Правило 85 Василия Великого

And so let us not allow ourselves to perish with such people, but fearing a heavy judgment, and having before our eyes the terrible day of the Lord’s retribution, let us not desire to perish together with the sins of others. For if the terrible fate of the Lord did not teach us, and such blows did not bring us to the sense that for our iniquity the Lord abandoned us and gave us into the hands of the barbarians, and as if the people were taken into captivity by the enemy and given over to dispersion, before those who bear the name of Christ dared to do such things: if they did not know, they were beyond understanding, as if for this the wrath of God came upon us, then what do we have in common with them? But day and night, both publicly and privately, we must testify to them the truth: but let us not allow ourselves to be carried away by their iniquities, but most of all let us pray in order to gain them and pull them out of the snare of the evil one. If we cannot do this, then we strive to at least save our souls from eternal condemnation. (I Om. 12; Trul. 102; Basil Vel. 3, 84). This rule is a continuation of rule 84, which is why in the Helmsman both of these rules are combined into one (84). They represent the conclusion of the third canonical letter of Basil the Great to Amphilochius. This 85th rule contains instructions for bishops on how they should deal with sinners, namely: how they should take every possible care for their salvation, standing firmly on the basis of the instructions of St. rules, and how, in case of failure, one should try not to become infected with sin, but try to save at least one’s own soul from eternal destruction. You might be interested in: