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then be mindful of them. If you quickly establish this law, I will also advance the teaching to other, greater things. Behold, this is the second year I have been discoursing to your love, and I have not been able to explain to you even a hundred verses of the Scriptures; and the reason is that you ask to learn from us things which you are able to set right at home and from yourselves; and the greater part of our exhortation is spent on moral discourse. But these things should not happen this way; but that you should be instructed in the care of your conduct at home and from yourselves, and entrust the meanings and contemplations of the Scriptures to us. But if it were necessary for you to hear from us as well, it should not have been for more than one day; for what is said is not something complex or hard to find, nor does it require any elaborate argument. For when God declares something, there is no time for sophistries. God said, "Do not swear"; do not demand justifications from me any longer. It is a royal law; He who established it knows the reason for the law; if it were not advantageous, He would not have forbidden it, He would not have prohibited it. Kings introduce laws, and often not all of them are advantageous; for they are men and could not find what is useful in the same way as God, but nevertheless we obey them; and whether we marry wives, or make wills, or are about to buy servants, or houses, or fields, or do anything else, we do not do these things according to our own judgment, but as they may have ordained, and we are not at all masters to dispose of our own affairs according to our own judgment; but in many things we are subservient to their judgments, and if we do anything contrary to what seems good to them, it becomes invalid and useless. Then shall we pay so much honor to the laws of men, but thus trample on the laws of God, tell me? And of what defense are these things worthy? Of what pardon? He said, "Do not swear"; do not legislate against Him through your deeds, so that you may both do and say all things with security.

3. But enough of these things; come, let us set before you one saying from what was read today, and end the discourse: *Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ*, he says, *and Timothy the brother*. Great is the title of Paul, not a name of office and honor, but of bonds and chains; truly great; and yet many other things make him illustrious: to have been caught up to the third heaven, to have been carried away into paradise, to have heard unspeakable words; but he put none of these things, but in place of all, the chain 49.165; for this made him more distinguished and more brilliant than those. Why is that? Because those things are gifts of the Master's love for mankind, but these are proofs of the servant's fortitude and endurance; and it is the custom of lovers to take more pride in those things which they suffer for their beloved, than in those benefits which they receive from them. A king is not so proud of his diadem as that man was adorned by his chains; and very rightly so. For a diadem brings only adornment to the crowned head, but the chain brings both a much greater adornment and security. The royal crown has often betrayed the head that wears it, and has attracted countless plotters, and has invited the desire for tyranny; and in wars this adornment is so perilous that it is hidden and put away. Indeed, kings in wartime, changing their appearance, thus mix themselves among the combatants; so great is the betrayal that comes from the crown. But the chain causes nothing of the sort for those who have it, but quite the contrary; when there is war and battle array against demons and the opposing powers, the one wearing it, holding it forth, repels their attacks. And of the secular rulers, many bear the name of their office not only when they are ruling, but also when they have been released from their office. They say, "So-and-so, former consul," "So-and-so, former prefect"; but this man, instead of all these, says, "Paul, a prisoner"; and very rightly so. For those offices are not in every way

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αὐτῶν ἀναμνήσθητι τότε. Ἂν ταχέως τοῦτον κατορθώσητε τὸν νόμον, καὶ ἐφ' ἕτερα μείζονα τὴν διδασκαλίαν προάξομαι. Ἰδοὺ δεύτερον ἔτος ἔχω τοῦτο πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν διαλεγόμενος ἀγάπην, καὶ οὐδὲ ἑκατὸν στίχους τῶν Γραφῶν ὑμῖν ἴσχυσα ἐξηγήσασθαι· τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, ὅτι παρ' ἡμῶν δέεσθε μανθάνειν, ἅπερ οἴκοθεν καὶ παρ' ἑαυτῶν δύνασθε κατορθοῦν· καὶ τὸ πλέον ἡμῖν τῆς παραινέσεως εἰς τὸν ἠθικώτερον ἀναλίσκεται λόγον. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ ἐχρῆν οὕτω γίνεσθαι· ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν τῶν τρόπων ἐπιμέλειαν οἴκοθεν ὑμᾶς καὶ παρ' ἑαυτῶν παιδεύεσθαι, τῶν Γραφῶν δὲ τὰ νοήματα καὶ τὰς θεωρίας ἡμῖν ἐπιτρέπειν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐχρῆν καὶ παρ' ἡμῶν ὑμᾶς ἀκοῦσαι, πλέον μιᾶς ἡμέρας οὐκ ἔδει· οὐδὲ γὰρ ποικίλον τι καὶ δυσεύρετόν ἐστι τὸ λεγόμενον, οὐδὲ κατασκευῆς δεόμενόν τινος. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἀποφαίνηται, σοφισμῶν οὐκ ἔστι καιρός. Ὁ Θεὸς εἶπε· Μὴ ὀμόσῃς· μὴ ἀπαίτει με λοιπὸν εὐθύνας. Νόμος ἐστὶ βασιλικός· ὁ θεὶς αὐτὸν οἶδε τὸν λόγον τοῦ νόμου· εἰ μὴ συμφέρον ἦν, οὐκ ἂν ἐκώλυσε, οὐκ ἂν ἀπηγόρευσε. Βασιλεῖς εἰσφέρουσι νόμους, καὶ οὐχ ἅπαντας συμφερόντως πολλάκις· ἄνθρωποι γάρ εἰσι καὶ οὐκ ἂν δύναιντο τὸ χρήσιμον οὕτως εὑρεῖν, ὥσπερ ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' ὅμως οὕτω πειθόμεθα· κἂν γυναῖκας ἀγώμεθα, κἂν διαθήκας ποιῶμεν, κἂν οἰκέτας ὠνεῖσθαι μέλλωμεν, κἂν οἰκίας, κἂν ἀγροὺς, κἂν ὁτιοῦν ἕτερον ποιεῖν, οὐκ οἰκείᾳ γνώμῃ ταῦτα πράττομεν, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἂν ἐκεῖνοι διατάξωσι, καὶ τὰ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν διαθέσθαι κατὰ γνώμην τὴν ἡμετέραν οὐκ ἐσμὲν κύριοι καθόλου· ἀλλὰ πολλαχοῦ ταῖς ἐκείνων δουλεύομεν γνώμαις, κἂν ποιήσωμέν τι παρὰ τὸ δοκοῦν ἐκείνοις, ἄκυρον καὶ ἄχρηστον γίνεται. Εἶτα τοῖς μὲν τῶν ἀνθρώπων νόμοις τοσαύτην ἀπονέμομεν τιμὴν, τοὺς δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμους οὕτω καταπατήσομεν, εἰπέ μοι; καὶ ποίας ταῦτα ἀπολογίας ἄξια; ποίας συγγνώμης; Εἶπε· Μὴ ὀμόσῃς· μὴ ἀντινομοθετήσῃς αὐτῷ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων, ἵνα μετὰ ἀσφαλείας ἅπαντα καὶ ποιῇς καὶ λέγῃς.

γʹ. Ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων ἅλις· φέρε δὲ μίαν ῥῆσιν ἐκ τῶν σήμερον ἀναγνωσθέντων παραθέντες ὑμῖν, καταπαύσωμεν τὸν λόγον· Παῦλος δέσμιος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, φησὶ, καὶ Τιμόθεος ὁ ἀδελφός. Μέγας ὁ τοῦ Παύλου χρηματισμὸς, οὐκ ἀρχῆς καὶ τιμῆς ὄνομα, ἀλλὰ δεσμὰ καὶ ἁλύσεις· ἀληθῶς μέγας· καίτοι πολλὰ αὐτὸν ἕτερα λαμπρὸν ποιεῖ, τὸ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἁρπαγῆναι τρίτον, τὸ εἰς παράδεισον ἀπενεχθῆναι, τὸ ἀκοῦσαι ἄῤῥητα ῥήματα· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων ἔθηκεν, ἀλλ' ἀντὶ πάντων τὴν ἅλυ 49.165 σιν· αὕτη γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐκείνων ἐπιφανέστερον ἐποίει καὶ λαμπρότερον. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι ἐκεῖνα μὲν τῆς τοῦ ∆εσπότου φιλανθρωπίας ἐστὶ χαρίσματα, ταῦτα δὲ τῆς καρτερίας τοῦ δούλου, καὶ τῆς ὑπομονῆς δείγματα· ἔθος δὲ τοῖς φιλοῦσιν ἐπ' ἐκείνοις μᾶλλον φρονεῖν, ἐφ' οἷς ἂν πάσχωσιν ὑπὲρ τῶν φιλουμένων, ἢ ἐφ' οἷς ἂν εὐεργετῶνται παρ' αὐτῶν. Οὐχ οὕτω βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ τῷ διαδήματι ἐναβρύνεται, ὡς ἐκεῖνος ἐπὶ τοῖς δεσμοῖς ἐκαλλωπίζετο· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. ∆ιάδημα μὲν γὰρ κόσμον μόνον φέρει τῇ στεφανουμένῃ κεφαλῇ, ἡ δὲ ἅλυσις καὶ κόσμον πολλῷ μείζονα καὶ ἀσφάλειαν. Ὁ στέφανος ὁ βασιλικὸς πολλάκις προὔδωκε τὴν περικειμένην αὐτὸν κεφαλὴν, καὶ μυρίους ἐπιβούλους ἐπεσπάσατο, καὶ εἰς τυραννίδος ἐπιθυμίαν ἐκάλεσε· καὶ ἐν πολέμοις δὲ οὕτως ἐστὶν ἐπισφαλὴς ὁ κόσμος οὗτος, ὡς κρύπτεσθαι αὐτὸν καὶ ἀποτίθεσθαι. Οἱ γοῦν βασιλεῖς ἐν πολέμοις τὸ σχῆμα ἀμείβοντες, οὕτως ἑαυτοὺς τοῖς πολεμοῦσιν ἀναμιγνύουσι· τοσαύτη ἡ προδοσία ἀπὸ τοῦ στεφάνου γίνεται. Ἡ δὲ ἅλυσις οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον προξενεῖ τοῖς ἔχουσιν, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν· ὅταν πόλεμος ᾖ καὶ παράταξις πρὸς τοὺς δαίμονας καὶ τὰς ἀντικειμένας δυνάμεις, προβαλλόμενος αὐτὴν ὁ περικείμενος ἀποκρούεται τὰς ἐκείνων ἐφόδους. Καὶ τῶν μὲν ἀρχόντων τῶν ἔξωθεν πολλοὶ οὐχ ἡνίκα ἂν ἄρχωσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡνίκα ἂν παραλυθῶσι τῆς ἀρχῆς, περιφέρουσιν αὐτῆς τὸ ὄνομα. Ὁ δεῖνα ἐξ ὑπάτων λέγοντες, ὁ δεῖνα ἐξ ὑπάρχων· οὗτος δὲ ἀντὶ πάντων τούτων, Παῦλος δέσμιος, φησί· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Ἐκεῖναι μὲν γὰρ αἱ ἀρχαὶ οὐ πάντως εἰσὶ