Οι Αποστολικές Διαταγές & η χριστιανική ανατροφή των παιδιών / The Constitutiones apostolorum & the Christian upbringing of the children

Οἱ μέντοι πατέρες παιδεύετε τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν ἐν Κυρίῳ, ἐκτρέφοντες αὐτὰ ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου, καὶ διδάσκετε αὐτὰ ἐπιτηδείους καὶ ἁρμοζούσας τῷ λόγῳ καὶ διδάσκετε αὐτὰ ἐπιτηδείους καὶ ἁρμοζούσας τῷ λόγῳ τέχνας, ἵνα μὴ διὰ τῆς εὐκαιρίας καταστρηνιάσαντα καὶ ἀνεπιτίμητα ὑπὸ τῶν γονέων μείναντα, πρὸ ὥρας ἀνέσεως τυχόντα, ἀφηνιάσωσιν τοῦ καλοῦ. Διὸ μὴ εὐλαβεῖσθε αὐτοῖς ἐπιπλήσσειν, σωφρονίζοντες αὐτὰ μετὰ ἐμβριθείας· οὐ γὰρ ἀποκτενεῖτε αὐτὰ παιδεύοντες, μᾶλλον δὲ σώσετε αὐτά, καθώς που καὶ ὁ Σολομὼν ἐν τῇ Σοφίᾳ φησίν· «Παίδευε υἱόν σου, καὶ ἀναπαύσει σε· οὕτως γὰρ ἔσται σοι εὔελπις· σὺ μὲν γὰρ ῥάβδῳ πατάξεις αὐτόν, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ῥύσῃ ἐκ θανάτου.» Καὶ πάλιν λέγει ὁ αὐτὸς οὕτως· «Ὃς φείδεται τῆς βακτηρίας ἑαυτοῦ, μισεῖ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱόν.» Καὶ ἑξῆς· «Κλάσον τὰς πλευρὰς αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἐστὶν νήπιος, μήποτε σκληρυνθεὶς ἀπειθήσῃ σοι.» Ὃς φείδεται οὖν παραινεῖν καὶ σωφρονίζειν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱόν, μισεῖ τὸν ἴδιον παῖδα. Ἐκδιδάσκετε οὖν ὑμῶν τὰ τέκνα τὸν λόγον Κυρίου, στύφετε δὲ αὐτὰ καὶ δαρμοῖς καὶ ποιεῖτε ὑποτακτικά, ἀπὸ βρέφους διδάσκοντες αὐτὰ ἱερὰ γράμματα, ἡμέτερά τε καὶ θεῖα, καὶ πᾶσαν γραφὴν θείαν παραδιδόντες αὐτοῖς, ἄνεσιν αὐτοῖς μὴ διδόντες κατεξουσιάζειν ὑμῶν παρὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν γνώμην, μετὰ ὁμηλίκων εἰς συμπόσιον μὴ ἐῶντες αὐτὰ συμβάλλειν· οὕτω γὰρ εἰς ἀταξίαν ἐκτραπήσονται καὶ εἰς πορνείαν περιπεσοῦνται. Καὶ ἐὰν παρὰ τὴν τῶν γονέων ἀμέλειαν τοῦτο πάθωσιν, ἔνοχοι τῶν ψυχῶν αὐτῶν οἱ γεννήσαντες ὑπάρξουσιν· εἰ γὰρ τῇ τῶν γονέων ῥᾳθυμίᾳ σύνεισιν ἀκολάστοις, οἱ παῖδες ἁμαρτήσαντες οὐκ αὐτοὶ μόνοι κολασθήσονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν οἱ γονεῖς αὐτῶν κριθήσονται. Διὰ τοῦτο σπουδάζετε ὥρᾳ γάμου ζευγνύναι καὶ συναλλάσσειν αὐτά, ἵνα μὴ τῆς ἡλικίας ἐν τῇ ἀκμῇ ζεούσης ἔθη πορνοκόπα ἀποβῇ, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀπαιτηθήσεσθε τὸν λόγον ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως ὑπὸ Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ.

Αποστολικές Διαταγές / Constitutiones apostolorum 4:11. *  *



Ye fathers, educate your children in the Lord, bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; and teach them such trades as are agreeable and suitable to the word, lest they by such opportunity become extravagant, and continue without punishment from their parents, and so get relaxation before their time, and go astray from that which is good. Wherefore be not afraid to reprove them, and to teach them wisdom with severity. For your corrections will not kill them, but rather preserve them. As Solomon says somewhere in the book of Wisdom: “Chasten thy son, and he will refresh thee; so wilt thou have good hope of him. Thou verily shalt smite him with the rod, and shall deliver his soul from death.” And again, says the same Solomon thus, “He that spareth his rod, hateth his son;” and afterwards, “Beat his sides whilst he is an infant, lest he be hardened and disobey thee.” He, therefore, that neglects to admonish and instruct his own son, hates his own child. Do you therefore teach your children the word of the Lord. Bring them under with cutting stripes, and make them subject from their infancy, teaching them the Holy Scriptures, which are Christian and divine, and delivering to them every sacred writing, “not giving them such liberty that they get the mastery,” and act against your opinion, not permitting them to club together for a treat with their equals. For so they will be turned to disorderly courses, and will fall into fornication; and if this happen by the carelessness of their parents, those that begat them will be guilty of their souls. For if the offending children get into the company of debauched persons by the negligence of those that begat them, they will not be punished alone by themselves; but their parents also will be condemned on their account. For this cause endeavour, at the time when they are of an age fit for marriage, to join them in wedlock, and settle them together, lest in the heat and fervour of their age their course of life become dissolute, and you be required to give an account by the Lord God in the day of judgment.

Apostolic Constitutions / Constitutiones apostolorum 4:11.