Say not then, "He is perished and shall no more be;" for these be the words of unbelievers; but say, "He sleepeth and will rise again," "He is gone a journey and will return with the King." Who sayeth this? He [380] that hath Christ speaking in him. "For," saith he, "if we believe that Jesus died and rose again" and revived, "even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." (1 Thess. iv. 14.) If then thou seek thy son, there seek him where the King is, where is the army of the Angels; not in the grave; not in the earth; lest whilst he is so highly exalted, thyself remain grovelling on the ground.
If we have this true wisdom, we shall easily repel all this kind of distress; and "the God of mercies and Father of all comfort" comfort all our hearts, both those who are oppressed with such grief and those held down with any other sorrow; and grant us deliverance from all despair and increase of spiritual joy; and to obtain the good things to come; whereunto may all we attain, through the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom unto the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and world without end. Amen.
[357] ei para mikron husteresen.
[358] logian, Ben. eulogian, bounty, as 2 Cor. ix. 5. Engl. Vers.
[359] kataphorikotera.
[360] aponoian.
[361] summetros.
[362] semnoteron poion.
[363] to anthormoun.
[364] epairon te paramuthia to pragma.
[365] huperaspistes Gr.
[366] proanakrouetai.
[367] i.e., for the combat.
[368] anistesin. The word has here probably the double sense, "raiseth up the depressed," and "lifteth upward towards heaven."
[369] pro tes parakleseos.
[370] St. Chrysostom does not, of course, mean, for an instant, to compare the sufferings of the Apostles with those of our Lord in themselves, but in one point only, their number. His sufferings alone were meritorious and well-pleasing in themselves, their's in Him only; His turned away the Father's wrath, their's were accepted by Him, when reconciled; His were spiritual also, their's bodily only; His were borne by His own power, through His divinity, their's not by their own, but through His indwelling Spirit; but, while of course, beyond all thought inferior in every other respect, S. Chrysostom infers from the Apostle's words, that their bodily sufferings outnumber His, though these also were, (he insists throughout) not their's, but His in these His members, bestowed by Him, borne through Him and acceptable in Him. The whole comment is a development of the word perisseuei "aboundeth," whence he infers that they were "more abundant," perissa: (as, plainly, the bodily sufferings of the army of Martyrs have been more numerous.) Yet though true, the statement, if repeated by one less reverent and not corrected by the vivid consciousness that these too were His sufferings, would become profane.
[371] perissa, perisseuei.
[372] gnesion, i.e., the son of the true wife, as opposed to the son of the bondwoman.
[373] muriakis dikaios.
[374] turannikoteron.
[375] ti patho.
[376] ean nephomen.
[377] anagagontos, see Acts vii. 41.
[378] hupophainonta.
[379] bathron, bench, Ben. bothrou.
[380] i.e. Paul. See 2 Cor. xiii. 3.
Homily II.
2 Cor. i. 6, 7
Whether we be afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation, which worketh in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: and our hope for you is steadfast.
Having spoken of one, and that the chief ground of comfort and consolation, namely, having fellowship [by sufferings] with Christ: he layeth down as second this which he now mentions, namely, that the salvation of the disciples themselves was procured thereby. "Faint not, therefore, he says, nor be confounded and afraid because we are afflicted; for this same thing were rather a reason for your being of good cheer: for had we not been afflicted, this had been the ruin of you all." How and wherein? For if through lack of spirit [381] and fear of danger we had not preached unto you the word whereby ye learned the true knowledge, your situation had been desperate. Seest thou again the vehemence and earnest contention [382] of Paul? The very things which troubled them he uses for their comfort. For, saith he, the greater the intensity of our persecutions, the greater should be the increase of your good hope; because the more abundant also in proportion is your salvation and consolation. For what hath equal force of consolation with this of having obtained such good things through the preaching. Then that he may not seem to be bringing [383] the encomium round to himself alone, see how he maketh them too to share these praises. For to the words, "Whether we be afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation:" he adds, "which worketh in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer." (ver. 7.) Afterwards, indeed, he states this more clearly, thus saying, "As ye are partakers of the sufferings, so also are ye of the consolation;" but here also meanwhile he alludes to it in the words, "the same sufferings," so making [384] what he says include them. For what he saith is this, "Your salvation is not our work alone, but your own as well; for both we in preaching to you the word endure affliction, and ye in receiving it endure the very same; we to impart to you that which we received, ye to receive what is imparted and not to let it go." Now what humility can compare with this, seeing that those who fell so far short of him he raiseth to the same dignity of endurance? for he saith, "Which worked in the enduring of the same sufferings;" for not through believing only cometh your salvation, but also through the suffering and enduring the same things with us. For like as a pugilist [385] is an object of admiration, when he doth but show himself and is in good training and hath his skill within himself, but when he is in action [386] , enduring blows and striking his adversary, then most of all shineth forth, because that then his good training is most put in action [387] , and the proof of his skill evidently shown; so truly is your salvation also then more especially put into action [388] , that is, is displayed, increased, heightened, when it hath endurance, when it suffereth and beareth all things nobly. So then the work [389] of salvation consisteth not in doing evil, but in suffering evil. Moreover he saith not, "which worketh," but, "which is wrought [390] ," to show that together with their own willingness of mind, grace also which wrought in them did contribute much.
Ver. 7. "And our hope for you is steadfast." That is, though ye should suffer ills innumerable, we are confident that ye will not turn round [391] , either upon your own trials or upon our persecutions. For so far are we from suspecting you of being confounded on account of our sufferings that even when yourselves are in peril, we are then confident concerning you.
[2.] Seest thou how great had been their advance since the former Epistle? For he hath here witnessed of them far greater things than of the Macedonians, whom throughout that Epistle he extolleth and commendeth. For on their [the Macedonians'] account he feared and saith, "We sent," unto you, "Timothy...to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith, that no man be moved by these afflictions, for yourselves know that hereunto we are appointed." (1 Thess. iii. 2, 3.) And again: "For this cause when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by any means the tempter hath tempted you: and our labor should be in vain." (ver. 5.) But of these [the Corinthians] he saith nothing of this kind, but quite the contrary, "Our hope for you is steadfast."
Ver. 6, 7. "Or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. Knowing that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so also are ye of the comfort."
That for their sakes the Apostles were afflicted, he showed when he said, "whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation:" he wishes also to show that for their sakes also they were comforted. He said this indeed even a little above, although somewhat generally [392] , thus; "Blessed be God, Who comforteth us in all our afflictions, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any affliction." He repeats it here too in other words more clearly and more [393] home to their needs. "For whether we be comforted," says he, "it is for your comfort." What he means is this; our comfort becometh your refreshment, even though we should not comfort you by word. If we be but a little refreshed, this availeth for encouragement to you; and if we be ourselves comforted, this becometh your comfort. For as ye consider our sufferings your own, so do ye also make our comfort your own. For surely it cannot be that, when ye share in worse fortune with us, ye will not share in the better. If then ye share in everything, as in tribulation so in comfort, ye will in no wise blame us for this delay and slowness in coming, because that both for your sakes we are in tribulation and for your sakes in comfort. For lest any should think this a hard saying, "for your sakes we thus suffer," he adds, "for your sakes also we are comforted," and "not we alone are in peril; for ye also," saith he, "are partakers of the same sufferings." Thus then, by admitting them to be partakers in the perils and ascribing to them the cause of their own comfort, he softeneth what he saith. If then we be beset by craft [394] , be of good cheer; we endure this that your faith may grow in strength. And if we be comforted, glory [395] in this also; for we enjoy this too for your sakes, that thereby ye may receive some encouragement by sharing in our joy. And that the comfort he here speaks of is that which they [396] enjoyed not only from being comforted by themselves, (the Apostles) but also from knowing them (the Apostles) to be at rest, hear him declaring in what follows next, "Knowing that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so also are ye of the comfort." For as when we suffer persecution, ye are in distress as though yourselves so suffering; so are we sure that when we are comforted, ye think the enjoyment also your own. What more humble-minded than this spirit? He who so greatly surpasseth in perils, calleth them "partakers," who endured no part of them whatever [397] ; whilst of the comfort he ascribeth the whole cause to them, not to his own labors.
[3.] Next, having spoken before only generally of troubles, he now maketh mention of the place too where they (Ben. he) endured them.
Ver. 8. "For we would not, Brethren, have you ignorant concerning our affliction which befell us in Asia."
"These things we speak," saith he, "that ye may not be ignorant of what befell us; for we wish, yea have earnestly endeavored, that ye should know our affairs:" which is a very high proof of love. Of this even in the former Epistle he had before given notice, where he said, "For a great door and effectual is opened to me at Ephesus, and there are many adversaries." (1 Cor. xvi. 8, 9.) Putting them then in mind of this, and recounting how much he suffered, he saith, "I would not have you ignorant of our affliction which befell us in Asia." And in his Epistle to the Ephesians too he said the same. For having sent Tychicus to them, he gives this as the reason of his journey: whence he saith, "But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things; whom I have sent unto you for this very purpose, that ye may know our state, and that he may comfort your hearts." (Eph. vi. 21, 22.) And in other Epistles also he doeth the very same. Nor is it superfluous, but even exceedingly necessary: both because of his exceeding affection for the disciples, and because of their continued trials; wherein the knowledge of each other's fortunes was a very great comfort; so that if these were calamitous, they might be prepared both to be energetic and to be safer against falling; or if these were good, they might rejoice with them. He here, however, speaketh as well of being delivered from trials as of being assaulted by them, saying, "We were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power." Like a vessel sinking [398] under some mighty burden. He may seem to have said, only one thing here "exceedingly" and "beyond our power:" it is, however, not one but two; for lest one should object, "What then? granting the peril were exceeding, yet it was not great to you;" he added, it both was great and surpassed our strength, yea, so surpassed it, "That we despaired even of life."