Letter 42: The Lord called himself bread — and the name is fitting on two levels.

To Herminos the Count. What meaning has the phrase, "Place your hand under my thigh." "Place your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the God of heaven and earth" — this Abraham at his death commanded his servant, seeing with purity of mind the God of heaven and earth, our Lord and Master Christ, who was going to take flesh from his loins — as a prophet beholding things to come, that the Lord would take hold of the seed of Abraham. To Theodoros. That for the virtuous even to be suspected of some base thing is utterly intolerable. To be suspected of things unbecoming, for those who have reached the pinnacle of virtue, carries the greatest misfortune; and to be judged guilty, for the more dignified; and to be convicted, even for those of callous disposition. On priestly forgiveness and reconciliation. Not the one who appeases the priest, but the one who reconciles with the one who was wronged. If you think such authority has been given to the priests — to absolve offenders who do not even strive to shake off their transgressions — then the oracle would seem tyrannical, and to look only to priestly profit, making no account of those who have been wronged; and the most cruel and most inhumane would be those crowned with the priestly ministry, if they absolved everyone from charges. But these things are not so, they are not so. Do not deceive yourself, or rather do not push yourself and your hearers into an abyss, nor renew the evils of the Scribes and Pharisees, who devised certain consolations for perjurers for the sake of shameful gain, and armed children against their parents, and misinterpreted and overturned the divine commandments. But follow in a holy and sincere manner the laws enacted through the oracles — to which the holy Apostle also consistently said: "For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth." Or shall it be that if the perjurer is rich and makes an offering to the priest, he is absolved; but if he is poor and makes no offering, he is held accountable? But to do these things — or even to think them — is unlawful. For the Judge will say to you: "Did you suppose that I would be like you?" And how could that be? For the one who commanded his subjects not to receive gifts at the expense of the innocent surely would not have commanded the priests to be defiled by these shameful profits. But he said this so that, after the offenders have made restitution to those who were deprived, the priests might pray and fast together with the transgressors and procure for them absolution from heaven — not even entertaining the thought, "Come, let us inherit for ourselves the altar of God." For they are ministers, not partners; ambassadors, not judges; mediators, not kings. For those who, as the Apostle said, offer sacrifices even for their own sins, could surely not of their own authority remit sins even to the impenitent, should they be rich. For God did not permit the priests to traffic in these matters, nor did he decree that they should look to their own profit, but he legislated everything for the benefit of those under their care, wishing them to be a sanctuary of all purity and cleanness — as he made known both through the hierophant Moses and through himself; through the lawgiver saying, "If anyone should falsify a deposit, let him first restore what was taken, and then let him come to the temple."

ΜΓ΄. – ΕΡΜΙΝΟ ΚΟΜΗΤΙ. Τίνα ἔννοιαν ἔχει τὸ, «Ὑπόθες τὴν χεῖρά σου ὑπὸ τὸν μηρόν μου. » • ᾿Απόθες (42) τὴν χεῖρά σου ὑπὸ τὸν μηρόν μου, καὶ ἐξορκιῶ σε τὸν Θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, ἐνέτείλατο τελευτῶν ὁ ᾿Ἀβραὰμ τῷ οἰκέτῃ, τῶν ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ μέλλοντα σαρκοῦσθαι Θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν καὶ Δεσπότην Χριστὸν, καθαρότητι διανοίας ὁρῶν μέλλοντα τοῦ σπέρματος ᾿Αβραὰμ ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι, ὡς προφήτης καὶ βλέπων τὰ ἔμπροσθεν Ν΄. ΔΟΜΝΙΝΩ ΑΣΚΗΤΗ. Ἔδει τῆς αἰδεσιμότητος ἀεὶ σπουδάζοντα δια ΡΗΓ΄. – ΘΕΟΔΩΡΟ. Ὅτι τοὺς ἐν ἀρετῇ (1. ἐναρέτους) καὶ ὑπονοηθῆναι εἰς τι φαῦλον, λίαν ἀφόρητον. Ὑπονοηθῆναι ἐφ᾽ οἷς οὐ προσῆκον, τοῖς μὲν εἰς ἄκρον ἀρετῆς ἐληλακόσι, μεγίστην ἔχει συμφοράν· τὸ δὲ καὶ κριθῆναι, τοῖς σεμνοτέροις· τὸ δ᾽ ἀλῶναι, καὶ τοῖς ἀναλγήτως διακειμένοις. ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΑΡUM LIB. III. - ΕPIST. CCLX. τὸν ἱερέα ἐκμειλισσόμενος, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ τὸν ἀδικηθέντα ἐξευμενιζόμενος. Εἰ γὰρ τοῖς ἱερωμένοις νομίζεις δεδόσθαι τὴν τοιαύτην ἐξουσίαν, τῶν πλημμελούντων μὴ σπουδαζόντων ἀποτρίψασθαι τὰ πταίσματα, τυ- ραννικὸς μὲν εἶναι δόξει ὁ χρησμὸς, καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἱερατικὸν κέρδος μόνον ὁρᾷν (49)· τῶν δὲ ἀδικη- θέντων οὐδένα ποιούμενος λόγον · ὠμότατοι δὲ ἀπαν- θρωπότατα οἱ τὴν τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἐστεμμένοι λει- τουργίαν, μὴ πάντας ἀπολύοντες τῶν ἐγκλημάτων. Ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα, οὐκ ἔστι. Μὴ σαυτὸν παρα- λογίσῃ, μᾶλλον δὲ μὴ σαυτὸν καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντάς σου (50), εἰς βάραθρον ὥσῃς, μηδὲ τὰ τῶν Γραμ- ματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων κακὰ ἀνανεώσῃς, τῶν παρα- μυθίας τινὰς τοῖς ἐπιορκοῦσι δι' αἰσχρὸν κέρδος ἐπι» νοησάντων, καὶ τοὺς παῖδας κατὰ τῶν γονέων ὁπλι- σάντων, καὶ τὰς θείας παρερμηνευσάντων, καὶ ἀνα- τρεψάντων ἐντολάς· ἀλλ᾽ εὐαγῶς καὶ εἰλικρινῶς τοῖς διὰ τῶν χρησμῶν θεσμοθετηθεῖσιν ἔπου· οἷς καὶ ὁ ἱερὸς ᾿Απόστολος ἀκολούθως (51) Ελεγεν· « Οὐ γὰρ δυνάμεθά τι κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀλη- θείας. » Ἢ ἂν μὲν πλούσιος ἢ ὁ ἐπιορκήσας, καὶ προσενέγκῃ τῷ ἱερεῖ, ἀπολύεται· ἐὰν δὲ πένης καὶ μὴ προσενέγκῃ, εὐθύνεται. ᾿Αλλὰ ταῦτα οὗ φημι πράττειν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ἐννοεῖν θέμις. Ἐρεῖ γάρ σοι ὁ κριτής· « Ὑπέλαβες ἄν με (52), ὅτι ἔσομαί σοι ὅμοιος; » Καὶ πῶς οἷόν τε; Ὁ γὰρ προστάξας τοῖς ὑπηκόοις δῶρα ἐπ᾿ ἀθώοις μὴ δέχεσθαι, οὐκ ἂν δή που τοὺς ἱερωμένους τούτοις καταῤῥυπαίνεσθαι τοῖς αἰσχροῖς κέρδεσι προσέταττεν. 'Αλλὰ τοῦτο ἔφη, ἵνα μετὰ τὴν ἀπολογίαν τῶν ἀποστερηθέντων (53) συν- ευχόμενοι, καὶ συννηστεύοντες τοῖς πταίσασι, λύσιν αὐτοῖς οὐρανόθεν πορίσοιντο· ἐκεῖνο μηδ' εἰς νοῦν λαμβάνοντες το· « Δεῦτε, κληρονομήσωμεν ἑαυτοῖς τὸ θυσιαστήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ. » Λειτουργοὶ γὰρ εἰσιν, οὐ κοινωνοί - πρέσβεις, οὐ κριταί· μεσίται, οὐ βασι- λεῖς. Οἱ γὰρ καὶ περὶ οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων, ὡς ἔφη ὁ ᾿Απόστολος, θυσίας προσφέροντες, οὐκ ἂν δήπου ἐξ αὐθεντίας καὶ τοῖς ἁμετανοήτοις, εἰ καὶ πλούσιοι εἶεν, δύναιντ᾽ ἀφεῖναι ἁμαρτίας. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ τοῖς ἱερωμένοις καπηλεύειν τὰ πράγματα (54) ἐπέτρεψεν, οὐδὲ πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον κέρδος ὁρᾷν ἐθέσπι- σεν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ τῶν ἀρχομένων συμφέρον πάντα ἐνομοθέτησεν ὁ πάσης ἁγνείας καὶ καθαρότητος, ἀνάκτορον (55) αὐτοὺς εἶναι βουλόμενος, μεμήνυκε μὲν καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἱεροφάντου Μωσέως, μεμήνυκε δὲ καὶ δι᾽ ἑαυτοῦ· διὰ μὲν τοῦ νομοθέτου φήσας, ὅτι • Εί τις παρακαταθήκην νοθεύσειε, πρῶτον μὲν ἀποδιδότω τὰ ἀφαιρεθέντα, εἶτα ἡκέτω εἰς τὸν νεών, ΜΒ΄. – ΤΩ ΑΥΤΩ Εἰ εἰς τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ θέλημα καταρτήσαιμέν τι τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν λελυμασμένων, ἐξαίφνης ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς ἐπανορθώσεως ἐπιλάμψει λαμπρότερον, καὶ πρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν βίαν ἀκολουθήσομεν ὡς τῆς καταπαύσεως ἐκείνης ἀπαντλήσοντες. ΛΖ΄. - ΜΑΡΤΙΑΝΟ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ (16'). Διὰ τι ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἐρχόμενος ὁ Χριστὸς ταῖς κοπτομέναις γυναιξὶν ἐπετίμησεν. Ἐπειδὴ γέγραφας, δι' ἣν αἰτίαν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἐρχόμενος ἢ ἀπαγόμενος, ἐπετίμησε ταῖς κοπτομέναις αὐτὸν γυναιξίν (εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀγνοίας τὸ πρᾶγμα ἦν, ἀλλ᾽ οὖν γε καὶ ἐννοίας εἶχε γνώρισμα)· φημὶ, ὅτι ἐπειδὴ μὴ ἀκούσιον μηδ᾽ ἀβούλητον ἦν αὐτῷ τὸ πάθος, ὕβρεως αὐτῷ εἶναι εἰκότως τὸ συμ- παθὲς ἔδοξεν. Οὐχ ἡδὺ γὰρ, οὐδ᾽ ἀποδοχῆς ἄξιον τὸ συμπαθὲς, ᾧ μὴ πάθος ἀβούλητον τὸ πάθος. ΡΝΘ΄. – ΠΑΥΛΩ Οἱ τῶν ἀναξίων τυχόντες ὑψηλοφρονοῦσιν.