John Chrysostom, On "I saw the Lord"

they have feared pirates—for the pirate goes there, where there is gold, where there is silver, where there are precious stones, so also the devil does not easily assail the sinner, but the righteous, where there is much wealth. Since often arrogance comes from the plot of the devil, it is necessary to be sober. As great as you are, so much humble yourself. When you ascend to the height, you have need to be made secure, so that you do not fall. Therefore our Lord also says: "When you have done all things, say that 'We are unprofitable servants.'" Why are you proud, being a man, a kinsman of the earth, of the same substance as ash, not considering the changes in nature, in thought, in the purpose of things? Today rich, tomorrow poor; today healthy, tomorrow sick; today rejoicing, tomorrow grieving; today in glory, tomorrow in dishonor; today in youth, tomorrow in old age. Does anything human stand still? But it imitates the course of river currents. For at the same time it appeared, and more easily than a shadow it leaves us behind. Why then are you proud, O man, like smoke or vanity? "For man is like to vanity." "His days are as smoke." "The grass has withered, and its flower has fallen." I say these things, not as despising our substance, but as restraining arrogance. For "man is a great thing, and a merciful man is an honorable thing." But this Uzziah, being a king and wearing the diadem, since he was righteous, once became proud and thinking great things and greater than his worth, entered into the temple. And hear how: He entered into the holy, he says, of holies, then he says, I wish to burn incense. Being a king, he seizes the office of the priesthood. I wish, he says, to burn incense, since I am righteous. But remain within your own boundaries; the boundaries of kingship are one thing and the boundaries of priesthood are another; but the latter is greater than the former. For a king does not appear from what is seen, nor ought the king to be judged by the stones set on him, and the gold with which he is adorned. For the one has been allotted to administer things on the earth; but the institution of the priesthood is seated above. "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven." The king is entrusted with things here, I with heavenly things; when I say I, I mean the priest. Therefore, if you see an unworthy priest, do not slander the priesthood; for one must not slander the office, but the one who has used the good thing badly; since even Judas became a traitor, but this is not an accusation against the apostleship, but of his own mind; not a charge against the priesthood, but of his evil mind. 4.5 And so you, do not slander the priesthood, but the one who has used the good thing badly. Since when someone speaks with you and says: Did you see this Christian? say: But I am not speaking to you about persons, but about things. Since how many physicians have become executioners and have given poisons instead of medicines? But I do not slander the art, but the one who used the art badly. How many sailors have sunk ships? But not seamanship, but their evil mind. If a Christian be wicked, do not accuse the doctrine and the priesthood, but find fault with the one who became wicked from negligence, or rather do not find fault, but pray and weep that he might be changed. The king is entrusted with bodies, but the priest with souls; the king forgives debts of money, but the priest debts of sins; that one compels, this one exhorts; [that one by necessity, this one by choice;] that one has perceptible weapons, this one spiritual weapons; that one wars against barbarians, my war is against demons. This office is greater; for this reason the king brings his head under the hands of the priest, and everywhere in the Old Testament priests anointed kings. But that king, overstepping his own bounds and leaping over the measure of kingship, attempted to add to it and entered the temple with authority, wishing to burn incense. What then did the priest do? "It is not lawful for you, Uzziah, to burn incense." See

δεδοίκασι πειρατάςὁ γὰρ πειρατὴς ἐκεῖ ἀπέρχεται, ὅπου χρυσός, ὅπου ἄργυρος, ὅπου λίθοι τίμιοι, οὕτω καὶ ὁ διάβολος οὐκ εὐκόλως ἐπηρεάζει τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ, ἀλλὰ τῷ δικαίῳ, ὅπου πλοῦτος πολύς. Ἐπειδὴ πολλάκις ἡ ἀπόνοια ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς τοῦ διαβόλου, νήφειν ἀναγκαῖον. Ὅσον μέγας εἶ, τοσοῦτον ταπείνου σαυτόν. Ὅταν ἀναβῇς εἰς τὸ ὕψος, ἀσφαλισθῆναι χρείαν ἔχεις, ἵνα μὴ πέσῃς. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν λέγει· "Ὅταν πάντα ποιήσητε, λέγετε ὅτι Ἀχρεῖοι δοῦλοί ἐσμεν." Τί μέγα φρονεῖς, ἄνθρωπος ὤν, τῆς γῆς συγγενής, ὁμοούσιος τῇ τέφρᾳ, τὰς ἐν τῇ φύσει, τὰς ἐν τῇ γνώμῃ, τὰς ἐν τῇ προαιρέσει τῶν πραγμάτων μεταβολὰς μὴ λογιζόμενος; Σήμερον πλούσιος, αὔριον πένης· σήμερον ὑγιαίνων, αὔριον νοσῶν· σήμερον χαίρων, αὔριον λυπούμενος· σήμερον ἐν δόξῃ, αὔριον ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ· σήμερον ἐν νεότητι, αὔριον ἐν γήρᾳ. Μὴ ἵσταταί τι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων; ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τῶν ποταμίων ῥευμάτων μιμεῖται τὸν δρόμον. Ὁμοῦ τε γὰρ ἐφάνη, καὶ σκιᾶς εὐκολώτερον ἡμᾶς καταλιμπάνει. Τί οὖν μέγα φρονεῖς, ἄνθρωπε, ὡς καπνὸς ἢ ματαιότης; "Ἄνθρωπος γὰρ ματαιότητι ὡμοιώθη." "Ὡσεὶ καπνὸς αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ." "Ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος αὐτοῦ ἐξέπεσεν." Ταῦτα λέγω, οὐχ ὡς τὴν οὐσίαν ἐξευτελίζων, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀπόνοιαν χαλινῶν. Καὶ γὰρ "μέγα ἄνθρωπος, καὶ τίμιον ἀνὴρ ἐλεήμων." Ἀλλ' ὁ Ὀζίας οὗτος βασιλεὺς ὢν καὶ τὸ διάδημα περικείμενος, ἐπειδὴ δίκαιος ἦν, ἐφρόνησέν ποτε μέγα καὶ φρονήσας μέγα καὶ μεῖζον τῆς ἀξίας, εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ ἱερόν. Καὶ ἄκουε πῶς· Εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὰ ἅγια, φησί, τῶν ἁγίων, εἶτα λέγει, βούλομαι θυμιᾶσαι. Βασιλεὺς ὢν ἱερωσύνης ἀρχὴν ἁρπάζει. Βούλομαι, φησί, θυμιᾶσαι, ἐπειδὴ δίκαιός εἰμι. Ἀλλὰ μένε ἔσω τῶν οἰκείων ὅρων· ἄλλοι ὅροι βασιλείας καὶ ἄλλοι ὅροι ἱερωσύνης· ἀλλ' αὕτη μείζων ἐκείνης. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν φαινομένων φαίνεται βασιλεύς, οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τῶν πεπηγμένων αὐτῷ λίθων, καὶ οὗ περίκειται χρυσίου, ὀφείλει κρίνεσθαι ὁ βασιλεύς. Οὗτος μὲν γὰρ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔλαχεν οἰκονομεῖν· ὁ δὲ τῆς ἱερωσύνης θεσμὸς ἄνω κάθηται. "Ὅσα ἂν δήσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται δεδεμένα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ." Ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰ ἐνταῦθα πεπίστευται, ἐγὼ τὰ οὐράνια· ἐγὼ ὅταν εἴπω, τὸν ἱερέα λέγω. Μὴ οὖν, ἂν ἴδῃς ἱερέα ἀνάξιον, τὴν ἱερωσύνην διάβαλλε· οὐ γὰρ τὸ πρᾶγμα διαβάλλειν δεῖ, ἀλλὰ τὸν κακῶς τῷ καλῷ κεχρημένον· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Ἰούδας προδότης ἐγένετο, ἀλλ' οὐ κατηγορία τῆς ἀποστολῆς τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐκείνου γνώμης· οὐκ ἔγκλημα τῆς ἱερωσύνης, ἀλλὰ τῆς κακῆς γνώμης. 4.5 Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν μὴ τὴν ἱερωσύνην διάβαλλε, ἀλλὰ τὸν κακῶς τῷ καλῷ κεχρημένον. Ἐπεὶ ὅταν σοί τις διαλέ γηται καὶ λέγῃ· Εἶδες τόνδε τὸν χριστιανόν; εἰπέ· Ἀλλ' ἐγὼ οὐ περὶ προσώπων, ἀλλὰ περὶ πραγμάτων σοι διαλέγομαι. Ἐπεὶ πόσοι ἰατροὶ δήμιοι ἐγένοντο καὶ δηλητήρια δεδώκασιν ἀντὶ φαρμάκων; Ἀλλ' οὐ τὴν τέχνην διαβάλλω, ἀλλὰ τὸν κακῶς τῇ τέχνῃ χρησάμενον. Πόσοι ναῦται κατεπόντισαν πλοῖα; Ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡ ναυτιλία, ἀλλ' ἡ κακὴ γνώμη ἐκείνων. Ἐὰν ἦ χριστιανὸς φαῦλος, μὴ τοῦ δόγματος κατηγόρει καὶ τῆς ἱερωσύνης, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀπὸ ῥᾳθυμίας φαῦλον γενόμενον μέμφου, μᾶλλον δὲ μὴ μέμφου, ἀλλ' ὥστε μεταβάλλεσθαι αὐτὸν εὔχου καὶ δάκρυε. Ὁ βασιλεὺς σώματα ἐμπιστεύεται, ὁ δὲ ἱερεὺς ψυχάς· ὁ βασιλεὺς λοιπάδας χρημάτων ἀφίησιν, ὁ δὲ ἱερεὺς λοιπάδας ἁμαρτημάτων· ἐκεῖνος ἀναγκάζει, οὗτος παρακαλεῖ· [ἐκεῖνος ἀνάγκῃ, οὗτος γνώμῃ·] ἐκεῖνος ὅπλα ἔχει αἰσθητά, οὗτος ὅπλα πνευματικά· ἐκεῖνος πολεμεῖ πρὸς βαρβάρους, ἐμοὶ πόλεμος πρὸς δαίμονας. Μείζων ἡ ἀρχὴ αὕτη· διὰ τοῦτο ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν κεφαλὴν ὑπὸ χεῖρας τοῦ ἱερέως ἄγει καὶ πανταχοῦ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ ἱερεῖς βασιλέας ἔχριον. Ἀλλ' ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκεῖνος τὰ ἴδια σκάμματα ὑπερβὰς καὶ τὸ μέτρον τῆς βασιλείας διαπηδήσας προσθεῖναι ἐπεχείρησεν καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν μετὰ αὐθεντίας, θυμιᾶσαι θέλων. Τί οὖν ὁ ἱερεύς; "Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι, Ὀζία, θυμιᾶσαι." Ὅρα