Chapter XIII.—Degrees of Glory in Heaven Corresponding with the Dignities of the Church Below.

He, then, who has first moderated his passions and trained himself for impassibility, and developed to the beneficence of gnostic perfection, is here equal to the angels. Luminous already, and like the sun shining in the exercise of beneficence, he speeds by righteous knowledge through the love of God to the sacred abode, like as the apostles. Not that they became apostles through being chosen for some distinguished peculiarity1555    In opposition to the heretical opinion, that those who are saved have an innate original excellence, on account of which they are saved. [Elucidation VIII.] of nature, since also Judas was chosen along with them. But they were capable of becoming apostles on being chosen by Him who foresees even ultimate issues. Matthias, accordingly, who was not chosen along with them, on showing himself worthy of becoming an apostle, is substituted for Judas.

Those, then, also now, who have exercised themselves in the Lord’s commandments, and lived perfectly and gnostically according to the Gospel, may be enrolled in the chosen body of the apostles. Such an one is in reality a presbyter of the Church, and a true minister (deacon) of the will of God, if he do and teach what is the Lord’s; not as being ordained1556    Or, “elected”—χειροτονούμενος.Acts xiv. 23, “And when they had ordained (χειροτονήσαντες) them elders in every church.” A different verb (καθίστημι) is used in Tit. i. 5. by men, nor regarded righteous because a presbyter, but enrolled in the presbyterate1557    Presbytery or eldership. because righteous. And although here upon earth he be not honoured with the chief seat,1558    πσωτοκαθεδρία, Mark xii. 39, Luke xx. 46. he will sit down on the four-and-twenty thrones,1559    Rev. iv. 4, xi. 16. judging the people, as John says in the Apocalypse.

For, in truth, the covenant of salvation, reaching down to us from the foundation of the world, through different generations and times, is one, though conceived as different in respect of gift. For it follows that there is one unchangeable gift of salvation given by one God, through one Lord, benefiting in many ways. For which cause the middle wall1560    Eph ii. 14, 15, 16, iv. 13. which separated the Greek from the Jew is taken away, in order that there might be a peculiar people. And so both meet in the one unity of faith; and the selection out of both is one. And the chosen of the chosen are those who by reason of perfect knowledge are called [as the best] from the Church itself, and honoured with the most august glory—the judges and rulers—four-and-twenty (the grace being doubled) equally from Jews and Greeks. Since, according to my opinion, the grades1561    προκοπαί. [Book vii. cap. i, infra.] here in the Church, of bishops, presbyters, deacons, are imitations of the angelic glory, and of that economy which, the Scriptures say, awaits those who, following the footsteps of the apostles, have lived in perfection of righteousness according to the Gospel. For these taken up in the clouds, the apostle1562    1 Thess. iv. 17. writes, will first minister [as deacons], then be classed in the presbyterate, by promotion in glory (for glory differs1563    1 Cor. xv. 41. from glory) till they grow into “a perfect man.”1564    Eph. iv. 13.

Ὁ τοίνυν μετριοπαθήσας τὰ πρῶτα καὶ εἰς ἀπάθειαν μελετήσας αὐξήσας τε εἰς εὐποιίαν γνωστικῆς τελειότητος ἰσάγγελος μὲν ἐνταῦθα· φωτεινὸς δὲ ἤδη καὶ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος λάμπων κατὰ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν σπεύδει τῇ γνώσει τῇ δικαίᾳ δι' ἀγάπης θεοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν ἁγίαν μονὴν καθάπερ οἱ ἀπόστολοι, οὐχ, ὅτι ἦσαν ἐκλεκτοί, γενόμενοι ἀπόστολοι κατά τι φύσεως ἐξαίρετον ἰδίωμα, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Ἰούδας ἐξελέγη σὺν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλ' οἷοί τε ἦσαν ἀπόστολοι γενέσθαι ἐκλεγέντες πρὸς τοῦ καὶ τὰ τέλη προορωμένου. ὁ γοῦν μὴ σὺν αὐτοῖς ἐκλεγεὶς Ματθίας, ἄξιον ἑαυτὸν παρασχόμενος τοῦ γενέσθαι ἀπόστολον, ἀντικατατάσσεται Ἰούδα. ἔξεστιν οὖν καὶ νῦν ταῖς κυριακαῖς ἐνασκήσαντας ἐντολαῖς, κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τελείως βιώσαντας καὶ γνωστικῶς, εἰς τὴν ἐκλογὴν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐγγραφῆναι. οὗτος πρεσβύτερός ἐστι τῷ ὄντι τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ διάκονος ἀληθὴς τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ βουλήσεως, ἐὰν ποιῇ καὶ διδάσκῃ τὰ τοῦ κυρίου, οὐχ ὑπ' ἀνθρώπων χειροτονούμενος οὐδ', ὅτι πρεσβύτερος, δίκαιος νομιζόμενος, ἀλλ', ὅτι δίκαιος, ἐν πρεσβυτερίῳ καταλεγόμενος· κἂν ἐνταῦθα ἐπὶ γῆς πρωτοκαθεδρίᾳ μὴ τιμηθῇ, ἐν τοῖς εἴκοσι καὶ τέσσαρσι καθεδεῖται θρόνοις τὸν λαὸν κρίνων, ὥς φησιν ἐν τῇ ἀποκαλύψει Ἰωάννης. μία μὲν γὰρ τῷ ὄντι διαθήκη ἡ σωτήριος ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου εἰς ἡμᾶς διήκουσα, κατὰ διαφόρους γενεάς τε καὶ χρόνους διάφορος εἶναι τὴν δόσιν ὑποληφθεῖσα. ἀκόλουθον γὰρ εἶναι μίαν ἀμετάθετον σωτηρίας δόσιν παρ' ἑνὸς θεοῦ δι' ἑνὸς κυρίου πολυτρόπως ὠφελοῦσαν, δι' ἣν αἰτίαν τὸ μεσότοιχον αἴρεται τὸ διορίζον τοῦ Ἰουδαίου τὸν Ἕλληνα εἰς περιούσιον λαόν. καὶ οὕτως ἄμφω εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως καταντῶσιν, καὶ ἡ ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ἐκλογὴ μία. καὶ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν, φησίν, ἐκλεκτότεροι οἱ κατὰ τὴν τελείαν γνῶσιν καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας αὐτῆς ἀπηνθισμένοι καὶ τῇ μεγαλοπρεπεστάτῃ δόξῃ τετιμημένοι, κριταί τε καὶ διοικηταί, ἐπ' ἴσης ἔκ τε Ἰουδαίων ἔκ τε Ἑλλήνων, οἱ τέσσαρες καὶ εἴκοσι, διπλασιασθείσης τῆς χάριτος· ἐπεὶ καὶ αἱ ἐνταῦθα κατὰ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν προκοπαὶ ἐπισκόπων, πρεσβυτέρων, διακόνων μιμήματα, οἶμαι, ἀγγελικῆς δόξης κἀκείνης τῆς οἰκονομίας τυγχάνουσιν, ἣν ἀναμένειν φασὶν αἱ γραφαὶ τοὺς κατ' ἴχνος τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐν τελειώσει δικαιοσύνης κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον βεβιωκότας. ἐν νεφέλαις τούτους ἀρθέντας γράφει ὁ ἀπόστολος διακονήσειν μὲν τὰ πρῶτα, ἔπειτα ἐγκαταταγῆναι τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ κατὰ προκοπὴν δόξης (δόξα γὰρ δόξης διαφέρει), ἄχρις ἂν εἰς τέλειον ἄνδρα αὐξήσωσιν.