[That It is a Horrible Thing for a Man to Thrust Himself into Any Sacerdotal Office, as Did Corah and His Company, Saul and Uzziah. ]

XXVII. As, therefore, it was not lawful for one of another tribe, that was not a Levite, to offer anything, or to approach the altar without the priest, so also do you do nothing without the bishop;  147  One V. ms. reads “priest.” for if any one does anything without the bishop, he does it to no purpose. For it will not be esteemed as of any avail to him. For as Saul, when he had offered without Samuel, was told, “It will not avail for thee;”  148  1 Sam. xiii. 13. so every person among the laity, doing anything without the priest, labours in vain. And as Uzziah the king,  149  2 Chron. xxvi. who was not a priest, and yet would exercise the functions of the priests, was smitten with leprosy for his transgression; so every lay person shall not be unpunished who despises God, and is so mad as to affront His priests, and unjustly to snatch that honour to himself: not imitating Christ, “who glorified not Himself to be made an high priest;”  150  Heb. v. 5. but waited till He heard from His Father, “The Lord sware, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek.”  151  Ps. cx. 4. If, therefore, Christ did not glorify Himself without the Father, how dare any man thrust himself into the priesthood who has not received that dignity from his superior, and do such things which it is lawful only for the priests to do? Were not the followers of Corah, even though they were of the tribe of Levi, consumed with fire, because they rose up against Moses and Aaron, and meddled with such things as did not belong to them? And Dathan and Abiram went down quick into hell; and the rod that budded put a stop to the readiness of the multitude, and demonstrated who was the high priest ordained by God.  152  Num. xvi. You ought therefore, brethren, to bring your sacrifices and your oblations to the bishop, as to your high priest, either by yourselves or by the deacons; and do you bring not those only, but also your first-fruits, and your tithes, and your free-will offerings to him. For he knows who they are that are in affliction, and gives to every one as is convenient, that so one may not receive alms twice or oftener the same day, or the same week, while another has nothing at all. For it is reasonable rather to supply the wants of those who really are in distress, than of those who only appear to be so.

[27] Ὡς οὖν οὐκ ἦν ἐξὸν ἀλλογενῆ, μὴ ὄντα λευίτην, προσενέγκαι τι ἢ προσελθεῖν εἰς τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἄνευ τοῦ ἱερέως, οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς ἄνευ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου μηδὲν ποιεῖτε. Εἰ δέ τις ἄνευ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ποιεῖ τι, εἰς μάτην ποιεῖ αὐτό: οὐ γὰρ αὐτῷ εἰς ἔργον λογισθήσεται. Ὡς γὰρ ὁ Σαοὺλ ἄνευ τοῦ Σαμουὴλ προσενέγκας ἤκουσεν ὅτι »Μεματαίωταί σοι«, οὕτως καὶ πᾶς λαϊκὸς ἄνευ τοῦ ἱερέως ἐπιτελῶν τι ματαιοπονεῖ. Καὶ ὡς Ὀζίας ὁ βασιλεύς, οὐκ ὢν ἱερεὺς τὰ τῶν ἱερέων ἐπιτελῶν, ἐλεπρώθη διὰ παρανομίαν, οὕτως καὶ πᾶς λαϊκὸς οὐκ ἀτιμώρητος ἔσται, καταφρονήσας Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ καταμανεὶς ἱερέων καὶ τὴν τιμὴν ἁρπάσας ἑαυτῷ, μὴ μιμησάμενος Χριστόν, ὃς οὐχ ἑαυτὸν ἐδόξασεν γενηθῆναι ἀρχιερεύς, ἀλλὰ περιέμεινεν ἀκοῦσαι τοῦ Πατρός: »Ὤμοσεν Κύριος καὶ οὐ μεταμεληθήσεται: σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ.« Εἰ οὖν ἄνευ τοῦ Πατρὸς ὁ Χριστὸς οὐ δοξάζει ἑαυτόν, πῶς οἷόν τε ἄνθρωπον ἑαυτὸν εἰς ἱερωσύνην ἐπιρρίπτειν, μὴ λαβόντα τὸ ἀξίωμα παρὰ κρείττονος, καὶ ποιεῖν ἐκεῖνα, ἃ μόνοις τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἔξεστιν; Ἢ οὐχὶ οἱ Κορεῖται, καίτοι τῆς Λευὶ φυλῆς ὄντες, πυρίκαυστοι ἐγένοντο, ἐπαναστάντες Μωϋσῇ καὶ Ἀαρὼν καὶ περὶ τῶν μὴ καθηκόντων αὐτοῖς ἁμιλλώμενοι; Καὶ Δαθὰν καὶ Ἀβειρὼν ζῶντες κατέβησαν εἰς ἅδου, καὶ ῥάβδος βλαστήσασα ἔστειλεν τῶν πολλῶν τὴν ἄνοιαν καὶ τὸν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ χειροτονηθέντα ἀρχιερέα ἀνέδειξεν; Προσήκει οὖν καὶ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, τὰς θυσίας ὑμῶν ἤτοι προσφορὰς τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ προσφέρειν ὡς ἀρχιερεῖ, ἢ δι' ἑαυτῶν ἢ διὰ τῶν διακόνων. Οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἀπαρχὰς καὶ τὰς δεκάτας καὶ τὰ ἑκούσια αὐτῷ προσάγετε: αὐτὸς γὰρ σαφῶς γινώσκει τοὺς θλιβομένους καὶ ἑκάστῳ δίδωσι πρὸς τὸ ἁρμόζον, ὅπως μηδεὶς ἢ τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἢ τῇ αὐτῇ ἑβδομάδι λαμβάνῃ δίς, ἕτερος δὲ μηδὲ ὅλως: δίκαιον γάρ ἐστιν μᾶλλον τοῖς θλιβομένοις κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἐπαρκεῖν, ἢ τοῖς νομιζομένοις θλίβεσθαι.