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to be honored according to his own worth; for the Church is not a school of disorder, but of good order. And I, Paul, the least of the apostles, decree these things to you, the bishops and presbyters, concerning the canons. Let those who first approach the mystery of piety be brought by the deacons to the bishop or to the presbyters, and let the reasons for which they have approached the word of the Lord be examined, and let those who brought them bear witness for them, having made careful inquiry about them. And let their character and life be examined, and whether they are slaves or free. And if one is a slave, let him be asked whose master he is, and if he is the slave of a believer, let his master be asked if he bears witness for him; but if not, let him be rejected, until he shows himself worthy to his master; but if he bears witness for him, let him be received. If he is the servant of a gentile, let him be taught to please his master, so that the word may not be blasphemed. Therefore, if he has a wife or a woman has a husband, let them be taught to be content with each other; but if they are unmarried, let them learn not to fornicate, but to marry according to the law. But if his master, being a believer and knowing that he fornicates, does not give him a wife or the woman a husband, let him be excommunicated. If someone has a demon, let him be taught piety, but let him not be received into communion before he is cleansed; but if death is imminent, let him be received. If someone is a brothel-keeper, let him either cease from pandering or be rejected. A prostitute who approaches, let her either cease or be rejected. An idol-maker who approaches, let him either cease or be rejected. If any of those on the stage approaches, a man or a woman, or a charioteer, or a gladiator, or a stadium-runner, or a games-player, or an Olympian athlete, or a chorus-flutist, or a cithara-player, or a lyre-player, or one who makes a display of dancing, or a tavern-keeper, let them either cease or be rejected. A soldier who approaches, let him be taught not to do injustice, not to accuse falsely, but to be content with the wages given; if he obeys, let him be received; if he contradicts, let him be rejected. A maker of shameful things, a catamite, a fool, a magician, a mob-rouser, an enchanter, an astrologer, a diviner, a beast-charmer, a rogue, a maker of amulets, a purifier, an augur, an interpreter of signs, an interpreter of palpitations, one who watches in an encounter for omens from sight or feet or birds or weasels or exclamations or symbolic sounds, let them be tested for a time, for wickedness is hard to wash away; therefore, when they have ceased, let them be received, but if they are not persuaded, let them be rejected. The concubine of an unbeliever, being a slave, who is devoted to him alone, let her be received; but if she also behaves licentiously towards others,

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τιμᾶσθαι κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀξίαν· ἡ γὰρ Ἐκκλησία οὐκ ἀταξίας, ἀλλ' εὐταξίας ἐστὶ διδασκαλεῖον. Κἀγὼ Παῦλος ὁ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐλάχιστος, τάδε διατάσσομαι ὑμῖν τοῖς ἐπισκόποις καὶ πρεσβυτέροις περὶ κανόνων. Oἱ πρώτως προσιόντες τῷ μυστηρίῳ τῆς εὐσεβείας διὰ τῶν διακόνων προσαγέσθωσαν τῷ ἐπι σκόπῳ ἢ τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις, καὶ τὰς αἰτίας ἐξεταζέσθωσαν, οὗ χάριν προσῆλθον τῷ κυριακῷ λόγῳ, οἵ τε προσενεγκόντες μαρτυρείτωσαν αὐτοῖς, ἀκριβώσαντες τὰ κατ' αὐτούς. Ἐξετα ζέσθωσαν δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ ὁ τρόπος καὶ ὁ βίος καὶ εἰ δοῦλοί εἰσιν ἢ ἐλεύθεροι. Καὶ ἐὰν ᾖ τις δοῦλος, ἐρωτάσθω, οὗ δεσπότου, καὶ ἐὰν πιστοῦ δοῦλος ᾖ, ἐρωτάσθω ὁ δεσπότης αὐτοῦ, εἰ μαρτυρεῖ αὐτῷ· ἐὰν δὲ μή, ἀποβαλλέσθω, ἕως ἂν ἑαυτὸν ἄξιον ἐπιδείξῃ τῷ δεσπότῃ· εἰ δὲ μαρτυρεῖ αὐτῷ, προσδεχέσθω. Eἰ δὲ ἐθνικοῦ ᾖ οἰκέτης, διδασκέσθω εὐαρε στεῖν τῷ δεσπότῃ, ἵνα μὴ βλασφημῆται ὁ λόγος. Eἰ μὲν οὖν ἔχει γυναῖκα ἢ ἡ γυνὴ ἄνδρα, διδασκέσθωσαν ἀρκεῖσθαι ἑαυτοῖς· εἰ δὲ ἄγαμοί εἰσιν, μανθανέτωσαν μὴ πορνεύειν, ἀλλὰ γαμεῖν νόμῳ. Eἰ δὲ ὁ δεσπότης αὐτοῦ, πιστὸς ὢν καὶ εἰδὼς ὅτι πορνεύει, οὐ δίδωσιν αὐτῷ γυναῖκα ἢ τῇ γυναικὶ ἄνδρα, ἀφοριζέσθω. Ἐὰν δέ τις δαίμονα ἔχῃ, διδασκέσθω μὲν τὴν εὐσέβειαν, μὴ προσδεχέσθω δὲ εἰς κοινωνίαν, πρὶν ἂν καθαρισθῇ· εἰ δὲ θάνατος κατεπείγοι, προσδεχέσθω. Eἴ τις πορνοβοσκός, ἢ παυσάσθω τοῦ μαστροπεύειν ἢ ἀποβαλλέσθω. Πόρνη προ σιοῦσα ἢ παυσάσθω ἢ ἀποβαλλέσθω. Eἰδωλοποιὸς προσιὼν ἢ παυσάσθω ἢ ἀποβαλλέσθω. Τῶν ἐπὶ σκηνῆς ἐάν τις προ σίῃ ἀνὴρ ἢ γυνὴ ἢ ἡνίοχος ἢ μονομάχος ἢ σταδιοδρόμος ἢ λουδεμπιστὴς ἢ ὀλυμπικὸς ἢ χοραύλης ἢ κιθαριστὴς ἢ λυρι στὴς ἢ ὄρχησιν ἐπιδεικνύμενος ἢ κάπηλος, ἢ παυσάσθωσαν ἢ ἀποβαλλέσθωσαν. Στρατιώτης προσιὼν διδασκέσθω μὴ ἀδικεῖν, μὴ συκοφαντεῖν, ἀρκεῖσθαι δὲ τοῖς διδομένοις ὀψω νίοις· πειθόμενος προσδεχέσθω, ἀντιλέγων ἀποβαλλέσθω. Ἀρρητοποιός, κίναιδος, βλάξ, μάγος, ὀχλαγωγός, ἐπαοι δός, ἀστρολόγος, μάντις, θηρεπῳδός, λῶταξ, περιάμματα ποιῶν, περικαθαίρων, οἰωνιστής, συμβολοδείκτης, παλμῶν ἑρμηνεύς, φυλαττόμενος ἐν συναντήσει λώβας ὄψεως ἢ ποδῶν ἢ ὀρνίθων ἢ γαλῶν ἢ ἐπιφωνήσεων ἢ παρακροαμάτων συμβολικῶν, χρόνῳ δοκιμαζέσθωσαν, δυσέκνιπτος γὰρ ἡ κακία· παυσάμενοι οὖν προσδεχέσθωσαν, μὴ πειθόμενοι δὲ ἀποβαλλέσθωσαν. Παλλακή τινος ἀπίστου δούλη, ἐκείνῳ μόνῳ σχο λάζουσα, προσδεχέσθω· εἰ δὲ καὶ πρὸς ἄλλους ἀσελγαίνει,