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the power of the word, but that the gift belongs to a few, through whom he says: For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge; and elsewhere: so that he may be able to give instruction in 31.997 sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

QUESTION 33. What is the manner of meeting with the sisters? RESPONSE. He

who has once renounced marriage will renounce, obviously, far more the cares, which the Apostle says the married man is anxious about, how to please his wife, and will purify himself entirely from all anxiety that arises from pleasing a woman, fearing the judgment of him who said that, God has scattered the bones of the men-pleasers. Therefore, for the sake of pleasing, he will not endure to meet even a man; but for the sake of the duty owed by a neighbor to each according to God's command, when need requires, he will come to the meeting. However, the meeting should not be simply granted to those who wish it, nor is every time suitable for this, nor is every place appropriate. But if we are to become, according to the Apostle's command, blameless to Jews, and to Greeks, and to the Church of God, and to do all things decently and in order, and all things for edification, it is necessary that person, and time, and need, and place be fittingly set apart by selection; through all of which every shadow of evil suspicion will be driven away, and a proof of gravity and of chastity will be manifested in every way to those who have been approved to see each other, and to take counsel concerning what is pleasing to God, both for bodily need and for the care of souls. And let them be not less than two from each side; for a single person is easily subject to suspicion, not to say more, and is weaker for the confirmation of what is said, since the Scripture clearly prescribes that on the evidence of two or three every matter should be established; nor more than three, so that the diligence of the industry which is for the commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ may not be hindered. But if some of the others in the brotherhood have need to say or to hear something of private concern to someone, let them not come to converse with each other; but let the selected elder men minister to the selected elder women the things from them, and so through their mediation the need for conversation 31.1000 may be fulfilled. And let this same good order be observed not only in women towards men, or men towards women, but also among those of the same gender towards those of the same gender. Let these, therefore, be, along with all other reverence and gravity in all things, both intelligent for questioning and answering, and faithful and prudent for the management of what is said, and fulfilling that: He will manage his words with judgment, so that for those who trust them, both the need is fulfilled, and the full assurance exists concerning the matters moving among them. And let certain others also minister to the needs of the body, they too having been tested, advanced in age and grave in their bearing and character, so as not to strike anyone's conscience into evil suspicion. For why should my liberty be judged by another's conscience?

QUESTION 34. What sort of men ought those to be who manage what is needful

in the brotherhood? RESPONSE. And of those within who distribute things according to need in each order, there will certainly be some who are able to imitate those in the Acts who did what is said, that distribution was made to each as any had need; taking much forethought for both compassion and long-suffering towards all, and for not giving any suspicion of partiality, or of inclination towards some, according to the command

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τὴν τοῦ λόγου δύναμιν, ἀλλ' ὀλίγοις ὑπάρχειν τὸ χάρισμα, δι' ὧν φησιν· Ὧ μὲν γὰρ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος δίδο ται λόγος σοφίας, ἄλλῳ δὲ λόγος γνώσεως· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· Ἵνα δυνατὸς ᾖ παρακαλεῖν ἐν τῇ 31.997 ὑγιαινούσῃ διδασκαλίᾳ, καὶ τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας ἐλέγχειν.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΛΓʹ. Τίς ὁ τρόπος τῆς πρὸς τὰς ἀδελφὰς συντυχίας. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ὁ

ἅπαξ γάμον ἀπαρνησάμενος ἀπαρνήσεται, δη λονότι, πολὺ πρότερον τὰς μερίμνας, ἅς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος μεριμνᾷν τὸν γεγαμηκότα, πῶς ἀρέσει τῇ γυναικὶ αὑτοῦ, καὶ καθαρίσει ἑαυτὸν παντά πασι πάσης μερίμνης τῆς πρὸς ἀρέσκειαν γυναικὸς γινομένης, φοβούμενος τὸ κρῖμα τοῦ εἰπόντος ὅτι, Ὁ Θεὸς διεσκόρπισεν ὀστᾶ ἀνθρωπαρέσκων. Ὥστε πρὸς ἀρέσκειαν μὲν οὐδὲ ἀνδρὶ συντυχεῖν ἀνέξεται· ἕνεκεν δὲ τῆς κατ' ἐντολὴν Θεοῦ ὀφειλομένης ἑκά στῳ παρὰ τοῦ πλησίον σπουδῆς τῆς χρείας ἀπαι τούσης ἐπὶ τὴν συντυχίαν ἐλεύσεται. Οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τοῖς βουλομένοις ἁπλῶς ἐφίεσθαι χρὴ τὴν συντυ χίαν, οὐδὲ καιρὸς πρὸς ταύτην, οὐδὲ τόπος πᾶς ἐπιτήδειος. Ἀλλ' εἴ γε μέλλοιμεν κατὰ τὸ πρόσταγ μα τοῦ Ἀποστόλου ἀπρόσκοποι γίνεσθαι καὶ Ἰουδαίοις, καὶ Ἕλλησι, καὶ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, πάντα δὲ εὐσχημόνως καὶ κατὰ τάξιν, καὶ πάντα πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν ποιεῖν, ἀνάγκη καὶ πρόσωπον, καὶ καιρὸν, καὶ χρείαν, καὶ τόπον κατ' ἐκλογὴν ἀφ ωρίσθαι πρεπόντως· δι' ὧν ἁπάντων ὑπονοίας μὲν πονηρᾶς καὶ σκιὰ πᾶσα ἐξελαθήσεται, σεμνότη τος δὲ καὶ σωφροσύνης ἀπόδειξις ἐν παντὶ τρόπῳ ἐπιφανήσεται τοῖς δοκιμασθεῖσιν ὁρᾷν ἀλλήλους, καὶ βουλεύεσθαι περὶ τῶν ἀρεσκόντων Θεῷ κατά τε τὴν σωματικὴν χρείαν καὶ τὴν τῶν ψυχῶν ἐπιμέ λειαν. Ἔστωσαν δὲ μὴ ἐλάττους τῶν δύο ἐξ ἑκατέ ρου μέρους· τὸ γὰρ ἓν πρόσωπον εὐεπηρέαστον εἰς ὑποψίαν, ἵνα μὴ πλέον τι λέγω καὶ ἀσθενέστερον πρὸς τὴν τῶν λεγομένων βεβαίωσιν, σαφῶς τῆς Γραφῆς διαγορευούσης ἐπὶ δύο καὶ τριῶν ἵστα σθαι πᾶν ῥῆμα· μήτε τῶν τριῶν πλείους, ὥστε μὴ τὴν σπουδὴν τῆς φιλεργίας τῆς διὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ γινομένης ἐμπο δίζεσθαι. Εἰ δέ τινας τῶν ἄλλων τῶν ἐν τῇ ἀδελφό τητι χρεία γένοιτο εἰπεῖν ἢ καὶ ἀκοῦσαί τι ἰδίᾳ τινὶ διαφέρον, μὴ αὐτοὶ ἐκεῖνοι εἰς ὁμιλίαν ἐρχέσθωσαν ἀλλήλοις· οἱ δὲ ἐπιλεγέντες πρεσβύτεροι ταῖς ἐπι λεγείσαις πρεσβυτέραις τὰ παρ' αὐτῶν διακονείτω σαν, καὶ οὕτω διὰ τῆς τούτων μεσιτείας ἡ τοῦ λό 31.1000 γου χρεία πληρούσθω. Ἡ δὲ αὐτὴ εὐταξία οὐ μόνον ἐν γυναιξὶ πρὸς ἄνδρας, ἢ ἀνδράσι πρὸς γυ ναῖκας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὁμογενέσι πρὸς τοὺς ὁμο γενεῖς φυλασσέσθω. Οὗτοι μὲν οὖν ἔστωσαν μετὰ τῆς ἄλλης ἐν πᾶσιν εὐλαβείας τε καὶ σεμνότητος, καὶ συνετοὶ πρός τε ἐπερώτησιν καὶ ἀπόκρισιν, πιστοί τε καὶ φρόνιμοι πρὸς τὴν τῶν λεγομένων οἰκονομίαν, καὶ πληροῦντες τό· Οἰκονομήσει τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ ἐν κρίσει, ὥστε καὶ τοῖς ἐμ πιστεύουσιν αὐτοῖς ὁμοῦ τήν τε χρείαν πληροῦσθαι, καὶ τὴν πληροφορίαν ὑπάρχειν περὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς κι νουμένων. Ὑπηρετείτωσαν δὲ καὶ ταῖς τοῦ σώματος χρείαις ἄλλοι τινὲς, καὶ αὐτοὶ μετὰ δοκιμασίας, τήν τε ἡλικίαν προήκοντες καὶ τὸ σχῆμα καὶ τὸ ἦθος σεμνοὶ, πρὸς τὸ μὴ πλῆξαί τινος συνειδὸς εἰς ὑποψίαν κακήν. Ἵνα τί γὰρ ἡ ἐλευθερία μου κρί νεται ὑπὸ ἄλλης συνειδήσεως;

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Λ∆ʹ. Ποταποὺς χρὴ εἶναι τοὺς τὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν οἰκονομοῦντας

ἐν τῇ ἀδελφότητι. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Καὶ τῶν ἔσω δὲ τὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἐπινεμόν των ἐν ἑκάστῳ τάγματι πάντως ἔσονταί τινες οἱ δυνάμενοι μιμεῖσθαι τοὺς ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι ποιοῦντας τὸ εἰρημένον ὅτι, ∆ιεδίδοτο ἑκάστῳ καθότι ἄν τις χρείαν εἶχε· πρόνοιαν ποιούμενοι πολλὴν τοῦ τε εὐσπλάγχνου καὶ μακροθύμου πρὸς πάντας, καὶ τοῦ μήτε ὑποψίαν δοῦναί τινι προσπαθείας, ἢ προσκλί σεως πρός τινας, κατὰ τὸ παράγγελμα