Homilies on 2 Corinthians 29.2

So he does not set it down as giving a reason, but rather in indignation, rather attacking those who despised him. I do not wish, he says, to give you such a proof; but if you yourselves supply the cause and wish to provoke me, you will know by the deeds themselves. And see how he makes the word weighty. For he did not say, "since you seek a proof of me," but, "of Christ speaking in me," showing that it was against him that they sinned. And he did not say simply "dwelling," but "speaking," showing that the words are spiritual. And if he does not display his strength nor punish, [this is] not from weakness (for he is able), but from long-suffering; [and he shifts] the word from himself [to Christ]. Let no one, then, reckon his forbearance as weakness. For why do you wonder if he does not now proceed against sinners nor exact a penalty, bearing with them and being long-suffering, when he himself endured even to be crucified, and suffering such things did not punish? That is why he added, "who is not weak toward you, but is powerful among you. For though he was crucified out of weakness, yet he lives by the power of God" [2 Cor 13:3–4].

The words have much obscurity, and cause disturbance to the weaker. Therefore it is necessary to unfold them more clearly, and to state the meanings of this word about which the obscurity lies, so that none even of the simpler may stumble. What, then, is said, and what does the name "weakness" signify, and in which meaning is it said? This must be learned. For the word is one, but the things it signifies are many. For weakness is said of bodily sickness; that is why it is said in the Gospel about Lazarus, "See, he whom you love is weak" [John 11:3]; and he himself said, "This weakness is not unto death" [John 11:4]; and Paul about Epaphroditus, "[For he was weak, near to death,] but God had mercy on him" [Phil 2:27]; and about Timothy, "Use wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent weaknesses" [1 Tim 5:23]. For all these signify bodily sickness. Again, weakness is said of not being firmly fixed in the faith, nor being perfect and complete. And showing this Paul said, "Receive the one who is weak in faith, not for disputes about opinions" [Rom 14:1]; and again, "One believes he may eat all things, but the weak one eats vegetables" [Rom 14:2], meaning the one who is weak in faith. See, there are two meanings of weakness; and there is a third thing too which is called weakness. What is this? Persecutions, plots, insults, trials, assaults. And showing this Paul said, "Concerning this I besought the Lord three times; and he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is made perfect in weakness" [2 Cor 12:8–9]. What is "in weakness"? In persecutions, in dangers, in trials, in plots, in deaths. And showing this he said, "Therefore I take pleasure in weakness" [2 Cor 12:10]. Then, showing what weakness he means, he did not say fever, nor doubt about the faith, but what? "In insults, in persecutions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in prisons, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For when I am weak, then I am strong": and I prevail over those who plot against me, as grace settles more abundantly in me.

It is in this third sense, then, that Paul set down weakness; and what he says is this, directing himself again at what I said before, that he seemed mean and contemptible to them. For he did not wish to boast, nor to seem to be what he was, nor to display the power he had for chastising and punishing; hence he was thought to be mean. Since, then, thinking this, they were in great carelessness and ..., having found a fitting occasion he discourses about these things too with great vigor, showing that he did nothing from weakness, but from long-suffering. Then, as I said, transferring the word from himself to Christ, he heightens the fear and increases the threat. What he says is this: if I do anything, and chastise and punish the sinners, am I the one who chastises and punishes? It is the one who dwells in me, Christ himself. And if you do not believe this, but wish to receive a proof, you will quickly know by the deeds of the one who dwells in me; for he is not weak toward you, but is powerful. And why did he add "toward you," though he is powerful everywhere? For whether he wishes to punish unbelievers, he can, or demons, or anything at all. What, then, does the addition mean? The word is that of one greatly shaming them by what they had already experienced; or of one showing this, that for the present he displays his power among you, who ought to be corrected. As he said elsewhere too, "For what have I to do with judging those outside?" [1 Cor 5:12]. For those outside, he says, he will then exact the penalty from on the day of judgment; but you even now, so as to rescue you from that punishment. But nevertheless see how even this, which is a matter of solicitude and done out of tender affection, he sets down with fear and much anger, saying, "who is not weak toward you, but is powerful among you. For though he was crucified out of weakness, yet he lives by the power of God." What is "though he was crucified out of weakness"? For even if he chose, he says, to endure a thing that seems to carry a suspicion of weakness, yet this in no way cuts off his power; for it remains invincible, and the thing that seems to be weakness did not harm it at all; rather, this very thing above all shows his strength, that he endured even such a thing and his power was not mutilated. Do not, then, let the word "weakness" disturb you; for elsewhere too he says, "The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" [1 Cor 1:25]; and yet God has nothing foolish nor weak; but he so called the cross, explaining the unbelievers' opinion about it. Hear him, at any rate, interpreting himself: "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" [1 Cor 1:18]; and again, "But we preach God crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" [1 Cor 1:23–24]; and again, "The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit; for they are foolishness to him" [1 Cor 2:14]. See how everywhere he explains the opinion of the unbelievers, who think the cross foolishness and weakness. So here too he does not speak of real weakness, but of the weakness suspected among unbelievers. So he does not say this, that he was crucified being weak; away with it! For he showed by everything that he was able not to be crucified: now throwing them on their backs [John 18:6], now turning back the rays [of the sun], and withering the fig tree [Matt 21:19], and blinding the eyes of those who came against him, and doing countless other things. What, then, does he mean by "out of weakness"? That even if he was crucified, enduring danger and plotting (for we have shown that danger and plotting are called weakness), nevertheless he was in no way harmed.

And he said these things drawing the example to his own case. For since they saw that they themselves too suffered these things, not from feebleness, nor from being unable to proceed against them, he raises the word to the Master: for he too, he says, was crucified, was bound, suffered countless things, and did not proceed against them, but remained, enduring things that seem to belong to weakness, and in this way displaying his own power, that even not proceeding against them nor defending himself, he is not harmed at all. At any rate the cross did not cut off his life, nor hinder his resurrection, but he both rose and lives. And when you hear of cross and life, understand the word about the economy; for this whole word is about it. And if he says "by the power of God" [it is not as though he lacked the strength to give life to the flesh, but because it makes no difference to him to speak of the Father's or of his own power; for having said "by the power of God"], he has spoken of his own power. For that he himself raised it up and holds it, hear him saying, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" [John 2:19]. And if he says that what is his belongs to the Father, do not be disturbed: "For all that the Father has is mine," he says [John 16:15]; and again, "All mine are yours, and yours are mine" [John 17:10]. As, then, he [was not harmed], so neither are we when persecuted and warred against; that is why he adds, "For we too are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God" [2 Cor 13:4]. What is "we are weak in him"? We are persecuted, driven out, we suffer the utmost things. But what is "in him"? Because of the preaching, he says, and faith in him. And if we endure the gloomy and burdensome things for his sake, it is plain that we shall have the bright ones too; that is why he added, "but we shall be saved in him by the power of God."

"Test yourselves, whether you are in the faith; prove yourselves. Or do you not recognize that Christ is in you, unless indeed you are disqualified? But I hope that you will know that we are not disqualified" [2 Cor 13:5–6]. For since by what he had said he had shown that even if he does not proceed against them, it is not as one who does not have Christ in himself, but as imitating the long-suffering of the one who was crucified and did not defend himself, he again achieves the same thing in another way and with greater abundance, establishing the argument from the disciples. For why do I speak about myself, the teacher, he says, who have so great a care and have been entrusted with the whole world and have done so many signs? If you are willing to examine yourselves, who are in the rank of disciples, you will see that Christ is in you too; and if in you, much more in the teacher. For if you have the faith, Christ is in you too. And this is said about believers who worked wonders; for those who believed then worked wonders. That is why he added, "Test yourselves, prove yourselves, whether you are in the faith. Or do you not recognize yourselves, that Christ is in you, unless indeed you are disqualified?" And if in you, much more in the teacher. It seems to me that here he speaks of the faith of signs too. For if you have that faith, he says, Christ is in you too, unless you have become disqualified. Do you see how he again frightens them, and shows abundantly that Christ is with him? For here he seems to me to hint at their life too. For since faith is not enough to draw down the spiritual working, and he had said, "If you are in the faith, you have Christ in yourselves," while it happened that many who had faith were destitute of this working, resolving the difficulty he says, "unless indeed you are disqualified," unless you have a corrupt life. "But I hope that you will know that we are not disqualified." What followed was to say, "But if you have become disqualified, we have not"; but he does not say it so, so as not to strike them, yet he hints at it all the same, neither declaring and saying "you are disqualified," nor proceeding by question and saying "but if you are disqualified," but leaving this aside he shows it in a riddle, adding, "But I hope that you will know that we are not disqualified." Here again great is the threat, great the fear. For since, he says, you wish to receive the proof from this, through punishment upon you, we shall not be at a loss to give you the demonstration. But he does not say it so, but with greater weight and threat: "But I hope that you will know that we are not disqualified." For you ought to have known our affairs even without this, he says, and that we have Christ in ourselves speaking and working; but since you wish to receive the proof through deeds too, you will know that we are not disqualified.

Then, since he had held up the threat and brought the punishment at last to the door, and set them in trembling, and made them expect punishment, see how he again [softens it,] and shows his freedom from ambition, his solicitude toward the disciples, the philosophy of his mind, his loftiness and freedom from vainglory. For he shows all these by what he adds, saying, "Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we may appear approved, but that you may do what is good, though we be as disqualified. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. And this we also pray for, your perfecting" [2 Cor 13:7–9]. What could equal this soul? He was despised, [ridiculed] as contemptible, as a boaster, as bragging in words but having nothing to show of his strength in deeds; and he not only postpones, not only draws back, but even prays not to fall into such an occasion: "For I pray," he says, "that you do no evil, not that we may appear approved, but that you may do what is good, though we be as disqualified." What does he mean? I entreat God, he says, I beseech him that I may find no one uncorrected, no one unrepentant; or rather not this only, but that you may not sin at all in the first place: "that you do no evil," he says; [or, if you have sinned,] that you may correct it and turn away all anger. For I am not anxious about this, that we may be approved in that way, but quite the opposite, "not that we may appear approved." For if you remain sinning without repentance, we must chastise, punish, maim your bodies, as happened with Sapphira and the sorcerer [Acts 5:1–10; 13:6–11], and we gave a proof of our power. But we do not pray for this, but the opposite, that we may not appear approved in this way; that is, that we may not display the proof of the power in us in this way, through chastising and punishing you as sinners and incurably sick; but what? "That you may do what is good": this we pray for, that you may always be in virtue, always in amendment, "though we be as disqualified," not displaying our punishing power. And he did not say "disqualified"; for he would not be disqualified even if he did not punish, but for this very reason approved; but even if some suspect us, he says, since we do not display our strength, of being contemptible and cast off, we do not care about this. It is better that we be thought this by them than that we display the power God gave us in blows and in the incorrigibility of your mind. "For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth." For so that he may not seem to do them a favor (for this belongs to a mind free of vainglory), but to do what the nature of the thing demands, he added this, saying, "For we can do nothing against the truth." [If we find you] having beaten off your sins through repentance, having boldness toward God, we shall not be able, even if we wish, to chastise you; but even if we attempt it, God will not cooperate. For he gave us the power for this, to bring a true and just verdict, and not one contrary to the truth. Do you see how on every side he makes his word unoffensive and softens the harshness of the threat? But just as he is anxious for this, so he also wishes to show his own mind as closely bound to them; that is why he added, "For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. And this we also pray for, your perfecting." Above all, he says, we can do nothing against the truth, that is, punish you when you are pleasing to God; but since we cannot, for this reason we do not wish it either, but desire the opposite. Indeed for this very reason we rejoice above all when we do not find you supplying us an occasion to show our power for punishment. For even if doing such things shows men glorious and approved and strong, we wish the opposite: that you be approved and blameless, and that we never reap the glory that comes from that. That is why he says, "For we rejoice when we are weak": not when we are weak, but when we are thought weak; for they were thought so by their enemies, no longer displaying their punishing power. But nevertheless we rejoice when you so conduct yourselves as to give us no pretext for punishing you. And this is sweet to us, when we are thought weak in this way, if only you are blameless. That is why he adds, "and you are strong," that is, approved, virtuous. And not only do we wish these things, but we also pray for them, that you be blameless, perfected, giving us no handle.

This belongs to a father's heart, to prefer the salvation of the disciples to one's own reputation; this to a soul free of vainglory. This above all frees one from the bonds of the body and makes one soar from earth to heaven, to be clean of vainglory; just as the opposite leads to many sins. For it is not possible for one who is not clean of vainglory to become lofty and great and noble; but he must be dragged on the ground and destroy many things, being slave to a defiled mistress, harsher than any barbarian. For what could be more savage than she, who, when she is most courted, then grows most savage? And yet not even wild beasts have this, but are tamed by much care. But vainglory is the very opposite: when despised it is tamed, but when honored it grows savage and arms itself against the one who honors it. The Jews, honoring it, were punished with great severity; the disciples, dishonoring it, were crowned. And why do I speak of punishment and crowns? For despising it contributes above all to appearing glorious; and you will see even here that those who honor it are harmed, [while those who despise it are honored]. For the disciples, having dishonored it (for nothing prevents using the same example again) and having preferred the things of God, shine above the sun, having gained an immortal memory even after death; but the Jews, who bowed down under it, are without city, without hearth, contemptible. You too, then, if you wish to receive glory, push glory away; but if you pursue glory, you will fall from glory. And, if you wish, [let us examine] this word in worldly affairs too. Whom do we admire, tell me? Not those who despise it? So these are the ones glorified. [Whom do we ridicule?] Not those who desire it? So these above all are the ones deprived of it, having countless [accusers]. For as the rich man is not the one who needs much, but the one who needs nothing, so the glorious man is not the one who loves glory, but the one who disdains it; for this glory is a shadow of glory. No one, seeing bread painted, even if he were held by hunger ten thousand times, would touch the painting. Do not, then, pursue shadows either; for this is a shadow of glory, not glory. And so that you may learn that this is so, consider this: the thing is reviled among men, it seems to all a thing to be fled, even to those who desire it, when the one who has it, or desires it, is ashamed to be called by this name. "Where, then," someone says, "does this desire come from, and how does the passion arise?" From smallness of soul (for one must not only accuse, but also correct), from an imperfect mind, from a childish judgment. Let us, then, [cease to be] children and become men, and everywhere pursue the truth, not the shadows, in wealth and pleasure and luxury and glory and power; and this disease will cease and many others too. For to pursue shadows is the part of a madman. That is why Paul too said, "Awake to righteousness, and do not sin" [1 Cor 15:34]. For there is another madness too, harder than that from demons, than that from frenzy. For that has pardon, but this is deprived of defense, when the soul itself is corrupted, and its judgment is not upright but ruined; and the instrument of frenzy is a bodily passion, but this is the madness of the craftsman, the mind. As, then, of fevers those are harder and incurable which lay hold of the solid parts of the body and the sinews, so too this madness, since [it fastens on] the mind itself. For how is it not plain and evident madness, and a passion harder than all madness, to despise the things that remain forever and to hold with great zeal to the things that perish? For tell me, if someone pursued the wind or tried to grasp it, would we not say he was mad? If someone held shadows, neglecting the realities, and hated his own wife, but embraced her shadow, or turned away from his son, but loved his shadow, would you seek any clearer sign than this for proof of madness? Such are these men too who gape after present things. For all things are a shadow, whether you speak of glory, or power, or reputation, or wealth, or luxury, or anything else of this life. That is why the prophet too said, "Surely man walks about in an image; yet he is disquieted in vain" [Ps 39:6]; and again, "Our days have passed away like a shadow" [Ps 102:11]. And elsewhere he calls human things smoke and the flower of grass [Ps 102:3; Isa 40:6]. And not only the good things are a shadow, but the painful ones too, whether you speak of death, or poverty, or sickness, or anything else. What, then, are the things that remain, both good and painful? The eternal kingdom, and everlasting hell. For "the worm will not die, and the fire will not be quenched" [Mark 9:48]; and "these will rise to eternal life, and those to eternal punishment" [Matt 25:46]. So that we may flee the one and enjoy the other, then, let us let go of the shadow and hold to the [realities]. For so we shall obtain the kingdom of heaven; which may we all attain, by the grace and lovingkindness, and so on.