2

they make their rebukes against us more unsparingly; but He gave mortal men as teachers and priests, men clothed with weakness, so that this very thing, that both the speaker and the hearers are liable for the same things, might become a bridle to the speaker's tongue, not allowing the accusations to be made beyond measure. And that this is true, Paul himself, who set that law, also taught us this reason, saying thus: For every high priest, being taken from among men, is appointed on behalf of men, being able to deal gently with the ignorant and erring. From where and why? Since he himself is also beset with weakness. Do you see that weakness becomes the basis of sympathy, and that the kinship of nature never allows the one who rebukes to fall into excess, even if he should be very contentious? And for what reason did I say these things? 50.655 So that you may not say that "You, being clean from sins, freed from the pain that comes with rebuke, with great authority inflict on us a deeper cut." For I am the first to feel the pain, since I myself am also liable for sins. For we are all under penance; and, "No one will boast that he has a pure heart." Therefore, not philosophizing on the evils of others, nor out of any inhumanity, but from great solicitude did I make those reproofs. For in the case of those who heal bodies, the one who inflicts the wound has no sensation of the wound, but the one being cut, he is the only one torn apart by pain; but in the case of those who treat souls it is not so, unless I am mistaken in judging the things of others from my own, but the speaker himself is the first to feel pain, whenever he rebukes others. For we do not feel as much pain when we are reproved by others, as when we reprove others for sins for which we ourselves are liable. For the conscience of the speaker immediately takes hold, and the dignity with which teaching is clothed, to fall into the same sins as the disciples, and to be in need of the same reproofs, makes the pain more bitter for the speaker.

2. And I do not simply lament these things now, but because many, not bearing the weight of what was said, after the dismissal, came and were displeased, they were indignant, saying, "You lead us away from the holy table, and you drive us from communion." For this reason I was compelled to say these things, that you may learn that I do not lead away, but rather gather; I do not drive away nor do I exclude, but I draw you more through the reproofs. For the fear of the aforementioned punishment, just as fire on wax, thus falling upon the conscience of sinners, it dissolves and melts our transgressions, continually abiding there, and making the mind pure and gleaming, it instills in us greater confidence; and from this confidence and eagerness would come a greater desire to continually partake of the ineffable and awesome mysteries. And just as one who gives bitter medicines to those with poor appetites, and purges out the evil humors, stimulates the suppressed appetite, and prepares one to partake of the usual food with greater eagerness; so indeed also the one who speaks bitter words, and purges the evil thoughts from the mind, and unloads the heavy burden of sins, gives the conscience room to breathe, and prepares it to taste the Master's body with great pleasure. Therefore, one should not be displeased about what was said, but accept and praise it. But if some are more weakly disposed, and do not endure this defense of ours, I would say this to them, that I am not expounding my own laws to you, but I am reading letters that have come down from the heavens; and it is necessary for the one entrusted with this ministry, either to say everything written therein with boldness, everywhere seeking what is profitable, but not what is pleasant to the hearers; or, shrinking from the enmity of the hearers, to betray both his own salvation and theirs, through this untimely favor. For it is exceedingly dangerous both to the speaker and to the hearers to

2

ἀφειδέστερον ποιῶνται τὰς καθ' ἡμῶν ἐπιτιμήσεις· ἀλλὰ ἀνθρώπους θνητοὺς ἔδωκε διδασκάλους καὶ ἱερέας, ἀνθρώπους ἀσθένειαν περικειμένους, ἵν' αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο, τὸ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὑπεύθυνον εἶναι καὶ τὸν λέγοντα καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας, χαλινὸς γένηται τῇ τοῦ λέγοντος γλώττῃ, μὴ συγχωρῶν πέρα τοῦ μέτρου ποιεῖσθαι τὰς κατηγορίας. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθὲς, αὐτὸς ὁ Παῦλος, ὁ τὸν νόμον ἐκεῖνον θεὶς, καὶ ταύτην ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξε τὴν αἰτίαν, οὕτως εἰπών· Πᾶς γὰρ ἱερεὺς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων λαμβανόμενος, ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων καθίσταται, μετριοπαθεῖν δυνάμενος τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσι καὶ πλανωμένοις. Πόθεν καὶ διὰ τί; Ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτὸς περίκειται ἀσθένειαν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἡ ἀσθένεια τῆς συμπαθείας ὑπόθεσις γίνεται, καὶ τὸ συγγενὲς τῆς φύσεως οὐκ ἀφίησιν εἰς ἀμετρίαν ποτὲ ἐκπεσεῖν τὸν ἐπιτιμῶντα, κἂν σφόδρα φιλονεικῇ; Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ταῦτα εἶπον; 50.655 Ἵνα μὴ λέγητε ὅτι Σὺ καθαρὸς ὢν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀπηλλαγμένος τῆς ὀδύνης τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἐπιτίμησιν, μετὰ πολλῆς ἐξουσίας ἐπιφέρεις ἡμῖν βαθυτέραν τὴν τομήν. Ἐγὼ γὰρ πρότερος αἰσθάνομαι τῆς ὀδύνης, ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπεύθυνός εἰμι τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι. Πάντες γάρ ἐσμεν ἐν ἐπιτιμίοις· καὶ, Οὐδεὶς καυχήσεται ἁγνὴν ἔχειν καρδίαν. Ὥστε οὐκ ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις φιλοσοφῶν κακοῖς, οὐδὲ ἐξ ἀπανθρωπίας τινὸς, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ κηδεμονίας πολλῆς τοὺς ἐλέγχους ἐποιησάμην ἐκείνους. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν τὰ σώματα ἰατρευόντων, ὁ μὲν ἐπάγων τὴν πληγὴν οὐδεμίαν λαμβάνει τῆς πληγῆς αἴσθησιν, ὁ δὲ τεμνόμενος, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ διασπώμενος ταῖς ἀλγηδόσι μόνος· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν τὰς ψυχὰς θεραπευόντων οὐχ οὕτως, εἰ μήτι γε σφάλλομαι ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ τὰ τῶν λοιπῶν δοκιμάζων, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς πρότερος ὀδυνᾶται ὁ λέγων, ἡνίκα ἂν ἑτέροις ἐπιτιμᾷ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτως ἐλεγχόμενοι παρ' ἑτέρων ἀλγοῦμεν, ὡς ἐλέγχοντες ἑτέρους ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτημάτων ὧν ἐσμεν ὑπεύθυνοι. Ἐπιλαμβάνεται γὰρ εὐθέως τὸ συνειδὸς τοῦ λέγοντος, καὶ τὸ διδασκαλίας περικείμενον ἀξίωμα, εἰς τὰ αὐτὰ τοῖς μαθηταῖς καταπίπτειν ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ τῶν αὐτῶν δεῖσθαι ἐλέγχων, πικροτέραν τῷ λέγοντι ποιεῖ τὴν ὀδύνην.

βʹ. Καὶ ταῦτα οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀποδύρομαι νῦν ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ τὸ βάρος τῶν εἰρημένων οὐκ ἐνεγκόντες, μετὰ τὴν ἀναχώρησιν προσελθόντες ἐδυσχέραινον, ἠγανάκτουν, Ἀπάγεις ἡμᾶς, λέγοντες, τῆς ἱερᾶς τραπέζης, καὶ τῆς κοινωνίας ἀποσοβεῖς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ταῦτα ἠναγκάσθην εἰπεῖν, ἵνα μάθητε ὅτι οὐκ ἀπάγω, ἀλλὰ συνάγω μᾶλλον· οὐκ ἀποσοβῶ οὐδὲ ἀπείργω, ἀλλ' ἐπισπῶμαι διὰ τῶν ἐλέγχων πλέον. Ὁ γὰρ φόβος τῆς εἰρημένης τιμωρίας, καθάπερ πῦρ εἰς κηρὸν, οὕτως εἰς τὸ συνειδὸς τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων ἐμπίπτων, λύει μὲν ἡμῶν καὶ τήκει τὰ πλημμελήματα, διηνεκῶς ἐγκαθήμενος, καθαρὰν δὲ καὶ ἀποστίλβουσαν ἐργαζόμενος τὴν διάνοιαν, πλείονα τὴν παῤῥησίαν ἡμῖν ἐντίθησιν· ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς παῤῥησίας καὶ προθυμίας πλείων γένοιτ' ἂν πρὸς τὸ συνεχῶς τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων καὶ φρικτῶν κοινωνεῖν μυστηρίων. Καὶ καθάπερ ὁ πικρὰ φάρμακα τοῖς κακοσίτοις διδοὺς, καὶ τοὺς πονηροὺς ἐκκαθαίρων χυμοὺς, διεγείρει τὴν καταβεβλημένην ὄρεξιν, καὶ μετὰ πλείονος παρασκευάζει τῆς προθυμίας τῆς συνήθους ἅπτεσθαι τροφῆς· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ πικρὰ λέγων ῥήματα, καὶ καθαίρων τοὺς πονηροὺς λογισμοὺς τῆς διανοίας, καὶ τὸ βαρὺ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀποσκευαζόμενος φορτίον, δίδωσιν ἀναπνεῦσαι τῷ συνειδότι, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἡδονῆς ἀπογεύσασθαι τοῦ σώματος παρασκευάζει τοῦ δεσποτικοῦ. Οὐ τοίνυν δυσχεραίνειν ὑπὲρ τῶν εἰρημένων χρὴ, ἀλλ' ἀποδέχεσθαι καὶ ἐπαινεῖν. Εἰ δέ τινες ἀσθενέστερον διάκεινται, καὶ οὐκ ἀνέχονται ταύτης ἡμῶν τῆς ἀπολογίας, ἐκεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμι πρὸς αὐτοὺς, ὅτι Οὐκ ἐμαυτοῦ νόμους ὑμῖν ἐξηγοῦμαι, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν καταβάντα ἀναγινώσκω γράμματα· καὶ ἀνάγκη τὸν ταύτην ἐμπιστευθέντα τὴν διακονίαν, ἢ πάντα μετὰ παῤῥησίας εἰπεῖν τὰ ἐγκείμενα, τὸ συμφέρον, ἀλλὰ μὴ τὸ ἡδὺ τοῖς ἀκροαταῖς πανταχοῦ ζητοῦντα· ἢ τὴν τῶν ἀκουόντων ὑπειδόμενον ἀπέχθειαν, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων προέσθαι σωτηρίαν, διὰ τῆς ἀκαίρου ταύτης χάριτος Ὅτι γὰρ καὶ τῷ λέγοντι καὶ τοῖς ἀκούουσι σφόδρα ἐπικίνδυνον τὸ