Окружное Послание Геннадия Константинопольского и с ним Святого Собора ко всем Митрополитам и к Папе Римскому

Saint Gennadius was elected to the Patriarchal Throne of Constantinople in 458 during the reign of Emperor Leo the Great, after the death of Patriarch Anatolius, a participant in the Council of Chalcedon. He was distinguished by the holiness of his life and performed miracles. Being himself a non-covetous man, he was indignant at the widespread sin of simony and, to counteract this, he convened a Council in Constantinople in 459, on whose behalf a letter was published, which was placed in all canonical collections. Saint Gennady highly raised the authority of the See of Constantinople. He died in 471. To the most God-loving co-celebrant Gennady and the Holy Council gathered in the reigning city of new Rome. Our Master and God and Savior Jesus Christ, entrusting His holy disciples with the preaching of the Gospel and sending them throughout the entire universe as teachers to men, clearly commanded that the gift they freely received from Him, they should teach tuna to people, without acquiring for it copper or silver, or gold, or in general any other material or earthly acquisition. For earthly and perishable things do not replace heavenly and spiritual gifts. He gave this commandment not only to them, but through them also to us, whom He was worthy to raise to their degree and place. And just as they kept it then, so it behooves us now to strictly keep and observe it, not to be clever in something that does not tolerate trickery, and not to dare to undertake a dangerous undertaking. ...Freely you received, freely give. Do not take with you any gold, silver, or copper in your belts (Matthew 10:8,9). The words of this commandment are simple and clear, having nothing in them that is subject to different interpretations, nothing unintelligible or artificial that requires explanation. From Me, he says, you received the dignity of the priesthood; and if for it something small or a lot was rewarded to Me, and it was sold to you from Me, then you also sell it to others; if you accepted the tuna, then you will give the tuna. What is clearer than this commandment? and what is more beneficial for those who obey? Woe, truly, to those who imagine acquiring the gift of God, or teaching it for money. For such, according to the saying of Saint Peter, are filled with bitter gall and in the bonds of unrighteousness (Acts 8:23). The rule about this of the holy and divine Fathers of the holy and great Ecumenical Council, which gathered in Chalcedon, is also consistent with this law of the Lord. It is clearly stated to us in the following words: if any bishop performs ordination for money, and converts unsellable grace into sale, and for money ordains a bishop, or a chorebishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, or anyone else from the clergy, or for money makes him an steward or an ecdik, or a paramonary, or in general to any church position, for the sake of the vile his profit - such, having been convicted of having encroached on this, let him be subject to deprivation of his own degree, and let the one appointed by him by no means enjoy the purchased ordination or production, but let him be alien to the dignity or position that he received for money. If anyone appears as an intermediary in such vile and lawless bribery, then this one, if from the clergy, will be overthrown from his position, but if he is a layman or monastic, let him be anathematized (2nd rule of the 4th Council). Beautiful and very pious are the commandments of this rule of the Holy Fathers, reflecting and stopping every satanic invasion and every attempt of the devil that rushes towards a spiritual gift. For they do not at all allow that ordination for money be performed or accepted by both those who perform it and those who receive the ordination. But neither before the time of ordination, nor after some time after ordination, nor during the ordination itself, are they allowed to give a bribe for ordination, since they completely forbid in this matter the gratification of gifts. However, since at the present time, with these such obvious prohibitions, some in Galatia are seen, for the sake of nasty profit and love of money, to neglect and transgress these saving and humane commandments, then we, together with the Holy Council residing in this reigning new Rome, recognized it as good to renew them, so that, without allowing any trick, no pretext and no philosophizing, this vile and the wicked custom, it is not known how, has invaded the most holy Churches, to be completely stopped, so that with the truly incorruptible and pure proclamation that comes from the bishops over those being ordained, the grace of the Holy Spirit descends on them from above, for now, when carrying out productions for money and through the action of an unclean hand, I don’t know whether it descends on the one being produced, according to the proclamation, and whether it is even more repelled the grace of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, know, most pious man in all respects, that anyone, no matter who he is, who is convicted of any such thing, a bishop or a chorebishop, or a dean, or a presbyter, or a deacon, or anyone else in a church position, or a layman, is condemned by the general definition and general verdict of the bishops, as the above-mentioned rule of the Holy Fathers speaks about. For grace must be grace, and silver must never be a mediator for it. So, let him be and is rejected, and alien to all sacred dignity and service, and subject to the curse of anathema, both the one who imagines acquiring it for money, and the one who promises to teach it for money, whether he is a cleric or a layman, whether he is exposed or not exposed in this matter. For it is impossible for the incompatible to ever come into unity, and for mammon to agree with God, or for those who serve her to serve God. The Lord’s is and this is an indisputable saying: you cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). Based on these words, strengthening ourselves in strength and obeying them, with the Lord who spoke them, we made a decision about those guilty of such crimes. May your piety, doing this with all zeal, strive to do this through the lists of the most God-loving bishops and periodeuts known and subordinate to you, and everyone else, so that with one spirit and one soul we all together, Christians, strengthened against the common enemy, may, with the help of God, cut off the root of the love of money with all its evil branches that he has planted among us. We welcome all the brotherhood that exists with you in Christ. Helpful in the Lord, pray for us, most God-loving brother. (Ap. 29; IV Universe. 2; Trul. 22, 23; VII Universe. 4, 5, 19; Basil the Great. 90; Tarasius last). Seventy-three bishops also subscribed to this word of the message, along with Gennady himself. You might be interested in: