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departed from their own flock, so as to fall among wolves for prey, seek them out and, admonishing them, turn them back and exhort them to be sober and sow hope in them, not permitting him to say what has been said by some, that: “Our iniquities are upon us, and in them we are wasting away, and how shall we live?” If it is possible then, let the bishop make the offense his own, and let him say to the one who has sinned, that you only turn back, and I will undertake death for you, as the Lord did for me and for all. For the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, but the hireling who is not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming, that is, the devil, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them. It is fitting, therefore, to know, that to those who have sinned God, being compassionate, has promised repentance with an oath; but the one who has sinned and is ignorant of God's promise concerning repentance and does not understand His longsuffering and forbearance, and moreover does not know the holy scriptures which proclaim this, since he has not learned from you, perishes through folly. But you, as a loving shepherd and as a diligent herdsman, search, counting the flock, seek out what is lacking, as the Lord God our good Father, having sent His own Son, a good shepherd and savior, our teacher Jesus, allowing him to leave the ninety-nine on the mountains, and to go in search of the one that had strayed, and having found it, to lift it upon his own shoulders and carry it to the flock, rejoicing over finding what was lost. Thus therefore be obedient also you, O bishop, seeking what was lost, directing what has strayed, turning back what has departed; for you have authority to turn them back and to send away the crushed in forgiveness. Through you the savior says to the one paralyzed in sins: “Your sins are forgiven, your faith has saved you, go in peace.” And the Church of God is a calm peace, into which, absolving those who have sinned, you restore them healthy and blameless, hopeful, diligent, laborious in good works; as an experienced and sympathetic physician, heal all those who have been struck down by sins. For those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; for the Son of man came to seek and to save what has strayed. Being therefore a physician of the Lord's Church, apply a suitable remedy to each of those who are sick, heal in every way,

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τῆσαν τῆς ἰδίας ποίμνης, ὡς καὶ λύκοις περιπεσεῖν εἰς βοράν, ἀναζήτει καὶ νουθετῶν ἐπίστρεφε καὶ νήφειν παρακάλει καὶ ἐλπίδα ὑπόσπειρε, μὴ συγχωρῶν αὐτῷ λέγειν τὸ ὑπό τινων εἰρημένον, ὅτι· «Τὰ ἀσεβήματα ἡμῶν ἐφ' ἡμῖν, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν αὐτοῖς τηκόμεθα, καὶ πῶς ζησόμεθα;» Eἰ οἷόν τε οὖν, ἰδιοποιείσθω ὁ ἐπίσκοπος τὸ πλημ μέλημα, καὶ λεγέτω τῷ ἡμαρτηκότι, ὅτι σὺ μόνον ἐπί στρεψον, κἀγὼ τὸν ὑπὲρ σοῦ θάνατον ἀναδέξομαι, ὡς ὁ Κύριος τὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ καὶ πάντων. Ὁ ποιμὴν γὰρ ὁ καλὸς τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ τίθησιν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων, ὁ δὲ μισθωτὸς καὶ οὐκ ὢν ποιμήν, οὗ οὐκ ἔστι τὰ πρόβατα ἴδια, θεωρεῖ τὸν λύκον ἐρχόμενον, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τὸν διάβολον, καὶ ἀφίησιν τὰ πρόβατα καὶ φεύγει, καὶ ὁ λύκος ἁρπάζει αὐτά. Eἰδέναι οὖν προσήκει, ὅτι τοῖς ἡμαρτηκόσιν εὔσπλαγχνος ὢν ὁ Θεὸς μετὰ ὅρκου μετάνοιαν ἐπηγγείλατο· ὁ δὲ ἁμαρτήσας καὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν περὶ μετανοίας ἀγνοῶν καὶ τὸ μακρόθυμον καὶ ἀνεξίκακον αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐπι στάμενος, ἔτι μὴν καὶ τὰς ἁγίας γραφὰς τὰς ταύτην κηρυσ σούσας οὐ γινώσκων, ἅτε μὴ μεμαθηκὼς παρὰ σοῦ, ὑπὸ ἀνοίας ἀπόλλυται. Σὺ δὲ ὡς φιλόστοργος ποιμὴν καὶ ὡς σπουδαῖος νομεὺς ἀναζήτει ἀριθμῶν τὴν ποίμνην, τὸ λεῖπον ἐκζήτει, ὡς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἀγαθὸς Πατὴρ ἡμῶν, ἀπο στείλας τὸν ἑαυτοῦ Υἱὸν ποιμένα καλὸν καὶ σωτῆρα τὸν διδάσκαλον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν, ἐπιτρέψας αὐτῷ ἐάσαι τὰ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη, καὶ πορευθῆναι ἐπὶ τὴν ζήτησιν τοῦ πεπλανημένου, καὶ εὑρόντα ἆραι ἐπὶ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ êμους καὶ φέρειν ἐπὶ τὴν ποίμνην, χαίροντα ἐπὶ τῇ εὑρέσει τοῦ ἀπολωλότος. Oὕτως οὖν ὑπήκοος γίνου καὶ σύ, ὦ ἐπίσκοπε, ἐκζητῶν τὸ ἀπολωλός, κατευθύνων τὸ πεπλανημένον, ἐπι στρέφων τὸ ἀφεστός· ἐξουσίαν γὰρ ἔχεις ἐπιστρέφειν καὶ ἀποστέλλειν τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει. ∆ιὰ σοῦ ὁ σωτὴρ λέγει τῷ παρειμένῳ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις· «Ἀφέονταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε, πορεύου εἰς εἰρήνην.» Eἰρήνη δὲ γαληνός ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησία, εἰς ἣν λύων τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας ἀποκαθίστα ὑγιεῖς καὶ ἀμώμους, εὐέλπιδας, σπουδαίους, ἐργοπόνους ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἔργοις· ὡς ἔμπειρος καὶ συμπαθὴς ἰατρὸς πάντας ἰῶ τοὺς ἐν ἁμαρτίαις πεπληγμένους. Oὐ γὰρ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ' οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες· ἦλθεν γὰρ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ πεπλανημένον. Ἰατρὸς οὖν ὢν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Κυρίου, προσάγε θεραπείαν κατάλληλον ἑκάστῳ τῶν νοσούντων, παντὶ τρόπῳ θεράπευε,