HOMILIES

OF

S. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM,

ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE,

ON

THE EPISTLE OF S. PAUL THE APOSTLE

TO THE

PHILIPPIANS.

INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE.

this

THE Philippians are of a city in Macedonia, called Philippi from its founder, a city that is a colony, as Luke saith'. 'B.omits Here that seller of purple was converted, a woman of uncom- clause. mon piety and heedfulness. Here the chief keeper of the rigsprison believed. Here was Paul scourged with Silas. Here the magistrates requested them to depart, and were afraid of them, and the preaching had an illustrious commencement. And he bears them many and high testimonies himself, calling them his own crown, and saying they had suffered much. For, to you, he saith, it was granted of God3, not only to be- Phil. 1, lieve in Him, but also to suffer for His sake. But when he 29. wrote to them, it happened that he was in bonds. Therefore he In the says, so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the pre-Christ. torium, calling the palace of Nero the prætorium. But he was bound and let go again', and this he shews by saying to Timothy, At my first answer no man stood by me, but all 2 Tim.

. C. reads thus, as had been conjectured. B. simply diepopuλag, the keeper of the prison. The ruler of the synagogue, as in the printed text, is not Known to have been converted.

b His statement amounts to this, that the present Epistle was written in St. Paul's first imprisonment, when

B

3 E. V.

behalf of

4, 16. Timothy was with him, for that the second to Timothy was written in a second imprisonment, from which he was only released by martyrdom. The first answer belongs to the second imprisonment. Between the two, it is probable that he visited the Philippians, according to his intention.

19.

2 Proof that St. Paul wrote in his first imprisonment.

INTROD. forsook me: may it not be laid to their charge, notwithstanding the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me. The bonds then, in which he was, he proves to have been before that defence. For that Timothy was not present then, is evident: for at my first answer, he says, no man stood by me: and this, by writing so, he was making known to him. He would IB. been not then, had he already known it', have written thus to him. But when he wrote this Epistle, Timothy was with him. And Phil. 2, he shews it by what he says; but I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy shortly unto you. And again, him I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me. For he was loosed from his bonds, and again bound after he had been to them. But where he saith, Yea, and if I be offered for the sacrifice and service of your faith, it is not as though this were now come to pass, but as much as to say,‘and whenever this takes place, I am glad,' raising them from their dejection at his bonds. For that he was not about to die at that time, is plain from what he saith, But I hope in the Lord that I myself shall come shortly unto you. And again, And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all.

Phli. 2, 24.

2. But the Philippians had sent to him Epaphroditus, to carry him money, and to know the things concerning him; for they were most lovingly disposed toward him. For that they sent, hear himself saying, I have all, and abound; I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things sent from you. At the same time then they sent both to comfort him, and to know. For that they sent also to know of what concerned him, he shews at once in the beginning of the Savile Epistle, writing of his own matters, and saying, But I would hasa; ye should understand that the things which happened unto me τὸν, have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel. And omits again, I hope to send Timothy shortly unto you, that I also may the ar- be of good comfort, when I know your state. This, that I also, is as if he meant, as you for full assurance sent to know the 1, 12. things concerning me, so I also, that I may be of good com

Ben.

ticle.

Phil.

rà

fort, when I know the things concerning you.' Since then they had also been a long time without sending, but had then done Phil. it, (for this he proves by saying, Now at the last your care for The if is omitted, perhaps in order to put the objection in a strong light.

4, 10.

Matter of the Epistle. Character of the Philippians. 3

26.

me hath flourished again,) and then they heard that he was in INTROD. bonds, (for if they heard about Epaphroditus, that he was Phil. 2, sick, he being no such very remarkable person as Paul was, much more was it even reasonable that they should be alarmed about Paul,) therefore in the opening of the Epistle he offers them much consolation about his bonds, shewing that they should not merely not be alarmed, but even rejoice. Then he also gives them counsel about unanimity and humility, teaching them that this was their greatest safety, and that so they could easily overcome their enemies. For it is not being in bonds that is painful to your teachers, but their disciples not being of one mind. For the former brings even furtherance to the Gospel, but the latter distracts.

1

1 SoSav.

3. So then after admonishing them to be of one mind, and (2) shewing that unanimity comes of humility, and then aiming a shaft at those Jews who were every where corrupting the doctrine under a shew of Christianity, and calling them dogs, and evil workers, and giving admonition to keep away Phil. 3, from them, and teaching to whom it is right to attend, and 2. discoursing at length on moral points, and bringing them to order, and recalling them to themselves, by saing, The Lord Phil. 4, is at hand, he makes mention also, with his usual wisdom, of5. what had been sent, and then offers them abundant consolation. But he appears in writing ever to do them special honour, and never in any place inserts any thing of reproof, which is a proof of their virtue, in that they gave no occasion to their teacher, and that he wrote to them not in the way of rebuke, but throughout in the way of encouragement. And what I said at first I will again repeat, that this city had shewed great readiness for the faith; inasmuch as the very jailor, (and you know it is a business full of all wickedness,) did at once, upon one miracle, both run to them, and receive Baptism with all his house. For the miracle that took place he saw alone, but the gain he reaped not alone, but jointly with his wife and his whole household. Nay, even the magistrates who scourged him seem to have done this rather from sudden impulse than from wickedness, both from their sending at once to

B. and Sav. mar. ' for the grievous - Β. προστίθησιν, which is certainly thing is not for teachers to be in bonds, right.

but for' &c.

Perseverance in works of Mercy.

INTROD. let him go, and from their being afterwards afraid. And he bears testimony to them not only in faith, or in trials, but Phil. 4, also in well-doing, where he says, That in the beginning of 15. 16. the Gospel, ye sent once and again unto my necessity, when no one else did so; for he says, no Church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only; and he shews that their intermission had been rather from want of v. 10. opportunity than from choice, saying, Not that ye cared not for me, but ye lacked opportunity. And this shews that he had a great affection for them; for that he loved them greatly Phil. 2, appears in his saying, For I have no man like minded, who will naturally care for your state; and again, Because I have you in my heart, and in my bonds, &c.

20.

(3)

MORAL.

1 B. omits

4. Let us too then, knowing these things, and having so many patterns of charity, shew ourselves worthy of such examples, by being ready to suffer for Christ. But now the ' "the persecution is no more. So then, if there is nothing else, let us imitate their earnestness in well doing, and not think, if we have given once or twice, that we have fulfilled all. For we must do this through our whole life. For it is not once that we have to please God, but constantly. For the racer, if, after running even ten heats, he leave the remaining one undone, has lost all; and we, if we begin with good works, and afterward faint, have lost all, and spoiled all. Prov. 3, Listen to that profitable admonition that saith, Let not mercy' and truth forsake thee. He saith not do so once, nor the second time, nor the third, nor the tenth, nor the hundredth, but always; never, saith he, let them forsake thee. And he did not say, Do not thou forsake them, but, Let them not forsake thee, shewing that we are in need of them, and not they of us; and teaching us that we ought to make every effort to keep them with us. For, Bind them, saith he, about thy neck. For as the children of the wealthy have an ornament of gold about their neck, and never put it off, because it exhibits a token of their high birth, so should we too wear mercy ever about us, shewing that we are Matt. children of the Merciful One, Who makes the sun to rise 5, 45.

3.

cdia úλous Ben. and B. Sav. doλixous. The former must be right, as the dixos, or long race, consisted of several díau

λ, and some say twelve.

The same word is here used for mercy' and' alms.'