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they grow wanton against Christ, they want to marry, incurring condemnation because they have violated their first pledge.”

11 But you, if you do not adopt youthful fashions, you are not called a younger woman, but you will be called an old woman and you have honor as an older woman; let the substance of your clothes not be costly. Your outer garment, black. not dyed with a dye, but of its own natural color or onyx-colored; and the veil undyed, likewise of the same color; and woolen gloves covering the arms to the fingers of the hands, the hair of the head cut short and a woolen headband, binding the head and a hood and an undyed shoulder-garment. And if you meet a person, let your face be covered, looking down, and you should not lift up your face to a person, except only to your God. When you stand for prayer, have your feet covered with footwear; for this attire is holy and proper; you should not undress naked; and night and day let your garment cover your flesh. Let no other woman see your body naked without any necessity; but neither should you yourself perceive your body uncovered. For from the time you vowed to God to be continent, your body has been sanctified and is a temple of God. Therefore, the temple of God must not be uncovered by anyone. You shall not go to the bath when you are healthy without any necessity, you shall not immerse your whole body in water, because you are holy to the Lord God; and you will not defile your flesh with anything worldly, but wash only your face, and hands, and feet; when you wash your face, you will not wash with two hands nor rub the apples of your cheeks nor use grass or nitre or things like these. For worldly women do these things; but you will wash in clean water.

12 You shall not anoint your body with costly perfume, nor shall you put costly scents on your clothes. But if your body becomes weaker, use a little wine for the stomach's sake. And if, which may it not happen, you fall into sickness, take care of yourself; do not give people occasion to say that this sickness happened from her asceticism, but before anyone says it to you, you take care of yourself, until you rise quickly, and again you draw on your rule. Spend the whole time of your life in fasts and prayers and almsgiving. Blessed is the one who hears these things. Night and day let not the word of God depart from your mouth. Let your work be continually the study of the divine scriptures. Have a psalter and learn the psalms. Let the rising sun see the book in your hands, and after the third hour perform the gatherings, for at this hour the wood of the cross was fixed; at the sixth hour perform the prayers with psalms and weeping and supplication, because at that hour the Son of God was hung on the cross; at the ninth hour again with hymns and doxologies with tears confessing your transgressions, beseech God, because at that hour the Lord hanging on the cross gave up the spirit. And after the gathering of the ninth hour, eat your bread, giving thanks to God at your table thus: Blessed is God who nourishes me from my youth, “who gives food to all flesh”; fill my heart with joy and gladness, that always having all sufficiency we may abound in every good work in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to you be glory, honor, power with the Holy Spirit for ages of ages, amen.

13 And when you sit at the table and come to break the bread, having signed it three times, thus giving thanks say: We thank you our Father for your holy resurrection; for through Jesus your servant you have made it known to us; and just as this bread was scattered upon this table and being gathered together became one, so let your church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom, for yours is the power and the glory for the

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καταστρηνιάσωσι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, γαμεῖν θέλουσιν, ἔχουσαι κρίμα ὅτι τὴν πρώτην πίστιν ἠθέ τησαν.»

11 Σὺ δέ, εἰ μὲν οὐ ποιεῖς τὰ νεωτερικὰ σχήματα, οὐκ ἀκούεις νεωτέρα, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρεσβύτης ἀποκαλῇ καὶ τιμὴν ἔχεις ὡς πρεσβυτέρα· ἡ ὑπόστασις τῶν ἱματίων σου μὴ ἤτω πολύτιμος. Ὁ ἐπενδύτης σου μέλας. μὴ βεβαμμένος ἐν βαφῇ, ἀλλ' αὐτοφυὴς ἰδιόχροος ἢ ὀνυχίζων· καὶ τὸ μαφόριον ἄκροσσον, ὡσαύτως τῆς αὐτῆς χρόας· καὶ χειρίδια ἐρεᾶ περικαλύπτοντα τοὺς βραχίονας ἕως τῶν δακτύλων τῶν χειρῶν, τὰς τρίχας τῆς κεφαλῆς περι κεκομμένας καὶ κεφαλοδέσμιον ἐρεοῦν, περισφίγγον τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ κουκούλιον καὶ ἐπώμιον ἄκροσσον. ἐὰν δὲ συναντᾷς ἀν θρώπῳ, τὸ πρόσωπον κατακεκαλυμμένον ἔστω, κάτω νεῦον, καὶ οὐκ ἐπάρῃς ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, εἰ μὴ μόνον τῷ Θεῷ σου. Ὅταν στῇς εἰς προσευχὴν τοὺς πόδας σου περικεκαλυμ μένους ἔχε ἐν ὑποδήμασιν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ στολισμὸς ἱεροπρε πής ἐστιν· οὐκ ἐκδύσῃ γυμνή· νυκτὸς δὲ καὶ ἡμέρας τὸ ἱμάτιόν σου ἔστω καλύπτον τὴν σάρκα σου. οὐ μὴ ἴδῃ ἄλλη γυνὴ τὸ σῶμά σου γυμνὸν ἄνευ πάσης ἀνάγκης· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αὐτὴ κατα νοήσεις ἀποκεκαλυμμένη τῷ σώματι. ἐξότου γὰρ ἐτάξω τῷ Θεῷ ἐγκρατεύεσθαι, τὸ σῶμά σου ἡγιασμένον ἐστὶ καὶ ναὸς Θεοῦ. οὐ χρὴ οὖν τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι ὑπό τι νος. οὐ πορεύσῃ εἰς βαλανεῖον ὑγιαίνουσα ἄνευ πάσης ἀνάγ κης, οὐ μὴ βάψῃς ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου εἰς ὕδωρ, ὅτι ἁγία εἶ κυ ρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ· καὶ οὐ μιανεῖς τὴν σάρκα σου ἐν οὐδενὶ κοσμικῷ, ἀλλὰ μόνον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου νίψαι, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τοὺς πόδας· ὅταν νίψῃς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, οὐ νίψῃ ταῖς δύο χερσὶν οὐδὲ μὴ ἐκτρίψῃ τὰ μῆλα τῆς ὄψεώς σου οὐδὲ μὴ βάλῃς πόαν οὐδὲ νίτρον οὐδὲ τὰ ὅμοια τούτοις. αἱ κοσμικαὶ γὰρ ταῦτα ποιοῦσιν· ἀλλ' ἐν ὕδατι καθαρῷ νίψῃ.

12 Οὐκ ἐπιχρίσῃ τὸ σῶμά σου μύρῳ πολυτελεῖ, οὐδὲ ἐπι βαλεῖς ἐπὶ τὰ ἱμάτιά σου ἀρώματα πολύτιμα. Ἐὰν δὲ τὸ σῶμά σου ἀσθενέστερον γένηται, χρῆσαι οἴνῳ ὀλίγῳ διὰ τὸν στό μαχον. ἐὰν δέ, ὃ μὴ γένοιτο, εἰς κάκωσιν ἐμπέσῃς, σεαυτῆς ἐπι μελοῦ· μὴ δῷς τόπον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις λέγειν, ὅτι ἐκ τῆς ἀσκή σεως αὐτῆς συνέβη αὕτη ἡ κάκωσις, ἀλλὰ πρὶν ἤ τινα εἰπεῖν σοι, σὺ σεαυτῆς φρόντισον, ἕως ἂν ταχὺ ἀναστῇς, καὶ πάλιν τὸν κανόνα σου ἑλκύσῃς. ὅλον τὸν χρόνον τῆς ζωῆς σου ἐν νηστείαις καὶ προσευχαῖς καὶ ἐλεημοσύναις διατέλει. μακάριος ὁ ἀκούων ταῦτα. νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας μὴ ἀποστήτω ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκ τοῦ στόματός σου. ἤτω δὲ τὸ ἔργον σου διαπαντὸς μελέτη τῶν θείων γραφῶν. ψαλτήριον ἔχε καὶ τοὺς ψαλμοὺς μάνθανε. ἀνατέλλων ὁ ἥλιος βλεπέτω τὸ βιβλίον ἐν ταῖς χερσί σου, καὶ μετὰ τρίτην ὥραν συνάξεις ἐπιτέλει, ὅτι ταύτῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἐπάγη τὸ ξύλον τοῦ σταυροῦ· ἕκτῃ ὥρᾳ ἐπιτέλει τὰς προσευχὰς μετὰ ψαλμῶν καὶ κλαυθμοῦ καὶ δεήσεως, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἐ κρεμάσθη ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ σταυροῦ· ἐνάτῃ ὥρᾳ πάλιν ἐν ὕμνοις καὶ δοξολογίαις μετὰ δακρύων ἐξομολογουμένη τὰ παραπτώματά σου, τὸν Θεὸν ἱκέτευε, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ὁ κύριος κρεμάμενος ἐπὶ σταυροῦ ἀπέδωκε τὸ πνεῦμα. καὶ μετὰ τὴν σύναξιν τῆς ἐνάτης ἔσθιε τὸν ἄρτον σου, εὐχαριστήσασα τῷ Θεῷ ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης σου οὕτως· εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς ὁ τρέφων με ἐκ νεότητος μου, «ὁ διδοὺς τροφὴν πάσῃ σαρκί»· πλή ρωσον χαρᾶς καὶ εὐφροσύνης τὴν καρδίαν μου, ἵνα πάντοτε πᾶσαν αὐτάρκειαν ἔχοντες περισσεύωμεν εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, μεθ' οὗ σοι δόξα, τιμή, κράτος σὺν ἁγίῳ πνεύματι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, ἀμήν.

13 Καὶ ὅταν καθεσθῇς ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης καὶ ἔρχῃ κλᾶσαι τὸν ἄρτον, σφραγίσασα αὐτὸν τρίτον, οὕτως εὐχαριστοῦσα λέγε· εὐχαριστοῦμέν σοι πάτερ ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἁγίας ἀναστάσεώς σου· διὰ γὰρ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ παιδός σου ἐγνώρισας ἡμῖν αὐτήν· καὶ καθὼς ὁ ἄρτος οὗτος ἐσκορπισμένος ὑπάρχει ὁ ἐπάνω ταύτης τῆς τραπέζης καὶ συναχθεὶς ἐγένετο ἕν, οὕτως ἐπισυναχθήτω σου ἡ ἐκκλησία ἀπὸ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν σου, ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς