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to the Holy Spirit be glory, might, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
HOMILY X.
But we beseech you, brethren, to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake; be at peace among
them. 1. It is necessary that a ruler have many occasions for faint-heartedness; and just as the servants of physicians are often forced to vex the sick, both by preparing foods and medicines, which have no pleasure, but much benefit; and just as fathers are in many ways burdensome to their sons; so also are teachers, and much more so. For the physician, even if he is disliked by the sick person, is on good terms with his relatives and friends, and often with the sick person himself; and the father, both by the laws of nature and by the external laws, exercises his authority over his child with great ease; even if he disciplines and rebukes him against his will, there is no one to prevent it, nor will the child himself be able to look back in defiance; but in the case of the priest, there is great difficulty. First, then, he ought to rule over willing subjects, and those who are grateful to him for his rule; but this does not happen quickly. For he who is reproved and rebuked, whoever he may be, casting aside all gratitude, becomes hostile; likewise he who is advised, and he who is admonished, and he who is exhorted will do the same. If I say, therefore, "Empty your wealth for those in need," I have said something grievous and burdensome; if I say, "Chasten your anger, quench your wrath, stop your unseemly desire, cut off a small part of your luxury," all are burdensome and grievous. And if I punish one who is negligent, or lead him away from the church, or exclude him from the common prayer, he is grieved, not for having fallen away from these things, but because of the public shame. And this is an aggravation of the disease, that being hindered from spiritual things, we are not grieved for the loss of so great goods, but for the shame in the eyes of the beholders; we do not shudder, we do not fear the thing itself. For this reason Paul discourses at length on these things, up and down. And Christ subjected them with such great necessity, as to say: The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat. All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe; but do not ye after their works. And again, when He healed the leper, He said: Go, show yourself to the priest, and offer your gift, which Moses commanded, for a testimony to them. And yet You say, You make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. For this reason I said, He says, "What they do, do not do." Christ therefore shut out every pretext for the one who is ruled. And this one writing to Timothy said: Let the presbyters who rule well be counted worthy of double honor. And writing to the Hebrews he said: Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; and here again: But we beseech you, brethren, to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord. For since he said, "Build one another up," lest they should think that he raised them to the dignity of teachers, he added this, as if saying, "I have also permitted you to build one another up; for it is not possible for the teacher to say everything." "Those who labor," he says, "among you, and are over you in the Lord, and
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τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.
ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Ιʹ.
Ἐρωτῶμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοὶ, εἰδέναι τοὺς κοπιῶντας ἐν ὑμῖν, καὶ προϊσταμένους ὑμῶν ἐν Κυρίῳ, καὶ νουθετοῦντας ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἡγεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς ὑπὲρ ἐκπερισσοῦ ἐν ἀγάπῃ διὰ τὸ ἔργον αὐτῶν· εἰρηνεύετε ἐν
αὐτοῖς. αʹ. Πολλὰς ἀνάγκη τὸν ἄρχοντα μικροψυχιῶν ἀφορμὰς ἔχειν· καὶ καθάπερ ἰατρῶν παῖδες πολλὰ λυπεῖν ἀναγκάζονται τοὺς κάμνοντας, καὶ σιτία καὶ φάρμακα κατασκευάζοντες, ἡδονὴν μὲν οὐκ ἔχοντα, πολλὴν δὲ τὴν ὠφέλειαν· καὶ καθάπερ πατέρες πολλαχοῦ τοῖς υἱοῖς εἰσι φορτικοί· οὕτω καὶ οἱ διδάσκαλοι, καὶ πολλῷ μᾶλλον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἰατρὸς κἂν πρὸς τὸν κάμνοντα ἀπεχθάνηται, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοὺς προσήκοντας αὐτῷ καὶ ἐπιτηδείους ἔχει ἡδέως, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν δὲ πολλάκις τὸν κάμνοντα· καὶ ὁ πατὴρ δὲ ἀπό τε τῶν τῆς φύσεως, ἀπό τε τῶν νόμων τῶν ἔξωθεν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐκολίας κέχρηται τῇ κατὰ τοῦ παιδὸς ἀρχῇ· κἂν ἄκοντα παιδεύσῃ καὶ ἐπιπλήξῃ, οὐδεὶς ὁ κωλύσων, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος ἀντιβλέψαι δυνήσεται· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ ἱερέως πολλὴ ἡ δυσκολία. Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ἑκόντων ἄρχειν ὀφείλει, καὶ χάριν αὐτῷ τῆς ἀρχῆς εἰδότων· τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἔνι συμβαίνειν ταχέως. Ὁ γὰρ ἐλεγχόμενος καὶ ἐπιτιμώμενος, οἷος ἂν ᾖ, πάντως τὴν χάριν ἀφεὶς, ἀπεχθῶς ἔχει· ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ παραινούμενος, καὶ ὁ νουθετούμενος, καὶ ὁ παρακαλούμενος ποιήσει. Ἂν εἴπω τοίνυν· Χρήματα κένωσον εἰς τοὺς δεομένους, ἐπαχθὲς εἶπόν τι καὶ φορτικόν· ἂν εἴπω· Κόλασον τὴν ὀργὴν, σβέσον τὸν θυμὸν, παῦσον τὴν ἄτοπον ἐπιθυμίαν, ὑπότεμε τῆς τρυφῆς μέρος μικρὸν, πάντα φορτικὰ καὶ ἐπαχθῆ. Κἂν κολάσω ῥᾳθυμοῦντα, ἢ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀπαγάγω, ἢ τῆς κοινῆς εὐχῆς ἀπείρξω, ἀλγεῖ, οὐ διὰ τὸ τούτων ἐκπεσεῖν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν κοινὴν αἰσχύνην. Καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ τῆς νόσου ἐπίτασις, ὅτι τῶν πνευματικῶν κωλυόμενοι, οὐ διὰ τὴν στέρησιν τῶν τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν ἀλγοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τῶν ὁρώντων αἰσχύνην· οὐ φρίττομεν, οὐ δεδοίκαμεν τὸ πρᾶγμα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἄνω καὶ κάτω Παῦλος περὶ τούτων πολλὰ διαλέγεται. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Χριστὸς αὐτοὺς μετὰ τοσαύτης ὑπέταξε τῆς ἀνάγκης, ὡς εἰπεῖν· Ἐπὶ τῆς Μωϋσέως καθέδρας ἐκάθισαν οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι. Πάντα οὖν, ὅσα ἂν λέγωσιν ὑμῖν τηρεῖν, τηρεῖτε· κατὰ δὲ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν μὴ ποιεῖτε. Καὶ πάλιν, ἡνίκα τὸν λεπρὸν ἐθεράπευσεν, ἔλεγεν· Ὕπαγε, δεῖξον σαυτὸν τῷ ἱερεῖ, καὶ προσένεγκαι τὸ δῶρόν σου, ὃ προσέταξε Μωϋσῆς εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς. Καὶ μὴν σὺ λέγεις· Ποιεῖτε αὐτὸν υἱὸν γεέννης διπλότερον ὑμῶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἶπον, φησὶν, Ἃ ποιοῦσι, μὴ ποιεῖτε. Πᾶσαν τοίνυν ἐξέκλεισε πρόφασιν τῷ ἀρχομένῳ ὁ Χριστός. Οὗτος δὲ καὶ Τιμοθέῳ γράφων ἔλεγεν· Οἱ καλῶς προεστῶτες πρεσβύτεροι διπλῆς τιμῆς ἀξιούσθωσαν. Καὶ πρὸς Ἑβραίους δὲ γράφων ἔλεγε· Πείθεσθε τοῖς ἡγουμένοις ὑμῶν, καὶ ὑπείκετε· καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν· Ἐρωτῶμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοὶ, εἰδέναι τοὺς κοπιῶντας ἐν ὑμῖν, καὶ προϊσταμένους ὑμῶν ἐν Κυρίῳ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν· Οἰκοδομεῖτε εἷς τὸν ἕνα, ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσιν, ὅτι εἰς τὸ τῶν διδασκάλων ἀξίωμα αὐτοὺς ἀνήγαγε, τοῦτο ἐπήγαγε, μονονουχὶ λέγων, ὅτι Καὶ ὑμῖν ἐπέτρεψα οἰκοδομεῖν ἀλλήλους· οὐ γὰρ δυνατὸν πάντα τὸν δι 62.456 δάσκαλον εἰπεῖν. Τοὺς κοπιῶντας, φησὶν, ἐν ὑμῖν, καὶ προϊσταμένους ὑμῶν ἐν Κυρίῳ, καὶ