[At What Hours, and Why, We are to Pray.]

XXXIV. Offer up your prayers in the morning, at the third hour, the sixth, the ninth, the evening, and at cock-crowing: in the morning, returning thanks that the Lord has sent you light, that He has brought you past the night, and brought on the day; at the third hour, because at that hour the Lord received the sentence of condemnation from Pilate; at the sixth, because at that hour He was crucified;  172  The Syriac and Coptic add: “and His side being wounded, blood and water came forth.” at the ninth, because all things were in commotion at the crucifixion of the Lord, as trembling at the bold attempt of the impious Jews, and not bearing the injury offered to their Lord; in the evening, giving thanks that He has given you the night to rest from the daily labours; at cock-crowing, because that hour brings the good news of the coming on of the day for the operations proper for the light. But if it be not possible to go to the church on account of the unbelievers, thou, O bishop, shalt assemble them in a house, that a godly man may not enter into an assembly of the ungodly. For it is not the place that sanctifies the man, but the man the place. And if the ungodly possess the place, do thou avoid it, because it is profaned by them. For as holy priests sanctify a place, so do the profane ones defile it. If it be not possible to assemble either in the church or in a house, let every one by himself sing, and read, and pray, or two or three together. For “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”  173  Matt. xviii. 20. [A token that much of these constitutions is truly primitive.] Let not one of the faithful pray with a catechumen, no, not in the house: for it is not reasonable that he who is admitted should be polluted with one not admitted. Let not one of the godly pray with an heretic, no, not in the house. For “what fellowship hath light with darkness?”  174  2 Cor. vi. 14. [Compare p. 483, supra: Energumens?] Let Christians, whether men or women, who have connections with slaves, either leave them off, or let them be rejected.

[34] Εὐχὰς ἐπιτελεῖτε ὄρθρου καὶ τρίτῃ ὥρᾳ καὶ ἕκτῃ καὶ ἐνάτῃ καὶ ἑσπέρας καὶ ἀλεκτοροφωνίας. Ὄρθρου μὲν εὐχαριστοῦντες, ὅτι ἐφώτισεν ὑμῖν ὁ Κύριος, παραγαγὼν τὴν νύκτα καὶ ἐπαγαγὼν τὴν ἡμέραν. Τρίτῃ δέ, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῇ ἀπόφασιν ἀπὸ Πιλάτου ἔλαβεν ὁ Κύριος. Ἕκτῃ δέ, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῇ ἐσταυρώθη. Ἐνάτῃ δέ, ὅτι πάντα κεκίνητο τοῦ δεσπότου σταυρουμένου, φρίττοντα τὴν τόλμαν τῶν δυσσεβῶν Ἰουδαίων, μὴ φέροντα τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν ὕβριν. Ἐφ' ἑσπέραν δὲ εὐχαριστοῦντες, ὅτι ὑμῖν ἀνάπαυσιν ἔδωκεν τῶν καθημερινῶν κόπων τὴν νύκτα. Ἀλεκτρυόνων δὲ κραυγῇ διὰ τὸ τὴν ὥραν εὐαγγελίζεσθαι τὴν παρουσίαν τῆς ἡμέρας εἰς ἐργασίαν τῶν τοῦ φωτὸς ἔργων. Εἰ μὴ δυνατὸν ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ προϊέναι διὰ τοὺς ἀπίστους, κατ' οἶκον συνάξεις, ὦ ἐπίσκοπε, ἵνα μὴ εἰσέρχηται εὐσεβὴς εἰς ἐκκλησίαν ἀσεβῶν: οὐχ ὁ τόπος γὰρ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἁγιάζει, ἀλλ' ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὸν τόπον. Ἐὰν δὲ ἀσεβεῖς κατέχωσιν τὸν τόπον, φευκτέος ἔστω σοι διὰ τὸ βεβηλῶσθαι ὑπ' αὐτῶν: ὡς γὰρ οἱ ὅσιοι ἱερεῖς ἁγιάζουσιν, οὕτως οἱ ἐναγεῖς μιαίνουσιν. Εἰ δὲ μήτε ἐν οἴκῳ ἅμα μήτε ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ συναθροισθῆναι δυνατόν, ἕκαστος παρ' ἑαυτῷ ψαλλέτω, ἀναγινωσκέτω, προσευχέσθω, ἢ καὶ ἅμα δύο ἢ τρεῖς: »Ὅπου γὰρ ἂν ὦσι, φησὶν ὁ Κύριος, δύο ἢ τρεῖς συνηγμένοι ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου, ἐκεῖ εἰμὶ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν.« Πιστὸς μετὰ κατηχουμένου μήτε κατ' οἶκον προσευχέσθω: οὐ γὰρ δίκαιον τὸν μεμυημένον μετὰ τοῦ ἀμυήτου συμμολύνεσθαι. Εὐσεβὴς μετὰ αἱρετικοῦ μήτε κατ' οἶκον συμπροσευχέσθω: »Τίς γὰρ κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος;« Πιστὸς ἢ πιστὴ δούλοις συναφθέντες ἢ ἀφιστάσθωσαν ἢ ἀποβαλλέσθωσαν.