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But she who after these things entered into an open marriage was married. Therefore that was fornication, but this is marriage. For the contracts of those under authority have no validity. 199.41 A woman in widowhood who has authority over herself is blameless in cohabiting with a man, if there is no one to break up the cohabitation, as the Apostle says: "But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord." 199.42 Marriages without the consent of those in authority are fornications. Therefore, neither while the father is living nor the master are those who come together without blame, so that if the masters consent to the cohabitation, then it receives the validity of marriage. 199.43 He who has given a mortal blow to his neighbor is a murderer, whether he initiated the blow or defended himself. 199.44 The deaconess who fornicated with a pagan is to be received into communion, but she will be admitted to the offering in the seventh year, that is, if she lives in purity. But the pagan who after faith again approaches sacrilege returns to his vomit. We, however, no longer permit the body of the deaconess, as having been consecrated, to be in carnal use. 199.45 If anyone, having taken the name of Christianity, insults Christ, he has no benefit from the name. 199.46 The woman who in ignorance married the man who was for a time abandoned by his wife, and was then put away because the first wife returned to him, committed fornication, but in ignorance. Therefore she will not be forbidden marriage. But it is better if she remains as she is. 199.47 Encratites and Saccophori and Apotactites are subject to the same rule as the Novatians, because concerning them a canon was proclaimed, even if a different one, but matters concerning these have been passed over in silence. We, however, by one rule rebaptize such persons. But if with you rebaptism is forbidden, just as it is with the Romans for the sake of some economy, so that their baptism is required, let our rule have force, because, since their heresy is an offshoot of the Marcionites, abominating marriage and turning away from wine and saying that God's creation is defiled, we do not receive them into the Church unless they are baptized with our baptism. For let them not say that "We were baptized into the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit," they who suppose God to be the author of evils, on a par with Marcion and the other heresies. Therefore, if this is agreeable, more bishops must come together in the same place and so set forth the canon, so that both for the one who acts there may be safety and the one responding may have credibility in his response concerning such persons. 199.48 The woman abandoned by her husband, in my opinion, ought to remain so. For if the Lord said: "That if anyone leaves his wife, except for the reason of fornication, he makes her commit adultery," by calling her an adulteress he has excluded her from union with another. For how can the husband be liable as the cause of adultery, but the wife be blameless, who has been called an adulteress by the Lord because of her union with another man? 199.49 Defilements that happen by necessity shall be without blame. So also the female slave, if she was forced by her own master, is without blame. 199.50 There is no law for a third marriage. Therefore a third marriage is not contracted by law. However, we view such things as defilements of the Church, but we do not subject them to public condemnations as being preferable to unrestrained fornication.

200.τ TO AMPHILOCHIUS, BISHOP OF ICONIUM

200.1 Sicknesses upon sicknesses succeed us, and occupations

of ecclesiastical affairs and of those who vex the Churches have kept us busy throughout the whole winter and the time up until this letter. Therefore it was not possible for us either to send anyone or to visit your Reverence.

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ἡ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα πεπαρρησιασμένῳ γάμῳ χρησαμένη ἐγήματο. Ὥστε ἐκεῖνο μὲν πορνεία, τοῦτο δὲ γάμος. Αἱ γὰρ συνθῆκαι τῶν ὑπεξουσίων οὐδὲν ἔχουσι βέβαιον. 199.41 Ἡ ἐν τῇ χηρείᾳ ἑαυτῆς ἐξουσίαν ἔχουσα ἀνδρὶ συνοικεῖν ἀνέγκλητος, εἰ μηδείς ἐστιν ὁ διασπῶν τὸ συνοι κέσιον, τοῦ Ἀποστόλου εἰπόντος· «Ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ ὁ ἀνήρ, ἐλευθέρα ἐστὶν ᾧ θέλει γαμηθῆναι, μόνον ἐν Κυρίῳ.» 199.42 Οἱ ἄνευ τῶν κρατούντων γάμοι πορνεῖαί εἰσιν. Οὔτε οὖν πατρὸς ζῶντος οὔτε δεσπότου οἱ συνιόντες ἀνεύθυνοί εἰσιν, ὡς, ἐὰν ἐπινεύσωσιν οἱ κύριοι τὴν συνοίκησιν, τότε λαμβάνει τὸ τοῦ γάμου βέβαιον. 199.43 Ὃς θανάτου πληγὴν τῷ πλησίον ἔδωκε φονεύς ἐστιν, εἴτε ἦρξε τῆς πληγῆς εἴτε ἠμύνατο. 199.44 Ἡ διάκονος ἡ τῷ Ἕλληνι συμπορνεύσασα δεκτή ἐστιν εἰς τὴν κοινωνίαν, εἰς δὲ τὴν προσφορὰν δεχθήσεται τῷ ἑβδόμῳ ἔτει, δηλονότι ἐν ἁγνείᾳ ζῶσα. Ὁ δὲ μετὰ τὴν πίστιν Ἕλλην πάλιν τῇ ἱεροσυλίᾳ προσιὼν ἐπὶ τὸν ἔμετον ὑποστρέφει. Ἡμεῖς δὲ τῆς διακόνου τὸ σῶμα ὡς καθιερω μένον οὐκέτι ἐπιτρέπομεν ἐν χρήσει εἶναι σαρκικῇ. 199.45 Ὃς ἐάν τις τὸ ὄνομα λαβὼν τοῦ χριστιανισμοῦ ἐνυβρίζῃ τὸν Χριστόν, οὐδὲν ὄφελος αὐτῷ ἀπὸ τῆς προση γορίας. 199.46 Ἡ δὲ τῷ καταλειφθέντι πρὸς καιρὸν παρὰ τῆς γυναικὸς κατὰ ἄγνοιαν γημαμένη, εἶτα ἀφεθεῖσα διὰ τὸ ἐπανελθεῖν πρὸς αὐτὸν τὴν προτέραν, ἐπόρνευσε μέν, ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ δέ. Γάμου οὖν οὐκ εἰρχθήσεται. Κάλλιον δέ, ἐὰν μείνῃ οὕτως. 199.47 Ἐγκρατῖται καὶ Σακκοφόροι καὶ Ἀποτακτῖται τῷ αὐτῷ ὑπόκεινται λόγῳ ᾧ καὶ Ναυατιανοί, ὅτι περὶ μὲν ἐκείνων κανὼν ἐξεφωνήθη, εἰ καὶ διάφορος, τὰ δὲ κατὰ τούτους ἀποσεσιώπηται. Ἡμεῖς μέντοι ἑνὶ λόγῳ ἀναβαπ τίζομεν τοὺς τοιούτους. Εἰ δὲ παρ' ὑμῖν ἀπηγόρευται τὸ τοῦ ἀναβαπτισμοῦ, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις οἰκονο μίας τινὸς ἕνεκα ἀπαιτεῖσθαι διὰ τὸ βάπτισμα αὐτῶν, ὁ ἡμέτερος λόγος ἰσχὺν ἐχέτω, ὅτι, ἐπειδὴ ὥσπερ Μαρ κιωνιστῶν ἐστιν ἀποβλάστημα ἡ κατ' αὐτοὺς αἵρεσις, βδελυσσομένων τὸν γάμον καὶ ἀποστρεφομένων τὸν οἶνον καὶ τὴν κτίσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ μεμιασμένην εἶναι λεγόντων, οὐ δεχόμεθα αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ἐὰν μὴ βαπτισθῶσιν εἰς τὸ ἡμέτερον βάπτισμα. Μὴ γὰρ λεγέ τωσαν ὅτι «Εἰς Πατέρα καὶ Υἱὸν καὶ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα ἐβαπτίσθημεν» οἵ γε κακῶν ποιητὴν ὑποτιθέμενοι τὸν Θεόν, ἐφαμίλλως τῷ Μαρκίωνι καὶ ταῖς λοιπαῖς αἱρέσεσιν. Ὥστε, ἐὰν ἀρέσῃ τοῦτο, δεῖ πλείονας ἐπισκόπους ἐν ταὐτῷ γενέσθαι καὶ οὕτως ἐκθέσθαι τὸν κανόνα, ἵνα καὶ τῷ ποιήσαντι τὸ ἀκίνδυνον ᾖ καὶ ὁ ἀποκρινόμενος τὸ ἀξιόπιστον ἔχῃ ἐν τῇ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἀποκρίσει. 199.48 Ἡ δὲ ἐγκαταλειφθεῖσα παρὰ τοῦ ἀνδρός, κατὰ τὴν ἐμὴν γνώμην, μένειν ὀφείλει. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος εἶπεν· «Ὅτι ἐάν τις καταλίπῃ γυναῖκα, ἐκτὸς λόγου πορνείας, ποιεῖ αὐτὴν μοιχᾶσθαι», ἐκ τοῦ μοιχαλίδα αὐτὴν ὀνομάσαι ἀπέκλεισεν αὐτὴν τῆς πρὸς ἕτερον κοινωνίας. Πῶς γὰρ δύναται ὁ μὲν ἀνὴρ ὑπεύθυνος εἶναι ὡς μοιχείας αἴτιος, ἡ δὲ γυνὴ ἀνέγκλητος εἶναι, ἡ μοιχαλὶς παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου διὰ τὴν πρὸς ἕτερον ἄνδρα κοινωνίαν προσαγορευθεῖσα; 199.49 Αἱ πρὸς ἀνάγκην γενόμεναι φθοραὶ ἀνεύθυνοι ἔστωσαν. Ὥστε καὶ ἡ δούλη, εἰ ἐβιάσθη παρὰ τοῦ οἰκείου δεσπότου, ἀνεύθυνός ἐστιν. 199.50 Τριγαμίας νόμος οὐκ ἔστιν. Ὥστε νόμῳ γάμος τρίτος οὐκ ἄγεται. Τὰ μέντοι τοιαῦτα ὡς ῥυπάσματα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὁρῶμεν, δημοσίαις δὲ καταδίκαις οὐχ ὑπο βάλλομεν ὡς τῆς ἀνειμένης πορνείας αἱρετώτερα.

200.τ ΑΜΦΙΛΟΧΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΙΚΟΝΙΟΥ

200.1 Ἡμᾶς ἀρρωστίαι ἐξ ἀρρωστιῶν διαδέχονται, καὶ ἀσχολίαι

ἐκκλησιαστικῶν τε ὁμοῦ πραγμάτων καὶ τῶν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις ἐπηρεαζόντων συνέσχον παρὰ πάντα τὸν χειμῶνα καὶ τὸν μέχρι ταύτης τῆς ἐπιστολῆς χρόνον. ∆ιὸ οὔτε ἀποστεῖλαί τινα οὔτε ἐπισκέψασθαι τὴν εὐλάβειάν σου δυνατὸν ἡμῖν ἐγένετο.