Letter LIII: To the Chorepiscopoi
Epistola LIII: Χωρεπισκόποις
Basil of CaesareaTrans. Roy J. DeferrariLIII. Χωρεπισκόποις.
Τὸ τοῦ πράγματος ἄτοπον περὶ οὗ γράφω, διότι μὲν ὅλος ὑπωπτεύθη καὶ ἐλαλήθη, ἀδύνης ἐπλήρωσέ μου τὴν ψυχήν· τέως δὲ ἐφάνη μοι ἀναγκαῖον τοῦ οὖν κατ' αὐτοῦ γράμμα μὲν ὑμῖν μὴ γράψαι, δεῖξαι δὲ ὑμῖν αὐτὸ τὸ πρᾶγμα, ὥστε μὴ χειροτονεῖν ἐπὶ κτίσει καταγαγεῖν.
συνεγνωκὼς ἑαυτῷ δεξάσθω ὡς ἴαμα, ὁ δὲ μὴ συνεγνωκὼς ὡς προφυλακτήριον, ὁ δὲ ἀδιάφορος, ὅπερ ἀπεύχομαι ἐφ' ὑμῖν εὑρεθῆναι, ὡς διαμαρτυρίαν.
Τί δέ ἐστιν ὃ λέγω; φασί τινας ὑμῶν παρὰ τῶν χειροτονουμένων λαμβάνειν χρήματα, ἐπισκιάζειν δὲ ὀνόματι εὐσεβείας. τοῦτο δὲ χεῖρόν ἐστιν. ἐὰν γάρ τις τὸ κακὸν ἐν προσχήματι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ποιῇ, διπλασίονος τιμωρίας ἐστὶν ἄξιος, διότι αὐτό τε τὸ οὐκ ἀγαθὸν ἐργάζεται, καὶ κέχρηται εἰς τὸ τελέσαι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ὡς ἄν εἴποι τις, τῷ καλῷ συνεργῷ. ταῦτα εἰ οὕτως ἔχει, τοῦ λοιποῦ μὴ γινέσθω, ἀλλὰ διορθωθήτω· ἐπεὶ ἀνάγκη λέγειν πρὸς τὸν δεχόμενον τὸ ἀργύριον, ὅπερ ἐρρήθη παρὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων πρὸς τὸν θέλοντα δοῦναι, ἵνα Πνεύματος ἁγίου μετουσίαν ὠνήσηται· Τὸ ἀργύριόν σου σύν σοι εἴη εἰς ἀπώλειαν. κουφότερος γὰρ ὁ δι' ἀπειρίαν ὠνήσασθαι θέλων ἢ ὁ πιπράσκων τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεάν. πρᾶσις γὰρ ἐγένετο, καὶ ὃ σὺ δωρεὰν ἔλαβες, ἐὰν πωλῇς, ὡσανεὶ πεπραμένος τῷ σατανᾷ, ἀφαιρεθήσῃ τοῦ χαρίσματος. καπηλείαν γὰρ ἐπεισάγεις τοῖς πνευματικοῖς, καὶ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἔνθα πεπιστεύμεθα σῶμα καὶ αἷμα Χριστοῦ. ταῦτα οὕτω γίνεσθαι οὐ χρή. ὃ δέ ἐστι τέχνασμα, λέγω· νομίζουσι μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν τῷ μὴ προλαμβάνειν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὴν χειροτονίαν λαμβάνειν. λαβεῖν δέ ἐστιν ὅτε δή ποτε τὸ λαβεῖν.
Παρακαλῶ οὖν ταύτην τὴν πρόσοδον, μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν προσαγωγὴν τὴν ἐπὶ γέενναν, ἀποθέσθε καὶ μὴ τὰς χεῖρας μολύνοντες τοιούτοις λήμμασιν, ἑαυτοὺς ἀναξίους ποιήσητε τοῦ ἐπιτελεῖν ἁγνὰ μυστήρια. σύγγνωτε δέ μοι, πρῶτον μὲν ὡς ἀπιστήσας, εἶτα ὡς οὐ πεισθεὶς ἀπειλῇ, εἴ τι μετὰ ταῦτα μου τὴν ἐπιστολὴν πράξει τὰ τοιοῦτα, τῶν μὲν ἐνταῦθα θυσιαστηρίων ἀχωρίσει, ζητήσει δὲ ἔνθα τοῦ θεοῦ δωρεὰν ἀργύριον μεταπωλεῖν δύναται. ἡμεῖς γὰρ οἱ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ θεοῦ ταύτην συνήθειαν οὐκ ἔχομεν.
Εἰ δὲ προσθεὶς παυσώμεθα, διὰ φιλαργυρίαν γίνεται ταῦτα, ἡ δὲ φιλαργυρία καὶ ῥίζα πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἐστι, καὶ ὀνομάζεται εἰδωλολατρεία. μὴ οὖν πρὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τιμήσητε εἴδωλα διὰ μικρὸν ἀργύριον μηδὲ πάλιν τὸν Ἰούδαν μιμήσησθε, λήμματι παραδιδόντες τὸν δεύτερον τὴν ἅπαξ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν σταυρωθέντα. ἐπεὶ καὶ τὰ χωρία καὶ αἱ χεῖρες τῶν τοὺς καρποὺς τούτων δεχομένων Ἀκελδαμᾶ κληθήσονται.
Letter LIII. To the Chorepiscopoi
The enormity of the matter about which I write (wherefore it is generally suspected and discussed) has filled my soul with grief; yet hitherto the thing has seemed to me incredible. So let what I write
on the matter be received by any that has qualms of conscience as a medicine, by any that has no qualms as a precaution, and by any that is indifferent (I pray that none such may be found amongst you) as a solemn protest.
But what is it that I have in mind? The report is that some of you take money from candidates for ordination, and cover it up under the name of piety. But that only makes the matter worse. For if any one does an evil thing under the guise of good, he deserves a twofold punishment, because he not only does what is in itself not good, but also makes use of the good as a co-worker, so to speak, for the accomplishment of his sin. If this be true, let it not happen in future, but be corrected; for we must say to any who accepts such money what the Apostles said to the man who wanted to pay for participation in the Holy Spirit: “” For he who sells and he who wants to buy is less guilty than he who sells the gift of God. For the transaction has become a matter of business; and if you sell what you have received as a free gift, you will be despoiled of all its grace, as if you yourself were sold to Satan. For you are bringing the huckster’s traffic into spiritual affairs, and into the Church, where we are entrusted with the body and blood of Christ. These things must not be done in this way. I will tell you what the artifice is. They think that they commit no sin, because they receive the money after and not before the ordination. But to take is to take, whenever it happens.
Therefore, I beg you, abandon this way to revenue, or rather, this road to Hell. Do not pollute your hands with such earnings, and so make yourselves unworthy to perform the holy mysteries. But forgive me. I began as not believing; but now I threaten as though convinced. If, after this letter of mine, anyone do any such thing, he will withdraw from the altars of this diocese, and will seek a place where he may buy and sell the gift of God. “”
One word I will add, and then cease. These awards come from covetousness; and covetousness is both the root of all evils and is called idolatry. Therefore do not honour idols above Christ for petty gain, nor yet, on the other hand, imitate Judas, betraying for gain a second time Him who was once crucified for our sakes. For both the lands and the hands of those who accept the fruits of such things shall be called Haceldama.