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Behold, I will raise up a shepherd upon the land; the one that is perishing he will not visit, and the one that is scattered he will not seek, and the one that is broken he will not heal, and the one that is whole he will not guide, and he will devour the flesh of the choice ones, and will twist their ankles. 4.150 Since the rational sheep by their own choice have come into much error and harm, the best shepherd declared: "I will not shepherd you." To the flocks thus become unprotected by their own choice, being delivered up to the desires of their hearts for impurity, and to dishonorable passions and a debased mind, God, who delivered them up to the aforementioned things, raises up a shepherd, one who pastures those he has received not with knowledge nor with care, but rather is shown to be a cause of the harm which they themselves chose, not caring for the perishing one that has stumbled and strayed from the gathering and restoration to the divine flock, outside of which it came to be through error, nor warding off any other harm. 4.151 For he does not seek what was scattered, he does not heal what was broken, he does not guide what is whole, having as his aim and zeal to be a cause of evil and not of good; indeed, he does everything for shameful gain and for what is dear to him; indeed, he devours the flesh and twists the ankles of those placed under him. 4.152 But the knowledgeable shepherds are not such as these, given to the flocks by the gift of God, as the God of all benefit said: "I will give you shepherds according to my heart, shepherding with knowledge." For how could they not be good shepherds whose ruler is the one who gives "his life for the sheep," being the "good shepherd"? Concerning this the leader of the apostles writes to the leaders of the assembly of the faithful: "I exhort the elders among you to shepherd the flock among you not by constraint but willingly, so that when the chief Shepherd appears you may receive the unfading crown of glory." 4.153 Of those who thus pasture the sheep they have received, no one lords it over the charges they have received, since those who do this are devouring the flesh of the sheep, seeking pleasant things from them, thinking to have glory in shame and in the works that bring it, deifying their own belly through gluttony, so as to serve it and not the Lord Jesus, as it is also written by the Apostle himself concerning such people that "they do not serve the Lord Jesus but their own belly." 4.154 While the false teachers and false shepherds hold such an opinion, the best shepherds have as the reward for their instruction only simple and plain food, obeying the one who advanced them to this, who says: "The laborer is worthy of his food," so as to say and write with greater boldness: "We are content with what we have," that is, with food and covering. Indeed, at once, leading their imitators to this, they say: "We brought nothing into the world, because we can take nothing out. Having food and covering, with these we will be content." 4.155 Those who thus have virtue speak boldly and declare: "Silver and gold we do not have." 4.156 Such beneficial teachers do not long for the flesh of those they shepherd, having a desire for their spirit, "endeavoring" with them "to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Therefore they do not twist their ankles, but they set them aright and rouse them up, so that they may run in the straight paths of the Lord and do what is necessary, having healthy even the ankles of their hands. 4.157 And I said this, that there are ankles of the hands, having learned this from the all-wise Daniel. 4.158 Perhaps the twisting of the ankles can be the same thing as, or equivalent to, what was said by the great prophet Elijah to those who halt on two paths;

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ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐξεγείρω ποιμένα ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν· τὸ ἐκλιμπάνον οὐ μὴ ἐπισκέψηται καὶ τὸ διεσκορπισμένον οὐ μὴ ζητήσῃ καὶ τὸ συντετριμμένον οὐ μὴ ἰάσηται καὶ τὸ ὁλόκληρον οὐ μὴ κατευθύνῃ καὶ τὰ κρέα τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν καταφάγεται καὶ τοὺς ἀστραγάλους αὐτῶν ἐκστρέψει. 4.150 Τῶν λογικῶν προβάτων προαιρέσει τῇ ἑαυτῶν εἰς πολλὴν πλάνην καὶ βλάβην ἐληλυθότων, ἀπεφήνατο ὁ ἄριστος νομεύς· «Οὐ ποιμανῶ ὑμᾶς.» Τοῖς οὕτω ἀπροστασιάστοις παρὰ τὴν ἑαυτῶν αἵρεσιν γεναμένοις ποιμνίοις, παραδιδομένοις ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν, πάθεσί τε ἀτιμίας καὶ ἀδοκίμῳ νῷ, ποιμένα ἐγείρει ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παραδοὺς τοῖς προειρημένοις, οὐκ ἐπιστημονικῶς οὐδὲ φειδομένως βόσκοντα οὓς παρείληφεν, μᾶλλον βλάβης αὐτοῖς οἷς αὐτοὶ εἵλαντο αἴτιος ἀποδεικνύμενος, οὐ φροντίζων τοῦ ἐκλιμπάνοντος ἀποσφαλέντος τε καὶ πεπλανημένου τῆς συναγωγῆς καὶ ἀποκαταστάσεως πρὸς τὴν θείαν ἀγέλην ἧς ἔξω διὰ σφάλματος γέγονεν, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἑτέραν βλάβην ἀπαλέξων. 4.151 Οὐ ζητεῖ γὰρ τὸ σκορπισθέν, οὐκ ἰᾶται τὸ συντετριμμένον, οὐ κατευθύνει τὸ ὁλόκληρον, σκοπὸν καὶ σπουδὴν ἔχων κακῶν ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀγαθῶν αἴτιος εἶναι· πάντα γοῦν πράττει πρὸς αἰσχροκερδίαν καὶ τὸ αὐτῷ φίλον· τὰς σάρκας γοῦν κατεσθίει καὶ τοὺς ἀστραγάλους ἐκστρέφει τῶν ὑπ' αὐτῷ τεταγμένων. 4.152 Ἀλλ' οὐχ οἱ ἐπιστημονικοὶ ποιμένες ὑπάρχουσι τοιοῦτοι, δωρεᾷ Θεοῦ ταῖς ποίμναις δοθέντες, ὡς τὸν πάσης ὠφελείας Θεὸν φάναι· «∆ώσω ὑμῖν ποιμένας κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου, ποιμαίνοντας μετ' ἐπιστήμης.» Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἀγαθοὶ νομεῖς ὧν ἄρχει ὁ «τὴν ψυχὴν» ἑαυτοῦ «ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων» διδούς, «ἀγαθὸς ποιμὴν» ὤν; Περὶ τούτου ὁ τῶν ἀποστόλων πρόκριτος γράφει τοῖς ἡγουμένοις τῆς τῶν πιστῶν συνόδου· «Πρεσβυτέρους τοὺς ἐν ὑμῖν παρακαλῶ ποιμαίνειν τὸ ἐν ὑμῖν ποίμνιον μὴ ἀναγκαστῶς ἀλλ' ἑκουσίως, ἵνα φανερωθέντος τοῦ ἀρχιποίμενος κομίσησθε τὸν ἀμαράντινον τῆς δόξης στέφανον.» 4.153 Τῶν οὕτω νεμόντων ἃ παρέλαβον πρόβατα οὐδεὶς κατακυριεύει ὧν παρέλαβεν κλήρων, τῶν τοῦτο πραττόντων κατεσθιόντων τὰς σάρκας τῶν προβάτων, τὰ ἡδέα ζητούντων παρ' αὐτῶν, ἐν αἰσχύνῃ καὶ τῶν φερόντων αὐτὴν ἔργων δόξαν ἔχειν νομιζόντων, διὰ παντοφαγίας θεοποιούντων τὴν ἑαυτῶν κοιλίαν, ὡς δουλεύειν αὐτῇ καὶ μὴ τῷ Κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ, ὡς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου ὁμοίως περὶ τῶν τοιούτων γράφεσθαι ὡς «οὐ δουλεύουσιν τῷ Κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ ἀλλὰ τῇ ἑαυτῶν κοιλίᾳ». 4.154 Οὕτω γνώμης ἐχόντων τῶν ψευδοδιδασκάλων καὶ ψευδοποιμένων, οἱ ἄριστοι νομεῖς μισθὸν τῆς παιδεύσεως ἔχουσιν μόνην τροφὴν λιτὴν καὶ ἀπέριττον, πειθόμενοι τῷ εἰς τοῦτ' αὐτοὺς προαγαγόντι λέγοντι· «Ἄξιος ὁ ἐργάτης τῆς τροφῆς αὐτοῦ», ὡς παρρησιαστικώτερον λέγειν τε καὶ γράφειν· «Ἀρκούμεθα τοῖς παροῦσιν», τροφαῖς δηλονότι καὶ σκεπάσμασιν. Αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ τοὺς μιμητὰς αὐτῶν εἰς τοῦτο ἐνάγοντές φασιν· «Οὐδὲν εἰσηνέγκαμεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐξενεγκεῖν τι δυνάμεθα. Ἔχοντες διατροφὰς καὶ σκεπάσματα, τούτοις ἀρκεσθησόμεθα.» 4.155 Οἱ οὕτως ἀρετῆς ἔχοντες παρρησιαζόμενοι ἀπαγγέλλουσιν· «Ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον οὐχ ὑπάρχει ἡμῖν.» 4.156 Ὠφελητικοὶ οἱ οὕτω διδάσκαλοι οὐκ ὀρέγονται σαρκῶν τῶν ποιμαινομένων, τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτῶν πόθον ἔχοντες, «σπουδάζοντες» μετ' αὐτῶν «τηρεῖν τὴν ἑνότητα τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐν τῷ συνδέσμῳ τῆς εἰρήνης». ∆ιὸ οὐδὲ ἐκστρέφουσιν τοὺς ἀστραγάλους αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ κατορθοῦσιν καὶ διεγείρουσιν, ἵνα τρέχωσιν ἐν ταῖς εὐθείαις τοῦ Κυρίου ὁδοῖς καὶ πράττωσι τὰ δέοντα, ὑγιαίνοντας ἔχοντες καὶ τοὺς τῶν χειρῶν ἀστραγάλους. 4.157 Εἶπον δὲ τοῦτο ὅτι χειρῶν εἰσιν ἀστράγαλοι, μαθὼν τοῦτο πρὸς τοῦ πανσόφου ∆ανιήλ. 4.158 Ταὐτὸν τάχα εἶναι δύναται τῇ ἐκστροφῇ τῶν ἀστραγάλων ἢ ἰσοδυναμοῦν τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ μεγάλου προφήτου Ἠλίου πρὸς τοὺς ἐπαμφοτεριστὰς ἐπὶ δύο τρίβους ἐπιβαίνοντας·