Letter 217

217. CANONICAL LETTER III. To Amphilochius, concerning the Canons.

Having returned from a long journey (for I went as far as Pontus on account of the needs of the churches and to visit my friends), and having brought back my body broken, and being moderately ill in soul, when I took into my hands the letter of your Reverence, I straightway forgot all things, receiving the tokens of the voice that is sweetest of all to me and of the hand most dear. Since, then, I became so glad from your letters, you ought to imagine how great a value I set upon meeting you, which may the Holy One bring about, when it shall be without burden and you yourself shall summon us. For it is not hard for me, if you reach the house at Euphemias, to come together there, both escaping the troubles here and hastening to your unfeigned love. And perhaps the sudden withdrawal of the most God-beloved bishop Gregory makes the journey as far as Nazianzus necessary for me on other grounds as well — a withdrawal which, with what cause it came about, is unknown until now. As for the man about whom I too had spoken to your Perfection, and whom you now hoped to have ready, know that, having fallen into a long illness, and being now afflicted in his very eyes from his old ailment and the sickness that lately befell him, he has remained altogether useless for ordinary activities. And there is no other with us. So that it is better, even if they entrusted the matter to us, that one of those very men be put forward. For one must consider that these are the words of necessity, but that their soul wishes that which they sought from the beginning — that the leader be one of their own. And if there is one of the newly enlightened, whether it seem good to Macedonius or not, let that one be put forward. And you will form him to what is needful, the Lord working with you in all things and supplying the grace for this.

Concerning the clergy the canons have set forth without distinction, ordaining that one punishment be appointed for those who fall, namely, expulsion from the ministry, whether they hold a degree, or persevere in a ministry that is without imposition of hands.

She who has neglected her offspring on the road: if, being able to save it, she despised it, either thinking thereby to conceal her sin, or having used altogether a brutish and inhuman reasoning, let her be judged as for murder. But if she was not able to protect it, and through the desert and the lack of necessities the newborn perished, the mother is to be pardoned.

The widow who is a slave perhaps did not greatly err in choosing a second marriage under the appearance of abduction. So that on this account she ought not to be accused. For it is not the outward forms that are judged, but the purpose. But it is plain that the penalty of bigamy remains upon her.

The distinctions of involuntary homicides I know that I formerly wrote to your Godliness, so far as it was possible for me, and I can say nothing more than those things. But it belongs to your good sense, according to the peculiarity of the circumstance, to extend the penalties, or even to lessen them.

Those who go out against robbers, if they are laymen, are kept from the good of communion; but if they are clergy, they are deposed from their degree. For "everyone," it says, "who takes the sword shall die by the sword."

He who has killed willingly, and afterward repented, shall be without communion in the holy things for twenty years. And the twenty years shall be ordered for him thus: for four years he ought to weep, standing outside the door of the house of prayer, and beseeching the faithful who enter to make prayer on his behalf, confessing his own transgression. After the four years he shall be received among the hearers; and for five years he shall go out with them. For seven years he shall go out, praying with those in the rank of prostration. For four years he shall stand only with the faithful, but shall not partake of the offering. When these are fulfilled, he shall share in the holy things.

He who has killed involuntarily shall be without communion in the holy things for ten years. And the ten years shall be ordered for him thus: for two years he shall weep, for three years he shall continue among the hearers, for four years prostrating, and for one year he shall stand only; and the next year he shall be received into the holy things.

The adulterer shall be without communion in the holy things for fifteen years: weeping for four years, hearing for five, prostrating for four, standing for two without communion.

The fornicator shall be without communion in the holy things for seven years: weeping for two, hearing for two, prostrating for two, and standing only for one; in the eighth year he shall be received into communion. She who has professed virginity and fallen from her promise shall fulfill the time appointed for the sin of adultery in the ordering of her own life. The same also for those who have professed the monastic life and fallen.

The thief, if of his own accord, repenting, he accuse himself, shall be hindered from the communion of the holy things for one year only; but if he be convicted, for two years. And the time shall be divided for him into prostration and standing; and then let him be deemed worthy of communion.

He who commits indecency with males shall be ordered according to the time of one who transgresses in adultery.

He who confesses his impiety with irrational beasts shall be subject to the same time, making confession.

The perjurer shall be without communion for ten years: weeping for two years, hearing for three, prostrating for four, standing only for one year; and then being deemed worthy of communion.

He who confesses sorcery or the use of drugs shall make confession for the time of the murderer, being ordered in the same way, as having convicted himself in that sin.

The violator of tombs shall be without communion for ten years: weeping for two, hearing for three, prostrating for four, standing for one year; and then being received. Incest with a sister shall be confessed for the time of the murderer.

The union of men in marriage of a forbidden kinship, if it be detected as having been formed amid sins, shall receive the penalties of adulterers.

A reader, if before his marriage he has had intercourse with his betrothed, shall, after being suspended for a year, be received to read, remaining without advancement. But if he has had clandestine intercourse without betrothal, he shall be made to cease from his ministry. The same also for a subdeacon.

A deacon who has been defiled in the lips and confesses that he has sinned only to this extent shall be suspended from the liturgy; but he shall be deemed worthy to partake of the holy things with the deacons. The same also for a presbyter. But if anyone be detected having sinned anything more than this, in whatever degree he may be, he shall be deposed.

He who has been conscious of each of the aforesaid sins, and has not confessed, but been convicted, shall himself be under penalty for as long a time as the worker of those evils has been penalized.

He who has given himself over to diviners, or to any such persons, shall himself also be ordered for the time of the murderer.

He who has denied Christ and transgressed the mystery of salvation ought, during the whole time of his life, to weep, and is bound to make confession, being deemed worthy of the holy thing at the time when he departs from life, in faith of the lovingkindness that is from God.

If, however, each of those who have been in the aforewritten sins becomes earnest in confessing, he who has been entrusted by the lovingkindness of God to loose and to bind, if he becomes more lenient, seeing the exceeding measure of the confession of the one who has sinned, in lessening the time of the penalties, will not be worthy of condemnation; since the history in the Scriptures makes known to us that those who confess with greater labor quickly lay hold of the lovingkindness of God.

He who has been defiled with his own sister by father or by mother shall not be permitted to be present in the house of prayer until he departs from the unlawful and impious deed. And after coming to a sense of that fearful sin, let him weep for three years, standing at the door of the houses of prayer, and beseeching the people who enter for prayer, so that each with compassion may make on his behalf earnest supplications to the Lord. After this let him be admitted to hearing alone for another three years; and hearing the Scriptures and the teaching, let him be put out, and not be deemed worthy of prayer. Then, if with tears he has sought it and fallen down before the Lord with contrition of heart and strong humility, let prostration be granted to him for another three years. And so, when he has displayed worthy fruits of repentance, in the tenth year let him be received into the prayer of the faithful without the offering; and after standing two years with the faithful at the prayer, let him then at last be deemed worthy of the communion of the good thing.

The same rule also concerning those who take their own daughters-in-law.

He, however, who leaves the wife lawfully joined to him and takes another is subject, according to the sentence of the Lord, to the judgment of adultery. And it has been ordained by our fathers that such persons weep for one year, hear for two years, prostrate for three years, and in the seventh stand with the faithful; and so be deemed worthy of the offering, if with tears they repent.

And let the same rule prevail also concerning those who take two sisters into cohabitation, even if at different times.

Those who are mad after their own stepmothers are subject to the same canon as those who are mad after their own sisters.

Polygamy the fathers passed over in silence, as a brutish thing and altogether foreign to the race of men. But to us it appears that the sin is something more than fornication. Therefore it is reasonable that such persons be subjected to the canons: namely, that after weeping for one year and prostrating for three, they be thus received.

And since many in the incursion of the barbarians transgressed their faith in God, performing pagan oaths, and tasting certain unlawful things offered to them among the magical idols, let these be ordered according to the canons already set forth by our fathers. For those who endured a harsh necessity from tortures, and not bearing the pains, were dragged toward denial, shall be unreceived for three years, and shall hear for two; and after prostrating for three, they shall be thus received into communion. But those who without great necessity betrayed their faith in God, and touched the table of demons, and swore Greek oaths, shall be cast out for three years, and shall hear for one; and after praying in prostration for three years, and standing for another three with the faithful in the prayer, they shall be thus received into the communion of the good thing.

And concerning those who have perjured themselves: if from force and necessity they transgressed their oaths, they are subject to lighter penalties, so as to be received after six years; but if without necessity they betrayed their own faith, after weeping for two years, and hearing for two, and praying in prostration for five, and being admitted for another two years to the communion of prayer without the offering, then at last, having displayed, that is, a notable repentance, they shall be restored to the communion of the body of Christ.

Those who practice divination and follow the customs of the nations, or bring certain persons into their own houses for the discovery of drugs and for purification, let them fall under the canon of six years: weeping for one year, hearing for one year, and prostrating for three years, and standing one year with the faithful, let them be thus received.

And all these things we write so that the fruits of repentance may be tested. For we do not judge such things wholly by the time, but we attend to the manner of the repentance. But if they are hard to draw away from their own habits, and wish to serve the pleasures of the flesh rather than the Lord, and do not accept the life according to the gospel, there is no common ground between us and them. For we, among a disobedient and gainsaying people, have been taught to hear that "in saving, save your own soul." Let us not, then, consent to perish together with such men; but, fearing the heavy judgment, and having before our eyes the fearful day of the Lord's recompense, let us not be willing to perish together for the sins of others. For if the fearful things of the Lord have not instructed us, nor have such great blows brought us to perception — that because of our lawlessness the Lord abandoned us and gave us into the hands of the barbarians, and the people was led away captive into the enemies' land and given over to dispersion, because those who bear the name of Christ dared these things; if they have not known, nor understood, that for these things the wrath of God has come upon us — what common ground have we with these men? But we ought to bear witness to them, both night and day, both publicly and privately; yet let us not consent to be led away with them in their wickednesses, praying above all to gain them and to deliver them from the snare of the evil one; but if we cannot do this, let us be earnest at least to save our own souls from eternal condemnation.