Constitutions of the holy apostles via Clement.
[Sec. I.—General Commandments.]
[That We Ought Not to Return Injuries, Nor Revenge Ourselves on Him that Does Us Wrong.]
[What Books of Scripture We Ought to Read.]
[That We Ought to Abstain from All the Books of Those that are Out of the Church.]
[Concerning the Subjection of a Wife to Her Husband, and that She Must Be Loving and Modest.]
[That a Woman Must Not Bathe with Men.]
[Concerning a Contentious and Brawling Woman.]
constitutions of the holy apostles
[That a Bishop Must Be Well Instructed and Experienced in the Word.]
[What Ought to Be the Characters of a Bishop and of the Rest of the Clergy.]
[In What Things a Bishop is to Be Examined Before He is Ordained.]
[That a Bishop Must Not Be Given to Filthy Lucre, Nor Be a Surety Nor an Advocate.]
[What Ought to Be the Character of the Initiated.]
[Concerning a Person Falsely Accused, or a Person Convicted.]
[That a Bishop Ought Not to Receive Bribes.]
[That a Bishop Who by Wrong Judgment Spares an Offender is Himself Guilty.]
[How a Bishop Ought to Judge Offenders.]
[Instruction as to How a Bishop Ought to Behave Himself to the Penitent.]
[That We Ought to Beware How We Make Trial of Any Sinful Course.]
[That a Priest Must Neither Overlook Offences, Nor Be Rash in Punishing Them.]
[Of Repentance, the Manner of It, and Rules About It.]
[That a Bishop Must Be Unblameable, and a Pattern for Those Who are Under His Charge.]
[How the Governed are to Obey the Bishops Who are Set Over Them.]
[Amon May be an Example to Such as Sin with an High Hand.]
[That Christ Jesus Our Lord Came to Save Sinners by Repentance.]
[According to What Patterns and Dignity Every Order of the Clergy is Appointed by God.]
[What is the Dignity of a Bishop and of a Deacon.]
[After What Manner the Laity are to Be Obedient to the Deacon.]
[That the Deacon Must Not Do Anything Without the Bishop.]
[After What Manner the Bishops are to Be Honoured, and to Be Reverenced as Our Spiritual Parents.]
[That Priests are to Be Preferred Before Rulers and Kings.]
[That Both the Law and the Gospel Prescribe Offerings.]
[The Recital of the Ten Commandments, and After What Manner They Do Here Prescribe to Us.]
[That We are Not to Be Implacable to Him Who Has Once or Twice Offended.]
[That a Judge Must Not Be a Respecter of Persons.]
[After What Manner False Accusers are to Be Punished.]
[That the Deacon is to Ease the Burden of the Bishops, and to Order the Smaller Matters Himself.]
[That Contentions and Quarrels are Unbecoming Christians.]
[That the Judicatures of Christians Ought to Be Held on the Second Day of the Week.]
[What are to Be the Characters of Accusers and Witnesses.]
[That Former Offences Do Sometimes Render After Accusations Credible.]
[Against Judging Without Hearing Both Sides.]
[That Christians Ought Not to Be Contentious One with Another.]
[That Every Christian Ought to Frequent the Church Diligently Both Morning and Evening.]
[That We Must Not Prefer the Affairs of This Life to Those Which Concern the Worship of God.]
[That Christians Must Abstain from All the Impious Practices of the Heathens.]
constitutions of the holy apostles
[The Age at Which Widows Should Be Chosen.]
[That We Must Avoid the Choice of Younger Widows, Because of Suspicion.]
[What Character the Widows Ought to Be Of, and How They Ought to Be Supported by the Bishop.]
[That We Ought to Be Charitable to All Sorts of Persons in Want.]
[That the Widows are to Be Very Careful of Their Behavior.]
[That Women Ought Not to Teach, Because It is Unseemly And What Women Followed Our Lord.]
[What are the Characters of Widows Falsely So Called.]
[That Women Ought Not to Baptize, Because It is Impious, and Contrary to the Doctrine of Christ.]
[The Rejection of All Uncharitable Actions.]
[How the Widows are to Pray for Those that Supply Their Necessities.]
[That It Does Not Become Us to Revile Our Neighbours, Because Cursing is Contrary to Christianity.]
[Concerning the Sacred Initiation of Holy Baptism.]
[What is the Meaning of Baptism into Christ, and on What Account Everything is There Said or Done.]
[Of What Character He Ought to Be Who is Initiated.]
[What are the Characters of a Deacon.]
constitutions of the holy apostles
[Those Who Have No Children Should Adopt Orphans, and Treat Them as Their Own Children.]
[How the Bishop Ought to Provide for the Orphans.]
[Who Ought to Be Supported According to the Lord’s Constitution.]
[With What Fear Men Ought to Partake of the Lord’s Oblations.]
[Whose Oblations are to Be Received, and Whose Not to Be Received.]
[In What Things We Ought to Be Subject to the Rulers of This World.]
constitutions of the holy apostles
[That We are to Avoid Intercourse with False Brethren When They Continue in Their Wickedness.]
[That It is an Horrible and Destructive Thing to Deny Christ.]
[That We Ought to Imitate Christ in Suffering, and with Zeal to Follow His Patience.]
[Concerning James the Brother of the Lord, and Stephen the First Martyr.]
[An Admonition Instructing Men to Avoid the Abominable Sin of Idolatry.]
[Of the Great Week, and on What Account They Enjoin Us to Fast on Wednesday and Friday.]
[How the Passover Ought to Be Celebrated.]
[A Constitution Concerning the Great Passover Week.]
[A Prophetic Prediction Concerning Christ Jesus.]
constitutions of the holy apostles
[Who They Were that Ventured to Make Schisms, and Did Not Escape Punishment.]
[That It is Not Lawful to Rise Up Either Against the Kingly or the Priestly Office.]
[That Even Among the Jews There Arose the Doctrine of Several Heresies Hateful to God.]
[Whence the Heresies Sprang, and Who Was the Ringleader of Their Impiety.]
[Who Were the Successors of Simon’s Impiety, and What Heresies They Set Up.]
[How the Heresies Differ from Each Other, and from the Truth.]
[An Exposition of the Preaching of the Apostles.]
[For Those that Confess Christ, But are Desirous to Judaize.]
[That We Must Separate from Heretics.]
[Who Were the Preachers of the Catholic Doctrine, and Which are the Commandments Given by Them.]
[Concerning Books with False Inscriptions.]
[Matrimonial Precepts Concerning Clergymen.]
[An Exhortation Commanding to Avoid the Communion of the Impious Heretics.]
[To Those that Speak Evil of the Law.]
[Which is the Law of Nature, and Which is that Afterwards Introduced, and Why It Was Introduced.]
[That We Who Believe in Christ are Under Grace, and Not Under the Servitude of that Additional Law.]
[That the Law for Sacrifices is Additional, Which Christ When He Came Took Away.]
[That It Pleased the Lord that the Law of Righteousness Should Be Demonstrated by the Romans.]
[That We Ought to Avoid the Heretics as the Corrupters of Souls.]
[Of Some Jewish and Gentile Observances.]
[Of the Love of Boys, Adultery, and Fornication.]
[How Wives Ought to Be Subject to Their Own Husbands, and Husbands Ought to Love Their Own Wives.]
constitutions of the holy apostles
[The Prohibition of Conjuring, Murder of Infants, Perjury, and False Witness.]
[The Prohibition of Malignity, Acceptation of Persons, Wrath, Malice, and Envy.]
[Concerning Augury and Enchantments.]
[The Prohibition of Murmuring, Insolence, Pride, and Arrogance.]
[Concerning Long-Suffering, Simplicity, Meekness, and Patience.]
[Concerning Him that is Double-Minded and Desponding.]
[How Masters Ought to Behave Themselves to Their Servants, and How Servants Ought to Be Subject.]
[Concerning Hypocrisy, and Obedience to the Laws, and Confession of Sins.]
[Concerning the Observance Due to Parents.]
[Concerning the Subjection Due to the King and to Rulers.]
[Concerning the Pure Conscience of Those that Pray.]
[That We Ought to Avoid the Eating of Things Offered to Idols.]
[A Constitution of Our Lord, How We Ought to Baptize, and into Whose Death.]
[Which Days of the Week We are to Fast, and Which Not, and for What Reasons.]
[What Sort of People Ought to Pray that Prayer that Was Given by the Lord.]
[A Thanksgiving at the Divine Participation.]
[A Thanksgiving About the Mystical Ointment.]
[That We Ought Not to Be Indifferent About Communicating.]
[A Constitution Concerning Oblations.]
[What Qualifications They Ought to Have Who are to Be Ordained.]
[A Prediction Concerning Futurities.]
[A Prayer Declarative of God’s Various Providence.]
[A Prayer Declarative of God’s Various Creation.]
[A Prayer, with Thanksgiving, Declarative of God’s Providence Over the Beings He Has Made.]
[A Prayer Commemorative of the Incarnation of Christ, and His Various Providence to the Saints.]
[A Prayer for the Assistance of the Righteous.]
[How the Catechumens are to Be Instructed in the Elements.]
[The Renunciation of the Adversary, and the Dedication to the Christ of God.]
[A Thanksgiving Concerning the Anointing with the Mystical Oil.]
[A Thanksgiving Concerning the Mystical Water.]
[A Thanksgiving Concerning the Mystical Ointment.]
[A Prayer for the New Fruits.]
[Who Were They that the Holy Apostles Sent and Ordained? ]
constitutions of the holy apostles.
[On Whose Account the Powers of Miracles are Performed.]
[Concerning Unworthy Bishops and Presbyters.]
[The Form of Prayer for the Ordination of a Bishop.]
[The Divine Liturgy, Wherein is the Bidding Prayer for the Catechumens.]
[Imposition of Hands Prayer for PenItents.]
[The Form of Prayer for the Faithful.]
[The Constitution of James the Brother of John, the Son of Zebedee.]
[The Bidding Prayer for the Faithful After the Divine Oblation.]
[The Bidding Prayer After the Participation.]
[The Form of Prayer After the Participation.]
[Concerning the Ordination of Presbyters—The Constitution of John, Who Was Beloved by the Lord.]
[Concerning the Ordination of Deacons—The Constitution of Philip.]
[The Form of Prayer for the Ordination of a Deacon.]
[Concerning the Deaconess—The Constitution of Bartholomew.]
[The Form of Prayer for the Ordination of a Deaconess.]
[Concerning the Sub-Deacons—The Constitution of Thomas. ]
[Concerning the Readers—The Constitution of Matthew.]
[Concerning the Confessors—The Constitution of James the Son of Alpheus.]
[The Same Apostle’s Constitution Concerning Virgins.]
[The Constitution of Lebbæus, Who Was Surnamed Thaddæus, Concerning Widows.]
[The Same Apostle Concerning the Exorcist.]
[Simon the Canaanite Concerning the Number Necessary for the Ordination of a Bishop.]
[The Same Apostle’s Canons Concerning Bishops, Presbyters, Deacons, and the Rest of the Clergy.]
[Concerning the Blessing of Water and Oil—The Constitution of Matthias.]
[The Same Apostle’s Constitution Concerning First-Fruits and Tithes.]
[The Same Apostle’s Constitutions Concerning the Remaining Oblations.]
[Upon Which Days Servants are Not to Work.]
[At What Hours, and Why, We are to Pray.]
[The Constitution of James the Brother of Christ Concerning Evening Prayer.]
[The Bidding Prayer for the Evening.]
[The Thanksgiving for the Evening.]
[The Thanksgiving for the Morning.]
[The Imposition of Hands for the Morning.]
[The Form of Prayer for the First-Fruits.]
[The Bidding Prayer for Those Departed.]
[That Memorials or Mandates Do Not at All Profit the Ungodly Who are Dead.]
[Concerning the Receiving Such as are Persecuted for Christ’s Sake.]
[Which is the Law of Nature, and Which is that Afterwards Introduced, and Why It Was Introduced.]
XX. Now the law is the decalogue, which the Lord promulgated to them with an audible voice, 110 Ex. xx before the people made that calf which represented the Egyptian Apis. 111 Ex. xxxii. And the law is righteous, and therefore is it called the law, because judgments are thence made according to the law of nature, which the followers of Simon abuse, supposing they shall not be judged thereby, and so shall escape punishment. This law is good, holy, and such as lays no compulsion in things positive. For He says: “If thou wilt make me an altar, thou shalt make it of earth.” 112 Ex. xx. 24 It does not say, “Make one,” but, “If thou wilt make.” It does not impose a necessity, but gives leave to their own free liberty. For God does not stand in need of sacrifices, being by nature above all want. But knowing that, as of old, Abel, beloved of God, and Noah and Abraham, and those that succeeded, without being required, but only moved of themselves by the law of nature, did offer sacrifice to God out of a grateful mind; so He did now permit the Hebrews, not commanding, but, if they had a mind, permitting them; and if they offered from a right intention, showing Himself pleased with their sacrifices. Therefore He says: “If thou desirest to offer, do not offer to me as to one that stands in need of it, for I stand in need of nothing; for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.” 113 Ps. l. 12 But when this people became forgetful of that, and called upon a calf as God, instead of the true God, and to him did ascribe the cause of their coming out of Egypt, saying, “These are thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt;” 114 Ex. xxxii. 4 and when these men had committed wickedness with the “similitude of a calf that eateth hay;” and denied God who had visited them by Moses 115 Ex. iv., etc. in their afflictions, and had done signs with his hand and rod, and had smitten the Egyptians with ten plagues; who had divided the waters of the Red Sea into two parts; who had led them in the midst of the water, as a horse upon the ground; who had drowned their enemies, and those that laid wait for them; who at Marah had made sweet the bitter fountain; who had brought water out of the sharp rock till they were satisfied; who had overshadowed them with a pillar of a cloud on account of the immoderate heat, and with a pillar of fire which enlightened and guided them when they knew not which way they were to go; who gave them manna from heaven, and gave them quails for flesh from the sea; 116 Num. xi. 31 who gave them the law in the mountain; whose voice He had vouchsafed to let them hear; Him did they deny, and said to Aaron, “Make us gods who shall go before us;” 117 Ex. xxxii. 1 and they made a molten calf, and sacrificed to an idol;—then was God angry, as being ungratefully treated by them, and bound them with bonds which could not be loosed, with a mortifying burden and a hard collar, and no longer said, “If thou makest,” but, “Make an altar,” and sacrifice perpetually; for thou art forgetful and ungrateful. Offer burnt-offerings therefore continually, that thou mayest be mindful of me. For since thou hast wickedly abused thy power, I lay a necessity upon thee for the time to come, and I command thee to abstain from certain meats; and I ordain thee the distinction of clean and unclean creatures, although every creature is good, as being made by me; and I appoint thee several separations, purgations, frequent washings and sprinklings, several purifications, and several times of rest; and if thou neglectest any of them, I determine that punishment which is proper to the disobedient, that being pressed and galled by thy collar, thou mayest depart from the error of polytheism, and laying aside that, “These are thy gods, O Israel,” 118 Ex. xxxii. 4 mayest be mindful of that, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord;” 119 Deut. vi. 4 and mayest run back again to that law which is inserted by me in the nature of all men, “that there is only one God in heaven and on earth, and to love Him with all thy heart, and all thy might, and all thy mind,” and to fear none but Him, nor to admit the names of other gods into thy mind, nor to let thy tongue utter them out of thy mouth. He bound them for the hardness of their hearts, that by sacrificing, and resting, and purifying themselves, and by similar observances, they might come to the knowledge of God, who ordained these things for them.
[20] Νόμος δέ ἐστιν ἡ δεκάλογος, ἣν πρὸ τοῦ τὸν λαὸν μοσχοποιῆσαι τὸν παρ' Αἰγυπτίοις Ἄπιν Θεὸς αὐτοῖς ἐνομοθέτησεν ἀκουστῇ φωνῇ: οὗτος δὲ δίκαιός ἐστιν, διὸ καὶ νόμος λέγεται, διὰ τὸ φύσει δικαίως τὰς κρίσεις ποιεῖσθαι: ὃν οἱ περὶ Σίμωνα φαυλίζουσιν, οἰόμενοι, μὴ κριθέντες ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τὴν κόλασιν ἐκφεύγειν. Οὗτος ὁ νόμος ἀγαθός, ὅσιος, ἀκατανάγκαστος. Φησὶν γάρ: «Ἐὰν δὲ ποιήσῃς μοι θυσιαστήριον, ἐκ γῆς ποιήσεις μοι αὐτό.» Οὐκ εἶπεν: «Ποίησον», ἀλλ': «Ἐὰν ποιήσῃς»: οὐκ ἀνάγκην περιέθηκεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ἐπέτρεψεν ἅτε ἐλευθέρᾳ. Οὐ γὰρ θυσιῶν δέεται ὁ Θεός, ἀνενδεὴς ὑπάρχων τῇ φύσει: ἀλλὰ γινώσκων, καθάπερ καὶ ἤδη πρότερον τὸν φιλόθεον Ἄβελ καὶ Νῶε καὶ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τοὺς καθεξῆς οὐκ αἰτηθέντας, φυσικῷ δὲ νόμῳ κινηθέντας ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν προσενέγκαι θυσίαν Θεῷ ἀπὸ γνώμης εὐχαρίστου, ἐπιτρέπει καὶ νῦν Ἑβραίοις, οὐ προστάσσων, ἀλλ', εἰ βουληθῶσιν, συγχωρῶν καί, εἰ ἀπὸ ὀρθῆς προσοίσουσι γνώμης, εὐδοκῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις αὐτῶν. Διὰ τοῦτό φησιν: «Εἰ θύειν ἐπιθυμεῖς, οὐ δεομένῳ μοι θῦε.» Οὐδενὸς γὰρ ἐν χρείᾳ καθέστηκα: «Ἐμὴ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ οἰκουμένη καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς.» Ὁπότε δὲ οἱ τοῦ λαοῦ τούτων ἀμνήμονες ὑπῆρξαν, καὶ μόσχον ἀντὶ Θεοῦ θεὸν ἐπεκαλέσαντο καὶ τούτῳ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου πορείας ἐπέγραψαν λέγοντες: «Οὗτοι οἱ θεοί σου, Ἰσραήλ, οἱ ἐξαγαγόντες σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου.» Καὶ δυσσεβήσαντες εἰς ὁμοίωμα μόσχου ἐσθίοντος χόρτον ἀπηρνήσαντο Θεὸν τὸν διὰ Μωϋσέως ἐπισκεψάμενον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ θλίψει αὐτῶν, τὸν τὰ σημεῖα ἐπὶ χειρὸς καὶ ῥάβδου ποιησάμενον, τὸν τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους δεκαπλήγῳ πατάξαντα, τὸν τὴν ἐρυθρὰν διελόντα θάλασσαν εἰς διαιρέσεις ὑδάτων, τὸν διαγαγόντα αὐτοὺς ἐν μέσῳ ὕδατος ὡς ἵππον ἐν πεδίῳ, τὸν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπιβούλους βυθίσαντα, τὸν εἰς Μερρὰν τὴν πικρὰν πηγὴν γλυκάναντα, τὸν ἐκ πέτρας ἀκροτόμου καταγαγόντα ὕδωρ εἰς πλησμονὴν αὐτοῖς, τὸν στύλῳ νεφέλης καὶ στύλῳ πυρὸς σκιάζοντα αὐτοῖς διὰ θάλπος ἄμετρον καὶ φωτίζοντα καὶ ὁδηγοῦντα τοὺς οὐκ εἰδότας ὅπου πορευθῶσιν, τὸν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ μαννοδοτήσαντα αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐκ θαλάσσης κρεωδοτήσαντα ὀρτυγομήτραν, τὸν ἐν τῷ ὄρει νομοθετήσαντα αὐτοῖς, οὗ τῆς φωνῆς ἠξιώθησαν ἐπακοῦσαι: τοῦτον ἀπηρνήσαντο εἰπόντες τῷ Ἀαρών: «Ποίησον ἡμῖν θεούς, οἳ προπορεύσονται ἡμῶν.» Καὶ ἐμοσχοποίησαν χωνευτὸν καὶ ἔθυσαν τῷ εἰδώλῳ: διὸ ὀργισθεὶς ὁ Θεός, ἅτε ἀχαριστηθεὶς ὑπ' αὐτῶν, ἔδησεν αὐτοὺς δεσμοῖς ἀλύτοις, στιβώσει φορτισμοῦ καὶ βαρύτητι κλοιοῦ. Καὶ οὐκέτι εἶπεν: ‘Ἐὰν δὲ ποιῇς’, ἀλλά: ‘Ποίησον’ θυσιαστήριον καὶ θῦε διηνεκῶς, ἐπιλήσμων γὰρ τυγχάνεις καὶ ἀχάριστος: ὁλοκαύτει οὖν συνεχῶς, ἵν' ὑπομιμνήσκῃ μου. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ κακῶς ἀπεχρήσω, ἀνάγκην ἐπιτίθημί σοι λοιπόν, καὶ βρωμάτων ἀφιστῶ τοιῶνδε καὶ ζῴων σοι διαφορὰς καθαρῶν καὶ ἀκαθάρτων διαστέλλομαι, καίτοι παντὸς ζῴου καλοῦ τυγχάνοντος ἅτε ὑπ' ἐμοῦ γενομένου. Καὶ ἀφορισμοὺς τοιούσδε σοι προστάσσω, καθαρισμούς, συνεχῆ βαπτίσματα, ῥαντισμούς, ἁγνείας τοιάσδε, ἀργίας διαφόρους. Καὶ τούτων ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ, ἐὰν παρακούσῃς, τιμωρίαν ὁρίζω ὡς οἰκέτῃ ἀπειθεῖ, ὅπως πιεζόμενος καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ κλοιοῦ ἀγχόμενος τῆς πολυθέου πλάνης ἐκστῇς, καὶ παρεὶς τὸ ‘Οὗτοι οἱ θεοί σου, Ἰσραήλ’ ὑπομνησθῇς τὸ ‘Ἄκουε, Ἰσραήλ, Κύριος, ὁ Θεός σου Κύριος εἷς ἐστιν’, καὶ ἀναδράμῃς ἐπ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν νόμον τὸν ὑπ' ἐμοῦ τῇ φύσει καταβληθέντα πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις: ἕνα μόνον ὑπάρχειν Θεὸν ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς, καὶ τοῦτον ἀγαπᾶν ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας, καὶ πλὴν αὐτοῦ μὴ φοβεῖσθαι ἄλλον, μήτε ὄνομα θεῶν ἑτέρων ἐπὶ διανοίας λαμβάνειν μήτε προφέρειν γλώσσῃ διὰ στόματος. Διὰ γὰρ τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν αὐτῶν ἐπέδησεν αὐτούς, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ θύειν καὶ ἀργεῖν καὶ ἁγνίζεσθαι καὶ τὰ τοιάδε παρατηρεῖσθαι εἰς ἔννοιαν ἔλθωσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ταῦτα διαταξαμένου αὐτοῖς.