Worthy Of Double Punishment

Τό οὔν περὶ αὐτοῦ γράμμα ὁ μὲν συνεγνωκὼς ἑαυτῷ δεξάσθω ὡς ἴαμα, ὁ δέ μὴ συνεγνωκὼς ὡς προφυλακτήριον· ὁ δὲ ἀδιάφορος, ὀπερ ἀπεύχομαι ἐφ’ ὑμῖν εὑρεθῆναι, ὡς διαμαρτυρίαν. Τί δέ ἐστιν ὁ λέγω; φασί τινας ὑμων παρὰ τῶν χειροτονουμένων λαμβάνειν χρήματα· ἐπισκιάζειν δὲ ὀνόματι εὐσεβείας. Τοῦτο δὲ χεῖρον ἐστιν. Ἐὰν γὰρ τις τὸ κακόν έν προσχὴματι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ποιῇ. διπλασίονος τιμωρίας ἐστὶν ἀξιος· διότι αὐτό τε τὸ οὐκ ἀγαθὸν ἐργάζεται, καὶ κέχρηται εἰς τὸ τελέσαι τὴν ἄμαρτίαν, ὡς ἄν εἰποι τις, τῷ καλῷ συνεργῷ. Ταύτα εἰ οὔτως ἔχει, τοῦ λοιποῦ μὴ γινέσθω, ἀλλὰ διοργωθήτω· ἐπεὶ ἀνάγκη λέγειν πρός τὸν δεχόμενον τὸ ἀργύριον, ὃπερ ἐῥῥήθη παρὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων πρὸς τὸν θέλοντα δοῦναι, ἲνα Πνεύματος ἀγίου μετουσίαν ὠνήσηται· Τό ἀργύριον σου σὺν σοὶ εἴη εἰς ἀπώλειαν. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος Καισαρείας, Ἐπιστολη ΗΓ’, Χωρεπισκόποις Source: Migne PG 32.391a-b

About that which I am writing, may it be received by the one who is guilty as medicine, and by the one who is not guilty as a warning, and by the one who is indifferent, where I would not wish to find any of you, as an obstructive plea. Of what do I speak? It is said that some of you take money for ordination and cover it up under the name of religion. This is worse, for if someone does evil under the mask of good then he is worthy of double punishment, since he does what is not good and to accomplish a further sin, as someone might say, with a good work. If these things have been so, let them not be hereafter, but let there be improvement, since it must be said to those who have received such money, what was said by the Apostles to the man who wished to give money to buy association with the Holy Spirit: 'Your money perish with you.' 1 Saint Basil of Caesarea, from Letter 53, To the Suffragan Bishops 1 Acts 8.20