2 Corinthians 8:18

And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the Gospel. Barnabas, whose praise is in the preaching of the Gospel. He was ordained as S. Paul's companion (Act 13:3) (Theodoret, Chrysostom, Œcumenius); but since Barnabas and Paul were now separated, and Silas had taken S. Barnabas' place at S. Paul's side (Act 15:40), it is better with Baronius to take the reference as being to Silas, or, with Anselm and Jerome, to Luke. S. Paul calls him brother, not Apostle, and this applies better to S. Luke, who wrote a Gospel, and was the inseparable companion of S. Paul. S. Ignatius, writing to the Ephesians, assigned this eulogy to Luke in the words: "As Luke testifies, whose praise is in the Gospel." Ver. 19. But who was also chosen of the churches. For this work of grace of collecting the alms of the Church. The word rendered here chosen is χειροτονηθεὶς, i.e., ordained by imposition of hands consecrated either deacon or priest. It was the deacon's office to have care of the poor, and to distribute the alms to them; but the priest's to help the Apostle on his journeys in preaching and administration of the sacraments. The sacrament of Order is called by the Greeks χειροτονία, from the imposition of the Bishop's hands on the ordinands. Cf.

1 Timothy 4:14; 1 Timothy 5:22; Acts 14:22. From this it is evident that to lay hands on presbyters is to ordain them, and by ordaining to make them presbyters.

Which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord. The Latin version reads, in the last clause of this verse, "to our destined mind;" the meaning of this is, to show the readiness of our mind in this pious service to God and the poor. The Greek is χειροτονία. "Destined," therefore, as S. Thomas remarks, does not here mean "predestinated by God," but ready, prompt, and cheerful. But the Greek MSS. give your, not our. We have received, says S. Paul, this grace, this ministry of almsgiving, to glorify God by it, and to make you more ready for it by the exhortations of Titus and Luke (Theophylact). Ver. 20. Avoiding this. I have sent Titus and Luke to collect such large alms that no one may suspect me of collecting for my own private use (Anselm). The possession of large sums of money is wont to expose a man to suspicion of fraud, because it is easy to abstract a little secretly from a large amount without any one being aware of it.