[That a Bishop Must Take Care that His People Do Not Sin, Considering that He is Set for a Watchman Among Them.]

XVIII. Let the bishop, therefore, extend his concern to all sorts of people: to those who have not offended, that they may continue innocent; to those who offend, that they may repent. For to you does the Lord speak thus: “Take heed that ye offend not one of these little ones.”  100  Matt. xviii. 10. It is your duty also to give remission to the penitent. For as soon as ever one who has offended says, in the sincerity of his soul, “I have sinned against the Lord,” the Holy Spirit answers, “The Lord also hath forgiven thy sin; be of good cheer, thou shalt not die.”  101  Sam. xii. 13. Be sensible, therefore, O bishop, of the dignity of thy place, that as thou hast received the power of binding, so hast thou also that of loosing. Having therefore the power of loosing, know thyself, and behave thyself in this world as becomes thy place, being aware that thou hast a great account to give. “For to whom,” as the Scripture says, “men have entrusted much, of him they will require the more.”  102  Luke xii. 48. For no one man is free from sin, excepting Him that was made man for us; since it is written: “No man is pure from filthiness; no, not though he be but one day old.”  103  Job xiv. 4, LXX. Upon which account the lives and conduct of the ancient holy men and patriarchs are described; not that we may reproach them from our reading, but that we ourselves may repent, and have hope that we also shall obtain forgiveness. For their blemishes are to us both security and admonition, because we hence learn, when we have offended, that if we repent we shall have pardon. For it is written: “Who can boast that he has a clean heart? and who dare affirm that he is pure from sin?”  104  Prov. xx. 9. No man, therefore, is without sin. Do thou therefore labour to the utmost of thy power to be unblameable; and be solicitous of all the parts of thy flock, lest any one be scandalized on thy account, and thereby perish. For the layman is solicitous only for himself, but thou for all, as having a greater burden, and carrying a heavier load. For it is written: “And the Lord said unto Moses, Thou and Aaron shall bear the sins of the priesthood.”  105  Num. xviii. 1. Since, therefore, thou art to give an account of all, take care of all. Preserve those that are sound, admonish those that sin; and when thou hast afflicted them with fasting, give them ease by remission; and when with tears the offender begs readmission, receive him, and let the whole Church pray for him; and when by imposition of thy hand thou hast admitted him, give him leave to abide afterwards in the flock. But for the drowsy and the careless, do thou endeavour to convert and confirm, and warn and cure them, as sensible how great a reward thou shalt have for doing so, and how great danger thou wilt incur if thou beest negligent therein. For Ezekiel speaks thus to those overseers who take no care of the people: “Woe unto the shepherds of Israel, for they have fed themselves; the shepherds feed not the sheep, but themselves. Ye eat the milk, and are clothed with the wool; ye slay the strong, ye do not feed the sheep. The weak have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but, violently ye chastised them with insult: and they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and they became meat to all the beasts of the forest.” And again: “The shepherds did not search for my sheep; and the shepherds fed themselves, but they fed not my sheep.” And a little after: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hands, and cause them to cease from feeding my sheep, neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; and I will deliver my sheep out of their hands, and they shall not be meat for them.” And he also adds, speaking to the people: “Behold, I will judge between sheep and sheep, and between rams and rams. Seemed it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, and to have trodden down with your feet the residue of your pasture, and that the sheep have eaten what was trodden down with your feet? “And a little after He adds: “And ye shall know that I am the Lord, and you the sheep of my pasture; ye are my men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.”  106  Ezek. xxxiv. 2, etc.

[18] Πάντων οὖν ὁ ἐπίσκοπος φροντιζέτω, καὶ τῶν μὴ ἡμαρτηκότων, ἵνα μένωσιν ἀναμάρτητοι, καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων, ἵνα μετανοῶσιν: λέγει γὰρ ὁ Κύριος πρὸς ὑμᾶς: «Ὁρᾶτε, μὴ καταφρονήσητε ἑνὸς τῶν μικρῶν τούτων.» Καὶ τοῖς μετανοοῦσιν ἄφεσιν διδόναι χρή: ἅμα γὰρ τῷ εἰπεῖν τινα τῶν πλημμελησάντων γνησίᾳ διαθέσει: «Ἡμάρτηκα τῷ Κυρίῳ», ἀποκρίνεται τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον: «Καὶ Κύριος ἀφῆκέν σοι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν: θάρσει, οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃς.» Γνώριζε οὖν, ὦ ἐπίσκοπε, τὸ ἀξίωμά σου, ὅτι ὡς τοῦ δεσμεῖν ἐκληρώσω τὴν ἐξουσίαν, οὕτως καὶ τοῦ λύειν. Ἐξουσίαν οὖν ἔχων τοῦ λύειν γνώριζε σεαυτὸν καὶ ἀξίως τοῦ τόπου σου ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ ἀναστρέφου, εἰδὼς ὅτι πλείονα αὐτὸς ἀπαιτηθήσῃ τὸν λόγον. «Ὧι γάρ, φησί, παρέθεντο πολύ, περισσότερον ἀπαιτήσουσιν παρ' αὐτοῦ.» Ἀναμάρτητος μὲν γὰρ ἀνθρώπων οὐδεὶς παρὲξ τοῦ γενομένου δι' ἡμᾶς ἀνθρώπου, ἐπεὶ γέγραπται: «Οὐδεὶς καθαρὸς ἀπὸ ῥύπου, οὐδ' ἂν μιᾶς ἡμέρας ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ.» Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τῶν προγεγενημένων δικαίων τε καὶ πατριαρχῶν οἱ βίοι καὶ αἱ ἀναστροφαὶ ἀνεγράφησαν, οὐχ ἵνα ἐκείνους ὀνειδίζωμεν ἀναγινώσκοντες, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἡμεῖς μετανοῶμεν καὶ εὐέλπιδες γινώμεθα ὡς ἀφέσεως τευξόμενοι. Τὰ γὰρ ἐκείνων ῥύπη ἡμετέρα ἀσφάλεια καὶ παραίνεσις, ὅτι καὶ ἡμεῖς ἁμαρτήσαντες, ἐὰν μετανοήσωμεν, συγγνώμην ἕξομεν, ἐπεὶ γέγραπται: «Τίς καυχήσεται ἁγνὴν ἔχειν τὴν καρδίαν, ἢ τίς παρρησιάσεται καθαρὸς εἶναι ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας;» Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀναμάρτητος: σὺ οὖν κατὰ δύναμιν σπούδαζε ἀνεπίληπτος εἶναι, καὶ περὶ πάντων μερίμνα, μὴ διὰ σέ τις σκανδαλισθεὶς ἀπόληται. Ὁ γὰρ λαϊκὸς περὶ ἑαυτοῦ μόνου μεριμνᾷ, σὺ δὲ περὶ πάντων, πλεῖον ἔχων βάρος καὶ μεῖζον βαστάζων φορτίον: γέγραπται γάρ: «Καὶ εἶπεν Κύριος πρὸς Μωϋσῆν: σὺ καὶ Ἀαρὼν λήψεσθε τὰς ἁμαρτίας τῆς ἱερατείας.» Ὡς περὶ πλειόνων οὖν ἀπολογούμενος περὶ πάντων φρόντιζε, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ὑγιεῖς συντήρει, τοὺς δὲ ἡμαρτηκότας νουθέτει, καὶ στιβῶν ἐν τῇ νηστείᾳ ἐν τῇ ἀφέσει ἐλάφρυνον, καὶ προσκλαύσαντα εἰσδέχου πάσης τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ δεομένης, καὶ χειροθετήσας αὐτὸν ἔα λοιπὸν εἶναι ἐν τῷ ποιμνίῳ: τοὺς δὲ ὑπνώδεις καὶ παρειμένους ἐπίστρεφε, ὑποστήριζε, παρακάλει, θεράπευε, ἐπιστάμενος, ἡλίκον μισθὸν ἔχεις ταῦτα ἐπιτελῶν, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ κίνδυνον, ἐὰν ἀμελῇς τούτων. Λέγει γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς ἀμελοῦντας τοῦ λαοῦ ἐπισκόπους Ἰεζεκιήλ: «Οὐαὶ τοῖς ποιμέσι τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ οἳ ἐποίμαινον ἑαυτούς: οὐ τὰ πρόβατα ποιμαίνουσιν οἱ ποιμένες, ἀλλ' ἑαυτούς. Τὸ γάλα κατεσθίετε καὶ τὰ ἔρια περιβάλλεσθε, τὸ ἰσχυρὸν σφάζετε, τὰ πρόβατα οὐ ποιμαίνετε: τὸ ἐνοχλούμενον οὐκ ἐνισχύσατε καὶ τὸ ἀρρωστοῦν οὐκ ἰάσασθε καὶ τὸ συντετριμμένον οὐ κατεδήσατε, τὸ ἐξωσμένον οὐκ ἐπιστρέψατε καὶ τὸ ἀπολωλὸς οὐκ ἐζητήσατε, καὶ ἐν κράτει ἐπαιδεύσατε αὐτὰ μετὰ ἐμπαιγμοῦ: καὶ διεσπάρησαν παρὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι ποιμένα, καὶ ἐγένοντο εἰς κατάβρωμα πᾶσι τοῖς θηρίοις τοῦ ἀγροῦ.» Καὶ πάλιν: «Οὐκ ἐξεζήτησαν οἱ ποιμένες τὰ πρόβατά μου, καὶ ἐποίμαινον οἱ ποιμένες ἑαυτούς, τὰ δὲ πρόβατά μου οὐκ ἐποίμαινον.» Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον: «Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ πρὸς τοὺς ποιμένας, καὶ ἐκζητήσω ἐγὼ τὰ πρόβατά μου ἐκ χειρὸς αὐτῶν, καὶ καταπαύσω αὐτοὺς τοῦ ποιμαίνειν τὰ πρόβατά μου, καὶ οὐ ποιμανοῦσιν ἔτι οἱ ποιμένες ἑαυτούς, καὶ ῥύσομαι τὰ πρόβατά μου ἐκ χειρὸς αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἔσονται αὐτοῖς εἰς κατάβρωμα.» Καὶ ἐπιφέρει καὶ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν λέγων: «Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ κρινῶ ἀνὰ μέσον προβάτου εἰς πρόβατον, καὶ κριὸν πρὸς κριόν, Μὴ μικρὸν ἦν ὑμῖν, ὅτι τὴν νομὴν τὴν καλὴν ἐνέμεσθε, καὶ τὰ κατάλοιπα τῆς νομῆς κατεπατεῖτε τοῖς ποσὶν ὑμῶν, καὶ τὰ πρόβατα τὰ πατήματα τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ἤσθιον;» Καὶ ἐπιφέρει μετ' ὀλίγον: «Καὶ γνώσεσθε, ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος καὶ ὑμεῖς πρόβατα τῆς νομῆς μου: ἄνθρωποί μου ἐστέ, καὶ ἐγὼ Θεὸς ὑμῶν, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος.»