The Ethiopic Didascalia

Section 11

X. It is the duty of Bishops to be peace-makers, merciful, pardoning him who hath transgressed against them, and that they should receive the repentance of those who return unto the Lord: and if they do not thus, they shall not be called Bishops, but they shall be called evil-doers. If the Bishop pray for peace upon others, how then shall he himself not be peaceable, that he may be called a Son of peace? For if he himself have not peace, how can he give peace to others? Wherefore it is requisite, before all things, that he be peaceable, without malice or hatred; but in love and peace let him reconcile and feed the sheep of Christ; yea moreover let him watch over them as a faithful friend, that they may be saved together, and become one flock. But evil men, who do iniquity and bring in hatred and disturbance, are far from the Lord. For the Lord is a God of mercy, who desireth to gather in men unto repentance, by the teaching of the just, even of all the generations of the Prophets. For before the Flood, the people lived walking according to the exhortations of Abel, and Seth, and Enoch, who was taken up into heaven. And them that were after the Flood, Noah taught; and them of Sodom, Lot taught, the hospitable entertainer of strangers. And after Lot were Melchisedec, the Patriarchs, and Job, the lover of the Lord. The Egyptians and the Children of Israel were taught by the commands of Moses, and Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb, and Phinehas, and those that came after them; and after the Law, by the reproofs of Angels and Prophets; and after these was our Lord, who was made man of the Holy Virgin Mary. For after John the Baptist had been put in prison, he preached, saying. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And after that he had suffered on the Cross, he commanded us, even us the twelve Apostles, to preach, together with our good brother Paul. We are they who have received this grace of God, that we should be witnesses for his Son our Lord Jesus Christ. And with us, moreover, are James the brother of the Lord, and the seven Deacons. We have heard from the mouth of our Lord the word of life, and we believe and know that he is Jesus the Christ, in whom the Father is well pleased. We declare unto you perfectly that which we have heard from him, that none may perish. To him let us offer praises with one voice, that we may obtain life everlasting. And thus the Lord hath commanded us, when we pray to the Father, saying. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. As all the hosts of heavenly and spiritual beings sing praises, so let every creature on earth praise the one God, through his only Son, our Lord God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. This is his will, that we should praise him and bless him with one mind, and worship him with one spirit; for it is the will of Christ, that those who are saved should be multiplied, and that not one of them should perish, nor the Chm-ch be diminished. Slay not the soul which hath been made alive through repentance; for it hath been saved from indignation and wrath: but do ye, in goodness and patience, fulfil all the words of Scripture. But if thou scatter the sheep of the flock of Christ, thou art become an enemy of Christ. Destroy not the lambs, which Christ feedeth. Take heed therefore, O Bishop, lest through thy means the sheep of Christ's flock be scattered, whom we have gathered together by the preaching of tongues from every quarter, by toil and labour and sorrow, by watching, by hunger and thirst, by labour in journeyings, by persecution, and affliction, and imprisonment. Behold, thus have we done the will of the Lord; and have filled His vineyard, which is the Holy Congregation, the Church of the Lord. Let them that are called into it rejoice and be glad, praising and blessing the Lord, even they that are called unto life everlasting. And ye, O people, keep among you love and peace, that ye may go unto the House of the Lord with one heart: and for this ye shall find great and good recompence from the Lord. But thou, O Bishop, be without spot, and do not that which is not fitting; and be not angry, nor deceitful, nor of an evil disposition; but be an instructor, a helper of them that perish, counselling that which is good; and confirm the people, as a man of God. And when ye are gathered together in the church, command them to walk in the right way, as a wise ship-master. And command the Deacons to be as the sailors; and let them cause the brethren to sit each one in his place, as it is fitting, in righteousness and purity; for they are together with you in one ship. Let then the length of the church be towards the east; and let there be two porches in its sides, after the Likeness of a ship; and let the throne of the Bishop be set in the midst. And then let the Priests sit on his right-hand and on his left; and the Deacons stand ready to minister, having their garments girt up, as sailors. But let the people sit in their places, with fear and trembling; and in like manner let the women sit by themselves in silence. And let the Reader stand up in a high place, and read the Books of Moses, and of Joshua the son of Nun, and of the Judges, and the Kings and Chronicles, and the writings after the Captivity, after the return from Babylon, Job also, and Solomon, and the Fifteen Prophets. And then let them read in the Scriptures by two; and let one rise up and sing praises in the words of David, and let the people answer in praises. Then let them read the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles of Paul, our beloved fellow-labourer, which he wrote and sent to all the Churches, by the help of the Holy Spirit. And after this, let the Priest or Deacon read the Gospel, which we have given you, even I Matthew, and John, or that which Luke and Mark have set forth, the fellow-labourers with Paul, even that which they have set in order for you. And when he stands up, while the Gospel is read, let the Priests and Deacons and all the people stand up with great fear. For it is written. Be silent, O Israel, and hear! And then let the Priests stand up one by one and confirm the people; and afterwards the Bishop, that he may save them by an exhortation. Let the door-keepers stand where the men come in, and put them in their places; and so let the Deaconesses likewise make the women stand in their places. And if any be found standing in places which are not their own, let the Deacons put them to shame, and bring them back to their places: for the Deacons are as the sailors, and the church as a ship. Yet is it not a ship, but a flock of sheep. But the shepherds separate the sheep from the goats, and place them each according to their kind, and on their own side. And thus let the people also, when they meet in the church, be placed together according to their class. Let the young men stand by themselves; but if there be not room to contain them, let them stand with the rest of the people. And let the old men also stand by themselves; but let the children be placed before their fathers, who may take them under their care. And let the young women also be set by themselves; but if there be not room, let them stand behind the married women. And let those that have husbands and children be by themselves. It is the duty of the Deacon to arrange them one by one; that no one trespass into the seat of his neighbour. And let him mark carefully the manners and behaviour of the people in the church, that they may not sleep, nor neglect to pray; but let him keep watch over them; and if any be found laughing or talking foolishly, let him reprove them, and cause them to be silent. It behoveth us then to stand in the church with fear and trembling, and to set our thoughts upon hearing the word of the Scriptures. And when he who speaks to the Catechumens cries aloud, ' let the teachers, and those who are under penance, and all the people, rise up and look towards the east, and pray unto the Lord, who is in every place, that He would bring them into the former place, into the Garden of joy, from whence the first man was cast forth, when he consented to the counsel of the serpent, and transgressed the commandment of the Lord. And afterwards let the Priest arise; and let them offer up a sacrifice unto the Lord with fear and trembling. And then let the Deacons arise, and command them to be silent; and let the Deacon who stands with the Bishop say thus to the people, that no man let revenge dwell in his heart, unto hatred or envy against his neighbour. And then let the people salute one another with a holy kiss; and in like manner let the women also salute each other: but salute not one another deceitfully, as Judas Iscariot, who kissed our Lord. And afterwards let the Deacon pray and make supplication for all that are in the church, for the fruits of the earth, and for the King, and for the Priests, for the Rulers and Chief Priests, and for peace upon the Holy Apostolic Church. And after this, let the Chief Priest pray and offer supplication that peace may be upon the people. And then let him bless them, as Moses commanded that the Priests should bless the people, saying thus. The Lord bless thee and keep thee, and make his face to shine upon thee, and save thee, and give thee peace, and have mercy upon thee! And after this let the Bishop pray, and say. Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance! feed them, and lift them up for ever! for it is thy Holy Church, which thou hast purchased by thy name, and redeemed by thy blood, by our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath called her to be an assembly of Kings and Priests, a pure generation, a holy people! And after that the Priests have taken into their hands the Mysteries, let them take heed that none enter who are not believers. And then let the people stand up, and let the women also, by themselves, veil their heads, and let them stretch out their hands, and pray for pardon, and receive His flesh and precious blood. And if any brother or sister come from a distant place, let the Deacon inquire into their lives, and understand their faith. And if they have the true tokens of faith, let him receive them to enter into the church. But if they be unsound in the faith, let him not receive them to enter in. And if a Priest come from a place afar off, let the Priests receive him, and in like manner let it be done with the Deacons. And if a Bishop come, a stranger, let the Bishop, who is in the same station, receive him, and let him sit with him, and let him give him honour. And then let them request him to teach, and reprove, and exhort, and comfort them; for He saith, A Prophet is without honour in his own country. Entreat him therefore that he offer up the sacrifice. And if, through fear, he will not offer up the sacrifice, let them entreat him the more earnestly to give at least a blessing to the people. And if any man come unto thee, whether a stranger or one of the men of the place, clothed in a goodly robe, full of grace and dignity, do thou, O Bishop, proclaim unto him the word of the Lord. And while thou hearest them singing and reading the Scriptures, neglect not thy ministry and the work of thine hands. It is right that the brethren should receive strangers, and magnify and honour them. And if there be any haughty man, who honoureth not the stranger, let the Deacon, when he cometh, rebuke him, and place him behind the rest of the people, that others, seeing him, may fear. And if there come unto you a poor man, whether old or young, let the Deacon receive such with a joyful heart, and put each one in his own place, as it is fitting: let there be no respect of persons, but let your service be that which is pleasing unto the Lord. And let the Deaconess also do likewise with the women, with the rich and the poor. Exhort thy people, O Bishop, and command them to come to the church day and night, and never to be away from it, and that the people in it be not diminished in number, for they are the members of Christ. And it is not concerning the Priests alone that we say this, but concerning all the people, that each one of them may understand the word of the Lord. For our Lord saith. He that is not with me is mine adversary; and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth. Be not slothful, therefore, for ye are the members of Christ: separate not yourselves from His body, neither prefer the cares of this world before the command- ments of the Lord. Assemble yourselves together in the church, evening and morning; offer up praises, and sing; and read the Psalms of David, the sixty-second, and moreover the hundred and fortieth. And especially on the Jewish Sabbath, and on the first day of the week, the Christian Sabbath, which is the day of His holy resurrection, offer up praises and thanksgivings and glory to the Lord, who hath created all things by his Son Jesus Christ, whom he sent unto us, who was pleased to suffer according to his will, and was buried in the tomb, and rose again from the dead. But if ye come not into the Church, what plea will ye make, or what will ye answer unto the Lord? For on this day, the Christian Sabbath, it behoveth us to hear the preaching of His holy resurrection, and to call to mind His sufferings, and to make remembrance of Him, and read the Scriptures of the Prophets, and the Gospel, and the sei'vice of the Holy Eucharist, and to offer up the oblation, and receive the spiritual food. And if ye watch not day and night, and do not as we command, ye shall be accounted transgressors of the Law, and enemies of the Lord; for ye have chosen rather your own pleasures, to eat and to drink, and to enjoy delights which wax old and vanish away. And to those who do such things, the Lord saith. The Gentiles are better than you; as He spake to Jerusalem, and said, Sodom is better than thou. Behold, then, let us look at the foolish Gentiles! every day, when they awake and arise from sleep, they hasten away to their gods, that save not, nor profit, and worship them, and lay before them in prayer all their cares; and on the days of their feasts they gather themselves together, small and great; and not they alone, but others also, come from places far off, to worship and serve them. And in like manner the foolish Jews, apostates and unbelievers as they are, yet work six days, and rest on the seventh day. And then they assemble together in their synagogues, and keep a feast to idols, and magnify and honour them, even them that have no life nor spirit, who profit not any thing; yet they boast themselves, and say. We are Jews. But if these men, who do thus, yet continually assemble themselves together, while they are serving in their folly those in whom is no profit, how then is it that ye, who have received grace from the Lord God, are idle and negligent in the service of the Church? For, indeed, if ye forsake the Church, ye lose your hope, and give up your salvation, and become apostates. Depart not from that which is good, neither do evil. Behold, the Lord saith, by the mouth of the Prophet Jeremiah, My people have deserted my law which I set before their face, neither have they heard my voice: but they are gone, and have followed the way of their own hearts; and have followed idols, as their fathers have taught them. And moreover he saith. Rebellious Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah. Their shepherds have led them into the mountains, and driven them away; and they have caused them to wander among the hills. What excuse can they make, who delay to go into the church, and go out of it at the time of prayer? When can they hear of the salvation of their souls? and what will they answer unto the Lord? Understand, then, that the employment of the faithful which abideth with them, and their work in truth and substance, is this, the worship of the Lord. Let not your work and labour be for the cares of this passing world, which waxeth old and vanisheth away, and its pleasures remain not; but let your thoughts be towards the Lord: as our Lord saith. Take no thought for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat that abideth unto everlasting life. And moreover he saith. The work that pleaseth the Lord is, that ye believe in Him whom He hath sent unto you. Take heed, therefore, that ye leave not the Church of the Lord; neither follow the steps of transgressors and unbelievers and worshippers of idols, nor the assembhes of the Jews; neither go to the house of devils, nor have fellowship with the murderers of Christ, nor enter into the assembly of the transgressors. Hast thou not heard what he saith, I sat not in the assembly of vanity, and went not in with the workers of iniquity; I have hated the congregation of evil men, and will not sit with the deceivers? And again he saith. Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of the scornful; but the law of the Lord is his delight, and in His law will he meditate day and night. But behold, thou hast deserted the assembly of the faithful, and hast despised the Church of the Lord; neither hast thou kept his law and his ordinance; but hast followed the way of thieves, and hast accounted the polluted as the pure, and art become a companion of those who were separated from thee, and hast taken thy station with the adulterers and idolaters, and hast caused thine ear to hear the voice of the players, which is full of all impurity and vain words, wherein is no profit. And thou hast refused to hear the voice of Jeremiah, who saith. Lord, I have not sat on the judgmentseat of wickedness, but I fear before thy face. Why desirest thou to hear the words of the dead Gentiles, who are wounded through sin, even through the works of the devil, and slay the man who followeth them, and draw him away from the right faith, and make him to serve many gods? Do not ye thus therefore, but keep the commandments of the Lord; and choose for yourselves life, and especially seek after the law of the Church of the Lord, which Christ, his beloved Son, who was before the creation of the world, purchased with His precious blood. For the Church is the daughter of the Most High; she it is that strengtheneth our hearts, and bringeth us near unto the Lord, that we may find a place before him; for we are His members, and His friends. Let us be good and pure, without pollution, continuing in the right faith, and in all good works, which are pleasing unto the Lord.