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and they partook without hindrance of heave-offerings and of first-fruits and of tithes and of sacrifices and of offerings, they and their wives and their sons and their daughters; but since their work was the service of the tabernacle, for this reason they received no inheritance of land among the sons of Israel, because the contributions of the people are the inheritance of Levi and the heritage of his tribe. You therefore today, O bishops, are priests and Levites to your people, who minister in the holy tabernacle, the holy and catholic Church, and stand by the altar of the Lord our God and offer to him the rational and unbloody sacrifices through Jesus Christ the great high priest; you are prophets, rulers and leaders and kings to the laity among you, the mediators between God and his faithful, the receivers of the word and messengers, the experts of the scriptures and utterances of God and witnesses of his will, who bear the sins of all and are accountable for all; to whom, as you have heard, the word sternly threatens, if you should hide from men the key of knowledge; to whom there is deadly peril, if you do not declare his will to the people under you; for whom there is from God an unfailing reward and unspeakable glory in honor, having ministered well in the holy tabernacle. For as the burden is yours, so also you enjoy the ministries of provisions and the other needs. For you are imitators of Christ the Lord, and as he bore the sins of us all upon the tree, being crucified, the blameless one for those worthy of punishment, so also it is right for you to make the sins of the people your own. For it has been said concerning the savior in Isaiah, that "He bears our sins and is pained for our sakes." And again: "He himself bore the sins of many and was delivered up for their iniquities." As therefore you are watchmen, so also you have Christ as your watchman; as therefore he is for all of you, so also are you for the laity under you. For do not think, that the episcopate is an easy or a light burden. It is necessary therefore, as you bear the burden, so also to be the first to partake of the fruits and to give a share to those in need, as ones who will give an account to him who will judge you without deceit. For it is necessary that those who attend to the Church should be maintained by the Church, as priests, levites, presidents, ministers of God, as it is written in the book of Numbers concerning the priests: "And the Lord said to Aaron: you and your sons and the house

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καὶ ἀφαιρεμάτων καὶ ἀπαρχῶν καὶ δεκατῶν καὶ θυσιῶν καὶ προσφορῶν μετεῖχον ἀκωλύτως, αὐτοὶ καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες αὐτῶν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ ἔργον αὐτῶν ἦν λειτουργία τῆς σκηνῆς, διὰ τοῦτο κληροδοσίαν γῆς οὐκ ἔλαβον ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ, ὅτι αἱ εἰσφοραὶ τοῦ λαοῦ κληροδοσία τοῦ Λευὶ καὶ κληρονομία τῆς φυλῆς αὐτοῦ. Ὑμεῖς οὖν σήμερον, ὦ ἐπίσκοποι, ἐστὲ τῷ λαῷ ὑμῶν ἱερεῖς λευῖται, οἱ λειτουργοῦντες τῇ ἱερᾷ σκηνῇ, τῇ ἁγίᾳ καὶ καθολικῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, καὶ παρεστῶτες τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ προσάγοντες αὐτῷ τὰς λογικὰς καὶ ἀναιμάκτους θυσίας διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου ἀρχιερέως· ὑμεῖς τοῖς ἐν ὑμῖν λαϊκοῖς ἐστε προφῆται, ἄρχοντες καὶ ἡγούμενοι καὶ βασιλεῖς, οἱ μεσῖται Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν πιστῶν αὐτοῦ, οἱ δοχεῖς τοῦ λόγου καὶ ἀγγελτῆρες, οἱ γνῶσται τῶν γραφῶν καὶ φθόγγοι τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ μάρτυρες τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ, οἱ πάντων τὰς ἁμαρτίας βαστάζοντες καὶ περὶ πάντων ἀπολογούμενοι· οἷς, ὡς ἠκούσατε, ἐμβριθῶς ὁ λόγος ἀπειλεῖ, ἐὰν κρύψητε ἐξ ἀνθρώπων τὴν τῆς γνώσεως κλεῖδα· οἷς κίνδυνος ὀλέθριος, ἐὰν μὴ διαγγείλητε τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ τῷ ὑφ' ὑμᾶς λαῷ· οἷς παρὰ Θεοῦ μισθὸς ἀψευδὴς καὶ κλέος ἀνεκδιήγητον ἐν δόξῃ, καλῶς λειτουργή σασιν τῇ σκηνῇ τῇ ἁγίᾳ. Ὡς γὰρ τὸ βάρος ὑμέτερον, οὕτως καὶ τὰς διακονίας τῶν τροφῶν καὶ τὰς ἄλλας χρείας ὑμεῖς καρποῦσθε. Μιμηταὶ γὰρ ἔστε Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ ὡς αὐτὸς πάντων ἡμῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἀνήνεγκεν ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον, σταυρω θεὶς ὁ ἄμωμος ὑπὲρ τῶν κολάσεως ἀξίων, οὕτως καὶ ὑμᾶς τοῦ λαοῦ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἐξιδιοποιεῖσθαι χρή. Eἴρηται γὰρ περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐν Ἡσαΐᾳ, ὅτι «Oὗτος τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν φέρει καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται.» Καὶ πάλιν· «Ὁ αὐτὸς τὰς ἁμαρτίας πολλῶν ἀνήνεγκεν καὶ διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῶν παρεδόθη.» Ὥσπερ οὖν ὑμεῖς σκοποί ἐστε, οὕτως καὶ σκοπὸν ἔχετε τὸν Χριστόν· ὡς οὖν αὐτὸς πάντων ὑμῶν, οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς τῶν ὑφ' ὑμᾶς λαϊκῶν. Μὴ γὰρ νομίζετε, ὅτι εὐχερὲς ἢ ἐλαφρὸν φορτίον ἐστὶν ἡ ἐπισκοπή. Χρὴ οὖν, ὡς τὸ βάρος φέρετε, οὕτως καὶ τῶν καρπῶν πρώτους μεταλαμβάνειν καὶ τοῖς δεομένοις μεταδιδόναι, ὡς λόγον ὑφέξοντας τῷ ἀπαραλογίστως ὑμᾶς μέλλοντι λογιστεύειν. ∆εῖ γὰρ τοὺς τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ προσεδρεύοντας ἐκ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας διατρέφεσθαι, ἅτε ἱερεῖς, λευίτας, προέδρους, λειτουργοὺς Θεοῦ, καθὼς ἐν βίβλῳ τῶν Ἀριθμῶν γέγραπται περὶ τῶν ἱερέων· «Καὶ εἶπεν Κύριος πρὸς Ἀαρών· σὺ καὶ οἱ υἱοί σου καὶ ὁ οἶκος