John Chrysostom, On Priesthood

it is right for us to be persuaded by our own rather than by others, since “no one knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him.” For that we should have made both ourselves and those who chose us ridiculous, had we accepted this office, and that with great loss we should have returned to this state of life in which we are now, if not before, at least now I think I have persuaded you by these words. For not only envy, but desire for this office, far more fiercely than envy, is accustomed to arm the many against the one who holds it. And just as avaricious children are burdened by their fathers’ old age, so also some of these men, when they see the priesthood extended for a long time, since it is not pious to kill him, they hasten to depose him from his office, all desiring to be in his place and each one expecting the office to fall to himself.

3.11 11. That the desire for love of power ought to be cast out of the priest’s soul Do you want me to show you also another form of this battle, filled with countless dangers? Come then, and stoop down to look into the public festivals in which it is the custom to hold elections for ecclesiastical offices, and you will see the priest assailed with as many accusations as there is a multitude of those under his rule. For all who are empowered to bestow the honor are then split into many factions, and one could not see the council of presbyters agreeing either with one another, or with the man who has obtained the episcopate, but each stands by himself, one choosing this man, another that one. And the reason is, they do not all look to the one thing to which alone they ought to look, the virtue of the soul, but there are also other pretexts which are the cause of this honor; for example, one says, “Let him be approved because he is of a noble family”; another, “because he is possessed of great wealth and would not need to be supported from the revenues of the Church”; and another, “because he has come over from the enemy.” And one is eager to prefer the one who is favorably disposed to him, another his kinsman, another the one who flatters more than the others; but no one wants to look for the suitable man, nor to make any test of his soul. But I am so far from considering these reasons to be trustworthy for the examination of priests that not even if someone should display great piety, which contributes not a little for us toward that office, would I dare to approve him immediately on this account, unless with his piety he should also happen to possess great understanding. For I know many who have confined themselves for their whole lives and been worn out with fastings, who, as long as it was possible for them to be alone and to care for their own affairs, were well-pleasing to God and daily added no small part to that philosophy; but when they came among the multitude and were compelled to correct the ignorance of the many, some were not at all adequate for so great a task, while others, being forced to persevere, cast away their former strictness, both inflicted the greatest harm on themselves and benefited others not at all. But not even if someone has spent his whole life remaining in the lowest rank of the ministry and has reached extreme old age, shall we, simply out of respect for his age, promote him to the higher office. For what if, even at that age, he should remain unsuitable? And I have said these things now, not wishing to dishonor gray hairs, nor legislating that those who come from the company of monks should be altogether excluded from such superintendence—for it has happened that many who came from that flock have shone in this office—but being eager to show that if neither piety by itself, nor great old age, would be sufficient to show that the one possessing them is worthy of the priesthood, scarcely would the aforementioned pretexts accomplish this. But some add others that are more absurd; for some, in order that they might not

ἡμετέρων ἡμῖν μᾶλλον ἢ ἑτέροις πείθεσθαι δίκαιον, ἐπειδὴ «τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ». Ὅτι γὰρ καὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἑλομένους καταγελάστους ἂν ἐποιήσαμεν, ταύτην δεξάμενοι τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ζημίας εἰς ταύτην ἂν ἐπανήλθομεν τοῦ βίου τὴν κατάστασιν ἐν ᾗ καὶ νῦν ἐσμέν, εἰ καὶ μὴ πρότερον, ἀλλὰ νῦν σε τούτοις οἶμαι πεπεικέναι τοῖς ῥήμασιν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ βασκανία μόνον, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ καὶ τῆς βασκανίας σφοδρότερον ἡ τῆς ἀρχῆς ταύτης ἐπιθυμία τοὺς πολλοὺς ὁπλίζειν εἴωθε κατὰ τοῦ ταύτην ἔχοντος. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ φιλάργυροι τῶν παίδων βαρύνονται τὸ τῶν πατέρων γῆρας, οὕτω καὶ τούτων τινές, ὅταν ἴδωσιν εἰς μακρὸν παραταθεῖσαν τὴν ἱερωσύνην χρόνον, ἐπειδὴ ἀνελεῖν οὐκ εὐαγές, παραλῦσαι σπεύδουσιν αὐτὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς, πάντες ἀντ' ἐκείνου γενέσθαι ἐπιθυμοῦντες καὶ εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἕκαστος μεταπεσεῖσθαι τὴν ἀρχὴν προσδοκῶντες.

3.11 ιαʹ. Ὅτι τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς φιλαρχίας ἐκβεβλῆσθαι δεῖ τῆς τοῦ ἱερέως ψυχῆσ Βούλει σοι καὶ ἕτερον ἐπιδείξω ταύτης τῆς μάχης εἶδος, μυρίων ἐμπεπλησμένον κινδύνων; Ἴθι δὴ καὶ διάκυψον εἰς τὰς δημοτελεῖς ἑορτὰς ἐν αἷς μάλιστα τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν ἀρχῶν τὰς αἱρέσεις ποιεῖσθαι νόμος καὶ τοσαύταις ὄψει κατηγορίαις τὸν ἱερέα βαλλόμενον ὅσον τῶν ἀρχομένων τὸ πλῆθός ἐστι. Πάντες γὰρ οἱ δοῦναι κύριοι τὴν τιμὴν εἰς πολλὰ τότε σχίζονται μέρη καὶ οὔτε πρὸς ἀλλήλους, οὔτε πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν λαχόντα τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν τὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων συνέδριον ὁμογνωμονοῦν ἴδοι τις ἄν, ἀλλ' ἕκαστος καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἑστήκασιν, ὁ μὲν τοῦτον, ὁ δὲ ἐκεῖνον αἱρούμενος. Τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, οὐκ εἰς ἓν πάντες ὁρῶσιν εἰς ὃ μόνον ὁρᾶν ἐχρῆν, τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ἀρετήν, ἀλλ' εἰσὶ καὶ ἕτεραι προφάσεις αἱ ταύτης πρόξενοι τῆς τιμῆς· οἷον, ὁ μὲν ὅτι γένους ἐστὶ λαμπροῦ, ἐγκρινέσθω, φησίν, ὁ δὲ ὅτι πλοῦτον περιβέβληται πολὺν καὶ οὐκ ἂν δέοιτο τρέφεσθαι ἐκ τῶν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προσόδων, ὁ δὲ ὅτι παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ηὐτομόλησε. Καὶ ὁ μὲν τὸν οἰκείως πρὸς αὐτὸν διακείμενον, ὁ δὲ τὸν γένει προσήκοντα, ὁ δὲ τὸν κολακεύοντα μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων προτιμᾶν σπουδάζουσιν· εἰς δὲ τὸν ἐπιτήδειον οὐδεὶς ὁρᾶν βούλεται, οὐδὲ ψυχῆς τινα ποιεῖσθαι βάσανον. Ἐγὼ δὲ τοσούτου δέω ταύτας ἡγεῖσθαι τὰς αἰτίας ἀξιοπίστους εἶναι πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἱερέων δοκιμασίαν ὡς μηδὲ εἴ τις πολλὴν εὐλάβειαν ἐπιδείξαιτο, τὴν οὐ μικρὸν ἡμῖν πρὸς τὴν ἀρχὴν συντελοῦσαν ἐκείνην, μηδὲ τοῦτον ἀπὸ ταύτης εὐθέως ἐγκρίνειν τολμᾶν, εἰ μὴ μετὰ τῆς εὐλαβείας πολλὴν καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν ἔχων τύχοι. Καὶ γὰρ οἶδα πολλοὺς ἐγὼ τῶν ἅπαντα τὸν χρόνον καθειρξάντων ἑαυτοὺς καὶ νηστείαις δαπανηθέντων, ὅτι ἕως μὲν αὐτοῖς μόνοις εἶναι ἐξῆν καὶ τὰ αὐτῶν μεριμνᾶν, εὐδοκίμουν παρὰ Θεῷ καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐκείνῃ προσετίθεσαν τῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ μέρος οὐ μικρόν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰς τὸ πλῆθος ἦλθον καὶ τὰς τῶν πολλῶν ἀμαθίας ἐπανορθοῦν ἠναγκάσθησαν, οἱ μὲν οὐδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἤρκεσαν πρὸς τὴν τοσαύτην πραγματείαν, οἱ δὲ βιασθέντες ἐπιμεῖναι, τὴν προτέραν ἀκρίβειαν ῥίψαντες, ἑαυτούς τε ἐζημίωσαν τὰ μέγιστα καὶ ἑτέρους ὤνησαν οὐδέν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ εἴ τις τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ἀνήλωσεν ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ τῆς λειτουργίας τάξει μένων καὶ εἰς ἔσχατον ἤλασε γῆρας, τοῦτον ἁπλῶς διὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν αἰδεσθέντες ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν οἴσομεν τὴν ἀνωτέρω. Τί γάρ, εἰ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν ἐκείνην ἀνεπιτήδειος ὢν μένοι; Καὶ οὐ τὴν πολιὰν ἀτιμάσαι βουλόμενος, οὐδὲ νομοθετῶν τοὺς ἀπὸ χοροῦ μοναζόντων ἥκοντας πάντως ἀπείργεσθαι τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπιστασίας ταῦτα εἶπον νῦν-συνέβη γὰρ πολλοὺς καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνης ἐλθόντας τῆς ἀγέλης εἰς ταύτην διαλάμψαι τὴν ἀρχήν-, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο δεῖξαι σπουδάζων ὅτι εἰ μήτε εὐλάβεια καθ' ἑαυτήν, μήτε γῆρας μακρὸν ἱκανὰ γένοιτ' ἂν δεῖξαι τὸν κεκτημένον ἱερωσύνης ἄξιον ὄντα, σχολῇ γ' ἂν αἱ προειρημέναι προφάσεις τοῦτο ἐργάσαιντο. Οἱ δὲ καὶ ἑτέρας προστιθέασιν ἀτοπωτέρας· καὶ γὰρ οἱ μὲν ἵνα μὴ