6

mastered? Let such a one, therefore, first heal his own wound, and then he will be able to heal his brother's bruise, having strengthened his soul with divine words; for the wound of the soul is relieved when consoled by holy words. Therefore, exhort all men, those who are burning, if they wish, to marry in Christ (knowing, however, that one was formed for one, but Lamech, being the first from Cain, took for himself two wives; but to take for oneself is to not act according to the will of God. For polygamy has the name of marriage, but it is a specious fornication); and those who are continent, to practice perfectly in Christ, and not to philosophize in name, but to do the deed covertly.

And again, do not pay attention to the eyes of men, because you are not seen, with walls enclosing you on all sides; but fear the threat of God, that all things are naked and laid bare before him, the things done by men in the night and in the day. And it comes to me to marvel greatly, as I am astonished at the insensibility of the shortsighted, how females have given themselves over to slavery by their own will, having been bought with a price by the one who priced them. For often a certain maiden, not having served her own parents, and not having given recompense for their just labors to her own progenitors, this same one is found diligent towards her beloved, and strives in every way to please him, and not to serve God piously, laboring night and day, and changing and preparing garments for him; and there are many other things, which we do not ignore, but do not wish to speak of now; for it is not lawful to bring into the open the things done by them in secret, which are shameful even to speak of. And so the man, like a fish caught in an evil net, through the garments and the death-bearing service which is done to please men and not according to piety, is enslaved to the woman, drunk in his mind, and being shaken is completely undone by the woman's words, and no longer recognizes the time for prayer, nor, if he bows to pray, does he know what he is doing, seeing as in a mirror the character of a courtesan's disposition.

And the woman suffers similar things with him who suffers. And when Scripture is read, their minds are blind; and when sermons are spoken in church, they do not know what they hear, being enslaved to each other's shameful passion; thus the erotic and manic passion maims the soul, so that, if possible, they even forget their own names. So much does a woman living with a man turn aside the man's mind; so much does a man cohabiting 30.828 with a woman lead the woman to a madness of desire; so powerful is a woman living with a man as to cause forgetfulness of the memory of God.

Let us drive ourselves out from Gehenna and eternal fire. Why, while living, do you bury yourselves in Hades and fearsome Tartarus? You who have spiritual wives, and live with them, unlearn the evil lesson, that which is the cause of destruction, and the betrayal of salvation. Let us imitate the apostles, let us imitate the prophets, and let us walk in their footsteps, and let not the bait of a woman deceive us; nor again let us ourselves entice a woman through vainglory and false humility; but let all things be done by us soberly in Christ, according to true and firm humility, so that we may be able to be delivered from the present evil age, according to the will of our Father, and of the Lord Jesus Christ his only-begotten Son, through whom and with whom be glory, power, honor to the invisible Father with the holy and paraclete Spirit, now and unto all the ages of ages. Amen.

6

κρατούμενος; Θεραπευέτω τοίνυν πρῶτον τὸ ἑαυτοῦ τραῦμα ὁ τοι οῦτος, καὶ τότε δυνήσεται τὸν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μώλωπα ἰάσασθαι, λόγοις θείοις τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπιῤῥώσας· τὸ γὰρ τῆς ψυχῆς τραῦμα τοῖς ἁγίοις λόγοις παραμυθούμενον κουφίζεται. Παρακάλει τοίνυν πάντας τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, τοὺς μὲν πυρουμένους, εἰ βούλοιντο, γαμεῖν ἐν Χριστῷ (γινώσκοντας μέντοι, ὡς μία ἑνὶ ἐπλάσθη, πρῶτος δὲ Λάμεχ ὢν ἐκ τοῦ Κάϊν, ἔλαβεν ἑαυτῷ δύο γυναῖκας· τὸ δὲ ἑαυτῷ λαβεῖν ἐστι τὸ μὴ κατὰ θέλημα. Θεοῦ.

Ἡ γὰρ πολυγαμία, γάμου μὲν ἔχει τὸ ὄνομα, ἔστι δὲ φιλευπρόσωπος πορνεία)· τοὺς δὲ ἐγκρατευομένους, τελείως ἐν Χριστῷ ἀσκεῖν, καὶ μὴ τῷ μὲν ὀνόματι φιλοσοφεῖν, τὸ δὲ ἔργον ἐπικεκαλυμμένως πράττειν. Μηδὲ πάλιν τοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὀφθαλμοῖς προσέχετε, ὅτι οὐχ ὁρᾶσθε, τοίχων ὑμᾶς πανταχόθεν περικλειόντων· ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπειλὴν φοβήθητε, ὅτι πάντα γυμνὰ, καὶ τετραχηλισμένα ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ εἰσι, τὰ ἐν νυκτὶ καὶ ἡμέρᾳ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πραττόμενα. Καί μοι θαυμάσαι λίαν ἔπεισιν ἐκπληττομένῳ τὴν ἀναισθησίαν τῶν μυωπαζόντων, πῶς αἱ θήλειαι ἑκουσίᾳ γνώμῃ ἑαυτὰς εἰς δουλείαν ἐκδεδώκασι, τιμῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ τετιμηκότος ἀγορασθεῖσαι. Πολλάκις γάρ τις κόρη τοῖς ἰδίοις γονεῦσι μὴ ἐξυπηρετησαμένη, καὶ ἀμοιβὰς δικαίων πόνων μὴ ἀποδεδωκυῖα τοῖς ἑαυτῆς γεννήτορσιν, αὕτη σπουδαία εἰς τὸν ἀγαπητὸν εὑρέθη, καὶ πάντα τρόπον ἀγωνίζεται αὐτῷ ἀρέσαι, καὶ οὐχὶ Θεῷ εὐσεβῶς δουλεῦσαι, νύκτωρ τε καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν ταλαιπωροῦσα, καὶ στολὰς ἐξαλάσσουσα αὐτῷ καὶ κατασκευάζουσα· καὶ πολλὰ ἄλλα πράγματά ἐστιν, ἃ οὐκ ἀγνοοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ νῦν λέγειν οὐ βουλόμεθα· οὐ γὰρ θέμις τὰ κρυφῆ γινόμενα ὑπ' αὐτῶν εἰς μέσον ἄγειν, ἃ καὶ τῷ λέγειν αἰσχρὰ τυγχάνει. Ὁ δὲ λοιπὸν, ὥσπερ τις ἰχθὺς ἀμφιβλήστρῳ κακῷ περιβληθεὶς, διὰ τῶν ἱματίων καὶ τῆς θανατηφόρου ὑπηρεσίας τῆς κατὰ ἀνθρωπαρέσκειαν γινομένης, καὶ οὐ κατὰ θεοσέβειαν, δεδούλωται τῷ γυναίῳ, μεθύων τὸ φρόνημα, καὶ κραδαινόμενος ὅλως ἐκλύεται ὑπὸ τῶν γυναικείων ῥημάτων, καὶ οὔτε προσευχῆς καιρὸν λοιπὸν ἐπιγινώσκει, οὔτε ἐὰν κύψῃ τοῦ προσεύξασθαι, οἶδε τί ποιεῖ, ἐνοπτριζόμενος χαρακτῆρα ἑταιρικῆς διαθέσεως.

Τὰ ὅμοια δὲ καὶ τὸ γύναιον συμπάσχει τῷ πάσχοντι. Καὶ Γραφῆς ἀναγινωσκομένης ἀβλεπτοῦσι τὴν διάνοιαν· καὶ ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ προσομιλιῶν λαλουμένων, οὐκ οἴδασι τί ἀκούουσι, τῷ ἀλλήλων αἰσχρῷ πάθει δεδουλωμένοι· οὕτως τοῦ ἐρωτικοῦ καὶ μανιώδους πάθους τὴν ψυχὴν πηροῦντος, ὡς, εἰ δυνατὸν, καὶ τῶν ἰδίων ὀνομάτων ἐπιλανθάνεσθαι. Τοσοῦτον ἡ γυνὴ συνοικοῦσα τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἐκτρέπει τὸν νοῦν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου· τοσοῦτον ὁ ἀνὴρ γυναικὶ 30.828 συσκηνῶν πρὸς μανίαν ἐπιθυμίας ἄγει τὴν γυναῖκα· τοσοῦτον ἰσχύει γυνὴ ἀνδρὶ συνοικοῦσα, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ μνήμης λήθην ἐμποιῆσαι. Ἐξελάσωμεν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ γεέννης καὶ πυρὸς αἰωνίου. Τί ζῶντες ἑαυτοὺς εἰς ᾅδην καὶ φοβερὸν τάρταρον κατορύσσετε; Οἱ τὰς συνεισάκτους ἔχοντες, καὶ αὐταῖς συνοικοῦντες, ἀπομάθετε τὸ κακὸν μάθημα, τὸ τῆς ἀπωλείας πρόξενον, καὶ τὸ τῆς σωτηρίας προδοτικόν. Μιμησώμεθα τοὺς ἀποστόλους. μιμησώμεθα τοὺς προφήτας, καὶ κατ' ἴχνος αὐτῶν βαίνωμεν, καὶ μὴ ἡμᾶς ἀπατάτω τὸ τῆς γυναικὸς δέλεαρ· μηδὲ πάλιν γυναῖκα ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ δελεάζωμεν διὰ τῆς κενοδοξίας, καὶ ἐθελοταπεινοφροσύνης· ἀλλὰ πάντα κατὰ ἀληθινὴν καὶ βεβαίαν ταπεινοφροσύνην σωφρόνως ὑφ' ἡμῶν πραττέσθω ἐν Χριστῷ, ἵνα δυνηθῶμεν ῥυσθῆναι ἐκ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος καιροῦ πονηροῦ, κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ Υἱοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ τῷ ἀοράτῳ Πατρὶ σὺν ἁγίῳ καὶ παρακλήτῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ εἰς τοὺς σύμπαντας αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.