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ambition or commerce or insensibility: for through the staff and being called fathers it happens that they receive foreign thoughts. Let us not, I beseech you, so shamelessly and simply snatch the dignity of the apostles, being taught by the earthly example. For if someone dares in his audacity to liken himself to the one who represents the earthly king, and is caught secretly holding and doing the things entrusted to that one, or even openly professes to perform them, he and his fellow-conspirators and subjects are subjected to the ultimate punishments to the terror of others, and he is mocked by all as foolish and senseless, what will they suffer in the future who unworthily snatch the dignity of the apostles?

10. But indeed, do not wish to become mediators for the rest before you are filled with the Holy Spirit and before you have come to know and befriend, in the perception of your soul, the king of all, since not even all who know the earthly king are able to mediate for others to him. For very few are able to do this, those who from virtue and labors, that is, their services, (432) have acquired boldness toward him, and they too do not need a mediator but speak mouth to mouth with the king. Shall we not therefore also observe this order with God, fathers and brothers, shall we not honor the heavenly king even as much as the earthly one, but shall we snatch for ourselves the seat at his right hand and at his left before asking and receiving it, and bestow it as a favor? O the audacity! What shame would seize us! For if we are not to be accused for anything else, at least for this alone, as despisers, we shall with dishonor be deprived also of the presidency and be cast into the unquenchable fire. But these things are sufficient for the admonition of those who wish to pay attention to themselves; for it is for this reason that we have made our discourse more of a digression from the subject at hand.But let us now say that which, child, you sought to learn.

11. For that it is possible for us to confess to a monk who does not have the priesthood, this you will find has happened to all since the garment and habit of repentance was given by God to His inheritance and they were named monks, as it is written in the God-inspired writings of the fathers, in which, if you look closely, you will find that what is said is true. But before these things, only high priests received the authority to bind and loose by succession from the divine apostles, but as time went on and the high priests became unworthy, this awesome commission passed to priests who had a blameless life and were deemed worthy of divine grace; then as these too became intermingled, with priests and high priests alike becoming like the rest of the people, and many, as even now, falling into spirits of error and vain babblings and being destroyed, it was transferred, as has been said, to the chosen people of God, I mean the monks, not being taken away from the priests or high priests, but because they had alienated themselves from it. “For every priest is appointed as a mediator between God and men to God, (433) as Paul says, and ought to offer sacrifice for himself just as for the people.”

12. But let us begin the account from an earlier point and see, from where and how and to whom from the beginning this authority to perform sacred rites and to bind and to loose was given, and in order, just as you asked, so too will the clear answer be given, not to you alone, but also to all other men. When our Lord and God and Savior said to the one who had the withered hand that your sins are forgiven you, the Hebrews heard and said: This man speaks blasphemy; who can forgive sins but God alone? Thus, forgiveness of sins was not yet given, not by prophets, not by priests, not by any of the patriarchs of that time. Therefore also the scribes were displeased, as if some new dogma and strange matter were being proclaimed; but the Lord did not blame them on this account, but rather taught what they did not know, showing himself as God and not

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φιλοδοξίαν ἤ ἐμπορίαν ἤ ἀναισθησίαν˙ γίνεται γάρ διά τό ῥαβδί καί πατέρες καλεῖσθαι ἀλλοτρίους ἀναδέχεσθαι λογισμούς. Μή, παρακαλῶ, μή ἀναισχύντως οὕτως ἁπλῶς τήν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἀξίαν ἁρπάζωμεν, ἀπό τοῦ ἐπί γῆς ὑποδείγματος παιδευόμενοι. Εἰ γάρ τῷ ἐκπροσωποῦντι τῷ ἐπιγείῳ βασιλεῖ ἐξομοιωθῆναί τις τολμήσει κατά αὐθάδειαν, καί τά ἐκείνῳ ἐμπιστευθέντα κρατεῖν καί ποιεῖν λάθρα φωραθῇ ἤ καί φανερῶς μετεπαγγέλληται διαπράττεσθαι, αὐτός καί οἱ αὐτοῦ συμμύσται καί ὑπήκοοι τιμωρίαις ἐσχάταις εἰς φόβον τῶν ἄλλων καθυποβάλλονται καί ὡς ἄφρων καί ἀναίσθητος παρά πάντων καταγελᾶται, τί πείσονται εἰς τό μέλλον οἱ τήν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἀξίαν ἀναξίως ἁρπάζοντες;

10. Ἀλλά γάρ μηδέ μεσῖται τῶν λοιπῶν πρό τοῦ πλησθῆναι ὑμᾶς Πνεύματος Ἁγίου γενέσθαι θελήσητε καί πρό τοῦ γνωρίσαι καί φιλιωθῆναι ὑμᾶς ἐν αἰσθήσει ψυχῆς τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν ἁπάντων, ἐπειδή οὐδέ πάντες οἱ τόν ἐπίγειον βασιλέα γνωρίζοντες καί τούς ἄλλους εἰς αὐτόν δύνανται μεσιτεύειν. Ὀλίγοι γάρ λίαν τοῦτο δύνανται ποιεῖν, οἵτινες ἐξ ἀρετῆς καί ἱδρώτων ἤτοι δουλειῶν αὐτῶν (432) τῶν τήν πρός αὐτόν παρρησίαν ἐκτήσαντο καί οὐχί μεσίτου κἀκεῖνοι δεόμενοι ἀλλά στόμα πρός στόμα συλλαλοῦντες τῷ βασιλεῖ. Οὐ φυλάξομεν τοιγαροῦν καί ἐπί Θεῷ ταύτην τήν τάξιν, πατέρες καί ἀδελφοί, οὐ τιμήσομεν τόν ἐπουράνιον βαιλέα κἄν ἶσον τοῦ ἐπιγείου, ἀλλ᾿ ἑαυτοῖς τήν ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ καί εὐωνύμων καθέδραν καί πρό τοῦ αἰτήσασθαι καί λαβεῖν προαρπάζοντες χαρισόμεθα; Ὤ τόλμης! Ποία αἰσχύνη ἡμᾶς καταλάβοι; Ὅτι εἰ μή δι᾿ ἄλλο τι ἐγκληθησόμεθα˙ ἀλλά γε διά τοῦτο μόνον ὡς καταφρονηταί μετά ἀτιμίας καί τῆς προεδρίας στερηθησόμεθα καί εἰς τό πῦρ τό ἄσβεστον ἀπορριφησόμεθα. Ἀλλ᾿ ἀρκεῖ ταῦτα πρός νουθεσίαν τῶν προσέχειν ἑαυτοῖς βουλομένων˙ τούτου γάρ χάριν καί παρεκβατικώτερον τῆς προκειμένης ὑποθέσεως τόν λόγον πεποιήκαμεν.Ἡμεῖς δέ εἴπωμεν ἄρτι, ὅπερ, τέκνον, μαθεῖν ἐπεζήτησας.

11. Ὅτι γάρ ἐνδέχεται εἰς μοναχόν ἱερωσύνην μή ἔχοντα ἐξαγγέλειν ἡμᾶς, τοῦτο ἀφ᾿ οὗ τό τῆς μετανοίας ἔνδυμά τε καί πρόσχημα ἐκ Θεοῦ ἐδωρήθη τῇ κληρονομίᾳ αὐτοῦ καί μοναχοί ὠνομάσθησαν ἐπί πάντας εὑρήσεις γενόμενον, καθώς ἐν ταῖς θεοπνεύστοις τῶν πατέρων γραφαῖς ἐγγράφεται, ἐν αἷς ἐγκύψας εὑρήσεις ὡς ἀληθῆ τά λεγόμενα. Πρό δέ τούτων ἀρχιερεῖς μόνοι τοῦ δεσμεῖν καί λύειν τήν ἐξουσίαν κατά διαδοχήν ὡς ἐκ τῶν θείων ἀποστόλων ἐλάμβανον, τοῦ χρόνου δέ προϊόντος καί τῶν ἀρχιερέων ἀχρειουμένων εἰς ἱερεῖς βίον ἔχοντας ἄμωμον καί χάριτος θείας ἠξιωμένους ἡ φρικτή ἐγχείρησις αὕτη προβέβηκεν˙ εἶτα καί τούτων ἀναμίξ γενομένων, τῶν ἱερέων ὁμοῦ καί ἀρχιερέων τῷ λοιπῷ ἐξομοιουμένων λαῷ καί πολλῶν ὡς καί νῦν περιπιπτόντων πνεύμασι πλάνης καί ματαίας κενοφωνίαις καί ἀπολλυμένων, μετήχθη, ὡς εἴρηται, εἰς τόν ἐκλεκτόν λαόν τοῦ Θεοῦ, λέγω δή τούς μοναχούς, οὐκ ἐκ τῶν ἱερέων ἤ ἀρχιερέων ἀφαιρεθεῖσα, ἀλλά ταύτης ἑαυτούς ἐκείνων ἀλλοτριωσάντων. «Πᾶς γάρ ἱερεύς μεσίτης Θεοῦ καί ἀνθρώπων καθίσταται πρός τόν Θεόν, (433) ὡς ὁ Παῦλός φησι, καί ὀφείλει ὥσπερ ὑπέρ τοῦ λαοῦ οὕτως καί ὑπέρ ἑαυτοῦ προσφέρειν θυσίαν».

12. Ἀλλ᾿ ἀνωτέρω τοῦ λόγου ἀρξώμεθα καί ἴδωμεν, πόθεν καί πῶς καί τίσιν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἡ ἐξουσία αὕτη τοῦ ἱερουργεῖν καί δεσμεῖν καί λύειν ἐδόθη, καί κατά τάξιν ὥσπερ ἠρώτησας οὕτως καί σαφής ἡ λύσις γενήσεται, οὐ σοί μόνον, ἀλλά καί πᾶσιν ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις. Τοῦ Κυρίου καί Θεοῦ καί Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν εἰπόντος τῷ ξηράν ἔχοντι τήν χεἰρα ὅτι ἀφέωνταί σοι αἱ ἁμαρτίαι σου, ἀκούσαντες οἱ Ἑβραῖοι ἔλεγον˙ βλασφημίαν οὗτος λαλεῖ˙ τίς δύναται ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας εἰ μή εἷς ὁ Θεός; Οὕτως οὐδέπω ἄφεσις ἐδίδοτο ἁμαρτιῶν, οὐ παρά προφητῶν, οὐ παρά ἱερέων, οὐ παρά τῶν τότε πατριαρχῶν τινος. ∆ιό καί ὡς καινοῦ τινος δόγματος καί πράγματος παραδόξου κηρυσσομένου οἱ γραμματεῖς ἐδυσχέραινον˙ ὁ δέ Κύριος οὐκ ἐμέμψατο αὐτούς τούτου γε ἕνεκα, ἀλλά μᾶλλον ὅ ἠγνόουν ἐδίδαξεν ὡς Θεόν ἑαυτόν δείξας καί οὐχ