John Chrysostom, On Priesthood

does he think to escape? And how is this not utterly foolish? For I do not yet add that no one will be able to compel one who is unwilling. But let it be that he has undergone countless acts of violence and various contrivances so as to fall into it; will this, then, exempt him from punishment? No, I entreat you, let us not deceive ourselves to such an extent, nor pretend to be ignorant of things that are obvious even to mere children; for surely this pretense of ignorance will not be able to help us at the time of reckoning. Did you not yourself seek to receive this office, being conscious of your own weakness? Very well. You ought, then, with the same resolve, to have leaped away even when others were calling you. Or when no one called you, were you weak and unfit, but when those were found who would give you the honor, did you suddenly become strong? This is laughter and nonsense, and worthy of the utmost punishment. For this reason also the Lord advises the one who wants to build a tower not to lay a foundation before he has calculated his own ability, so that he may not give to passers-by countless occasions for mocking him. But for that man the penalty is only laughter; here, however, the punishment is unquenchable fire and the undying worm and gnashing of teeth and the outer darkness and being cut in two and being assigned a place with the hypocrites. But our accusers are unwilling to see any of these things; for otherwise they would have ceased blaming one who is unwilling to perish in vain. The present deliberation is not for us about the management of wheat and barley, nor of oxen and sheep, nor about other such things, but about the very body of Jesus. For the Church of Christ, according to the blessed Paul, is the body of Christ, and he who is entrusted with it must cultivate it to a state of great health and inexpressible beauty, looking everywhere, lest any spot or wrinkle or any other such blemish might be marring its grace and comeliness. And what else but to render it worthy, as far as humanly possible, of the pure and blessed Head which is set over it? For if those who are zealous for athletic fitness need doctors and trainers and a strict diet and constant exercise and countless other observances—for indeed any chance oversight among these things has overturned and ruined everything—how will those who have been appointed to care for this body, which has its contest not against bodies but against the invisible powers, be able to keep it whole and healthy, unless they far surpass human virtue and know every suitable therapy for the soul?

4.3 3. That the priest has need of great power in speaking Or are you ignorant that this body is subject to more diseases and plots than our flesh, and that it corrupts more quickly and is restored to health more slowly? And for those who treat those bodies, a variety of medicines has been discovered, and different constructions of instruments, and suitable foods for the sick, and the nature of the air has often alone sufficed for the health of the one who is weary; and there are times when sleep, coming at the right moment, has relieved the physician of all trouble. But here it is not possible to devise any of these things, but after deeds, one means and way of therapy has been given: teaching through the word. This is the instrument, this is the food, this is the best mixture of airs; this is instead of medicine, this instead of fire, this instead of the knife; and if it be necessary to cauterize or to cut, one must use this; and if this has no strength, all the rest is lost. With this we both raise up the soul when it is prostrate and calm it when it is inflamed, and we cut away what is superfluous and fill up what is lacking, and we perform all the other things that contribute to the health of the soul. For toward the best ordering of a life, another life might lead to an equal zeal; but when the soul is sick with spurious doctrines, here there is great need of the word

διαφυγεῖν οἴεται; Καὶ πῶς οὐ λίαν εὔηθες; οὔπω γὰρ προστίθημι ὅτι τὸν μὴ βουλόμενον οὐδεὶς ἀναγκάσαι δυνήσεται. Ἀλλ' ἔστω μυρίαν αὐτὸν ὑπομεμενηκέναι βίαν καὶ μηχανὰς πολυτρόπους ὥστε ἐμπεσεῖν· τοῦτο οὖν αὐτὸν ἐξαιρήσεται τῆς κολάσεως; Μή, παρακαλῶ, μὴ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἀπατῶμεν ἑαυτούς, μηδὲ ὑποκρινώμεθα ἀγνοεῖν τὰ καὶ τοῖς ἄγαν παισὶ φανερά· οὐ γὰρ δήπου καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν εὐθυνῶν αὕτη τῆς ἀγνοίας ἡ προσποίησις ἡμᾶς ὠφελῆσαι δυνήσεται. Οὐκ ἐσπούδασας αὐτὸς ταύτην δέξασθαι τὴν ἀρχήν, ἀσθένειαν σεαυτῷ συνειδώς; Εὖ καὶ καλῶς. Ἐχρῆν οὖν μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς προαιρέσεως, καὶ ἑτέρων καλούντων, ἀποπηδᾶν. Ἢ ὅτε μὲν οὐδεὶς ἐκάλει, ἀσθενὴς σὺ καὶ οὐκ ἐπιτήδειος· ἐπεὶ δὲ εὑρέθησαν οἱ δώσοντες τὴν τιμήν, γέγονας ἐξαίφνης ἰσχυρός; Γέλως ταῦτα καὶ λῆροι καὶ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἄξια τιμωρίας. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Κύριος παραινεῖ μὴ πρότερον βάλλεσθαι θεμέλιον τὸν βουλόμενον πύργον οἰκοδομεῖν πρὶν ἢ τὴν οἰκείαν λογίσασθαι δύναμιν, ἵνα μὴ δῷ τοῖς παριοῦσι μυρίας ἀφορμὰς χλευασίας τῆς εἰς αὐτόν. Ἀλλ' ἐκείνῳ μὲν μέχρι τοῦ γέλωτος ἡ ζημία· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἡ κόλασις πῦρ ἄσβεστον καὶ σκώληξ ἀτελεύτητος καὶ βρυγμὸς ὀδόντων καὶ σκότος ἐξώτερον καὶ τὸ διχοτομηθῆναι καὶ τὸ ταγῆναι μετὰ τῶν ὑποκριτῶν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων ἐθέλουσιν ἰδεῖν οἱ κατηγοροῦντες ἡμῶν· ἦ γὰρ ἂν ἐπαύσαντο μεμφόμενοι τὸν οὐκ ἐθέλοντα ἀπολέσθαι μάτην. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ὑπὲρ οἰκονομίας πυροῦ καὶ κριθῶν, οὐδὲ βοῶν καὶ προβάτων, οὐδὲ περὶ τοιούτων ἄλλων ἡ σκέψις ἡ προκειμένη νῦν, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τοῦ σώματος Ἰησοῦ. Ἡ γὰρ Ἐκκλησία τοῦ Χριστοῦ, κατὰ τὸν μακάριον Παῦλον, σῶμά ἐστι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ δεῖ τὸν τοῦτο πεπιστευμένον εἰς εὐεξίαν αὐτὸ πολλὴν καὶ κάλλος ἀμήχανον ἐξασκεῖν, πανταχοῦ περισκοποῦντα, μή που σπίλος ἢ ῥυτὶς ἤ τις ἄλλος μῶμος τοιοῦτος τὴν ὥραν ᾖ καὶ τὴν εὐπρέπειαν λυμαινόμενος ἐκείνην. Καὶ τί γὰρ ἄλλ' ἢ τῆς ἐπικειμένης αὐτῷ κεφαλῆς τῆς ἀκηράτου καὶ μακαρίας ἄξιον αὐτὸ κατὰ δύναμιν τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν ἀποφαίνειν; Εἰ γὰρ τοῖς περὶ τὴν ἀθλητικὴν εὐεξίαν ἐσπουδακόσι καὶ ἰατρῶν χρεία καὶ παιδοτριβῶν καὶ διαίτης ἠκριβωμένης καὶ ἀσκήσεως συνεχοῦς καὶ μυρίας παρατηρήσεως ἑτέρας-καὶ γὰρ τὸ τυχὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς παροφθὲν πάντα ἀνέτρεψε καὶ κατέβαλεν-, οἱ τὸ σῶμα τοῦτο θεραπεύειν λαχόντες, τὸ τὴν ἄθλησιν οὐ πρὸς σώματα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀοράτους δυνάμεις ἔχον, πῶς αὐτὸ δυνήσονται φυλάττειν ἀκέραιον καὶ ὑγιές, μὴ πολὺ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ὑπερβαίνοντες ἀρετὴν καὶ πᾶσαν ψυχῆς πρόσφορον ἐπιστάμενοι θεραπείαν;

4.3 γʹ. Ὅτι πολλῆς τῆς ἐν τῷ λέγειν δυνάμεως χρεία τῷ ἱερεῖ Ἢ ἀγνοεῖς ὅτι καὶ πλείοσι τῆς ἡμετέρας σαρκὸς καὶ νόσοις καὶ ἐπιβουλαῖς τοῦτο ὑπόκειται τὸ σῶμα καὶ θᾶττον αὐτοῦ φθείρεται καὶ σχολαίτερον ὑγιαίνει; Καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἐκεῖνα θεραπεύουσι τὰ σώματα καὶ φαρμάκων ἐξεύρηται ποικιλία καὶ ὀργάνων διάφοροι κατασκευαὶ καὶ τροφαὶ τοῖς νοσοῦσι κατάλληλοι καὶ φύσις δὲ ἀέρων πολλάκις ἤρκεσε μόνη πρὸς τὴν τοῦ κάμνοντος ὑγίειαν· ἔστι δὲ ὅπου καὶ ὕπνος προσπεσὼν εἰς καιρὸν παντὸς πόνου ἀπήλλαξε τὸν ἰατρόν. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδὲν τούτων ἐπινοῆσαι ἔστιν, ἀλλὰ μία τις μετὰ τὰ ἔργα δέδοται μηχανὴ καὶ θεραπείας ὁδός, ἡ διὰ τοῦ λόγου διδασκαλία. Τοῦτο ὄργανον, τοῦτο τροφή, τοῦτο ἀέρων κρᾶσις ἀρίστη· τοῦτο ἀντὶ φαρμάκου, τοῦτο ἀντὶ πυρός, τοῦτο ἀντὶ σιδήρου· κἂν καῦσαι δέῃ καὶ τεμεῖν, τούτῳ χρήσασθαι ἀνάγκη· κἂν τοῦτο μηδὲν ἰσχύσῃ, πάντα οἴχεται τὰ λοιπά. Τούτῳ καὶ κειμένην ἐγείρομεν καὶ φλεγμαίνουσαν καταστέλλομεν τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὰ περιττὰ περικόπτομεν καὶ τὰ λείποντα πληροῦμεν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἅπαντα ἐργαζόμεθα ὅσα εἰς τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῖν ὑγίειαν συντελεῖ. Πρὸς μὲν γὰρ βίου κατάστασιν ἀρίστην βίος ἕτερος εἰς τὸν ἴσον ἂν ἐναγάγοι ζῆλον· ὅταν δὲ περὶ δόγματα νοσῇ ἡ ψυχὴ τὰ νόθα, πολλὴ τοῦ λόγου ἐνταῦθα