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of deacons; for through these two the ecclesiastical offices can be filled. But where no one was found worthy of the episcopate, the place remained without a bishop; but where there was a need and there were men worthy of the episcopate, bishops were appointed. But when there was not a multitude, presbyters were not found among them to be appointed, and they were content with only the bishop in the place. But it is impossible for a bishop to be without a deacon. And the holy apostle took care that there be deacons for the bishop for the ministry, so that the church received the full complements of its administration. Thus were the places at that time; for indeed each matter did not have all things from the beginning, but as time went on the things for the completion of what was needed were put in order. 5. For immediately Moses is sent to Egypt according to the old testament, sent by God with only a rod. And upon entering Egypt, Aaron his brother 3.337 is added to him for help. Then after his brother believed him, the council of elders and the leaders of the people at that time were gathered to him. And after this, as the work was being strengthened and his following was being gathered, he crossed the sea. And they were not yet under the law, until the Lord calls him to the mountain. And he gives him the tablets and shows him how to construct a tabernacle, and to appoint leaders, rulers of tens, rulers of fifties, rulers of hundreds, rulers of thousands. And do you see how the matters are expanded? "See," he says, "that you make all things according to the pattern shown to you on Mount Sinai." And do you see how were added to the legislation a seven-branched lampstand, a long robe, priestly garments, and bells and cloaks, and ephods and turbans, and mitres and settings of various stones, cups, incense-burners, lavers, altars, bowls, masmaroth, which are strainers, midicoth, which are called cups, machonoth, which are bases, and as many things as the law discusses, Cherubim and the other things, the ark of the covenant, and carrying poles and rings, and the tent and coverings and rams' skins dyed red, and clasps and the other things, gatekeepers and trumpets, straight and curved, both gold and silver, bronze and of horn, and the other things which the law mentioned, various sacrifices, teachings. Since these things were not from the beginning, after the order came to be, did not the matters take their firm standing? So also the things written by the apostle, until the church was expanded, until it reached its own measure, until it filled the world with understanding, which most justly has been ordered by the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And the argument of Aerius has fallen. And the divine word teaches that they cannot be the same, indicating through the holy apostle what a bishop is, and what a presbyter is, as he says to Timothy, who was a bishop, "Do not rebuke an elder, but exhort him as a father." What point was there for a bishop not to rebuke a presbyter, if he did not have authority over the presbyter? As he says again, "Do not readily accept an accusation against a presbyter, except on the evidence of two or three witnesses;" and he did not say to any of the presbyters: "Do not accept an accusation against a bishop," nor did he write to any of the presbyters not to rebuke a bishop. And you see that of everyone who is shaken by the devil the fall is not a small one. 3.338 6. Let us see also his other points and examine them. And first let us speak concerning the Pascha, as he says, "Christ our Pascha has been sacrificed;" let us see him who said this, if he did not celebrate it. And it says, "he was hastening to keep Pentecost in Jerusalem." But what Pentecost was Paul celebrating, if he did not celebrate Pascha? And by whom is it not agreed in all the regions of the world that Wednesday and the day before the Sabbath is an appointed fast in the church? And if it is necessary also to speak of the ordinance of the apostles, how did they appoint there a fast on Wednesday and the day before the Sabbath always, except for Pentecost, and concerning the six days of the

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διακόνων· διὰ γὰρ τῶν δύο τούτων τὰ ἐκκλησιαστικὰ δύνανται πληροῦσθαι. ὅπου δὲ οὐχ εὑρέθη τις ἄξιος ἐπισκοπῆς, ἔμεινεν ὁ τόπος χωρὶς ἐπισκόπου· ὅπου δὲ γέγονε χρεία καὶ ἦσαν ἄξιοι ἐπισκοπῆς, κατεστάθησαν ἐπίσκοποι. πλήθους δὲ μὴ ὄντος οὐχ εὑρέθησαν ἐν αὐτοῖς πρεσβύτεροι κατασταθῆναι, καὶ ἠρκέσθησαν ἐπὶ τῷ κατὰ τόπον μόνῳ ἐπισκόπῳ. ἄνευ δὲ διακόνου ἐπίσκοπον ἀδύνατον εἶναι. καὶ ἐπεμελήσατο ὁ ἅγιος ἀπόστολος διακόνους εἶναι τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ διὰ τὴν ὑπηρεσίαν, οὕτω τῆς ἐκκλησίας λαβούσης τὰ πληρώματα τῆς οἰκονομίας. οὕτω κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ ἦσαν οἱ τόποι· καὶ γὰρ ἕκαστον πρᾶγμα οὐκ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τὰ πάντα ἔσχεν, ἀλλὰ προβαίνοντος τοῦ χρόνου τὰ πρὸς τελείωσιν τῶν χρειῶν κατηρτίζετο. 5. Εὐθὺς μὲν γὰρ Μωυσῆς πέμπεται εἰς Αἴγυπτον κατὰ τὴν παλαιὰν διαθήκην, ῥάβδῳ μόνῃ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ δὲ ἀπεσταλμένος. ἐν δὲ τῷ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς Αἴγυπτον προστίθεται αὐτῷ εἰς βοήθειαν Ἀαρὼν ὁ ἀδελφὸς 3.337 αὐτοῦ. εἶτα μετὰ τὸ πιστεῦσαι αὐτῷ τὸν ἀδελφὸν συνήχθη πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡ γερουσία καὶ οἱ ἀρχηγοὶ τοῦ λαοῦ κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα κρατυνομένου τοῦ ἔργου καὶ τῆς ἀκολουθίας συναγομένης διεπέρασε τὴν θάλασσαν. καὶ οὔπω ἦσαν κατὰ τὸν νόμον, ἕως ὅτε ὁ κύριος αὐτὸν καλεῖ εἰς τὸ ὄρος. δίδωσι δὲ αὐτῷ τὰς πτύχας καὶ ὑποδείκνυσιν αὐτῷ σκηνὴν κατασκευάσαι, ἀρχηγούς τε προστήσασθαι, δεκάρχους, πεντηκοντάρχους, ἑκατοντάρχους, χιλιάρχους. καὶ ὁρᾷς πῶς τὰ πράγματα πλατύνεται; «ὅρα, φησί, ποιήσεις πάντα κατὰ τὸν τύπον τὸν δειχθέντα σοι ἐν τῷ ὄρει Σινᾶ». καὶ ὁρᾷς πῶς προσετέθη τῇ νομοθεσίᾳ ἑπτάμυξος λυχνία, ποδήρη, ἱερατικὰ ἐνδύματα, κώδωνές τε καὶ μανδύαι, ἐπωμίδες τε καὶ κιδάρεις, μίτραι τε καὶ λίθων διαφόρων συνθέσεις, κύαθοι, θυΐσκαι, λουτῆρες, θυσιαστήρια, τρυβλία, μασμαρώθ, ἅτινά ἐστι διϋλιστήρια, μιδικώθ, ἅτινα καλοῦνται κύαθοι, μαχωνώθ, αἵτινες εἰσὶ βάσεις, καὶ ὅσαπερ ὁ νόμος διαλέγεται, Χερυβὶμ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα, κιβωτὸς διαθήκης, ἀναφορεῖς τε καὶ δακτύλιοι, σκηνή τε καὶ δέρρεις καὶ δέρματα ἠρυθροδανωμένα, ἀγκύλαι τε καὶ τὰ ἄλλα, πυλωροὶ καὶ σάλπιγγες ἐλαταὶ καὶ καμπύλαι, καὶ χρυσαῖ καὶ ἀργυραῖ, χαλκαῖ καὶ κερατίναι, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὅσαπερ ὁ νόμος ἔφη, θυσίαι διάφοροι, διδασκαλίαι. ἐπειδὴ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ταῦτα οὐκ ἦν, ἆρα μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι τὴν τάξιν οὐκ εἴληφε στάσιν τὰ πράγματα; οὕτω καὶ τὰ παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ γεγραμμένα, ἕως ὅτε ἐπλατύνθη ἡ ἐκκλησία, ἕως ὅτε εἰς τὸ ἴδιον μέτρον ἐλήλακεν, ἕως ὅτε τὸν κόσμον τῆς συνέσεως ἐπλήρωσε, ἥτις δικαιότατα ἐκ πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος ᾠκονόμηται. καὶ ἔπεσεν ὁ τοῦ Ἀερίου λόγος. Καὶ ὅτι μὲν οὐ δύναται ταυτὸν εἶναι διδάσκει ὁ θεῖος λόγος διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου ἀποστόλου σημαίνων, τίς μέν ἐστιν ἐπίσκοπος, τίς δέ ἐστι πρεσβύτερος, ὡς λέγει Τιμοθέῳ ἐπισκόπῳ ὄντι, «πρεσβυτέρῳ μὴ ἐπιπλήξῃς, ἀλλὰ παρακάλει ὡς πατέρα». τί εἶχε πρᾶγμα ἐπίσκοπον πρεσβυτέρῳ μὴ ἐπιπλήττειν, εἰ μὴ ἦν ὑπὲρ τὸν πρεσβύτερον ἔχων τὴν ἐξουσίαν; ὡς καὶ πάλιν λέγει «κατὰ πρεσβυτέρου μὴ ταχέως κατηγορίαν δέχου, εἰ μή τι ἐπὶ δύο καὶ τριῶν μαρτύρων»· καὶ οὐκ εἶπε τινὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων· μὴ δέξῃ κατηγορίαν κατὰ ἐπισκόπου, οὐδὲ ἔγραψε τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τινὶ μὴ ἐπιπλήττειν ἐπισκόπῳ. καὶ ὁρᾷς ὅτι παντὸς τοῦ ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου παρασαλευομένου ἡ πτῶσις οὐ μικρά τίς ἐστιν. 3.338 6. Ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα αὐτοῦ καὶ διασκοπήσωμεν. καὶ περὶ τοῦ Πάσχα πρῶτον εἴπωμεν, ὥς φησι «τὸ Πάσχα ἡμῶν ἐτύθη Χριστός»· ἴδωμεν αὐτὸν τὸν εἰπόντα, εἰ οὐκ ἐπετέλει. καί φησιν «ἔσπευδεν ὅπως ποιήσῃ τὴν Πεντηκοστὴν εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ». ποίαν δὲ τὴν Πεντηκοστὴν ἐπετέλει Παῦλος, εἰ μὴ Πάσχα ἐπετέλεσε; τίνι δὲ οὐ συμπεφώνηται ἐν πᾶσι κλίμασι τῆς οἰκουμένης ὅτι τετρὰς καὶ προσάββατον νηστεία ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ὡρισμένη; εἰ δὲ καὶ χρὴ τὸ τῆς διατάξεως τῶν ἀποστόλων λέγειν, πῶς ἐκεῖ ὡρίζοντο τετράδα καὶ προσάββατον νηστείαν διὰ παντὸς χωρὶς Πεντηκοστῆς, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ