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the judgment seat of God which is about to receive us. That it is therefore beneficial to preside over a flock and to be concerned for the salvation of our neighbors, as a perfection of love, which is the chief point of the law and the prophets, no one will dispute; for indeed, Christ, having asked Peter a third time if he was loved by him, and he having said, "Yes, Lord," (336) "you know that I love you," retorted to him, "Feed, he says, if you love me, my sheep." But that one must not jump into this ministry aimlessly nor for every chance person, but must do this with careful consideration and fear, is surely entirely clear to those whose eye of the soul is not completely darkened. For many, not even knowing what this saying is, nor understanding what the manner is in which the Lord commanded Peter to tend His sheep, alas, boldly take upon themselves the leadership, and are not ashamed to shamelessly preside over the flock of Christ.

But let us see, if you please, and examine what this saying is and what its power is. When the Lord says to Peter, "Feed, he says, my sheep," is he speaking of a worldly leadership, or about care for the affairs or money of life, that is, of His rational sheep, so that they might be kept safe by his care or even come to progress? Is He not saying to be occupied with their food and to provide them with clothing? Does he not command the apostle to bring strangers under his own roof, or to minister to the sick, or, when all the faithful are gathered together in one place, to be compelled to care for the things suitable for their food and clothing? By no means indeed; for God commanded him none of these things. From where is this clear? From the very words of the Lord; for He says to His apostles: "Do not acquire gold, nor silver, nor a staff, nor a bag, nor two tunics." How then would He who legislates for them to possess nothing at all, command them to give to others or to be concerned at all about such things? And again, "See," He says, "that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the cares of life," and again: "Work not for (337) the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life," legislating and commanding these things not only to them but also to us through them, and indeed even more than these. For having said: "Do not be anxious for your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor for your body, what you will put on. Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin," and after a little he says: "Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' For all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow." Therefore, having said these things and many more than these to them, He later added and said: "And what I say to you, I say to all."

He, therefore, who does not allow one to be anxious about tomorrow, but commands to seek only the kingdom of God and His righteousness, how then could He have commanded the apostle, contrary to His own commandments, to be anxious for the nourishment and clothing of His sheep, or for the protection and defense of them and their possessions? By no means; and this He makes clear through the things said next; for He says: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves," and again: "But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil; but whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and to the one who wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well; and from the one who takes your things, do not demand them back." He, therefore, who sent out His disciples as sheep in the midst of wolves, and to them and through them

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μέλλον ὑποδέξασθαι ἡμᾶς κριτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὅτι μέν οὖν τό προΐστασθαι ποίμνης καί ὑπέρ σωτηρίας μεριμνᾶν τῶν πλησίον ἡμῶν ὠφέλιμον, ὡς ἀγάπης τελειωτικόν τῆς νόμου καί τῶν προφητῶν οὔσης κεφάλαιον, οὐδείς ἀντερεῖ· καί γάρ καί τῷ Πέτρῳ ὁ Χριστός, τρίτον ἐρωτήσας εἰ φιλοῖτο πρός αὐτοῦ, κἀκείνου «Ναί, Κύριε,» (336) εἰρηκότος «σύ οἶδας ὅτι φιλῶ σε», «Ποίμανε, φησίν, εἰ φιλεῖς με, τά πρόβατά μου» πρός αὐτόν ἀνθυπέφερεν. Ὅτι δέ οὐκ ἀσκόπως οὐδέ παντί τῷ τυχόντι ταύτῃ τῇ διακονίᾳ ἐπιπηδᾶν χρή, ἀλλά μετά περισκέψεως ἀκριβοῦς καί φόβου τοῦτο ποιεῖν, πάντῃ που δῆλον τοῖς μή τελείως ἐσκοτισμένοις τόν τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμόν. Πολλοί γάρ, οὐδέ αὐτό τοῦτο εἰδότες τό ῥῆμα ὅπερ ἐστίν, οὐδέ τόν τρόπον ἐπιστάμενοι ὁποῖός ἐστι καθ᾿ ὅν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Πέτρῳ προσέταξε ποιμαίνειν τά αὐτοῦ πρόβατα, φεῦ, ἐπιβαίνουσι τολμηρῶς τῇ ἀρχῇ, καί τῇ ποίμνῃ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀναιδῶς ἐπιστατεῖν οὐκ αἰσχύνονται.

Ἀλλ᾿ ἴδωμεν, εἰ δοκεῖ, καί σκοπήσωμεν τί τό ῥῆμα τοῦτο καί τίς ἡ δύναμις αὐτοῦ. Λέγοντος αὐτό τοῦ Κυρίου τῷ Πέτρῳ «Ποίμανε, φησί, τά πρόβατά μου», περί προστασίας ἆρα λέγει βιωτικῆς, ἀλλά περί φροντίδος πραγμάτων ἤ χρημάτων τοῦ βίου, αὐτῶν δηλαδή τῶν λογικῶν προβάτων αὐτοῦ, ὅπως ἄν σῷα τῇ ἐκείνου ἐπιμελείᾳ διατηροῖντο ἤ καί εἰς ἐπίδοσιν ἔρχοιντο; Ἆρα μή περί τροφάς τάς αὐτῶν ἀσχολεῖσθαι καί παρέχειν λέγει αὐτοῖς τά ἐνδύματα; Μή ξένους ὄντας ὑπό στέγην ἄγειν τήν ἑαυτοῦ ἤ ἀσθενοῦσι διακονεῖν ἤ τούς πιστούς ἅπαντας συναχθέντας ἐπί τό αὐτό ἀναγκάζεσθαι προστάσσει τῷ ἀποστόλῳ μεριμνᾶν τά πρός τροφήν αὐτοῖς καί ἔνδυσιν ἐπιτήδεια; Οὔμενουν οὐδαμῶς· οὐδέν γάρ τούτωνπροσέταξεν αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός. Πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον; Ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν τῶν τοῦ Κυρίου ῥημάτων· λέγει γάρ πρός τούς ἀποστόλους αὐτοῦ· «Μή κτήσησθε χρυσόν, μηδέ ἄργυρον, μή ῥάβδον, μή πήραν, μήτε δύο χιτῶνας». Ὁ οὖν αὐτοῖς νομοθετῶν μηδέν ὅλως κεκτῆσθαι, πῶς ἄν ἄλλοις μεταδιδόναι ἤ περί τοιούτων μεριμνᾶν ὅλως κελεύσειε; Καί πάλιν «Βλέπετε» φησίν «μήποτε βαρυνθῶσιν αἱ καρδίαι ὑμῶν ἐν κραιπάλῃ καί μέθῃ καί μερίμναις βιωτικαῖς», καί αὖθις· «Ἐργάζεσθε μή (337) τήν βρῶσιν τήν ἀπολλυμένην, ἀλλά τήν βρῶσιν τήν μένουσαν εἰς ζωήν αἰώνιον», οὐ πρός ἐκείνους μόνους ἀλλά καί ἡμᾶς δι᾿ ἐκείνων ταῦτα νομοθετῶν καί προστάσσων, μᾶλλον δέ καί ἕτερα τούτων πλείονα. Καί γάρ εἰπών· «Μή μεριμνήσητε τῇ ψυχῇ ὑμῶν τί φάγητε ἤ τι πίητε, μηδέ τῷ σώματι ὑμῶν τί ἐνδύσησθε. Καταμάθετε δέ τά κρῖνα τοῦ ἀγροῦ πῶς αὐξάνει· οὐ κοπιᾷ, οὐδέ νήθει», καί μετ᾿ ὀλίγα φησί· «Μή οὖν μεριμνήσητε λέγοντες· Τί φάγωμεν ἤ τί πίωμεν· ταῦτα γάρ πάντα τά ἔθνη ἐπιζητεῖ. Οἶδε γάρ ὁ Πατήρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος ὅτι χρῄζετε τούτων ἁπάντων. Ζητεῖτε δέ πρῶτον τήν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καί τήν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ καί ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν· μή οὖν μεριμνήσητε περί τῆς αὔριον». Ταῦτα τοιγαροῦν καί ἕτερα πλείονα τούτων εἰπών πρός αὐτούς, ὕστερον ἐπήγαγε καί φησιν· «Ἅ δέ λέγω ὑμῖν πᾶσι λέγω».

Ὁ οὖν τινα περί τῆς αὔριον μή συγχωρῶν μεριμνᾶν, ἀλλά μόνην κελεύων ζητεῖν τήν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καί τήν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ, πῶς ἄρα τῶν αὐτοῦ προσταγμάτων ἀπ᾿ ἐναντίας τῷ ἀποστόλῳ ποτέ προσέταξε μεριμνᾶν τά εἰς διατροφήν καί ἔνδυσιν τῶν προβάτων αὐτοῦ, ἤ περί προστασίας καί ἐκδικήσεως αὐτῶν τε καί τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτοῖς; Οὐδαμῶς· καί τοῦτο διά τῶν ἑξῆς εἰρημένων δηλοῖ· φησί γάρ· «Ἰδού ἀποστέλλω ὑμᾶς ὡς πρόβατα ἐν μέσῳ λύκων», καί πάλιν· «Ἐγώ δέ λέγω ὑμῖν μή ἀντιστῆναι τῷ πονηρῷ· ἀλλ᾿ ὅστις σε ῥαπίσει εἰς τήν δεξιάν σιαγόνα, στρέψον αὐτῷ καί τήν ἄλλην· καί τῷ θέλοντί σοι κριθῆναι καί τόν χιτῶνα λαβεῖν, ἄφες αὐτῷ καί τό ἱμάτιον· καί τῷ αἴροντι τά σά μή ἀπαίτει». Ὁ τοίνυν ὡς πρόβατα ἐν μέσῳ λύκων τούς αὐτοῦ μαθητάς ἐκπέμψας καί αὐτοῖς καί δι᾿ αὐτῶν