this." Thus James the second, seized by Herod, was beheaded with a sword; Thus Peter, the chief of the apostles, having been seized many times and imprisoned and dishonored, was later crucified in Rome. Likewise also the renowned Paul, having been delivered up very often and having been in danger of death, and having struggled much and boasted in many persecutions and afflictions, in the same city he himself was also beheaded by the sword; who, in the things in which he boasted, recounted that also in Damascus he was let down in a basket through the wall by night and escaped the hands of the one seeking to seize him. For the task set before them was, first of all, to preach the gospel and to teach the word of God; in which, strengthening the brethren "to continue in the faith," they also said this, "that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God"; for they sought "not their own advantage, but that of the many, that they might be saved." And there was much for them to say on these matters in order to act according to reason, if not, as the apostle says, "time would fail us to tell." 10 Concerning clergy. Therefore it is not reasonable for those of the clergy who have deserted, and who have fallen away and wrestled back, to still be in the ministry, inasmuch as they have abandoned the flock of the Lord and disgraced themselves, which none of the apostles has done. For even the blessed apostle Paul, who endured many persecutions and showed many prizes of contests, having known that "it is better to depart and to be with Christ," adds and says: "But to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake"; "for considering not his own advantage, but that of the many, that they might be saved," he considered remaining with the brethren and caring for them more necessary than his own rest; who also wishes "the one who teaches to be in his teaching, becoming a type for the faithful." Therefore those sentenced to prison, who have fallen from the ministry and wrestled back, are altogether insensible; for how do they ask for what they have abandoned, when they could be useful to the brethren at such a time? Therefore, as long as they were without offense, they had pardon for their unreasonable action; but when they did offend, as though having boasted and disgraced themselves, they can no longer minister. Therefore let them rather consider in humility how they may bring things to completion, having ceased from vainglory; for communion is sufficient for them, being administered with attention and exactness in both respects, both so that they may not seem to be grieved by forcefully grasping at departure from here, and so that some who have fallen away may not make an excuse as if they were enfeebled by the occasion of the penance. These will have more shame and reproach than all, like that one who laid a foundation and was not strong enough to finish; "For," he says, "all who pass by will begin to mock him, saying: This man laid a foundation and was not strong enough to finish."

11 Concerning those who of their own accord entered into the contest and after many

tortures denied. For the first ones who leapt forward in the heat of the persecution, standing around at

the tribunal and seeing the holy martyrs hastening "for the prize of the upward call," being eager with a good zeal, gave themselves over to this, using great boldness, looking especially at those being dragged away and falling away, on whose account, being inwardly inflamed and inspired to fight against the one who exalts himself and opposes, they hastened to this, so that he might not "seem to be wise in his own sight," in those things in which through craftiness he seemed to be victorious, even if he was unaware that he himself was being conquered by those who were enduring the tortures of the scrapers and whips, and the sharpness of the sword and the burnings of the fire and the drownings in the waters. And for those departing according to the faith, let prayers and supplications be made, either

ταύτην». Οὕτως Ἰάκωβος δεύτερος, συλληφθεὶς ὑπὸ Ἡρώδου, μαχαίρᾳ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀπετμήθη· Οὕτως ὁ πρόκριτος τῶν ἀποστόλων Πέτρος, πολλάκις συλληφθεὶς καὶ φυλακισθεὶς καὶ ἀτιμασθείς, ὕστερον ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἐσταυρώθη. Ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ περιβόητος Παῦλος πλεονάκις παραδοθεὶς καὶ ἕως θανάτου κινδυνεύσας, πολλά τε ἀθλήσας καὶ καυχησάμενος ἐν πολλοῖς διωγμοῖς καὶ θλίψεσιν, ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ πόλει καὶ αὐτὸς μαχαίρᾳ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀπεκείρατο· ὃς ἐν οἷς ἐκαυχήσατο κατέλεξεν, ὅτι καὶ ἐν ∆αμασκῷ σπυρίδι ἐχαλάσθη διὰ τοῦ τείχους νυκτὸς καὶ ἐξέφυγε τὰς χεῖρας τοῦ ζητοῦντος αὐτὸν πιᾶσαι. Τὸ γὰρ προκείμενον ἦν αὐτοῖς ἐν πρώτοις εὐαγγελίζεσθαι καὶ διδάσκειν τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ· ἐν οἷς ἐπιστηρίζοντες τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς «ἐμμένειν ἐν τῇ πίστει», καὶ τοῦτο ἔλεγον, «ὅτι διὰ πολλῶν θλίψεων δεῖ ἡμᾶς εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ»· ἐζήτουν γὰρ «οὐ τὸ ἑαυτῶν συμφέρον, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῶν πολλῶν, ἵνα σωθῶσι». Καὶ ἦν πολλὰ λέγειν αὐτοῖς εἰς ταῦτα πρὸς τὸ κατὰ λόγον πράσσειν, εἰ μή, ὡς λέγει ὁ ἀπόστολος, «ἐπιλείποι δ' ἂν ἡμᾶς διηγουμένους ὁ χρόνος». 10 Περὶ κληρικῶν. Ὅθεν οὐκ ἔστιν εὔλογον οὐδὲ τοὺς ἀπὸ κλήρου αὐτομολήσαντας, ἐκπεπτωκότας τε καὶ ἀναπαλαίσαντας, ἔτι ἐν τῇ λειτουργίᾳ εἶναι, ἅτε δὴ καταλείψαντας τὸ ποίμνιον τοῦ κυρίου καὶ μωμησαμένους ἑαυτούς, ὅπερ οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀποστόλων πεποίηκε. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ πολλοὺς διωγμοὺς ἐξαντλήσας, πολλά τε ἆθλα ἀγωνισμάτων ἐνδειξάμενος, ὁ μακάριος ἀπόστολος Παῦλος, ἐγνωκώς τε ὅτι «κάλλιόν ἐστιν ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι», ἐπιφέρει καὶ λέγει· «Τὸ δὲ ἐπιμεῖναι τῇ σαρκὶ ἀναγκαιότερον δι' ὑμᾶς»· «σκοπῶν γὰρ οὐ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ συμφέρον, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῶν πολλῶν, ἵνα σωθῶσιν», ἀναγκαιότερον τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀναπαύσεως ἡγήσατο τὸ παραμένειν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς καὶ ἐπιμελεῖσθαι αὐτῶν· ὃς καὶ «τὸν διδάσκοντα θέλει εἶναι ἐν τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ τύπον γινόμενον τῶν πιστῶν». Ὅθεν οἱ ἐν τῇ εἱρκτῇ ἐπιδικαζόμενοι τῆς λειτουργίας ἐκπεπτωκότες καὶ ἀναπαλαίσαντες, πάνυ ἀναισθητοῦσι· πῶς γὰρ αἰτοῦσιν ὃ κατέλειψαν, δυνάμενοι τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς εὔχρηστοι εἶναι ἐν καιρῷ τοιούτῳ; Ἕως μὲν οὖν ἄπταιστοι ἦσαν, συγγνώμην εἴχοσαν ἐπὶ τῇ παραλόγῳ αὐτῶν πράξει· ὅτε δὲ ἔπταισαν, ὡσὰν περπερευσάμενοι καὶ ἑαυτοὺς μωμησάμενοι, οὐκέτι δύνανται λειτουργεῖν. ∆ιὸ φροντιζέτωσαν μᾶλλον ἐν ταπεινοφροσύνῃ πῶς ἐκτελέσωσι παυσάμενοι τῆς κενοδοξίας· ἀρκεῖ γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἡ κοινωνία μετ' ἐπιστάσεως καὶ ἀκριβείας πρὸς ἀμφότερα γινομένη, καὶ ἵνα μὴ δόξωσι λυπεῖσθαι μετὰ βίας περιδρασσόμενοι τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ἀναλύσεως, καὶ ἵνα μή τινες ἐκπεσόντες προφασίσωνται ὡσὰν διὰ τὴν ἀφορμὴν τῆς ἐπιτιμίας ὑπεκλελυμένοι. Οἵτινες πλέον ἁπάντων αἰσχύνην καὶ ὄνειδος ἕξουσι, κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν τεθεικότα θεμέλιον καὶ μὴ ἰσχύσαντα ἐκτελέσαι· «Ἄρξονται γάρ, φησί, πάντες οἱ παραπορευόμενοι ἐμπαίζειν αὐτόν, λέγοντες· οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος θεμέλιον τέθεικε καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ἐκτελέσαι».

11 Περὶ τῶν αὐθαιρέτως εἰσελθόντων εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα καὶ μετὰ πολλὰς

βασάνους ἀρνησαμένων. Οἱ γὰρ πρῶτοι παραπηδήσαντες ἐν τῷ βράσματι τοῦ διωγμοῦ, περιεστῶτες εἰς

τὸ δικαστήριον καὶ θεωροῦντες τοὺς ἁγίους μάρτυρας σπεύδοντας «ἐπὶ τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως», ἐν καλῷ τῷ ζήλῳ προθυμούμενοι, ἐπεδίδουν ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τοῦτο, πολλῇ τῇ παρρησίᾳ χρώμενοι, ἐμβλέποντες μάλιστα τοὺς ὑποσυρομένους καὶ ἐκπίπτοντας, δι' οὓς ὑποθερμαινόμενοι ἔσωθεν καὶ ἐνηχούμενοι καταπολεμῆσαι τὸν ὑπε-ραιρόμενον καὶ ἀντικείμενον, ἔσπευ-δον εἰς τοῦτο, ἵνα μὴ καὶ «δοκῇ παρ' αὐτῷ φρόνιμος εἶναι», ἐφ' οἷς κατὰ πανουργίαν ἔδοξεν ἡττᾶν, εἰ καὶ ἐλάνθανεν ἑαυτὸν νικώμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἐγκαρτερούντων τὰς τῶν ξυ-στήρων καὶ μαστίγων βασάνους, τήν τε ὀξύτητα τῆς μαχαίρας καὶ τὰς καταφλέξεις τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ τὰς τῶν ὑδάτων καταποντώσεις. Καὶ τοῖς κατὰ πίστιν ὑπεξιοῦσιν εὐχὰς καὶ δεήσεις γίνεσθαι, ἤτοι