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he will be condemned. For one must neither depart from the pious, nor agree with the impious. If anyone walks in a strange opinion, this one is not of Christ nor a sharer of His passion, but is a fox, a destroyer of the vineyard of Christ. Do not mix with such a one, lest you perish with him, even if he be a father or a son or a brother or a relative. For your eye, he says, will not spare him. Therefore, you must also hate those who hate God and be consumed with grief over His enemies; yet not to strike them or persecute them, as do the gentiles who do not know the Lord and God, but to consider them enemies and to separate from them, but to admonish them and to urge them to repentance, if perhaps they might listen, if perhaps they might yield. For our God is a lover of mankind, and wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Therefore He makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. And the Lord, wishing us also to be imitators of His goodness, says: Be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.
I am persuaded of you in the Lord, that you will think nothing else. Therefore I write boldly to your God-worthy love, exhorting you to use one faith and one preaching and one eucharist; for there is one flesh of the Lord Jesus and one blood of His which was shed for us (for one bread was broken for all and one cup was distributed to the whole), one altar for the whole church and one bishop together with the presbytery and the deacons, my fellow-servants. Since also there is one unbegotten, God and Father, and one only-begotten Son, God the Word and man, and one Paraclete, the Spirit of truth, and also one preaching and one faith and one baptism and one church, which the holy apostles established from one end of the earth to the other in the blood of Christ with their own sweat and labors. And you therefore, as a chosen people and a holy nation, must accomplish all things in Christ in harmony. Wives, be subject to your husbands in the fear of God; virgins, to Christ in incorruption, not despising marriage, but desiring what is better, not for the slandering of intercourse, but for the sake of the study of the laws. Children, obey your parents and love them as fellow-workers with God for your birth. Slaves, be subject to your masters in God, that you may become freedmen of Christ. Husbands, love your wives as fellow-slaves of God, as your own body, as partners in life and fellow-workers in childbearing. Virgins, have only Christ before your eyes and His Father in your souls, being enlightened by the Spirit. May I have joy of your holiness as of Elijah, as of Joshua the son of Nun, as of Melchizedek, as of Elisha, as of Jeremiah, as of John the Baptist, as of the beloved disciple, as of Timothy, as of Titus, as of Euodius, as of Clement, of those who have departed this life in chastity. I have now mentioned these not blaming the other blessed ones, because they entered into marriage (for I pray that, being found worthy of God, I may be found at their footsteps in the kingdom, as of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, as of Joseph and Isaiah and the other prophets, as of Peter and Paul and the other apostles who entered into marriage), but out of zeal for the matter, I myself had those in mind. Fathers, bring up your own children in the discipline and admonition of the Lord, and teach them the sacred writings and trades so that they do not delight in idleness. For well, he says, does a righteous father bring up a child, and his heart will rejoice in a wise son. Masters, attend kindly to your servants, as the holy Job taught; for nature is one and the race of humanity is one; for in Christ there is neither slave nor free. Let the rulers obey Caesar, the soldiers the rulers; the deacons to the presbyters as priests, the presbyters and the deacons and the rest of the clergy together with all the people and the soldiers and the rulers and Caesar to the bishop, the
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κατακριθήσεται· οὔτε γὰρ εὐσεβῶν ἀφίστασθαι χρή, οὔτε δυσσεβέσιν συγκεῖσθαι δεῖ. εἴ τις ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ γνώμῃ περιπατεῖ, οὗτος οὐκ ἔστιν Χριστοῦ οὔτε τοῦ πάθους αὐτοῦ κοινωνός, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ἀλώπηξ, φθορεὺς ἀμπελῶνος Χριστοῦ. τῷ τοιούτῳ μὴ συναναμίγνυσθε, ἵνα μὴ συναπόλησθε αὐτῷ, κἂν πατὴρ ᾖ κἂν υἱὸς κἂν ἀδελφὸς κἂν οἰκεῖος. οὐ φείσεται γάρ σου, φησίν, ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς ἐπ' αὐτῷ. τοὺς μισοῦντας οὖν τὸν θεὸν μισεῖν χρὴ καὶ ὑμᾶς καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς αὐτοῦ ἐκτήκεσθαι· οὐ μὴν καὶ τύπτειν αὐτοὺς ἢ διώκειν, καθὼς τὰ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ εἰδότα τὸν κύριον καὶ θεόν, ἀλλ' ἐχθροὺς μὲν ἡγεῖσθαι καὶ χωρίζεσθαι ἀπ' αὐτῶν, νουθετεῖν δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐπὶ μετάνοιαν παρακαλεῖν, ἐὰν ἄρα ἀκούσωσιν, ἐὰν ἄρα ἐνδῶσιν. φιλάνθρωπος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ πάντας ἀνθρώπους θέλει σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν. διὸ τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ ἀνατέλλει ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς καὶ βρέχει τὸν ὑετὸν ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους. οὗ τῆς χρηστότητος θέλων καὶ ἡμᾶς εἶναι μιμητὰς ὁ κύριος λέγει· Γίνεσθε τέλειοι, καθὼς καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τέλειός ἐστιν.
Ἐγὼ πέποιθα εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐν κυρίῳ, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἄλλο φρονήσετε. διὸ καὶ θαρρῶν γράφω τῇ ἀξιοθέῳ ἀγάπῃ ὑμῶν, παρακαλῶν ὑμᾶς μιᾷ πίστει καὶ ἑνὶ κηρύγματι καὶ μιᾷ εὐχαριστίᾳ χρῆσθαι· μία γάρ ἐστιν ἡ σὰρξ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ καὶ ἓν αὐτοῦ τὸ αἷμα τὸ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐκχυθέν (εἷς γὰρ ἄρτος τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐθρύφθη καὶ ἓν ποτήριον τοῖς ὅλοις διενεμήθη), ἓν θυσιαστήριον πάσῃ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ εἷς ἐπίσκοπος ἅμα τῷ πρεσβυτερίῳ καὶ τοῖς διακόνοις, τοῖς συνδούλοις μου. ἐπείπερ καὶ εἷς ἀγέννητος, ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατήρ, καὶ εἷς μονογενὴς υἱός, θεὸς λόγος καὶ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ εἷς ὁ παράκλητος, τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας, ἓν δὲ καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα καὶ ἡ πίστις μία καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα ἓν καὶ μία ἡ ἐκκλησία, ἣν ἱδρύσαντο οἱ ἅγιοι ἀπόστολοι ἀπὸ περάτων ἕως περάτων ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ οἰκείοις ἱδρῶσι καὶ πόνοις. καὶ ὑμᾶς οὖν χρὴ ὡς λαὸν περιούσιον καὶ ἔθνος ἅγιον ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ πάντα ἐν Χριστῷ ἐπιτελεῖν. αἱ γυναῖκες τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ὑποτάγητε ἐν φόβῳ θεοῦ· αἱ παρθένοι τῷ Χριστῷ ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ, οὐ βδελυσσόμεναι γάμον, ἀλλὰ τοῦ κρείσσονος ἐφιέμεναι, οὐκ ἐπὶ διαβολῇ συναφείας, ἀλλ' ἕνεκα τῆς τῶν νόμων μελέτης. τὰ τέκνα πειθαρχεῖτε τοῖς γονεῦσιν ὑμῶν καὶ στέργετε αὐτοὺς ὡς συνεργοὺς θεοῦ εἰς τὴν ὑμετέραν γέννησιν. οἱ δοῦλοι ὑποτάγητε τοῖς κυρίοις ἐν θεῷ, ἵνα Χριστοῦ ἀπελεύθεροι γένησθε. οἱ ἄνδρες ἀγαπᾶτε τὰς γυναῖκας ὑμῶν ὡς ὁμοδούλους θεῷ, ὡς οἰκεῖον σῶμα, ὡς κοινωνοὺς βίου καὶ συνεργοὺς τεκνογονίας. αἱ παρθένοι μόνον τὸν Χριστὸν πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχετε καὶ τὸν αὐτοῦ πατέρα ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς φωτιζόμεναι ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος. ὀναίμην ὑμῶν τῆς ἁγιωσύνης ὡς Ἠλία, ὡς Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Nαυῆ, ὡς Mελχισεδέκ, ὡς Ἐλισσαίου, ὡς Ἱερεμίου, ὡς τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ Ἰωάννου, ὡς τοῦ ἠγαπημένου μαθητοῦ, ὡς Tιμοθέου, ὡς Tίτου, ὡς Eὐοδίου, ὡς Kλήμεντος, τῶν ἐν ἁγνείᾳ ἐξελθόντων τὸν βίον. οὐ ψέγων τοὺς λοιποὺς μακαρίους, ὅτι γάμοις προσωμίλησαν, τούτων ἐμνήσθην ἄρτι (εὔχομαι γὰρ ἄξιος θεοῦ εὑρεθεὶς πρὸς τοῖς ἴχνεσιν αὐτῶν εὑρεθῆναι ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ ὡς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ, ὡς Ἰωσὴφ καὶ Ἡσαΐου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων προφητῶν, ὡς Πέτρου καὶ Παύλου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀποστόλων τῶν γάμοις προσομιλησάντων), ἀλλ' ὑπὸ προθυμίας τῆς περὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐπ' ἐννοίας αὐτὸς ἔσχον ἐκείνους. οἱ πατέρες ἐκτρέφετε τοὺς ἑαυτῶν παῖδας ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ κυρίου, καὶ διδάσκετε αὐτοὺς τὰ ἱερὰ γράμματα καὶ τέχνας πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἀργίᾳ χαίρειν. καλῶς δέ, φησίν, ἐκτρέφει πατὴρ δίκαιος, ἐπὶ υἱῷ συνετῷ εὐφρανθήσεται ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ. οἱ κύριοι εὐμενῶς τοῖς οἰκέταις προσέχετε, ὡς ὁ ἅγιος Ἰὼβ ἐδίδαξεν· μία γὰρ <ἡ> φύσις καὶ ἓν τὸ γένος τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος· ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ οὔτε δοῦλος οὔτε ἐλεύθερος. οἱ ἄρχοντες πειθαρχείτωσαν τῷ καίσαρι, οἱ στρατιῶται τοῖς ἄρχουσιν· οἱ διάκονοι τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις ὡς ἱερεῦσιν, οἱ πρεσβύτεροι καὶ οἱ διάκονοι καὶ ὁ λοιπὸς κλῆρος ἅμα παντὶ τῷ λαῷ καὶ τοῖς στρατιώταις καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσι καὶ τῷ καίσαρι τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ, ὁ