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the building of the whole house, but the deeds according to virtue are like a roof enclosing and, as it were, crowning the whole edifice. And you saw in me. Since he said to hold fast to much virtue, truth, gravity, righteousness, purity, brotherly love, good report, and all things that make for virtue, all things that make for praise; since he said to take care of all these things, lest he seem to enjoin on them things greater than they were able to do, for this reason he exhorts them by his own example to accomplish them. It is, therefore, as if he were saying: Lest you become despondent, as though the commandments were great, and greater than you are able to accomplish. For in me, he says, you have heard all these things being done, and not only have you heard, but you have also seen. Do these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 95.881 I exhort you, he says, to do these things, since the reward for them is also great; and this is, to have God dwelling with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have revived your concern for me, in which you were also concerned; but you lacked opportunity; not that I speak in respect of want. For I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound in everything; and in all things I am instructed, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Notwithstanding, you have done well, that you shared in my affliction. Now you Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but you only; for even in Thessalonica, you sent once and again for my necessity; not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you. He speaks concerning the ministry which they sent to him. And he rejoiced, not because he received, but because the disciples had fruit. For if the Lord commanded them to give, how did they not sin by not giving? Very fittingly, therefore, he said, you have revived. For fellowship with teachers is the beginning of good fruit, just as, of course, forgetting them is of withering. An odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. For this is what causes them to be a sweet smell; for they fulfill a divine law. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you. Especially those. See how great is the fruit of the ministry: that they are enriched in the glory of Christ; but at the same time he also gently teaches them that Christ commanded them to have fellowship with their teachers for their own benefit, that they might partake of their spiritual things. Since how could he who enriches these not also be able to enrich the teachers? But he has done this by a dispensation, so that the teachers might not be lifted up over the disciples, as enriching them for free, nor the disciples become despondent, as always being in the rank of the poor, and imparting nothing to them. For this reason he commanded that there be a giving in return and fellowship, even if the things of the teachers are incomparably greater. Those of Caesar's household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. He greatly encourages them by saying that the preaching has prevailed in the royal 95.884 household, and to such an extent that they even salute the faithful in Philippi. With your spirit. Amen. He shows that all to whom he writes the epistle are spiritual. For he testifies this to them throughout the whole epistle. To the Philippians, written from Rome by Epaphroditus. Lines 208.

TO THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS.

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τοῦ παντὸς οἴκου οἰκοδομὴ, αἱ δὲ πράξεις αἱ κατ' ἀρετὴν, ὀρόφῳ ἐοίκασι συγκλείοντι καὶ οἱονεὶ στεφανοῦντι τὸ πᾶν οἰκοδόμημα. Καὶ εἴδετε ἐν ἐμοί. Ἐπειδὴ πολλῆς ἀρετῆς εἶπεν ἀντέχεσθαι, ἀληθείας, σεμνότητος, δικαιοσύνης, ἁγνείας, φιλαδελφίας, εὐλογίας, καὶ πάντων ὅσα ποιοῦσιν ἀρετὴν, ὅσα εὐφημίαν· ἐπειδὴ τούτων πάντων εἶπεν ἐπιμελεῖσθαι, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ μείζονα ὧν ἴσχυον ποιεῖν ἐπιτάττειν αὐτοῖς, τούτου χάριν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ εἰς τὸ κατορθοῦν αὐτὰ παρακαλεῖ αὐτούς. Ὅμοιον οὖν ὡς εἰ λέγοι· Ἵνα μὴ ἀκηδιάσητε, ὡς μεγάλων ὄντων τῶν ἐπιταγμάτων, καὶ μειζόνων ἢ δύνασθαι κατορθοῦν. Ἐν ἐμοὶ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἅπαντα ἠκούσατε γινόμενα, καὶ οὐ μόνον ἠκούσατε, ἀλλὰ καὶ τεθέασθε. Ταῦτα πράσσετε, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης ἔσται μεθ' ὑμῶν. 95.881 Παραινῶ, φησὶ, ποιεῖν αὐτὰ, ἐπειδὴ καὶ μέγας ὁ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν μισθός· οὗτος δέ ἐστιν, τὸ σύνοικον ἔχειν τὸν Θεόν. Ἐχάρην δὲ ἐν Κυρίῳ μεγάλως, ὅτι ἤδη ποτὲ ἀνεθάλετε τὸ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ φρονεῖν, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ ἐφρονεῖτε· ἠκαιρεῖσθε δέ· οὐχ ὅτι καθ' ὑστέρησιν λέγω. Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἔμαθον ἐν οἷς εἰμὶ αὐτάρκης εἶναι. Οἶδα καὶ ταπεινοῦσθαι, οἶδα καὶ περισσεύειν ἐν παντί· καὶ ἐν πᾶσι μεμύημαι, καὶ χορτάζεσθαι καὶ πεινᾷν, καὶ περισσεύειν, καὶ ὑστερεῖσθαι. Πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με Χριστῷ. Πλὴν καλῶς ἐποιήσατε συγκοινωνήσαντές μου τῇ θλίψει. Οἴδατε δὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς, Φιλιππήσιοι, ὅτι ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, ὅτε ἐξῆλθον ἀπὸ Μακεδονίας, οὐδεμία μοι Ἐκκλησία ἐκοινώνησεν εἰς λόγον δόσεως καὶ λήψεως, εἰ μὴ ὑμεῖς μόνοι· ὅτι καὶ ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ, καὶ ἅπαξ, καὶ δὶς εἰς τὴν χρείαν μου ἐπέμψατε· οὐχ ὅτι ἐπιζητῶ τὸν καρπὸν τὸν πλεονάζοντα εἰς λόγον ὑμῶν. Ἀπέχω δὲ πάντα, καὶ περισσεύω· πεπλήρωμαι δεξάμενος παρ' Ἐπαφροδίτου τὰ παρ' ὑμῶν. Περὶ τῆς διακονίας ἧς ἀπέστειλαν αὐτῷ, λέγει. Ἐχάρη δὲ, οὐχ ὅτι ἔλαβεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καρπὸν ἔσχον οἱ μαθηταί. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος διέταξεν αὐτοὺς διδόναι, πῶς οὐκ ἔπταιον μὴ διδόντες; Οἰκείως οὖν σφόδρα τὸ, ἀνεθάλετε, εἶπεν. Ἀρχὴ γὰρ ἀγαθοῦ καρποῦ ἡ πρὸς τοὺς διδασκάλους κοινωνία, ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ μαρασμοῦ, ἡ τούτων λήθη. Ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας, θυσίαν δεκτὴν, εὐάρεστον τῷ Θεῷ. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ παρέχον αὐτοῖς εὐωδιάζειν· νόμον γὰρ θεῖον πληροῦσιν. Ὁ δὲ Θεός μου πληρώσῃ πᾶσαν χρείαν ὑμῶν κατὰ τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ ἐν δόξῃ, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ ἡμῶν ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Ἀσπάσασθε πάντα ἅγιον ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ ἀδελφοί· ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι. Μάλιστα δέ. Ὅρα τῆς διακονίας πόσος ὁ καρπός· τὸ πλουτισθῆναι αὐτοὺς ἐν δόξῃ Χριστοῦ· ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἠρέμα αὐτοὺς διδάσκει, ὡς διὰ τὸ χρήσιμον αὐτῶν ἐκέλευσεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Χριστὸς κοινωνεῖν τοῖς διδασκάλοις, ἵνα τῶν πνευματικῶν αὐτῶν μεταλάβωσιν. Ἐπεὶ πῶς οὐκ ἠδύνατο ὁ τούτους πλουτίζων, καὶ τοὺς διδασκάλους πλουτίσαι; Ἀλλ' οἰκονομίᾳ τοῦτο πεποίηκεν, ἵνα καὶ οἱ διδάσκαλοι μὴ κατεπαίρωνται τῶν μαθητῶν, ὡς δωρεὰν αὐτοὺς πλουτίζοντες, μήτε οἱ μαθηταὶ ἀκηδιῶσιν, ὡς ἀεὶ ἐν τῇ τῶν πτωχευόντων ὄντες τάξει, καὶ μηδὲν μεταδιδόντες αὐτοῖς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀνάδοσιν καὶ κοινωνίαν ἐκέλευσε γίνεσθαι, εἰ καὶ τὰ τῶν διδασκάλων ἀσυγκρίτως μείζονα. Οἱ ἐκ τῆς Καίσαρος οἰκίας. Ἡ χάρις τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Παραμυθεῖται σφόδρα αὐτοὺς, τῷ εἰς τὸν οἶκον 95.884 τὸν βασιλικὸν κεκρατηκέναι εἰπεῖν τὸ κήρυγμα, καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς ἐν Φιλίπποις πιστοὺς κατασπάζεσθαι. Μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ὑμῶν. Ἀμήν. ∆είκνυσιν ὡς πάντες, πρὸς οὓς γράφει τὴν ἐπιστολὴν, εἰσὶ πνευματικοί. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ δι' ὅλης τῆς ἐπιστολῆς αὐτοῖς μαρτυρεῖ. Πρὸς Φιλιππησίους ἐγράφη ἀπὸ Ῥώμης δι' Ἐπαφροδίτου. Στίχων σηʹ.

ΕΙΣ ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗΝ ΠΡΟΣ ΚΟΛΟΣΣΑΕΙΣ.