43

You became a judge, though no one appointed you; for it has been permitted to the priests alone to judge, because it has been said to them: "Judge righteous judgment," and again: "Become approved money-changers." But to you it has not been permitted; for on the contrary it has been said to those who are outside the judicial office: "Judge not, and you will not be judged." However, the bishop must judge rightly, as it is written: "Judge the just judgment," and elsewhere: "And why even of yourselves do you not judge what is right?" Become, therefore, as skilled money-changers; for just as they reject the bad coins, but accept the approved ones, in the very same way the bishop must also hold on to the blameless, but the blameworthy either to heal or, if incurably sick, to cast them away, and not to strike down hastily nor to believe just anyone. For it is possible for some, through zeal or envy, to bring a false accusation against a certain brother, as the two elders did against Susanna in Babylon, and the Egyptian woman against Joseph. You, therefore, as a man of God, do not readily accept such things, so that you may not destroy the innocent and kill the righteous. For he who wishes to accept such things is a father of wrath rather than of peace; but where there is wrath, the Lord is not there; for wrath, being a friend of Satan—I mean that which is stirred up contrary to what is just through false brethren—never allows concord to exist in the Church. Therefore, recognizing such men as senseless, quarrelsome, zealous, malicious, do not believe them, but also watch such men, when you hear something from them against a brother, because murder is as nothing in their eyes, and where one least suspects, they cast a man down. You, therefore, pay attention to the one accused, observing in wisdom his way of life, who and what sort of person he is; and if you should find him speaking the truth, act according to the teaching of the Lord, and taking the accused aside alone, reprove him, so that he may repent, with no one being present with you. But if he is not persuaded, taking a second or third person, so show him his offense, admonishing him in gentleness and instruction, because "In a good heart wisdom will rest, but in the heart of the foolish it is not known." If therefore he is persuaded by the mouth of you three, it would be well. But if he should be hardened in any way, tell it to the Church; but if he neglects to hear her also, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax-collector, and no longer receive him as a Christian in the Church,

43

κριτὴς ἐγένου μηδενός σε προχειρισαμένου· τοῖς γὰρ ἱερεῦσιν ἐπετράπη κρίνειν μόνοις, ὅτι εἴρηται αὐτοῖς· «Κρίμα δίκαιον κρίνατε», καὶ πάλιν· «Γίνεσθε τραπεζῖται δόκιμοι.» Ὑμῖν δὲ οὐκ ἐπιτέτραπται· τοὐναντίον γὰρ εἴρηται τοῖς ἔξω τοῦ ἀξιώματος τοῦ δικαστικοῦ ὑπάρχου σιν· «Μὴ κρίνετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ κριθῆτε». Τὸν μέντοι ἐπίσκοπον δεῖ κρίνειν ὀρθῶς, καθὼς γέγραπται· «Τὴν δικαίαν κρίσιν κρίνατε», καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· «Τί δὲ καὶ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν οὐ κρίνετε τὸ δίκαιον;» Γίνεσθε οὖν ὡς ἀργυρονόμοι ἐπιστήμονες· καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι τὰ μὲν φαῦλα τῶν νομισμάτων ἀποκρίνουσιν, τὰ δὲ δόκιμα οἰκειοῦνται, τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τρόπον καὶ τὸν ἐπίσκοπον χρὴ τὰ μὲν ἄμωμα κατέχειν, τὰ δὲ ἐπίμωμα ἢ θεραπεύειν ἢ ἀνιάτως νοσοῦντα ἀπορρίπτειν, καὶ μὴ ταχέως κόπτειν μηδὲ οἱσδήποτε πιστεύειν. Ἐγχωρεῖ γάρ τινας καὶ διὰ ζῆλον ἢ φθόνον κατά τινος ἀδελφοῦ ἐνστήσασθαι ψευδῆς κατηγορίαν, ὡς οἱ δύο πρεσβύτεροι ἐπὶ τῆς Σωσάννης ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, καὶ ἡ Aἰγυπτία ἐπὶ τῷ Ἰωσήφ. Σὺ οὖν ὡς Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος τὰ τοιαῦτα μὴ προχείρως παραδέχου, ἵνα μὴ ἀνέλῃς τὸν ἀθῶον καὶ ἀποκτείνῃς τὸν δίκαιον. Ὁ γὰρ τοιαῦτα παρα δέχεσθαι θέλων ὀργῆς πατήρ ἐστιν μᾶλλον ἢ εἰρήνης· ὅπου δὲ ὀργή, ἐκεῖ Κύριος οὐκ ἔστιν· ἡ γὰρ ὀργή, τοῦ σατανᾶ ὑπάρχουσα φίλη, λέγω δὴ ἡ παρὰ τὸ δίκαιον κινου μένη διὰ τῶν ψευδαδέλφων, οὐδέποτε ὁμόνοιαν ἀφίησιν γενέσθαι ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ. Ὅθεν ἐπιγινώσκοντες τοὺς τοιούτους ἄφρονας, ἐριστάς, ζηλωτὰς, ἐπιχαιρεσικάκους, μὴ πιστεύετε αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρατηρεῖσθε τοὺς τοιούτους, ἀκούοντές τι παρ' αὐτῶν κατὰ ἀδελφοῦ, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτῶν φόνος, καὶ οὗ τις οὐχ ὑπονοεῖ καταβάλ λουσιν ἄνδρα. Σὺ οὖν πρόσεχε τῷ κατηγορηθέντι, ἐν σοφίᾳ παρατηρῶν τὴν ἀναστροφὴν αὐτοῦ, τίς καὶ ὁποία τυγχάνει· καὶ εἰ εὕροις αὐτὸν ἀληθεύοντα, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου διδαχὴν ποίησον, καὶ μόνον παραλαβὼν τὸν κατηγορηθέντα ἔλεγξον αὐτόν, ὅπως μεταγνῷ, μηδενός σοι συμπαρόντος. Eἰ δὲ οὐ πεισθείη, γενόμενος δεύτερος ἢ τρίτος, οὕτως αὐτῷ ὑπόδειξον τὸ πλημμέλημα, νουθετήσας αὐτὸν ἐν πραότητι καὶ παιδείᾳ, ὅτι «Ἐν καρδίᾳ ἀγαθῇ ἀναπαύσεται σοφία, ἐν δὲ καρδίᾳ ἀφρόνων οὐ διαγινώσκεται.» Ἐὰν οὖν πεισθῇ ἐπὶ στόματος τῶν τριῶν ὑμῶν, εὖ ἂν ἔχοι. Eἰ δέ τι σκληρύνοιτο, εἰπὲ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ· ἐὰν δὲ καὶ ταύτης παρακούσῃ, ἔστω σοι ὡς ὁ ἐθνικὸς καὶ ὁ τελώνης, καὶ μηκέτι αὐτὸν ὡς Χριστιανὸν παραδέχου ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ,