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saying, and He humbled Himself, becoming obedient. This he says, showing that the will of the Father and of the Son is one. And he shows not only these doctrines, but also that He endured death, having become man, He who is in equality with the Father; and not simply death, but death, that by the cross. And that He was not held by death. For God, he says, exalted Him. But when you hear "exalted" and "raised," and such things, understand the economy; for do not understand Him as being diminished in power; for He Himself is the power of the Father. For Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. To the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed. So that He may be glorified thus, he says, as also the Father, both equal and like Him. Not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence. 95.868 For he who listens to him during his absence shows more love for the teacher. For one who obeys when he is present, perhaps does this also out of shame; but he who listens during his absence, shows the great genuineness of his love for the teacher. With fear and trembling work out your own salvation. Again he makes them strive; so much does he pull down their pride from succeeding. For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. And this he says, not as destructive of free choice, but as fearing again lest they be puffed up. For that our judgment is the cause of our being good or evil, he showed by exhorting us to work out our own salvation with fear. Do all things without grumbling and questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, unblemished children of God. For he who works the commandments with grumbling, as though they were burdensome, loses the reward for them. But the phrase, "and questioning," indicates this: without hesitation and without doubt, and without making any distinction. For he who thus works them will be, he says, blameless. Through love, through pleasing. In the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. A crooked generation, he means that of the Jews, according to what was said to them by the Lord: "A crooked and perverse generation." Among whom you appear, as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life. For those who are able to say, "The light of Your countenance is signed upon us, O Lord," these are able to become lights. And by "word of life," he means the Gospel. As a boast for me, and for the day of Christ; that I did not run in vain, nor labor in vain. For truly a great boast of teachers is the progress of the disciples. But how far must this progress reach, or until the coming of Christ? He says this, that having it we may die, having disturbed none of it. For thus we will show it to be safe. But even if I am poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with all of you. And in the same way you also rejoice, and share your joy with me. He always calls his own death a drink offering, and likewise in the one to Timothy: "For I am already being poured out, and the time of my departure is at hand." He says therefore, that "Even if I die, and the enemies of the truth decree my death on account of the preaching, 95.869 not that I am grieved, but I rejoice exceedingly." Therefore you also ought to rejoice. But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be of good cheer, when I know your circumstances. I am sending Timothy to you, he says, that hearing about you, I may rejoice. Not that he did not know; for he himself said he gave thanks for them in every prayer. What then is this rejoicing concerning Timothy, but that they trust and rejoice in the bonds on account of the preaching? For he also exhorts them to this. For I have no one like-minded, who will genuinely care for your affairs. For all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know his proven worth, that as a child to a father he served with me for the Gospel. Therefore I hope to send him. This is the greatest encomium of Timothy, to be like-minded with the teacher; and at the same time it is an exhortation, to receive him with joy, as seeing the Apostle himself. As soon as I see how things go with me.

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λέγων, καὶ ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτὸν γενόμενος ὑπήκοος. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγει, ἓν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ δηλῶν. Καὶ οὐ μόνον ταῦτα τὰ δόγματα δηλοῖ, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ὑπέμεινε θάνατον, γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος, ὁ ἐν ἰσότητι τοῦ Πατρός· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς θάνατον, ἀλλὰ θάνατον, τὸν διὰ σταυροῦ. Καὶ ὅτι οὐχὶ ἐκρατήθη θανάτῳ. Ὕψωσε γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶν, ὁ Θεός. Ὅταν δὲ τὸ, ὕψωσε καὶ ἤγειρε, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀκούσῃς, τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἐννόει· μὴ γὰρ δὴ ὡς ἐλαττούμενον δυνάμεως αὐτὸν ἐννοήσῃς· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Πατρός. Χριστὸς γὰρ Θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ Θεοῦ σοφία. Εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ Πατρός. Ὥστε, ἀγαπητοί μου, καθὼς πάντοτε ὑπηκούσατε. Ἵνα οὕτω δοξάζηται, φησὶν, ὡς καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ, ἴσος τε καὶ ὅμοιος αὐτῷ. Μὴ ὡς ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ μου μόνον, ἀλλὰ νῦν πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ ἀπουσίᾳ μου. 95.868 Μᾶλλον γὰρ τὴν ἀγάπην ἐνδείκνυται τὴν πρὸς τὸν διδάσκαλον, ὁ παρὰ τὴν ἀπουσίαν ἀκούων αὐτοῦ. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ παρόντι πειθόμενος, ἴσως καὶ αἰσχυνόμενος τοῦτο ποιεῖ· ὁ δὲ παρὰ τὴν ἀπουσίαν ἀκούων, μέγα δείκνυσι τῆς εἰς τὸν διδάσκαλον ἀγάπης τὸ γνήσιον. Μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν κατεργάζεσθε. Πάλιν ἀγωνιᾷν αὐτοὺς ποιεῖ· τοσοῦτον αὐτῶν τὴν ἐκ τοῦ κατορθοῦν κατασπᾷ ὀφρύν. Θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν ὑμῖν, καὶ τὸ θέλειν, καὶ τὸ ἐνεργεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐδοκίας. Καὶ τοῦτό φησιν, οὐχ ὡς τῆς προαιρέσεως καθαιρετικὸν, ἀλλ' ὡς φοβούμενος πάλιν μὴ ἐπαρθῶσιν. Ὅτι γὰρ ἡ γνώμη αἰτία τοῦ ἀγαθοὺς ἡμᾶς εἶναι ἢ πονηροὺς, ἐδήλωσε διὰ τοῦ παραινέσαι μετὰ φόβου τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν ἐργάζεσθαι. Πάντα ποιεῖτε χωρὶς γογγυσμοῦ καὶ διαλογισμῶν, ἵνα γένησθε ἄμεμπτοι καὶ ἀκέραιοι, τέκνα Θεοῦ ἀμώμητα. Ὁ γὰρ τὰς ἐντολὰς ἐργαζόμενος μετὰ γογγυσμοῦ, ὡς βαρείων οὐσῶν, ἀπόλλυσι τὸν ἐπὶ ταύταις μισθόν. Τὸ δὲ, καὶ διαλογισμῶν, τοῦτο δηλοῖ, τὸ ἀδιστάκτως καὶ ἀνενδυάστως, καὶ μηδὲν διακρινομένους. Ὁ γὰρ οὕτως αὐτὰς ἐργαζόμενος ἔσται, φησὶν, ἄμεμπτος. ∆ιὰ τὴν ἀγάπην, διὰ τὴν ἀρέσκειαν. Ἐν μέσῳ γενεᾶς σκολιᾶς καὶ διεστραμμένης. Γενεὰν σκολιὰν, τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων φησὶ, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου· Γενεὰ σκολιὰ καὶ διεστραμμένη. Ἐν οἷς φαίνεσθε, ὡς φωστῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ, λόγον ζωῆς ἐπέχοντες. Οἱ γὰρ δυνάμενοι λέγειν, Ἐσημειώθη ἐφ' ὑμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, Κύριε, οὗτοι δύνανται φωστῆρες γενέσθαι. Λόγον δὲ ζωῆς, τὸν εὐαγγελικόν φησιν. Εἰς καύχημα ἐμοὶ, καὶ εἰς ἡμέραν Χριστοῦ· ὅτι οὐκ εἰς κενὸν ἔδραμον, οὐδὲ εἰς κενὸν ἐκοπίασα. Μέγα γὰρ ὄντως διδασκάλων καύχημα ἡ τῶν μαθητῶν προκοπή. Μέχρι τίνος δὲ τὴν προκοπὴν φθάσαι δεῖ, ἢ μέχρι τῆς παρουσίας Χριστοῦ; τοῦτο δὲ λέγει, ἵνα αὐτὴν ἔχοντες ἀποθάνωμεν, μηδὲν αὐτῆς παρασαλεύσαντες. Οὕτω γὰρ αὐτὴν σῶαν ἐπιδειξόμεθα. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ σπένδομαι ἐπὶ τῇ θυσίᾳ καὶ λειτουργίᾳ τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν, χαίρω καὶ συγχαίρω πᾶσιν ὑμῖν. Τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ ὑμεῖς χαίρετε, καὶ συγχαίρετέ μοι. Σπονδὴν ἀεὶ τὸν θάνατον ἑαυτοῦ φησιν, καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Τιμόθεον ὁμοίως· Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἤδη σπένδομαι, καὶ ὁ καιρὸς τῆς ἀναλύσεώς μου πάρεστι. Λέγει οὖν, ὅτι Καὶ ἀποθνήσκω, καὶ θάνατόν μου καταψηφίζονται οἱ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθροὶ διὰ τὸ κήρυγμα, 95.869 οὐχ ὅτι λυποῦμαι, ἀλλὰ χαίρω σφόδρα. Οὐκοῦν καὶ αὐτοὶ χαίρειν ὀφείλετε. Ἐλπίζω δὲ ἐν Κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ, Τιμόθεον ταχέως πέμψαι ὑμῖν, ἵνα κἀγὼ εὐψυχῶ, γνοὺς τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν. Πέμπω, φησὶν, ὑμῖν Τιμόθεον, ἵνα ἀκούων τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν, χαίρω. Οὐχ ὅτι ἠγνόει· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἔλεγεν εὐχαριστεῖν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν καθ' ἑκάστην δέησιν. Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ χαίρειν περὶ Τιμοθέου, ἢ ὅτι πεποίθασι καὶ χαίρουσιν ἐπὶ τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῖς διὰ τὸ κήρυγμα; τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ παραινεῖ. Οὐδένα γὰρ ἔχω ἰσόψυχον, ὅστις γνησίως τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν μεριμνήσει. Οἱ πάντες γὰρ τὰ ἑαυτῶν ζητοῦσιν, οὐ τὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τὴν δὲ δοκιμὴν αὐτοῦ γινώσκετε, ὅτι ὡς πατρὶ τέκνον σὺν ἐμοὶ ἐδούλευσεν εἰς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον. Τοῦτον μὲν οὖν ἐλπίζω πέμψαι. Τοῦτο μέγιστον ἐγκώμιον Τιμοθέου, τὸ ἰσόψυχον εἶναι τῷ διδασκάλῳ· ἅμα δὲ καὶ προτροπῆς ἐστι, τὸν αὐτὸν μετὰ χαρᾶς προσδέξασθαι, ὡς αὐτὸν ὁρῶντας τὸν Ἀπόστολον. Ὡς ἂν ἀπίδω τὰ περὶ ἐμὲ ἐξ αὐτῆς.