Chapter 22

1Concerning the ordination of Bishops and the right order of the Oblation. The bishop shall be ordained as we have already spoken ; one who has been chosen by all the people together, with the presbyters and deacons on the day of the sabbath. And all the bishops shall go with mutual consent and lay their hands upon him ; and the presbyters standing by keep quiet, and all of them together in silence and praying in their hearts that the Holy Spirit may help them and descend upon him. And every one of the bishops shall pray, and all of them severally standing up shall lay their hands upon him who is ordained bishop, and they shall pray over him thus, saying: God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father of mercies and Lord of all as comforts, who dwelt with the lofty and (yet) sees the humble, and who knew all before it came to pass. Thou gavest an ordinance to the Church, by the word of thy grace; thou who foreordainedst originally a family of righteous men ; from Abreham thou ordainedst judges and priests ; and thou didst not leave thy sanctuary without ministers ; and ever since the creation of the world thou hast desired to be glorified in the (place) which thou chosest. And now pour out from thee the might of the Holy Spirit, which thou gavest to thy beloved Son Jesus Christ, which thou grantest to us the holy Apostles, thy helpers in thy Church (working) with the plough of thy Cross and in the place of thy holiness — ^to thee be glory, and praise unceasingly to thy Name. Give, (thou) knower of the heart, and send the Holy Spirit upon thy servant whom thou hast chosen for the pontificate, that he may feed thy flock and minister as priest to thee without blame, serving thee by day and night, and supplicating to see thy face worthily ; that he may offer thine Oblation in thy holy Church ; in the Holy Spirit of the priesthood, having authority to forgive sin according to thy commandment, (and) to give the ordination of thy ordinance, and loose all bonds of iniquity, according to the authority which thou gavest to thine Apostles ; and that he may please thee with gentleness and purity of heart, offering to thee a sweet savour, through thy Son Jesus Christ, through whom to thee be glory and might and honour, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit in thy noly Church now and always and for ever and ever. Amen. And after the bishop has been ordained every one of them shall salute him with the mouth, kissing him who has become a bishop, and to whom this grace has been imparted. And the deacon shall bring to him the Oblation ; and he then having laid his hand upon the Oblation with all the holy ones and the presbyters shall say, thus gfiving thanks : The Lord (be) with you all. And the people shall say : Perfectly with thy Spirit may he be. And the bishop shall say : Lift up your hearts. And all the people shall say : We have (them) with the Lord our God. And the bishop shall say : Let us give thanks to the Lord. And the people shall say : Right, it is meet, and just. And then the bishop shall say the (words) of the Oblation as follows : We give thanks to thee, Lord, through thy beloved Son Jesus Christ, whom in the last days thou sentest to us, thy Son, a saviour and redeemer, the messenger of thy counsel. This is the Word who is from thee, by whom thou, being willing, madest all things ; and thou sentest thy Son from heaven into the womb of the Virgin, he who became flesh and was borne within her. And thy Son was manifested by the Holy Spirit, having been born of a Virgin, that he might fulfil thy will and make a people for thee. Spreading out his hands for suffering, that he might release the sufferers, who trust on thee. He who was delivered up of his own will to suffering, that he might abolish death and burst the bonds of Satan and trample on Siola, and lead forth the holy ones; (that) he might establish the covenant and make known his resurrection. On that night in which he was betrayed, he took bread, he gave thanks and said to them : Take and eat This is my Body which for your sake is broken for the remission of sin. And likewise the cup, having given thanks he said : This is my Blood which for your sake is shed : take and drink of it: and when ye do this, make a memorial of me. Remembering therefore thy death and thy resurrection, we offer to thee this bread and this cup, giving thanks to thee because thou hast made us worthy to Stand before thee and minister as priests to thee. We pray to thee, Lord, and we beseech thee to send thy Holy Spirit upon this Oblation of the Church, that in joining (them) together thou mayest grant to them — to all of them — to them who take of it, that it may be to them for holiness, and for filling (them) with the Holy Spirit, and for strengthening of faith in truth, that thee they may glorify and praise through thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, through whom to thee be glory and might in the holy Church now and always and for ever and ever. Am€n. Concerning the Oblation (of oil). Oil he shall offer according as the Oblation of bread and wine, giving y^ thanks as in that ordinance. Whenever he does not speak i^ j the same words he shall give thanks according to the various meaning of each one, but also with the other words, saying thus : Having sanctified oil, thou shalt grant to all who are anointed or receive it that with which thou anointedst priests and prophets; and in like manner strengthen those and all who taste, and sanctify them who receive it. And the people shall say : As it was, is and shall be to generation of generation and to age of age.^ Amen. The bishop shall say : And again we beseech thee. Almighty God, the Father of the Lord and our Saviour Jesus Christ, to grant us to receive with blessing this holy Mystery ; and that he may not condemn any of us, but cause worthiness in all them who take the reception of the holy Mystery, the Body and the Blood of Christ, Almighty Lord, our God. The deacon shall say : Pray ye. And the bishop shall say : God, almighty, g^nt to us the reception of thy holy Mystery as our strengthening; nor condemn any amongst us, but bless all through Christ, through whom to thee with him and with the Holy Spirit be glory and might now and always and for ever and ever. Am€n. The deacon shall say : As ye stand, bow down your heads. The bishop shall say : Eternal God, knower of that which is secret and that which is open, to thee thy people bowed down their heads, and to thee they bent the hardness of heart and flesh, look from thy worthy dwelling-place, bless them both men and women, incline thine ear to them and hear their prayer, and strengthen 15 (them) with the might of thy right hand, and protect (them) from evil sickness, be their guardian for both body and soul, increase to them and to us also thy faith and thy fear, through thine only Son, through whom to thee with him and with the Holy Spirit be glory and might now and always and for ever and ever. Amen. And the deacon shall say : Let us attend And the bishop shall say : Holiness to holy ones. And the people shall say : One holy Father, one holy Son, one is the Holy Spirit The bishop shall say : The Lord (be) aj. with you all. And the people shall say : With thy spirit And then they shall lift up their hands for glorifying ; and the people shall come in for the salvation of their souls, in order that their sin may be remitted. The prayer after that they have communicated : God, almighty, the Father of the Lord and our Saviour Jesus Christ, we give thee thanks, because thou hast imparted to US the reception of the holy Mystery : let it not be for guilt or condemnation, but for the renewal of soul and body and spirit through, etc^ And the people shall say : Amen. And the presbyter shall say (the prayer of) laying on of hand after they have received. Eternal God, almighty, the Father of the Lord and our Saviour Jesus Christ, bless thy servants and thy handmaids, protect and help and prosper (them) by the power of thine Archangel Keep and confirm in them thy fear by thy greatness; provide that they shall both think what is thine and believe what is thine and will what is thine ; gprant to them peace without sin and anger through, etc. The people shall say : Amen. And the bishop shall say : The Lord (be) with you is all. And the people shall say : With thy spirit And the deacon shall say : Go forth in peace. And after (that) the Keddase * is finished.