Laus Diodori episcopi

Encomium on Diodorus the Bishop, who anticipated and delivered an encomium. 1. This wise and noble teacher, having first laid aside the infirmity of his body and ascended this throne, began for me the prelude of my discourse, addressing John the Baptist, and the voice of the Church, and the rod of Moses, and many other things besides these. And he praised then, and you cried out; but I, sitting far off, groaned bitterly. For he praised, displaying his love of children; you cried out, manifesting your brotherly love; and I groaned, weighed down by the mass of praises. For the magnitude of encomia is wont to bite the conscience no less than sins; and when someone who is conscious of no good in himself hears many and great good things said about him by others, reflecting on the present reputation and the coming day on which all things will be laid bare and exposed, and that the judge of that time will judge not from the opinion of the many but from the truth of the facts themselves (for he will judge not according to opinion, nor will he convict according to speech), considering all these things, I am pained by the praises and the favorable opinion of the many, seeing the great distance between this and the future verdict. For now we are hidden by certain masks, namely the opinions of the many.

On that day, with bare head, these masks having been removed, standing before the tribunal, we will be able to derive no benefit from the glory here for the vote there, but will be punished all the more severely for this very reason: that, having enjoyed many praises and much acclaim from the many, we have not become better even because of this. 2. Thinking over all these things, then, I groaned bitterly. Therefore I also rose quickly today, so that, before you who have heard those things, I might repel such glory. For when a crown is larger than the head of the one being crowned, it does not clasp the temples, does not settle on the head; but, becoming looser by its size, descending through the eyes, it becomes a necklace, and leaves the head uncrowned. This is precisely what we have suffered, the crown of encomia having appeared larger than our head’s worth. Yet, even with things being so, because of the affection present (or: abiding) toward him, the father did not desist before placing it upon us in whatever way. Thus also kings often act: taking the diadem that befits them, they place it on the heads of their children; then, when they see that the child’s crown is smaller than the crown, satisfied with this very act of simply placing it as it happened, they take it and place it upon themselves.

Since the father has placed upon us a crown befitting him, and it has proven greater than our own head—one he would not choose to place upon himself—let us take it from ourselves and set it again upon the father's head, which is fitting. For the name John is with us, but the understanding is with him; we received the appellation, but he acquired the wisdom. Therefore he would be more just than we to inherit the appellation; for it is not the sharing of names, but the kinship of deeds that customarily makes one synonymous, even if the names differ. For not as those who partake of external philosophy, but as Scripture is accustomed to philosophize about these matters. For they, unless the sharing of names coincides with the substance, say that synonyms do not occur. But Scripture does not do so; rather, when it sees great kinship in wisdom, even if different names are assigned to those who share in character with one another, it calls them by the same appellation. And the proof of this is not far to seek, but let us bring forward this very John, the son of Zechariah. For when the disciples asked whether Elijah would come again, he answered: "And if you are willing to receive him? This is Elijah who is about to come." And yet he was called John; but since he had the character of Elijah, he therefore gave him this appellation as well; because he acquired the spirit of Elijah, therefore also the name of Elijah. For both dwelt in desert regions; and one wore a sheepskin, the other a hair garment.

and likewise their table was cheap and simple. And one became the deacon of the former presence, while the other will be that of the future one again. Since, then, their manner of living, their clothing, their places of habitation, their service were one, and all things were equal for them, for this reason he also imposed one name upon both, showing that even if someone bears a different name, he can be synonymous with that one whose manner he has emulated. 4. Since, then, this canon is indisputable, and this is the precise definition of synonyms according to divine Scripture, come, let us show how this wise father of ours also emulated the manner of John, so that you may learn that he would more justly inherit that one's appellation. That one had no table, no bed, no house on earth; but neither did this one ever have any. And you are witnesses of this, how he spent his entire time, displaying an apostolic life, having nothing of his own, but being nourished by others, himself devoting himself to prayer and the teaching of the word. That one preached, dwelling beyond the river in the deserts; and this one, once taking the whole city beyond the river, taught sound doctrine. That one dwelt in a prison and had his head cut off for his boldness on behalf of the law; but this one also was often exiled from his homeland for his boldness on behalf of the faith, and often had his head cut off for this same cause, if not in experience, then in intention.

For the enemies of the truth, unable to bear the power of his tongue, wove countless plots from all sides, and from all of them the Lord delivered him. Let us therefore hear this tongue, for which he both was endangered and was saved. Concerning it, one would not err in saying what Moses said about the promised land. And what did he say about that? A land flowing with milk and honey. This too can be said about the tongue: a tongue flowing with milk and honey of this man. So that we may both enjoy the milk and be filled with the honey, here ending our own discourse, let us hear the lyre and the trumpet. For when I consider the pleasure of his words, I call his voice a lyre; but when I consider the power of his thoughts, a war trumpet, and such as the Jews had when they cast down the walls of Jericho. For just as then the sound of the trumpets, striking the stones more violently than fire, consumed and destroyed everything, so now his voice, no less than that trumpet, falling upon the strongholds of the heretics, demolishes arguments and every height raised against the knowledge of God. But so that you may learn these things not through our tongue but through his, let us end our own discourse, sending up glory to God, who provided such teachers, for to him is the glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.