John Chrysostom, On Priesthood

the density of the thorns does not allow what is sown even to fall on the surface. And already an excess of affliction, and the necessity of poverty, and continuous insults, and other such things contrary to the former, lead one away from zeal for divine things, but not even the smallest part of their sins can become manifest to them; for how could it, when they do not even know the majority of them by sight? And so, his dealings with the people have so much difficulty. But if someone were to examine the things concerning God, he will find these to be nothing, so much greater and more exact is the zeal that those things require. For one who intercedes on behalf of a whole city—why do I say a city?—indeed, of the whole inhabited world, and prays that God be merciful to the sins of all, not only of the living, but also of the departed, what sort of person must he be? For I indeed do not consider the boldness of both Moses and Elijah to be sufficient for so great a supplication. For just as one entrusted with the whole world and being himself the father of all, so he approaches God, praying that wars everywhere be quenched, that tumults be resolved, asking for peace, abundance, a swift deliverance from the evils threatening each person, both privately and publicly. And it is necessary for him to differ from all for whom he prays in all things, as much as it is fitting for the one who presides to differ from those under his charge. But when he also calls upon the Holy Spirit, and performs the most awesome sacrifice, and continually touches the common Lord of all, where shall we rank him, tell me? How much purity and how much piety shall we require of him? For consider what kind of hands there must be that minister these things, what kind of tongue that utters those words, and the soul which receives so great a Spirit, purer and holier than what must it not be. At that time, angels also stand by the priest, and the whole bema and the place around the altar is filled with the heavenly powers in honor of Him who lies there. And of this it is possible to be convinced even from the very rites then being performed. But I once heard someone relate that a certain elder, a wonderful man accustomed to seeing revelations, told him that he had been counted worthy of such a vision, and at that very time he suddenly saw a multitude of angels, as far as was possible for him, clothed in shining robes, circling the altar and bowing their heads, as one might see soldiers standing in the presence of a king; and I, for my part, believe it. And another person related to me, not having learned it from another, but having been counted worthy to see and hear it himself, that those who are about to depart from here, if they have partaken of the mysteries with a pure conscience, when they are about to breathe their last, angels, acting as a bodyguard for them on account of that which was received, lead them away from here. And do you not yet shudder introducing such a soul to so holy a rite, and raising to the dignity of the priesthood the one clothed in filthy garments, whom Christ cast out from the rest of the choir of guests? The soul of the priest must shine like a light illuminating the world; but ours has so much darkness enveloping it from a wicked conscience that it is always sinking and is never able to gaze with boldness upon its Lord. The priests are the salt of the earth; but our foolishness and inexperience in all things, who could easily bear, except you who are accustomed to love us exceedingly? For not only must he be pure, as is fitting for one counted worthy of so great a ministry, but also very prudent and experienced in many things. And he must know all the affairs of life no less than those who move in the midst of them, yet be more detached from them all than the monks who have taken to the mountains. For since it is necessary for him to associate with men who have wives and raise children, who possess servants and are surrounded by much wealth, and who are engaged in public affairs and are in positions of power, he must be versatile. And by versatile I mean, not deceitful, not

τῶν ἀκανθῶν πυκνότης οὐδὲ μέχρι τῆς ἐπιφανείας ἀφίησι τὸ σπειρόμενον πεσεῖν. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ θλίψεως ὑπερβολὴ καὶ πενίας ἀνάγκη καὶ ἐπήρειαι συνεχεῖς καὶ ἄλλα τοιαῦτα τοῖς προτέροις ἐναντία ἀπάγει τῆς περὶ τὰ θεῖα σπουδῆς, τῶν δὲ ἁμαρτημάτων οὐδὲ τὸ πολλοστὸν αὐτοῖς μέρος δυνατὸν γενέσθαι καταφανές· πῶς γάρ, ὧν τοὺς πλείονας οὐδὲ ἐκ προσόψεως ἴσασι; Καὶ τὰ μὲν πρὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτῷ τοσαύτην ἔχει τὴν ἀμηχανίαν. Εἰ δέ τις τὰ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐξετάσειεν, οὐδὲν ὄντα εὑρήσει ταῦτα, οὕτω μείζονος καὶ ἀκριβεστέρας ἐκεῖνα δεῖται τῆς σπουδῆς. Τὸν γὰρ ὑπὲρ ὅλης πόλεως, τί λέγω πόλεως, πάσης μὲν οὖν τῆς οἰκουμένης πρεσβεύοντα καὶ δεόμενον ταῖς ἁπάντων ἁμαρτίαις ἵλεων γενέσθαι τὸν Θεόν, οὐ τῶν ζώντων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀπελθόντων, ὁποῖόν τινα εἶναι χρή; Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὴν Μωϋσέως καὶ τὴν Ἠλίου παρρησίαν οὐδέπω πρὸς τὴν τοσαύτην ἱκετηρίαν ἀρκεῖν ἡγοῦμαι. Καὶ γὰρ ὥσπερ τὸν ἅπαντα κόσμον πεπιστευμένος καὶ αὐτὸς ὢν ἁπάντων πατήρ, οὕτω πρόσεισι τῷ Θεῷ, δεόμενος τοὺς ἁπανταχοῦ πολέμους σβεσθῆναι, λυθῆναι τὰς ταραχάς, εἰρήνην, εὐετηρίαν, τῶν ἑκάστῳ κακῶν ἐπικειμένων καὶ ἰδίᾳ καὶ δημοσίᾳ, ταχεῖαν αἰτῶν ἀπαλλαγήν. ∆εῖ δὲ πάντων αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ ὧν δεῖται τοσοῦτο διαφέρειν ἐν ἅπασιν ὅσον τὸν προεστῶτα τῶν προστατευομένων εἰκός. Ὅταν δὲ καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον καλῇ καὶ τὴν φρικωδεστάτην ἐπιτελῇ θυσίαν καὶ τοῦ κοινοῦ πάντων συνεχῶς ἐφάπτηται δεσπότου, ποῦ τάξομεν αὐτόν, εἰπέ μοι; πόσην δὲ αὐτὸν ἀπαιτήσομεν καθαρότητα καὶ πόσην εὐλάβειαν; Ἐννόησον γὰρ ὁποίας τὰς ταῦτα διακονουμένας χεῖρας εἶναι χρή, ὁποίαν τὴν γλῶτταν τὴν ἐκεῖνα προχέουσαν τὰ ῥήματα, τίνος δὲ οὐ καθαρωτέραν καὶ ἁγιωτέραν τὴν τοσοῦτο πνεῦμα ὑποδεξομένην ψυχήν. Τότε καὶ ἄγγελοι παρεστήκασι τῷ ἱερεῖ καὶ οὐρανίων δυνάμεων ἅπαν τὸ βῆμα καὶ ὁ περὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον πληροῦται τόπος εἰς τιμὴν τοῦ κειμένου. Καὶ τοῦτο ἱκανὸν μὲν καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν πεισθῆναι τῶν ἐπιτελουμένων τότε. Ἐγὼ δὲ καί τινος ἤκουσα διηγουμένου ποτὲ ὅτι αὐτῷ τις πρεσβύτης, θαυμαστὸς ἀνὴρ καὶ ἀποκαλύψεις ὁρᾶν εἰωθώς, ἔλεγεν ὄψεως ἠξιῶσθαι τοιαύτης καὶ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον ἄφνω πλῆθος ἀγγέλων ἰδεῖν, ὡς αὐτῷ δυνατὸν ἦν, στολίδας ἀναβεβλημένων λαμπρὰς καὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον κυκλούντων καὶ κάτω νευόντων, ὡς ἂν εἴ τις στρατιώτας παρόντος βασιλέως ἑστηκότας ἴδοι· καὶ ἔγωγε πείθομαι. Καὶ ἕτερος δέ τις ἐμοὶ διηγήσατο, οὐ παρ' ἑτέρου μαθών, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἰδεῖν ἀξιωθεὶς καὶ ἀκοῦσαι, ὅτι τοὺς μέλλοντας ἐνθένδε ἀπαίρειν, ἂν τύχωσι τῶν μυστηρίων μετασχόντες ἐν καθαρᾷ συνειδήσει, ὅταν ἀποπνεῖν μέλλωσι, δορυφοροῦντες αὐτοὺς δι' ἐκεῖνο τὸ ληφθέν, ἀπάγουσιν ἐνθένδε ἄγγελοι. Σὺ δὲ οὔπω φρίττεις εἰς οὕτως ἱερὰν τελετὴν τοιαύτην εἰσάγων ψυχὴν καὶ τὸν τὰ ῥυπαρὰ ἐνδεδυμένον ἱμάτια εἰς τὸ τῶν ἱερέων ἀναφέρων ἀξίωμα ὃν καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ τῶν δαιτυμόνων χοροῦ ἐξέωσεν ὁ Χριστός; Φωτὸς δίκην τὴν οἰκουμένην καταυγάζοντος λάμπειν δεῖ τοῦ ἱερέως τὴν ψυχήν· ἡ δὲ ἡμετέρα τοσοῦτον ἔχει περικείμενον αὐτῇ σκότος ἐκ τῆς πονηρᾶς συνειδήσεως ὡς ἀεὶ καταδύεσθαι καὶ μηδέποτε δύνασθαι μετὰ παρρησίας εἰς τὸν αὐτῆς ἀτενίσαι δεσπότην. Οἱ ἱερεῖς τῆς γῆς εἰσιν οἱ ἅλες· τὴν δὲ ἡμετέραν ἄνοιαν καὶ τὴν ἐν ἅπασιν ἀπειρίαν τίς ἂν ἐνέγκοι ῥᾳδίως, πλὴν ὑμῶν τῶν καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἡμᾶς ἀγαπᾶν εἰθισμένων; Οὐ γὰρ μόνον καθαρὸν οὕτως ὡς τηλικαύτης ἠξιωμένον διακονίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν συνετὸν καὶ πολλῶν ἔμπειρον εἶναι δεῖ. Καὶ πάντα μὲν εἰδέναι τὰ βιωτικὰ τῶν ἐν μέσῳ στρεφομένων οὐχ ἧττον, πάντων δὲ ἀπηλλάχθαι μᾶλλον τῶν τὰ ὄρη κατειληφότων μοναχῶν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀνδράσιν αὐτὸν ὁμιλεῖν ἀνάγκη καὶ γυναῖκας ἔχουσι καὶ παῖδας τρέφουσι καὶ θεράποντας κεκτημένοις καὶ πλοῦτον περιβεβλημένοις πολὺν καὶ δημόσια πράττουσι καὶ ἐν δυναστείαις οὖσι, ποικίλον αὐτὸν εἶναι δεῖ. Ποικίλον δὲ λέγω, οὐχ ὕπουλον, οὐ