1 Timothy 3:1 Douay-Rheims

A faithful saying: if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

Augustine of Hippo

A.D. 354–430 Patristic

"I want to be a bishop; oh, if only I were a bishop!" Would that you were! Are you seeking the name or the real thing? If it's the real thing you're seeking, you are setting your heart on a good work. If it's the name you're seeking, you can have it even with a bad work but with a worse punishment. So what shall we say? Are there bad bishops? Perish the thought, there aren't any; yes, I have the nerve, the gall to say there are no bad bishops; because if they are bad, they aren't bishops. You are calling me back again to the name and saying, "He is a bishop, because he is seated on the bishop's throne." And a straw scarecrow is guarding the vineyard.

Source details
A.D. 430 · on 1Tim 3:1 (SERMONS 340A.6)

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.

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