kinder to them individually than even a father. He represents the view that the philosopher should not consistently be harsh (barys), but should on occasion be gentle (ēpios) as a nurse. Paul says that he was prepared to lay down his life for his converts (v. 8), that, like a father with his children, he worked with each one individually (hena hekaston hymōn, v. 10), and that, although as an apostle of Christ he could have been demanding of them, he was gentle as a nurse (dynamenoi en barei … alla