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nor yet among the people appointed under him, being ashamed with reverence and many tears he will depart peacefully, full of compunction, and the flock will remain purified, and he will weep to God and repent for his sins, and he will have hope; and the whole flock, seeing his tears, will have an admonition, that the one who sins is not lost through repentance. Therefore, O bishop, be diligent to be pure in your works, knowing your place and your dignity, as one having the type of God among men in ruling all men, priests, kings, rulers, fathers, sons, teachers, and all subjects together. And thus sit in the Church delivering the word, as having authority to judge those who have sinned, for to you bishops it has been said: "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Judge therefore, O bishop, with authority as God, but receive those who repent; for God is a God of mercy. Rebuke those who sin, admonish those who do not turn, exhort those who stand to persevere in good things, receive those who repent, for the Lord God has promised with an oath to grant remission to those who repent of their sins. For He says through Ezekiel: "Say to them: As I live, says the Lord Adonai, I do not desire the death of the sinner, but that the wicked turn from his wicked way and live. Turn from your wicked ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?" Here again the word has made sinners hopeful, that if they repent, they will have hope of salvation, lest at any time, having become callous, they should give themselves over to lawlessness, but having a hope of salvation, turning back they should weep to God for their sins and repent from the heart, propitiating him, and they will receive from him amnesty as from a good father. However, the sinless ought to remain so and not have need of the experience of sins, so that they may not require the pain, grief, and tears of remission. For what do you know, O man, when you have sinned, whether you will live for days in this life, so that you may also repent? For your departure from life is uncertain, and for one who dies in sins there is no repentance, as he says through David: "But in Hades who

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οὔτε μὴν παρὰ τῷ ὑπ' αὐτὸν τεταγμένῳ λαῷ, αἰσχυνθεὶς μετὰ αἰδοῦς καὶ πολλῶν δακρύων ἐξελεύσεται εἰρηνικῶς κατανενυγμένος, καὶ μενεῖ κεκαθαρισμένον τὸ ποίμνιον, προσκλαύσει τε τῷ Θεῷ καὶ μετανοήσει ἐφ' οἷς ἥμαρτεν, καὶ ἕξει ἐλπίδα· καὶ τὸ ποίμνιον ὅλον, θεασάμενον ἐκείνου τὰ δάκρυα, νουθεσίαν ἕξει, ὅτι ὁ ἁμαρτὼν διὰ μετάνοιαν οὐκ ἀπόλλυται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὖν, ὦ ἐπίσκοπε, σπούδαζε καθαρὸς εἶναι τοῖς ἔργοις, γνωρίζων τὸν τόπον σου καὶ τὴν ἀξίαν, ìς Θεοῦ τύπον ἔχων ἐν ἀνθρώποις τῷ πάντων ἄρχειν ἀνθρώπων, ἱερέων, βασιλέων, ἀρχόντων, πατέρων, υἱῶν, διδασκάλων καὶ πάντων ὁμοῦ τῶν ὑπηκόων. Καὶ οὕτως ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ καθέζου τὸν λόγον ποιούμενος, ὡς ἐξουσίαν ἔχων κρίνειν τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας, ὅτι ὑμῖν τοῖς ἐπισκόποις εἴρηται· «Ὃ ἐὰν δήσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔσται δεδεμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν λύσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔσται λελυμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.» Κρῖνε οὖν, ὦ ἐπίσκοπε, μετὰ ἐξουσίας ὡς Θεός, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μετανοοῦντας προσλαμβάνου· ὁ Θεὸς γὰρ Θεός ἐστιν ἐλέους. Ἐπίπλησσε τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν, νουθέτει τοὺς μὴ ἐπιστρέφοντας, παρακάλει τοὺς ἑστῶτας ἐμμένειν τοῖς καλοῖς, τοὺς μετανοοῦντας προσδέχου, ὅτι Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς μετὰ ὅρκου ἐπηγγείλατο ἄφεσιν παρασχεῖν τοῖς μετανοοῦσιν ἐφ' οἷς ἥμαρτον. Λέγει γὰρ διὰ τοῦ Ἰεζεκιήλ· «Eἰπὸν πρὸς αὐτούς· Ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει Κύριος Ἀδωναΐ, εἰ θελήσω τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τῷ ἀποστρέψαι τὸν ἀσεβῆ ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς καὶ ζῆν. Ἐπιστράφητε ἀπὸ τῶν ὁδῶν ὑμῶν τῶν πονηρῶν· καὶ ἱνατί ἀποθνήσκετε, οἶκος Ἰσραήλ;» Ἐνταῦθα αὔθις ὁ λόγος εὐέλπιδας ἐποίησεν τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας, ὅτι, ἐὰν μετανοήσωσιν, ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας ἕξουσιν, μή ποτε ὡς ἀπηλγηκότες ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδώσωσι ταῖς παρανομίαις, ἀλλ' ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας ἐπιστραφέντες προσκλαύσωσιν Θεῷ περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν καὶ μετενοήσωσιν ἐκ καρδίας ἐξευμενισάμενοι αὐτόν, καὶ λήψονται παρ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀμνη στίαν ὡς παρὰ πατρὸς ἀγαθοῦ. Τοὺς μέντοι ἀναμαρτήτους τοιούτους μένειν χρὴ καὶ μὴ χρείαν ἔχειν τῆς πείρας τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν, ὅπως μὴ δέωνται ὀδύνης, λύπης καὶ κλαυθμῶν ἀφέσεως. Τί γὰρ οἶδας, ἄνθρωπε, ἁμαρτήσας, εἰ ἡμέρας ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ ζήσεις, ἵνα καὶ μετανοήσῃς; Ὅτι ἄδηλος ἡ ἔξοδός σου ἐκ τοῦ βίου ὑπάρχει, καὶ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις τελευτήσαντι μετάνοια οὐκ ἔστιν, ὡς λέγει διὰ τοῦ ∆αυίδ· «Ἐν δὲ τῷ ᾅδῃ τίς