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to men who had advanced in teaching. Therefore, he does not touch upon dogmas, since they had sufficient knowledge concerning these things, having richly enjoyed such things from the Apostle himself. But he exhorts them on two points, so to speak, throughout the whole epistle: not to be exalted, since he knows this to be a consequence for those who have come near to achieving success, and to rejoice always. For they were greatly disheartened, hearing of the Apostle’s bonds, and the impending judgment, 95.857 and his expected death. For they did not expect him to escape the hands of Nero, a man who was mad in other respects and frantic for murder. Therefore, he also calls him a lion in the Epistle to Timothy. “For the Lord stood by me,” he says, “and I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.” But all the other things he exhorts them, he exhorts them as in passing, since, as I said, having spent a long time with them, he had benefited them most greatly. Since in this same epistle he promises to send this Timothy to them a little later, for this reason he makes the epistle common, accustoming them to receive him as a teacher. For if Paul made him a partner in the teaching now being sent to them, how will they not also receive this one who will be present a little later, whose teaching they have already heard? But it must be known that he sends the epistle to a whole region and a whole nation; and this is clear from his saying, “to all the bishops.” I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ. He testifies to their great progress, since when he remembers them, it is not with tears or groans, as he remembers those who are shaken, but with great thanksgiving, which is characteristic of those who are successful. And what is their success, but that having shared with him in the Gospel, they have remained partners from the beginning even until now, being in no way whatsoever shaken? which also provides him with good hope for the future. “For I know,” he says, “that you will complete this work, until you may bring it to him safe in the presence of the Lord.” Even as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel, you all being partakers of my grace. Since he said he has confidence in them, he says that having this confidence is just. For he says to be confident, that they will be partners with him in all things: in the bonds, in the defense, in the grace. To be so confident about those who have believed is a great testimony of their steadfastness. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere 95.860 and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruit of righteousness, which is by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. Since he said he has great love for them, so as to never omit them, not when in bonds, not in defense, for this reason he calls upon God as a witness for so great a matter. But lest anyone might suppose that because of the ministry they were sending to him, he says such things to flatter, he added, “in the affection of Christ Jesus,” showing that his love is genuine on account of Christ; and he prays for this, for them to advance in knowledge and perception, and to become accurate testers of good things; for thus they will be without offense at the coming of Christ, that is, stumbling in no way. For such people, he says, will be found full of the fruits of righteousness; and of righteousness, not that which is in the law; for this he also refutes in the following sections; but that which is through Christ, which is also for the glory and praise of God. For a life according to God glorifies the Father the

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ἀνδράσιν ἐν τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ προκόψασι. ∆ιὸ καὶ δογμάτων μὲν οὐχ ἅπτεται, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἱκανῶς εἶχον τῆς περὶ τούτων γνώσεως, ἅτε πλουσίως παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου τῶν τοιούτων ἀπολαύσαντες. ∆ύο δὲ αὐτοῖς σχεδὸν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, δι' ὅλης τῆς ἐπιστολῆς παραινεῖ, τὸ μὴ ὑψοῦσθαι, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῦτο οἶδεν ὥσπερ ἀκόλουθον τοῖς ἐγγὺς τοῦ κατορθωκέναι γενομένοις, καὶ τὸ χαίρειν διὰ παντός. Σφόδρα γὰρ ἠθύμουν, τὰ δεσμὰ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου ἀκούοντες, καὶ τὴν μέλλουσαν κρίσιν, 95.857 καὶ τὸν προσδοκώμενον αὐτοῦ θάνατον. Οὔτε γὰρ ἤλπιζον αὐτὸν τὰς χεῖρας ἐκφεύξεσθαι τοῦ Νέρωνος, ἀνδρὸς τά τε ἄλλα μεμηνότος καὶ περὶ φόνους ἐπτοημένου. ∆ιὸ καὶ λέοντα αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ πρὸς Τιμόθεον Ἐπιστολῇ καλεῖ. Ὁ Κύριος γάρ μοι παρέστη, φησὶν, καὶ ἐῥῥύσθην ἐκ στόματος λέοντος. Τὰ δὲ ἄλλα πάντα ἃ παραινεῖ αὐτοῖς, ὡς ἐν ἐπιδρομῇ παραινεῖ αὐτοῖς, ἐπειδήπερ, ὡς ἔφην, πολὺν παρ' αὐτοῖς διατρίψας χρόνον, πλεῖστα αὐτοῖς ὠφελήσας ἦν. Ἐπειδὴ τοῦτον αὐτοῖς τὸν Τιμόθεον ἐν αὐτῇ ἐπιστολῇ ἐπαγγέλλεται μικρὸν ὕστερον πέμψαι, τούτου χάριν κοινοποιεῖ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν, προεθίζων αὐτοὺς διδάσκαλον αὐτὸν δέχεσθαι. Εἰ γὰρ τῆς νῦν πεμπομένης αὐτοῖς διδασκαλίας κοινωνὸν αὐτὸν ὁ Παῦλος ἐποιήσατο, πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ παρεσόμενον μικρὸν ὕστερον δέξονται τοῦτον, οὗ ἤδη τῆς διδαχῆς ἀκηκόασιν; Ἰστέον δὲ ὡς ὅλῃ χώρᾳ καὶ ὅλῳ ἔθνει ἐκπέμπει τὴν ἐπιστολήν· καὶ τοῦτο δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ, σύμπασιν ἐπισκόποις, εἰπεῖν. Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ Θεῷ μου ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ μνείᾳ ὑμῶν, πάντοτε ἐν πάσῃ δεήσει μου ὑπὲρ πάντων ὑμῶν, μετὰ χαρᾶς, τὴν δέησιν ποιούμενος, ἐπὶ τῇ κοινωνίᾳ ὑμῶν εἰς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἀπὸ πρώτης ἡμέρας ἄχρι τοῦ νῦν, πεποιθὼς αὐτῷ τοῦτο, ὅτι ὁ ἐργασάμενος ἐν ὑμῖν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν, ἐπιτελέσει ἄχρις ἡμέρας Χριστοῦ. Προκοπὴν αὐτοῖς πολλὴν μαρτυρεῖ, ὅπου γε μεμνημένος αὐτῶν, οὐ μετὰ δακρύων ἢ στεναγμῶν, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν σαλευομένων μέμνηται, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς εὐχαριστίας, ὅπερ ἴδιον τῶν κατορθούντων ἐστί. Ποῖον δὲ αὐτῶν τὸ κατόρθωμα, ἢ ὅτι κοινωνήσαντες αὐτῷ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς μέχρι καὶ νῦν μεμενήκασι κοινωνοὶ, ἐν μηδενὶ τὸ παράπαν παρασαλευόμενοι; ὅπερ αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἀγαθὴν τοῦ μέλλοντος ἐλπίδα παρέχει. Οἶδα γὰρ, φησὶν, ὡς ἐπιτελέσετε τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον, ἕως ἂν αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου προσενέγκητε σῶον. Καθώς ἐστι δίκαιον ἐμοὶ τοῦτο φρονεῖν ὑπὲρ πάντων ὑμῶν, διὰ τὸ ἔχειν με ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμᾶς, ἔν τε τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀπολογίᾳ, καὶ βεβαιώσει τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, συγκοινωνούς μοι τῆς χάριτος πάντας ὑμᾶς ὄντας. Ἐπειδὴ πεποίθησιν εἶπεν ἔχειν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς, δικαίαν λέγει ταύτην ἔχειν τὴν πεποίθησιν. Θαῤῥεῖν γάρ φησιν, ὡς πάντων αὐτῷ ἔσονται κοινωνοὶ, τῶν δεσμῶν, τῆς ἀπολογίας, τῆς χάριτος. Τὸ οὕτω περὶ τῶν πιστευσάντων θαῤῥεῖν, μεγάλη ἐστὶν αὐτῶν βεβαιότητος μαρτυρία. Μάρτυς γάρ μού ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, ὡς ἐπιποθῶ πάντας ὑμᾶς ἐν σπλάγχνοις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ τοῦτο προσεύχομαι, ἵνα ἡ ἀγάπη ὑμῶν ἔτι μᾶλλον περισσεύῃ ἐν ἐπιγνώσει καὶ πάσῃ αἰσθήσει, εἰς τὸ δοκιμάζειν ὑμᾶς τὰ διαφέροντα, ἵνα ἦτε εἰλικρινεῖς 95.860 καὶ ἀπρόσκοποι εἰς ἡμέραν Χριστοῦ, πεπληρωμένοι καρπὸν δικαιοσύνης τὸν διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰς δόξαν καὶ ἔπαινον Θεοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ πολλὴν εἶπεν ἔχειν εἰς αὐτοὺς ἀγάπην, ὡς μηδαμοῦ αὐτοὺς παραλιπεῖν, μὴ ἐν δεσμοῖς ὄντα, μὴ ἐν ἀπολογίᾳ, τούτου χάριν μάρτυρα ἐπὶ τοσούτῳ πράγματι ἐπικαλεῖται τὸν Θεόν. Ἵνα δὲ μή τις ὑπολάβοι, ὡς διὰ τὴν διακονίαν ἣν ἀπέστελλον αὐτῷ, κολακεύων τὰ τοιαῦτα λέγει, ἐπήγαγεν, ἐν σπλάγχνοις Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, δεικνὺς ὅτι ἡ ἀγάπη αὐτῷ διὰ τὸ εἰς Χριστὸν γνήσιόν ἐστιν, καὶ τοῦτο εὔχεται, τοῦ προκόπτειν αὐτοὺς ἐν ἐπιγνώσει καὶ αἰσθήσει, καὶ δοκιμαστὰς ἀκριβεῖς γενέσθαι τῶν καλῶν· οὕτω γὰρ ἔσονται ἀπρόσκοποι εἰς τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τουτέστι κατὰ μηδένα τρόπον προσκόπτοντες. Οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι, φησὶ, πλήρεις εὑρεθήσονται δικαιοσύνης καρποί· καὶ δικαιοσύνης, οὐ τῆς ἐν νόμῳ· ταύτην γὰρ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς ἀναιρεῖ· ἀλλὰ τῆς διὰ Χριστοῦ, ἥ τις καὶ εἰς δόξαν, καὶ ἔπαινον γίνεται Θεοῦ. Ἡ γὰρ κατὰ Θεὸν πολιτεία δοξάζει τὸν Πατέρα τὸν