of captives or of slain men, what else must one expect than that, striving in their greed, they heap up wrath both for themselves and for all the people?

3 [Concerning Achar] Did not Achar the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath came upon all the congregation of Israel? And he sinned as one man alone; did he die alone in his sin? But for us, it is fitting to consider any gain at this time that is not ours, but another's, as accursed. For that Achar took from the spoil, and they now take from spoil; and he took the things of the enemies, but they now take the things of the brethren, having gained a destructive gain.

4 Concerning those who in the raid seized the property of their kinsmen. Let no one deceive himself, as if he had found it; for it is not lawful for one who finds something to profit from it; Deuteronomy says: You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep go astray on the road, and overlook them; you shall surely bring them back to your brother. And if your brother is not near you, or if you do not know him, you shall bring them home, and they shall be with you until your brother seeks them, and you shall restore them. And so you shall do with his donkey, and so you shall do with his garment, and so you shall do with every lost thing of your brother's, which he has lost and you have found. This is from Deuteronomy. But in Exodus, not only if one finds something belonging to a brother, but also to an enemy; You shall surely, it says, return them to the house of their master. If then in peace it is not lawful to profit from a brother or an enemy who is idle and luxurious and neglectful of his own things, how much more when one is unfortunate and fleeing enemies and of necessity abandoning his own things?

5 [Concerning those who seize the property of others in place of their own] But others deceive themselves, keeping what they have found belonging to others in place of their own lost possessions; so that, since the Boradi and Goths have done to them the works of war, they themselves may become Boradi and Goths to others. Therefore we have sent our brother and fellow-elder Euphrosynus to you for these reasons, so that he may act similarly according to the rule here, and receive the accusations against those who are liable, and excommunicate from the prayers those who must be.

6 Concerning those who by force detain the captives who have escaped from the barbarians. And something unbelievable was reported to us as having happened in your country, doubtless by faithless and impious men and who know not the name of the Lord; that some have proceeded to such a degree of inhumanity and cruelty, as to detain by force certain captives who have escaped. Send some men into the country, lest thunderbolts also fall upon those who do such things.

7 Concerning those who were enrolled among the barbarians and dared to do certain monstrous things against their kinsmen. Therefore, those who were enrolled among the barbarians and were with them in the captivity, forgetting that they were Pontics and Christians, and having become so barbarized as even to kill their kinsmen either with a club or by hanging, and to show either roads or houses to the barbarians who did not know them, it is necessary to exclude them even from hearing, until something is decided about them in common by the saints who have come together, and before them by the Holy Spirit.

8 Concerning those who dared to enter the houses of others during the barbarian invasion. As for those who dared to enter the houses of others, if, having been accused, they are convicted, do not even deem them worthy of hearing; but if they confess of their own accord and make restitution, they are to be kneelers in the rank of the returning.

9 Concerning those who found in the field or in their own houses things left behind by the barbarians. As for those who found something in the field or in their own houses, left behind by the barbarians, if, having been accused, they are convicted, likewise among the kneelers; but if they confess of their own accord and make restitution, deem them worthy also of the prayer.

αἰχμαλώτων ἢ πεφονευ μένων, τί ἕτερον προσδοκᾶν χρὴ ἢ ὡς ἐπαγωνιζομένους τῇ πλεονεξίᾳ ἐπισωρεῦσαι ὀργὴν καὶ ἑαυτοῖς καὶ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ;

3 [Περὶ τοῦ Ἄχαρ] Οὐκ ἰδοὺ Ἄχαρ ὁ τοῦ Ζαρᾶ πλημμελείᾳ ἐπλημμέλησεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνα θέματος καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν συναγωγὴν Ἰσραὴλ ἐγενήθη ἡ ὀργή; Καὶ οὗτος εἶς μόνος ἥμαρτε· μὴ μόνος ἀπέ θανεν ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ αὐτοῦ; Ἡμῖν δὲ πᾶν τὸ μὴ ἡμέτερον, ἀλλὰ ἀλλό τριον τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ κέρδος ἀνά θεμα νενομίσθαι προσήκει. Κἀκεῖνος μὲν ὁ Ἄχαρ ἐκ τῆς προνομῆς ἔλαβε, καὶ αὐτοὶ νῦν ἐκ προνομῆς· κἀκεῖνος μὲν τὰ τῶν πολεμίων, οἱ δὲ νῦν τὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν, κερδάναντες ὀλέ θριον κέρδος.

4 Περὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ καταδρομῆ τὰ τῶν ὁμοφύλων ἁρπασάντων πράγματα. Μηδεὶς ἐξαπατάτω ἑαυτὸν, μήτε ὡς εὑρών· οὔτε γὰρ εὑρόντι κερ δαίνειν ἔξεστι· φησὶ τὸ ∆ευτερο νόμιον· Μὴ ἰδὼν τὸν μόσχον τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου καὶ τὸ πρόβατον πλα νώμενον ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, περιίδῃς αὐ τά· ἀποστροφῇ ἀποστρέψεις αὐτὰ τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου. Ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἐγγί ζῃ ὁ ἀδελφός σου πρὸς σέ, μηδὲ ἐπιστῇ αὐτόν, συνάξεις αὐτά, καὶ ἔσται μετὰ σοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἐκζητή σῃ αὐτὰ ὁ ἀδελφός σου καὶ ἀ ποδώσεις αὐτά. Καὶ οὕτω ποιήσεις τὴν ὄνον αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὕτω ποιήσεις τὸ ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὕτω ποιήσεις κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀπώλειαν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου, ὅσα ἂν ἀπόληται παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ εὕρῃς αὐτά. Ταῦτα τὸ ∆ευ τερονόμιον. Ἐν δὲ τῇ Ἐξόδῳ, οὐ μόνον ἐὰν τὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τις εὕρῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐχθροῦ· Ἀποστροφῇ, φη σίν, ἀποστρέψεις αὐτὰ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ κυρίου αὐτῶν. Εἰ δὲ ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἄρα ῥᾳθυμοῦντος καὶ τρυφῶντος καὶ τῶν ἰδίων ἀμελοῦντος ἀδελφοῦ ἢ ἐχθροῦ κερδάναι οὐκ ἔξεστι, πόσῳ μᾶλλον δυστυχοῦντος καὶ πολεμίους φεύγοντος καὶ κατὰ ἀνάγκην τὰ ἴδια ἐγκαταλείποντος;

5 [Περὶ τῶν ἁρπαζόντων τὰ ἀλλότρια ἀντὶ τῶν ἰδίων] Ἄλλοι δὲ ἑαυτοὺς ἐξαπατῶσιν, ἀντὶ τῶν ἰδίων τῶν ἀπωλομένων ἃ εὗρον ἀλλότρια κατέχοντες· ἵνα, ἐπειδὴ αὐτοὺς Βοράδοι καὶ Γότθοι τὰ πο λέμου εἰργάσαντο, αὐτοὶ ἄλλοις Βο ράδοι καὶ Γότθοι γίνωνται. Ἀπεστείλαμεν οὖν τὸν ἀδελφὸν καὶ συγγέροντα Εὐφρόσυνον διὰ ταῦτα πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἵνα κατὰ τὸν ἐνθάδε τύπον καὶ αὐτοῦ δῴη ὁμοίως, καὶ ὧν δεῖ τὰς κατηγορίας προσίεσθαι καὶ οὓς δεῖ ἐκκηρῦξαι τῶν εὐχῶν.

6 Περὶ τῶν βίᾳ κατεχόντων τοὺς ἐκ τῶν βαρβάρων ἀποφυγόντας αἰχμαλώτους. Ἀπηγγέλη δέ τι ἡμῖν καὶ ἄπιστον ἐν τῆ χώρᾳ ὑμῶν γενόμενον, πάντως που ὑπὸ ἀπίστων καὶ ἀσεβῶν καὶ μὴ εἰδότων μήτε ὄνομα κυρίου· ὅτι ἄρα εἰς τοσοῦτόν τινες ἀπανθρω πίας καὶ ὠμότητος προεχώρησαν, ὥστε τινὰς τοὺς διαφυγόντας αἰχ μαλώτους βίᾳ κατέχειν. Ἀποστεί λατέ τινας εἰς τὴν χώραν, μὴ καὶ σκηπτοὶ πέσωσιν ἐπὶ τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντας.

7 Περὶ τῶν ἐγκαταλεχθέντων τοῖς βαρβάροις καὶ ἄτοπά τινα κατὰ τῶν ὁμοφύλων τολμησάντων. Τοὺς μὲν οὖν ἐγκαταλεχθέντας τοῖς βαρβάροις καὶ μετ' αὐτῶν ἐν τῆ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ὄντας, ἐπιλαθομένους ὄτι ἦσαν ποντικοὶ καὶ χριστιανοί, ἐκβαρβαρωθέντας δὲ ὡς καὶ φονεύειν τοὺς ὁμοφύλους ἢ ξύλῳ ἢ ἀγχόνη, ὑποδεικνύναι δὲ ἢ ὁδοὺς ἢ οἰκίας ἀγνοοῦσι τοῖς βαρβάροις, καὶ τῆς ἀκροάσεως ἀπεῖρξαι δεῖ, μέχρις ἂν κοινῇ περὶ αὐτῶν τι δόξῃ συνελ θοῦσι τοῖς ἁγίοις, καὶ πρὸ αὐτῶν τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι.

8 Περὶ τῶν οἴκοις ἀλλοτρίοις ἐπελθεῖν τολμησάντων ἐν τῇ τῶν βαρβάρων ἐπι δρομῇ. Τοὺς δὲ οἴκοις ἀλλοτρίοις ἐπελθεῖν τολμήσαντας, ἐὰν μὲν κατηγορη θέντες ἐλεγχθῶσι, μηδὲ τῆς ἀκροά σεως ἀξιῶσαι· ἐὰν δὲ ἑαυτοῖς ἐξεί πωσι καὶ ἀποδῶσιν, ἐν τῇ τάξει τῶν ὑποστρεφόντων ὑποπίπτειν αὐ τούς.

9 Περὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ ἢ ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις οἴκοις εὑρόντων τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων καταλειφθέντα. Τοὺς δὲ ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ εὑρόντας τι ἢ ἐν ταῖς ἑαυτῶν οἰκίαις, καταλει φθέντα ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων, ἐὰν μὲν κατηγορηθέντες ἐλεγχθῶσιν, ὁμοίως ἐν τοῖς ὑποπίπτουσιν· ἐὰν δὲ ἑαυ τοῖς ἐξείπωσι καὶ ἀποδῶσι, καὶ τῆς εὐχῆς ἀξιῶσαι.