Letter 1604: The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
On the preeminence of the priesthood. Even if the priesthood is higher and more worthy than all kingship, those who have been allotted it must not exalt themselves against others on its account, but must consider gentleness combined with understanding to be its most fitting and appropriate adornment — reflecting that it is greater than all human honor and dignity, and that they have received this office by divine grace and ordinance for the benefit of others, which they would not be justified in abusing with tyranny.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Ρε εαοετάοιϊξ ργαείαπιία. ((οπ[. ἐρίδι. , εἰ ἰδ. υἱ, ρει. .. εἰ πὴ τν, ὁρίει. ; εἰ Ζοαπ. Ολτῳτοεῖ. Η οπιλ δὲς περὶ ἱερωσύνης. Βιοὶ 8δεοσγάοι 0η1 ΟΥ̓ ΐΪ ΓΟσΠΟ ΒΕ ΠΠπι!αδ, ἀ- ΕἸ καὶ πάσης ἐστὶ βασιλείας ὑψηλοτέρα καὶ ἀξιω- κηϊπϑ4υ6, ΠοΠ ρΡΓΟΡίοΓθα 880γῖβ ἰηἰ ἶλ105 ἀθοσί πῃ) τΚοαγο οἰογγὶ, αυΐη ἀδοση [ πειπὶ δ ρ ] ᾿υΐυ8 ογηδίυπι Θχὶ δι ππογα, 'ρϑϑιη οὐπὶ ἰπ - οἷυ Ιοηἰ αἰ ο πῇ : οορί Δη165 ὁΔη1 ΟΠΠΠΐ ᾿ΟΠΟΓΟ δἰ- 4υ9 υπηᾶπᾶ ἀϊχι! δια ροιίογοπι : οἱ ]16η65 ι. - αἰα οὐροὸ ρεὺῦ Ὠοὶ φτγαιίαπι ἢυης οτάϊποιῃ δοσορογυπί, αυδη ἰγγδηηΐά δ οθπίδηἑ ΠΑ ΓΙ ἰπἰφυυπὶ . ΟΌΧΧΙΠΙ. -- ΗΠΔΕΡΟΟΒΖ“ ἈΠΕΤΟΉΙ. τέρα ἡ ἱερωσύνη, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ταύτην λαχόντας οὐ χρὴ χατὰ τῶν ἄλλων διὰ ταύτην ἐπαίρεσθαι, ἀλλὰ πρεπω- δέστατον καὶ ἁρμοδιώτατον ταύτης χόσμον ἡγεῖσθαι τὴν μετὰ συνέσεως πραότητα" ἑἐννσοῦντας, ὅτι κρείτ- των μέν ἐστι πάσης ἀνθρωπίνης τιμῆῇς τε χαὶ ἀξίας" διὰ δὲ τὴν θείαν χάριν τε καὶ διάταξιν ταύτην εἰλή- φασι τῆς τῶν ἄλλων ὠφελείας ἕνεχεν, ἣν οὐχ ἂν εἶεν δίχαιοι τῇ τυραννίδι καθυδρίζειν,
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