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Lltiwstotiik Qataris                53


                                      Therefore guard, beloved brothers, guard yourselves, holy
                                  ones, from communion with those men, so that you may be
                                  deemed worthy86 of the grace of God by whose sacrament you
                                  were ordained.87 If they dare to perform any of the tasks of the
                                  priestly ministry after this letter of ours has been read there and
                                  they have listened to it, let it be known to you, that what is
                                  performed by them is empty of the grace of the Holy Spirit, and
                                  that it is committed with temerity and madness, and docs not have
                                  the power of Christianity. Therefore, guard against the defilement
                                  of your faith through the fear of God, and whoever despised the
                                  word of our Lord, let wrath from heaven come upon him.
                                      You, however, priests and deacons, fulfill the ecclesiastical
                                  ministry88 with all that is legally just89 without the communion of
                                  those who were called your bishops until a priestly chair is
                                  established for you by the Church of God according to the precept
                                  and ordinance of the spiritual laws. And you, faithful, in whose
                                  hands is placed ancillary authority90 of the islands91 and the dwellers
                                  of the desert,92 I mean of Dayrin93 and Mashmahig91 and Talon95
                                  and Hatta96 and Hagar,97 strive at this rime more than ever to guard
                                 your faith and for the legal establishment of the priesthood by
                                 which you have been consecrated, more so than for worldly
                                 affairs.98 Make a choice and send to us either those same profane99
                                 bishops, if you consider diem suitable to be trained for


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                                     88 jKAp.
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                                     95 .oXk
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