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presbyters and deacons and subdeacons. And this does not happen contrary to the 2.368 canon, but because of the human mind which has grown lax at times and because a ministry is not found on account of the multitude. For the church, ever watching over what is most fitting, being well ordered by the Holy Spirit, has decided to be zealous that the services to God be performed "without distraction" and the spiritual necessities be perfected with all the most well-disposed conscience. But I say that it is fitting, on account of the sudden liturgies and needs, for the presbyter and deacon and bishop to be at leisure for God. For if the holy apostle commands even those from the laity, saying that they should "devote themselves to prayer for a time," how much more does he command the same to the priest? And I mean "without distraction" in the sense of being at leisure for the priesthood which is perfected according to God in spiritual needs. But for the laity, this is permitted to be endured on account of weakness, and for those who were not able to remain with their first wife to be joined to a second after the death of the first. And the one who has had one wife exists in greater praise and honor among all churchgoers, but the one who was not able to be content with one wife who has died or, for some pretext—either fornication or adultery or another cause—a separation having occurred, is joined to a second wife, or a wife to a second husband, the divine word does not blame him nor does it excommunicate him from the 2.369 church and from life, but endures him because of his weakness; not so that he might have two wives at the same time while one is still living, but so that, having been separated from one, he might, if it happens, be lawfully joined to a second, the holy word and the holy church of God has mercy on this person, especially if such a one happens to be otherwise devout and living according to the law of God. For the apostle would not have said to the widows, "let them marry, bear children, rule their households," nor again would he have said to the man who had his father's wife and was delivered "to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord"—he would not have said again, "reaffirm your love for him, so that such a one may not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow." For he said again, "Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive; for if I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven it for your sakes in the presence of the Lord, so that we may not be outwitted by Satan. For we are not unaware of his schemes." And see how he gives repentance even after a transgression. 5. And again the Lord says, "Forgive one another's transgressions, so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you." But also in another place he says thus, "And I will mourn for many of you who have transgressed and have not repented," showing that even if they transgressed and repented, they are received and will not be cast out, the Lord knowing what he would do with each one. And that the canon of truth has such a character is clear to everyone. For after the first repentance through the bath of regeneration, in which repentance every person was renewed, there is no second such repentance. For there are not two baptisms, but one, nor was Christ crucified twice, but once, nor did he die for us and rise twice. And for this reason, one must be on guard, so that by transgressing we do not lose the crown of renewal. But if someone transgresses and is "caught in any transgression," as the apostle says, "you who are spiritual should restore such a one 2.370 in a spirit of gentleness, keeping watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted." If, therefore, someone is caught in a transgression, of whatever kind it may be, let him repent. For God accepts repentance even after baptism, if someone transgresses. But how he deals with such a person, he alone knows; "for his judgments are unsearchable and his ways are beyond tracing out." And before the coming of the Lord one must not judge "until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of the heart; and then each one's praise will become manifest." "For the day will declare it, because in

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πρεσβυτέρους καὶ διακόνους καὶ ὑποδιακόνους. τοῦτο δὲ οὐ παρὰ τὸν 2.368 κανόνα γίνεται, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατὰ καιρὸν ῥᾳθυμήσασαν διάνοιαν καὶ τῆς τοῦ πλήθους ἕνεκεν μὴ εὑρισκομένης ὑπηρεσίας. τὸ πρεπωδέστατον γὰρ ἀεὶ ἡ ἐκκλησία ἐφορῶσα ἁγίῳ πνεύματι εὖ διαταχθεῖσα ἔγνω «ἀπερισπάστως» θεῷ τὰς λατρείας ἐπιτελεῖσθαι σπουδάζειν καὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ τῶν χρειῶν μετὰ πάσης εὐνουστάτης συνειδήσεως τελειοῦσθαι. φημὶ δὲ ὅτι πρέπον ἐστὶ διὰ τὰς ἐξαπίνης λειτουργίας καὶ χρείας σχολάζειν τὸν πρεσβύτερον καὶ διάκονον καὶ ἐπίσκοπον θεῷ. εἰ γὰρ καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ προστάσσει ὁ ἅγιος ἀπόστολος λέγων, ἵνα «πρὸς καιρὸν σχολάσωσι τῇ προσευχῇ», πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον τῷ ἱερεῖ τὸ αὐτὸ προστάσσει; τὸ ἀπερίσπαστον δὲ λέγω εἰς τὸ σχολάζειν τῇ κατὰ θεὸν ἐν ταῖς χρείαις ταῖς πνευματικαῖς τελεσιουργουμένῃ ἱερωσύνῃ. ἔξεστι δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ λαῷ τοῦτο δι' ἀσθένειαν διαβαστάζεσθαι καὶ τοὺς μὴ δυνηθέντας ἐπὶ τῇ πρώτῃ γαμετῇ στῆναι δευτέρᾳ μετὰ θάνατον τῆς πρώτης συναφθῆναι. καὶ ὁ μὲν μίαν ἐσχηκὼς ἐν ἐπαίνῳ μείζονι καὶ τιμῇ παρὰ πᾶσιν ἐκκλησιαζομένοις ἐνυπάρχει, τὸν δὲ μὴ δυνηθέντα τῇ μιᾷ ἀρκεσθῆναι τελευτησάσῃ ἢ ἕνεκέν τινος προφάσεως, ἢ πορνείας ἢ μοιχείας ἢ ἄλλης αἰτίας, χωρισμοῦ γενομένου συναφθέντα δευτέρᾳ γυναικὶ ἢ γυναῖκα δευτέρῳ ἀνδρί, οὐκ αἰτιᾶται ὁ θεῖος λόγος οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τῆς 2.369 ἐκκλησίας καὶ τῆς ζωῆς ἀποκηρύττει, ἀλλὰ διαβαστάζει διὰ τὸ ἀσθενές· οὐχ ἵνα δύο γυναῖκας ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ σχῇ ἔτι περιούσης μιᾶς, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀπὸ μιᾶς ἀποσχισθεὶς δευτέρᾳ, εἰ τύχοι, ἐννόμως συναφθῇ, ἐλεεῖ τοῦτον ὁ ἅγιος λόγος καὶ ἡ ἁγία θεοῦ ἐκκλησία, μάλιστα εἰ τυγχάνει ὁ τοιοῦτος τὰ ἄλλα εὐλαβὴς καὶ κατὰ νόμον θεοῦ πολιτευόμενος. καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἔλεγεν ὁ ἀπόστολος ταῖς χήραις «γαμείτωσαν τεκνογονείτωσαν οἰκοδεσποτείτωσαν», οὐδὲ πάλιν ἔλεγε τῷ ἀνδρὶ τῷ τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πατρὸς ἔχοντι καὶ παραδοθέντι «τῷ σατανᾷ εἰς ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκός, ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα σωθῇ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ κυρίου»-οὐκ ἔλεγε πάλιν «κυρώσατε εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγάπην, ἵνα μὴ τῇ περισσοτέρᾳ λύπῃ καταποθῇ ὁ τοιοῦτος». ἔλεγε γὰρ πάλιν «ᾧ τι χαρίζεσθε, κἀγώ· διότι εἴ τι κεχάρισμαι, δι' ὑμᾶς κεχάρισμαι ἐν προσώπῳ κυρίου, ἵνα μὴ πλεονεκτηθῶμεν ὑπὸ τοῦ σατανᾶ. οὐ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὰ νοήματα ἀγνοοῦμεν». καὶ ὅρα πῶς δίδωσι μετάνοιαν καὶ μετὰ παράπτωμα. 5. Πάλιν δὲ ὁ κύριός φησιν «ἄφετε ἀλλήλοις τὰ παραπτώματα, ἵνα καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἀφήσει ὑμῖν». ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ τόπῳ οὕτως φησί «καὶ πενθήσω πολλοὺς τοὺς ἐν ὑμῖν παραπεσόντας καὶ μὴ μετανοήσαντας», ὡς δεικνὺς ὅτι εἰ καὶ παρέπεσαν καὶ μετενόησαν, εἴσδεκτοι οὗτοι γίνονται καὶ οὐκ ἀποβληθήσονται, τοῦ κυρίου γινώσκοντος τί μεθ' ἑκάστου ποιήσειε. Καὶ ὅτι μὲν ὁ κανὼν τῆς ἀληθείας τοιοῦτον ἔχει τὸν χαρακτῆρα, παντί τῳ σαφές ἐστι. μετὰ γὰρ τὴν πρώτην μετάνοιαν τὴν διὰ λουτροῦ τῆς παλιγγενεσίας, ἐν ᾗ μετανοίᾳ ἀνεκαινίσθη πᾶς ἄνθρωπος, δευτέρα τις τοιαύτη οὐχ ὑπάρχει. οὔτε γὰρ δύο εἰσὶ βαπτίσματα, ἀλλ' ἕν, οὔτε δὶς ἐσταυρώθη Χριστός, ἀλλ' ἅπαξ, οὔτε δὶς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀνέστη. καὶ τούτου χάριν ἐπασφαλίσασθαι δεῖ, ἵνα μὴ παραπεσόντες τὸν στέφανον τοῦ ἀνακαινισμοῦ ἀπολέσωμεν. ἀλλὰ ἐάν τις παραπέσῃ καὶ «προληφθῇ ἔν τινι παραπτώματι», ὡς λέγει ὁ ἀπόστολος, «ὑμεῖς οἱ πνευματικοὶ καταρτίζετε τὸν τοιοῦτον 2.370 ἐν πνεύματι πρᾳότητος, σκοπῶν ἑαυτὸν, μὴ καὶ σὺ πειρασθῇς». ἐάν τις οὖν προληφθῇ ἐν παραπτώματι ἐν οἵῳ δ' ἂν εἴη, μετανοείτω. δέχεται γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τὴν μετάνοιαν καὶ μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα, ἐάν τις παραπέσῃ. πῶς δὲ μετὰ τοῦ τοιούτου ποιεῖ, αὐτὸς μόνος γινώσκει· «ἀνεξερεύνητα γὰρ τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνεκδιήγητοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ». καὶ πρὸ τῆς παρουσίας οὐ δεῖ κρίνειν «ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ὁ κύριος, ὃς καὶ ἀποκαλύψει τὰ κρυπτὰ τῆς καρδίας· καὶ τότε ὁ ἔπαινος ἑκάστου φανερὸς γενήσεται». «ἡ γὰρ ἡμέρα δηλώσει ὅτι ἐν