Glory And Falls

Οὕτω  γὰρ καὶ Μωσέως ἧν δεδοξασμένον τὸ πρόσωπον· οὕτω και τῶν ἀποστόλων τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, οὕτω καὶ τῶν πάλαι τπῦ Θεοῦ προφητῶν, οὕτω  καὶ πάντων τῶν ἀληθῶς τοῦ Θεοῦ δούλων, ἀδοξως μενόντων καὶ πτωχῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον, τετιμημένων δὲ παρὰ τοῖς θεοσεβέσι διὰ τὴν ἐκ Θεοῦ  δεδομένην αὐτοῖς χάριν. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν, φησὶ καὶ ἠθέλησα , και εἶπον· Θεοί ἐστε· βουληθεὶς ὑμᾶς ὁμοίμως ἐμοὶ τῷ μέσῳ ὑμῶν ἐστῶτι Θεῷ υἱοὺς γενέσθαι τοῦ Ὑψίστου· ὑμεῖς δὲ τὴν χάριν ἠθετήσατε. Ταῖς γοῦν ἀνθρωπίναις κακίαις καὶ ταῖς ὑμετέραις ἁμαρτίαις ἐναποθνήσκετε. Ψυχὴ γὰρ ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα, αὐτὴ ἀποθανεῖται. Διὸ καὶ ὑμεῖς ὡς ἄνθρωποι ἀποθνήσκετε, καὶ ὡς εἶς τῶν ἀρχόντων πίπτετε. Ὡς γὰρ ἦν ποτε ὁ διάβολος τιμῆς ἠξιωμένος παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀρχοντικῶν ἀγγέλων εἶς· εἶτα μοχθηρᾷ προαιρέσει χρησάμενος ἀποπέπτωκε τῆς αὐτοῦ χώρας, ὡς εἰρῆσθαι περὶ αὐτοῦ Πῶς ἐξέπεσεν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὁ Ἑωσφόρος ὁ πρωὶ ἀνατέλλων; τοιοῦτοι τινες και ὑμεῖς γεγόνατε οὐκ ἐκ φύσεως ὄντες κακοὶ, χρησάμνοι δὲ οὐκ ἀγαθῇ τῇ προαιρέσει. Διὸ τὰ μὲν παρ' ἐμου εἰς Θεοῠ  τιμὴν ὑμᾶς ἐκάλει· ὑμεῖς δὲ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς πτώσεως μιμησάμενοι, ὡς εἶς , ὡς εἶς τῶν ἄρχοντα καὶ αὐτοὶ πίπτετε. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους, ψαλμος ΠΑ' Source: Migne PG 23.988c-989a

For as even the face of Moses was full of glory, so even the Apostles of our Saviour, so the prophets of old of God, and even every servant of God, that while they may have led an inglorious and poor life, they had honour for being holy men before God, given to them by grace. I certainly have wished and said, 'You are Gods' 1 I wished indeed you to be so, in the midst of you standing divine, to make sons of the High, but you had contempt for grace. In your human wickedness, then, and in your sin you perish. For the soul which has sinned, shall die.' 2 And so like men you die and like one of the princes you fall' 3 For as the Devil was once endowed with honour before God, and he was one of the great angels in heaven, by use of depraved counsel he fell from that place, concerning which it is said, ' How did Lucifer fall from heaven who in the morning rose'? 4 so also you were, not that you were evil by nature, but you did not choose good things. Truly these things which have gone out from me call you to honour before God. But you, imitating the prince who has fallen, like one of the princes have fallen. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 81 1 Ps 81.6 2 Ezek 18.4 3 Ps 81.7 4 Isaiah 14.12