CHAPTER 6
LECTURE 2
5 οἱ δοῦλοι, ὑπακούετε τοῖς κατὰ σάρκα κυρίοις μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου ἐν ἁπλότητι τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς τῷ Χριστῷ, 6 μὴ κατ' ὀφθαλμοδουλίαν ὡς ἀνθρωπάρεσκοι ἀλλ' ὡς δοῦλοι Χριστοῦ ποιοῦντες τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκ ψυχῆς, 7 μετ' εὐνοίας δουλεύοντες, ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώποις, 8 εἰδότες ὅτι ἕκαστος, ἐάν τι ποιήσῃ ἀγαθόν, τοῦτο κομίσεται παρὰ κυρίου, εἴτε δοῦλος εἴτε ἐλεύθερος. 9 καὶ οἱ κύριοι, τὰ αὐτὰ ποιεῖτε πρὸς αὐτούς, ἀνιέντες τὴν ἀπειλήν, εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ αὐτῶν καὶ ὑμῶν ὁ κύριός ἐστιν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ προσωπολημψία οὐκ ἔστιν παρ' αὐτῷ.
5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your lords according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, as to Christ; 6 Not serving to the eye, as it were pleasing men, but, as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With a good will serving, as to the Lord, and not to men; 8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man shall do, the same shall he receive from the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, forbearing threatenings;, knowing that the Lord both of them and you is in heaven. And there is no respect of persons with him.
Instructis duabus connexionibus, scilicet viri et mulieris, patris et filii, hic instruit connexionem servi ad dominum. Et circa hoc facit duo. Once he has given advice concerning the two relationships of husband to wife, and father to children (5:22), he now instructs them regarding the relation of servant to master. In reference to this he does two things:
Primo instruit servum;
secundo dominum, ibi et vos, domini , et cetera.
First, he instructs the servant.
Secondly, the master (6:9).
Iterum prima in tres. The first has three parts:
Primo enim ponit monitionem;
secundo exponit, ibi non ad oculum servientes , etc.;
tertio ostendit retributionem, ibi scientes quoniam unusquisque , et cetera.
First, he sets down the admonition.
Secondly, he explains it (6:6).
Thirdly, he indicates the reward (6:8).
Iterum prima in tres. Again, the first part has three subdivisions; he admonishes them:
Quia primo monet ad obedientiam; secundo ad reverentiam; tertio ad cordis simplicitatem.
Secunda, ibi cum omni timore , et cetera.
Tertia, ibi in simplicitate , et cetera.
First, to obedience.
Secondly, to reverence.
Thirdly, to simplicity of heart.
Monet enim eos ad obedientiam ex imperio domini. Unde dicit servi, obedite dominis carnalibus . Monet eos ad reverentiam, dicens cum timore , interius. Mal. I, 6: si ego dominus, ubi est timor meus? Et tremore , exterius. Ps. II, 11: servite domino in timore , et cetera. Et in simplicitate cordis . Sap. I, 1: in simplicitate cordis quaerite illum . Lc. XII, v. 42: fidelis servus , et cetera. Iob I, 8: numquid considerasti servum meum Iob , etc., et, paulo post: vir simplex , et cetera. For he instructs them to obey as by a command of the Lord. Hence be states Servants, be obedient to your lords according to the flesh . He cautions them regarding reverence, saying with interior fear : “if I be a master, where is my fear?” (Mal. 1:6). And exterior trembling : “serve ye the Lord with fear; and rejoice unto him with trembling” (Ps. 2:11). And this must be in the simplicity of your heart : “Seek him in simplicity of heart” (Wis. 1:1); “Have you considered my servant Job... a simple and upright man, and fearing God, and avoiding evil?” (Job 1:8).
Sic enim serviendum est Christo. Unde dicit sicut Christo . Sap. I, 1: in simplicitate cordis quaerite illum . I Par. XXIX, 17: domine Deus, in simplicitate cordis mei laetus obtuli universa . Dicit etiam sicut Christo , quia a domino Christo est quod dominus aliquid possit. Rom. XIII, 2: qui potestati resistit, Dei ordinationi resistit . Et ideo serviendum est eis sicut Christo, in his quae non sunt contra fidem, nec contra ipsum. In this way is Christ to be served; thus he says as to Christ . “Seek him in simplicity of heart” (Wis. 1:1); “O Lord God, I also in the simplicity of my heart have joyfully offered all these things” (1 Par. 29:17). He also mentions as to Christ since whatever power a master has comes from Christ the Lord. “Therefore, he who resists the power resists the ordinance of God” (Rom. 13:2). They must be served as Christ is in whatever is not contrary to faith nor contrary to Christ himself.
Exponit autem in simplicitate , He explains in simplicity of heart:
et primo removet quod simplicitati contrariatur;
secundo docet modum convenientem, ibi facientes voluntatem Dei , et cetera.
First, he repudiates what is against simplicity.
Secondly, he teaches the appropriate way of acting (6:6b).
Contrarium autem simplicitatis est, quod servus habeat respectum ad oculum et non ad complacentiam domini. Talis enim servus non habet simplicitatem et rectam intentionem. Et ideo hoc prohibet, dicens non ad oculum servientes , scilicet domino propter lucrum temporale tantum, quasi hominibus placentes , id est complacere volentes. Gal. I, 10: si adhuc hominibus placerem, Christi servus non essem. Sed ut servi Christi . Col. III, 24: domino Christo servite . Et quomodo? Facientes voluntatem Dei , scilicet implendo mandata eius opere. Ps. CII, 20: facientes verbum illius , sicut Christus Io. VI, 38, descendi de caelo, non ut facerem voluntatem meam, sed voluntatem eius, qui misit me. Haec est enim voluntas eius qui misit me , scilicet ut obediam hominibus propter Deum. Et ideo dicit sicut servi Christi , et sicut servientes domino, non hominibus, scilicet non propter se, sed propter dominum. It is against simplicity that a servant be concerned with what the eye sees instead of what pleases the Lord.
Quomodo? Ex animo . Col. III, v. 23: quodcumque facitis, ex animo operamini, sicut domino, et non hominibus . Item, idem subiungit hic dicens sicut domino et non hominibus. Cum bona voluntate , id est recta intentione. Col. IV, 12: stetis perfecti et pleni in omni voluntate Dei . How should this be done? From the heart . “Whatsoever you do, do it from the heart, as to the Lord, and not to men” (Col. 3:23).
Deinde subiungit remunerationem, dicens scientes . I Io. V, 13: scripsi vobis ut sciatis , et cetera. Quoniam unusquisque, (...) sive servus sive liber . Sine personarum acceptione. Non enim est personarum acceptio apud Deum. Gal. III, 28: non est servus neque liber, non est masculus neque foemina, omnes enim vos unum estis in Christo Iesu . Act. X, v. 34 s.: in veritate comperi quoniam non est personarum acceptor Deus, sed in omni gente, qui timet Deum et operatur iustitiam , et cetera. Next, he mentions the reward, saying knowing —“These things I write to you that you may know” (I Jn. 5:13)— that any man... whether he be bond or free is not favored because of his status. For there is no respect of persons with God. “There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither bond nor free; there is neither male or female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). “In very deed I perceive that God is not a respecter of persons. But, in every nation, he that feareth him and worketh justice is acceptable to him” (Ac. 10: 34-35).
Eccle. IX, 10: quodcumque potest facere manus tua, instanter operare , et cetera. Recipiet a domino pro remuneratione. Col. III, 24: scientes quod a domino accipient retributionem haereditatis . Whatsoever good thing any man shall do it must be accomplished for the universe:
Deinde cum dicit et vos, domini , etc., instruit dominos, et facit duo. Then he goes on to give advice to masters, and he makes two points:
Primo ponit monitionem;
secundo subdit rationem, ibi scientes quia et illorum , et cetera.
First, he sets down a warming.
Secondly, he adds the reason (6:9b).
Dicit ergo et vos, domini, eadem faciatis , eadem scilicet identitate proportionis, ut sicut illi ex animo et bona voluntate, ita et vos faciatis. Eccli. XXXIII, 31: si est tibi aliquis servus fidelis, sit tibi sicut anima tua. Remittentes minas , non solum verba, vel flagella. He states, therefore, And you, masters, do the same , namely, with a proportional identity: as servants act from the heart and with a good will, so also should you act. “If you have a faithful servant, let him be to you as your own soul” (Sirach 33:31)— forbearing threatenings and not only [refraining from] blows and whippings.
Et quare? Rationem subdit, dicens scientes quia et illorum et vester dominus est in caelis. Nam idem dominus omnium , Rom. X, v. 12. Quasi dicat: conservi estis, et ideo debetis vos bene habere ad eos. Matth. XVIII, v. 33: oportuit et te misereri conservi tui. Et personarum acceptio non est apud Deum . Rom. II, 11 idem dicitur; Lc. XX, 21: non accipis personam hominum ; Act. X, 34 idem. Why? He gives the reason when he says knowing that the Lord both of them and you is in heaven . For the same is Lord over all” (Rom. 10:12). it is as though he were, saying: You are fellow servants, and hence you ought to behave well towards them. “Should not you then have had compassion also on your fellow servant? (Mt. 18:33). And there is no respect of persons with him. Romans 2 (11) makes the same statement, as also Acts 10 (34). “you do not respect any person” (Lk. 20:21).
* “I can do all things in him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). “O Lord, set me beside you; and let any man’s hand fight against me” (Job 17:3). * “And the darkness did not comprehend it” (Jn. 1:5). * that an evil man is worse than all the animals. Thus he says the spirits of wickedness since they are spiritual and most wicked.