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of humility, where indeed he ranks his own disciples as equal to himself. And he reminds them of the grace through which they were redeemed, gently rebuking their stumblings in life; and not only this, but he also speaks of God the Father, bringing to their memory their adoption as sons. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, constantly remembering you. See how true the thanksgiving for them is that is offered to God, because they had faith, and not simply faith, but a working one, and not simply love, but he spoke of a toilsome love. For they toiled in persecutions because they loved the Lord. And they did not simply have hope, but hope with patience. The work of faith, and the labor of love, and the patience of hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father. If you believe, suffer all things. But if you do not suffer, you do not believe. Knowing, brothers beloved by God, your election, that our Gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake, and you became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Spirit. From the common phrase, "we give thanks," so that it might be, We give thanks to God, knowing your election according to which we chose you, and that having received the Gospel in a demonstration of much power, which the Holy Spirit worked, you did not simply receive it, but it had such strength in you, that you became imitators 95.908 of us, and of the Lord. And this he says, because of the afflictions he endured from the Jews. So that you became examples to all who believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone out, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves report concerning you what kind of entry we had to you. And how. See how much progress they made, so that they themselves became an example to others, and not to a few, but also to whole countries, and nations; for in Macedonia and in Achaia. And "has sounded forth" is well said, because of the excess of its brilliance. You turned together to God from idols, to the living and true God. Since they were of God, and had gone astray, and were called again, for this reason, he said, "you turned." and well "to the living," in contrast to the lifeless idol; and "to the true," in contrast to the falsely named gods. And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers you from the wrath to come. First he places the glorious thing, that "from heaven," then the inglorious, death; and he immediately adds the reason for his death; and this is our salvation. For he rescued us from the impending wrath.

CHAPTER 2. For you yourselves know, brothers, our entry to you, that it was not in vain

was, but after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated, as you know, in Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak to you the Gospel of God in much conflict. For our exhortation. He calls them as witnesses to whom the word is addressed, that he wants them to know that the affliction that occurred in Philippi did not make him more hesitant toward their preaching. And this is a hidden exhortation to nobly endure afflictions. Not from deceit. And a sign of this is, to have preached in affliction. For one who deceives in his preaching would never endure affliction for the sake of that preaching, knowing that this itself is an affliction. nor from uncleanness, nor in deceit, but as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, who tests our hearts

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ταπεινοφροσύνης, ὅπου γε τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ μαθητὰς ἴσους αὐτοῦ συντάττει. Ἀναμιμνήσκει δὲ αὐτοὺς τῆς χάριτος δι' ἧς ἐλυτρώθησαν, ἠρέμα πλήττων αὐτῶν τὰ περὶ τὸν βίον πταίσματα· καὶ οὐ μόνον τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Θεὸν καὶ Πατέρα λέγει, υἱοθεσίας αὐτοὺς εἰς μνήμην ἄγων. Εὐχαριστοῦμεν τῷ Θεῷ πάντοτε περὶ πάντων ὑμῶν, μνείαν ὑμῶν ποιούμενοι ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν ἡμῶν, ἀδιαλείπτως μνημονεύοντες ὑμῶν. Ὅρα πῶς ἀληθὴς ἡ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν εὐχαριστία ἀναφερομένη τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτι πίστιν ἔσχον, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς πίστιν, ἀλλ' ἐνέργειαν, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀγάπην, ἀλλ' ἔγκοπον ἀγάπην εἶπον. Ἐκοπίων γὰρ ἐν τοῖς διωγμοῖς διὰ τὸ ἀγαπᾷν τὸν Κύριον. Καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐλπίδα εἶχον, ἀλλὰ μεθ' ὑπομονῆς τὴν ἐλπίδα. Τοῦ ἔργου τῆς πίστεως, καὶ τοῦ κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης, καὶ τῆς ὑπομονῆς τῆς ἐλπίδος τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν. Εἰ πιστεύεις, πάντα πάσχε. Εἰ δὲ μὴ πάσχεις, οὐ πιστεύεις. Εἰδότες, ἀδελφοὶ ἠγαπημένοι ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, τὴν ἐκλογὴν ὑμῶν, ὅτι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν οὐκ ἐγενήθη εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐν λόγῳ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν δυνάμει, καὶ Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ, καὶ ἐν πληροφορίᾳ πολλῇ, καθὼς οἴδατε, οἷοι ἐγενήθημεν ἐν ὑμῖν δι' ὑμᾶς, καὶ ὑμεῖς μιμηταὶ ἡμῶν ἐγενήθητε καὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, δεξάμενοι τὸν λόγον ἐν θλίψει πολλῇ μετὰ χαρᾶς Πνεύματος ἁγίου. Ἀπὸ κοινοῦ τὸ, εὐχαριστοῦμεν, ἵνα ᾖ, Εὐχαριστῶμεν τῷ Θεῷ, γινώσκοντες τὴν ἐκλογὴν ὑμῶν καθ' ἣν ἐξελεξάμεθα ὑμᾶς, καὶ ὅτι παραλαβόντες τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ἐν ἀποδείξει δυνάμεως πολλῆς, ἧς ἐνήργηκε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, οὐχ ἁπλῶς παρελάβετε, ἀλλὰ τοσαύτην ἐν ὑμῖν ἔσχε τὴν ἰσχὺν, ὡς μιμητὰς 95.908 ὑμᾶς ἡμῶν γενέσθαι, καὶ τοῦ Κυρίου. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγει, δι' ἃς ὑπέμεινε θλίψεις παρὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Ὥστε γενέσθαι ὑμᾶς τύπους πᾶσι τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ἐν τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ καὶ τῇ Ἀχαΐᾳ. Ἀφ' ὑμῶν γὰρ ἐξήχηται ὁ λόγος τοῦ Κυρίου, οὐ μόνον ἐν τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἀχαΐᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐξελήλυθεν, ὥστε μὴ χρείαν ὑμᾶς ἔχειν λαλεῖν τι. Αὐτοὶ γὰρ περὶ ὑμῶν ἀπαγγέλλουσιν ὁποίαν εἴσοδον ἔχομεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Καὶ πῶς. Ὅρα πόσην ἔσχον ἐπίδοσιν, ὡς καὶ αὐτοὺς ἑτέροις γίνεσθαι τύπον, καὶ οὐκ ὀλίγοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ χώραις ὅλαις, καὶ ἔθνεσιν· ἐν τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ γὰρ καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἀχαΐᾳ. Εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ ἐξηχήθη, διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς λαμπρότητος. Συνεστρέψατε πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων, Θεῷ ζῶντι καὶ ἀληθινῷ. Ἐπειδὴ Θεοῦ ἦσαν, καὶ ἐπλανήθησαν, καὶ πάλιν ἐκλήθησαν, διὰ τοῦτο, ἐπεστρέψατε, εἶπεν· καλῶς δὲ καὶ, τῷ ζῶντι, πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τοῦ ἀψύχου εἰδώλου· καὶ τῷ ἀληθινῷ, πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τῶν ψευδωνύμων θεῶν. Καὶ ἀναμένειν τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν, ὃν ἤγειρεν ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, Ἰησοῦν, τὸν ῥυόμενον ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς τῆς ἐρχομένης. Πρῶτον τὸ ἔνδοξον τίθησι τὸ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν, εἶτα τὸ ἄδοξον, τὸν θάνατον· καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν εὐθὺς ἐπισυνάπτει τοῦ θανάτου· αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ ἡμετέρα σωτηρία. Ἐῤῥύσατο γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς ἐπικειμένης ὀργῆς.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Βʹ. Αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἴδατε, ἀδελφοὶ, τὴν εἴσοδον ἡμῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ὅτι οὐ κενὴ

γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ προπαθόντες καὶ ὑβρισθέντες, καθὼς οἴδατε, ἐν Φιλίπποις, ἐπαῤῥησιασάμεθα ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν, λαλῆσαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν πολλῷ ἀγῶνι. Ἡ γὰρ παράκλησις ἡμῶν. Αὐτοὺς καλεῖ μάρτυρας πρὸς οὓς ὁ λόγος, ὅτι δὴ αὐτοὺς εἰδέναι βούλεται, ὅτι οὐκ ὀκνηρότερον αὐτὸν ἐποίησε πρὸς τὸ αὐτῶν κήρυγμα, ἡ ἐν Φιλίπποις γειναμένη θλίψις. Τοῦτο δὲ προτροπὴ λεληθυῖα τοῦ γενναίως ὑποφέρειν τὰς θλίψεις. Οὐκ ἐκ πλάνης. Καὶ τούτου σημεῖον, τοὺς ἐν θλίψει κηρύξαι. Ὁ γὰρ πλανῶν ἐν τῷ κηρύγματι, οὐκ ἄν ποτε ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τοῦ κηρύγματος θλίψιν ὑπομένοι, εἰδὼς αὐτὸ τοῦτο θλίψιν ὑπάρχον. Οὐδὲ ἐξ ἀκαθαρσίας, οὔτε ἐν δόλῳ, ἀλλὰ καθὼς δεδοκιμάσμεθα ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, πιστευθῆναι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, οὕτω λαλοῦμεν, οὐχ ὡς ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσκοντες, ἀλλὰ τῷ Θεῷ, τῷ δοκιμάζοντι τὰς καρδίας