A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

686 A Source Book for Ancient Church History[627]6. If a cleric has planned in his heart to smite or kill hisneighbor, he shall do penance half a year on bread and wateraccording to the prescribed amount, and for a whole year abstainfrom wine and the eating of meat, and then may he be permittedagain to approach the altar.7. If it is a layman, he shall do penance for a whole week; forhe is a man of this world and his guilt is lighter in this world andhis punishment in the future is less.8. If a cleric has smitten his brother [i.e., a clergyman] or hisneighbor and drawn blood … he shall do penance a whole yearon bread and water; he may not fill any clerical office, but mustwith tears pray to God for himself.9. Is he a layman, he shall do penance for 40 days, andaccording to the judgment of the priest or some other righteousman pay a determined sum of money.(c) Theodore of Tarsus, Penitential, I. Haddan and Stubbs, III,73 ff.For Theodore of Tarsus, archbishop of Canterbury, see W.Stubbs, art. “Theodorus of Tarsus” in DCB. That he wrotea penitential is not certain. But that he was regarded as theauthor of a penitential is clear enough. In fact, his name isattached to penitentials in much the same way as David's nameis attached to the whole book of Psalms. For a discussionof the various works attributed to Theodore, see Haddan andStubbs, Councils and Ecclesiastical Documents, loc. cit.This is a characteristic penitential and may be regarded asfollowing closely the decisions and opinions of Theodore.Much of it is unprintable in English.Cap. I. On drunkenness. 1. If any bishop or other person ordainedis customarily given to the vice of drunkenness, let him ceasefrom it or be deposed.