The Canonical Epistle of St Gennadios of Constantinople

Direct English translation

To the most God-loving fellow minister [name], Gennadios and the holy Synod residing in the imperial city of Constantinople, New Rome. Our Master, God, and Saviour Jesus Christ, having entrusted the preaching of the Gospel to His holy disciples and sent them as teachers to people throughout the inhabited world, expressly commanded them to impart freely to others the gift which they had freely received from Him, acquiring for it neither copper, silver, gold, nor any other material or earthly possession; for earthly and perishable things are not a recompense for heavenly and spiritual gifts. Through them He gave this command not only to them but also to us, whom He deemed worthy to succeed to their rank and place. Just as they observed it then, so must we now keep and guard it exactly, neither devising sophisms about what admits no sophistry nor throwing a dangerous die. 'Freely you received,' He says, 'freely give. Acquire neither copper, silver, nor gold in your belts.' The meaning of this command is simple and clear; it contains nothing intricate or difficult to grasp and needs no sophistical explanation. He says: You received from Me the dignity of the priesthood. If you paid Me anything small or great for it and it was sold to you by Me, then sell it to others also; but if you received freely, give freely yourselves. What is clearer than this command? What is more beneficial to those who obey it? Woe indeed to those who suppose that they can acquire the gift of God or give it through money; according to Saint Peter's judgment, such persons are in the gall of bitterness and the bond of injustice, captured by their own love of money. Therefore the canon of the holy and blessed Fathers of the holy and great Ecumenical Council assembled at Chalcedon, agreeing with this law of the Master, plainly declares to us in these very words: 'If any bishop performs an ordination for money and reduces the grace that cannot be sold to a sale, and for money ordains a bishop, chorepiscopus, presbyter, deacon, or any other numbered among the clergy; or for money appoints a steward, advocate, paramonarios, or any person at all in the clergy for his own shameful gain, the one who attempts this, if convicted, shall endanger his own rank; and the one ordained shall gain no benefit from the ordination or appointment obtained by commerce, but shall be alien from the dignity or office obtained for money. If anyone is shown to have acted as an intermediary in these shameful and unlawful payments, then, if he is a cleric, let him fall from his own rank; if a layman or monk, let him be anathematized.' The precepts of this canon of the holy Fathers are excellent and exceedingly reverent, repelling and cutting off every satanic assault and every diabolical attempt made against the spiritual gift. It in no way permits the appointment to ordination to be made or received through money, either by the one performing it or by the one receiving the appointment. It permits no money to be given for ordination before, after, or during the ordination, for it has wholly forbidden bribery in this matter. Nevertheless, although these things are thus manifestly forbidden, certain persons among the Galatians have now been detected disregarding and transgressing these saving and humane precepts through shameful gain and love of money. Therefore it seemed good to us also, together with the holy Synod residing in this imperial New Rome, to renew these same precepts, so that, without any invention, pretext, or sophism, this impious and abominable custom which has somehow entered the most holy churches may be cut out entirely. Thus, when the proclamation over those being ordained is made by the hierarchs in a truly uncommercial and pure manner, the grace of the Holy Spirit may descend from above. For now, when the appointment is made through money and the hand does not act purely, I do not know whether the grace of the Holy Spirit descends upon the one appointed according to the proclamation, or whether instead the grace of the Holy Spirit withdraws. Know therefore, most devout one, that every person whatsoever caught in any such act—a bishop, chorepiscopus, itinerant presbyter, presbyter, deacon, any other person of the canonical order, or a layman—has been condemned by the common decree and common vote of the hierarchs, just as the canon of the holy Fathers already declares concerning this. For grace must remain grace, and silver must nowhere mediate beside it. Accordingly, both the one who thinks to acquire it through money and the one who promises to provide it for money—whether cleric or layman, whether convicted or not convicted of doing this—let him be, and he is, cast out, alien from every priestly dignity and ministry, and subject to the curse of anathema. Things that cannot be reconciled can never be joined; mammon cannot agree with God, nor can those who serve it serve God. This also is the Master's indisputable judgment: 'You cannot serve God and mammon.' Trusting in these words according to our ability and submitting to them, together with Him who spoke them we have rendered the judgment against those who act unlawfully in this matter. Let your holiness also take care to observe these things with every vigilance and make them known by copies to the most God-loving bishops and itinerant presbyters under you and to all the others. Then, united in one Spirit and one soul, all Christians together against the common enemy may, with God, be strong enough to cut out the root of the love of money planted among us by him, together with all its evil shoots. We greet all the brotherhood with you in Christ. Being strong in the Lord, pray earnestly for us, most God-loving brother. I, Gennadios, Bishop of Constantinople, New Rome, have signed.