Shepherds And Bishops

Καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἀπῆλθον ἀπ' αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν οἱ ἄγγελοι, οἱ ποιμένες ἐλάλουν πρὸς ἀλλήλους: διέλθωμεν δὴ ἕως Βηθλέεμ καὶ ἴδωμεν τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο τὸ γεγονὸς ὃ ὁ Kύριος ἐγνώρισεν ἡμῖν. Kαὶ ἦλθαν σπεύσαντες, καὶ ἀνεῦραν τήν τε Μαριὰμ καὶ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ καὶ τὸ βρέφος κείμενον ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ: ἰδόντες δὲ ἐγνώρισαν περὶ τοῦ ῥήματος τοῦ λαληθέντος αὐτοῖς περὶ τοῦ παιδίου τούτου. Kαὶ πάντες οἱ ἀκούσαντες ἐθαύμασαν περὶ τῶν λαληθέντων ὑπὸ τῶν ποιμένων πρὸς αὐτούς. Οἱ ποιμένες οὗτοι σύμβολόν εἰσι τῶν πνευματικῶν ποιμένων, τῶν ἀρχιερέων· δεῖ οὖν τοὺς ἀρχιερῖς φυλάσσειν τὴν ποίμνην αὐτῶν καὶ ἀγραυλεῖν, τουτέστιν, ᾄδειν πνευματικά τινα, καὶ διδάσκειν τὸν λαὸν, καὶ οὕτως ἀξιωθήσονται θείων θεαμάτων καὶ ἀκουσμάτων. Βηθλεὲμ δὲ ἑρμηνεύεται οἶκος τοῦ ἄρτου· τίς δὲ ἄλλος ἐστὶν ὁ οἰκος τοῦ ἄρτου, ἤ ἡ Ἐκκλησία, ἐν ᾗ ὁ ἄρτος ἀπόκειται; Ἔργον οὖν ἐστι τοῖς λογικοῖς ποιμέσιν ἐπιζτεῖν οὐράνιον ἄρτον· καὶ μεθ' ὃ ἴδωσι τὸν ἄρτον, ὀφείλουσι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις κηρύττειν· ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ ποιμένες ἰδόντες τὸ βρέφος, διελάλησαν καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις. Θεοφύλακτος Αχρίδος, Ἑρμηνεία Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Λουκαν, Κεφαλὴ Β' Source: Migne PG 123.724c-725a

And after the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord has revealed to us.' And they went with all speed and found Mary and Joseph and the infant laying in the manger. And looking, they understood the word that had been spoken to them concerning this child. And all that heard, they wondered at the things that were told to them by the shepherds. 1 These shepherds are a figure of spiritual shepherds and spiritual leaders. Therefore bishops must guard their flock and dwell in the fields, that is, they must sing spiritually and teach the people, even so that they will become worthy of receiving heavenly visions and voices. Bethlehem means 'house of bread,' and what else is the house of bread but the Church in which the bread is placed? Thus the work of the rational shepherd is to seek the heavenly bread, which when they have looked upon, they are obliged to preach to others, just as the shepherds who having looked upon the infant, spoke of him to others. Theophylact of Ochrid, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Luke, Chapter 2 1 Lk 2.15-20