On the Priesthood 2

That the priesthood is the greatest proof of love toward Christ. That it is, then, possible to use the power of deception even to a good end—or rather, that such a thing ought not even to be called deception, but a kind of wonderful stewardship—it was indeed possible to say more;

but since what has been said has proved sufficient for the demonstration, it would be tiresome and burdensome to add superfluous length to the discourse.

It would remain, then, for you to show whether we did not use this means for your benefit.

“And what benefit,” he says, “has come to us from this stewardship, or wisdom, or however you delight to call it, that we may be persuaded that

we have not been deceived by you?” JOHN: “And what gain,” said I, “could be greater than this—to be seen doing the very things which Christ Himself declared to be the proofs of love toward Christ? For conversing with the chief of the apostles, He says, ‘Peter, do you love Me?’;

and when he had confessed it, He adds:

‘If you love Me, feed My sheep.’ The teacher asks the disciple whether He is loved by him—not that He Himself might learn it (for how should He, who searches the hearts of all?), but that He might teach us how great is His concern for the oversight of these flocks.

And this being clear, that also will likewise be manifest: that a great and unspeakable reward is laid up for the one who labors over these things which Christ prizes so highly.

For if we, when we see any taking care of our servants or our flocks, set down their diligence toward those things as a sign of their love toward us—and yet all these things are purchasable with money—how great a gift will He, who purchased this flock not with money nor with any such thing, but with His own death, and gave His own blood as the price of the flock, repay to those who shepherd it? Therefore, when the disciple had said:

‘You know, Lord, that I love You,’ and had called as witness of his love the very One who was loved, the Savior did not stop at these words, but added also the sign of love.

For He did not then wish to show how much Peter loved Him—for this had already been made clear to us from many things—but how much He Himself loves His own Church; and He willed that both Peter and all of us should learn it, that we too might bring great zeal to bear upon these matters.

For why did God not spare His Son, His Only-begotten, but gave up the only one He had? In order that He might reconcile to Himself those who were hostilely disposed toward Him, and might make a peculiar people;

and why did He pour out His blood? That He might purchase these sheep which He entrusted to Peter and to those after him.

With good reason, then, and justly did Christ say:

‘Who then is the faithful and prudent servant whom his lord has set over his household?’ Again the words are those of one at a loss, yet He who uttered them did not utter them as one at a loss;

but just as, in asking Peter whether He was loved, He asked not because He needed to learn the disciple's longing, but because He wished to show the surpassing greatness of His own love, so also now in saying:

‘Who then is the faithful and prudent servant?’ He spoke not as ignorant of who the faithful and prudent man is, but as wishing to set forth the rarity of the thing and the greatness of this office.

See, at any rate, how great the prize is:

‘He will set him over all his possessions.’ Will you then still dispute with us that you have not been rightly deceived—you who are destined to be set over all the possessions of God, and to do those things which He said that even Peter, in doing them, would be able to surpass the rest of the apostles?

For He says, ‘Peter, do you love Me more than these?’ And yet it was possible to say to him:

‘If you love Me, practice fasting, sleeping on the ground, intense vigils; stand up for the wronged; be a father to orphans, and to their mother in place of a husband.’

But now, setting all these aside, what does He say? ‘Feed My sheep.’ Section 2.

That the ministry of this office is greater than the others. For those things which I mentioned before, many even of the ruled would be able to perform easily—not men only, but women too;

but when one must preside over the Church and be entrusted with the care of so many souls, let the whole female sex give way before the greatness of the matter, and the greater part of men as well.

Let there be brought into the midst those who far surpass all others in great measure, and who are as much loftier than the rest in virtue of soul as Saul was taller than the whole nation of the Hebrews in stature of body—or rather, much more so.

For let not the measure of a head and shoulders be sought here, but let the distance between the shepherd and

those who are shepherded be as great as the difference of rational human beings from the irrational beasts—that I may not say even more;

for indeed the danger is over things far greater.

For the one who loses sheep—whether wolves have seized them, or robbers have set upon them, or some pestilence or other mishap has befallen—might perhaps meet with some pardon from the lord of the flock;

and even if a penalty be exacted, the loss extends only as far as money.

But the one entrusted with men—the rational flock of Christ—first of all sustains the loss not in money, but in his own soul, for the perishing of the sheep.

That it requires a great and wondrous soul. Next, he also has a contest far greater and harder;

for his battle is not against wolves, nor does he dread on account of robbers, nor does he take thought how to drive off a pestilence from the flock.

But against whom is the war? With whom is the wrestling? Hear the blessed Paul saying:

‘Our wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the principalities, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.’ Do you see the dreadful multitude of enemies and the savage phalanxes—not clad in iron, but content with nature in place of all panoply? Do you wish to see yet another army, fierce and cruel, beleaguering this same flock? This too you shall behold from the same lookout;

for the same one who discoursed to us about those enemies points out to us these enemies also, saying somewhat thus:

‘Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are: fornication, adultery, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strifes, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, factions, slanders, whisperings, swellings of pride,’ and others more than these;

for he did not enumerate them all, but from these he left us to know the rest as well.

And in the case of the shepherd of irrational beasts, those who wish to destroy the flock, when they see the one in charge fleeing, abandon the fight against him and content themselves with the snatching of the cattle;

but here, even if they should take the whole flock, not even so do they desist from the shepherd; rather they press on the more and grow the bolder, and do not cease until they either lay him low or are themselves defeated.

Besides this, the diseases of cattle are evident—whether it be famine, or pestilence, or a wound, or whatever else may be the affliction;

and this could contribute not a little toward riddance of the troubles.

But there is another thing greater than this, which makes the cure of that sickness swift.

And what is this? With great authority the shepherds compel the sheep to receive treatment when they will not willingly submit to it;

for it is easy to bind one when it must be cauterized and cut, and to keep it shut up indoors for a long time whenever this is beneficial, and to bring it one kind of food in place of another, and to keep it from streams of water, and to apply with great ease all the other things which they judge to conduce to its health.

But the sicknesses of men, in the first place, it is not easy for a man to see;

for no one knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man that is in him. How then could one apply the remedy of a disease whose manner he does not know—and often is not even able to perceive whether he happens to be sick? And when it does become manifest, then it affords him the greater difficulty;

for it is not possible to treat all men with the same authority with which the shepherd treats the sheep.

For here too it is indeed possible to bind, and to bar from food, and to cauterize, and to cut;

but the authority to receive the treatment lies not with the one applying the remedy, but with the patient.

For this too that admirable man, being aware of it, said to the Corinthians:

‘Not that we lord it over your faith, but we are fellow workers of your joy.’ For most of all men, Christians are not permitted forcibly

to correct the failings of those who sin.

For the judges outside, when they have the wrongdoers under the laws, display much authority and prevent them, even against their will, from following their own ways;

but here one must make such a man better not by forcing, but by persuading.

For neither has such authority been given us by the laws to restrain sinners, nor, even if it had been given, should we have any sphere in which to use the power, since God crowns those who abstain from evil not by necessity, but by their own choice.

For this reason there is need of much skill, that the sick may be persuaded willingly to submit themselves to the treatments of the priests—and not only this, but also that they may be grateful to them for the cure.

For if anyone, being bound, should kick against it—for he is master of this—he has made the trouble worse;

and if he should reject the words that cut like iron, he has by his contempt added another wound, and the occasion of healing has become the ground of a worse disease;

for there is no one who, by compelling, can heal even one who is unwilling.

That the matter is full of much difficulty and of dangers. What, then, is one to do? For if you deal too gently with one who needs much severity, and do not give a deep enough cut to one who has need of such, you have lopped off part of the wound but left part of it;

but if you unsparingly apply the cut that is owed, often that man, in despair at the pains, casts everything away at once—both the medicine and the bandage—and throws himself headlong over a cliff, having shattered the yoke and burst the bond.

And I could name many who have run aground upon the uttermost evils because they were required to pay a penalty befitting their sins.

For one must not simply bring the penalty to bear in proportion to the measure of the sins, but must also take aim at the disposition of those who sin, lest, in wishing to sew up what is torn, you make the rent worse, and, in being zealous to raise up what has fallen, you bring about a greater fall.

For the weak and the dissolute, and those for the most part bound fast to the luxury of the world, and moreover those who can pride themselves on lineage and power, if gently and little by little they are turned back from the sins in which they live, could—if not completely, yet at least in part—be delivered from the evils that hold them;

but if one should bring the chastisement upon them all at once, he has deprived them even of the lesser amendment.

For a soul, once it has been forced to lose its sense of shame, falls into insensibility, and thenceforth neither yields to gentle words, nor is bent by threats, nor is won over by kindnesses, but becomes far worse than that city which the prophet, reproaching, described, saying:

‘You came to have the face of a harlot; you were shameless toward all.’ For this reason the shepherd has need of much understanding, and of ten thousand eyes, to descry on every side the condition of the soul.

For just as many are lifted up into madness and fall into despair of their own salvation through not having been able to endure bitter medicines, so there are some who, through not paying a penalty commensurate with their sins, turn aside into negligence, become far worse, and are led on to sin yet more grievously.

It is necessary, therefore, that the priest leave none of these things unexamined, but, having searched out all things accurately, apply his own measures correspondingly, lest his zeal become vain.

And not in this alone, but also in reuniting the severed members of the Church, one could see him having many troubles.

For the shepherd of sheep has his flock following wherever he leads;

and even if he should turn some aside from the straight path, and they, forsaking the good pasture, should graze in thin-soiled and precipitous places, it is enough for him, by crying out more sharply, to drive the strayed one back again and to lead it back into the flock.

But if a man should wander away from the faith, the shepherd has need of much effort, of endurance, of patience;

for it is not possible to drag him by force, nor to compel him by fear, but having persuaded him, one must lead him back again to the truth from which he fell away at the first.

There is need, then, of a noble soul, that it may not grow utterly weary, that it may not despair of the salvation of those who wander, but may continually consider and say:

‘Perhaps God may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth, and they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil.’ For this reason the Lord, conversing with His disciples, said:

‘Who then is the faithful and prudent servant?’ For the one who disciplines himself confines the benefit to himself alone;

but the gain of the pastoral office extends to the whole people.

And the one who distributes money to the needy, or otherwise defends those who are wronged, does indeed benefit his neighbors somewhat, even he; yet by as much less than the priest as the body is inferior to the soul.

With good reason, then, did the Lord say that zeal for the flocks is a sign of love toward Him.

That it was for the sake of love toward Christ that we fled the matter. BASIL: “But do you,” he says, “not love Christ?” JOHN: “I do love Him, and loving Him I shall never cease;

but I am afraid lest I provoke the One who is loved by me.”

BASIL: “And what riddle,” he says, “could be more obscure than this—if Christ commanded the one who loves Him to shepherd His sheep, yet you say that for this very reason you do not shepherd them, because you love the One who gave this command?” JOHN: “The saying is no riddle,” said I, “but is both exceedingly clear and simple.

For if, being competent to administer this office as Christ willed, I had then fled, you would have ground to be perplexed at what I say;

but since weakness of soul renders me useless for this ministry, where is there anything in what I say worth questioning? For indeed I am afraid lest, having received Christ's flock vigorous and well-fed, and then ruining it through carelessness, I should provoke against myself the God who so loved it as to give Himself up for its salvation and honor.

BASIL: “You say these things in jest,” he says;

“for if in earnest, I do not know how you could otherwise have proved us more justly aggrieved than by these very words with which you have striven to ward off our despondency.

For I, who even before knew that you had deceived me and betrayed me, now far more—when you have even attempted to strip off the charges—learn this, and well perceive into what evils you have led me.

For if you withdrew yourself from such a ministry because you perceived that your soul was not sufficient for the magnitude of the matter, you ought first to have rescued me—even had I happened to have a great desire for it—rather than commit to me the whole deliberation about these things.

But as it is, looking only to your own interest, you overlooked ours;

would, indeed, that you had merely overlooked it—that would have been acceptable; but you even plotted how we might become easy prey to those who wished to seize us.

For neither could you take refuge in this—that the opinion of the multitude deceived you and persuaded you to suspect something great and wonderful about us;

for neither are we among the admired and distinguished, nor, even if this were so, ought one to prefer the opinion of the multitude to the truth.

For if we had never given you experience of our company, you might have thought you had some plausible pretext in casting your vote on the strength of the multitude's report;

but if no one knows our affairs as you do—nay, you know our very soul better than those who begot and reared us—what argument will be so persuasive to you as to be able to convince your hearers that you did not willingly thrust us into this danger? But let these things be dismissed now;

for it is not even about these matters that we compel you to be judged.

What shall we answer to those who accuse us? Speak.”

JOHN: “But neither will I myself,” said I, “proceed to those matters first, until I have settled my account with you—even if ten thousand times over you yourself should wish to absolve us of the charges.

Ignorance would bring us pardon and would acquit us of every accusation, if, knowing nothing of your affairs, we had then led you into the present circumstances;

but since we betrayed you not in ignorance, but knowing your affairs exactly, for this reason every plausible pretext and every just defense has been taken away from us.”

“But I say the very opposite—that such matters require much examination.

And the one who is about to hand over the man fit for the priesthood must not be content with the report of the multitude alone, but, together with that, must above all and before all have himself examined that man's qualities.

For indeed the blessed Paul, when he said:

‘He must also have a good testimony from those outside,’ does not thereby do away with the accurate and thoroughly tested examination, nor does he set this down as the foremost token in the scrutiny of such men;

for indeed, having first discoursed at length, he afterward added this, showing that one ought not to be content with this alone for such elections, but must take it up together with the other criteria.

For it often happens that the report of the multitude is false;

but when accurate examination has gone first, it is no longer possible to suspect any danger from this quarter.

For this reason, after the other things, he sets down the testimony from those outside;

‘He must also have a good testimony,’ yet he inserted also ‘from those outside,’ wishing to make clear that, before the report of those outside, one must search him out with accuracy.

Since, then, I too knew your affairs better than those who begot you—as you yourself also confessed—for this reason I should justly be acquitted of all blame.”

BASIL: “Why, for this very reason,” he says, “you would not have escaped, if anyone had wished to indict you.

Or do you not remember the ignobleness of my soul—which you both heard from us and were often taught by the very deeds themselves? Was it not on this account that you continually mocked us for faint-heartedness, saying that we fall down easily even under chance cares?” Section 6.

A demonstration of the virtue of Basil and of his vehement love. JOHN: “I do remember,” said I, “having often heard these words from you, and I would not deny it;

but if ever I mocked you, I did it in jest, not in truth.

Yet I will not contend over these matters now;

but I ask that you too grant me equal fair-mindedness when I wish to make mention of some of the good qualities that belong to you.

For even if you attempt to convict us of lying, we will not spare you, but will prove that you are being modest rather than speaking these things according to the truth, using as witnesses to the truth of what is said no other than your own words and deeds.

And first I wish to ask you this:

do you know how great is the power of love? For Christ, setting aside all the miracles which were to be wrought by the apostles, says, ‘By this shall men know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.’ And Paul says that love is the fulfillment of the Law, and that in its absence there is no profit in the spiritual gifts.

This surpassing good, then—the mark of Christ's disciples, that which lies higher than the spiritual gifts—I saw nobly planted in your soul and teeming with much fruit.

“That I have, indeed,” he says, “much concern for the matter, and that I make the greatest effort on behalf of this commandment, I too confess;

but that I have not accomplished it even by half, you yourself would bear me witness, if, leaving off speaking to please, you should be willing to honor the truth.”

JOHN: “Then I will turn to the proofs,” said I, “and will now do what I threatened—showing you to be one who is being modest rather than speaking the truth.

And I will relate a thing that has just now happened, lest anyone suspect that, by recounting old matters, I am attempting through the lapse of time to cast a shadow over the truth, since forgetfulness does not allow one to lay any reproach against things spoken by us merely to please.

For when a certain one of our friends, on charges of insolence and arrogance,

having been slandered, was in danger of the uttermost penalties, then—though no one was accusing you, and though the one about to face the danger had not begged you—you flung yourself into the midst of the dangers;

and this was the deed itself.

But that we may convict you also from your words: since some did not approve this zeal of yours, while others praised and admired it, ‘And what am I to do?’ you said to the accusers;

‘for I know no other way to love than this—to give up even my own soul, whenever it is necessary to save one of my friends who is in danger.’

In words other, yet in mind the same, you were uttering the words of Christ which He spoke to His disciples, laying down the bounds of perfect love:

‘Greater love has no one than this,’ He says, ‘than that one lay down his soul for his friends.’ If, then, it is not possible to find a greater love than this, you have reached the very end of it, and by what you did and by what you said you have ascended to its very summit.

For this reason we betrayed you; for this reason we stitched together that stratagem.

Do we then persuade you that it was neither out of ill will, nor from a wish to cast you into danger, but knowing that you would be useful, that we drew you into this arena?” BASIL: “Then do you think,” he says, “that the power of love suffices for the correction of one's neighbors?” JOHN: “It could indeed,” said I, “contribute a great part toward this;

but if you wish that we should also bring forth proofs of your prudence, we will proceed to this also, and will show you to be sagacious rather than merely affectionate.”

At this he blushed and turned crimson;

BASIL: “Let what concerns us,” he says, “be set aside now;

for it was not even at the outset that I was demanding from you the account about these matters.

But if you have anything just to say to those outside, I would gladly hear the arguments concerning these things.

Therefore, leaving off this shadow-boxing, tell me what we shall answer to the rest—both to those who honored us and to those who grieve on their behalf as though they had been insulted.”

That it was not from a wish to insult those who had cast their votes that we fled the ordination. JOHN: “And I myself, henceforth,” said I, “am pressing on toward this;

for since the discourse addressed to you has been completed, I will easily turn to this part also of the defense.

What, then, is the charge they bring, and what are their accusations? They say that they have been insulted by me and grievously wronged, because I did not accept the honor with which they wished to honor me.

But I say first of all this: that no account whatever should be taken of an affront to men, when through honoring them we are compelled to offend God.

For even for those who are indignant, to be displeased on such grounds is not without peril, but indeed brings great harm.

For those dedicated to God and looking to Him alone ought, I think, to be so reverently disposed as not even to regard such a thing as an insult, even were they to be slighted ten thousand times.

That nothing of the kind has even entered my mind is clear from the following.

For if I had come to cast my vote against my accusers out of arrogance and love of glory—as you say some falsely allege—I should have done the gravest wrong, despising men admirable and great, and benefactors besides.

For if to wrong those who have done no wrong deserves punishment, how then ought one to treat those who of their own accord chose to honor us? Nor could anyone say that they were repaying favors received from me, whether small or great; how much punishment, then, would it not deserve to requite such men with the opposite? But if this never even entered our mind, and it was from another purpose that we declined the heavy burden, on what ground, passing over forgiveness—if indeed they will not approve it—do they accuse us of having spared our own soul?

And do not be amazed if what I say seems paradoxical;

for we shall quickly furnish the solution of this also.

For at that time, if not all, yet those who find delight in slander would have had much

both to suspect and to say, concerning me who had been ordained and concerning those who had chosen me;

such as, that they have an eye to wealth, that they admire splendor of birth, that, having been flattered by us, they advanced us to this position;

and even, that they were persuaded by money—I cannot say whether someone might have suspected this too.

And Christ called fishermen and tentmakers and tax collectors to this office;

but these men despise those who are nourished by daily labor, while if anyone takes up worldly learning and is fed in idleness, him they accept and admire.

Why ever, then, did they overlook those who have endured countless toils for the needs of the Church, and yet suddenly drag into this honor one who has never tasted such labors, but has spent his whole prime in the vain toil of secular learning? VIII

That by our flight we also freed them from blame. These and yet more than these I could have said, had we accepted the office;

for thus every pretext for evil-speaking is cut off from them, and they cannot charge me with flattery nor those men with taking bribes—unless some of them simply wished to rave.

For how could one who flatters and spends money in order to obtain the honor, when the time came to obtain it, have yielded it to others? For this would be just as if a man who had endured many toils about the land—so that his harvest might be laden with abundant fruit and his vats overflow with wine—after countless sweats and great outlay of money, when the time came to glean and to gather the vintage, should then withdraw from the gathering of the fruits in favor of others.

Do you see that then, even if what was said were far from the truth, yet those wishing to slander them had a pretext—as though they had made the choice with judgment not rightly reasoned?

but as it is, we have now left them not even an opening, not so much as a chance to open their mouths.

Such, and even more than these, would have been the things said at the very outset.

And after taking up the ministry, we should not have been able, day by day, to answer those who accused us, even if everything had been done by us without fault—not to mention that we should of necessity have erred in many things through inexperience and youth;

but as it is, we have freed them from this accusation also, whereas then we should have surrounded them with countless reproaches.

For what would they not have said? 'They entrusted matters so wonderful and great to foolish children;

they have ruined the flock of God;

the affairs of the Christians have become a plaything and a laughingstock.'

But now all iniquity will stop her mouth. For even if they should say these things on your account, you will quickly teach them by your deeds that one ought not to judge understanding by age, nor to assess the elder by his gray hair, nor altogether to bar the young man from such ministry, but only the newly converted; and there is a great difference between the two.