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lifeless, they neither gouge out the eye, nor cut off the leg, nor sever the hand, but seeing that no profit comes to the body from them, and much shame to the other members, they remain having them because of the sympathy for the other parts. How then is it not absurd, where correction is incurable, and there is no profit, to show such great care; but where there are good hopes, and the change is great, to forbid the therapy? For things maimed by nature it is impossible to recover again, but it is possible to reform a perverted will. 3. But if you should say that she is incurably sick, and having received much care continues in her own way, not even so should she be cast out; for not even an incurably sick member is cut off. And she is your member; For they shall be, he says, the two into one flesh. And in the case of the member, there will be no profit for us from the therapy, once it has become incorrigible from the sickness; but in the case of the wife, even if she remains incurably sick, a great reward will be laid up for us for teaching and instructing her. And even if she gains nothing from our teaching, for our patience at least we shall receive a great reward from 51.229 God, because for fear of Him we have shown such great patience, and have borne her wickedness gently, and have kept our member. For the wife is our necessary member; and for this reason especially one must love her. Therefore, teaching this very thing, Paul said again: So ought men to love their own wives as their own bodies. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ the Church: For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For just as Eve, he says, was made from the side of Adam, so are we from the side of Christ. For this is, Of his flesh, and of his bones. But that Eve was made from the side of Adam himself, we all know, and the Scripture has clearly said this, that He cast a deep sleep upon him, and took one of his ribs, and built the woman; but that the Church also was formed from the side of Christ, whence could one prove it? And this the Scripture shows. For when Christ was brought to the cross, and was nailed, and died, one of the soldiers came and pierced His side, and there came out blood and water; and from that blood and water the whole Church was formed. And He Himself testifies, saying, that Unless one is born again of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. And the blood, He calls Spirit. And we are born through the water of baptism, but we are nourished through the blood. Do you see how we are of His flesh, and of His bones, being born and nourished from that blood and water? And just as, while Adam was sleeping, the woman was fashioned, so, when Christ had died, the Church was formed from His side. But not for this reason only must one love his wife, that she is our member, and from us she had the beginning of her creation; but also that God has laid down a law for this very thing, saying thus: For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. For this reason also Paul read this law to us, that from all sides he might drive us to this love. And consider the apostolic wisdom; for neither from the divine laws, nor from human laws only, does he lead us into the love of women, but alternating from these and from those he sets down both these things; that the one

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ἐσβεσμένον, οὔτε τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν ἐξορύττουσιν, οὔτε τὸ σκέλος ἐκκόπτουσιν, οὔτε τὴν χεῖρα ἀποτέμνουσιν, ἀλλ' ὁρῶντες οὔτε κέρδος ἐγγινόμενον ἐξ αὐτῶν τι τῷ σώματι, καὶ πολλὴν τοῖς λοιποῖς μέλεσιν αἰσχύνην, μένουσιν αὐτὰ ἔχοντες διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὰ λοιπὰ συμπάθειαν. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἄτοπον, ἔνθα μὲν ἀνίατος ἡ διόρθωσις, καὶ κέρδος οὐδὲν, τοσαύτην ποιεῖσθαι πρόνοιαν· ἔνθα δὲ χρησταὶ ἐλπίδες, καὶ πολλὴ ἡ μεταβολὴ, ἀπαγορεύειν τὴν θεραπείαν; Τὰ μὲν γὰρ τῇ φύσει πηρωθέντα ἀδύνατον ἀνακτήσασθαι πάλιν, τὴν δὲ προαίρεσιν διεστραμμένην δυνατὸν μεταῤῥυθμίσαι. γʹ. Εἰ δὲ καὶ αὐτὴν λέγοις ἀνίατα νοσεῖν, καὶ πολλῆς ἐπιμελείας τυχοῦσαν τῷ οἰκείῳ κεχρῆσθαι τρόπῳ, οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτὴν ἐκβλητέον· οὔτε γὰρ τὸ μέλος ἀνίατα νοσοῦν ἐκκόπτεται. Μέλος δὲ καὶ αὕτη σόν· Ἔσονται γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν. Καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ μέλους, οὐδὲν ἔσται κέρδος ἡμῖν τῆς θεραπείας, ἐπειδὰν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ἀδιόρθωτον φθάσῃ γενέσθαι· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς γυναικὸς, κἂν ἀνίατα μένῃ νοσοῦσα, πολὺς ἡμῖν ὁ μισθὸς ἀποκείσεται διδάσκουσι, παιδαγωγοῦσι. Κἂν μηδὲν ἐκείνη παρὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας διδασκαλίας κερδαίνῃ, τῆς γοῦν ὑπομονῆς πολὺν παρὰ τοῦ 51.229 Θεοῦ ληψόμεθα τὸν μισθὸν, ὅτι διὰ τὸν ἐκείνου φόβον τοσαύτην ὑπομονὴν ἐπεδειξάμεθα, καὶ τὴν κακίαν αὐτῆς πράως ἠνέγκαμεν, καὶ τὸ μέλος ἡμῶν ἐκρατήσαμεν. Μέλος γὰρ ἡμῶν ἀναγκαῖον ἡ γυνή· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὴν μάλιστα δεῖ φιλεῖν. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο διδάσκων πάλιν ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Οὕτως ὀφείλουσιν οἱ ἄνδρες ἀγαπᾷν τὰς ἑαυτῶν γυναῖκας ὡς τὰ ἑαυτῶν σώματα. Οὐδεὶς γάρ ποτε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σάρκα ἐμίσησεν, ἀλλ' ἐκτρέφει καὶ θάλπει αὐτὴν, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν· ὅτι μέλη ἐσμὲν τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ, ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὀστέων αὐτοῦ. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἡ Εὔα, φησὶν, ἀπὸ τῆς πλευρᾶς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ γέγονεν, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐκ τῆς πλευρᾶς τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν, Ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὀστέων αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν ἡ Εὔα ἐκ τῆς πλευρᾶς αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ γέγονεν, ἅπαντες ἴσμεν, καὶ σαφῶς ἡ Γραφὴ τοῦτο εἴρηκεν, ὅτι ἐπέβαλεν ἔκστασιν ἐπ' αὐτὸν, καὶ ἔλαβε μίαν τῶν πλευρῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ᾠκοδόμησε τὴν γυναῖκα· ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἡ Ἐκκλησία ἀπὸ τῆς πλευρᾶς τοῦ Χριστοῦ συνέστη, πόθεν ἔχοι τις ἂν ἀποδεῖξαι; Καὶ τοῦτο ἡ Γραφὴ δείκνυσιν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς εἰς τὸν σταυρὸν ἀνηνέχθη, καὶ προσηλώθη, καὶ ἀπέθανε, Προσελθὼν εἷς τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἔνυξεν αὐτοῦ τὴν πλευρὰν, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ· καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνου τοῦ αἵματος καὶ τοῦ ὕδατος ἡ Ἐκκλησία ἅπασα συνέστηκε. Καὶ μαρτυρεῖ αὐτὸς λέγων, ὅτι Ἐὰν μή τις ἀναγεννηθῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος, οὐ δύναται εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Τὸ δὲ αἷμα, πνεῦμα λέγει. Καὶ γεννώμεθα μὲν διὰ τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ βαπτίσματος, τρεφόμεθα δὲ διὰ τοῦ αἵματος. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ ἐσμεν, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὀστέων αὐτοῦ, ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος ἐκείνου καὶ τοῦ ὕδατος τικτόμενοι καὶ τρεφόμενοι; Καὶ καθάπερ, τοῦ Ἀδὰμ καθεύδοντος, ἡ γυνὴ κατεσκευάζετο, οὕτω, τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀποθανόντος, ἡ Ἐκκλησία διεπλάττετο ἐκ τῆς πλευρᾶς αὐτοῦ. Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον χρὴ φιλεῖν τὴν γυναῖκα, ὅτι μέλος ἡμῶν ἐστι, καὶ ἐξ ἡμῶν ἔσχε τὴν τῆς δημιουργίας ἀρχήν· ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ νόμον ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τούτου τέθεικεν ὁ Θεὸς, οὕτω λέγων· Ἀντὶ τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέρα, καὶ προσκολληθήσεται πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ τοῦτον ἡμῖν ὁ Παῦλος ἀνέγνω τὸν νόμον, ἵνα πανταχόθεν ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὸν ἔρωτα συνελάσῃ τοῦτον. Καὶ σκόπει σοφίαν ἀποστολικήν· οὔτε γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν θείων νόμων, οὔτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων μόνον, εἰς τὴν ἀγάπην ἡμᾶς ἐνάγει τῶν γυναικῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων καὶ ἀπ' ἐκείνων ἐναλλάξας ἀμφότερα ταῦτα τίθησιν· ἵνα ὁ μὲν