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to bear the wickedness of his wife. But if this is heavy and burdensome, do and manage all things, so as to take a good and gentle and obedient wife, knowing that one of two things is necessary: either having taken a wicked wife, to bear her odiousness, or, not wanting this, having cast her out, to be convicted of adultery. For he who casts out his wife, he says, except for the reason of fornication, makes her commit adultery; and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. If we have considered these things well before marriage and known these laws, we will make a great effort to take from the beginning a wife who is well-ordered and suited to our ways; and having taken such a one, we will not only reap this benefit, that we will never cast her out, but also that we will love her with much vehemence, and with as much as Paul commanded. For having said, Husbands, love your wives, he did not stop only at this, but also gave us a measure of love, As Christ also loved the Church. And how did Christ love? Tell me. Because He gave Himself for her. So that even if it is necessary to die for your wives, you should not refuse. For if the Master so loved the handmaid as to give Himself for her, much more ought you to so love your fellow servant. But let us see if perhaps the beauty of the bride attracted the bridegroom, and the virtue of her soul. This cannot be said. For that she was deformed and unclean, hear what follows. For having said, He gave Himself for her, he added, That He might sanctify her, cleansing her with the washing of water. And having said, Cleansing her, he showed that she was unclean and polluted before, and not just in any way, but with the utmost uncleanness; for with the savor of sacrifice and with smoke and 51.228 with gore and blood, and with countless other such stains she was defiled. But nevertheless He did not abhor her deformity, but changed her unpleasantness, refashioned her, reformed her, forgave her sins. You also, imitate Him. Even if she who lives with you commits countless sins against you, let go and forgive all of them; and if you take one who is perverse, reform her with gentleness and meekness, as Christ did the Church. For not only did He wipe away her uncleanness, but He also scraped away her old age, having put off the old man, who is composed of sins. And Paul himself, hinting at this again, said: That He might present the Church to Himself in glory, not having spot or wrinkle; for He made her not only beautiful, but also young, not according to the nature of the body, but according to the disposition of her will. And not only is this wondrous, that having taken her deformed and misshapen and shameful and aged, He neither abhorred her deformity, but also gave Himself over to death, and reformed her into an unimaginable beauty; but also that after this, seeing her often being defiled and stained, He does not cast her out, nor tear her away from Himself, but remains, healing and correcting her. For how many, tell me, have sinned after believing? But nevertheless He did not abhor them; for example, the man who had committed fornication among the Corinthians was a member of the Church; but He did not cut off the member, but corrected him. The entire Church of the Galatians fell away, and fell into Judaism; but nevertheless He did not cast her out either, but through Paul, having healed her, He brought her back to her former kinship. Therefore, just as in our own bodies, whenever a sickness occurs, we do not cut off the member, but drive away the sickness; so let us also do in the case of a wife. If some wickedness arises in her, do not cast out the wife, but drive away the wickedness. And yet it is possible to correct a wife, but it is often not possible to heal a maimed member; but nevertheless, knowing its maiming to be incurable, we do not even so cut it off; but also many often having a twisted foot, and a lame leg, and a withered and deadened hand, and an eye

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φέρειν τῆς γυναικὸς τὴν πονηρίαν. Εἰ δὲ βαρὺ τοῦτο καὶ φορτικὸν, πάντα ποίει καὶ πραγματεύου, ὥστε χρηστὴν καὶ ἐπιεικῆ καὶ πειθήνιον γυναῖκα λαβεῖν, εἰδὼς ὅτι δυοῖν ἀνάγκη θάτερον, ἢ πονηρὰν λαβόντα γυναῖκα φέρειν αὐτῆς τὴν ἐπάχθειαν, ἢ τοῦτο μὴ βουλόμενον, ἐκβαλόντα μοιχείᾳ ἁλίσκεσθαι. Ὁ γὰρ ἐκβάλλων γυναῖκα, φησὶ, παρεκτὸς λόγου πορνείας, ποιεῖ αὐτὴν μοιχευθῆναι· καὶ ὁ ἀπολελυμένην γαμῶν μοιχᾶται. Ἂν ταῦτα πρὸ τοῦ γάμου καλῶς ὦμεν διεσκεμμένοι καὶ τοὺς νόμους τούτους εἰδότες, πολλὴν ποιησόμεθα σπουδὴν, ὥστε ἐξ ἀρχῆς εὔρυθμόν τινα καὶ συμβαίνουσαν τοῖς ἡμετέροις τρόποις γυναῖκα λαβεῖν· τοιαύτην δὲ λαβόντες οὐ τοῦτο καρπωσόμεθα μόνον, ὅτι οὐδέποτε αὐτὴν ἐκβαλοῦμεν, ἄλλ' ὅτι καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς αὐτὴν ἀγαπήσομεν τῆς σφοδρότητος, καὶ μεθ' ὅσης ὁ Παῦλος ἐκέλευσεν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Οἱ ἄνδρες, ἀγαπᾶτε τὰς γυναῖκας, οὐκ ἔστη μέχρι τούτου μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μέτρον ἡμῖν ἔδωκεν ἀγάπης, Καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησε τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν. Καὶ πῶς ἠγάπησεν ὁ Χριστός; εἰπέ μοι. Ὅτι παρέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς. Ὥστε κἂν ἀποθανεῖν ὑπὲρ τῶν γυναικῶν δέῃ, μὴ παραιτήσῃ. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ ∆εσπότης τὴν δούλην οὕτως ἠγάπησεν, ὡς καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδοῦναι ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς, πολλῷ μᾶλλον σὲ τὴν ὁμόδουλον οὕτως ἀγαπᾷν χρή. Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν μή ποτε τὸ κάλλος τῆς νύμφης ἐπεσπάσατο τὸν νυμφίον, καὶ ἡ ἀρετὴ τῆς ψυχῆς. Οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο εἰπεῖν. Ὅτι γὰρ δυσειδὴς ἦν καὶ ἀκάθαρτος, ἄκουσον τῶν ἑξῆς. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Παρέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς, ἐπήγαγεν, Ἵνα ἁγιάσῃ αὐτὴν καθαρίσας τῷ λουτρῷ τοῦ ὕδατος. Εἰπὼν δὲ, Καθαρίσας αὐτὴν, ἔδειξεν ἀκάθαρτον οὖσαν ἔμπροσθεν καὶ ἐναγῆ, καὶ οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀκαθαρσίαν· κνίσσῃ γὰρ καὶ καπνῷ καὶ 51.228 λύθρῳ καὶ αἵμασι, καὶ μυρίαις ἑτέραις τοιαύταις κατεῤῥυποῦτο κηλῖσιν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἐβδελύξατο τὴν ἀμορφίαν, ἀλλὰ μετέβαλε τὴν ἀηδίαν, μετέπλασε, μετεῤῥύθμισεν, ἀφῆκε τὰ ἡμαρτημένα. Τοῦτον καὶ σὺ μίμησαι. Κἂν μυρία ἁμάρτῃ ἡ συνοικοῦσα εἰς σὲ ἁμαρτήματα, πάντα ἄφες καὶ συγχώρησον· κἂν λάβῃς δύστροπον, μεταῤῥύθμισον ἐπιεικείᾳ καὶ πραότητι, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν. Οὐ γὰρ τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν αὐτῆς μόνον ἀπέσμηξεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ γῆρας ἀπέξυσε, τὸν παλαιὸν ἀποδύσας ἄνθρωπον, τὸν ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων συγκείμενον. Καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸς αἰνιττόμενος πάλιν ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Ἵνα παραστήσῃ αὐτὴν ἑαυτῷ ἔνδοξον τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, μὴ ἔχουσαν σπῖλον ἢ ῥυτίδα· οὐ γὰρ καλὴν μόνον ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ νέαν, οὐ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ σώματος φύσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν τῆς προαιρέσεως ἕξιν. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ θαυμαστὸν, ὅτι λαβὼν ἄμορφον καὶ δυσειδῆ καὶ αἰσχρὰν καὶ γεγηρακυῖαν, οὔτε ἐβδελύξατο τὴν ἀμορφίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς θάνατον ἑαυτὸν παρέδωκε, καὶ μετεῤῥύθμισεν αὐτὴν εἰς κάλλος ἀμήχανον· ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο πολλάκις ῥυπουμένην, κηλιδουμένην ὁρῶν, οὐκ ἐκβάλλει, οὐδ' ἀποῤῥήγνυσιν ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ μένει θεραπεύων καὶ διορθούμενος. Πόσοι γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, μετὰ τὸ πιστεῦσαι ἥμαρτον; ἀλλ' ὅμως αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἐβδελύξατο· οἷον, ὁ παρὰ Κορινθίοις πεπορνευκὼς μέλος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἦν· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐξέκοψε τὸ μέλος, ἀλλὰ διώρθωσεν. Ἡ Γαλατῶν Ἐκκλησία ἅπασα ἀπεσκίρτησε, καὶ πρὸς ἰουδαϊσμὸν κατέπεσεν· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ ἐκείνην ἐξέβαλεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ Παύλου θεραπεύσας αὐτὴν, ἐπὶ τὴν προτέραν ἐπανήγαγε συγγένειαν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐν τοῖς σώμασι τοῖς ἡμετέροις, ἐπειδὰν γένηται νόσημα, οὐ τὸ μέλος ἐκκόπτομεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ νόσημα ἀπελαύνομεν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γυναικὸς ποιῶμεν. Ἐὰν γένηταί τις ἐν αὐτῇ πονηρία, μὴ τὴν γυναῖκα ἐκβάλῃς, ἀλλὰ τὴν κακίαν ἀπέλασον. Καίτοι γυναῖκα μὲν διορθώσασθαι δυνατὸν, μέλος δὲ πολλάκις πεπηρωμένον θεραπεῦσαι οὐκ ἔνι· ἀλλ' ὅμως εἰδότες αὐτοῦ τὴν πήρωσιν οὖσαν ἀνίατον, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐκκόπτομεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ πόδα διεστραμμένον ἔχοντες πολλοὶ πολλάκις, καὶ σκέλος χωλὸν, καὶ χεῖρα ξηρὰν καὶ νενεκρωμένην, καὶ ὀφθαλμὸν