Правило 22
About the way of life and relationships of Christians, including about their meals.
Placing everything on God and not being a slave to your own desires is a great thing. The Divine Apostle says: Whether you eat or drink, do everything to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). Therefore, Christ our God in His Gospels commanded to cut off the beginnings of sins. For He not only punishes adultery, but also condemns the movement of the mind towards committing adultery, since He says: Whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28). Having learned from this, we are obliged to purify our thoughts. After all, although everything is permissible for me, not everything is profitable (1 Cor. 10:23), we learn from the apostolic word.
Every person, in order to live, needs to eat; and for those who live in marriage, have children and are in the position of the laity, it is not reprehensible for men and women to eat together; let them give thanks only to Him who gives food. And let them eat without any theatrical performances, or satanic songs, citharas and lewd tunes, against which the prophetic curse is directed, saying: “Woe to those who drink wine with harp and harp; they do not consider the works of the Lord, and do not consider the work of His hands” (Is. 5:12). And if there ever are such among Christians, let them be corrected, and if they are not corrected, let the canonical instructions of our predecessors come into force against them. As for those who have a silent and solitary life, those who have made a vow to the Lord God to take upon themselves the monastic yoke, let them sit alone and be silent. However, it is completely prohibited for those who have chosen the priestly life to eat alone with a woman, unless in the company of God-bearing and pious husbands and wives, so that this joint meal leads to spiritual virtue. And the same applies to relatives. If sometimes during a journey it happens that a monk or cleric does not have the necessary things with him and, out of necessity, he wants to stay either in a hotel, or even in someone’s house, he has the right to do this, because need forces him.
Every person, in order to live, needs to eat; and for those who live in marriage, have children and are in the position of the laity, it is not reprehensible for men and women to eat together; let them give thanks only to Him who gives food. And let them eat without any theatrical performances, or satanic songs, citharas and lewd tunes, against which the prophetic curse is directed, saying: “Woe to those who drink wine with harp and harp; they do not consider the works of the Lord, and do not consider the work of His hands” (Is. 5:12). And if there ever are such among Christians, let them be corrected, and if they are not corrected, let the canonical instructions of our predecessors come into force against them. As for those who have a silent and solitary life, those who have made a vow to the Lord God to take upon themselves the monastic yoke, let them sit alone and be silent. However, it is completely prohibited for those who have chosen the priestly life to eat alone with a woman, unless in the company of God-bearing and pious husbands and wives, so that this joint meal leads to spiritual virtue. And the same applies to relatives. If sometimes during a journey it happens that a monk or cleric does not have the necessary things with him and, out of necessity, he wants to stay either in a hotel, or even in someone’s house, he has the right to do this, because need forces him.
Greek original
Θεῷ μὲν τὸ πᾶν ἀνατίθεσθαι, καὶ οὐ τοῖς ἰδίοις θελήμασι δουλοῦσθαι, μέγα χρῆμα τυγχάνει. Εἴτε γὰρ ἐσθίετε, εἴτε πίνετε, ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολός φησι, πάντα εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ ποιεῖτε. Χριστὸς δὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις αὐτοῦ, τὰς ἀρχὰς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐκκόπτειν προστέταχεν· οὐ γὰρ ἡ μοιχεία μόνον παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ κολάζεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ κίνησις τοῦ λογισμοῦ πρὸς τὴν τῆς μοιχείας ἐγχείρησιν κατακέκριται· λέγοντος αὐτοῦ· Ὁ ἐμβλέψας γυναῖκα πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι αὐτῆς, ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν αὐτήν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Ἔνθεν οὖν μαθητευθέντες, λογισμούς ὀφείλομεν καθαιρεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πάντα ἔξεστιν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ πάντα συμφέρει, ὡς ἐξ ἀποστολικῆς φωνῆς διδασκόμεθα. Ἐπανάγκες οὖν ἐστι παντὶ ἀνδρὶ διὰ τὸ ζῆν ἐσθίειν. Καὶ οἷς μὲν ὁ βίος ἐστὶ γάμου, καὶ τέκνων, καὶ λαϊκῆς διαθέσεως, ἀναμίξ ἐσθίειν ἄνδρας καὶ γυναῖκας, τῶν ἀδιαβλήτων ἐστί, μόνον τῷ διδόντι τροφὴν τὴν εὐχαριστίαν προσάγοντας· μὴ μετά τινων θυμελικῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων, εἴτουν σατανικῶν ᾀσμάτων, κιθαρῶν τε, καὶ πορνικῶν λυγισμάτων, οἷς ἐπέρχεται ἡ προφητικὴ ἀρά, οὑτωσὶ λέγουσα· Οὐαὶ οἱ μετὰ κιθάρας, καὶ ψαλτηρίου, τὸν οἶνον πίνοντες, τὰ δὲ ἔργα Κυρίου οὐκ ἐμβλέπουσι, καὶ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ οὐ κατανοοῦσι. Καὶ εἴπου ποτὲ εἶεν τοιοῦτοι ἐν τοῖς Χριστιανοῖς, διορθούσθωσαν· εἰ δὲ μή γε, κρατείτωσαν ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς τὰ παρὰ τῶν πρὸ ἡμῶν κανονικῶς ἐκτεθέντα. Οἷς δὲ ὁ βίος ἐστίν ἡσύχιος καὶ μονότροπος, ὁ συνταξάμενος Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ζυγὸν μονήρη ἆραι, καθίσεται κατὰ μόνας καὶ σιωπήσει. Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τοῖς ἱερατικὸν ἐκλεξαμένοις βίον, οὐδόλως ἔξεστι κατ᾿ ἰδίαν γυναιξὶ συνεσθίειν, εἰ μή που μετά τινων θεοφόβων καὶ εὐλαβῶν ἀνδρῶν, καὶ γυναικῶν· ἵνα καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ συνεστίασις πρὸς κατόρθωσιν πνευματικὴν ἀπάγῃ. Καὶ ἐπὶ συγγενῶν δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ ποιείτω. Εἰ δὲ καὶ αὖθις ἐν ὁδοιπορίᾳ συμβῂ τὰ τῆς ἀναγκαίας χρείας μὴ ἐπιφέρεσθαι μοναχόν, ἢ ἱερατικὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ διὰ τὸ ἀναγκαῖον καταλῦσαι βούλεται, εἴτε ἐν πανδοχείῳ, εἴτε ἐν οἴκῳ τινός, ἄδειαν ἔχειν αὐτὸν τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ὡς τῆς χρείας κατεπειγούσης, μόνον μετ᾿ εὐλαβείας.
Parallel canons
Ап.424354IВс.3Трул.5474862VIIВс.1820Анкир.19Лаод.24Карф.4060Вас.88