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let the difference be in what is shepherded, that I may not say more; for the danger is about much greater things. For he who loses sheep, whether wolves have snatched them, or robbers attacked, or some plague or other accident has befallen them, might obtain some pardon from the master of the flock; and even if a penalty were exacted, the loss is only a matter of money. But he who is entrusted with men, the rational flock of Christ, in the first place, for the loss of his sheep sustains the penalty not in money, but in his own soul.

2.3 3. That it requires a great and wonderful soul. Then he has a struggle much greater and more difficult; for his battle is not against wolves, nor does he fear for robbers, nor does he take care to drive a plague from the flock. But against whom is the war? With whom is the wrestling? Hear the blessed Paul saying: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Did you see the terrible multitude of enemies and the savage phalanxes, not fenced with iron, but content with their nature instead of all armor? Do you wish to see another army, harsh and cruel, besieging this flock? And you will see this from the same vantage point; for he who discoursed to us about those, this one also points out to us these enemies, saying something like this: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Fornication, adultery, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, backbitings, whisperings, swellings,” and others more than these; for he did not list them all, but from these he allowed us to know the rest also. And in the case of the shepherd of irrational animals, those who wish to destroy the flock, when they see the one in charge fleeing, they leave off the battle against him and are content with seizing the livestock; but here, even if they take the whole flock, not even so do they leave the shepherd, but rather they press on him and become more audacious, and they do not stop until they either bring him down or are themselves defeated. And in addition to these things, the diseases of the livestock are manifest, whether it be famine, or plague, or a wound, or whatever else is afflicting them; and this would be no small thing towards the removal of the troubles. There is also another thing greater than this, which makes the cure of that sickness quick. And what is this? With much authority the shepherds compel the sheep to receive the treatment when they do not willingly submit; for it is easy to bind them when it is necessary to cauterize and to cut, and to keep them indoors for a long time whenever this is beneficial, and to bring one kind of food instead of another and to keep them from streams, and all other things that they may approve as contributing to their health, they apply with much ease. But the sicknesses of men, in the first place, it is not easy for a man to see; “for no one knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man which is in him.” How then could one apply the medicine for the disease whose nature he does not know, and often not even being able to perceive if he happens to be sick? But when it does become manifest, then it presents him with greater difficulty; for it is not possible to treat all men with as much authority as the shepherd treats the sheep. For it is possible here also to bind and to withhold food and to cauterize and to cut; but the power of receiving the treatment lies not in the one applying the medicine, but in the one who is sick. For that wonderful man, being aware of this, said to the Corinthians: “Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers of your joy.” For above all it is not permitted for Christians to by force

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ποιμαινομένων ἔστω τὸ μέσον, ἵνα μὴ καὶ πλέον τι εἴπω· καὶ γὰρ περὶ πολλῷ μειζόνων ὁ κίνδυνος. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ πρόβατα ἀπολλὺς ἢ λύκων ἁρπασάντων ἢ λῃστῶν ἐπιστάντων ἢ λοιμοῦ τινος ἢ καὶ ἄλλου συμπτώματος ἐπιπεσόντος, τύχοι μὲν ἄν τινος καὶ συγγνώμης παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου τῆς ποίμνης· εἰ δὲ καὶ δίκην ἀπαιτοῖτο, μέχρι τῶν χρημάτων ἡ ζημία. Ὁ δὲ ἀνθρώπους πιστευθείς, τὸ λογικὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποίμνιον, πρῶτον μὲν οὐκ εἰς χρήματα, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν τὴν ζημίαν ὑφίσταται ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν προβάτων ἀπωλείας.

2.3 γʹ. Ὅτι μεγάλης δεῖται ψυχῆς καὶ θαυμαστῆσ Ἔπειτα καὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα πολλῷ μείζονα καὶ χαλεπώτερον ἔχει· οὐ γὰρ αὐτῷ πρὸς λύκους ἡ μάχη, οὐδὲ ὑπὲρ λῃστῶν δέδοικεν, οὐδὲ ἵνα λοιμὸν ἀπελάσῃ τῆς ποίμνης φροντίζει. Ἀλλὰ πρὸς τίνας ὁ πόλεμος; μετὰ τίνων ἡ πάλη; Ἄκουε τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου λέγοντος· «Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχάς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας, ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις.» Εἶδες πολεμίων πλῆθος δεινὸν καὶ φάλαγγας ἀγρίας, οὐ σιδήρῳ πεφραγμένας, ἀλλ' ἀντὶ πάσης πανοπλίας ἀρκουμένας τῇ φύσει; Βούλει καὶ ἕτερον στρατόπεδον ἰδεῖν ἀπηνὲς καὶ ὠμὸν ταύτῃ προσεδρεῦον τῇ ποίμνῃ; Καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς ὄψει περιωπῆς· ὁ γὰρ περὶ ἐκείνων ἡμῖν διαλεχθείς, οὗτος καὶ τούτους ἡμῖν ὑποδείκνυσι τοὺς ἐχθρούς, ὧδέ πως λέγων· «Φανερά ἐστι τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκός, ἅτινά ἐστι πορνεία, μοιχεία, ἀκαθαρσία, ἀσέλγεια, εἰδωλολατρεία, φαρμακεία, ἔχθραι, ἔρεις, ζῆλοι, θυμοί, ἐριθεῖαι, καταλαλιαί, ψιθυρισμοί, φυσιώσεις», καὶ ἕτερα τούτων πλείονα· οὐ γὰρ πάντα κατέλεξεν, ἀλλ' ἐκ τούτων ἀφῆκεν εἰδέναι καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ ποιμένος τῶν ἀλόγων, οἱ βουλόμενοι διαφθεῖραι τὴν ποίμνην, ὅταν ἴδωσι τὸν ἐφεστῶτα φεύγοντα, τὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον μάχην ἀφέντες ἀρκοῦνται τῇ τῶν θρεμμάτων ἁρπαγῇ· ἐνταῦθα δέ, κἂν ἅπασαν λάβωσι τὴν ποίμνην, οὐδ' οὕτω τοῦ ποιμένος ἀφίστανται, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἐφεστήκασι καὶ πλέον θρασύνονται, καὶ οὐ πρότερον παύονται ἕως ἂν ἢ καταβάλωσιν ἐκεῖνον ἢ νικηθῶσιν αὐτοί. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τὰ μὲν τῶν θρεμμάτων νοσήματα καθέστηκε φανερά, κἂν λιμὸς ᾖ, κἂν λοιμός, κἂν τραῦμα, κἂν ὁτιδηποτοῦν ἕτερον ᾖ τὸ λυποῦν· οὐ μικρὸν δὲ τοῦτο δύναιντ' ἂν πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἐνοχλούντων ἀπαλλαγήν. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἕτερον τούτου μεῖζον, τὸ ποιοῦν ταχεῖαν τῆς ἀρρωστίας ἐκείνης τὴν λύσιν. Τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστι; Μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἐξουσίας καταναγκάζουσι τὰ πρόβατα οἱ ποιμένες δέχεσθαι τὴν ἰατρείαν ὅταν ἑκόντα μὴ ὑπομένῃ· καὶ γὰρ δῆσαι εὔκολον ὅταν καῦσαι δέῃ καὶ τεμεῖν καὶ φυλάξαι ἔνδον ἐπὶ χρόνον πολὺν ἡνίκα ἂν τοῦτο συμφέρῃ καὶ ἑτέραν δὲ ἀνθ' ἑτέρας προσαγαγεῖν τροφὴν καὶ ἀποκωλῦσαι ναμάτων, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα δὲ πάντα ὅσαπερ ἂν δοκιμάσωσι πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνων ὑγίειαν συμβάλλεσθαι μετὰ πολλῆς προσάγουσι τῆς εὐκολίας. Τὰς δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀρρωστίας πρῶτον μὲν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνθρώπῳ ῥᾴδιον ἰδεῖν· «οὐδεὶς γὰρ οἶδε τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ.» Πῶς οὖν τις προσαγάγοι τῆς νόσου τὸ φάρμακον ἧς τὸν τρόπον οὐκ οἶδε, πολλάκις δὲ μηδὲ εἰ τυγχάνοι νοσῶν δυνάμενος συνιδεῖν; Ἐπειδὰν δὲ καὶ καταφανὴς γένηται, τότε πλείον' αὐτῷ παρέχει τὴν δυσκολίαν· οὐ γάρ ἐστι μετὰ τοσαύτης ἐξουσίας ἅπαντας θεραπεύειν ἀνθρώπους μεθ' ὅσης τὸ πρόβατον ὁ ποιμήν. Ἔστι μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα καὶ δῆσαι καὶ τροφῆς ἀπεῖρξαι καὶ καῦσαι καὶ τεμεῖν· ἀλλ' ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ δέξασθαι τὴν ἰατρείαν οὐκ ἐν τῷ προσάγοντι τὸ φάρμακον, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ κάμνοντι κεῖται. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ θαυμάσιος ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ συνειδὼς Κορινθίοις ἔλεγεν· «Οὐχ ὅτι κυριεύομεν ὑμῶν τῆς πίστεως, ἀλλὰ σύνεργοί ἐσμεν τῆς χαρᾶς ὑμῶν.» Μάλιστα μὲν γὰρ ἁπάντων χριστιανοῖς οὐκ ἐφεῖται πρὸς βίαν