23

three or five or seven, so dismiss him, having told him whatever is fitting for the admonition of one who has sinned. But he who rebukes must teach and exhort, so that he may remain humble in himself and ask of God to find him favorable, and say: “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But with you is forgiveness.” For something of this sort is also implied by what was said to Cain in Genesis: “Have you sinned? Be still,” that is, do not add to it. For that the one who has sinned ought to be ashamed of his own transgression, the saying spoken to Moses concerning Miriam is sufficient, when he asked for her to be forgiven; for God says to him: “If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed? Let her be shut out from the camp for seven days, and after that she shall be brought in again.” Thus, therefore, you also must do, to set apart for a definite time those who say they repent of their sins, according to the proportion of their sin, then to receive them back when they repent, as fathers receive sons. But if the bishop himself is a cause of offense, how could he still go out to investigate anyone’s wrongdoing or rebuke someone, through partiality or bribe-taking, or if he himself or his deacons do not have a good conscience? For when the ruler asks and the judge takes, judgment is not brought to completion; and being partners of thieves and not attending to the judgment of widows, those under the bishop will not be able to support the bishop. For they will say to him what is written in the Gospel: “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” Let the bishop, therefore, with his deacons, beware of hearing such a word; that is, let him not give occasion for it. For when the sinner sees someone doing things similar to himself, he will be built up to do the same things; then the evil one, having taken occasion through one, works in others, which may it not be; and so the flock will be perverted. For when the sinners are many, the wickedness accomplished through them will also be greater. For unrebuked sin becomes worse in itself and is distributed to others; since also a little leaven corrupts the whole lump, and one thief brought defilement upon a whole nation, and dead flies make the ointment of the perfumer stink, and when a king hearkens to an unjust word, all the servants under him are lawless; so also a scabby sheep transmits the disease to others, if it is not separated from the healthy

23

τρεῖς ἢ πέντε ἢ ἑπτά, οὕτως αὐτὸν ἀπόλυσον, εἴπας αὐτῷ ὅσα ἁρμόζει εἰς νουθεσίαν ἡμαρτηκότι· τὸν ἐπιπλήσσοντα δὲ διδάσκειν δεῖ καὶ παραινεῖν, ὅπως μείνῃ παρ' ἑαυτῷ ταπεινοφρονῶν καὶ δεόμενος τοῦ θεοῦ τυχεῖν αὐτοῦ εὐμε νοῦς, καὶ λέγειν αὐτὸν· «Ἐὰν ἀνομίας παρατηρήσῃ, Κύριε Κύριε, τίς ὑποστήσεται; Ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ ὁ ἱλασμός ἐστιν.» Τοιοῦτον γάρ τι ὑπεμφαίνει καὶ τὸ ἐν τῇ Γενέσει εἰρημένον τῷ Κάϊν· «Ἥμαρτες; Ἡσύχασον», τοῦτ' ἔστιν μὴ προσθῇς. Ὅτι γὰρ τὸν ἁμαρτήσαντα δεῖ ὑπὲρ τοῦ οἰκείου πλημμελήματος αἰσχύνεσθαι, ἱκανὸν τὸ λόγιον τὸ Μωϋσῇ ὑπὲρ Μαρίας εἰρημένον, ἡνίκα ἠξίου ἀφεθῆναι αὐτῇ· φησὶν γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός· «Eἰ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῆς πτύων ἐνέπτυσεν εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῆς, οὐκ ἂν ἐνετράπη; Ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἀφορισθήτω ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα εἰσε λεύσεται.» Oὕτως οὖν καὶ ὑμᾶς δέον ἐστὶν ποιεῖν, τοὺς ἐφ' ἁμαρτίας λέγοντας μετανοεῖν ἀφορίζειν χρόνον ὡρισμένον κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν τοῦ ἁμαρτήματος, ἔπειτα μετανοοῦντας προσλαμβάνεσθαι, ὡς πατέρες υἱούς. Eἰ δὲ ὁ ἐπίσκοπος αὐτὸς ἐν προσκόμματι ὑπάρχει, πῶς ἔτι ἐπεξέλθοι ἐκζητῆσαι ἀδίκημα τινος ἢ ἐπιτιμῆσαί τινι, διὰ προσωποληψίαν ἢ διὰ δωροληψίαν ἢ αὐτὸς ἢ οἱ διάκονοι αὐτοῦ οὐχ ὑπάρχοντες εὐσυνείδητοι; Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ ἄρχων αἰτῇ καὶ ὁ κριτὴς λαμβάνῃ, καὶ οὐ διεξάγεται εἰς τέλος κρίμα· κοινωνοὶ δὲ κλεπτῶν καὶ κρίσει χηρῶν οὐ προσέχοντες, οὐ δυνήσονται οἱ ὑπὸ τὸν ἐπίσκοπον συνε πιμαχεῖν τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ. Ἐροῦσιν γὰρ αὐτῷ τὸ ἐν τῷ Eὐαγγελίῳ γεγραμμένον· «Τί βλέπεις τὸ κάρφος τὸ ἐν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου, τὴν δὲ δοκὸν τὴν ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ ὀφθαλμῷ οὐ κατανοεῖς;» Eὐλαβείσθω οὖν ὁ ἐπίσκοπος σὺν τοῖς διακόνοις αὐτοῦ ἀκοῦσαι ·ῆμά τι τοιοῦ τον· τοῦτ' ἔστιν μὴ διδότω ἀφορμήν. Ὁ γὰρ ἁμαρτάνων ἐπὰν ἴδῃ τινὰ ὅμοια αὐτῷ δρῶντα, οἰκοδομηθήσεται εἰς τὸ τὰ αὐτὰ ποιεῖν· εἶτα ὁ πονηρός, δι' ἑνὸς ἀφορμὴν λαβών, εἰς ἑτέρους ἐνεργεῖ, ὃ μὴ γένοιτο· καὶ οὕτως διαστραφήσεται τὸ ποίμνιον· πλειόνων γὰρ ὄντων τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων, πλείων ἔσται καὶ ἡ δι' αὐτῶν ἐπιτελουμένη κακία. Ἁμαρτία γὰρ ἀνεξέλεγκτος ἑαυτῆς χείρων γίνεται καὶ εἰς ἄλλους τὴν διανομὴν λαμβάνει· ἐπεὶ καὶ ζύμη μικρὰ πλήρωμα φυράματος δολοῖ, καὶ εἷς κλέπτης εἰς ὅλον ἔθνος τὸ μύσος ἐπήγαγεν, καὶ μυῖαι θανοῦσαι σαπριοῦσιν σκευασίαν ἡδύσματος ἐλαίου, καὶ βασιλέως ὑπακούοντος λόγον ἄδικον, πάντες οἱ ὑπ' αὐτὸν ὑπηρέται παράνομοι· οὕτω καὶ πρόβατον ψωραλέον μεταδίδωσιν ἑτέροις τῆς νόσου, μὴ χωρισθὲν τῶν ὑγι