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Shorter Rules
St Basil the Great, tr. Lowther Clarke, 1925
Rule 164: What is the Meaning of, Judge Not, and Ye Shall Not Be Judged? (R. 77)
Since the Lord in one place says: ‘Judge not, and ye shall not be judged”’1 and in another bids us judge righteous judgment,2 we are not prevented from judging altogether but are taught that there are different sorts of judging. The apostle has told us clearly in what cases we are to judge, and in what to refrain from judging. As regards things which lie within the discretion of the individual and are not the subject of precepts of Scripture, he says: “But thou, why dost thou judge thy brother?” and again: “‘Let us not then judge one another any more.”3 But as regards things that displease God, he condemns those that judge not and produces his own judgment. Thus: “1 verily, being absent in body but present in spirit, have already, as though I were present, judged him that hath so wrought this thing, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ye being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of the Lord Jesus, to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”4 Accordingly if anything lies within our discretion or, as often happens, is uncertain, we ought not to judge our brother in respect of it. So at least the apostle says in his words about things of which we are ignorant. “Wherefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the hearts.”5 But there is inexorable necessity that we vindicate the judgments of God, lest the man who keeps silence participate in the wrath of God. The one exception is the man who does the same as he who is accused and therefore has no liberty to judge his brother, for the Lord’s words are said to him: Cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”6
Notes
- Lk. vi. 37.
- See Jn. vii. 24.
- Rom. xiv. 10; 13.
- 1 Cor. v. 3 add ὡς before ἀπών K; 4 add Χριστοῦ K, omit ἡμῶν after (2nd) κυρίου*; 5.
- 1 Cor. iv. 5.
- Mt. vii. 5.