Chapter 54

1Concerning the ordination of Bishops and the ordinance of the Oblation (Kuerban). It is seemly that the bishops should be ordained, as we said before, and we command all the people in common, that he may be a man choice and honest and holy in everything, who has been chosen from the people. When they have named ^ (him) and are content (with him) all the people shall assemble ; the presbyters, and the deacons, and the bishops (also), who shall assemble on the day of the sabbath. And he who is greatest shall ask of the presbyters and deacons who are among them, saying : Is this one he who pleased you that he should be your chief? If they say altogether : Yes, he to shall ask them again and say to them again : Is this one worthy of the honourable office, and has he done rightly with all honesty, and has he virtue before {lit. from) God, and did he observe justice with man ? Is he able to order the men of his own house well, and has he conducted his life in truth ? Has nothing been found against him ? And if all of them should answer together and say : Yes, thus (it is) in truth and not in partiality, and God the Father and Christ his Son and Holy Spirit, the Spirit of righteousness, the Paraklltos, (being) judge of all ; he shall ask them again even a third time, and say : Is this one worthy in truth and in right of this office ; from the mouth of two or {lit. and) three every word shall be established. And if they say three times : Yes, he is worthy, they shall all spread forth their hands, and if they do thus with one consent, there shall be silence, and one great one of the great bishops shall rise up, and two other bishops with him, with the rest of the bishops all standing, and the presbyters also at the altar, praying quietly, and the deacons bearing the holy Gospel spread open upon the head of him who is to be ordained.^ And the bishops shall sit down upon seats and they shall say : He is worthy of it* And then all shall salute him with the kiss of the Lord, and they shall read the Holy Scriptures. And when they have finished the reading from the Gospel, the bishop who was sealed ' shall salute {lit kiss) all the Church and say : May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And all shall say : With thy spirit. When he has finished saying, then all the people shall say the words of joy, and when it is finished, then he shall give them instruction and speak, (and the deacon) shall go up on a high place, and cry and say : Let not any stand here except the Faithful. Likewise when the bishop has finished all the prayer which it is proper for him to say for the sick (and) the rest, the deacon shall say to them : Kiss one another with a holy reference to the prayer. ' Ut ' has sealed,' but without object. kiss. And all the priests shall kiss the bishop : and of the lay people, man shall kiss man, and woman shall kiss woman : and the young children shall stand just below the bema, and another deacon shall stand with them, that they may not quarrel with one another ; and s other deacons shall go to guard the men and women, that there may be no disturbance among them, and that they may not beckon one to another, nor look about, nor go to sleep. The subdeacons shall stand at the door of the women, and other deacons shall stand at the door of the men ; that no one may go out, and that they let not the door be opened at the time of the holy Oblation (^uerban), nor enter the doors of the Faithful, And the subdeacon shall bring water to the priests, that they may wash their hands as a likeness of those who are holy in their souls, and (that) we lifted (them) up to God. And the deacons shall close the gates, and no other shall come in, and he shall say : Let none of the catechumens stand here, or be here at all, lest they should hear the word and partake of the Mystery, and let there not stand any except the Faithful, nor let any of the heretics stand here. O ye women, guard lest your children should run about here and there, or be disorderly, or lest their days should be few. And let not any bear malice in his heart against another, nor any stand here who is not worthy of God : and they shall stand in fear and trembling, that they may be worthy of this work. And after this the deacon shall bring the bread of the sacrifice to the bishop into the house of the sanctuary, and the presbyters shall stand on the left hand, 3° as the likeness of the Apostles who stood with their Teacher. The deacons shall stand on either side at the altar, and they shall hold the flabella made of anything of beautiful appearance, or of feathers of peacock, or of cotton fabric of beautiful appearance, that they may drive away little flying creatures, lest any of them should fall into the cup. And thus the chief priest shall pray over the sacrifice, that the Holy Spirit may descend and dwell upon them ; upon the bread that it may become the Body of Christ, and upon the cup that it may become the Blood of Christ. And then the bishop shall say the coming of the Holy Spirit, and when he has finished the prayer which is proper to be said thus, the bishop himself shall first communicate, and after him the presbyters, and afterwards the deacons, and afterwards likewise the subdeacons, and after them the readers, and after them all the people shall receive. The bishop shall administer, saying : This (is) the bread which came down from the heavens, this is the *> Body of Christ. And he who receives shall say : Amen. And then the deacon shall administer the cup and say : This is the Blood of Christ, and this is the cup of life. And he who receives shall say : Amen and Amen. They shall sing psalms until all have received the Oblation, and when all the people have received, afterwards they shall administer to the women. And after the singers have finished singing the psalms, then the deacon shall chant, saying : We have received of the precious Body which is the Body^ of Christ, and we thank him that he makes us worthy to partake of the precious and holy Mystery. After this the bishop shall give thanks and pray for those who have eaten the Body of Christ and for those who have drunk of the Blood of Christ And when he has finished praying, the s deacon shall say : Bow your head before God, that he may bless you. And when further he has done that with which they are blessed, the deacon shall say : Go away in peace. And as for the fragments, if any are left, the presbyters and deacons shall take care that nothing is left of the Oblation, and they shall take great care that not much should be left, lest they be guilty of great error and sin, like the sons of Aaron and the children of Ela whom the Holy Spirit destroyed, because they profaned the sacrifice of God ; how much more they «5 who profane the Body of Christ and his precious Blood, and esteem it temporal food of flesh, whereas it is spiritual to those who receive it in purity. And this we command you, bishops, presbyters, and deacons, concerning the service of the holy Mystery. «>