John Chrysostom, On Priesthood

he showed proof. 6.7 7. That the ascetic discipline is not for the same things for the one who is by himself and for the one who is engaged in the midst of things Do not then be surprised yourself if we, who flee the marketplace and the company of the many, do not have many accusers; for neither should one be surprised if I did not sin while sleeping, nor if I did not fall when not wrestling, nor if I was not struck when not fighting. For who, tell me, who will be able to speak against and reveal my wickedness? This roof and this little house? But they would not be able to utter a sound. But my mother who knows my affairs best of all? To be sure, I have nothing in common even with her, nor have we ever come to strife; and if this had happened, no mother is so unloving and child-hating as to revile and slander before all this one whom she bore in travail and brought forth and nourished, when no reason compels her, nor anyone forces her. But that, if anyone should wish to examine our soul with exactness, he will find many of its rotten parts, not even you are ignorant, you who are accustomed more than all to extol us with praises before everyone. And that I am not saying these things now out of modesty, remind yourself how many times I have said to you, when such a conversation often arose between us; that if anyone proposed a choice to me, whether I would rather be esteemed in the governance of the Church or in the monastic life, I for my part would have chosen the former with a myriad votes; for I never ceased declaring blessed to you those who have been able to preside well over that ministry. And that I would not have fled what I considered blessed, if I were able to pursue it, no one will dispute. But what am I to do? Nothing is so useless for the governance of the Church as this inactivity and lack of practice which others consider to be a kind of ascetic discipline; but I have it as a screen for my own worthlessness, covering by it the greater part of my own faults and not allowing them to appear. For he who is accustomed to enjoy so much quiet and to live in great tranquility, even if he be of a great nature, is disturbed and confused by the lack of training, and his lack of exercise cuts off no small part of his own power. But when he is both slow of mind and inexperienced in such contests—which is indeed our case—he will differ in nothing from stone figures upon accepting this stewardship. For this reason, of those coming from that wrestling-school into these contests, few distinguish themselves; but the majority are found wanting and fall and endure unpleasant and difficult troubles. And it is nothing unlikely; for when the contests and the exercises are not for the same things, the competitor is no different from the untrained. He who comes to this arena must above all despise glory, be superior to anger, full of great understanding. But for this man who loves the solitary life, no subject for exercise is set before him; for he has neither many who provoke him so that he may practice checking the power of his anger, nor those who bless and applaud him so that he may be taught to scorn the praises of the many; and they have little regard for the understanding required in the Churches. When therefore they come to the contests of which they have not practiced the experience, they are at a loss, they become dizzy, they fall into helplessness, and in addition to making no progress toward virtue, many have often lost even what they had when they came. 6.8 8. That those who are by themselves attain virtue more easily than those who care for many And Basil: What then? shall we set over the stewardship of the Church those who are engaged in the midst of things and care for the affairs of life and are worn out with fights and insults and are full of countless cleverness and know how to live luxuriously? {ΙΩ.} Hush, I said, O blessed one; for these must not even be brought to mind,

δοκιμασίαν ἐπεδείξατο. 6.7 ζʹ. Ὅτι οὐχ ὑπὲρ τῶν αὐτῶν τῷ τε καθ' ἑαυτὸν ὄντι καὶ τῷ ἐν μέσῳ στρεφομένῳ ἡ ἄσκησίς ἐστιν Μὴ τοίνυν μηδὲ αὐτὸς θαυμάσῃς εἰ τὴν ἀγορὰν φεύγοντες ἡμεῖς καὶ τὰς τῶν πολλῶν συνουσίας οὐκ ἔχομεν τοὺς κατηγοροῦντας πολλούς· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰ καθεύδων οὐχ ἡμάρτανον, οὐδ' εἰ μὴ παλαίων οὐκ ἔπιπτον, οὐδ' εἰ μὴ μαχόμενος οὐκ ἐβαλλόμην, θαυμάζειν ἐχρῆν. Τίς γάρ, εἰπέ, τίς δυνήσεται κατειπεῖν καὶ ἀποκαλύψαι τὴν μοχθηρίαν τὴν ἐμήν; ὁ ὄροφος οὗτος καὶ ὁ οἰκίσκος; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν δύναιντο ῥῆξαι φωνήν. Ἀλλ' ἡ μήτηρ ἡ μάλιστα πάντων εἰδυῖα τὰ ἐμά; Μάλιστα μὲν οὐδὲ πρὸς αὐτήν ἐστί μοί τι κοινόν, οὐδὲ εἰς φιλονεικίαν ἤλθομεν πώποτε· εἰ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἦν συμβάν, οὐδεμία οὕτως ἐστὶ μήτηρ ἄστοργος καὶ μισότεκνος ὡς τοῦτον ὃν ὤδινε καὶ ἔτεκε καὶ ἔθρεψε, μηδεμιᾶς ἀναγκαζούσης προφάσεως, μηδὲ βιαζομένου τινός, κακίζειν καὶ διαβάλλειν παρὰ πᾶσιν. Ἐπεὶ ὅτι γε, εἴ τις τὴν ἡμετέραν πρὸς ἀκρίβειαν ἐθέλοι βασανίζειν ψυχήν, πολλὰ αὐτῆς εὑρήσει τὰ σαθρά, οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἀγνοεῖς, ὁ μάλιστα πάντων ἡμᾶς τοῖς ἐγκωμίοις ἐπαίρειν παρὰ πᾶσιν εἰωθώς. Καὶ ὅτι γε οὐ μετριάζων ταῦτα λέγω νῦν, ἀνάμνησον σαυτὸν ὁσάκις εἶπον πρὸς σέ, λόγου τοιούτου γενομένου πολλάκις ἡμῖν· ὅτι, εἴ τις αἵρεσίν μοι προὐτίθει, ποῦ μᾶλλον βουλοίμην εὐδοκιμεῖν ἐν τῇ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προστασίᾳ ἢ κατὰ τὸν τῶν μοναχῶν βίον, μυρίαις ἂν ψήφοις τὸ πρότερον ἐδεξάμην ἔγωγε· οὐ γὰρ διέλιπόν ποτε μακαρίζων πρὸς σὲ τοὺς ἐκείνης τῆς διακονίας προστῆναι δυνηθέντας καλῶς. Ὅτι δὲ ὅπερ ἐμακάριζον, οὐκ ἂν ἔφυγον ἱκανῶς ἔχων μετελθεῖν, οὐδεὶς ἀντερεῖ. Ἀλλὰ τί πάθω; Οὐδὲν οὕτως ἄχρηστον εἰς Ἐκκλησίας προστασίαν ὡς αὕτη ἡ ἀργία καὶ ἡ ἀμελετησία ἣν ἕτεροι μὲν ἄσκησίν τινα εἶναι νομίζουσιν· ἐγὼ δὲ αὐτὴν ὡσπερεὶ παραπέτασμα τῆς οἰκείας ἔχω φαυλότητος, τὰ πλείονα τῶν ἐλαττωμάτων τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ ταύτῃ συγκαλύπτων καὶ οὐκ ἐῶν φαίνεσθαι. Ὁ γὰρ ἐθισθεὶς τοσαύτης ἀπολαύειν ἀπραγμοσύνης καὶ ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ διάγειν πολλῇ, κἂν μεγάλης ᾖ φύσεως, ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνασκησίας θορυβεῖται καὶ ταράττεται καὶ τῆς οἰκείας δυνάμεως περικόπτει μέρος οὐ μικρὸν τὸ ἀγύμναστον. Ὅταν δὲ ὁμοῦ καὶ βραδείας ᾖ διανοίας καὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἀγώνων ἄπειρος, τοῦτο δὴ τὸ ἡμέτερον, τῶν λιθίνων οὐδὲν διοίσει ταύτην δεξάμενος τὴν οἰκονομίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τῶν ἐξ ἐκείνης ἐρχομένων τῆς παλαίστρας εἰς τοὺς ἀγῶνας τούτους ὀλίγοι διαφαίνονται· οἱ δὲ πλείους ἐλέγχονται καὶ καταπίπτουσι καὶ πράγματα ὑπομένουσιν ἀηδῆ καὶ χαλεπά. Καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπεικός· ὅταν γὰρ μὴ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν οἵ τε ἀγῶνες ὦσι καὶ τὰ γυμνάσια, τῶν ἀγυμνάστων ὁ ἀγωνιζόμενος οὐδὲν διενήνοχε. ∆όξης μάλιστα δεῖ καταφρονεῖν τὸν εἰς τοῦτο ἐρχόμενον τὸ στάδιον, ὀργῆς ἀνώτερον εἶναι, συνέσεως ἔμπλεων πολλῆς. Τούτῳ δὲ τῷ τὸν μονήρη στέργοντι βίον οὐδεμία γυμνασίας ὑπόθεσις πρόκειται· οὔτε γὰρ τοὺς παροξύνοντας ἔχει πολλοὺς ἵνα μελετήσῃ κολάζειν τοῦ θυμοῦ τὴν δύναμιν, οὔτε τοὺς μακαρίζοντας καὶ κροτοῦντας ἵνα παιδευθῇ τοὺς παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν διαπτύειν ἐπαίνους· τῆς τε ἐν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις ἀπαιτουμένης συνέσεως οὐ πολὺς αὐτοῖς λόγος. Ὅταν οὖν ἔλθωσιν εἰς τοὺς ἀγῶνας ὧν μὴ μεμελετήκασι τὴν πεῖραν ἀποροῦνται, ἰλιγγιῶσιν, εἰς ἀμηχανίαν ἐκπίπτουσι καὶ πρὸς τῷ μηδὲν ἐπιδοῦναι πρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ ἅπερ ἔχοντες ἦλθον πολλοὶ πολλάκις ἀπώλεσαν. 6.8 ηʹ. Ὅτι εὐκολώτερον τὴν ἀρετὴν οἱ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ὄντες ἢ οἱ πολλῶν φροντίζοντες κατορθοῦσιν Καὶ ὁ Βασίλειος· Τί οὖν; τοὺς ἐν τῷ μέσῳ στρεφομένους καὶ πραγμάτων φροντίζοντας βιωτικῶν καὶ τετριμμένους πρὸς μάχας καὶ λοιδορίας καὶ μυρίας δεινότητος γέμοντας καὶ τρυφᾶν εἰδότας, ἐπιστήσομεν τῇ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας οἰκονομίᾳ; {ΙΩ.} Εὐφήμει, ἔφην, ὦ μακάριε σύ· τούτους γὰρ οὐδ' εἰς νοῦν βάλλεσθαι δεῖ,