Canons of S. Simon the Canaanite (1st recension)

This Synod of the pure Fathers the Apostles, the ordinance of the priesthood. The ordinance of Simon the Canaanite concerning the ordinance of the holy Church, which is above all. A bishop shall bless and shall not be blessed; and he shall lay his hand upon the head of a person, and there is none who shall lay his hand upon his head except the archbishop. And he shall ordain priests; and he who is ordained by him shall receive from him the blessing. A priest shall not ordain priests; and it shall not be complete for him, unless there be priests and monks, fathers of spiritual gifts, for the laity and women together, and they shall return to their spiritual gifts which they desired; and all who come to them for the sake of the monastic life. The archbishop is he who shall perform all that is necessary for him, from bishops and priests and deacons and other clergy, and also laymen, without the archbishop like him, because it is not possible for him without the presence of archbishops like him and the assembly of bishops.

A priest shall bless and shall place his hand upon the head of the deacon and of those whom he instructs from the people. And he shall not be blessed himself by the one whom he instructs. And he shall receive the blessing of a bishop upon his head, and not upon his hand; and from a priest like himself, upon his hand, and not upon his head. And he shall place his hand upon the head of all the people, and he shall not perform his priesthood without what we have prescribed for you. And he shall not be permitted to celebrate the liturgy in a place of refuge. And he shall be permitted to administer [the sacrament] to those whom he has instructed, to those whom he has permitted, if the elder has agreed and given permission. A deacon shall not bless, nor shall he give the priesthood, but he shall receive from a bishop and from a priest. And he shall not baptize, nor shall he offer the sacrifice of the altar. And when a bishop or a priest approaches, he shall serve as a servant to the priests with the paten and with the veil of the cross. And he shall not place his hand within the paten of the offering without the priest or bishop sealing it for him. And those who are instructed by a deacon shall not perform the works of deacons. Deacons shall not bless, nor shall they perform the works of priests, but they shall guard the vessels and shall serve the priests when they baptize people and consecrate the offering, for this is fitting and proper. A deacon shall command the one whom he instructs in the service of the church, and he shall not command the one who is over him in the altar. And those whom he instructs shall not command, unless there is no priest. And a deacon shall not be permitted to recite the prayer of the first [i.e., the anaphora].

And he shall not command in the work of the church without a priest. And the priest who commands in it shall be. [2] What Matthew and Simon the Apostles commanded concerning the tithe and the firstborn. Every firstborn that is offered to the Lord, whether an ox or a sheep or a goat, or other fruits, they shall bring it to the bishop, or to the priest, or to the deacon together with him. And it shall be for their sustenance and their work and what they desire. And what is from the tithe they shall add to the sustenance of the people. And for those who are inferior to deacons, and monks, and the poor, and the needy. And the firstborn of animals for the priests for themselves alone, and for those who serve them. And likewise they shall do with what remains from the offering. It is for the bishop and for the priests. The deacons shall divide it. And for the bishop in the church, from all that is, four parts; and for the priest, three parts; and for the deacon, two parts; and for the people, one each. For this is good before God, that they honor each one according to the measure of his rank. And the chief priest shall not take for himself from the priests more than for the other, but their ordinance shall be equal for both, evil in one soul, for the church is one without ordinance, but its ordinance is good and its rank is firm according to the measure of its foundation, for thus it is for the assembly of the heavenly ones. And thus the Holy Spirit Paraclete, the life-giver, has taught us and shown us.

[3] And Paul the Apostle commanded and said: Every faithful man and faithful woman, when morning comes, they shall not do work without first washing themselves and praying to the Lord their Creator with prostration. And if there is a matter or an occupation, they shall place the fear of the Lord above every matter. And the faithful shall look upon their works with love and with unity, as we commanded and taught in our epistle, and we spoke concerning the fear of the Lord and His law. [4] The commandment of Peter and Paul concerning the rest of the servants on the days that are fitting. 1. We commanded that the servants rest on each week two days: Saturday and the day of Sunday together. And they shall gather on it for the prayer of the church and for hearing the commandment and the holy scriptures. I, Peter, and I, Paul, commanded that the servants be anointed five days in each week, and that they rest two days, Saturday and Sunday, and that they gather on it for the prayer of the church for the remembrance and the fear of the Lord.

And as for rest, on the day of Sabbath, as you know, because the Lord completed all his work and his creation, and on this day he rested, and he did no work, and he did nothing, and he appointed it as the last of the days and their end, and as the last of the times of the world and its end, and he appointed it as the day of beginning and rest for his rest, and beginning for the rest of his word, and beginning for the rest of his creation. And as for rest, on the day of Sunday, as we know, because the Lord began his work on that day and created his creation on that day, and he magnified it by his power, and he appointed it as the first of the days and their beginning, and as the beginning of his work for Christ. The Law is the guide, and the Gospel is spiritual, new for a new people, and its beginning and the beginning of the life of the world and its beginning. And he appointed the day of choice for his greatness, and the day of light for the authority of his word, and the day of life for the life of his creation and his resurrection, the day of Sunday. And it is the first day from the last of the times, just as it is the first day from the times of creation. And it is the first day from the times of the new law and covenant. And likewise, it is the first day from the last of the times, where there is righteousness and judgment. And on it, the Lord made light in the sky, which is the sun, the illuminator, and on it he showed light in the world. And he made light on it at the end. And he appointed the first Sabbath in place of the darkness which he created first, and he appointed night, and he appointed rest so that the dead may dwell.

And he appointed the day of Sunday as the place of light, which he made after the darkness, and he appointed it as a time of rest and of joy for the living creatures. And that is the day on which our Lord arose from the dead and showed light upon the earth, and he kindled a new light for a new people, and he revealed light and law for Christians. 2. Commandment: That servants and faithful ones should rest during the week of Passover, because it is a week of sorrow and of the passion of the saving Christ. And they should also rest during the week that follows it, because it is a week of joy at the resurrection of Christ and the salvation of the world, because it is permitted that they be taught: who was crucified, suffered, died, was buried, arose on the third day, and the prophecy of the prophets was fulfilled. 3. And they should also rest on the feast of the Ascension, because of the commandment and teaching of Christ and his ascension into heaven. 4. And they should rest on the day of Sunday, which is the conclusion of the fifty days, because of the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, which was given to those who believe in Christ.

5. And they shall rest on the day of her annunciation, because of the salvation which he granted to Adam and to his descendants from Mary the Virgin. 6. And they shall rest on the day of the Nativity, because the grace of the Lord was given to mankind on that day, which they had been awaiting since the beginning of creation; and on that day the Word, which had been hidden from the beginning, appeared upon the earth for the salvation of the world. He is Jesus Christ, who was born of Mary the Virgin, who is pure from all defilement and filth. 7. And they shall rest on the day of Epiphany. This is the baptism in which the Lord and Saviour appeared to all people in the River Jordan. And again the heaven was opened, and the voice of the Father was heard, saying of his Son on that day: "This is my beloved son. Hearken to him and obey him." And the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove, and witnesses and all creation saw and heard all this. 8. And they shall rest on the day of the reception of Simeon the priest upon his hands, while his eyes were heavy from old age, because it had been told him thus: "You shall not taste death until you see the Messiah and Saviour." And when Simeon took him upon his hands and brought him into the temple, his eyes were opened and he saw, and he prophesied and said: "Now, O Lord, release your servant; let him go in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation." For he had believed the word that had been told him: "You shall not die until you see the Messiah, the Lord and Saviour.

9. And they shall rest on the day of his Transfiguration, because on Mount Tabor our Lord Christ appeared to us and showed us the glory of his divinity, and we saw him, we the apostles, and Moses and Elijah were speaking with him, and we heard a voice from the cloud which overshadowed us, saying, "This is my beloved son; hear him and obey him." And he spoke to Moses and Elijah. 10. And they shall rest on the day of the commemoration of the apostles, who are the teachers of the commandment of Christ and the dispensers of the gift of the Holy Spirit. And they shall rest on the feast of Stephen, the chief of the martyrs and their forerunner, and likewise for the other martyrs, and for the martyrs and the saints, because they honored Christ and preferred his love to their own lives. [5] Commandment of the apostles concerning the observance of the time of prayer. They established prayer before dawn, at the third hour of the night, and the morning prayer at dawn, and the prayer of the third hour, and the prayer of the sixth hour, and the prayer of the ninth hour, and the evening prayer at sunset, and the second prayer after sunset at the third hour, and the midnight prayer.

And as for prayer: before dawn, at the third hour, because at that hour we await the coming of our Lord Christ for the judgment; and at that hour the children of light perform good works. And as for prayer: in the morning, while praising the Lord, because he brought the light of life and the bright day and removed the darkness and the fear of night. And as for prayer: at the third hour, because at that hour Christ was judged before him, and he was the salvation of the children of Adam. And as for prayer: at the sixth hour, because at that hour Christ was crucified on the wood of the cross, and he stretched out his hands and blotted out our sins. And as for prayer: at the ninth hour, because at that hour Christ’s spirit departed and the earth quaked, and the veil of the sanctuary was rent, and the sun was darkened, and the whole world became dark. And as for prayer: in the evening, offer thanks from yourselves to the Lord because he has brought you rest at night and removed from you the fast and the labor of the day, which the Lord has done for all his creation.

And as for prayer: at that time, ask of the Lord that He may preserve you from the children of darkness and deliver you from the snares of the enemy, from evil thought, and from evil counsel; for at that hour demons consort with men and cast into their hearts evil counsel. And if you are able, go to the church, for fear of evil and wicked pagans; for thus said David: “I have hated the assembly of the wicked.” For it is not the place that sanctifies the man, but the man who sanctifies the place. And if the place is polluted, flee from them, for it is unclean. And just as pure priests sanctify the place of the faithful and the righteous, so also the polluted and unclean defile the holy place. And if you are able, gather together in the church or in the bishop’s residence; each one of you shall pray in his own house alone, or with two or three. For it is said: “Where two or three are gathered, there I am among them.” And a faithful one shall not pray with those who do not believe in one house, for it is not fitting that one who is united should pray with one who is not united; and there is no faithful one who prays with a pagan among you. What has darkness in common with light? And the faithful, male and female, shall perform good works; let them beware of them, and if not, let them be expelled from the holy church of the Lord.

Command of Paul the Apostle concerning those who have died, how the commemoration is to be performed. The commemoration is to be performed on the third day for those who have died, the commemoration of the dead, with psalmody and prayer, because Christ died and rose on the third day. And again they shall perform on the seventh day incense and prayer for the commemoration of the living and the dead. And again they shall perform on the thirtieth day, at the completion of the month, according to the custom of the Law, because the children of Israel mourned for Moses the prophet thirty days. And again they shall perform incense for the spiritual year, and they shall give from his possessions to the poor and the needy as the price of his soul. And I do not command that this be done for heretics and schismatics, but I command it for men of freedom, faith, and righteousness. And concerning the heretics of the Lord Christ, if they give on their behalf all that is in the world from possessions, I do not accept them, nor anything, because he who was an enemy of God in his life, likewise in his death is an enemy of God, because there is no reconciliation with God. And the righteous one is he who loves justice and does not err in judgment, and everything goes to him and he judges according to his deeds.

[7] And concerning those who are invited to the commemoration and the commemoration of the dead. When you are invited to the commemoration of the dead, to where the food and drink are prepared, go with fear, with love, and with reverence, and with humility, as is fitting for those like you. And eat and drink according to the custom of him who desires; he shall ask the Lord on behalf of that food which was prepared for him, because you are priests and deacons in the church of the Lord. And it is fitting for you to be watchful for the correction of your soul and of others, for as the book says: "For the strong, concerning them, a hundred." And because of this, it is not fitting for them to drink wine, lest they forget wisdom and pervert justice and stand there. And now it is known that bishops, priests, and deacons are the pillars of the Lord God the Father and His Son, who love the strong in the church of the Lord. And this custom is not that they should drink wine for pleasure, for it is an abomination to the creation of the Lord. But we say that they should not become drunk, for the book commanded the ancient fathers that they should not drink wine, and it only said: "Do not drink wine for drunkenness." And this matter is not for priests alone, but for all who believe in Christ.

And again he says in the book: For whom are these lamentations? And for whom is the gathering? And for whom is the waiting? And for whom is the weakness and loss? And for whom shall his eyes become like a sieve? And for whom is the death that has no cause? Is not all this for him who multiplies drink and wine and becomes drunk, dwelling in his drunkenness? Far from the place where they have prepared for drink and for remembrance, and do what is fitting for you, and do not do what harms you. [8] And again he told them concerning those who are exiled on account of faith and wander from country to country. And all those who are exiled on account of their faith and wander from country to country, remember for them the word of Christ which says: When they drive you out from this country, go into another, and you will be saved. For their soul was pure in faith, and their body was weak from the affliction of punishment, and they wandered, and the purity of their mind was known. For they endured the plundering of their goods and the destruction of their houses, so that their faith in Christ might not be shaken. And help and assistance shall be given to those who, like this, fulfill the commandment of Christ and persevere in it.

[9] The Word of Peter and Paul, the Saints, concerning the Observance of the Order of Priesthood We remind you, O priests, and the people of the heavenly assembly of angels, that you should not change your abodes, nor the order which you have received. And let each one of you be at the work which was chosen for him from the Lord. And this is the commandment of the Lord, who said: All good gift and spiritual grace is from the Father of Light. And our Lord Christ said to us: He who hears you hears me, and he who hears me hears him who sent me. And he who offends you offends me. And if there is one who has no soul and heart, he observes what he was commanded, and he observes the law of his people. Behold, the night surpasses the day in observing its law. And the sun surpasses the month as it was commanded. And the stars likewise, and the seasons, and the times, and the weeks, and the days, and the hours observe the law as it was said in the scripture: The Lord gave them a commandment, and they did not transgress. And again he said concerning the sea: The Lord made for it a commandment and a boundary with a shore and limits, and he said to it: Come only this far, and do not pass beyond. It is fitting for you not to rebel against the Lord, and not to transgress what was established for you and what the Lord commanded you.

And moreover, concerning the many who alter this commandment and transgress and violate the order of priesthood, and take for themselves a rank that is not due to them and that God has not given them; because of this, they have become those who offer sacrifice to God like the men of Korah, whose story is written in the Torah, and like Uzziah the king who transgressed without order and without gift from God, and appointed himself priest; and the sons of Korah were consumed by fire, and as for Uzziah, God clothed him with leprosy. And everyone who acts according to their deeds will anger Christ, who ordained the good order, and will offend the Holy Spirit; for they will desire to hear judgment upon themselves, and they will indeed receive severe punishment, and God will bring down His wrath and curse upon them. For they will see what will happen from the offering they bring to one who is not entitled, and they will consider the priesthood as a plaything, and they will not know the likeness of the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ, our God. And from now on, for one who has acted as we have said, having transgressed in this matter, he will be stripped of the seal of priesthood, and he will be declared as one who follows after them in their audacity.

And now, Moses, who performed a great deed for the Lord, spoke with him face to face, as one man speaks with another, and said to him: "Now I have known you from among the people, and I have not revealed you through divination, nor through dreams, nor through visions, nor through the message of angels, but through his grace, as he gave from the law which he received from the Lord." And he established in it what is fitting for the high priest and for the priests, and what is fitting for the Levites to do, and he divided for them according to their portions, in what is fitting: they should bring their offerings and stand in it. And what was the work of the high priest, the priests should not approach it, nor should they transgress the law. And all the work of the priests, the Levites should not approach it. But only each one of them should keep the order that was commanded, and not transgress. And anyone among them who transgresses from what was commanded to another, they shall kill him, the killer. And now, it is known from the story of Saul, when he spared from the sheep of Amalek and passed over and transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and appointed himself to offer the sacrifice while Samuel the prophet, who was the high priest, was not with him. And sin and curse came down upon him for this contempt, because he did not fear from what had been taken from him, the kingdom, as he would offer in his place, for he was a priest in truth.

And the Lord showed how, in the time of Uzziah the king, he did thus, because when he transgressed his commandment, judgment found him, and he was smitten with leprosy; and because of his presumption upon the priesthood, which was not his, he was deprived of his kingdom, which was his inheritance, and he became a leper and an outcast from it. And what happened among us, I will not conceal from you, for you know that it is customary among us for bishops, priests, and deacons to be summoned; and we prayed over them and laid our hands upon their heads, and we pronounced the names of their orders, so that the imposition of their rank might be known. For not everyone who wishes may do as he pleases and come to us, and we lay our hands upon him as if for the priesthood. Uzziah is unclean and excommunicated; and we only do this, and what is prescribed and established, and he who is worthy by his conduct is chosen for this. And when there is one who is rash and immature, who has no law or commandment, we have appointed all the ranks of the priesthood by a single name; and only as we have learned from our Lord, we have magnified all such works for the bishop by the order of the priesthood, and for the priest by his priesthood, and for the deacon by the ministry of both, so that the work of the church may be accomplished rightly.

... because it is not permitted for a deacon to offer the Eucharist with his own hand, nor to administer baptism, nor to bless the people with a blessing, whether small or great. And as for the priests, the priesthood is fulfilled in them, and it is not permitted to transgress the ordinance. And likewise, the commandment of the Lord shall not be without order, but shall be in good order, just as the hosts of angels are humble, performing the work of the hosts of heaven, those who are exalted above them, and they are in high rank. And everyone who does what we have not commanded, and who assumes a rank higher than his own, and who establishes for himself a new ordinance by his own will, shall know that he has brought judgment upon himself from the Lord and from us. And we have decreed their judgment in our sixth book, in which the ordinance of judgments is written, for their opposition to us is not hidden from the bishops, but they shall be opposed by the high priest who oversees the whole face of the church at all times. He is our Lord Jesus Christ, our God.

... Moses, the beloved of God, faithful in his love, the chief of priests, and the priests, and the Levites, and for us, Christ our Savior, ordained us, the twelve apostles, from among us as messengers. I am Philip, and I am James, and the others who are with us, faithful from among us, the chief priests, three orders. And the presbyters, in their face, three orders. And the deacons also, three orders. This is the deacons, and the subdeacons, and the anagnosts. The first throne is that of the chief priest, Christ the Only One, who placed upon his own head glory, and only the Father who named him priest forever. And when he became a man like us, and offered his own soul as a spiritual sacrifice to God, by his own hands, his body, he is the Son. He commanded us, for us alone, that we should do this while he was with us in the great mystery, while we believed. And not only everyone who believed in him is called a priest in faith, and not a chief priest. But we, after his ascension into heaven, offered, as he commanded us, a pure sacrifice without blood, and we appointed from among us bishops, and presbyters, and deacons, seven, who are from among them: Stephen, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus.

And if this Stephen, one of us, in the love of God, showed in his law the fear of God and the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, even to the point of his soul, and he poured out his blood and gave his flesh to the Jews, the killers of our Lord, and they stoned him with stones and killed him. And a miracle occurred with him, for at the time they stoned him, he saw the gates of heaven open, and he saw Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father, and he was in his glory and showed it. And he did not depart from his order or from his ministry which he had received in it, and he did not offer a complete offering, and he did not lay his hand upon anyone, and he did not bless a person, but only kept the order of the diaconate until the day of his death, and in that he found God. This is fitting and proper, that you may be like him and keep the good ordinance of the priesthood. And if there is one who would contradict Philip and Ananias, and say, "Philip baptized the servant of the Queen of Ethiopia, and Ananias baptized Paul," we say and command and we establish a commandment, and we say: No person shall seek the office of the priesthood for himself without it being given to him from God, like Melchizedek and Jacob, who received the priesthood from God, and the Holy Spirit was the one who blessed them in that, or he shall receive it from the high priest, like Aaron from Moses, who gave it to him as God commanded.

Now it is known by our word that Philip and Hananiah did not ordain themselves to the priesthood, but rather they were sent and received the priesthood from the High Priest Jesus Christ, who has no equal and no one who can comprehend him, to whom belong praise and glory. Amen. [10] The commandment and canon of Paul the Apostle concerning those who come to our mystery. New and also I, Paul, the least of the apostles, I command you, our brothers the bishops, priests, and deacons, this ordinance. [10.1] Everyone who has loved (i.e., desired to join) shall gather with us and shall partake with his soul in our mystery. They shall come to the deacon, and the deacon shall bring them to the bishop or the priest who is great in abundant understanding in our law, and he shall ask him and say to him, "For what reason has he loved (i.e., desired to join) and entered into our law?" And the deacon who asks them shall be diligent concerning their deeds, and he shall see whether they are servants or free men. And if one of them is a servant of a faithful man, he shall ask that faithful man concerning him. And if his character is good, and if the word of his master is freedom and his character is good and his ways are pure, he shall be received. And if it is not so, or if he is evil, or if he is a liar, drive him away from you and remove him until his master hears and judges him as is fitting for this. And if he is a servant of an unbeliever, he shall ask his master, and they shall know from him if his commission is good.

...as our law says, which is fitting in the case of fornication, but not in the case of good and virtue, and its end is good. [10.2] And if there is a man who has a wife, or a woman who has a husband, and they commit adultery with each other, they shall be separated from each other, and they shall not be those who return to one another in marriage, as it is sealed. And if they are those who do not separate, teach them that they shall not sin, but they shall separate according to the law, as we have commanded and forbidden. And if the Lord of the faithful knows that they sin in their deed and do not separate, and afterwards he brings judgment upon him. And if there is a maidservant who is a prostitute and does not separate, she shall be beaten and expelled, as we have commanded you. [10.3] And if there is one who is possessed by a demon, teach him first the fear of God and his commandment, and do not bring him to the Eucharist until he lives and the demon leaves him. And if death approaches, entrust him and bring him to the Eucharist. [10.4] If there is a man who is accused of fornication and has made it his habit, he shall be restrained from that sin and filth, and he shall be rebuked with rebuke; and if not, he shall be expelled.

[10.5] And likewise, a woman who is dead, or who abandons her own fornication and refrains from that adultery, and is wounded by sin—if not, she is expelled from us. [10.7] If a man or a woman who has loved enters into our law, if he was a drunkard, or a foreigner, or a leper, or a sorcerer, or a singer, or one who teaches hymns, or a dancer in adultery, or a slanderer among people—evil and abomination—let them abandon their deeds and refrain from it, and cast it behind them. [10.6] And all makers of idols, who carve from stone and wood, and cast from bronze and iron and copper and gold—if they are with us in our law, let them be restrained from all this and refrain from that sin of fornication; and if not, let them be expelled and cast out from our congregation. [10.8] If a free man who has entered into our law and was formerly a confidant of the king of the land in sin and crime, let him refrain from sorcery and violence and lamentation, and let him remain on the sustenance that is given to him; and if he abandons this conduct, let him be stoned; and if he does not abandon it, let him be expelled.

[10.9] If a man has committed and done a secret fornication, or a wound, and far from us, or he has hidden his shame, or he has become a companion of shame, or a sorcerer, or a diviner, or an enchanter, or a magician, or a soothsayer, or a seer of stars in the sky, or a teacher of fornication, or one who brings together what is called in these times a teacher of evil and sin—anathema to them before God on the day of judgment. Or a master who speaks falsely concerning what is not, or a writer of amulets, or an advisor, or a master of divination, or one who speaks with a false sign, or an interpreter of dreams—these who dwell in the road and in whose hands are amulets, who write amulets, and who see, and who burn their faces with fire when suffering finds them, and who lick their spittle and their hair when it finds them—that is their punishment from the judgment of God which has come upon them. Or a diviner by birds, or one who writes on his hands and his feet with a needle and ink with a sign, and one who learns by the flight of birds in the morning, and that book is a voice among the pagans. Do not accept them and do not hear them; and concerning their departure, they tell them concerning life and death as it seems to them, and it is not among us like that. And what has become like this, a stranger—do not accept him into our law until they repent concerning him and advise him how it has become.

[10.9] If he repents of his deed, because his secret is hidden from men, and if they have accused him of that deed, they shall be accepted. And if they have abandoned him and accused him, they shall bring [it] before us; if [it is] true, they shall be expelled. [10.10] A woman who is a virgin, who does not believe—if she has preserved herself alone, she shall be accepted on account of her purity. But if she has gone a second time according to her will to fornication and has been polluted in sin, and it has become her habit, she shall be expelled. [10.11] A faithful one who was with us and entered into our law, and who has a virgin or a maidservant, shall be accused of her when she is baptized, and he shall give her in marriage according to the law which we have commanded. If he loves her dwelling and has her first, and writes for her a document of her freedom before giving her [in marriage], so that she may rule her soul and choose, and so that she may not be forced. And if he transgresses and does contrary to what we have commanded, he brings judgment upon his soul and shall be expelled. [10.12] A man who was of us and has done the deed of a pagan and of those like them, and has believed in the likenesses of the Jews, and has done accordingly, either he shall be expelled or he shall be expelled.

[10.13] And he who desires shall be in the number of those who are clothed in a portion, and he shall cleave to God in fear and purity, and they shall counsel him in that for three years. And if he is a man who has love and is found to be good and of good character, pure, they shall accept him, because this deed is not to be done hastily, but it shall be done with good intention and counsel. [10.14] If there is a man who is found with a thief, a fornicator, and a murderer, or who is found at a spectacle, or where they fight, or where they cause rams and cocks to fight with each other, or where horses are trained and they abandon the weak on the ground—these things—and he is found with him, and he repeats this deed, because he has done a pagan deed, that is it. And if not, he shall be expelled. [10.15] If there is a layman who teaches people for good and enters among them in peace and with just measure, he shall not be hindered in this. And he shall be trustworthy in his word, pure in his body, his eye, and his soul, because this deed is not his deed. But rather, it is the deed of priests and bishops. And he shall first correct his own soul, and after finishing, he shall be good. And then he shall undertake the teaching of people, because it is said, “And they shall be teachers before God and guides for good.