On the Priesthood 4 part 2/2

But nevertheless, even though these things are such, when one with authority stops the mouths of those who pry into these insoluble matters, he draws upon himself a reputation for arrogance and ignorance.

Therefore one must here too use much understanding, so as both to lead the one who presides away from absurd questions, and to escape the aforesaid charges.

And against all these things nothing else, but the help of the word alone has been given;

and if anyone be deprived of this power, the souls of the men ranged under him will be disposed no better than ships tossed in a storm,

continually—I mean the weaker and the more inquisitive.

Therefore the priest must do everything for the sake of obtaining this strength.

That this above all had been achieved by the blessed Paul. And Basil said:

'What then of Paul?' he said. 'Did he not eagerly seek to achieve this virtue, nor is he ashamed at the poverty of his speech, but even openly confesses himself to be unskilled in speech—and that when writing to the Corinthians, who were marveled at for their eloquence and prided themselves much on this?' JOHN: 'This,' I said, 'this is the very thing that has destroyed the many and made them more slothful concerning the true teaching;

for being unable to examine exactly the depth of the apostle's mind, nor to understand the sense of his words, they have spent all their time dozing and yawning, and honoring this 'unskilledness'—not the one which Paul says he was unskilled in, but the one from which he was as far removed as no other of the men under this heaven.

But let this discourse keep for its proper season;

let us grant him to be unskilled in this part which these men wish, what then is this to the men of the present day? For he had a strength far greater than that of speech, and one able to accomplish more;

for merely appearing and being silent, he was terrible to the demons.

But all those of the present day, even if they came together with ten thousand prayers and tears, could not accomplish as much as the handkerchiefs of Paul once did.

And Paul by praying raised the dead and worked other such wonders, so as to be reckoned a god by those without;

and before departing from this life, he was counted worthy to be caught up to the third heaven and to partake of words which it is not lawful for human nature to hear.

But those of the present day—yet I can say nothing harsh or heavy;

for indeed I say these things now not as trampling on them, but in admiration—how do they not shudder at comparing themselves to so great a man? For if, leaving aside even the miracles, we should come to the life of the blessed one and examine his angelic manner of life, and in this rather than in the signs, you will see the athlete of Christ conquering.

For what could one say of his zeal, his forbearance, the continual dangers, the unceasing cares, the unintermitting despondencies on behalf of the Churches, his sympathy toward the weak, the many afflictions, the strange persecutions, the daily deaths? For what place of the inhabited world, what continent, what sea was ignorant of the contests of the righteous one? Even the uninhabited desert knew him, having often received him in his peril;

for he endured every kind of plot, and came at victory in every manner, and never ceased either contending or being crowned.

But indeed I know not how I was led on to do violence to the man;

for his achievements all surpass speech—and ours, by as much as we are surpassed by those who know how to speak;

nevertheless, even so—for the blessed one will judge us not from the outcome, but from the purpose—I will not desist until I have said this one thing, which is as much greater than the things spoken as that man is greater than all men.

What then is this? After so many achievements, after the ten thousand crowns, he prayed to depart into Gehenna and to be given over to eternal punishment, for the sake of the Jews who had often both stoned him and, so far as in them lay, slain him, that they might be saved and come to Christ.

Who so yearned for Christ—if indeed one ought to call it yearning, and not something else even more than yearning? Shall we then still compare ourselves to that man, after the so great grace which he received from above, after the so great virtue which he displayed from his own resources? And what could be more rash than this? But that not even he was unskilled, as these men suppose, this also I will henceforth try to demonstrate.

For these men call unskilled not only the one untrained in

the rhetorical trickery of outward discourses, but also the one who does not know how to fight on behalf of the doctrines of the truth;

but Paul said he was unskilled not in both, but only in the one;

and securing this, he made the distinction exactly, saying that he was unskilled in speech, but not in knowledge.

But I, if I were demanding the smoothness of Isocrates, and the weightiness of Demosthenes, and the dignity of Thucydides, and the loftiness of Plato, would need to bring forward this testimony of Paul;

but as it is, I let all those things go, and the elaborate adornment of outward discourse, and I care nothing for diction or for delivery.

Let it be granted that one be a beggar in diction, and that the composition of words be plain and simple—only let no one be unskilled in knowledge and in the exactness of the doctrines;

and let no one, that he may cover his own idleness, take away from that blessed man the greatest of good things and the chief of his praises.

That he became illustrious not from the signs alone, but also from speaking. For tell me, whence did he confound the Jews dwelling in Damascus, when he had not yet begun the signs? Whence did he overthrow the Hellenists? Why was he sent off to Tarsus? Was it not because he was conquering mightily by the word and was driving them to such a pitch that they were provoked even to murder, not bearing the defeat? For there he had not yet begun to work wonders, nor could anyone say that the many regarded him as wondrous from his reputation for marvels, and that those who fought against him were aggrieved from their opinion of the man's wonder-working;

for as yet he prevailed by speaking alone.

And against those who attempted to Judaize in Antioch, whence did he contend and dispute? And that Areopagite, of that most superstitious city, did he not follow him, along with his wife, from public discourse alone? And Eutychus—how did he fall from the window? Was it not because Paul prolonged his teaching discourse until deep into the night? And what of Thessalonica and Corinth? And what of Ephesus and Rome itself? Did he not spend whole days and nights in succession upon the exposition of the Scriptures? Why should one tell of his disputations against the Epicureans and the Stoics? For if we should wish to recount everything, the discourse will fall into a great length.

When, then, both before the signs and in their very midst, he appears to have made much use of the word, how will they yet dare to call him unskilled—him who was marveled at by all most of all for his disputing and public speaking? For why did the Lycaonians suppose him to be Hermes? For their being regarded as gods came from the signs, but his being thought Hermes came no longer from those, but from the word.

And in what respect did this blessed man have the advantage over the other apostles? And whence is it that throughout the whole inhabited world he is much on the lips of all? Whence is it that not among us alone, but also among Jews and Greeks, he is marveled at most of all? Is it not from the excellence of his epistles, through which he both profited, and will profit, not only the believers of that time, but also those who have lived from that day until today, and those who shall yet come to be until the coming of Christ? And he will not cease doing this so long as the race of men shall endure.

For just as a wall built of adamant, so do this man's writings fortify the Churches throughout the whole inhabited world;

and like some most noble champion he stands even now in the midst, taking captive every thought unto the obedience of Christ, and casting down reasonings and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. And all these things he works through the epistles which he left us, those marvelous ones and full of divine wisdom.

And his writings are useful to us not only for the overthrow of spurious doctrines and the security of genuine ones, but also for

living well they contribute to us no small part;

for using these even now, those who preside both regulate and fashion the pure virgin whom they have betrothed to Christ, and lead her toward spiritual beauty;

by these they both repel the diseases that fall upon her and preserve the health that comes to her.

Such medicines did the 'unskilled' man leave us, having so great a power, of which those who use them continually know the proof well.

And that he himself took much pains over this part is plain from these things.

That he wishes us too to accomplish this. And hear too what he says, writing to his disciple:

'Give heed to reading, to exhortation, to teaching.' And he adds the fruit that comes from this, saying:

'For in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.' And again:

'But the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle toward all, apt to teach, patient.' And going on he says:

'But continue in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from a child you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise.' And again:

'All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable,' he says, 'for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete.' Hear too what he adds, discoursing to Titus concerning the appointing of bishops:

'For the bishop must,' he says, 'hold fast the faithful word according to the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort and to convict the gainsayers.' How then will one who is unskilled, as these men say, be able to convict and stop the mouths of the gainsayers? And what need to give heed to reading and to the Scriptures, if one must embrace this unskilledness? These are excuses and pretexts and the disguises of slothfulness and reluctance.

'But these things,' he says, 'are enjoined upon the priests.'

Yes, for our discourse is now concerning priests.

And that they are enjoined upon the ruled also, hear what again he exhorts to others in another epistle:

'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 you may know how you ought to answer each one.' And the being ready to make a defense is enjoined upon all. And writing to the Thessalonians:

'Build up,' he says, 'one another, even as also you do.' And when he discourses concerning priests:

'Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in word and teaching.' For this is the most perfect definition of teaching—when both by what they do and by what they say they lead on the disciples toward the blessed life which Christ ordained;

for doing is not sufficient for teaching.

And the saying is not mine, but the Savior's own:

'For whoever shall do and teach,' he says, 'this one shall be called great.' But if to do were to teach, the second would be set down superfluously;

but as it is, by dividing the two he shows that the one belongs to works, and the other to the word, and each has need of the other unto perfect edification.

Or do you not hear what the chosen vessel of Christ says to the elders of the Ephesians? 'Therefore watch, remembering that for three years, night and day, I ceased not with tears to admonish each one of you.' For what need of the tears, or of the admonition through words, when his apostolic life shone so brightly?

That when this is lacking to the priest, those who are ruled must of necessity suffer much loss. But toward the working of the commandments this could contribute to us a large part;

for not even there alone would I say that it accomplishes everything; but when a contest is stirred up concerning doctrines, and all fight from the same Scriptures, what strength will life be able to display here? What profit is there of the many sweats, when

after those toils someone, falling into heresy out of much inexperience, is severed from the body of the Church? Which thing I know many to have suffered.

What profit to him of his endurance? None—just as there is none of a sound faith, when the manner of life is corrupted.

For these reasons above all, the one allotted to teach others must be exceedingly experienced in such contests.

For even if he himself stands in security, in no way harmed by the gainsayers, yet the multitude of the simpler folk ranged under him, when they see their leader vanquished and having nothing to say to the gainsayers, blame not his weakness for the defeat, but the unsoundness of the doctrine; and through the inexperience of the one, the great mass of people is borne down to extreme destruction;

for even if they do not wholly become of the adversaries' party, yet nevertheless they are compelled to doubt concerning things in which they had been able to be confident, and to those things which they had approached with unwavering faith, they can no longer give heed with the same steadfastness, but so great a tempest settles into their souls from the defeat of the teacher, that the evil ends even in shipwreck.

And how great a destruction, and how great a fire is gathered upon that wretched head of his, for each one of these who perish, you will have no need to learn from me, knowing all things yourself exactly.

Is this, then, of madness, this of vainglory—the unwillingness to become the cause of destruction to so many, nor to procure for myself a greater punishment than the one now laid up there? And who would say these things? No one, unless someone should wish to find fault in vain, and to play the philosopher in the misfortunes of others.