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righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Thus therefore your righteousness will abound, in that you take more care for the priests and the orphans and the widows, as it is written: “He has scattered abroad, he has given to the poor, his righteousness endures forever and ever.” And again: “By alms and acts of faith sins are cleansed away.” And again: “Every sincere soul is blessed.” Thus therefore you shall do, as the Lord commanded, and you shall give to the priest what is owed to him, the firstfruits of the threshing floor and of the winepress and for sins, as to a mediator of God and of those needing cleansing and pardon. For it is fitting for you to give, but for him to manage as a steward and administrator of ecclesiastical affairs. However, you shall not call the bishop to account nor watch his management, how he carries it out or when or to whom or where or if well or badly or as is proper; for he has as his accountant the Lord God, who entrusted this stewardship into his hands and deemed him worthy of the priesthood of so great a place. Have the fear of God before your eyes, always remembering the ten words of God: To love the Lord God, the one and only, with all your strength, not to give heed to idols or to any others, as to lifeless or irrational gods or demons. Know the diverse creation of God, which received its beginning through Christ; and you shall keep the Sabbath on account of him who rested from creating, but did not rest from providing, a sabbath rest for the study of the laws, not for idleness of hands. Put away every lawless desire, every ruinous thing for the corruption of men, all anger. Honor your parents as the authors of your birth. Love your neighbor as yourself; share your living with those in need. Flee perjury and vain swearing; for you will not be held guiltless. Do not appear before the priests empty, and continually offer your freewill offerings to the Lord; and do not forsake the Church of Christ, rising early to go to it before every work, and again in the evening returning to it, giving thanks to God for the life which he has granted you. Work, be diligent, labor, offer to the Lord your freewill offerings; “for ‘Honor,’ it says, ‘the Lord from your righteous labors.’” Casting what you can into the treasury, share with strangers one or two or five lepta; store up for yourself the heavenly wealth, which neither moth nor thieves destroy. And doing so, do not judge your bishop or your fellow layman; for if you judge your brother,

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δικαιοσύνη πλεῖον τῶν γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.» Oὕτως οὖν πλεονάσει ἡ δικαιοσύνη ὑμῶν, ἐν τῷ πλέον ὑμᾶς πρόνοιαν ποιεῖσθαι τῶν ἱερέων καὶ τῶν ὀρφανῶν καὶ τῶν χηρῶν, ὡς γέγραπται· «Ἐσκόρπισεν, ἔδωκεν τοῖς πένησιν, ἡ δικαιο σύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος.» Καὶ πάλιν· «Ἐλεημοσύναις καὶ πίστεσιν ἀποκαθαίρονται ἁμαρτίαι.» Καὶ πάλιν· «Ψυχὴ εὐλογημένη πᾶσα ἁπλῆ.» Oὕτως οὖν ποιήσεις σύ, ὡς ὁ Κύριος διετάξατο, καὶ δώσεις τῷ ἱερεῖ τὰ ὀφειλόμενα αὐτῷ, ἀπαρχὴν ἅλωνος καὶ ληνοῦ καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτιῶν, ὡς μεσίτῃ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν δεομένων καθάρσεως καὶ παραιτήσεως. Σὲ μὲν γὰρ διδόναι προσήκει, οἰκονομεῖν δὲ ἐκεῖνον ἅτε οἰκονόμον καὶ διοικητὴν τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν πραγμάτων. Oὐ μέντοι λογιστεύσεις τὸν ἐπίσκοπον οὐδὲ παρατηρήσεις τὴν οἰκονομίαν αὐτοῦ, πῶς ἐπιτελεῖ ἢ πότε ἢ τίσιν ἢ ποῦ ἢ εἰς καλῶς ἢ φαύλως ἢ δεόντως· ἔχει γὰρ λογιστὴν Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν τὸν ἐγχειρίσαντα εἰς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκονομίαν ταύτην καὶ καταξιώσαντα αὐτὸν τῆς ἱερωσύνης τοῦ τηλικούτου τόπου. Πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχε τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον, πάντοτε μεμνημένος τῶν δέκα τοῦ Θεοῦ λογίων· Ἀγαπᾶν Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν τὸν ἕνα καὶ μόνον ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος, μὴ προσα νέχειν εἰδώλοις ἤ τισιν ἑτέροις, ὡς θεοῖς ἀψύχοις ἢ ἀλόγοις ἢ δαίμοσιν. Γίνωσκε δημιουργίαν Θεοῦ διάφορον, ἀρχὴν λαβοῦσαν διὰ Χριστοῦ· καὶ σαββατιεῖς διὰ τὸν παυσάμενον μὲν τοῦ ποιεῖν, οὐ παυσάμενον δὲ τοῦ προνοεῖν, σαβ βατισμὸν μελέτης νόμων, οὐ χειρῶν ἀργίαν. Πᾶσαν ἔκνομον ἐπιθυμίαν ἄπωσαι, πᾶσαν λύμην τὴν ἐπὶ διαφθορᾷ ἀνθρώπων, πᾶσαν ὀργήν. Γονεῖς τίμα ὡς αἰτίους γενέσεως. Ἀγάπα τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν· κοινώνει βίου τοῖς δεομένοις. Ἐπιορκίαν καὶ πολυορκίαν μάταιον φεῦγε· οὐ γὰρ ἀθωωθήσῃ. Μὴ ὀφθῇς παρὰ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν κενός, καὶ τὰ ἑκούσιά σου ἐνδελεχίζων πρόσφερε Κυρίῳ· καὶ τῆς Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίας μὴ ἀπολείπου, ὀρθρίζων εἰς αὐτὴν πρὸ παντὸς ἔργου, καὶ πάλιν ἑσπέρας εἰς αὐτὴν ἀπάντα, εὐχαριστῶν τῷ Θεῷ ὑπὲρ ὧν σοι τὴν ζωὴν κεχάρισται. Ἐργοπόνει, ἐνδελέχιζε, κοπία, πρόσφερε Κυρίῳ τὰ ἑκούσιά σου· «Τίμα γάρ, φησίν, τὸν Κύριον ἀπὸ σῶν δικαίων πόνων.» Eἰς τὸν κορβανᾶν ὃ δύνασαι βάλλων, κοινώνει τοῖς ξένοις ἓν ἢ δύο ἢ πέντε λεπτά· θησαύριζε σεαυτῷ τὸν οὐράνιον πλοῦτον, ὃν οὔτε σὴς οὔτε κλέπται λυμανοῦνται. Καὶ ποιῶν οὕτως, μὴ κρῖνε τὸν ἐπίσκοπόν σου ἢ τὸν συλλαϊκόν· ἐὰν γὰρ κρίνῃς τὸν ἀδελφόν σου,