Didascalia Apostolorum

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50 DIDASCALIA. Ap. Con. a Prophet. Therefore for the honour of the Bishop make known to him everything that ye do. Even by means of him let everything be com- xxxii. pleted. If ye know that a man is much afflicted, but the Bishop doth not know it, inform him, but without him do nothing to disgrace him that thou bring no shame upon him as upon a despiser of the poor ; for he who raises an evil report against the Bishop either by word or by deed, sins against God Almighty. But again, against a Deacon if any one speak evilly by word or by deed, he offends the EX. xxii. 28 Christ. Therefore it is written also in the Law, " Thou shalt not revile thy gods, nor speak evil against the ruler of thy people." Let no one suppose then that the Lord was speaking about idols of stone, but He calls ' gods ' those who are placed over you. Moses also said again in the Book of Numbers, when the people had murmured against him and against Aaron, EX. xvi. 8 " It is not against us that ye murmur, but against the Lord God." Luke x. 16 Also our Saviour said, "He that wrongeth you wrongeth Me, and Him that sent Me." For what hope is there, even a little, to him who has spoken evil things against the Bishop ? or against the Deacon ? For if one have called Matt. v. 22 a layman a fool or vile (Raca), he shall be condemned by the Synagogue, as one of those who rise up against the Christ, because he hath called his brother vain, him in whom the Christ dwelleth, who is not vain, but filled ; or a fool him in whom dwelleth the Holy Spirit of God, the Perfecter in all wisdom, as if he were a fool from the Spirit that dwelleth in him ! If, therefore, any one who should say one of these things to a layman be found f. 34 b to have fallen into all this condemnation, how much [more] if one venture to say anything against a Bishop or against a Deacon ? him by whose means the Lord hath given you the Holy Ghost, and by whose means ye have learnt the Word and know God, and by whose means ye are known of God, and by whose means ye are sealed ; and by whose means ye are become the sons of light ; and by whose means the Lord in baptism, by the laying on of the Bishop's hand, gave witness about each of you, and Psalm ii. 7 caused His holy voice to be heard and said, " Thou art My son, this day have I begotten thee." Therefore, O my son, love thy Bishops, those by whose hands thou art become a son of God, and l knowest the right nPxxxm hand1, and cherish him who after God is thy father and thy mother; EX. xxi. IT for every one who mocketh his father or his mother, let him die the death. Matt. xv. 4 But honour ye the Bishops who are able to loose you from sins, those who have begotten you anew by means of water, those who have filled you with the Holy Ghost, those who have nourished you with the Word as with milk, those who have established you with the doctrine of life, those 1 S. and the right hand thy mother.