Canon 85 Slaves freed before three witnesses

Κανόνες τῆς ἐν Τρούλλῳ Ἁγίας καὶ Οἰκουμενικῆς Πενθέκτης Συνόδου

The Council in Trullo · Constantinople, 691 to 692 · convened by the emperor Justinian II · The Quinisext Council (Trullo, 692) on the map

That on two or three witnesses every word is confirmed, we have received from Scripture. We determine therefore that slaves who are freed by their own masters shall enjoy this honour before three witnesses, who, being present, will add validity to the freedom, and will themselves furnish credibility to what has been done.

Ἐπὶ δύο, ἢ τριῶν μαρτύρων βεβαιοῦσθαι πᾶν ῥῆμα, γραφικῶς παρελάβομεν. Τοὺς οὖν ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκείων δεσποτῶν ἐλευθερουμένους δούλους, ἐπὶ τρισὶ μάρτυσι τῆς τοιαύτης τιμῆς ἀπολαύειν διοριζόμεθα οἳ τὸ κῦρος παρόντες τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ προσοίσουσι, καὶ τὸ πιστὸν ἐξ ἑαυτῶν τοῖς γενομένοις παρέξουσιν.

The Council in Trullo, 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.