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written, but the one who spoke to him: You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. But who has called you, brother, and who has appointed you a lawgiver over the church of God, you who, having perhaps not even learned to be ruled and for this reason not been considered fit to rule anyone, ought to be legislated for rather than to legislate, to be led by the hand rather than to lead by the hand, to be enlightened rather than to enlighten, to be taught rather than to teach, and from the experience of the former to ascend to the latter, as is indeed a divine law and most excellent both in divine and in human dignities. For let us not think, O friend, that knowing to utter something from wisdom that has been made foolish and to contribute an accursed word, makes men lawgivers (since then the divine altar would be accessible even to Moabites and Ammonites), but those whom Christ-imitating obedience has tested and long-suffering patience has borne witness to and the evangelical word has perfected; and if external learning is also present, it is not ungraceful, if indeed it is adorned with humility and might be led by the evangelical word, but does not preen itself on its own dignities, on which those who preen themselves, like those leaning upon a reed staff, are reasonably wounded and dashed to the ground. But, he says, I have been very jealous for the Lord and the things I see are unbearable. And where is our gift of prophecy, O best of men? And where is Mount Carmel? And where are the heavenly keys? And where is the mantle that parts the Jordan, which came upon Elisha in a double portion of grace? But as for us, even if some gift is present, to whom is it to be left, since we have not even a disciple? Wherefore let us now consider lest, by striving for things beyond our power, we fail even at moderate things, nor, straining out the gnat, let us swallow the camel, or, while trying to remove the specks from the eyes of our brothers, we ourselves unknowingly bear the beam in our own eyes, as the saying goes, being condemned here and there by those with whom we associate and eat. "So-and-so," he says, "has confessed falsely, hiding his most shameful sin; and another, having hidden his impiety, confesses other things instead of others. And how can the one supposedly healing say that these have obtained healing?" This is not to be believed, my friend, but rather to be strongly condemned. For no one who goes voluntarily for healing will choose not to lay bare his own suffering. But if it is somehow true, it is not for us to judge, but for God who watches over all. For he says: the things that are revealed belong to God and to us, but the secret things belong to the Lord your God. But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you, why do you despise the healer? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will reveal the counsels of the hearts. And then praise will come to each from God, or the opposite. "All," he says, "stretch their foot beyond the step and dare to do things not permitted and reach out for higher things." You are caught by your own wings, as one of the outsiders somewhere said, from which also comes your proposition. For though a foot, you were appointed to be the head through arrogance you have been lifted up, having inserted yourself into the other two propositions, O noble one. Another accusation again: "All permit themselves things beyond their power and consider others inferior and run to loosing and binding without restraint and without being called and contentiously try to draw all to their own feet and wish no other who looses either to exist or to be considered so and they envy those who do such things and to receive only those whom they themselves have loosed, but to turn away and accuse those who have received penance from others, because they have not run to them and asked for absolution from them." The accusations are fabrications of a demonic mind and the propositions from an envious heart. At these one might reasonably laugh as at some childish games and nonsense and trifles. Or rather to speak the truth, since no one runs to us out of disbelief for the reception of penance, we rage against those who heal out of the confidence of those who approach them, suffering some demonic passion and for the iconoclasts the same things the

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γεγραμμένον, ἀλλ' ὁ λαλήσας πρὸς αὐτόν· σὺ ἱερεὺς εἶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ. σὲ δὲ τίς κέκληκεν, ἀδελφέ, τίς δὲ κατέστησεν νομοθέτην ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ θεοῦ, ὅς, μηδὲ ἄρχεσθαι τυχὸν μεμαθηκὼς κἀκ τούτου μηδὲ ἄρχειν τινὸς τεθεωρημένος, ὀφείλεις νομοθετεῖσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ νομοθετεῖν, χειραγωγεῖσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ χειραγωγεῖν, φωτίζεσθαι ἢ φωτίζειν, διδάσκεσθαι ἢ διδάσκειν, κἀκ τῆς τοῦ προτέρου πείρας ἐπὶ τὸ δεύτερον ἀνιέναι, ὥσπερ δὴ θεῖος νόμος καὶ κάλλιστα ἔχων κἀν τοῖς θείοις κἀν τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις ἀξιώμασιν. Μὴ γὰρ οἰώμεθα, ὦ φίλε, τὸ ἐκ τῆς μωρανθείσης σοφίας εἰδέναι τι φθέγγεσθαι καὶ ἐπίτριπτον λόγον συνεισβάλλειν, τοῦτο καθίστησι νομοθέτας (ἐπεὶ καὶ Μωαβίταις καὶ Ἀμμανίταις εἰσιτητὸν τὸ θεῖον θυσιαστήριον), ἀλλ' οὓς ὑπακοὴ χριστομίμητος ἐδοκίμασεν καὶ πολυχρόνιος ὑπομονὴ ἐμαρτύρησεν καὶ εὐαγγελικὸς λόγος ἐτελείωσεν· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐξωτερικὸς πάρεστιν, οὐκ ἄχαρις, εἴ γε ὑπὸ ταπεινοφροσύνης κεκόσμηται καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ ἡγεμονεύοιτο, ἀλλὰ μὴ τοῖς οἰκείοις ἀξιώμασιν ἐναβρύνεται, οἷς οἱ ἐναβρυνόμενοι, ὡς ἐπὶ καλαμίνῃ ῥάβδῳ ἐπερειδόμενοι, εἰκότως τιτρωσκόμενοι καταράσσονται. ἀλλά, φησί, ζηλῶν ἐζήλωκα τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ οὐκ ἀνεκτὰ τὰ ὁρώμενα. καὶ ποῦ ἡμῖν τὸ τῆς προφητείας χάρισμα, ὦ βέλτιστε; καὶ ποῦ τὸ Καρμήλιον ὄρος; καὶ ποῦ αἱ οὐράνιαι κλεῖς; καὶ ποῦ ἡ διατέμνουσα τὸν Ἰορδάνην μηλωτή, ἐν διπλῷ χαρίσματι τῷ Ἐλισ σαίῳ ἐπιφοιτήσασα; ἡμῖν δέ, εἰ καί τι πάρεστι χάρισμα, τίνι καταλειπτέον, μηδὲ φοιτητὴν ἔχουσιν; Ὅθεν σκοπῶμεν ἤδη μήπως τῶν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἐφιέμενοι καὶ τῶν μετρίων ἀποτύχοιμεν μηδὲ τὸν κώνωπα διυλίζοντες τὴν κάμηλον καταπίνωμεν ἢ καὶ τὰ κάρφη ἐκ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐξαίρειν δοκιμάζοντες αὐτοὶ τὴν δοκὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μὴ δοκοῦντες φέρωμεν, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, ἐξ ὧν συναναστρεφόμεθα καὶ συνεσθίομεν ὧδε κἀκεῖσε καταγινωσκόμενοι. "4ὁ δεῖνα"5, φησί, "4ψευδῶς ἐξηγόρευκε, κρύπτων τὸ αἴσχιστον αὐτοῦ ἁμάρτημα· καὶ ἄλλος, κρύψας τὸ ἀσέβημα, ἕτερα ἀνθ' ἑτέρων ἐξηγεῖται. καὶ πῶς ὁ δῆθεν ἰατρεύων δύναται φάναι θεραπείας τούσδε τετυχηκέναι;"5 οὐ πιστευτέον, ὦ τᾶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν κατηγορητέον· οὐδεὶς γὰρ αὐθαιρέτως ἴων πρὸς ἴασιν μὴ οὐχὶ ἀπογυμνοῦν τὸ οἰκεῖον πάθος αἱρήσεται. εἰ δὲ καί ποι ἄληθες, οὐχ ἡμῶν τὸ κρίνειν, ἀλλὰ θεοῦ τοῦ ἐφορῶντος· φησὶ γάρ· τὰ μὲν φανερὰ θεῷ καὶ ἡμῖν, τὰ δὲ κρυπτὰ Κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ σου· σὺ δὲ τί κρίνεις τὸν ἀδελφόν σου ἢ καὶ σὺ τί ἐξουθενεῖς τὸν ἰητῆρα; πάντες γὰρ παραστησόμεθα τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὃς καὶ φωτίσει τὰ κρυπτὰ τοῦ σκότους καὶ φανερώσει τὰς βουλὰς τῶν καρδιῶν· καὶ τότε ὁ ἔπαινος γενήσεται ἑκάστῳ ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ τοὐναντίον. "4Πάντες"5, φησίν, "4ὑπερβάθμιον ἐκτείνουσι πόδα καὶ τῶν οὐ παρακεχωρημένων κατατολμῶσιν καὶ τοῖς ὑψηλοτέροις ἐπεκτείνονται"5. τοῖς οἰκείοις ἑάλως πτεροῖς, ὥς πού τις ἔφη τῶν ἔξω, ἀφ' οὗ καὶ ἡ πρότασίς σου· ποὺς γὰρ τεταγμένος εἰς κεφαλὴν ἐξ αὐθαδείας ἤρθης, ταῖς ἄλλαις δυσὶ προτάσεσι περιπαρείς, ὦ γενναῖε. ἑτέρα πάλιν ἔγκλησις· "4πάντες ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιτρέπουσι τὰ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν καὶ ἥττονας ἡγοῦνται τοὺς ἄλλους καὶ τῷ λύειν καὶ δεσμεῖν ἀσχέτως καὶ ἀκλήτως ἐπιτρέχουσι καὶ πάντας φιλονεικοῦσι πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους ἕλκειν πόδας καὶ μηδένα ἕτερον τὸν λύοντα ἢ εἶναι ἢ νομίζεσθαι θέλουσιν καὶ φθονοῦσι τοῖς τὰ τοιάδε πράττουσι καὶ τούτους μόνους δέχεσθαι, οὓς αὐτοὶ λελύκασι, τοὺς δὲ ὑφ' ἑτέρων τετυχηκότας ἐπιτιμήσεως ἀποστρέφεσθαι καὶ ἐγκαλεῖν, ἐπεὶ μὴ πρὸς αὐτοὺς δεδραμήκασι καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν ᾐτήσαντο τὴν ἄφεσιν"5. ἀναπλάσματα διανοίας δαιμονιώδους τὰ κατηγορήματα καὶ ἐκ φθονερᾶς καρδίας τὰ προβλήματα· οἷς ἐπιγελάσειέν τις εἰκότως ὡς παιδιάς τινας καὶ ὕθλους καὶ ἀθύρματα· ἢ μᾶλλον τἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν, ἐπεὶ μηδεὶς ἡμῖν ἐξ ἀπιστίας ὁ προστρέχων κατὰ λῆψιν ἐπιτιμήσεως, μαινόμεθα πρὸς τοὺς ἐκ πεποιθήσεως τῶν προσιόντων θεραπεύοντας, δαιμόνιόν τι πάθος πάσχοντες καὶ τοῖς εἰκονομάχοις τὰ ἴσα τοὺς