Epitimia lxxiii

Penances of our father among the saints John Chrysostom. The one who has committed voluntary murder shall be without communion for 7 years; performing each day 50 penitences, the "Lord have mercy" together with the "O God, be merciful to me" 150, abstaining from meat, cheese and egg, and on Wednesdays and Fridays abstaining from oil and fish and wine; if possible, let him also eat dry food. The involuntary murderer shall be penanced for 3 years. The adulterer shall be without communion for 5 years, performing 100 penitences each day; but if he serves with tears and humility, let him commune even in three years. The one who has fallen with his own godmother shall be penanced for 7 years, performing each day 70 penitences, the "Lord have mercy" 300, and eating dry food. The one who has committed adultery with the wife of his sworn brother shall be without communion for 8 years, 100 penitences, "Lord have mercy" 100. If father and son go to one woman, the first receives the penance of a fornicator, that is 3 years; the second shall be without communion for 12 years, 300 penitences each day. The thief and the temple-robber shall be without communion for 3 years, 100 penitences. The one who blasphemes unjustly is condemned to the portion of Cain, and shall be without communion for six months, 100 penitences. The one who swears untimely a false oath in his own conversation shall be excommunicated from the church for 12 days, and let him eat dry food. The one who tramples the cross shall be excommunicated for 3 years, 100 penitences.

The one who has fallen into self-abuse (masturbation) shall not commune for 50 days, eating dry food, with 40 penitences. The one who falls with his own baptismal sponsor (synteknissa) shall be without communion for 12 years, with 200 penitences. The one who has fallen into androgyny (homosexual acts), whether man or woman, has a penance of 7 years, without communion, with 200 penitences. If someone falls with his own mother, he has a penance of 14 years, without communion, with 300 penitences, eating dry food. If an unbaptized child dies between its parents at 12 days or more, they have a penance of 2 years; but if it is baptized, at 40 days, they have a penance of 3 years, as being contemptuous. If an unbaptized infant dies near its parents within 7 days, its parents have a penance of 40 days, with 12 penitences morning and evening, fasting on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, eating dry food, only bread and water. A woman nursing her own infant, having neglected to care for it, and her infant is found dead, if it is unbaptized at 40 days, she has a penance of 1 year; but if it lies outside (exposed) and dies, let her be penanced for 50 days. If a woman gives herself over to self-abuse with her own hands, let her be without communion for 7 years, let her be separated, with 150 penitences daily. If a woman takes leaven and wipes her body with it, let her be without communion for 7 years, with 200 penitences. A woman who has mingled with an unbelieving and foreign man, let her be penanced for 7 years without communion, let her be separated and held to 100 penitences.

A woman who has neglected an infant in her womb and caused it to be aborted shall be penanced for 3 years or 2, without communion, with 40 penitences. If anyone does not consent to have his feet washed by another, let him be anathema. If any bishop or presbyter or monk does not receive a sinner who comes to him for confession, he is an enemy of God and grieves Christ, who said, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” and, “That joy arises in heaven and on earth over a repenting sinner.” If anyone partakes of the body and blood of Christ our God and then bathes, let him be accursed. If anyone has fornicated in dreams and communes in the morning, let him be anathema. If anyone calls his brother a fool, let him be accursed, as the Lord said. If anyone converses in the temple of God, let him be anathema. If anyone offers drugs and astrologies for the theft of goods, or asks anything else whatsoever, let him be anathema. If anyone eats the blood of an animal, let him be accursed. If any presbyter or cleric or deacon demands interest from borrowers, let him be anathema.

31 If any presbyter or cleric or deacon enters a tavern, not out of necessity and not while traveling, let him be anathema. If anyone listens to the mysteries of brothers, let him be anathema. If any Christian celebrates marriages during the holy and great forty-day fast, let him be anathema. If any woman is found with two brothers, let her be without communion for 7 years, with 100 penitences each day, eating dry food. If any presbyter or monk vomits from too much wine, let him be penanced for 40 days, with 50 penitences. If anyone openly displays his own indecency while jesting, let him be anathema. If a monk of the great schema commits fornication, let him receive the penance of an adulterer; but a monk of the small schema, if he falls with a free person, receives the penance of a fornicator. The monk who falls into softness (masturbation) has a penance of 40 days, with 50 penitences, eating dry food. The monk who falls into a nocturnal emission, whether from study or from sight, ought not to serve the liturgy for 7 days, while performing 40 penitences each day, eating dry food.

41 A monk who falls into a monastery of nuns: let both be deposed, and let them go to the places of beginners. Their penance shall be twelve years, excommunicated, performing three hundred prostrations each day, because he who corrupts the temple of God, God will corrupt him. A monk who falls with a married woman: let him be deposed. His penance: seven years, excommunicated, three hundred prostrations, dry-eating. If any monk is insulted, he is considered a fornicator. If he strikes someone unjustly, let him be excommunicated for forty days, dry-eating. If any monk travels with a woman for seven cubits, God considers him a fornicator. If any monk walking on a road places his staff upon his shoulders, he is outside the monastic state, and God considers him a robber. If any monk eats uncovered, or sleeps, he is an enemy of God. If any monk lifts his garment above his knees, God considers him a fornicator. If someone fights with another, and one of them dies unforgiven by the other, the living one must do penance dry-eating for twelve years, and pray to God for the forgiveness of the deceased. If someone seizes another's property, and others swear falsely, let him be penalized for twelve years, and let the property be returned threefold. If someone swears concerning a virgin, the canon does not allow them to be separated, because of not trampling the life-giving cross.

51 If anyone defiles the holy Forty Days, he fasts from Pascha until Pentecost; but he must break the fast on the Great Sunday. If anyone turns a brother away from the path of truth through his own cunning, let him be penanced for forty days, with fifty prostrations, eating dry food. If anyone is found idly talking and laughing, let him be penanced for two days, with fifty prostrations, eating dry food. He who vaingloriously disparages a Christian becomes an enemy of God. The canonarch, if he carelessly chants the verses and cuts short the service due to God through his own negligence, let him eat dry food for five days, with fifty prostrations. The same, if he lies down carelessly after the hour of the signal, and does not attend to his books, and does not research the commemorations of the saints, let him eat dry food for fifty days. The cook, if he neglects his service and does not prepare everything well with fear and faith, he ought not to drink wine. The same, again, if he does not cover his vessels with a cloth, or leaves them uncovered, let him be penanced for three days, eating dry food. He who sits at table and laughs or disparages the dishes set before him, let him be expelled from the table, and let him be penanced and also chant the fiftieth psalm, and let him stand at the table, and make fifty prostrations. He who sends or receives anything secretly from the abbot, let him eat dry food for three days.

61 He who does not confess his actions and thoughts to his spiritual father or to the abbot, let him be penanced for fifteen days, eating dry food. He who, from negligence, abandons common teaching and spiritual admonition, let him eat dry food for five days. He who tastes anything whatsoever at an hour without the blessing of the superior, let him be penanced for fifteen days, not drinking wine. He who has a personal matter from his spiritual father, let it be taken from him and let him be penanced for forty days. He who does not work, let him not eat, according to the divine Apostle; if he works moderately, let him also eat moderately. He who eats and drinks immoderately does not serve the Lord, but deifies his own belly. If any bishop strives for his livelihood and neglects the temple of God, let him be as a heretic, just as the Lord says: "No one can serve two masters." 68 If any presbyter falls into fornication, let him be deposed without promotion; but let him be treated with compassion regarding the penances, according to the word of the Lord: "For you shall not punish twice for the same thing." 69 If any deacon fornicates, let him be deposed, and let him have the place of a reader. Likewise also the priest, and let him be treated with the same penance. If any deacon's or priest's wife falls, let them be deposed, and let them remain without promotion; likewise also a reader's; but let them be treated with compassion regarding the penances, partaking without hindrance, if they guard themselves. If any bishop, or presbyter, or deacon obtains this rank through money, let both be deposed; let them also be deprived of the church, as Simon Magus was by Peter.