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For this reason, neither an angel nor an archangel was entrusted with the priesthood (for they are sinless), lest through severity they should at once strike with thunderbolts the sinners among the people; but a man from among men was entrusted with this throne, himself also bound by pleasure and sin, so that whenever he encounters someone sinning, from his own failings he might become more compassionate toward that sinner. For if a priest were an angel, and he encountered someone committing fornication, he would immediately destroy him, not being entangled himself in this passion. For this reason, if an angel had received the authority of the priesthood, he would not teach, but would immediately destroy, because he was not such a one, it would bring him to anger against such a person. But for this reason a man was entrusted, knowing his own failings, and having them from experience, so that he might forgive sinners, and not be moved by anger, and the Church might be at peace through its gathering.

2. But why, having stood still at Peter, have I spoken of this matter in this way, and not

ascend in my discourse a little to another person? Bring forth for me; I mean Elijah, that prophet, the earthly angel and heavenly man, the one who walked on the ground and drove the chariots of heaven, the three-cubit man who walked on high, and was spread out to the very arches of heaven, the steward of the waters, whose tongue became a treasury of waters and a key to the heavens; the poor and the rich, the unlearned and the philosopher; poor, because he possessed nothing, but rich, because he held the clouds of rain on his tongue. And he was severe toward sinners, so much so as to pray once that rain not be given; and what does he say? "As the Lord lives," he says, "there will be no rain upon the earth, except by my mouth." What are you doing, Elijah? What are you declaring? At least pray to the Master, and so fulfill the word; As the Lord lives, there will be no rain, except by my mouth.

Where are the heretics who say that the Son of God prays? O wretched, miserable, and shameless one; Elijah declares, and the Son prays? the servant commands, and the Master beseeches? Will you not grant him the honor 50.729 even as to Elijah? Will you not wish to grant equal portion to the Master as to the servant? He does not pray, nor does he beseech, but he put forth a word of truth, and shut up heaven. Pray first, Elijah. But what does Elijah say? "I know my Master, that he obeys me; for I do this out of zeal." Oh, what new and strange things! Have you seen a Master overcome by the goodwill of a servant? For Elijah did this out of great zeal. For he saw many wicked things happening; he saw fornication being practiced with great evil. For it was night, which is why it also possessed the whole world; a very thick cloud covered all things. For all were advancing toward evil; it was a universal shipwreck, not of waters, but of licentiousness; sobriety was gone, and intemperance was paraded; virtue was persecuted, and wickedness luxuriated; hills and mountains, and valleys, and roads, and storehouses and the air were polluted; the sun was smoked, the earth was defiled, the heaven was despised, all creation was sick from idolatry; as in night all were walking about, paying attention to none of the created things, they saw a stone, and worshipped it as a god; they saw a piece of wood, and likewise considered this a god. A very thick night held them; they saw the creator, and worshipped created things. Elijah alone was the one holding the lamp of virtue, just as one sitting and practicing on a mountaintop of philosophy, alone holding the lamp of piety, but the illumination benefited no one because they lay in a deep sleep, and were possessed by idolatry.

Elijah therefore was enraged, he was incensed, he was grieving, he spoke words, no one listened; he exhorted, no one paid heed; finally out of zeal he wishes to bring them and

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∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ οὐκ ἄγγελος, οὔτε ἀρχάγγε λος ἐπιστεύθη ἱερατεύειν (ἀναμάρτητοι γάρ εἰσιν), ἵνα μὴ διὰ ἀποτομίαν τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας τοῦ λαοῦ ἀθρόον κεραυνοβολῶσιν· ἀλλὰ ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἀνθρώπου ἐπιστεύθη τὸν θρόνον τοῦτον, καὶ αὐτὸς ἡδονῇ καὶ ἁμαρτίᾳ συνδεδεμένος, ἵνα ὅταν λάβῃ τινὰ ἁμαρ τάνοντα, ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων πλημμελημάτων φιλαν θρωπότερος γένηται πρὸς ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἁμαρτήσαντα. Εἰ γὰρ ἦν ἄγγελος ἱερεὺς, καὶ ἔλαβέ τινα πορνεύ σαντα, εὐθὺς ἀνῄρει αὐτὸν, αὐτὸς τῷ πάθει τούτῳ οὐ συμπεπλεγμένος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἰ ἔλαβεν ἄγγελος τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ ἱερατεύειν, οὐκ ἐδίδασκεν, ἀλλ' εὐ θέως ἀνῄρει διὰ τὸ ἐκεῖνον μὴ εἶναι τοιοῦτον, εἰς ὀρ γὴν αὐτὸν ἔφερε κατὰ τοῦ τοιούτου. Ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἄνθρωπος ἐπιστεύθη, εἰδὼς τὰ πλημμελήματα ἑαυ τοῦ, καὶ ἐκ πείρας ἔχων, ἵνα συγγινώσκῃ τοῖς ἁμαρ τάνουσι, καὶ μὴ κινῆται διὰ τῆς ὀργῆς, καὶ σχο λάζῃ ἡ Ἐκκλησία διὰ τῆς συναγωγῆς.

βʹ. Τί δὲ μέχρι Πέτρου ἑστὼς τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ταύτην τοιαύτην εἴρηκα, καὶ οὐκ

ἀνέρχομαι μικρῷ τῷ λόγῳ ἐπὶ ἄλλο πρόσωπον; Φέρε μοι εἰς τὸ μέσον· λέγω δὴ Ἠλίαν, τὸν προφήτην ἐκεῖνον, τὸν ἐπίγειον ἄγγε λον καὶ ἐπουράνιον ἄνθρωπον, τὸν χαμαὶ βαδίζοντα καὶ τὰ οὐράνια ἡνιοχοῦντα, τὸν τρίπηχυν ἄνθρωπον καὶ ὑψηλοβατοῦντα, καὶ εἰς αὐτὰς ἀναπετασθέντα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὰς ἁψῖδας, τὸν τῶν ὑδάτων ταμίαν, οὗ ἡ γλῶττα θησαυρὸς ἐγένετο τῶν ὑδάτων καὶ κλεῖς τῶν οὐρανῶν· ὁ πένης καὶ πλούσιος, ὁ ἰδιώτης καὶ φιλόσοφος· πένης μὲν, ὅτι μηδὲν ἐκέκτητο, πλούσιος δὲ, ὅτι τὰ νέφη τοῦ ὑετοῦ ἐν τῇ γλώττῃ κατεῖχε. Καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπότομος ἦν περὶ τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας οὕτως ὡς εὔξασθαί ποτε ὑετὸν μὴ δοῦναι· καὶ τί λέγει; Ζῇ Κύριος, φησὶν, εἰ ἔσται ὑετὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εἰ μὴ διὰ στόματός μου. Τί ποιεῖς, Ἠλία; τί ἀποφαίνῃ; κἂν εὖξαι τὸν ∆εσπότην, καὶ οὕτω πλήρωσον τὸν λόγον· Ζῇ Κύριος, εἰ ἔσται ὑε τὸς, εἰ μὴ διὰ στόματός μου.

Ποῦ εἰσὶν οἱ αἱρετικοὶ οἱ λέγοντες, ὅτι ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ εὔχεται; Ἄθλιε καὶ ταλαίπωρε καὶ ἀναίσχυντε· Ἠλίας ἀποφαίνεται, καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς εὔχεται; ὁ δοῦλος κελεύει, καὶ ὁ ∆εσπότης παρακαλεῖ; οὐδὲ ὡς τῷ Ἠλίᾳ χαρίζῃ αὐτῷ τὴν τι 50.729 μήν; οὐ θέλεις ὡς τῷ δούλῳ οὕτω καὶ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ τὴν ἰσομοιρίαν χαρίσασθαι; Οὐκ εὔχεται ἐκεῖνος, οὐ δὲ παρακαλεῖ, ἀλλὰ λόγον ἀληθείας προέβαλε, καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔκλεισεν. Εὖξαι πρῶτον, Ἠλία. Ἀλλὰ τί Ἠλίας; Οἶδα τὸν ἐμὸν ∆εσπότην, ὅτι ὑπακούει μου· ἀπὸ γὰρ ζήλου τοῦτο ποιῶ. Ὢ καινῶν καὶ παραδόξων πραγμάτων! εἶδες ∆εσπότην ὑπὸ εὐνοίας δούλου νενι κημένον; Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἠλίας ἀπὸ ζήλου πολλοῦ τοῦτο ἐποίησεν. Ἔβλεπε γὰρ πολλὰ ἄτοπα γινόμενα· ἔβλεπε πορνείαν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς κακίας πολιτευομένην. Νὺξ γὰρ ἦν, δι' ὃ καὶ κατεῖχε τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν· νεφέλη πυκνοτάτη ἐκάλυπτε τὰ σύμπαντα. Πάντες γὰρ προέκοπτον ἐπὶ τὸ κακόν· οἰκουμενικὸν ἦν ναυά γιον, οὐχ ὑδάτων, ἀλλὰ ἀσελγείας· σωφροσύνη ἐκ ποδὼν, καὶ ἀκολασία ἐπομπεύετο· ἀρετὴ ἐδιώκετο, καὶ κακία ἐνηβρύνετο· βουνοὶ καὶ ὄρη, καὶ νάπαι, καὶ ὁδοὶ, καὶ ταμεῖα καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ ἐμολύνετο· ὁ ἥλιος ἐκα πνίζετο, ἡ γῆ ἐμιαίνετο, ὁ οὐρανὸς ἐξουθενεῖτο, ἡ κτίσις, πᾶσα ἐνόσει ἀπὸ εἰδωλολατρείας· ὡς ἐν νυκτὶ πάντες περιεπάτουν, οὐδενὶ προσέχοντες τῶν κτισμά των, λίθον ἔβλεπον, καὶ ὡς θεὸν προσεκύνουν· ξύλον ἔβλεπον, καὶ τοῦτο ὁμοίως θεὸν ἐνόμιζον. Νὺξ αὐτοὺς εἶχε πυκνοτάτη· τὸν κτίστην ἔβλεπον, καὶ τοῖς κτί σμασι προσεκύνουν. Ἠλίας μόνος ἦν τὸν λύχνον ἔχων τῆς ἀρετῆς, καθάπερ ἐπὶ κορυφῆς ὄρους τῆς φιλο σοφίας καθεζόμενος καὶ ἀσκῶν, μόνος μὲν ἔχων τὸν λύχνον τῆς εὐσεβείας, οὐδένα δὲ ὠφέλει τὸ φώτισμα διὰ τὸ κάρῳ αὐτοὺς κατακεῖσθαι, καὶ εἰδωλολατρείᾳ αὐτοὺς κατέχεσθαι.

Ἐμαίνετο οὖν ὁ Ἠλίας, ἐπρίζετο, ὠδύρετο, ῥήματα ἐλάλει, οὐδεὶς ἤκουε· παρεκά λει, οὐδεὶς ἠνέσχετο· λοιπὸν ἀπὸ ζήλου προσαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς θέλει καὶ