Letter 222: I am astonished at the insatiable greed of certain people.

To Cyrus On the command given to the destroying angels: "And begin from my holy ones." [Ezekiel 9:6] If those who are crowned with the consecration of the priesthood could read out to us an oracle saying that they need not labor and practice the virtues, but should teach by word alone, then let them think as they think. But since everywhere the oracles proclaim against those who undertake to instruct by word only, why is it that, disregarding the things ordained through the divine ordinances, they pride themselves on the priesthood alone as if on a tyranny? For the divine decrees enjoin that those who have obtained the priesthood should, most of all men, be engaged in toils and ascetic exercises, so that those under authority, whom they are permitted to command, seeing these men laboring, may be spurred on by shame toward deeds of valor. For it is not so much the word as the manner of life of those who teach that is naturally fitted to stir others on. But these men, as though entrusted only with speaking, abstain from doing; and the divine Apostle, branding them with infamy, said: "You who preach not to steal, do you steal?" [Romans 2:21] And the sentence in Ezekiel, this very thing which you sought to learn, gave its command to the angels who were about to bring punishment upon Jerusalem: "Begin from my holy ones." Which also the chief of the apostles paraphrased, saying: "It is the time for judgment to begin from the house of God." [1 Peter 4:17] But if first from us, what is the end of those who disobey the Gospel of God? For it is just that those who excel in honor and dignity should, if they sin, have the greater share also in the punishments.

Περὶ τοῦ προστεταγμένου τοῖς ὀλοθρευταῖς ἀγγέλοις, «Καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων μου ἄρξασθε.» Εἰ μὲν ἔχοιεν ἡμῖν τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἀγιστείαν ἐστεμμένοι χρησμὸν ἀναγινώσκειν, ὡς οὐ χρὴ πονεῖν αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰς ἀρετὰς ἀσκεῖν, ἀλλὰ λόγῳ διδάσκειν μόνῳ, φρονείτωσαν ὡς φρονοῦσιν. Εἰ γὰρ πανταχοῦ οἱ χρησμοὶ ἀνακηρύττουσι μὲν τοὺς λόγῳ μόνον παιδεύειν ἐπιχειροῦντας· τί παρέντες τὰ διὰ τῶν θείων θεσμῶν διηγορευμένα τῇ ἱερωσύνῃ μόνῃ ὥσπερ τυραννίδι ἐναβρύνονται; Τὰ μὲν γὰρ θεῖα. θεσπίσματα, τοὺς τὴν ἱερωσύνην λαχόντας μάλιστα πάντων ἐν πόνοις καὶ ἀσκήσεσιν εἶναι παρακελεύεται· ἵν’ οἱ ἀρχόμενοι, οὓς ἐπιτάττειν ἔξεστι, τούτους πονοῦντας θεωμένοι, εἰς ἀνδραγαθίας ὑπ’ αἰσχύνης παροξύνωνται. Οὐ τοσοῦτον γὰρ ὁ λόγος, ὅσον ὁ τρόπος τῶν διδασκόντων, παραθήγειν πέφυκεν. Οἳ δ’ ὥσπερ τὸ λέγειν μόνον ἐμπιστευθέντες, τοῦ πράττειν ἀπέχονται· οὓς καὶ στηλιτεύων ὁ μὲν θεῖος Ἀπόστολος ἔφη· «Ὁ κηρύττων μὴ κλέπτειν, κλέπτεις.» Ἡ δὲ ψῆφος ἐν τῷ Ἰεζεκιήλ, τοῦθ’ ὅπερ μαθεῖν ἐζήτησας, παρεκελεύσατο τοῖς τὴν τιμωρίαν μέλλουσιν ἐπιφέρειν τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀγγέλοις, «Ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων μου ἄρξασθε.» Ὅπερ καὶ ὁ κορυφαῖος τῶν ἀποστόλων μετέφρασεν εἰπών· «Καιρὸς τοῦ ἄρξασθαι τὸ κρῖμα ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Εἰ δὲ πρῶτον ἀφ’ ἡμῶν, τί τὸ τέλος τῶν ἀπειθούντων τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ Εὐαγγελίῳ; Δίκαιον γὰρ τοὺς τιμῇ καὶ τῇ ἀξίᾳ ὑπέρχοντας, τούτους, εἰ ἁμάρτοιεν, καὶ ἐν ταῖς τιμωρίαις πλεονεκτεῖν(7).