Letter 165: Not only the uneducated and the rough-mannered fall into moral error.

To Paul the Subdeacon. On the saying of the Apostle, "Even if an angel from heaven should preach a gospel to you." The fervent lover of the Word — Paul, I mean, the apostle — brings judgment not only against himself and the other apostles, should they dare to introduce any innovation to the proclamation, but also against angels — and not simply angels, but those from heaven. Not intending, as you supposed, to insult them — who have never dared, do not dare, and will never dare to do such a thing — but closing the mouths of the wicked.

ΡΞΕ. - ΠΑΥΛΟ ΥΠΟΔΙΑΚΟΝΟ. Εἰς τὸ εἰρημένον ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου - Κἂν ἄγγελος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ εὐαγγελίσηται ὑμῖν. » Ὁ διάπυρος τοῦ λόγου εραστής, Παῦλος, φημί, ὁ ἀπόστολος, οὐ μόνον καθ' ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀποστόλων φέρει τὴν ψῆφον, εἰ τολμήσειαν καινο- τομίαν τινὰ τῷ κηρύγματι ἐπινοῆσαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατ' ἀγγέλων· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀγγέλων, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ· οὐκ ἐκείνους, ὡς ἐνόμισας, ὑβρίσαι προ- ῃρημένος, τοὺς μήτε τετολμηκότας πώποτε, μήτε τολ- μῶντας, μήτε τολμήσοντας τοῦτο δρᾶσαι, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀλιτηρίοις δαίμοσιν ἀποκλείων τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς ἀξιοπι- στίας, μήποτε πρόφασιν λαβόντες ὡς ἄγγελοι ἀνατρέ- ``` ΡΜΒ΄. – ΔΟΜΝΙΩ Μέτροις ἑαυτοὺς ὠφελεῖν ἀξίους βουλεύεσθαι. ---LETTER 16