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of the capture, when wasted with famine, so that they even fell into cannibalism, they went over to those who seemed to be well-off, invoking their protection: You have a cloak; become our ruler. A true ruler is not recognized by external symbols, such as purple, a fine cloak, and a diadem, but from possessing the virtue of ruling. For one who is ruled by pleasures and led by various desires, being a slave of sin, is unfit to rule. Here, however, the testimony of the ability to rule is not from the soul being adorned, but from the possession of clothes. But let us pray that the rulers of the Churches and the leaders of the people have their testimony not from their outward clothing and the outward appearance they bear, but from truth itself, so that we may say: not because your exterior is adorned and you have sufficiently perfected the pretense of piety, but because God has clothed your soul with the garment of salvation and the tunic of gladness and magnified you with all wealth, become our ruler, so that from the abundance of word and wisdom and good works we may find, from your ministry, an abundance of spiritual enjoyments. And let my food be under your care, that is, let the food-ration be under your care. 3.112 And he shall answer in that day and say: I will not be your ruler; for there is no bread in my house, nor a cloak. Still, the discourse alludes to the things concerning the sedition, as regards history, narrating the final fall of the people, so that not even one cloak was possessed by those being drawn by them into leadership. And it shows the seditious nature of the state of affairs, that not from agreement, nor from concord, did everyone rush to the election of one who could rule them; but that each one laid hold of the first person he met and chose not the worthy man, but one of his own household; nor the one who could save them, but the one related to him by birth; For a man (it says) shall take hold of his brother and of the kinsman of his father. May this never happen in the leadership positions of the Churches, so that any random person lays hold of any random person, and one who lacks wedding garments and is deprived of fitting adornment; poor in spiritual food, and not having in his house, that is in the secret place of his heart, the true and living bread, able to strengthen the heart of man. But now I fear that, while in the Jewish sedition there were some who considered themselves unworthy to rule others, because of the awareness of their inherent poverty; in the present times, even if there are some not clothed with Christ, nor with bowels of mercy, according to the Apostle, if someone takes hold of them, they do not refuse, and if no one takes hold of them, many push themselves forward, and many are office-seekers, self-appointed, pursuing present splendor, but not foreseeing the future judgment. But Moses was not such a one; but he who was in all things obedient and attentive, when he was sent to the people: I beseech you (he says), Lord, appoint another whom you will send. For which reason he caused God, as it were, to hold on to him more contentiously, showing by his very refusal and by the confession of his weakness that he was worthy to preside. Therefore the precept is good: Do not seek to be a judge, lest you not be able to root out iniquities. However, the prophetic word says that the refusal of those drawn to rule by the seditious did not happen entirely; for he did not say simply: I will not be a ruler; but with an addition: I will not be the ruler of this people; and he added the reason. 3.113 Because Jerusalem is forsaken and Judea has fallen, and their tongues with iniquity disobey the things concerning the Lord. For Jerusalem, which was formerly held by the hand of the Lord in the bond of union, is now forsaken and cast out. And Judea has fallen, its supports having been removed. And are not its sufferings such? but of care

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ἁλώσεως, ὅτε ἐκτετηκότες λιμῷ, ὡς καὶ εἰς ἀλληλοφαγίαν αὐτοὺς ἐκπεσεῖν, τοῖς δοκοῦσιν εὐπορεῖν προσεχώρουν τὰς προστασίας αὐτῶν ἐπικαλούμενοι· Ἱμάτιον ἔχεις· ἀρχηγὸς ἡμῶν γενοῦ. Ὁ ἀληθῶς ἄρχων οὐκ ἐκ τῶν ἔξωθεν συμβό λων γνωρίζεται, οἷον πορφύρας, χλανίδος καὶ διαδήματος, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ ἔχειν τὴν ἀρχικὴν ἀρετήν. Ὁ γὰρ ἀρχόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἡδονῶν καὶ ἀγόμενος ἐπιθυμίαις ποικίλαις, δοῦλος ὢν τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἀνεπιτήδειός ἐστι πρὸς τὸ ἄρχειν. Ἐν ταῦθα μέντοι ἡ μαρτυρία τοῦ δύνασθαι ἄρχειν οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν κεκοσμῆσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἱματίων περι βολῆς. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς εὐξώμεθα, τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν καὶ καθηγουμένους τοῦ λαοῦ μὴ ἐκ τῆς ἔξωθεν περιβολῆς καὶ τοῦ ἐπιφερομένου σχηματισμοῦ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἔχειν, ἀλλ' ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας, ὥστε λέγειν ἡμᾶς· οὐκ ἐπει δὴ τὸ ἔξωθέν σου κεκόσμηται καὶ ἱκανῶς σοι πλάσμα τῆς εὐσεβείας κατώρθωται, ἀλλ' ἐπειδή σου τὴν ψυχὴν ἐνέδυσεν ὁ Θεὸς ἱμάτιον σωτηρίου καὶ χιτῶνα εὐφροσύνης καὶ παντὶ πλούτῳ σε ἐμεγάλυνεν, ἀρχηγὸς ἡμῶν γενοῦ, ὅπως ἂν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν λόγῳ καὶ σοφίᾳ καὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς περιουσίας εὐθηνίαν ἡμῖν ἐκ τῆς σῆς διακονίας τῶν πνευ ματικῶν εὕρωμεν ἀπολαύσεων. Καὶ τὸ βρῶμα τὸ ἐμὸν ὑπὸ σὲ ἔστω, τουτέστι τὸ σιτομέτριον ὑπὸ σὲ ἔστω. 3.112 Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐρεῖ· Οὐκ ἔσομαι ἀρχηγὸς ὑμῶν· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου ἄρτος, οὐδὲ ἱμάτιον. Ἔτι τὰ κατὰ τὴν στάσιν, ὡς πρὸς τὴν ἱστορίαν, ὁ λό γος αἰνίσσεται, τὴν εἰς ἔσχατον πτῶσιν τοῦ λαοῦ διηγούμε νος, ὡς μηδὲ μέχρις ἑνὸς ἱματίου εὐπορούντων, τῶν εἰς προστασίαν παρ' αὐτῶν ἑλκομένων. ∆είκνυσι δὲ τὸ στασια στικὸν τῆς στάσεως τῶν πραγμάτων, τὸ μὴ ἐκ συμφώ νου, μηδὲ ἐκ συμπνοίας πάντας ὁρμᾷν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκλογὴν τοῦ δυναμένου ἄρχειν αὐτῶν· ἀλλ' ἕκαστον τοῦ προστυ χόντος ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι καὶ μὴ τὸν ἄξιον αἱρεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὸν αὐτῷ οἰκεῖον· μηδὲ τὸν σώζειν δυνάμενον, ἀλλὰ τὸν κατὰ γένος αὐτῷ διαφέροντα· Ἐπιλήψεται γὰρ (φησὶν) ἄνθρωπος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ οἰκείου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ. Ὅπερ ἀπείη ἐν ταῖς τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν προστασίαις γε νέσθαι, ὥστε τὸν τυχόντα τοῦ τυχόντος ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι, καὶ τὸν ἀποροῦντα γαμικῶν ἐνδυμάτων καὶ κόσμου τοῦ πρέποντος ἐστερημένον· πτωχεύοντα βρωμάτων πνευματι κῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἔχοντα ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ, τουτέστιν ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ, ἄρτον ἀληθινὸν καὶ ζῶντα, δυνάμενον στηρίζειν τὴν καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου. Νῦν δὲ φοβοῦ μαι, μὴ ἐν μὲν τῇ Ἰουδαϊκῇ στάσει ἦσάν τινες, οἱ ἀναξίους ἑαυτοὺς τοῦ ἑτέρων ἄρχειν ἡγούμενοι, διὰ τὴν συναίσθησιν τῆς ἐνυπαρχούσης αὐτοῖς πτωχείας· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν παρόντων, κἂν μὴ ὦσί τινες ἐνδεδυμένοι Χριστὸν, μηδὲ σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ, κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον, κἂν ἐπιλάβηταί τις, οὐκ ἀντιλέγουσι, κἂν μὴ ἐπιλάβηται, εἰσωθοῦνται πολλοὶ, σπου δάρχαι δὲ πολλοὶ αὐτοχειροτόνητοι, τὴν παροῦσαν λαμπρό τητα διώκοντες, τὴν δὲ μέλλουσαν κρίσιν μὴ προορώμενοι. Ἀλλ' οὐ Μωϋσῆς τοιοῦτος· ἀλλ' ὁ πάντα εὐπειθὴς καὶ εὐήκοος, ὅτε ἀπεστέλλετο πρὸς τὸν λαόν· ∆έομαι (φησὶ) Κύριε, προχείρισαι ἄλλον, ὃν ἀποστελεῖς. ∆ι' ὃ καὶ οἱονεὶ φιλονεικότερον ἀντέχεσθαι αὐτοῦ τὸν Θεὸν κατεσκεύασεν, αὐτῇ τῇ παραιτήσει καὶ τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ τῆς ἀσθενείας τὸ ἄξιος εἶναι τοῦ προεστάναι δεικνύς. ∆ιὸ καλῶς ἔχει τὸ παράγ γελμα· Μὴ ζήτει γενέσθαι κριτὴς, μήπως οὐκ ἰσχύσεις ἐξᾶραι ἀδικίας. Ὁ μέντοι προφητικὸς λόγος τὴν παραί τησιν τῶν ἑλκομένων ἄρχειν ὑπὸ τῶν στασιαζόντων οὐ καθόλου φησὶ γεγενῆσθαι· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς· Οὐκ ἔσομαι ἀρχηγός· ἀλλὰ μετὰ προσθήκης· Οὐκ ἔσομαι ἀρχηγὸς τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου· καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπήγαγεν. 3.113 Ὅτι ἀνεῖται Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἡ Ἰουδαία συμπέπτωκε, καὶ αἱ γλῶσσαι αὐτῶν μετὰ ἀνομίας τὰ πρὸς Κύριον ἀπειθοῦσιν. Ἡ γὰρ τέως συνεχομένη ὑπὸ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ Κυρίου Ἱε ρουσαλὴμ τῷ δεσμῷ τῆς συναφείας, ἀνεῖται νῦν καὶ ἐκβέ βληται. Καὶ ἡ Ἰουδαία συμπέπτωκε, τῶν στηριγμάτων αὐτῆς ὑφαιρεθέντων. Καὶ οὐχὶ τὰ μὲν πάθη τοιαῦτα; ἐπι μέλεια δὲ