183

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. 1. He makes a great deal of this matter in other epistles also, subjecting servants to masters, and so also the ruled to their rulers. And he does this to show that Christ did not introduce His laws for the overthrow of the common polity, but for its better ordering, and to teach us not to undertake superfluous and unprofitable wars. For the plots brought against us for the truth's sake are sufficient, 60.614.50 and one must not add on superfluous and unprofitable temptations. But observe how seasonably he introduced the discussion concerning these things. For since he had required that great philosophy, and had made them well-disposed to friends and to enemies, and made them useful to those in prosperity and to those in adversity, and to those in need and to all men simply, and had implanted a polity befitting angels, and had emptied out wrath and suppressed arrogance, and through all things had softened their mind, 60.615 then he also introduces the exhortation about these things. For if one must repay those who do wrong with the opposite, much more is it proper to obey one's benefactors. But this he places towards the end of the exhortation; for the time being, however, he does not bring up these considerations which I mentioned, but those which command this to be done out of obligation. And showing that these things are ordained for all, both for priests and for monks, not only for those in secular life, he made it clear from the beginning, saying thus: Let every soul be subject to the higher powers; even if you are an apostle, even if an evangelist, even if a prophet, even if anyone whatsoever; for this subjection does not overthrow piety. And he did not simply say, Let him obey, but, Let him be subject. And the first justification for such a law, and one fitting for faithful reasonings, is that these things have been ordained by God; For there is no power, he says, except from God. What are you saying? Is every ruler, then, ordained by God? I am not saying this, he says; for my argument now is not about individual rulers, but about the thing itself. For that there should be authorities, and some should rule and others be ruled, and that all things should not just be carried on in confusion, the people being tossed to and fro like waves, this I say is the work of God's wisdom. For this reason he did not say, For there is no ruler except from God, but he discusses the matter itself, saying, For there is no power except from God; and the powers that be are ordained by God. Thus also when a wise man says, that a wife is joined to a man by the Lord, he means this, that God made marriage, not that he himself joins together every man coming together with a woman; for we see many coming together with each other for evil, and not by the law of marriage, and we would not reckon this to God. But just as he himself said: He who made them from the beginning, made them male and female; and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife, this is what that wise man also meant. For since equality often leads to conflict, he has made many authorities and subordinations, such as that of husband and wife, of child and father, of old and young, of slave and free, of ruler and ruled, of teacher and disciple. And why do you wonder in the case of men, when he has done this very same thing in the body? For not even here did he make all things of equal honor, but he made one thing lesser, and another greater, and he made some members to rule, and others to be ruled. And among the irrational creatures too one may see this very same thing, as among bees, as among cranes, as in the flocks of wild sheep. And not even the sea is deprived of this good order, but there too many kinds of fish are arrayed under one and led as an army, and thus they make long journeys. For anarchy is everywhere an evil, and a cause of confusion. Having said, then, whence authorities come, he added: Therefore whoever resists the power, resists the ordinance of God. See to what he has elevated the matter, and with what he has inspired fear, and how

183

Πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἐξουσίαις ὑπερεχούσαις ὑπο τασσέσθω. αʹ. Πολὺν τοῦ πράγματος τούτου ποιεῖται λόγον καὶ ἐν ἑτέραις ἐπιστολαῖς, καθάπερ τοὺς οἰκέτας τοῖς δεσπόταις, οὕτω καὶ τοὺς ἀρχομένους τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ὑποτάσσων. Ποιεῖ δὲ τοῦτο, δεικνὺς ὡς οὐκ ἐπ' ἀνατροπῇ τῆς κοινῆς πολιτείας ὁ Χριστὸς τοὺς παρ' αὐτοῦ νόμους εἰσήγαγεν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ διορθώσει βελτίονι, καὶ παιδεύων μὴ περιττοὺς ἀναδέχεσθαι πολέμους καὶ ἀνονήτους. Ἀρκοῦσι γὰρ αἱ διὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἡμῖν 60.614.50 ἐπαγόμεναι ἐπιβουλαὶ, καὶ περιττοὺς οὐ δεῖ προστιθέναι πειρασμοὺς καὶ ἀνονήτους. Σκόπει δὲ πῶς καὶ εὐκαίρως εἰς τὸν περὶ τούτων ἐνέβαλε λόγον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὴν πολλὴν ἐκείνην ἀπῄτησε φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ τοῖς φίλοις καὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς κατεσκεύασεν ἐπιτηδείους, καὶ τοῖς ἐν εὐημερίᾳ καὶ τοῖς δυσπραγοῦσι, καὶ τοῖς δεομένοις καὶ πᾶσιν ἁπλῶς χρησίμους εἰργάσατο, καὶ τὴν ἀγγέλοις πρέπουσαν κατεφύτευσε πολιτείαν, καὶ θυμὸν ἐκένωσε καὶ ἀπόνοιαν κατέστειλε, καὶ διὰ πάντων κατελέανεν αὐτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν, 60.615 τότε καὶ τὴν περὶ τούτων εἰσάγει παραίνεσιν. Εἰ γὰρ τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἀμείβεσθαι χρὴ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοῖς εὐεργετοῦσι πείθεσθαι προσήκει. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν πρὸς τῷ τέλει τῆς παραινέσεως τίθησι· τέως δὲ οὐ τούτους κινεῖ τοὺς λογισμοὺς, οὓς εἶπον, ἀλλὰ τοὺς κατὰ ὀφειλὴν κελεύοντας τοῦτο ποιεῖν. Καὶ δεικνὺς, ὅτι πᾶσι ταῦτα διατάττεται, καὶ ἱερεῦσι καὶ μοναχοῖς, οὐχὶ τοῖς βιωτικοῖς μόνον, ἐκ προοιμίων αὐτὸ δῆλον ἐποίησεν, οὕτω λέγων· Πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἐξουσίαις ὑπερεχούσαις ὑποτασσέσθω· κἂν ἀπόστολος ᾖς, κἂν εὐαγγελιστὴς, κἂν προφήτης, κἂν ὁστισοῦν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀνατρέπει τὴν εὐσέβειαν αὕτη ἡ ὑποταγή. Καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπε, Πειθέσθω, ἀλλ', Ὑποτασσέσθω. Καὶ πρῶτον δικαίωμα τῆς τοιαύτης νομοθεσίας, καὶ λογισμοῖς πρέπον πιστοῖς, τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ταῦτα διατετάχθαι· Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἐξουσία, φησὶν, εἰ μὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τί λέγεις; πᾶς οὖν ἄρχων ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ κεχειροτόνηται; Οὐ τοῦτο λέγω, φησίν· οὐδὲ γὰρ περὶ τῶν καθ' ἕκαστον ἀρχόντων ὁ λόγος μοι νῦν, ἀλλὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πράγματος. Τὸ γὰρ ἀρχὰς εἶναι, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἄρχειν, τοὺς δὲ ἄρχεσθαι, καὶ μηδὲ ἁπλῶς καὶ ἀνέδην ἅπαντα φέρεσθαι, ὥσπερ κυμάτων τῇδε κἀκεῖσε τῶν δήμων περιαγομένων, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας ἔργον εἶναί φημι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ εἶπεν· Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἄρχων, εἰ μὴ ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ περὶ τοῦ πράγματος διαλέγεται λέγων· Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἐξουσία εἰ μὴ ἀπὸ Θεοῦ· αἱ δὲ οὖσαι ἐξουσίαι ὑπὸ Θεοῦ τεταγμέναι εἰσίν. Οὕτω καὶ ὅταν λέγῃ τις σοφὸς, ὅτι Παρὰ Κυρίου ἁρμόζεται ἀνδρὶ γυνὴ, τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι τὸν γάμον ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν, οὐχ ὅτι ἕκαστον συνιόντα γυναικὶ αὐτὸς συνάπτει· καὶ γὰρ ὁρῶμεν πολλοὺς ἐπὶ κακῷ, καὶ οὐ νόμῳ γάμου, συνιόντας ἀλλήλοις, καὶ οὐκ ἂν τῷ Θεῷ τοῦτο λογισαίμεθα. Ἀλλ' ὅπερ αὐτὸς ἔλεγεν· Ὁ ποιήσας ἐξ ἀρχῆς, ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτούς· καὶ εἶπεν, Ἀντὶ τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα αὑτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέρα, καὶ προσκολληθήσεται πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα αὑτοῦ, τοῦτο καὶ ὁ σοφὸς ἐκεῖνος ἑρμηνεύων ἔλεγεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸ ὁμότιμον μάχην πολλάκις εἰσάγει, πολλὰς ἐποίησε τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ὑποταγὰς, οἷον ὡς ἀνδρὸς καὶ γυναικὸς, ὡς παιδὸς καὶ πατρὸς, ὡς πρεσβύτου καὶ νέου, ὡς δούλου καὶ ἐλευθέρου, ὡς ἄρχοντος καὶ ἀρχομένου, ὡς διδασκάλου καὶ μαθητοῦ. Καὶ τί θαυμάζεις ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπου γε καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο πεποίηκεν; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα ὁμότιμα πάντα εἰργάσατο, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ἔλαττον, τὸ δὲ κρεῖττον κατεσκεύασε, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄρχειν τῶν μελῶν, τὰ δὲ ἄρχεσθαι ἐποίησε. Καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀλόγοις δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἴδοι τις ἂν, ὡς ἐν ταῖς μελίσσαις, ὡς ἐν ταῖς γεράνοις, ὡς ἐν ταῖς ἀγέλαις τῶν ἀγρίων προβάτων. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἡ θάλασσα ταύτης ἐστέρηται τῆς εὐταξίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκεῖ πολλὰ τῶν γενῶν ὑφ' ἑνὶ τάττεται τῶν ἰχθύων καὶ στρατηγεῖται, καὶ οὕτω μακρὰς ἀποδημίας ἀποδημεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ ἀναρχία πανταχοῦ κακὸν, καὶ συγχύσεως αἴτιον. Εἰπὼν τοίνυν πόθεν εἰσὶν αἱ ἀρχαὶ, ἐπήγαγεν· Ὥστε ὁ ἀντιτασσόμενος τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ, τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ διαταγῇ ἀνθέστηκεν. Ἴδε ποῦ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀνήγαγε, καὶ πόθεν ἐφόβησε, καὶ πῶς