Kwestia upadłych w czasie prześladowań na podstawie "Kanonów Ojców Greckich"

Authors:

• Michał Daniel Kieling

Abstract

The persecutions of Christians date back to the beginnings of the Church. Within the course of time they developed a common and structural character. It is at the turn of 3rd and 4th century that the situation signifi cantly intensified. One of the questions that arose in the history of Church concerned the lapsed Christians (lapsi) – those who renounced Christ and committed apostasy. The paper presents the issue of the lapsed Christians on the basis of The Canons of the Greek Fathers. It includes the texts of the following authors who addressed this subject: St. Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria, St. Basil the Great, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Dionysius the Alexandrian. However, it is St. Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria who is given most attention. His fifteen canons from ‘Sermon on penance’ are devoted to this subject. The first point presents the genesis of the lapsi, the second point deals with disciplinary regulations applied to them on the basis of the documents analyzed. In the last section a moral evaluation of refuge at the time of persecutions is discussed. Lapsi- depending on the gravity of the sin committed – could, after doing penance, join the community of the Church. What seems to be most interesting in the issue of persecution is the moral evaluation of the refuge from prosecutors. In this context, St. Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria often quotes Christ and other biblical characters who indicate that a Christian has every right to seek refuge, taking into consideration the good of his brothers.