Canonical Epistle

OF SAINT PETER, ARCHBISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA AND MARTYR

CANONS CONTAINED IN HIS DISCOURSE ON PENANCE

Concerning those who after many tortures denied Christ.

Since, therefore, the fourth Easter has now arrived during the persecution, it is sufficient for those who were brought forward and imprisoned, and who endured incurable tortures and unbearable scourges and many other terrible afflictions, but were later betrayed by the weakness of the flesh, even if they were not received from the beginning on account of the very great fall that followed, yet because they had contended much and fought back for a long time, for they did not come to this by choice, but having been betrayed by the weakness of the flesh, since they also show the "marks of Jesus" on their bodies, and some are already in their third year of mourning, that they be enjoined, as a reminder upon their coming forward, another forty days, which our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, though fasting after being baptized, was tempted by the devil; during which they also, having been exercised exceedingly, and having become more sober, will be watchful in prayers, henceforth meditating on what was said by the Lord to the one tempting Him, that he should worship Him: “Get behind me, Satan, for it is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”

2 Concerning those who denied only after having been imprisoned. For those who only after having been imprisoned and having endured the things in the

prison, as in a siege, tribulations and foul odors, but later, without the battle of tortures, became captives, shattered by great poverty of strength and a certain blindness, a year in addition to the other time will suffice, since they also gave themselves entirely to be afflicted for the name, even if they enjoyed much comfort from the brethren in prison, which they will repay many times over, longing to be freed from the most bitter captivity of the devil, especially remembering the one who says: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord and a day of recompense."

3 Concerning those who were not even imprisoned. But for those who have suffered nothing of this sort at all, nor shown fruit

of faith, but have deserted to wickedness, betrayed by cowardice and fear, but now are coming to repentance, it is necessary and fitting to set before them the parable of the barren fig tree, as the Lord says: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser: ‘Behold, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down; why should it use up the ground?’ And he answering said to him: ‘Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit; but if not, after that you shall cut it down.’” Which before

Epistula canonica

ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΠΕΤΡΟΥ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΕΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΜΑΡΤΥΡΟΣ

ΚΑΝΟΝΕΣ ΦΕΡΟΜΕΝΟΙ ΕΝ ΤΩ ΠΕΡΙ ΜΕΤΑΝΟΙΑΣ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΛΟΓΩ

Περὶ τῶν μετὰ πολλὰς βασάνους ἀρνη-σαμένων τὸν Χριστόν.

Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν τέταρτον ἤδη πάσχα ἐπικατείληφε τὸν διωγμόν, αὐτάρκως ἔχει τοῖς μὲν προσενεχθεῖσι καὶ φυλακισθεῖσι, βασάνους τε ἀνηκέστους ὑπομεμενηκόσι καὶ ἀφορήτους μάστιγας καὶ πολλὰς ἑτέρας δεινὰς ἀνάγκας, ὕστερον δὲ προδεδομένοις ὑπὸ τῆς ἀσθενείας τῆς σαρκός, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐξ ἀρχῆς παρεδέχθησαν διὰ τὴν παρακολουθήσασαν μεγίστην πτῶσιν, ὅμως διὰ τὸ πολλὰ αὐτοὺς ἠθληκέναι καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ ἀντιμαχέσθαι, οὐ γὰρ κατὰ προαίρεσιν ἐν τούτῳ ἐληλύθασιν, ἀλλὰ καταπροδοθέντες ὑπὸ τῆς ἀσθενείας τῆς σαρκός, ἐπειδὴ καὶ «στίγματα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ» ἐνδείκνυνται ἐν τοῖς σώμασιν ἑαυτῶν, καὶ ἤδη τινὲς τρίτον ἔτος ἔχουσι καταπενθοῦντες, προσεπιτιμηθῆναι αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς προσελεύσεως καθ' ὑπόμνησιν ἄλλας τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας, ἃς καίπερ νηστεύσας ὁ κύριος καὶ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς μετὰ τὸ βαπτισθῆναι, ἐπειράσθη ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου· εἰς ἃς καὶ αὐτοὶ κατὰ περισσὸν διαγυμνασθέντες, εὐτονώτερόν τε νήψαντες, γρηγορήσουσιν εἰς προσευχάς, τοῦ λοιποῦ καταμελετῶντες τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου πρὸς τὸν πειράζοντα αὐτόν, ἵνα προσκυνήσῃ αὐτῷ· «Ὕπαγε σατανᾶ, γέγραπται γάρ· Κύριον τὸν θεόν σου προσκυνήσεις καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσεις».

2 Περὶ τῶν μετὰ τὸ φυλακισθῆναι μόνον ἀρνησαμένων. Τοῖς δὲ μετὰ τὸ φυλακισθῆναι μόνον καὶ ὑπομεμενηκέναι τὰς ἐν τῷ

δεσμωτηρίῳ ὡσὰν ἐν πολιορκίᾳ θλίψεις τε καὶ δυσωδίας, ὕστερον δὲ χωρὶς πολέμου βασάνων γενομένοις αἰχμαλώτοις, κατὰ πολλὴν πτωχείαν δυνάμεως καὶ κατά τινα τυφλότητα τεθραυσμένοις, ἐπαρκέσει ἐνιαυτὸς πρὸς τῷ ἑτέρῳ χρόνῳ, ἐπεὶ ὅλως καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐπιδεδώκασιν ἑαυτοὺς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος θλιβῆναι, εἰ καὶ ἀπήλαυσαν ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ τῆς παρὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν πολλῆς ἀναπαύσεως, ἅπερ πολλαπλασίονα ἀποδώσουσι, ποθοῦντες λυτρωθῆναι ἀπὸ τῆς πικροτάτης αἰχμαλωσίας τοῦ διαβόλου, μεμνημένοι μάλιστα τοῦ λέγοντος· «Πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμέ, οὗ ἕνεκεν ἔχρισέ με, εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέ με, κηρῦξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν, ἀποστεῖλαι τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει, κηρῦξαι ἐνιαυτὸν κυρίου δεκτὸν καὶ ἡμέραν ἀνταποδόσεως».

3 Περὶ τῶν μηδὲ φυλακισθέντων. Τοῖς δὲ μηδόλως μηδέν τι τοιοῦτο πεπονθόσι, μηδὲ ἐνδειξαμένοις καρπὸν

πίστεως, ἀλλ' αὐτομολήσασι πρὸς τὴν κακίαν, προδεδομένοις ὑπὸ δειλίας καὶ φόβου, νῦν δὲ εἰς μετάνοιαν ἐρχομένοις, ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι καὶ ἁρμόζον τὴν τῆς ἀκάρπου συκῆς παραβολὴν παραθέσθαι, ὡς ὁ κύριος λέγει· «Συκῆν εἶχέ τις πεφυτευμένην ἐν τῷ ἀμπελῶνι αὐτοῦ καὶ ἦλθε ζητῶν καρπὸν ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ οὐχ εὗρεν· εἶπε δὲ πρὸς τὸν ἀμπελουργόν· Ἰδοὺ τρία ἔτη ἀφ' οὗ ἔρχομαι ζητῶν καρπὸν ἐν τῇ συκῇ ταύτῃ καὶ οὐχ εὑρίσκω· ἔκκοψον αὐτήν· ἵνα τί καὶ τὴν γῆν καταργεῖ; Ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς λέγει αὐτῷ· Κύριε, ἄφες αὐτὴν καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἔτος, ἕως ὅτου σκάψω τὰ περὶ αὐτὴν καὶ βάλω κόπρια· κἂν μὲν ποιήσῃ καρπόν· εἰ δὲ μή γε εἰς τὸ μέλλον ἐκκόψεις αὐτήν». Ἣν πρὸ