Ancyra - Canon 16

Let those who have been or who are guilty of bestial lusts, if they have sinned while under twenty years of age, be prostrators fifteen years, and afterwards communicate in prayers; then, having passed five years in this communion, let them have a share in the oblation.  But let their life as prostrators be examined, and so let them receive indulgence; and if any have been insatiable in their crimes, then let their time of prostration be prolonged.  And if any who have passed this age and had wives, have fallen into this sin, let them be prostrators twenty-five years, and then communicate in prayers; and, after they have been five years in the communion of prayers, let them share the oblation.  And if any married men of more than fifty years of age have so sinned, let them be admitted to communion only at the point of death.

There were those who at some point had engaged in bestiality. Those teenagers that did so in the thralls of raging hormones were to be held back from full fellowship for twenty years.  If the person was more mature, the time was thirty years.  Lastly, if over fifty years, no communion was allowed until death was imminent.  During these probationary periods, penance could be shortened or elongated based on their conduct in relation to their past sinful practice.  Clearly, this sin was considered more grievous than any of the aforementioned worship of false gods, probably because it struck at the heart of something that should obviously separate Christians from pagans.

The Spirit of Christmas Present(s)

Ancyra - Canon 15

Concerning things belonging to the church, which presbyters may have sold when there was no bishop, it is decreed that the Church property shall be reclaimed; and it shall be in the discretion of the bishop whether it is better to receive the purchase price, or not; for oftentimes the revenue of the things sold might yield them the greater value.

If a church was without an overseer, an elder was not allowed to sell church property.  If he should, the overseer could reclaim it for the church unless he determined that the sale yielded more value than retaining the property.

And here I thought the current Presbyterian Church (USA) issues with church property was something new.

Ancyra - Canon 14

It is decreed that among the clergy, presbyters and deacons who abstain from flesh shall taste of it, and afterwards, if they shall so please, may abstain.  But if they disdain it, and will not even eat herbs served with flesh, but disobey the canon, let them be removed from their order.

Some elders and deacons had begun to abstain from meat.  When presented food with meat, they were to taste it then beg from eating.  However, if they took the more extreme approach of not even eating vegetables that were served with meat, they were to be deposed.  Such conduct was considered beyond what was proper drawing attention to the person when humility was in order.

There are workers of the church today who conduct themselves much as the Pharisee and say, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get," thinking that they can be exalted by their works.  When in fact the correct way is for him to "not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'" (Luke 18:11-13)

May our prayer be like Peter's:

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.  To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11)

Ancyra - Canon 13

It is not lawful for Chorepiscopi to ordain presbyters or deacons, and most assuredly not presbyters of a city, without the commission of the bishop given in writing, in another parish.

What is a chorepiscopus?
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, he is an overseer

whose jurisdiction was confined to rural districts.  The earliest chorepiscopus of whom we have any knowledge was Zoticus, whom Eusebius designates as bishop of the village Cumana in Phrygia in the latter half of the second century.  In the beginning the chorepiscopi seem to have exercised all episcopal functions in their rural districts, but from the second half of the third century they were subject to the city bishops.¹

These country preachers (using modern parlance) were allowed to fully function within their regions in the same capacity as the overseer in a major metropolitan area—Antioch, Jerusalem, etc.—yet being subject to the oversight of the nearest metropolitan.

What is the canon addressing?
The first part of the canon is clear in that the chorepiscopus was not to ordain certain elders or deacons without consent.  There has been some difficulty through history with the second part of the canon in knowing to what circumstances the Greek text and the English translation are referring.  The translation above appears to say that no chorepiscopus may not ordain someone in a different locale unless the city overseer from that other locale had given written approval.  In other words, someone from a region attached to Ancyra could not ordain someone in the jurisdiction of Antioch unless someone from Antioch with sufficient authority had given written permission.  Others will say it refers to separate regions under the jurisdiction of the same city.  The fine distinction is irrelevant as the outcome is the same.


¹ Michael Ott, "Chorepiscopi," The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 16 (New York: The Encyclopedia Press, 1914), accessed at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/16024c.htm.

John Chrysostom on the Goodness of God to Man

In place of temporal toil he honored us with eternal life.  In place of thorns and thistles he prepared the fruit of the Spirit to grow in our souls.  Nothing was more insignificant than man, and nothing became more honored than man.  He was the last item of the reasonable creation.  But the feet became the head, and by means of the firstfruits, were raised to the royal throne.  For just as some generous and opulent man who has seen someone escape from shipwreck and only able to save his bare body from the waves, cradles him in his hands, and casts about him a bright garment, and conducts him to the highest honors; so also God has done in the case of our nature.  Man cast aside all that he had, his right to speak freely, his communion with God, his sojourn in Paradise, his unclouded life, and as from a shipwreck, went forth bare.  But God received him and straightway clothed him, and taking him by the hand gradually conducted him to heaven.  And yet the shipwreck was quite unpardonable.  For this tempest was due entirely not to the force of the winds, but to the carelessness of the sailor.

And yet God did not look at this, but had compassion for the magnitude of the calamity, and him who had suffered shipwreck in harbor, he received as lovingly as if he had undergone this in the midst of the open sea.  For to fall in Paradise is to undergo shipwreck in harbor.  Why so?  Because when no sadness, or care, or labors, or toil, or countless waves of desire assaulted our nature, it was upset and it fell.  And as the miscreants who sail the sea, often bore through the ship with a small iron tool, and let in the whole sea to the ship from below; so accordingly then, when the Devil saw the ship of Adam, that is his soul, full of many good things, he came and bored it through with his mere voice, as with some small iron tool, and emptied him of all his wealth and sank the ship itself.  But God made the gain greater than the loss, and brought our nature to the royal throne.  Wherefore Paul cries out and says, “He raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him, on his right hand in the heavenly places, that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness towards us.”

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, 9:179

The Conspiracy Game

This video reminds me of the material Isaac Air Freight did during the 1980's.

Ancyra - Canon 12

It is decreed that they who have offered sacrifice before their baptism, and were afterwards baptized, may be promoted to orders, inasmuch as they have been cleansed.

The patristic understanding of baptism included an actual washing away of sin.  This canon could refer either to the new believer in Christ or to catechumens who went through a period of up to three years between their initial following and baptism into full fellowship.  In either case all sin was considered washed away at that point.

Ancyra - Canon 11

It is decreed that virgins who have been betrothed, and who have afterwards been carried off by others, shall be restored to those to whom they had formerly been betrothed, even though they may have suffered violence from the ravisher.

It was not outside the bounds of pagan behavior to abscond with a Christian girl who was betrothed and make sport of her.  Had the girl been a willing participant in such an action, discipline for sin would have been enacted.  Here though, being unwilling, the girl was free to return to her fiancé without further incident.  A corollary understanding to this was that the man was willing to take her back.  If not, they were free to go separate ways.

This seems to be one of those situations that should be obvious, but the early church was highly sensitive to every appearance of evil.  O, that today's believers would be of the same mind without going to extreme strictures of Christian liberty.

Got Old Testament?

Last night I finished a Bible study in Hebrews with a brother, Randy, I have been discipling who is a fairly new believer.  His wife has confessed Christ for many years, and when he started following, she encouraged him to read and study that book.  She loved the book and knew he would, too.  He did—in spades.

Most reading this blog will know the structure of Hebrews with its use of the Law and Christ's exceedingly abundant fulfillment of all it represented.  After we were done, Randy commented on how important it was to know the Old Testament to understand the New.  His experience as a Roman Catholic was for the teaching to dwell solely on NT with various smatterings of Psalms and well-known stories as moral examples.  I told him that evangelicals at-large are not much different. Sure, there are some denominations and individual churches who understand the importance of rooting Christian teaching in sound biblical theology and the progressive revelation of redemptive history, but my experience is that Christians are so intent on "believing in Jesus" that they ignore why the incarnation and his atoning work were necessary, much less their full import.

Why do I mention all that?  This morning I read a book review of Reclaiming the Old Testament for Christian Preaching by my good friend¹ at Pastoral Musings.  This offering from InterVarsity does not address the detail of each genre but the importance and method of preaching/teaching it to believers and making it applicable to today.  If the review is accurate, you will want to secure a copy of this for whomever is in a teaching role in your church, or get it for your church library so it can be shared.

Exodus 21 through Deuteronomy 33 appear to be dry reading because they are not taught or are not made applicable.  Let's change that.  I am currently leading a study with three other men through Deuteronomy.  They find the time rewarding and are putting together the puzzle pieces I mention above concerning Christ's work and our response to it.  The same can happen in your church.


¹ He acknowledges my internet presence.