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approved in Christ. He enumerates every virtue. And for what reason does he nowhere say, "My lord so-and-so," and "my master"? Because these praises are greater than those; for the former are simply of honor, but the latter are of virtue. And by this very thing he has honored them in no ordinary way, by addressing many of the lower with the high and great. For by addressing them, and addressing them with one another, and in the same epistle, he honored all equally; but by setting down the particular praises of each, he has presented to us the particular virtue of each; so as neither to produce envy by honoring some and dishonoring others, nor to cause indifference and confusion by deeming all worthy of the same things when they are not worthy of the same. 3. See, then, how he comes again to the admirable women. For having said, "Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus, and Herodion my kinsman, and those of the household of Narcissus" (who it is likely were perhaps not such as those before; for which reason he does not even mention all of them by name, and having given them their proper praise, which is to be faithful; for this is what "those who are in the Lord" means); he again directs his greeting to women, saying: "Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord." And concerning that one he says that "She labored much for us"; 60.671 but concerning these, that they are still laboring. And this is no small praise, to be wholly engaged in works, and not only to work, but also to labor. And Persis he also calls beloved, showing that she is greater than these; "For greet," he says, "Persis the beloved." And he testifies to her great toil, saying: "Who labored much in the Lord." Thus he knows how to name each one according to his worth, making them more eager by depriving them of none of their qualities, but even proclaiming the smallest superiority; and making the others more zealous, and leading them into the same zeal by the praises of these. "Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine." Again here are blessings complete, when both the son is such, and the mother is such, and the house is full of blessing, and the root matches the fruit. For he would not have said simply, "His mother and mine," unless he bore witness to the woman's great virtue. "Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them." Here do not see this, that he places them without praises, but that he did not at all deem even those who were the least of all unworthy of his greeting; or rather, this too is no small praise, that he calls them brethren, just as also the saints after them. "For greet," he says, "Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them"; which was the greatest dignity, and an unspeakable greatness of honor. Then, so that no rivalry might arise from some being addressed this way, and others that way, and some by name, but others indefinitely, and some with more praises, but others with fewer, he blends them again in the equality of love and in the holy kiss, saying: "Greet one another with a holy kiss"; through this peace casting out every troubling thought from them and occasion for small-mindedness, so that neither the great may look down on the lesser, nor the small envy the greater; but both disdain and envy may be driven away, as this kiss soothes and equalizes all things. Therefore he not only commands them to greet one another thus, but he also sends to them in this way the greeting of all the Churches. "For," he says, "the churches of Christ greet you," no longer this person and that person individually, but all in common. Do you see how we have gained no small things even from these greetings? How many treasures were we about to pass by, if we had not examined this part of the epistle with the precision possible for us, I say? For if some wise and spiritual man were to be found, he will both descend deeper, and will see more pearls. But since some have often inquired, for what reason in this epistle

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δόκιμον ἐν Χριστῷ. πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν καταλέγει. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐδαμοῦ φησι, Τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν δεῖνα, καὶ τὸν δεσπότην μου; Ὅτι ταῦτα ἐκείνων μείζω τὰ ἐγκώμια· ἐκεῖνα μὲν γὰρ τιμῆς ἐστιν ἁπλῶς, ταῦτα δὲ ἀρετῆς. Καὶ τούτῳ δὲ αὐτῷ τετίμηκεν αὐτοὺς οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχε, τῷ πολλοὺς τῶν καταδεεστέρων μετὰ τῶν ὑψηλῶν καὶ μεγάλων προσαγορεύειν. Τῷ μὲν γὰρ προσειπεῖν, καὶ μετ' ἀλλήλων προσειπεῖν, καὶ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ἐπιστολῇ, πάντας ὁμοίως ἐτίμησε· τῷ δὲ τὰ ἰδιάζοντα ἑκάστου θεῖναι ἐγκώμια, τὴν ἰδιάζουσαν ἑκάστου παρέστησεν ἡμῖν ἀρετήν· ὡς μήτε φθόνον τεκεῖν τῷ τοὺς μὲν τιμῆσαι, τοὺς δὲ ἀτιμάσαι, μήτε ῥᾳθυμίαν καὶ σύγχυσιν ἐργάσασθαι ἐκ τοῦ πάντας τῶν αὐτῶν ἀξιῶσαι οὐ τῶν αὐτῶν ὄντας ἀξίους. γʹ. Ὅρα γοῦν πῶς πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰς θαυμαστὰς ἔρχεται γυναῖκας. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Ἀσπάσασθε τοὺς ἐκ τῶν Ἀριστοβούλου, καὶ Ἡρωδίωνα τὸν συγγενῆ μου, καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῶν Ναρκίσσου (οὓς εἰκὸς ἴσως μὴ τοιούτους εἶναι, οἵους τοὺς ἔμπροσθεν· διὸ οὐδὲ ὀνομαστὶ τῶν πάντων μέμνηται, καὶ τὸ προσῆκον αὐτοῖς ἐγκώμιον ἀποδοὺς, τὸ πιστοὺς εἶναι· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι, Τοὺς ὄντας ἐν Κυρίῳ)· ἐπὶ γυναῖκας πάλιν ἄγει τὴν πρόσρησιν, λέγων· Ἀσπάσασθε Τρύφαιναν καὶ Τρυφῶσαν τὰς κοπιώσας ἐν Κυρίῳ. Καὶ περὶ μὲν ἐκείνης φησὶν, ὅτι Ἐκοπίασεν εἰς ἡμᾶς· 60.671 περὶ δὲ τούτων, ὅτι ἔτι κοπιῶσιν. Οὐ μικρὸν δὲ τοῦτο ἐγκώμιον, τὸ ἐν ἔργοις εἶναι δι' ὅλου, καὶ μὴ μόνον ἐνεργεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κοπιᾷν. Τὴν δὲ Περσίδα καὶ ἀγαπητὴν καλεῖ, δεικνὺς μείζονα τούτων οὖσαν· Ἀσπάσασθε γὰρ, φησὶ, Περσίδα τὴν ἀγαπητήν. Καὶ πολὺν αὐτῇ μαρτυρεῖ κάματον, λέγων· Ἥτις πολλὰ ἐκοπίασεν ἐν Κυρίῳ. Οὕτως οἶδεν ἕκαστον κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ὀνομάζειν, τούτους τε προθυμοτέρους ποιῶν τῷ μηδενὸς τῶν προσόντων αὐτοῖς ἀποστερεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν μικροτάτην ὑπεροχὴν ἀνακηρύττειν· τούς τε ἑτέρους σπουδαιοτέρους κατασκευάζων, καὶ εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν ἐνάγων ζῆλον τοῖς περὶ τούτων ἐγκωμίοις· Ἀσπάσασθε Ῥοῦφον τὸν ἐκλεκτὸν ἐν Κυρίῳ, καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐμοῦ. Ὁλόκληρα πάλιν ἐνταῦθα τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ὅταν καὶ ὁ παῖς τοιοῦτος ᾖ, καὶ ἡ μήτηρ τοιαύτη, καὶ πλήρης ἡ οἰκία εὐλογίας, καὶ ἡ ῥίζα τῷ καρπῷ συμβαίνῃ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἁπλῶς εἶπε, Μητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐμοῦ, εἰ μὴ πολλὴν ἐμαρτύρει τῇ γυναικὶ τὴν ἀρετήν. Ἀσπάσασθε Ἀσύγκριτον, Φλέγοντα, Ἑρμᾶν, Πατρόβαν, Ἑρμῆν, καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτοῖς ἀδελφούς. Ἐνταῦθα μὴ τοῦτο ἴδῃς, ὅτι χωρὶς ἐγκωμίων αὐτοὺς τίθησιν, ἀλλ' ὅτι σφόδρα καὶ τοὺς καταδεεστέρους ὄντας ἁπάντων οὐκ ἀπηξίωσε τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ προσρήσεως· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ μικρὸν καὶ τοῦτο ἐγκώμιον, τὸ καὶ ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοὺς καλεῖν, ὡσπεροῦν καὶ τοὺς μετ' αὐτοὺς ἁγίους· Ἀσπάσασθε γὰρ, φησὶ, Φιλόλογον καὶ Ἰουλίαν, καὶ Νηρέα καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ Ὀλυμπᾶν καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτοῖς πάντας ἁγίους· ὅπερ μέγιστον ἦν ἀξίωμα, καὶ τιμῆς μέγεθος ἄφατον. Εἶτα, ἵνα μηδεμία φιλονεικία γένηται τῷ τοὺς μὲν οὕτω, τοὺς δὲ οὕτω προσειρῆσθαι, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ὀνομαστὶ, τοὺς δὲ ἀδιορίστως, καὶ τοὺς μὲν μετὰ πλειόνων ἐγκωμίων, τοὺς δὲ μετὰ ἐλαττόνων, ἀνακιρνᾷ πάλιν αὐτοὺς τῇ τῆς ἀγάπης ἰσοτιμίᾳ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ φιλήματι, λέγων· Ἀσπάσασθε ἀλλήλους ἐν φιλήματι ἁγίῳ· διὰ τῆς εἰρήνης ταύτης πάντα ἐκβάλλων θορυβοῦντα αὐτοὺς λογισμὸν καὶ μικροψυχίας ἀφορμὴν, ἵνα μήτε ὁ μέγας καταφρονῇ τοῦ ἐλάττονος, μήτε ὁ μικρὸς βασκαίνῃ τῷ μείζονι· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπεροψία καὶ φθόνος ἀπελαύνηται, τοῦ φιλήματος τούτου πάντα καταπραΰνοντός τε καὶ ἐξισοῦντος. ∆ιὸ οὐ μόνον αὐτοὺς ἀσπάσασθαι κελεύει οὕτως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν πασῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ἀσπασμὸν οὕτως αὐτοῖς διαπέμπεται. Ἀσπάζονται γὰρ, φησὶν, ὑμᾶς, οὐκέτι τὸν δεῖνα καὶ τὸν δεῖνα κατ' ἰδίαν, ἀλλὰ κοινῇ πάντας, αἱ ἐκκλησίαι τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Εἶδες πῶς οὐ μικρὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν προσρήσεων τούτων ἐκερδάναμεν; Ὅσους θησαυροὺς ἐμέλλομεν παρατρέχειν, εἰ μὴ καὶ τουτὶ τὸ μέρος τῆς ἐπιστολῆς μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐξητάσαμεν, τῆς ἡμῖν ἐγχωρούσης λέγω; ὡς εἴ γε τις εὑρεθείη σοφὸς ἀνὴρ καὶ πνευματικὸς, καὶ βαθύτερον καταβήσεται, καὶ πλείους ὄψεται τοὺς μαργαρίτας. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδή τινες ἐζήτησαν πολλάκις, τί δήποτε ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ ταύτῃ