THE holy, great, and Ecumenical Synod which by the grace of God and the will of the pious and Christ-loving Emperors, Constantine and Irene, his mother, was gathered together for the second time at Nice, the illustrious metropolis of Bithynia, in the holy church of God which is named Sophia, having followed the tradition of the Catholic Church, hath defined as follows:

Sancta magna ac universalis synodus, quae per Dei gratiam et sanctorum piorum et christianorum imperatorum Constantini et Irenae matris eius congregata est secundo in Nicaenorum clara metropoli Bithynensium provinciae in sancta Dei ecclesia, quae cognominatur Sophia, sectata traditionem catholicae ecclesiae, definivit inferius ordinata.

Christ our Lord, who has bestowed upon us the light of the knowledge of himself, and hath redeemed us from the darkness of idolatrous madness, having espoused to himself the Holy Catholic Church without spot or defect, promised that he would so preserve her: and gave his word to this effect to his holy disciples when he said: “Lo! I am with you always, even unto the end of the world,” which promise he made, not only to them, but to us also who should believe in his name through their word. But some, not considering of this gift, and having become fickle through the temptation of the wily enemy, have fallen from the right faith; for, withdrawing from the traditions of the Catholic Church, they have erred from the truth and as the proverb says: “The husbandmen have gone astray in their own husbandry and have gathered in their hands nothingness,” because certain priests, priests in name only, not in fact, had dared to speak against the God-approved ornament of the sacred monuments, of whom God cries aloud through the prophet, “Many pastors have corrupted my vineyard, they have polluted my portion.”

Qui lucem agnitionis suae nobis donavit et a tenebris idolorum et insania nos redemit, Christus scilicet Deus noster, desponsata sibi sancta sua catholica ecclesia non habente maculam seu rugam, hanc se conservaturum promisit; sanctis que discipulis suis asseverabat dicens: vobis cum sum omnibus diebus usque ad consummationem saeculi. Porro hanc repromissionem non solum illis donavit, sed et nobis qui per eos credidimus in nomine ipsius. Ergo donum hoc quidam non cogitantes, a versuto inimico volatici quodammodo facti, a recta ratione ceciderunt; traditioni etiam catholicae ecclesiae resultantes intellectu veritatis frustrati sunt; et, ut ait proverbialis sermo, in axe agricolationis suae erraverunt et collegerunt manibus suis sterilitatem, quia sacrorum monumentorum Deo decibili ornamento detrahere praesumpserunt, cum sacerdotes quidem dicerentur, non essent autem; de quibus Deus per prophetam clamat: Pastores multi corruperunt vineam meam, contaminaverunt portionem meam.

And, forsooth, following profane men, led astray by their carnal sense, they have calumniated the Church of Christ our God, which he hath espoused to himself, and have failed to distinguish between holy and profane, styling the images of our Lord and of his Saints by the same name as the statues of diabolical idols. Seeing which things, our Lord God (not willing to behold his people corrupted by such manner of plague) hath of his good pleasure called us together, the chief of his priests, from every quarter, moved with a divine zeal and brought hither by the will of our princes, Constantine and Irene, to the end that the traditions of the Catholic Church may receive stability by our common decree. Therefore, with all diligence, making a thorough examination and analysis, and following the trend of the truth, we diminish nothing, we add nothing, but we preserve unchanged all things which pertain to the Catholic Church, and following the Six Ecumenical Synods, especially that which met in this illustrious metropolis of Nice, as also that which was afterwards gathered together in the God-protected Royal City.

Sceleratos quippe secuti viros sensibus suis pellectos, calumniati sunt sanctam Christi Dei nostri ecclesiam, quae ipsi est desponsata, et inter sanctum et profanum non distinxerunt, imaginem Domini et sanctorum eius similiter ut statuas diabolicorum idolorum nominantes. Propter quod dominus Deus non ferens intueri ab huiusmodi peste corrumpi subditos suos, nos sacerdotii principes beneplacito suo undique convocavit divino zelo ferventes et nutu Constantini et Irenae imperatorum nostrorum adductos; quatenus deifica catholicae ecclesiae traditio communi decreto recipiat firmitatem. Igitur cum omni diligentia perscrutantes et discutientes et intentionem veritatis sectantes, nihil adimimus, nihil addimus, sed omnia quae catholicae sunt ecclesiae immaculata servamus; et sequentes sancta sex universalia concilia, in primis quod in splendida Nicaena metropoli convenit, adhuc etiam et quod post in divinitus conservanda regia urbe collectum est.

We believe in One God ...life of the world to come. Amen.

Credimus in unum Deum ....

We detest and anathematize Arius and all the sharers of his absurd opinion; also Macedonius and those who following him are well styled “Foes of the Spirit” (Pneumatomachi). We confess that our Lady, St. Mary, is properly and truly the Mother of God, because she was the Mother after the flesh of One Person of the Holy Trinity, to wit, Christ our God, as the Council of Ephesus has already defined when it cast out of the Church the impious Nestorius with his colleagues, because he taught that there were two Persons [in Christ]. With the Fathers of this synod we confess that he who was incarnate of the immaculate Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary has two natures, recognizing him as perfect God and perfect man, as also the Council of Chalcedon hath promulgated, expelling from the divine Atrium [αυλης] as blasphemers, Eutyches and Dioscorus; and placing in the same category Severus, Peter and a number of others, blaspheming in divers fashions. Moreover, with these we anathematize the fables of Origen, Evagrius, and Didymus, in accordance with the decision of the Fifth Council held at Constantinople. We affirm that in Christ there be two wills and two operations according to the reality of each nature, as also the Sixth Synod, held at Constantinople, taught, casting out Sergius, Honorius, Cyrus, Pyrrhus, Macarius, and those who agree with them, and all those who are unwilling to be reverent.

Abominamur autem et anathematizamus Arium et consentaneos et communicatores vesanae opinionis eius; Macedonium que et eos qui iuxta ipsum bene pneumatomachi nominati sunt. Confitemur autem et dominam nostram sanctam Mariam proprie ac veraciter Dei genitricem, quoniam peperit carne unum ex sancta Trinitate, Christum videlicet Deum nostrum, secundum quod et Ephesinum prius dogmatizavit concilium quod impium Nestorium cum collegis suis, tanquam personalem dualitatem introducentem, ab ecclesia pepulit. Cum his autem et duas naturas confitemur eius qui incarnatus est propter nos ex intemerata Dei genitrice semper virgine Maria, perfectum eum Deum et perfectum hominem cognoscentes, quemadmodum et Chalcedonensis synodus promulgavit, Eutychetem et Dioscorum blasphemantes a divino atrio abigens; conferentes cum illis pariter Severum, Petrum et eorum multifarie blasphemantem alterutris perplexionibus restim contextam; cum quibus et Origenis et Evagrii ac Didymi fabulas anathematizamus, sicuti et Constantinopoli congregatum quintum concilium egisse dignoscitur. Deinde quoque et duas voluntates et operationes secundum naturarum proprietatem in Christo praedicamus; quemadmodum et Constantinopoli sexta synodus exclamavit, abiiciens Sergium, Honorium, Cyrum, Pyrrhum, Macarium et eos qui sine voluntate sunt pietatis, atque illis similia sentientes.

TO MAKE our confession short, we keep unchanged all the ecclesiastical traditions handed down to us, whether in writing or verbally, one of which is the making of pictorial representations, agreeable to the history of the preaching of the Gospel, a tradition useful in many respects, but especially in this, that so the incarnation of the Word of God is shown forth as real and not merely fantastic, for these have mutual indications and without doubt have also mutual significations.

Et ut compendiose fateamur, omnes ecclesiasticas sive scripto, sive sine scripto sancitas nobis traditiones illibate servamus; quarum una est etiam imaginalis picturae formatio, quae historiae evangelicae praedicationis concinit, ad certitudinem verae et non secundum phantasiam Dei Verbi inhumanationis effectae, et ad similem nobis utilitatem commode proficiens. Quae namque se mutuo indicant, indubitanter etiam mutuas habent significationes.

   We, therefore, following the royal pathway and the divinely inspired authority of our Holy Fathers and the traditions of the Catholic Church (for, as we all know, the Holy Spirit indwells her), define with all certitude and accuracy that just as the figure of the precious and life-giving Cross, so also the venerable and holy images, as well in painting and mosaic as of other fit materials, should be set forth in the holy churches of God, and on the sacred vessels and on the vestments and on hangings and in pictures both in houses and by the wayside, to wit, the figure of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, of our spotless Lady, the Mother of God, of the honorable Angels, of all Saints and of all pious people. For by so much more frequently as they are seen in artistic representation, by so much more readily are men lifted up to the memory of their prototypes, and to a longing after them; and to these should be given due salutation and honorable reverence (ασπασμον και τιμητικην προσκυνησιν), not indeed that true worship of faith (λατρειαν) which pertains alone to the divine nature; but to these, as to the figure of the precious and life-giving Cross and to the Book of the Gospels and to the other holy objects, incense and lights may be offered according to ancient pious custom. For the honor which is paid to the image passes on to that which the image represents, and he who reveres the image reveres in it the subject represented.

 His itaque se habentibus, regiae quasi continuati semitae, sequentes que divinitus inspiratum sanctorum patrum nostrorum magisterium et catholicae traditionem ecclesiae - nam Spiritus sancti hanc esse novimus, qui nimirum in ipsa inhabitat -, definimus in omni certitudine ac diligentia, sicut figuram pretiosae ac vivificae crucis, ita venerabiles ac sanctas imagines proponendas, tam quae de coloribus et tessellis, quam quae ex alia materia congruenter se habente in sanctis Dei ecclesiis et sacris vasis et vestibus et in parietibus ac tabulis, domibus et viis; tam videlicet imaginem domini Dei et salvatoris nostri Iesu Christi, quam intemeratae dominae nostrae sanctae Dei genitricis, honorabilium que angelorum, et omnium sanctorum simul et almorum virorum. Quanto enim frequentius per imaginalem formationem videntur, tanto qui has contemplantur, alacrius eriguntur ad primitivorum earum memoriam et desiderium, et his osculum et honorariam adorationem tribuendam. Non tamen veram latriam, quae secundum fidem est, quae que solam divinam naturam decet, impartiendam; ita ut istis, sicuti figurae pretiosae ac vivificae crucis et sanctis evangeliis et reliquis sanctis monumentis, incensorum et luminum ad harum honorem efficiendum exhibeatur, quemadmodum et antiquis piae consuetudinis erat. Imaginis enim honor ad primitivum transit; et qui adorat imaginem, adorat in ea depicti subsistentiam.

   For thus the teaching of our holy Fathers, that is the tradition of the Catholic Church, which from one end of the earth to the other hath received the Gospel, is strengthened. Thus we follow Paul, who spoke in Christ, and the whole divine Apostolic company and the holy Fathers, holding fast the traditions which we have received. So we sing prophetically the triumphal hymns of the Church, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Rejoice and be glad with all thy heart. The Lord hath taken away from thee the oppression of thy adversaries; thou art redeemed from the hand of your enemies. The Lord is a King in the midst of thee; thou shall not see evil any more, and peace be unto thee forever.”

Sic enim robur obtinet sanctorum patrum nostrorum doctrina, id est traditio sanctae catholicae ecclesiae, quae a finibus usque ad fines terrae suscepit evangelium. Sic Paulum, qui in Christo locutus est, et omnem divinum apostolicum coetum, et paternam sanctitatem exsequimur, tenentes traditiones quas accepimus. Sic triumphales ecclesiae prophetice canimus hymnos: Gaude satis filia Sion, praedica filia Ierusalem, iucundare et laetare ex toto corde tuo. Abstulit Dominus a te iniustitias adversantium tibi; redemit te de manu inimicorum tuorum, Dominus rex in medio tui; non videbis mala utra, et pax in te in tempus aeternum.

    Those, therefore who dare to think or teach otherwise, or as wicked heretics to spurn the traditions of the Church and to invent some novelty, or else to reject some of those things entrusted to the Church, whether it be:

Eos ergo qui audent aliter sapere aut docere, aut secundum scelestos haereticos ecclesiasticas traditiones spernere, et novitatem quamlibet excogitare, vel proiicere aliquid ex his quae sunt ecclesiae deputata,

the Book of the Gospels,

or the image of the cross,

or representational art,

or the holy relics of a martyr,

sive evangelium,

sive figuram crucis,

sive imaginalem picturam,

sive sanctas reliquias martyris;

aut excogitare prave aut astute ad subvertendum quidquam ex legitimis traditionibus ecclesiae catholicae; vel etiam quasi communibus uti sacris vasis, aut venerabilibus monasteriis; si quidem episcopi aut clerici fuerint, deponi praecipimus, monachos autem vel laicos a communione segregari.

ANATHEMAS CONCERNING HOLY IMAGES

 1. If anyone does not confess that Christ our God can be represented in his humanity, let him be anathema.

Si quis Christum Deum nostrum circumscriptum non confitetur secundum humanitatem, a(nathema) s(it).

 2. If anyone does not accept representation in art of evangelical scenes, let him be anathema.

Si quis evangelicas historias imaginibus expressas non admittit, a(nathema) s(it).

 3. If anyone does not salute such representations as standing for the Lord and his saints, let him be anathema.

Si quis eas non salutat, cum sint in nomine Domini et sanctorum eius, a(nathema) s(it).

 4. If anyone rejects any written or unwritten tradition of the church, let him be anathema.

Si quis omnem ecclesiasticam traditionem sive scriptam, sive non scriptam reiicit, a(nathema) s(it).

 CANONS

 CANONS

CANON 1. Canons to be observed

The pattern for those who have received the sacerdotal dignity is found in the testimonies and instructions laid down in the canonical constitutions, which we receiving with a glad mind, sing unto the Lord God in the words of the God-inspired David, saying: “I have had as great delight in the way of thy testimonies as in all manner of riches.” “Thou hast commanded righteousness as thy testimonies for ever.” “Grant me understanding and I shall live.” Now if the word of prophesy bids us keep the testimonies of God forever and to live by them, it is evident that they must abide unshaken and without change. Therefore Moses, the prophet of God, speaks after this manner: “To them nothing is to be added, and from them nothing is to be taken away.”

His qui sacram sortiti sunt dignitatem, testimonia et directiones canonicarum praeceptionum formae consistunt. Quas libenter suscipientes, cum deiloquo David canimus ad dominum Deum dicentes: In via testimoniorum tuorum delectatus sum, sicut in omnibus divitiis. Et mandasti iustitiam testimonia tua in aeternum. Intellectum da mihi, et vivifica me. Et si in aeternum prophetica vox mandat nobis custodire testimonia Dei, et vivere in illis, immutilata profecto et immota permanent. Et quia Dei inspector Moyses ita dixit: In illis non est addendum, et ab eis non est auferendum.

And the divine Apostle glorying in them cries out, “which things the angels desire to look into,” and, “if an angel preach to you anything besides that which ye have received, let him be anathema.” Seeing these things are so, being thus well-testified unto us, we rejoice over them as he that hath found great spoil, and press to our bosom with gladness the divine canons, holding fast all the precepts of the same, complete and without change, whether they have been set forth by the holy trumpets of the Spirit, the renowned Apostles, or by the Six Ecumenical Councils, or by Councils locally assembled for promulgating the decrees of the said Ecumenical Councils, or by our holy Fathers.

Et divinus apostolus in eis gloriatus clamat: In quem desiderant angeli prospicere. Et, Si angelus evangelizaverit vobis praeter quod accepistis, anathema sit. His ita se habentibus et protestantibus, exultantes in eis sicut qui invenit spolia multa, divinos canones amplectabiliter in pectore recondimus, et integram illorum praeceptionem ac immobilem tenemus: tam scilicet illorum qui ab almis et laudabilissimis apostolis sancti Spiritus tubis editi sunt, quam eorum qui a sex sanctis et universalibus sinodis, atque his conciliis quae localiter collecta sunt, in expositionem huiusmodi decretorum promulgati sunt: nec non et eorum qui a sanctis patribus nostris prolati fuisse probantur.

For all these, being illumined by the same Spirit, defined such things as were expedient. Accordingly those whom they placed under anathema, we likewise anathematize; those whom they deposed, we also depose; those whom they excommunicated, we also excommunicate; and those whom they delivered over to punishment, we subject to the same penalty. And now “let your conversation be without covetousness,” cries out Paul the divine Apostle, who was caught up into the third heaven and heard unspeakable words.

 Ab uno enim eodem que Spiritu illustrati definierunt quae expediunt. Et quidem quos anathemati transmittunt, et nos anathematizamus: quos vero depositioni, et nos deponimus: quos autem segregationi, et nos segregamus. Porro quos epitimio (id est poenae) tradunt, et nos quoque simili modo submittimus. Sine avaritia namque sint mores, contenti praesentibus, Paulus aperte clamat divinus apostolus, qui in tertium caelum ascendit, et audivit ineffabilia verba.

CANON 2. Bishops must know psalter, scripture, canons.

When we recite the psalter, we promise God: “I will meditate upon thy statutes, and will not forget thy words.” It is a salutary thing for all Christians to observe this, but it is especially incumbent upon those who have received the sacerdotal dignity. Therefore we decree, that every one who is raised to the rank of the episcopate shall know the psalter by heart, so that from it he may admonish and instruct all the clergy who are subject to him.

Quoniam psallentes repromittimus Deo: In iustificationibus tuis meditabor, non obliviscar sermones tuos omnes quidem christianos hoc servare saluberrimum est; sed praecipue hos, qui hierarchicam consecuti fuerint dignitatem. Unde definimus, omnem qui ad episcopatus provehendus est gradum, modis omnibus psalterium nosse; ut ex hoc etiam omnis clericus qui sub eo fuerit, ita moneatur et imbuatur.

And diligent examination shall be made by the metropolitan whether he be zealously inclined to read diligently, and not merely now and then, the sacred canons, the holy Gospel, and the book of the divine Apostle, and all other divine Scripture; and whether he lives according to God’s commandments, and also teaches the same to his people. For the special treasure (ουσια) of our high priesthood is the oracles which have been divinely delivered to us, that is the true science of the Divine Scriptures, as says Dionysius the Great. And if his mind be not set, and even glad, so to do and teach, let him not be ordained. For says God by the prophet, “You have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you shall be no priest to me.”

 Inquiratur autem diligenter a metropolita, si in promptu habeat legere scrutabiliter et non transitorie tam sacros canones et sanctum evangelium, quam divini Apostoli librum et omnem divinam scripturam: atque secundum Dei mandata conversari et docere populum sibi commissum. "Substantia enim summi sacerdotii nostri sunt eloquia divinitus tradita", id est vera scripturarum divinarum disciplina, quemadmodum magnus perhibet Dionysius. Quod si disceptaverit, nullatenus consecretur. Ait enim prophetice Deus: Tu scientiam repulisti, et ego repellam te, ne sacerdotio fungaris mihi.

CANON 3. Rulers may not choose a Bishop.

Let every election of a bishop, presbyter, or deacon, made by princes stand null, according to the canon which says: If any bishop making use of the secular powers shall by their means obtain jurisdiction over any church, he shall be deposed, and also excommunicated, together with all who remain in communion with him.

Omnis electio a principibus facta episcopi aut presbyteri aut diaconi, irrita maneat secundum regulam quae dicit: "Si quis episcopus saecularibus potestatibus usus, ecclesiam per ipsos obtineat, deponatur: et segregentur omnes qui illi communicant".

For he who is raised to the episcopate must be chosen by bishops, as was decreed by the holy fathers of Nice in the canon which says: It is most fitting that a bishop be ordained by all the bishops in the province; but if this is difficult to arrange, either on account of urgent necessity, or because of the length of the journey, three bishops at least having met together and given their votes, those also who are absent having signified their assent by letters, the ordination shall take place. The confirmation of what is thus done, shall in each province be given by the metropolitan thereof.

 Oportet enim ut qui provehendus est in episcopum, ab episcopis eligatur; quemadmodum a sanctis patribus qui apud Nicaeam convenerunt, in regula definitum est, quae dicit: "Episcopum convenit maxime quidem ab omnibus, qui sunt in provincia, episcopis ordinari. Si autem hoc difficile fuerit aut propter instantem necessitatem, aut propter itineris longitudinem, tribus tamen omnimodis in idipsum convenientibus, et aliis per literas consentientibus, tunc consecratio fiat. Firmitas autem eorum quae geruntur, per unamquamque provinciam metropolitano tribuatur antistiti".

CANON 4. Bishops to abstain from all receiving of gifts.

The Church’s herald, Paul the divine Apostle, laying down a rule (κανονα) not only for the presbyters of Ephesus but for the whole company of the priesthood, speaks thus explicitly, saying, “I have coveted no man’s silver or gold, or apparel. I have showed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak;” for he accounted it more blessed to give. Therefore we being taught by him do decree, that under no circumstances, shall a Bishop for the sake of filthy lucre invent feigned excuses for sins, and exact gold or silver or other gifts from the bishops, clergy, or monks who are subject to him. For says the Apostle, “The unrighteous shall not possess the kingdom of God,” and, “The children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.”

Praedicator ecclesiae Paulus divinus apostolus ac si canonem ponens Ephesiorum presbyteris, imo vero et omni sacratae multitudini, ita fiducialiter perhibuit dicens: Argentum, aut aurum, aut vestem nullius concupivi: omnia ostendi vobis, quoniam sic laborantes oportet suscipere infirmos, beatius existimans dare. Propter quod et nos edocti ab eo definimus, nullatenus episcopum turpis lucri gratia excogitare ad excusandas excusationes in peccatis, et expetere aurum vel argentum aut aliam speciem ab episcopis, vel clericis, aut monachis qui sub ipso sunt. Ait enim Apostolus: Iniqui regnum Dei non possidebunt: Et, non debent filii parentibus thesaurizare, sed parentes filiis.

If then any is found, who for the sake of exacting gold or any other gift, or who from personal feeling, has suspended from the ministry, or even excommunicated, any of the clergy subject to his jurisdiction, or who has closed any of the venerable temples, so that the service of God may not be celebrated in it, pouring out his madness even upon things insensible, and thus showing himself to be without understanding, he shall be subjected to the same punishment he devised for others, and his trouble shall return on his own head, as a transgressor of God’s commandment and of the apostolic precepts.

Quisquis ergo propter exactionem auri vel alterius cuiuslibet speciei aut propter proprium vitium inventus fuerit coercens a ministerio, vel sequestrans aliquem clericorum qui sub se degunt, aut venerabile templum claudens, ne in eo Dei ministeria celebrentur, ad insensata suam transmittens insaniam, insensatus veraciter est; ac per hoc, simili poenae eo subiecto, convertatur dolor eius in caput eius, ut in transgressorem mandati Dei et mandatorum apostolicorum.

For Peter the supreme head (η κερυφαια ακροτης) of the Apostles commands, “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over the clergy (των κληρων); but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”

 Praecipit enim et Petrus principalis apostolorum summitas: Pascite qui in vobis est gregem Dei non coacte, sed spontanee, secundum Deum, non turpis lucri gratia, sed prompte; neque ut dominantes in clero, sed forma facti gregis; et cum apparuerit princeps pastorum, percipietis immarcescibilem gloriae coronam.

CANON 5.Ordination not to be purchased

IT is a sin unto death when men incorrigibly continue in their sin, but they sin more deeply, who proudly lifting themselves up oppose piety and sincerity, accounting mammon of more worth than obedience to God, and caring nothing for his canonical precepts. The Lord God is not found among such, unless, perchance, having been humbled by their own fall, they return to a sober mind. It behoves them the rather to turn to God with a contrite heart and to pray for forgiveness and pardon of so grave a sin, and no longer to boast in an unholy gift. For the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart.

Peccatum ad mortem est, quando quidam peccantes incorrecti persistunt. Hoc vero deterius est, si et arroganter elati insurgunt adversus pietatem et veritatem; et praeferentes mammona Dei obedientiae, nullatenus regularibus eius preceptis intendunt. In his non est dominus Deus, nisi humiliati a proprio resipuerint fortasse excessu. Oportet enim eos magis accedere ad Deum, et cum contrito corde remissionem huius peccati et indulgentiam petere, et non gloriari in illicito dato. Iuxta enim est Dominus his qui tribulato sunt corde.

With regard, therefore, to those who pride themselves that because of their benefactions of gold they were ordained in the Church, and resting confidently in this evil custom (so alien from God and inconsistent with the whole priesthood), with a proud look and open mouth vilify with abusive words those who on account of the strictness of their life were chosen by the Holy Ghost and have been ordained without any gift of money, we decree in the first place that they take the lowest place in their order; but if they do not amend let them be subjected to a fine.

 Eos igitur qui gloriantur se per dationem auri ordinatos in ecclesia, et in hac maligna consuetudine quae alienat a Deo et omni sacerdotio, sperant, et ex hoc impudenti facie et non operto ore exprobrabilibus verbis eos qui ob virtutem vitae a sancto Spiritu electi et constituti sine datione auri sunt, inhonorant; primo quidem novissimum gradum accipere sui ordinis definimus: quod si permanserint, per epitimium corrigantur.

But if it appear that any one has done this [i.e., given money], at any time as a price for ordination, let him be dealt with according to the Apostolic Canon which says: “If a bishop has obtained possession of his dignity by means of money (the same rule applies also to a presbyter or deacon) let him be deposed and also the one who ordained him, and let him also be altogether cut off from communion, even as Simon Magus was by me Peter.”

 Si vero quis claruerit super consecratione hoc aliquando faciens, efficiatur secundum apostolicam regulam quae dicit: "Si quis episcopus per pecuniam dignitatem hanc obtinuerit, vel presbyter aut diaconus, deponatur et ipse et qui eum consecravit, et excidatur omnimodis etiam a communione, quemadmodum Simon magus a me Petro".

To the same effect is the second canon of our holy fathers of Chalcedon, which says: If any bishop gives ordination in return for money, and puts up for sale that which cannot be sold, and ordains for money a bishop or chorepiscopus, or presbyter, or deacon, or any other of those who are reckoned among the clergy; or who for money shall appoint anyone to the office of oeconomus, advocate, or paramonarius; or, in a word, who hath done anything else contrary to the canon, for the sake of filthy lucre—he who hath undertaken to do anything of this sort, having been convicted, shall be in danger of losing his degree. And he who has been ordained shall derive no advantage from the ordination or promotion thus negotiated; but let him remain a stranger to the dignity and responsibility which he attained by means of money. And if any one shall appear to have acted as a go-between in so shameful and godless a traffic, lie also, if he be a cleric, shall be removed from his degree; if he be a layman or a monk, let him be excommunicated.

 Similiter et iuxta secundam regulam sanctorum patrum qui apud Chalcedonem convenerunt, quae ait: "Si quis episcopus per pecunias consecrationem fecerit, et sub precio redegerit gratiam quae non potest vendi, ordinaverit que per pecunias episcopum, vel chorepiscopum, sive presbyteros aut diaconos, aut quemdam eorum qui in clero connumerantur: aut praeposuerit per pecunias oeconomum vel defensorem, sive mansionarium, aut prorsus quemquam qui sub regulam est, turpis lucri gratia: qui hoc conatus fuerit agere, si convictus fuerit, proprii gradus periculum subeat: et qui consecratus est, nihil proficiat ex consecratione vel promotione quae per negotiationem effecta est; sed sit alienus a dignitate et solicitudine quam per pecunias consecutus est. Si vero quis mediator apparuerit in huiusmodi turpibus et illicitis datis; si quidem clericus fuerit, proprio gradu decidat: si vero laicus vel monachus, excommunicetur".

CANON 6. Timing of Local Synods.

Since there is a canon which says, twice a year in each province, the canonical enquiries shall be made in the gatherings of the bishops; but because of the inconveniences which those who thus came together had to undergo in traveling, the holy fathers of the Sixth Council decreed that once each year, without regard to place or excuse which might be urged, a council should be held and the things which are amiss corrected. This canon we now renew. And if any prince be found hindering this being carried out, let him be excommunicated.

Quoniam, quidem regula est, quae dicit: "Bis in anno per singulas provincias oportet fieri conventum episcoporum regulares inquisitiones": propter fatigationem et ut opportune habeantur ad iter agendum hi qui congregandi sunt, definierunt sextae synodi sancti patres, omni excusatione remota, "modis omnibus semel in anno fieri, et depravata corrigi". Hunc ergo canonem et nos renovamus: et si quisquam princeps inventus fuerit hoc prohibere, communione privetur.

But if any of the metropolitans shall take no care that this be done, he being free from constraint or fear or other reasonable excuse, let him be subjected to the canonical penalties. While the council is engaged in considering the canons or matters which have regard to the Gospel, it behoves the assembled Bishops, with all attention and grave thought to guard the divine and life-giving commandments of God, for in keeping of them there is great reward; because our lamp is the commandment, and our light is the law, and trial and discipline are the way of life, and the commandment of the Lord shining afar gives light to the eyes. It is not permitted to a metropolitan to demand any of those things which the bishops bring with them, whether it be a horse or any other gift. If he be convicted of doing anything of this sort, he shall restore fourfold.

 Si quis vero metropolitanorum hoc neglexerit agere, absque necessitate vel vi seu aliqua rationabili occasione, canonicis poenis subiaceat. Dum autem synodus agitur super canonicis et evangelicis negotiis, oportet congregatos episcopos in meditatione et solicitudine fieri custodiendorum divinorum et vivificorum Domini mandatorum: in custodiendis enim illis retributio multa; quia et lucerna mandatum: lex autem lux, et via vitae argutio et disciplina est; et mandatum Domini lucidum illuminans oculos. Porro non habeat metropolitanus licentiam ex his quae defert episcopus se cum, sive iumentum, sive aliam speciem expetendi. Quod si hoc egisse convictus fuerit, solvat quadruplum.

 RELICS MUST BE IN CATHEDRALS - TEMPLES

CANON 7. Relics to be in Altars.

Paul the divine Apostle says: “The sins of some are open beforehand, and some they follow after.” These are their primary sins, and other sins follow these. Accordingly upon the heels of the heresy of the traducers of the Christians, there followed close other ungodliness. For as they took out of the churches the presence of the venerable images, so likewise they cast aside other customs which we must now revive and maintain in accordance with the written and unwritten law. We decree therefore that relics shall be placed with the accustomed service in as many of the sacred temples as have been consecrated without the relics of the Martyrs. And if any bishop from this time forward is found consecrating a temple without holy relics, he shall be deposed, as a transgressor of the ecclesiastical traditions.

Ait Paulus divinus apostolus: Quorumdam peccata manifesta sunt, quorumdam autem et subsequuntur. Peccatis ergo praevenientibus, et alia peccata his accidunt. Impiam itaque christianos accusantium haeresim et aliae impietates subsecutae sunt. Sicut enim venerabilium imaginum vultum abstulerunt ab ecclesia, ita et alios quosdam mores deseruerunt, quos et oportet renovari, et secundum scriptam et non scriptam legislationem denuo detineri. Quotquot ergo venerabilia templa consecrata sunt absque sanctis reliquiis martyrum, definimus in eis reliquiarum una cum solita oratione fieri positionem. Et si a praesenti tempore inventus fuerit episcopus absque lipsanis consecrare templum, deponatur, ut ille qui ecclesiasticas traditiones transgreditur.

CANON 8. Jews to be received only if they manifest sincerity of heart.

Since certain, erring in the superstitions of the Hebrews, have thought to mock at Christ our God, and feigning to be converted to the religion of Christ do deny him, and in private and secretly keep the Sabbath and observe other Jewish customs, we decree that such persons be not received to communion, nor to prayers, nor into the Church; but let them be openly Hebrews according to their religion, and let them not bring their children to baptism, nor purchase or possess a slave. But if any of them, out of a sincere heart and in faith, is converted and makes profession with his whole heart, setting at naught their customs and observances, and so that others may be convinced and converted, such an one is to be received and baptized, and his children likewise; and let them be taught to take care to hold aloof from the ordinances of the Hebrews. But if they will not do this, let them in no wise be received.

 Quoniam errantes hi qui ex Hebraeorum superstitione consistunt, subsannare se Christum Deum, existimant, simulantes christianizare, ipsum autem negant, clam et latenter sabbatizantes, et alia Iudaeorum more facientes: definimus hos neque in communionem, neque in orationem, neque in ecclesiam suscipi; sed manifeste sint secundum religionem suam Hebraei: neque pueros eorum baptizari, neque servum emi vel acquiri. Si vero ex sincero corde ac fide converterit se quis eorum, et confessus fuerit ex toto corde, divulgans mores eorum et res, ut alii etiam arguantur et corrigantur; hunc suscipi et baptizari, et pueros eius: quin et observari eos, ut recedant ab Hebraicis adinventionibus, definimus: alias autem nullatenus admittendos.

CANON 9. Turn over iconoclastic texts.

All the childish devices and mad ravings which have been falsely written against the venerable images, must be delivered up to the Episcopium of Constantinople, that they may be locked away with other heretical books. And if anyone is found hiding such books, if he be a bishop or presbyter or deacon, let him be deposed; but if he be a monk or layman, let him be anathema.

Omnia puerilitia ludibria, insanas que debacchationes atque conscripta, quae falso contra venerabiles imagines facta sunt, dari oportet in episcopio Constantinopoleos, ut recondantur cum ceterorum haereticorum libris. Si vero quis inventus fuerit haec occultare, siquidem episcopus aut presbyter, vel diaconus fuerit, deponatur: si vero monachus aut laicus, anathematizetur.

CANON 10. Clerics to be stable in their dioceses.

Since certain of the clergy, misinterpreting the canonical constitutions, leave their own diocese and run into other dioceses, especially into this God-protected royal city, and take up their abode with princes, celebrating liturgies in their oratories, it is not permitted to receive such persons into any house or church without the license of their own Bishop and also that of the Bishop of Constantinople. And if any clerk shall do this without such license, and shah so continue, let him be deposed. With regard to those who have done this with the knowledge of the aforesaid Bishops, it is not lawful for them to undertake mundane and secular responsibilities, since this is forbidden by the sacred canons. And if anyone is discovered holding the office of those who are called Meizoteroi; let him either lay it down, or be deposed from the priesthood. Let him rather be the instructor of the children and others of the household, reading to them the Divine Scriptures, for to this end he received the priesthood.

Quoniam quidam clericorum parvipendentes canonicam constitutionem, relinquunt parochiam propriam, et ad alias parochias convolant, et maxime in hac Deo servanda regia urbe sese apud principes locant, in eorum oratoriis missas facientes: hos absque proprio episcopo et Constantinopolitano antistite non licet suscipere in qualibet domo vel ecclesia: quod si hoc fecerit, et ita perseveraverit, deponatur. Quotquot autem cum conscientia praedictorum hoc fecerint sacertodum, non licet eis mundanas et saeculares curas suscipere, praesertim cum hoc agere prohibeantur a sacris canonibus. Quisquis autem apparuit eorum, qui dicuntur maiores, curam tenere, aut desinat, aut deponatur: potius autem maneat ad magisterium tam puerorum quam famulorum, relegens eis divinas scripturas: ad hoc enim etiam sacerdotium consecutus est.

CANON 11. Treasurers in churches and monasteries.

Since we are under obligation to guard all the divine canons, we ought by all means to maintain in its integrity that one which says oeconomi are to be in each church. If the metropolitan appoints in his Church an oeconomus [treasurer], he does well; but if he does not, it is permitted to the Bishop of Constantinople by his own (ιδιας) authority to choose an oeconomus for the Church of the Metropolitan. A like authority belongs to the metropolitans, if the Bishops who are subject to them do not wish to appoint oeconomi in their churches. The same rule is also to be observed with respect to monasteries.

Cum simus debitores omnes sanctas litteras custodire, et eam quae dicit, in unaquaque ecclesia oeconomos esse, modis omnibus inviolabilem conservare debemus. Et si quidem unusquisque metropolitanus in sua ecclesia constituerit oeconomum, bene utique: sin autem, ex auctoritate propria Constantinopoleos episcopo licentia est praeponendi oeconomum in eius ecclesia: similiter et metropolitanis, si episcopi qui sub ipsis sunt, non sategerint oeconomos statuere in suis ecclesiis. Idipsum autem servandum est etiam in monasteriis.

CANON 12. Bishops and Abbots not to alienate church property

IF bishop or hegumenos is found alienating any part of the farm lands of the diocese or monastery into the hands of secular princes, or surrendering them to any other person, such act is null according to the canon of the holy Apostles, which says: “Let the bishop take care of all the Church’s goods, and let him administer the same according as in the sight of God.” It is not lawful for him to appropriate any part himself, or to confer upon his relations the things which belong to God. If they are poor let them be helped among the poor; but let them not be used as a pretext for smuggling away the Church’s property. And if it be urged that the land is only a loss and yields no profit, the place is not on that account to be given to the secular rulers, who are in the neighborhood; but let it be given to clergymen or husbandmen.

Quisquis episcopus inventus fuerit vel abbas de salariis episcopii sive monasterii transferre quidquam in principum manus, vel etiam alii personae conferre, irritum sit quod datum esse constiterit, secundum canonem sanctorum apostolorum qui dicit: "Omnium ecclesiasticarum rerum episcopus solicitudinem habeat, et dispenset eas tamquam Deo contemplante; non liceat autem ei fraudare quidquam ex illis, vel cognatis propriis donare quae Dei sunt. Quod si pauperes fuerint, ut pauperibus largiatur: sed non sub eorum occasione quae sunt ecclesiae defraudentur". Quod et excusationem si praetenderint, damnum facere, et nihil ad profectum agrum exsistere; nec sic principibus qui per loca illa sunt, tribuatur ager vel locus, sed clericis vel agricultoribus.

And if they have resorted to dishonest craft, so that the ruler has bought the land from the husbandman or cleric, such transaction shall likewise be null, and the land shall be restored to the diocese or monastery. And the bishop or hegumenos doing this shall be turned out, the bishop from his diocese and the hegumenos from his monastery, as those who wasted what they did not gather.

 Quod si calliditate usus fuerit, et a colono vel clerico emerit princeps agrum; etiam sic irrita sit venditio, et restituatur episcopio vel monasterio: et episcopus vel abbas hoc faciens abiiciatur, episcopus quidem ab episcopio, abbas autem a monasterio, tamquam qui dispergit male quae non collegit.

CANON 13. Monasteries not to become public houses (inns)

During the calamity which was brought to pass in the Churches, because of our sins, some of the sacred houses, for example, bishops’ palaces and monasteries, were seized by certain men and became public inns. If those who now hold them choose to give them back, so that they may be restored to their original use, well and good; but if not, and these persons are on the sacerdotal list, we command that they be deposed; if they be monks or laymen, that they be excommunicated, as those who have been condemned from the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and assigned their place where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched, because they set themselves against the voice of the Lord, which says:”Make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.”

Quoniam propter calamitatem, quae pro peccatis nostris in ecclesiis facta est, subreptae sunt a quibusdam viris quaedam venerabiles domus, tam videlicet episcopia, quam monasteria, et facta sunt communia diversoria: si quidem voluerint ii qui haec retinent, reddere ea, ut secundum antiquitatem instaurentur, bene et optime: alioquin, si de sacrato catalogo fuerint, hos deponi praecipimus: si vero monachi vel laici, excommunicari: quos nimirum constat condemnatos esse a Patre et Filio et Spiritu sancto: et deputentur, ubi vermis non moritur, et ignis non exstinguitur: quia voci Domini adversantur, quae dicit: Non faciatis domum Patris mei domum negotiationis.

CANON 14. Lectors and who may institute them.

That there is a certain order established in the priesthood is very evident to all, and to guard diligently the promotions of the priesthood is well pleasing to God. Since therefore we see certain youths who have received the clerical tonsure, but who have not yet received ordination from the bishop, reading in the ambo during the Synaxis, and in doing this violating the canons, we forbid this to be done (from henceforth,) and let this prohibition be observed also amongst the monks.

Quia ordo debet in sacratione custodiri, omnibus liquet: et cum diligentia conservare sacerdotii promotiones, Deo est prorsus acceptum. Et quoniam videmus sine manus impositione a parvula aetate tonsuram clerici quosdam accipientes, nondum ab episcopo manus impositione percepta super ambonem irregulariter in collecta legentes, praecipimus, amodo id minime fieri: idipsum quoque conservandum est etiam inter monachos.

It is permitted to each hegumenos in his own monastery to ordain a reader, if he himself had received the laying on of hands by a bishop to the dignity of hegumenos, and is known to be a presbyter. Chorepiscopi may likewise, according to ancient custom and with the bishop’s authorization, appoint readers.

Lectoris autem manus impositionem licentia est unicuique abbati in proprio monasterio solummodo faciendi, si dumtaxat abbati manus impositio facta noscatur ab episcopo secundum morem praeficiendorum abbatum, dum constet illum esse presbyterum. SImili modo secundum antiquam consuetudinem chorepiscopos praeceptione episcopi oportet promovere lectores.

CANON 15. That a cleric ought not have two churches.

From henceforth no clergyman shall be appointed over two churches, for this savors of merchandise and filthy lucre, and is altogether alien from ecclesiastical custom. We have heard by the very voice of the Lord that, “No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other.” Each one, therefore, as says the Apostle, in the calling wherein he was called, in the same he ought to abide, and in one only church to give attendance. For in the affairs of the Church, what is gained through filthy lucre is altogether separate from God.

Clericus ab instanti tempore non connumeretur in duabus ecclesiis. Negotiationis enim est hoc et turpis commodi proprium, et ab ecclesiastica consuetudine penitus alienum. Audivimus enim ex ipsa dominica voce: Quia nemo potest duobus dominis servire, aut enim unum odio habebit, et alterum diliget: aut unum sustinebit et alterum contemnet. Unusquisque ergo secundum apostolicam vocem, in quo vocatus est, in hoc debet manere, et in una locari ecclesia. Quae enim per turpe lucrum in ecclesiasticis rebus efficiuntur, aliena consistunt a Deo.

To meet the necessities of this life, there are various occupations, by means of which, if one so desire, let him procure the things needful for the body. For says the Apostle, “These hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.” Occupations of this sort may be obtained in the God-protected city. But in the country places outside, because of the small number of people, let a dispensation be granted.

 Ad vitae vero huius necessitatem studia sunt diversa: ex his vero qui voluerit, acquirat corporis opportuna. Ait enim Apostolus: Ad ea quae mihi opus erant, et his qui me cum sunt, ministraverunt manus istae. Et haec quidem in hac a Deo conservanda urbe. Ceterum in villis quae foris sunt, propter inopiam hominum indulgeatur.

CANON 16. Simplicity of Clerical attire.

All buffoonery and decking of the body ill becomes the priestly rank. Therefore those bishops and clerics who array themselves in gay and showy clothing ought to correct themselves, and if they do not amend they ought to be subjected to punishment. So likewise they who anoint themselves with perfumes. When the root of bitterness sprang up, there was poured into the Catholic Church the pollution of the heresy of the traducers of the Christians. And such as were defiled by it, not only detested the pictured images, but also set at naught all decorum, being exceedingly mad against those who lived gravely and religiously; so that in them was fulfilled that which is written, “The service of God is abominable to the sinner.”

Omnis iactantia et ornatura corporalis aliena est a sacrato ordine. Eos ergo episcopos vel clericos qui se fulgidis et claris vestibus ornant, emendari oportet. Quod si in hoc permanserint, epitimio trandantur. Similiter eos qui unguentis inunguntur. Quoniam vero, radice amaritudinis exorta, contaminatio facta est in catholica ecclesia christianos calumniantium haeresis, etiam hi qui hanc receperunt, non solum imaginarias picturas abominati sunt, sed et omnem reverentiam repulerunt, eos qui religiose ac pie vivunt, offendentes: ac per hoc completur in eis quod scriptum est: Abominatio est peccatori Dei cultus.

If therefore, any are found deriding those who are clad in poor and grave raiment, let them be corrected by punishment. For from early times every man in holy orders wore modest and grave clothing; and verily whatever is worn, not so much because of necessity, as for the sake of outward show, savors of dandyism, as says Basil the Great. Nor did anyone array himself in raiment embroidered with silk, nor put many colored ornaments on the border of his garments; for they had heard from the lips of God that “They that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.”

 Igitur si inventi fuerint deridentes eos qui vilibus et religiosis vestimentis amicti sunt, per epitimium corrigantur. Priscis enim temporibus omnis sacratus vir cum mediocri ac vili veste conversabatur. Omne quippe quod non propter necessitatem suam, sed propter venustatem accipitur "elationis" habet calumniam, quemadmodum magnus ait Basilius. Sed neque ex sericis texturis vestem quis variatam induebat, neque apponebat variorum colorum ornamenta in summitatibus vestimentorum. Audierant autem ex deifona lingua, quia qui mollibus vestiuntur, in domibus regum sunt.

CANON 17. Churches not to be started unless they can be completed.

Certain monks having left their monasteries because they desired to rule, and, unwilling to obey, are undertaking to build oratories, but have not the means to finish them. Now whoever shall undertake to do anything of this sort, let him be forbidden by the bishop of the place. But if he have the means wherewith to finish, let what he has designed be carried on to completion. The same rule is to be observed with regard to laymen and clerics.

Quia quidam monachorum deserentes monasteria sua, praeesse anhelantes, et obedire renuentes, inchoant construere oratorias domos, ea quae ad perfectionem necessaria sunt non habentes: quisquis igitur hoc visus fuerit agere, prohibeatur a loci episcopo. At vero si sumptus sufficientes ad perfectionem habuerit, quae ab ipso desiderantur, ad terminum perducantur. Idipsum autem servandum est etiam super laicis et clericis

CANON 18. Women may not  live in bishops’ houses, nor in monasteries of men.

“BE ye without offence to those who are without,” says the divine Apostle. Now for women to live in Bishops’ houses or in monasteries is ground for grave offence. Whoever therefore is known to have a female slave or freewoman in the episcopal palace or in a monastery for the discharge of some service, let him be rebuked. And if he still continue to retain her, let him be deposed. If it happens that women are on the suburban estates, and the bishop or hegumenos desires to go thither, so long as the bishop or hegumenos is present, let no woman at that time continue her work, but let her betake herself to some other place until the bishop or hegumenos has departed, so that there be no occasion of complaint.

Sine offensione estote his etiam qui foris sunt, divinus dicit Apostolus. Feminas autem commorari in episcopiis, vel etiam monasteriis, omnis est offensionis materia. Quisquis ergo ancillam vel liberam in episcopio possidere claruerit, vel in monasterio ad opus ministerii alicuius, increpetur: si autem permanserit, deponatur. Porro si contigerit in proastiis feminas esse, et voluerit episcopus vel abbas iter ad eas facere, praesente episcopo vel abbate nullatenus monasterii opus facere eo tempore mulieri liceat, sed seorsum moretur in alio loco, donec episcopus vel abbas recedat, propter irreprehensibilitatem.

CANON 19. No gifts exacted for the vows of clerics, monks, or nuns

The abomination of filthy lucre has made such inroads among the rulers of the churches, that certain of those who call themselves religious men and women, forgetting the commandments of the Lord have been altogether led astray, and for the sake of money have received those presenting themselves for the sacerdotal order and the monastic life. And hence the first step of those so received being unlawful, the whole proceeding is rendered null, as says Basil the Great. For it is not possible that God should be served by means of mammon. If therefore, anyone is found doing anything of this kind, if he be a bishop or hegumenos, or one of the priesthood, either let him cease to do so any longer or else let him be deposed, according to the second canon of the Holy Council of Chalcedon.

In tantum inolevit avaritiae facinus in rectores ecclesiarum, ut etiam quidam eorum qui dicuntur religiosi viri atque mulieres, obliviscentes mandatorum Domini, decipiantur, et per aurum introitus accedentium tam ad sacratum ordinem, quam ad monasticam vitam efficiant. Unde fit, ut "quorum initium improbabile est, omnia sint proiicienda", ut magnus ait Basilius, neque enim Deo per mammona servire licet. Si quis ergo inventus fuerit hoc faciens, si quidem episcopus vel abbas exstiterit, vel quilibet de sacrato collegio, aut desinat aut deponatur, iuxta secundam regulam sancti Chalcedonensis concilii;

If the offender be an abbess, let her be sent away from her monastery, and placed in another in a subordinate position. In like manner is a hegumenos to be dealt with, who has not the ordination of a presbyter. With regard to what has been given by parents as a dowry for their children, or which persons themselves have contributed out of their own property, with the declaration that such gifts were made to God, we have decreed, that whether the persons in whose behalf the gifts were made, continue to live in the monastery or not, the gifts are to remain with the monastery in accordance with their first determination; unless indeed there be ground for complaint against the superior.

abbatissa vero eiiciatur de monasterio, et tradatur in alio monasterio ad subiectionem; similiter et abbas qui non habuerit manus impositionem presbyteri. Porro quae filiis a parentibus dantur more dotis, vel si qua ex propriis rebus acquisita offeruntur, profitentibus his qui ea offerunt Deo dicanda, definimus, sive perseveraverint, sive exierint, manere illa in monasterio secundum repromissionem ipsorum, nisi fuerit culpa praelati.

CANON 20. No double monasteries.

WE decree that from henceforth, no double monastery shall be erected; because this has become an offence and cause of complaint to many. In the case of those persons who with the members of their family propose to leave the world and follow the monastic life, let the men go into a monastery for men, and the women into a monastery for women; for this is well-pleasing to God. The double monasteries which are already in existence, shall observe the rule of our holy Father Basil, and shall be ordered by his precepts, monks and nuns shall not dwell together in the same monastery, for in thus living together adultery finds its occasion. No monk shall have access to a nunnery; nor shall a nun be permitted to enter a monastery for the sake of conversing with anyone therein.

Ex hoc definimus, minime duplex fieri monasterium; quia scandalum id et offendiculum multis efficitur. Si vero aliqui cum cognatis abrenuntiare, et monasticam vitam sectari voluerint, debent quidem viri virorum adire coenobium, feminae vero mulierum ingredi monasterium: in hoc enim placatur Deus. Quae autem hactenus sunt dupla teneant secundum regulam sancti patris nostri Basilii, et secundum praeceptionem eius ita formentur. Non habitent in uno monasterio monachi et monachae: adulterium enim intercipit cohabitationem. Non habeat aditum monachus ad monacham, vel monacha ad monachum, secreto ad collocutionem.

No monk shall sleep in a monastery for women, nor eat alone with a nun. When food is brought by men to the canonesses, let the abbess accompanied by some one of the aged nuns, receive it outside the gates of the women’s monastery. When a monk desires to see one of his kinswomen, who may be in the nunnery, let him converse with her in the presence of the abbess, and that in a very few words, and then let him speedily take his departure.

 Non cubet monachus in muliebri monasterio, neque singulariter cum monacha convivetur. Et quando necessaria vitae a virorum parte ad regulares deferuntur, extra portam haec suscipiat abbatissa monasterii feminarum cum quadam vetula monacha. Porro si contigerit, ut aliquam propinquam suam videre voluerit monachus, in praesentia abbatissae huic confabuletur per modica et compendiosa verba, et in brevi ab ea discedat.

CANON 21. Monks to be stable in monasteries.

A Monk or nun ought not to leave the monastery to which he or she is attached, and betake themselves to others. But if one do this, he ought to be received as a guest. It is not however proper that he be made a member of the monastery, without the consent of his hegumenos.

Non oportere monachum, vel monacham, monasterium proprium relinquere et ad alia proficisci. Quod si contigerit hoc, recipi hunc hospitio necesse est: assumi autem eum sine voluntate abbatis eius non convenit.

CANON 22. Decorum for monks who eat with women.

To surrender all things to God, and not to serve our own wills, is great gain. For says the divine Apostle, “whether ye eat or drink, do all to the glory of God.” And Christ our God has bidden us in his Gospels, to cut off the beginning of sins; for not only is adultery rebuked by him, but even the movement of the mind towards the act of adultery when he says, “Whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” We who have been thus taught ought therefore to purify our minds. Now although all things are lawful, all things are not expedient, as we have been taught by the mouth of the Apostle. It is needful that all men should eat in order that they may live.

Deo quidem totum committere, et non propriis voluntatibus deservire, magna res est. Sive enim manducatis, sive bibitis, divinus Apostolus dicit, omnia in gloriam Dei facite. Christus ergo Deus noster in evangeliis suis initia peccatorum recidere praecepit; non enim moechia ab eo tantum inhibetur, sed et motio cogitationis ad moechiae commissum damnatur, dicente eo: Qui viderit mulierem ad concupiscendum eam, iam moechatus est eam in corde suo. Hinc ergo edocti, cogitationes debemus mundare: Nam etsi omnia licent, sed non omnia expediunt, ut ex apostolica voce docemur. Necessarium ergo est omni homini manducare, ut vivat.

And for those to whom life consists of marrying, and bringing forth children, and of the condition of the lay state, there is nothing unbecoming in men and women eating together, only let them give thanks to the giver of the food; but if there be the entertainments of the theatre, that is, Satanic songs accompanied with the meretricious inflections of harps, there come upon them, through these things, the curse of the prophet, who thus speaks: “Woe to them who drink wine with harp and psaltery, but they regard not the works of the Lord, and consider not the works of his hands.” Whenever persons of this sort are found among Christians, let them amend their ways; but if they will not do so, let there overtake them the penalties which have been enacted in the canons by our predecessors.

 Et quidem inter eos, quibus vita est nuptiarum et natorum atque laicalis affectus, manducare viros et mulieres simul, nulli detractioni patet; tantum ut ei qui dat escam, gratias agant: et non ab eis per quasdam thymelicas voluptates satanae imago cantantibus citharis que atque meretriciis contortionibus coli videatur. Quibus superveniet prophetica maledictio, quae ita dicit: Vae qui cum cithara et psalterio vinum bibunt, opera autem Domini non intuentur, et opera manuum eius non intelligunt. Et si usquam fuerint inter christianos huiusmodi, corrigantur; sin autem, obtineant super eis quae sunt ante nos regulariter edita.

With regard to those whose life is free from care and apart from men, that is, those who have resolved before the Lord God to carry the solitary yoke, they should sit down alone and in silence. Moreover it is also altogether unlawful for those who have chosen the priestly life to eat in private with women, unless it be with God-fearing and discreet men and women, so that even their feast may be turned to spiritual edification. The same rule is to be observed with relatives. Again, if it happen that a monk or priest while on a journey does not have with him what is absolutely necessary for him, and, because of his pressing needs, thinks well to turn aside into an inn or into someone’s house, this he is permitted to do, seeing that need compels.

 Quibus autem vita est solitaria et unius moris, ut eis videlicet qui Domini iugum se singulare tollere spondent, sedere et tacere convenit. Sed et his qui sacratam elegere vitam, nullo modo licet secreto cum mulieribus convivari; nisi forte cum quibusdam Deum timentibus et reverendis viris, vel etiam mulieribus; quatenus et ipsa convivatio ad directionem spiritualem proficiat. Et inter consanguineos quoque idipsum efficiatur. Rursus que si contigerit in itinere monachum vel sacratum virum non circumferre quae victui opportuna sunt, et propter necessitatem divertere sive in xenodochium, sive in domum alicuius, licentiam habebit hoc faciendi, tamquam urgente necessitate.