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men may glorify with one mouth and one disposition the only God, the one and true, through the only-begotten Christ. For it is His will to praise Him with one mind and to worship Him in harmony. For this is His will in Christ, that there be many who are saved in Him, but not to harm Him nor for you to diminish the Church or to reduce the number through one human soul destroyed by you, which could have been saved through repentance, but perished not only from its own anger, but also now from your plotting, and you have fulfilled what is written: “He who does not gather with me, scatters.” Such a one, being a scatterer, an adversary of the sheep, an enemy of God, a destroyer of the lambs, whose shepherd the Lord was and we are gatherers, from different nations and tongues in much toil and danger and unceasing labor, in vigils, fastings, sleeping on the ground, persecutions, beatings, imprisonments, so that, having done the will of God, we might fill the three-couched room of those reclining, that is, the holy and catholic Church, with the called rejoicing and exulting, hymning and glorifying God who called them through us to life; you, therefore, as much as was in your power, have scattered. And you, the laity, be at peace with one another, striving as prudent men to increase the Church and to turn back to it those considered wild, and to tame and restore them. And this is the greatest reward by promise from God: “If you bring forth the precious from the worthless, you shall be as my mouth.” But you, O bishop, be holy, blameless, not a striker, not wrathful, not harsh, but a builder, one who turns others back, apt to teach, patient of evil, gentle-minded, meek, long-suffering, an exhorter, a comforter, as a man of God. And when you assemble the Church of God, as the pilot of a great ship, with all knowledge command the assemblies to be made, instructing the deacons, as if they were sailors, to assign the places to the brethren, as to passengers, with all care and reverence. And first, let the house be oblong, turned toward the east, having the pastophoria on both sides toward the east, which resembles a ship. Let the throne of the bishop be placed in the middle, and on either side of him let the presbytery be seated, and let the deacons stand by, neatly dressed in their fuller garment; for they resemble sailors and boatswains. And by their provision, in the other part let the laity be seated with

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ἄνθρωποι ἐν ἑνὶ στόματι καὶ μιᾷ διαθέσει δοξάζωσιν τὸν μόνον Θεὸν τὸν ἕνα καὶ ἀληθινὸν διὰ τοῦ μονογενοῦς Χριστοῦ. Θέλημα οὖν αὐτοῦ ἐστιν αἰνεῖν αὐτὸν ὁμοφρόνως καὶ προσκυνεῖν αὐτὸν συμφώνως. Τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἐστι θέλημα ἐν Χριστῷ, πολλοὺς εἶναι τοὺς σωζομένους ἐν αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ μὴ ζημιοῦν αὐτὸν μηδὲ ἐλαττονεῖν ὑμᾶς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἢ συστέλλειν τὸν ἀριθμὸν διὰ μιᾶς ψυχῆς ἀνθρώπου ὑφ' ὑμῶν ἀναιρεθείσης, ἥτις ἠδύνατο σωθῆναι διὰ μετανοίας, ἀπώλετο δὲ οὐ μόνον ἐξ ἰδίας ὀργῆς, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ ἐξ ὑμετέρας ἐπιβουλῆς, καὶ ἐπληρώσατε τὸ γεγραμ μένον· «Ὁ μὴ συνάγων μετ' ἐμοῦ σκορπίζει.» Τοιοῦτος δέ, ὢν σκορπιστής, προβάτων ἀντίδικος, Θεοῦ ἐχθρός, τῶν ἀρνίων φθορεύς, ὧν ὁ Κύριος ποιμὴν ὑπῆρξεν καὶ ἡμεῖς συναγωγοὶ, ἐκ διαφόρων ἐθνῶν καὶ γλωσσῶν ἐν πολλῷ μόχθῳ καὶ κινδύνῳ καὶ κόπῳ διηνεκεῖ, ἀγρυπνίαις, ἀσιτίαις, χαμευνίαις, διωγμοῖς, πληγαῖς, φυλακαῖς, ἵνα τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ ποιήσαντες πληρώσωμεν τὸν τρίκλινον τῶν ἀνακειμένων, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τὴν ἱερὰν καὶ καθολικὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, εὐφραινομένων τῶν κλητῶν καὶ ἀγαλλιωμένων, ὑμνούντων καὶ δοξαζόντων τὸν καλέσαντα αὐτοὺς δι' ἡμῶν εἰς ζωὴν Θεόν· ὑμεῖς οὖν, ὅσον τὸ ἐφ' ὑμῖν διεσκορπίσατε. Καὶ ὑμεῖς δέ, οἱ λαϊκοί, εἰρηνεύετε πρὸς ἀλλήλους, σπουδάζοντες ὡς φρόνιμοι τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν αὔξειν καὶ τὰ νομιζόμενα ἄγρια ἐπιστρέφειν εἰς αὐτὴν καὶ ἐξημεροῦν καὶ ἀποκαθιστᾶν. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ὁ μέγιστος ἐξ ἐπαγγελίας μισθὸς παρὰ Θεοῦ· «Ἐὰν ἐξαγάγῃς ἐξ ἀναξίου τίμιον, ὡς τὸ στόμα μου ἔσῃ.» Σὺ δέ, ὁ ἐπίσκοπος, ἔσο ἅγιος, ἄμωμος, μὴ πλήκτης, μὴ ὀργίλος, μὴ ἀπηνής, ἀλλ' οἰκοδόμος, ἐπιστρο φεύς, διδακτικός, ἀνεξίκακος, ἠπιόθυμος, πρᾶος, μακρόθυμος, παραινετικός, παρακλητικὸς ὡς Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος. Ὅταν δὲ συναθροίζῃς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν, ὡς κυβερνήτης νηὸς μεγάλης μετ' ἐπιστήμης πάσης κέλευε ποιεῖσθαι τὰς συνόδους, παραγγέλλων τοῖς διακόνοις ὡσανεὶ ναύταις τοὺς τόπους ἐκτάσσειν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς καθάπερ ἐπιβάταις μετὰ πάσης ἐπιμελείας καὶ σεμνότητος. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ὁ οἶκος ἔστω ἐπιμήκης, κατὰ ἀνατολὰς τετραμμένος, ἐξ ἑκατέρων τῶν μερῶν ἔχων τὰ παστοφόρια πρὸς ἀνατολήν, ὅστις ἔοικεν νηΐ. Κείσθω δὲ μέσος ὁ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου θρόνος, παρ' ἑκάτερα δὲ αὐτοῦ καθεζέσθω τὸ πρεσβυτέριον, καὶ οἱ διάκονοι παριστάσθωσαν εὐσταλεῖς τῆς πλείονος ἐσθῆτος· ἐοίκασι γὰρ ναύταις καὶ τοιχάρχοις. Προνοίᾳ δὲ τούτων εἰς τὸ ἕτερον μέρος οἱ λαϊκοὶ καθεζέσθωσαν μετὰ