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1.BASIL heard this, and after a little pause thus replied:
If thou wert thyself ambitious of obtaining this office, thy fear
would have been reasonable; for in being ambitious of undertaking it,
a man confesses himself to be qualified for its administration, and if
he fail therein, after it has been entrusted to him, he cannot take
refuge in the plea of inexperience, for he has deprived himself of this
excuse beforehand, by having hurriedly seized upon the ministry, and
whoever willingly and deliberately enters upon it, can no longer say,
"I have sinned in this matter against my will-- and against my will
I have ruined such and such a soul;" for He who will one day judge
him, will say to him, "Since then thou wert conscious of such
inexperience, and hadst not ability for undertaking this matter without
incurring reproach, why wert thou so eager and presumptuous as to take
in hand what was so far beyond thy power? Who compelled thee to do
so? Didst thou shrink or fly, and did any one drag thee on by
force?" But thou wilt hear nothing like this, for thou canst have
nothing of this kind to condemn thyself for; and it is evident to all
that thou wert in no degree ambitious of this dignity, for the
accomplishment of the matter was due to the action of others. Hence,
circumstances which leave those who are ambitious of this office no
chance of pardon when they err therein, afford thee ample ground for
excuse.
CHRYSOSTOM: At this I shook my head and smiled a little,
admiring the simple-mindedness of the man, and thus addressed him: I
could wish indeed that matters were as thou sayest, most excellent of
men, but not in order that I might be able to accept that office from
which I lately fled. For if, indeed, no chastisement were to await
me for undertaking the care of the flock of Christ without
consideration and experience, yet to me it would be worse than all
punishment, after being entrusted with so great a charge, to have
seemed so base towards Him who entrusted me with it. For what
reason, then, did I wish that thou wert not mistaken in this opinion
of thine? truly for the sake of those wretched and unhappy beings (for
so must I call them, who have not found out how to discharge the
duties of this office well,though thou weft to say ten thousand times
over that they had been driven to undertake it, and that, therefore,
their errors therein are sins of ignorance)--for the sake, I say,
of such that they might succeed in escaping that unquenchable fire, and
the outer darkness and the worm that dieth not and the punishment of
being cut asunder, and perishing together with the hypocrites.
But what am I to do for thee? It is not as thou sayest; no, by no
means. And if thou wilt, I will give thee a proof of what I
maintain, from the case of a kingdom, which is not of such account
with God as the priesthood. Saul, that son of Kish, was not
himself at all ambitious of becoming a king, but was going in quest of
his asses, and came to ask the prophet about them. The prophet,
however, proceeded to speak to him of the kingdom, but not even then
did he run greedily after it, though he heard about it from a prophet,
but drew back and deprecated it, saying, "Who am I, and what is my
father's house." What then? When he made a bad use of the honor
which had been given him by God, were those words of his able to
rescue him from the wrath of Him who had made him king? And was he
able to say to Samuel, when rebuked by him: "Did I greedily run
and rush after the kingdom and sovereign power? I wished to lead the
undisturbed and peaceful life of ordinary men, but thou didst drag me
to this post of honor. Had I remained in my low estate I should
easily have escaped all these stumbling blocks, for were I one of the
obscure multitude, I should never have been sent forth on this
expedition, nor would God have committed to my hands the war against
the Amalekites, and if I had not had it committed to me, I should
not have sinned this sin." But all such arguments are weak as
excuses, and not only weak, but perilous, inasmuch as they rather
kindle the wrath of God. For he who has been promoted to great honor
by God, must not advance the greatness of his honor as an excuse for
his errors, but should make God's special favor towards him the
motive for further improvement; whereas he who thinks himself at
liberty to sin because he has obtained some uncommon dignity, what does
he but study to show that the lovingkindness of God is the cause of his
personal transgression, which is always the argument of those who lead
godless and careless lives. But we ought to be on no account thus
minded, nor to fall away into the insane folly of such people, but be
ambitious at all times to make the most of such powers as we have, and
to be reverent both in speech and thought.
For (to leave the kingdom and to come to the priesthood, which is the
more immediate subject of our discourse) neither was Eli ambitious of
obtaining his high office, yet what advantage was this to him when he
sinned therein? But why do I say obtain it? not even had he wished
could he have avoided it, because he was under a legal necessity to
accept it. For he was of the tribe of Levi, and was bound to
undertake that high office which descended to him from his forefathers,
notwithstanding which even he paid no small penalty for the lawlessness
of his sons. And the very first High Priest of the Jews,
concerning whom God spake so many words to Moses, when he was unable
to withstand alone the frenzy of so great a multitude, was he not very
nearly being destroyed, but for the intercession of his brother, which
averted the wrath of God? And since we have mentioned Moses, it
will be well to show the truth of what we are saying from what happened
to him. For this same saintly Moses was so far from grasping at the
leadership of the Jews as to deprecate the offer, and to decline it
when God commanded him to take it, and so to provoke the wrath of Him
who appointed him; and not only then, but afterwards when he entered
upon his rule, he would gladly have died to have been set free from
it: "Kill me," saith he, "if thou art going to deal thus with
me." But what then? when he sinned at the waters of strife, could
these repeated refusals be pleaded in excuse for him? Could they
prevail with God to grant him pardon? And wherefore was he deprived
of the promised land? for no other reason, as we all know, than for
this sin of his, for which that wondrous man was debarred from enjoying
the same blessings which those over whom he ruled obtained; but after
many labors and sufferings, after that unspeakable wandering, after so
many, battles fought and victories won, he died outside the land to
reach which he had undergone so much toil and trial; and though he had
weathered the storms of the deep, he failed to enjoy the blessings of
the haven after all. From hence then thou seest that not only they who
grasp at this office are left without excuse for the sins they commit in
the dis charge thereof, but they too who come to it through the
ambitious desire of others; for truly if those persons who have been
chosen for this high office by God himself, though they have never so
often refused it, have paid such heavy penalties, and if nothing has
availed to deliver any of them from this danger, neither Aaron nor
Eli, nor that holy man the Saint, the prophet, the wonder worker,
the meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth, who
spake with God, as a man speaketh unto his friend, hardly shall we
who fall so infinitely short of the excellence of that great man, be
able to plead as a sufficient excuse the consciousness that we have
never been ambitious of the dignity, more especially when many of the
ordinations now-a-days do not proceed from the grace of God, but are
due to human ambition. God chose Judas, and counted him one of the
sacred band, and committed to him, as to the rest, the dignity of the
apostolic office; yea he gave him somewhat beyond the others, the
stewardship of the money. But what of that? when he afterwards abused
both these trusts, betraying Him whom he was commissioned to preach,
and misapplying the money which he should have laid out well; did he
escape punishment? nay for this very reason he even brought upon
himself greater punishment, and very reasonably too. For we must not
use the high honors given to us by God so as to offend Him, but so as
to please Him better. But he who claims exemption from punishment
where it is due, because he has been exalted to higher honor than
others, acts very much like one of those unbelieving Jews, who after
hearing Christ say, "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they
had not had sin, "If I had not done among them the works which none
other did, they had not had sin," should reproach the Saviour and
benefactor of mankind by replying," Why, then, didst thou come and
speak? why didst thou work miracles? was it that thou mightest punish
us the more?" But these are the words of madness and of utter
senselessness. For the Great Physician came not to give thee over,
but to heal thee--not to pass thee by when thou wert sick, but to rid
thee entirely of disease. But thou hast of thine own accord withdrawn
thyself from his hands; receive therefore the sorer punishment. For
as thou wouldest have been freed from thy former maladies if thou hadst
yielded to his treatment, so if, when thou sawest him coming to thine
aid thou reddest from him, thou wilt no longer be able to cleanse
thyself of these infirmities, and as thou art unable, thou wilt both
suffer punishment for them, and also because for thy part thou madest
God's solicitude for thy good of none effect. Therefore we who act
like this are not subjected to the same torment after as before we
received honor at God's hands, but far severer torment after than
before. For he who has not become good even by being well treated,
deserves all the bitterer punishment. Since, then, this excuse of
thine has been shown to be weak, and not only fails to save those who
take refuge in it, but exposes them so much the more, we must provide
ourselves with some other means of safety.
BASIL: Tell me of what nature is that? since, as for me, I am
at present scarce master of myself, thou hast reduced me to such a
state of fear and trembling by what thou hast said.
CHRYSOSTOM: Do not, I beseech and implore thee, do not be
so downcast. For while there is safety for us who are weak, namely,
in not undertaking this office at all, there is safety for you too who
are strong, and this consists in making your hopes of salvation
depend, next to the grace of God, on avoiding every act unworthy of
this gift, and of God who gave it. For they certainly would be
deserving of the greatest punishment who, after obtaining this dignity
through their own ambition, should then either on account of sloth, or
wickedness, or even inexperience, abuse the office. Not that we are
to gather from this that there is pardon in store for those who have not
been thus ambitious. Yea, even they too are deprived of all excuse.
For in my judgment, if ten thousand were to entreat and urge, a man
should pay them no attention, but should first of all search his own
heart, and examine the whole matter carefully before yielding to their
importunities. Now no one would venture to undertake the building of a
house were he not an architect, nor will any one attempt the cure of
sick bodies who is not a skilled physician; but even though many urge
him, will beg off, and will not be ashamed to own his ignorance; and
shall he who is going to have the care of so many souls entrusted to
him, not examine himself beforehand? will he accept this ministry even
though he be the most inexperienced of men, because this one commands
him, or that man constrains him, or for fear of offending a third?
And if so, how will he escape casting himself together with them into
manifest misery.
Had he continued as he was, it were possible for him to be saved, but
now he involves others in his own destruction. For whence can he hope
for salvation? whence to obtain pardon? Who will then successfully
intercede for us? they who are now perhaps urging us and forcibly
dragging us on? But who will save these same at such a moment? For
even they too will stand in need in their turn of intercession, that
they may escape the fire. Now, that I say not these things to
frighten thee, but as representing the matter as in truth it is, hear
what the holy Apostle Paul saith to Timothy his disciple, his own
and beloved son, "Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker
of other men's sins." Dost thou not see from what great blame, yea
and vengeance, we, so far as in us lies, have delivered those who
were ready to put us forward for this office.
2. For as it is not enough for those who are chosen to say in excuse
for themselves, "I did not summon myself to this office, nor could
I avoid what I did not see beforehand;" so neither will it be a
sufficient plea for those who ordain them to say that they did not know
him who was ordained. The charge against them becomes greater on
account of their ignorance of him whom they brought forward, and what
seems to excuse them only serves to accuse them the more. For how
absurd a thing, is it not? that they who want to buy a slave, show
him to the physician, and require sureties for the sale, and
information about him from their neighbours, and after all this do not
yet venture on his purchase without asking for some time for a trial of
him; while they who are going to admit any one to so great an office as
this, give their testimonial and their sanction loosely and
carelessly, without further investigation, just because some one
wishes it, or to court the favor, or to avoid the displeasure of some
one else. Who shall then successfully intercede for us in that day,
when they who ought to defend us stand themselves in need of defenders?
He who is going to ordain, therefore, ought to make diligent
inquiry, and much more he who is to be ordained. For though they who
ordain him share his punishment, for any sins which he may commit in
his office, yet so far from escaping vengeance he will even pay a
greater penalty than they--save only if they who chose him acted from
some worldly motive contrary to what seemed justifiable to themselves.
For if they should be detected so doing, and knowing a man to be
unworthy have brought him forward on some pretext or other, the amount
of their punishment shall be equivalent to his, nay perhaps the
punishment shall be even greater for them who appointed the unfit man.
For he who gives authority to any one who is minded to destroy the
Church, would be certainly to blame for the outrages which that person
commits. But if he is guilty of no such thing, and says that he has
been misled by the opinions of others, even then he shall not
altogether remain unpunished, but his punishment shall be a little
lighter than his who has been ordained. What then? It is possible
that they who elect may come to the election deceived by a false
report. But he who is elected could not say, "I am ignorant of
myself," as others were of him. As one who will receive therefore a
sorer punishment than they who put him forward, so should he make his
scrutiny of himself more careful than that which they make of him; and
if they in ignorance drag him on, he ought to come forward and instruct
them carefully about any matters whereby he may stop their being
misled; and so having shown himself unworthy of trial may escape the
burden of so high an office.
For what is the reason why, in the arts of war, and merchandize, and
husbandry, and other departments of this life, when some plan is
proposed, the husbandman will not undertake to navigate the ship, nor
the soldier to till the ground, nor the pilot to lead an army, under
pain of ten thousand deaths? Is it not plainly this? that each
foresees the danger which would attend his incompetence? Well, where
the loss is concerned with trifles shall we use so much forethought,
and refuse to yield to the pressure of compulsion, but where the
punishment is eternal, as it is for those who know not how to handle
the Priesthood, shall we wantonly and inconsiderately run into so
great danger, and then advance, as our excuse, the pressing
entreaties of others? But He who one day will judge us will entertain
no such plea as this. For we ought to show far more caution in
spiritual matters than in carnal. But now we are not found exhibiting
as much caution. For tell me: if supposing a man to be an artificer,
when he is not so, we invited him to do a piece of work, and he were
to respond to the call, and then having set his hand to the material
prepared for the building, were to spoil the wood and spoil the stone,
and so to build the house that it straightway fell to pieces, would it
be sufficient excuse for
accord? in no wise; and very reasonably and justly so. For he ought
to have refused even at the call of others. So for the man who only
spoils wood and stone, there will be no escape from paying the
penalty, and is he who de stroys souls, and builds the temple of God
carelessly, to think that the compulsion of others is his warrant for
escaping punishment? Is not this very absurd? For I omit the fact
as yet that no one is able to compel the man who is unwilling. But be
it that he was subjected to excessive pressure and divers artful
devices, and then fell into a snare; will this therefore rescue him
from punishment? I beseech thee, let us not deceive ourselves, and
pretend that we know not what is obvious to a mere child. For surely
this pretence of ignorance will not be able to profit in the day of
reckoning. Thou wert not ambitious, thou sayest, of receiving this
high office, conscious of thine own weakness. Well and good. Then
thou oughtest, with the same mind, to have declined the solicitation
of others; or, when no one called thee, wast thou weak and
incapable, but when those were found ready to offer thee this dignity,
didst thou suddenly become competent? What ludicrous nonsense! worthy
of the extremest punishment. For this reason also the Lord counsels
the man who wishes to build a tower, not to lay the foundation before
he has taken his own ability to build into account, lest he should give
the passers by innumerable opportunities of mocking at him. But in his
case the penalty only consists in becoming a laughing-stock; while in
that before us the punishment is that of fire unquenchable, and of an
undying worm, gnashing of teeth, outer darkness, and being cut
asunder, and having a portion with the hypocrites.
But my accusers are unwilling to consider any of these things. For
otherwise they would cease to blame a person who is unwilling to perish
without cause. It is not the management of corn and barley, oxen or
sheep, that is now under our consideration, nor any such like
matters, but the very Body of Jesus. For the Church of Christ,
according to St. Paul, is Christ's Body, and he who is entrusted
with' its care ought to train it up to a state of healthiness, and
beauty unspeakable, and to look everywhere, lest any spot or wrinkle,
or other like blemish should mar its vigor and comeliness. For what is
this but to make it appear worthy, so far as human power can, of the
incorruptible and ever-blessed Head which is set over it? If they
who are ambitious of reaching an athletic condition of body need the
help of physicians and trainers, and exact diet, and constant
exercise, and a thousand other rules (for the omission of the merest
trifle upsets and spoils the whole), how shall they to whose lot falls
the care of the body, which has its conflict not against flesh and
blood, but against powers unseen, be able to keep it sound and
healthy, unless they far surpass ordinary human virtue, and are versed
in all healing proper for the soul?
3. Pray, art thou not aware that that body is subject to more
diseases and assaults than this flesh of ours, is more quickly
corrupted, and more slow to recover? and by those who have the healing
of these bodies, divers medicines have been discovered, and an
apparatus of different instruments, and diet suitable for the sick;
and often the condition of the atmosphere is of itself enough for the
recovery of a sick man; and there are instances of seasonable sleep
having saved the physician all further labor. But in the case before
us, it is impossible to take any of these things into consideration;
nay there is but one method and way of healing appointed, after we have
gone wrong, and that is, the powerful application of the Word. This
is the one instrument, the only diet, the finest atmosphere. This
takes the place of physic, cautery and cutting, and if it be needful
to sear and amputate, this is the means which we must use, and if this
be of no avail, all else is wasted; with this we both rouse the soul
when it sleeps, and reduce it when it is inflamed; with this we cut
off excesses, and fill up defects, and perform all manner of other
operations which are requisite for the soul's health. Now as regards
the ordering of our daily life for the best, it is true that the life
of another may provoke us to emulation. But in the matter of spurious
doctrine, when any soul is diseased thereby, then there is great need
of the Word, not only in view of the safety of our own people, but in
view of the enemy without. If, indeed, one had the sword of the
spirit, and the shield of faith, so as to be able to work miracles,
and by means of these marvels to stop the mouths of impudent
gainsayers, one would have little need of the assistance of the Word;
still in the days of miracles the Word was by no means useless, but
essentially necessary. For St. Paul made use of it himself,
although he was everywhere so great an object of wonder for this
miracles; and another of those who belonged to the "glorious company
of the Apostles" exhorts us to apply ourselves to acquiring this
power, when he says: "Be ready always to give an answer to every man
that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you," and they
all, with one accord, committed the care of the poor widows to
Stephen, for no other reason than that they themselves might have
leisure "for the ministry of the Word." To this we ought equally to
apply ourselves, unless indeed we are endued with a power of working
miracles. But if there is not the least sign of such a power being
left us, while on every side many enemies are constantly attacking us,
why then it necessarily follows that we should arm ourselves with this
weapon, both in order that we may not be wounded ourselves with the
darts of the enemy, and in order that we may wound him.
4. Wherefore it should be our ambition that the Word of Christ
dwell in us richly. For it is not for one kind of battle only that we
have to be prepared. This warfare is manifold, and is engaged with a
great variety of enemies; neither do all these use the same weapons,
nor do they practice the same method of attack; and he who has to join
battle with all, must needs know the artifices of all, and be at once
both archer and slinger, captain and general, in the ranks and in
command, on foot and on horseback, in sea-fight and in siege. In
common warfare, indeed, each man repels the enemy by discharging the
particular duty which he has undertaken. But here it is otherwise;
and if any one wishes to come off conqueror in this warfare, he must
understand all forms of the art, as the devil knows well how to
introduce his own assailants through any one spot which may happen to be
unguarded, and to carry off the sheep. But not so where he perceives
the shepherd coming equipped with accurate knowledge at all points, and
well acquainted with his plottings. Wherefore we ought to be
well-guarded in all parts: for a city, so long as it happens to be
surrounded with a wall, laughs to scorn the besiegers, abiding in
great security; but if any one makes a breach in the wall, though but
of the size of a gate, the rest of the circuit is of no use, although
the whole of it stand quite securely; so it is with the city of God:
so long as the presence of mind and wisdom of the shepherd, which
answers to the wall, protect it on all sides, all the enemy's devices
end in his confusion and ridicule, and they who dwell within the wall
abide unmolested, but wherever any one has been able to demolish a
single part, though the rest stand never so fast, through that breach
ruin will enter upon the whole. For to what purpose does a man contend
earnestly with the Greeks, if at the same time he becomes a prey to
the Jews? or get the better of both these and then fall into the
clutches of the Manichaeans? or after he has proved himself superior
to them even, if they who introduce fatalism enter in, and make havoc
of the flock? But not to enumerate all the heresies of the devil, it
will be enough to say that unless the shepherd is well skilled in
refuting them all, the wolf, by means of any one of them, can enter,
and devour the greater part of the flock. In ordinary warfare we must
always look for victory being won or defeat sustained by the soldiers
who are on the field of battle. But in the spiritual warfare the case
is quite different. For there it often happens that the combat with
one set of enemies secures a victory for others who never engaged in
battle at all, nor took any trouble, but were sitting still all the
while; and he who has not much experience in such occurrences will get
pierced, so to say, with his own sword, and become the
laughing-stock of friends and foes alike. I will try by an example to
make clear what I am saying. They who receive the wild doctrines of
Valentinus and Marcion, and of all whose minds are similarly
diseased, exclude the Law given by God to Moses from the catalogue
of the Divine Scriptures. But Jews so revere the Law, that
although the time has come which annuls it, they still contend for the
observance of all its contents, contrary to the purpose of God. But
the Church of God, avoiding either extreme, has trodden a middle
path, and is neither induced on the one hand to place herself under its
yoke, nor on the other does she tolerate its being slandered, but
commends it, though its day is over, because of its profitableness
while its season lasted. Now it is necessary for him who is going to
fight with both these enemies, to be fully conversant with this middle
course, For if in wishing to teach the Jews that they are out of date
in clinging to the old law, he begins to find fault with it
unsparingly, he gives no little handle to those heretics who wish to
pull it to pieces; and if in his ambition to stop their mouths he
extols it immoderately, and speaks of it with admiration, as necessary
for this present time, he unseals the lips of the Jews. Again they
who labor under the frenzy of Sabellius and the craze of Arius, have
both fallen from a sound faith for want of observing a middle course.
The name of Christian is applied to both these heretics; but if any
one examines their doctrines, he will find the one sect not much better
than the Jews, and differing from them only in name, and the other
very nearly holding the heresy of Paul of Samosata, and that both are
very wide of the truth.
Great, therefore, is the danger in such cases, and the way of
orthodoxy is narrow and hemmed in by threatening crags on either side,
and there is no little fear, test when intending to strike at one enemy
we should be wounded by the other. For if any one assert the unity of
the Godhead, Sabellius straightway turns that expression to the
advantage of his own mental vagary, and if he distinguish the
Persons, and say that the Father is one, and the Son another, and
the Holy Spirit a third, up gets Arius, ready to wrest that
distinction of Persons into a difference of substance; so we must turn
and flee both from the impious confounding of the Persons by the one,
and the senseless division of the substance by the other, confessing,
indeed, that the Godhead of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Ghost, is all one, while we add thereunto a Trinity of
Persons. For then we shall be able to fortify ourselves against the
attacks of both heretics. I might tell thee besides these, of several
other adversaries against which, except we contend bravely and
carefully, we shall leave the field covered with wounds.
5. Why should any one describe the silly chatter of our own people?
For these are not less than the attacks upon us from without, while
they give the teacher even more trouble. Some out of an idle curiosity
are rashly bent upon busying themselves about matters which are neither
possible for them to know, nor of any advantage to them if they could
know them. Others again demand from God an account of his judgments,
and force themselves to sound the depth of that abyss which is
unfathomable. "For thy judgments," saith the Scriptures, "are a
great deep," and about their faith and practice thou wouldest find few
of them anxious, but the majority curiously inquiring into matters
which it is not possible to discover, and the mere inquiry into which
provokes God.
For when we make a determined effort to learn what He does not wish us
to know, we fail to succeed (for how should we succeed against the
will of God?); and there only remains for us the danger arising from
our inquiry. Now, though this be the case, whenever any one
authoritatively stops the search, into such fathomless depths, he gets
himself the reputation of being proud and ignorant; so that at such
times much tact is needed on the Bishop's part, so as to lead his
people away from these unprofitable questions, and himself escape the
above-named censures. In short, to meet all these difficulties,
there is no help given but that of speech, and if any be destitute of
this power, the souls of those who are put under his charge (I mean
of the weaker and more meddlesome kind) are no better off than ships
continually storm tossed. So that the Priest should do all that in
him lies, to gain this means of strength.
6. BASIL: "Why, then, was not St. Paul ambitious of
becoming perfect in this art? He makes no secret of his poverty of
speech, but distinctly confesses himself to be unskilled, even telling
the Corinthians so, who were admired for their eloquence, and prided
themselves upon it."
CHRYSOSTOM: This is the very thing which has ruined many and
made them remiss in the study of true doctrine. For while they failed
to fathom the depths of the apostle's mind, and to understand the
meaning of his words, they passed all their time slumbering and
yawning, and paying respect not to that ignorance which St. Paul
acknowledges, but to a kind from which he was as free as any man ever
was in the world.
But leaving this subject to await our consideration, I say this much
in the meantime. Granting that St. Paul was in this respect as
unskilled as they would have him to be, what has that to do with the
men of to-day? For he had a greater power by far than power of
speech, power which brought about greater results too; which was that
his bare presence, even though he was silent, was terrible to the
demons. But the men of the present day, if they were all collected in
one place, would not be able, with infinite prayers and tears, to do
the wonders that once were done by the handkerchief of St. Paul. He
too by his prayers raised the dead, and wrought such other miracles,
that he was held to be a god by heathen; and before he was removed from
this life, he was thought worthy to be caught up as far as the third
heaven, and to share in such converse as it is not lawful for mortal
ears to hear. But the men of to-day--not that I would say anything
harsh or severe, for indeed I do not speak by way of insult to them,
but only in wonder--how is it that they do not shudder when they
measure themselves with so great a man as this? For if we leave the
miracles and turn to the life of this blessed saint, and look into his
angelic conversation, it is in this rather than in his miracles that
thou wilt find this Christian athlete a conqueror. For how can one
describe his zeal and forbearance, his constant perils, his continual
cares, and incessant anxiety for the Churches; his sympathy with the
weak, his many afflictions, his unwonted persecutions, his deaths
daily? Where is the spot in the world, where is the continent or
sea, that is a stranger to the labours of this righteous man? Even
the desert has known his presence, for it often sheltered him in time
of danger. For he underwent every species of attack, and achieved
every kind of victory, and there was never any end to his contests and
his triumphs.
Yet, all unawares, I have been led to do this man an injury. For
his exploits are beyond all powers of description, and beyond mine in
particular, just as the masters of eloquence surpass me.
Nevertheless, since that holy apostle will judge us, not by the
issue, but by the motive, I shall not forbear till I have stated one
more circumstance which surpasses anything yet mentioned, as much as he
himself surpasses all his fellow men. And what is this? After so
many exploits, after such a multitude of victories, he prayed that he
might go into hell, and be handed over to eternal punishment, if so be
that those Jews, who had often stoned him, and done what they could
to make away with him, might be saved, and come over to Christ. Now
who so longed for Christ? If, indeed, his feelings towards him
ought not to be described as something nobler than longing; shall we
then any more compare ourselves with this saint, after so great grace
was imparted to him from above, after so great virtue was manifested in
himself? What could be more presumptuous?
Now, that he was not so unskilled, as some count him to be, I shall
try to show in what follows. The unskilled person in men's estimation
is not only one who is unpracticed in the tricks of profane oratory,
but the man who is incapable of contending for the defence of the right
faith, and they are right. But St. Paul did not say that he was
unskilled in both these respects, but in one only; and in support of
this he makes a careful distinction, saying that he was "rude in
speech, but not in knowledge." Now were I to insist upon the polish
of Isocrates, the weight of Demosthenes, the dignity of
Thucydides, and the sublimity of Plato, in any one bishop, St.
Paul would be a strong evidence against me. But I pass by all such
matters and the elaborate ornaments of profane oratory; and I take no
account of style or of delivery; yea let a man's diction be poor and
his composition simple and unadorned, but let him not be unskilled in
the knowledge and accurate statement of doctrine; nor in order to
screen his own sloth, deprive that holy apostle of the greatest of his
gifts, and the sum of his praises.
7. For how was it, tell me, that he confounded the Jews which
dwelt at Damascus, though he had not yet begun to work miracles? How
was it that he wrestled with the Grecians and threw them? and why was
he sent to Tarsus? Was it not because he was so mighty and victorious
in the word, and brought his adversaries to such a pass that they,
unable to brook their defeat, were provoked to seek his life? At that
time, as I said, he had not begun to work miracles, nor could any
one say that the masses looked upon him with astonishment on account of
any glory belonging to his mighty works, or that they who contended
with him were overpowered by the force of public opinion concerning
him. For at this time he conquered by dint of argument only. How was
it, moreover, that he contended and disputed successfully with those
who tried to Judaize in Antioch? and how was it that that
Areopagite, an inhabitant of Athens, that most devoted of all cities
to the gods, followed the apostle, he and his wife? was it not owing
to the discourse which they heard? And when Eutychus fell from the
lattice, was it not owing to his long attendance even until midnight to
St. Paul's preaching? How do we find him employed at Thessalonica
and Corinth, in Ephesus and in Rome itself? Did he not spend whole
nights and days in interpreting the Scriptures in their order? and why
should any one recount his disputes with the Epicureans and Stoics.
For were we resolved to enter into every particular, our story would
grow to an unreasonable length.
When, therefore, both before working miracles, and after, St.
Paul appears to have made much use of argument, how can any one dare
to pronounce him unskillful whose sermons and disputations were so
exceedingly admired by all who heard them? Why did the Lycaonians
imagine that he was Hermes? The opinion that he and Barnabas were
gods indeed, arose out of the sight of their miracles; but the notion
that he was Hermes did not arise from this, but was a consequence of
his speech. In what else did this blessed saint excel the rest of the
apostles? and how comes it that up and down the world he is so much on
every one's tongue? How comes it that not merely among ourselves,
but also among Jews and Greeks, he is the wonder of wonders? Is it
not from the power of his epistles? whereby not only to the faithful of
to-day, but from his time to this, yea and up to the end, even the
appearing of Christ, he has been and will be profitable, and will
continue to be so as long as the human race shall last. For as a wall
built of adamant, so his writings fortify all the Churches of the
known world, and he as a most noble champion stands in the midst,
bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,
casting down imaginations, and every high thing which exalts itself
against the knowledge of God, and all this he does by those epistles
which he has left to us full of wonders and of Divine wisdom. For his
writings are not only useful to us, for the overthrow of false doctrine
and the confirmation of the true, but they help not a little towards
living a good life. For by the use of these, the bishops of the
present day fit and fashion the chaste virgin, which St. Paul
himself espoused to Christ, and conduct her to the state of spiritual
beauty; with these, too, they drive away from her the noisome
pestilences which beset her, and preserve the good health thus
obtained. Such are the medicines and such their efficacy left us by
this so-called unskillful man, and they know them and their power best
who constantly use them. From all this it is evident that St. Paul
had given himself to the study of which we have been speaking with great
diligence and zeal.
8. Hear also what he says in his charge to his disciple: "Give
heed to reading, to exhortation, to teaching," and he goes on to
show the usefulness of this by adding, "For in doing this thou shalt
save both thyself and them that hear thee." And again he says,
"The Lord's servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all,
apt to teach, forbearing;" and he proceeds to say, "But abide thou
in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of,
knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a babe thou hast
known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto
salvation," and again, "Every Scripture is inspired of God, and
also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction which is in righteousness, that the man of God may be
complete." Hear what he adds further in his directions to Titus
about the appointment of bishops. "The bishop," he says, "must be
holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that
he may be able to convict the gain-sayers." But how shall any one
who is unskillful as these men pretend, be able to convict the
gainsayers and stop their mouths? or what need is there to give
attention to reading and to the Holy Scriptures, if such a state of
unskillfulness is to be welcome among us? Such arguments are mere
makeshifts and pretexts, the marks of idleness and sloth. But some
one will say, "it is to the priests that these charges are
given:"--certainly, for they are the subjects of our discourse.
But that the apostle gives the same charge to the laity, hear what he
says in another epistle to other than the priesthood: "Let the word
of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom," and again, "Let your
speech be always with grace seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye
ought to answer each one," and there is a general charge to all that
they "be ready to" render an account of their faith, and to the
Thessalonians, he gives the following command: "Build each other
up, even as also ye do." But when he speaks of priests he says,
"Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor,
especially those who labor in the word, and in teaching." For this
is the perfection of teaching when the teachers both by what they do,
and by what they say as well, bring their disciples to that blessed
state of life which Christ appointed for them. For example alone is
not enough to instruct others. Nor do I say this of myself; it is
our Saviour's own word. "For whosoever shall do and teach them, he
shall be called great. Now if doing were the same as teaching, the
second word here would be superfluous; and it had been enough to have
said "whosoever shall do" simply. But now by distinguishing the
two, he shows that practice is one thing, and doctrine another, and
that each needs the help of the others in order to complete
edification. Thou hearest too what the chosen vessel of Christ says
to the Ephesian elders: "Wherefore watch ye, remembering that for
the space of three years, I ceased not to admonish every one, night
and day, with tears." But what need was there for his tears or for
admonition by word of mouth, while his life as an apostle was so
illustrious? His holy life might be a great inducement to men to keep
the commandments, yet I dare not say that it alone could accomplish
everything.
9. But when a dispute arises concerning matters of doctrine, and all
take their weapons from the same Scriptures, of what weight will any
one's life be able to prove? What then will be the good of his many
austerities, when after such painful exercises, any one from the
Priest's great unskillfulness in argument fall into heresy, and be
cut off from the body of the Church, a misfortune which I have myself
seen many suffering. Of what profit then will his patience be to to
him? None; no more than there will be in a sound faith if the life is
corrupt. Wherefore, for this reason more than for all others, it
concerns him whose office it is to teach others, to be experienced in
disputations of this kind. For though he himself stands safely, and
is unhurt by the gainsayers, yet the simple multitude under his
direction, when they see their leader defeated, and without any answer
for the gainsayers, will be apt to lay the blame of his discomfiture
not on his own weakness, but on the doctrines themselves, as though
they were faulty; and so by reason of the inexperience of one, great
numbers are brought to extreme ruin; for though they do not entirely go
over to the adversary, yet they are forced to doubt about matters in
which formerly they firmly believed, and those whom they used to
approach with unswerving confidence, they are unable to hold to any
longer steadfastly, but in consequence of their leader's defeat, so
great a storm settles down upon their souls, that the mischief ends in
their shipwreck altogether. But how dire is the destruction, and how
terrible the fire which such a leader brings upon his own wretched head
for every soul which is thus lost, thou wilt not need to learn from
me, as thou knowest all this perfectly.
Is this then pride, is this vainglory in me, to be unwilling to be
the cause of the destruction of so many souls? and of procuring for
myself greater punishment in the world to come, than that which now
awaits me there? Who would say so? surely no one, unless he should
wish to find fault where there is none, and to moralize over other
men's calamities.
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