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with the presiding priest making intercession for all, then indeed souls approach, receiving purification from stains through the mysteries.

See, O lovers of God, how the two on earth are not effective, unless the heavenly decree arrives and sanctifies the gifts. Have you seen, O man, a brilliant miracle-working? have you seen how the sacred rank easily cleanses the stains of souls? Blessed is the Savior who has made upon the earth this most brilliant and cleansing gift, having enlightened the priests with grace, to shine as luminaries in the world. The people before us, with an oil-bearing horn, obtained advancement; but we, the unprofitable servants of the blessed one, have received neither horn nor perceptible oil; but he himself who is the head, the high and awesome one, came down from heaven, and gifted to us by the laying on of hands his own Spirit, which came like fire upon the apostles. O unspeakable power that has condescended to dwell in us through the laying on of the hands of priests! O what a great rank the awesome priesthood holds! Blessed is he who conducts himself in it purely and blamelessly. Peter, who was called Cephas, who was caught in the net by the shore of the sea, who was testified to by the great shepherd that 'On this rock I will build my Church,' through the priesthood has also received the keys of the heavens. Likewise also Paul, once a persecutor, having been deemed worthy of this, sped as if on wings, proclaiming on land and sea the resurrection from the dead. Let us return to Abel the righteous, who became a priest at the beginning of creation, and let us learn from him that he offered his sacrifice as a priest in the beginning to God. Did not fire, coming down from heaven, consume his sacrifice? But when he offered to God the first-fruits, as the Scripture says, 'God looked upon the sacrifice of Abel, but upon that of Cain he was not well-pleased.' Again Noah, who was saved in the ark, when the water subsided and it rested on the mountains of Ararat, he too immediately partook of this priesthood, and offered a sacrifice sincerely to God as a fragrant aroma.

Wherefore God made a covenant with him, to bring no more a flood upon the earth, and gives him a blessing to increase and multiply. Have you seen the miracle-working of the priesthood? have you seen the first priest Abel in the first creation, how he brought down fire from heaven upon the earth for his blameless whole burnt offering? Have you seen again Noah the venerable priest in the second creation, how God made a covenant with him? And Abraham was deemed worthy to partake of this, 48.1069 and he offered Isaac to God, and made a sacred offering of his own offspring. There God shows him a great wonder, the birth of the Lord in the plant Sabek, its growth in a moment, and the matter of the blessing with which he himself blessed him: 'In your seed all the nations shall be blessed.' Of this Moses also was deemed worthy when he went up Mount Sinai to God, and received the law from him; whence also his face was glorified, so that it was seen to be brighter than the sun. Likewise Aaron was also deemed worthy of this, becoming an intercessor for the sins of the people before God. For 'Moses and Aaron among his priests.' Likewise also Phinehas by this most venerable [priesthood] averted death from that people; and Elijah again, being clothed with this, was heard in fire, and slaughtered the priests of shame. Let us learn, therefore, brothers, that the dignity of the priesthood is great and immense. Glory to the Only-Begotten and only good one, who granted it to his own apostles, through his new and holy covenant, that they too might show us an example in the laying of their hands upon the worthy. Let us all, therefore, sincerely honor those who hold the rank of the priesthood, knowing that if one loves any of the king's friends, the king loves him much more. Let us therefore love the priests of God, since they are friends of God, and they intercede for us always; honor the priests, fulfilling the commandment of Christ which says, that 'He who receives

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προεστῶτος ἱερέως πρεσβείαν ποιοῦντος ὑπὲρ πάντων, τότε δὴ προσέρχονται ψυχαὶ διὰ τῶν μυστηρίων καθαρμὸν λαμβάνουσαι τῶν σπίλων.

Ἴδετε, φιλόθεοι, πῶς οὐκ ἐνεργοῦσιν οἱ δύο ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εἰ μὴ ἡ οὐρανία ψῆφος παραγένηται, καὶ ἁγιάσῃ τὰ δῶρα. Ἑώρακας, ἄνθρωπε, φαιδρὰν θαυματουργίαν; εἶδες βαθμὸν ἱερὸν πῶς ῥᾳδίως καθαίρει τῶν ψυχῶν τὰς κηλῖδας; Εὐλογεῖται ὁ Σωτὴρ ὁ δράσας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τοῦτο τὸ ὑπέρλαμπρον καὶ ῥυπτικὸν δώρημα, φωτίσας χάριτι τοὺς ἱερεῖς, τοῦ λάμπειν ὡς φωστῆρας ἐν κόσμῳ. Ὁ λαὸς ὁ πρὸ ἡμῶν, κέρας ἐλαιοφόρον, προκοπὴν κατείληφεν· ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ ἀχρεῖοι δοῦλοι τοῦ εὐλογητοῦ, οὐ κέρας, οὐκ ἔλαιον αἰσθητὸν εἰλήφαμεν· ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ κρανίον ὢν, ὁ ὑψηλὸς καὶ φρικτὸς κατῆλθεν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἐδωρήσατο ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ ἐπιθέσει τῶν χειρῶν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἑαυτοῦ, τὸ ἐλθὸν ὡσεὶ πῦρ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους. Ὦ δύναμις ἄῤῥητος ἡ καταπαύσασα οἰκῆσαι ἐν ἡμῖν δι' ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ἱερέων! ὦ τί μέγαν βαθμὸν ἔχει ἡ φρικτὴ ἱερωσύνη! Μακάριος ὑπάρχει ὅστις πολιτεύεται ἐν αὐτῇ ἁγνῶς καὶ ἀμώμως. Πέτρος ὁ κληθεὶς Κηφᾶς, ὁ σαγηνευθεὶς παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος τῆς θαλάσσης, ὁ μαρτυρηθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ μεγάλου ποιμένος ὅτι Ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, διὰ ἱερωσύνης καὶ τὰς κλεῖς τῶν οὐρανῶν εἴληφεν. Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Παῦλος, ὁ ποτὲ διώκτης, ταύτης ἀξιωθεὶς, ὑπόπτερος διέδραμε κηρύττων ἐν γῇ καὶ θαλάσσῃ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν. Ἐπανέλθωμεν πρὸς Ἄβελ τὸν δίκαιον, ὃς γέγονεν ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς κτίσεως ἱερεὺς, καὶ μάθωμεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἱεράτευεν ἐν ἀρχῇ τὴν θυσίαν αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Οὐχὶ πῦρ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κατελθὸν κατέφαγε τὴν θυσίαν αὐτοῦ; Ὅτε δὲ προσέφερε τῷ Θεῷ τὰς ἀπαρχὰς, ὥς φησιν ἡ Γραφὴ, Ἐπεῖδεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τὴν θυσίαν τοῦ Ἄβελ ἐπὶ δὲ τὴν τοῦ Κάϊν οὐκ εὐδόκησεν. Πάλιν δὲ ὁ Νῶε, ὁ σωθεὶς ἐν κιβωτῷ, ὅτε ἐκόπασε τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη τὰ Ἀραρὰτ, ταύτην πάλιν εὐθέως μετέσχε τὴν ἱερωσύνην, καὶ προσήνεγκε θυσίαν εἰλικρινῶς τῷ Θεῷ εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας.

Ὅθεν διέθετο μετ' αὐτοῦ διαθήκην ὁ Θεὸς, τοῦ μηκέτι ἐπάξαι κατακλυσμὸν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ δίδωσιν αὐτῷ εὐλογίαν τοῦ αὐξάνεσθαι καὶ πληθύνεσθαι. Εἶδες θαυματουργίαν τῆς ἱερωσύνης; ἑώρακας τὸν πρῶτον ἱερέα Ἄβελ ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ κτίσει, πῶς τὸ πῦρ κατήνεγκεν οὐρανόθεν ἐπὶ γῆς διὰ τὴν ἄμωμον αὐτοῦ ὁλοκάρπωσιν; Εἶδες πάλιν τὸν Νῶε τὸν σεμνὸν ἱερέα ἐν τῇ δευτέρα κτίσει, πῶς ἔθετο ὁ Θεὸς μετ' αὐτοῦ διαθήκην; Ταύτην δὲ Ἀβραὰμ ἠξιώθη μετασχεῖν, 48.1069 καὶ προσήνεγκε τῷ Θεῷ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ ἱερούργησε τὰ σπλάγχνα τὰ ἴδια. Ἐκεῖ αὐτῷ δείκνυσιν ὁ Θεὸς θαῦμα μέγα, τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου γέννησιν ἐν τῇ τοῦ φυτοῦ Σαβὲκ, τὴν ἐν ῥιπῇ αὔξησιν, καὶ τὸ τῆς εὐλογίας, ἧς αὐτὸς εὐλόγησεν· Ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου εὐλογηθήσονται πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Ταύτης καὶ Μωσῆς κατηξιώθη ἀναβὰς εἰς τὸ ὄρος τὸ Σινὰ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ δεξάμενος τὸν νόμον παρ' αὐτοῦ· ὅθεν καὶ ἐδοξάσθη τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, ὥστε αὐτὸ ὁρᾶσθαι ὑπὲρ τὸν ἥλιον. Ὁμοίως καὶ Ἀρὼν ταύτης κατηξιώθη, πρεσβευτὴς γενόμενος ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τοῦ λαοῦ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Μωσῆς γὰρ καὶ Ἀαρὼν ἐν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν αὐτοῦ. Ὁμοίως καὶ Φινεὲς ταύτῃ τῇ πανσέμνῳ ἐκώλυσε θάνατον ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ ἐκείνου· καὶ Ἠλίας δὲ πάλιν ταύτῃ ἐνδυσάμενος εἰσηκούσθη ἐν πυρὶ, καὶ τοὺς ἱερεῖς τῆς αἰσχύνης κατέσφαξε. Μάθωμεν οὖν, ἀδελφοὶ, ὅτι μέγα ἐστὶ καὶ ὑπέρογκον τὸ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἀξίωμα. ∆όξα τῷ Μονογενεῖ καὶ μόνῳ ἀγαθῷ, τῷ παρασχόντι αὐτὴν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ἀποστόλοις, διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ καινῆς καὶ ἁγίας διαθήκης, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἡμῖν ὑπόδειγμα δείξωσιν ἐν τῇ θέσει τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν πρὸς τοὺς ἀξίους. Πάντες οὖν εἰλικρινῶς τιμήσωμεν τοὺς τὸν βαθμὸν ἔχοντας τῆς ἱερωσύνης, γινώσκοντες ὅτι εἴ τις τῶν φίλων τοῦ βασιλέως φιλεῖ, τοῦτον πολλῷ πλέον ἀγαπᾷ ὁ βασιλεύς. Ἀγαπήσωμεν οὖν τοὺς ἱερεῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐπειδὴ φίλοι εἰσὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ πρεσβεύουσιν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάντοτε· τίμησον τοὺς ἱερεῖς, ἀναπληρῶν τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν λέγουσαν, ὅτι Ὁ δεχόμενος