40

gives of the bishop, and slanders him as neglecting those who are afflicted. But he who speaks evil of a bishop, either in word or in deed, sins against God, not having heard him say: "You shall not speak evil of the gods." For He was not legislating concerning stone or wooden abominations, which are detestable because of their false name, but concerning the priests and judges, to whom He also said that "You are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High." If therefore you know, O deacon, of someone who is afflicted, having reminded the bishop, give thus; but do not secretly perform anything to his reproach, lest you also stir up murmuring against him. For the murmuring will not be against him, but against the Lord God, and the deacon and the rest will hear, as Aaron and Miriam heard when they spoke against Moses: "How is it that you were not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" And again Moses himself says to those who were gathered against him: "For your murmuring is not against us, but against the Lord our God." For if one who has said to a layman 'Raca' or 'fool' is not unpunished, as having insulted the name of Christ, what might one say against a bishop? Through whom the Lord gave the Holy Spirit in you at the laying on of hands, through whom you have learned holy doctrines and have known God and have believed in Christ, through whom you were known by God, through whom you were sealed with the oil of gladness and the ointment of understanding, through whom you were shown to be sons of light, through whom the Lord in your illumination, testifying at the laying on of hands of the bishop, uttered over each of you the sacred voice, saying: "You are my Son, today I have begotten you." Through your bishop, O man, God makes you His son; know therefore, son, the right hand, your mother, and love her, and reverence him who after God has become your father. For if concerning fleshly parents the divine word says: "Honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you," and: "He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death," how much more will the word exhort you to honor and love your spiritual parents, as benefactors and ambassadors to God? Those who regenerated you through water, those who filled you with the Holy Spirit, those who nourished you with milk of the word, those who raised you up in the teaching, those who strengthened you in the admonitions, those who made you worthy of the saving body and the precious blood, those who loosed you from your sins and of the

40

τοῦ ἐπισκόπου δίδωσιν, καὶ διαβάλλει αὐτὸν ὡς ἀμελοῦντα τῶν θλιβομένων. Ὁ δὲ ἐπίσκοπον ἢ λόγῳ ἢ ἔργῳ κακο λογῶν Θεῷ προσπταίει, οὐκ ἀκούσας αὐτοῦ εἰπόντος· «Θεούς σου οὐ κακολογήσεις.» Oὐ γὰρ περὶ λίθων ἢ ξύλων προσοχθισμάτων ἐνομοθέτει, βδελυκτῶν ὄντων διὰ τὴν ψευδωνυμίαν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν ἱερέων καὶ τῶν κριτῶν, οἷς καὶ εἶπεν ὅτι «Θεοί ἐστε καὶ υἱοὶ Ὑψίστου πάντες». Eἰ οὖν γινώσκεις, ὦ διάκονε, θλιβόμενόν τινα, ὑπομνήσας τὸν ἐπίσκοπον, οὕτως δίδου· ἀλλὰ μὴ λαθραίως εἰς λοιδορίαν αὐτοῦ τι ἐπιτέλει, ἵνα μὴ καὶ γογγυσμὸν ἐπεγείρῃς κατ' αὐτοῦ. Oὐ γὰρ κατ' αὐτοῦ ὁ γογγυσμὸς γενήσεται, ἀλλὰ κατὰ Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀκούσεται ὁ διάκονος καὶ οἱ λοιποί, ὡς Ἀαρὼν καὶ Μαριὰμ καταλα λήσαντες Μωϋσέως ἤκουσαν· «Πῶς οὐκ ἐφοβήθητε κατα λαλῆσαι κατὰ Μωϋσῆ τοῦ θεράποντός μου;» Καὶ πάλιν αὐτὸς ὁ Μωϋσῆς φησιν τοῖς ἐπισυναχθεῖσιν αὐτῷ· «Oὐ γὰρ καθ' ἡμῶν ὁ γογγυσμός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν.» Eἰ γὰρ ὁ λαϊκὸν εἰρηκὼς ·ακὰν ἢ μωρὸν οὐκ ἀτι μώρητος, ὡς ὑβρίσας τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὄνομα, τί ἄν τις κατὰ ἐπισκόπου εἴπῃ; ∆ι' οὗ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα ἐν ὑμῖν ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν ἐν τῇ χειροθεσίᾳ, δι' οὗ ἅγια δόγματα μεμαθήκατε καὶ Θεὸν ἐγνώκατε καὶ εἰς Χριστὸν πεπιστεύκατε, δι' οὗ ἐγνώσθητε ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, δι' οὗ ἐσφραγίσθητε ἐλαίῳ ἀγαλλιάσεως καὶ μύρῳ συνέσεως, δι' οὗ υἱοὶ φωτὸς ἀνεδείχθητε, δι' οὗ Κύριος ἐν τῷ φωτισμῷ ὑμῶν, τῇ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου χειροθεσίᾳ μαρτυρῶν, ἐφ' ἑκατέρων ὑμῶν τὴν ἱερὰν ἐξέτεινεν φωνὴν λέγων· «Υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε.» ∆ιὰ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου σου ὁ Θεὸς υἱοποιεῖταί σε, ἄνθρωπε· γνώριζε οὖν, υἱέ, τὴν δεξιάν, τὴν μητέρα σου καὶ στέργε, καὶ τὸν μετὰ Θεὸν γενόμενόν σου πατέρα σέβου. Eἰ γὰρ περὶ τῶν κατὰ σάρκα γονέων φησὶν τὸ θεῖον λόγιον· «Τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου, ἵνα εὖ σοι γένηται», καί· «Ὁ κακολογῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα θανάτῳ τελευτάτω», πόσῳ μᾶλλον περὶ τῶν πνευματικῶν γονέων ὑμῖν ὁ λόγος παραινέσει τιμᾶν αὐτοὺς καὶ στέργειν, ὡς εὐεργέτας καὶ πρεσβευτὰς πρὸς Θεόν; Τοὺς δι' ὕδατος ὑμᾶς ἀναγεννήσαντας, τοὺς τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι πληρώσα ντας, τοὺς τῷ λόγῳ γαλακτοτροφήσαντας, τοὺς ἐν τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ ἀναθρεψαμένους, τοὺς ἐν ταῖς νουθεσίαις στηρί ξαντας, τοὺς τοῦ σωτηρίου σώματος καὶ τοῦ τιμίου αἵματος ἀξιώσαντας ὑμᾶς, τοὺς τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν λύσαντας καὶ τῆς