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ruler of all, having nothing for which he fights, has eternal peace. For at last God appoints for those deemed worthy of eternal life one king of all in that age, so that by reason of monarchy, an unfailing peace may come to be. It is necessary, therefore, for all to follow some one person as a guide, honouring him as the image of God, and for the guide to be knowledgeable of the entrance leading into the holy city. And who else shall I choose from those present than Zacchaeus, with whom also our Lord, entering, rested, having judged him to be worthy to be saved? And having said this, placing his hand on Zacchaeus who was standing by, he tried to make him sit on his own chair. But Zacchaeus, falling at his feet, begged him to release him from ruling, promising and saying that: Whatever a ruler must do, I will do, only grant me not to have this name; for I am reluctant to put on the name of rule; for it is full of bitter envy and danger. And Peter said: If you are reluctant about this, do not call yourself a ruler, but 'the one who is appointed,' since the Lord gave us this term when he said: 'Blessed is that man, whom his lord will appoint over the care of his fellow servants.' But if you are completely unwilling for it to be known that you have the authority of administration, you seem to me to be unaware that the acknowledged authority of the one presiding has great power for the persuasion of the multitude. For everyone obeys him as one who has received authority, having his conscience as a great compulsion. And what? Do you not know for certain that you are to rule not as the rulers of the nations, but as a servant ministering to them, as a father to the wronged, as a physician visiting, as a shepherd guarding, in short, I will say, having all cares for their salvation? Do you think that I am unaware of what great toils I am compelling you to undertake, considering you worthy to be judged by crowds, whom it is impossible for anyone to please? But it is most possible to persuade God by doing well. Therefore I beg you to undertake it eagerly, for the sake of God, for the sake of Christ, for the salvation of the brothers, for their administration and your own benefit. And consider this other thing, that just as it involves toil and danger to administer the church of Christ, so much greater is the reward. But yet the punishment is also greater for one who is able and has disobeyed. I wish, therefore, knowing you to be more learned than those present, that you lend the good counsels which you have been entrusted with by the Lord, so that you may hear, 'Well done, good and faithful servant,' and not, like the one who hid the one talent, be found guilty of a charge and liable to punishment. But if you do not want to become a good guardian of the church, name another in your place, more learned and more faithful than you. But you will not give one; for you were with the Lord and have recorded his wondrous deeds and have learned the administration of a church. And it is your task to command what is necessary, and the brothers' to obey and not to disobey. Those who obey, therefore, will be saved, but those who disobey will be punished by Christ, because the one who presides is entrusted with Christ's place. Therefore either the honour or the insolence towards the one who presides is directed to Christ, and from Christ it is referred to God. And I have said this so that the brothers themselves may not be ignorant of their danger in disobeying you-

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παντὸς ἡγεμών, οὗ εἵνεκεν πολεμεῖ οὐκ ἔχων, ἀίδιον τὴν εἰρήνην ἔχει. πέρας γοῦν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς καταξιουμένοις αἰωνίου ζωῆς ἕνα ἐν τῷ τότε αἰῶνι βασιλέα τοῦ παντὸς καθίστησιν, ἵνα αἰτίᾳ μοναρχίας ἄπτωτος εἰρήνη γένηται. χρὴ οὖν ἑνί τινι ὡς ὁδηγῷ τοὺς πάντας ἕπεσθαι, ὡς εἰκόνα θεοῦ προτιμῶντας, τὸν δὲ ὁδηγὸν εἶναι τῆς εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν εἰσιούσης εἰσόδου ἐπιστήμονα. Τίνα δὲ ἄλλον αἱρήσομαι τῶν παρόντων ἢ Ζακχαῖον, πρὸς ὃν καὶ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν εἰσιὼν ἀνεπαύσατο, τοῦ σσζεσθαι κρίνας ἄξιον εἶναι; καὶ τοῦτ' εἰπών, παρεστῶτι τῷ Ζακχαίῳ ἐπιβαλὼν τὴν χεῖρα, ἐβιάζετο ἐπὶ τὴν αὑτοῦ καθεσθῆναι καθέδραν. ὁ δὲ Ζακχαῖος προσπεσὼν τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτοῦ ἐδέετο, ὅπως τοῦ ἄρχειν αὐτὸν ἀπολύσῃ, μετὰ τοῦ ὑπισχνεῖσθαι καὶ λέγειν ὅτι· Ὁπόσα ποτὲ χρὴ τὸν ἄρχοντα ποιεῖν, ποιήσω, μόνον μοι τὸ ὄνομα τοῦτο μὴ ἔχειν χάρισαι· εὐλαβοῦμαι γὰρ τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐνδύσασθαι ὄνομα· πικροῦ γὰρ φθόνου καὶ κινδύνου γέμει. Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Eἰ τοῦτο εὐλαβῇ ἄρχων μὲν μὴ καλοῦ, ἀλλὰ ὁ καθεστώς, τοῦτο τοῦ κυρίου δεδωκότος λέγεσθαι τῷ εἰπεῖν· «Μακάριος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος, ὃν καταστήσει ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς θεραπείας τῶν συνδούλων αὑτοῦ». εἰ δὲ παντελῶς οὐ θέλεις γνωσθῆναι ὅτι ἐξουσίαν διοική- σεως ἔχεις, ἀγνοεῖν μοι ἔοικας ὅτι ἡ ὁμολογουμένη τοῦ προκαθεζομένου ἐξουσία πολύ τι δύναται πρὸς δυσωπίαν τοῦ πλήθους. ὡς γὰρ εἰληφότι τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἕκαστος πείθεται ὡς μεγάλην ἀνάγκην τὴν συνείδησιν ἔχων. τί δέ; οὐχὶ καὶ ἀσφαλῶς γινώσκεις ὅτι οὐχ ὡς οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν ἄρχειν ἔχεις, ἀλλ' ὡς δοῦλος αὐτοῖς ὑπηρετῶν, ὡς πατὴρ ἀδικουμένοις , ὡς ἰατρὸς ἐπισκεπτόμενος, ὡς ποιμὴν φυλάσσων, συνελὼν ἐρῶ, τὰς πάσας ὑπὲρ τῆς αὐ- τῶν σωτηρίας φροντίδας ἔχων; ὅτι οἴει ἀγνοεῖν με οἵους καμάτους ἀναδέ- ξασθαί σε βιάζομαι, ὑπὸ ὄχλων κρίνεσθαί σε ἀξιῶν, οἷς ἀρέσαι τινὰ ἀμή- χανον; θεὸν δὲ εὖ πράττοντα πείθειν δυνατώτατον. διὸ δέομαι προθύμως ἀναδέξασθαι, διὰ θεόν, διὰ Χριστόν, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀδελφῶν σωτηρίας, ὑπὲρ τῆς αὐτῶν οἰκονομίας καὶ σῆς ὠφελείας. καὶ τὸ ἕτερον δὲ λόγισαι ὅτι ὥσπερ κάματον καὶ κίνδυνον ἔχει τὸ τὴν Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίαν οἰκονομεῖν, το- σούτῳ μείζων ὁ μισθός. ἀλλ' ἔτι μὴν καὶ ἡ κόλασις μείζων τῷ δυναμένῳ καὶ ἀπειθήσαντι. βούλομαι οὖν, πολυμαθέστερον εἰδώς σε τῶν παρεστώτων, δανείζειν καλὰς γνώμας, ἃς παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου πεπίστευσαι, ἵνα «εὖ δοῦλε ἀγαθὲ καὶ πιστέ» ἀκούσῃς καὶ μὴ ὥσπερ ὁ τὸ ἓν ἀποκρύψας τάλαν- τον, ἔγκλημα λαβὼν κολάσει ὑπεύθυνος ἀναφανῇς. εἰ δὲ μὴ βούλει ἀγαθὸς φύλαξ καταστῆναι τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ἕτερον ἀντὶ σοῦ μήνυσον, σοῦ πολυμαθέστερον καὶ πιστότερον. ἀλλὰ οὐ δώσεις· σὺ γὰρ καὶ τῷ κυρίῳ συνῆς καὶ τὰς θαυμασίους πράξεις ἱστόρησας καὶ διοίκησιν ἐκκλησίας μεμάθηκας. καὶ σοῦ μὲν ἔργον ἐστὶν κελεύειν ἃ δεῖ, τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑπείκειν καὶ μὴ ἀπειθεῖν. ὑπείξαντες μὲν οὖν σωθήσονται, ἀπειθήσαντες δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ κολασθήσονται, ὅτι ὁ προκαθεζόμενος Χριστοῦ τό- πον πεπίστευται. διὸ ἤτοι τιμὴ ἢ ὕβρις τοῦ προκαθεζομένου εἰς Χριστὸν φέρεται, ἀπὸ δὲ Χριστοῦ εἰς τὸν θεὸν ἀναφέρεται. τοῦτο δὲ εἴρηκα, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τῆς πρὸς σὲ ἀπειθείας τὸν κίνδυνον αὐτῶν μὴ ἀγνοῶ-