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being the reward of the result, speaking of the fruits of righteousness. For the administration of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also abounding through many thanksgivings to God, through the proof of this ministry, glorifying God for the obedience of your confession to the Gospel of Christ, and for the liberality of your fellowship toward them and toward all, and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift. The ministry of the letter, that is, the generous provision 95.753 of money, and this our spiritual service, and the ministry through us, not only accomplishes this, that it supplies the needs of the saints, and remedies their poverty, but that it causes thanksgiving to be offered up through many and for many good deeds. For this is the meaning of, But is also abounding through many thanksgivings. For they, receiving the money, glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the Gospel. But lest he show them giving thanks for this reason only, because they received, see how he elevates them. They glorify God, he says, because you are so obedient to the Gospel; of which this is a sign, that you contribute so generously; for this is what the Gospel commands.

CHAPTER 10. Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of

Christ. Having completed the discourse concerning almsgiving, as was necessary, he takes up more censorious words, alluding to the false apostles through meekness and gentleness, wishing to shame them greatly. He puts forward, therefore, meekness and gentleness, by this making the accusation greater. who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. This he says, alluding to those false apostles who said that, His letters are weighty, but his bodily presence is weak. Or thus: Or that even if I speak great things, I do not speak out of presumption, but out of confidence in you. But I beg you, that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence with which I think to be bold against some. I beg you, he says, do not force me to show that even when present I am strong, and have power. For since he said that, Being absent I am very bold toward you, he uses these words. who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For they slandered him as a hypocrite, as wicked, as a deceiver. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. Here, then, he also inspires fear. For we are clothed in flesh, I confess; but we do not live according to the flesh. And he called this a warfare, especially to inspire fear. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God. Carnal weapons are wealth, glory, power, eloquence, cleverness, intrigues, flatteries, hypocrisies, and other things like these. But ours are not such, he says, but mighty in God. And again he rightly ascribes all his power to God. It is as if he were to say: It is not we, he says, who have made them so, but God himself. For since, being scourged and driven out, they prevailed, 95.756 he says, that the confidence to prevail through these weapons is of the power of God. For He makes them strong, so that even if we are clothed with them, yet it is He who wars and works through them. to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. And lest, hearing of strongholds, you should think of something tangible, he adds, casting down imaginations. For through the first clause he shows the emphasis. But through the addition, he indicates the spiritual nature of the war. And by stronghold he means Greek pride, and the power of sophisms and syllogisms. and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of

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ὄντα τὸν μισθὸν τοῦ ἀποτελέσματος, γεννήματα δικαιοσύνης λέγων. Ὅτι ἡ διακονία τῆς λειτουργίας ταύτης, οὐ μόνον ἐστὶ προσαναπληροῦσα τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶν ἁγίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ περισσεύουσα διὰ πολλῶν εὐχαριστιῶν τῷ Θεῷ, διὰ τῆς δοκιμῆς τῆς διακονίας ταύτης, δοξάζοντες τὸν Θεὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ὑποταγῇ τῆς ὁμολογίας ὑμῶν εἰς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἁπλότητι τῆς κοινωνίας εἰς αὐτοὺς, καὶ εἰς πάντας, καὶ αὐτῶν δεήσει ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐπιποθούντων ὑμᾶς διὰ τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐφ' ὑμῖν. Χάρις δὲ τῷ Θεῷ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνεκδιηγήτῳ αὐτοῦ δωρεᾷ. Ἡ διακονία τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, τουτέστιν ἡ φιλο 95.753 τιμία τῶν χρημάτων, καὶ ἡ λειτουργία ἡμῶν αὕτη ἡ πνευματικὴ, καὶ ἡ δι' ἡμῶν διακονία, οὐ μόνον τοῦτο κατορθοῖ, ὅτι τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶν ἁγίων πληροῖ, καὶ διορθοῦται αὐτῶν τὴν πενίαν, ἀλλ' ὅτι διὰ πολλῶν καὶ ὑπὲρ πολλῶν εὐποιίαν, εὐχαριστίαν ἀναπέμπεσθαι παρασκευάζει. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Ἀλλὰ καὶ περισσεύουσα διὰ πολλῶν εὐχαριστιῶν. Ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ ἀποδεχόμενοι τὰ χρήματα, δοξάζουσι τὸν Θεὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ὑποταγῇ τῆς ὁμολογίας ὑμῶν εἰς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ δείξῃ αὐτοὺς διὰ τοῦτο εὐχαριστοῦντας μόνον διὰ τὸ λαβεῖν, ὅρα πῶς αὐτοὺς ὑψηλοὺς ποιεῖ. ∆οξάζουσι, φησὶν, ὅτι οὕτως ὑποτεταγμένοι ἐστὲ τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ· οὗ σημεῖον τοῦτό ἐστι, τὸ οὕτω δαψιλῶς εἰσφέρειν· τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ἐπιτάττει.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ιʹ. Αὐτὸς δὲ ἐγὼ Παῦλος παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς διὰ τῆς πραότητος καὶ ἐπιεικείας τοῦ

Χριστοῦ. Ἀπαρτίσας τὸν περὶ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης λόγον, ὡς ἔδει, ἐπιτιμικωτέρων ἅπτεται λόγων, τοὺς ψευδαποστόλους αἰνιττόμενος διὰ τῆς πραότητος καὶ ἐπιεικείας, σφόδρα αὐτοὺς ἐντρέψαι βουλόμενος. Προβάλλεται οὖν τὴν πραότητα καὶ τὴν ἐπιείκειαν. ταύτῃ μείζονα ποιῶν τὴν κατηγορίαν. Ὃς κατὰ πρόσωπον μὲν ταπεινὸς ἐν ὑμῖν, ἀπὼν δὲ θαῤῥῶ εἰς ὑμᾶς. Τοῦτό φησιν, εἰς ἐκείνους αἰνιττόμενος τοὺς ψευδαποστόλους τοὺς λέγοντας, ὅτι Αἱ ἐπιστολαὶ βαρεῖαι, ἡ δὲ παρουσία τοῦ σώματος ἀσθενής. Ἢ οὕτως· Ἢ ὅτι κἂν μεγάλα φθέγξωμαι, οὐκ ἐξ ἀπονοίας, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ θαῤῥεῖν ὑμῶν φθέγγομαι. ∆έομαι δὲ, τὸ μὴ παρὼν θαῤῥῆσαι τῇ πεποιθήσει, ᾗ λογίζομαι τολμῆσαι ἐπί τινας. ∆έομαι ὑμῶν, φησὶ, μή με ἀναγκάζετε δεῖξαι, ὅτι καὶ παρὼν ἰσχυρός εἰμι, καὶ δύναμιν ἔχω. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ἀπὼν πάνυ ὑμῖν θαῤῥῶ, τούτοις κέχρηται τοῖς ῥήμασι. Τοὺς λογιζομένους ἡμᾶς, ὡς κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦντας. Ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ αὐτὸν διέβαλλον ὡς ὑποκριτὴν, ὡς πονηρὸν, ὡς ἀπατεῶνα. Ἐν σαρκὶ γὰρ περιπατοῦντες, οὐ κατὰ σάρκα στρατευόμεθα. Ἐνταῦθα λοιπὸν καὶ φοβεῖ. Σάρκα γὰρ περικείμεθα, ὁμολογῶ· κατὰ σάρκα οὐδὲ ζῶμεν. Στρατείαν δὲ ὠνόμασεν ταύτην, μάλιστα ἐκφοβῶν. Τὰ γὰρ ὅπλα τῆς στρατείας ἡμῶν, οὐ σαρκικὰ, ἀλλὰ δυνατὰ τῷ Θεῷ. Ὅπλα σαρκικὰ, πλοῦτός ἐστι, δόξα, δυναστεία, εὐγλωττία, δεινότης, περιδρομαὶ, κολακεῖαι, ὑποκρίσεις, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ταῦτα τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐοικότα. Τὰ δὲ ἡμέτερα οὐ τοιαῦτα, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ δυνατὰ τῷ Θεῷ. Καλῶς δὲ πάλιν πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ ἀνατίθησι τῷ Θεῷ. Ὅμοιον δὲ ὡς εἰ λέγοι· Οὐχ ἡμεῖς, φησὶν, αὐτὰ τοιαῦτα κατεσκευάσαμεν, ἀλλὰ αὐτὸς ὁ Θεός. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μαστιζόμενοι καὶ ἐλαυνόμενοι ἐκρά 95.756 τουν, λέγει, ὅτι τὸ διὰ τῶν ὅπλων τούτων τοῦ κρατεῖν θαῤῥεῖν, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμεώς ἐστιν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ποιεῖ αὐτὰ ἰσχυρὰ, ὥστε εἰ καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτὰ περικείμεθα, ἀλλ' αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ δι' αὐτῶν πολεμῶν καὶ ἐνεργῶν. Πρὸς καθαίρεσιν ὀχυρωμάτων, λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες, καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ ἀκούσας ὀχυρώματα, αἰσθητόν τι νομίσῃς, ἐπάγει τὸ, λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες. ∆ιὰ μὲν γὰρ τῆς προτάσεως τὴν ἔμφασιν δείκνυσιν. ∆ιὰ δὲ τῆς ἐπαγωγῆς, τὸ νοητὸν τοῦ πολέμου παραδηλοῖ. Ὀχύρωμα δὲ λέγει τὸν τύφον τὸν Ἑλληνικὸν, καὶ τῶν σοφισμάτων καὶ τῶν συλλογισμάτων τὴν ἰσχύν. Καὶ αἰχμαλωτεύοντες πᾶν νόημα εἰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ