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The Holy Canons Apostolic Canon 76

Canon 76 A bishop may not make relatives his heirs

Ἱεροὶ Κανόνες τῶν Ἁγίων καὶ Πανσέπτων Ἀποστόλων

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

That a bishop ought not, as a favour to his brother, or his son, or another relative, to ordain whom he wishes to the dignity of the episcopate; for it is not just to make heirs of the episcopate, bestowing the things of God out of human passion; for he ought not to put the Church of God under heirs. And if anyone does this, let the ordination remain void; and let him himself be punished with excommunication.

Ὅτι οὐ χρὴ ἐπίσκοπον τῷ ἀδελφῷ, ἢ τῷ υἱῷ, ἢ ἑτέρῳ συγγενεῖ χαριζόμενον, εἰς τὸ ἀξίωμα τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς χειροτονεῖν ὃν βούλεται· κληρονόμους γὰρ τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ποιεῖσθαι οὐ δίκαιον, τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ χαριζόμενον πάθει ἀνθρωπίνῳ· οὐ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκκλησίαν ὑπὸ κληρονόμους ὀφείλει τιθέναι. Εἰ δέ τις τοῦτο ποιήσει, ἄκυρος μενέτω ἡ χειροτονία· αὐτὸς δὲ ἐπιτιμάσθω ἀφορισμῷ.

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.