John Chrysostom, On Priesthood

we are sometimes proud of this, so also with these things, one must neither be puffed up by their praises, nor be cast down by their reproaches when they are made unseasonably. But this is difficult, O blessed one, and perhaps, I think, even impossible; for not to rejoice when praised, I do not know if it has ever been achieved by any man, but he who does rejoice, is likely to also desire to enjoy them, and he who desires to enjoy them must in all cases be vexed and grieved when he fails to get them. For just as those who delight in being rich are distressed when they fall into poverty, and those accustomed to luxury would not endure to live frugally, so also those who are lovers of eulogies, not only when they are blamed without cause, but also when they are not praised continually, are destroyed in their soul as by a kind of famine, and especially when they happen to have been brought up on them or hear others being praised. But the one who has entered into the contest of teaching with this desire, how many troubles and how many pains do you think he has? It is not possible for the sea ever to be without waves, nor for his soul to be without cares and grief. 5.5 eʹ. That he who is skilled in speaking needs more diligence than the unlearned For even when he has great power in speaking—and this one might find in few—not even so is he freed from toiling continually; for since speaking is a matter not of nature but of learning, even if one has reached the height of it, it then leaves him desolate, if he does not cultivate this power with constant diligence and practice, so that for the wiser rather than for the more ignorant, the labor is greater; for the penalty for neglect is not the same for the one and the other, but it is as much greater as is the difference between their respective possessions. And the latter no one would even blame, when they provide nothing worthy of mention; but the former, if they do not always produce something greater than the reputation which all have of them, many are the charges that follow from all. In addition to these things, the latter might receive great praises even for small things; but the achievements of the former, if they are not exceedingly wonderful and astonishing, are not only deprived of eulogies, but also have many who find fault. For the hearers sit in judgment not so much by what is said, as by the reputations of the speakers, so that when someone surpasses all in speaking, then most of all he needs laborious diligence; for it is not even permitted for him to experience that which is common to human nature, namely, not to succeed in everything, but if what is said does not entirely accord with the greatness of his reputation, he departs from the multitude having received countless jeers and reproaches. And no one considers this in his case, that despondency befalling him and anxiety and care, and often also anger, have darkened the clarity of his thought and have not allowed what is brought forth to come out pure, and that, in short, being a man, it is not possible for him to be always the same, nor to prosper in all things, but it is likely that he sometimes also makes mistakes and is shown to be less than his own power. They are willing to consider none of these things, as I said, but bring forward their accusations as if judging an angel. And in other respects man is by nature inclined to overlook the successes of his neighbor, even though they be many and great; but if any fault should appear, even if it be a trivial one, and even if it has happened after a long time, he both perceives it quickly and seizes upon it readily and remembers it always, and this small and trivial thing has often diminished the glory of many and great things. 5.6 ʹ. That one ought neither to despise entirely the irrational verdict of the multitude, nor to be entirely concerned with it Do you see, O noble one, that especially for the one able to speak there is need of greater diligence, and in addition to diligence, also of so much forbearance as not even all those whom I have previously described to you needed; for many continually attack him vainly and without cause, and having nothing to accuse him of, they hate him for no other reason than that he is well-reputed among all. And it is necessary

ἐπὶ τούτῳ φρονοῦμέν ποτε, οὕτω καὶ τούτων μήτε τοῖς ἐπαίνοις ἐξογκοῦσθαι, μήτε καταπίπτειν τοῖς ψόγοις ὅταν ἀκαίρως γίνωνται παρ' αὐτῶν. Χαλεπὸν δὲ τοῦτο, ὦ μακάριε, τάχα δέ, οἶμαι, καὶ ἀδύνατον· τὸ γὰρ μὴ χαίρειν ἐπαινούμενον, οὐκ οἶδα εἴ τινι ἀνθρώπων ποτὲ κατώρθωται, τὸν δὲ χαίροντα, εἰκὸς καὶ ἐπιθυμεῖν ἀπολαύειν αὐτῶν, τὸν δὲ ἀπολαύειν ἐπιθυμοῦντα, πάντως καὶ ἐν ταῖς τούτων ἀποτυχίαις ἀνιᾶσθαι καὶ ἀλγεῖν ἀνάγκη. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ γανύμενοι τῷ πλουτεῖν, ἡνίκα ἂν καταπέσωσιν εἰς πενίαν, ἄχθονται καὶ οἱ τρυφᾶν εἰωθότες οὐκ ἂν ἀνάσχοιντο ζῆν εὐτελῶς, οὕτω καὶ οἱ τῶν ἐγκωμίων ἐρῶντες, οὐχ ὅταν ψέγωνται μόνον εἰκῇ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅταν μὴ ἐπαινῶνται συνεχῶς, καθάπερ λιμῷ τινι διαφθείρονται τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν αὐτοῖς ἐντραφέντες τύχωσιν ἢ καὶ ἑτέρους ἐπαινουμένους ἀκούωσι. Τὸν δὲ μετὰ ταύτης τῆς ἐπιθυμίας εἰς τὸν τῆς διδασκαλίας ἀγῶνα παρελθόντα, πόσα πράγματα καὶ πόσας ἔχειν οἴει τὰς ἀλγηδόνας; Οὔτε τὴν θάλατταν ἔστι κυμάτων ἐκτὸς εἶναί ποτε, οὔτε τὴν ἐκείνου ψυχὴν φροντίδων καὶ λύπης. 5.5 εʹ. Ὅτι ὁ λόγους εἰδὼς πλείονος δεῖται σπουδῆς ἢ ὁ ἀμαθήσ Καὶ γὰρ ὅταν πολλὴν ἐν τῷ λέγειν δύναμιν ἔχῃ-τοῦτο δὲ ἐν ὀλίγοις εὕροι τις ἄν-, οὐδὲ οὕτω τοῦ πονεῖσθαι διηνεκῶς ἀπήλλακται· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐ φύσεως ἀλλὰ μαθήσεως τὸ λέγειν, κἂν εἰς ἄκρον αὐτοῦ τις ἀφίκηται, τότε αὐτὸν ἀφίησιν ἔρημον, ἂν μὴ συνεχεῖ σπουδῇ καὶ γυμνασίᾳ ταύτην θεραπεύῃ τὴν δύναμιν, ὥστε τοῖς σοφωτέροις μᾶλλον ἢ τοῖς ἀμαθεστέροις μείζων ὁ πόνος· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῶν αὐτῶν ἡ ζημία ἀμελοῦσι τούτοις κἀκείνοις, ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτον αὕτη πλείων ὅσον καὶ τῆς κτήσεως ἑκατέρας τὸ μέσον. Κἀκείνοις μὲν οὐδ' ἂν ἐγκαλέσειέ τις, μηδὲν ἄξιον λόγου παρέχουσιν· οὗτοι δέ, εἰ μὴ μείζονα τῆς δόξης ἧς ἅπαντες ἔχουσι περὶ αὐτῶν ἀεὶ προφέροιεν, πολλὰ παρὰ πάντων ἕπεται τὰ ἐγκλήματα. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἐκεῖνοι μὲν καὶ ἐπὶ μικροῖς μεγάλων ἂν τύχοιεν ἐπαίνων· τὰ δὲ τούτων, ἂν μὴ λίαν ᾖ θαυμαστὰ καὶ ἔκπληκτα, οὐ μόνον ἐγκωμίων ἐστέρηται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς μεμφομένους ἔχει πολλούς. Οὐ γὰρ τοῖς λεγομένοις, ὡς ταῖς τῶν λεγόντων δόξαις, κάθηνται δικάζοντες οἱ ἀκροαταί, ὥστε ὅταν κρατῇ τις ἁπάντων ἐν τῷ λέγειν, τότε μάλιστα πάντων αὐτῷ δεῖ πεπονημένης σπουδῆς· οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτο ὃ κοινὸν τῆς ἀνθρωπείας φύσεώς ἐστι, τὸ μὴ πάντα ἐπιτυγχάνειν, ἔξεστιν ἐκείνῳ παθεῖν, ἀλλ' ἂν μὴ δι' ὅλου συμφωνῇ τῷ μεγέθει τῆς ὑπολήψεως αὐτοῦ τὰ λεγόμενα, σκώμματα μυρία καὶ μέμψεις λαβὼν ἄπεισι παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν. Καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐκεῖνο λογίζεται πρὸς αὐτὸν ὅτι καὶ ἀθυμία προσπεσοῦσα καὶ ἀγωνία καὶ φροντίς, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ θυμὸς ἐπεσκότισε τῷ τῆς διανοίας καθαρῷ καὶ τὰ τικτόμενα οὐκ ἀφῆκε προελθεῖν εἰλικρινῆ, καὶ ὅτι ὅλως, ἄνθρωπον ὄντα, οὐκ ἔστι διὰ παντὸς εἶναι τὸν αὐτόν, οὐδὲ ἐν ἅπασιν εὐημερεῖν, ἀλλ' εἰκός ποτε καὶ διαμαρτεῖν καὶ ἐλάττονα τῆς οἰκείας δειχθῆναι δυνάμεως. Τούτων οὐδέν, ὅπερ ἔφην, ἐννοῆσαι βούλονται, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἀγγέλῳ δικάζοντες ἐπάγουσι τὰς αἰτίας. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ πέφυκεν ἄνθρωπος τὰ μὲν κατορθώματα τοῦ πλησίον καὶ πολλὰ ὄντα καὶ μεγάλα παρορᾶν· ἢν δὲ ἐλάττωμά που φανῇ, κἂν τὸ τυχὸν ᾖ, κἂν διὰ πολλοῦ συμβεβηκός, καὶ ἐπαισθάνεται ταχέως καὶ ἐπιλαμβάνεται προχείρως καὶ μέμνηται διαπαντός, καὶ τὸ μικρὸν τοῦτο καὶ εὐτελὲς, τὴν τῶν πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων ἠλάττωσε δόξαν πολλάκις. 5.6 ʹ. Ὅτι τῆς ἀλόγου τῶν πολλῶν ψήφου οὔτε πάντῃ καταφρονεῖν, οὔτε πάντῃ φροντίζειν δεῖ Ὁρᾷς, ὦ γενναῖε, ὅτι μάλιστα τῷ λέγειν δυναμένῳ πλείονος δεῖ τῆς σπουδῆς, πρὸς δὲ τῇ σπουδῇ καὶ ἀνεξικακίας τοσαύτης ὅσης οὐδὲ ἅπαντες ὅσους πρότερόν σοι διῆλθον ἐδέοντο· πολλοὶ γὰρ αὐτῷ συνεχῶς ἐπιφύονται μάτην καὶ εἰκῇ καὶ οὐδὲν ἔχοντες ἐγκαλεῖν πλὴν τοῦ παρὰ πᾶσιν εὐδοκιμεῖν ἀπεχθάνονται. Καὶ δεῖ