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what he says is something like this: Are you grieved, he says, that the first woman cast you into birth-pangs and toils and a long pregnancy? But do not be vexed; for you were not so much harmed by the birth-pangs and the toils, as you profit, if you wish, from child-rearing, taking it as an occasion for right actions. For the children that are born, if they receive the proper care, and are led to virtue by your providence, become for you a starting-point and occasion of great salvation, and in addition to your own right actions, you will receive a great reward for your care of them. 4. And that you may learn that it is not bearing a child that makes a mother, nor is a reward set for this, elsewhere indeed Paul, speaking to a widow, said thus, *If she has brought up children*; and he did not say, if she has borne children, but, *If she has brought up children*. For the one is of nature, the other of choice. And for this reason, here also having said, *She shall be saved through childbearing*, he did not stop there, but wishing to show that it is not giving birth to children, but raising children well, that brings us the reward, he added: *if they continue in faith and love and holiness with self-control*. What he says is this: You will then receive a great reward, if the children who were born continue in faith and love and holiness. If, therefore, you lead them into these things, if you exhort, if you teach, if you 54.638 advise, for this care there will be laid up for you a great reward from God. Therefore let not women think it foreign to them to take care of both female and male children. For he did not distinguish the sex here, but also there he said simply, *If she has brought up children*, and here, *If they continue in faith, and love, and holiness*. Therefore we must care for both sets of children, and especially the women must, inasmuch as they also sit at home for the most part. For men are often distracted by journeys abroad, and the cares of the marketplace, and the affairs of the city; but the woman, having an exemption from all such care, would be able more easily to care for those who were born, enjoying much leisure. Thus did the women of old; for not only to men, but also to women is this duty necessary; I mean, to provide for one's own children, and to lead them into philosophy. And that this is true, I will relate to you an ancient story. There was among the Jews a certain woman, Hannah. This Hannah suffered from childlessness for a long time, and what was indeed more difficult, her rival was a mother of many children. And you know how by nature and in itself the matter is unbearable to women; but when a rival is also present who has children, it becomes much more difficult; for in the good fortune of that woman she learns more precisely her own misfortune; just as, therefore, those who live in extreme poverty are more greatly pained then, when they think of the rich. And not only was this the terrible thing, that this one had no children, while that one had, but also that she was a rival, and not only that she was a rival, but that she provoked her to anger by despising her. But God, seeing all these things, bore with it, and, it says, *The Lord did not give her a child according to her affliction, and according to the despondency of her soul*. What is, *According to her affliction*? It is not to say, he says, that seeing her bear the misfortune meekly, he withheld her childbearing, but although seeing her torn apart, pained, afflicted, he did not release her from despondency, managing something else far greater. Let us not hear these things carelessly, but let us also learn from this the greatest philosophy, and whenever we fall into some terrible thing, even if we are in pain, even if we lament, even if the evil seems to us unbearable, let us not be hasty, nor distressed, but let us await the providence of God. For He knows clearly when it is necessary to release that which causes us despondency; which indeed also happened in her case. For it was not because He hated her or turned away from her that God closed her womb, but that He might open for us the doors of the philosophy that was in the woman, and that we might see the wealth of her faith, and know that her more glorious from

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δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἀλγεῖς, φησὶν, ὅτι σε ἡ πρώτη γυνὴ εἰς ὠδῖνας καὶ πόνους ἐνέβαλε καὶ κύησιν μακράν; Ἀλλὰ μὴ δυσχεράνῃς· οὐ γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἐπηρεάσθης ἀπὸ τῶν ὠδίνων, καὶ τῶν πόνων, ὅσον κερδαίνεις, ἐὰν θέλῃς, ἀπὸ τῆς παιδοτροφίας πρόφασιν λαμβάνουσα κατορθωμάτων. Τὰ γὰρ παιδία τὰ τικτόμενα, ἂν τῆς προσηκούσης ἀπολαύῃ θεραπείας, καὶ εἰς ἀρετὴν ἐνάγηται παρὰ τῆς σῆς προνοίας, πολλῆς σοι σωτηρίας ἀφορμὴ καὶ πρόφασις γίνεται, καὶ πρὸς τοῖς οἰκείοις κατορθώμασι, καὶ τῆς περὶ ταῦτα θεραπείας πολλὴν ἀπολήψῃ τὴν ἀμοιβήν. δʹ. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐ τὸ τεκεῖν ποιεῖ μητέρα, οὐδὲ τούτῳ κεῖται μισθὸς, καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ μὲν χήρᾳ διαλεγόμενος ὁ Παῦλος οὕτως εἶπεν, Εἰ ἐτεκνοτρόφησε· καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, εἰ ἐτεκνοποίησεν, ἀλλ' Εἰ ἐτεκνοτρόφησε. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ τῆς φύσεως, τὸ δὲ τῆς προαιρέσεώς ἐστι. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα εἰπὼν, Σωθήσεται διὰ τῆς τεκνογονίας, οὐκ ἔστη μέχρι τούτου, ἀλλὰ δεῖξαι βουλόμενος, ὅτι οὐ τὸ γεννῆσαι τέκνα, ἀλλὰ τὸ θρέψαι τέκνα καλῶς, τοῦτο ἡμῖν φέρει τὸν μισθὸν, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἐὰν ἐπιμείνωσι τῇ πίστει, καὶ τῇ ἀγάπῃ, καὶ τῷ ἁγιασμῷ μετὰ σωφροσύνης. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστι· Τότε λήψῃ πολὺν τὸν μισθὸν, ἐὰν οἱ γεννηθέντες παῖδες ἐπιμείνωσι τῇ πίστει καὶ τῇ ἀγάπῃ καὶ τῷ ἁγιασμῷ. Ἂν τοίνυν αὐτοὺς εἰς ταῦτα ἐνάγῃς, ἂν παρακαλῇς, ἂν διδάξῃς, ἂν συμ 54.638 βουλεύσῃς, τῆς ἐπιμελείας ταύτης κείσεταί σοι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ πολλὴ ἡ ἀμοιβή. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀλλότριον αὐτῶν εἶναι νομιζέτωσαν αἱ γυναῖκες τὸ καὶ θηλειῶν καὶ ἀῤῥένων ἐπιμελεῖσθαι. Οὐ γὰρ διέκρινεν ἐνταῦθα τὸ γένος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκεῖ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, Εἰ ἐτεκνοτρόφησε, καὶ ἐνταῦθα, Ἐὰν ἐπιμείνωσι τῇ πίστει, καὶ τῇ ἀγάπῃ, καὶ τῷ ἁγιασμῷ. Ὥστε ἀμφοτέρων ἡμῖν ἐπιμελητέον τῶν παιδίων, καὶ μάλιστα ταῖς γυναιξὶν, ὅσῳ καὶ τὰ πλείονα οἴκοι κάθηνται. Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ ἄνδρας καὶ ἀποδημίαι, καὶ αἱ τῆς ἀγορᾶς φροντίδες, καὶ τὰ τῆς πόλεως πράγματα περιέλκουσι πολλάκις· ἡ δὲ γυνὴ πάσης τοιαύτης φροντίδος ἀτέλειαν ἔχουσα, εὐκολώτερον δύναιτ' ἂν τῶν τεχθέντων ἐπιμελεῖσθαι, πολλῆς ἀπολαύουσα τῆς σχολῆς. Οὕτως αἱ παλαιαὶ ἐποίουν γυναῖκες· οὐ γὰρ ἀνδράσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναιξὶν ἀναγκαῖον τοῦτο τὸ ὄφλημα· λέγω δὲ τὸ τῶν οἰκείων προνοεῖσθαι παίδων, καὶ εἰς φιλοσοφίαν αὐτοὺς ἐνάγειν. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθὲς, ἀρχαίαν τινὰ ἱστορίαν ὑμῖν διηγήσομαι. Ἄννα τις ἐγένετο παρὰ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις γυνή. Αὕτη ἡ Ἄννα πολὺν ἐνόσησεν ἀπαιδίας χρόνον, καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι ἡ ἀντίζηλος αὐτῆς παίδων ἦν μήτηρ πολλῶν. Ἴστε δὲ ὡς τῇ φύσει καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀφόρητόν ἐστι ταῖς γυναιξίν· ὅταν δὲ καὶ ἀντίζηλος προσῇ παῖδας ἔχουσα, πολλῷ χαλεπώτερον γίνεται· ἐν γὰρ τῇ τῆς γυναικὸς ἐκείνης εὐπραγίᾳ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀκριβέστερον καταμανθάνει συμφοράν· καθάπερ οὖν καὶ οἱ πενίᾳ συζῶντες ἐσχάτῃ, τότε ὀδυνῶνται μειζόνως, ὅταν ἐννοήσωσι τοὺς πλουτοῦντας. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἦν τὸ δεινὸν, ὅτι παῖδας αὕτη μὲν οὐκ εἶχεν, ἐκείνη δὲ εἶχεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἀντίζηλος ἦν, καὶ οὐχ ὅτι ἀντίζηλος ἦν μόνον, ἀλλ' ὅτι παρώργιζεν αὐτὴν διὰ τὸ ἐξουθενεῖν αὐτήν. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ταῦτα πάντα ὁρῶν ἠνείχετο, καὶ Οὐκ ἔδωκεν αὐτῇ Κύριος, φησὶ, παιδίον κατὰ τὴν θλίψιν αὐτῆς, καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀθυμίαν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτῆς. Τί ἐστι, Κατὰ τὴν θλίψιν αὐτῆς; Οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, φησὶν, ὅτι πράως ὁρῶν φέρουσαν τὴν συμφορὰν, ἐπεῖχεν αὐτῆς τὴν τόκον, ἀλλὰ καίτοι διακοπτομένην ὁρῶν, ὀδυνωμένην, θλιβομένην, οὐκ ἔλυσε τὴν ἀθυμίαν, ἕτερόν τι πολλῷ μεῖζον οἰκονομῶν. Ταῦτα μὴ παρέργως ἀκούωμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐντεῦθεν μάθωμεν μεγίστην φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ ἐπειδὰν δεινῷ τινι περιπέσωμεν, κἂν ἀλγῶμεν, κἂν ὀδυρώμεθα, κἂν ἀφόρητον ἡμῖν εἶναι δοκῇ τὸ κακὸν, μὴ σπεύδωμεν, μηδὲ ἀλύωμεν, ἀλλ' ἀναμένωμεν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν πρόνοιαν. Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ οἶδε σαφῶς πότε δεῖ λῦσαι τὸ ποιοῦν τὴν ἀθυμίαν ἡμῖν· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτης συνέβη. Οὐ γὰρ μισῶν αὐτὴν, οὐδὲ ἀποστρεφόμενος ὁ Θεὸς ἀπέκλεισεν αὐτῆς τὴν μήτραν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἡμῖν ἀνοίξῃ τὰς θύρας τῆς φιλοσοφίας τῆς ἐν τῇ γυναικὶ, καὶ τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτῆς τῆς πίστεως κατίδωμεν, καὶ γνῶμεν ὅτι λαμπροτέραν αὐτὴν ἐκ