[Concerning Those Who Affirm that Penitents are Not to Be Received into the Church. That a Righteous Person, Although He Converse with a Sinner, Will Not Perish with Him. That No Person is Punished for Another, But Every One Must Give an Account of Himself. That We Must Assist Those Who are Weak in the Faith; And that a Bishop Must Not Be Governed by Any Turbulent Person Among the Laity. ]

XIV. But if thou refusest to receive him that repents, thou exposest him to those who lie in wait to destroy, forgetting what David says: “Deliver not my soul, which confesses to Thee, unto destroying beasts.”  70  Ps. lxxiv. 19. Wherefore Jeremiah, when he is exhorting men to repentance, says thus: “Shall not he that falleth arise? or he that turneth away, cannot he return? Wherefore have my people gone back by a shameless backsliding? and they are hardened in their purpose.  71  Jer. viii. 4, 5. Turn, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings.”  72  Jer. iii. 22. Receive, therefore, without any doubting, him that repents. Be not hindered by such unmerciful men, who say that we must not be defiled with such as those, nor so much as speak to them: for such advice is from men that are unacquainted with God and His providence, and are unreasonable judges, and unmerciful brutes. These men are ignorant that we ought to avoid society with offenders, not in discourse, but in actions: for “the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”  73  Ezek. xviii. 20. And again: “If a land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, and I stretch out my hand upon it, and break the staff of bread upon it, and send famine upon it, and destroy man and beast therein: though these three men, Noah, Job, and Daniel, were in the midst of it, they shall only save their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God.”  74  Ezek. xiv. 13, 14. The Scripture most clearly shows that a righteous man that converses with a wicked man does not perish with him. For in the present world the righteous and the wicked are mingled together in the common affairs of life, but not in holy communion: and in this the friends and favourites of God are guilty of no sin. For they do but imitate “their Farther which is in heaven, who maketh His sun to rise on the righteous and unrighteous, and sendeth His rain on the evil and on the good;”  75  Matt. v. 45. and the righteous man undergoes no peril on this account. For those who conquer and those who are conquered are in the same place of running, but only those who have bravely undergone the race are where the garland is bestowed; and “no one is crowned, unless he strive lawfully.”  76  2 Tim. ii. 5. For every one shall give account of himself, and God will not destroy the righteous with the wicked; for with Him it is a constant rule, that innocence is never punished. For neither did He drown Noah, nor burn up Lot, nor destroy Rahab for company. And if you desire to know how this matter was among us, Judas was one of us, and took the like part of the ministry which we had; and Simon the magician received the seal of the Lord. Yet both the one and the other proving wicked, the former hanged himself, and the latter, as he flew in the air in a manner unnatural, was dashed against the earth. Moreover, Noah and his sons with him were in the ark; but Ham, who alone was found wicked, received punishment in his son.  77  A various reading gives: “Ham, one of his sons, who alone was found wicked, received punishment.” But if fathers are not punished for their children, nor children for their fathers, it is thence clear that neither will wives be punished for their husbands, nor servants for their masters, nor one relation for another, nor one friend for another, nor the righteous for the wicked. But every one will be required an account of his own doing. For neither was punishment inflicted on Noah for the world, nor was Lot destroyed by fire for the Sodomites, nor was Rahab slain for the inhabitants of Jericho, nor Israel for the Egyptians. For not the dwelling together, but the agreement in their sentiments, alone could condemn the righteous with the wicked. We ought not therefore to hearken to such persons who call for death, and hate mankind, and love accusations, and under fair pretences bring men to death. For one man shall not die for another, but “every one is held with the chains of his own sins.”  78  Prov. v. 22. And, “behold, the man and his work is before his face.”  79  Isa. lxii. 11. Now we ought to assist those who are with us,  80  One V. ms. reads: “those who are sick. ” and are in danger, and fall, and, as far as lies in our power, to reduce them to sobriety by our exhortations, and so save them from death. For “the whole have no need of the physician, but the sick;”  81  Matt. ix. 12. since “it is not pleasing in the sight of your Father that one of these little ones should perish.”  82  Matt. xviii. 14. For we ought not to establish the will of hard-hearted men, but the will of the God and Father of the universe, which is revealed to us by Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

For it is not equitable that thou, O bishop, who art the head, shouldst submit to the tail, that is, to some seditious person among the laity, to the destruction of another, but to God alone. For it is thy privilege to govern those under thee, but not to be governed by them. For neither does a son, who is subject by the course of generation, govern his father; nor a slave, who is subject by law, govern his master; nor does a scholar govern his teacher, nor a soldier his king, nor any of the laity his bishop. For that there is no reason to suppose that such as converse with the wicked, in order to their instruction in the word, are defiled by or partake of their sins, Ezekiel, as it were on purpose preventing the suspicions of ill-disposed persons, says thus: “Why do you speak this proverb concerning the land of Israel? 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 henceforth have occasion to use this proverb in Israel. For all souls are mine, in like manner as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. But the man who is righteous, and does judgment and justice” (and so the prophet reckons up the rest of the virtues, and then adds for a conclusion, “Such a one is just”), “he shall surely live, saith the Lord God. And if he beget a son who is a robber, a shedder of blood, and walks not in the way of his righteous father” (and when the prophet had added what follows, he adds in the conclusion), “he shall certainly not live: he has done all this wickedness; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him. Yet they will ask thee, Why? Does not the son bear the iniquity of the father; or his righteousness, having exercised righteousness and mercy himself? And thou shalt say unto them, The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”  83  Ezek. xviii. 2, etc. And a little after he says: “When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, all his righteousness, by reason of all his wickedness which he has committed, shall not be mentioned to him: in his iniquity which he hath committed, and in his sin which he hath sinned, in them shall he die.” And a little after he adds: “When the wicked turneth away from his wickedness which he hath committed, and doth judgment and justice, he hath preserved his soul, he hath turned away from all his ungodliness which he hath done; he shall surely live, he shall not die.” And afterwards: “I will judge every one of you according to his ways, O house of Israel, saith the Lord God.”

[14] Ἐὰν δὲ τὸν μετανοοῦντα μὴ προσδέξῃ, ἐπιβούλοις αὐτὸν ἔκδοτον παρέχεις, ἐπιλαθόμενος τοῦ Δαυὶδ λέγοντος: «Μὴ παραδῷς τοῖς θηρίοις ψυχὴν ἐξομολογουμένην σοι.» Διὸ καὶ παρορμῶν εἰς μετάνοιαν ὁ Ἱερεμίας λέγει. «Μὴ ὁ πίπτων οὐκ ἀνίσταται ἢ ὁ ἀποστρέφων οὐκ ἐπιστρέφει; Τί ὄτι ἀπέστρεψεν ὁ λαός μου ἀποστροφὴν πονηρὰν καὶ ἀναιδῆ καὶ κατεκρατήθησαν ἐν τῇ προαιρέσει αὐτῶν; Ἐπιστράφητε, υἱοὶ ἀφεστηκότες, καὶ ἐγὼ ἰάσομαι τὰ συντρίμματα ὑμῶν.» Δέξαι οὖν τὸν μετανοοῦντα, μὴ διστάζων ὅλως μηδὲ παρεμποδιζόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνηλεῶς λεγόντων μὴ δεῖν τοιούτοις συμμολύνεσθαι μήδε λόγου κοινωνεῖν: αἱ γὰρ τοιαῦται συμβουλίαι ἀγνοούντων εἰσὶν Θεὸν καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ πρόνοιαν, ἀλόγων δὲ ἀγρίων καὶ θηρίων ἀμειλίκτων: οὐ γὰρ γὰρ γινώσκουσιν, ὅτι χρὴ φυλάσσεσθαι οὐ τὴν ἐν λόγῳ κοινωνίαν πρὸς τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ. «Δικαιοσύνη γὰρ δικαίου ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἔσται, καὶ ἀνομία ἀνόμου ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἔσται.» Καὶ πάλιν: «Γῆ ἐὰν ἁμάρτῃ μοι ἀδίκημα ἀδικῆσαι, καὶ ἐκτενῶ τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπ' αὐτὴν καὶ συντρίψω ἐπ' αὐτῆς στήριγμα ἄρτου καὶ ἐξαποστελῶ εἰς αὐτὴν λιμὸν καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσω ἐξ αὐτῆς ἄνθρωπον καὶ κτῆνος: κἂν ὦσιν οἱ τρεῖς ἄνδρες ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς, Νῶε καὶ Ἰὼβ καὶ Δανιήλ, αὐτοὶ ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ αὐτῶν σώσουσιν τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος.» Σαφέστατα δεδήλωκεν ἡ γραφή, ὅτι συνὼν δίκαιος ἀδίκῳ οὐ συναπόλλυται μετ' αὐτοῦ. Ἐν γὰρ τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ καὶ δίκαιοι καὶ ἄδικοι ἀλλήλοις συναγελάζονται κοινωνίᾳ βίου, οὐ μὴν καὶ ὁσιότητος, καὶ τοῦτο οὐχ ἁμαρτάνουσιν οἱ θεοφιλεῖς: μιμηταὶ γάρ εἰσιν τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτῶν τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, τοῦ τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ ἀνατέλλοντος ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους, καὶ βρέχοντος αὐτοῦ τὸν ὑετὸν ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθούς. Καὶ οὐδὲν κινδυνεύει ὁ δίκαιος ἐν τουτῷ: ἐν γὰρ τῷ σταδίῳ καὶ νικηταὶ καὶ νικώμενοι εἰσίν, ἐν δὲ τῷ στεφάνῳ μόνοι οἱ γενναίως ἀγωνισάμενοι: οὐδεὶς γὰρ στεφανοῦται, ἐὰν μὴ νομίμως ἀθλήσῃ. Ἕκαστος γὰρ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ἐξομολογήσεται, καὶ οὐ μὴ συναπολέσῃ ὁ Θεὸς τὸν δίκαιον μετὰ τοῦ ἀδίκου, ἐπείπερ παρ' αὐτῷ τὸ ἀναμάρτητον ἀτιμώρητον. Οὔτε γὰρ τὸν Νῶε κατέκλυσεν, οὔτε τὸν Λὼτ κατέφλεξεν, οὔτε τὴν Ῥαὰβ συναπώλεσεν. Εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε γνῶναι καὶ τὰ ἐφ' ἡμῶν γενόμενα, Ἰούδας σὺν ἡμῖν ὢν ἔλαβεν τὸν κλῆρον τῆς διακονίας, ὃν καὶ ἡμεῖς, καὶ Σίμων ὁ μάγος τὴν ἐν Κυρίῳ σφραγῖδα: ἀλλ' ἑκάτερος αὐτῶν ἀναδειχθεὶς φαῦλος, ὁ μὲν ἀπήγξατο, ὁ δὲ παρὰ φύσιν ἱπτάμενος συνετρίβη. Καὶ ἐν τῇ κιβωτῷ Νῶε καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ ὑπῆρχον, ἀλλὰ πονηρὸς ὁ Χὰμ εὑρεθεὶς μόνος καὶ εἷς τῶν υἱῶν ἐδέξατο τὴν τιμωρίαν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ πατέρες ὑπὲρ παίδων οὐ τιμωροῦνται οὔτε υἱοὶ ὑπὲρ πατέρων, δῆλον ὡς οὔτε γυναῖκες ὑπὲρ ἀνδρῶν, οὔτε οἰκέται ὑπὲρ δεσποτῶν, οὔτε συγγενεῖς ὑπὲρ συγγενῶν, οὔτε φίλοι ὑπὲρ φίλων, οὔτε δίκαιοι ὑπὲρ ἀδίκων, ἀλλ' ἕκαστος ὑπὲρ τοῦ οἰκείου ἔργου τὸν λόγον ἀπαιτηθήσεται. Οὔτε γὰρ Νῶε ὑπὲρ τοῦ κόσμου δίκην εἰσεπράχθη, οὔτε Λὼτ ὑπὲρ Σοδόμων ἐπυρπολήθη, οὔτε Ῥαὰβ ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἱεριχουντίων ἐσφάγη, οὔτε Ἰσραὴλ ὑπὲρ Αἰγυπτίων: οὐ γὰρ ἡ συνοίκησις κατακρίνει τοὺς δικαίους σὺν τοῖς ἀδίκοις, ἀλλ' ἡ τῆς γνώμης ὁμόνοια. Οὐ χρὴ τοίνυν τοῖς ἑτοιμοθανάτοις καὶ μισανθρώποις καὶ φιλεγκλήμοσιν καὶ μετὰ προφάσεως θανατοποιοῖς προσέχειν. Ἕτερος γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἑτέρου οὐκ ἀποθανεῖται, ἀλλὰ: «Σειραῖς τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτιῶν ἕκαστος σφίγγεται». Καί: «Ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος καὶ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ.» Δεῖ δὲ ἡμᾶς βοηθεῖν τοῖς νοσοῦσιν καὶ κινδυνεύουσιν καὶ σφαλλομένοις, καὶ ὅσον οἷόν τε τῇ παραινέσει τοῦ λόγου ὑγιάζειν αὐτοὺς καὶ ῥύεσθαι ἐκ θανάτου: «Οὐ χρείαν γὰρ ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ' οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες, ἐπειδὴ καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν θέλημα ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Πατρός, ἵνα ἀπόληται εἷς τῶν μικρῶν.» Οὐ γὰρ τὴν τῶν σκληροκαρδίων ἀνθρώπων βούλησιν ἱστᾶν χρή, ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς τῶν ὅλων τὴν διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων: ἀμήν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ δίκαιον κεφαλὴν ὄντα σε, ὦ ἐπίσκοπε, οὐρᾷ προσέχειν, τοῦτ' ἔστιν λαϊκῷ στασιώδει ἀνθρώπῳ, εἰς ἑτέρου ἀπώλειαν, ἀλλὰ Θεῷ μόνῳ. Ἄρχειν γάρ σε χρὴ τῶν ὑπηκόων, οὐ μὴν καὶ ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἄρχεσθαι: οὔτε γὰρ υἱὸς ἄρχει πατρὸς κατὰ τὸν τῆς γενέσεως λόγον, οὔτε δοῦλος τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ κυρίου κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἐξουσίας λόγον, οὔτε μαθητὴς διδασκάλου, οὔτε στρατιώτης βασιλέως, οὔτε μὴν λαϊκὸς ἐπισκόπου. Περὶ γὰρ τοῦ μὴ δοκεῖν τοὺς πλησιάζοντας ἀδίκοις τῇ τοῦ λόγου διδαχῇ συμμολύνεσθαι ἢ κοινωνεῖν ταῖς αὐτῶν ἁμαρτίαις ὁ Ἰεζεκιὴλ ἐκκόπτων τὴν τῶν κακοήθων ἐπίνοιαν λέγει: «Τί ὑμεῖς λέγετε αὑτοῖς τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην ἐπὶ γῆς Ἰσραήλ: οἱ πατέρες ἔφαγον ὄμφακα, καὶ οἱ ὀδόντες τῶν τέκνων ἐγομφίασαν; Ζῶ ἐγὼ Ἀδωναΐ, λέγει Κύριος, εἰ ἔσται ἔτι ἐν ὑμῖν λεγομένη ἡ παραβολὴ αὕτη ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ. Ὅτι πᾶσαι αἱ ψυχαὶ ἐμαί εἰσιν, ὃν τρόπον ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ πατρός, οὕτως καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἐμή ἐστιν. Ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα αὐτὴ ἀποθανεῖται: ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος, ὃς ἔσται δίκαιος, ποιῶν κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην», καὶ ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγων τὰς λοιπὰς ἀρετὰς ἐπισφραγίζεται λέγων: «Ὁ τοιοῦτος δίκαιος ὑπάρχει, ζωῇ ζήσεται, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος. Καὶ ἐὰν γεννήσῃ υἱὸν λοιμόν, ἐκχέοντα αἷμα, καὶ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ τοῦ δικαίου οὐκ ἐπορεύθη», καὶ ἐπαγαγὼν τὰ ἑξῆς, ἐπάγει τοῖς τελευταίοις: «Ζωῇ οὐ ζήσεται: πάσας τὰς ἀνομίας ταύτας ἃς ἐποίησεν, θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖται, τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἔσται. Καὶ ἐρεῖτε: Τί ὅτι οὐκ ἔλαβεν ὁ υἱὸς τὴν ἀδικίαν τοῦ πατρὸς, ἢ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ, δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἔλεος πεποιηκώς;» Καὶ ἐρεῖς αὐτοῖς: «Ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα αὐτὴ ἀποθανεῖται: υἱὸς οὐ λήψεται ἀδικίαν πατρός, καὶ πατὴρ οὐ λήψεται ἀδικίαν υἱοῦ: δικαιοσύνη δικαίου ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἔσται, καὶ ἀνομία ἀνόμου ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἔσται.» Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα φησίν: «Ἐν τῷ ἀποστρέψαι δίκαιον ἐκ τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ καὶ ποιῆσαι ἀδικίαν, κατὰ πάσας τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτοῦ πᾶσαι αἱ δικαιοσύναι αὐτοῦ, ἃς ἐποίησεν, οὐ μὴ μνησθῶσιν: ἐν τῇ ἀδικίᾳ αὐτοῦ ᾗ ἠδίκησεν, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ αὐτοῦ ᾗ ἥμαρτεν, ἐν αὐτῇ ἀποθανεῖται.» Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα ἐπάγει: «Ἐν τῷ ἀποστρέψαι ἄνομον ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνομίας αὐτοῦ ἧς ἐποίησεν, καὶ ποιήσει κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην, οὗτος τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐφύλαξεν καὶ ἀπέστρεψεν ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν ἀσεβειῶν αὐτοῦ ὧν ἐποίησεν, ζωῇ ζήσεται καὶ οὐκ ἀποθανεῖται.» Καὶ ἑξῆς: «Ἕκαστον κατὰ τὰς ὁδοὺς ὑμῶν κρινῶ ὑμᾶς, οἶκος Ἰσραήλ, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος.»