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he partakes in the sins of others.” You see from how much blame, and not only blame but also punishment, we have, for our part, freed those who intend to bring us to this. For just as it is not a sufficient defense for those who are chosen to say, 'I did not come of my own accord, nor did I flee, knowing beforehand,' so also it cannot help those who ordain if they should say they did not know the one ordained; but for this reason the charge becomes even greater, because they brought forward one whom they did not know, and what seems to be a defense increases the accusation. For how is it not absurd that when men want to buy a slave, they show him to doctors, and demand guarantors of the sale, and inquire of the neighbors, and after all this still do not feel confident, but also ask for a long time for trial, yet when they are about to enroll someone for so great a ministry, they approve him simply and at random, if some person sees fit to bear witness, either for favor or out of enmity for others, making no other examination? Who then will deliver us at that time, when those who ought to preside are themselves in need of presiders? Therefore, he who is about to ordain must make much inquiry, but much more so, he who is being ordained; for even if he has as partners in punishment those who chose him for the sins he commits, yet he himself is not freed from the punishment, but even pays a greater one, unless it be that those who chose him acted against what appeared reasonable to them for some human cause. For if they should be detected in this, and knowing him to be unworthy, brought him forward for some pretext, the punishments are equal for them, and perhaps even greater for the one who appointed the unsuitable man; for he who gave the authority to one who wishes to corrupt the Church would be the cause of the things dared by that man. But if he should be responsible for none of these things, but should say he was deceived by the opinion of the many, not even so would he remain unpunished, but he pays a penalty a little less than that of the one ordained. Why so? Because it is likely that those who chose him came to this decision after being deceived by a false reputation; but the one who is chosen could no longer say that I did not know myself, as others did not know him. As, therefore, he is going to be punished more heavily than those who bring him forward, so he must make his own self-examination more carefully than they, and even if they drag him in ignorance, he must approach and teach them precisely the reasons by which he will stop them from being deceived, and by proving himself unworthy of the test, he will escape the burden of so great matters. For why, when there is deliberation about military service, commerce, agriculture, and other affairs of this life, would neither the farmer choose to sail, nor the soldier to farm, nor the pilot to serve in the army, even if someone threatened ten thousand deaths? Is it not clear that each foresees the danger that comes from inexperience. Then where the loss is about small things, shall we use so much foresight and not yield to the compulsion of those who force us; but where the punishment is eternal for those who do not know how to handle the priesthood, shall we simply and at random undertake so great a risk, pleading the force of others? But He who judges these things will not then tolerate this from us. For we ought to have shown much more security concerning spiritual things than carnal ones, but now we are found not even providing an equal amount. For tell me, if we suspected a man to be a carpenter who was not a carpenter and called him to the work, and he followed, and then, having touched the material prepared for the building, he should waste the wood, and waste the stones, and build the house in such a way that it immediately collapsed, would it be a sufficient defense for him that he was compelled by others and did not come of his own accord? By no means, and very reasonably and justly; for he ought, even when others were calling, to have refused. Then for the one who wastes wood and stones there will be no refuge from paying the penalty; but the one destroying souls and building carelessly, that the compulsion of others should suffice him for the

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κοινώνει ἁμαρτίαις ἀλλοτρίαις.» Εἶδες ὅσης τοὺς μέλλοντας ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τοῦτο παράγειν, οὐ μέμψεως μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τιμωρίας, τό γε ἡμέτερον ἀπηλλάξαμεν μέρος. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῖς αἱρεθεῖσιν οὐκ αὔταρκες πρὸς ἀπολογίαν τὸ λέγειν· Οὐκ αὐτόκλητος ἦλθον, οὐδὲ προειδὼς οὐκ ἀπέφυγον, οὕτως οὐδὲ τοὺς χειροτονοῦντας ὠφελῆσαί τι δύναται, εἰ λέγοιεν τὸν χειροτονηθέντα ἀγνοεῖν· ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ μεῖζον τὸ ἔγκλημα γίνεται ὅτι ὃν ἠγνόουν παρήγαγον καὶ ἡ δοκοῦσα εἶναι ἀπολογία αὔξει τὴν κατηγορίαν. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον ἀνδράποδον μὲν πρίασθαι βουλομένους καὶ ἰατροῖς ἐπιδεικνύναι καὶ τῆς πράσεως ἐγγυητὰς ἀπαιτεῖν καὶ γειτόνων πυνθάνεσθαι καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάντα μηδέπω θαρρεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ χρόνον πολὺν πρὸς δοκιμασίαν αἰτεῖν, εἰς δὲ τοσαύτην λειτουργίαν μέλλοντάς τινα ἐγγράφειν, ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἂν τῷ δεῖνι δόξῃ πρὸς χάριν ἢ πρὸς ἀπέχθειαν ἑτέρων μαρτυρῆσαι, ἐγκρίνειν, μηδεμίαν ποιουμένους ἑτέραν ἐξέτασιν; Τίς οὖν ἡμᾶς ἐξαιτήσεται τότε, τῶν ὀφειλόντων προστῆναι καὶ αὐτῶν προστατῶν δεομένων; ∆εῖ μὲν οὖν καὶ τὸν χειροτονεῖν μέλλοντα πολλὴν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἔρευναν, πολλῷ δὲ πλείονα τούτου τὸν χειροτονούμενον· εἰ γὰρ καὶ κοινωνοὺς ἔχει τῆς κολάσεως τοὺς ἑλομένους ἐν οἷς ἂν ἁμάρτῃ, ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἀπήλλακται τῆς τιμωρίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ μείζονα δίδωσι, μόνον εἰ μὴ διά τινα ἀνθρωπίνην αἰτίαν παρὰ τὸ φανὲν αὐτοῖς εὔλογον ἔπραξαν οἱ ἑλόμενοι. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν τούτῳ φωραθεῖεν καὶ τὸν ἀνάξιον εἰδότες διά τινα πρόφασιν αὐτὸν παρήγαγον, ἐξ ἴσης τὰ τῶν κολαστηρίων αὐτοῖς, τάχα δὲ καὶ μείζονα τῷ τὸν οὐκ ἐπιτήδειον καταστήσαντι· ὁ γὰρ τὴν ἐξουσίαν παρασχὼν τῷ βουλομένῳ διαφθεῖραι τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, οὗτος ἂν εἴη τῶν ὑπ' ἐκείνου τολμηθέντων αἴτιος. Εἰ δὲ τούτων μὲν οὐδενὶ γένοιτο ὑπεύθυνος, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς τῶν πολλῶν ὑπολήψεως ἠπατῆσθαι λέγοι, ἀτιμώρητος μὲν οὐδὲ οὕτω μένοι, ὀλίγῳ δὲ ἐλάττονα τοῦ χειροτονηθέντος δίδωσι δίκην. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι τοὺς μὲν ἑλομένους εἰκὸς ὑπὸ δόξης ψευδοῦς ἀπατηθέντας ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἐλθεῖν· ὁ δὲ αἱρεθεὶς οὐκέτ' ἂν δύναιτο λέγειν ὅτι ἠγνόουν ἐμαυτόν, καθάπερ αὐτὸν ἕτεροι. Ὡς οὖν βαρύτερον μέλλοντα κολάζεσθαι τῶν παραγόντων, οὕτως ἀκριβέστερον αὐτῶν χρὴ ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δοκιμασίαν, κἂν ἀγνοοῦντες ἕλκωσιν ἐκεῖνοι, προσιόντα διδάσκειν ἀκριβῶς τὰς αἰτίας δι' ὧν ἠπατημένους παύσει καὶ ἀνάξιον ἑαυτὸν τῆς δοκιμασίας ἀποδείξας ἐκφεύξεται τοσούτων πραγμάτων ὄγκον. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ περὶ στρατείας καὶ ἐμπορίας καὶ γεωργίας καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν βιωτικῶν βουλῆς προκειμένης, οὔτε ὁ γεωργὸς ἕλοιτ' ἂν πλεῖν, οὔτε ὁ στρατιώτης γεωργεῖν, οὔτε ὁ κυβερνήτης στρατεύεσθαι, κἂν μυρίους τις ἀπειλῇ θανάτους; Ἦ δῆλον ὅτι τὸν ἐκ τῆς ἀπειρίας προορώμενοι κίνδυνον ἕκαστος. Εἶτα ὅπου μὲν ζημία περὶ μικρῶν, τοσαύτῃ χρησόμεθα προνοίᾳ καὶ οὐκ ἂν εἴξομεν τῇ τῶν βιαζομένων ἀνάγκῃ· ὅπου δὲ ἡ κόλασις αἰώνιος τοῖς οὐκ εἰδόσι μεταχειρίζειν ἱερωσύνην, ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε τοσοῦτον ἀναδεξόμεθα κίνδυνον, τὴν ἑτέρων προβαλλόμενοι βίαν; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀνέξεται τότε ὁ ταῦτα κρίνων ἡμῖν. Ἔδει μὲν γὰρ καὶ πολλῷ πλείω τῶν σαρκικῶν περὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ τὴν ἀσφάλειαν ἐπιδείξασθαι, νῦν δὲ οὐδὲ ἴσην εὑρισκόμεθα παρεχόμενοι. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, εἴ τινα ὑποπτεύσαντες ἄνδρα εἶναι τεκτονικὸν οὐκ ὄντα τεκτονικὸν πρὸς τὴν ἐργασίαν καλοῖμεν, αὐτὸς δὲ ἕποιτο, εἶτα ἁψάμενος τῆς πρὸς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν παρεσκευασμένης ὕλης, ἀφανίζοι μὲν ξύλα, ἀφανίζοι δὲ λίθους, ἐργάζοιτο δὲ τὴν οἰκίαν οὕτως ὡς εὐθέως καταπεσεῖν, ἆρα ἀρκέσει πρὸς ἀπολογίαν αὐτῷ τὸ παρ' ἑτέρων ἠναγκάσθαι καὶ μὴ αὐτεπάγγελτον ἥκειν; Οὐδαμῶς, καὶ μάλα γε εἰκότως καὶ δικαίως· ἐχρῆν γάρ, καὶ ἑτέρων καλούντων, ἀποπηδᾶν. Εἶτα τῷ μὲν ξύλα ἀφανίζοντι καὶ λίθους οὐδεμία ἔσται καταφυγὴ πρὸς τὸ μὴ δοῦναι δίκην· ὁ δὲ ψυχὰς ἀπολλὺς καὶ οἰκοδομῶν ἀμελῶς τὴν ἑτέρων ἀνάγκην ἀποχρῆν αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ