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are judged for lack of holy men, this is also a sign of abandonment; for the Lord has taken away even the judge. And the Prophet and the conjecturer. All prophecy among the Jews was until John; but from that time, it has left them. And he who spiritually conjectures the will of the law is not among them, because of the hardening that happened to Israel. But also in the Church there is a prophetic gift, because of the one who placed in the Church, first Apostles, second Prophets. If, therefore, at any time unbelievers or unlearned persons should enter, and are not reproved, nor judged, this also is a sign of abandonment; For if (it says) you prophesy, and an unbeliever or an unlearned person enters, he is reproved by all, he is judged by all, the secrets of his heart are made manifest. Therefore, a Prophet is one who, by a revelation of the Spirit, foretells the future; but a conjecturer is one who, through understanding from the comparison of like things, through the experience of what has gone before, infers the future; one who says: 'If we do the things of Sodom, we shall suffer things like them,' or, 'If we repent as the Ninevites, we shall similarly be shown mercy.' 3.103 And the elder. Among the things threatened is also the removal of the elder, as one who provides no small benefit by his presence. Is, then, the elder one who in some way has been deemed worthy of the presidency and enrolled in the presbytery? or is it he who bears the character of an elder blamelessly, best of all without experience of a woman? But if so, according to the law of the Lord, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, not under accusation of dissipation or insubordination; not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not a brawler, not greedy for dishonest gain; but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sensible; holy, just, self-controlled; holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict, this is the elder whom the Lord takes away from the sinning people. As the mighty man and the mighty woman, as the strength of bread and the strength of water, as the warrior, as the judge, so also the elder. When, therefore, you see that there are some worthy to be enrolled among the elders, but they are overlooked, or neglected, and in their place the unworthy have been promoted, know that from such a people the Lord has taken away the elder. But how great is the need for a money-changer, so that the one approved in these matters might not escape his notice, God showed to His great servant Moses, when He entrusted the selection of such men; Gather for me (He says) seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you yourself know to be elders of the people; and you shall gather them to the tent of testimony and they shall stand there with you. And I will take of the spirit that is upon you, and I will put it upon them, and they will bear the burden of this people with you, and you will not bear it alone. 3.104 And these ought to be suitable in age, having experienced many things through time, and showing the stability of their character from the gray hair that blossoms upon them. For the glory of elders is gray hair. But if somewhere, even at a young age, an elder's mind should be found, the gift is not to be dishonored, but one must trust the one who says: But gray hair is wisdom in men. For indeed, the elder's wisdom is more for the constitution of an elder than the whiteness of hair. For perhaps the word also means this: From the face of the gray-haired you shall rise up, and you shall honor the face of the elder. For if there is anyone, like the wise Daniel, young in body but gray-haired in wisdom, it is more just for him to be preferred to those who bear their bodily gray hairs with an undisciplined will, like the elders in Babylonia, who had grown old in wicked days. Wherefore also upon Daniel, being a child and younger in perceptible age, but having an intelligible grayness in wisdom, came the gift of the presbytery. For they were not lying when they said: Come and sit in our midst, because to you

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κρίνωνται δι' ἀπορίαν Ἁγίων, σημεῖον καὶ τοῦτο ἐγκαταλείψεως· ἀφεῖλε γὰρ Κύριος καὶ δικαστήν. Καὶ Προφήτην καὶ στοχαστήν. Πᾶσα προφητεία παρὰ Ἰου δαίοις, μέχρι Ἰωάννου· τὸ δὲ ἀπ' ἐκείνου, ἐπιλέλοιπεν αὐτούς. Καὶ ὁ τοῦ νόμου δὲ πνευματικῶς στοχαζόμενος τοῦ βουλήμα τος παρ' αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἔστι, διὰ τὴν πώρωσιν τὴν γενομένην τῷ Ἰσραήλ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ χάρισμά ἐστι προφητικὸν, διὰ τὸν θέμενον ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, πρῶτον Ἀποστόλους, δεύτερον Προφήτας. Ἐὰν οὖν ποτε εἰσέλθωσιν ἄπι στοι ἢ ἰδιῶται, καὶ μὴ ἐλεγχθῶσι, μηδὲ ἀνακριθῶσι, γνώ ρισμα καὶ τοῦτο ἐγκαταλείψεως· Ἐὰν γὰρ (φησὶ) προφη τεύητε, εἰσέλθῃ δέ τις ἄπιστος ἢ ἰδιώτης, ἐλέγχεται ὑπὸ πάντων, ἀνακρίνεται ὑπὸ πάντων, τὰ κρυπτὰ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ φανερὰ γίνεται. Οὐκοῦν Προφήτης μέν ἐστιν, ὁ κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν τοῦ Πνεύματος προαγορεύων τὸ μέλλον· στο χαστὴς δὲ, ὁ διὰ σύνεσιν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ὁμοίου παραθέσεως, διὰ τὴν πεῖραν τῶν προλαβόντων, τὸ μέλλον συντεκμαιρόμενος· ὁ λέγων· «Ἐὰν ποιήσωμεν τὰ Σοδόμων, ὅμοια ἐκείνοις πει σόμεθα» ἢ ὅτι «Ἐὰν μετανοήσωμεν ὡς οἱ Νινευῖται, παραπλησίως ἐκείνοις ἐλεηθησόμεθα». 3.103 Καὶ πρεσβύτερον. Ἐν τοῖς ἀπειλουμένοις ἐστὶ καὶ ἡ τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου ἀφαίρεσις, ὡς ὄφελος οὐ μικρὸν ἐκ τοῦ παρεῖναι παρέ χοντος. Ἆρ' οὖν ὁ ὁπωσοῦν τῆς προεδρίας ἀξιωθεὶς καὶ ἐγκαταλεγεὶς τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ, οὗτος πρεσβύτερος; ἢ ὁ φέρων τὸν χαρακτῆρα τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου ἀνεγκλήτως, μάλιστα μὲν ἀπείρατος γυναικός; Εἰ δὲ ἄρα, κατὰ τὸν τοῦ Κυρίου νόμον, μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἀνὴρ, τέκνα ἔχων πιστὰ, μὴ ἐν κατηγορίᾳ ἀσωτίας ἢ ἀνυπότακτα· μὴ αὐθάδης, μὴ ὀργίλος, μὴ πάροινος, μὴ αἰσχροκερδής· ἀλλὰ φιλόξενος, φιλάγαθος, σώφρων· ὅσιος, δίκαιος, ἐγκρατής· ἀντεχό μενος τοῦ κατὰ τὴν διδαχὴν πιστοῦ λόγου, ὡς δυνατὸς εἶναι καὶ παρακαλεῖν ἐν τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ διδασκαλίᾳ καὶ τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας ἐλέγχειν, οὗτος πρεσβύτερος, ὃν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνοντος λαοῦ ἀφαιρεῖται Κύριος. Ὡς ἰσχύοντα καὶ ἰσχύουσαν, ὡς ἰσχὺν ἄρτου καὶ ἰσχὺν ὕδα τος, ὡς πολεμιστὴν, ὡς δικαστὴν, οὕτω καὶ πρεσβύτερον. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς ὄντας μέν τινας ἀξίους τοῦ ἐγκατατάσσεσθαι τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις, λανθάνοντας δὲ, ἢ ἀμελουμένους, καὶ ἀντ' αὐτῶν τοὺς ἀναξίους προβεβλημένους, γίνωσκε ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ τοιούτου λαοῦ ἀφεῖλεν ὁ Κύριος πρεσβύτερον. Ἡλίκου δέ ἐστι χρεία τραπεζίτου, ὥστε μὴ διαλανθάνειν αὐτὸν τὸν ἐν τούτοις δόκιμον, ἔδειξεν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ μεγάλῳ αὐτοῦ θεράποντι Μωϋσεῖ, τὴν τῶν τοιούτων ἐκλογὴν ἐπιτρέψας· Συνάγαγε γάρ μοι (φησὶ) ἑβδομήκοντα ἄνδρας, ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, οὓς αὐτὸς σὺ οἶδας, ὅτι οὗτοί εἰσι πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ λαοῦ· καὶ συνάξεις αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυ ρίου καὶ στήσονται ἐκεῖ μετὰ σοῦ. Καὶ ἀφελῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύ ματος τοῦ ἐπὶ σοί, καὶ ἐπιθήσω ἐπ' αὐτοὺς καὶ συναντιλή ψονται μετὰ σοῦ τὴν ὁρμὴν τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, καὶ οὐκ οἴσεις αὐτοὺς σὺ μόνος. 3.104 Τούτους δὲ χρὴ εἶναι προσήκοντας καθ' ἡλικίαν, πολλῶν μὲν πεπειραμένους διὰ τὸν χρόνον, καὶ τὸ εὐσταθὲς τῶν ἠθῶν ἐκ τῆς ἐπανθούσης αὐτοῖς πολιᾶς ὑποφαίνοντας. ∆όξα γὰρ πρεσβυτέρων, πολιά. Εἰ δέ που καὶ ἐν ἡλι κίᾳ νέᾳ πρεσβυτικὸν εὑρεθείη φρόνημα, οὐκ ἀτιμαστέον τὸ δῶρον, ἀλλὰ πιστευτέον τῷ λέγοντι· Πολιὰ δέ ἐστι φρό νησις ἐν ἀνθρώποις. Πλεῖον γὰρ τῷ ὄντι εἰς πρεσβυτέρου σύστασιν τῆς ἐν θριξὶ λευκότητος, τὸ ἐν φρονήσει πρεσβυ τικόν. Μήποτε γὰρ τοῦτο βούλεται καὶ ὁ λόγος· Ἀπὸ προσ ώπου πολιοῦ, ἐξαναστήσῃ καὶ τιμήσεις πρόσωπον πρεσβυ τέρου. Ἐὰν γάρ τις ᾖ, κατὰ τὸν σοφὸν ∆ανιὴλ, νέος μὲν τὸ σῶμα, πολιὸς δὲ τὴν φρόνησιν, δικαιότερος προτιμᾶσθαι τῶν τὰς σωματικὰς πολιὰς ἐν ἀκολάστῳ τῇ προαιρέσει προφερόντων, κατὰ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς Βαβυλωνίας πρεσβυτέρους, τοὺς πεπαλαιωμένους ἡμερῶν κακῶν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ∆ανιὴλ, παιδάριον ὄντα καὶ νεώτερον κατὰ τὴν αἰσθητὴν ἡλικίαν, τὴν δὲ νοητὴν πολιὰν ἐπὶ τῆς φρονήσεως ἔχοντα, μετῆλθε τοῦ πρεσβυτερίου τὸ χάρισμα. Οὐ γὰρ ἐψεύδοντο λέγοντες· ∆εῦρο καὶ κάθισον ἐν μέσῳ ἡμῶν, ὅτι σοι