Homilies on Philippians 0

The Philippians are from a city of Macedonia, Philippi, so named after its founder, a city that was a colony, as Luke tells us.

Here it was that the seller of purple was converted, a woman exceedingly devout and attentive;

here the ruler of the synagogue believed;

here Paul was scourged together with Silas;

here the magistrates begged them to depart, and were afraid of them;

and thus the preaching had a splendid beginning.

He himself bears them much and great witness, calling them his crown, and saying that they had suffered many things.

For to you, he says, it has been granted by God not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.

Now when he was writing to them, it happened that he was in bonds.

For this reason he says: So that my bonds have become manifest in Christ throughout the whole praetorium;

by 'praetorium' he means the palace of Nero.

But he was bound and then released, and this he made plain to Timothy, saying:

At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me;

but the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me.

The bonds, then, in which he was, he shows to have been before that defense.

For that Timothy was not present at that time is clear;

for At my first defense, he says, no one stood with me.

And this he made plain by writing thus.

He would not, therefore, had he known this, have written to him.

But when he was writing this Epistle, Timothy was with him;

for I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly;

and again, Him therefore I hope to send forthwith to you, as soon as I shall see how it will go with me. From this it is plain.

For he was released from his bonds, and again bound after he had come to them.

But as for what he says, that I am even being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith:

he does not say this as though it had already come to pass;

but, that Even when this shall come to pass, I rejoice, he says, rousing them up from the despondency they felt over his bonds;

for that he was not then about to die is plain from what he says, that I trust in the Lord that I myself also shall come to you shortly;

and again, And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide, and continue with you all.

Now the Philippians had sent Epaphroditus to him, to bring him money, and to learn how things stood with him;

for they were exceedingly and lovingly disposed toward him.

For that they sent, hear him saying:

I have all things, and abound; I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you.

At the same time, then, they sent him both to comfort him and to inquire.

For that they also sent to inquire how things stood with him, he shows at once at the beginning of the Epistle, writing about himself and saying:

But I would have you know that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the progress of the Gospel;

and again, I hope to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be of good comfort when I know your state.

The words 'that I also' declare this, that: Even as you, out of much full assurance, sent to learn how things stood with me, so I too — that I may be of good comfort when I know your state.

Since, therefore, they had for a long time not sent, but then did so — for this he indicates by saying:

Now at length you have revived your thought for me —

and since he was in bonds — for if they were troubled when they heard about Epaphroditus, that he was sick, though he was not a man of such note as Paul, much more would they be so about Paul —

and it was likely that they were disturbed;

for this reason, in the opening of the Epistle he brings much comfort concerning his bonds, showing that they ought not only not to be troubled, but even to rejoice.

Then he counsels them also concerning concord and lowliness of mind, teaching that this is their greatest security, and that thus they can easily prevail over their enemies.

For it is not the being bound that grieves your teachers, but the not being of one mind among the disciples.

For the one even gives increase to the Gospel, while the other tears it asunder.

Having therefore exhorted them to be of one mind, and having shown that concord springs from lowliness of mind, and having contended earnestly against the Jews who everywhere corrupt the doctrine under the guise of Christianity — calling them dogs and evil workers, and exhorting the Philippians to hold back from them, and having persuaded them to whom they ought to give heed, and having discoursed much concerning moral matters, and having set them in order and restored them by saying, The Lord is at hand — he makes mention, with the discretion that befits him, of those who had been sent, and thus brings much comfort.

And he plainly writes to them, above all, with much honor, and nowhere sets down anything reproachful — which was a proof of their virtue, namely, that they gave their teacher no handle for reproof, and that he had written all things to them not in the manner of rebuke, but in the manner of exhortation.

But what I said also at the outset, this I will say now too: that this city displayed great aptitude for the faith, seeing that the jailer (and you know that his occupation was full of all wickedness) at once, at a single sign, both ran to it and was baptized together with his whole household.

For the sign that came to pass he alone beheld;

but the gain he did not reap alone, but together with his wife and his whole household.

But even the magistrates themselves, who had scourged him, are found to have done this rather out of being carried away, and not out of malice — both by their sending straightway and releasing him, and by their being afraid afterward.

And he bears them witness not only in faith, nor only in dangers, but also in beneficence, through the words in which he says:

that Even in the beginning of the Gospel, both once and twice you sent to my need, no other having done this.

For no Church, he says, had fellowship with me as concerning giving and receiving;

and he shows that the lack was owing rather to lack of opportunity than to lack of purpose, saying:

It is not that you did not have a mind for me, he says, but that you lacked opportunity.

And this shows that he had much affection toward them.

For that he loved them exceedingly is plain;

For I have no one, he says, like-minded, who will genuinely care for your state;

and again, Because I have you in my heart, both in my bonds.

Knowing these things, therefore, we too, and having so many patterns of love, let us render ourselves worthy of such examples, becoming ready to suffer for Christ.

But now there is no persecution.

Then, even if nothing else, let us imitate their beneficence with earnestness, and let us not, if we give once and twice, think that we have fulfilled the whole;

for this we ought to do throughout our whole life;

for we must be well-pleasing not once, but continually.

For even the runner, if, having run ten laps, he leaves off the last, has lost the whole;

and we too, if, having begun good works, we afterward grow slack, have lost the whole, have corrupted the whole.

Hear the profitable exhortation which says:

Let not mercy and faithfulness forsake you, it says.

It did not say, Do it once, nor a second time, nor a third, nor ten times, nor a hundred times, but —

'Continually,' he says, 'let them not depart from thee.'

And he did not say, 'Do not thou forsake them,' but rather, 'Let not these forsake thee'—

showing thereby that it is we who have need of them, not they of us, and teaching that we ought to do everything so as to keep them beside ourselves.

'Bind them,' he says, 'about thy neck.'

For just as the children of the wealthy have a golden ornament about the neck and never lay it aside, since they wear it as a token of their noble birth,

so also we must ever put almsgiving about ourselves, showing that we are children of the Compassionate One, who maketh His sun to rise upon the evil and the good.

But the unbelievers do not believe? Then it is precisely through these deeds that they will believe, if we practise them.

For if they see that we show mercy to all, and that we inscribe Him as our Teacher, they will know that we do this in imitation of Him.

And this we must do not carelessly, but with attentiveness and care.

'Let mercy and faith,' he says, 'be true within thee.'

for He does not desire alms that come from rapine, nor from theft;

for this is not faith, this is not true almsgiving.

For he that steals must needs also lie, and must perjure himself;

but do not thou so; rather, together with thine almsgiving have faith, he says.

Let us put on this adornment;

let us fashion a golden collar for the soul—I mean almsgiving—while we are yet here.

For when this age has passed away, we shall no longer be able to use it.

How so? There are no poor there, there is no money there, there is no poverty there;

while we are yet children, let us not deprive ourselves of this adornment.

For just as with children, when they become men these things are taken away, and they are led on to another adornment;

so there will no longer be almsgiving by means of money in that place, but some other kind far greater.

Therefore let us not deprive ourselves of this; let us make the soul appear beautiful.

Almsgiving is a great and precious good, it is a great gift—or rather, goodness itself is great;

if we learn to despise money, we shall learn other things also.

For consider from this how many good things are begotten:

he that gives alms, as one ought to give, learns to despise money;

and he that has learned to despise money has cut out the root of evils.

So then he does not confer a benefit more than he receives one—not only in that a debt and a recompense are laid up for almsgiving, but also in that the soul becomes philosophic, and lofty, and rich.

He that gives alms is trained not to marvel at money, nor at gold;

and having been thus trained in mind, he has received a mighty beginning of ascent toward heaven, and has cut off a thousand occasions of strife, and contention, and envy, and countless despondencies.

For ye know, ye too know full well, that all evils come by reason of money, and that a thousand wars arise by reason of money.

But he that has learned to despise these has established himself in calm; he no longer dreads loss.

For this is what almsgiving has taught him;

he no longer covets his neighbour's goods;

for how should he, who parts with his own and gives it away? He no longer envies the rich man;

for how should he, who wishes to become poor? He thoroughly cleanses the eye of his soul.

And as for the things yonder, it is not even possible to tell how many good things he will attain.

He will not remain without, among the foolish virgins, but will enter in with the wise, with the Bridegroom, holding his lamps bright;

and he that has not even tasted those toils of virginity will, by reason of this, be better than the women who have worn themselves out in virginity.

So great is the strength of almsgiving;

with much boldness does she bring in those whom she has nourished.

For she is well known to the gate-keepers in heaven, to those who keep the doors of the bridal chamber;

and not only well known, but also held in reverence;

and whomsoever she recognizes as having honoured her, she will bring in with much boldness, and none will gainsay, but all will give way.

For if she brought God down to earth and persuaded Him to become man, much more will she be able to lead man up into heaven.

Out of love for mankind God became man, and persuaded Him to become a servant; much more will she bring the servants into His own house.

Let us love her, let us cherish her, not for one day nor for two, but throughout all our time, that she may recognize us;

if she recognize us, the Lord also will recognize us;

if she know us not, neither will the Lord know us, and He will say:

But God forbid that we should hear this voice, but rather that blessed one:

'Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world';

which may it be granted us all to attain, by the grace and love toward mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, and so forth.