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1. CHRYSOSTOM: As regards the insult to those who have
done me honor, what I have already said might be sufficient to prove
that in avoiding this office I had no desire to put them to shame; but
I will now endeavor to make it evident, to the best of my ability,
that I was not puffed up by arrogance of any kind. For if the choice
of a generalship or a kingdom had been submitted to me, and I had then
formed this resolution, any one might naturally have suspected me of
this fault, or rather I should have been found guilty by all men, not
of arrogance, but of senseless folly. But when the priesthood is
offered to me, which exceeds a kingdom as much as the spirit differs
from the flesh, will any one dare to accuse me of disdain? And is it
not preposterous to charge with folly those who reject small things,
but when any do this in matters of preeminent importance, to exempt
such persons from accusations of mental derangement, and yet subject
them to the charge of pride? It is just as if one were to accuse, not
of pride, but of insanity, a man who looked with contempt on a herd of
oxen and refused to be a herdsman, and yet were to say that a man who
declined the empire of the world, and the command of all the armies of
the earth, was not mad, but inflated with pride. But this assuredly
is not the case; and they who say such things do not injure me more
than they injure themselves. For merely to imagine it possible for
human nature to despise this dignity is an evidence against those who
bring this charge of the estimate which they have formed of the office.
For if they did not consider it to be an ordinary thing of no great
account, such a suspicion as this would never have entered their
heads. For why is it that no one has ever dared to entertain such a
suspicion with reference to the dignity of the angels, and to say that
arrogance is the reason why human nature would not aspire to the rank of
the angelic nature? It is because we imagine great things concerning
those powers, and this does not suffer us to believe that a man can
conceive anything greater than that honor. Wherefore one might with
more justice indite those persons of arrogance who accuse me of it.
For they would never have suspected this of others if they had not
previously depreciated the matter as being of no account. But if they
say that I have done this with a view to glory, they will be convicted
of fighting openly against themselves and falling into their own snare;
for I do not know what kind of arguments they could have sought in
preference to these if they had wished to release me from the charge of
vainglory.
2. For if this desire had ever entered my mind, I ought to have
accepted the office rather than avoided it. Why? because it would
have brought me much glory. For the fact that one of my age, who had
so recently abandoned secular pursuits, should suddenly be deemed by
all worthy of such admiration as to be advanced to honor before those
who have spent all their life in labors of this kind, and to obtain
more votes than all of them, might have persuaded all men to anticipate
great and marvellous things of me. But, as it is, the greater part
of the Church does not know me even by name: so that even my refusal
of the office will not be manifest to all, but only to a few, and I
am not sure that all even of these know it for certain; but probably
many of them either imagine that I was not elected at all, or that I
was rejected after the election, being considered unsuitable, not that
I avoided the office of my own accord.
3. BASIL: But those who do know the truth will be surprised.
CHRYSOSTOM: And lo! these are they who, according to you,
falsely accuse me of vainglory: and pride. Whence then am I to hope
for praise? From the many? They do not know the actual fact. From
the few? Here again the matter is perverted to my disadvantage. For
the only reason why you have come here now is to learn what answer ought
to be given to them And what shall I now certainly say on account of
these things? For wait a little, and you will clearly perceive that
even if all know the truth they ought not to condemn me for pride and
love of glory. And in addition to this there is another
consideration: that not only those who make this venture, if there be
any such (which for my part I do not believe), but also those who
suspect it of others, will be involved in no small danger.
4. For the priestly office is indeed discharged on earth, but it
ranks amongst heavenly ordinances; and very naturally so: for neither
man, nor angel, nor archangel, nor any other created power, but the
Paraclete Himself, instituted this vocation, and persuaded men while
still abiding in the flesh to represent the ministry of angels.
Wherefore the consecrated priest ought to be as pure as if he were
standing in the heavens themselves in the midst of those powers.
Fearful, indeed, and of most awful import, were the things which
were used before the dispensation of grace, as the bells, the
pomegranates, the stones on the breastplate and on the ephod, the
girdle, the mitre, the long robe, the plate of gold, the holy of
holies, the deep silence within. But if any one should examine the
things which belong to the dispensation of grace, he will find that,
small as they are, yet are they fearful and full of awe, and that what
was spoken concerning the law is true in this case also, that "what
has been made glorious hath no glory in this respect by reason of the
glory which excelleth." For when thou seest the Lord sacrificed,
and laid upon the altar, and the priest standing and praying over the
victim, and all the worshippers empurpled with that precious blood,
canst thou then think that thou art still amongst men, and standing
upon the earth? Art thou not, on the contrary, straightway
translated to Heaven, and casting out every carnal thought from the
soul, dost thou not with disembodied spirit and pure reason contemplate
the things which are in Heaven? Oh! what a marvel! what love of
God to man! He who sitteth on high with the Father is at that hour
held in the hands of all, and gives Himself to those who are willing
to embrace and grasp Him. And this all do through the eyes of faith!
Do these things seem to you fit to be despised, or such as to make it
possible for any one to be uplifted against them?
Would you also learn from another miracle the exceeding sanctity of
this office? Picture Elijah and the vast multitude standing around
him, and the sacrifice laid upon the altar of stones, and all the rest
of the people hushed into a deep silence while the prophet alone offers
up prayer: then the sudden rush of fire from Heaven upon the
sacrifice:- -these are marvellous things, charged with terror. Now
then pass from this scene to the rites which are celebrated in the
present day; they are not only marvellous to behold, but transcendent
in terror. There stands the priest, not bringing down fire from
Heaven, but the Holy Spirit: and he makes prolonged supplication,
not that some flame sent down from on high may consume the offerings,
but that grace descending on the sacrifice may thereby enlighten the
souls of all, and render them more refulgent than silver purified by
fire. Who can despise this most awful mystery, unless he is stark mad
and senseless? Or do you not know that no human soul could have
endured that fire in the sacrifice, but all would have been utterly
consumed, had not the assistance of God's grace been great.
5. For if any one will consider how great a thing it is for one,
being a man, and compassed with flesh and blood, to be enabled to draw
nigh to that blessed and pure nature, he will then clearly see what
great honor the grace of the Spirit has vouchsafed to priests; since
by their agency these rites are celebrated, and others nowise inferior
to these both in respect of our dignity and our salvation. For they
who inhabit the earth and make their abode there are entrusted with the
administration of things which are in Heaven, and have received an
authority which God has not given to angels or archangels. For it has
not been said to them, "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be
bound in Heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be
loosed in Heaven." They who rule on earth have indeed authority to
bind, but only the body: whereas this binding lays hold of the soul
and penetrates the heavens; and what priests do here below God
ratifies above, and the Master confirms the sentence of his servants.
For indeed what is it but all manner of heavenly authority which He
has given them when He says, "Whose sins ye remit they are
remitted, and whose sins ye retain they are retained?" What
authority could be greater than this? "The Father hath committed all
judgment to the Son?"
But I see it all put into the hands of these men by the Son. For
they have been conducted to this dignity as if they were already
translated to Heaven, and had transcended human nature, and were
released from the passions to which we are liable. Moreover, if a
king should bestow this honor upon any of his subjects, authorizing him
to cast into prison whom he pleased and to release them again, he
becomes an object of envy and respect to all men; but he who has
received from God an authority as much greater as heaven is more
precious than earth, and souls more precious than bodies, seems to
some to have received so small an honor that they are actually able to
imagine that one of those who have been entrusted with these things will
despise the gift. Away with such madness! For transparent madness it
is to despise so great a dignity, without which it is not possible to
obtain either our own salvation, or the good things which have been
promised to us. For if no one can enter into the kingdom of Heaven
except he be regenerate through water and the Spirit, and he who does
not eat the flesh of the Lord and drink His blood is excluded from
eternal life, and if all these things are accomplished only by means of
those holy hands, I mean the hands of the priest, how will any one,
without these, be able to escape the fire of hell, or to win those
crowns which are reserved for the victorious?
6. These verily are they who are entrusted with the pangs of
spiritual travail and the birth which comes through baptism: by their
means we put on Christ, and are buried with the Son of God, and
become members of that blessed Head. Wherefore they might not only be
more justly feared by us than rulers and kings, but also be more
honored than parents; since these begat us of blood and the will of the
flesh, but the others are the authors of our birth from God, even
that blessed regeneration which is the true freedom and the sonship
according to grace. The Jewish priests had authority to release the
body from leprosy, or, rather, not to release it but only to examine
those who were already released, and you know how much the office of
priest was contended for at that time. But our priests have received
authority to deal, not with bodily leprosy, but spiritual
uncleanness--not to pronounce it removed after examination, but
actually and absolutely to take it away. Wherefore they who despise
these priests would be far more accursed than Dathan and his company,
and deserve more severe punishment. For the latter, although they
laid claim to the dignity which did not belong to them, nevertheless
had an excellent opinion concerning it, and this they evinced by the
great eagerness with which they pursued it; but these men, when the
office has been better regulated, and has received so great a
development, have displayed an audacity which exceeds that of the
others, although manifested in a contrary way. For there is not an
equal amount of contempt involved in aiming at an honor which does not
pertain to one, and in despising such great advantages, but the latter
exceeds the former as much as scorn differs from admiration. What soul
then is so sordid as to despise such great advantages? None whatever,
I should say, unless it were one subject to some demoniacal impulse.
For I return once more to the point from which I started: not in the
way of chastising only, but also in the way of benefiting, God has
bestowed a power on priests greater than that of our natural parents.
The two indeed differ as much as the present and the future life. For
our natural parents generate us unto this life only, but the others
unto that which is to come. And the former would not be able to avert
death from their offspring, or to repel the assaults of disease; but
these others have often saved a sick soul, or one which was on the
point of perishing, procuring for some a milder chastisement, and
preventing others from falling altogether, not only by instruction and
admonition, but also by the assistance wrought through prayers. For
not only at the time of regeneration, but afterwards also, they have
authority to forgive sins. "Is any sick among you?" it is said,
"let him call for the elders of the Church and let them pray over
him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer
of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up: and if
he have committed sins they shall be forgiven him." Again: our
natural parents, should their children come into conflict with any men
of high rank and great power in the world, are unable to profit them:
but priests have reconciled, not rulers and kings, but God Himself
when His wrath has often been provoked against them. Well! after
this will any one venture to condemn me for arrogance? For my part,
after what has been said, I imagine such religious fear will possess
the souls of the hearers that they will no longer condemn those who
avoid the office for arrogance and temerity, but rather those who
voluntarily come forward and are eager to obtain this dignity for
themselves. For if they who have been entrusted with the command of
cities, should they chance to be wanting in discretion and vigilance,
have sometimes destroyed the cities and ruined themselves in addition,
how much power think you both in himself and from above must he need,
to avoid sinning, whose business it is to beautify the Bride of
Christ?
7. No man loved Christ more than Paul: no man exhibited greater
zeal, no man was counted worthy of more grace: nevertheless, after
all these great advantages, he still has fears and tremblings
concerning this government and those who were governed by him. "I
fear," he says, "lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve
through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the
simplicity which is in Christ." And again, "I was with you in
fear and in much trembling;" and this was a man who had been caught up
to the third Heaven, and made partaker of the unspeakable mysteries of
God, and had endured as many deaths as he had lived days after he
became a believer--a man, moreover, who would not use the authority
given him from Christ lest any of his converts should be offended.
If, then, he who went beyond the ordinances of God, and nowhere
sought his own advantage, but that of those whom he governed, was
always so full of fear when he considered the greatness of his
government, what shall our condition be who in many ways seek our own,
who not only fail to go beyond the commandments of Christ, but for the
most part transgress them? "Who is weak," he says, "and I am not
weak? who is offended and I burn not?" Such an one ought the priest
to be, or, rather, not such only: for these are small things, and
as nothing compared with what I am about to say. And what is this?
"I could wish," he says, "that myself were accursed from Christ
for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." If any one can
utter such a speech, if any one has the soul which attains to such a
prayer, he might justly be blamed if he took to flight: but if any one
should lack such excellence as much as I do, he would deserve to be
hated, not if he avoided the office, but if he accepted it. For if
an election to a military dignity was the business in hand, and they
who had the right of conferring the honor were to drag forward a
brazier, or a shoemaker, or some such artisan, and entrust the army
to his hands, I should not praise the wretched man if he did not take
to flight, and do all in his power to avoid plunging into such manifest
trouble. If, indeed, it be sufficient to bear the name of pastor,
and to take the work in hand hap- hazard, and there be no danger in
this, then let whoso pleases accuse me of vainglory; but if it behoves
one who undertakes this care to have much understanding, and, before
understanding, great grace from God, and uprightness of conduct, and
purity of life and superhuman virtue, do not deprive me of forgiveness
if I am unwilling to perish in vain without a cause.
Moreover, if any one in charge of a full-sized merchant ship, full
of rowers, and laden with a costly freight, were to station me at the
helm and bid me cross the AEgean or the Tyrrhene sea, I should
recoil from the proposal at once: and if any one asked me why? I
should say, "Lest I should sink the ship." Well, where the loss
concerns material wealth, and the danger extends only to bodily death,
no one will blame those who exercise great prudence; but where the
shipwrecked are destined to fall, not into the ocean, but into the
abyss of fire, and the death which awaits them is not that which severs
the soul from the body, but one which together with this dismisses it
to eternal punishment, shall I incur your wrath and hate because I
did not plunge headlong into so great an evil?
8. Do not thus, I pray and beseech you. I know my own soul, how
feeble and puny it is: I know the magnitude of this ministry, and the
great difficulty of the work; for more stormy billows vex the soul of
the priest than the gales which disturb the sea.
9. And first of all is that most terrible rock of vainglory, more
dangerous than that of the Sirens, of which the fable- mongers tell
such marvellous tales: for many were able to sail past that and escape
unscathed; but this is to me so dangerous that even now, when no
necessity of any kind impels me into that abyss, I am unable to keep
clear of the snare: but if any one were to commit this charge to me,
it would be all the same as if he tied my hands behind my back, and
delivered me to the wild beasts dwelling on that rock to rend me in
pieces day by day. Do you ask what those wild beasts are? They are
wrath, despondency, envy, strife, slanders, accusations,
falsehood, hypocrisy, intrigues, anger against those who have done no
harm, pleasure at the indecorous acts of fellow, ministers, sorrow at
their prosperity, love of praise, desire of honor (which indeed most
of all drives the human soul headlong to perdition), doctrines devised
to please, servile flatteries, ignoble fawning, contempt of the
poor, paying court to the rich, senseless and mischievous honors,
favors attended with danger both to those who offer and those who accept
them, sordid fear suited only to the basest of slaves, the abolition
of plain speaking, a great affectation of humility, but banishment of
truth, the suppression of convictions and reproofs, or rather the
excessive use of them against the poor, while against those who are
invested with power no one dare open his lips.
For all these wild beasts, and more than these, are bred upon that
rock of which I have spoken, and those whom they have once captured
are inevitably dragged down into such a depth of servitude that even to
please women they often do many things which it is well not to mention.
The divine law indeed has excluded women from the ministry, but they
endeavor to thrust themselves into it; and since they can effect
nothing of themselves, they do all through the agency of others; and
they have become invested with so much power that they can appoint or
eject priests at their will: things in fact are turned upside down,
and the proverbial saying may be seen realized--"The ruled lead the
rulers:" and would that it were men who do this instead of women, who
have not received a commission to teach. Why do I say teach? for the
blessed Paul did not suffer them even to speak in the Church. But I
have heard some one say that they have obtained such a large privilege
of free speech, as even to rebuke the prelates of the Churches, and
censure them more severely than masters do their own domestics.
10. And let not any one suppose that I subject all to the aforesaid
charges: for there are some, yea many, who are superior to these
entanglements, and exceed in number those who have been caught by
them. Nor would I indeed make the priesthood responsible for these
evils: far be such madness from me. For men of understanding do not
say that the sword is to blame for murder, nor wine for drunkenness,
nor strength for outrage, nor courage for foolhardiness, but they lay
the blame on those who make an improper use of the gifts which have been
bestowed upon them by God, and punish them accordingly. Certainly,
at least, the priesthood may justly accuse us if we do not rightly
handle it. For it is not itself a cause of the evils already
mentioned, but we, who as far as lies in our power have defiled it
with so many pollutions, by entrusting it to commonplace men who
readily accept what is offered them, without having first acquired a
knowledge of their own souls, or considered the gravity of the office,
and when they have entered on the work, being blinded by inexperience,
overwhelm with innumerable evils the people who have been committed to
their care. This is the very thing which was very nearly happening in
my case, had not God speedily delivered me from those dangers,
mercifully sparing his Church and my own soul. For, tell me, whence
do you think such great troubles are generated in the Churches? I,
for my part, believe the only source of them to be the inconsiderate
and random way in which prelates are chosen and appointed. For the
head ought to be the strongest part, that it may be able to regulate
and control the evil exhalations which arise from the rest of the body
below; but when it happens to be weak in itself, and unable to repel
those pestiferous attacks, it becomes feebler itself than it really
is, and ruins the rest of the body as well. And to prevent this now
coming to pass, God kept me in the position of the feet, which was
the rank originally assigned to me. For there are very many other
qualities, Basil, besides those already mentioned, which the priest
ought to have, but which I do not possess; and, above all, this
one:--his soul ought to be thoroughly purged from any lust after the
office: for if he happens to have a natural inclination for this
dignity, as soon as he attains it a stronger flame is kindled, and the
man being taken completely captive will endure innumerable evils in
order to keep a secure hold upon it, even to the extent of using
flattery, or submitting to something base and ignoble, or expending
large sums of money. For I will not now speak of the murders with
which some have filled the Churches, or the desolation which they have
brought upon cities in contending for the dignity, lest some persons
should think what I say incredible. But I am of opinion one ought to
exercise so much caution in the matter, as to shun the burden of the
office, and when one has entered upon it, not to wait for the judgment
of others should any fault be committed which warrants deposition, but
to anticipate it by ejecting oneself from the dignity; for thus one
might probably win mercy for himself from God: but to cling to it in
defiance of propriety is to deprive oneself of all forgiveness, or
rather to kindle the wrath of God, by adding a second error more
offensive than the first.
11. But no one will always endure the strain; for fearful, truly
fearful is the eager desire after this honor. And in saying this I am
not in opposition to the blessed Paul, but in complete harmony with
his words. For what says he? "If any than desireth the office of a
bishop, he desireth a good work." Now I have not said that it is a
terrible thing to desire the work, but only the authority and power.
And this desire I think one ought to expel from the soul with all
possible earnestness, not permitting it at the outset to be possessed
by such a feeling, so that one may be able to do everything with
freedom. For he who does not desire to be exhibited in possession of
this authority, does not fear to be deposed from it, and not fearing
this will be able to do everything with the freedom which becomes
Christian men: whereas they who fear and tremble lest they should be
deposed undergo a bitter servitude, filled with all kinds of evils,
and are often compelled to offend against both God and man. Now the
soul ought not to be affected in this way; but as in warfare we see
those soldiers who are noble-spirited fight willingly and fall
bravely, so they who have attained to this stewardship should be
contented to be consecrated to the dignity or removed from it, as
becomes Christian men, knowing that deposition of this kind brings its
reward no less than the discharge of the office. For when any one
suffers anything of this kind, in order to avoid submitting to
something which is unbecoming or unworthy of this dignity, he procures
punishment for those who wrongfully depose him, and a greater reward
for himself. "Blessed," says our Lord, "are ye when men shall
revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against
you falsely for my sake; rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is
your reward in Heaven." And this, indeed, is the case when any one
is expelled by those of his own rank either on account of envy, with a
view to the favor of others, or through hatred, or from any other
wrong motive: but when it is the lot of any one to experience this
treatment at the hand of opponents, I do not think a word is needed to
prove what great gain they confer upon him by their wickedness.
It behoves us, then, to be on the watch on all sides, and to make a
careful search lest any spark of this desire should be secretly
smouldering somewhere. For it is much to be wished that those who are
originally free from this passion, should also be able to avoid it when
they have lighted upon this office. But if any one, before he obtains
the honor, cherishes in himself this terrible and savage monster, it
is impossible to say into what a furnace he will fling himself after he
has attained it. Now I possessed this desire in a high degree (and
do not suppose that I would ever tell you what was untrue in
self-disparagement): and this, combined with other reasons, alarmed
me not a little, and induced me to take flight. For just as lovers of
the human person, as long as they are permitted to be near the objects
of their affection, suffer more severe torment from their passion, but
when they remove as far as possible from these objects of desire, they
drive away the frenzy: even so when those who desire this dignity are
near it, the evil becomes intolerable: but when they cease to hope for
it, the desire is extinguished together with the expectation.
12. This single motive then is no slight one: and even taken by
itself it would have sufficed to deter me from this dignity: but, as
it is, another must be added not less than the former. And what is
this? A priest ought to be sober minded, and penetrating in
discernment, and possessed of innumerable eyes in every direction, as
one who lives not for himself alone but for so great a multitude. But
that I am sluggish and slack, and scarcely able to bring about my own
salvation, even you yourself would admit, who out of love to me art
especially eager to conceal my faults. Talk not to me in this
connexion of fasting, and watching, or sleeping on the ground, and
other hard discipline of the body: for you know how defective I am in
these matters: and even if they had been carefully practised by me they
could not with my present sluggishness have been of any service to me
with a view to this post of authority. Such things might be of great
service to a man who was shut up in a cell, and caring only for his own
concerns: but when a man is divided among so great a multitude, and
enters separately into the private cares of those who are under his
direction, what appreciable help can be given to their improvement
unless he possesses a robust and exceedingly vigorous character?
13. And do not be surprised if, in connexion with such endurance,
I seek another test of fortitude in the soul. For to be indifferent
to food and drink and a soft bed, we see is to many no hard task,
especially at least to such as are of a rough habit of life and have
been brought up in this way from early youth, and to many others also;
bodily discipline and custom softening the severity of these laborious
practices: but insult, and abuse, and coarse language, and gibes
from inferiors,whether wantonly or justly uttered, and rebukes vainly
and idly spoken both by rulers and the ruled--this is what few can
bear, in fact only one or two here and there; and one may see men,
who are strong in the former exercises, so completely upset by these
things, as to become more furious than the most savage beasts. Now
such men especially we should exclude from the precincts of the
priesthood. For if a prelate did not loathe food, or go barefoot, no
harm would be done to the common interests of the Church; but a
furious temper causes great disasters both to him who possesses it, and
to his neighbours. And there is no divine threat against those who
fail to do the things referred to, but hell and hell-fire are
threatened against those who are angry without a cause. As then the
lover of vainglory, when he takes upon him the government of numbers,
sup plies additional fuel to the fire, so he who by himself, or in the
company of a few, is unable to control his anger, but readily carried
away by it, should he be entrusted with the direction of a whole
multitude, like some wild beast goaded on all sides by countless
tormentors, would never be able to live in tranquillity himself, and
would cause incalculable mischief to those who have been committed to
his charge.
14. For nothing clouds the purity of the reason, and the
perspicuity of the mental vision so much as undisciplined wrath,
rushing along with violent impetuosity. "For wrath," says one,
"destroys even the prudent." For the eye of the soul being darkened
as in some nocturnal battle is not able to distinguish friends from
foes, nor the honorable from the unworthy, but handles them all in
turn in the same way; even if some harm must be suffered, readily
enduring everything, in order to satisfy the pleasure of the soul.
For the fire of wrath is a kind of pleasure, and tyrannizes over the
soul more harshly than pleasure, completely upsetting its healthy
organization. For it easily impels men to arrogance, and unseasonable
enmities, and unreasonable hatred, and it continually makes them ready
to commit wanton and vain offences; and forces them to say and do many
other things of that kind, the soul being swept along by the rush of
passion, and having nothing on which to fasten its strength and resist
so great an impulse.
BASIL: I will not endure this irony of yours any longer: for who
knows not how far removed you are from this infirmity?
CHRYSOSTOM: Why then, my good friend, do you wish to bring
me near the pyre, and to provoke the wild beast when he is tranquil?
Are you not aware that I have achieved this condition, not by any
innate virtue, but by my love of retirement? and that when one who is
so constituted remains contented by himself, or only associates with
one or two friends, he is able to escape the fire which arises from
this passion, but not if he has plunged into the abyss of all these
cares? for then he drags not only himself but many others with him to
the brink of destruction, and renders them more indifferent to all
consideration for mildness. For the mass of people under government
are generally inclined to regard the manners of those who govern as a
kind of model type, and to assimilate themselves to them. How then
could any one put a stop to their fury when he is swelling himself with
rage? And who amongst the multitude would straightway desire to become
moderate when he sees the ruler irritable? For it is quite impossible
for the defects of priests to be concealed, but even trifling ones
speedily become manifest. So an athlete, as long as he remains at
home, and contends with no one, can dissemble his weakness even if it
be very great, but when he strips for the contest he is easily
detected. And thus for some who live this private and inactive life,
their isolation serves as a veil to hide their defects; but when they
have been brought into public they are compelled to divest themselves of
this mantle of seclusion, and to lay bare their souls to all through
their visible movements. As therefore their right deeds profit many,
by provoking them to equal zeal, so their shortcomings make men more
indifferent to the practice of virtue, and encourage them to indolence
in their endeavours after what is excellent. Wherefore his soul ought
to gleam with beauty on every side, that it may be able to gladden and
to enlighten the souls of those who behold it. For the faults of
ordinary men, being committed as it were in the dark, ruin only those
who practise them: but the errors of a man in a conspicuous position,
and known to many, inflicts a common injury upon all, rendering those
who have fallen more supine in their efforts for good, and driving to
desperation those who wish to take heed to themselves. And apart from
these things, the faults of insignificant men, even if they are
exposed, inflict no injury worth speaking of upon any one: but they
who occupy the highest seat of honor are in the first place plainly
visible to all, and if they err in the smallest matters these trifles
seem great to others: for all men measure the sin, not by the
magnitude of the offence, but by the rank of the offender. Thus the
priest ought to be protected on all sides by a kind of adamantine
armour, by intense earnestness, and perpetual watchfulness concerning
his manner of life, lest some one discovering an exposed and neglected
spot should inflict a deadly wound: for all who surround him are ready
to smite and overthrow him: not enemies only and adversaries, but many
even of those who profess friendship.
The souls therefore of men elected to the priesthood ought to be endued
with such power as the grace of God bestowed on the bodies of those
saints who were cast into the Babylonian furnace. Faggot and pitch
and tow are not the fuel of this fire, but things far more dreadful:
for it is no material fire to which they are subjected, but the
all-devouring flame of envy encompasses them, rising up on every
side, and assailing them, and putting their life to a more searching
test than the fire then was to the bodies of those young men. When
then it finds a little trace of stubble, it speedily fastens upon it;
and this unsound part it entirely consumes, but all the rest of the
fabric, even if it be brighter than the sunbeams, is scorched and
blackened by the smoke. For as long as the life of the priest is well
regulated in every direction, it is invulnerable to plots; but if he
happens to overlook some trifle, as is natural in a human being,
traversing the treacherous ocean of this life, none of his other good
deeds are of any avail in enabling him to escape the mouths of his
accusers; but that little blunder overshadows all the rest. And all
men are ready to pass judgment on the priest as if he was not a being
clothed with flesh, or one who inherited a human nature, but like an
angel, and emancipated from every species of infirmity. And just as
all men fear and flatter a tyrant as long as he is strong, because they
cannot put him down, but when they see his affairs going adversely,
those who were his friends a short time before abandon their
hypocritical respect, and suddenly become his enemies and antagonists,
and having discovered all his weak points, make an attack upon him,
and depose him from the government; so is it also in the case of
priests. Those who honored him and paid court to him a short time
before, while he was strong, as soon as they have found some little
handle eagerly prepare to depose him, not as a tyrant only, but
something far more dreadful than that. And as the tyrant fears his
body guards, so also does the priest dread most of all his neighbours
and fellow-ministers. For no others covet his dignity so much, or
know his affairs so well as these; and if anything occurs, be ing near
at hand, they perceive it before others, and even if they slander
him, can easily command belief, and, by magnifying trifles, take
their victim captive. For the apostolic saying is reversed, "whether
one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be
honored, all the members rejoice with it;" unless indeed a man should
be able by his great discretion to stand his ground against everything.
Are you then for sending me forth into so great a warfare? and did you
think that my soul would be equal to a contest so various in character
and shape? Whence did you learn this, and from whom? If God
certified this to you, show me the oracle, and I obey; but if you
cannot, and form your judgment from human opinion only, please to set
yourself free from this delusion. For in what concerns my own affairs
it is fairer to trust me than others; inasmuch as "no man knoweth the
things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him." That I
should have made myself and my electors ridiculous, had I accepted
this office, and should with great loss have returned to this condition
of life in which I now am, I trust I have now convinced you by these
remarks, if not before. For not malice only, but something much
stronger--the lust after this dignity--is wont to arm many against
one who possesses it. And just as avaricious children are oppressed by
the old age of their parents, so some of these, when they see the
priestly office held by any one for a protracted time--since it would
be wickedness to destroy him--hasten to depose him from it, being all
desirous to take his place, and each expecting that the dignity will be
transferred to himself.
15. Would you like me to show you yet another phase of this strife,
charged with innumerable dangers? Come, then, and take a peep at the
public festivals when it is generally the custom for elections to be
made to ecclesiastical dignities, and you will then see the priest
assailed with accusations as numerous as the people whom he rules. For
all who have the privilege of conferring the honor are then split into
many parties; and one can never find the council of elders of one mind
with each other, or about the man who has won the prelacy; but each
stands apart from the others, one preferring this man, another that.
Now the reason is that they do not all look to one thing, which ought
to be the only object kept in view, the excellence of the character;
but other qualifications are alleged as recommending to this honor; for
instance, of one it is said, "let him be elected because he belongs
to an illustrious family," of another "because he is possessed of
great wealth, and would not need to be supported out of the revenues of
the Church," of a third "because he has come over from the camp of
the adversary;" one is eager to give the preference to a man who is on
terms of intimacy with himself, another to the man who is related to
him by birth, a third to the flatterer, but no one will look to the
man who is really qualified, or make some test of his character. Now
I am so far from thinking these things trustworthy criteria of a man's
fitness for the priesthood, that even if any one manifested great
piety, which is no small help in the discharge of that office, I
should not venture to approve him on that account alone, unless he
happened to combine good abilities with his piety. For I know many
men who have exercised perpetual restraint upon themselves, and
consumed themselves with fastings, who, as long as they were suffered
to be alone, and attend to their own concerns, have been acceptable to
God, and day by day have made no small addition to this kind of
learning; but as soon as they entered public life, and were compelled
to correct the ignorance of the multitude, have, some of them, proved
from the outset incompetent for so great a task, and others when forced
to persevere in it, have abandoned their former strict way of living,
and thus inflicted great injury on themselves without profiting others
at all. And if any one spent his whole time in the lowest rank of the
ministry, and reached extreme old age, I would not, merely out of
reverence for his years, promote him to the higher dignity; for what
if, after arriving at that time of life, he should still remain unfit
for the office? And I say this now, not as wishing to dishonor the
grey head, nor as laying down a law absolutely to exclude from this
authority those who come from the monastic circle (for there are
instances of many who issued from that body, having shone conspicuously
in this dignity); but the point which I am anxious to prove is, that
if neither piety of itself, nor advanced age, would suffice to show
that a man who had obtained the priesthood really deserved it, the
reasons formerly alleged would scarcely effect this. There are also
men who bring forward other pretexts yet more absurd; for some are
enrolled in the ranks of the clergy, that they may not range themselves
among opponents, and others on account of their evil disposition, lest
they should do great mischief if they are overlooked. Could anything
be more contrary to right rule than this? that bad men, laden with
iniquity, should be courted on account of those things for which they
ought to be punished, and ascend to the priestly dignity on account of
things for which they ought to be debarred from the very threshold of
the Church. Tell me, then, shall we seek any further the cause of
God's wrath when we expose things so holy and awful to be defiled by
men who are either wicked or worthless? for when some men are entrusted
with the administration of things which are not at all suitable to
them, and others of things which exceed their natural power, they make
the condition of the Church like that of Euripus.
Now formerly I used to deride secular rulers, because in the
distribution of their honors they are not guided by considerations of
moral excellence, but of wealth, and seniority, and human
distinction; but when I heard that this kind of folly had forced its
way into our affairs also, I no longer regarded their conduct as so
atrocious. For what wonder is it that worldly men, who love the
praise of the multitude, and do everything for the sake of gain,
should commit these sins, when those who affect at least to be free
from all these influences are in no wise better disposed than they, but
although engaged in a contest for heavenly things, act as if the
question submitted for decision was one which concerned acres of land,
or something else of that kind? for they take commonplace men
off-hand, and set them to preside over those things, for the sake of
which the only begotten Son of God did not refuse to empty Himself of
His glory and become man, and take the form of a servant, and be spat
upon, and buffeted, and die a death of reproach in the flesh. Nor do
they stop even here, but add to these offences others still more
monstrous; for not only do they elect unworthy men, but actually expel
those who are well qualified. As if it were necessary to ruin the
safety of the Church on both sides, or as if the former provocation
were not sufficient to kindle the wrath of God, they have contrived
yet another not less pernicious. For I consider it as atrocious to
expel the useful men as to force in the useless. And this in fact
takes place, so that the flock of Christ is unable to find consolation
in any direction, or draw its breath freely. Now do not such deeds
deserve to be punished by ten thousand thunder-bolts, and a hell-fire
hotter than that with which we are threatened [in Holy Scripture]?
Yet these monstrous evils are borne with by Him who willeth not the
death of a sinner, that he may be converted and live. And how can one
sufficiently marvel at His lovingkindness, and be amazed at His
mercy? They who belong to Christ destroy the property of Christ more
than enemies and adversaries, yet the good Lord still deals gently
with them, and calls them to repentance. Glory be to Thee, O
Lord! Glory to Thee! How vast is the depth of Thy
lovingkindness! how great the riches of Thy forbearance! Men who on
account of Thy name have risen from insignificance and obscurity to
positions of honor and distinction, use the honor they enjoy against
Him who has bestowed it, do deeds of outrageous audacity, and insult
holy things, rejecting and expelling men of zeal in order that the
wicked may ruin everything at their pleasure in much security, and with
the utmost fearlessness. And if you would know the causes of this
dreadful evil, you will find that they are similar to those which were
mentioned before; for they have one root and mother, so to
say--namely, envy; but this is manifested in several different
forms: For one we are told is to be struck out of the list of
candidates, because he is young; another because he does not know how
to flatter; a third because he has offended such and such a person; a
fourth lest such and such a man should be pained at seeing one whom he
has presented rejected, and this man elected; a fifth because he is
kind and gentle; a sixth because he is formidable to the sinful; a
seventh for some other like reason; for they are at no loss to find as
many pretexts as they want, and can even make the abundance of a man's
wealth an objection when they have no other. Indeed they would be
capable of discovering other reasons, as many as they wish, why a man
ought not to be brought suddenly to this honor, but gently and
gradually. And here I should like to ask the question, "What,
then, is the prelate to do, who has to contend with such blasts? How
shall he hold his ground against such billows? How shall he repel all
these assaults?"
For if he manages the business upon upright principles, all those who
are enemies and adversaries both to him and to the candidates do
everything with a view to contention, provoking daily strife, and
heaping infinite scorn upon the candidates, until they have got them
struck off the list, or have introduced their own favorites. In fact
it is just as if some pilot had pirates sailing with him in his ship,
perpetually plotting every hour against him, and the sailors, and
marines. And if he should prefer favor with such men to his own
salvation, accepting unworthy candidates, he will have God for his
enemy in their stead; and what could be more dreadful than that? And
yet his relations with them will be more embarrassing than formerly, as
they will all combine with each other, and thereby become more powerful
than before. For as when fierce winds coming from opposite directions
clash with one another, the ocean, hitherto calm, becomes suddenly
furious and raises its crested waves, destroying those who are sailing
over it, so also when the Church has admitted corrupt men, its once
tranquil surface is covered with rough surf and strewn with shipwrecks.
16. Consider, then, what kind of man he ought to be who is to hold
out against such a tempest, and to manage skillfully such great
hindrances to the common welfare; for he ought to be dignified yet free
from arrogance, formidable yet kind, apt to command yet sociable,
impartial yet courteous, humble yet not servile, strong yet gentle,
in order that he may contend successfully against all these
difficulties. And he ought to bring forward with great authority the
man who is properly qualified for the office, even if all should oppose
him, and with the same authority to reject the man who is not so
qualified, even if all should conspire in his favor, and to keep one
aim only in view, the building up of the Church, in nothing actuated
either by enmity or favor. Well, do you now think that I acted
reasonably in declining the ministry of this office? But I have not
even yet gone through all my reasons with you; for I have some others
still to mention. And do not grow impatient of listening to a friendly
and sincere man, who wishes to clear himself from your accusations;
for these statements are not only serviceable for the defence which you
have to make on my behalf, but they will also prove of no small help
for the due administration of the office. For it is necessary for one
who is going to enter upon this path of life to investigate all matters
thoroughly well, before he sets his hand to the ministry. Do you ask
why? Because one who knows all things clearly will have this
advantage, if no other, that he will not feel strange when these
things befall him. Would you like me then to approach the question of
superintending widows, first of all, or of the care of virgins, or
the difficulty of the judicial function. For in each of these cases
there is a different kind of anxiety, and the fear is greater than the
anxiety.
Now in the first place, to start from that subject which seems to be
simpler than the others, the charge of widows appears to cause anxiety
to those who take care of them only so far as the expenditure of money
is concerned; but the case is otherwise, and here also a careful
scrutiny is needed, when they have to be enrolled, for infinite
mischief has been caused by putting them on the list without due
discrimination. For they have ruined households, and severed
marriages, and have often been detected in thieving and pilfering and
unseemly deeds of that kind. Now that such women should be supported
out of the Church's revenues provokes punishment from God, and
extreme condemnation among men, and abates the zeal of those who wish
to do good. For who would ever choose to expend the wealth which he
was commanded to give to Christ upon those who defame the name of
Christ? For these reasons a strict and curate scrutiny ought to be
made so as to prevent the supply of the indigent being wasted, not only
by the women already mentioned, but also by those who are able to
provide for themselves. And this scrutiny is succeeded by no small
anxiety of another kind, to ensure an abundant and unfailing stream of
supply as from a fountain; for compulsory poverty is an insatiable kind
of evil, querulous and ungrateful. And great discretion and great
zeal is required so as to stop the mouths of complainers, depriving
them of every excuse. Now most men, when they see any one superior to
the love of money, forthwith represent him as well qualified for this
stewardship. But I do not think that this greatness of soul is ever
sufficient of itself, although it ought to be possessed prior to all
other qualities; for without this a man would be a destroyer rather
than a protector, a wolf instead of a shepherd; nevertheless,
combined with this, the possession of another quality also should be
demanded. And this quality is forbearance, the cause of all good
things in men, impelling as it were and conducting the soul into a
serene haven. For widows are a class who, both on account of their
poverty, their age and natural dispo sition, indulge in unlimited
freedom of speech (so I had best call it); and they make an
unseasonable clamor and idle complaints and lamentations about matters
for which they ought to be grateful, and bring accusations concerning
things which they ought contentedly to accept. Now the superintendent
should endure all these things in a generous spirit, and not be
provoked either by their unreasonable annoyance or their unreasonable
complaints. For this class of persons deserve to be pitied for their
misfortunes, not to be insulted; and to trample upon their
calamities, and add the pain of insult to that which poverty brings,
would be an act of extreme brutality. On this account one of the
wisest of men, having regard to the avarice and pride of human nature,
and considering the nature of poverty and its terrible power to depress
even the noblest character, and induce it often to act in these same
respects without shame, in order that a man should not be irritated
when accused, nor be provoked by continual importunity to become an
enemy where he ought to bring aid, he instructs him to be affable and
accessible to the suppliant, saying, "Incline thine ear to a poor
man and give him a friendly answer with meekness." And passing by the
case of one who succeeds in exasperating (for what can one say to him
who is overcome?), he addresses the man who is able to bear the
other's infirmity, exhorting him before he bestows his gift to correct
the suppliant by the gentleness of his countenance and the mildness of
his words. But if any one, although he does not take the property
(of these widows), nevertheless loads them with innumerable
reproaches, and insults them, and is exasperated against them, he not
only fails through his gift to alleviate the despondency produced by
poverty, but aggravates the distress by his abuse. For although they
may be compelled to act very shamelessly through the necessity of
hunger, they are nevertheless distressed at this compulsion. When,
then, owing to the dread of famine, they are constrained to beg, and
owing to their begging are constrained to put off shame, and then again
on account of their shamelessness are insulted, the power of
despondency becoming of a complex kind, and accompanied by much gloom,
settles down upon the soul. And one who has the charge of these
persons ought to be so long- suffering, as not only not to increase
their despondency by his fits of anger, but also to remove the greater
part of it by his exhortation. For as the man who has been insulted,
although he is in the enjoyment of great abundance, does not feel the
advantage of his wealth, on account of the blow which he has received
from the insult; so on the other hand, the man who has been addressed
with kindly words, and for whom the gift has been accompanied with
encouragement, exults and rejoices all the more, and the thing given
becomes doubled in value through the manner in which it is offered.
And this I say not of myself, but borrow from him whose precept I
quoted just now: "My son, blemish not thy good deeds, neither use
uncomfortable words when thou givest anything. Shall not the dew
assuage the heat? So is a word better than a gift. Lo! is not a
word better than a gift? but both are with a gracious man."
But the superintendent of these persons ought not only to be gentle and
forbearing, but also skillful in the management of property; for if
this qualification is wanting, the affairs of the poor are again
involved in the same distress. One who was entrusted not long ago with
this ministry, and got together a large hoard of money, neither
consumed it himself, nor expended it with a few exceptions upon those
who needed it, but kept the greater part of it buried in the earth
until a season of distress occurred, when it was all surrendered into
the bands of the enemy. Much forethought, therefore, is needed,
that the resources of the Church should be neither over abundant, nor
deficient, but that all the supplies which are provided should be
quickly distributed among those who require them, and the treasures of
the Church stored up in the hearts of those who are under her rule.
Moreover, in the reception of strangers, and the care of the sick,
consider how great an expenditure of money is needed, and how much
exactness and discernment on the part of those who preside over these
matters. For it is often necessary that this expenditure should be
even larger than that of which I spoke just now, and that he who
presides over it should combine prudence and wisdom with skill in the
art of supply, so as to dispose the affluent to be emulous and
ungrudging in their gifts, lest while providing for the relief of the
sick, he should vex the souls of those who supply their wants. But
earnestness and zeal need to be displayed here in a far higher degree;
for the sick are difficult creatures to please, and prone to languor;
and unless great accuracy and care are used, even a slight oversight is
enough to do the patient great mischief.
17. But in the care of virgins, the fear is greater in proportion
as the possession is more precious, and this flock is of a nobler
character than the others. Already, indeed, even into the band of
these holy ones, an infinite number of women have rushed full of
innumerable bad qualities; and in this case our grief is greater than
in the other; for there is just the same difference between a virgin
and a widow going astray, as between a free-born damsel and her
handmaid. With widows, indeed, it has become a common practice to
trifle, and to rail at one another, to flatter or to be impudent, to
appear everywhere in public, and to perambulate the market-place.
But the virgin has striven for nobler aims, and eagerly sought the
highest kind of philosophy, and professes to exhibit upon earth the
life which angels lead, and while yet in the flesh proposes to do deeds
which belong to the incorporeal powers. Moreover, she ought not to
make numerous or unnecessary journeys, neither is it permissible for
her to utter idle and random words; and as for abuse and flattery, she
should not even know them by name. On this account she needs the most
careful guardianship, and the greater assistance. For the enemy of
holiness is always surprising and lying in wait for these persons,
ready to devour any one of them if she should slip and fall; many men
also there are who lay snares for them; and besides all these things
there is the passionateness of their own human nature, so that,
speaking generally, the virgin has to equip herself for a twofold war,
one which attacks her from without, and the other which presses upon
her from within. For these reasons he who has the superintendence of
virgins suffers great alarm, and the danger and distress is yet
greater, should any of the things which are contrary to his wishes
occur, which God forbid. For if a daughter kept in seclusion is a
cause of sleeplessness to her father, his anxiety about her depriving
him of sleep, where the fear is so great lest she should be childless,
or pass the flower of her age (unmarried), or be hated (by her
husband), what will he suffer whose anxiety is not concerned with any
of these things, but others far greater? For in this, case it is not
a man who is rejected, but Christ Himself, nor is this barrenness
the subject merely of reproach, but the evil ends in the destruction of
the soul; "for every tree," it is said, "which bringeth not forth
good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire." And for one who
has been repudiated by the divine Bridegroom, it is not sufficient to
receive a certificate of divorce and so to depart, but she has to pay
the penalty of everlasting punishment. Moreover, a father according
to the flesh has many things which make the custody of his daughter
easy; for the mother, and nurse, and a multitude of handmaids share
in helping the parent to keep the maiden safe. For neither is she
permitted to be perpetually hurrying into the market-place, nor when
she does go there is she compelled to show herself to any of the
passers-by, the evening darkness concealing one who does not wish to
be seen no less than the walls of the house. And apart from these
things, she is relieved from every cause which might otherwise compel
her to meet the gaze of men; for no anxiety about the necessaries of
life, no menaces of oppressors, nor anything of that kind reduces her
to this unfortunate necessity, her father acting in her stead in all
these matters; while she herself has only one anxiety, which is to
avoid doing or saying anything unworthy the modest conduct which becomes
her. But in the other case there are many things which make the
custody of the virgin difficult, or rather impossible for the father;
for he could not have her in his house with himself, as dwelling
together in that way would be neither seemly nor safe. For even if
they themselves should suffer no loss, but continue to preserve their
innocence unsullied, they would have to give an account for the souls
which they have offended, just as much as if they happened to sin with
one another. And it being impossible for them to live together, it is
not easy to understand the movements of the character, and to suppress
the impulses which are ill regulated, or train and improve those which
are better ordered and tuned. Nor is it an easy thing to interfere in
her habits of walking out; for her poverty and want of a guardian does
not permit him to become an exact investigator of the propriety of her
conduct. For as she is compelled to manage all her affairs she has
many pretexts for going out, if at least she is not inclined to be
self-controlled. Now he who commands her to stay always at home ought
to cut off these pretexts, providing for her independence in the
necessaries of life, and giving her some woman who will see to the
management of these things. He must also keep her away from funeral
obsequies, and nocturnal festivals; for that artful serpent knows only
too well how to scatter his poison through the medium even of good
deeds. And the maiden must be fenced on every side, and rarely go out
of the house during the whole year, except when she is constrained by
inexorable necessity. Now if any one should say that none of these
things is the proper work of a bishop to take in hand, let him be
assured that the anxieties and the reasons concerning what takes place
in every case have to be referred to him. And it is far more expedient
that he should manage everything, and so be delivered from the
complaints which he must otherwise undergo on account of the faults of
others, than that he should abstain from the management, and then have
to dread being called to account for things which other men have done.
Moreover, he who does these things by himself, gets through them all
with great ease; but he who is compelled to do it by converting every
one's opinion does not get relief by being saved from working
single-handed, equivalent to the trouble and turmoil which he
experiences through those who oppose him and combat his decisions.
However, I could not enumerate all the anxieties concerned with the
care of virgins; for when they have to be entered on the list, they
occasion no small trouble to him who is entrusted with this business.
Again, the judicial department of the bishop's office involves
innumerable vexations, great consumption of time, and difficulties
exceeding those experienced by men who sit to judge secular affairs;
for it is a labor to discover exact justice, and when it is found, it
is difficult to avoid destroying it. And not only loss of time and
difficulty are incurred, but also no small danger. For ere now, some
of the weaker brethren having plunged into business, because they have
not obtained patronage have made shipwreck concerning the faith. For
many of those who have suffered wrong, no less than those who have
inflicted wrong, hate those who do not assist them, and they will not
take into account either the intricacy of the matters in question, or
the difficulty of the times, or the limits of sacerdotal authority, or
anything of that kind; but they are merciless judges, recognizing only
one kind of defence--release from the evils which oppress them. And
he who is unable to furnish this, although he may allege innumerable
excuses, will never escape their condemnation.
And talking of patronage, let me disclose another pretext for
fault-finding. For if the bishop does not pay a round of visits every
day, more even than the idle men about town, unspeakable offence
ensues. For not only the sick, but also the whole, desire to be
looked after, not that piety prompts them to this, but rather that in
most cases they pretend claims to honor and distinction. And if he
should ever happen to visit more constantly one of the richer and more
powerful men, under the pressure of some necessity, with a view to the
common benefit of the Church, he is immediately stigmatized with a
character for fawning and flattery. But why do I speak of patronage
and visiting? For merely from their mode of accosting persons,
bishops have to endure such a load of reproaches as to be often
oppressed and overwhelmed by despondency; in fact, they have also to
undergo a scrutiny of the way in which they use their eyes. For the
public rigorously criticize their simplest actions, taking note of the
tone of their voice, the cast of their countenance, and the degree of
their laughter. He laughed heartily to such a man, one will say, and
accosted him with a beaming face, and a clear voice, whereas to me he
addressed only a slight and passing remark. And in a large assembly,
if he does not turn his eyes in every direction when he is conversing,
the majority declare that his conduct is insulting.
Who, then, unless he is exceedingly strong, could cope with so many
accusers, so as either to avoid being indited altogether, or, if he
is indited, to escape? For he must either be without any accusers,
or, if this is impossible, purge himself of the accusations which are
brought against him; and if this again is not an easy matter, as some
men delight in making vain and wanton charges, he must make a brave
stand against the dejection produced by these complaints. He,
indeed, who is justly accused, may easily tolerate the accuser, for
there is no bitterer accuser than conscience; wherefore, if we are
caught first by this most terrible adversary, we can readily endure the
milder ones who are external to us. But he who has no evil thing upon
his conscience, when he is subjected to an empty charge, is speedily
excited to wrath, and easily sinks into dejection, unless he happens
to have practised beforehand how to put up with the follies of the
multitude. For it is utterly impossible for one who is falsely accused
without cause, and condemned, to avoid feeling some vexation and
annoyance at such great injustice.
And how can one speak of the distress which bishops undergo, whenever
it is necessary to cut some one off from the full communion of the
Church? Would indeed that the evil went no further than distress!
but in fact the mischief is not trifling. For there is a fear lest the
man, if he has been punished beyond what he deserves, should
experience that which was spoken of by the blessed Paul and "be
swallowed up by overmuch sorrow." The nicest accuracy, therefore,
is required in this matter also, lest what is intended to be profitable
should become to him an occasion of greater damage. For whatever sins
he may commit after such a method of treatment, the wrath caused by
each of them must be shared by the physician who so unskillfully applied
his knife to the wound. What severe punishment, then, must be
expected by one who has not only to render an account of the offences
which he himself has separately committed, but also incurs extreme
danger on account of the sins committed by others? For if we shudder
at undergoing judgment for our own misdeeds, believing that we shall
not be able to escape the fire of the other world, what must one expect
to suffer who has to answer for so many others? To prove the truth of
this, listen to the blessed Paul, or rather not to him, but to
Christ speaking in him, when he says "Obey them that have the rule
over you, and submit, for they watch for your souls as they that shall
give account." Can the dread of this threat be slight? It is
impossible to say: but these considerations are sufficient to convince
even the most incredulous and obdurate that I did not make this escape
under the influence of pride or vainglory, but merely out of fear for
my own safety, and consideration of the gravity of the office.
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