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the word of God be blasphemed. TO TITUS. Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all meekness to all men. TO THE HEBREWS. Let brotherly love continue, do not forget to show hospitality to strangers; for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Remember the prisoners as if chained with them, those who are mistreated, since you yourselves are in the body also. Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have.

RULE 70. That those entrusted with the preaching of the Gospel must with

be appointed with prayer and supplication, whether deacons or presbyters, being blameless, and of a tested former life. 31.817

Chapter 1. MATTHEW. Then he says to his disciples: The harvest is indeed

plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he may send out laborers into the harvest. LUKE. And when it was day, he called his disciples to him, and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James, and John, Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who also became a traitor. LUKE. After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them: The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that He may send out laborers into His harvest. ACTS. The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen. ACTS. And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said: You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles. TO TIMOTHY 1. If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence; (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?) not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. TO TITUS. For this reason 31.820 I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you. if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but

39

λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ βλασφημῆται. ΠΡΟΣ ΤΙΤ. Ὑπομίμνησκε αὐτοὺς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ἐξουσίαις ὑποτάσσεσθαι, πειθαρχεῖν, πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἑτοίμους εἶναι, μηδένα βλασφημεῖν, ἀμάχους εἶναι, ἐπιεικεῖς, πᾶσαν ἐνδεικνυμένους πραότητα πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους. ΠΡΟΣ ΕΒΡ. Ἡ φιλαδελφία μενέτω, τῆς φιλοξενίας μὴ ἐπιλανθάνεσθε· διὰ ταύτης γὰρ ἔλαθόν τινες ξενίσαντες ἀγγέλους. Μιμνήσκεσθε τῶν δεσμίων, ὡς συνδεδεμένοι, τῶν κα κουχουμένων, ὡς καὶ αὐτοὶ ὄντες ἐν σώματι. Τίμιος ὁ γάμος ἐν πᾶσι, καὶ ἡ κοίτη ἀμίαντος· πόρνους δὲ καὶ μοιχοὺς κρινεῖ ὁ Θεός. Ἀφιλάργυρος ὁ τρόπος· ἀρκούμενοι τοῖς παροῦσιν.

ΟΡΟΣ Οʹ. Ὅτι δεῖ τοὺς ἐγκεχειρισμένους τὸ κήρυγμα τοῦ Εὐ αγγελίου μετὰ

δεήσεως καὶ εὐχῆς καθίστασθαι, εἴτε διακόνους, εἴτε πρεσβυτέρους, ἀνεγκλήτους, καὶ δοκίμους τὸν πρότερον βίον. 31.817

Κεφάλ. Αʹ. ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΣ. Τότε λέγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· Ὁ μὲν θερισμὸς

πολὺς, οἱ δὲ ἐργάται ὀλίγοι. ∆εήθητε οὖν τοῦ Κυρίου τοῦ θερισμοῦ, ὅπως ἐκβάλῃ ἐργάτας εἰς τὸν θερισμόν. ΛΟΥΚΑΣ. Καὶ ὅτε ἐγένετο ἡμέρα, προσεφώνησε τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκλεξάμενος ἀπ' αὐτῶν δώδεκα, οὓς καὶ ἀποστόλους ὠνόμασε, Σίμωνα, ὃν καὶ ὠνό μασε Πέτρον, καὶ Ἀνδρέαν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ Ἰάκωβον, καὶ Ἰωάννην, Φίλιππον, καὶ Βαρθολομαῖον, καὶ Ματθαῖον, καὶ Θωμᾶν, Ἰάκωβον τὸν τοῦ Ἀλφαίου, καὶ Σίμωνα τὸν καλούμε νον Ζηλωτὴν, καὶ Ἰούδαν Ἰακώβου, καὶ ἸούδανἸσκαριώτην, ὃς καὶ ἐγένετο προδότης. ΛΟΥΚΑΣ. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἀνέδειξεν ὁ Κύριος καὶ ἑτέρους ἑβδομήκοντα, καὶ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτοὺς ἀνὰ δύο πρὸ προσώπου αὑτοῦ, εἰς πᾶσαν πόλιν καὶ τόπον, οὗ ἔμελλεν αὐτὸς ἔρχεσθαι. Ἔλεγεν οὖν πρὸς αὐτούς· Ὁ μὲν θερισμὸς πολὺς, οἱ δὲ ἐργάται ὀλί γοι. ∆εήθητε οὖν τοῦ Κυρίου τοῦ θερισμοῦ, ὅπως ἐκβάλῃ ἐργάτας εἰς τὸν θερισμὸν αὑτοῦ. ΠΡΑΞΕΙΣ. Τὸν μὲν πρῶτον λόγον ἐποιησάμην περὶ πάντων, ὦ Θεόφιλε, ὧν ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς ποιεῖν τε καὶ διδάσκειν, ἄχρι ἧς ἡμέρας ἐντειλάμενος τοῖς ἀποστόλοις διὰ Πνεύματος ἁγίου, οὓς ἐξελέξατο, ἀνελήφθη. ΠΡΑΞΕΙΣ. Καὶ ἔστησαν δύο, Ἰωσὴφ τὸν καλούμενον Βαρσαβᾶν, ὃς ἐπεκλήθη Ἰοῦ στος, καὶ Ματθίαν. Καὶ προσευξάμενοι εἶπον· Σὺ, Κύριε, καρδιογνῶστα πάντων, ἀνάδειξον ὃν ἐξελέξω ἐκ τούτων τῶν δύο ἔνα, λαβεῖν τὸν κλῆ ρον τῆς διακονίας ταύτης καὶ ἀποστολῆς, ἀφ' ἧς παρέβη Ἰούδας πορευθῆναι εἰς τὸν τόπον τὸν ἴδιον. Καὶ ἔδωκαν κλήρους αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔπεσεν ὁ κλῆρος ἐπὶ Ματθίαν, καὶ συγκατεψηφίσθη μετὰ τῶν ἔνδεκα ἀποστόλων. ΠΡΟΣ ΤΙΜ. αʹ. Εἴ τις ἐπισκοπῆς ὀρέγεται, καλοῦ ἔργου ἐπιθυ μεῖ. ∆εῖ οὖν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἀνεπίληπτον εἶναι, μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἄνδρα, νηφάλιον, σώφρονα, κό σμιον, φιλόξενον, διδακτικὸν, μὴ πάροινον, μὴ πλήκτην, μὴ αἰσχροκερδῆ· ἀλλ' ἐπιεικῆ, ἄμαχον, ἀφιλάργυρον, τοῦ ἰδίου οἴκου καλῶς προϊστάμενον, τέκνα ἔχοντα ἐν ὑποταγῇ μετὰ πάσης σεμνότητος· (εἰ δέ τις τοῦ ἰδίου οἴκου προστῆναι οὐκ οἶδε, πῶς Ἐκκλησίας Θεοῦ ἐπι μελήσεται;) μὴ νεόφυτον, ἵνα μὴ τυφωθεὶς εἰς κρῖμα ἐμπέσῃ καὶ παγίδα τοῦ διαβόλου. ∆εῖ δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ μαρτυρίαν καλὴν ἔχειν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν, ἵνα μὴ εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν ἐμπέσῃ καὶ παγίδα τοῦ διαβόλου. ∆ιακόνους ὡσαύτως, σε μνοὺς, μὴ διλόγους, μὴ οἴνῳ πολλῷ προσέχοντας, μὴ αἰσχροκερδεῖς, ἔχοντας τὸ μυστήριον τῆς πίστεως ἐν καθαρᾷ συνειδήσει. Καὶ οὗτοι δὲ δοκιμαζέσθωσαν πρῶτον, εἶτα διακονείτωσαν, ἀνέγκλητοι ὄντες. ΠΡΟΣ ΤΙΤ. Τούτου χάριν 31.820 κατέλιπόν σε ἐν Κρήτῃ, ἵνα τὰ λείποντα ἐπιδιορθώσῃ, καὶ καταστήσῃς πρεσβυτέρους κατὰ πόλιν, ὡς ἐγώ σοι διεταξάμην. Εἴ τίς ἐστιν ἀνέγκλητος, μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἀνὴρ, τέκνα ἔχων πιστὰ, μὴ ἐν κατηγορίᾳ ἀσωτίας, ἢ ἀνυπότακτα. ∆εῖ γὰρ τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἀνέγκλητον εἶναι, ὡς Θεοῦ οἰκονόμον, μὴ αὐθάδη, μὴ ὀργίλον, μὴ πάροινον, μὴ πλήκτην, μὴ αἰσχροκερδῆ, ἀλλὰ