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[7] «But let it rule»: Let reason, he says, rule over anger and desire; for these are the subordinate things. For in the restraint of these, rational authority and power is seen, so that one may not use them simply, but for some useful purpose.

«A lawgiver from God»: He means the divine Paul. «He does not deem [him] worthy of the Church»: From the epistle to Timothy. § 4. «Assign things according to worth»: Note the praiseworthy ecclesiastical order, that deacons may rebuke the monastics, and to these (15∆_444> the presbyters, and to the presbyters the bishops, and to the bishops the apostles and their successors. But among the successors of the apostles, the rebuke comes from those of equal rank.

«And to the hierarchs the apostles»: Note that the apostles and the successors of the apostles are greater even than bishops, and that each ought to be corrected by the holier one of his own rank. But I consider the present patriarchs to be the successors of the apostles.

«I do not know how I shall weep»: Note the bitterness, or rather the compassion of the father.

«For even if not of the good»: For even if you do not think, he says, that the one worshipped by us is of the good God, you are certainly a stranger both to us and to the whole Church. But note that perhaps this sin was committed in the parish of the great Dionysius, and that he himself appointed Demophilus a monk of the Church.

«Or the double sin»: Note what he calls a double sin, when someone sinning is ignorant that he has sinned. But this is from Jeremiah, as he clarifies in what follows: «For the people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of life,» and so on.

«That Demophilus thinks»: A much and great and compassionate exhortation to sinners.

«But the divine hierophant»: He means the Lord, that he does not ordain things similar to those done by Demophilus.

«And these things of sinners»: «For he committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth,» saying what is from the Apostle. Directly, «separated from sinners, and become higher than the heavens.»

(15∆_446> «But he deems it right to enjoy his own»: That is, his own love for mankind, and not darkness and punishment.

«For also to those against him»: It is found in the Gospel according to Luke. § 5. «Away, we do not have»: May many good things happen to you, most compassionate father! «For indeed the most divine»: Note that he says the disciples of the Lord were without a share of the holy Spirit, when they sought for fire to rain down on the Samaritans, as we find in the Gospel. How then does the Lord say to them, «You do not know of what Spirit you are?» But perhaps he said this, showing by what grace they were chosen to minister; and perhaps the Father also, looking to the perfection of the gift which they received after the resurrection, has said this, because it is written: «For the Holy Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified.» And he calls the holy apostle Paul a hierothete, as having ordained for him the high priesthood of the Church of Athens, as is written in the holy Apostolic Constitutions.

«For they should be taught, not punished»: Note this beautiful and especially now useful point, that the ignorant should be taught and not punished, just as we guide the blind, we do not punish them. As for *kata korrēs*, some say the temple, some the jaw, others some part of the head. But it is better to say *korrē*, as I said, is the temple. Homer, however, calls it *korsē*. And *korrē* is a paroxytone. Therefore, Demophilus struck the penitent on the temple.

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[ζ'] «Ἀλλ' ἐπαρχέτω»: Κρατείτω, φησίν, ὁ λόγος θυμοῦ καί ἐπιθυμίας· ταῦτα γάρ τά ὑφειμένα· ἐν τῇ τούτων γάρ ἐποχῇ ἡ λογική φαίνεται ἐξουσία καί δύναμις, ὥστε μή ἁπλῶς, ἀλλά πρός τί χρήσιμον κεχρῆσθαι αὐτοῖς.

«Ἐκ Θεοῦ νομοθέτης»: Τόν θεῖον Παῦλον φησιν. «Οὐκ ἀξιοῖ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας»: Ἐκ τῆς πρός Τιμόθεον ἐπιστολῆς. § 4. «Τά καθ' ἀξίαν ἀφόριζε»: Σημείωσαι τάξιν ἐπαινουμένην

ἐκκλησιαστικήν, ἵνα τοῖς μονάζουσιν οἱ διάκονοι, καί τούτοις (15∆_444> οἱ πρεσβύτεροι, καί τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις οἱ ἐπίσκοποι ἐπιτιμῶσι, τοῖς δέ ἐπισκόποις οἱ ἀπόστολοι καί οἱ τούτων διάδοχοι. Ἐν δέ τοῖς τῶν ἀποστόλων διαδόχοις παρά τῶν ὁμοταγῶν ἡ ἐπιτίμησις.

«Καί τοῖς ἱεράρχαις οἱ ἀπόστολοι»: Σημείωσαι, ὅτι καί ἐπισκόπων μείζους οἱ ἀπόστολοι, καί οἱ τῶν ἀποστόλων διάδοχοι, καί ὅτι ἕκαστος παρά τοῦ ἁγιωτέρου τῆς αὐτοῦ τάξεως εὐθύνεσθαι ὀφείλει. Ἀποστόλων δέ διαδόχους τούς νῦν πατριάρχας ἡγοῦμαι εἶναι.

«Οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως κλαύσομαι»: Σημείωσαι τήν πικρίαν, ἤ μᾶλλον συμπάθειαν τοῦ πατρός.

«Καί γάρ εἰ μή τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ»: Καί γάρ εἰ μή νομίζεις, φησί, τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ Θεοῦ εἶναι τοῦ παρ' ἡμῶν θεραπευτής, πάντως καί ἡμῶν καί ὅλης τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀλλότριος ὑπάρχεις. Σημείωσαι δέ, ὅτι τάχα ἐν παροικίᾳ τοῦτο τοῦ μεγάλου ∆ιονυσίου ἡμαρτήθη, καί ὅτι τόν ∆ημόφιλον αὐτός μοναχόν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἔταξεν.

«Ἤ τήν διπλῆν ἁμαρτίαν»: Σημείωσαι ποίαν καλεῖ διπλῆν ἁμαρτίαν, ὅταν ἁμαρτάνων τις ἀγνοῇ ὅτι ἥμαρτε. Τοῦτο δέ τοῦ Ἰερεμίου ἐστίν, ὡς ἐφεξῆς σαφήνιζει· «Ὅτι δύο ἥμαρτεν ὁ λαός· ἐμέ ἐγκατέλιπον πηγήν ζωῆς», καί τά ἐξῆς.

«Ὅτι ∆ημόφιλος οἴεται»: Πολλή καί μεγάλη καί συμπαθής παράκλησις τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς.

«Ἀλλ' ὁ θεραρχικός ἱεροτελεστής»: Τόν Κύριον λέγει, ὅτι οὐχ ὅμοια διατάττεται τοῖς ὑπό ∆ημοφίλου γεγενημένοις.

«Καί ταῦτα τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν»: «Ἁμαρτίαν γάρ οὐκ ἔποιησεν, οὐδέ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ», τό τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγων· ἄντικρυς τό, «Ἀφωρισμένος ἀπό τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, καί ὑψηλότερος τῶν οὐρανῶν γενόμενος».

(15∆_446> «∆ικαιοῖ δέ τῶν οἰκείων ἀπολαύειν»: Τουτέστι τῆς οἰκείας φιλανθρωπίας, καί μή τοῦ σκότους καί τιμωρίας.

«Καί γάρ καί τοῖς εἰς αὐτόν»: Ἐν τῷ κατά τόν Λουκᾶν κεῖται Εὐαγγελίῳ. § 5. «Ἄπαγε, οὐκ ἔχομεν»: Πολλά σοι ἀγαθά γένοιτο, πάτερ συμπαθέστατε! «Καί γάρ καί ὁ θειότατος»: Σημείωσαι ὅτι ἀμετόχους λέγει τούς μαθητάς τοῦ

Κυρίου Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου, ζητοῦντας πῦρ ἐπομβρῆσαι τοῖς Σαμαρείταις, ὡς ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ εὑρίσκομεν. Πῶς οὖν πρός αὐτούς ὁ Κύριός φησιν, «Οὐκ οἴδατε ποίου Πνευματός ἐστε;» Ἀλλ' ἴσως τοῦτο εἶπε, δεικνύς ποίᾳ χάριτι διακονεῖσθαι ἐξελέγησαν· ἴσως δέ καί ὁ Πατήρ, πρός τό τέλειον τῆς δωρεᾶς ἀπιδών, ἧς ἔλαβον μετά τήν ἀνάστασιν, τοῦτο εἴρηκε, διά τό γεγράφθαι· «Οὔπω γάρ ἦν Πνεῦμα ἅγιον, ὅτι Ἰησοῦς οὐδέπω ἐδοξάσθη». Ἱεροθέτην δέ καλεῖ τόν ἅγιον ἀπόστολον Παῦλον, ὡς χειροτονήσαντα αὐτῷ τήν ἀρχιερωσύνην τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῶν Ἀθηνῶν, καθώς ἐν ταῖς ἱεραῖς τῶν ἀποστόλων γέγραπται ∆ιαταγαῖς.

«∆ιδάσκεσθαι γάρ, οὐ τιμωρεῖσθαι χρή»: Σημείωσαι ὡραῖον καί μάλιστα νῦν χρήσιμον, ὅτι διδάσκεσθαι χρή, καί οὐ κολάζεσθαι, τούς ἀγνοοῦντας, ὥσπερ καί τούς τυφλούς ὁδηγοῦμεν, οὐ κολάζομεν. Τό δέ κατά κόρρης τινές μέν τόν κρόταφόν φασιν, ἔνιοι δέ τήν γνάθον, ἄλλοι δέ μέρος τι τῆς κεφαλῆς. Βέλτιον δέ κόρρην, ὡς ἔφην, τόν κρόταφον λέγειν· Ὅμηρος μέντοι κόρσην αὐτήν καλεῖ. Παροξυτονεῖται δέ ἡ κόρρη. Εἰς τόν κρόταφον οὖν ἔτυψεν ὁ ∆ημόφιλος τόν μετανοοῦντα.