NPNF2-08. Basil: Letters and Select Works - Holy Bible Institute

To Amphilochius, the Canons.LVI. The intentional homicide, who has afterwards repented, will be excommunicatedfrom the sacrament 2834 for twenty years. The twenty years will be appointed for him asfollows: for four he ought to weep, standing outside the door of the house of prayer, beseechingthe faithful as they enter in to offer prayer in his behalf, and confessing his own sin.After four years he will be admitted among the hearers, and during five years will go outwith them. During seven years he will go out with the kneelers, 2835 praying. During fouryears he will only stand with the faithful, and will not take part in the oblation. On thecompletion of this period he will be admitted to participation of the sacrament.LVII. The unintentional homicide will be excluded for ten years from the sacrament.The ten years will be arranged as follows: For two years he will weep, for three years he willcontinue among the hearers; for four he will be a kneeler; and for one he will only stand.Then he will be admitted to the holy rites.LVIII. The adulterer will be excluded from the sacrament for fifteen years. During fourhe will be a weeper, and during five a hearer, during four a kneeler, and for two a slanderwithout communion.LIX. The fornicator will not be admitted to participation in the sacrament for sevenyears; 2836 weeping two, hearing two, kneeling two, and standing one: in the eighth he willbe received into communion.2834 ἁγιάσμασι. The Ben. Ed. render Sacramento. In the Sept. (e.g. Amos vii. 13) the word=sanctuary. Inpatristic usage both S. and P. are found for the Lord’s Supper, or the consecrated elements; e.g. ἁγίασμα in Greg.Nyss., Ep. Canon. Can. v. The plural as in this place “frequentius.” (Suicer s.v.)2835 μετὰ τῶν ἐν ὑποπτώσει. The ὑποπίπτοντες or substrati constituted the third and chief station in theoriental system of penance, the first and second being the προσκλαίοντες, flentes or weepers, and the ἀκροώμενος,audientes, or hearers. In the Western Church it is the substrati who are commonly referred to as being in penitence,and the Latin versions of the Canons of Ancyra by Dionysius Exiguus and Martin of Braga renderὑποπίπτοντες and ὑποπτῶσις by pœnitentis and pœnitentia. In Basil’s Canon xxii. p. 238, this station is speciallystyled μετάνοια. cf. D.C.A. ii. 1593. “Μετάνοια notat pœnitentiam eorum qui ob delicta sua in ecclesia ἐπιτιμίοιςἐσωφρονίζοντο (Zonaras, Ad. Can. v. Conc. Antioch, p. 327), quique dicebantur οἰ ἐν μετανοιᾳ ὄντες.Chrysostom, Hom. iii. in Epist. ad Eph. in S. Cœnæ communione clamabat κήρυξ, ὅσοι ἐν μετανοί& 139· ἀπέλθετεπάντες.” Suicer s.v.2836 cf. Can. xxii. p. 228. The Ben. note is “Laborant Balsamon et Zonaras in hoc canone conciliando cumvicesimo secundo, atque id causæ afferunt, cur in vicesimo secundo quatuor anni, septem in altero decernantur,quod Basilius in vicesimo secundo antiqua Patrum placita sequatur, suam in altero propriam sententiam exponat.Eundem hunc canonem Alexius Aristenus, ut clarum et perspicuum, negat explicatione indigere. Videbat nimirumdoctissimus scriptor duplicem a Basilio distingui fornicationem, leviorem alteram, alteram graviorem levior dicitur,quæ inter personas matrimonio solutas committitur: gravior, cum conjugati hominis libido in mulierem solutamerumpit. Priori anni quatuor, septem alteri imponuntur. Manifesta res est ex canone 21, ubi conjugati peccatumcum soluta fornicationem appellat Basilius, ac longioribus pœnis coerceri, non tamen instar adulterii, testatur.723