Letter 1520: If, as you write, the piety of rulers in matters of God has exposed the impiety of bishops — if the extraordinary...
On why the Church and the ministry suffer. Even if, as you have written, the reverence of the emperors toward the Divine has exposed the irreverence of the bishops, and if the exceeding honor those rulers pay to the clergy has weakened those who are honored, and if their great generosity has corrupted the receivers — none of this excuses the bishops themselves. For the fault lies not in the honors received but in the character of the recipients. A strong vessel is not broken by being filled with precious liquor; only a weak one cracks under the weight of blessing. The emperors acted from piety when they enriched the Church, but the bishops betrayed that piety when they turned its gifts to selfish ends. The remedy is not to withdraw the honors — for the ministry deserves honor — but to ensure that those who receive the honors are worthy of them. And worthiness is tested not by eloquence or learning alone, but by the kind of life a man leads when no one is watching. This is the teaching that has been handed down to us from the apostles and confirmed by the blood of the martyrs, and no amount of philosophical speculation or rhetorical cleverness can improve upon it or replace it. The person who departs from this teaching wanders in a wilderness of his own making, and the further he travels, the more hopelessly lost he becomes. But the person who holds fast to the apostolic faith, even when the storms of controversy rage around him, stands upon a rock that cannot be shaken.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
"ε εἰοπὶ [α«εἴπι, ο)ιδαα εαμεα. ((ΟΝΓΕΥ ορίεί. εἰ ). Εἰ χαὶ, ὡς γέγραφας, ἧ τῶν βασιλευόντων περὶ τὸ Θεῖον εὐλάδεια τὴν ἐπισχόπων ἀνευλάθειαν ἤλεγ- ξεν" καὶ ἡ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐχείνων ὑπερδάλλουσα τιμὴ τοὺς τιμωμένους ἐξέλυσε, καὶ ἣ πολλὴ αὑτῶν φιλοτιμία τρυφῆς χαὶ ἀσωτείας τούτοις ὑπόθεσις γέγονεν" ἀλλὰ σὺ μὴ σχανδαλίζον " οὐ γὰρ πάντες ἐχειρώθησαν τοῖς εἰρημένοις πάθεσιν, ἀλλ᾽ εἰσὶν οἱ σπουδάζοντες χατὰ τὸν ἀποστολιχὸν ζῆσαι χαρα- χτῆρα. ΕἸ δὲ φαίης, Ὁ.λέγοι κομιδῃ, οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἀρ- Εἰϑὶ, υἱ Εογὶ θὲ, Γοσυπὶ ΟΓχΆ θόουπι ρἱοῖ85 δρὶ560-- Ρογιπὴ φυοτυπιάδηι ἱγγόνογοη ἶδι ΓΘάλγο!, αἰτοΐυ8- ἰρ8: ΘΧἢ ΟΠ08 ὁπογναὶ, ἰπζθῃβ ᾳυοφυδ ΠΠΟγ ἢ ΘΠΟΥΪ5 ϑιυδίιπ, ] 1οἰδγ πα οἱ ὀρυϊαγυῆὶ πηδίου Δ ΠῚ Βρροι Πνῖϊ - (ἰ ἰΔηΠΊΘη ΟΔΥ͂Θ " οΠειμάϊΐου]ο εἰνὲ Γ68 : ΠΟῚ δπίι ΟΠΠΠ68 Ρογίτον ῥγοϊειἰ5 ἰΔΡΌγδηὶ τογθίς, βυηὶ αυΐ ἀροδβίοϊοο υἱνθσ οἰ Ἀγδοίογα ἀοδίἀδγλη!. δῖ αἰχογίβ : δθέπιιδ; δορὰ ταγὶ αἀπιοάκπι ἐππὶ , Ἠρς νησαίμην" ἀλλὰ χἀν τούτῳ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος πρό- Ο οαυϊάοηι ἰηθοἶΔ8 ἵνγγο. . οἱ ϑαϊγαίογὶ δάπιηϊγε.- ἵνωσιν θαυμάσαιμ: τοῦ φράσαντος " «ε Πολλοὶ μὲν χλητοὶ, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐχλεχτοί. » ΄. -᾿ ΜΑΡΚΙΑΝΩ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ. ΤΡ γα ϑοϊθης πὶ ἀἰοδι : ε« Μυ ὶ νορϑῖϊ, Ραυοΐ νϑγο οἰδοιὶ ,» ΧΟ, -- ΜΑΙΟΙΆΝΟ ΡΒΕΘΒΥΤΕΒΟ. Βεἰαιοτῖϑιιβ ποὴ ἰεπιότὸ ογροπάμηι, δο μ τάφο ρατε αμάϊοπάα. Μὴ ὕπεχε τοῖς λογοποιοῦσι τὰς ἀχοάς" εἰ γὰρ ῥᾳδίως πιστεύοις τοῖς χατηγοροῦσιν, οὐχ ἐπιλείψου- σιν οἱ χαταψευδόμενοι χαὶ πλάττοντες " ἀλλ᾽ εἰ βούλει δὸς ἀχεραίους τὰς ἀχοὰς, χαὶ ἀπολογήσεται μάλα γενναίως ὁ χατηγορηθείς ᾿ χαὶ εἰς ἐχείνους τρέψεις τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν μάτην φυεῖσαν λύπην. μΑ', -- Τὸ ΑΥ̓ΤΩ. ΕΆθ0 ἀυΓ08 η6 δοροιμῃπ)οθδ. δὶ δηΐπὶ ἴδε! δοουδαι ογούδθ, ΠῸῚ ἀδδίοηϊ [ ἈΘΟΌΒΑΓΘ ἃς ἤμπφογο, ϑδϑά εἱ ρίδοθι, δυγαό ργῷθ βίηογαβ, οἱ ὐείδι δῖαν οαγορία, φυὶ οαἰαπι ΟρΡΓΘΒ818 Θδὶ, γογίοθαᾳυθ ἰ Π ἀοϊόγει, φυόπὶ ἱμμοσθηιὶ δὲ Γ"- ΧΟΓΔΠ]. ΧΟΙ. --- ΕἸΌΕΝ. Ραιμὶ αὐ ΠοδΥ. ἰοοις. Οαρ. τιν, νυ. . δ6 Ναύυε. Οὐ περὶ τῆς καταπαύσεως τῶν Ἑόραίων, τῆς Βελιυβ Ραυΐι8 ποθὴ ἀδ γεχυΐο Ζυάᾳογυπι, Πυδπὶ Ὑενομένης ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ διὰ Ἰησοῦ υἱοῦ Ναυῇ στρατηγίας, τῷ θεσπεσίῳ Παύλῳ ὁ λόγος " ἐχείνης γὰρ οὐδεὶς λόγος αὐτῷ, εἰς δὲ τὴν προσδοχωμένην ἔσεσθαι βλέπει, χαὶ χατ᾽ ἐχείνης ὁ τῶν νοημάτων σχοπὸς συντείνεται" ὅτι ὃξ τοῦτό ἔστιν ἀληθὲς, αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ἑρμηνεύει ᾿λέγων᾽ ε Εἰ γὰρ αὐτοὺς Ἰησοῦς (δῆλον δέ ἐστι τοῦ Νανῇ) κατέπαυσεν, οὐχ. ἂν περὶ ἄλλης ἐλάλει μετὰ ταῦτα ἡμέρας" ἄρα ἀπο- λείπεται σαξδατισμὸς τῷ λαῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ. » Εἰ γὰρ αὐτοὺς, φησὶν, ἐχεῖνος χατέπαυσεν, οὐχ ἂν ὁ Δαδὶδ μετὰ πολλὰς γενεὰς γενόμενος. περὶ καταπαύσεως ν᾿ [. ΧΙ, . Νδιι . χχιὶ, . δοϑυ9 Νὰάνα ἰπ Ῥα] ϑιϊ ρορογί!, γαγθα [Δοἰῖ : Πν0 ΘμἾ πὶ Π0 ὁ8ὶ ἃ) ΓΔ[ΪΟ ΠΟ ὈΪ (: ἰῃ 68Π Γ6 - αυΐθιῃ τγοϑρίοἷϊ αὐῷῷ ἰ [υἱυγι ἀχϑροοιαίιγ, [πὶ θδηάι6 ᾿πι6 ΖΘ η Βόορι85 ἴογιγ. (υοὰ νόγυῖ ἶρ86 ἸΠΙΟΓΡΓΘ8 δχμίδηδι ἀΐόθιδ : ε Νδηι οἷ5 οδι8 [Νβ ηγ6 γϑαιΐθην ᾿ργορβι , πυπηυλιη ὁ Δἴ ἸΟψα ΓΘ ροϑὶ ᾿ἰδης αἷδ. ΠἰΔ4ῦ6 τοὶ Ὁ ρΟρυὶϊο θ οἱ ,» δὲ διὴπὶ , ΠΠ , φυΐϊοίοι) ἀδάϊ!, η0η υἱἱΐᾳυς αν ἃ ροϑι πηι σ6η6- Υδίοη68 ηδίυ8 ἀ6 Γαηιΐοι6 Ἰ04068 Π χίϑ8οὶ : « Ποία δὶ νοῦθπΊ 6ἢ118 Δυι 6ΥὙ , ΠΟΙ ΟὈάἀθγαγα οοτγιία ΠΡΌΓ. ΙΥ, . ΥΑΒΙΔ ΤΕΟΤΙΌΝΕΞΚ ΕΤ ΝΟΤΕ. () Ῥγο ὅπερ προείρηκα ᾿Ιάδπι ἐοαι). Πα υ ηϊ ὃ προείρημαι. Ῥολεῖν . ΙΒΙΌΟΑΙ ΡΕΙΌ5ΙΟΥΒ νοδίγα : » ποῇ δηΐηι, ἰπα υΐ, τοῦ αυΐεδ ρορυϊο Α διαλεγόμενος ἔλεγε" « Σἥμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ θεοὶ, ἰᾳ 66ι, οἰοςσιὶα ῥοῦ ἤάσηι οἱ ὁχ ἢαθ νἱνϑηιθυβ ἰῃ Ραϊωβιΐβα τεροβίιδ, δόὶ νη οὠθϑιὶ δογυβ ] ) ργραγδίᾶ 6δ5ῖ. ΧΟΙ͂Ι. --- ΤΗΕΟΝῚ ΕΡΙΘΟΟΘΡΟ. ἀχούσητε, μὴ σχληρύνητε τὰς χαρδίας ὑμῶν. ν θὺ- χοῦν, φησὶν, ἀληθινὴ ἀνάπαυσις τῷ λαῷ τοῦ θεοῦ, τουτέστι, τοῖς εὐδοχίμως () μετὰ τὴν πέστιν πολι- τευσαμένοις ἀπόχειται, οὐχ ἐν τῇ Παλαιστίνῃ, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τῇ ὑπερχοσμίῳ ᾿ἱερουσαλὴμ εὐτρεπισθεῖσα. ’. --- ΘΕΩΝΙ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ. ϑκϑὶμες ρμτίπεμηι, οὐ αἰσεγεα αἀπιϊεοταπι σοπείἰα, (πη ϑηὶ ΕΞ κί αὐ ξαπατηὶ πιοπίεπε τεάεαί, πές δοκοε ἰαάότα μογηαὶ. ((οπ [εΓ ἐρίει. τρὐ, ἑη βη .) Αἀϊιουηϊιἰοηδῆι δὰ ( ηὐϊιίοτα οὐ ἀδογονβϑ6Π), τρδ]υὶ, Ο δῃινΐοα, ργίυϑ δ διυγαβ . υἱ ΡΟΓΥΘΗΪΓΟΙ, . ἰὴ δὰ ΓΘ ΠΟορβϑασὶΐ πιοὶ βθηιίδηϊῖ, αυϊῦυ9 ὁ0η- δἰ ᾿υπ. οὐ η6 τευ ἐχροδυὶ. ΕΠ ογυπὶ ἰδ ρ]ογὶ- ᾿Ἰπἀζηοραγο ΥὙογ ἰ δυηΐ, η6 ἰπίπι οἰ ἰλτυιϊῃ Ος68- δΒίοηθη
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