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Didascalia Apostolorum

tr. Connolly, 1929

VII. To Bishops

Do thou therefore, O bishop, teach and rebuke, and loose by forgiveness. And know thy place, that it is that of God Almighty, and that thou hast received authority to forgive sins. For to you bishops it was said: All that ye shall bind on earth, it shall be bound in heaven; and all that ye shall loose, it shall be loosed.¹ As therefore thou hast authority to loose, know thyself and thy manners and thy conversation in this life, that they be worthy of thy place. But² without sin there is none among men, for it is written: There is no man pure of defilement, not even though his life in the world be but one day.³ Therefore the life and manner of conversation of the just men and patriarchs was written, that it might be known that in each one of them there was found at least some small sin; that it might be understood that the Lord God alone is without sin, as He said in David: That thou mayest be justified in thy words, and prevail in thy judgements.⁴ For the little defilement of the just is to us a solace and an encouragement, and a (source of) trust that we also, if we sin but a little,⁵ have a hope of obtaining forgiveness.

There is no man, then, without sin. But do thou strive according to thy power to be in nothing reproachable.⁶ And have a care of all, that none may stumble and perish by reason of thee. For a layman has the care of himself alone, but thou carriest the burden of all. And very great is the load that thou bearest; for to whom the Lord hath given much, much also will he require at his hand.⁷ As therefore thou carriest the burden of all, be watchful; for it is written: The Lord said unto Moses: Thou and Aaron shall take upon you the sins of the priesthood.⁸ For as thou art to render an account for many, so be careful of all; for those that are sound thou shalt preserve, but those that have sinned do thou admonish and rebuke and afflict; and (afterwards) ease them with forgiveness. And when he that sinned has repented and wept, receive him; and while the whole people prays over him, lay hand upon him, and suffer him henceforth to be in the Church. But those who are drowsy and slack do thou bring back and stir up and make firm, and exhort them and make them sound: for thou knowest what reward thou hast if thou do thus; but if thou neglect it, danger shall come upon thee; for the Lord spoke thus in Ezekiel concerning those bishops who neglect their people: ¹ And the word of the⁹ Lord came unto me, saying:^{10 2} Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, and say to them: Thus saith the Lord Adonai: Woe unto the shepherds of Israel, who feed themselves; and my sheep the shepherds have not fed. ³ The milk ye eat, and with the wool ye are clothed, and that which is fat ye kill; and the sheep ye feed not. ⁴ That which was sick ye healed not, and that which was weak ye strengthened not, and that which was broken ye bound not up, and that which was gone astray ye brought not back, and that which was lost ye sought not out; but with force and with derision ye have subdued them. ⁵ And my sheep were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and became meat for every beast of the field. ⁶ And my sheep were scattered and gone astray on all the high mountains and on all the high hills, and on all the face of the land were my sheep scattered, and there was none to require and seek. ⁷ Wherefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord Adonai. ⁸ Forasmuch as my sheep are become a spoil and meat to every beast of the field for lack of a shepherd, and the shepherds have not sought my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and my sheep the shepherds have not fed: ⁹ therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. ¹⁰ Thus saith the Lord Adonai: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will seek my sheep at their hands; and I will cause them to cease, that henceforth they feed not my sheep: and the shepherds shall no more feed themselves; but I will deliver my sheep out of their hands, and they shall no more be to them for meat. ¹¹ For thus saith the Lord Adonai: Therefore, behold, I will seek my sheep and visit them: ¹² as a shepherd visiteth his sheep in the day of tempest, when he is in their midst, so will I visit my sheep. And I will gather them together from all places wherein they were scattered in the day of cloud and thick darkness; ¹³ and I will bring them forth from the peoples, and gather them from the lands, and bring them into their land; and I will feed them in the mountains of Israel, and in all the waste places of the land. ¹⁴ And in a good and fat pasture will I feed them, and in the mountains of the Most High of Israel shall be the glory of their beauty. There shall they be encamped in a good encampment, and in a fat pasture shall they be fed in the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I will feed my sheep, and I will stablish them, saith the Lord Adonai: ¹⁶ that which is lost will I seek, and that which is gone astray will I bring back, and that which is broken will I bind up, and that which is sick will I strengthen, and that which is fat and sound will I keep: and I will feed them in judgement. ¹⁷ And ye, my sheep, the sheep of my flock, thus saith the Lord Adonai: Behold, I will judge between ewe and ewe, and between ram and ram. ¹⁸ Is this a small thing to you, that ye devour a good and fat pasture, and the residue of your pasture ye trample upon with your feet, ¹⁹ and my sheep did drink that which was trodden with your feet? ²⁰ Wherefore thus saith the Lord Adonai: Behold, I will judge between ewe and ewe, and between them that are sick: ²¹ because that ye were thrusting them with your sides and with your shoulders, and with your horns ye were butting all the sick ones, until ye had scattered them abroad. ²² And I will deliver my sheep, and they shall no more be for a spoil: and I will judge between ewe and ewe. ²³ And I will set over them one shepherd, and he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd; ²⁴ and David my servant shall be their ruler in their midst: I the Lord have spoken it. ²⁵ And I will make for them a covenant of peace, and will cause evil beasts to cease from the land; and they shall dwell in the wilderness securely, and sleep in the woods. ²⁶ And I will give to them round about my mountain a blessing; and I will send down rain in its season, and it shall be rain of blessing. ²⁷ And the trees of the field shall give their fruits, and the land shall give its increase. And they shall dwell in their land securely: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall cut the thongs of their yoke. And I will deliver them from the hand of them that subdued them, ²⁸ and they shall no more be for a prey to the peoples, and the beasts of the field shall no more devour them; but they shall lie down securely, and there shall be none to make them afraid. ²⁹ And I will establish for them a plantation for renown; and they shall no more be few and forsaken in the land, and they shall no more bear the shame of the peoples. ³⁰ And they shall know that I am the Lord their God with them, and they are my people of the house of Israel, saith the Lord Adonai. ³¹ And ye my sheep, the sheep of my flock, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord Adonai.

Hear, then, ye bishops, and hear, ye laymen, how the Lord saith: I will judge between ram and ram, and between ewe and ewe¹¹; that is, between bishop and bishop, and between layman and layman: whether layman loves layman, and whether again the layman loves the bishop and honours and fears him as father and lord, and (as) God after God Almighty; for to the bishop it was said through the apostles: Every one that heareth you, heareth me; and every one that rejecteth you rejecteth me, and him that sent me:¹² and again, whether the bishop loves the laity as his children, and cherishes¹³ and keeps them warm with loving care, as eggs from which young birds are to come; or broods over them and cherishes them as young birds, for the rearing up of winged fowl. Teach, then, and admonish all; and them that deserve rebuke, rebuke and afflict: but unto conversion and not unto destruction; and admonish unto repentance and correct them, so that thou make their ways straight and fair, and order well the conduct of their life in the world.

That which is whole preserve¹⁴: that is, him that is established in the faith guard watchfully; and shepherd the whole people in peace. And that which is weak strengthen¹⁵: that is, him that is tempted confirm with admonition. And that which is sick heal¹⁶: that is, him that is sick with doubting of his faith, heal with doctrine. And that which is broken bind up:¹⁷ that is, him that is stricken or buffeted or broken by his sins, and halts from the right way, bind up; that is, with the exhortation of admonition cure him, and lighten him of his transgressions, and comfort him and show him that there is hope for him; and bind him up and heal him and bring him into the Church. And that which is gone astray bring back¹⁸: that is, him that was left in sins and was put forth for reproof, leave not without, but teach and admonish him, and bring him back and receive him into thy flock, that is, into the people of the Church. And that which is lost seek out¹⁹: that is, him who by reason of the multitude of his transgressions has despaired and abandoned himself to destruction, suffer not to perish altogether, lest through utter neglect and indifference he fall asleep, and under the weight of his sleep forget his life, and hold aloof and depart from his flock, that is from the Church, and come to perdition. For when he shall be without the fold and removed from the flock, wolves will devour him while he is astray, and he will perish utterly. But do thou seek him out, and admonish and teach him, and bring him back; and visit him, and encourage him to be wakeful, and let him know that there is hope for him. And cut away this from men’s thought, that they should say or imagine that which has already been rehearsed: Our crimes and our sins are upon us, and in them we are wasted away: how then can we live?²⁰ For they ought not to say or to imagine these things; and they are not to think that their hope is cut off by reason of the multitude of their sins; but they are to know that the mercies of God are many, for that with an oath and with gracious intent He has promised forgiveness to them that sin.

But if a man sin and know not the Scriptures, and is not aware of the patience and mercy of God, and knows not the limit of forgiveness and repentance: by this very thing, that he is ignorant, he perishes. Do thou therefore as a compassionate shepherd, full of love and mercy and careful of his flock, visit and count thy flock, and seek that which is gone astray; as said the Lord God, Jesus Christ²¹ our good Teacher and Saviour:²² ‘Leave the ninety and nine upon the mountains, and go seek that one which is gone astray. And when thou hast found it, bear it upon thy shoulders, rejoicing because thou hast found that which was gone astray; and bring it and let it mix with the flock.’ So be thou also obedient, O bishop, and search out him that is lost, and seek²³ him that is gone astray, and bring back him that is holding aloof. For thou hast authority to forgive sins to him that offendeth;²⁴ for thou hast put on the person of Christ. Wherefore our Saviour also said to him that had sinned: Thy sins are forgiven thee: thy faith hath saved thee alive: go in peace.²⁵²⁶ Now ‘peace’ is the Church of tranquillity and rest, into which²⁷ He restored those whom He loosed from sins, sound (and) without blemish, having a good hope and earnest in exercises of labours and afflictions. For as a wise and compassionate physician He was healing all, and especially those who were †gone astray† in their sins; for they that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick.²⁸ And thou also, O bishop, art made the physician of the Church: do not therefore withhold the cure whereby thou mayest heal them that are sick with sins, but by all means cure and heal, and restore them sound to the Church. And be not reproached with this word which the Lord spoke: With force²⁹ and with derision ye were subduing them.³⁰ Do not then use force, and be not violent, and pass not sentence sharply, and be not unmerciful; and deride not the people that is under thy charge, nor hide from them the word of repentance. For this is that, With force and with derision ye were subduing them, if thou deal harshly with thy lay folk,³¹ and correct them with force, and thrust and drive out and receive not (back) them that sin, but harshly and without mercy hide away repentance from them, and become³² a helper for the †return of evil,† and for the scattering of the flock for meat to the beasts of the field,³³ that is, to evil men of this world: nay, not to men in truth, but to beasts, to the heathen and to heretics. For to him who goes forth from the Church they presently join themselves, and like evil beasts devour him as meat. And by reason of thy harshness, he who goes forth from the Church will either depart and enter among the heathen,³⁴ or will be sunk in the heresies; and he will become an alien altogether, and will depart from the Church and from the hope of God. And of the perdition of that (man) thou wilt be guilty, because thou art ready to drive out and cast away them that sin, and when they have repented and been converted thou wilt not receive them again. And thou hast fallen under the condemnation of that word of the Lord which He spoke: Their feet are swift to evil, and they hasten to shed blood. Affliction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known.³⁵ Now the way of peace is our Saviour Himself, as He said: Forgive ye³⁶ the sins of them that sin, that to you also your sins may be forgiven: give, and it shall be given unto you;³⁷ which means: Give forgiveness of sins, that you also may receive forgiveness. And again He taught us that we should be constantly praying at all times and saying: Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.³⁸ But if thou forgive not them that sin, how shalt thou receive forgiveness? Lo, is not thine own mouth against thee, and dost not thou condemn thyself in that thou hast said, ‘I have forgiven’, when thou hast not forgiven,³⁹ but in sooth hast slain? For he who drives a man out of the Church without mercy, what does he else but cruelly slay and shed blood without pity? For if by any a righteous man is unjustly slain with the⁴⁰ sword, with God he shall be received into rest; but he who drives a man out of the Church and receives him not again, has committed everlasting murder, evilly and bitterly, and [God] gives for food to the grievous fire eternal him that is driven out⁴¹ from the Church, and regards not the mercy of God, and remembers not His goodness towards penitents, and takes not the example of Christ, nor considers those who repented of their many transgressions and received of Him forgiveness.

It behoves thee then, O bishop, to have before thine eyes those things which happened of old time, that from them thou mayest learn by comparison the healing of souls, and the admonition and reproof and exhortation of them that repent and have need of exhortation. And when thou judgest any persons, do thou with diligence and much investigation compare and follow out God’s will: and as He did, so ought you also to do in your judgements. Hear then, O bishops, in regard to these things an apt and helpful example. It is written in the fourth Book of Kingdoms, and likewise in the second Book of Chronicles,⁴² thus: ¹ In those days reigned Manasseh,⁴³ being twelve years old; and fifty years he reigned in Jerusalem: and the name of his mother was Hephzibah. ² And he did that which was evil before the Lord, after the uncleanness of those peoples which the Lord destroyed from before the children of Israel. ³ And he turned again and built the shrines⁴⁴ which Hezekiah his father had thrown down; and he set up pillars to Baal,⁴⁵ and made abominations,⁴⁶ as Ahab king of Israel had done. And he made altars for all the service of heaven, and worshipped all the hosts of heaven. ⁴ And he built altars to demons in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said: In the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, there will I set my name. And Manasseh served the shrines, and said: My name shall endure for ever. ⁵ And he built altars for all the service of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord; ⁶ and he made his sons to pass through the fire in the valley of Bar-Hinnom.⁴⁷ And he practised augury and used magic; and he made soothsayers and enchanters and diviners, and did much evil before the eyes of the Lord to provoke him to anger. ⁷ And he set the molten and graven image of abomination, which he had made, in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said to David and to Solomon his son: In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I set my name for ever; ⁸ and I will no more withhold my feet from the land of Israel, which I gave to their fathers: yet only if they will keep all that I have commanded them, according to all the commandments which my servant Moses commanded them. ⁹ And they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do that which was evil before the eyes of the Lord, after the works of those peoples which the Lord destroyed from before the children of Israel. ¹⁰ And the Lord spake against Manasseh and against his people by the hand of his servants the prophets, and said: ¹¹ Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these evil abominations, as did the Amorites which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: ¹² therefore, thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: Behold, I bring such evils upon Jerusalem and upon Judah that every one that heareth of them, both his ears shall tingle. ¹³ And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe⁴⁸ Jerusalem as a water-pot is wiped, when it is overturned and falleth upon its face. ¹⁴ And I will give the residue of mine inheritance to the sword, and will deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall be for a prey and a spoil to all them that hate them, ¹⁵ because they have done evil before mine eyes: for they are a provoking (people), from the day that I brought out their fathers from Egypt even unto this day. ¹⁶ Moreover Manasseh shed much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to the other with slain: by reason of the sins which he sinned, and caused Judah also to sin, in doing that which was evil before the Lord. And the Lord brought against them the chieftains of Assyria; and they took Manasseh and fettered him and cast ropes about him, and led him away to Babylon, and shut him up in prison all bound and fettered with iron. And there was given him bran-bread by weight, and water mingled with gall in small measure, that he might be alive and be sore afflicted and vexed.⁴⁹ And when he was afflicted exceeding much, he entreated the face of the Lord his God, and humbled himself exceedingly before the God of his fathers; and he prayed before the Lord God and said:^50515253

The Prayer of Manasseh. ¹ O Lord God of my fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob and of their righteous seed,^{54 2} who madest the heaven and the earth with all the adornment thereof; ³ who didst bind the sea and fix it by the commandment of thy word; who didst shut up the abyss and seal it⁵⁵ with thy fearful and glorious name; ⁴ before whose power all things fear and tremble:^{56 5} for unsupportable is the exceeding beauty of thy glory, and none can endure to stand before thine anger and thy wrath against sinners: ⁶ without bound and without measure are the mercies of thy promises; ⁷ for thou art a Lord long-suffering and merciful and very gracious, and dost repent thee of the evil of men. ⁸ And thou, O Lord, according to the gentleness of thy goodness hast promised forgiveness to them that repent of their sins, and in the multitude of thy mercies hast appointed repentance for the salvation of sinners. If then, O Lord God of the righteous, thou didst not appoint repentance⁵⁷ to the righteous, to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob: for neither did they sin against thee: yet hast thou appointed repentance to me a sinner. ⁹ For more than the sands of the sea are my sins multiplied, and I have no respite to lift up my head for the multitude of mine iniquities. And now, O Lord, behold, I am justly afflicted; and as I am worthy, (so) am I vexed. ¹⁰ For lo, I am bound and bowed down with (these) many bands of iron, so that I may not lift up my head: for neither am I worthy to lift up mine eyes and behold and see the height of heaven, by reason of the exceeding malice of my wickedness.⁵⁸ For I have done evil before thee, and provoked thy wrath, and have set up idols and multiplied abominations. ¹¹ And now, behold, I bend the knees of my heart before thee, and beseech thy kindness: ¹² I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned; and because that I know my sins, ¹³ I make supplication before thee. Forgive me, O Lord, and destroy me not with mine offences, and be not angry with me for ever, nor keep against me mine evil (deeds), neither condemn and cast me into the nether parts of the earth. For thou art the God of penitents: ¹⁴ wherefore in me also, O Lord, show thy goodness, that whereas I am unworthy, thou deliverest me after the multitude of thy mercies. ¹⁵ And for this will I praise thee ever and all the days of my life: for thee do all the hosts of heaven praise, and unto thee do they sing for evermore.

And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Manasseh, and had mercy on him. And there was made over him a flame of fire, and all the iron (bands) that were upon him were melted and dissolved.⁵⁹ And the Lord delivered Manasseh from his afflictions, and caused him to return to Jerusalem over his kingdom. And Manasseh knew the Lord, and said: He is the Lord God alone. And he served the Lord only, with all his heart and with all his soul, all the days of his life: and he was accounted righteous. And he slept with his fathers; and Amon his son reigned after him.^6061626364

You have heard, beloved children, how Manasseh served idols evilly and bitterly, and slew righteous men; yet when he repented God forgave him, albeit there is no sin worse than idolatry. Wherefore, there is granted a place for repentance. But concerning one who says:⁶⁵ I shall have⁶⁶ good (success) when I shall walk in the perverse desire of my heart,⁶⁷ thus saith the Lord: I will stretch out my hand against him, and he shall be for a byword and a parable.⁶⁸ For Amon also the son of Manasseh, when he conceived a design that he should transgress the Law, and said: ‘My father from his youth did exceeding wickedly, and in his old age he repented: I also will walk in all the desires of my soul, and in the end will return to the Lord⁶⁹’, and did that which was evil before the Lord: he reigned but two years, because the Lord God quickly destroyed him from ⟨his⟩ good land. Beware⁷⁰ therefore, †you that are without faith†,⁷¹ lest any man of you establish in his heart the thought of Amon, and perish suddenly and swiftly.

Wherefore, O bishop, so far as thou canst, keep those that have not sinned, that they may continue without sinning; and those that repent of (their) sins heal and receive. But if thou receive not him who repents, because thou art without mercy, thou shalt sin against the Lord God; for thou obeyest not our Saviour and our God, to do as He also did with her that had sinned, whom the elders set before Him, and⁷² leaving the judgement in His hands, departed. But He,⁷³ the Searcher of hearts, asked her and said to her: Have the elders condemned thee, my daughter? She saith to him: Nay, Lord. And he said unto her: Go thy way: neither do I condemn thee. In Him therefore, our Saviour and King and God, be your pattern, O bishops, and do you imitate Him, that you may be quiet and meek, and merciful and compassionate, and peacemakers, and without anger, and teachers and correctors and receivers and exhorters; and that you be⁷⁴ not wrathful, nor tyrannical;⁷⁵ and that you be not insolent, nor haughty, nor boastful.

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