What a quantity of wealth that rich man spent, "who was clothed in purple and fine linen?" (Luke xvi. 19.) But he was not high-souled: for his soul was possessed by an unmerciful disposition and by numberless lusts: how then should it be great? Abraham had a great soul, spending as he did for the reception of his guests, killing the calf, and, where need was, not only not sparing his property, but not even his life. If then we see a person having his sumptuous table, having his harlots and his parasites, let us not call him a man of a great mind, but a man of an exceedingly little mind. For see how many passions he is enslaved and subject to--gluttony, inordinate pleasure, flattery: but him who is possessed by so many, and cannot even escape one of them, how can any one call magnanimous? Nay, then most of all let us call him little-minded, when he spends the most: for the more he spends, the more does he show the tyranny of those passions: for had they not excessively got the mastery over him, he would not have spent to excess. Again, if we see a person, giving nothing to such people as these, but feeding the poor, and succoring those in need, himself keeping a mean table--him let us call an exceedingly high-souled man: for it is truly a mark of a great soul, to despise one's own comfort, but to care for that of others. For tell me, if you should see a person despising all tyrants, and holding their commands of no account, but rescuing from their tyranny those who are oppressed and evil entreated; would you not think this a great man? So let us account of the man in this case also. The passions are the tyrant: if then we despise them, we shall be great: but if we rescue others also from them, we shall be far greater, as being sufficient not only for ourselves, but for others also. But if any one, at a tyrant's bidding, beat some other of his subjects, is this greatness of soul? No, indeed: but the extreme of slavery, in proportion as he is great. And now also there is set before us (prokeitai) a soul that is a noble one and a free: but this the prodigal has ordered to be beaten by his passions: the man then that beats himself, shall we call high-souled? By no means. Well then * *, but let us see what is greatness of soul, and what prodigality; what is economy, and what meanness; what is gentleness, and (what) dulness and cowardice; what boldness, and what forwardness: that having distinguished these things from each other, we may be enabled to pass (this life) well-pleasing to the Lord, and to attain unto the good things promised, through the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
[1072] The sense is confused in old text by misplacing the portions of sacred text. Mod. text "witnesses of the truth of Christ speaking boldly. But the Jews," etc. v. 21-24, which verses are followed in old text by phesin; aire auton ou gar kathekei auton zen. Below, mod. text "or the Jews themselves also," and omits "or if it were not so, to have ordered him to be scourged."
[1073] The words, "I will send thee to the Gentiles," were those at which the Jews took offence. That a word should come from heaven to Paul in the Temple, commanding him to leave the chosen people and the Holy City and go to the uncircumcised heathen, was a statement verging upon blasphemy. This admission they would regard as proof of Paul's apostasy from Moses. It implied that he regarded the heathen as standing upon the same plane as themselves. The thought roused all their native bigotry. Beyond "this word" they would not hear him, nor did they think that one who should so estimate the privileges and character of the Jews as compared with the Gentiles was fit to live.--G.B.S.
[1074] Proeteinan auton tois himasin is commonly rendered, as here, "When they stretched him out, or bound him with thongs." But this rendering seems to overlook the force of pro in the verb and the force of the article tois. The preferable interpretation seems to be, (Thayer's Lex.): "When they had stretched him out for the thongs, i.e. to receive the blows of the thongs, by tying him up to a beam or pillar." (So Meyer, DeWette, Lechler, Gloag).--G.B.S.
[1075] Mod. text entirely mistaking the sense, interpolates, "On which account also the tribune fears on hearing it. And why, you will say, did he fear?" as if it meant, The tribune would have been afraid to be condemned for this, etc.
[1076] Meaning that all provincial subjects of the Roman Empire came to be called Romans, only in the time of this Emperor: therefore in St. Paul's time it was a great thing to be able to call one's self a Roman. If it means, "All the citizens of Tarsus," the remark is not apposite. Certain it is that Tarsus, an urbs libera by favor of M. Anthony, enjoyed neither jus coloniarum nor jus civitatis until long afterwards, and the Apostle was not a Roman because a citizen of Tarsus. This however is not the point of St. Chrysostom's remark. In the Catena and OEcumen. it will be seen, that in later times the extended use of the name "Roman" as applied to all subjects of the Roman Empire made a difficulty in the understanding of this passage. Thus Ammonius takes it that St. Paul was a "Roman," because a native of Tarsus which was subject to the Romans (so OEc.): and that the Jews themselves for the like reason were Romans; but these scorned the appellation as a badge of servitude; Paul on the contrary avouched it, setting an example of submission to the powers that be.--After this sentence mod. text interpolates, "Or also he called himself a Roman to escape punishment: for," etc.
[1077] parepempsan an: mod. text (after Cat.) needlessly alters to paretrepsan.
[1078] prophasin einai to pragma kai to eipein auton Romaion ton Paulon; kai isos....We read to eipein and kai pseudesthai ton P. isos. Mod. text "But the tribune by answering, with a great sum,' etc., shows that he suspected it to be a pretext, Paul's saying that he was a Roman: and perhaps he surmised this from Paul's apparent insignificance."
[1079] Mod. text interpolates: "So far was it from being a falsehood, his saying, etc., that he also gained by it, being loosed from his chains. And in what way, hear." And below, altering the sense: "He no longer speaks to the tribune, but to the multitude and the whole people."
[1080] Mod. text "When he ought to have been pricked to the heart, because (Paul) had been unjustly bound to gratify them, he even adds a further wrong, and commands him to be beaten: which is plain from the words subjoined."
[1081] Mod. text "Now some say, that he knowing it speaks ironically (or feigns ignorance, eironeuetai); but it seems to me, that he did not at all know that it was the high priest: otherwise he would even have honored him: wherefore," etc. In old text tines phasi, placed before hoti ouk edein, k. t. l. requires to be transposed.
[1082] Mod. text "Away with the thought: he appears to have done neither the one nor the other: but to one accurately considering it, the words," etc.
[1083] Parainousi, all our mss. But Erasm. debacchantur, and all the Edd. paroinousin, contrary to the sense.
[1084] Other interpretations are given in the Catena and OEcum. "Anonym.: The high priest being a hypocrite deserved to be called a whited wall.' Whence also Paul says he did not even know him as high priest, since it is the work of a high priest to save the flock put under his charge: but this man made havoc upon it, etc. Severus: Paul justly reproached him, but then, as if repenting, said: I knew not,' etc. Not know that he was high priest? Then how saidst thou, And sittest thou to judge me?'--But he pretends ignorance: an ignorance which does no harm, but is an economy' (oikonomousan): for reserve (metacheirismos) may be more forcible than speaking out (parresia): an unseasonable parresia often hinders the truth: a seasonable metach. as often advances it."
[1085] Other methods of dealing with Paul's much debated statement: "I did not know that he was the high priest," besides the view given in the text (with which agree Beza, Wolff, Lechler, et al.) are: (1) Paul did not perceive who it was that addressed him and thus did not know that it was the high priest whom he rebuked (Alford). (2) Paul did not acknowledge Ananias to be high priest; he would not recognize so unjust a man as a real high priest (Calvin, Meyer, Stier). (3) Ananias was not high priest at this time (Lightfoot, Whiston, Lewin). (4) Paul did not recollect or consider that it was the high priest whom he was addressing (Bengel, Olshausen, Neander, Schaff, Hackett, Conybeare and Howson, Gloag). In this view Paul apologizes for his rash words, spoken inadvertently and without reflection, by adding: "for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people." Baur and Zeller suppose that the apostle never said what he is reported as saying. The choice appears to lie between views (2) and (4).--G.B.S.
[1086] Mod. text omits the whole of the portion marked (a). The sense is: St. Paul is concerned to explain how it was that having been bred and taught in Jerusalem, he did not remain there. It was by command of Christ in a vision that he departed. In fact he could not stay there unless, etc. Accordingly we find him everywhere fleeing about from place to place, like one exiled from his own land. The words which are corrupt, are: ouk ekei emenen; oude ekei dietriben(oude gar exen ekei diatribein?) ei me muria kat' auton (autou A) kataskeuasai (sic) ethele pantachou; kathaper tis phugas periphugon.
[1087] to houto paradoxon, viz. that the Jews would not receive the testimony of one, who from his known history had, of all men, the greatest claim to be heard by them: "Lord, they know,' etc., therefore surely they will listen to me." (So St. Chrysostom constantly interprets these words: see Cat. in loco.) But Christ did not gratify his wish for information on this point: He only bade him depart.--The innovator, who has greatly disfigured this Homily by numerous interpolations, has here: "did not teach him what he must do."
[1088] Better: "they cast off their clothes" as a signal of their anger and readiness to stone Paul. Others understand it to mean: waving their garments as a signal of their assent to the exclamations against Paul of those who were near.--G.B.S.
[1089] touto malista eporesan an hoi 'Ioudaioi: i.e. perhaps "they would be at a loss to know the reason of his being brought before them loosed, not knowing what had passed between him and the tribune." Mod. text amplifies: "This he ought to have done at the outset, and neither to have bound him, nor have wished to scourge him, but to have left him, as having done nothing such as that he should be put in bonds. And he loosed him,' it says, etc. This above all the Jews knew not what to make of."
[1090] heidon anthropon thanatonta; ei gar touto en, kan esigesen; kai labon auton apelthen; kan exedoken auton autois ho chiliarchos. The meaning (see above p. 289.) may be: "The wrong was not to be put up with, for to hold his peace under such treatment would have been to embolden the tribune to sacrifice him to his enemies, as a person who might be insulted with impunity." But the passage is corrupt: perhaps it should be ouk (mod. text has houtos) eidon anthr. than. "They did not see before them one who was willing to die, i.e. to let them take away his life. For if this were the case, he had but to hold his peace, and the tribune would," etc. Mod. text "In such wise saw they a man ready to die; and they would not endure it. I knew not that he was the high priest.' Why then: the rebuke was of ignorance. For if this were not the case, kan labon auton apelthe kai ouk esigese, kan exedoken, k. t. l."
[1091] Mod. text quite perverting the sense: "Obeying the law, not from a wish to show (endeixasthai) to them: for those he had even strongly condemned. For the law's sake, therefore, he defends himself, not for the sake of the people, with reason," etc.
[1092] Viz. it was because he did not choose to let the tribune despise him, p. 289. And so mod. text adds, hoti ouk ebouleto kataphronethenai.
[1093] Mathomen kai ten epieikeian, i.e. Paul's as well as his parresia. Mod. text "Let us then also learn gentleness."