44

but avoid him as a gentile. But if he wishes to repent, receive him; for you do not receive a gentile or a tax collector into communion, until each of them repents of their former impieties; for to those who are sorry our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God has appointed a place of repentance. For I, Matthew, one of the twelve who speak to you in this teaching, am an apostle, and I myself was formerly a tax collector, but now through believing I have received mercy, and having repented of my former deeds, I have been deemed worthy to be an apostle and a preacher of the word. And Zacchaeus, whom the Lord received in repentance when he besought him, was likewise formerly a tax collector. And already both soldiers and a crowd of tax collectors, having come to the Lord's word concerning repentance, will hear from the prophet John after baptism: “Do nothing more than what has been commanded you.” Likewise also for the gentiles, life has not been denied, if having repented they cast off their unbelief. Therefore, regard the one who has been convicted of a wicked deed and does not repent as a tax collector or a gentile. But if he later repents, just as we also receive gentiles into the Church, whenever they wish to repent and turn from their error, so that they may hear the word, we do not, however, commune with them until, having received the seal, they are perfected, so also with such people, until they show the fruit of repentance, we permit them to enter, so that by hearing the word they may not be utterly destroyed root and branch; but let them not commune in prayer, but let them go out after the reading of the Law and the Prophets and the Gospel, so that by going out they may improve their way of life, being zealous to attend the assemblies daily and to devote themselves to prayer, so that they too may be able to be received, and that those who see them may be filled with compunction and become more secure, being cautious not to fall into the same things. However, do not abhor the one who has fallen into a first and second fault, O bishop, nor hinder him from the Lord's word, nor cast him out from common living, since not even the Lord refused to eat with tax collectors and sinners, and when accused by the Pharisees concerning this, he said: “Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” Therefore, with those who have been separated by you on account of sin, both associate and dwell, taking care of them, holding them fast, supporting them,

44

ἀλλ' ὡς ἐθνικὸν παραιτοῦ. Eἰ δὲ βούλοιτο μετανοεῖν, προσλαμβάνου· οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸν ἐθνικὸν ἢ τὸν τελώνην εἰς κοινωνίαν παραδέχῃ, πρὶν ἢ μεταγνῷ ἕκαστος αὐτῶν ἐκ τῶν προτέρων ἀσεβημάτων· τοῖς γὰρ μεταμελομένοις τόπον μετανοίας ὥρισεν ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ Ματθαῖος, ἐκ τῶν δώδεκα τῶν ἐν τῇδε τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ λαλούντων ὑμῖν, εἰμὶ ἀπόστολος, καὶ αὐτὸς ὢν τελώνης μὲν πρότερον, νῦν δὲ διὰ τοῦ πιστεύειν ἠλεημένος μετεγνωκώς τε τῶν προτέρων πραξέων καὶ ἠξιωμένος ἀπόστολος εἶναι καὶ κῆρυξ τοῦ λόγου. Καὶ Ζακχαῖος, ὃν ὁ Κύριος προσελάβετο ἐν μετανοίᾳ δεηθέντα αὐτοῦ, ὁμοίως καὶ αὐτὸς τελώνης ὑπῆρχεν τὸ πρότερον. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ στρατιῶται καὶ τελωνῶν ὄχλος, προσελθόντες τῷ κυριακῷ περὶ μετανοίας λόγῳ, ἀκούσουσι παρὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἰωάννου μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα· «Μηδὲν πλέον παρὰ τὸ διατεταγμένον ὑμῖν ποιεῖτε.» Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐθνικοῖς οὐκ ἀπέγνωσται ἡ ζωή, ἐὰν μετανοήσαντες τὴν ἀπιστίαν ἀποβάλωσιν. Ὡς τελώνην οὖν ἢ ἐθνικὸν ἔχε τὸν ἐπὶ κακῷ ἔργῳ ἐλεγχθέντα καὶ μὴ μεταγινώσκοντα. Ἐὰν δὲ ὕστερον μετανοῇ, ὡς καὶ τοὺς ἐθνικούς, ὁπόταν θέλωσι μετανοεῖν καὶ ἐπιστρέφειν ἐκ τῆς πλάνης, εἰς Ἐκκλησίαν προσδεχόμεθα, ὅπως τοῦ λόγου ἀκούωσιν, οὐ μὴν κοινωνοῦμεν αὐτοῖς μέχρις οὗ τὴν σφραγῖδα λαβόντες τελειωθῶσιν, οὕτω καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις, μέχρις οὗ μετανοίας καρπὸν ἐπιδείξωσιν, ἐπιτρέπομεν εἰσέρχεσθαι, ὅπως τοῦ λόγου ἀκούοντες μὴ τελείως ἄρδην ἀπόλωνται· μὴ κοινωνεί τωσαν δὲ ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ, ἀλλ' ἐξερχέσθωσαν μετὰ τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν τοῦ Νόμου καὶ τῶν Προφητῶν καὶ τοῦ Eὐαγ γελίου, ὅπως διὰ τοῦ ἐξιέναι ἐπιβελτιωθῶσιν τὴν ἀναστροφὴν τοῦ βίου, σπουδάζοντες περὶ τὰς συνάξεις ἀπαντᾶν ὁσημέραι καὶ τῇ δεήσει σχολάζειν, ὅπως καὶ αὐτοὶ δυνηθῶσιν εἰσδε χθῆναι, καὶ οἱ θεώμενοι αὐτοὺς κατανυγῶσιν καὶ ἀσφαλέστε ροι γένωνται, εὐλαβούμενοι τοῖς ὁμοίοις περιπεσεῖν. Oὐ μέντοιγε βδελύξῃ τὸν περιπεσόντα ἑνὶ καὶ δευτέρῳ σφάλματι, ὦ ἐπίσκοπε, οὐδὲ κωλύσεις αὐτὸν τοῦ κυριακοῦ λόγου, οὐδὲ κοινῆς αὐτὸν διαίτης ἐξώσεις, ἐπείπερ οὐδὲ ὁ Κύριος παρῃτεῖτο μετὰ τῶν τελωνῶν καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐσθίειν, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν Φαρισαίων ἐγκαλούμενος περὶ τούτου ἔλεγεν· «Oὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ' οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες.» Τοῖς οὖν δι' ἁμαρτίας ἀφορισθεῖσιν παρ' ὑμῶν καὶ συναναστρέφεσθε καὶ συναυ λίζεσθε, ἐπιμελούμενοι, παρακρατοῦντες, ὑποστηρίζοντες,