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he says: Since you wish to test whether Christ dwells in me; and for this reason you mock me, as humble and contemptible, as being devoid of that power; you shall know that we are not devoid, if you should provide an occasion; which may it not be; but he did not say, of the one dwelling, but, of the one speaking, showing that the words are spiritual. For he was crucified out of weakness, but he lives by the power of God. The name of weakness signifies three things. For weakness is called the sickness of the body, according to what was said about Lazarus: Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick. And again, he is weak who is not well-grounded in the faith, according to what is said in Paul: Receive the one who is weak in faith, but not to quarrel over opinions. And again, in a third way, persecutions and plots are weaknesses. And this again can be seen from Paul saying: Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times, and he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in weakness. In this third way, then, the name of weakness is to be understood. He says therefore, that even if he was crucified, having endured danger and a plot, yet he was in no way harmed, but God is powerful, even if he suffered willingly for the sake of the economy. For we also are weak in him, but we will live with him by the power of God toward you. Test yourselves, to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves. Or do you not recognize yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless you are indeed reprobate. But I hope that you will know that we are not reprobate. That is, we are persecuted, we are driven out, and we suffer the worst things. That is, because of the preaching and faith in him. But we pray to God that you do no evil at all; not that we may appear approved, but that you may do what is good. I pray to God, he says, to find nothing uncorrected; or rather, not only this, but not to sin in the first place. For if you remain sinning unrepentantly, it is necessary to punish you, and to give proof of the power; which they also did in the case of Sapphira, and of Elymas the magician. But we do not pray for this, he says, but for the opposite, that neither you may sin, nor we appear as reprobate. That is, that we may not thus demonstrate the proof of the power within us, by punishing you, and taking vengeance on those who sin and are incurably sick. But what? That you should do evil. For this we pray, to see you crowned. 95.776 But that we may be as reprobate. Not demonstrating our power to punish. And he did not say reprobate, but as reprobate. For he was not going to be reprobate, even if he did not punish. For we can do nothing against the truth. What the nature of the matter demands, he says, this we do. For even if we see you well-pleasing through repentance, we can no longer punish. But for the truth. For we rejoice. When we are thought to be weak, not when we are weak. When we are weak, and you are strong, this we also pray for, your perfection. For this reason I write these things while absent, that when present I may not use sharply, according to the authority which the Lord has given me. That is, approved and well-pleasing. For building up, and not for tearing down. Finally, brothers, rejoice. He shows that he did not desire to use his authority for their punishment. Be made complete. Become perfect, he says, filling up what is lacking. Be encouraged, think the same thing, be at peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss; all the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. This he says, because the temptations were many, and the dangers were great. It was written from Philippi of Macedonia by Luke and Titus. To the Corinthians 2, 612 verses.

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λέγει· Ἐπειδὴ βούλεσθε δοκιμάζειν, εἰ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστὸς οἰκεῖ· καὶ διὰ τοῦτό με κωμῳδεῖτε, ὡς εὐτελῆ καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητον, ἅτε ἔρημον ὄντα τῆς δυνάμεως ἐκείνης· εἴσεσθε, ὅτι οὐκ ἐσμὲν ἔρημοι, εἰ παράσχοιτε πρόφασιν· ὃ μὴ γένοιτο· οὐκ εἶπε δὲ, τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος, ἀλλὰ, τοῦ λαλοῦντος, πνευματικὰ ὄντα δεικνὺς τὰ ῥήματα. Καὶ γὰρ ἐσταυρώθη ἐξ ἀσθενείας, ἀλλὰ ζῇ ἐκ δυνάμεως Θεοῦ. Τρία σημαίνει τὸ τῆς ἀσθενείας ὄνομα. Καὶ γὰρ ἀσθένεια λέγεται ἡ τοῦ σώματος ἀῤῥωστία, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον ὑπὲρ Λαζάρου· Κύριε, ἴδε ὃν φιλεῖς, ἀσθενεῖ. Καὶ πάλιν ἀσθενεῖ τῷ μὴ πεπηγέναι ἐν τῇ πίστει καλῶς, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον ἐν τῷ Παύλῳ· Τὸν δὲ ἀσθενοῦντα τῇ πίστει προσλαμβάνεσθε, μὴ εἰς διακρίσεις λογισμῶν. Καὶ πάλιν κατὰ τρίτον τρόπον ἀσθένειαι οἱ διωγμοὶ καὶ ἐπιβουλαί. Καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Παύλου ἰδεῖν λέγοντος· Ὑπὲρ τούτου τρὶς τὸν Κύριον παρεκάλεσα, καὶ εἶπέ μοι, Ἀρκεῖ σοι ἡ χάρις μου. Ἡ γὰρ δύναμίς μου ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειοῦται. Κατὰ τοῦτον δὴ τὸν τρίτον τρόπον τὸ τῆς ἀσθενείας ἐκδέχεται ὄνομα. Λέγει οὖν, ὅτι Εἰ καὶ ἐσταυρώθη κίνδυνον ὑπομείνας καὶ ἐπιβουλὴν, ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲν παρεβλάβη, ἀλλὰ δυνατός ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, εἰ καὶ διὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν πέπονθεν ἑκών. Καὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἀσθενοῦμεν ἐν αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ ζήσομεν σὺν αὐτῷ ἐκ δυνάμεως Θεοῦ εἰς ὑμᾶς. Ἑαυτοὺς πειράζετε, εἰ ἐστὲ ἐν τῇ πίστει· ἑαυτοὺς δοκιμάζετε. Ἢ οὐκ ἐπιγινώσκετε ἑαυτοὺς, ὅτι Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς ἐν ὑμῖν ἐστιν; εἰ μή τι ἄρα ἀδόκιμοί ἐστε. Ἐλπίζω δὲ ὅτι γνώσεσθε, ὅτι ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἐσμὲν ἀδόκιμοι. Τουτέστι, ∆ιωκόμεθα, ἐλαυνόμεθα, καὶ τὰ ἔσχατα πάσχομεν. Τουτέστι, διὰ τὸ κήρυγμα καὶ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν πίστιν. Εὐχόμεθα δὲ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, μὴ ποιῆσαι ὑμᾶς κακὸν μηδέν· οὐχ ἵνα ἡμεῖς δόκιμοι φανῶμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ὑμεῖς τὸ καλὸν ποιῆτε. Παρακαλῶ τὸν Θεὸν, φησὶ, μηδὲν εὑρεῖν ἀδιόρθωτον· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἁμαρτεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ μείνητε ἀμετανόητα ἁμαρτάνοντες, ἀνάγκη ὑμᾶς κολάζειν, καὶ δοῦναι δοκιμὴν τῆς δυνάμεως· ὃ καὶ ἐποίησαν ἐπὶ Σαπφείρας, καὶ τοῦ μάγου Ἐλύμα. Ἀλλ' οὐκ εὐχόμεθα τοῦτο, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον, ἵνα μήτε ὑμεῖς ἁμάρτητε, μήτε ἡμεῖς ὡς ἀδόκιμοι φανῶμεν. Τουτέστιν, Ἵνα μὴ οὕτω τὴν δοκιμὴν ἐπιδειξώμεθα τῆς δυνάμεως τῆς ἐν ἡμῖν, διὰ τὸ κολάζειν ὑμᾶς. καὶ τιμωρεῖσθαι ἁμαρτάνοντας, καὶ ἀνίατα νοσοῦντας. Ἀλλὰ τί; Ἵνα ὑμεῖς τὸ κακὸν ποιῆτε. Τοῦτο γὰρ εὐχόμεθα, στεφανωθέντας ὁρᾷν. 95.776 Ἡμεῖς δὲ ὡς ἀδόκιμοι ὦμεν. Οὐκ ἐπιδεικνύμενοι ἡμῶν τὴν τιμωρητικὴν δύναμιν. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν ἀδόκιμοι, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀδόκιμοι. Οὐ γὰρ ἔμελλεν εἶναι ἀδόκιμος, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐκόλαζεν. Οὐ γὰρ δυνάμεθά τι κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας. Ὃ ἡ τοῦ πράγματος, φησὶν, ἀπαιτεῖ φύσις, τοῦτο ποιοῦμεν. Κἂν γὰρ ἴδωμεν ὑμᾶς εὐδοκιμοῦντας διὰ τῆς μετανοίας, οὐ δυνάμεθα κολάσαι λοιπόν. Ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας. Χαίρομεν γάρ. Ὅταν νομιζώμεθα ἀσθενεῖς, οὐχ ὅταν ἐσμὲν ἀσθενεῖς. Ὅταν ἡμεῖς ἀσθενῶμεν, ὑμεῖς δὲ δυνατοὶ ἦτε, Τοῦτο καὶ εὐχόμεθα, τὴν ὑμῶν κατάρτισιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀπὼν ταῦτα γράφω, ἵνα παρὼν μὴ ἀποτόμως χρήσωμαι κατὰ τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ἣν ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκέ μοι. Τουτέστι, δόκιμοι καὶ εὐάρεστοι. Εἰς οἰκοδομὴν, καὶ οὐκ εἰς καθαίρεσιν. Λοιπὸν, ἀδελφοὶ, χαίρετε. ∆είκνυσιν ὅτι οὐκ ἐπεθύμει τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ εἰς τὴν ἐκείνων χρήσασθαι τιμωρίαν. Καταρτίζεσθε. Τέλειοι γίνεσθε, φησὶ, πληροῦντες τὰ λείποντα. Παρακαλεῖσθε, τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖτε, εἰρηνεύετε, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ εἰρήνης ἔσται μεθ' ὑμῶν. Ἀσπάσασθε ἀλλήλους ἐν ἁγίῳ φιλήματι· ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς οἱ ἅγιοι πάντες. Ἡ χάρις τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἡ κοινωνία τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. Ἀμήν. Τοῦτό φησιν, ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ ἦσαν οἱ πειρασμοὶ, καὶ μεγάλοι οἱ κίνδυνοι. Ἐγράφη ἀπὸ Φιλίππων τῆς Μακεδονίας διὰ τοῦ Λουκᾶ καὶ Τίτου. Πρὸς Κορινθίους βʹ, στίχοι χιβʹ.