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of the earth, therefore I will avenge upon you your impieties.” And at another time: “I took of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for consecration.” And even before the prophets, wishing to show that sins receive a much greater punishment when they are committed by priests than when by laymen, He commands that as great a sacrifice be offered for the priests as for all the people; and this indicates nothing else than that the wounds of the priest need greater help, and as much as all the people's together. And they would not need a greater one if they were not more grievous; and they become more grievous, not by their nature, but weighed down by the dignity of the priest who dares to commit them. And why do I speak of the men who pursue the ministry? For the daughters of priests, who have no part in the priesthood, nevertheless for the same sins undergo a much more bitter punishment on account of their father’s dignity; and while the offense is the same for them as for the daughters of laymen, for both is fornication, the penalty is much more severe for them. Do you see with what great emphasis God shows you that He demands a much greater punishment from the ruler than from the ruled? For surely He who punishes the daughter of that man more severely than others on his account will not exact an equal penalty from the one who was the cause of her additional torments as He does from the many, but a much greater one. And very reasonably so; for the harm does not fall on him alone, but also casts down the souls of the weaker who look to him. Ezekiel, wishing to teach this, also distinguishes between the judgment of the rams and that of the sheep. 6.12 12. A demonstration from examples both of the pain caused by the expectation of the priesthood and of the fear Do we seem to you to have feared a reasonable fear? For in addition to what has been said, although now I need much labor so as not to be completely overcome by the passions of the soul, nevertheless I endure the labor and do not flee the contest. For even now I am captured by vainglory, but I often recover, and I perceive that I was captured; and there are times when I even rebuke my enslaved soul. Unseemly desires assail me even now; but they kindle a slower flame, since my eyes have no external fuel for the fire to take hold of. But from speaking ill of so-and-so and hearing him spoken of, I am completely free, since those who would converse are not present; for indeed these walls could not let out a sound. But it is not similarly possible to escape anger, even though there are none to provoke it; for often the memory of wicked men and of what was done by them assails me and makes my heart swell, yet not to the end; for we quickly check it when it is inflamed and persuade it to be quiet, saying that it is very unseemly and of the utmost wretchedness to abandon one’s own evils and meddle with those of one’s neighbors. But if I go into the multitude and am caught up in its myriad disturbances, I will not be able to enjoy this admonition, nor find the thoughts that provide this guidance; but just as those pushed down cliffs by some current or otherwise, are able to foresee the destruction in which they will end, but are unable to contrive any help, so I too, having fallen into the great tumult of passions, will be able to perceive the punishment increasing for me each day, but to be in myself as I am now and to rebuke from all sides these raging diseases will no longer be as easy for me as before. For my soul is weak and small and easily overcome not only by these passions, but also by envy, the most bitter of all, and it knows not how to bear either insults or honors moderately, but the latter excessively puff it up and

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τῆς γῆς, διὰ τοῦτο ἐκδικήσω ἐφ' ὑμᾶς τὰς ἀσεβείας ὑμῶν.» Ποτὲ δέ· «Ἔλαβον ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν ὑμῶν εἰς προφήτας καὶ ἐκ τῶν νεανίσκων ὑμῶν εἰς ἁγιασμόν.» Καὶ πρὸ τῶν προφητῶν δεῖξαι βουλόμενος ὅτι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα μείζονα ἐκδέχεται πολλῷ τὴν τιμωρίαν ὅταν ὑπὸ τῶν ἱερέων γίνηται ἢ ὅταν ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδιωτῶν, προστάττει τοσαύτην ὑπὲρ τῶν ἱερέων προσάγεσθαι τὴν θυσίαν ὅσην ὑπὲρ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ· τοῦτο δὲ οὐδὲν ἕτερον δηλοῦντός ἐστιν ἢ ὅτι μείζονος βοηθείας δεῖται τὰ τοῦ ἱερέως τραύματα καὶ τοσαύτης ὅσης ὁμοῦ τὰ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ. Μείζονος δὲ οὐκ ἂν ἐδεῖτο εἰ μὴ χαλεπώτερα ἦν· χαλεπώτερα δὲ γίνεται, οὐ τῇ φύσει, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἀξίᾳ τοῦ τολμῶντος αὐτὰ ἱερέως βαρούμενα. Καὶ τί λέγω τοὺς ἄνδρας τοὺς τὴν λειτουργίαν μετιόντας; Αἱ γὰρ θυγατέρες τῶν ἱερέων αἷς οὐδεὶς πρὸς τὴν ἱερωσύνην λόγος ὅμως διὰ τὸ πατρικὸν ἀξίωμα τῶν αὐτῶν ἁμαρτημάτων πολὺ πικροτέραν ὑπέχουσι τὴν τιμωρίαν· καὶ τὸ μὲν πλημμέλημα ἴσον αὐταῖς καὶ ταῖς τῶν ἰδιωτῶν θυγατράσι, πορνεία γὰρ ἀμφοτέρα, τὸ δὲ ἐπιτίμιον πολλῷ τούτων χαλεπώτερον. Ὁρᾷς μεθ' ὅσης σοι δείκνυσιν ὑπερβολῆς ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι πολλῷ πλείονα τῶν ἀρχομένων ἀπαιτεῖ τὸν ἄρχοντα τιμωρίαν· οὐ γὰρ δήπου ὁ τὴν ἐκείνου θυγατέρα δι' ἐκεῖνον μειζόνως τῶν ἄλλων κολάζων τὸν καὶ ἐκείνῃ τῆς προσθήκης τῶν βασάνων αἴτιον ἴσην τοῖς πολλοῖς εἰσπράξεται δίκην, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ μείζονα. Καὶ μάλα γε εἰκότως· οὐ γὰρ εἰς αὐτὸν περιΐσταται μόνον ἡ ζημία, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς τῶν ἀσθενεστέρων καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν βλεπόντων καταβάλλει ψυχάς. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Ἰεζεκιὴλ διδάξαι βουλόμενος, διΐστησιν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων τὴν τῶν κριῶν καὶ τὴν τῶν προβάτων κρίσιν. 6.12 ιβʹ. Ἐκ παραδειγμάτων παράστασις καὶ τῆς ὀδύνης τῆς διὰ τὴν προσδοκίαν τῆς ἱερωσύνης γενομένης καὶ τοῦ φόβου Ἆρά σοι δοκοῦμεν λόγον ἔχοντα πεφοβῆσθαι φόβον; Πρὸς γὰρ τοῖς εἰρημένοις, νῦν μὲν εἰ καὶ πολλοῦ μοι δεῖ πόνου πρὸς τὸ μὴ δὴ καταγωνισθῆναι τέλεον ὑπὸ τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς παθῶν, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἀνέχομαι τὸν πόνον καὶ οὐ φεύγω τὸν ἀγῶνα. Καὶ γὰρ ὑπὸ κενοδοξίας ἁλίσκομαι μὲν καὶ νῦν, ἀναφέρω δὲ πολλάκις καὶ ὅτι ἑάλων, συνορῶ· ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ ἐπιτιμῶ τῇ δουλωθείσῃ ψυχῇ. Ἐπιθυμίαι μοι προσπίπτουσιν ἄτοποι καὶ νῦν· ἀλλ' ἀργοτέραν ἀνάπτουσι τὴν φλόγα, τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἔξωθεν οὐκ ἐχόντων ἐπιλαβέσθαι τῆς τοῦ πυρὸς ὕλης. Τοῦ δὲ κακῶς τὸν δεῖνα λέγειν καὶ λεγόμενον ἀκούειν ἀπήλλαγμαι παντελῶς, τῶν διαλεγομένων οὐ παρόντων· οὐ γὰρ δὴ οὗτοι οἱ τοῖχοι δύναιντ' ἂν ἀφεῖναι φωνήν. Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν ὁμοίως δυνατὸν διαφυγεῖν, καίτοι γε τῶν παροξυνόντων οὐκ ὄντων· μνήμη γὰρ πολλάκις ἀνδρῶν ἀτόπων προσπεσοῦσα καὶ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτῶν γενομένων ἐξοιδεῖν μοι τὴν καρδίαν ποιεῖ, πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς τέλος· ταχέως γὰρ αὐτὴν φλεγμαίνουσαν καταστέλλομεν καὶ πείθομεν ἡσυχάζειν εἰπόντες ὅτι λίαν ἀσύμφωνον καὶ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀθλιότητος τὰ οἰκεῖα ἀφέντας κακά, τὰ τῶν πλησίον περιεργάζεσθαι. Ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς τὸ πλῆθος ἐλθὼν καὶ ταῖς μυρίαις ἀποληφθεὶς ταραχαῖς, δυνήσομαι ταύτης ἀπολαύειν τῆς νουθεσίας, οὐδὲ τοὺς ταῦτα παιδαγωγοῦντας λογισμοὺς εὑρεῖν· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ οἱ κατὰ κρημνῶν ὑπό τινος ῥεύματος ἢ καὶ ἑτέρως ὠθούμενοι, τὴν μὲν ἀπώλειαν εἰς ἣν τελευτῶσι προορᾶν δύνανται, βοήθειαν δέ τινα ἐπινοεῖν οὐκ ἔχουσιν, οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς τὸν πολὺν τῶν παθῶν θόρυβον ἐμπεσών, τὴν μὲν κόλασιν καθ' ἑκάστην αὐξομένην μοι τὴν ἡμέραν δυνήσομαι συνορᾶν, ἐν ἐμαυτῷ δὲ γενέσθαι καθάπερ νῦν καὶ ἐπιτιμῆσαι πάντοθεν τοῖς νοσήμασι λυττῶσι τούτοις οὐκέτι ὁμοίως εὔπορον ἐμοὶ καθάπερ καὶ πρότερον. Ἐμοὶ γὰρ ψυχή τίς ἐστιν ἀσθενὴς καὶ μικρὰ καὶ εὐχείρωτος οὐ τούτοις μόνον τοῖς πάθεσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ πάντων πικροτέρῳ φθόνῳ καὶ οὔτε ὕβρεις, οὔτε τιμὰς μετρίως ἐπίσταται φέρειν, ἀλλὰ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ἐκεῖναί τε ἐπαίρουσιν αὐτὴν καὶ