16

any other created power, but the Paraclete Himself ordained this succession, and persuaded men, while still in the flesh, to imagine the ministry of angels. Therefore it is necessary for the priest to be as pure as if he were standing in the very heavens in the midst of those powers. For fearful and most awe-inspiring were also the things before grace, such as the bells, the pomegranates, the stones of the breastplate, the stones of the ephod, the mitre, the tiara, the robe reaching to the feet, the golden plate, the Holy of Holies, the great stillness within; but if anyone should examine the things of grace, he will find those fearful and most awe-inspiring things to be small, and what was said about the law to be true in this case also: “For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excels.” For when you see the Lord sacrificed and lying there, and the priest standing over the sacrifice and praying, and all being reddened with that precious blood, do you still think that you are among men and standing on the earth? Are you not immediately transported to the heavens, and casting out every carnal thought, with a naked soul and a pure mind, gaze upon the things in heaven? O, the wonder! O, the loving-kindness of God! He who is seated above with the Father is at that hour held in the hands of all, and gives Himself to those who desire to embrace and receive Him. And all do this then through their eyes. Do these things seem to you worthy of being despised, or of such a nature that anyone could be exalted against them? Do you wish to see the excellence of this rite from another miracle as well? Picture for me with your eyes Elijah, and the countless multitude standing around, and the sacrifice lying on the stones, and all the rest in quiet and deep silence, with only the prophet praying; then suddenly the flame being cast from the heavens upon the victim—these things are wonderful and full of all amazement. Pass, therefore, from there to the things now being accomplished, and you will see things not only wonderful, but even surpassing all amazement; for the priest stands, bringing down not fire, but the Holy Spirit; and he makes his supplication at length, not that some flame sent from above should consume the offerings, but that grace, falling upon the sacrifice, may through it ignite the souls of all, and show them to be brighter than silver refined by fire. Who then, unless he is mad and out of his mind, will be able to despise this most awesome rite? Or do you not know that a human soul could never have endured that fire of the sacrifice, but all would have been utterly destroyed, had not the great assistance of God's grace been present? 3.5 5. That the authority and honor of priests is great For if one should consider what a thing it is for a man, still entwined with flesh and blood, to be able to draw near to that blessed and pure nature, then he will see well with how much honor the grace of the Spirit has deemed priests worthy. For through them these rites are performed, and others in no way inferior to them, with regard to both our dignity and our salvation. For those who dwell on the earth and make their abode in it have been entrusted with the administration of things in heaven, and have received an authority which God has given neither to angels nor to archangels. For it was not said to them, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” For earthly rulers indeed have the power to bind, but only of bodies; but this bond touches the soul itself and passes through the heavens, and whatever the priests do below, God ratifies above, and the Master confirms the sentence of his servants. And what else is it, but that He has given them all heavenly authority? “For whose sins,” He says, “you remit, they are remitted, and whose sins you retain, they are retained.” What authority could be greater than this? “All judgment

16

ἄλλη τις κτιστὴ δύναμις, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ Παράκλητος ταύτην διετάξατο τὴν ἀκολουθίαν καὶ ἔτι μένοντας ἐν σαρκὶ τὴν τῶν ἀγγέλων ἔπεισε φαντάζεσθαι διακονίαν. ∆ιὸ χρὴ τὸν ἱερωμένον ὥσπερ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἑστῶτα τοῖς οὐρανοῖς μεταξὺ τῶν δυνάμεων ἐκείνων οὕτως εἶναι καθαρόν. Φοβερὰ μὲν γὰρ καὶ φρικωδέστατα καὶ τὰ πρὸ τῆς χάριτος, οἷον οἱ κώδωνες, οἱ ῥοΐσκοι, οἱ λίθοι οἱ τοῦ στήθους, οἱ τῆς ἐπωμίδος, ἡ μίτρα, ἡ κίδαρις, ὁ ποδήρης, τὸ πέταλον τὸ χρυσοῦν, τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, ἡ πολλὴ τῶν ἔνδον ἠρεμία· ἀλλ' εἴ τις τὰ τῆς χάριτος ἐξετάσειε, μικρὰ ὄντα εὑρήσει τὰ φοβερὰ καὶ φρικωδέστατα ἐκεῖνα, καὶ τὸ περὶ τοῦ νόμου λεχθὲν κἀνταῦθα ἀληθὲς ὂν ὅτι «Οὐ δεδόξασται τὸ δεδοξασμένον ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει ἕνεκεν τῆς ὑπερβαλλούσης δόξης.» Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδῃς τὸν Κύριον τεθυμένον καὶ κείμενον, καὶ τὸν ἱερέα ἐφεστῶτα τῷ θύματι καὶ ἐπευχόμενον, καὶ πάντας ἐκείνῳ τῷ τιμίῳ φοινισσομένους αἵματι, ἆρα ἔτι μετὰ ἀνθρώπων εἶναι νομίζεις καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἑστάναι, ἀλλ' οὐκ εὐθέως ἐπὶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς μετανίστασαι καὶ πᾶσαν σαρκικὴν διάνοιαν ἐκβάλλων, γυμνῇ τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ τῷ νῷ καθαρῷ περιβλέπεις τὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς; Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος· ὢ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας. Ὁ μετὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἄνω καθήμενος κατὰ τὴν ὥραν ἐκείνην ταῖς ἁπάντων κατέχεται χερσὶ καὶ δίδωσιν αὐτὸν τοῖς βουλομένοις περιπτύξασθαι καὶ περιλαβεῖν, ποιοῦσι δὲ τοῦτο πάντες διὰ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τότε. Ἆρά σοι τοῦ καταφρονεῖσθαι ταῦτα ἄξια καταφαίνεται, ἢ τοιαῦτα εἶναι ὡς δυνηθῆναί τινα καὶ ἐπαρθῆναι κατ' αὐτῶν; Βούλει καὶ ἐξ ἑτέρου θαύματος τῆς ἁγιαστίας ταύτης ἰδεῖν τὴν ὑπερβολήν; Ὑπόγραψόν μοι τὸν Ἠλίαν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ τὸν ἄπειρον ὄχλον περιεστῶτα καὶ τὴν θυσίαν ἐπὶ τῶν λίθων κειμένην καὶ πάντας μὲν ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ τοὺς λοιποὺς καὶ πολλῇ τῇ σιγῇ, μόνον δὲ τὸν προφήτην εὐχόμενον, εἶτα ἐξαίφνης τὴν φλόγα ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερεῖον ῥιπτουμένην, θαυμαστὰ ταῦτα καὶ πάσης ἐκπλήξεως γέμοντα. Μετάβηθι τοίνυν ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὰ νῦν τελούμενα, καὶ οὐ θαυμαστὰ ὄψει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσαν ἔκπληξιν ὑπερβαίνοντα· ἕστηκε γὰρ ὁ ἱερεύς, οὐ πῦρ καταφέρων, ἀλλὰ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ τὴν ἱκετηρίαν ἐπὶ πολὺ ποιεῖται, οὐχ ἵνα τις λαμπὰς ἄνωθεν ἀφεθεῖσα καταναλώσῃ τὰ προκείμενα, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἡ χάρις ἐπιπεσοῦσα τῇ θυσίᾳ δι' ἐκείνης τὰς ἁπάντων ἀνάψῃ ψυχὰς καὶ ἀργυρίου λαμπροτέρας ἀποδείξῃ πεπυρωμένου. Ταύτης οὖν τῆς φρικωδεστάτης τελετῆς τίς μὴ μαινόμενος μηδὲ ἐξεστηκὼς ὑπερφρονῆσαι δυνήσεται; ἢ ἀγνοεῖς ὅτι οὐκ ἄν ποτε ἀνθρωπίνη ψυχὴ τὸ πῦρ ἐκεῖνο τῆς θυσίας ἐβάσταζεν, ἀλλ' ἄρδην ἂν ἅπαντες ἠφανίσθησαν, εἰ μὴ πολλὴ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος ἦν ἡ βοήθεια; 3.5 εʹ. Ὅτι πολλὴ τῶν ἱερέων ἡ ἐξουσία καὶ ἡ τιμή Εἰ γάρ τις ἐννοήσειεν ὅσον ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπον ὄντα καὶ ἔτι σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι πεπλεγμένον τῆς μακαρίας καὶ ἀκηράτου φύσεως ἐκείνης ἐγγὺς δυνηθῆναι γενέσθαι, τότε ὄψεται καλῶς ὅσης τοὺς ἱερεῖς τιμῆς ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἠξίωσε χάρις. διὰ γὰρ ἐκείνων καὶ ταῦτα τελεῖται καὶ ἕτερα τούτων οὐδὲν ἀποδέοντα καὶ εἰς ἀξιώματος καὶ εἰς σωτηρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας λόγον. Οἱ γὰρ τὴν γῆν οἰκοῦντες καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ ποιούμενοι τὴν διατριβὴν τὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς διοικεῖν ἐπετράπησαν καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔλαβον ἣν οὔτε ἀγγέλοις οὔτε ἀρχαγγέλοις ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεός· οὐ γὰρ πρὸς ἐκείνους εἴρηται· «Ὅσα ἂν δήσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔσται δεδεμένα καὶ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ὅσα ἂν λύσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔσται λελυμένα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ.» Ἔχουσι μὲν γὰρ καὶ οἱ κρατοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τὴν τοῦ δεσμεῖν ἐξουσίαν, ἀλλὰ σωμάτων μόνων· οὗτος δὲ ὁ δεσμὸς αὐτῆς ἅπτεται τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ διαβαίνει τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ ἅπερ ἂν ἐργάσωνται κάτω οἱ ἱερεῖς, ταῦτα ὁ Θεὸς ἄνω κυροῖ καὶ τὴν τῶν δούλων γνώμην ὁ δεσπότης βεβαιοῖ. Καὶ τί γὰρ ἀλλ' ἢ πᾶσαν αὐτοῖς τὴν οὐράνιον ἔδωκεν ἐξουσίαν; «Ὧν γὰρ ἄν, φησίν, ἀφῆτε τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ἀφέωνται, καὶ ὧν ἂν κρατῆτε, κεκράτηνται.» Τίς ἂν γένοιτο ταύτης ἐξουσία μείζων; «Πᾶσαν τὴν κρίσιν