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prophecy: "Israel is a straying sheep, lions have driven him away; the first to devour him was the king of Assyria, and the last to gnaw his bones was the king of Babylon." 4.47 In this sense must also be understood what is said in the fifty-seventh Psalm concerning men and evil powers thus: "Their rage is like that of a serpent, like that of a deaf asp that stops its ears, which will not hear the voice of the charmer, nor of the wizard skilled in charms. God has broken their teeth in their mouth, the Lord has shattered the molars of the lions." For we do not think anyone so foolish as to suppose that only the molars of physical lions are crushed by God, while the rest of their bodies remain unharmed. 4.48 Zach. XΙ, 4-5: Thus says the Lord Almighty: Shepherd the flock of slaughter, which those who possess them slaughter and feel no remorse, and those who sell them say, 'Blessed be the Lord, for we have become rich,' and their shepherds have no pity on them. 4.49 Of those appointed to instruct and shepherd the rational flock, some preside according to God's will, while others do so impiously and erroneously. It is possible to gather testimonies from scripture concerning both orders of shepherds. 4.50 Concerning those who laudably fulfill the oversight entrusted to them, it is said by God: "I will give them" — to the flocks, clearly — "shepherds after my own heart, and they will shepherd them, shepherding with knowledge." Concerning those who so knowledgeably lead the flock, the Christ-bearing Apostle mentions those placed in the Church along with apostles and prophets, teachers and evangelists. 4.51 And perhaps apostles and prophets, teachers and evangelists, are those who instruct the assembly of Christ with knowledge and understanding, while shepherds are those who have a practical life and preside with good works, rendering the faith and sentiments of Christians not in an elevated manner, with those diametrically opposed to the knowledgeable shepherds through their worthlessness being called impious; for God says concerning them and those who practice other evils: "Priests did not say, 'Where is the Lord?' and those who handle my law did not know me, and the shepherds were impious against me," and so forth. 4.52 Those who are thus impious are also fornicators, perhaps even being licentious, and not least also mingling with the demons who suggest various and strange doctrines and with "the wisdom of the rulers of this age." For instance, "those who did not see fit to have God in their knowledge, having been handed over to a debased mind, do what is not fitting, raging licentiously against one another, males with males committing shameful acts, but also their females, having left the natural use of the female, suffer what is against nature, but also women with women rage in fornication." 4.53 In addition to being physically licentious, the shepherds who are impious towards God also lust with evil powers, according to what is said in the Psalms to the provider of piety: "Behold, those who distance themselves from you will perish, you have destroyed everyone who fornicates away from you. But for me it is good to cling to God." 4.54 Concerning the impious shepherds, it is reported in Jeremiah, addressed to the fornicating soul: "And you had for yourself many shepherds as a stumbling block to yourself," and again: "You have fornicated with many shepherds; and you have returned feignedly to me, says the Lord." 4.55 The good shepherds having been distinguished from the worst, a command is given to the knowledgeable ones as follows: "Shepherd the flock of slaughter," either those already slaughtered or those worthy of suffering this or those unjustly plotted against. The latter is indicated in the forty-third Psalm, of those plotted against unto death

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προφητεία· «Πρόβατον πλανώμενον ὁ Ἰσραήλ, λέοντες ἐξῶσαν αὐτόν· ὁ πρῶτος κατέφαγεν αὐτὸν βασιλεὺς Ἀσσούρ, καὶ ὕστερος τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτοῦ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος.» 4.47 Ταύτῃ τῇ νοήσει ἐκλημπτέον καὶ τὸ ἐν πεντηκοστῷ ἑβδόμῳ Ψαλμῷ περὶ ἀνθρώπων καὶ πονηρῶν δυνάμεων οὕτως· «Θυμὸς αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὴν ὁμοίωσιν τοῦ ὄφεως, ὡσεὶ ἀσπίδος κωφῆς καὶ βυούσης τὰ ὦτα αὐτῆς ἥτις οὐκ ἀκούσεται φωνὴν ἐπᾴδοντος φαρμάκου τε φαρμακευομένου παρὰ σοφοῦ. Ὁ Θεὸς συνέτριψεν τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν, τὰς μύλας τῶν λεόντων συνέθλασεν Κύριος.» Οὐ γὰρ ἡγούμεθα οὕτω τινὰ εὐήθη εἶναι ὡς ὑπολαβεῖν μόνας τὰς μύλας τῶν αἰσθητῶν λεόντων ὑπὸ Θεοῦ συντρίβεσθαι, ὅλων τῶν σωμάτων αὐτῶν ἔξω βλάβης μενόντων. 4.48 Zach. XΙ, 4-5: Τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ· Ποιμαίνετε τὰ πρόβατα τῆς σφαγῆς, ἃ οἱ κτησάμενοι κατέσφαζον καὶ οὐ μετεμέλοντο, καὶ οἱ πωλοῦντες αὐτὰ ἔλεγον· Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος καὶ πεπλουτήκαμεν, καὶ οἱ ποιμένες αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔπασχον οὐδὲν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς. 4.49 Τῶν εἰς τὸ παιδεύειν καὶ ποιμαίνειν τὴν λογικὴν ἀγέλην τεταγμένων οἱ μὲν κατὰ βούλημα Θεοῦ, οἱ δὲ ἀσεβῶς καὶ πεπλανημένως ἐπιστατοῦσιν. Περὶ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν ταγμάτων τῶν νομέων ἔστιν ἀπὸ τῆς γραφῆς συναγαγεῖν μαρτύρια. 4.50 Περὶ τῶν ἐπαινετῶς ἐπιτελούντων ἣν ἐνεχειρίσθησαν ἐπιστασίαν λέγεται ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ· «∆ώσω αὐτοῖς» -τοῖς ποιμνίοις δηλονότι-»ποιμένας κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου, καὶ ποιμανοῦσιν αὐτοὺς ποιμαίνοντες μετ' ἐπιστήμης». Περὶ τῶν οὕτω ἐπιστημονικῶς ἀγελαρχούντων ὁ χριστοφόρος Ἀπόστολος μνημονεύει τεθειμένων ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ μετὰ ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν διδασκάλων τε καὶ εὐαγγελιστῶν. 4.51 Καὶ τάχα ἀπόστολοι καὶ προφῆται διδάσκαλοί τε καὶ εὐαγγελισταὶ τυγχάνουσιν οἱ γνωστικῶς καὶ συνετῶς παιδεύοντες τὴν Χριστοῦ σύνοδον, ποιμένων ὄντων τῶν πρακτικὸν βίον ἐχόντων καὶ ἐπιστατούντων ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς, τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὰ φρονήματα τῶν χριστιανῶν οὐκ ἀνηγμένως ἀποδιδόντων, τῶν κατὰ διάμετρον τοῖς ἐπιστήμοσι ποιμέσι διὰ φαυλότητα ἀντικειμένων ἀσεβῶν ὠνομασμένων· ὁ Θεὸς γοῦν φησιν περὶ αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλας κακίας ἐνεργούντων· «Ἱερεῖς οὐκ εἶπαν· ποῦ ἐστιν Κύριος; Καὶ οἱ ἀντεχόμενοι τοῦ νόμου μου οὐκ ἠπίσταντό με, καὶ οἱ ποιμένες ἠσέβουν εἰς ἐμέ», καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. 4.52 Οἱ οὕτως ἀσεβοῦντες καὶ πόρνοι τυγχάνουσιν, τάχα μὲν καὶ ἀκολασταίνοντες, οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ καὶ μιγνύμενοι τοῖς διάφορα καὶ ἀλλόκοτα δόγματα ὑποβάλλουσιν δαίμοσιν καὶ «ταῖς σοφίαις τῶν ἀρχόντων τούτου τοῦ αἰῶνος». Αὐτίκα γοῦν «οἱ μὴ δοκιμάσαντες τὸν Θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει, παραδοθέντες εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, πράττουσι τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα, ἀκολάστως κατ' ἀλλήλων ἐπιμαινόμενοι, ἄρσενες ἐν ἄρσεσιν κατεργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ αἱ θήλειαι αὐτῶν τὴν φυσικὴν χρῆσιν τῆς θηλείας ἐάσασαι παρὰ φύσιν καὶ πάσχουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναῖκες ἐν γυναιξὶν πορνικῶς ἐπιμαίνονται.» 4.53 Πρὸς τῷ αἰσθητῶς ἀκολασταίνειν τοὺς ἀσεβοῦντας εἰς Θεὸν ποιμένας, καὶ μετὰ πονηρῶν δυνάμεων λαγνεύουσιν, κατὰ τὸ λεχθὲν ἐν Ψαλμοῖς πρὸς τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας χορηγόν· «Ἰδοὺ οἱ μακρύνοντες ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ σοῦ ἀπολοῦνται, ἐξωλόθρευσας πάντα τὸν πορνεύοντα ἀπὸ σοῦ. Ἐμοὶ δὲ τὸ προσκολλᾶσθαι τῷ Θεῷ ἀγαθόν ἐστιν.» 4.54 Περὶ τῶν ἀσεβούντων νομέων ἐν Ἰερεμίᾳ φέρεται ἀπαγγελλόμενον πρὸς τὴν πορνεύουσαν ψυχήν· «Καί σοι ἔσχες ποιμένας πολλοὺς εἰς πρόσκομμα σεαυτῇ», καὶ ἔτι· «Ἐξεπόρνευσας ἐν ποιμέσι πολλοῖς· καὶ ἀνέκαμπτες προσποιητῶς πρὸς ἐμέ, λέγει Κύριος.» 4.55 ∆ιασταλέντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν νομέων ἀπὸ τῶν χειρίστων, ἐντολὴ τοῖς ἐπιστήμοσιν δίδοται οὕτως ἔχουσα· «Ποιμαίνετε τὰ πρόβατα τῆς σφαγῆς», ἢ τὰ ἤδη σφαγέντα ἢ τὰ ἄξια τοῦ τοῦτο παθεῖν ἢ ἀδίκως ἐπιβουλευόμενα. Τὸ τελευταῖον δηλοῦται ἐν τῷ τεσσερακοστῷ τρίτῳ Ψαλμῷ, τῶν εἰς θάνατον ἐπιβουλευομένων