Canon 39 Presbyters and deacons act only with the bishop's consent

Ἱεροὶ Κανόνες τῶν Ἁγίων καὶ Πανσέπτων Ἀποστόλων

The Apostolic Canons · compiled in Syria in the later fourth century · The Apostolic Canons on the map

Let the presbyters and the deacons carry out nothing without the consent of the bishop; for he is the one entrusted with the people of the Lord, and from whom the account for their souls will be required.

Οἱ πρεσβύτεροι, καὶ οἱ διάκονοι, ἄνευ γνώμης τοῦ ἐπισκόπου μηδὲν ἐπιτελείτωσαν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐστὶν ὁ πεπιστευμένος τὸν λαὸν τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν αὐτῶν λόγον ἀπαιτηθησόμενος.

The Apostolic Canons, the canons

English: this site's translation of the Greek beside it. Greek: the text of the Pedalion, as transcribed at users.uoa.gr/~nektar and corrected here. About these texts.