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If any brother or sister from another parish should come in, bringing letters of recommendation, let the deacon make a determination concerning them, inquiring whether they are faithful, whether they are of the church, whether they are not polluted by heresy, and again if she is a married woman or a widow. And so, having learned the things concerning them, that they are truly faithful and of one mind in the things of the Lord, let him lead each one to the place appropriate for him. And if a presbyter from another parish should come, let him be received by the presbyters in fellowship; if a deacon, by the deacons; and if a bishop, let him sit with the bishop, being deemed worthy of the same honor by him. And you shall ask him, O bishop, to speak words of instruction to the people; for the exhortation and admonition of strangers is exceedingly profitable. “For no prophet,” it says, “is accepted in his own country.” And you shall permit him also to offer up the Eucharist; but if out of reverence, as a wise man, observing the honor due to you, he is not willing to offer it up, you shall at least compel him to give the blessing to the people. But if, while you are sitting, another person should enter, of good standing and glorious in life, whether a stranger or a local, you, O bishop, who are speaking the word concerning God, or are listening to the one who is chanting or reading, do not, showing partiality, leave the ministry of the word, in order to arrange a seat for him, but remain quiet, not interrupting your speaking or listening, and let the brethren receive him through the deacons. And if there is no place, let the deacon, having raised up the one who is younger, with a word, but not with anger, seat that man; and it is right for one who loves the brethren to do this even of his own accord; but if he refuses, having raised him up by force, make him stand behind all, so that the rest also may be taught to yield their places to those more honored. But if a poor man or one of no family or a stranger should come, whether an old man or young in age, and there is no place, for these also let the deacon make a place with all his heart, so that his partiality may not be towards man, but that his ministry may be well-pleasing to God. And let the deaconess do the same for the women who come in, whether poor or rich. And in your teaching, O bishop, command and exhort the people to be constant in the Church at dawn and evening of each day and not to be absent at all, but to assemble continually, and not to diminish the Church by withdrawing oneself and making a member of the body of Christ to be absent; for it was not said only concerning priests, but also

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Eἰ δέ τις ἀπὸ παροικίας ἀδελφὸς ἢ ἀδελφὴ ἐπ εισέλθοι σύστασιν ἐπικομιζόμενοι, ὁ διάκονος ἐπικρινέτω τὰ κατ' αὐτούς, ἀνακρίνων, εἰ πιστοί, εἰ ἐκκλησιαστικοί, εἰ μὴ ἀπὸ αἱρέσεώς εἰσι μεμολυσμένοι, καὶ πάλιν εἰ ὕπανδρος ἢ χήρα· καὶ οὕτω γνοὺς τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς, ὡς εἰσὶν ἀληθῶς πιστοὶ καὶ ὁμογνώμονες ἐν τοῖς κυριακοῖς, ἀπαγέτω ἕκαστον εἰς τὸν προσήκοντα αὐτῷ τόπον. Eἰ δὲ καὶ πρεσβύτερος ἀπὸ παροικίας ἐπέλθοι, προσδεχέσθω ὑπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων κοινωνικῶς· εἰ διάκονος, ὑπὸ τῶν διακόνων· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπίσκοπος, σὺν τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ καθεζέσθω τῆς αὐτῆς ἀξιούμε νος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τιμῆς. Καὶ ἐρωτήσεις αὐτόν, ὦ ἐπίσκοπε, προσλαλῆσαι τῷ λαῷ λόγους διδακτικούς· ἡ γὰρ τῶν ξένων παράκλησις καὶ νουθεσία ὠφελιμωτάτη σφόδρα· «Oὐδεὶς γὰρ προφήτης, φησίν, δεκτὸς ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ πατρίδι.» Ἐπι τρέψεις δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν εὐχαριστίαν ἀνοῖσαι· ἐὰν δὲ δι' εὐλάβειαν ὡς σοφὸς τὴν τιμήν σοι τηρῶν μὴ θελήσῃ ἀνε νέγκαι, κἂν τὴν εἰς τὸν λαὸν εὐλογίαν αὐτὸν ποιήσασθαι καταναγκάσεις. Eἰ δὲ ἐν τῷ καθέζεσθαι ἕτερός τις ἐπεισέλθοι εὐσχήμων καὶ ἔνδοξος ἐν τῷ βίῳ, ἢ ξένος ἢ ἐγχώριος, σὺ ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ὁ προσλαλῶν τὸν περὶ Θεοῦ λόγον ἢ ὁ ἀκούων τοῦ ψάλλοντος ἢ τοῦ ἀναγινώσκοντος, μὴ προσωποληπτῶν καταλίπῃς τὴν διακονίαν τοῦ λόγου, ἵνα διατάξῃ αὐτῷ προσεδρίαν, ἀλλὰ μένε ἡσύχιος μὴ διακόπτων σου τὸν λόγον ἢ τὴν ἀκοήν, οἱ δὲ ἀδελφοὶ διὰ τῶν διακόνων παρα δεχέσθωσαν αὐτόν. Eἰ δὲ τόπος οὐκ ἔστιν, ὁ διάκονος, τὸν μᾶλλον νεώτερον ἐγείρας μετὰ λόγου, ἀλλὰ μὴ μετ' ὀργῆς, ἐκεῖνον καθισάτω· δίκαιον δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ τὸν φιλάδελφον ποιῆσαι· ἐὰν δὲ ἀνανεύῃ, ἐγείρας αὐτὸν ἀναγκαστῶς, ὀπίσω πάντων στῆσον, ἵνα παιδευθῶσιν καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἀντιπαραχωρεῖν τοῖς ἐντιμοτέροις. Eἰ δὲ πτωχὸς ἢ ἀγενὴς ἢ ξένος ἐπέλθοι πρεσβύτης ἢ νέος τὴν ἡλικίαν καὶ τόπος οὐχ ὑπάρχει, καὶ τούτοις τόπον ποιήσει ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ ὁ διάκονος, ἵνα μὴ πρὸς ἄνθρωπον αὐτοῦ γένηται ἡ προσωπόληψις, ἀλλὰ πρὸς Θεὸν ἡ διακονία εὐάρεστος. Τὸ δ' αὐτὸ ποιείτω καὶ ἡ διάκονος ταῖς ἐπερχο μέναις γυναιξὶν πτωχαῖς ἤτοι πλουσίαις. ∆ιδάσκων δέ, ὦ ἐπίσκοπε, κέλευε καὶ παραίνει τῷ λαῷ εἰς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἐνδελεχίζειν ὄρθρου καὶ ἐσπέρας ἑκάστης ἡμέρας καὶ μὴ ἀπολείπεσθαι τὸ σύνολον, ἀλλὰ συνέρχεσθαι διηνεκῶς, καὶ μήτε τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν κολοβοῦν ἑαυτὸν ὑφαιροῦντα καὶ παρὰ μέλος ποιεῖν τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ· οὐ γὰρ μόνον περὶ ἱερέων ἐρρέθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ