Original - The Coptic Orthodox Church

curable, envied of all men, and that God s name may be
thereby glorified.
( 44). No one that is reckoned of the clergy (xtfjpos) shall
suffer (xve%oo) his wife to adorn (xoffASu) herself with gold
or (>j)
silver
or (>j)
with
precious stones (>j)
or (%) with curls or braids (of hair) or (>})
for (yap) lo, guise (o-^j^a)
with
or
with antimony
costly raiment ;
of this sort is not that of the
children of the church (exxh.). For (yxp) the apostle (XTTGVT.)
Peter forbiddeth (Trapairsoftai) such things as these, as being
a guise (?%%(&&) of fornication (Tropvixd/;).
! And not only (cu
(iwov $e) these, but (#AA#) Paul also, the apostle (#TT.), writeth,
making them unclean before all the laity (hxixoc). 2 Lo, by
how much the more (TrcVco ftahhov) we priests? For (yap) the
priest s wife doth eat of the bread of the altar (
wherefore she also must needs [walk] in holy guise
3
that her condition (?)
may be for a rule unto others, without
* accusation, while they behold your good and holy manner of (P. 143)
life (avavTpoQy) with reverence (lit. fear). 4 But fie) if any shall
say regarding these commandments (ei/ToAjj) that they be
commandments (SVT.) of man, let him know that they are
commandments of God which I write unto you. Jacob the
patriarch (Trarp.) was not careless (xftehlu)
neither suffered
he (&ve%u) his wives to adorn (xo<rfttu) themselves, nor (offis)
even his servants; but (#AA#) he took the earrings of gold
and the bracelets (\pfAA/ci/) of his wives and his daughters
and destroyed them and hid them beneath the terebinth
(rspspivQos) which is in the town (TTC A/?) of Sigima, until this
day. 5 And Moses likewise also forbade (irapaiT.) this manner
of guise (<r%ijfta). He said unto the people (A#c c), Take from
off you these ornaments (jco<rfto<;)
and
(<TT0Aj?) and I will show thee what things
your glorious apparel
I will do unto
thee. G And (5f) this he said showing us that they
1
Cf. I Pet. III. 3.
5 Gen. XXXV. 2.
2 Cf. i Tim. II. 9.
3 Corrupt.
are not
* I Pet. III. 2.
6 Ex. XXXIII. 5 (cf. Miss, franc. VI. 48).