And they glorified God in me.
και εδοξαζον εν εμοι τον θεον
8 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Notice here also the rule of his humility, and with what strictness he observes it. He did not say, "They marveled at me, praised me, were amazed at me." Rather, he showed that all this was the work of grace. "And they glorified God," he says, "because of me."
This too is a sign of modesty. For he did not say, "They marveled at me" or "they admired me," but attributed everything that happened to the action of grace. For they glorified God because of me, the One who truly does all things.
Paul quietly returns to this main point, affirming that he labored in Judea for so short a time that the believers did not even know him by sight. By this he shows that neither Peter, nor James, nor John were his teachers, but Christ, who revealed the Gospel to him.
'I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea that were in Christ Jesus. They only heard that he who once persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to root out, and they glorified God for me.'
The churches in Judea knew Paul only by report. Many of them saw in him a persecutor rather than an Apostle. But Syria, parts of Cilicia, Arabia, and Damascus happened to know him also in person, because the teacher of the Gentiles preached the Gospel of Christ not to Jews, but to Gentiles.
All that he did had the following purpose. He wished to show that he could never have become renowned among those whom he had formerly persecuted, unless his preaching had been approved by the judgment of those very persons who had earlier known his wickedness, eum malum noverant.
He quietly returns to this purpose, affirming that in Judea he labored for so short a time that the believers did not even know him by sight. He quietly returns to this purpose, affirming that in Judea he labored for so short a time that the believers did not even know him by sight.
By this he shows that neither Peter, nor James, nor John were his teachers, but Christ, who revealed the Gospel to him.
At the same time one must note that earlier he is presented as a persecutor of the Church, but here as a persecutor of the faith. There it is people; here it is the work itself.
Thus now, or then, that is, tunc instead of nunc, it is more fittingly said: 'He preaches the faith which he once tried to root out.' Indeed, this could not have been said in the same way about the Church.
For when they learned of the sudden change, that the wolf was doing what belongs to shepherds, they made what had happened to me an occasion for glorifying God.
They glorified God because of me, that is, they called Him great, because I, having been suddenly converted, began to preach God Christ, against whom I had formerly fought. What is more majestic than overcoming your own way of thinking and receiving Him against whom you formerly fought? If this is so, then you too must follow nothing other than what is preached to you by the one who is a wonder wrought for the Gentiles, for he proclaims the faith of Christ.
"I was unknown by face to the churches of Christ in Judea, but they only heard... and they glorified God because of me." The aim of these words of the Apostle is always the same. "I did not learn from Peter, but only saw him," as though the Apostle were saying. "I did not learn from James either, and only saw him. Nor did I learn from anyone else lower than they, some less renowned person. Was it possible for me to learn from those who had not even seen my face?" (Photius in Oecumenius).
For quite a long time, that is, about three years, the Apostle Paul remained little known, especially because he spent most of that time in Arabia.
Since this fact was little known, the assurance of the truth of what the Apostle says partly applies here. Yet it chiefly concerns his undoubted fidelity to the true teaching of Christ and his independence from the other Apostles.
They had heard of his wondrous conversion and, together with all the faithful, glorified God for His mercy to Paul. They glorified Him also for His mercy to the Church of God, which had gained in its persecutor a zealous champion.
'He who was formerly a persecutor, afterwards a radiant teacher,' says one encomium to Paul.
On this occasion the Apostle Paul passed through the regions of Syria and Cilicia as though incidentally, on his way to Caesarea and Tarsus. The believers from Jerusalem sent him there, because many had risen up against him.
But he mentions Syria and Cilicia because they were dear places to him: dear through his conversion and through the success of his preaching. To strengthen that preaching, he came there on his second apostolic journey, Acts 15:41.
This mention also means that the Apostle did not travel through Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. Churches there had been founded by other Apostles, and he did not try to enter into their labors.
He followed an independent path, especially to places where the Gospel preaching had sounded little or not at all.
His Grace Theophan, noting that the believers glorified God because of Paul's conversion, says: 'By this Saint Paul gives them to understand that the believers from among the Jews are not against him. They are of one spirit with him and of the same principles. Therefore those false teachers who disagree with him disagree with all the believers.'
They saw in his conversion the finger of God, a clear confirmation of the truth of the Gospel, and a sign of God's blessing upon the faith. They were strengthened further in the faith and, rejoicing in this, glorified God who had done it.
'Having learned of the sudden change, that the wolf was doing what belongs to shepherds, they turned what had happened to me into an occasion for glorifying God,' says Blessed Theodoret.
'He did not say, they marveled at me, praised me, or were amazed at me. Rather, he showed that all this was the work of grace. He says: and they glorified God in me,' says Saint Chrysostom.
'They glorified God in me, not some teacher or other, but God Himself. For He Himself revealed and taught me the preaching,' says Oecumenius.
Saint Paul says this to show that the believers from among the Jews were not against him. They were of one spirit and of the same principles with him. Consequently, those false teachers who disagreed with him disagreed with all the believers.
Ambrosiaster says: 'The believers from among the Jews, whom he had formerly persecuted, rejoiced and thanked God that He had made him from a persecutor into a defender of the faith. He thus showed the Galatians that they had been deceived. Under the name of Christians, they would become the same as Jews if they circumcised their flesh. For the law of Christ requires something different from Judaism. There it is circumcision of the flesh; here it is circumcision of the heart. There they serve God with elements; here, in the Spirit.'
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 6 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS