Ut servis ecclesiæ, vel sacerdotum, prædas et captivitates exercere non
liceat; qui iniquum est, ut quorum domini redemptionis præstare solent
suffragium, per servorum excessum disciplina ecclesiastica maculetur.
_That it be not lawful for the slaves of the church, or of the priests,
to go on predatory excursions or to make captives, for it is unjust that
when the masters are accustomed to aid in redeeming, the discipline of
the church should be disgraced by the misconduct of the slaves._
In Judaism, God had established a limited sanctuary for slaves and for
certain malefactors, not to encourage crime, but to protect against the
fury of passion, and to give some sort of aid to the feeble. Paganism
adopted the principle, and the Christian temple and its precincts
became, not only by common consent, but by legal enactment, the
sanctuary instead of the former. Like every useful institution, this too
was occasionally abused.