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boldness, an unenslaved mind, a tongue touching heaven, unconquerable freedom, the body of a man and the mind of an angel, walking on the ground and living as a citizen in heaven. He saw the king and did not see the purple robe; he saw the king and did not see the diadem. Do not speak to me of royalty, where there is lawlessness. "It is not lawful for you, O king, to burn incense in the holy of holies;" you overstep the bounds, you seek what has not been given; for this reason you will also lose what you have received. "It is not lawful for you to burn incense, but for the priests." This is not yours, but mine. Have I seized your purple robe? Do not seize my priesthood. "It is not lawful for you to burn incense, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron." [A long time after, after the death of Aaron, this happened.] And why did he not say: To the priests, only, but also mentioned the father? It happened at that time that something of this sort took place. For Dathan and Abiram and Korah rose up against Aaron; the earth opened and swallowed them; fire came from above and consumed them. Wishing, therefore, to remind him of that history, that once they threatened the priesthood, but it was not defeated, but a multitude came on and God punished them. "It is not lawful for you to burn incense, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron." He did not say: Consider what they who did these things at that time suffered; he did not say: Consider that the rebels were burned, but he mentioned Aaron who had been avenged and brought him up for a reminder of the story, as if saying this: Do not dare the things of Dathan, lest you suffer such things as happened in the time of Aaron. But King Uzziah did not endure it, but puffed up with madness he entered the temple, he opened the holy of holies, wishing to burn incense. What then did God do? Since, therefore, the priest was not rightly despised and the principle of priesthood was trodden underfoot and the priest was no longer able to do anything—for it is the priest's role only to rebuke and to show boldness, not to move weapons, nor to seize shields, nor to shake a spear, nor to draw a bow, nor to send an arrow, but only to rebuke and to show boldness—since, therefore, the priest was rebuking him, but the king did not yield, but moved weapons and shields and spears and was using his own superior power, the priest, as if justifying himself before God, says: I have done my part, I can do no more, help yourself the priesthood which is being trampled underfoot; laws are being wronged, ordinances are being overturned. What then did the merciful God do? He punishes the audacious one, and immediately leprosy broke out on his forehead. Where there is shamelessness, there also is the punishment. Have you seen the mercy of God's punishment? He did not send a thunderbolt, he did not shake the earth, he did not throw heaven into confusion, but leprosy broke out, not in another place but on his forehead, so that he might wear the trophy of his punishment, so that there might be letters placed as on a pillar. For it happened not for his sake, but for the sake of those after him. For being able to inflict the punishment deservedly, he did not inflict it, but like a law in some high place saying: Do not do such things, lest you suffer such things. A living law went forth and his forehead sent out a voice brighter than a trumpet. There were letters inscribed on his forehead, letters that could not be erased—for it was not ink, that one might erase it, but the leprosy was from nature and made this man unclean, in order to make others clean. And just as convicts, when they receive a reed, they lead them out having the reed on their mouth, so also this man, instead of a reed, had the leprosy on his forehead as he was being led away, because he had insulted the priesthood. I say these things, not slandering kings, but those who are drunk with desperation and anger, so that you may learn that the priesthood is greater than kingship. 4.6 For God always, when the soul sins, punishes the body. So also he did in the case of Cain. The soul sinned by committing murder, and his body was paralyzed. How?

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παρρησίαν, φρόνημα ἀδούλωτον, γλῶσσαν οὐρανοῦ ἁπτομένην, ἐλευθερίαν ἀχείρωτον, ἀνθρώπου τὸ σῶμα καὶ ἀγγέλου τὸ φρόνημα, χαμαὶ βαδίζοντα καὶ ἐν οὐρανῷ πολιτευόμενον. Εἶδε τὸν βασιλέα καὶ οὐκ εἶδε τὴν πορφύραν· εἶδε τὸν βασιλέα καὶ οὐκ εἶδε τὸ διάδημα. Μή μοι λέγε τὴν βασιλείαν, ὅπου παρανομία. "Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι, βασιλεῦ, θυμιᾶσαι εἰς τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων·" ὑπερβαίνεις τὰ σκάμματα, τὰ μὴ δεδομένα ζητεῖς· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἃ ἔλαβες ἀπολεῖς. "Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι θυμιᾶν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν." Οὐκ ἔστι σὸν τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ἐμόν. Μὴ ἥρπασά σου τὴν πορφυρίδα; Μὴ ἁρπάσῃς μου τὴν ἱερωσύνην. "Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι θυμιᾶν, ἀλλ' ἢ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἀαρών." [Μετὰ πολὺν χρόνον, μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν Ἀαρὼν τοῦτο ἐγένετο.] Καὶ διὰ τί οὐκ εἶπεν· Τοῖς ἱερεῦσι, μόνον, ἀλλ' ἐμνημόνευσεν καὶ τοῦ πατρός; Συνέβη ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ χρόνῳ τοιοῦτόν τι γενέσθαι. ∆αθὰν γὰρ καὶ Ἀβειρὼν καὶ Κορὲ ἐπανέστησαν τῷ Ἀαρών· ἠνοίχθη ἡ γῆ καὶ κατέπιεν αὐτούς· ἦλθε πῦρ ἄνωθεν καὶ κατέκαυσεν αὐτούς. Βουλόμενος οὖν αὐτὸς ἀναμνῆσαι τῆς ἱστορίας ἐκείνης, ὅτι καί ποτε ἐπηρέσαν τὴν ἱερωσύνην, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡττήθη, ἀλλ' ἐπῆλθε πλῆθος καὶ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτοὺς ἠμύνατο. "Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι θυμιᾷν, ἀλλ' ἢ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἀαρών." Οὐκ εἶπεν· Ἐννόησον τί ὑπέμειναν οἱ τότε ταῦτα ποιήσαντες· οὐκ εἶπεν· Ἐννόησον ὅτι ἐκάησαν οἱ ἐπαναστάντες, ἀλλ' εἶπε τὸν ἐκδικηθέντα Ἀαρὼν καὶ εἰς ἀνάμνησιν αὐτὸν τῆς ἱστορίας ἤνεγκεν, μονονουχὶ τοῦτο λέγων· Μὴ τόλμα τὰ τοῦ ∆αθάν, ἵνα μὴ πάθῃς τοιαῦτα οἷα ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀαρών. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Ὀζίας οὐκ ἠνέσχετο,ἀλλὰ τῇ ἀπονοίᾳ φυσιούμενος ἐπεισῆλθεν εἰς τὸ ἱερόν, ἀνεπέτασεν τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, θέλων θυμιᾶσαι. Τί οὖν ὁ Θεός; Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐ καλῶς ὁ ἱερεὺς κατεφρονήθη καὶ λόγος ἱερωσύνης ἐπατεῖτο καὶ οὐδὲν ἠδύνατο οὐκέτι ὁ ἱερεύςἱερέως γὰρ ἐλέγχειν ἐστὶ μόνον καὶ παρρησίαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, οὐχ ὅπλα κινεῖν, οὐδὲ ἀσπίδας ἁρπάζειν, οὐδὲ δόρυ σείειν, οὐδὲ τόξον τείνειν, οὐδὲ βέλος πέμπειν, ἀλλὰ μόνον ἐλέγχειν καὶ παρρησίαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, ἐπειδὴ οὖν ἤλεγχεν ὁ ἱερεύς, οὐκ εἶξε δὲ ὁ βασιλεύς, ἀλλὰ ὅπλα ἐκίνει καὶ ἀσπίδας καὶ δόρατα καὶ περιουσίᾳ ἐκέχρητο τῇ ἑαυτοῦ, ὁ ἱερεύς, ὥσπερ δικαιολογούμενος πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, φησίν· Ἐγὼ τὸ ἐμαυτοῦ ἐποίησα, οὐδὲν πλέον δύναμαι, βοήθησον αὐτὸς ἱερωσύνῃ πατουμένῃ· νόμοι ἀδικοῦνται, θεσμοὶ ἀνατρέπονται. Τί οὖν ὁ φιλάνθρωπος; Κολάζει τὸν τολμητήν, καὶ εὐθέως ἐξήνθησε λέπρα εἰς τὸ μέτωπον αὐτοῦ. Ὅπου ἡ ἀναισχυντία, ἐκεῖ καὶ ἡ τιμωρία. Εἶδες φιλανθρωπίαν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ τιμωρίας; Οὐ κεραυνὸν ἀφῆκεν, οὐ γῆν ἔσεισεν, οὐ συνετάραξεν τὸν οὐρανόν, ἀλλὰ ἐξήνθησεν ἡ λέπρα, οὐκ ἐν ἄλλῳ τόπῳ ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου, ἵνα τῆς κολάσεως τὸ τρόπαιον φορῇ, ἵνα ὡς ἐν στήλῃ γράμματα ᾖ κείμενα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ δι' αὐτὸν ἐγένετο, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοὺς μετὰ ταῦτα. ∆υνάμενος γὰρ ἀξίως τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπαγαγεῖν, οὐκ ἐπήνεγκεν, ἀλλὰ καθάπερ νόμος ἐν ὑψηλῷ τόπῳ τινὶ λέγων· Μὴ ποιεῖτε τοιαῦτα, ἵνα μὴ πάθητε τοιαῦτα. Ἐξῄει νόμος ἔμψυχος καὶ τὸ μέτωπον φωνὴν ἠφίει σάλπιγγος λαμπροτέραν. Γράμματα ἦν ἀναγεγραμμένα ἐν τῷ μετώπῳ, γράμματα ἐξαλειφθῆναι μὴ δυνάμεναοὐ γὰρ ἦν μέλαν, ἵνα τις ἐξαλείψῃ, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ φύσεως ἡ λέπρα καὶ ἀκάθαρτον ἐποίει τοῦτον, ἵνα τοὺς ἄλλους καθαροὺς ποιήσῃ. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ κατάδικοι, ἐπειδὰν σπαρτίον λάβωσιν, ἐξάγουσιν αὐτοὺς τὸ σπαρτίον ἐπὶ τοῦ στόματος ἔχοντας, οὕτω καὶ οὗτος ἀντὶ σπαρτίου ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου εἶχεν τὴν λέπραν ἀπαγόμενος, ἐπειδὴ τὴν ἱερωσύνην ὕβρισεν. Ταῦτα λέγω, οὐχὶ βασιλέας διαβάλλων, ἀλλὰ τοὺς τῇ ἀπονοίᾳ καὶ τῷ θυμῷ μεθύοντας, ἵνα μάθητε ὅτι ἡ ἱερωσύνη βασιλείας μείζων. 4.6 Ἀεὶ γὰρ ὁ Θεός, ὅταν ἁμάρτῃ ἡ ψυχή, τὸ σῶμα κολάζει. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Κάϊν ἐποίησεν. Ἡ ψυχὴ ἥμαρτε φόνον ἐργασαμένη, καὶ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ παρελύθη. Πῶς;