Canonical Epistle

CANONICAL EPISTLE OF SAINT GREGORY, BISHOP OF NEOCAESAREA, THE WONDERWORKER, CONCERNING THOSE WHO DURING THE INVASION

OF THE BARBARIANS ATE THINGS SACRIFICED TO IDOLS OR COMMITTED CERTAIN OTHER SINS

Concerning those who ate abominable things during the invasion and concerning the

women violated by the barbarians.

The foods do not trouble us, holy papa, if the captives ate those things, which their captors set before them; especially since there is one report from all, that the barbarians who overran our regions had not sacrificed to idols; and the apostle says: Foods for the belly, and the belly for foods; but God will destroy both it and them. But also the Savior, who cleanses all foods, says: Not that which goes in defiles a man, but that which comes out. And as for the captive women being violated, with the barbarians committing outrage upon their bodies; but if indeed a woman's previous life was known for something, going after the eyes that cause fornication according to what is written, it is clear that the habit of fornication is suspect even in a time of captivity, and one must not readily commune in prayers with such women. If, however, a woman lived in extreme chastity, and had shown her former life to be pure and beyond all suspicion, has now fallen into outrage through violence and necessity, we have the example in Deuteronomy concerning the young woman whom a man found in the field and, having forced her, lay with her; To the young woman you shall do, it says, nothing; the young woman has no sin worthy of death, for as when a man rises up against his neighbor and slays his soul, so is this matter; the young woman cried out, and there was no one to help her.

2 Against covetousness. These things, then, are such. But covetousness is a terrible thing, and it is not possible in a single letter to set forth the divine

scriptures in which not only robbery is proclaimed to be something to be fled from and dreaded, but in general to be covetous and to lay hold of another's property for sordid gain, and every such person is excommunicated from the church of God; but that in a time of invasion, amidst such wailing and so many lamentations, some should dare to consider the time which brings destruction to all to be a time of profit for themselves, is the act of impious and God-hated men, of unparalleled wickedness. Wherefore it seemed good to excommunicate all such persons, lest the wrath come upon the whole people, and first upon the leaders themselves who do not investigate; For I fear, as the scripture says, lest the ungodly destroy the righteous with him; For because of fornication, it says, and covetousness the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience; therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light; for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is well-pleasing to the Lord, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even reprove them; for the things which are done by them in secret it is a shame even to speak of; but all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light. Such things says the apostle. But if, while paying the penalty for former covetousness committed in time of peace, some should again in the very time of wrath turn to covetousness, gaining from the blood and destruction of men who have been displaced or

Epistula canonica

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΚΑΝΟΝΙΚΗ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΝΕΟΚΑΙΣΑΡΕΙΑΣ ΤΟΥ ΘΑΥΜΑΤΟΥΡΓΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ΕΝ ΤΗ ΚΑΤΑ∆ΡΟΜΗ

ΤΩΝ ΒΑΡΒΑΡΩΝ ΕΙ∆ΩΛΟΘΥΤΑ ΦΑΓΟΝΤΩΝ Η ΚΑΙ ΕΤΕΡΑ ΤΙΝΑ ΠΛΗΜΜΕΛΗΣΑΝΤΩΝ

Περὶ τῶν μιαροφαγησάντων ἐν τῆ καταδρομῆ καὶ περὶ τῶν

διαφθαρεισῶν γυναικῶν ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων.

Οὐ τὰ βρώματα ἡμᾶς βαρεῖ, ἱερὲ πάπα, εἰ ἔφαγον οἱ αἰχμάλωτοι ταῦ τα, ἅπερ παρετίθεσαν αὐτοῖς οἱ κρα τοῦντες αὐτῶν· μάλιστα ἐπειδὴ εἷς λόγος παρὰ πάντων, τοὺς καταδρα μόντας τὰ ἡμέτερα μέρη βαρβάρους εἰδώλοις μὴ τεθυκέναι· ὁ δὲ ἀπό στολος φησί· Τὰ βρώματα τῇ κοι λίᾳ, καὶ ἡ κοιλία τοῖς βρώμασιν· ὁ δὲ θεὸς καὶ ταύτην καὶ ταῦτα καταρ γήσει. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ ὁ πάντα καθαρίζων τὰ βρώματα· Οὐ τὸ εἰσπορευόμενον, φησί, κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐκπορευόμενον. Καὶ τὸ τὰς γυναῖκας τὰς αἰχμαλώ τους διαφθαρῆναι, ἐξυβριζόντων τῶν βαρβάρων εἰς τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν· ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν καὶ πρότερον κατέ γνωστό τινος ὁ βίος, πορευομένης ὀπίσω ὀφθαλμῶν τῶν ἐκπορνευόν των κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, δῆλον ὅτι ἡ πορνικὴ ἕξις ὕποπτος καὶ ἐν καιρῷ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας, καὶ οὐ προ χείρως δεῖ ταῖς τοιαύταις κοινω νεῖν τῶν εὐχῶν. Εἰ μέντοι τις ἐν ἄκρᾳ σωφροσύνῃ ζήσασα, καὶ κα θαρὸν καὶ ἔξω πάσης ὑπονοίας ἐπι δεδειγμένη βίον τὸν πρότερον, νῦν περιπέπτωκεν ἐκ βίας καὶ ἀνάγκης ὕβρει, ἔχομεν παράδειγμα τὸ ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ, τὸ ἐπὶ τῇ νεάνιδι, ἣν ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ εὗρεν ἄνθρωπος καὶ βιασάμενος αὐτὴν ἐκοιμήθη μετ' αὐτῆς· Τῇ νεάνιδι οὐ ποιήσετε, φησίν, οὐδέν, οὐκ ἔστι τῇ νεάνιδι ἁμάρτημα θανάτου, ὅτι, ὡς εἴ τις ἀναστῇ ἄνθρωπος ἐπὶ τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ καὶ θανατώσει αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχήν, οὕτω τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο· ἐβόησεν ἡ νεᾶνις καὶ ὁ βοηθῶν οὐκ ἦν αὐτῇ.

2 Κατὰ πλεονεξίας. Ταῦτα μέντοι τοιαῦτα. ∆εινὴ δὲ ἡ πλεονεξία καὶ οὐκ ἔστι δι' ἐπιστολῆς μιᾶς παραθέσθαι τὰ θεῖα

γράμματα, ἐν οἷς οὐ τὸ λῃστεύειν μόνον φευκτὸν καὶ φρικῶδες καταγ γέλλεται, ἀλλὰ καθόλου τὸ πλεονε κτεῖν καὶ ἀλλοτρίου ἐφάπτεσθαι ἐπὶ αἰσχροκερδείᾳ, καὶ πᾶς ὁ τοιοῦτος ἐκκήρυκτος ἐκκλησίας θεοῦ· τὸ δὲ ἐν καιρῷ τῆς καταδρομῆς ἐν τοσαύτῃ οἰμωγῇ καὶ τοσούτοις θρήνοις τολ μῆσαί τινας τὸν καιρὸν τὸν πᾶσιν ὄλεθρον φέροντα νομίσαι ἑαυτοῖς κέρδους καιρὸν εἶναι, ἀνθρώπων ἐ στὶν ἀσεβῶν καὶ θεοστυγῶν, οὐδὲ ὑπερβολὴν ἀτοπίας ἐχόντων. Ὅθεν ἔδοξε τοὺς τοιούτους πάντας ἐκκηρῦξαι, μήποτε ἐφ' ὅλον ἔλθῃ τὸν λαὸν ἡ ὀργή, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς πρῶτον τοὺς προεστῶτας τοὺς μὴ ἐπιζητοῦντας· Φοβοῦμαι γὰρ, ὡς ἡ γραφὴ λέγει, μὴ συναπολέσῃ ἀ σεβὴς τὸν δίκαιον· Πορνεία γάρ, φησί, καὶ πλεονεξία, δι' ἃ ἔρχεται ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας· μὴ οὖν γίνεσθε συμ μέτοχοι αὐτῶν· ἦτε γάρ ποτε σκό τος, νῦν δὲ φῶς ἐν κυρίῳ· ὡς τέκνα φωτὸς περιπατεῖτε· ὁ γὰρ καρπὸς τοῦ φωτὸς ἐν πάσῃ ἀγαθωσύνη καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ, δοκιμάζον τες τί ἐστιν εὐάρεστον τῷ κυρίῳ, καὶ μὴ συγκοινωνεῖτε τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς ἀκάρποις τοῦ σκότους, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐλέγχετε· τὰ γὰρ κρυφῆ γινό μενα ὑπ' αὐτῶν αἰσχρόν ἐστι καὶ λέγειν· τὰ δὲ πάντα ἐλεγχόμενα ὑπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς φανεροῦται. Τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ ἀπόστολος. Ἐὰν δὲ διὰ τὴν προτέραν πλεονεξίαν τὴν ἐν τῇ εἰ ρήνῃ γενομένην δίκην τιννύντες, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ὀργῆς πάλιν πρὸς τὴν πλεονεξίαν ἐκτραπῶσί τι νες, κερδαίνοντες ἐξ αἵματος καὶ ὀλέθρου ἀνθρώπων ἀναστάτων γε νομένων ἢ