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living a life, having brought to an end the immeasurable unpleasantnesses of their labors into gentle relief. 2.32.2 And if there are any who have fallen from the common civil rights and unfortunately suffered dishonor, with fitting joy, as though they were separated by some long absence abroad, having recovered their former dignity, let them hasten to their own fatherlands. 2.33.1 Furthermore, for those who were once enrolled in military ranks, but were cast out on the cruel and unjust pretext that, confessing their knowledge of what is better, they held it more honorable than the rank they had, let it be their choice either, if they desire military service, to remain in the same rank they were in, or with an honorable discharge to live a life of freedom and leisure; for it would be fitting and proper for one who has displayed such great magnanimity and endurance against the dangers brought upon him to enjoy, according to his choice, both leisure, if he should wish it, and honor. And moreover, all those who, being forcibly deprived of their noble birth, have undergone a sentence of the judges of such a kind that, being assigned either to the women's apartments or to the linen factories, they endure unaccustomed and wretched labor, or are considered slaves of the treasury, their former birth availing them nothing; let these men, rejoicing in the honors which they previously enjoyed and in the blessings of liberty, having recalled their accustomed dignities, henceforth live with all 2.34.2 joy. And he who has exchanged freedom for slavery through some lawless and indeed inhuman madness, and has often lamented his unaccustomed services, and suddenly finding himself a slave instead of a free man, having received his former liberty according to our command, let him both restore himself to his parents and pursue the labors befitting a free man, casting from his memory the unbecoming services for which he toiled before. 2.35.1 Nor indeed must the matter of the properties, of which each has been deprived on various pretexts, be overlooked. But whether some, having undergone the noblest and divine contest of martyrdom, were deprived of their possessions with a fearless and courageous mind, or some having become confessors prepared for themselves the eternal hope, and all who were compelled to change their residence, because they would not yield to their persecutors by abandoning the faith, were themselves also deprived of their possessions, or if any, not even condemned to death, unfortunately suffered the loss of their possessions, we command that the inheritances of these be assigned to their next of kin. 2.35.2 And since the laws in every case specify the nearer of the next of kin, it is easy to determine to whom the inheritances belong, and that these would by right come into the succession, who were the closest relatives even if those persons had met a natural end, 2.36.1 But if none of the next of kin of any of the aforementioned who would by right become heir should be left—I mean, neither of the martyrs, nor of the confessors, nor indeed of those who relocated on such a pretext—let the church in each respective place be appointed to succeed to the inheritance. And this will in no way be grievous to those who have departed, if indeed they should be so fortunate as to have as their heir that very one for whose sake they endured all their labors. Furthermore, it is necessary to add this as well, that if any of the aforementioned gave any of their possessions to whomever they wished, it is reasonable that the ownership should remain valid for these persons. And so that no ambiguity may appear in the edict, but that what is just may be ready for all to know, let all know, whether they possess a piece of land or a house or a garden or anything else of the aforementioned, that it is good and advantageous for them both to acknowledge it themselves and to restore it with all 2.37.2 speed. For even if some of them should be shown to have reaped many profits from their unjust ownership, and we do not judge it just to demand these back, nevertheless let them, recognizing how much and from where they have gathered, ask for pardon from us for this offense, so that both by such a correction their past avarice may be healed, and at the same time the most great God, accepting this as a kind of repentance, may be gracious to those

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βιούντων βίον, τὰς ἀμέτρους τῶν πόνων ἀηδίας εἰς πραεῖαν ἄνεσιν κατα2.32.2 λύσαντες. εἰ δὲ καὶ τῆς κοινῆς παρρησίας ἀποπεσόντες ὑπάρχοιέν τινες καὶ δυστυχήσαντες ἀτιμίαν, μετ' εὐφροσύνης τῆς προσηκούσης, οἷον ἀποδημίᾳ τινὶ χρονίῳ ἐχωρίσθησαν, τὴν προτέραν ἀξίαν ἀναλαβόντες ἐπὶ τὰς αὐτῶν ἐπειγέσθωσαν πατρίδας. 2.33.1 Οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐξετασθεῖσι μὲν ἐν στρατιωτικαῖς ἀξίαις ποτέ, τούτων δὲ διὰ τὴν ἀπηνῆ τε καὶ ἄδικον πρόφασιν ἐκπεσοῦσιν, ὅτι τὸ γινώσκειν τὸ κρεῖττον ὁμολογοῦντες προτιμότερον ἧς εἶχον ἀξίας ἦγον, ἔστω πρὸς βούλησιν ἢ τὰ στρατιωτικὰ στέργουσιν ἐφ' οὗπερ ἦσαν σχήματος μένειν, ἢ μετὰ ἀφέσεως ἐντίμου ἐλευθέραν ἄγειν σχολήν· πρέπον γὰρ ἂν εἴη καὶ ἀκόλουθον τὸν τοσαύτην μεγαλοψυχίαν καὶ καρτερίαν πρὸς τοὺς ἐπενεχθέντας κινδύνους ἐπιδειξάμενον καὶ σχολῆς, εἰ βούλοιτο, καὶ τιμῆς πρὸς τὴν αἵρεσιν ἀπολαύειν. Καὶ μὴν καὶ ὅσοι τῆς εὐγενείας πρὸς βίαν στερόμενοι τοιουτότροπόν τινα γνῶσιν δικαστῶν ὑπέστησαν, ὥστε ἢ γυναικείοις ἢ λινοϋφίοις ἐμβληθέντες ἀήθη καὶ ἄθλιον ὑπομένειν πόνον ἢ οἰκέται νομίζεσθαι τοῦ ταμιείου, οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς τῆς προτέρας ἐπαρκεσάσης γενέσεως, οὗτοι τιμῶν τε ὧν ἀπέλαυον πρόσθεν καὶ τοῖς τῆς ἐλευθερίας καλοῖς ἐνευφραινόμενοι, ἀνακαλεσάμενοι τὰς συνήθεις ἀξίας, μετὰ πάσης λοιπὸν εὐφρο2.34.2 σύνης βιούτωσαν. καὶ ὁ δουλείαν μὲν ἐλευθερίας ἀλλαξάμενος ἀθεμίτῳ τινὶ καὶ ἀπανθρώπῳ δήπου ἀπονοίᾳ, πολλάκις τε τὰς ἀήθεις διακονίας ἀποδυράμενος, καὶ οἷον αἰφνίδιον οἰκέτην ἑαυτὸν ἀντ' ἐλευθέρου γνούς, ἐλευθερίας τῆς πρόσθεν καθ' ἡμέτερον λαβόμενος πρόσταγμα, ἀποδιδότω τε τοῖς γεννήτορσιν ἑαυτὸν καὶ πόνους τοὺς ἐλευθέρῳ πρέποντας μετίτω, ἃς προεμόχθησεν οὐκ οἰκείας διακονίας ἐκβαλὼν τῆς μνήμης. 2.35.1 Παρεατέον δὲ οὐδὲ τὸ τῶν οὐσιῶν, ὧν ἕκαστοι κατὰ διαφόρους ἐστερήθησαν προφάσεις. ἀλλ' εἴτε τινὲς τὸν ἄριστόν τε καὶ θεῖον ὑποστάντες ἀγῶνα τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἀφόβῳ τε καὶ θαρραλέᾳ τῇ γνώμῃ τῶν ὄντων ἐστερήθησαν, εἴτε τινὲς ὁμολογηταὶ καταστάντες τὴν αἰώνιον ἐλπίδα παρεσκεύασαν ἑαυτοῖς, ὅσοι τε μετοικῆσαι καταναγκασθέντες, ὅτι μὴ τοῖς διώξασιν εἶξαν παριδόντες τὴν πίστιν, τῶν ὄντων ἐστέροντο καὶ αὐτοί, ἢ εἴ γέ τινες οὐδὲ καταγνωσθέντες θάνατον στέρησιν ἐδυστύχησαν τῶν ὄντων, τούτων τοῖς πρὸς γένους προσνέμεσθαι τοὺς κλήρους προσ2.35.2 τάττομεν. πάντως δὲ διαγορευόντων τῶν νόμων τῶν ἀγχιστέων τοῖς ἐγγυτέρω, ῥᾴδιον διαγινώσκειν οἷς προσήκουσιν οἱ κλῆροι, καὶ ὅτι οὗτοι κατὰ λόγον ἐπὶ τὴν διαδοχὴν ἔλθοιεν ἄν, οἵπερ ἦσαν οἰκειότεροι καὶ 2.36.1 αὐτομάτῳ χρησαμένων ἐκείνων τῷ τέλει, εἰ δὲ τῶν ἀγχιστέων μηδεὶς ὑπολείποιτο μηδενὸς τῶν προειρημένων κατὰ λόγον ἂν γενόμενος κληρονόμος, μήτε τῶν μαρτύρων φημί, μήτε τῶν ὁμολογησάντων, μήτε τῶν μετοίκων μέντοι τῶν ἐπὶ τοιαύτῃ μεταστάντων προφάσει, ἡ καθ' ἑκάστους ἀεὶ τοὺς τόπους ἐκκλησία διαδέχεσθαι τετάχθω τὸν κλῆρον· οὐκ ἔσται δὲ τοῦτο πάντως οὐδὲ τοῖς ἀπελθοῦσι βαρύ, εἴπερ ἧς ἕνεκα πάντας ὑπέστησαν πόνους κληρονόμον εὐτυχοῖεν ταύτην. προσκεῖσθαί γε μὴν ἀναγκαῖον καὶ τόδε, ὡς εἰ τῶν προειρημένων τινὲς ἐδωρήσαντό τι τῶν ὄντων οἷς ἐβούλοντο, τούτοις τὴν δεσποτείαν εὔλογον κυρίαν μένειν. Ὅπως δὲ μηδὲ πλάνη τις ἐμφαίνοιτο τῷ προστάγματι, ἀλλ' ἕτοιμον ᾖ τὸ δίκαιον ἅπασι γινώσκειν, εἰδέτωσαν ἅπαντες, εἴτε χωρίον εἴτε οἰκίαν εἴτε κῆπον εἴτε ἕτερόν τι τῶν προειρημένων κατέχοιεν, καλὸν καὶ λυσιτελοῦν αὐτοῖς εἶναι καὶ ὁμολογεῖν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀποκαθιστάναι σὺν 2.37.2 ἁπάσῃ ταχυτῆτι. εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα φανεῖεν ἐξ αὐτῶν τινες ἀπὸ τῆς οὐ δικαίας δεσποτείας πολλὰ καρπωσάμενοι, καὶ γίνεσθαι τούτων τὴν ἀπαίτησιν ἡμεῖς οὐ δικαίαν κρίνομεν, ὅμως γε μὴν αὐτοὶ ὁπόσα τε καὶ ὁπόθεν συνέλεξαν ἐπιγνόντες, τῷ ἁμαρτήματι τούτῳ συγχώρησιν γενέσθαι παρ' ἡμῶν δεηθήτωσαν, ὅπως ἅμα μὲν τῇ τοιαύτῃ διορθώσει ἡ φθάσασα ἰαθῇ πλεονεξία, ἅμα δὲ ὁ μέγιστος θεός, οἷον ἀντὶ μεταμελείας τινὸς τοῦτο προσιέμενος, εὐμενὴς ἐπὶ τοῖς