And to this the judge bore witness, saying, “Almost1664 thou persuadest me to be a Christi- an.”1665 And this ought to have happened to-day; and this Prefect, on coming among you, ought to have admired your magnanimity, your fortitude, your perfect tranquillity; and to have gone away, taking with him a lesson from your good order, admiring your assembly, praising your congress, and learning from the actual fact, how great a difference there is between Gentiles and Christians! 8. But as I was saying:—When Paul had caught him, and he said, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian,” Paul answered thus, “I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.”1666 What sayest thou, O Paul? When thou writest to the Ephesians, thou sayest, “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.”1667 And when thou speakest to Timothy, “Wherein I suffer trouble as an evil-doer, even unto bonds.”1668 And again, when to Philemon, thus; “Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ.”1669 And again, when debating with the Jews, thou sayest, “For the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.”1670 And writing to the Philippians, thou sayest, “Many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”1671 Every where thou bearest about the chain, everywhere thou puttest forward thy bonds, and boastest in the thing. But when thou comest to the tribunal, thou betrayest thy philosophy, where it were right to have spoken the most boldly, and sayest to the judge, “I would to God that thou mightest become a Christian ‘without’ these bonds!” Yet surely if the bonds were good, and so good, that they could be the means of making others to grow bold in the cause of true religion; (for this very thing thou didst declare before, when thou saidst, “Many of the brethren, waxing confident by my bonds, did speak the word without fear”); for what reason dost thou not glory in this thing in the presence of the judge, but doest even the reverse? 9. Does not what I say appear a question? The solution of it, however, I will bring forward at once. For Paul acted thus, not from distress or fear, but from an abundance of wisdom 1664 ἐν ὀλιγῳ. St. Chrysostom clearly understood this as it is rendered in our English version of 1611. See above “almost persuaded him,” σχεδὸν žπεισε. Modern scholars have attached a different sense to the expression. See Revised Version. 1665 Acts xxvi. 28. 1666 Acts xxvi. 29. 1667 Ephes. iv. 1. 1668 2 Tim. ii. 9. 1669 Phil. i. 1. 1670 Acts xxviii. 20. 1671 Philip. i. 14. 658 Homily XVI