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The Holy Canons Nicaea II Canon 15

Canon 15 A cleric may not serve in two churches

Κανόνες τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ Ἁγίας καὶ Οἰκουμενικῆς Ζ´ Συνόδου

The Seventh Ecumenical Council · Nicaea, 787 · convened by the empress Irene and the emperor Constantine VI · Seventh Ecumenical Council: Nicaea II (787) on the map

From now on let a cleric not be enrolled in two churches; for this is proper to trade and base gain, and foreign to ecclesiastical custom. For we have heard from the very voice of the Lord that: No one can serve two lords; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one and despise the other. Each one, then, according to the apostolic voice, in that in which he was called, in this ought to remain, and to attend in one church. For the things that are done for base gain in ecclesiastical matters stand estranged from God. For the need of this life there are various occupations. From these, then, if anyone wishes, let him provide the necessities of the body; for the Apostle said: To my needs, and to those who were with me, these hands have ministered. And this holds in this God-guarded city; but in the country places outside, because of the lack of men, let it be allowed.

Κληρικὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ παρόντος μὴ καταταττέσθω ἐν δυσὶν ἐκκλησίαις· ἐμπορίας γὰρ καὶ αἰσχροκερδείας τοῦτο ἴδιον, καὶ ἀλλότριον ἐκκλησιαστικῆς συνηθείας. Ἠκούσαμεν γὰρ ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς Κυριακῆς φωνῆς, ὅτι, Οὐ δύναταί τις δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν· ἢ γὰρ τὸν ἕνα μισήσει, καὶ τὸν ἕτερον ἀγαπήσει, ἢ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἀνθέξεται, καὶ τοῦ ἑτέρου καταφρονήσει. Ἕκαστος οὖν, κατὰ τὴν ἀποστολικὴν φωνήν, ἐν ᾧ ἐκλήθη, ἐν τούτῳ ὀφείλει μένειν, καὶ προσεδρεύειν ἐν μιᾷ ἐκκλησίᾳ. Τὰ γὰρ δι᾿ αἰσχροκέρδειαν γινόμενα ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν πραγμάτων, ἀλλότρια τοῦ Θεοῦ καθεστήκασι. Πρὸς δὲ τὴν τοῦ βίου τούτου χρείαν, ἐπιτηδεύματά εἰσι διάφορα. Ἐξ αὐτῶν οὖν, εἴ τις βούλοιτο, τὰ χρειώδη τοῦ σώματος ποριζέσθω· ἔφη γὰρ ὁ Ἀπόστολος, Ταῖς χρείαις μου, καὶ τοῖς οὖσι μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ, ὑπηρέτησαν αἱ χεῖρες αὖται. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ θεοφυλάκτῳ πόλει· ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἔξω χωρίοις, διὰ τὴν ἔλλειψιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, παραχωρείσθω.

The Seventh Ecumenical Council, 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.