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breast, nor do you bow down, nor do you imitate the tax collector? Therefore you have destroyed yourself, even if you are better. Are you better? be silent, so that you may remain better; but if you speak, you have emptied out the whole. If you think so, no; if you do not think so, you have added much. For if he who was a sinner, because he confessed, went down justified, what will he who is not exceedingly a sinner, and is so persuaded, not gain? Examine your life. You do not steal? but you plunder, but you use violence, but you do countless other such things. I do not speak praising theft, far from it, but even weeping greatly, if there is such a person; for I am not persuaded. For how great an evil sacrilege is, it is not possible even to say; but I spare you; for I do not wish our virtue to be emptied by accusing others. What is worse than the tax collector, tell me? It was true, that he was also a tax collector, and guilty of countless evils; and only because the Pharisee said, ‘That I am not like this tax collector,’ he lost everything; you say concerning the priest, ‘That I am not like this temple-robber,’ and do you not empty out everything? I am compelled to say these things and to go through this argument, not because I care so much for them, but because I fear for you, lest you empty your virtue through this boasting, through condemnation. For hear Paul exhorting and saying: But let each one test his own work, and then he will have his boast in himself alone, and not in another. 4. Tell me, if you come to a physician’s office with a wound, instead of letting a remedy be applied and the sore healed, do you busy yourself about the physician, whether he has a sore, or does not have one? and even if he does, do you care? or because he has one, do you not heal your own, and say, ‘He ought to be healthy, being a physician; since he is not healthy, being a physician, shall I too leave my own sore unhealed?’ For if the priest is wicked, will that be a comfort to the one who is governed? By no means, but he will pay the appointed penalty; and you too will pay what is due and fitting; for the teacher henceforth only fulfills an office. For they shall all, He says, be taught by God, and they shall not say, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest of them. For what reason then, he says, does he preside; for what reason then is he set over 62.612? Let us not, I beseech you, speak evil of our teachers, nor be overly critical concerning these things, so that we may not harm ourselves; let us examine our own affairs, and we will speak evil of no one. Let us revere that day, on which he enlightened us. If one has a father, even if he has countless faults, he overshadows them all. For do not glory, he says, in the dishonor of your father; for his reproach is not glory to you. And if his understanding fails, be indulgent. And if this is so for physical fathers, how much more must these things be said of spiritual fathers. Revere the fact that each day he ministers to you; he causes the Scriptures to be read, for your sake he adorns the house, for your sake he keeps vigil, for your sake he prays, on your behalf he stands entreating God, for your sake he makes supplications, for you is his entire worship. Revere these things, consider these things, approach with all reverence. Tell me, is he wicked? And what of it? For does he who is not wicked himself bestow upon you the great good things? By no means; the whole is worked according to your faith. Neither will the righteous man benefit you at all, if you are not faithful, nor will the wicked man harm you at all, if you are faithful. God worked through oxen in the case of the ark, when he wished to save the people. For does the life of the priest, or his virtue, contribute so much? The things which God bestows are not such as to be accomplished by priestly virtue; the whole is of grace; it is his part only to open his mouth, but God works the whole; he only fulfills a symbol. Consider how great is the distance between John and Jesus; for hear John saying: ‘I have need to be baptized by you,’ and, ‘I am not worthy to loose the strap of his sandal.’ But nevertheless, though the distance was so great, the Spirit was also brought down, which John did not have. For from his fullness, he says, we all

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στῆθος, οὐδὲ κάτω κύπτεις, οὐδὲ μιμῇ τὸν τελώνην; Οὐκοῦν ἀπώλεσας σαυτὸν, κἂν βελτίων ᾖς. Βελτίων εἶ; σίγα, ἵνα μένῃς βελτίων· ἂν δὲ εἴπῃς, ἐκένωσας τὸ πᾶν. Ἂν νομίσῃς, οὐχί· ἂν μὴ νομίσῃς, πολὺ προσέθηκας. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ ὢν ἁμαρτωλὸς, ἐπειδὴ ὡμολόγησε, κατῆλθε δεδικαιωμένος, ὁ μὴ ὢν σφόδρα ἁμαρτωλὸς, καὶ οὕτω πεπεισμένος, τί οὐ κερδανεῖ; Ἐξέτασόν σου τὸν βίον. Οὐ κλέπτεις; ἀλλ' ἁρπάζεις, ἀλλὰ βιάζῃ, ἀλλὰ μυρία ἕτερα τοιαῦτα ποιεῖς. Οὐκ ἐπαινῶν λέγω τὴν κλοπὴν, ἄπαγε, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα δακρύων, εἴ τις ἄρα ἐστὶ τοιοῦτος· οὐ γὰρ πείθομαι. Ὅσον γὰρ ἡ ἱεροσυλία κακὸν, οὐδὲ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν· ἀλλ' ὑμῶν φείδομαι· οὐ γὰρ βούλομαι τὴν ἀρετὴν τὴν ἡμετέραν κενοῦσθαι τῷ κατηγορεῖν ἑτέρων. Τί τοῦ τελώνου χεῖρον, εἰπέ μοι; Ἀληθὲς ἦν, ὅτι καὶ τελώνης ἦν, καὶ μυρίων ἔνοχος κακῶν· καὶ μόνον ἵνα εἴπῃ ὁ Φαρισαῖος, Ὅτι οὐκ εἰμὶ ὡς οὗτος ὁ τελώνης, πάντα ἀπώλεσε· σὺ περὶ τοῦ ἱερέως λέγεις, ὅτι Οὐκ εἰμὶ ὡς οὗτος ἱερόσυλος, καὶ οὐ πάντα κενοῖς; Ταῦτα λέγειν ἀναγκάζομαι καὶ ἐπεξιέναι τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ἐκείνων μοι μέλει τοσοῦτον, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ περὶ ὑμῶν δέδοικα, μὴ κενώσητε ὑμῶν τὴν ἀρετὴν διὰ τῆς καυχήσεως ταύτης, διὰ τῆς κατακρίσεως. Ἄκουε γὰρ τοῦ Παύλου παραινοῦντος καὶ λέγοντος· Τὸ δὲ ἔργον ἑαυτοῦ δοκιμαζέτω ἕκαστος, καὶ τότε εἰς ἑαυτὸν μόνον τὸ καύχημα ἕξει, καὶ οὐκ εἰς τὸν ἕτερον. δʹ. Εἰπέ μοι, ἂν εἰς ἰατρεῖον ἔλθῃς τραῦμα ἔχων, μὴ ἀφεὶς φάρμακον ἐπιθεῖναι καὶ θεραπεῦσαι τὸ ἕλκος, περιεργάζῃ τὸν ἰατρὸν, εἴτε ἕλκος ἔχει, εἴτε οὐκ ἔχει; κἂν ἔχῃ δὲ, φροντίζεις; ἢ ἐπειδὴ ἔχει ἐκεῖνος, τὸ σαυτοῦ οὐ θεραπεύεις, καὶ λέγεις, Ἐχρῆν αὐτὸν ὑγιαίνειν ἰατρὸν ὄντα· ἐπειδὴ οὐχ ὑγιαίνει ἰατρὸς ὢν, ἀφίημι κἀγὼ τὸ ἕλκος τὸ ἐμὸν ἀνίατον; μὴ γὰρ, ἂν ὁ ἱερεὺς ᾖ κακὸς, παραμυθία ἔσται τῷ ἀρχομένῳ; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ δώσει μὲν ἐκεῖνος δίκην τὴν ὡρισμένην· δώσεις δὲ καὶ σὺ τὴν ὀφειλομένην καὶ πρέπουσαν· καὶ γὰρ ὁ διδάσκαλος τάξιν λοιπὸν πληροῖ μόνον. Ἔσονται γὰρ, φησὶ, πάντες διδακτοὶ Θεοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ εἴπωσι, Γνῶθι τὸν Κύριον, ὅτι πάντες εἰδήσουσί με ἀπὸ μικροῦ ἕως μεγάλου αὐτῶν. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν, φησὶ, προκάθηται· τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἐφ 62.612 έστηκε; Μὴ λέγωμεν, παρακαλῶ, κακῶς τοὺς διδασκάλους, μηδὲ ἀκριβολογώμεθα περὶ τούτων, ἵνα μὴ κακῶς ἑαυτοὺς διαθῶμεν· τὰ ἡμέτερα ἐξετάζωμεν, καὶ οὐδένα ἐροῦμεν κακῶς. Αἰδεσθῶμεν τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην, καθ' ἣν ἡμᾶς ἐφώτισεν. Ἂν πατέρα τις ἔχῃ, κἂν μυρία ἔχῃ δεινὰ, πάντα συσκιάζει. Μὴ δοξάζου γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ πατρός σου· οὐ γάρ ἐστί σοι δόξα ὡς ὄνειδος. Κἂν ἀπολίπῃ σύνεσις, συγγνώμην ἔχε. Εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν σωματικῶν πατέρων, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῶν πνευματικῶν πατέρων ταῦτα λεκτέον. Αἰδέσθητι ὅτι καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν σοι διακονεῖται· ἀναγινώσκεσθαι ποιεῖ τὰς Γραφὰς, διὰ σὲ τὸν οἶκον κοσμεῖ, διὰ σὲ ἀγρυπνεῖ, διὰ σὲ εὔχεται, ὑπὲρ σοῦ ἕστηκε τὸν Θεὸν παρακαλῶν, διὰ σὲ λιτὰς ποιεῖ, ὑπὲρ σοῦ πᾶσα αὐτῷ ἡ θρησκεία. Ταῦτα αἰδέσθητι, ταῦτα ἐννόησον, μετὰ πάσης εὐλαβείας πρόσιθι. Εἰπέ μοι, φαῦλός ἐστι; Καὶ τί τοῦτο; ὁ γὰρ μὴ φαῦλος αὐτός σοι χαρίζεται τὰ μεγάλα ἀγαθά; Οὐδαμῶς· πρὸς τὴν πίστιν τὴν σὴν τὸ πᾶν ἐνεργεῖται. Οὔτε ὁ δίκαιος ὠφελήσει τι, μὴ ὄντος σου πιστοῦ, οὔτε ὁ φαῦλος βλάψει τι, ὄντος σου πιστοῦ. ∆ιὰ βοῶν ἐνήργησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τῆς κιβωτοῦ, ὅτε ἐβούλετο σῶσαι τὸν λαόν. Μὴ γὰρ ὁ βίος τοῦ ἱερέως, μὴ γὰρ ἡ ἀρετὴ τοσοῦτόν τι συντελεῖ; Οὐκ ἔστι τοιαῦτα ἃ χαρίζεται ὁ Θεὸς, ὡς ὑπὸ ἱερατικῆς ἀρετῆς ἀνύεσθαι· τὸ πᾶν τῆς χάριτός ἐστι· τούτου ἐστὶν ἀνοῖξαι μόνον τὸ στόμα, τὸ δὲ πᾶν ὁ Θεὸς ἐργάζεται· σύμβολον οὗτος πληροῖ μόνον. Ἐννόησον ὅσον ἐστὶ τὸ μέσον Ἰωάννου καὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ· ἄκουε γὰρ Ἰωάννου λέγοντος·Ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ, Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα τοῦ ὑποδήματος. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τοσούτου ὄντος τοῦ μέσου, καὶ Πνεῦμα κατηνέχθη, ὅπερ οὐκ εἶχεν Ἰωάννης. Ἐκ γὰρ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ, φησὶν, ἡμεῖς πάντες