Paraphrasis in Dionysium Areopagitam

to the better things; and on these matters, he philosophizes. Although here, perhaps the worse [parts of the soul] were treated unjustly by the better; yet the argument here is how the worse things commit injustice—I speak of anger and desire—since, wishing to hold the rule given to it by God, it is hindered by these. We are unjust, therefore, if we do not hasten to help the reason. Deservedly, then, the great Paul, writing to Timothy, commands that one who does not preside well over his own house should not be deemed worthy of the guardianship of the church. And the divine Gospels speak well: "He who is faithful in a little is also faithful in much." He himself, therefore, as we also said before, separated the things proper to reason, the things proper to anger, and the things proper to desire; that is, you yourself, do not correct or educate another, but yourself, separating for each soul-faculty the things according to their worth. And if the deacons [should be corrected] by the priests, and the priests by the hierarchs, and the hierarchs by the apostles and the successors of the apostles—for there were still some of the apostles in the world, and successors appointed by them—then each one will be corrected by the saints of equal rank, and the order will not be overturned. Such are the things from us for the sake of knowing yourself and your own order. But regarding the inhumanity toward the sinner, I do not know how I shall weep prophetically over the brokenness of the beloved Christian; for by what grace were you appointed a healer, being yourself unholy regarding the healing of us? And since you are such, it is time for you to seek another God and other priests, so that you might either be "beast-ified" by them or perfected, not knowing in what you stumble, and thinking you see when you truly do not see. The heaven was astonished at this according to Jeremiah, and I shuddered. And if I had not received your letter, I would not have believed another saying such things about you.