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De sacerdotio (lib. 7) Sp.

OF THE SAME CHRYSOSTOM, On the Priesthood, Seventh Discourse.

O paradoxical wonder! O ineffable power! O dread mystery of the priesthood; intellectual and holy, august and blameless, which Christ, having come, bestowed upon the worthy. I fall down and pray with tears and groans, that I may gaze as in a mirror upon this treasure of the priesthood, for those who guard it worthily and holily. For it is a bright and incomparable shield, and an unshakable tower, an indivisible wall; for it is a firm foundation, reaching from earth up to the heavenly vault. And what am I saying, brothers? That it touches the highest vaults, it comes unhindered to the very heavens of heavens, in the midst of the bodiless angels it walks brightly and easily.

And what am I saying, in the midst of the powers above? It becomes a companion of the very Master of angels and Creator and Giver of light, and as much as it wishes, it immediately receives its requests with great boldness. I do not cease, brothers, from hymning and glorifying the rank of this dignity, which the Trinity has given to the sons of Adam, through which the world has been saved, and creation has been enlightened, through which mountains and hills and glens and ravines have been filled with the bright and august way of life of the blessed race; I mean that of the monks, just as Isaiah of the clearest voice said, that From the tops of the mountains men will give their voices in praise; through which also lawlessness has been removed from the earth, through which also temperance dwells in the earth, through which the devil, having fallen, has been rendered powerless, the licentious have become sanctified vessels, the fornicators pure and undefiled, the foolish have become guides of righteousness; through which also the power of death has been abolished, and Hades has lost its strength, and the curse of Adam has been loosed, and the heavenly bridal chamber has been prepared; through which the nature of men is changed to the power of the bodiless ones. What shall I say, or what shall I praise? For the gift of the rank of the priesthood surpasses both word and thought. And, as I think, this is what Paul, being amazed, hints at, saying: O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! It is a high-flyer from earth to heaven, most swiftly offering our requests to God; it intercedes with the Master on behalf of the servants.

And let us attend, brothers, clearly to this mystical and dread narrative, that without the august priesthood, forgiveness of sins is not given to mortals; set your mind to it, brothers; for you are lovers of piety, shining with the light of the teachings. What is it that we said before about the mystery of the priesthood? The branch of the vine, and the grain of the wheat, and the priesthood possess a harmony; the branch and the wheat are handmaidens, but the priesthood is by nature free. When therefore the three are gathered to dwell above the treasures, each offers to the king the power of her own fruits for a sweet savor; the branch sends forth the blood, likewise also the wheat the bread, but the priesthood with great boldness flies high from earth to 48.1068 heaven, until it beholds the invisible one himself, and having worshipped before the high throne, standing it prays for the servants to the Master, bearing the tears and groans of its fellow-servants and offering them to the Master; likewise asking for comfort along with repentance, forgiveness and mercy from the compassionate king, so that the Paraclete Spirit may come down and sanctify the gifts lying upon the earth. And when the fearful mysteries are brought forth, full of immortality through the

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De sacerdotio (lib. 7) Sp.

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΧΡΥΣΟΣΤΟΜΟΥ Περὶ ἱερωσύνης λόγος ἕβδομος.

Ὦ θαῦμα παράδοξον! ὦ δύναμις ἄῤῥητος! ὦ φρικτὸν μυστήριον τὸ τῆς ἱερωσύνης· νοερὰ καὶ ἁγία, σεμνὴ καὶ ἀμώμητος, ἣν Χριστὸς τοῖς ἀξίοις ἐλθὼν ἐδωρήσατο. Προσπίπτω καὶ δέομαι δάκρυσι καὶ στεναγμοῖς, ἵνα ἐσοπτρίσωμαι εἰς τοῦτον τὸν θησαυρὸν τῆς ἱερωσύνης, τοῖς αὐτὸν φυλάττουσιν ἀξίως καὶ ὁσίως. Θυρεὸς γάρ ἐστι λαμπρὸς καὶ ἀνείκαστος, καὶ πύργος ἀσάλευτος, τεῖχος ἀδιαίρετον· θεμέλιος γάρ ἐστιν ἑδραῖος ἀπὸ γῆς μέχρι τῆς οὐρανίου ἁψίδος ἐγγίζουσα. Καὶ τί λέγω, ἀδελφοί; Ὅτι τὰ τῶν ὑψίστων ἁψίδων καθάπτεται, εἰς αὐτοὺς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς τῶν οὐρανῶν ἔρχεται ἀκωλύτως, ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἅμα τῶν ἀσωμάτων λαμπρῶς καὶ ῥᾳδίως ἰχνοβατεῖ.

Καὶ τί λέγω ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων; Αὐτοῦ τοῦ ∆εσπότου τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ κτίστου καὶ φωτοδότου συνόμιλος γίνεται, καὶ καθ' ὅσον βούλεται παραυτίκα λαμβάνει τὰ αὐτοῦ αἰτήματα ἐν πολλῇ παῤῥησίᾳ. Οὐ παύομαι, ἀδελφοὶ, ὑμνῶν καὶ δοξάζων τὸν τοῦ ἀξιώματος βαθμὸν, ὃν ἡ Τριὰς δέδωκε τοῖς υἱοῖς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ, δι' οὗ ὁ κόσμος σέσωσται, καὶ ἡ κτίσις πεφώτισται, δι' οὗ ὄρη καὶ βουνοὶ καὶ νάπαι καὶ φάραγγες πεπλήρωνται τῆς φαιδρᾶς καὶ σεμνῆς πολιτείας τοῦ μακαρίου γένους· λέγω δὴ τῶν μοναχῶν, καθὼς Ἡσαΐας ὁ λαμπροφωνότατος ἔφησεν, ὅτι Ἐκ τῶν κορυφῶν τῶν ὀρέων δώσουσι φωνὰς αὐτῶν ἄνθρωποι εἰς δοξολογίαν· δι' οὗ καὶ ἀνομία ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἀφῄρηται, δι' οὗ καὶ σωφροσύνη ἐν τῇ γῇ αὐλίζεται, δι' οὗ ὁ διάβολος πεσὼν κατήργηται, οἱ ἀσελγεῖς γεγόνασι σκεύη ἡγιασμένα, οἱ πόρνοι ἁγνοὶ καὶ ἀμίαντοι, οἱ ἄφρονες γεγόνασιν ὁδηγοὶ δικαιοσύνης· δι' οὗ καὶ τὸ τοῦ θανάτου κράτος κατήργηται, καὶ ὁ ᾅδης τὴν ἰσχὺν ἀπώλεσε, καὶ ἡ κατάρα τοῦ Ἀδὰμ λέλυται, καὶ ὁ νυμφὼν ὁ οὐράνιος ηὐτρέπισται· δι' οὗ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀσωμάτων μεταβάλλεται δύναμιν. Τί εἴπω, ἢ τί ἐπαινέσω; ὑπερβαίνει γὰρ καὶ λόγον καὶ ἔννοιαν ἡ δωρεὰ τοῦ βαθμοῦ τῆς ἱερωσύνης. Καὶ, ὡς οἶμαι, τοῦτό ἐστιν ὃ ὁ Παῦλος ἐκπλαγεὶς αἰνίττεται λέγων· Ὢ βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ! ὡς ἀνεξερεύνητα τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ! Ὑψιπέτης ὑπάρχει ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανὸν, ὀξυτάτως προσφέρουσα τῷ Θεῷ τὰ αἰτήματα ἡμῶν· πρεσβεύει τῷ ∆εσπότῃ ὑπὲρ τῶν δούλων.

Καὶ πρόσχωμεν, ἀδελφοὶ, τηλαυγῶς εἰς τοῦτο τὸ μυστικὸν καὶ φρικτὸν διήγημα, ὅτι ἄνευ τῆς σεμνῆς ἱερωσύνης ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν βροτοῖς οὐ δίδοται· θέτε τὸν νοῦν ὑμῶν, ἀδελφοί· ὑμεῖς γάρ ἐστε ἐρασταὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας, αὐγάζοντες τὸ φῶς τῶν διδαγμάτων. Τί ἐστιν ὃ πρώην ἐλέξαμεν περὶ τοῦ μυστηρίου τῆς ἱερωσύνης; Τὸ κλῆμα τῆς ἀμπέλου, καὶ ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σίτου, καὶ ἡ ἱερωσύνη ὁμόνοιαν κέκτηνται· τὸ κλῆμα καὶ ὁ σῖτος παιδίσκαι ὑπάρχουσιν, ἡ δὲ ἱερωσύνη ἐλευθέρα πέφυκε. Ὅταν οὖν συναχθῶσιν αἱ τρεῖς τοῦ αὐλισθῆναι ἐπάνω τῶν θησαυρῶν, προσφέρει τῷ βασιλεῖ ἑκάστη τὴν δύναμιν τῶν ἰδίων καρπῶν εἰς εὐωδίαν· τὸ κλῆμα προΐησι τὸ αἷμα, ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ σῖτος τὸν ἄρτον, ἡ δὲ ἱερωσύνη εὐπαῤῥησιάστως ὑψηλοπετεῖ ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς 48.1068 οὐρανὸν, ἄχρις ἂν θεωρήσῃ αὐτὸν τὸν ἀόρατον, καὶ προσκυνήσασα ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ ὑψηλοῦ θρόνου, ἱσταμένη δέηται ὑπὲρ τῶν δούλων πρὸς τὸν ∆εσπότην, βαστάζουσα δάκρυα καὶ στεναγμοὺς τῶν συνδούλων καὶ προσφέρουσα τῷ ∆εσπότῃ· ὁμοίως παράκλησιν ἅμα καὶ μετάνοιαν αἰτοῦσα, συγχώρησιν καὶ ἔλεον τῷ εὐσπλάγχνῳ βασιλεῖ, ὅπως τὸ παράκλητον Πνεῦμα συνέλθῃ, καὶ ἁγιάσῃ τὰ δῶρα ἐν γῇ προσκείμενα. Καὶ ὅταν προσκομισθῇ μυστήρια φοβερὰ, πλήρη ἀθανασίας διὰ τοῦ