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what things must be performed by the high priests, and what by the priests, and what by the Levites, having assigned to each his own and proper worship for the ministry. And what things were commanded to the high priests to perform, it was not lawful for the priests to approach these, and what things were appointed for the priests, the Levites did not approach these, but each kept to the circumscribed ministries which they had received. And if anyone wished to go beyond the tradition, death was the penalty. This was most especially shown also by the experience of Saul, who, having presumed to sacrifice without the prophet and high priest Samuel, drew upon himself sin and an inescapable curse, and not even his having been anointed king by him moved the prophet to shame. And God showed the case of Uzziah by a clearer deed, not delaying in exacting the punishments for the transgression; and he who was mad for the high priesthood was also made a stranger to the kingdom. And perhaps you are not ignorant of the things among us. For you surely know that bishops, presbyters, and deacons were named by us through prayer and the laying on of hands, showing by the difference of the names also the difference of the functions. For not just anyone who wished consecrated himself among us, as in the counterfeit priesthood of the calves under Jeroboam, but he who is called by God. For if there were not some rule and difference of orders, it would have been sufficient for all things to be performed under one name. But having been taught by the Lord the sequence of things, we assigned to the bishops the things of the high priesthood, to the presbyters the things of the priesthood, and to the deacons the things of the ministry to both, so that the things of worship might be performed purely. For it is not lawful for a deacon to offer sacrifice, or to baptize, or to give a small or a great blessing, nor for a presbyter to perform ordinations; for it is not holy for the order to be overturned. For God is not a God of disorder, so that those in lower ranks should tyrannically usurp the things of their superiors, fashioning a new legislation to their own harm, being ignorant that it is hard for them to kick against the goads. For such men do not war against us or the bishops, but against the Bishop of all and the High Priest of the Father, Christ Jesus our Lord. For by Moses the most beloved of God were high priests and priests and Levites established, and by our Savior, we the thirteen apostles, and by the apostles, I Clement and I James and others with us, lest I again list all

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μὲν χρὴ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχιερέων ἐπιτελεῖσθαι, τίνα δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἱερέων, τίνα δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν λευιτῶν, ἑκάστῳ τὴν οἰκείαν καὶ ἀνήκουσαν τῇ λειτουργίᾳ θρησκείαν ἀπονείμας. Καὶ ἅπερ μὲν τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσιν προσετέτακτο ἐπιτελεῖν, τούτοις τοὺς ἱερέας οὐ θεμιτὸν ἦν προσιέναι, καὶ ἅπερ δὲ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ὥριστο, τούτοις οἱ λευῖται οὐ προσῄεσαν, ἀλλ' ἕκαστοι ἅσπερ εἰλήφασιν ὑπηρεσίας περιγεγραμμένας ἐφύλαττον· εἰ δέ τις πέρα τῆς παραδόσεως προσιέναι ἐβούλετο, θάνατος ἦν τὸ ἐπιτίμιον. Τοῦτο δὲ μάλιστα διέδειξεν καὶ ἡ κατὰ τὸν Σαοὺλ πεῖρα, ὃς θῦσαι νενομικὼς δίχα τοῦ προφήτου καὶ ἀρχιερέως Σαμουὴλ ἔσπασεν εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ κατάραν ἀναπόβλητον, καὶ οὐδὲ τὸ κεχρῖσθαι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ εἰς βασιλέα ἐδυσώπησε τὸν προφήτην. Ἐναργεστέρᾳ δὲ τῇ πράξει διέδειξεν ὁ Θεὸς τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ὀζίαν οὐκ ἐν μελλησμῷ τὰς ἐπὶ τῇ παρανομίᾳ εἰσπραξάμενος δίκας· καὶ ὁ τῆς ἀρχιερω σύνης καταμανεὶς καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἀλλότριος κατέστη. Τὰ δὲ καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν ἴσως οὐκ ἀγνοεῖτε. Ἴστε γὰρ πάντως ἐπισκόπους παρ' ἡμῶν ὀνομασθέντας καὶ πρεσβυτέρους καὶ διακόνους εὐχῇ καὶ χειρῶν ἐπιθέσει, τῇ διαφορᾷ τῶν ὀνο μάτων καὶ τὴν διαφορὰν τῶν πραγμάτων δεικνύοντας· οὐ γὰρ ὁ βουλόμενος παρ' ἡμῖν ἐπλήρου τὴν χεῖρα, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῆς κιβδήλου τῶν δαμάλεων ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἱεροβοὰμ παρα κεκομμένης ἱερωσύνης, ἀλλ' ὁ καλούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Eἰ μὲν γὰρ μὴ θεσμός τις ἦν καὶ τάξεων διαφορά, ἤρκει ἂν δι' ἑνὸς ὀνόματος τὰ ὅλα τελεῖσθαι· ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου διδαχθέντες ἀκολουθίαν πραγμάτων, τοῖς μὲν ἐπι σκόποις τὰ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης ἐνείμαμεν, τοῖς δὲ πρεσβυτέροις τὰ τῆς ἱερωσύνης, τοῖς δὲ διακόνοις τὰ τῆς πρὸς ἀμφοτέρους διακονίας, ἵν' ᾖ καθαρῶς τὰ τῆς θρησκείας ἐπιτελούμενα. Oὔτε γὰρ διάκονον προσφέρειν θυσίαν θεμιτὸν ἢ βαπτίζειν ἢ εὐλογίαν μικρὰν ἢ μεγάλην ποιεῖσθαι, οὔτε πρεσβύτερον χειροτονίας ἐπιτελεῖν· οὐ γὰρ ὅσιον ἀνεστράφθαι τὴν τάξιν. Oὐ γάρ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς ἀκαταστασίας, ἵνα οἱ ὑποβεβηκότες τὰ τῶν κρειττόνων τυραννικῶς σφετερίζωνται, νομοθεσίαν καινὴν ἀναπλάττοντες ἐπὶ κακῷ τῷ ἑαυτῶν, ἀγνοοῦντες ὅτι σκληρὸν αὐτοῖς πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζειν. Oὐ γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἢ τοὺς ἐπισκόπους πολεμοῦσιν οἱ τοιοῦτοι, ἀλλὰ τὸν τῶν πάντων ἐπίσκοπον καὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἀρχιερέα, Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν. Ὑπὸ Μωϋσέως μὲν γὰρ τοῦ θεοφιλεστάτου κατεστάθησαν ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ ἱερεῖς καὶ λευῖται, ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἡμεῖς οἱ δεκατρεῖς ἀπόστολοι, ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐγὼ Κλήμης καὶ ἐγὼ Ἰάκωβος καὶ σὺν ἡμῖν ἕτεροι, ἵνα μὴ πάντας πάλιν κατα