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Translation
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What the Fathers say
Eastern Fathers
John Chrysostom
Our Lord Jesus Christ, when exhorting His disciples to great actions, places before them Himself, and the Father, and the Prophets, as examples; as when He says, "For thus they did unto the Prophets which were before you"; and again, "If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you"; and, "Learn of me, for I am meek"; and again, "Be ye merciful, as your Father which is in heaven is merciful." This too the blessed Paul did; in exhorting them to humility, he brought forward Christ. …
Theophylact of Ohrid
As Christ says: "Be merciful, just as your heavenly Father is merciful" (Lk. 6:36), and then: "Learn from Me, for I am gentle" (Mt. 11:29); so also Paul, teaching humility, in order to shame us all the more, brings forth Christ as an example, as he also says in another place: "Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor" (2 Cor. 8:9). When he points to the Son of God, who is higher than every height and yet humbled Himself so greatly, which of those who think highly of themselves would he not put to shame by this?
Methodius of Olympus
For martyrdom is so admirable and desirable, that the Lord, the Son of God Himself, honouring it, testified, "He thought it not robbery to be equal with God," that might honour man to whom He descended with this gift.
Western Saints
Thomas Aquinas
After giving his exhortation, the Apostle urges them to the virtue of humility according to Christ's example. First, he exhorts them to follow the example of Christ; secondly, he gives the example (2:6). He says, therefore: Be humble, as I have said; hence have this mind among yourselves, i.e., acquire by experience the mind which you have in Christ Jesus. …
Bonaventure
Philippians 2: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form, etc.: but to empty oneself is nothing other than to abase oneself: if therefore we ought to imitate Christ in this, self-emptying and self-abasement belong to evangelical perfection.
Translation