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He declared it completely impossible for it to happen a second time, but he did not cut off from salvation those who still repent, but he also showed that the Lord is connected to salvation and is a helper, on account of their good works, for those who most perfectly repent of their transgressions and turn back and regret them. Therefore, the holy word and the holy church of God always accept repentance, not becoming watered down nor making slothful those who are running the race, but not cutting off the grace and love for mankind of God, knowing the manner of each case. For just as one who has lost their virginity is unable to regain it physically, nature not allowing it, so also is the one who after the 2.366 font has fallen into some great transgressions; and just as the one who has fallen from virginity has a second honor, which is self-control, so also the one who after the font has been in a greater transgression has a second healing, which is repentance, not so virtuous as the first, but the second which he has is not cast away from life. Therefore the divine word does not set aside the reward of those who labor in repentance. 3. Then these same ones again, leaping forward from this, also invented some other things. For they too say they have the same faith which we also possess; but these do not wish to have communion with the twice-married. For if anyone after baptism should be joined to a second wife, among these he will no longer be received. And the whole thing is foolish. For it is as if someone were to see a person swimming in water and, being ignorant of the practice of swimming, were to give himself over to the waters and go under, being inexperienced and not clearly knowing the science of those who provide for their own safety by means of their hands and feet, but thinking that the water simply supports the person without his own hands; or as if someone were to hear of a ruler punishing those who do evil deeds, even down to the smallest, and were to think that the same penalty applies to all, just as in the case of murder, so also in the case of one who slanders his neighbor or * quarrels; or as if someone were a complete private citizen and saw one who has received the authority of a ruler drawing a sword against offenders or against sorcerers and blasphemers or the impious, and were to think that everyone has the authority to exact punishment for such a charge, and having seen men pay the penalty, he himself, imitating the same things, should wish to kill some people, as if, forsooth, judging those who have done wrong, but this one, being caught, will himself pay the penalty, since he had not received authority from the king for such things and because he thought that an equal sentence came forth from the justice of the laws 2.367 against all, and having prepared himself for destruction in his injustice through his own inexperience and lack of understanding, —so also these, having mixed everything together, have fallen away from everything, and not understanding the precise points of God's teaching, have stumbled and turned onto another path, not knowing that this is not the tradition and sequence of the divine scripture. 4. For the things handed down concerning the priesthood, because of the preeminence of the priestly ministry, they thought applied equally to all. For having heard that "the bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate," "likewise also the deacon" and the presbyter, they did not understand the rule of the orders. And for in fact, the holy proclamation of God after the coming of Christ does not accept into the priesthood even those who, after their own wife from a first marriage has died, have been joined in a second marriage, because of the exceeding honor of the priesthood; and these things the holy church of God securely guards with precision. But also one who is still cohabiting and begetting children, being the husband of one wife, it does not accept, but rather a deacon and presbyter and bishop and subdeacon who has become continent from one wife or has been widowed, especially where the ecclesiastical canons are strict. But you will surely say to me, in some places they still beget children

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δεύτερον γενέσθαι τελείως ἀπεφήνατο, τῆς δὲ σωτηρίας οὐκ ἀπέτεμεν τοὺς ἔτι μετανοοῦντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ σωτηρίας ἐχόμενα καὶ θεὸν ἀντιλήπτορα, τῆς ἀγαθοεργίας αὐτῶν χάριν, τὸν κύριον ἔδειξε τῶν καὶ ἀπὸ παραπτωμάτων τελειότατα μετανοούντων καὶ ἐπιστρεφόντων καὶ μεταμελομένων. ∆έχεται οὖν ὁ ἅγιος λόγος καὶ ἡ ἁγία θεοῦ ἐκκλησία πάντοτε τὴν μετάνοιαν, οὐκ ἐξυδαρευομένη οὐδὲ ῥᾳθύμους τοὺς τὸν δρόμον τελοῦντας παρασκευάζουσα, ἀλλὰ θεοῦ τὴν χάριν καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν μὴ ἀνακόπτουσα, γινώσκουσα δὲ τὸν τρόπον ἑκάστης ὑποθέσεως. ὡς γὰρ ὁ τὴν παρθενίαν ἀπολέσας ἀδυνάτως ἔχει ταύτην ἀνακτήσασθαι σωματικῶς, μὴ ἐνδεχομένης τῆς φύσεως, οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ 2.366 λουτροῦ ἐν μεγάλοις τισὶ παραπτώμασι περιπεσών· καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ ἀπὸ παρθενίας παραπεσὼν δευτέραν τιμὴν τὴν ἐγκράτειαν ἔχει, οὕτω καὶ ὁ μετὰ τὸ λουτρὸν ἐν παραπτώματι μείζονι γενόμενος ἔχει δευτέραν ἴασιν τὴν μεταμέλειαν, οὐ τοιαύτην ἐνάρετον κατὰ τὴν πρώτην, οὐκ ἀποβεβλημένην δὲ ζωῆς ἔχει τὴν δευτέραν ἣν κέκτηται. οὐκ ἀθετεῖ τοίνυν ὁ θεῖος λόγος τὸν μισθὸν τῶν ἐν τῇ μετανοίᾳ καμνόντων. 3. Ἔπειτα δὲ οἱ αὐτοὶ πάλιν ἀπὸ τούτου προπηδήσαντες καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ ἐφηύραντο. καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν αὐτήν, ἣν καὶ ἡμεῖς κεκτήμεθα, πίστιν λέγουσιν ἔχειν· οὗτοι δὲ οὐ βούλονται διγάμοις κοινωνεῖν. εἰ γάρ τις μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα συναφθείη γυναικὶ δευτέρᾳ, παρὰ τούτοις οὐκ εἰσδεχθήσεται ἔτι. καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἐστιν ἠλίθιον. ὡς γὰρ εἴ τις θεάσαιτό τινα νηχόμενον ἐν ὕδατι καὶ ἀγνοῶν τὴν πεῖραν τῆς διανήξεως ἑαυτὸν ἔκδοτον τοῖς ὕδασι δῴη καὶ ὑποβρύχιος γένηται, μὴ ἔμπειρος ὢν μηδὲ σαφῶς γνοὺς τῶν διὰ χειρῶν τε καὶ ποδῶν τὴν σωτηρίαν ἑαυτοῖς προσποριζομένων τὴν ἐπιστήμην, νομίζων δὲ ἁπλῶς τὸ ὕδωρ διαβαστάζειν τὸν ἄνθρωπον δίχα τῶν ἰδίων χειρῶν· ἢ ὡς εἴ τις ἀκούοι τὸν ἡγεμόνα τιμωροῦντα τοὺς δρῶντας φαυλότητος ἔργα ἄχρι καὶ ἐλαχίστων καὶ νομίζοι μὲν τὴν δίκην ἴσην διεξιέναι κατὰ πάντων, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ φόνου οὕτως καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ διαβάλλοντος τὸν πέλας ἢ * μαχεσαμένου· ἢ ὡς ἐὰν ᾖ τις παντάπασιν ἰδιώτης καὶ θεάσηται τὸν εἰληφότα ἄρχοντος τὴν ἐξουσίαν κατὰ ἀλιτηρίων ἀποσπάσαντα μάχαιραν ἢ κατὰ γοήτων καὶ βλασφήμων ἢ ἀκαθοσιώτων, νομίζῃ δὲ τοὺς ἅπαντας ἐξουσίαν ἔχειν τῆς τοιαύτης αἰτίας ποιεῖσθαι τὴν δίκην, θεασάμενός τε δίκην δόντας ἀνθρώπους καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ τὰ ἴσα μιμησάμενος θελήσῃ ἀποκτεῖναί τινας, ὡς δῆθεν τοὺς ἠδικηκότας δικάζων, ἁλοὺς δὲ οὗτος αὐτὸς δίκην δώσει, μὴ εἰληφὼς παρὰ βασιλέως ἐξουσίαν τῶν τοιούτων καὶ ὅτι τὴν ἴσην ἐνόμιζεν κατὰ πάντων ἐξιέναι ψῆφον ἀπὸ τῆς δίκης τῶν νό2.367 μων, ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἐν τῇ ἀδικίᾳ διὰ τῆς ἰδίας ἀπειρίας καὶ ἀπαρακολουθησίας ἔκδοτον ἀπωλείας παρασκευάσας, -οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι τὰ πάντων ὁμοῦ μίξαντες ἐκ πάντων ἐξέπεσαν καὶ μὴ νοήσαντες τὰ ἀκριβῆ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ διδασκαλίας ἐπὶ ἑτέραν τρίβον σφαλέντες ἐτράπησαν, οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι οὐκ αὐτὴ ἐστὶν ἡ τῆς θείας γραφῆς παράδοσίς τε καὶ ἀκολουθία. 4. Τὰ γὰρ εἰς τὴν ἱερωσύνην παραδοθέντα διὰ τὸ ἐξοχώτατον τῆς ἱερουργίας εἰς πάντας ἐνόμισαν ἴσως φέρεσθαι. ἀκηκοότες γὰρ ὅτι «δεῖ τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἀνεπίληπτον εἶναι, μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἄνδρα, ἐγκρατῆ», «ὡσαύτως καὶ τὸν διάκονον» καὶ τὸν πρεσβύτερον, τὸν ὅρον τῶν ταγμάτων οὐκ ἐνόησαν. καὶ γὰρ τῷ μὲν ὄντι οὐ δέχεται εἰς ἱερωσύνην τὸ ἅγιον τοῦ θεοῦ κήρυγμα μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐνδημίαν οὐδὲ τοὺς ἀπὸ πρώτου γάμου τελευτησάσης τῆς αὐτῶν γυναικὸς δευτέρῳ γάμῳ συναφθέντας, διὰ τὸ ὑπερβάλλον τῆς τιμῆς τῆς ἱερωσύνης· καὶ ταῦτα ἀσφαλῶς ἡ ἁγία τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησία μετὰ ἀκριβείας παραφυλάττεται. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἔτι συμβιοῦντα καὶ τεκνογονοῦντα, μιᾶς γυναικὸς ὄντα ἄνδρα, οὐ δέχεται, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ μιᾶς ἐγκρατευσάμενον ἢ χηρεύσαντα διάκονόν τε καὶ πρεσβύτερον καὶ ἐπίσκοπον καὶ ὑποδιάκονον, μάλιστα ὅπου ἀκριβεῖς κανόνες οἱ ἐκκλησιαστικοί. Ἀλλὰ πάντως ἐρεῖς μοι, ἔν τισι τόποις ἔτι τεκνογονεῖν