving, but you only. What is, of receiving? And what is, had fellowship? Why did he not say, No church gave to me, but, had fellowship with me in the matter of giving and receiving? For the matter is a fellowship. For if we, he says, have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? 62.291 and again, that your abundance may be a supply for their want. Do you see how they had fellowship, in the matter of giving carnal things, and of receiving spiritual things? For just as those who sell and buy have fellowship with one another, giving things in exchange for one another (for this is fellowship), so also here. For there is not, there is not anything more profitable than this buying and trading; for it takes place on earth, but is perfected in heaven; the buyers stand on the earth; but they buy and agree upon the things in the heavens, putting down an earthly price. 3. But do not condemn it; heavenly things are not bought with money, money itself does not buy them, but the choice of the one who puts down the money, the wisdom, the being above worldly things, the philanthropy, the almsgiving. For if silver bought it, she who put down the two mites would have received nothing great; but since not the silver, but the choice prevailed, she, having shown her whole purpose, received all. Let us not say, then, that the kingdom is bought with money; not with money, but with the choice that is shown through money. So then, does it require money, one says? It does not require money, but choice; if you have this, you will be able to buy heaven even with two mites; but without this, not even ten thousand talents of gold will be able to do what the two mites did. Why? For when, having much, you put down less, you have indeed done alms, but not as much as the widow; for you did not put it down with as much eagerness as she; for she deprived herself of all, or rather she did not deprive, but granted all things to herself. God promised the kingdom not for talents of gold, but for a cup of cold water, for eagerness; not for death, but for choice; since it is not even something great. For what is it to give one soul? He gave one man; but one man is not an equivalent. For even in Thessalonica, you sent both once and twice for my needs. Again the praise is great, if indeed, while sitting in the metropolis, he was supported by the small city. And see: lest by constantly removing himself from the need, which I said before, he should make them more slothful, having shown through so many things that he is not in need, he made this clear by one thing only, saying, for the needs; and he did not say, my needs, but simply, taking care for dignity; and not only this, but also what follows. For since he perceived it was very lowly, again he

87

Ὑμεῖς αἴτιοι, πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιπηδήσαντες τῷ πράγματι, καὶ παῤῥησίαν ἡμῖν δόντες ὑπὲρ τῶν τοιούτων ὑπομιμνήσκειν ὑμᾶς; Καὶ θέα τὸ σεμνόν· μὴ πέμπουσι μὲν οὐκ ἐγκαλεῖ, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ θεραπεύειν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἔπεμψαν, τότε ἐπετίμησεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ παρελθόντος χρόνου, καὶ ἤνεγκαν· λοιπὸν γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἔδοξε τὸ αὑτοῦ θεραπεύειν. Οἴδατε, φησὶ, καὶ ὑμεῖς, Φιλιππήσιοι, ὅτι ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, ὅτε ἐξῆλθον ἀπὸ Μακεδονίας, οὐδεμία μοι Ἐκκλησία ἐκοινώνησεν εἰς λόγον δόσεως καὶ λήψεως, εἰ μὴ ὑμεῖς μόνοι. Βαβαὶ, ἡλίκον τὸ ἐγκώμιον! εἴ γε Κορίνθιοι μὲν ἐκ τοῦ ἀκούειν ἐκεῖνα παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι προτρέπονται, οὗτοι δὲ οὐδεμιᾶς Ἐκκλησίας ἀρξαμένης (καὶ γὰρ, Ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, φησὶ), τοσαύτην περὶ τὸν ἅγιον ἐπεδείξαντο σπουδὴν, ὡς μηδὲ παράδειγμα ἔχοντες, αὐτοὶ πρῶτοι τῆς καρποφορίας ἄρξασθαι ταύτης. Καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι παραμένοντι αὐτῷ οὐδὲ τῶν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἕνεκεν ταῦτα ἐποίουν· Ὅτε ἐξῆλθον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπὸ Μακεδονίας, οὐδεμία μοι Ἐκκλησία ἐκοινώνησεν εἰς λόγον δόσεως καὶ λήψεως, εἰ μὴ ὑμεῖς μόνοι. Τί ἐστι, Λήψεως; τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἐκοινώνησε; διὰ τί μὴ εἶπεν, ὅτι Οὐδεμία μοι Ἐκκλησία ἔδωκεν, ἀλλ', Ἐκοινώνησεν εἰς λόγον δόσεως καὶ λήψεως; Κοινωνία γὰρ τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστιν. Εἰ γὰρ ἡμεῖς τὰ πνευματικὰ ὑμῖν, φησὶν, ἐσπείραμεν, τί μέγα, εἰ ἡμεῖς τὰ σαρκικὰ ὑμῶν θερίσο 62.291 μεν; καὶ πάλιν, Τὸ ὑμῶν περίσσευμα ἵνα γίνηται εἰς τὸ ἐκείνων ὑστέρημα. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἐκοινώνησαν, εἰς λόγον δόσεως τῶν σαρκικῶν, καὶ λήψεως τῶν πνευματικῶν; Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ πωλοῦντες καὶ ἀγοράζοντες κοινωνοῦσιν ἀλλήλοις, τὰ παρ' ἀλλήλων ἀντιδιδόντες (τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι κοινωνία), οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστι ταύτης τῆς ἀγορασίας καὶ ἐμπορίας τι κερδαλεώτερον· γίνεται μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῇ γῇ, τελεῖται δὲ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ· οἱ μὲν ἀγοράζοντες ἐν τῇ γῇ ἑστήκασιν· ἀγοράζουσι δὲ καὶ συμφωνοῦσι τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, γηΐνην κατατιθέντες τὴν τιμήν. γʹ. Ἀλλὰ μὴ καταγνῷς· οὐ χρημάτων ἐστὶν ὠνητὰ τὰ οὐράνια, οὐ τὰ χρήματα αὐτὰ ἀγοράζει, ἀλλ' ἡ προαίρεσις τοῦ τὰ χρήματα καταβάλλοντος, ἡ φιλοσοφία, τὸ τῶν βιωτικῶν ἀνωτέρω εἶναι, ἡ φιλανθρωπία, ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη. Ἐπεὶ εἰ τὸ ἀργύριον ἠγόραζεν, ἡ τὰ δύο λεπτὰ καταβαλοῦσα οὐδὲν ἂν ἔλαβε μέγα· ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐ τὸ ἀργύριον, ἀλλ' ἡ προαίρεσις ἴσχυσεν, ἐκείνη πᾶσαν προαίρεσιν ἐπιδειξαμένη, πάντα ἔλαβε. Μὴ τοίνυν λέγωμεν, ὅτι ὠνητὴ χρημάτων ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία· οὐ χρημάτων, ἀλλὰ προαιρέσεως τῆς διὰ χρημάτων ἐπιδεικνυμένης. Οὐκοῦν δεῖ χρημάτων, φησίν; Οὐ δεῖ χρημάτων, ἀλλὰ προαιρέσεως· ἂν ταύτην ἔχῃς, δυνήσῃ καὶ διὰ δύο λεπτῶν ἀγοράσαι τὸν οὐρανόν· μὴ οὔσης δὲ ταύτης, οὐδὲ μυρία τάλαντα χρυσοῦ τοῦτο δυνήσεται, ὅπερ τὰ δύο λεπτά. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅταν γὰρ πολλὰ ἔχων, ἐλάττονα καταβάλῃς, ἐποίησας μὲν ἐλεημοσύνην, οὐ τοσαύτην δὲ ὅσην ἡ χήρα· οὐ γὰρ μετὰ τοσαύτης προθυμίας κατέβαλες, μεθ' ὅσης ἐκείνη· πάντων γὰρ ἑαυτὴν ἀπεστέρησε, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἀπεστέρησεν, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἑαυτῇ ἐχαρίσατο. Οὐ ταλάντων χρυσοῦ, ἀλλὰ ποτηρίου ψυχροῦ τὴν βασιλείαν ὑπέσχετο ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ προθυμίας· οὐ θανάτου, ἀλλὰ προαιρέσεως· ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ μέγα τί ἐστι. Τί γάρ ἐστι μίαν ψυχὴν δοῦναι; Ἔδωκεν ἕνα ἄνθρωπον· εἷς δὲ ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἔστιν ἀντάξιος. Ὅτι καὶ ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ, καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς εἰς τὰς χρείας μοι ἐπέμψατε. Πάλιν μέγα τὸ ἐγκώμιον, εἴ γε ἐν τῇ μητροπόλει καθήμενος, παρὰ τῆς μικρᾶς ἐτρέφετο πόλεως. Καὶ ὅρα· ἵνα μὴ διαπαντὸς ἐξέλκων ἑαυτὸν τῆς χρείας, ὅπερ εἶπον προλαβὼν, ῥᾳθυμοτέρους ποιήσῃ, διὰ τοσούτων δείξας, ὅτι οὐ δεῖται, ἑνὶ μόνῳ τοῦτο δῆλον ἐποίησεν, εἰπὼν, Εἰς τὰς χρείας· καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Τὰς ἐμὰς, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς, τοῦ σεμνοῦ ἐπιμελόμενος· οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ συνεῖδε σφόδρα ταπεινὸν ὂν, πάλιν αὐτὸ τῇ