Homilies on Second Corinthians

“Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.”

He said not, 'Intermix not with unbelievers,' but rather dealing sharply with them, as transgressing what was right, 'Suffer not yourselves to turn aside,' says he, “For what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity?” Here in what follows he institutes a comparison, not between his own love and theirs who corrupt them, but between their nobleness and the others' dishonor. For thus his discourse became more dignified and more beseeming himself, and would the rather win them. Just as if one should say to a son that despised his parents, and gave himself up to vicious persons, 'What are you doing, child? Do you despise your father and prefer impure men filled with ten thousand vices? Do you not know how much better and more respectable you are than they?' For so he detaches him more [readily] from their society than if he should express admiration of his father. For were he to say indeed, 'Do you not know how much your father is better than they?' he will not produce so much effect; but if, leaving mention of his father, he bring himself before them, saying, 'Do you not know who you are and what they are? Do you not bear in mind your own high birth and gentle blood, and their infamy? For what communion have you with them, those thieves, those adulterers, those impostors?' by elevating him with these praises of himself, he will quickly prepare him to break off from them. For the former address indeed, he will not entertain with overmuch acceptance, because the exalting of his father is an accusation of himself, when he is shown to be not only grieving a father, but such a father; but in this case he will have no such feeling. For none would choose not to be praised, and therefore, along with these praises of him that hears, the rebuke becomes easy of digestion. For the listener is softened, and is filled with high thoughts, and disdains the society of those persons.

But not this only is the point to be admired in him that thus he prosecuted his comparison, but that he imagined another thing also still greater and more astounding; in the first place, prosecuting his speech in the form of interrogation, which is proper to things that are clear and admitted, and then dilating it by the quick succession and multitude of his terms. For he employs not one or two or three only, but several. Add to this that instead of the persons he employs the names of the things, and he delineates here high virtue and there extreme vice; and shows the difference between them to be great and infinite so as not even to need demonstration. “For what fellowship,” says he, “have righteousness and iniquity?”

“And what communion has light with darkness?” (v. 15, 16.) “And what concord has Christ with Beliar? Or what portion has a believer with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has a temple of God with idols?”

Do you see how he uses the bare names, and how adequately to his purpose of dissuasion. For he did not say, 'neglect of righteousness,' [but] what was stronger [iniquity]; nor did he say those who are of the light, and those who are of the darkness; but he uses opposites themselves which can not admit of their opposites, 'light and darkness.' Nor said he those who are of Christ, with those who are of the devil; but, which was far wider apart, Christ and Beliar, so calling that apostate one, in the Hebrew tongue. “Or what portion has a believer with an unbeliever?” Here, at length, that he may not seem simply to be going through a censure of vice and an encomium of virtue, he mentions persons also without particularizing. And he said not, 'communion,' but spoke of the rewards, using the term “portion. What agreement has a temple of God with idols?”

“For you are a temple of the living God.” Now what he says is this. Neither has your King anything in common with him, “for what concord has Christ with Beliar?” nor have the things [anything in common], “for what communion has light with darkness?” Therefore neither should ye. And first he mentions their king and then themselves; by this separating them most effectually. Then having said, “a temple of God with idols,” and having declared, “For you are a temple of the living God,” he is necessitated to subjoin also the testimony of this to show that the thing is no flattery. For he that praises except he also exhibit proof, even appears to flatter. What then is his testimony? For,

“I will dwell in them,” says he, “and walk in them. I will dwell in,” as in temples, “and walk in them,” signifying the more abundant attachment to them.

“And they shall be my people and I will be their God.” 'What?' says he, 'Do you bear God within you, and runnest unto them? God That has nothing in common with them? And in what can this deserve forgiveness? Bear in mind Who walks, Who dwells in you.'