Antioch, Canons 19–25

Canon 19. A bishop shall not be ordained without a synod and the presence of the metropolitan of the province. And when he is present, it is by all means better that all his brothers in the ministry of the province should assemble with him, and the metropolitan ought to invite them by letter. It would be better for all to meet; but if this is difficult, it is essential that a majority either be present or take part in the election by letter, and that the appointment be made in the presence, or with the consent, of the majority. But if it is done contrary to these decrees, the ordination shall be of no force. And if the appointment is made according to the prescribed canon, and some object out of a natural love of contradiction, the decision of the majority shall prevail.

Canon 20. For the good of the church and the settling of disputes, it is decreed to be well that synods of the bishops should be held in every province twice a year, the metropolitan giving notice of them to the bishops of the province. The first is to be held after the third week of the feast of Easter, so that the synod may end in the fourth week of Pentecost; and the second on the Ides of October, which is the tenth, or fifteenth, day of the month Hyperberetaeus. So presbyters and deacons, and all who think they have been unjustly treated, may come to these synods and obtain the synod’s judgment. But it shall be unlawful for anyone to hold synods by themselves without those who are entrusted with the metropolitan sees. [a]

Canon 21. A bishop may not be moved from one parish to another, whether he pushes himself in of his own accord, or is compelled by the people, or is pressed by the bishops. But he shall remain in the church to which he was allotted by God from the beginning, and shall not be moved from it, according to the decree passed earlier on this subject. [c]

Canon 22. Let a bishop not go into a city that is not his, which is not subject to him, nor into a district that does not belong to him, either to ordain anyone or to appoint presbyters or deacons to places within another bishop’s jurisdiction, unless with the consent of the proper bishop of the place. And if anyone dares to do any such thing, the ordination shall be void, and he himself shall be punished by the synod.

Canon 23. It shall not be lawful for a bishop, even at the close of his life, to appoint another as his own successor; and if any such thing is done, the appointment shall be void. But the law of the church must be kept, that a bishop must not be appointed in any other way than by a synod and with the judgment of the bishops, who have the authority to promote the man who is worthy after the falling asleep of the one who has ceased from his labors.

Canon 24. It is right that what belongs to the church be kept for the church with all care, with a good conscience and faith in God, the overseer and judge of all. And these things ought to be managed under the judgment and authority of the bishop, who is entrusted with the whole people and with the souls of the congregation. But what is church property should be made plain, with the knowledge of the presbyters and deacons around him, so that they may know for certain what belongs to the church and nothing may be hidden from them. Then, when the bishop happens to depart this life, the church’s property, being well known, may not be embezzled or lost, and the bishop’s private property may not be disturbed on the pretense that it is part of the church’s goods. For it is just and pleasing to God and to people that the bishop’s private property be left to whomever he wishes, but that whatever belongs to the church be kept for the church. In this way neither will the church suffer loss, nor the bishop be wronged under pretext of the church’s interest, nor those who belong to him fall into lawsuits, nor he himself be brought under reproach after his death.

Canon 25. The bishop is to have authority over the church’s funds, so that he may give them out with all piety and in the fear of God to everyone in need. If there is occasion, he may take what he needs for his own necessary uses and for those of the brothers staying with him as guests, so that they lack nothing in any way. This is in keeping with the divine apostle, who says, “Having food and clothing, let us be content with these.” But suppose he is not content with these things. Suppose he turns the funds to his own private uses, and does not manage the church’s revenues, or the rents from its farms, with the consent of the presbyters and deacons, but hands the authority over to his own household servants and relatives, or brothers, or sons, so that the church’s accounts suffer harm in secret. Then he himself must submit to an investigation by the synod of the province. On the other hand, suppose the bishop or his presbyters are accused of taking for themselves what belongs to the church, whether from its lands or from any of its other resources, so that the poor are oppressed, and accusation and disgrace are brought on the church’s accounts and on those who manage them. Then they too are to be subject to correction, with the holy synod deciding what is right. [d]