John Chrysostom, On "I saw the Lord"

tell me, but if you wish to see the difference between a priest and a king, examine the measure of the authority given to each, and you will see the priest seated much higher than the king. For even if the royal throne appears splendid to us from the stones fixed upon it and the gold that encircles it, nevertheless, it has been allotted to administer the things on earth and has no authority beyond this; but the throne of the priesthood is established in the heavens and has been entrusted to govern the things there. Who says these things? The King of heaven Himself: "For whatever you bind," He says, "on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven." What honor could be equal to this? Heaven receives the beginning of its judgment from the earth. Since the judge sits on the earth, the Master follows the servant; and whatever judgment this one makes below, that one ratifies above. And the priest stands as a mediator between God and the nature of men, bringing down honors from there to us and taking up supplications from us to there, reconciling Him in His anger to our common nature, snatching us who have offended from His hands. For this reason God brings and places the royal head itself under the hands of the priest, teaching us that this ruler is greater than that one; "for the lesser is blessed by the greater." But concerning the priesthood and how great its dignity is, we will declare at another time; for now let us see the greatness of the injustice of the king, or rather, of the tyrant. "He entered into the temple of the Lord, and Azariah the priest entered after him." Was I not speaking in vain when I said that the priest is greater than the king? For not as one about to drive out a king, but as a runaway and ungrateful servant, so he entered with vehemence, like a noble whelp rushing upon an unclean beast, to drive it from the master's house. 5.2 Have you seen the soul of a priest full of great boldness and lofty spirit? He did not look upon the pomp of his authority, he did not consider how hard it is to restrain a soul drunk with desire, he did not hear Solomon saying, "A king's threat is like the wrath of a lion"; but looking to the true King of heaven and considering that judgment seat and the accounts to be rendered, and having fortified himself with these thoughts, so he rushed upon the tyrant. For he knew, he knew clearly, that "a king's threat is like the wrath of a lion," but only for those who look to the earth. But for a man contemplating heaven and prepared to give up his soul within the sanctuary rather than to overlook the sacred laws being violated, that man was more worthless than any dog. For nothing is weaker than one who transgresses the divine laws; just as, therefore, nothing is stronger than one who vindicates the divine laws. "For he who commits sin is a slave of sin," even if he has ten thousand crowns on his head; but he who works righteousness is more kingly than the king himself, even if he is the last of all. After that noble man had reflected upon these things to himself, he went in to the king. Let us therefore also enter with him, if you please, and let us see what he says to the king. For it is permitted; and it is no small matter for edification, to see a king being rebuked by a priest. What then does the priest say? "It is not lawful for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord." He did not name him king, nor did he call him by the name of his office, since he had already cast himself out of the honor. Have you seen the boldness of a priest? Then also learn his gentleness. For we do not need boldness alone when we are about to rebuke, but also gentleness, and gentleness more than boldness. For since sinners turn away from and hate no one among men so much as the one who is about to rebuke them, and they desire to seize upon a pretext

λέγε, ἀλλ' εἰ βούλει ἱερέως πρὸς βασιλέα τὸ διάφορον ἰδεῖν, τῆς ἑκάστῳ δεδομένης ἐξουσίας τὸ μέτρον ἐξέταζε καὶ πολλῷ τοῦ βασιλέως ὑψηλότερον ὄψει τὸν ἱερέα καθήμενον. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ λαμπρὸς ἡμῖν ὁ θρόνος φαίνεται ὁ βασιλικὸς ἀπὸ τῶν προσπεπηγότων αὐτῷ λίθων καὶ τοῦ περισφίγγοντος αὐτὸν χρυσίου, ἀλλ' ὅμως τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔλαχεν οἰκονομεῖν καὶ πλεῖον ἔχει τῆς ἐξουσίας ταύτης οὐδέν· ὁ δὲ τῆς ἱερωσύνης θρόνος ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἵδρυται καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖ διέπειν ἐπιτέτραπται. Τίς ταῦτά φησιν; Αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλεύς· "Ὅσα γὰρ ἂν δήσητε, φησίν, ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται δεδεμένα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· καὶ ὅσα ἂν λύσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται λελυμένα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς." Τί ταύτης ἴσον γένοιτ' ἂν τῆς τιμῆς; Ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς κρίσεως λαμβάνει οὐρανός. Ἐπειδὴ ὁ κριτὴς ἐν τῇ γῇ κάθηται, ὁ ∆εσπότης ἕπεται τῷ δούλῳ· καὶ ἅπερ ἂν οὗτος κάτω κρίνῃ, ταῦτα ἐκεῖνος ἄνω κυροῖ. Καὶ μέσος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσεως ἕστηκεν ὁ ἱερεύς, τὰς ἐκεῖθεν τιμὰς κατάγων πρὸς ἡμᾶς καὶ τὰς παρ' ἡμῶν ἱκετηρίας ἀνάγων ἐκεῖ, ὀργιζόμενον αὐτὸν τῇ κοινῇ καταλλάττων φύσει, προσκεκρουκότας ἡμᾶς ἐξαρπάζων τῶν ἐκείνου χειρῶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν βασιλικὴν κεφαλὴν ὑπὸ τὰς τοῦ ἱερέως χεῖρας φέρων τίθησιν ὁ Θεός, παιδεύων ἡμᾶς ὅτι οὗτος ἐκείνου μείζων ὁ ἄρχων· "τὸ γὰρ ἔλαττον ὑπὸ τοῦ κρείττονος εὐλογεῖται." Ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν ἱερωσύνης καὶ ὅσον τῆς ἀξίας τὸ μέγεθος ἐν ἑτέρῳ καιρῷ δηλώσομεν· τέως δὲ ἴδωμεν τῆς ἀδικίας τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ βασιλέως, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ τυράννου. "Εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν ναὸν Κυρίου, εἰσῆλθε καὶ Ἀζαρίας ὁ ἱερεὺς ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ." Ἆρα μὴ μάτην ἔλεγον ὅτι μείζων τοῦ βασιλέως ὁ ἱερεύς; Οὐ γὰρ ὡς βασιλέα μέλλων ἐξελαύνειν, ἀλλ' ὡς δραπέτην καὶ οἰκέτην ἀγνώμονα, οὕτως ἐπεισῆλθε μετὰ σφοδρότητος, ὥσπερ τις σκύλαξ γενναῖος ἐπιδραμὼν τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ θηρίῳ, ὥστε αὐτὸ τῆς δεσποτικῆς ἐξαγαγεῖν οἰκίας. 5.2 Εἶδες ψυχὴν ἱερέως παρρησίας γέμουσαν πολλῆς καὶ φρονήματος ὑψηλοῦ; Οὐκ εἶδεν εἰς τὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς ὄγκον, οὐκ ἐνενόησεν ὅσον ἐστὶ ψυχὴν ἐπιθυμίᾳ μεθύουσαν κατασχεῖν, οὐκ ἤκουσε τοῦ Σολομῶντος λέγοντος· "Ἀπειλὴ βασιλέως ὁμοία θυμῷ λέοντος"· ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν ἀληθῆ βασιλέα τῶν οὐρανῶν ἰδὼν καὶ τὸ βῆμα μὲν ἐννοήσας ἐκεῖνο καὶ τὰς εὐθύνας, καὶ τούτοις ἑαυτὸν τοῖς λογισμοῖς ὀχυρώσας, οὕτως ἐπεπήδησε τῷ τυράννῳ. Ἤδει μὲν γάρ, ᾔδει σαφῶς ὅτι "ἀπειλὴ βασιλέως ὁμοία θυμῷ λέοντος", ἀλλὰ τοῖς πρὸς τὴν γῆν βλέπουσιν, ἀνθρώπῳ δὲ τὸν οὐρανὸν φανταζομένῳ καὶ παρεσκευασμένῳ τὴν ψυχὴν ἔνδον ἐν τοῖς ἀδύτοις ἀφεῖναι, ἢ τοὺς ἱεροὺς νόμους ὑβριζομένους περιιδεῖν, κυνὸς παντὸς εὐτελέστερος ἦν ἐκεῖνος. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀσθενέστερον τοῦ τοὺς θείους παραβαίνοντος νόμους· ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲν ἰσχυρότερον τοῦ τοὺς θείους ἐκδικοῦντος νόμους. "Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τῆς ἁμαρτίαν ποιῶν δοῦλός ἐστι τῆς ἁμαρτίας", κἂν μυρίους ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἔχῃ στεφάνους· ὁ δὲ τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐργαζόμενος καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως βασιλικώτερός ἐστι, κἂν ἁπάντων ἔσχατος ᾖ. Ταῦτα πρὸς ἑαυτὸν φιλοσοφήσας ὁ γενναῖος ἐκεῖνος, ἐπεισῆλθε τῷ βασιλεῖ. Συνεισέλθωμεν οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς, εἰ δοκεῖ, καὶ ἴδωμεν τί πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα διαλέγεται. Ἔξεστι γάρ· οὐ μικρὸν δὲ εἰς ὠφελείας λόγον, ἐλεγχόμενον ἰδεῖν ὑπὸ ἱερέως βασιλέα. Τί οὖν φησιν ὁ ἱερεύς; "Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι, Ὀζία, θυμιᾶσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ." Οὐκ ὠνόμασεν αὐτὸν βασιλέα, οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀρχῆς ἐκάλεσεν ὀνόματος, ἐπειδὴ ἑαυτὸν προλαβὼν ἐξέβαλε τῆς τιμῆς. Εἶδες παρρησίαν ἱερέως; Οὐκοῦν κατάμαθε καὶ πραότητα. Οὐ γὰρ παρρησίας ἡμῖν δεῖ μόνον ὅταν ἐλέγχειν μέλλωμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πραότητος, καὶ πραότητος μᾶλλον ἢ παρρησίας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐδένα τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὕτως ἀποστρέφονται καὶ μισοῦσιν οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες ὡς τὸν ἐλέγχειν μέλλοντα, καὶ προφάσεως ἐπιλαβέσθαι ἐπιθυμοῦσιν