Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Antioch - Canon 21

A bishop may not be translated from one parish to another, either intruding himself of his own suggestion, or under compulsion by the people, or by constraint of the bishops; but he shall remain in the Church to which he was allotted by God from the beginning, and shall not be translated from it, according to the decree formerly passed on the subject.

This canon appears to be an attempt to practically apply Paul's instruction to remain in what the Lord had assigned (1 Cor 7:17-24).  Neither the will of the overseer, the people, nor the other overseers allowed for the transfer to another region.  As in Canon 15 of Nicaea, the idea was to inhibit the movement of overseers from one church to another.  Many of these were for personal gain or recognition and showed contempt for the ministry rather than a love for the flock.

No comments: