70

takes the honor, but he who is called by God.” For by the laying on of the bishop’s hands is such a dignity given. But he who has not been entrusted with this, but has seized it for himself, will undergo the punishment of Uzziah. But neither do we permit the rest of the clergy to baptize, such as readers or cantors or doorkeepers or subdeacons, but only bishops and presbyters, with the deacons ministering to them. But those who dare this will suffer the penalty of the followers of Korah. And we do not permit presbyters to ordain deacons or deaconesses or readers or subdeacons or singers or doorkeepers, but only the bishops; for this is the ecclesiastical order and harmony. And concerning envy or jealousy or slander or strife or contentiousness, it has been said to you before, that these things are foreign to a Christian, and especially among widows. But since the active devil, being of many turns and various wiles, makes a show among those who are not widows, as he once also did in Cain; for some say they are widows, but they do not perform the precepts worthy of widowhood, just as Cain did not perform the duties of brotherhood; for they are ignorant that not the name of widowhood will bring them into the kingdom, but true faith and holy works. but if someone possesses the name of widowhood, but performs the practices of the adversary, her widowhood will not be reckoned, but being cast out of the kingdom she will be handed over to eternal punishment. For we hear of some widows who are jealous, envious, slanderers, begrudging the relief of others; such women are not of Christ nor disciples of His teaching. For it is necessary for them, when one of their fellow widows is clothed by someone or receives money or food or drink or footwear, having seen their sister refreshed, to say: Blessed is God who has refreshed my fellow widow. Bless, O Lord, and glorify the one who ministered to her, and may his work ascend in truth to you, and may you remember him for good in the day of his visitation. And my bishop, who has ministered well to you and has taught that timely alms be given to my fellow widow who was naked, may you add glory to him and give him a crown of boasting in the day of the revelation of your visitation. Likewise also the widow who received the alms, let her pray together for the one who gave her the ministration. But she who does good, let her conceal her own name like a wise person, not sounding a trumpet before her, so that it may be

70

λαμβάνει τὴν τιμήν, ἀλλ' ὁ καλούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ.» ∆ιὰ γὰρ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ ἐπισκόπου δίδοται ἡ τοιαύτη ἀξία. Ὁ δὲ μὴ ἐγχειρισθεὶς ταύτην, ἀλλ' ἁρπά σας αὐτὴν ἑαυτῷ, τὴν τιμωρίαν τοῦ Ὀζία ὑποστήσεται. Ἀλλ' οὔτε τοῖς λοιποῖς κληρικοῖς ἐπιτρέπομεν βαπτίζειν, οἷον ἀναγνώσταις ἢ ψάλταις ἢ πυλωροῖς ἢ ὑπηρέταις, ἀλλ' ἢ μόνοις ἐπισκόποις καὶ πρεσβυτέροις, ἐξυπηρετουμένων αὐτοῖς τῶν διακόνων. Oἱ δὲ τολμῶντες τοῦτο τῶν Κορειτῶν ὑποίσουσι τὴν δίκην. Oὐκ ἐπιτρέ πομεν δὲ πρεσβυτέροις χειροτονεῖν διακόνους ἢ διακονίσσας ἢ ἀναγνώστας ἢ ὑπηρέτας ἢ ᾠδοὺς ἢ πυλωρούς, ἀλλὰ μόνοις τοῖς ἐπισκόποις· αὕτη γάρ ἐστι τάξις ἐκκλησιαστικὴ καὶ ἁρμονία. Περὶ δὲ φθόνου ἢ ζήλου ἢ καταλαλιᾶς ἢ ἔριδος ἢ φιλονεικίας προείρηται ὑμῖν, ὅτι ταῦτα Χριστιανοῦ ἀλλότρια, καὶ μάλιστα ἐπὶ χηρῶν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ ἐνεργῶν διάβολος πολύτροπος καὶ πολυποικίλος ὑπάρχων εἰς τὰς μὴ χήρας ἐμπομπεύει, ὡς καί ποτε εἰς τὸν Κάϊν· ἔνιαι γὰρ λέγουσιν εἶναι χῆραι, τὰ δὲ τῆς χηρείας ἄξια παραγγέλματα οὐ ποιοῦσιν, ὡς οὐδὲ ὁ Κάϊν τὰ ἀδελφικὰ δικαιώματα· ἀγνοοῦσιν γάρ, ὡς οὐ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς χηρείας εἰς βασιλείαν αὐτὰς εἰσάξει, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀληθὴς πίστις καὶ τὰ ὅσια ἔργα· εἰ δέ τις τὸ μὲν ὄνομα τῆς χηρείας κέκτηται, ἐπιτελεῖ δὲ τὰ τοῦ ἀντικειμένου ἐπιτηδεύματα, ἡ μὲν χηρεία αὐτῆς οὐ λογισθήσεται, ἐξω σθεῖσα δὲ τῆς βασιλείας αἰωνίᾳ κολάσει παραδοθήσεται. Ἀκούομεν γάρ τινας χήρας ζηλοτύπους, φθονεράς, διαβό λους, βασκαινούσας ταῖς ἑτέρων ἀνέσεσιν· αἱ δὲ τοιαῦται οὐκ εἰσὶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ οὐδὲ τῆς ἐκείνου διδασκαλίας μαθήτριαι. ∆έον γὰρ αὐτάς, ἐνδυθείσης αὐτῶν συγχήρας ὑπό τινος ἢ λαβούσης ἀργύρια ἢ τροφὴν ἢ πόμα ἢ ὑπόδεσιν, θεασαμένας τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτῶν ἀναψύξασαν εἰπεῖν· Eὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἀναψύξας μου τὴν συγχήραν· εὐλόγησον, Κύριε, καὶ δόξασον τὸν διακονήσαντα αὐτῇ, καὶ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ ἀναβαίη ἐν ἀληθείᾳ πρὸς σέ, καὶ μνησθήσῃ αὐτοῦ εἰς ἀγαθὸν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπισκοπῆς αὐτοῦ· καὶ τὸν ἐπίσκοπόν μου τὸν καλῶς σοι λειτουργήσαντα καὶ διδάξαντα εὔκαιρον ἐλεημοσύνην γυμνῇ οὔσῃ τῇ συγγήρῳ μου γενέσθαι, προσθείης αὐτῷ δόξαν καὶ δώῃς αὐτῷ στέφανον καυχήσεως ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἀποκαλύψεως ἐπισκοπῆς σου. Ὁμοίως καὶ ἡ λαβοῦσα χήρα τὸ ἔλεος συμπροσευχέσθω τῷ διδόντι αὐτῇ τὴν διακονίαν. Ἡ μέντοι εὖ ποιοῦσα ἀποκρυψάτω τὸ οἰκεῖον ὄνομα ὡς σοφή, μὴ σαλπίζουσα ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῆς, ἵνα γένη