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in some way, as men unable to reach the end of the incomprehensible and ineffable divinity, but as ones constrained to make an apology and forced to speak of God in a human way, we have been carried away by boldness; as God is forgiving, you yourselves also forgive. And again pray earnestly that the Lord may grant us the portion we asked for in his holy faith, which alone is free from all opposition, and that he may grant forgiveness of our own sins, which are many, in Christ Jesus our Lord, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father with the Holy Spirit for ever. Amen. 21. And we have briefly spoken of the things concerning faith that this one catholic church and innocent dove holds, being one for her husband, as it says, “my dove is one,” and likewise concerning the innumerable “maidens of whom there is no number,” concerning the consubstantiality of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit, and concerning the incarnate and perfect presence of Christ, and other parts of the faith. But concerning its ordinances, it is again necessary for me to set forth in brief and in part the form of these same ordinances, as many as are by nature kept and are observed in it, some by commandment, others according to the acceptance of choice, God rejoicing in the virtue of his church. And first, the foundation and, so to speak, the step in it is virginity, both practiced and guarded by many and glorified. This same virginity is accompanied by the solitary life among very many 3.522 of the monks and nuns. After this, continence, setting out on the same course. Then, widowhood with all attention and undefiled conduct. Following these orders is honorable marriage in great honor, especially that of one marriage and in observance of the commandments. But if anyone, his wife having died, or a certain woman whose husband has died, desires, it is permitted to be joined to a second wife or to a second husband after the death of the first. But the crown of all these, or the mother, so to speak, and begetter, is the holy priesthood, for the most part drawn from virgins, and if not from virgins, from monks. But if there are not enough from among the monks for the ministry, then from those who are continent with their own wives or who are widowed after one marriage. But it is not permitted to accept one married a second time into the priesthood in it, whether he be continent or a widower, from the very order of bishop and presbyter and deacon and subdeacon. After this priesthood, there is finally the order of readers, from all the orders, that is, virgins and monks and the continent and the widowed and those still in an honorable marriage; and if there should be a need, also from those joined to a second wife after the death of the first. For the reader is not a priest, but as a scribe of the word. And deaconesses are also appointed for the ministry to women only, for the sake of propriety, if a need should arise on account of a bath or a visitation of bodies. And these too are once-married women who have become continent, or who are widowed after one marriage, or are perpetual virgins. Then, next to these, are exorcists and interpreters from language to language, either in the readings or in the homilies. Finally, there are also gravediggers who lay out the bodies of those who have fallen asleep, and doorkeepers, and all the good order. 22. And assemblies are celebrated, having been appointed by the apostles, on Wednesday and on the day before the Sabbath and on the Lord's day; and on Wednesday and on the day before the Sabbath, with fasting until the ninth hour, because at dawn on Wednesday the Lord was arrested, and on the day before the Sabbath he was crucified. And the apostles handed down that fasts be observed on these days, the saying being fulfilled that, “when the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast in those days”; and the fast has not been 3.523 commanded to us that we might do a favor to the one who suffered for us, but so that we might confess that the Lord's passion occurred for our salvation,

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τι ὡς ἄνθρωποι μὴ δυνάμενοι ἐπὶ τὸ πέρας ἀποτείνεσθαι τῆς ἀκαταλήπτου καὶ ἀνεκδιηγήτου θεότητος, ἀλλ' ὡς στενοχωρούμενοι εἰς ἀπολογίαν ὑπέρ τε θεοῦ διηγήσασθαι ἀνθρωπίνως ἠναγκασμένοι τόλμῃ ἠνέχθημεν, συγγνωμονοῦντος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ὑμεῖς αὐτοὶ συγγνωμονήσατε. καὶ πάλιν ὑπερεύχεσθε ἵνα ὁ κύριος ἣν ᾐτησάμεθα μερίδα ἡμῖν δῴη ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ αὐτοῦ πίστει καὶ μόνῃ ἀπηλλαγμένῃ πάσης ἐναντιότητος καὶ τῶν ἰδίων ἁμαρτημάτων πολλῶν ὄντων συγχώρησιν ποιήσηται, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ δόξα τῷ πατρὶ σὺν ἁγίῳ πνεύματι εἰς αἰῶνας. ἀμήν. 21. Καὶ ἃ μὲν περὶ πίστεως ἔχει αὕτη ἡ μόνη καθολικὴ ἐκκλησία καὶ περιστερὰ ἄκακος, μία οὖσα τῷ ἀνδρὶ αὐτῆς, ὡς λέγει, «μία ἐστὶ περιστερά μου», καὶ ὁμοίως περὶ τῶν ἀμυθήτων «νεανίδων ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός» συντόμως ἔφημεν, περί τε πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος ὁμοουσιότητος, καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐνσάρκου Χριστοῦ καὶ τελείας παρουσίας, καὶ ἄλλων μερῶν τῆς πίστεως. περὶ θεσμῶν δὲ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐν ὀλίγῳ μέν μοί ἐστι πάλιν ἀνάγκη τοῦ παραθέσθαι τῶν αὐτῶν θεσμῶν ἀπὸ μέρους τὸ εἶδος, ὅσαπερ φύσει πεφύλακται ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ φυλάσσεται, τὰ μὲν ἐκ προστάγματος, τὰ δὲ κατὰ ἀποδοχὴν προαιρέσεως, τοῦ θεοῦ χαίροντος ἐπὶ τῇ ἀρετῇ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἐκκλησίας. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν κρηπὶς καὶ ὡς εἰπεῖν βαθμὸς ἐν αὐτῇ ἡ παρθενία, ἀσκουμένη τε καὶ φυλαττομένη παρὰ πολλοῖς καὶ ἐνδοξαζομένη. συνέπεται δὲ τῇ αὐτῇ παρθενίᾳ ἡ μονότης παρὰ πλείοσι 3.522 τῶν μοναζόντων καὶ μοναζουσῶν. μετὰ ταύτην ἐγκράτεια ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν δρόμον ὁρμωμένη. ἔπειτα δὲ χηροσύνη μετὰ πάσης προσοχῆς καὶ ἀχράντου συναναστροφῆς. ταύταις δὲ ταῖς τάξεσιν ἀκόλουθος ὁ σεμνὸς γάμος ἐν μεγάλῃ τιμῇ, ὁ ἐν μονογαμίᾳ μάλιστα καὶ παραφυλακῇ ἐνταλμάτων. εἰ δέ τις τελευτησάσης τῆς αὐτοῦ γυναικὸς ἢ ἀνδρὸς τελευτήσαντος τῆς τινὸς γυναικὸς ὀρέγεται, ἐφίεται δευτέρᾳ συναφθῆναι ἢ δευτέρῳ μετὰ θάνατον τοῦ πρώτου ἢ τῆς πρώτης. στεφάνη δὲ τούτων πάντων ἢ μήτηρ ὡς εἰπεῖν καὶ γεννήτρια ἡ ἁγία ἱερωσύνη, ἐκ μὲν παρθένων τὸ πλεῖστον ὁρμωμένη, εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἐκ παρθένων, ἐκ μοναζόντων. εἰ δὲ μὴ εἶεν ἱκανοὶ εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν ἀπὸ μοναζόντων, ἐξ ἐγκρατευομένων τῶν ἰδίων γυναικῶν ἢ χηρευσάντων ἀπὸ μονογαμίας. δευτερόγαμον δὲ οὐκ ἔξεστι δέχεσθαι ἐν αὐτῇ εἰς ἱερωσύνην, κἄν τε ἐγκρατευόμενος εἴη ἢ χῆρος, ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τάξεως ἐπισκόπου καὶ πρεσβυτέρου καὶ διακόνου καὶ ὑποδιακόνου. μετὰ ταύτην τὴν ἱερωσύνην λοιπὸν ἀναγνωστῶν τάγμα ἐξ ὅλων τῶν ταγμάτων, τουτέστι παρθένων καὶ μοναζόντων καὶ ἐγκρατευομένων καὶ χηρευσάντων καὶ τῶν ἔτι ἐν σεμνῷ γάμῳ· εἰ δὲ εἴη ἀνάγκη καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν μετὰ θάνατον τῆς πρώτης γυναικὸς δευτέρᾳ συναφθέντων. καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν ἱερεὺς ὁ ἀναγνώστης, ἀλλ' ὡς γραμματεὺς τοῦ λόγου. καὶ διακόνισσαι δὲ καθίστανται εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν γυναικῶν μόνον διὰ τὴν σεμνότητα, ἂν χρεία κατασταίη λουτροῦ ἕνεκα ἢ ἐπισκέψεως σωμάτων. καὶ αὗται δὲ μονόγαμοι ἐγκρατευσάμεναι ἢ χηρεύσασαι ἀπὸ μονογαμίας ἢ ἀειπάρθενοι οὖσαι. εἶθ' ἑξῆς τούτων ἐπορκισταὶ καὶ ἑρμηνευταὶ ἀπὸ γλώσσης εἰς γλῶσσαν ἢ ἐν ταῖς ἀναγνώσεσιν ἢ ἐν ταῖς προσομιλίαις. λοιπὸν δὲ καὶ κοπιαταὶ οἱ τὰ σώματα περιστέλλοντες τῶν κοιμωμένων καὶ θυρωροὶ καὶ ἡ πᾶσα εὐταξία. 22. Συνάξεις δὲ ἐπιτελούμεναι ταχθεῖσαί εἰσιν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων τετράδι καὶ προσαββάτῳ καὶ κυριακῇ· τετράδι δὲ καὶ ἐν προσαββάτῳ ἐν νηστείᾳ ἕως ὥρας ἐνάτης, ἐπειδήπερ ἐπιφωσκούσῃ τετράδι συνελήφθη ὁ κύριος καὶ τῷ προσαββάτῳ ἐσταυρώθη. καὶ παρέδωκαν οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἐν ταύταις νηστείας ἐπιτελεῖσθαι πληρουμένου τοῦ ῥητοῦ ὅτι «ὅταν ἀπαρθῇ ἀπ' αὐτῶν ὁ νυμφίος, τότε νηστεύσουσιν ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις»· καὶ οὐχ ἵνα χάριν ποιήσωμεν τῷ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πεπονθότι, ἡ νηστεία ἡμῖν προσ3.523 τέτακται, ἀλλ' ὅπως ὁμολογήσωμεν εἰς ἡμῶν σωτηρίαν γενόμενον τὸ τοῦ κυρίου πάθος,