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For all things to be carried about unchecked, just as the peoples are driven about hither and thither by waves, is the work of the wisdom of God. Therefore he is also a harsh avenger when these things are despised. For he will not demand from you an ordinary penalty if you disobey, but a very great one indeed; and nothing will excuse you if you speak against it, but you will also suffer a most grievous punishment from men, and you will provoke God even more. For just as if you remove the pilot from a ship, you have sunk the vessel; and if you take away a general from the army, you have handed the soldiers over to the enemy in chains; so too if you do away with the rulers of cities, we will live a life more irrational than irrational beasts. For what the bindings are for the timbers in houses, this the rulers are in the cities. When, therefore, a ruler is blameless to all, then he will be able with as much authority as he wishes both to punish and to forgive all those who are ranked under 63.697 him. For not to punish the guilty, and to grant pardon to those who have committed unpardonable sins, is something scarcely of one or two men, and especially when a king is the one being insulted; and it is easy to subdue a city by fear; but to make all men lovers, and to persuade them to be well-disposed towards the kingdom, is a difficult thing to achieve, even if one should spend countless sums of money, even if he should move countless armies, even if he should do anything whatever, he will not be able to easily draw to himself the disposition of so many men. For nothing so shows the one who holds authority, as tender affection for those who are ruled. For it is not begetting alone that makes a father, but also loving after begetting. But if where there is nature, there is need of love, much more where there is grace. Truly the authority of the priesthood is greater than the authority of the kingdom, and it is greater by as much as the king is entrusted with bodies, but the priest with souls. And the one forgives debts of money, but the other debts of sins; that one compels, this one exhorts; that one has sensible weapons, this one has spiritual weapons; that one wars against barbarians, this one against demons. For this reason also in the Old Testament priests anointed kings, and now God brings and places the head under the hands of the priest, teaching us that this ruler is greater than that one; For the lesser is blessed by the greater. For once king Uzziah entered into the temple of the Lord, wishing to burn incense, and Azariah the priest entered after him; for not as about to drive out a king, but as a runaway and ungrateful servant, so he rushed in with vehemence, just as some noble whelp running upon an unclean beast, so as to drive it out of the Master's house. He did not look upon the dignity of his office, he did not hear Solomon saying, The threat of a king is like the wrath of a lion; but looking to the true king of heaven, and having fortified himself with the fear of Him, so he leaped upon the tyrant. But let us also enter in, if it seems good, that we may see what he says to the king. It is not lawful for you, he says, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord; he did not name him king, since he had already cast himself out of the honor; for he who commits sin is a slave, even if he has ten thousand crowns upon his head; but he who works righteousness, even if he is the last of all, is more kingly than the king himself. And pay attention to what I say: There was once need for a king to be made for the Jews, since the previous one had become unworthy. Therefore Samuel is sent to Jesse, and he says: God has sent me to make a king from your sons. Jesse, having heard "king", thinking him suitable for the dignity, brings his first son. Take him away, he says, God is not well-pleased with him. He brings the second; not this one either; he brings the third; not this one either; the fourth, the fifth, the sixth; not this one either. And the whole band of boys was gone through, and the one being sought was not found. He says to him: Do you have another son? The father was ashamed; I have one, he says, a small one, insignificant, a shepherd. What then? You seek to make a king, and you consider the lesser better than the greater? man despises man, but God crowns him;

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ἀνέδην ἅπαντα φέρεσθαι, ὥσπερ κυμάτων τῇδε κἀκεῖσε τῶν δήμων περιαγομένων, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας ἔργον ἐστί. ∆ιὸ καὶ σφοδρός ἐστι τιμωρὸς καταφρονουμένων τούτων. Οὐ γὰρ τὴν τυχοῦσάν σε δίκην ἀπαιτήσει παρακούσαντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα μεγίστην· καὶ οὐδέν σε ἐξαιρήσεται ἀντιλέγοντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ ἀνθρώπων ὑποστήσῃ τιμωρίαν χαλεπωτάτην, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν παροξυνεῖς μειζόνως. Ὥσπερ γὰρ νηὸς τὸν κυβερνήτην ἐὰν ἀποστήσῃς, κατεπόντισας τὸ σκάφος· καὶ στρατηγὸν ἂν ἀπαγάγῃς τοῦ στρατοπέδου, δεδεμένους τοῖς πολεμίοις παρέδωκας τοὺς στρατιώτας· οὕτω τῶν πόλεων ἂν τοὺς ἄρχοντας ἀνέλῃς, θηρίων ἀλόγων ἀλογώτερον βιωσόμεθα βίον. Ὅπερ γάρ εἰσιν ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις τῶν ξύλων αἱ ἱμαντώσεις, τοῦτο οἱ ἄρχοντες ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν. Ὅταν οὖν ἄρχων ἀνεπίληπτος ᾖ πᾶσι, τότε δυνήσεται μεθ' ὅσης βούλεται ἐξουσίας καὶ κολάζειν καὶ συγχωρεῖν τοὺς ὑπὸ 63.697 αὐτὸν ταττομένους ἅπαντας. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ μὴ κολάσαι τοὺς ὑπευθύνους, καὶ συγγνώμην δοῦναι τοῖς ἀσύγγνωστα ἡμαρτηκόσιν, ἑνός που ἢ δευτέρου μόλις ἐστὶν ἀνθρώπου, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν βασιλεὺς ὑβριζόμενος ᾖ· καὶ τῷ φόβῳ δὲ ὑποτάξαι πόλιν εὔκολον· τὸ δὲ πάντας ἐραστὰς καταστῆσαι, καὶ μετ' εὐνοίας πεῖσαι διακεῖσθαι περὶ τὴν βασιλείαν, δυσκατόρθωτον, κἂν μυρία τις ἀναλώσῃ χρήματα, κἂν μυρία κινήσῃ στρατόπεδα, κἂν ὁτιοῦν ἐργάσηται, οὐκ εὐκόλως τοσούτων ἀνδρῶν διάθεσιν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐπισπάσασθαι δυνήσεται. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω δείκνυσι τὸν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχοντα, ὡς ἡ φιλοστοργία ἡ περὶ τοὺς ἀρχομένους. Καὶ γὰρ πατέρα οὐ τὸ γεννῆσαι μόνον ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ φιλεῖν μετὰ τὸ γεννῆσαι. Εἰ δὲ ἔνθα φύσις, ἀγάπης χρεία, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἔνθα ἡ χάρις. Μείζων ὄντως ἡ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἀρχὴ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς βασιλικῆς, καὶ τοσοῦτον μείζων, ὅσον ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς σώματα ἐμπεπίστευται, ὁ δὲ ἱερεὺς ψυχάς. Καὶ ὁ μὲν λοιπάδας χρημάτων ἀφίησιν, ὁ δὲ λοιπάδας ἁμαρτημάτων· κἀκεῖνος ἀναγκάζει, οὗτος παρακαλεῖ· ἐκεῖνος ὅπλα αἰσθητὰ, οὗτος ὅπλα πνευματικά· ἐκεῖνος πολεμεῖ πρὸς βαρβάρους, οὗτος πρὸς δαίμονας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ ἱερεῖς τοὺς βασιλεῖς ἔχριον, καὶ νῦν τὴν κεφαλὴν ὑπὸ τὰς τοῦ ἱερέως χεῖρας φέρων τίθησιν ὁ Θεὸς, παιδεύων ἡμᾶς, ὅτι οὗτος ἐκείνου μείζων ἄρχων· Τὸ γὰρ ἔλαττον ὑπὸ τοῦ κρείττονος εὐλογεῖται. Εἰσῆλθε γάρ ποτε ὁ βασιλεὺς Ὀζίας εἰς τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Κυρίου θυμιάσαι θέλων, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Ἀζαρίας ὁ ἱερεὺς ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ· οὐ γὰρ ὡς βασιλέα μέλλων ἐξελαύνειν, ἀλλ' ὡς δραπέτην καὶ οἰκέτην ἀγνώμονα, οὕτως ἐπεισῆλθε μετὰ σφοδρότητος, ὥσπερ τις σκύλαξ γενναῖος ἐπεισδραμὼν τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ θηρίῳ, ὥστε αὐτὸ τῆς ∆εσποτικῆς ἐξαγαγεῖν οἰκίας. Οὐκ εἶδεν εἰς τὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς ὄγκον, οὐκ ἤκουσε τοῦ Σολομῶντος λέγοντος, Ἀπειλὴ βασιλέως ὁμοία θυμῷ λέοντος· ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν ἀληθινὸν βασιλέα τῶν οὐρανῶν ἰδὼν, καὶ τούτου τῷ φόβῳ ἑαυτὸν ὀχυρώσας, οὕτως ἐπεπήδησε τῷ τυράννῳ. Ἀλλ' εἰσέλθωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς, εἰ δοκεῖ, ἵνα ἴδωμεν τί πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα διαλέγεται. Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι, φησὶν, Ὀζία, θυμιᾶσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ· οὐκ ὠνόμασεν αὐτὸν βασιλέα, ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν προλαβὼν ἐξέβαλε τῆς τιμῆς· ὁ μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ποιῶν, δοῦλός ἐστι, κἂν μυρίους ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἔχῃ στεφάνους· ὁ δὲ τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐργαζόμενος, κἂν ἁπάντων ἔσχατος ᾖ, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως βασιλικώτερός ἐστι. Καὶ πρόσεχε ᾧ λέγω· Ἐδέησέ ποτε βασιλέα γενέσθαι τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, ἐπειδὴ ὁ πρότερον γενόμενος ἀνάξιος ἦν. Πέμπεται οὖν ὁ Σαμουὴλ πρὸς τὸν Ἰεσσαὶ, καί φησιν· Ἔπεμψέ με ὁ Θεὸς ποιῆσαι βασιλέα ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν σου. Ὁ Ἰεσσαὶἀκούσας βασιλέα, νομίσας ἐπιτήδειον εἶναι πρὸς τὸ ποιῆσαι ἀξίωμα, ἄγει τὸν πρῶτον υἱόν. Ἄπαγε αὐτὸν, φησὶν, οὐκ εὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐν αὐτῷ. Ἄγει τὸν δεύτερον· οὐδὲ οὗτος· ἄγει τὸν τρίτον· οὐδὲ οὗτος· τὸν τέταρτον, τὸν πέμπτον, τὸν ἕκτον· οὐδὲ οὗτος. Καὶ ἀνηλώθη ὁ χορὸς τῶν παίδων, καὶ ὁ ζητούμενος οὐχ εὑρίσκετο. Λέγει αὐτῷ· Ἔχεις ἄλλον υἱόν; Ἠσχύνθη ὁ πατήρ· Ἔχω ἕνα, φησὶ, μικρὸν, εὐτελῆ, ποιμένα. Τί οὖν; βασιλέα ποιῆσαι ζητεῖς, καὶ τὸν ἐλάττω κρείττονα ἡγῇ τοῦ κρείττονος; ἄνθρωπος ἄνθρωπον ἐξουθενεῖ, ὁ δὲ Θεὸς στεφανοῖ·