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and now happens among us. But we, having come to the last degree of negligence, betray even the things that are manifest with respect to accuracy; and when we overlook the things that are clear, how will God reveal to us the things that are not clear? If in that which is little, he says, you have not been faithful, who will entrust to you that which is great and true? But then, since nothing human was done, priests were made by prophecy. What is "by prophecy"? By the Holy Spirit. For prophecy is not only telling the future, but also the present, since Saul was shown by prophecy hiding among the baggage; for God reveals things to the just. It was also prophecy to say, Separate for me Paul and Barnabas. Thus also 62.527 Timothy was chosen. And here he speaks of many prophecies, perhaps that one with which he took him when he circumcised him, and when he ordained him, as he himself also says in writing: Do not neglect the gift that is in you. Therefore, rousing him, and preparing him to be sober and watchful, he reminds him of the One who chose and ordained him; as if he were to say: God Himself has chosen you, He entrusted this to you, you were not made by a human vote; do not be insolent, nor bring shame upon the vote of God. Then, since he said "charge," and it was rather burdensome, what does he say? This charge I entrust to you, son Timothy. As to a child, and a genuine one, he gives the charge. For not authoritatively, nor despotically, nor with power, but in a fatherly way, Son, he says, Timothy. And "to entrust" signifies the exactness of the keeping, and that it is not ours; for we did not acquire it ourselves, but God bestowed it on us; and not this only, but also faith and a good conscience. What therefore He gave, let us keep these things. If He Himself had not come, neither would this faith be found, nor the pure life which we receive from instruction. As if he were to say: It is not I who am giving the charge, but the One who chose you; for the phrase, "According to the prophecies which went before on you," means this. Listen to those, obey them. But what do you charge, say? That by them you might war the good warfare. They chose you for that for which they chose you, war the good warfare. He said "good"; for there is also a bad warfare, about which he says: For as you have presented your members as weapons to sin and to uncleanness. They serve as soldiers under a tyrant, but you under a king. And why does he call the matter a warfare? Showing that a fierce war has been raised against all, but especially against the teacher, that we need strong weapons, that we need sobriety, that we need watchfulness, that we need continuous vigilance, that we ought to be prepared for blood and battles, that we must stand in battle array, and have nothing lax. That by them you might war, he says. For just as in military camps not all serve as soldiers in one capacity, but in different ranks; so also in the Church, one is in the rank of a teacher, another in that of a disciple, another in that of a private person, but you in this. Then, so that no one might think this is sufficient, what does he say? Having faith and a good conscience. For the teacher must first be a teacher of himself. For just as the general, if he is not first an excellent soldier, will never be a general; so also the teacher. This he also says elsewhere: Lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway. Having, he says, faith and a good conscience, that you may so preside over others. Hearing these things, let us not despise the exhortations of our superiors, even if we are teachers. For if Timothy, of whom we are all not worthy, receives charges and is taught, and this while being in the rank of a teacher, how much more should we. Which some, he says, having put away, have made shipwreck concerning the faith. Rightly so. For when a life is depraved, such a doctrine is also born; and it is possible to see many from this having fallen into a pit of evils, and having turned aside into Hellenism. For in order not to be tormented by the fear of things to come, they endeavor to persuade their soul that all things among us are false. And some are turned from the faith, who seek everything by reasoning; for shipwreck is caused by the

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καὶ νῦν ἐφ' ἡμῶν γίνεσθαι. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς πρὸς ἔσχατον ῥᾳθυμίας ἐληλακότες, καὶ τὰ φανερὰ πρὸς ἀκρίβειαν προϊέμεθα· ὅταν δὲ τὰ δῆλα παρορῶμεν, πῶς τὰ ἄδηλα ἡμῖν ὁ Θεὸς ἐκκαλύψει; Εἰ ἐν τῷ μικρῷ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐγένεσθε πιστοὶ, τὸ μέγα καὶ ἀληθινὸν τίς ὑμῖν ἐγχειρίσει; Τότε δὲ, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲν ἀνθρώπινον ἐγίνετο, καὶ ἀπὸ προφητείας ἐγίνοντο οἱ ἱερεῖς. Τί ἐστιν ἀπὸ προφητείας; Ἀπὸ Πνεύματος ἁγίου. Προφητεία γάρ ἐστιν, οὐ τὸ τὰ μέλλοντα λέγειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τὰ παρόντα, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Σαοὺλ κατὰ προφητείαν ἐδείχθη ἐν τοῖς σκεύεσι κρυπτόμενος· ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς τοῖς δικαίοις ἀποκαλύπτει. Προφητεία ἦν καὶ τὸ λέγειν, Ἀφορίσατέ μοι τὸν Παῦλον καὶ τὸν Βαρνάβαν. Οὕτω καὶ 62.527 ὁ Τιμόθεος ᾑρέθη. Προφητείας δὲ ἐνταῦθά φησι τὰς πολλὰς, ἴσως ἐκείνην μεθ' ἧς αὐτὸν ἔλαβεν ὃτε περιέτεμε, καὶ ὅτε ἐχειροτόνει, καθὼς καὶ αὐτὸς γράφων φησί· Μὴ ἀμέλει τοῦ ἐν σοὶ χαρίσματος. ∆ιανιστὰς τοίνυν αὐτὸν, καὶ νήφειν παρασκευάζων καὶ ἐγρηγορέναι, ἀναμιμνήσκει τοῦ ἑλομένου καὶ χειροτονήσαντος· ὡς ἂν εἰ ἔλεγεν· Ὁ Θεός σε ἐξελέξατο αὐτός σοι ἐνεπίστευσεν, οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνῃ γέγονας ψήφῳ· μὴ ὑβρίσῃς, μηδὲ καταισχύνῃς τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ψῆφον. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ παραγγελίαν ἔφησε, καὶ φορτικώτερον ἦν, τί φησι; Ταύτην τὴν παραγγελίαν παρατίθεμαί σοι, τέκνον Τιμόθεε. Ὡς τέκνῳ, καὶ γνησίῳ παραγγέλλει. Οὐ γὰρ αὐθεντικῶς οὐδὲ δεσποτικῶς οὐδὲ μετ' ἐξουσίας, ἀλλὰ πατρικῶς, Τέκνον, φησὶ, Τιμόθεε. Τὸ δὲ παραθέσθαι τῆς φυλακῆς τὸ ἀκριβὲς δηλοῖ, καὶ τὸ οὐχ ἡμέτερον· οὐ γὰρ ἡμεῖς αὐτὸ ἐκτησάμεθα. ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῖν ἐχαρίσατο· οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πίστιν καὶ ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν. Ἅπερ οὖν ἔδωκε, ταῦτα φυλάττωμεν. Εἰ μὴ αὐτὸς ἦλθεν, οὔτε ἡ πίστις αὐτὴ εὑρίσκετο, οὔτε ὁ βίος ὁ καθαρὸς, ὃν ἐκ παιδείας λαμβάνομεν. Ὡς ἂν εἰ ἔλεγεν· Οὐκ ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ παραγγέλλων, ἀλλ' ὁ ἑλόμενος· τὸ μὲν γὰρ, Κατὰ τὰς προαγούσας ἐπὶ σὲ προφητείας, τοῦτό ἐστιν. Ἐκείνων ἄκουσον, ἐκείναις πείθου. Τί δὲ παραγγέλλεις, εἰπέ; Ἵνα στρατεύῃ ἐν αὐταῖς τὴν καλὴν στρατείαν. Ἐκεῖναί σε εἵλοντο εἰς ὃ εἵλοντό σε, στρατεύου τὴν καλὴν στρατείαν. Καλὴν εἶπεν· ἔστι γὰρ καὶ κακὴ στρατεία, περὶ ἧς φησιν· Ὥσπερ γὰρ παρεστήσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ καὶ τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ. Ἐκεῖνοι ὑπὸ τυράννῳ στρατεύονται, σὺ δὲ ὑπὸ βασιλεῖ. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ καλεῖ στρατείαν τὸ πρᾶγμα; ∆ηλῶν ὅτι πόλεμος ἐγήγερται σφοδρὸς πᾶσι μὲν, μάλιστα δὲ τῷ διδασκάλῳ, ὅτι ὅπλων ἡμῖν ἰσχυρῶν δεῖ, ὅτι νήψεως, ὅτι ἐγρηγόρσεως, ὅτι διηνεκοῦς ἀγρυπνίας, ὅτι πρὸς αἷμα καὶ μάχας παρεσκευάσθαι ὀφείλομεν, ὅτι παρατάττεσθαι, καὶ μηδὲν ἔχειν χαῦνον. Ἵνα στρατεύῃ ἐν αὐταῖς, φησί. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν στρατοπέδων οὐ πάντες εἰς ἓν εἶδος στρατεύονται, ἀλλ' ἐν διαφόροις τάγμασιν· οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, ὁ μὲν εἰς διδασκάλου τάξιν, ὁ δὲ εἰς μαθητοῦ, ὁ δὲ εἰς ἰδιώτου, σὺ δὲ ἐν τούτῳ. Εἶτα, ἵνα μή τις νομίσῃ ἀρκεῖν τοῦτο, τί φησιν; Ἔχων πίστιν καὶ ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν. Τὸν γὰρ διδάσκαλον πρότερον ἑαυτοῦ χρὴ εἶναι διδάσκαλον. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ στρατηγὸς, ἐὰν μὴ πρότερον ᾖ στρατιώτης ἄριστος, οὐδὲ στρατηγὸς ἔσται ποτέ· οὕτω καὶ ὁ διδάσκων. Τοῦτο καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησι· Μή πως ἄλλοις κηρύξας, αὐτὸς ἀδόκιμος γένωμαι. Ἔχων, φησὶ, πίστιν καὶ ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν, ἵν' οὕτω τῶν ἄλλων προϊστᾶσαι. Ταῦτα ἀκούοντες, μὴ ἀπαξιώσωμεν τὰς τῶν μειζόνων παραινέσεις, κἂν διδάσκαλοι ὦμεν. Εἰ γὰρ Τιμόθεος, οὗ πάντες οὐκ ἐσμὲν ἀντάξιοι, δέχεται παραγγελίας καὶ διδάσκεται, καὶ ταῦτα ἐν τάξει διδασκάλου ὢν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς. Ἥν τινες, φησὶν, ἀπωσάμενοι, περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἐναυάγησαν. Εἰκότως. Ὅταν γὰρ ᾖ βίος ἀπεγνωσμένος, καὶ δόγμα τίκτεται τοιοῦτον· καὶ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν πολλοὺς ἐκ τούτου καταπεσόντας εἰς βυθὸν κακῶν, καὶ εἰς Ἑλληνισμὸν ἐκτραπέντας. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ τῷ φόβῳ τῶν μελλόντων βασανίζωνται, σπουδάζουσι πεῖσαι τὴν ψυχὴν, ὅτι ψευδῆ πάντα τὰ παρ' ἡμῖν. Καὶ πίστεώς τινες ἐκτρέπονται, οἱ λογισμοῖς τὸ πᾶν ζητοῦντες· ναυάγιον γὰρ ἐργάζεται ὁ