John Chrysostom, On Priesthood

destroyed only those who were working; but the offense of a distinguished and widely known man brings a common harm to all, making those who have become remiss in the struggles for what is good even more supine, and inciting those who wish to pay attention to themselves to despair. Besides these things, the failings of the insignificant, even if they come to public notice, have struck no one a noteworthy blow; but those who sit at the summit of this honor are first of all conspicuous to all, then, even if they stumble in the smallest things, the small things seem great to others; for all measure the sin not by the measure of what was done, but by the dignity of the one who erred. And the priest must be fortified as if with adamantine armor by both intense earnestness and continuous vigilance concerning his life, looking around on all sides lest someone, finding a bare and neglected spot, strike a mortal blow; for all stand around ready to wound and to strike down, not only enemies and foes, but also many of those who pretend friendship. Therefore, such souls must be chosen as the grace of God once showed the bodies of those saints to be in the Babylonian furnace; for the fuel of this fire is not vine-branches and pitch and tow, but something far more terrible than these, since that perceptible fire is not what underlies it, but the all-consuming flame of envy surrounds him, rising from all sides and attacking and scrutinizing his life more accurately than the fire then did the bodies of those boys. When, therefore, it finds a small trace of straw, it quickly fastens on and burns up that unsound part, and the whole remaining structure, even if it happens to be brighter than the rays of the sun, it scorches and darkens completely from that smoke. For as long as the priest's life is well-ordered on all sides, he becomes impervious to plots; but if he happens to overlook some small thing, as is likely for a man who is crossing the much-wandering sea of this life, the rest of his good deeds are of no help to him in being able to escape the mouths of his accusers, but that small failing overshadows all the rest, and everyone wishes to judge the priest not as one clothed in flesh, nor as one who has received a human nature, but as an angel and one free from the weakness of others. And just like a tyrant, as long as he is in power, all dread and flatter him because they cannot depose him, but when they see that coming to pass, those who a little before were friends, casting aside their hypocritical honor, suddenly become enemies and foes and, having learned all his weaknesses, they attack and remove him from his office, so indeed it is with priests; those who a short while before, and when he was strong, honored and served him, when they find a small handle, they prepare themselves vehemently, as if they were about to depose not only a tyrant, but something even more terrible than that. And just as that one fears his bodyguards, so also this one trembles most of all at those near him and who serve with him; for no others so desire his office and know his affairs most of all as these do; for being near, if any such thing should happen, they perceive it before others and would be able easily both to be believed when slandering and, by making small things great, to convict the one who is falsely accused. For that apostolic saying has been reversed: And if one member suffers, all the members rejoice; if one member is glorified, all the members suffer, unless someone should be able to stand against all things with great piety. Do you then send us out into so great a war? and did you think our soul would suffice for a battle so varied and manifold? From where and from whom did you learn this? For if God revealed this, show me the oracle, and I will be persuaded; but if you do not have it, but you bring your vote from human opinion, cease at last being deceived; for concerning the

ἐργαζομένους ἀπώλεσε μόνους· ἀνδρὸς δὲ ἐπιφανοῦς καὶ πολλοῖς γνωρίμου πλημμέλεια κοινὴν ἅπασι φέρει τὴν βλάβην, τοὺς μὲν ἀναπεπτωκότας πρὸς τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἱδρῶτας ὑπτιωτέρους ποιοῦσα, τοὺς δὲ προσέχειν ἑαυτοῖς βουλομένους ἐρεθίζουσα πρὸς ἀπόνοιαν. Χωρὶς δὲ τούτων τὰ μὲν τῶν εὐτελῶν παραπτώματα, κἂν εἰς τὸ μέσον ἔλθῃ, οὐδένα ἔπληξεν ἀξιόλογον πληγήν· οἱ δὲ ἐν τῇ κορυφῇ ταύτης καθήμενοι τῆς τιμῆς πρῶτον μὲν πᾶσίν εἰσι κατάδηλοι, ἔπειτα, κἂν ἐν τοῖς μικροτάτοις σφαλῶσι, μεγάλα τὰ μικρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις φαίνεται· οὐ γὰρ τῷ μέτρῳ τοῦ γεγονότος, ἀλλὰ τῇ τοῦ διαμαρτόντος ἀξίᾳ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν μετροῦσιν ἅπαντες. Καὶ δεῖ τὸν ἱερέα καθάπερ τισὶν ἀδαμαντίνοις ὅπλοις πεφράχθαι τῇ τε συντόνῳ σπουδῇ καὶ τῇ διηνεκεῖ περὶ τὸν βίον νήψει, πάντοθεν περισκοπεῖν μή πού τις γυμνὸν εὑρὼν τόπον καὶ παρημελημένον πλήξῃ καιρίαν πληγήν· πάντες γὰρ περιεστήκασι τρῶσαι ἕτοιμοι καὶ καταβαλεῖν, οὐ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μόνον καὶ πολεμίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῶν πολλοὶ τῶν προσποιουμένων φιλίαν. Τοιαύτας οὖν ἐπιλέγεσθαι δεῖ ψυχὰς οἷα τὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων ἀπέδειξε σώματα ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάρις ἐν τῇ βαβυλωνίᾳ καμίνῳ ποτέ· οὐ γὰρ κληματὶς καὶ πίσσα καὶ στυππεῖον ἡ τοῦ πυρὸς τούτου τροφή, ἀλλὰ πολὺ τούτων χαλεπωτέρα, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ πῦρ τὸ αἰσθητὸν ὑπόκειται ἐκεῖνο, ἀλλ' ἡ παμφάγος αὐτὸν τῆς βασκανίας περιστοιχίζεται φλόξ, πανταχόθεν αἰρομένη καὶ ἀκριβέστερον αὐτῶν ἐπιοῦσα καὶ διερευνωμένη τὸν βίον ἢ τὸ πῦρ τότε τῶν παίδων ἐκείνων τὰ σώματα. Ὅταν οὖν εὕρῃ καλάμης ἴχνος μικρόν, προσπλέκεται ταχέως καὶ τὸ μὲν σαθρὸν ἐκεῖνο κατέκαυσε μέρος, τὴν δὲ λοιπὴν ἅπασαν οἰκοδομήν, κἂν τῶν ἡλιακῶν ἀκτίνων λαμπροτέρα οὖσα τύχῃ, ἀπ' ἐκείνου τοῦ καπνοῦ προσέφλεξε καὶ ἠμαύρωσεν ἅπασαν. Ἕως μὲν γὰρ ἂν πανταχόθεν ἡρμοσμένος ᾖ καλῶς ὁ τοῦ ἱερέως βίος, ἀνάλωτος γίνεται ταῖς ἐπιβουλαῖς· ἂν δὲ τύχῃ μικρόν τι παριδών, οἷα εἰκὸς ἄνθρωπον ὄντα καὶ τὸ πολυπλανὲς τοῦ βίου τούτου περαιοῦντα πέλαγος, οὐδὲν αὐτῷ τῶν λοιπῶν κατορθωμάτων ὄφελος πρὸς τὸ δυνηθῆναι τὰ τῶν κατηγόρων στόματα διαφυγεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐπισκιάζει παντὶ τῷ λοιπῷ τὸ μικρὸν ἐκεῖνο παράπτωμα καὶ οὐχ ὡς σάρκα περικειμένῳ, οὐδὲ ἀνθρωπείαν λαχόντι φύσιν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀγγέλῳ καὶ τῆς λοιπῆς ἀσθενείας ἀπηλλαγμένῳ δικάζειν ἅπαντες ἐθέλουσι τῷ ἱερεῖ. Καὶ καθάπερ τύραννον, ἕως μὲν ἂν κρατῇ, ἅπαντες πεφρίκασι καὶ κολακεύουσι διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι καθελεῖν, ὅταν δὲ ἴδωσι προχωροῦν ἐκεῖνο, τὴν μεθ' ὑποκρίσεως ἀφέντες τιμὴν οἱ πρὸ μικροῦ φίλοι γεγόνασιν ἐξαίφνης ἐχθροὶ καὶ πολέμιοι καὶ πάντα αὐτοῦ τὰ σαθρὰ καταμαθόντες ἐπιτίθενται παραλύοντες τῆς ἀρχῆς, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἱερέων, οἱ πρὸ βραχέος, καὶ ἡνίκα ἐκράτει, τιμῶντες καὶ θεραπεύοντες, ὅταν μικρὰν εὕρωσι λαβήν, παρασκευάζονται σφοδρῶς, οὐχ ὡς τύραννον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτου χαλεπώτερον καθαιρήσειν μέλλοντες. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος τοὺς τοῦ σωματοφύλακας δέδοικεν, οὕτω καὶ οὗτος τοὺς πλησίον καὶ συλλειτουργοῦντας αὐτῷ μάλιστα πάντων τρέμει· οὔτε γὰρ ἕτεροί τινες οὕτω τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐπιθυμοῦσι τῆς ἐκείνου καὶ τὰ ἐκείνου μάλιστα πάντων ἴσασιν ὡς οὗτοι· ἐγγύθεν γὰρ ὄντες, εἴ τι συμβαίη τοιοῦτο, πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων αἰσθάνονται καὶ δύναιντ' ἂν εὐχερῶς καὶ διαβάλλοντες πιστευθῆναι καὶ τὰ μικρὰ μεγάλα ποιοῦντες τὸν συκοφαντούμενον ἑλεῖν. Τὸ γὰρ ἀποστολικὸν ἐκεῖνο ῥῆμα ἀντέστραπται· Καὶ εἴτε πάσχει ἓν μέλος, χαίρει πάντα τὰ μέλη· εἴτε δοξάζεται ἓν μέλος, πάσχει πάντα τὰ μέλη, πλὴν εἴ τις εὐλαβείᾳ πολλῇ πρὸς ἅπαντα στῆναι δυνηθείη. Εἰς τοσοῦτον οὖν ἡμᾶς ἐκπέμπεις πόλεμον; καὶ πρὸς μάχην οὕτω ποικίλην καὶ πολυειδῆ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐνόμισας ἀρκέσειν ψυχήν; πόθεν καὶ παρὰ τίνος μαθών; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς τοῦτο ἀνεῖλεν, ἐπίδειξον τὸν χρησμόν, καὶ πείθομαι· εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἔχεις, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ δόξης ἀνθρωπίνης φέρεις τὴν ψῆφον, ἀπαλλάγηθί ποτε ἐξαπατώμενος· ὑπὲρ γὰρ τῶν