John Chrysostom, On Priesthood

to accuse them of being deranged, but to exempt those who do this in matters of excessive superiority from the charges of madness, and subject them to the accusations of arrogance? Just as if someone, accusing a man who scorns a herd of cattle and does not want to be a cowherd, not of arrogance at all, but of madness, should say that a man who does not accept the rule of the whole world and to become master of the armies everywhere is puffed up with pride instead of being mad. But these things are not so, they are not so, nor do those who say these things slander us more than themselves; for the mere thought that it is possible for human nature to disdain that dignity is a proof against those who utter it of the opinion they hold about the matter; for if they did not think it was one of the common things and of no great account, this suspicion would never have entered their minds. For why has no one ever dared to suspect such a thing concerning the dignity of angels and to say that there is a human soul that through madness would not choose to attain to the dignity of that nature? For we imagine great things about those powers, and this does not allow us to believe that a man could think anything greater than that honor, so that one might more justly charge with madness those who accuse us of this; for they would never have supposed this about others, unless they had first themselves condemned the matter as being of no account.

3.2 2. That we did not flee because of vainglory either

But if they say that we have done this with a view to glory, they will be convicted of contradicting themselves and of fighting openly; for I do not know what other arguments they would have sought before these, if they had wished to acquit us of the charges of vainglory.

3.3 3. That if we desired glory, we should have rather chosen the office

For if this desire had ever entered into me, I ought to have accepted rather than to have fled. Why? Because this would have brought us much glory; for to be at this time of life and to have but recently withdrawn from worldly cares, to suddenly seem so wonderful in the eyes of all as to be preferred to those who have spent all their time in such labors and to receive more votes than all of them, would have persuaded everyone to suspect some wonderful and great things about us, and would have made us revered and conspicuous. But now, except for a few, the greater part of the Church does not even know us by name, so that it will not be clear to everyone that we have refused, but only to a few, and I do not think that even all of them know the exact truth; and it is likely that many of these think either that we were not chosen at all, or that we were set aside after the election as having been deemed unsuitable, not that we fled voluntarily. {ΒΑΣ.} But those who know the truth will admire you. {ΙΩ.} And yet you said that these slander us as vainglorious and arrogant. From where then can we hope for praise? From the many? But they do not know the truth. But from the few? But here too the matter has been turned against us; for you have not come here now for any other reason than to learn what defense you should make to them. And why am I being so precise about these things now? For, even if everyone knew the truth, not even so should we be judged for madness or love of glory, wait a little and you will know this clearly; and besides this, again, that not only for those who dare this daring—if any man does, for I for one am not persuaded—but also for those who suspect it of others, no small danger is at hand.

3.4 4. That the priesthood is awesome and the new worship is much more awesome than the old

For the priesthood is performed on earth, but it has the order of heavenly things. And very rightly so; for not a man, not an angel, not an archangel, not

παραπαίοντας αἰτιᾶσθαι, τοὺς δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄγαν ὑπερεχόντων τοῦτο ποιοῦντας τῶν μὲν τῆς παραπληξίας ἐγκλημάτων ἐξαιρεῖν, ταῖς δὲ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας ὑποβάλλειν αἰτίαις; Ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις τὸν ἀγέλης βοῶν καταφρονοῦντα καὶ μὴ βουλόμενον εἶναι βουκόλον, εἰς ὑπερηφανίαν μὲν οὐδαμῶς, εἰς δὲ φρενῶν ἔκστασιν αἰτιώμενος, τὸν ἁπάσης τῆς οἰκουμένης τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τὸ γενέσθαι κύριον τῶν ἁπανταχοῦ στρατοπέδων μὴ δεχόμενον ἀντὶ τοῦ μαίνεσθαι τετυφῶσθαι φαίη. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα, οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐδὲ ἡμᾶς μᾶλλον ἢ ἑαυτοὺς οἱ ταῦτα λέγοντες διαβάλλουσι· τὸ γὰρ ἐννοῆσαι μόνον ὅτι δυνατὸν ἀνθρωπείᾳ φύσει τῆς ἀξίας ὑπερφρονῆσαι ἐκείνης, δεῖγμα κατὰ τῶν ἐκφερόντων ἐστὶν ἧς ἔχουσι περὶ τοῦ πράγματος δόξης· εἰ γὰρ μὴ τῶν τυχόντων αὐτὸ καὶ ὧν οὐ πολὺς ὁ λόγος ἐνόμιζον εἶναι, οὐδ' ἂν ὑποπτεῦσαι τοῦτο ἐπῆλθεν αὐτοῖς. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ περὶ τῆς τῶν ἀγγέλων ἀξίας οὐδεὶς ἐτόλμησέ τι τοιοῦτον ὑποπτεῦσαί ποτε καὶ εἰπεῖν ὅτι ἔστιν ἀνθρωπίνη ψυχὴ δι' ἀπόνοιαν οὐκ ἂν ἑλομένη ἐπὶ τὸ τῆς φύσεως ἐκείνης ἀξίωμα ἐλθεῖν; Μεγάλα γάρ τινα φανταζόμεθα περὶ τῶν δυνάμεων ἐκείνων καὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς οὐκ ἀφίησι πιστεῦσαι ὅτι δύναιτ' ἂν ἄνθρωπος τῆς τιμῆς φρονῆσαί τι μεῖζον ἐκείνης, ὥστε αὐτοὺς μᾶλλον δικαίως ἄν τις γράψαιτο ἀπονοίας τοὺς ἡμῶν τοῦτο κατηγοροῦντας· οὐ γὰρ ἄν ποτε περὶ ἑτέρων τοῦτο ὑπέλαβον, εἰ μὴ πρότερον αὐτοὶ τοῦ πράγματος, ὡς οὐδενὸς ὄντος, κατέγνωσαν.

3.2 βʹ. Ὅτι οὐδὲ διὰ κενοδοξίαν ἐφύγομεν Εἰ δὲ πρὸς δόξαν ὁρῶντας τοῦτο πεποιηκέναι φασί, περιπίπτοντες ἑαυτοῖς ἐλεγχθήσονται καὶ μαχόμενοι φανερῶς· οὐδὲ γὰρ οἶδα ποίους ἂν ἑτέρους πρὸ τούτων ἐζήτησαν λόγους, εἰ τῶν τῆς κενοδοξίας ἡμᾶς ἠθέλησαν ἀπαλλάξαι ἐγκλημάτων.

3.3 γʹ. Ὅτι εἰ δόξης ἐπεθυμοῦμεν, ἑλέσθαι μᾶλλον τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐχρῆν Εἰ γὰρ οὗτός μέ ποτε εἰσῆλθεν ὁ ἔρως, καταδέξασθαι μᾶλλον ἐχρῆν ἢ φυγεῖν. ∆ιά τί; Ὅτι πολλὴν ἡμῖν τοῦτο τὴν δόξαν ἤνεγκεν ἄν· τὸ γὰρ ἐν τούτῳ τῆς ἡλικίας ὄντα καὶ πρὸ βραχέος ἀποστάντα τῶν βιωτικῶν φροντίδων, ἐξαίφνης οὕτω δόξαι παρὰ πᾶσιν εἶναι θαυμαστὸν ὥστε τῶν τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐξαναλωθέντων πόνοις προτιμηθῆναι καὶ πλείονας ψήφους πάντων ἐκείνων λαβεῖν, θαυμαστά τινα καὶ μεγάλα περὶ ἡμῶν πάντας ἂν ὑποπτεύειν ἔπεισε καὶ σεμνοὺς ἂν ἡμᾶς καὶ περιβλέπτους κατέστησε. Νῦν δέ, πλὴν ὀλίγων, τὸ πλέον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας μέρος οὐδὲ ἐξ ὀνόματος ἡμᾶς ἴσασιν, ὥστε οὐδὲ ὅτι παρῃτήμεθα πᾶσιν ἔσται φανερόν, ἀλλ' ὀλίγοις τισὶν οὓς οὐδ' αὐτοὺς οἶμαι τὸ σαφὲς εἰδέναι πάντας· εἰκὸς δὲ καὶ τούτων πολλοὺς ἢ μηδ' ὅλως ἡμᾶς ᾑρῆσθαι νομίσαι ἢ παρεώσασθαι μετὰ τὴν αἵρεσιν ἀνεπιτηδείους εἶναι δόξαντας, οὐχ ἑκόντας φυγεῖν. {ΒΑΣ.} Ἀλλ' οἱ τἀληθὲς εἰδότες θαυμάσονται. {ΙΩ.} Καὶ μὴν τούτους ἔφης ὡς κενοδόξους καὶ ὑπερηφάνους διαβάλλειν ἡμᾶς. Πόθεν οὖν ἐστιν ἐλπίσαι τὸν ἔπαινον; Ἀπὸ τῶν πολλῶν; ἀλλ' οὐκ ἴσασι τὸ σαφές. Ἀλλ' ἐκ τῶν ὀλίγων; ἀλλὰ κἀνταῦθα ἡμῖν εἰς τοὐναντίον τὸ πρᾶγμα περιτέτραπται· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἑτέρου τινὸς ἕνεκεν ἐνθάδε εἰσῆλθες νῦν, ἀλλ' ἵνα μάθῃς τί πρὸς ἐκείνους ἀπολογήσασθαι δέοι. Καὶ τί τούτων ἕνεκεν ἀκριβολογοῦμαι νῦν; Ὅτι γάρ, εἰ καὶ πάντες ᾔδεσαν τἀληθές, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἡμᾶς ἀπονοίας ἢ φιλοδοξίας ἔδει κρίνειν, μικρὸν ἀνάμεινον καὶ τοῦτο εἴσῃ σαφῶς· καὶ πρὸς τούτῳ πάλιν ἐκεῖνο ὅτι οὐ τοῖς ταύτην τολμῶσι τὴν τόλμαν μόνον- εἴπερ τίς ἐστιν ἀνθρώπων, οὐ γὰρ ἔγωγε πείθομαι-, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς περὶ ἑτέρων ὑποπτεύουσι κίνδυνος ἐπικείσεται οὐ μικρός.

3.4 δʹ. Ὅτι φρικτὸν ἡ ἱερωσύνη καὶ πολὺ τῆς παλαιᾶς λατρείας ἡ καινὴ φρικωδεστέρα Ἡ γὰρ ἱερωσύνη τελεῖται μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τάξιν δὲ ἐπουρανίων ἔχει πραγμάτων. Καὶ μάλα γε εἰκότως· οὐ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος, οὐκ ἄγγελος, οὐκ ἀρχάγγελος, οὐκ