Didascalia Apostolorum (Gibson translation) (chapters 6–10)

Didascalia Apostolorum (Gibson translation)

continued

Chapter 6

1 Also teaches the Bishop, that he judge him that sins, as God, and not spare him; that he receive in love him that repents and pardon him, and that he adhere not to the passions of the laity, and shut the door in the face of those who repent, but according to the greatness of his honour he carry the burden of all men's sins; with demonstration and threatening from Ezekiel, about Bishops who despise their flocks or about laymen who contemn the Bishop. 2 Therefore judge severely, O Bishop, like Almighty God, and receive those who repent with compassion like God; and reprove, and beseech and teach, for even the Lord God has promised with oaths pardon to those who have sinned, as Ezekiel the prophet has said, "And thou, son of man, say to them of the house of Israel; Thus ye say, our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and in them we pine away; how should we then live? Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I do not wish the death of the sinner, but that the wicked should repent of his evil way and live; repent therefore and turn from your evil deeds, and ye shall not die, ye house of Israel. Here therefore he gives hope to those who have sinned when they repent, that they may have forgiveness in their repentance; and their hope may not be cut off, and that they may not remain in their sins, nor add to these; but that they may repent and weep for their sins, and be converted with all their heart; and those who have not sinned may remain without sins; lest these also should have need of weeping and sighings and forgiveness. How knowest thou, O man that hath sinned, how many may be the days of thy life in this world that thou mayest repent, for thou knowest not thy departure from this world;

3 lest thou shouldst die in thy sins and have no repentance, as it is said in David, "In Sheol who confesseth to Thee? Therefore every one who hath pity on himself and remaineth without sins, may remain without danger; so that the righteousness which was done by him of old may be kept for him. Thou therefore, O Bishop, judge thus, first severely, and afterwards receive with mercy and clemency [him who] has promised to repent, reprove him and make him sorry and persuade him, because of the word that was said in David thus, "Thou wilt not give up the soul of him that confesseth to Thee. Again, in Jeremiah He saith thus, about the repentance of those that sin, "He that falleth, shall he not rise; or he that turneth away [shall he] not turn back? Why hath My people turned away with a shameless turning; they are held fast in their thoughts, and do not wish to repent and be converted. Because of this therefore receive him who repenteth, not doubting in the least, and be not prevented by those who have no mercy, those who say, We must not be defiled by those. For the Lord God hath said, "The fathers shall not die for the children, nor the children for the fathers.

4 And again in Ezekiel he saith thus, "The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, when a land sinneth against Me, and doeth wickedness before Me, I will stretch out My hand against it, and I will destroy from it the staff of bread, and I will send famine upon it, and I will destroy from it man and beast. Though these three men were in it, Noah, and Daniel, and Job, they should deliver their souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God. The Scripture therefore plainly sheweth that if the righteous be found with the wicked, he will not perish with him, but every man shall live by his righteousness, and if he be prevented, he is prevented by his own sins. In Wisdom again He saith, "Every man is bound with the cord of his sins. Every one of the laity therefore shall give an account of his own sin and no man will be hurt because of the foreign sins of others. Not even Judas did cause us any loss by praying with us, but he alone perished. Noah also in the Ark and two of his sons who were saved, were blessed; but Ham, the other, was not blessed; but his seed was cursed, 'because he mocked at his father, for going out to the beasts'. We do not require you therefore to confirm those who delight in death, hate their brethren, and love quarrels, for which reason they are ready to kill;

5 but help those who are very sick, and are in danger and sin, and deliver them from death, not according to the hardness of their heart and their word and their thoughts. For it is not required of thee, O Bishop, that being the head thou shouldst listen to the tail, that is to say, to the layman, to the quarrelsome man who delights in the destruction of another; but look thou only at the command of the Lord God, and for this reason, that they may not expect to perish, nor be defiled with the sins of others. Cut away also their evil thoughts. Even in Ezekiel the Lord God saith thus, "The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, why use ye this proverb in the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge. As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not use this proverb any more in Israel, because all souls are mine; the soul of the father is mine, thus also the soul of the son is mine; the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

6 If a man be righteous, and doeth judgment and righteousness, and eateth not upon the mountains, and lifteth not up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and defileth not his neighbour's wife, and cometh not near to a woman in her separation, and hath not acted to any one with violence, and even returneth the pledge of the debtor which he hath taken, and clotheth the naked with a garment, and giveth not out his money to usury, and taketh not with avarice, and withdraweth his hand from iniquity, and judgeth true judgment between man and man, and walketh in my laws, and doeth my statutes and keepeth them; this is a righteous man, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God. If he beget an evil son who sheddeth blood and doeth murder, and walketh not in the way of his righteous father, and eateth on the mountains, and defileth his neighbour's wife, and oppresseth the poor and needy, robbeth with violence, and returneth not the pledge that he hath taken; lifteth up his eyes to the idols, doeth iniquity, giveth out his money to usury, and taketh with avarice, he shall not live, because he hath done all this iniquity, he shall surely die, and his blood shall be upon him. Now if he beget a son, and he seeth all these sins that his father hath done, and feareth, and doeth not like unto him;

7 and eateth not upon the mountains, and lifteth not up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and defileth not his neighbour's wife, and oppresseth no man, and taketh no pledge, and robbeth not with violence; and giveth his bread to the hungry, and clotheth the naked with a garment, and withdraweth his hand from iniquity, and taketh not usury and avaricious gain, and doeth righteousness, and walketh in My laws, he shall not die in the iniquity of his father, but he shall surely live. But his father, because he hath grievously oppressed, and robbed with violence, and hath not done good to My people, he shall die in his iniquity. And ye say, Why is not the son punished for the iniquity of his father? because the son hath done righteousness and mercy, and hath kept all My commandments and done them, he shall surely live; and the soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not be recompensed for the sins of his father, and the father shall not be recompensed for the sins of his son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him. If the wicked man turn from all his iniquity that he hath done, and keep all My commandments, and do judgment and righteousness, he shall surely live, and shall not die, and all the iniquity that he hath done shall not be remembered unto him, but in the righteousness that he hath done shall he live;

8 because I have no pleasure in the death of the sinner, saith the Lord God, but every one that turneth from his evil way shall live. And if the righteous turn away from his righteousness, and do iniquity, according to all the iniquity that the wicked man hath done, all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be remembered to him, but in the iniquity that he hath done, in the sins that he hath sinned shall he die. And ye say, His way is not good. Hear, ye house of Israel, My way is good, but your ways are not good. If the righteous man turn away from his righteousness, and do iniquity, in the iniquity that he hath done shall he die; and if the wicked man turn away from his iniquity that he hath done, and do judgment and righteousness, he shall save his soul, because he hath turned from all his iniquity, he shall surely live, and shall not die. And ye of the house of Israel say, The way of the Lord is not good. My way is good, O ye of the house of Israel, but your ways are not good. Because of this I will judge every one of you according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and be converted from all your iniquity and wickednesses, and these shall not be an evil punishment to you.

9 Cast away and remove from you all the wickedness that ye have done wickedly, and make you a new heart and a new spirit, and ye shall not die, O ye of the house of Israel. For I have no pleasure in the death of the sinner, saith the Lord God, wherefore turn and live. See, dear and beloved children, how many are the mercies of the Lord our God, and His goodness and clemency towards us. He requireth from those who have sinned that they repent; and in many places He speaketh about these things, and giveth no place to the opinion of those who are hard-hearted, and who wish to judge sharply and without mercy, and to cast completely away those who have sinned, as if there were no repentance for them. But God is not thus, but He calls even sinners to repentance, and gives them hope, but those that have not sinned He teaches and says to them, that they must not expect that we should bear or share in the sins of others. Simply therefore receive those that repent, not doubting. For He saith in the Prophet thus, "And thou, Son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day that he doeth evil, and the avarice of the wicked shall not hurt him in the day that he repenteth from his iniquity; and the righteous shall not be able to live in the day that he sinneth.

10 When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, if he trust to his righteousness, and do iniquity, all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be remembered to him, but in the iniquity that he hath done shall he die. 11 When I say to the wicked that he shall surely die, and he turneth from his sin, and doeth his righteousness; returneth the pledge which he hath taken, and payeth back that which he hath violently robbed, and walketh in the statutes and commandments of life that he may not do iniquity; he shall surely live and not die, and all the sins that he hath sinned shall not be remembered unto him; he hath done judgment and righteousness, he shall surely live. And the children of thy people say, ." 12 It is required of you, O Bishops, according to the Scriptures, that ye judge those who sin with pity and mercy. For him that walketh on the brink of a river and falleth, if thou leave him in the river, thou pushest and throwest him down and committest murder; or when a man has fallen by the side of a river's brink, and nearly perishes, stretch out thy hand to him quickly and draw him up that he perish not: thus therefore do, that thy people may learn and be wise, and also that he that sinneth, may not perish utterly, but that thou mayest look to him that hath sinned, be angry with him, and command them to put him out. And when he is put out, be ye not angry with him, and contend with him, but let them keep him outside of the Church, and then let them go in and make supplication for him, for even our Saviour made supplication to His Father for those that had sinned, as it is written in the Gospel, "My Father, they know not what they do, nor what they speak, yet, if it be possible, forgive them. Then thou, O Bishop, command him to come in, and thyself ask him if he repents. If he be worthy to be received into the Church, appoint him days of fasting according to his fault, two, or three, or five, or seven weeks, and thus allow him to go, saying to him all that is proper for admonition and doctrine.

13 Reprove him, and tell him to be humble-minded, and to pray and make supplication in the days of fasting, that he be found worthy of the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in Genesis, "Thou hast sinned, cease. Let thy repentance be with thee, and thou shalt have power over it. Look also at Miriam the sister of Moses, when she had spoken against Moses, and afterwards she repented, and was thought worthy of forgiveness, it was said by the Lord, "If her father had but spit in her face, would she not have been ashamed and separated for seven days without the camp, and then she would have come in? Thus also it is required of you to act towards those who promise to repent of their sins. Put them out of the Church as it is proper for their faults, and afterwards receive them as a merciful Father. If then the Bishop himself cause scandal, how can he rise and search for the sin of any one, or reprove for it, and command sentence by his hands? by respect of persons or gifts that they receive? either he or his deacons, whose conscience is not clear. They cannot contend in the help of the Bishop, for they fear lest they should hear as from a courageous man, this word that is written in the Gospel, "Why seest thou the straw that is in thy brother's eye, but observest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

14 Thou hypocrite, take first the beam out of thine eye, and then shalt thou explore clearly to take out the straw from thy brother's eye. Because [of this] therefore the Bishop fears the Deacons, lest they hear the word of the Lord from him that sinneth as from a courageous man. For he does not know that it is dangerous for a man to speak against the Bishop, and in all that place there will be a scandal, for he that hath sinned is wanting in reason, and doth also not spare his soul. Because of this therefore for every reason for which the Bishop fears, he makes himself as one who does not know him that hath sinned, and he passes away from him, and does not reprove nor correct him; and because of this, Satan, when he finds opportunity, will rule by means of one, also of others. God forbid that this should be! and should happen thus, that the flock becomes so as it can never again be, for many sinners being found, evil becomes a force, because sinners are not corrected and reproved so that they may repent. In every man there is an incitement to sin, and it is fulfilled that was said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples, but ye have made it a den of thieves.

15 If then the Bishop does not keep silence before them that sin, but reproves and censures them, and corrects and admonishes and punishes him that hath sinned, he also throws fear on others; for it is required of the Bishop that by means of his doctrine he should be a preventer of sins unto death, and an exhorter to righteousness, and by the admonition of his doctrine a guide to good works, a glorifier and exalter of good things to come, that are promised by God in the place of eternal life; and a preacher also of future wrath by the judgment of God, by the threat of cruel fire, quenchless and unbearable. Let him know the effect of the will of God, that he may not despise any one, for our Saviour has said, "See that ye despise not any one, not one of these little ones who believe in Me. Therefore let the Bishop care for every one: for those who have not sinned that they may remain as they are without sin; also for those who have sinned, that they may repent, and let him give them pardon for their sins, as it is written in Isaiah that the Lord hath said, "Loose all the bands of wickedness, and cut all the burdens of deceit and of oppression."

16 Therefore, O Bishop, teach, and reprove, and loosen by pardon, and know that thy place is that of God Almighty, and thou hast received power to forgive sins, for it is said to you Bishops, "All that ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; and all that ye shall loose shall be loosed. As therefore thou hast power to loose, know thyself and thy conduct and thy works, that in this life they may be of thy place, but there is no man among the sons of men who is without sins, for it is written, "There is no man that is pure from the uncleanness of sin, no, not one, even if he have lived only one day in this world. Because of this the conversation and the conduct of the works of the righteous, and of the first Fathers were written, that it might be known that in each one of them was found just a little sin, that it might be known that the Lord God alone is sinless, as David said, "That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings and be clear in thy judgments. For the uncleanness of the righteous is to ourselves a comfort and a consolation and a good hope, that we, though we have also sinned a little, have an expectation of getting pardon. There is therefore no man without sin.

17 But thou, according to thy strength, be diligent that thou be not overtaken in aught, and be careful about every one, lest any man should be offended, and should perish because of thee; because the layman is careful of his own soul alone, but thou carriest the weight of every man, and it is a very great burden that thou bearest; "for he to whom the Lord hath given much, from him much will be required. Forasmuch, therefore, as thou bearest the burdens of all men, be watchful. For it is written that the Lord said to Moses, "Thou and Aaron shall bear the sins of the priesthood. For thus, as thou shalt give a sufficient answer for many, so thou shalt care for every one; that thou mayest keep those that are whole, and admonish those that sin, and correct and reprove and punish and lighten them by means of repentance and pardon; and when a sinner repents and weeps, receive him; and when the people have prayed for him, lay [thy hands] upon him, and allow him thenceforth to be in the Church. Those who sleep and are negligent restore and rouse and confirm, and pray for them and heal them, for thou knowest where is the reward to thee if thou hast done thus; so if thou neglectest it, a great danger will come upon thee. For the Lord hath said in Ezekiel about the Bishops who despise their people thus:

18 "The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Woe to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves, and the shepherds do not feed My flock. Ye eat the milk, and clothe yourselves with the wool, and ye kill her that is fat, but ye feed not the flocks. Her that is sick have ye not cured; her that is weak have ye not strengthened; her that was broken have ye not bound up; her that had wandered have ye not brought back; and her that was lost have ye not found; but with violence and levity have ye ruled them; and My flock is scattered without a shepherd; it has become meat to the beasts of the field. My own flocks are wandering on all high mountains and on all the face of the earth. Thou shalt leave the ninety and nine on the mountain, and go to seek her that was lost; and when thou findest her carry her upon thy shoulders, rejoicing, because thou hast found her that was lost; bring her and mingle her with the flock. Thus obey thou also, O Bishop; visit the one that is lost, and seek the one that has wandered, and restore the one that is far away, because thou hast power to forgive the sins of him that has fallen...for thou fillest the place of the Christ.

19 Because of this also our Saviour said to him that had sinned, "Thy sins are forgiven thee; thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. Peace then is the Church of quiet and rest; she in whom He established those whom He loosed from their sins whole and without spot, having a good hope, and being diligent in the cultivation of works and afflictions. As a wise and sympathetic physician He cures all men, and mostly those who have wandered in their sins, for "the whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick. Thou also, O Bishop, art made the physician of His Church, therefore do not restrain the medicine that thou mayest heal those that are sick in their sins, but cure them by every means and make them whole and establish them safe in the Church; that thou be not taken by this word which the Lord spake, "Ye have ruled them with violence and levity. Lead not therefore with violence; be not vehement, nor judge sharply, nor be merciless, nor deride the people who are under thy hand, nor hide from them the word of repentance, for that would be to have ruled them with violence and levity.

20 But if ye oversee my people harshly and punish them with violence, and drive them and expel them, and do not receive them that have sinned, but harshly and mercilessly hide repentance from them, thou wilt even be a helper in their conversion to evil, and in scattering the flocks to be food for the beasts of the field, that is to say, to the wicked men of this world, but not to men in truth, but to the beasts, to the heathen, to the heretics; for him who goes out of the Church they follow immediately, like evil beasts, to swallow him for food; because of thine own harshness, he then that goeth out of the Church, either goeth and entereth in unto the heathen, or plunges into heresies; he will be entirely a stranger, and be removed from the Church, and from the hope of God, and thou wilt be guilty of his ruin, because thou wert ready to put out and to cast away those who sin; and when they repented and returned, thou didst not wish to receive them. Behold, thou art fallen under the condemnation of this word which said, "Your feet hasten to evil, and are swift to shed blood; affliction and misery are in their paths, and the way of peace have they not known. The Way of Peace is our Saviour, as He said, "Forgive the sins of those who sin, that your sins also may be forgiven;

21 give and it shall be given unto you," which is, "Give the pardon of sins, that you also may receive pardon. He also teaches us that we should be constant in prayers at all times, and that we should say, "Forgive us our debts and our sins, as we also forgive our debtors. For if thou forgivest not those that sin, how canst thou receive forgiveness? Behold, will not thy mouth accuse thee, and thou wilt convict thyself of having said, "I forgive" when thou hast not forgiven, but hast verily murdered; for he who puts any one out of the Church without mercy, what else does he do but murder bitterly, and shed blood without pity? For if a righteous man is unjustly killed by any one by means of the sword, he is received to rest with God; but he who puts any one out of the Church and receives him not again, kills verily evilly and bitterly for eternity; and God gives to be food to cruel fire for ever, him who puts out of the Church, and does not look at the mercy of God, and does not remember His goodness to the penitent, and does not bear the likeness of the Christ, nor pay attention to any people who repent of the multitude of their failings that they may receive pardon from him.

22 It is required of thee then, O Bishop, that the things which happened of old should be put before thine eyes, that from them thou mayest understand and be taught the cure of souls, and admonition and reproof and intercession. When thou judgest men, compare cautiously and with much investigation, and cleave to the will of God; and according as He acts, thus ought ye also to act in your judgments. Hear therefore, O Bishop, in regard to these things, an example that is congruous and helpful. It is written in the fourth Book of Kingdoms, and in the second Book of Days thus, that "in these days Manasseh reigned, being twelve years old, and for fifty years he reigned in Jerusalem; the name of his mother was Apheeba (Hephzi-bah). He did that which was evil before the Lord, like the abomination of the peoples, whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel. He returned and built the high places for the sacrifices which Hezekiah his father had thrown down. He raised statues to Baal, and made abominations like as Ahab king of Israel had done. He made altars to all the army of Heaven, and worshipped all the powers of Heaven. He built an altar to demons in the house of the Lord, where the Lord had said, "In Jerusalem is My house, I will put My name there for ever. Manasseh served the high places and said, My name shall endure for ever.

23 He built an altar to all the army of Heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. "He caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom; he used auguries and sorceries; he made soothsayings and incantations and divinations, and wrought many evil things in the eyes of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. He set a molten and carved image of the abomination which he had made, in the house of the Lord, where the Lord had said to David and to Solomon his son, that in this house, and in Jerusalem which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name for ever. Nor will I any more restrain My feet from the land of Israel which I have given to your fathers, only if they keep all that I have commanded them, according to all the commandments which I commanded my servant Moses, and they did not hear. Manasseh caused them to err, to do evil before the Lord, according to the works of the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel. "The Lord spake with Manasseh, and to his people by the hand of his servants the prophets, and said, Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations in Jerusalem, like as did the Amorites who were before him, and has also made Judah to sin by his idols;

24 therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold I bring such evil things upon Jerusalem and upon Judah, that the two ears of every one that heareth them shall tingle. I will stretch over Jerusalem that measure of Samaria, and the weight of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipeth a water-vessel when he turneth it on its face. I will give the remnant of Mine inheritance to the sword, and will deliver them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall be for a prey and a spoil to all that hate them, because they have done evil before mine eyes, because they have been provoking from that day that I have brought out their fathers from Egypt until this day. Manasseh also shed much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from rim to rim with the slain, because of the sins which he committed; and he made Judah to sin in doing evil before the Lord. "And He brought against them the captains of Assyria; and they took Manasseh and bound him, and threw chains about him and carried him to Babylon in a copper star, and shut him up in prison, having completely chained and bound him in irons. Bread of husks was given to him by weight, and water mixed with vinegar in small measure, that he might be alive and afflicted and heavily troubled.

25 "When he was much afflicted he sought the face of the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. He prayed to the Lord God, and said: 26 The Prayer of Manasseh. 27 Lord God of my fathers! God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and of their righteous seed, who hast made the heavens with all their array, who hast chained the sea and established it by the command of Thy word, who hast bound the abyss and hast sealed it by Thine awful and glorious name; Thou before whose power everything trembles and shakes because of the unbearable greatness of the splendour of Thy glory, and no man can bear to stand before the anger of Thy wrath against sinners; whose mercies are infinite and measureless; for Thou art a Lord who is longsuffering and merciful and very gracious, and Thou regrettest the evils of the sons of man; Thou, Lord, according to the kindness of Thy goodness, hast promised forgiveness to those who repent of their sins, and in the greatness of Thy mercies Thou hast appointed repentance for the salvation of sinners. Thou, therefore, Lord God of the righteous, didst not appoint repentance to our father Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob, nor even to those who had never sinned against Thee. Yet thou hast appointed repentance to me, for I am a sinner, because my sins are more than the sand of the sea. I have not breath to lift up my head for the multitude of my iniquities. And now, Lord God, behold, I am justly afflicted, and I am grieved as I deserve. Behold, I am chained and bent by a multitude of iron chains, so that I cannot lift up my head.

28 Nor am I worthy to lift up mine eyes and look and see the height of heaven because of the multitude of my wickednesses, for I have done evil things before Thee, and I have kindled Thy wrath and set up idols, and multiplied abominations. And now behold, I bend the knees of my heart before Thee, and seek Thy kindness. I have sinned, Lord, I have sinned. Because I know my sins, I supplicate before Thee, forgive me, Lord, and destroy me not in my follies. Be not angry with me for ever, nor keep my evil deeds, nor hold me guilty nor cast me down to the lower parts of the earth. For Thou, O Lord, art the God of those who repent, therefore even in me, Lord, shew Thy goodness, for though I am unworthy, save me according to Thy mercies. Therefore I will praise Thee at all times, and all the days of my life; for all the powers of Heaven praise Thee, and sing to Thee for ever and ever. And the Lord heard the voice of Manasseh, and had mercy upon him. There came upon him a flame of fire, and all the irons with which he was chained were melted and loosened; and the Lord delivered Manasseh from his afflictions, and restored him to Jerusalem to his kingdom; and Manasseh knew the Lord, and said that He was God alone, with all his heart and with all his soul all the days of his life.

29 He was counted righteous, and slept with his fathers, and Amon his son reigned after him. Ye have heard, dear children. Like as Manasseh worshipped evil idols bitterly, and killed the righteous, and when he repented, the Lord forgave him, although there is no sin worse than the worship of idols, yet a place for repentance was given. But to him who saith, Good things shall happen to me though I walk in the perverse will of my heart, thus saith the Lord, I will stretch out My hand upon him, and he shall be for a history and a proverb, because Amon son of Manasseh having taken counsel with the counsel of law-breaking said, My father from his childhood was very wicked, and good in his old age; I also will act now according to the lusts of my soul, and at the last I will repent towards the Lord. He did that which is evil before the Lord. He reigned two years only. Therefore the Lord God destroyed him from the good land. Therefore take heed, ye who have no faith, lest any of you should confirm in his heart the calculation of Amon son of Manasseh and perish quickly and swiftly. Therefore, O Bishop, keep with strength as thou canst those who have not sinned, that they may remain without sinning, and those who repent of sins heal and receive.

30 For if thou receive not him who repents, because thou art merciless, thou sinnest against the Lord God, because thou dost not obey our Lord and God in acting as He acted; for even He to that woman who had sinned, her whom the elders placed before him and left it to judgment at His hands, and went away; He then who searcheth the hearts, asked her and said to her, "Have the Elders condemned thee, my daughter? She saith to him, No, Lord. And our Saviour said, Go, and return no more to do this, neither do I condemn thee. In this therefore let our Saviour and King and God be to you a sign, O Bishops! be like Him, that ye may be gentle and humble and merciful and clement, and peacemakers and without anger, teachers, and reprovers, and receivers and persuaders. Be not wrathful and be not tyrants, nor contemptuous, nor haughty, nor boasters.

Chapter 7

1 Again a broad doctrine about the Bishop himself, that with much diligence he take care of his flock and admonish and encourage them, and teach them, that they may not cut off hope about themselves when they fall; and a great consolation to those who are shaken and are converted repenting, and a great condemnation upon the Bishop who receiveth not those who repent, and a command to him that he be gentle and kind towards the children of his people, and be not harsh and angry. 2 "Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord God. Forasmuch as my flock is for a prey and for meat to all the beasts of the wilderness, without a shepherd, and the shepherds have not sought my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock, therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at your hands, and cause them to cease from any more feeding My flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more, but I will deliver My flock from your hands, that they may not be meat for them. For thus saith the Lord God, Therefore behold I will visit my flock, and will seek them out, as a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day of storm, being amongst them, thus will I seek out my flock and gather it, from all the places where they have been scattered, in the day of cloud and darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the lands, and bring them into their own land, and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, and in all the waste places of the land. In a good and fat pasture I will feed them, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall be the glory of their splendour, and there they shall lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed in the mountains of Israel.

3 I will feed My flock, and I will establish them, saith the Lord God, I will seek that which is lost, and restore that which has wandered, and bind up that which is broken, and strengthen that which is sick, and I will keep that which is fat and strong, and will feed them with judgment. And you My flock, the flocks of My pasture, thus saith the Lord my Lord, Behold I judge between sheep and sheep, and between ram and ram. Is it a small thing unto you that ye eat up the good and fat pasture, and the rest of your pasture ye tread down with your feet, and My flock drank what is trodden down by your feet. Therefore thus saith the Lord my Lord, Behold I judge between sheep and sheep, and between those that are sick; because ye thrust with your sides and your shoulders, and with your horns ye pierced all the sick ones, until ye scattered them out. And I will save My flock, and they shall no more be for a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up 'a shepherd over them, and David My servant shall be captain among them, I the Lord have spoken. I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land, and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the wood; and I will give them a blessing round about my hills.

4 I will send down the rain in its season and it shall be a rain of blessings. The trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her produce, and they shall dwell safely in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have cut the nooses of their yoke, and I have delivered them from the hand of those who made them to serve. And they shall no more be for a prey, nor shall the beast of the field devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and there shall be none to make them afraid. And I will raise up for them a Plant of renown, that they may no more bear the shame of the nations; and they shall know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they of the house of Israel are My people, saith the Lord God."

5 Hear therefore, ye Bishops, and hear, ye laymen, that as the Lord hath said, I will judge between ram and ram, and between sheep and sheep, that is to say, between Bishop and Bishop, and between layman and layman; for if the layman love the layman, let the layman also love the Bishop and honour him, and reverence him as father and lord and god after God Almighty, for it is said to the Bishop by means of the Apostles, that "all who hear you hear Me, and all that injure you injure Me, and Him that sent Me. Again, let the Bishop love the laymen as children, and nourish and inflame them with the zeal of his love, like eggs, that chickens may come from them; hatch them like chickens and nourish them as with the nourishment of winged fowls. O Bishop! teach and admonish every one. Those who are deserving of reproof reprove, and make them sorry, as for conversion and not for destruction. Admonish as for repentance, and correct them, so that thou mayest make their ways straight and smooth for them, and make stable their mode of life. Keep what is in health, that is to say, keep carefully him who is steadfast in the faith, and feed all the people in peace. That which is weak strengthen, that is to say, him who is tempted, strengthen by means of admonition. That which is sick heal, that is to say, him who is sick with doubt of the faith heal by means of doctrine.

6 That which is broken bind up, that is to say, him who is beaten or struck or broken by his sins or halting in the way of righteousness, bind him up, that is to say, cure him by means of intercession and admonition; raise him from his fall and encourage him; shew him also that there is hope for him. Bind him up and heal him; admit him also to the Church. That which has wandered persuade, that is to say, him that is abandoned in sins, and excommunicated as for reproof, leave not without, but teach and admonish and convert, and receive him into thy flock, that is to say, him who by the multitude of his falls has cut off his hope, and has let his soul go to perdition; do not allow him to perish utterly, lest by means of temptation or much negligence he sleep, and through the heaviness of his slumber he forget his life, and be removed and turned from the flock, that is to say, from the Church, and he come to perdition; for since he has got out of the fold and is removed from the flock, a wolf will eat him as he wanders, and he will perish utterly. But do thou visit him, admonish and teach and convert him, command him and encourage him to awaken;

7 tell him that there is hope, and cut this off from their minds, that they may not say nor think that which was said of old, that "Our iniquities and sins are upon us, and by them we are corrupted; how then can we live? It is not required of us that we should say or think these things, or suppose that their hope is cut off on account of the multitude of their sins, but that they should know that the mercies of God are many, that He hath promised with oaths and good counsel, pardon to those who have sinned. If then a man sin, and know not the Scriptures, and be not persuaded of the long-suffering and pity of God, and knoweth not the boundaries of pardon and repentance, he perisheth by this, that he knoweth not. Therefore thou, O Bishop, as a shepherd, a partaker in suffering, who art full of love and tenderness, be assiduous in visiting thy flock. Count the flock. Seek that which has wandered, as said the Lord God Jesus the Christ, our Teacher and our Good Shepherd.

Chapter 8

1 Teaches the same Bishop that he be not luxurious and covetous about the things that come into the Church, as provision for the poor, but that he furnish them with justice to those that are in want, as a just steward of God, and that he also may supply his own want out of them without guilt; and that he also stir up the people, that every one according to his ability take a share, and supply the need of the Church, in regard to the provision for the poor and for orphans and widows. 2 Be not lovers of wine, nor drunkards, nor much puffed up, nor luxurious. Do not incur expense that is not proper from the gifts of God, as if it were not your own, but as if you were making use of your own; as those who are appointed to be good stewards of God, of Him who will in future require at your hands an account of the management of the stewardship with which you are entrusted. Let your sufficiency then be enough for you, food and raiment; make use of what is necessary and not beyond what is just from the things that come in, as from strange things, but in moderation; do not enjoy yourselves and be luxurious from the income of the Church, for to a workman his raiment and food are sufficient. Therefore as good stewards of God, do well in dispensing the things that are given and come into the Church, according to the commandment, to the orphans and widows and those who are in straits and to strangers, like men who know that ye have a God who requires at your hands an account of the stewardship which He has committed to you. Therefore distribute and give to every one who is in want, also yourselves provide and live from these things, from the things that come into the Church. Do not consume them yourselves alone, but give a share with yourselves to those who are in want. Be without offence before God;

3 because God reproves Bishops who use the income of the Church avariciously and for themselves alone, and do not give a share with them to the poor. The Lord said thus, "Ye eat the milk of the flocks, and ye clothe yourselves with the wool. For it is required of you Bishops that ye be provided for out of the income of the Church, but not that ye swallow it up; for it is written, "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that grinds. Thus therefore as the ox that works in the threshing-floor without a muzzle eats food, but does not consume it all, thus also ye who labour in the threshing-floor, which is the Church of God, provide for yourselves from the Church, like the Levites who served in the Tabernacle of witness, which was the type of the Church, as its very name tells, for the Tabernacle of witness set forth the Church beforehand. Therefore the Levites who served in it were provided for without hindrance from the things that were given as the offerings of God by all the people, gifts, and oblations and first-fruits and tithes and sacrifices, and offerings and whole burnt-offerings, they and their wives and their sons and daughters, because their work was the service of the Tabernacle alone. Therefore they received no inheritance of land among the children of Israel, for the inheritance of Levi and of his tribe was the inheritance of the people.

4 Therefore ye also to-day, O Bishops, are priests to your people, and Levites who serve in the house of God, the Holy Catholic Church, those who remain continually before the Lord God. Therefore ye are to your people priests and prophets and chiefs and governors and teachers and mediators between God and the believers, receivers of the Word, preachers of it, evangelists of it, knowers of the Scriptures and of the words of God, witnesses of His will, ye who bear the sins of all men, and who will give account concerning all men; ye who hear how that word is kindled hardly against you, if ye despise, and do not preach the will of God, ye are they who are in grave danger of perdition, if ye despise your people. Ye again are those to whom is promised by God a great reward that will not disappoint nor be snatched away, and unspeakable grace in that great glory, if ye serve well the Tabernacle of God, the Catholic Church. Therefore as ye bear the burden of all men, thus also it is required of you that ye receive from all who are with you the service of food and clothing, and other things, such as are necessary. It is required also that ye take from the gifts that are given you by the people who are under your hands, and provide for the deacons and the widows and the orphans, and those that are in want.

5 For it is required of thee, Bishop, that thou care for all men as a faithful steward, for as thou carriest the weight of all those who are under thy hands, thus, and more than all men, thou shalt receive the glory of excellency from God; for thou art the propitiator of the Christ; and as He has borne the sins of us all, thus it is required of thee that thou carry the sins of all those who are under thy hands. For thus it is written in Isaiah about our Saviour, "We have seen Him, that He had no splendour and no beauty, but His visage was more shamed and humiliated than men, and that He was a man of suffering; and knoweth [how] to understand sicknesses; for His face was changed and done despite to, and He was of no account in our eyes. He then hath carried our sins, and for us He died; and we thought Him wounded and grieved and humiliated. But He was wounded for our sins, and afflicted for our iniquities, and by His wounds we are all healed. Again he saith, that "He bore the sins of many, and was betrayed because of their iniquity."

6 And in David and in all the Prophets and also in the Gospel, our Saviour entreats on account of our sins, He who was without sins. Therefore as ye have the example of the Christ, thus also be ye an example to the people that are under your hands, that as He hath taken our sins. Do not imagine that the burden of the Bishopric is a light and easy one. Therefore as ye have received the burden of all men, thus also the fruits which ye draw from all the people, are yours for all things that are necessary to you. Provide well for those that are in want, like people who give account to an inquisitor who does not err and cannot be got over. As ye serve in the office of the bishopric, thus it is meet that from the office of the bishopric ye provide for yourselves; like priests and Levites and deacons who serve before God; as it is written in the Book of Numbers, that God spake to Aaron and said, "Thou, and thy sons, and thy father's house shall bear the sins of the holy things; and thou and thy sons shall bear the sins of the priesthood; and thy brethren the sons of thy father, the tribe of Levi, bring with thee; let them be placed beside thee and let them serve thee.

7 Thou and thy sons with thee shall serve before this Tabernacle of witness, except that the sons of Levi shall not approach the vessels of the sanctuary nor the altar, that they and ye die not; but they shall be added unto thee, and they shall keep the watches of the Tabernacle of witness for all the service of the Tabernacle, and a stranger shall not come nigh unto thee. Ye shall keep these charges of the holy things, and the charges of the altar; and there shall be no wrath upon the children of Israel. And behold, I have taken your brethren the sons of Levi from among the children of Israel, they are given as a gift to the Lord, to do the service of the Tabernacle of witness. Thou, and thy sons with thee, keep your priesthood for all the service of the altar, and of that within the Veil; do your service, as something that is given to your Priesthood; the stranger that cometh nigh shall die the death. And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and said, Behold, I have given you the charges and the firstfruits of all that is hallowed to me by the children of Israel, to thee I have given them for service, and to thy sons after thee, a law for ever.

8 This shall be thine of all the holy things that are hallowed from their fruits and from their offerings, and from all their sacrifices, from all their errors and from all their sins, all that they offer to Me of all the holy things, let it be for thee and for thy sons; eat it in the Holy place; every male shall eat it, thou and thy sons, it shall be holy to thee. These shall be to you, the firstfruits of their gifts, from all the oblations of the children of Israel, to thee I have given them, and to thy sons and thy daughters with thee, for an everlasting law; every one that is clean in thy house shall eat them, all the firstfruits of the oil, and all the firstfruits of the wine, and the firstfruits of the wheat, all that they give to the Lord shall be thine; every one that is clean in thy house shall eat of them. All the rest that remains shall be thine, and all that openeth the matrix of all flesh, all that they bring to the Lord, of men and even of beasts shall be thine; nevertheless the firstborn of men shall surely be redeemed, and the firstborn of beasts that are not clean to be offered; and their redemption shall be from a month old and upwards; thou shalt redeem them for a price, five shekels by the shekel of the sanctuary, which is ten shekels of silver.

9 But nevertheless the firstlings of oxen, and the firstlings of sheep and goats, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy; thou shalt pour out their blood before the altar, and their fat thou shalt send up as an offering of a sweet savour unto the Lord; and their flesh shall be pure to thee, the end of the wave breast and the right forefoot shall be thine. All the heave offerings of the sanctuary, which the children of Israel destine to the Lord, to thee have I given them, to thy sons and also to thy daughters with thee, for an everlasting law: it shall be a statute for ever before the Lord, to thee and to thy seed after thee. And the Lord spake unto Aaron, and said, Thou shalt not inherit in their land, nor have any portion among them, because I am thy portion and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. And behold, to the children of Levi I have given all the tithes of the children of Israel for an inheritance, on account of their service in the Tabernacle. And the children of Israel shall not again come nigh unto the Tabernacle of witness, that they receive not the sin of death, but the Levites shall do the service of the Tabernacle of witness, and they shall bear their sins, as an everlasting law to their generations.

10 And among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance, because that the tithes of the children of Israel which they destine as heave offerings to the Lord, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I said unto them, and to those of the house of Israel, that they shall have no inheritance for ever. The Lord spake unto Moses and said to him, Speak with the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take from the children of Israel the tithes that I have given you from them as an inheritance, offer up from them also an heave offering to the Lord, even a tenth part of the tithes. The heave offering shall be reckoned to you as the wheat of the threshing-floor, and as the offering of the wine-press. Thus ye also shall offer a heave offering unto the Lord of all your tithes which ye receive from all the children of Israel, and ye shall give of them a heave offering to the Lord, to Aaron the priest, of all your gifts ye shall offer a heave offering to the Lord, of the firstfruits which He hath sanctified. And say unto them, When ye offer the firstfruits of them, it shall be reckoned unto the Levites as the produce of the threshing-floor, and as the produce of the wine-press;

11 they shall eat it in every place, ye and your households, because that is your reward for your service in the Tabernacle of witness, and ye shall have no sin because of it, when ye have offered the firstfruits of it; ye shall not pollute the offerings of the children of Israel, that ye die not."

Chapter 9

1 Exhortation to the people that they bring heave offerings of prayers and confessions to God, and that they honour the Bishop as [they honour] God, and reverence him, and that they do nothing apart from his permission, nor even give alms to those that are in need without him; but make everything known to him by means of the Deacon, and he will administer whatever is given, and that every one of the orders of the Church take its place and be honoured as befits it; condemnation and commination on those who speak wickedly to priests or despise them; that they think of them as of their kings, that they take them gifts from their labour for the supply of the need of the poor and the orphans and the widows, making no reckoning with them, as to whether they give or do not give. 2 Hear, therefore, these things, ye also, ye laymen, the Church chosen of God, because that even the first people was called the Church. Ye then, Holy and perfect Catholic Church, royal priesthood, holy assembly, people of inheritance, great Church, Bride adorned for the Lord God. As therefore was said before, hear also now, Bring heave offerings and tithes and firstfruits to the Christ, the true High Priest, also to His servants bring tithes of salvation, Him the beginning of whose name is the letter 10. Hear, thou Catholic Church, which art of God, who hast been delivered from plagues, and hast received commandments, and hast learnt the law and hast held the faith, and hast believed in a yod the beginning of a name, and art confirmed by the perfection of His glory; instead of the sacrifices of that time, offer now prayers and supplications and thanksgivings; then were firstfruits and tithes and oblations and gifts, to-day are offerings that are presented by means of the Bishops to the Lord God, for those are your High Priests. Priests and Levites; now Elders and Deacons, and Orphans and Widows. For the Levite and the High Priest is the Bishop. He is a servant of the Word of God and a Mediator, but to you a Teacher and your Father after God, who has begotten you by means of water. He is your Head and Governor, and he is a powerful king to you.

3 He governs in the place of the Almighty, but let him be honoured by you as God, because the Bishop sits for you in the place of Almighty God; but the Deacon stands in the place of the Christ; and ye should love him, but let the Deaconesses be honoured by you in the likeness of the Holy Ghost. Moreover, let the Elders be to you in the likeness of the Apostles, but Orphans and Widows be considered by you in the likeness of an Altar. For as it was not allowed for the stranger, that is to say for him who was not a Levite, to approach the Altar, nor to offer anything apart from the High Priest, thus do ye naught apart from the Bishop. For if any one do aught apart from the Bishop, he doeth it in vain, for it will not be counted to him as a work, because it is not fitting that any one should do aught without the High Priest. Present, therefore, your offerings to the Bishop, either ye yourselves, or by means of the Deacons; and what he receives let him deal to you justly, for the Bishop is well acquainted with those who are afflicted; for he provides for every one and gives as it becomes him; lest any one should receive many times in the day or in the week, and another should not receive even a little.

4 For to him whom the priest and steward of God knows to be much afflicted, he does good, as is required of him. And those who ask widows to agapai, her whom he knows to be much afflicted, to her let him send oftenest. And again, if any one give gifts to widows, to her who is in want let him send most. Let the portion of a shepherd be defined and known, according as the law of old is defined, and even if he be not present ye shall not cause to perish [any that belong] to God Almighty. As often then as is given to you or the widows, let double be given to each of the Deacons for the honour of the Christ; twice double to the Governor for the honour of God Almighty. If any man wish also to honour the Elders, let him give also to them as to the Deacons. For it is required for them that they be honoured as Apostles, and as the counsellors of the Bishop, and also as the crown of the Church; for they are the directors and counsellors of the Church. And if there be also a Reader, let him also receive along with the Elders. Every office, therefore, let each of the laity as is proper to him, honour by gifts, by dignity, and the respect of the world.

5 Let them have great boldness with the Deacons, and let them not be troubling the Chief at all hours, but whatever they require, let them make it known by means of the servants, that is to say, by means of the Deacons. For not even to God Almighty can one approach save by means of the Christ. All things, therefore, that ye wish to have done, make them known to the Bishop by means of the Deacons, and then let them be done. Not even of old in the Temple of the Sanctuary was anything offered or done apart from the Priest. Again also, with the idols of the heathen, polluted and abominable and reprehensible, even to our day they imitate the Sanctuary, though in comparison the house of impurity is very far from the Holy place; but nevertheless in the work of their oversight (in another manuscript, of their folly), without their polluted priests they do not offer nor do anything; but thus they suppose that the mouth of the stones (that is to say, the idols he calls stones) is a polluted priest, and they wait for whatever he commands them to do, and in all that they contemplate doing they are counselled by their polluted priest, and they do nothing without him, for they think that this is acceptable whatever they do, honouring him and doing homage to him like their honouring of the dumb stones, those that are fixed as stones for the worship of impure and cruel demons.

6 If they, therefore, who are foolish and [have] false customs and no hope, but err by a vain expectation, watch and desire to imitate a sanctuary, and honour with every honour those who stand in the house of their ridiculous idols, why then ye to whom it is known and manifest that ye believe in the truth, and are possessed by a hope that will not be falsified, and look to the promise of eternal glory which passeth not away nor dissolveth, should not ye the more honour the Lord God, by means of those who are appointed over you? Consider, therefore, the Bishop as the mouth of God. For if Aaron, because he interpreted to Pharaoh the words that were given through Moses, was called a Prophet, as the Lord said unto Moses, "Behold, I have given thee for a god unto Pharaoh, and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet," why, therefore, do ye also not consider as God those who are to you mediators of the Word? Now for us ourselves, Aaron is the Deacon, and Moses the Bishop. Let him be honoured by you as God, and the Deacon as xxxii. a Prophet. Therefore for the honour of the Bishop make known to him everything that ye do. Even by means of him let everything be completed.

7 If ye know that a man is much afflicted, but the Bishop doth not know it, inform him, but without him do nothing to disgrace him that thou bring no shame upon him as upon a despiser of the poor; for he who raises an evil report against the Bishop either by word or by deed, sins against God Almighty. But again, against a Deacon if any one speak evilly by word or by deed, he offends the Christ. Therefore it is written also in the Law, "Thou shalt not revile thy gods, nor speak evil against the ruler of thy people. Let no one suppose then that the Lord was speaking about idols of stone, but He calls 'gods' those who are placed over you. Moses also said again in the Book of Numbers, when the people had murmured against him and against Aaron, "It is not against us that ye murmur, but against the Lord God. Also our Saviour said, "He that wrongeth you wrongeth Me, and Him that sent Me. For what hope is there, even a little, to him who has spoken evil things against the Bishop? or against the Deacon? For if one have called a layman a fool or vile (Raca), he shall be condemned by the Synagogue, as one of those who rise up against the Christ, because he hath called his brother vain, him in whom the Christ dwelleth, who is not vain, but filled;

8 or a fool him in whom dwelleth the Holy Spirit of God, the Perfecter in all wisdom, as if he were a fool from the Spirit that dwelleth in him! If, therefore, any one who should say one of these things to a layman be found to have fallen into all this condemnation, how much [more] if one venture to say anything against a Bishop or against a Deacon? him by whose means the Lord hath given you the Holy Ghost, and by whose means ye have learnt the Word and know God, and by whose means ye are known of God, and by whose means ye are sealed; and by whose means ye are become the sons of light; and by whose means the Lord in baptism, by the laying on of the Bishop's hand, gave witness about each of you, and caused His holy voice to be heard and said, "Thou art My son, this day have I begotten thee. Therefore, O my son, love thy Bishops, those by whose hands thou art become a son of God, and 'knowest the right Hand', and cherish him who after God is thy father and thy mother; for every one who mocketh his father or his mother, let him die the death.

9 But honour ye the Bishops who are able to loose you from sins, those who have begotten you anew by means of water, those who have filled you with the Holy Ghost, those who have nourished you with the Word as with milk, those who have established you with the doctrine of life, those who have confirmed you by admonition, and made you partakers in the holy Eucharist of God, and made you sharers and heirs of God's promise. Reverence these [men], and honour them (the Bishops) with all honour, for they have received authority from God of life and death, not that they may judge those who have sinned, and condemn them to death in everlasting fire, excommunicating and sending away those who are condemned, may this never happen! but that they may receive and give life to those who are converted and repent. Let these then be your Chiefs, and let them be considered by you as kings, and by deeds give honour to them as kings, for it is required of you that ye provide for them and for those that are with them.

10 For thus it is written in the first book of the Kingdoms, that Samuel the prophet said unto the people by means of words of the Lord, to those that asked from him a king, and he said unto them, "This is the law of the king who shall reign over you; he will take your sons, and appoint them over his chariots, and make them runners before him; and will make to himself captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds; they shall reap his harvest, and gather his vintage, and shall keep in order the instruments of his chariots. Your daughters he shall take to be weavers, and servants of his house. Your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive-yards, the best, he will take and give to his servants, and to eunuchs. Your maidservants and menservants, and your oxen and your asses he shall take and tithe for the service of his work. He will take tithe of your sheep; and ye also shall be his servants. According to this likeness also the Bishop rules.

11 For if even a king who reigned over all that multitude of people, took from that people, as it is written in Hosea, that "the people of the children of Israel are many as the sand that is on the shore of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered," and according to the number of that people were also the services that were required from it, thus now also the Bishop taketh to himself from the people, those whom he considereth and knoweth to be worthy of him and of his office, and maketh them elders and counsellors, members of his session, deacons and subdeacons, all as he requireth according to the service of a house. What more can we say? for the king who wears the crown, reigns only over the body, and binds and looses only in this world, but the Bishop reigns over both soul and body, that he may loosen on the earth, and bind in heaven, by heavenly power. For it is a great heavenly power, that of the Almighty, which is given to him. Nevertheless, love ye your Bishop as a father, reverence him as a king, and honour him as God. Present to him your fruits, and the work of your hands, that your firstfruits may be blessed. Give to him your tithes, and your vows, and your oblations; from them he will require to be nourished, and to provide also for those who are in want, to every one as it is proper for him.

12 Thus thy offering shall be acceptable to the Lord thy God, for a sweet savour in the height of heaven, before the Lord thy God, and He will bless thee, and multiply to thee the good things of His promise. For it is written in Wisdom, that "every simple soul shall be blessed," and that "blessings shall be on the head of him who giveth. Because of this be constant in work, and labour, and bring a gift; for the Lord hath lightened your burden, and loosened from you the chains of fetters, and lifted from you the heavy yoke; and made Deuteronomy pass away from you, according to the greatness of God's mercy, as it is written in Isaiah, "Say to those who are in chains, Go out," and again, "to bring out the prisoners from the prisons. And in David He said, that "He despiseth not His prisoners. And again in the Gospel He said, "Come unto me, all ye that are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls; for My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.

13 If, therefore, the Lord, in the gift of His goodness, hath loosed you and given you rest, and brought your souls to enlargement, that ye be not again bound by sacrifices and by sin-offerings, by purifications, by vows, and by gifts, by oblations, by burnt-offerings, by shewbread, and by observations of purifications, again, by tithes, and by firstfruits, and by heave offerings, and by gifts, all these things were of necessity appointed for them to give; ye then are not bound by these things, for it is required of you that ye know the word of the Lord which said, that "unless your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Thus, therefore, your righteousness is more excellent than the tithes, and firstfruits, and heave offerings of these people, when ye act as it is written, "Sell all that ye have, and give to the poor. Therefore do thus, and keep the commandment by means of the Bishop and the priest, and thy mediator who is with the Lord God, for He has commanded thee to give. Take care that thou provide for these things, and do not exact an account from the Bishop;

14 do not watch him as to how he provides and fulfils his stewardship, or when he gives, or to whom or how, whether well or ill, or if he gives as is fitting, for it is the Lord God who is the exactor, who has committed this stewardship to his hands, and counted him worthy of the priesthood of all this office. In order, therefore, that thou observe not nor require an account from the Bishop, nor speak evil things against him, resisting God, nor offend the Lord, let there be put before thine eyes what was said to thee in Jeremiah, "Shall the clay say to the potter, Thou workest not, and thou hast no hands; as he that saith to his father and his mother, "Hast thou brought me forth? but labour with a single mind and work in the house of God. Be it always written and established in thy heart, and remember the saving voice of the renewal of the Law, as the Lord hath said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength. Your strength then is the property of the world. Do not love the Lord with the lips only, like that people to whom reproving He saith, "This people honoureth Me with its lips, but its heart is far from Me. But love thou the Lord and honour Him with all thy strength; and bring thy gifts at all times, and keep not away from the Church.

15 When thou receivest the Eucharist of the sacrifice, give whatever cometh to thy hand, as thou partakest, to the strangers; for this is collected by the Bishop for the reception of all strangers. Therefore according as thou art able, put down, and keep thyself, because the Lord hath said in the Law, "Thou shalt not appear before Me empty. Therefore do good works, lay up for thyself a treasure above in Heaven where moth doth not destroy, nor thieves steal. When thou doest thus, do not judge the Bishop, nor the layman, because to you laymen it is said, "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For if thou judgest thy brother, and accusest him, thou considerest thy brother guilty, that is to say, thou accusest thyself; thou art then judged with the guilty; for the Bishop has the power to judge, as it is said to them, "Be accurate discerners. It is, therefore, required of the Bishop as a tester of silver that he should divide the evil from the good; those that are completely evil he should reject and throw out; but those who are hard and defective for any reason, like those who are not defective, he should leave them in the crucible. The layman then is not allowed to judge his neighbour, nor even to impose upon himself a burden which is not his; for the weight of this burden belongs not to the layman, but to the Bishop.

16 Therefore thou, being a layman, do not lay snares for thyself, but leave judgment in the hands of those who will have to answer for it to the Lord. But as for thee, strive to make peace with all men, and love thy limbs the children of thy people, because the Lord hath said, "Love thy neighbour as thyself."

Chapter 10

1 Admonition about false brethren, and investigation about those that are accusers, or witnesses against any one, and the decree of punishment against those who are convicted of sin; and the consolation and reception into the Church, if they shew repentance; and injunction to the Bishops that they give the hand and bind up those who have sinned if they repent; that they should not judge with partiality, and be convicted before God; and that they should convict him who accuses falsely, in punishing as was fit him who was accused. 2 If then there be false brethren, [who] on account of envy or the jealousy of enemies, and of Satan, who works by them, bring a false accusation against one of the brethren, or even a true one, those shall know that every one who investigates about these things, in order to accuse or blaspheme about any one, he is the son of anger, and where anger is, God is not; for anger is of Satan, who by means of these false brethren never allows peace to be in the Church. Therefore when ye know them, those that are so far wanting in sense, first of all believe them not, and secondly, Bishops and Deacons, beware of them, how ye say ought of the things that ye have heard from them to any of the brethren. Consider about him against whom they bring an accusation, investigate wisely, compare his actions, and if he be found to merit reproof, according to the doctrine of our Lord which He hath spoken in the Gospel, reprove him between thee and him; if he repent, and be converted, save him. And if he will not be convinced, reprove him before two or three, and fulfil that which was said, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established; for therefore, brethren, it is required for witness, that it stand upon the mouth of two or three witnesses, because the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost testify about the works of men;

3 for where there is admonition of doctrine, there is also discipline and conversion of those who have wandered. Therefore at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established. And if he obey not, reprove him before all the Church; if he do not hear even the Church, let him be counted unto thee as a heathen and as a publican. Because the Lord hath said unto you, O Bishops, that henceforth ye receive not that man into the Church as Christians and be not partakers with him; for not even the heathen or the wicked publicans dost thou receive into the Church, nor make thyself partaker with them, unless they first repent, promising so that they may believe, and never henceforth again do evil deeds; for therefore our Lord and Saviour gave room for repentance to those who have sinned; for even I Matthew, who am one of the twelve Apostles, who speak to you by this Didascalia, I was a publican of old, and because I believed, grace came upon me, and I repented from my former works, and I was thought worthy to become an Apostle and a preacher of the Word of God. Again also John 'the Baptist', that he might seek, preached in the Gospel to publicans, not to cut off their hope, but taught them how they should act in future. When they asked him for a reply he said to them, "Do not exact more than what is commanded and appointed for you.

4 And also Zacchæus in repentance the Lord received, making a request of him. We do not refuse salvation even to the heathen if they repent and renounce and remove from themselves their error. Therefore let him be accounted to you as a heathen and as a publican, he who is convicted of evil works and of falsehood; and afterwards if he promise to repent as the heathen, when they wish and promise to repent and say, "We believe," we receive them into the congregation that they may hear the Word, but we do not communicate with them until they receive the seal and are confirmed. Thus also we do not communicate with these until they shew the fruits of repentance; for they can certainly come in, if they wish to hear the Word, that they may not perish utterly, but in prayer they take no part, but go outside; because that even they, when they see that they do not take part in the Church, restrain themselves, and repent of their former deeds, and become eager to be received into the Church in prayer. They also who see them and hear that they have gone out like publicans may fear, and take heed to themselves that they sin not, lest it happen thus to them also, and they go out of the Church, being reproved for sin or for falsehood. Do not utterly prevent them from entering the Church, and hearing the discourse of the Bishop;

5 for even our Lord and Saviour did not completely reject and cast out the publicans and sinners, but even ate with them. Because of this also the Pharisees murmured against Him, saying, "He eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners. Then our Saviour answered and said against their thoughts and murmurings, "They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick. Therefore have intercourse with those who have been reproved for their sins, and are in a bad state, and attach them to you, and take care of their [interests], and talk ye with them and console them, keep hold of them, and cause them to be converted; and afterwards when every one of them has repented, and has shewn the fruits of repentance, thereafter receive him in prayer as [ye do] to the heathen. As therefore thou baptizest a heathen, and thereafter receivest him, so on that man also lay the hand, every one praying for him; thereafter bring him in and let him partake with the Church. Let that laying on of the hand be to him instead of baptism; for if by the laying on of the hand and by baptism they receive the communication of the Holy Ghost...therefore as a sympathetic physician sharing in suffering, heal all those who have sinned, and distribute with all wisdom, offer healing for the help of their lives;

6 and be not ready to cut off the members of the Church, but make use of the Word of remedies, also of admonitions of preparation and of the plasters of supplication; for if an ulcer goes deep, and diminishes his flesh, by means of curative medicines nourish it, and reduce it. If there be in it foulness, by a sharp medicine, that is to say by the word of reproof, purify it; and if more flesh should spring up, by a harsh medicine, that is to say, by the communication of judgment shave it off and reduce it. If there be in it gangrene, burn it with a cautery, that is to say, with the incision of a long fast, cut off the putridness of the ulcer. If the ulcer grow and get the better of the cauteries, decide about that which is corrupt, then after much consultation with other physicians cut off that member which is corrupt that it destroy not all the body. Be not ready to amputate speedily, and do not rush in a hurry and run to the saw of many teeth, but first use scalpels, and cut the ulcer, that the cause of the evil which is hidden inside it may be seen openly and be known, that the whole body may be kept from being affected. But if thou see a person who does not wish to repent, but has completely cut off hope of himself, then with grief and sorrow cut him off and cast him out of the Church.

7 For if thou findest that that accusation of calumny is false, and ye pastors with the Deacons have received the falsehood as truth, because of the accepting of persons, or because of offerings which ye have received; and ye change judgments, because ye wish to do the will of the Evil one, and him who is accused, being guiltless of this accusation, ye put out and cast him from the Church, ye will give an account in the day of the Lord; for it is written, "Thou shalt not respect persons in judgment," and again the Scripture hath said, that a "bribe blindeth the eyes of seers, and perverteth righteous words. And again it hath said, "Deliver the oppressed, judge the orphans, justify the widows"; and judge righteous judgment in the gates. Take heed then that ye be not respecters of persons and be condemned by the word of the Lord, who hath spoken thus, "Woe unto those that make bitter sweet, and sweet bitter; and call light darkness, and darkness what is bright, and justify the wicked for his reward, and pass over the righteousness of the righteous. But be watchful, that ye condemn not any one iniquitously, and help the wicked, because that in condemning others ye are condemning yourselves; as the Lord hath said, that "with what judgment ye judge ye shall be judged, and as ye condemn, ye shall be condemned. Therefore remember and apply to yourselves this word, "Forgive, and it shall be forgiven you; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned.

8 If then, your judgment, O Bishops, be without respect of persons, look at him who is the accuser of his brother, if he be a false brother, if for the sake of envy or jealousy or calumny he have brought disturbance on the Church of God, and he should kill him who is calumniated by him, being put out of the Church and delivered to the destruction of fire; thou therefore judge him severely, because he has brought an evil thing against his brother, as it were from his own imagination; if he had not found that it goes before to his hearing; he would have killed his brother in the fire; for it is written, that "every one who sheddeth man's blood, his blood shall be shed for the blood which he hath shed. When that one then is found out to be thus, put him out of the Church with a great reprimand as a murderer; and after a time, if he promise to repent, admonish him, and lay a hard discipline upon him; and thereafter put on [your] hand and receive him into the Church; and take heed and observe him that is such, lest again it happen against some one else. And if ye see him after he has entered the Church, that again he quarrels and wishes to accuse others also, and chatters and fabricates, and casts blame upon many falsely: put him out, that he may never again disturb and trouble the Church;

9 for he that is such, even if he be within, because he is not suitable to the Church, is of no advantage to her. For we see that there are men who are born with superfluous things in their bodies, let us say fingers or any other superfluous flesh; those people then that have such things according to the flesh, it is a disgrace and a shame to them, both to the flesh and to the man, because he has too much of them. When they are taken away by a practitioner, that man receives beauty and loveliness of flesh, and nothing is wanting to it, on account of that superfluity that has been taken away from him, but he is even the more seen in his beauty for it. In like manner therefore, ye also, O pastors, conduct yourselves; because the Church is a body, the members being we who believe in God, and are in love in the fear of the Lord according to the commandment of the tradition which we have received. Therefore he that devises evil things against the Church, and troubles its members, and loves the blames and accusations of enemies, that is to say, turmoils and contentions and calumnies and murmurings and quarrels and questions and incrimination and afflictions and accusations;

10 he that loves these things and makes them, and moreover the Enemy is working in him, and he remains in the Church, is a stranger to the Church, and of the household of the Enemy, for it is him whom he serves, who works in him, and he offends and afflicts the Church; that one then if he remains within, is a disgrace to the Church because of his blasphemies. To that one therefore do as it is written in Wisdom, "Cast out the evil man from the congregation, and his contention shall go out with him"; on account of litigation and reproach, that he sit not in the congregation and disgrace them all. For that one, when he goes out for the second time from the Church, is justly cut off, and the Church is the more beautified, for there is peace in it... But if your mind be not pure, either on account of respect of persons, or on account of gifts of filthy lucre which ye have received, and ye put out of the Church those who walk correctly, and ye increase many evil, quarrelsome persons, and profligate rulers amongst you, ye bring blasphemy against the assembly of the Church, and ye bring danger of death upon yourselves, that ye be deprived of eternal life, because ye have pleased man, and turned from the truth of God, for the sake of respecting persons, and for the sake of accepting vain gifts; and ye have scattered the Catholic Church, daughter and beloved of the Lord God.