Letter 826: The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.

To Theodosios If you engage neither in shameful practices nor with those who indulge in them, it will win you bright praise from everyone. For to engage in them is base; but not to engage in them, while still consorting with those who do, ruins one's good name. For one must not even be suspected of doing what it is shameful to do, nor make companions of those who carry out such things. One must fear accusations, even when they are not true, since many, ignorant of the exact facts, look only to reputation, and judge each man to be of the same sort as the companions they observe him with, casting their verdict not from his deeds alone, but also from those who spend their time with him. For if you practice virtue, they say, what does your association with the worst of men mean?

Εἰ μήτε τοῖς αἰσχροῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασι, μήτε τοῖς χρωμένοις αὐτοῖς χρῶ, λαμπρὰν σοι παρὰ πάντων εὐφημίαν θήσει. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ χρήσθαι αὐτοῖς, ἀν- ελεύθερον· τὸ δὲ μὴ χρῆσθαι μὲν αὐτοῖς, τοῖς δὲ χρωμένοις χρῆσθαι, τὴν δόξαν λυμαίνεται. Χρὴ γὰρ μήθ’ ὑπονοεῖσθαι ποιεῖν, ἃ ποιεῖν αἰσχρόν· μήτε τοῖς διαπραττομένοις αὐτὰ ἐπιτηδείοις χρῆσθαι. Δεῖ γὰρ φοβεῖσθαι τὰς κατηγορίας, κἂν μὴ ἀληθεῖς ὦσιν, ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ τὴν ἀκρίβειαν ἀγνοοῦντες, πρὸς τὴν δόξαν ἀποβλέπουσι· καὶ τοιοῦτον ἕκαστον εἶναι κρί- νουσιν, οἵους ἂν τοὺς συνόντας θεάσωνται· οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν συνδια- τριβόντων φέροντες τὴν ψῆφον. Εἰ γὰρ ἀρετήν, φα- σίν, ἀσκεῖς, τί σοι βούλεται ἡ μετὰ τῶν κακίστων συνουσία;