HOMILIES OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE, FIRST EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE THESSALONIANS. HOMILY I. i THESSALONIANS i. 1-3. " Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the Church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ : Grace to you, and peace.1 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father." WHEREFORE then, when writing to the Ephe- sians, 2 and having Timothy with him, did he not include him with himself (in his salutation), known as he was to them and admired, for he says, " Ye know the proof of him, that as a child serveth the father, so he served with me in the Gospel" (Phil. ii. 22) ; and again, "I have no man like-minded who will care truly for your state " (ver. 20) ; but here he does associate him with himself? It seems to me, that he was about to send him immediately, and it was superfluous for him to write, who would over take the letter. For he says, " Him therefore I hope to send forthwith." (Phil. ii. 23.) But here it was not so ; but he had just returned to him, so that he naturally joined in the letter. For he says, " Now when Timothy came from 1 [Some MSS. and editions add, "from God our Father, and the you unto us." (i Thess. iii. 6.) But why does he place Silvanus before him,3 though he testifies to his numberless good qualities, and prefers him above all? Perhaps Timothy wished and requested him to do so from his great humility ; for when he saw his teacher so humble-minded, as to associate his disciple with himself, he would much the more have desired this, and eagerly sought it. For he says, " Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the Church of the Thessalonians." Here he gives himself no title not "an Apostle," not "a Servant " ; I suppose, because the men were newly instructed, and had not yet had any ex perience of him,4 he does not apply the title ; and it was as yet the beginning of his preaching to them. "To the Church of the Thessalonians," he says. And well. For it is probable there were few, and they not yet formed into a body ; on this account he consoles them with the name of the Church. For where much time had passed, and the congregation of the Church was large, he does not apply this term. But because the name of the Church is for the most part a name [The natural explanation is that Silas was an older man, Timo- Lord Jesus Christ," as it is added in Text. Rec. of the N. T. thy being at the time of writing i Thess. (prob. A.I>. 52) quite young, J. A. B.J and indeed still noticeably young a dozen years later (i Tim. iv. 12). 2 This mistake cannot be charged on the transcribers, as Timo- Chrys. seems to have made no systematic study of the chronology of thy is mentioned in Phil. i. i [and it is Philippians that he proceeds [ the Epistles. J. A. B.l to quote from. J. A. B.]. 4 auroO, perhaps " of the thing."