Letter 64: Severus denies that he or his associates officiated without priestly rank or re-ordained clergy, and asks patricians to take the defense to the emperor.

Severus addresses the patricians as "rational stars" whose favor could dispel the darkness around him. He has heard that the emperor has been told two accusations: that some of Severus' associates have acted as priests without priestly rank, and that clergy have been re-ordained among them. Severus presents both accusations as slanders from people unable to attack the substance of his faith. He answers first from Scripture. Anyone who presumes to take priestly functions without being a priest stands under grave judgment: he recalls Dathan, Abiram, Korah, Uzzah, and Uzziah as warnings against touching sacred office without consecration. The Eucharistic mystery, he says, is Christ's own offering, approached only through the priesthood because Christ himself is priest, victim, and offering. Severus therefore places himself under a curse if he has knowingly officiated without ordination. He then denies the second charge. No one already admitted to the clergy has been re-ordained among them, and he anathematizes anyone who does so. If a cleric temporarily withdraws into monastic discipline and later returns to ministry, that is not re-ordination but ascetic training. Severus asks the patricians to bring this defense to the emperor, since it would be unjust for him to be condemned by default while nearby and able to answer the charges.

As the brightness of the stars brings comfort to those who in the depth of night raise their looks towards heaven, so it is good for us also, whose II. I. mind's eye is darkened by the darkness of sorrow, to look towards you the rational stars of the sacred Senate. 1 If we are allowed to enjoy your genial splendour, all the cloud of despondency will pass away, and we shall certainly see the sun also which is surrounded by you shining gently upon us as at hot noonday. It has come to the ears of our worthlessness that our pious Christ - loving king believed that some of us without having priestly rank are officiating as priests with profane hands and handling the sacraments. Such reports it is the practice of slanderers to put forth about us: who, being unable to accuse the orthodoxy of our faith for which we were persecuted, betake themselves to such unholy futilities. But our acts are known to everyone, even if we ourselves keep silent. Although we are sinners, yet we are not unversed in the divine scriptures, nor have we an uninstructed mind with regard to them (I forbear to say that we make these our meditation by night and by day, as we are commanded -). Trying therefore as we do to direct our own life by them, we know that all who coveted the priestly functions without being in the position of priests suffered sudden death. Such were Dathan and Abiram and the company of Korah: who wished to usurp the high-priestly office of Moses and Aaron, and dared to burn incense, and the earth opened and swallowed some of them up, ^ (rvyK\r]Tos fiiovXy]. ' Josh. i. 8. 11. I. while others were consumed by the strange fire. Another man. because he presumed to touch the sacred ark with profane hand when it leaned over and was about to be dashed to the ground, was immediately struck lifeless. And what of Uzziah the p- -24. king? Is it not the fact that, because he inconsiderately dared to be called a priest, he was smitten with the scab of leprosy between his eyes before he passed the sacred barrier^ or veil, and was thenceforth ashamed even to rei^n? How then could we who through mercy devote ourselves to the study of such teachings, and so know that there was power even in the legal shadowy service, have presumed to officiate as priests with unconsecrated hands at the heavenly sacrifice, which even to angels is inaccessible, but out of benignance has been made accessible to the priests only, because they typify Christ? For it is in truth He who down to the present time offers Himself every day on our behalf to God and the Father. Those who minister in the new covenant - do not ofier any new sacrifice upon the altar, but celebrate the memory of that one, in which Christ, God the Word the highpriest, the priesthood, the new and glorious victim, and noble oblation preparative for immortal life, offered Himself. In fact the wise Paul also in his epistle to the Hebrews says of Christ, " By one offering He hath perfected them that are sanctified:" - 8ia6t]K-q. '■' He. X. 14. 202. I. of many, shall appear a second time without sin, to those who look for Him for salvation through faith." ^ That Christ's mystery is inaccessible even to the v-^-ssublime hosts Isaiah the loud trumpet of the prophets bears witness who said that one of the suprasensual and immaterial hosts of the seraphs took a coal with the tongs and not in his hand, and laid it on his lips and said, " This shall purge thy sins." ^ That the coal signifies the one Christ made out of two elements, of the Godhead I mean and of the manhood which are each perfect, undoubtedly does not escape your God-loving" excellencies. Holding therefore to such right principles, in order to cause perfect confidence in what we say, we lay ourselves under the direst curse, to fall from the glory of the Holy Trinity and not attain to the hope promised to Christians, if we are conscious in ourselves that any such presumptuous deed has been committed by our fathers or is being committed. If anyone presumes to lay hands upon the priesthood without having received the sacred ordination lawfully and in accordance with the apostolic canons, let him be anathema, and let him be ranked with men that rob a sanctuary and lie in wait at altars.^ The other slander also we cast from us and assert that no one who has been admitted to the clergy in the churches has been re-ordained among us. Wherefore we even i>. 226. place under anathema the man who re-ordains these. ' Jd. ix. 28. ' Is. vi. 6, 7. ■'• I.e. UpocrvXoi and f3o)iJ.o\6\ou or says that they must bt.- re-ordained. I^ut, if anyone after he has been admitted to the clergy has turned his eye towards the soHtary mode of life, and, being" trained in the toilsome exercises of philosophy, and desiring to know how to bear contempt for Christ's sake, has debarred himself for a time from the ministry, this is not re - ordination (far be it!), but a philosophic and divine exercise which renders the priest more worthy of reverence. It is in fact the custom of our fathers to look to the soul's profit onl)'. and, when men ha-ve once taken upon themselves to practise philosophy, whether they be priests or whether they be kings, to lead them on through the performance of humble services, in order that by trampling upon pride they may imitate Him who humbled Himself for our salvation and became flesh and took the form of a slave. For the correct definition of philosophy is this, that a man imitate God as much as possible. Therefore, now that you know these things, we beg your glorious noble eminences to convey them to the ears of our Christ-loving triumphant king. For it is not just that, when we are near and able to give satisfactory answers to the slanders against us, that we should be condemned by default as if we were absent.