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of the one being accused, but not with prejudice nor one-sidedly, but with justice, as giving a decision concerning eternal life or death; "For justly," says God, "you shall pursue what is just." For he who is justly punished and excommunicated by you has become an outcast from eternal life and glory, and is dishonored among holy men and condemned before God. But do not make the same decision for every sin, but for each its own, judging each of the offenses with much prudence, both the small and the great, and in one way for a deed, and again another way for a word, and differently for intention or reviling or suspicion; and some you will subject to threats alone, others to providing for the poor, others you will harden with fastings, and others you will excommunicate according to the magnitude of their crime. For the Law also did not inflict the same punishment for every sin, but in one way for sins against God and against a priest and against the temple and against a sacrifice, and in another way for sins against a king and against a ruler and a soldier and a subject, an equal or a servant, or against a possession or an animal, and again differently for sins against parents and relatives, in one way for sins of assault, and another way for voluntary sins; and for some, death either by the cross or by stoning, and for others, a fine or scourgings, or to suffer the same things which they did. Therefore you also should inflict different punishments for different sins, lest any injustice intervening should move God to indignation; for of whatever unjust judgment you become mediators, of this you will also receive the reward from God; "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged." When you have therefore sat down in the tribunal, with both persons present (for we will not say brothers, until they receive each other in peace), investigate accurately concerning those who are implicated; and first concerning the accuser, whether this is the first one he accuses or if he has also brought charges against certain others, and whether the contention and the charge do not arise from their censure, and what sort of conduct his is. And even if he is such a one of good conscience, let him not be believed alone, for such a thing is against the law, but let him also have other witnesses of a similar character to him, as the Law also says: "By the mouth of two and three witnesses shall every word be established." But why did we say that their character should be inquired into, what sort it happens to be? Because it often happens that both two and more testify for an evil purpose and agree together to stand by a falsehood, as the two elders against Susanna in Babylon, and the sons of

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κατηγορουμένου, ἀλλὰ μὴ προλήψει μηδὲ μονομερῶς, ἀλλὰ μετὰ δικαιοσύνης, ὡς ὑπὲρ ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἢ θανάτου διδόντες ἀπόφασιν· «∆ικαίως γάρ, φησὶν ὁ Θεός, διώξει τὸ δίκαιον.» Ὁ γὰρ δικαίως τιμωρηθεὶς καὶ ἀφορισθεὶς παρ' ὑμῶν αἰωνίου ζωῆς καὶ δόξης ἀπόβλητος γέγονεν καὶ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ὁσίοις ἄτιμος καὶ παρὰ Θεῷ κατάδικος. Μὴ πάσης δὲ ἁμαρτίας ποιεῖσθε τὴν αὐτὴν ἀπόφασιν, ἀλλ' ἑκάστης ἰδίαν, μετὰ πολλῆς φρονήσεως κρίνοντες ἕκαστα τῶν πλημμελουμένων, τά τε σμικρὰ καὶ τὰ μεγάλα, καὶ ἄλλως ἔργου, καὶ λόγου πάλιν ἑτέρως, καὶ προθέσεως ἢ λοιδορίας ἢ ὑπολήψεως διαφόρως· καὶ τοὺς μὲν ὑποβαλεῖς μόναις ἀπειλαῖς, τοὺς δὲ πενήτων χορηγίαις, ἄλλους δὲ νηστείαις στιβώσεις, καὶ ἑτέρους ἀφορίσεις πρὸς τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ ἐγκλήματος αὐτῶν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ Νόμος οὐ παντὸς ἁμαρτήματος τὴν αὐτὴν ἐποιεῖτο τιμωρίαν, ἀλλὰ ἄλλως μὲν τὰ εἰς Θεὸν καὶ εἰς ἱερέα καὶ εἰς ἱερὸν καὶ εἰς ἱερεῖον, ἑτέρως δὲ τὰ εἰς βασιλέα καὶ εἰς ἄρχοντα καὶ στρατιώτην καὶ ὑπήκοον, ὁμότιμον ἢ οἰκέτην, ἢ εἰς κτῆμα ἢ εἰς ἄλογον, καὶ πάλιν παρηλλαγμένως τὰ εἰς γονεῖς καὶ συγγενεῖς, ἄλλως τὰ ἐξ ἐφόδου, καὶ τὰ ἑκουσίως ἑτέρως· καὶ τοῖς μὲν θάνατον ἢ διὰ σταυροῦ ἢ τὸν διὰ λίθων, τοῖς δὲ ζημίαν ἢ μάστιγας ἢ τὸ τὰ ὅμοια παθεῖν οἷς ἔδρασαν. Oὐκοῦν καὶ ὑμεῖς τῶν διαφόρων ἁμαρτημάτων διαφόρους ποιεῖσθε καὶ τὰς τιμωρίας, ἵνα μή τις ἀδικία παρεμπεσοῦσα κινήσῃ τὸν Θεὸν εἰς ἀγανάκτησιν· ἧς γὰρ ἂν ἀδίκου κρίσεως μεσῖται γένησθε, ταύτης καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ λήψεσθε μισθόν· «Ὣι γὰρ κρίματι κρίνετε, κριθήσεσθε.» Καθίσαντες οὖν ἐπὶ τὸ κριτήριον, παρόντων ἑκατέρων τῶν προσώπων, οὐ γὰρ ἐροῦμεν ἀδελφῶν, μέχρις οὗ ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἑαυτοὺς ἀπολάβωσιν, ἐρευνᾶτε ἀκριβῶς περὶ τῶν ἐνεχομένων· καὶ πρῶτον περὶ τοῦ κατηγοροῦντος, εἰ πρώτου τούτου κατηγορεῖ ἢ καὶ ἑτέροις τισὶν ἐγκλήματα κατενήνοχεν, καὶ εἰ μὴ ἐκ μέμψεως αὐτῶν ἡ φιλονεικία καὶ τὸ ἔγκλημα ὑπόκειται, καὶ ὁποία τις ἡ ἀναστροφὴ αὐτοῦ ὑπάρχει. Καὶ τοιοῦτος δὲ ὢν εὐσυνείδητος, μὴ πιστευέσθω μόνος, παράνομον γὰρ τὸ τοιοῦτον, ἀλλ' ἐχέτω καὶ ἑτέρους μάρτυρας ὁμοίους αὐτῷ τὸν τρόπον, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Νόμος λέγει· «Ἐπὶ στόματος δύο καὶ τριῶν μαρτύρων σταθήσεται πᾶν ῥῆμα.» ∆ιατί δὲ εἴπομεν τὸν τρόπον αὐτῶν ἐπι ζητεῖσθαι ὁποῖος τυγχάνει; Ἐπειδὴ πολλάκις ἐγχωρεῖ καὶ τοὺς δύο καὶ τοὺς πλείονας ἐπὶ κακῷ μαρτυρῆσαι καὶ συμφώνως προστῆναι τοῦ ψεύδους, ὡς τοὺς δύο πρεσβυτέ ρους κατὰ Σωσάννης ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν