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I myself am not heard, but that he may swallow it down. Now if these things seem to have been said somewhat harshly, pardon the passion. For a soul, oppressed by many injustices and in great pain, would bring forth such things and much harsher. And in addition to the other things, he says he will loose my penance as a favor. If, therefore, knowing what is necessary concerning penances, he fabricates such things and thinks to deceive, much forgiveness to one doing what is customary; but if he is ignorant of the power which he has concerning such matters, which I especially think is the case, I will teach him. Some people live rightly and attend to the laws of God and are secure in the faith, but others do the complete opposite. Therefore, as many as dare either licentiousness or perjuries or murders or any other of the forbidden things, or who err concerning the faith by attending to wicked and corrupt dogmas, these have alienated themselves from the portion of Christ; for there is no fellowship of light with darkness. But the bishops are declarers of the divine will and teachers and providers for the others. Therefore, they first, 2.464 being taught by the Spirit about those separated from God because of their persistence in evil things, teach the others not to mingle with them, nor to eat with them, nor to pray with them, as with those separated from God, so that either they might turn from evil, being ashamed of the separation, or the others might not be harmed by their association. For one might more easily partake of vice than impart virtue. But if that is put forward, what then did Christ say, 'whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven?' But let him listen to the blessed Peter himself, to whom the authority was given, expressly instructing Clement his successor, that 'you will loose what is fitting, and likewise bind,' since Christ spoke the word to him absolutely, knowing precisely that he would bind none of those worthy not to be bound; but Peter in turn, being inspired by the Teacher himself, also added the definition of 'whatever is necessary,' fearing, as it seems, lest at some later time such a disease might enter in, and the bishops might think they have the authority to separate whomever they wish from God on account of their own accusations and passions. which this man has now also suffered, being ignorant of his own power. It is clear, therefore, that if someone does things worthy of separation from God, even before the bishops make it manifest to the others, that person has been separated from God, just as to the leader of the church of the Alexandrians, the blessed Peter, 2.465 Arius who raged against Christ, even before the holy synod and his excision from the rest of the body of the church, was revealed as having been cut off by God and worthy of Gehenna and of the condemnation in Hades; and if one is seen to have done nothing of the sort, but attends to the laws of God and to the commandments, which especially make one a member of Christ, he would not be separated from Him, even if the bishops separate him on account of their own passion. For the great luminary of the world, John, the golden of tongue, having been unjustly driven from the flock by the bishops and having associated with many evils and been subjected to excommunication and anathema, lost none of his glory; but he is forever with Christ, being glorified with him, while those who cut him off rather alienated themselves from the glory of God, having given themselves over to envy and false accusation and slander and countless other passions. If, therefore, he himself has any such accusation to make against me, such as would be worthy of separation from God, let him speak and show it, and I will bear the rebuke meekly and I will show all diligence toward the correction of my sins. But if on account of his own folly and envy and false accusation, because I did not offer myself to be slaughtered, he decided to separate me from God, let him consider whether he has not thrust the sword through himself rather than through me; for, says the great Dionysius, the divine does not follow the irrational impulses of the 2.466 bishops. And if anyone should say it is necessary, however the matter stood, to consider the rebuke worthy of concern, and to apply much diligence to its resolution, yet by me in this matter nothing necessary has been omitted, but many things many times concerning such matters

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αὐτὸς οὐκ εἰσακούομαι, ἀλλ' ἵνα καταπίῃ. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν εἰ καὶ τραχύτερόν πως δοκεῖ εἰρῆσθαι, συγγνώμη τῷ πάθει. ψυχὴ γὰρ ὑπὸ πολλῶν ἀδικημάτων πιεσθεῖσα καὶ κατώδυνος τοιαῦτα ἂν ἐξενέγκοι καὶ πολλῷ τραχύτερα. πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις δὲ καὶ τὸ ἐπιτίμιόν φησιν ἐμοὶ λύσειν χαριζόμενος. εἰ μὲν οὖν εἰδὼς, ἃ δεῖ περὶ τῶν ἐπιτιμίων, τοιαῦτα πλάττεται καὶ οἴεται ἐξαπατᾷν, συγγνώμη πολλὴ τὸ εἰωθὸς ποιοῦντι· εἰ δ' ἀγνοεῖ τὴν δύναμιν, ἣν ἔχει περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, ὅπερ οἴομαι καὶ μάλιστα, ἐγὼ διδάξω. τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ μὲν ὀρθῶς βιοῦσι καὶ νόμοις προσέχουσι θεοῦ καὶ περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἀσφαλεῖς εἰσιν, οἱ δὲ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν. ὅσοις οὖν ἢ ἀσέλγειαι ἢ ἐπιορκίαι ἢ φόνοι ἤ τι τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων ἕτερον τολμᾶται ἢ περὶ τὴν πίστιν σφάλλονται, δόγμασι προσέχοντες πονηροῖς καὶ διεφθαρμένοις, οὗτοι τῆς μερίδος ἑαυτοὺς ἠλλοτριώκασι τοῦ Χριστοῦ· οὐδεμία γὰρ κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος. οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς δὲ τῶν θείων θελημάτων εἰσὶν ἐκφάντορες καὶ διδακτικοὶ καὶ προνοητικοὶ τῶν ἄλλων. πρῶτοι 2.464 οὖν ἐκεῖνοι παρὰ τοῦ πνεύματος διδασκόμενοι τοὺς ἀπὸ θεοῦ κεχωρισμένους διὰ τὴν περὶ τὰ φαῦλα ἐπιμονὴν, διδάσκουσι τοὺς ἄλλους, μὴ αὐτοῖς συναναμίγνυσθαι, μηδὲ συνεσθίειν, μηδὲ συνεύχεσθαι, ὡς ἀπὸ θεοῦ κεχωρισμένοις, ἵν' ἢ ἐκεῖνοι ἐπιστρέφωσιν ἀπὸ τῶν φαύλων, αἰσχυνόμενοι τὸν χωρισμὸν, ἢ οὗτοι μὴ βλάπτωνται ἐκ τῆς ἐκείνων συνδιαγωγῆς. ῥᾷον γὰρ ἄν τις μεταλάβοι κακίας, ἢ μεταδῷ τῆς ἀρετῆς. εἰ δ' ἐκεῖνο προβάλλεται, τί οὖν ὁ Χριστὸς εἶπε «πάντα ὅσα ἂν δήσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται δεδεμένα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ;» ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ μακαρίου Πέτρου ἀκουέτω, πρὸς ὃν ἡ ἐξουσία δέδοται, Κλήμεντι τῷ διαδόχῳ παραγγέλλοντος διαῤῥήδην, ὅτι «λύσεις, ἃ προσῆκον, ὁμοίως καὶ δήσεις,» ὡς τὸν μὲν Χριστὸν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἀπολύτως εἰπεῖν τὸν λόγον, εἰδότα ἀκριβῶς, ὡς οὐδὲν δήσει τῶν ἀξίων μὴ δεδέσθαι· Πέτρον δὲ αὖθις, παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ διδασκάλου ἐμπνεόμενον, καὶ τὸν διορισμὸν προσθεῖναι τοῦ ὅσα δεῖ, δείσαντα, ὡς ἔοικε, μὴ ὕστερόν ποτε ἡ τοιαύτη ἐπεισέλθῃ νόσος, καὶ νομίσωσιν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς ἐξουσίαν ἔχειν χωρίζειν, οὓς ἂν ἐθέλωσιν, ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἰδίων ἕνεκα ἐγκλημάτων καὶ παθῶν. ὃ νῦν πέπονθε καὶ οὗτος τὴν οἰκείαν ἀγνοήσας δύναμιν. δῆλον οὖν, ὡς, ἄν τις ἄξια ποιῇ χωρισμοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ πρὶν τοὺς ἀρχιερέας φανερὸν ποιεῖν τοῖς ἄλλοις, ἐκεῖνος ἀπὸ θεοῦ κεχώρισται, ὥσπερ τῷ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρέων ἡγουμένῳ ἐκκλησίας Πέτρῳ τῷ μακαρίῳ 2.465 Ἀρεῖος ὁ κατὰ Χριστοῦ μανεὶς, καὶ πρὸ τῆς συνόδου τῆς ἱερᾶς καὶ τῆς ἐκτομῆς τοῦ λοιποῦ τῆς ἐκκλησίας σώματος, ἐκτετμημένος παρὰ θεοῦ ἀπεκαλύφθη καὶ γεέννης ἄξιος καὶ τῆς ἐν ᾅδου καταδίκης· ἄν τε μηδὲν τοιοῦτον εἰργασμένος φαίνηται, ἀλλὰ νόμοις θεοῦ προσέχων καὶ ταῖς ἐντολαῖς, αἳ μάλιστα μέλος εἶναι Χριστοῦ ποιοῦσιν, οὐκ ἂν ἀπ' ἐκείνου χωρισθείη, ἂν πάθους ἕνεκα ἰδίου οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς χωρίζωσιν. ὁ γὰρ μέγας λαμπτὴρ τῆς οἰκουμένης Ἰωάννης ὁ χρυσοῦς τὴν γλῶτταν, τῆς ποίμνης ἀδίκως ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπισκόπων ἀπελαθεὶς καὶ πολλοῖς κακοῖς προσομιλήσας καὶ ἀφορισμῷ καὶ ἀναθέματι ὑποβληθεὶς, οὐδὲν ἀπέβαλε τῆς δόξης· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος μὲν εἰς ἀεὶ Χριστῷ σύνεστι συνδοξαζόμενος, οἱ ἐκτεμόντες δὲ μᾶλλον ἑαυτοὺς τῆς δόξης ἠλλοτρίωσαν τοῦ θεοῦ, φθόνῳ καὶ συκοφαντίᾳ καὶ διαβολῇ καὶ μυρίοις ἄλλοις πάθεσιν ἐκδότους ἑαυτοὺς πεποιηκότες. εἰ μὲν οὖν τι καὶ αὐτὸς ἐμοῦ τοιοῦτον ἔχει κατηγορεῖν, οἷον εἶναι ἄξιον ἀπὸ θεοῦ χωρίζειν, λεγέτω καὶ δεικνύτω, καὶ τήν τε ἐπιτίμησιν οἴσω πρᾴως καὶ πρὸς τῶν ἡμαρτημένων τὴν ἐπανόρθωσιν πᾶσαν ἐπιδείξομαι σπουδήν. εἰ δ' οἰκείας ἀβουλίας ἕνεκα καὶ φθόνου καὶ συκοφαντίας, ὅτι μὴ παρέσχον κατασφάττειν ἐμαυτὸν, ἀπὸ θεοῦ χωρίζειν ἔγνω, σκοπείτω, μὴ οὐ δι' ἐμοῦ μᾶλλον, ἢ ἑαυτοῦ τὸ ξίφος ὤθησεν· οὐ γὰρ, ∆ιονύσιος ὁ μέγας, ἕπεσθαί, φησι, τὸ θεῖον ταῖς παραλόγοις τῶν ἀρ 2.466 χιερέων ὁρμαῖς. εἰ δέ τις δέον εἶναι λέγοι, κἂν ὅπως ποτὲ εἶχε τὰ τοῦ πράγματος φροντίδος ἀξίαν ἡγήσασθαι τὴν ἐπιτίμησιν, καὶ περὶ τὴν διάλυσιν σπουδὴν πολλὴν εἰσενεγκεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐμοὶ κἂν τούτῳ τῶν δεόντων παραλέλειπται οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ πολλὰ πολλάκις περὶ τῶν τοιούτων