Правило 16
In rejecting the custom of having no more than 7 deacons in a bishopric.
Since the book of Acts conveys that the apostles appointed seven deacons, and since the fathers of the Neocaesarea Council in the rules they set out definitely said that “according to the rule there should be seven deacons, even if the city was very large, and you will be convinced of this from the book of Acts,” then we, having compared the thought of the fathers with the saying of the apostles, found that they were not talking about men serving the sacraments, but about serving the needs tables. In the book of Acts it is written like this: In those days, when the disciples increased in number, there arose among the Hellenists a murmur against the Jews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution of needs. Then the twelve Apostles, having called together many disciples, said: It is not good for us to leave the word of God and worry about the tables. So, brethren, select from among yourselves seven known men, filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom; We will place them in this service, and we will constantly remain in prayer and the ministry of the word. And this proposal was acceptable to the whole meeting; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenes, and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert from the pagans; they were placed before the Apostles (see Acts 6:1-6).
Explaining this, the teacher of the Church John Chrysostom reasons as follows: “It is amazing how the people were not divided when electing those men and how the apostles were not humiliated before them! But it is necessary to understand exactly what dignity they had and what ordination they received. Maybe a deacon's? However, this dignity was not found in the churches. Then the ministry of elders? But at that time there was not a single bishop, but only apostles. Therefore, I think, it is clear and obvious that this name did not mean either deacons or elders.”
Based on this, we proclaim that the above-mentioned 7 deacons should not be taken as ministers of the sacraments, according to the stated teaching, but they are those who were entrusted with the management of the general needs of those who gathered at that time, and in this they became for us a model of philanthropy and care for those in need.
Explaining this, the teacher of the Church John Chrysostom reasons as follows: “It is amazing how the people were not divided when electing those men and how the apostles were not humiliated before them! But it is necessary to understand exactly what dignity they had and what ordination they received. Maybe a deacon's? However, this dignity was not found in the churches. Then the ministry of elders? But at that time there was not a single bishop, but only apostles. Therefore, I think, it is clear and obvious that this name did not mean either deacons or elders.”
Based on this, we proclaim that the above-mentioned 7 deacons should not be taken as ministers of the sacraments, according to the stated teaching, but they are those who were entrusted with the management of the general needs of those who gathered at that time, and in this they became for us a model of philanthropy and care for those in need.
Greek original
Ἐπειδὴ ἡ τῶν Πράξεων βίβλος ἑπτὰ διακόνους ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀποστόλων καταστῆναι παραδίδωσιν, οἱ δὲ τῆς κατὰ Νεοκαισάρειαν συνόδου οὕτως ἐν τοῖς ἐκτεθεῖσι παρ᾿ αὐτῶν κανόσι σαφῶς διεξῆλθον, ὅτι διάκονοι ἑπτὰ ὀφείλουσιν εἶναι, κατὰ τὸν κανόνα, κἂν πάνυ μεγάλη ἡ πόλις ᾖ· πεισθείσῃ δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῆς βίβλου τῶν Πράξεων· ἡμεῖς τῷ ἀποστολικῷ ῥητῷ τὸν νοῦν ἐφαρμόσαντες τῶν Πατέρων, εὕρομεν, ὡς ὁ λόγος αὐτοῖς οὐ περὶ τῶν τοῖς μυστηρίοις διακονουμένων ἀνδρῶν ἦν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῆς ἐν ταῖς χρείαις τῶν τραπεζῶν ὑπουργίας, τῆς τῶν Πράξεων βίβλου οὕτως ἐχούσης· Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις, πληθυνόντων τῶν μαθητῶν, ἐγένετο γογγυσμὸς τῶν Ἑλληνιστῶν πρὸς τοὺς Ἑβραίους, ὅτι παρεθεωροῦντο ἐν τῇ διακονίᾳ τῇ καθημερινῇ αἱ χῆραι αὐτῶν. Προσκαλεσάμενοι οὖν οἱ δώδεκα τὸ πλῆθος τῶν μαθητῶν, εἶπον· οὐκ ἀρεστὸν ἡμᾶς καταλείψαντας τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, διακονεῖν τραπέζαις. Ἐπισκέψασθε οὖν, ἀδελφοί, ἄνδρας ἐξ ὑμῶν μαρτυρουμένους ἑπτά, πλήρεις Πνεύματος ἁγίου καὶ σοφίας, οὖς καταστήσωμεν, ἐπὶ τῆς χρείας ταύτης· ἡμεῖς δὲ τῇ προσευχῇ καὶ τῇ διακονίᾳ τοῦ λόγου προσκαρτερήσομεν· καὶ ἤρεσεν ὁ λόγος ἐνώπιον παντὸς τοῦ πλήθους· καὶ ἐξελέξαντο Στέφανον, ἄνδρα πλήρη πίστεως καὶ Πνεύματος ἁγίου, καὶ Φίλιππον, καὶ Πρόχορον, καὶ Νικάνορα, καὶ Τίμωνα, καὶ Παρμενᾶν, καὶ Νικόλαον, προσήλυτον Ἀντιοχέα, οὓς ἔστησαν ἐνώπιον τῶν Ἀποστόλων. Ταῦτα διερμηνεύων ὁ τῆς ἐκκλησίας διδάσκαλος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, οὕτω διέξεισι. Θαυμάσαι ἄξιον, πὼς οὐκ ἐσχίσθη τὸ πλῆθος ἐπὶ τῇ αἱρέσει τῶν ἀνδρῶν, πῶς οὐκ ἀπεδοκιμάσθησαν ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν οἱ Ἀπόστολοι· ὁποῖον δὲ ἆρα ἀξίωμα οὗτοι εἶχον, καὶ ποίαν ἐδέξαντο χειροτονίαν, ἀναγκαῖον μαθεῖν. Ἆρα τὴν τῶν διακόνων; καὶ μὴν τοῦτο ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις οὐκ ἔστιν· ἀλλὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἐστὶν ἡ οἰκονομία; καὶ τοι οὐδέπω οὐδεὶς ἐπίσκοπος ἦν, ἀλλ᾿ οἱ Ἀπόστολοι μόνον· ὅθεν οὔτε διακόνων, οὔτε πρεσβυτέρων οἶμαι τὸ ὄνομα εἶναι δῆλον καὶ φανερόν. Ἐπὶ τούτοις οὖν κηρύσσομεν καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὥστε τοὺς προειρημένους ἑπτὰ διακόνους, μὴ ἐπὶ τῶν τοῖς μυστηρίοις διακονουμένων λαμβάνεσθαι, κατὰ τὴν προερμηνευθεῖσαν διδασκαλίαν· ἀλλὰ τοὺς τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῆς κοινῆς χρείας τῶν τότε συνηθροισμένων ἐγχειρισθέντας, τούτους ὑπάρχειν· οἳ τύπος ἡμῖν κἂν τούτῳ γεγόνασι τῆς περὶ τοὺς δεομένους φιλανθρωπίας τε καὶ σπουδῆς.
Parallel canons
IВс.18Трул.7Неокес.15Лаод.20