The Gluttonous False Teachers and the True Shepherd

shepherd's implements

They think they have glory by making their own bellies gods through all-devouring, as if serving the belly and not the Lord Jesus, just as the Apostle writes about such people: 'they do not serve the Lord Jesus but their own belly' (Phil 3:19).

ch a mindset, the false teachers and false shepherds receive only meager and insufficient food as the reward for their teaching, being persuaded by the one who led them to this, saying: 'The worker is worthy of his food,' as they say and write more boldly: 'We are satisfied with the present,' meaning foods and coverings. Immediately, they also say of those they lead into this: 'We have brought nothing into the world, because we are not able to bring anything out. Having foods and coverings, we shall be satisfied with these.'

4.155 Those having virtue in this way speak boldly, saying: 'Silver and gold we do not have' (Acts 3:6).

4.156 Such teachers are useful; they do not crave the flesh of those being shepherded, having a desire for their spirit, 'striving' with them 'to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace' (Eph 4:3). Therefore, they do not turn away the ankles of those, but they steady and raise them up, so that they may run in the straight ways of the Lord and do what is necessary, having also the ankles of the hands made healthy.

4.157 And I said this regarding the ankles being of the hands, having learned this from the wise Daniel.

4.158 This may perhaps be equal to the turning of the ankles, or equivalent to what is said by the great prophet Elijah to those wavering between two paths: 'How long will you limp on both sides? If the Lord is, go after him; but if Baal, go after him' (1 Kings 18:21).

4.159 Clearly and vividly, having spoken in the manner of a threat, the prophet protects the shepherd who does not visit the failing sheep, nor seeks the scattered one, nor binds or heals the broken one, nor strives to direct the whole one so that it might be even more healthy; he urges the prophet to take shepherd's tools without skill or experience of a good shepherd, so that he might learn who is the one to whom he prophesies.

Greek

Καὶ εἶπεν Κύριος πρός με· Ἔτι λαβὲ σεαυτῷ σκεύη ποιμενικὰ ποιμένος ἀπείρου. ∆ιότι 128 ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐξεγείρω ποιμένα ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν· τὸ ἐκλιμπάνον οὐ μὴ ἐπισκέψηται καὶ τὸ διεσκορπισμένον οὐ μὴ ζητήσῃ καὶ τὸ συντετριμμένον οὐ μὴ ἰάσηται καὶ τὸ ὁλόκληρον οὐ μὴ κατευθύνῃ καὶ τὰ κρέα τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν καταφάγεται καὶ τοὺς ἀστραγάλους αὐτῶν ἐκστρέψει. 4.150 Τῶν λογικῶν προβάτων προαιρέσει τῇ ἑαυτῶν εἰς πολλὴν πλάνην καὶ βλάβην ἐληλυθότων, ἀπεφήνατο ὁ ἄριστος νομεύς· «Οὐ ποιμανῶ ὑμᾶς.» Τοῖς οὕτω ἀπροστασιάστοις παρὰ τὴν ἑαυτῶν αἵρεσιν γεναμένοις ποιμνίοις, παραδιδομένοις ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν, πάθεσί τε ἀτιμίας καὶ ἀδοκίμῳ νῷ, ποιμένα ἐγείρει ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παραδοὺς τοῖς προειρημένοις, οὐκ ἐπιστημονικῶς οὐδὲ φειδομένως βόσκοντα οὓς παρείληφεν, μᾶλλον βλάβης αὐτοῖς οἷς αὐτοὶ εἵλαντο αἴτιος ἀποδεικνύμενος, οὐ φροντίζων τοῦ ἐκλιμπάνοντος ἀποσφαλέντος τε καὶ πεπλανημένου τῆς συναγωγῆς καὶ ἀποκαταστάσεως πρὸς τὴν θείαν ἀγέλην ἧς ἔξω διὰ σφάλματος γέγονεν, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἑτέραν βλάβην ἀπαλέξων. 4.151 Οὐ ζητεῖ γὰρ τὸ σκορπισθέν, οὐκ ἰᾶται τὸ συντετριμμένον, οὐ κατευθύνει τὸ ὁλόκληρον, σκοπὸν καὶ σπουδὴν ἔχων κακῶν ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀγαθῶν αἴτιος εἶναι· πάντα γοῦν πράττει πρὸς αἰσχροκερδίαν καὶ τὸ αὐτῷ φίλον· τὰς σάρκας γοῦν κατεσθίει καὶ τοὺς ἀστραγάλους ἐκστρέφει τῶν ὑπ' αὐτῷ τεταγμένων. 4.152 Ἀλλ' οὐχ οἱ ἐπιστημονικοὶ ποιμένες ὑπάρχουσι τοιοῦτοι, δωρεᾷ Θεοῦ ταῖς ποίμναις δοθέντες, ὡς τὸν πάσης ὠφελείας Θεὸν φάναι· «∆ώσω ὑμῖν ποιμένας κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου, ποιμαίνοντας μετ' ἐπιστήμης.» Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἀγαθοὶ νομεῖς ὧν ἄρχει ὁ «τὴν ψυχὴν» ἑαυτοῦ «ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων» διδούς, «ἀγαθὸς ποιμὴν» ὤν; Περὶ τούτου ὁ τῶν ἀποστόλων πρόκριτος γράφει τοῖς ἡγουμένοις τῆς τῶν πιστῶν συνόδου· «Πρεσβυτέρους τοὺς ἐν ὑμῖν παρακαλῶ ποιμαίνειν τὸ ἐν ὑμῖν ποίμνιον μὴ ἀναγκαστῶς ἀλλ' ἑκουσίως, ἵνα φανερωθέντος τοῦ ἀρχιποίμενος κομίσησθε τὸν ἀμαράντινον τῆς δόξης στέφανον.» 4.153 Τῶν οὕτω νεμόντων ἃ παρέλαβον πρόβατα οὐδεὶς κατακυριεύει ὧν παρέλαβεν κλήρων, τῶν τοῦτο πραττόντων κατεσθιόντων τὰς σάρκας τῶν προβάτων, τὰ ἡδέα ζητούντων παρ' αὐτῶν, ἐν αἰσχύνῃ καὶ τῶν φερόντων αὐτὴν ἔργων δόξαν ἔχειν νομιζόντων, διὰ παντοφαγίας θεοποιούντων τὴν ἑαυτῶν κοιλίαν, ὡς δουλεύειν αὐτῇ καὶ μὴ τῷ Κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ, ὡς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου ὁμοίως περὶ τῶν τοιούτων γράφεσθαι ὡς «οὐ δουλεύουσιν τῷ Κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ ἀλλὰ τῇ ἑαυτῶν κοιλίᾳ». 4.154 Οὕτω γνώμης ἐχόντων τῶν ψευδοδιδασκάλων καὶ ψευδοποιμένων, οἱ ἄριστοι νομεῖς μισθὸν τῆς παιδεύσεως ἔχουσιν μόνην τροφὴν λιτὴν καὶ ἀπέριττον, πειθόμενοι τῷ εἰς τοῦτ' αὐτοὺς προαγαγόντι λέγοντι· «Ἄξιος ὁ ἐργάτης τῆς τροφῆς αὐτοῦ», ὡς παρρησιαστικώτερον λέγειν τε καὶ γράφειν· «Ἀρκούμεθα τοῖς παροῦσιν», τροφαῖς δηλονότι καὶ σκεπάσμασιν. Αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ τοὺς μιμητὰς αὐτῶν εἰς τοῦτο ἐνάγοντές φασιν· «Οὐδὲν εἰσηνέγκαμεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐξενεγκεῖν τι δυνάμεθα. Ἔχοντες διατροφὰς καὶ σκεπάσματα, τούτοις ἀρκεσθησόμεθα.» 4.155 Οἱ οὕτως ἀρετῆς ἔχοντες παρρησιαζόμενοι ἀπαγγέλλουσιν· «Ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον οὐχ ὑπάρχει ἡμῖν.» 4.156 Ὠφελητικοὶ οἱ οὕτω διδάσκαλοι οὐκ ὀρέγονται σαρκῶν τῶν ποιμαινομένων, τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτῶν πόθον ἔχοντες, «σπουδάζοντες» μετ' αὐτῶν «τηρεῖν τὴν ἑνότητα τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐν τῷ συνδέσμῳ τῆς εἰρήνης». ∆ιὸ οὐδὲ ἐκστρέφουσιν τοὺς ἀστραγάλους αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ κατορθοῦσιν καὶ διεγείρουσιν, ἵνα τρέχωσιν ἐν ταῖς εὐθείαις τοῦ Κυρίου ὁδοῖς καὶ πράττωσι τὰ δέοντα, ὑγιαίνοντας ἔχοντες καὶ τοὺς τῶν χειρῶν ἀστραγάλους. 4.157 Εἶπον δὲ τοῦτο ὅτι χειρῶν εἰσιν ἀστράγαλοι, μαθὼν τοῦτο πρὸς τοῦ πανσόφου ∆ανιήλ. 4.158 Ταὐτὸν τάχα εἶναι δύναται τῇ ἐκστροφῇ τῶν ἀστραγάλων ἢ ἰσοδυναμοῦν τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ μεγάλου προφήτου Ἠλίου πρὸς τοὺς ἐπαμφοτεριστὰς ἐπὶ δύο τρίβους ἐπιβαίνοντας· 129 «Ἕως πότε χωλανεῖτε ἐπ' ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς ἰγνύαις; Εἰ ἔστιν Κύριος, πορεύεσθε ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ· εἰ δὲ ὁ Βαάλ, πορεύεσθε ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ.» 4.159 Φανερῶς καὶ ἐναργῶς ὁ ἀπειλῆς τρόπῳ φήσας ποιμένα ἐγεῖραι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τὸ ἐκλιμπάνον πρόβατον οὐκ ἐπισκεπτόμενον, οὐδ' αὖ ζητοῦντα τὸ ἐσκορπισμένον, μὴ καταδεσμεύοντα μηδ' ἰώμενον τὸ συντετριμμένον, μὴ σπουδάζοντα κατευθύνειν τὸ ὁλόκληρον, ἵν' ἔτι μᾶλλον ὑγιαίνῃ, προστάττει τῷ προφήτῃ λαβεῖν ποιμενικὰ σκεύη ἀπείρου, οὐ τέχνην οὐ πεῖραν ἀγαθοῦ νομέως ἔχοντος, ἵν' ἐπιστήσῃ τοὺς οἷς προφητεύει τίς ἡ

About this text

Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.

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Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)

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