Letter 851: Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.

To Hermogenes. For my part, I consider that these two things belong to the teacher above all strength: purity of life and competence in speech. If someone defines the latter as a shadow of his works, he would not, it seems to me, stray from the truth, so that in one way he may give measure to the pupil, and in another way bring the disobedient to sound sense. For just as schoolmasters, taking up the pen, trace out the letters with great beauty and present them to the beginners, so that they may be able, as far as possible, to imitate them, so too the instructors must set before their disciples their own manner of life as a kind of image wisely drawn, so that they may imitate it as far as possible. But if those pupils, beholding a life that is not only beyond reproach but even wonderful, are still not led toward virtue, this is no longer to be reckoned to the charge of the teacher, who has omitted nothing of what ought to have been done, but to the laziness of the disciples. But since some say, "For what reason do they not keep their pupils from misdeeds by fear?"--we reply: And what fear of the instructor will impose a penalty? This, though it has often been tried, has not prevailed. Shall he persuade with the rod? But that is not permitted. Shall he disown him? This too has been proved [ineffective]. Cast him out of the city? But he is not master of so much. Promise him the kingdom of heaven? But to the more careless it seems to be a fable. Threaten him with the judgment? But they laugh when they hear it. Drive him out of the Church? That is easy at hand, but it brings no correction. For if, when someone had been justly condemned by one man, the whole Church thereafter were closed to him in succession, and all shared the indignation of the one who cast that vote, then perhaps that man, brought to his senses, would have come to recognition. But as it is, the moment a man is condemned by one, he is often cared for by another, and another Church lies open to him, with an escort [of supporters], and gifts, and the one who has been expelled gets [a position of] business dealings, or a transfer [to another see]. Then he does not say that he was condemned and cast out, but he pretends that he leaped away of his own accord. And if anyone asks him why, he fabricates accusations both terrible and seemingly damning of the [Church] that had received him. And certain men, who do not live rightly, having taken hold of these things and supposing that they have in this an excuse, as it were, for their own faults, magnify them and fill everything with words befitting their contrivances. And from these dealings the one who has stumbled is made no better, while for the one who corrects there results the appearance of being defiled. For these reasons, O wisest one, even the well-reputed among the teachers (and these are few) have grown numb about bringing the offenders to sound sense; since those who have burst into this office unfittingly (and these are many), regarding the good repute of others as their own misfortunes, undertake to overturn the verdicts of those who are reasonably indignant, so that wickedness may not be checked, but rather may be [encouraged]. About these men I know I shall speak rather burdensomely, yet I will speak; perhaps in some way a correction will follow. For what profit is there in lamenting those who are lost, when it is in our power, so far as it depends on us, to save them, while it is still possible? For those who ought not even to be ranked among the subordinates, these dare to leap upon the teacher's throne, and think to control the sanctuary [the chancel/altar platform]--men who have not gained control even of themselves; and they suppose they can guide others--men who have not been able to rule even themselves; through whom the affairs of the Church have been turned upside down.

Ἐγὼ τῷ διδασκάλῳ δύο ταῦτα προσείναι παντὶ ἀθένει (59) νομίζω, τήν τε τοῦ βίου καθαρότητα, τήν τε τοῦ λόγου ἱκανότητα, ἣν σκιάν τις τῶν ἔργων ὁριζόμενος, οὐκ ἄν μοι δοκῇ διαμαρτάνειν τῆς ἀληθείας, ἵνα πῇ μὲν ῥυθμίζῃ τὸν φοιτητὴν, πῇ δὲ σωφρονίζῃ τὸν ἀπειθῆ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ γραμματισταὶ τὴν γραφίδα λαβόντες μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ κάλλους τὰ στοιχεῖα χαράττουσι, καὶ τοῖς ἀριθμάθεσι παρέχουσιν, ἵν’ ὡς οἷόν τε μιμήσασθαι δυνηθεῖεν· οὕτω καὶ τοὺς ὑφηγητὰς χρὴ τὴν πολιτείαν τὴν ἑαυτῶν (40) εἰκόνα τινὰ σοφῶς γεγραμμένην τοῖς μαθηταῖς προτιθέναι, ἵν’ ὡς οἷόν τε μιμήσωνται. Εἰ δ’ ἐκεῖνοι μὴ μόνον βίον ἄληπτον, ἀλλὰ καὶ θαυμάσιον ὁρῶντες, οὐκ ἐνάγονται εἰς ἀρετὴν, τοῦτο οὐκ ἔτι τοῦ διδασκάλου τῆς ὀρίειται ἐγκλήματι, τοῦ μηδὲν παραλείψαντος τῶν ὀφειλόντων πραχθῆναι, ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν μαθητῶν ῥαθυμίας. Ἐπειδὴ δέ φασί τινες· Δι’ ἣν γὰρ αἰτίαν τῷ φόβῳ οὐκ ἀπείργουσι τοὺς φοιτητὰς τῶν ἐγκλημάτων (41); φαμέν· Καὶ τίς ὁ τοῦ παραιδευτοῦ φόβος ἐπιτιμήσει; Τοῦτο πολλάκις γεγενημένον οὐκ ἴσχυσε. Πείσαι τῇ βακτηρίᾳ; ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἔξεστιν. Ἀποκηρύξαι; καὶ τοῦτο ἐξελήλεγκται· τῆς πόλεως ἐκβαλεῖν; ἀλλ’ οὐ τοσούτου γε κύριος. Ἐπαγγείλασθαι τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν; ἀλλὰ μῦθος εἶναι δοκεῖ τοῖς ῥᾳθυμοτέροις. Ἀπειλῆσαι τὴν κρίσιν (42); ἀλλὰ γελῶσιν ἀκούσαντες. Ἐξελάσαι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας; πρόχειρον μὲν, ἐπανόρθωμα δὲ οὐκ ἔχον. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ (43) παρὰ τοῦ δεῖνος δικαίως κατεψηφισμένον πᾶσα ἐφεξῆς ἦν ἡ Ἐκκλησία ἄβατος, καὶ συννηνάκτουν ἅπαντες τῷ ταύτην θέμενῳ τὴν ψῆφον, ἴσως ἂν ἐκεῖνος σωφρονισθεὶς ἐγνωριμάζει. Νῦν δὲ ἅμα καπέγνωσταί τις ὑπὸ τούτου, καὶ παρ’ ἄλλου πολλάκις θεραπεύεται, καὶ Ἐκκλησίᾳ ἑτέρᾳ ἀνάπεπται μένῃ, καὶ δορυφορία (44), καὶ δῶρα, καὶ γίνεται τῷ ἐκβεβλημένῳ χρηματισμὸς, ἢ μετάστασις. Εἴθ’ ὅτι μὲν καταγνωσθεὶς ἐξελήθη, οὐ λέγει· ὡς δ’ ἐκὼν ἀπεπήδησε, τοῦτο δὲ πλάττεται (45). Κἂν ἔρηταί τις, διὰ τί, λογοποιεῖ καὶ δεινὰ καὶ τὰ τῆς ὑποδεξαμένης δοκοῦντα. Λαβόντες δὲ ταῦτα οὐκ ὀρθῶς βιοῦντές τινες, καὶ ὥσπερ ἀπολογίαν τῶν οἰκείων. πταισμάτων ταύτην ἔχειν οἰόμενοι, μεγαλύνουσιν, ἐμπιπλῶσι τὰ πάντα ῥημάτων, τοῖς κατεσκευασμένοις πρεπόντων. Ἐκ δὲ τούτων ὁ μὲν πταίσας οὐδὲν ἀμείνων καθίσταται· τῷ σωφρονιστῇ δὲ, τὸ δοκεῖν εἶναι μιαρῷ (46) περιγίνεται. Διὰ ταῦτα, ὦ σωφώτατε, καὶ οἱ εὐδόκιμοι τῶν διδασκάλων (ὀλίγοι δέ εἰσιν οὗτοι) ἀπενάρκησαν σωφρονίζειν τοὺς πλημμελοῦντας· ἐπειδὴ οἱ μὴ προσηκόντως εἰς ταύτην εἰσκωμάσαντες τὴν ἀρχὴν (πολλοὶ δέ εἰσιν οὗτοι) τὰς τῶν ἄλλων εὐδοκιμήσεις οἰκείας ἡγούμενοι συμφορὰς, τῶν εἰκότως ἀγανακτούντων τὰς ψήφους ἀνατρέπειν ἐπιχειροῦσιν, ἵνα μὴ σθεαθῇ ἡ κακία, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιρριδοῖτο. Περὶ ὧν φορτικώτερα μὲν οἶδα λέξειν, ὅμως δ' ἐρῶ. Τάχα πως διόρθωσίς τις παρακολουθήσει. (47). Τί γὰρ ὄφελος ἀπολωλότας θρηνεῖν, παρὸν, τόγε ἐφ' ἡμῖν, σῴζειν, ἡνίκα ἔξεστιν. Οἱ γὰρ μηδ' ἐν τοῖς ὑπηκόοις ὀφείλοντες τετάχθαι, οὗτοι ἐπιπηδῶν τῷ διδασκαλικῷ θρόνῳ τολμῶσι, καὶ τοῦ βήματος κρατεῖν οἴονται, οἱ μηδ' ἑαυτῶν κεκρατηκότες, καὶ ἄλλων ἐξηγεῖσθαι νομίζουσιν, οἱ μηδ' ἑαυτῶν ἄρξαι δυνηθέντες, δι' οὓς ἄνω καὶ κάτω γέγονε τὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας πράγματα.