On Repentance

Eusebius of Emesa (d. 360)

On Repentance (De Paenitentia)

Text translated into English from Latin by Google Translate, edited by Roger Pearse, who then released it into the public domain. [Additional Sources: archive.org ]

The Text

1. Rejecting the arrogance of those who dare to remove repentance from the midst, the brother most worthy of all respect gave us another commandment in which, observing this pride, he stretched out his wise right hand to his brothers to repent. And this word is most useful to men. For no man is without sin. For concerning only one man is witness given that he committed no sin. So we will speak of repentance, both from the Old and from the New Testament. For these are the treasures of the Church.

Now we recommend repentance, not to promote the sin of our brother, (since we do not want to lead the sinner into sin in the hope of repentance), but to endeavour to raise up the fallen. For the despair which is introduced by the adversaries, drives him who has once fallen to wallow in his sins: but the expectation of repentance incites the fallen man to arise and to sin no more.

“But who are we to impose a law on God? If God wants to send away, is there anyone who can prevent it?”

See also

• More works by Eusebius of Emesa

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