Acts 16:1-5
And he [Paul] came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brethren at Lystra and Ico′nium. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions which had been reached by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.
Timothy had grown up under the influence of his faith-filled Jewish grandmother Lois and mother Eunice (2 Tim 1:5). He went on to become one of Paul’s most trusted and devoted disciples, serving him in the darkest days of his imprisonment when most everyone else had abandoned him at the end of his life (2 Tim 4:9-18). But Timothy was from a mixed marriage, and his father was a Gentile, so Timothy had not been circumcised at birth, even though according to Jewish tradition having a Jewish mother made him Jewish. Paul knew this, so while he stood firm that Gentiles should not be circumcised (like Titus, Gal 2:3), and though he had pressed hard for the apostolic decree (Acts 15), in this case Paul saw the wisdom of having Timothy circumcised as an adult for Timothy’s future witness among his fellow Jews.
But this was also a humble concession by Paul (and Timothy!), who would personally have preferred to avoid this, and Saint John Chrysostom makes a point of focusing on Paul’s conciliatory gesture. After all, the apostle had just won the much bigger battle at the Council of Jerusalem and probably could have gotten away with insisting that Timothy too be left alone. Instead, in order not to further provoke his Jewish brethren, he goes ahead and has Timothy circumcised. And this act of setting aside his own will, says Saint John, resulted in peace among the churches.
Since therefore he was about to preach, that he might not smite the Jews a double blow, he circumcised Timothy… for the Word must be disseminated: therefore also he with his own hands circumcised him. “And so were the churches established in the faith.” Do you mark here also how from going counter to his own inclination a great good results? “And increased in number daily” (16:5). Do you observe, that the circumcising not only did no harm, but was even of the greatest service?...
“Let us imitate the dogs”
Saint John goes on to expand on the value of self-denial and ascetic “philosophy” in the spiritual life. And if, says Saint John, this lesson seems too hard to learn from Paul, the saints or other human beings, then at least we could learn from our own dogs to whom we devote much more care in training than we give to our own souls.
And if indeed a person abusively call us “dog,” we are annoyed. But we abuse ourselves and do not even bestow as much care on our soul as on dogs, and think this no great harm. Do you see how all is full of darkness? How many are careful about their dogs, that they may not be filled with more than the proper food, that so they may be keen and fit for hunting, but for themselves they have no care to avoid luxury. And the brute creatures indeed they teach to exercise philosophy, while they let themselves sink down into the savageness of the brutes.
The thing is a riddle. “And where are your philosophic brutes?” There are such, for do you not take it to be philosophy, when a dog gnawed with hunger, after having hunted and caught his prey, abstains from the food? And though he sees his meal ready before him, and with hunger urging him on, yet waits for his master? Be ashamed of yourselves: teach your bellies to be as philosophic. You have no excuse. When you have been able to implant such philosophic self-command in an irrational nature, which neither speaks nor hears reason, shall you not much more be able to implant it in yourself? For that it is the effect of man’s care, not of nature is plain, since otherwise all dogs ought to have this habit.
So become then as dogs, for it is you that compel me to fetch my examples from them. Examples should be drawn from heavenly things, but since if I speak of those, you say, “Those are too great,” therefore I speak nothing of heavenly things. Again, if I speak of Paul, you say, “He was an Apostle.” Therefore neither do I mention Paul. If again I speak of a man, you say, “That person could do it.”
Therefore I do not mention a man even, but a brute creature; a creature too, that has not this habit by nature, lest you should say that it is like this by nature, and not (which is the fact) from choice. And what is wonderful, choice not self-acquired, but the result of your care. The creature does not give a thought to the fatigue, the wear and tear it has undergone in running down the prey, not a thought to this, that by its own proper toil it has made the capture. But casting away all these regards, it observes the command of its master, and shows itself superior to the cravings of appetite. “True; because it looks to be praised, it looks to get a greater meal.” Say then to yourself, that the dog through hope of future pleasure, despises that which is present: while you do not choose for hope of future good things to despise those which are present. But he indeed knows, that, if he tastes of that food at the wrong time and against his master’s will, he will both be deprived of that, and not get even that which was apportioned to him, but receive blows instead of food: whereas you cannot even perceive this, and that which he has learned by way of custom, you do not succeed in acquiring even from reason. Let us imitate the dogs.
(Saint John Chrysostom, Homily XXXIV on Acts)
Update
Yesterday I drove with Father Alexander Rentel of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary to Chestnut Ridge, NY to meet with Bishop David of the Coptic Church (Diocese of New York and New England) to discuss pastoral issues related to marriages between faithful of our churches.
Today the external auditors are at the Chancery to continue their annual audit, and this evening we will have Presanctified Liturgy.