49

he has been delivered from troubles. Choose therefore rather to be harmed and to be zealous for the things that make for peace, not only towards the brothers, but also towards the unbelievers; for being harmed in some worldly matter, you will not suffer loss in the things relating to God, since you are God-fearing and live according to Christ's command. But if brothers have something against one another, which may it not be, you the leaders ought to understand from this, that such men are not accomplishing the work of brothers in the Lord, but rather that of hostile enemies. And one of them will be found gentle, reasonable, a child of light, but the other savage, arrogant, covetous; therefore, let the one who is condemned be rebuked, let him be separated, let him pay the penalty for his hatred of a brother, then upon repenting let him be received back; and thus being corrected, they will lighten your tribunals. It is necessary also to forgive offenses against one another, not those who are judging, but those who have them against each other, just as the Lord declared when I, Peter, asked him: "How many times shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" And he said: "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." For so the Lord wishes his disciples to be truly his, and never to have anything against anyone, such as immoderate anger or savage wrath or unjust desire or implacable hatred. Therefore, reconcile those who are angry to friendship, those who are hostile to concord, because the Lord says: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Let your tribunals be held on the second day of the week, so that, if any objection is made to your decision, having until Saturday, you may be able to set the objection straight and reconcile for the Lord's day those who are at variance with one another. And let the deacons and the presbyters be present at the tribunal, judging without partiality as men of God with righteousness. Therefore, when both parties are present, as the Law also says: "Both shall stand in the midst of the tribunal, to whom the dispute belongs;" and having heard them, cast your votes piously, striving to make them both friends before the decision of the bishop, so that a judgment against the one who has sinned may not go forth upon the earth, inasmuch as in the tribunal he has Christ, the Son of God, as a fellow-voter and a witness of the case. But if any are convicted by someone of blasphemies for not walking well in the Lord, likewise having heard both parties, both the accuser and the

49

ἀπηλλάγη πραγμάτων. Aἱροῦ οὖν μᾶλλον βλάπτεσθαι καὶ τὰ πρὸς εἰρήνην σπουδάζειν, οὐ μόνον πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφούς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀπίστους· βλαβεὶς γάρ τι τῶν βιωτικῶν τὰ πρὸς Θεὸν οὐ ζημιωθήσῃ, ἅτε θεοσεβὴς ὑπάρχων καὶ κατ' ἐντολὴν Χριστοῦ ζῶν. Eἰ δὲ ἀδελφοὶ εἰς ἀλλήλους ἔχουσιν, ὃ μὴ γένοιτο, αὐτόθεν νοεῖν ὀφείλετε οἱ προηγούμενοι, ὅτι οἱ τοιοῦτοι οὐκ ἀδελφῶν ἐν Κυρίῳ ἔργον ἐπιτελοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἐχθρῶν πολεμίων. Καὶ εἷς μὲν αὐτῶν εὑρεθήσεται ἤπιος, ἐπιεικής, φωτὸς τέκνον, ἕτερος δὲ ἀνήμερος, αὐθάδης, πλεονέκτης· ὁ οὖν καταγινωσκόμενος ἐπιτιμάσθω, ἀφορι ζέσθω, δίκην τῆς μισαδελφίας τιννύτω, εἶτα μεταμελόμενος προσλαμβανέσθω· καὶ οὕτω σωφρονιζόμενοι, ἐπικουφίσουσιν ὑμῖν τὰ κριτήρια. Χρὴ δὲ καὶ συγχωρεῖν τὰ εἰς ἀλλήλους ἀδικήματα, οὐ τοὺς κρίνοντας, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἔχοντας εἰς ἑαυτούς, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἀπεφήνατο ἐμοῦ Πέτρου ἐρωτήσαντος αὐτόν· «Ποσάκις ἁμαρτήσει εἰς ἐμὲ ὁ ἀδελφός μου, καὶ ἀφήσω αὐτῷ; ἕως ἑπτάκις;» Καὶ εἰπόντος· «Oὐ λέγω σοι ἕως ἑπτάκις, ἀλλ' ἕως ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά.» Oὕτως γὰρ θέλει ὁ Κύριος ἀληθῶς εἶναι αὐτοῦ μαθητὰς καὶ μηδὲν ἔχειν κατὰ μηδενὸς πώποτε, οἷον ὀργὴν ἄμετρον ἢ θυμὸν ἀνήμερον ἢ ἐπιθυμίαν ἄδικον ἢ μῖσος ἄσπονδον. Τοὺς οὖν ὀργιζομένους συμβιβάζετε εἰς φιλίαν, τοὺς ἐχθραίνοντας εἰς ὁμόνοιαν, ὅτι λέγει Κύριος· «Μακάριοι οἱ εἰρηνοποιοί, ὅτι αὐτοὶ υἱοὶ Θεοῦ κληθήσονται.» Τὰ δικαστήρια ὑμῶν γινέσθω δευτέρᾳ σαββάτων, ὅπως, ἐὰν ἀντιλογία τῇ ἀποφάσει ὑμῶν γένηται, ἕως σαββά του ἔχοντες ἄδειαν δυνηθείητε εὐθῦναι τὴν ἀντιλογίαν καὶ εἰρηνεῦσαι εἰς τὴν κυριακὴν τοὺς διαφερομένους πρὸς ἀλλήλους. Συμπαρέστωσαν δὲ τῷ δικαστηρίῳ καὶ οἱ διάκονοι καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι, ἀπροσωπολήπτως κρίνοντες ὡς Θεοῦ ἄνθρωποι μετὰ δικαιοσύνης. Παραγενομένων οὖν ἑκατέρων τῶν προσώπων, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Νόμος λέγει· «Στήσονται ἑκάτεροι ἐν μέσῳ τῷ κριτηρίῳ, οἷς ἔστιν ἡ ἀντιλογίαή· καὶ ἀκούσαντες αὐτῶν, ὁσίως ἀνενέγκατε τὰς ψήφους, σπουδάζοντες φίλους αὐτοὺς ἀμφοτέρους ποιῆσαι πρὶν ἀποφάσεως τῆς τοῦ ἐπισκόπου, ὅπως μὴ ἐξέλθοι ἐπὶ γῆς κρίσις κατὰ τοῦ ἁμαρτήσαντος, καθότι καὶ ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ σύμψηφον ἔχει καὶ συνίστορα τῆς δίκης τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Eἰ δέ τινες ἐν βλασφημίαις τοῦ μὴ καλῶς ὁδεύειν ἐν Κυρίῳ ἐλέγχοιντο ὑπό τινος, ὁμοίως ἀκούσαντες ἑκα τέρων τῶν προσώπων, τοῦ τε κατηγοροῦντος καὶ τοῦ