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of the levy making themselves part of the ministry, I have found it necessary to renew the canons of the Fathers, and I am writing to you to send me the register of those in service from each village, and by whom each was introduced, and what his manner of life is. And you yourselves keep the register with you, so that your records may be compared with the documents deposited with us and that it be permitted to no one to enroll himself whenever he wishes. Therefore, after the first registration, if any have been introduced by presbyters, let them be cast out to the laity. But let an examination of them be made by you from the beginning, and if they be worthy, let them be received by your vote. Cleanse the Church by driving out those unworthy of her, and for the future, examine the worthy and receive them, but do not enroll them before reporting to us, or know that he who is received into the ministry without our approval will be a layman.

55. To Gregory the Presbyter

55.1 I have read your letters with all long-suffering, and I have wondered

how, when you are able to defend yourself to us briefly and easily by your actions, you consent to persist in the things of which you are accused, and attempt to cure the incurable with long speeches. We are neither the first nor the only ones, O Gregory, to have legislated that women should not cohabit with men. But read the canon which was put forth by our holy Fathers at the council of Nicaea, which openly forbade the presence of *syneisactae*. Celibacy has its dignity in this, in being separated from living with women. So that, if someone professing the name in deed does the things of those who live with women, it is clear that he is pursuing the dignity of virginity in name, but not abstaining from the indecency which comes from pleasure. So much the more, therefore, you ought to have yielded easily to our request, inasmuch as you say you are free from all bodily passion. For I am not persuaded that a man of seventy years lives passionately with a woman, nor did we decree what we decreed because of some improper act having occurred, but because we were taught by the Apostle not to put a stumbling block or a scandal in the way of a brother. And we know that what is done with good intention by some will be an occasion of sin for others. For this reason we have commanded, following the decree of the holy Fathers, that you be separated from the woman. Why then do you accuse the chorepiscopus and recall an old enmity? Why do you blame us as having ready ears to receive slanders, and not yourself for not being willing to cease your association with the woman? Cast her out, therefore, from your house and place her in a monastery. Let her be with virgins and you minister among men, so that the name of God may not be blasphemed because of us. As long as you do these things, the myriads of words you write in your letters will not help you at all, but you will end your life in idleness and you will give an account to the Lord for your own idleness. But if you should dare, not having corrected yourself, to cling to the priesthood, you will be anathema to all the people, and those who receive you will be proclaimed excommunicate from the entire Church.

56. To Pergamius

56.1 I am by nature prone to forgetfulness, and the multitude of my occupations has come upon me,

increasing my natural weakness. Therefore, even if I do not remember having received a letter from your Nobility, I am persuaded that you have written to us; for you would certainly not have said something false. But I am not the cause of not having replied, but he who did not

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τῆς στρατολογίας εἰσποι ούντων ἑαυτοὺς τῇ ὑπηρεσίᾳ, ἀναγκαίως ἦλθον εἰς τὸ ἀνανεώσασθαι τοὺς τῶν Πατέρων κανόνας, καὶ ἐπιστέλλω ὑμῖν ἀποστεῖλαί μοι τὴν ἀναγραφὴν ἑκάστης κώμης τῶν ὑπηρετούντων καὶ ὑπὸ τίνος εἰσῆκται ἕκαστος καὶ ἐν ποίῳ βίῳ ἐστίν. Ἔχετε δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ παρ' ἑαυτοῖς τὴν ἀναγρα φήν, ὥστε συγκρίνεσθαι τοῖς παρ' ἡμῖν ἀποκειμένοις γράμ μασι τὰ ὑμέτερα καὶ μηδενὶ ἐξεῖναι ἑαυτὸν ὅτε βούλεται παρεγγράφειν. Οὕτω μέντοι μετὰ τὴν πρώτην ἐπινέμησιν εἴ τινες ὑπὸ πρεσβυτέρων εἰσήχθησαν, ἐπὶ τοὺς λαϊκοὺς ἀπορριφῶσιν. Ἄνωθεν δὲ γένηται αὐτῶν παρ' ὑμῶν ἐξέ τασις, κἂν μὲν ἄξιοι ὦσι, τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ ψήφῳ παραδεχθή τωσαν. Ἐπικαθαρίσατε τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τοὺς ἀναξίους αὐτῆς ἀπελαύνοντες, καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ ἐξετάζετε μὲν τοὺς ἀξίους καὶ παραδέχεσθε, μὴ ἀριθμεῖτε δὲ πρὶν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐπανενεγκεῖν, ἢ γινώσκετε ὅτι λαϊκὸς ἔσται ὁ ἄνευ ἡμε τέρας γνώμης εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν παραδεχθείς.

55.τ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΩ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ

55.1 Ἐνέτυχόν σου τοῖς γράμμασι μετὰ πάσης μακροθυμίας, καὶ ἐθαύμασα

πῶς, δυνάμενος ἡμῖν συντόμως καὶ εὐκόλως ἀπολογήσασθαι διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων, τοῖς μὲν κατηγορου μένοις ἐπιμένειν καταδέχῃ, λόγοις δὲ μακροῖς θεραπεύειν ἐπιχειρεῖς τὰ ἀνίατα. Οὔτε πρῶτοι οὔτε μόνοι, ὦ Γρηγό ριε, ἐνομοθετήσαμεν γυναῖκας ἀνδράσι μὴ συνοικεῖν. Ἀλλ' ἀνάγνωθι τὸν κανόνα τὸν ἐξενεχθέντα παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ συνόδῳ Νικαίας, ὃς φανερῶς ἀπηγό ρευσε συνεισακτοὺς μὴ εἶναι. Ἀγαμία δὲ ἐν τούτῳ ἔχει τὸ σεμνόν, ἐν τῷ κεχωρίσθαι τῆς μετὰ γυναικῶν διαγωγῆς. Ὡς, ἐὰν ἐπαγγελλόμενός τις τῷ ὀνόματι ἔργῳ τὰ τῶν ταῖς γυναιξὶ συνοικούντων ποιῇ, δῆλός ἐστι τὸ μὲν τῆς παρθενίας σεμνὸν ἐν τῇ προσηγορίᾳ διώκων, τοῦ δὲ καθ' ἡδονὴν ἀπρεποῦς μὴ ἀφιστάμενος. Τοσούτῳ οὖν μᾶλλον ἐχρῆν σε εὐκόλως εἶξαι ἡμῶν τῇ ἀξιώσει ὅσῳπερ λέγεις ἐλεύθερος εἶναι παντὸς σωματικοῦ πάθους. Οὔτε γὰρ τὸν ἑβδομηκονταετῆ γεγονότα πείθομαι ἐμπαθῶς συνοικεῖν γυναικί, οὔτε ὡς ἐπιγενομένῃ τινὶ ἀτόπῳ πράξει ὡρίσαμεν ἃ καὶ ὡρίσαμεν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐδιδάχθημεν παρὰ τοῦ Ἀπο στόλου μὴ τιθέναι πρόσκομμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἢ σκάνδαλον. Οἴδαμεν δὲ ὅτι τὸ παρά τινων ὑγιῶς γινόμενον ἄλλοις ἀφορμὴ πρὸς ἁμαρτίαν ὑπάρξει. Τούτου ἕνεκεν προσε τάξαμεν, ἑπόμενοι τῇ διαταγῇ τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων, χωρι σθῆναί σε τοῦ γυναίου. Τί οὖν ἐγκαλεῖς τῷ χωρεπισκόπῳ καὶ παλαιᾶς ἔχθρας μέμνησαι; Τί δὲ ἡμᾶς καταμέμφῃ ὡς εὐκόλους ἀκοὰς ἔχοντας εἰς τὸ τὰς διαβολὰς προσίεσθαι, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ σεαυτῷ μὴ ἀνεχομένῳ ἀποστῆναι τῆς πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα συνηθείας; Ἔκβαλε τοίνυν αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴκου σου καὶ κατάστησον αὐτὴν ἐν μοναστηρίῳ. Ἔστω ἐκείνη μετὰ παρθένων καὶ σὺ ὑπηρετοῦ ὑπὸ ἀνδρῶν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ δι' ἡμᾶς βλασφημῆται. Ἕως ἂν ταῦτα ποιῇς, αἱ μυριάδες ἅσπερ συγγράφεις διὰ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν οὐδὲν ὠφελήσουσί σε, ἀλλὰ τελευτήσεις ἀργῶν καὶ δώσεις τῷ Κυρίῳ λόγον τῆς σεαυτοῦ ἀργίας. Ἐὰν δὲ τολμήσῃς, μὴ διορθωσάμενος σεαυτόν, ἀντέχεσθαι τῆς ἱερωσύνης, ἀνάθεμα ἔσει παντὶ τῷ λαῷ καὶ οἱ δεχόμενοί σε ἐκκήρυκτοι κατὰ πᾶσαν Ἐκκλησίαν γενήσονται.

56.τ ΠΕΡΓΑΜΙΩ

56.1 Εἰμὶ μὲν φύσει εὔκολος πρὸς τὴν λήθην, ἐπεγένετο δέ μοι καὶ τὸ τῶν

ἀσχολιῶν πλῆθος ἐπιτεῖνον τὴν ἐκ φύσεως ἀρρωστίαν. Ὥστε, καὶ εἰ μὴ μέμνημαι δεξάμενος γράμ ματα τῆς εὐγενείας σου, πείθομαι ἐπεσταλκέναι σε ἡμῖν· οὐ γὰρ ἂν πάντως ψεῦδος εἰπεῖν σε. Τοῦ δὲ μὴ ἀντιφθέγξασθαι οὐκ ἐγὼ αἴτιος, ἀλλ' ὁ μὴ