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the teacher deigns to carry away, and being about to depart for Rome, and so longing for them, he prefers this to that. For Macedonia and Achaia were well pleased, that is, they approved, they desired, a certain contribution. Again he did not say Alms, but Contribution. And the word, A certain, he has not put without reason, but so that he might not seem to be reproaching them. And he did not say simply, For the poor, but For the poor among the saints; making the recommendation twofold, both from their 60.662 virtue and from their poverty. And not content with this only, he added, that They are debtors. Then he shows how they are debtors. For if the Gentiles, he says, have shared in their spiritual things, they ought also to minister to them in carnal things. And what he says is this: For their sake Christ came, to them were all things promised, to those of the Jews; of them is Christ. For which reason He also said, Salvation is from the Jews; from there are the apostles, from there the prophets, from there all good things. In all these things, therefore, the whole world has shared. If, therefore, you have shared in the greater things, he says, and having entered in to the suppers prepared for them, you have enjoyed what was set before you, according to the parable of the Gospel; you ought also to share and impart to them of your carnal things. And he did not say, To share, but To minister; placing them in the rank of deacons, and of those who pay tribute to kings. And he did not say, In your carnal things, as he said, In their spiritual things; for spiritual things are theirs, but carnal things are not theirs alone, but common to all; for He commanded that money should be for all, not for the possessors alone. When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit; that is, as having deposited it in royal treasuries, as in a secure and safe place; and he did not say, Alms, but again, The fruit; showing that those who give are the ones who gain. I will come by you into Spain. Again he mentions Spain, showing his unweariedness and his warmth towards them. And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. What is, In the fullness of the blessing? He is either speaking of money, or simply of all achievements. For he is accustomed, for the most part, to call alms a blessing; as when he says, As a blessing, and not as covetousness; and it was an ancient custom for the thing to be so called. But since he here added, Of the Gospel, for this reason we say that he has not spoken of money only, but also of all other things; as if he had said, But I know that when I come I shall see you approved in all things, and abounding in good things, and worthy of countless praises according to the Gospel. And this too is a wonderful kind of counsel, to anticipate them with commendations. For when he refrains from doing this in the form of exhortation, he comes to this manner of correction. Now I beseech you, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit. 2. Again here he puts forward Christ and the Spirit, and makes no mention of the Father at all. I have said these things, so that when you see him mentioning the Father and the Son, or the Father alone, you may not set aside either the Son or the Spirit. And he did not say, of the Spirit, but of the Love of the Spirit. For just as Christ loved the world and the Father, so also did the Spirit. But what is it that you beseech, tell me? That you strive together with me 60.663 in your prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judæa. A great conflict therefore lay before him; for which reason he also calls for their prayers. And he did not say, That I may wrestle with them, but, That I may be delivered; as Christ commanded, Pray that you may not enter into temptation. And in saying these things, he was showing that some wicked wolves would set upon him, and beasts rather than men. And from this he also prepared another point, to show that he had rightly undertaken to minister to the saints, if indeed there were so many who were disobedient, that he even prayed to be delivered from them. For being among so many enemies, they were also about to perish from famine; wherefore it was necessary for them from elsewhere

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διδάσκαλος καταδέχηται ἀποκομίζειν, καὶ μέλλων εἰς Ῥώμην ἀποδημεῖν, καὶ οὕτως αὐτοὺς ἐπιποθῶν, τοῦτο ἐκείνου προτιμᾷ. Ηὐδόκησαν γὰρ Μακεδονία καὶ Ἀχαΐα, τουτέστιν, ἐδοκίμασαν, ἐπεθύμησαν, κοινωνίαν τινά. Πάλιν οὐκ εἶπεν Ἐλεημοσύνην, ἀλλὰ Κοινωνίαν. Τὸ δὲ, Τινὰ, οὐχ ἁπλῶς τέθεικεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ τούτους ὀνειδίζειν. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς, Εἰς τοὺς πτωχοὺς, ἀλλ' Εἰς τοὺς πτωχοὺς τῶν ἁγίων· διπλῆν ποιῶν τὴν σύστασιν, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς 60.662 ἀρετῆς καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς πενίας. Καὶ οὐδὲ τούτῳ μόνον ἠρκέσθη, ἀλλ' ἐπήγαγεν, ὅτι Ὀφειλέται εἰσίν. Εἶτα δείκνυσι πῶς ὀφειλέται. Εἰ γὰρ τοῖς πνευματικοῖς ἐκοινώνησαν αὐτῶν, φησὶ, τὰ ἔθνη, ὀφείλουσι καὶ ἐν τοῖς σαρκικοῖς λειτουργῆσαι αὐτοῖς. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστι· ∆ι' αὐτοὺς ἦλθεν ὁ Χριστὸς, αὐτοῖς ἦν ἅπαντα ἐπηγγελμένα τοῖς ἐξ Ἰουδαίων, ἐξ αὐτῶν ὁ Χριστός· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν, Ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐστὶν ἡ σωτηρία· ἐκεῖθεν οἱ ἀπόστολοι, ἐκεῖθεν οἱ προφῆται, ἐκεῖθεν τὰ ἀγαθὰ πάντα. Τούτων οὖν ἁπάντων ἐκοινώνησεν ἡ οἰκουμένη. Εἰ τοίνυν ἐν τοῖς μείζοσιν ἐκοινωνήσατε, φησὶ, καὶ τῶν δείπνων τῶν ἐκείνοις παρεσκευασμένων ὑμεῖς εἰσελθόντες ἀπηλαύσατε τῶν προκειμένων κατὰ τὴν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου παραβολήν· ὀφείλετε καὶ τῶν σαρκικῶν κοινωνῆσαι καὶ μεταδοῦναι αὐτοῖς. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Κοινωνῆσαι, ἀλλὰ Λειτουργῆσαι· ἐν τάξει διακόνων αὐτοὺς καθιστὰς, καὶ τῶν βασιλεῦσι τελούντων φόρους. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐν τοῖς σαρκικοῖς ὑμῶν, ὥσπερ, Ἐν τοῖς πνευματικοῖς αὐτῶν· τὰ μὲν γὰρ πνευματικὰ ἐκείνων, τὰ δὲ σαρκικὰ οὐ τούτων μόνον, ἀλλὰ κοινὰ πάντων· τὰ γὰρ χρήματα πάντων ἐκέλευσεν εἶναι, οὐχὶ τῶν κεκτημένων μόνον. Τοῦτο οὖν ἐπιτελέσας, καὶ σφραγισάμενος αὐτοῖς τὸν καρπὸν τοῦτον· τουτέστιν, ὡς εἰς βασιλικὰ ταμιεῖα ἐναποθέμενος, ὡς ἐν ἀσύλῳ καὶ ἀσφαλεῖ χωρίῳ· καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐλεημοσύνην, ἀλλὰ πάλιν, Τὸν καρπόν· δεικνὺς κερδαίνοντας τοὺς παρέχοντας. Ἀπελεύσομαι δι' ὑμῶν εἰς Σπανίαν. Πάλιν μέμνηται τῆς Σπανίας, δεικνὺς τὸ ἄοκνον καὶ τὸ περὶ ἐκείνους θερμόν. Οἶδα δὲ, ὅτι ἐρχόμενος πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἐν πληρώματι εὐλογίας τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐλεύσομαι. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐν πληρώματι εὐλογίας; Ἤτοι περὶ χρημάτων φησὶν, ἢ περὶ πάντων ἁπλῶς τῶν κατορθωμάτων. Εὐλογίαν γὰρ, ὡς τὰ πολλὰ, τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην εἴωθε λέγειν· ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ, Ὡς εὐλογίαν, μὴ ὡς πλεονεξίαν· καὶ ἔθος δὲ παλαιὸν οὕτως ἦν καλεῖσθαι τὸ πρᾶγμα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐνταῦθα προσέθηκε, Τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, διὰ τοῦτό φαμεν οὐ περὶ χρημάτων μόνον εἰρηκέναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων· ὡσανεὶ εἶπεν, Οἶδα δὲ, ὅτι ἐρχόμενος ὄψομαι ὑμᾶς ἐν ἅπασιν εὐδοκιμοῦντας, καὶ κομῶντας τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς, καὶ μυρίων ἐπαίνων ἀξίους τῶν κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ εἶδος συμβουλῆς θαυμαστὸν, τὸ προκαταλαμβάνειν αὐτοὺς τοῖς ἐγκωμίοις. Ὅταν γὰρ παραιτῆται ἐν τάξει παραινέσεως τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ἐπὶ τοῦτον ἔρχεται τῆς διορθώσεως τὸν τρόπον. Παρακαλῶ δὲ ὑμᾶς διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Πνεύματος. βʹ. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα προβάλλεται, καὶ οὐδαμῶς μέμνηται τοῦ Πατρός. Ταῦτα δὲ εἶπον, ἵν' ὅταν ἴδῃς αὐτὸν Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ μεμνημένον, ἢ Πατρὸς μόνου, μήτε Υἱὸν μήτε Πνεῦμα ἀθετῇς. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Πνεύματος, ἀλλ' Ἀγάπης Πνεύματος. Καθάπερ γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησε τὸν κόσμον καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ, οὕτω καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα. Τί δέ ἐστιν ὃ παρακαλεῖς, εἰπέ μοι; Συναγωνίσασθαί μοι 60.663 ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, ἵνα ῥυσθῶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀπειθούντων ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ. Μέγας ἄρα ἀγὼν αὐτῷ προὔκειτο· διὸ καὶ τὰς εὐχὰς αὐτῶν καλεῖ. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἵνα συμπλακῶ, ἀλλ' Ἵνα ῥυσθῶ· ὡς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐκέλευσεν, Εὔχεσθε μὴ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς πειρασμόν. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγων, ἐδείκνυ πονηρούς τινας λύκους ἐπιθησομένους αὐτῷ, καὶ θηρία μᾶλλον ἢ ἄνδρας. Ἀπὸ δὲ τούτου καὶ ἕτερον παρεσκεύαζε, τὸ δεῖξαι ὅτι δικαίως ἀνεδέξατο τὸ διακονῆσαι τοῖς ἁγίοις, εἴ γε τοσοῦτοι οἱ ἀπειθοῦντες, ὡς καὶ αὐτῶν εὔχεσθαι ῥυσθῆναι. Οἱ γὰρ μεταξὺ τοσούτων ὄντες πολεμίων, καὶ λιμῷ ἀπόλλυσθαι ἔμελλον· διὸ ἀναγκαίως ἑτέρωθεν αὐτοῖς